Showing posts with label Nick Schneider. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nick Schneider. Show all posts

Friday, May 26, 2017

Winterhawks land big one ... Tigers deal goalie to Hitmen ... All OHL final at World Series


F Mads Eller (Edmonton, 2013-15) has signed a one-year contract with Rødovre (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Eller played his minor hockey with Rødovre. This season, with Gentofte (Denmark, Metal Ligaen), he had a goal and four assists in 25 games. . . .
D Renat Mamashev (Moose Jaw, 2000-01) has signed a one-year contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (Russia, KHL). This season, with Sochi (Russia, KHL), he had four goals and 13 assists in 47 games.
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 F Kieffer Bellows is leaving Boston University to join the Portland Winterhawks. Bellows, who will turn 19 on June 10, is the son of former NHLer Brian Bellows.
Following this Memorial Day long weekend in the U.S., the Winterhawks will introduce Kieffer to the Portland fans and media at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
The New York Islanders selected Bellows with the 19th overall pick in the NHL’s 2016 draft. A native of
KIEFFER BELLOWS
Edina, Minn., he was a seventh-round selection by Portland in the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft. That pick was made by Mike Johnston, then Portland’s general manager and head coach. Johnston returned to the Winterhawks prior to this season after a stint as head coach of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
The 6-foot-0, 200-pound Bellows was a freshman at BU this season. He struggled at times against NCAA competition, finishing with seven goals and seven assists in 34 games. However, he was solid with the U.S. national team, with two goals and an assist in seven games, as it won the 2017 World Junior Championship. 
Bellows spent 2014-15 with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede, scoring 33 goals and adding 19 assists in 58 games. In 2015-16, he played 62 games with the U.S. National U-18 team, putting up 50 goals and 31 assists in 62 games. He also played 23 games with the U.S. National Team Development Program U-20 team, scoring 16 times and adding 16 assists.
The Winterhawks see Bellows as a power forward along the lines of graduating captain Keegan Iverson, but with a better scoring touch. Iverson had 26 goals and 44 assists in 55 games this season.
You can bet the house that Bellows will get the opportunity to play alongside F Cody Glass, who will be an early first-round selection in the NHL draft next month. Glass, who turned 18 on April 1, is a tremendous playmaker who had a breakout season, with 94 points, including 62 assists, in 69 games.
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For the third time this week, two WHL teams have been involved in a deal involving a goaltender.
On Friday, the Medicine Hat Tigers dealt G Nick Schneider, who turns 20 on July 21, to the Calgary
NICK SCHNEIDER
Hitmen for a fourth-round selection in the 2019 WHL bantam draft.
This season, Schneider, from Leduc, Alta., went 32-11-1, 3.43, .886. In 142 career regular-season games, he is 76-47-5, 3.30, .893. The Calgary Flames signed him to a three-year entry-level contract as an undrafted free agent in September 2015. As a signed 20-year-old, he will be eligible to play in the Flames’ organization, perhaps with the AHL’s Stockton Heat. But don’t forget that the Flames’ parent company — Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation — also owns the Hitmen.
On the Calgary end, this trade was made by former general manager Mike Moore. He was moved up from vice-president business operations and general manager to vice-president and alternate governor on May 15, but is continuing to act as GM until a successor is found.
Schneider began his career by playing nine games with the Regina Pats in 2013-14. On Jan. 10, 2014, the Tigers traded F Logan McVeigh and G Daniel Wapple to the Pats for Schneider, then 16, and a third-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft.
Schneider joins two other veteran goaltenders on Calgary’s roster — Cody Porter, who turns 20 on Sept. 23, and Kyle Dumba, 19.
Aside from Porter, the roster includes four other 20-year-olds — F Matteo Gennaro, D Jaydan Gordon, D Brady Reagan and F Jakob Stukel.
On Tuesday, the Tigers acquired G Jordan Hollett, 18, from Regina for F Matt Bradley, 20, a second-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft and a fifth-rounder in 2019.
Having traded away Bradley and Schneider, the Tigers still have eight 20-year-olds on their roster, including G Michael Bullion. Others are Swedish F John Dahlstrom, F Zach Fischer, D Brad Forrest, D Jordan Henderson, F Mark Rassell, D Kristians Rubins, who is from Latvia, and D Ty Schultz.
The other trade involving a goaltender came down on Thursday, as the Everett Silvertips dealt Mario Petit, who will turn 20 on July 25, to the Kootenay Ice for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft.
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D Vojtech Budik of the Prince Albert Raiders has been invited to the summer camp of the Czech Republic’s national junior team. That camp is to run in Rokycany and Salzburg, June 9-16. . . . Budik, 19, had a goal and 25 assists in 56 games with the Raiders last season. . . . He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth-round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . Budik played two games for Czech Republic at the 2017 World Junior Championship.
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Coaching Game

 The Buffalo Sabres have fired Dan Lambert, who was the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, for one season. Lambert, a former WHL player and coach, went 32-41-3 with the Americans this season. Last season, Lambert, 47, was an assistant coach with the Sabres. Prior to that, he spent six seasons with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, five as an assistant coach and the last one (2014-15) as head coach. The Rockets won the WHL title in his only season as head coach. . . . A defenceman, he played four seasons (1986-90) with the Swift Current Broncos, helping them to the 1989 Memorial Cup championship. . . . Even before the Sabres fired him on Friday, Lambert’s name had been mentioned in Spokane as a potential candidate for the Chiefs’ vacant head-coaching job.
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Anthony Noreen is the new general manager and head coach of the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. Noreen takes over from Bill Muckalt, the head coach for two seasons, who left to pursue other opportunities. . . . When this season began, Noreen, 43, was in his second season as head coach of the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears. However, he was fired on Nov. 14. . . . Prior to that, the Chicago native spent five seasons with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms, one as an assistant coach and four as GM/head coach. . . . Muckalt spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Michigan Tech before joining the Storm.
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Jessie Leung has stepped down as head coach of the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League and has joined the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters as an assistant coach. . . . Leung spent six seasons with the Hawks, the last three as head coach. He guided them to a league title in 2015-16. . . . In Trail, Leung will work alongside general manager/head coach Cam Keith.
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FRIDAY’S GAME:

