Another Sutter on the way . . . Giants looking for head coach . . . Shaw TV to open with Calgary-Kootenay

With apologies to Blackie Sherrod, we're scatter-shooting with another WHL regular season having come and gone:
1. The Brandon Wheat Kings were being built for the 2015-16 season, weren’t they? A trade here and a tweak there, and the Wheat Kings finished first overall this season. Which means Kelly McCrimmon should be the WHL’s executive of the year and the coach of the year. Right?
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2. McCrimmon was the WHL’s exec of the year for 1994-95 and 2009-10. He won CHL honours in 2009-10. He has never been the WHL’s coach of the year.
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3. Whoops! McCrimmon wasn’t even nominated as the Eastern Conference’s coach of the year. That honour went to John Paddock of the Regina Pats.
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4. Of course, Mike Johnston was never honoured as the coach of the year, despite his accomplishments with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Of course, Johnston never won the executive-of-the-year award either. . . . And look where not winning either award got him.
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5. F Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Winterhawks is the most exciting talent this league has seen since . . . F Nino Niedereitter, who also played for Portland.
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6. Bjorkstrand led the WHL in goals (63) and points (118), all in 59 games. Wouldn’t it have been great if the WHL had decided prior to this season to track individual shot attempts and shots on goal? Had that happened, we would know just how much shooting Bjorkstrand did in what has been a truly remarkable season.
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7. How many WHL teams and observers are hoping that the Kelowna Rockets don’t go all the way? Why? Because those people are of the opinion that the deal in which the Rockets landed F Leon Draisaitl from the Prince Albert Raiders, by order of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, stunk to high heaven.
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8. Bruce Hamilton of the Rockets is the Western Conference’s nominee as executive of the year. Some people thought the honour might go to Craig MacTavish of the Edmonton Oilers.
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9. In hindsight, one of the best trades, in terms of helping both teams, at the WHL deadline involved Portland and Calgary Hitmen. The Winterhawks sent G Brendan Burke to Calgary, a move that freed up their starting job for Adin Hill, an 18-year-old freshman from Calgary. . . . With Calgary, Burke went 13-3-1, 2.38, .918. . . . Hill finished up 31-11-1, 2.81, .921.
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10. I have yet to figure out what the WHL gets out of having its games on TV, but what I really don’t understand is how the league ends up with games on Shaw TV and Sportsnet at the same time. For example, on Friday, March 20, Shaw was showing Everett at Victoria, while Sportsnet gave us Kelowna at Vancouver.
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Another Sutter has made his way into the WHL. F Riley Sutter is skating with the Everett Silvertips, who selected him in the sixth round of the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. . . . Riley’s father, Ron, is one of the six Sutter brothers to have played in the NHL. Ron and his twin brother, Rich, both had NHL careers. . . . Riley, who won’t turn 16 until Oct. 25, played this season with the midget AAA Calgary Rangers, putting up 50 points, including 22 goals, in 36 games. . . . Should Riley play in a WHL game at some point, he will become at least the 11th member of the Sutter family to do so.
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Shaw TV will show at least seven first-round WHL playoff games.
Shaw’s coverage will begin with Games 1 and 2 between the Calgary Hitmen and the Kootenay Ice. Those games are to be played in Calgary on Friday and Sunday.
Then it will be over to the series between the Regina Pats and Swift Current Broncos. Shaw will televise Games 3 and 4 from Swift Current on March 31 and April 1.
Shaw will return to the Calgary-Kootenay series for Game 5, if necessary, which is scheduled for Cranbrook on April 3.
If the series between the Red Deer Rebels and Medicine Hat Tigers goes six games, Shaw will show Game 6 from Red Deer on April 5.
And, finally, if the Hitmen and Ice need seven games to decide their series, Game 7 from Calgary on April 6 will be shown.