The OHL-champion Erie Otters broke a 2-2 tie with a pair of early third-period goals en route to a 6-3 victory over the QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs in the Memorial Cup semifinal on Friday night in Windsor, Ont. . . . The Otters will meet the host Spitfires in the tournament final on Sunday. Game time is 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET). . . .
Last night, F Dylan Strome broke the 2-2 tie with his sixth goal of the tournament at 2:38 of the third period and F Gera Poddubnyi added insurance at 3:45 with his first goal. . . . F Taylor Raddysh (5) upped the lead to 5-2, on a PP, at 12:31. . . . Saint John D Thomas Chabot (2) chopped the deficit to two with his second goal at 16:28. . . . Erie F Warren Foegele (1) iced it with an empty-netter at 19:26. . . . Erie D Darren Raddysh (3) had opened the scoring at 9:56 of the first period, with F Joe Veleno (3) of the Sea Dogs equalizing at 14:10. . . . Erie went ahead 2-1 when Taylor Raddysh scoring, on a PP, at 10:57. . . . Saint John F Julien Gauthier, who also had two assists, tied it, on a PP, at 19:18. . . . F Alex DeBrincat recorded three assists for the Otters and F Anthony Cirelli had two. . . . Erie G Troy Timpano stopped 20 shots. At the other end, Callum Booth turned aside 31. . . . Erie was 2-7 on the PP; Saint John was 1-2. . . . Announced attendance: 5,410. . . .
When they met in the round-robin portion of the tournament, Windsor posted a 4-2 victory despite being outshot, 35-19. . . . The Otters are hoping to become the first U.S.-based team from the OHL to win the Memorial Cup. . . . Sunday’s final will be the first since 2007 to feature two teams from the same league. In 2007, the host Vancouver Giants beat the WHL-champion Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-1, in the final. . . . This will be the third Memorial Cup in a row won by an OHL team. The London Knights won it last year, with the Oshawa Generals having won in 2015. . . . 
Both head coaches — Windsor’s Rocky Thompson and Erie’s Kris Knoblauch — are former WHL players and coaches, who may be coaching their final major junior game on Sunday. Both are expected to move on to the pro ranks after this season. There has been speculation that Thompson will be the next head coach of the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. 
Jim Parker of Postmedia has a game story right here.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 8:28 PM
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Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Silvertips move into penthouse ... Koch in record book ... Ferguson rolling ... Outhouse slams door

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, F Tyler Coulter scored the only goal of a shootout as the Wheat Kings beat the Regina Pats,
LOGAN THOMPSON
2-1. . . . Regina took a 1-0 lead when F Nick Henry scored his 15th goal, on a PP, at 12:32 of the first period. . . . Brandon tied it at 17:02 as F Ty Lewis scored No. 18. . . . With Regina shooting first in the circus, Brandon G Logan Thompson denied F Sam Steel, Henry and F Adam Brooks. . . . Brandon F Reid Duke didn’t score on the home side’s first attempt, with Coulter scoring as the second Wheat Kings shooter. . . . Regina had what it thought was a goal disallowed late i the second period when Brooks was ruled to have scored off a pass that had been gloved to him. . . . The Pats also hit two posts on a third-period PP. . . . Thompson stopped 39 shots through OT, five more than Regina’s Tyler Brown. . . . In his WHL career, Thompson is 5-0 in shootouts and a perfect 14-for-14 versus the shooters. . . . The Pats were 1-7 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 0-4. . . . Brandon improved to 16-15-4. . . . The Pats (23-3-7) had won their previous two games. . . . The Pats beat the visiting Wheat Kings 7-4 on Tuesday. . . . Announced attendance: 4,339.
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At Calgary, G Nick Schneider stopped 40 shots to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the
NICK SCHNEIDER
Hitmen. . . . One night earlier, in Medicine Hat, the Tigers beat the Hitmen, 5-4, in a shootout. . . . Last night, the Tigers scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Gary Haden (3) got it started at 8:28 of the first period, with F Zach Fischer (19) making it 2-0 at 10:01. . . . D David Quenneville scored his 20th goal of the season at 3:57 of the second period, for a 3-0 edge. . . . The Hitmen made it interesting on third-period goals from F Beck Malenstyn (13), at 10:47 of the third period, and F Jordy Stallard (7), at 14:01. . . . Quenneville has 20 goals in 36 games this season; he went into the season with 20 goals in 132 regular-season games. . . . Schneider leads the WHL with 24 victories. . . . Calgary starter Cody Porter surrendered three goals on 12 shots in 23:57. Kyle Dumba came on in relief to stop all 23 shots he faced in 35:31. . . . Each team was 0-4 on the PP. . . . The Tigers (27-10-1) have won six in a row. . . . The Hitmen (13-17-3) had points in their previous two games (1-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 9,048.
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At Edmonton, D Davis Koch recorded four assists to help the Oil Kings to a 7-2 victory over the Red Deer
DAVIS KOCH
Rebels. . . . On Tuesday, the host Rebels blanked the Oil Kings, 3-0. . . . Last night, the Oil Kings’ offence had its best night of this season. The home boys scored the game’s first five goals and led 5-0 halfway through the second period. . . . D Anatolii Elizarov (5) scored shorthanded at 10:58 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. . . . F Branden Klatt (4) upped that to 2-0 at 12:10. . . . F Colton Kehler (9) struck on a PP at 3:49 of the second period, followed by D Will Warm (4), at 7:31, and F Lane Bauer (23), at 9:28. . . . Red Deer cut into the deficit on goals from F Cameron Hausinger (4) and F Dawson Martin (6), at 11:38 and 13:28. . . . Bauer’s 24th goal and one from D Aaron Irving (13) finished the scoring at 14:33 of the second period and 16:58 of the third. . . . Warm added two assists to his goal, while Irving also had two assists, as did D Brayden Gorda. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea blocked 17 shots. . . . Red Deer starter Riley Lamb, who posted the shutout on Tuesday, was beaten four times on 21 shots in 27:31. . . . Byron Fancy came on in relief to make his WHL debut. He allowed three goals on 18 shots in 32:29. Fancy, who will turn 16 on Sunday, was a second-round pick by Red Deer in the 2016 bantam draft. He plays for the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes, but is with the Rebels while Lasse Petersen is with the Danish national junior team. . . . There were only seven PPs in the game despite the teams combining for 156 penalty minutes. . . . Edmonton was 1-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 1-4. . . . The Oil Kings (17-16-4) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Rebels slid to 17-15-6. . . . Announced attendance: 12,689.
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At Everett, the Silvertips scored the game’s first three goals and went on to beat the Vancouver Giants, 4-
PATRICK BAJKOV
1. . . . The Giants beat the visiting Silvertips 5-4 in OT on Tuesday night. . . . Last night, F Patrick Pajkov got the home side started with his 18th goal, at 5:34 of the first period. . . . F Graham Millar (9) made it 2-0 at 14:12. . . . F Eetu Tuulola (10) gave Everett a 3-0 lead, on a PP, at 3:18 of the second period. . . . D Jeff Rayman, with his third goal of the season, and third in four games, scored for Vancouver at 7:27 of the second. . . . The Silvertips iced it when F Dominic Zwerger scored his 16th goal into an empty net, at 17:40 of the third. . . . Zwerger, Bakkov and Millar added an assist each. . . . Everett D Kevin Davis picked up an assist to run his point streak to 10 games. . . . G Mario Petit stopped 22 shots for the winners. . . . Vancouver’s Ryan Kubic turned back 31 shots. . . . Everett was 1-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Silvertips (25-4-6) are 4-0-1 in their last five games and hold down first place in the overall standings. . . . Announced attendance: 4,602.
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At Kamloops, G Dylan Ferguson continued his strong play as he stopped 46 shots to lead the Blazers to
DYLAN FERGUSON
a 5-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Rockets had beaten the visiting Blazers 3-2 on Tuesday night. . . . Last night, F Garrett Pilon scored twice for the Blazers, giving him eight this season. . . . Pilon gave the home side a 1-0 lead at 5:21 of the first period. . . . Kelowna pulled even when F Nolan Foote (9) scored, on a PP, at 3:03 of the second period . . . Pilon snapped the tie at 8:58. . . . Blazers F Jermaine Loewen (4) added insurance at 2:17 of the third period. . . . The Blazers put it away when F Deven Sideroff (23) scored, on a PP, at 11:12 and F Travis Walton (3) counted at 19:13. . . . F Nic Holowko, who is playing alongside Pilon and Sideroff with Rudolfs Balcers at the World Junior Championship with Latvia, had two assists. . . . With G Connor Ingram at the WJC with Canada, Ferguson made his eighth straight start. He is 5-2-1 and has allowed two or fewer goals in six of those games. . . . Kelowna got 20 saves from G Brodan Salmond. . . . Each team was 1-6 on the PP. . . . F Luc Smith, acquired Tuesday from the Regina Pats, made his Kamloops debut, playing between Loewen and F Quinn Benjafield. . . . The Rockets revealed that F Erik Gardiner, 17, will remain with them for the remainder of the season. He had been with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos when Kelowna acquired his rights from the Regina Pats in a deal that had D Jonathan Smart head east. Gardiner, the younger brother of former Prince Albert Raiders F Reid Gardiner, had an assist last night. He has a goal and five assists in six games since joining the Rockets. . . . Kamloops (22-14-2) is third in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Rockets (23-13-2), who had been 4-0-1 in their previous five games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,456.
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BRETT DAVIS
At Lethbridge, F Jordy Bellerive broke a 1-1 tie at 12:01 of the second period and the Hurricanes went on to a 4-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . On Tuesday night, the Ice got past the visiting Hurricanes, 6-4. . . . Last night, F Brett Davis gave the hosts a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal, at 4:36 of the first period. . . . Ice F Matt Alfaro (11) tied it at 5:56. . . . Bellerive scored his 14th goal, on a PP, at 12:01 of the second period, with Davis sniping again, on a PP, at 16:16. . . . F Tanner Nagel iced it with his seventh goal, at 5:37 of the third period. . . . The Hurricanes got 29 stops from G Stuart Skinner, while the Ice’s Payton Lee turned aside 33 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 2-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-4. . . . The Hurricanes (19-13-5) has lost their previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The Ice now is 7-23-8. . . . Announced attendance: 4,028.
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At Moose Jaw, F Brayden Burke scored once and added two assists to help the Warriors to a 4-1 victory
BRAYDEN BURKE
over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . A night previous the host Broncos beat the Warriors, 6-1. . . . Burke has three goals and 19 assists in 15 games with the Warriors since being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He had put up four goals and 19 assists in 15 games with Lethbridge at the time of the trade. . . . Burke’s seventh goal of the season got things going at 11:33 of the first period. . . . Burke drew the secondary assist on F Brett Howden’s 17th goal, at 6:24 of the second. . . . Broncos F Tyler Steenbergen got his 26th, at 8:16 of the second, to get his guys to within one. . . . Moose Jaw F Tanner Jeannot added insurance with his 11th, at 9:55. . . . F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Warriors became the season’s first 30-goal man when he scored at 5:58 of the third period. He is the WHL’s top sniper. . . . Howden also had an assist. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko earned the victory with 29 saves. . . . At the other end, Taz Burman stopped 22 shots. . . . Swift Current was 0-3 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . The Warriors (21-9-5) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Broncos (19-11-7) have points in their previous five games (4-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,016.
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At Portland, D Henri Jokiharju had a goal and two assists as the Winterhawks skated past the Tri-City
HENRI JOKIHARJU
Americans, 4-3. . . . The Americans had beaten the visiting Winterhawks, 6-2, the previous night. . . . Last night, the Winterhawks erased a 2-1 deficit with three straight goals. . . . D Keoni Texeira gave Portland a 1-0 lead with his eighth goal at 1:33 of the first period, on a PP. . . . Tri-City F Morgan Geekie (20) tied it just 43 seconds later. . . . F Parker AuCoin (12) gave the Amerians the lead at 5:01 with his third goal in two games. . . . F Brendan De Jong (6) pulled Portland into a 2-2 tie at 1:38 of the second and the Winterhawks took the lead when Jokijarju (6) scored, on a PP, at 17:17. . . . Portland F Colton Veloso provided insurance with his ninth goal, at 16:55 of the third period. . . . Americans F Tyler Sandhu’s 10th goal, at 19:30, made it interesting at the end. . . . The Winterhawks got 33 saves from G Michael Bullion. . . . Tri-City starter Evan Sarthou stopped 38 shots, with Rylan Parenteau coming on for a five-second appearance late in the third period. . . . Portland was 2-5 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-7. . . . The Winterhawks (20-17-1) snapped a three-game losing skid. . . . The Americans now are 20-16-3. . . . Announced attendance: 6,148.
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At Saskatoon, D Mark Rubinchik scored once and added an assist as the Blades beat the Prince Albert
MARK RUBINCHIK
Raiders, 3-2. . . . Rubinchik, a freshman from Russia, scored his first goal in his 29th game. He also has eight assists. . . .  F Braylon Shmyr, who scored twice in a 5-3 loss in Prince Albert on Tuesday night, gave the Blades a 1-0 lead with 4.7 seconds left in the first period. . . . Rubinchik made it 2-0, on a PP, at 9:32 of the second period. . . . F Carson Miller pulled the Raiders to within a goal at 14:12 of the third period, but Saskatoon F Josh Paterson (8) got that one back, on a PP, at 16:32. . . . Miller made it close with his second goal, and fourth of the season, at 17:15. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk had two assists for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon got 24 saves from G Brock Hamm, while Ian Scott blocked 39 for Prince Albert. . . . Saskatoon was 2-5 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-5. . . . The Blades (14-20-4) had lost their previous four games (0-2-2). . . . The Raiders slipped to 8-27-2. . . . Announced attendance: 3,673.
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At Spokane, D Ty Smith’s goal at 1:12 of OT gave the Chiefs, who had a 52-20 edge in shots, a 5-4
TY SMITH
victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto had a goal and three assists for the Chiefs. . . . The Thunderbirds had beaten the Chiefs 3-2 in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday night. . . . Last night, the Thunderbirds overcame 3-1 and 4-3 deficits before losing in extra time. . . . The visitors took a 1-0 lead when F Keegan Kolesar (5) scored at 7:10 of the first period. . . . Spokane then scored three in a row — D Tyson Helgesen (5) tied it at 9:12 before F Hudson Elynuik (14) scored twice, shorthanded at 1:05 of the second period and again at 4:53. . . . Seattle tied it on goals from F Nolan Volcan (13), at 7:41, and F Zack Andrusiak (3), at 10:14. . . . Yamamoto (21) put Spokane back out front, at 11:20 of the third period. . . . Seattle tied it, again, when D Jarret Tyszka (4) scored at 14:13. . . . Smith’s second goal of the season won it, off assists from Yamamoto and Elynuik. . . . Yamamoto, who came up short on a first-period penalty shot, has four goals and 13 assists over his past eight games. He has 21 goals and 27 assists in 29 games. . . . Seattle got two assists from each of F Ryan Gropp and F Donovan Neuls. . . . Spokane G Jayden Sittler stopped 16 shots. . . . Seattle got 47 saves from G Matt Berlin. . . . Spokane was 0-2 on the PP; Seattle was 0-4. . . . The Chiefs (15-14-6) had lost their previous two games. . . . Seattle (18-13-4) is 2-0-1 in its past three games. . . . The Thunderbirds were without their top three centres. Scott Eansor was scratched after suffering an undisclosed injury on Tuesday. Mathew Barzal (Canada) and Alexander True (Denmark) are at the World Junior Championship. . . . Announced attendance: 4,809.
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At Victoria, G Griffen Outhouse turned aside 40 shots to lead the Royals to a 3-0 victory over the Prince
GRIFFEN OUTHOUSE
George Cougars. . . . On Tuesday night, the Royals got past the visiting Cougars, 5-1. . . . F Jack Walker (9) got the Royals rolling at 8:42 of the first period. . . . F Vladimir Bobylev made it 2-0 at 10:03 of the second period, with his first goal since rejoining the Royals from his native Russia prior to Christmas. . . . D Chaz Reddekopp (7) completed the scoring at 4:19 of the third period. . . . That was Outhouse’s first shutout this season and the fifth of his career. . . . G Nick McBride stopped 21 shots for the Cougars. . . . G Riley Mathieson, who signed with the Royals this week, backed up Outhouse. Mathieson plays for the junior B Saanich Braves. . . . Victoria was 0-6 on the PP; Prince George was 0-5. . . . Victoria F Matt Phillips had a 10-game point streak snapped. He put up 19 points, including nine goals, during that stretch. . . . The Royals (19-15-4) have points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . The Cougars (26-10-2) have lost two in a row and have fallen off the top rung of the overall standings. . . . Announced attendance: 5,833.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Edmonton at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Victoria at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Saskatoon at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:01 PM
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Friday, December 16, 2016