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Two games in the first-round series between the Brandon Wheat Kings and Edmonton Oil Kings have had their starting times changed. Games 4 and 5, the latter if necessary, are scheduled for Edmonton on March 31 and April 1. They now will begin at 8 p.m. Mountain, rather than 7 o’clock, as originally was scheduled. . . . That series opens tonight in Brandon.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have signed G Curtis Meger and D Ty Prefontaine. . . . Meger, a list player, is with the Regina Pat Canadians who are playing in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA League final. In 23 regular-season appearances, he was 16-5-0, 1.91, .934. . . . Prefontaine, from Saskatoon, was a fifth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. He had 36 points, including seven goals, in 36 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts.
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They’re working hard to raise money for a new arena in Assiniboia, Sask. With that in mind, they are holding their Sports Celebrity Supper and Auction on April 11, at 5:30 p.m. . . . Former New York Islanders star Clark Gillies, who is Moose Jaw’s favourite son, will be in attendance, as will Bob Bourne, who also is a former Islanders skater. Amber Holland, a world curling silver medallist, also is to be there. . . . Among the items available via silent auction: autographed Olympic Team Canada sweaters from the likes of Patrice Bergeron, Shea Weber and Ryan Getzlaf; a diamond ring; a northern Saskatchewan fishing trip; a trailer for a golf cart or ATV; a whole lot of autographed memorabilia and a trip for two to New York to watch the Islanders play. The latter trek includes seats in the Islanders’ Alumni box alongside Gillies. . . . Tickets? Email springfever@sasktel.net.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The Vancouver Giants are looking for their fourth head coach in three seasons. The Giants announced yesterday that Claude Noel, who joined the team on Nov. 30, won’t return.
According to the team, the decision was mutual.
The Giants were one of 10 WHL teams to make a coaching change during the last offseason. They also were the last of the 10 to fill the vacancy when they hired Troy Ward.
However, management chose to dump Ward when the team was 9-16-0 and on a road trip into the Central Division. Assistant coach Matt Erhart stepped in and went 1-2-0 before Noel was hired.
Under Noel, the Giants went 17-23-4.
Overall, they finished 27-41-4 and missed the playoffs.
In a revealing conversation with Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province earlier in the week, Noel talked about the future of the Giants organization:
”They have some work to do. They need to decide where they’re going to go and how they’re going to get there. There are some things that the organization is probably going to reassess. You always wonder: you were here, how did you get there? There are reasons you get from one to the other, and how do you get back? They have some young players. Their young players all look bright, but they’re just part of it. That’s just part of the equation. Who are your overages? Where’s your goaltending? Where’s your defence? Who are your forwards? Who’s going to score?”
Ewen’s blog piece is right here.
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“Chalk up a win for former players in their battle with the NHL over hockey-related head trauma,” writes Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated. “A motion filed by the league to dismiss the master complaint brought by the players was dismissed today in United States District Court in Minnesota.” . . . Muir’s piece is right here.
The order denying the motion is right here.
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Adam Proteau of The Hockey News takes a look right here at the above-mentioned lawsuit, the decision and the direction in which this whole thing appears headed.
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Centre Jack Miller, the Michigan Wolverines’ best offensive lineman in 2015, won’t play his senior season and he tells ESPN.com it’s because of the risk of brain injuries.
“I know I've had a few, and it's nice walking away before things could've gotten worse,” Miller told ESPN.com. “And yes, multiple schools have reached out. But I'm ready to walk away from it. My health and happiness is more important than a game.
“I know it's pretty unorthodox for a 21-year-old to see past his own nose. This game requires such a passion to excel, and my flame is burned out. However, I'd be lying if I said that the concussion thing doesn't scare me a little.”
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Oh man this made me very sad. Me too, Chuck. Me too. RT @AaronG80: Hey @ArielHelwani....... pic.twitter.com/1xKb956ZK0
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 25, 2015

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
The international transfer deadline passed as the month changed from January to February, thus the flurry of activity over the last couple of days. There was one other move that apparently was made right before the deadline . . .
F Brad Schell (Spokane, 1999-2004), released earlier Tuesday by Dornbirn (Austria, Nationalliga), signed a contract for the rest of this season with Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga).