Tigers beat Blazers on late goal . . . Warriors get past Pats . . . Cougars stay on top




MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM TAKING NOTE

We are into the second-last Saturday before the big day. To get you calm and into the right frame of mind before you tackle the hustle and bustle, right here is Celine Dion with . . . O Holy Night.
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F Marek Tvrdoň (Vancouver, Kelowna, 2010-14) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga). This seasdon, he had seven goals and five assists in 21 games with the Indy Fuel (ECHL). He is from Nitra.
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A grandfather sits at the kitchen table, his 12-year-old grandson seated across from him.
“Little man,” Grandpa says, “I want to talk to you about . . . new math . . . and hockey statistics. It’s important that you know these things if you are going to be a WHL fan.
“In their last 14 visits to Kent, Wash., the home of the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Prince George Cougars are 12-2-0-0. That means they have won 12 games and lost twice.
“But . . . and it’s a big but . . . now pay attention . . . at the same time, in those same 13 games, the Thunderbirds are 2-7-1-4.
“That means the Thunderbirds have won twice and lost seven times in regulation time, lost one more game in overtime and lost four more in shootouts.
“It also means that nine of the games were worth two points each, with the other five worth three points apiece. But even though five of them were three-pointers, not one team got three points for a victory — in regulation time, overtime or a shootout.
“In the end, the Cougars came out of those 14 games with 24 points and the Thunderbirds, despite winning only two of 13 in regulation time, emerged with nine points.
“Understand? Got it?”
The grandson arches an eyebrow.
“Grandpa,” he says, “let’s go play Minecraft . . . or we can see what‘s on Netflix.”
(A tip of the cap to TBird Tidbits (@TbirdTidbits) for the inspiration. LOL!)
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The Brandon Wheat Kings improved their record to 14-14-4 with a 3-2 shootout victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades on Friday night.
In this world of loser points, where some games end up being worth three points and others two, the Wheat Kings now are a .500 team — they have 32 points from 32 games.
That means the WHL now has 17 of its 22 teams at .500 or better.
If you simply go by wins and losses, the Wheat Kings are 14-18 and one of 10 teams to have lost more games than they have won.
——
Cam Cole, who was one of the best wordsmiths in Canadian sporting journalism, walked out the Postmedia door for the last time on Friday. His farewell column, like all of his writing, is well worth a read, and it’s right here.
Cole couldn’t say goodbye without leaving a message, either.
“More and more aspects of the games themselves — coaches’ challenges, lockouts, concussions, doping, the Department of Player Safety — have been telling me for a while now that it’s time to go,” he writes. “Also, Twitter trolls. Sports was never meant to be this angry.”
———