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ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
What are the actual payable education amounts? Along with the 'fine print' — could the WHL publish a standard education contract online for transparency? And could the WHL provide online a FAQ for parents/players?
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Fans of the Swift Current Broncos are going to have an opportunity to hear about the direction the organization has charted and also to say their piece at the inaugural Community Interaction meeting set for Thursday, 7 p.m., in the auditorium at the Credit Union iPlex. Liam Choo-Foo, the chairman of the Broncos’ board of directors, will present the organization’s “strategic framework.” He then will be joined by GM/head coach Mark Lamb and others for a question-and-answer session.
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The Tri-City Americans have extended the contract of Barclay Parneta, the prospect development coach and head scout. The Americans didn’t announce any details, not even length. . . . Parneta joined the Americans in August 2010 after spending seven seasons as an NHL scout.
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The Regina Pats are in need of a radio play-by-play voice, and they need one in a hurry. The Pats announced Tuesday that Dan Plaster, their co-ordinator of broadcasting and communications, will be leaving in a couple of weeks to join the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders’ front office. Plaster will work in community relations with the football team. . . . Pats president Brent Parker isn’t happy with the CFL team, and Greg Harder’s story should be on the Regina Leader-Post’s website at some point today.
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After the 1993-94 season, Rick Brodsky picked up the Victoria Cougars and moved the franchise to Prince George. The Cougars are back in Victoria this week for the first time since the move, as they play a Tuesday-Wednesday doubleheader with the Royals, who, let us not forget, used to be the Chlliwack Bruins. . . . Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist spoke with Brodsky about then and now. . . . That piece is right here.
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F Brett Connolly of Tampa Bay played six shifts as the host Lightning scored a 5-4 OT victory over the Washington Capitals last night. . . . Connolly, whose WHL rights belong to the Tri-City Americans, played three shifts in the first period (he also served a too-many-men penalty), two in the second and one in the third. . . . He ended up playing a career-low 5:08. . . . Hello, Steve, this is Bob Tory calling. . . .
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F Nino Niederreiter played 9:00 over 14 shifts as his New York Islanders beat the host Carolina Hurricanes, 5-2. Niederreiter played five shifts in each of the first two periods and four in the third. . . . That included 2:05 in PP time. . . . His WHL rights belong to the Portland Winterhawks. . . .
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THE COACHING GAME:
There would appear to be something of a mess in Thunder Bay, Ont., where Lonny Bohonos (Moose Jaw, Seattle, Portland, 1991-94) has replaced Todd Howarth has head coach of the junior A Superior International league’s Thunder Bay North Stars. According to a news release issued by the team, Bohonos was named interim head coach after Howarth stepped down for personal reasons. Uhh, not so fast. Reuben Villagracia of the Thunder Bay Chronicle quotes Howarth as saying he has been fired. “My teams never quit,” Howarth told Villagracia. “Ever. And I didn’t either. Let’s be honest here.” . . . That complete story is right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, F Matej Stransky scored two goals to help the Blades to a 3-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Stransky has 28 goals; last season, he finished with 26 points. . . . Yes, points!. . . Late in the third period, Stransky missed the empty Swift Current net and the Broncos broke back on a 3-on-1 break but weren’t able to score. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls then ended it with an empty-netter. . . . Nicholls had assisted on the Blades’ first two goals. . . .  The Blades are 8-2-0 in their last 10 and have moved into fifth in the Eastern Conference, a point ahead of the idle Kootenay Ice. . . . The Broncos have lost two in a row. . . . This was Saskatoon GM/head coach Lorne Molleken’s 550th WHL coaching victory. He had moved into second place on the WHL’s all-time list on Saturday with an 8-1 victory over the visiting Regina Pats. Molleken had been tied with Ernie (Punch) McLean (548). Molleken now trails only Ken Hodge (742). . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Charles Inglis broke a 2-2 tie with two second-period goals as the Red Deer Rebels doubled the Tigers, 6-3. . . . Inglis scored at 12:46 and 18:52 of the second. He’s got 13 goals. . . . The victory lifted the Rebels to within two points of the idle Brandon Wheat Kings for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot. . . . F Tyson Ness also scored twice for Red Deer. He’s got 14. . . . F Emerson Etem scored all three Medicine Hat goals, including his WHL-leading 10th shorthanded score. . . . Etem has a WHL-leading 47 goals in 45 games. He has 81 points and is third in the scoring race, behind Portland F Ty Rattie (86) and Regina F Jordan Weal (83). . . . Etem actually leads the entire CHL in goals and shorthanded goals. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 24 shots. . . .