JUST NOTES:

F Ryley Appelt, 16, may make his WHL debut with the Kamloops Blazers in Cranbrook, B.C., on Saturday night against the Kootenay Ice. Appelt has been with the Blazers since Wednesday. Appelt, 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, had three goals and 10 assists in 14 games with the Northern Alberta X-Treme Midget Prep team. Kamloops selected the Edmonton native in the fourth round of the 2015 WHL bantam draft.
———



———

FRIDAY’S GAMES:



At Brandon, F Reid Duke and F Tyler Coulter scored shootout goals as the Wheat Kings beat the
LINDEN McCORRISTER
Saskatoon Blades, 3-2. . . . Duke had forced OT when he scored his 18th goal, on a PP, at 16:28 of the third period. . . . Saskatoon F Markson Bechtold, in his first game with the Blades since being acquired Wednesday from the Spokane Chiefs, opened the scoring at 17:11 of the first period. He’s got six goals. . . . Brandon F Linden McCorrister’s first goal of the season, at 17:47, tied it 1-1 and was the Teddy Bear Goal. McCorrister was playing his first game since Oct. 21. . . . The Blades went in front 2-1 at 3:05 of the second period when F Lukus MacKenzie scored No. 4. . . . G Logan Thompson stopped 29 shots for Brandon, one more than Saskatoon’s Brock Hamm. . . . Brandon was 1-8 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-5. . . . This was Brandon’s first home game since Nov. 23. The Wheat Kings went 1-6-1 on a road trip that included five games in the B.C. Division. . . . The Wheat Kings have won three of four games with the Blades this season. Meanwhile, Saskatoon has lost eight straight in Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings (14-14-4) had lost their previous six games (0-5-1). . . . The Blades (13-18-4) have points in four straight (2-0-2). . . . Brandon holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card playoff spot; the Blades now are two points off the pace. . . . The same two teams will meet tonight in Saskatoon. . . . Announced attendance: 5,190.
——
At Edmonton, the Oil Kings jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead en route to a 4-3 victory over the
ANATOLII ELIZAROV
Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . F Ty Gerla (2), back after a three-game absence, got the home team started at 2:37 and F Nick Bowman (4) made it 2-0, on a PP, at 16:08. . . . The Hurricanes would get to within one on three occasions but never were able to equalize. . . . F Ryley Lindgren (12) made it 2-1 at 12:32 of the second period. . . . Edmonton F Davis Koch (10) got that one back at 2:33 of the third period. . . . The Hurricanes closed to within one, again, when F Ryan Bowen got his eighth at 12:49. . . . D Anatolii Elizarov’s fourth goal, at 14:40, proved to be the winner after Lethbridge F Tyler Wong got his 21st goal at 17:12. . . . F Tyler Robertson had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Wong and Bowen each had assists for Lethbridge. . . . G Patrick Dea earned the victory with 20 saves, seven fewer than Lethbridge’s Stuart Skinner. . . . The Hurricanes were 1-4 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 1-5. . . . Edmonton (16-15-3) is 2-0-1 in its last three games. . . . Lethbridge (18-12-5) had gone 13 games (11-0-2) without losing in regulation time. . . . Announced attendance: 7,419.
——
At Everett, the Silvertips scored the game’s last four goals, three of them via the PP, as they beat the Tri-
KEVIN DAVIS
City Americans, 4-1. . . . F Morgan Geekie gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his 19th goal, at 5:31 of the first period. . . . Everett F Riley Sutterr (11) tied it, on a PP, at 9:22. F Graham Millar (8) put the home boys out front, on another PP, at 11:03. . . . Everett put it away with two third-period goals, F Patrick Bajkov getting his 17th, on a PP, at 1:39, and F Devon Skoleski (4) rounding out the scoring at 8:38. . . . D Kevin Davis had two assists for the winners, with Millar getting one. . . . G Mario Petit blocked 22 shots for the Silvertips, while Tr-City’s Evan Sarthou stopped 43. . . . Everett was 3-9 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-2. . . . The Silvertips (23-4-5) have won two in a row and remain one point behind the Prince George Cougars, who are atop the overall standings. The Medicine Hat Tigers are one point behind Everett, with the Regina Pats two points in arrears of the Silvertips. . . Tri-City (19-14-3) has lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,211.
——


At Medicine Hat, F Mason Shaw broke a 3-3 tie with 46.3 seconds left in the third period as the Tigers
NICK SCHNEIDER
beat the Kamloops Blazers, 5-3. . . . Shaw then added his 11th goal into an empty net at 19:46. . . . The Blazers’ three previous games all had gone to OT and this one appeared headed there until a shot by Medicine Hat D David Quenneville rebounded off the end boards and into the crease area. Shaw somehow got his stick on it and directed it toward the net. Apparently, the referees didn't signal a goal on the ice, but the play went to video review and a goal was awarded. . . . D Dan Gatenby gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his first WHL goal, at 4:07 of the first period. Gatenby’s goal came in his 38th career game — 22 last season with the Kelowna Rockets and 22 this season with the Blazers. . . . The Tigers scored the next three goals, the first two via the PP. . . . Quenneville tied it at 10:15. Quenneville has 18 goals in 33 games. He went into the season with 20 goals in 131 regular-season games. . . . F Mark Rassell (16) gave the Tigers their first lead, at 8:14 of the second period. . . . F Chad Butcher, who is from Kamloops, got his 16th goal to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead at 11:30. . . . F Jackson Shepard (3) pulled the Blazers to within a goal at 11:53. . . . Kamloops tied it when F Rudolfs Balcers scored his 20th goal 40 seconds into the third period. . . . Quenneville, D Brad Forrest and F Matt Bradley each had two assists for the Tigers, with Shaw and Butcher adding one each. . . . Butcher now leads the WHL points race, with 52, one more than Shaw. . . . The Tigers got 34 saves from G Nick Schneider, who leads the WHL with 22 victories. . . . G Dylan Ferguson stopped 47 shots at the other end. . . . Medicine Hat was 2-7 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-7. . . . The Tigers (24-10-1) have won three in a row. . . . The Blazers (20-13-2) had been 6-0-1 in their previous seven games. They are 3-1-1 on a six-game Central Division swing that ends tonight when they meet the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook, B.C. . . . Announced attendance: 3,165.
——


At Moose Jaw, the Warriors surrendered a 2-0 lead then scored the game’s last three goals to beat the
NOAH GREGOR
Regina Pats, 5-4. . . . F Tristan Lang’s second goal of the season broke a 4-4 tie at 13:11 of the second period. . . . Goals by F Nikita Popugaev (21) and F Noah Gregor at 0:36 and 6:48 of the first period put the Warriors out front. . . . The Pats took a 4-2 lead before the period ended, as F Luc Smith, who has seven goals, scored twice, at 10:39 and 11:04, F Sam Steel added his 22nd, at 14:12, and F Dawson Leedahl (13) struck at 14:39. . . . Gregor’s 19th goal cut into the deficit 12 seconds into the second period. . . . F Brayden Burke’s sixth goal, on a PP, at 12:10, tied the game. That ran his point streak to 11 games. He has points in all of the 12 games he has played with Moose Jaw since being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In those 11 games, he has two goals and 16 assists. . . . Gregor added an assist to his two goals, while Popugaev added two assists to his goal. F Brett Howden also had two helpers. . . . Regina D Chase Harrison had two assists in his return after missing five games with a concussion, while Steel added one. . . . Moose Jaw F Jayden Halbgewachs was held pointless as his 10-game goal streak ended. . . . The Warriors got 33 saves from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown turned aside 24 shots in his 10th straight start. Jordan Hollett, the Pats’ other goaltender, is injured. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-5 on the PP; Regina was 0-3. . . . The Warriors (20-7-5) have won two in a row. . . . The Pats (21-3-6) had points in their previous eight games (5-0-3). . . . The Warriors closed to within three points of the East Division-leading Pats, who hold two games in hand. The teams will clash again tonight, this time in Regina. . . . Announced attendance: 4,085.
——


At Red Deer, G Brodan Salmond recorded his first WHL shutout with a 34-save performance as the
BRODAN SALMOND
Kelowna Rockets beat the Rebels, 3-0. . . . Salmond, an 18-year-old from Calgary, is 5-4-0, 3.08, .892 in 11 appearances as he backs up Michael Herringer. . . . F Nolan Foote’s seventh goal, on a PP, at 3:38 of the first period, was all Salmond needed in this one. . . . F Erik Gardiner scored his first goal with the Rockets, a shorthanded effort, at 0:55 of the second period and F Kole Lind added insurance with No. 19 at 5:11. Lind is on a 12-game point streak. . . . Gardiner, who was acquired from the Regina Pats in a deal that had D Jonathan Smart go the other way, also had an assist. A 17-year-old from Humboldt, he had one assist in two games with Regina last season and was pointless in two games this season. He has been playing with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos. . . . The Rebels got 29 saves from G Riley Lamb. . . . Kelowna was 1-6 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-3. . . . The Rockets (20-12-2) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . Red Deer (16-13-6) had points in its previous five games (3-0-2). . . . The Rockets are 3-1-1 as a seven-game road trip rolls on. They will play in Calgary tonight and Edmonton on Sunday. . . . Announced attendance: 4,355.
——
At Kent, Wash., the Prince George Cougars took a 3-1 lead into the third period and went on to beat the
YAN KHOMENKO
Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . F Colby McAuley gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his 13th goal, just 56 seconds into the game. . . . Seattle tied it on F Scott Eansor’s 16th goal, at 13:18. . . . The Cougars took the lead with two second-period goals. F Brad Morrison got his 15th goal, at 6:57, and F Yan Khomenko scored No. 10, on a PP, at 10:13. . . . Seattle F Keegan Kolesar wasn’t able to beat G Nick McBride on a third-period penalty shot with the Cougars leading 3-1. . . . That became a key play when F Nolan Volcan (12), who also had an assist, scored for Seattle at 18:56. . . . Morrison and Khomenko added an assist each. Khomenko, who is from St. Petersburg, Russia, has 10 goals and eight assists in 32 games. Last season, he finished with five goals and three assists in 46 games with the Everett Silvertips. . . . McBride finished with 25 saves. . . . Seattle got 31 stops from G Rylan Toth. . . . Prince George was 1-3 on the PP; Seattle was 0-2. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle (undisclosed injury) was among Prince George’s scratches. He suffered an undisclosed injury in the third period of a 5-3 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans on Wednesday. . . . The Cougars (25-8-2) have won four straight. . . . The Thunderbirds (16-13-3) have lost three in a row. . . . F Tyler Adams, acquired Thursday from the Swift Current Broncos, was in Seattle’s lineup. . . . Announced attendance: 3,444.
——
At Swift Current, F Aleksi Heponiemi broke a 1-1 tie at 14:22 of the second period and the Broncos went
SAHVAN KHAIRA
on to beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-1. . . . D Sahvan Khaira’s first goal gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead at 19:40 of the first period. . . . F Carson Miller (2) tied it for the Raiders at 6:42 of the second period. . . . Heponiemi snapped the tie with his ninth goal. . . . F Ryan Graham (11) added insurance, at 7:48 of the third period, and F Lane Pederson got his 15th into an empty net at 19:13. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen had three assists for the Broncos, with Heponiemi, Pederson and Khaira getting one each. . . . Swift Current got 20 saves from G Travis Child. . . . G Nic Sanders stopped 37 shots for the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert was 1-3 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-4. . . . The Broncos (17-10-7) have points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . The Raiders (7-25-2) have lost two in a row. . . . The Broncos are 4-0-0 against the Raiders this season, with the teams set to meet again tonight in Prince Albert. . . . Announced attendance: 2,027.
——


At Langley, B.C., F Tyler Benson drew three assists to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 6-4 victory over the
TYLER BENSON
Portland Winterhawks. . . . F James Malm, who is from Langley, scored the Teddy Bear Goal for a 1-0 lead at 3:34 of the first period. . . . F Owen Hardy made it 2-0 with his first goal, just 25 seconds later. . . . Portland F Evan Weinger cut into the lead with his 12th goal, at 6:12. . . . Vancouver F Thomas Foster, who had two goals, extended the lead to 3-1, on a PP, at 10:49. . . . The Giants took that 3-1 lead into the third period where they erupted for three goals. . . . D Matt Barberis (6) scored at 2:07; Foster got his ninth at 4:25; and D Jeff Rayman got his first goal at 12:00. . . . The Winterhawks got two late goals from F Alex Overhardt (5) and F Skyler McKenzie (22). . . . The Giants got two assists from F Ty Ronning, while Hardy added one. . . . F Ryan Hughes had two assists for Portland. . . . G Ryan Kubic stopped 31 shots for the winners. . . . Portland starter Cole Kehler was beaten five times on 29 shots in 44:25. Michael Bullion finished up, allowing a goal on two shots in 13:37. . . . Portland was 1-4 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-7. . . . The Winterhawks had F Ty Westgard in their lineup. He had one goal in two games with the Victoria Royals earlier in the season. Portland acquired him on Nov. 16 for a conditional 10th-round selection in the 2019 bantam draft. . . . The Giants (12-18-3) had lost their previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The Winterhawks now are 19-15-1. . . . Announced attendance: 4,328.
——

SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kelowna at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Swift Current at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Regina, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Prince George at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
——

TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:

Dec. 16: F Linden McCorrister, 17:47 1st period, Saskatoon 2 at Brandon 3 (SO).
Dec. 16: F James Malm, 3:34 1st period, Portland 4 vs. Vancouver 6, at Langley, B.C.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 21: Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).
Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.
Dec. 9: F Austin Glover, 0:32 2nd period, Moose Jaw 7 at Prince Albert 3. 
Dec. 9: F Riley Woods, 11:45 1st period, Swift Current 1 at Regina 8.
Dec. 9: F Keanu Yamamoto, 4:01 1st period, Kootenay 3 at Spokane 4.
Dec. 10: D Josh Thrower, 12:13 1st period, Prince Albert 4 at Moose Jaw 5 (SO).
Dec. 10: F Nick Bowman, 13:38 2nd period, Kamloops 3 at Edmonton 2.
Dec. 10: D Troy Murray, 1:51 2nd, Kelowna 7 at Kootenay 3.
Dec. 10: F Max Gerlach, 5:26 1st period, Calgary 4 at Medicine Hat 7.
Dec. 10: F Skyler McKenzie 2:21 1st, Everett 2 at Portland 5.
Dec. 10: F Josh Curtis, 6:02 2nd period, Seattle 4 at Prince George 6.
Dec. 10: F Tyler Sandhu, 0:36 1st period, Victoria 3 at Tri-City 4.

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Sunday, September 25, 2016

What to read into openers? Not much . . . Silvertips add a veteran import . . . Child blanks Blades . . . Winterhawks on fire




———
Two days after the third anniversary of her kidney transplant, Dorothy took part in the Kamloops Kidney Walk for a third time on Sunday.
Dorothy with friends who walked with her on Sunday: Mark
Hunter, Sue and Ron Burt, Tanya Hunter, and Jenn Ruemper,
with Logan and Brooklyn. Dorothy is holding Charlie Hunter
and his brother, Max, is in the stroller.
This one really was special as Dorothy and her friend, Margaret Thompson, were co-honourees. As such, they got to address the crowd before the Walk began. They also were presented with plaques by the Kamloops chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada (B.C. and Yukon Branch) in recognition of their “commitment to supporting others dealing with kidney disease and transplantation.” Both women have been instrumental in getting the Kamloops Kidney Support Group off the ground.
Now here’s where you come in . . . 
Organizers also presented Dorothy with a certificate recognizing her as the top fund-raiser in Kamloops. Thanks to all of you — family, friends and all of our friends in the hockey crowd — she raised $2,486, pushing her three-walk total to almost $8,000.
Thank you all so much for being with us over the past three years. Your support really means a lot.
Since Sept. 23, 2013, I can’t tell you how many hockey games I have been at during which someone has approached me and asked about Dorothy. I come home and tell her that (insert name here) asked about her and her face absolutely lights up. It means a lot to know that people care.
Again, thanks so much.
———
Whatever you do, don’t read a whole lot into the first bunch of games in the WHL’s regular season.
At a guess, the WHL’s 22 teams played through the first weekend with as many as 80 of their best players in NHL camps.
The Kelowna Rockets, for example, had six players away as they played a home-and-home series with the Kamloops Blazers, who were missing three players. The Blazers won at home, 9-2, on Friday; the Rockets went home and won, 5-1, on Saturday.
Chatting about it after Friday’s game, Kamloops head coach Don Hay looked ahead to the next time, after opening weekend, the Rockets and Blazers will meet, which will be Nov. 1 in Kelowna.
“I think there are going to be a lot of changes. Both teams will look a whole lot different,” Hay said with a chuckle.
That is pretty much the story across the league.
The Calgary Hitmen, with seven players away, had 10 freshmen in their lineup, six of them playing their first WHL game, when they played host to the Kootenay Ice on Friday.
The Prince George Cougars, with six players away, swept a doubleheader from the Royals in Victoria. The Royals were without five skaters who likely will return sometime in the next few days.
“I’m not going to lose too much sleep because of starting 0-2,” Victoria head coach Dave Lowry said to Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist. “If we’re 0-15, give me a call.”
The Regina Pats and Prince Albert Raiders split two games. Each team was missing five top-end players.
Perhaps the most interesting development came prior to a home-and-home series between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Red Deer Rebels.
The Oil Kings had two players — D Aaron Irving and F Lane Bauer — in camp with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, who happen to own that city’s WHL franchise.
The Oilers returned both players in time for them to play in Red Deer on Friday. Irving scored 26 seconds into OT — Bauer had the secondary assist — to give Edmonton a 3-2 victory.
One night later, before 18,102 fans at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Bauer’s shootout goal gave the Oil Kings a 4-3 victory. In regulation time, Bauer had a goal and an assist, while Irving drew two assists.
The Rebels, meanwhile, were without five of their top players, none of whom are in camp with the Oilers.
Of course, that begs the question: Would the Oilers have returned Red Deer players to the Rebels in time for the opening weekend had there been any in their camp?
——
There was news late Sunday of at least five WHLers on their way back from NHL camps.
F Hudson Elynuik, who will turn 19 on Dec. 10, will be rejoining the Spokane Chiefs after being with the Carolina Hurricanes, who selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . The Calgary Flames returned four players to their WHL teams. . . . F Brayden Burke, 19, is returning to the Lethbridge Hurricanes after being with the Flames as a free-agent invitee. . . . D Aaron Hyman, 18, is rejoining the Calgary Hitmen after being with the Flames on a free-agent basis. . . . F Matt Phillips is headed back to the Victoria Royals. Phillips, 18, was a sixth-round pick by the Flames in 2016. . . . G Nick Schneider, 19, who signed with the Flames a year ago, has been returned to the Medicine Hat Tigers.

Even later on Sunday came word that the Detroit Red Wings had returned three free-agent skaters to WHL teams. . . . F Luke Coleman, 18, is on his way back to the Prince Albert Raiders. . . .  D Dylan Doghlan, 18, has been returned to the Tri-City Americans. . . . F Jeff de Wit, 18, will be rejoining the Red Deer Rebels.
——
The Everett Silvertips have acquired Austrian F Dominic Zwerger, 20, from the Spokane Chiefs for a third-round selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. . . . Zwerger played in 189 regular-season
DOMINIC ZWERGER
games with the Chiefs, putting up 60 goals and 59 assists. He led the Chiefs with 27 goals last season. . . . However, Zwerger is a two-spotter — a 20-year-old import. Moving him out allows the Chiefs to get down the maximums of two imports and three 20-year-olds. They now are prepared to go with Czech freshmen forwards Ondrej Najman and Pavel Kousal. Najman is 18; Kousal is to turn 18 on Nov. 14. . . . Spokane’s 20s now are G Jayden Sittler, F Markson Bechtold and F Keanu Yamamoto. . . . Spokane’s roster now is at 26, including two goaltenders and 15 forwards. . . . Acquiring Zwerger left Everett with three imports, the other two being Slovakian F Mario Mucka, who turns 18 on Nov. 10, and Finnish F Eetu Tuulola, 18. Because of a rule prohibiting the trading of first-year import players, the Silvertips had to release one and the odd man out was Mucka, who had one assist in one game after recording one assist in six exhibition games. Tuulola had two goals and an assist in four exhibition games. A sixth-round pick by Calgary in the NHL’s 2016 draft, Tuulola is in camp with the Flames. . . . The acquisition of Zwerger also gets the Silvertips to three 20-year-olds, the others being F Graham Millar and F Lucas Skrumeda.
——
The Kootenay Ice got its roster down to 25 players on Sunday by releasing three 16-year-olds — F Eli Lieffers, D Bobby Russell and D Loeden Schaufler. . . . Lieffers, 16, from Saskatoon, will return to the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . Russell, 16, is from Langley, B.C. A sixth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft, he will go back to the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget League. . . . Schaufler, from Dewinton, Alta., was a third-round pick in 2015. He played last season with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds, but the Ice hasn’t yet found a place for him this season.
——
The Saskatoon Blades all wore jerseys in honour of Gordie
Howe during Sunday's pregame warmup.(Photo: Darren Steinke)
It was Thank You, Mr. Hockey Day in Saskatoon on Sunday as the ashes of Gordie Howe and his wife, Colleen, were interred near a statue of Howe at SaskTel Centre, the home of the Blades. Steve Hogle, the Blades’ president, is to be commended for all that went into this celebration of lives that included bringing in the legendary Bob Cole to be the event’s host.
Kevin Mitchell of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, who is a wonderful wordsmith and one of Canada’s best-kept secrets, has his take right here. There is a photo gallery at the bottom of Mitchell’s piece.
——
With Vin Scully nearing the finish line, Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register writes:
“The sad irony is that baseball clubs have learned nothing from Scully. He stands for nothing they want.
“He is rigidly non-partisan and, most nights, discusses opposing players more than Dodgers. Scully finds anecdotes that you’ve never heard before, even in the information age. When someone mentioned that he must have great researchers, Scully shook his head. He does it all himself, right to the finish line.
“Nor is Scully interested in umpiring. He doesn’t like the superimposed strike zones that networks use. ‘The umpire has a hard enough job as it is,’ he said.”
Whicker’s piece — and it’s a good read — is right here.
———

JUST NOTES:

Prior to Saturday’s home-opener, the Kelowna Rockets dedicated the game to the memory of Norbert Heinzelmann and his family. Heinzelmann, a longtime off-ice official, died on Sept. 2 at the age of 57. He had been a volunteer with the Rockets since the team’s first game in Kelowna in 1995. The Rockets beat the Kamloops Blazers, 5-1, in the Saturday game. . . . 
You may recall that the start of Saturday’s game between the Red Deer Rebels and Oil Kings in Edmonton was delayed 90 minutes after an hydraulic lift malfunctioned on the ice surface. You may be wondering what that machine was doing on the ice. A tweet from Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun: “Reason there was a hydraulic cherry picker on the ice before warm up? Photographer putting camera in scoreboard.”
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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———

SUNDAY GAMES:

At Saskatoon, G Travis Child stopped 28 shots in recording his first WHL shutout as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Blades, 6-0. . . . Saskatoon had gone into Swift Current and dumped the Broncos 5-1 on Friday night. . . . The shutout came in Child’s 52nd appearance over three seasons, all with the Broncos. He’s a 19-year-old from Killam, Alta. . . . The Broncos got two goals and an assist from Calvin Spencer, while Finnish F Aleksi Heponiemi had four assists. F Brandan Arnold and F Tyler Steenbergen each had a goal and an assist. . . . Saskatoon G Brock Hamm stopped 25 shots. . . . The Broncos were 2-5 in the PP; the Blades were 0-5. . . . Announced attendance: 6,359.
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At Portland, F Skyler McKenzie scored twice to help the Winterhawks to a 7-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . It was the second time in two nights that the Winterhawks (2-0-0) scored seven goals on home ice. They beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 7-3 on Saturday night. . . . Portland scored the game’s first three goals and led 3-0 at 13:24 of the first period. The Americans got it to 3-2 by 11:10 of the second, but Portland took control with the next two goals. . . . D Henri Jokiharju, F Evan Weinger and F Ryan Hughes each had a goal and an assist for Portland, while Ty Kolle and F Cody Glass had two assists apiece. . . . Tri-City (1-1-0) got a goal and an assist from F Tyler Sandhu and two assists from each of Dalton Yorke and Juuso Valimaki. F Michael Rasmussen scored his fifth goal in two games. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 26 shots for Portland, four fewer than Tri-City’s Beck Warm. . . . The Winterhawks were 1-2 on the PP; the Americans were 1-3. . . . Announced attendance: 4,836.
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MONDAY GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY GAME (all times local):


Prince George vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:14 PM
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