In Victoria, F Daulton Siwak broke a 2-2 tie at 15:16 of the second period and the Prince George Cougars went on to a 4-2 victory over the Royals. . . . Cougars F Greg Fraser had tied the game at 7:24 of the second with his 13th goal. . . . Siwak got the winner, his ninth goal of the season. . . . F Troy Bourke, who somehow wasn’t selected for the Top Prospects Game, had three assists for the Cougars. . . . The victory was the 500th for the Cougars since the franchise left Victoria for Prince George after the 1993-94 season. . . . The Cougars are three points behind the Royals, who hold down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . They meet again tonight in Victoria. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Dominik Uher scored four goals to lead the Spokane Chiefs to a 5-3 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . This was Uher’s first four-goal game in the WHL. . . . Uher’s third goal, at 18:48 of the third period, broke a 3-3 tie. He added an empty-netter, for his 20th of the season, at 19:51. . . . Uher, from the Czech Republic, has 45 points in 40 games. He put up 23 points in 14 games in January, after returning from the World Junior Championship. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 35 shots. . . . Mitch Elliott, normally a forward, played on the back end for Seattle. He had been a healthy scratch for the last two games. It was his first time on defence since playing there once in the exhibition season.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Cory Millette, Red Deer.
F Brendan Hurley, Medicine Hat.
D Corbin Baldwin, Spokane.
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Rick Westhead of the Toronto Star reports that insurance companies may be getting antsy when it comes to covering the contracts of NHL players in these days when concussions are so prevalent. That story is right here.
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Dave Hakstol, the head coach of the University of North Dakota hockey team, is not a happy man these days. He feels that NCAA hockey coaches are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to recruiting against CHL teams. And he is thinking that the time have arrived for NCAA coaches to campaign for a rule change or two.
Roman Augustoviz of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has more right here.
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Congrats to old friend Jim Hughson of Hockey Night in Canada and the other four gents who will be inducted into the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame in Penticton this summer. Hughson will be joined by Scott Niedermayer, Rod Brind’Amour, Bob Hindmarch and Scott Harper when the hall doors swing open on July 27. . . . Ever since Hughson covered the Brandon Wheat Kings for radio station CKLQ in 1978-79, my wife has him as the best play-by-play man in the history of sports. Period. And he didn’t even call the play that season, because CKX was the rights holder.
Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has more right here.
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Reading the latest stories about Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby and the newest diagnosis of his injury/problem, I couldn’t help but think back to a story that freelancer Jim Riley wrote for the Seattle Times earlier this season. It dealt with F Branden Troock of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
“Troock went to the Seattle Sports Concussion Program at Harborview Medical Center and then was evaluated by a headache specialist at the University of Washington,” Riley wrote. “He was eventually diagnosed with a neck injury. Although the concussion had healed, a nerve that travels from his neck to his eyes was causing his migraines.”
Seattle trainer Phil Varney told Riley that “the neck injury was mimicking concussion symptoms, and that made it very difficult. He'd get dizzy when he did activity."
Troock ended up being treated by an acupuncturist.
Riley’s story is right here.
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Robert MacLeod of The Globe and Mail wonders if it’s time for Sidney Crosby to consider retirement and sliding into a role as an ambassador for the game. That piece, which was written a couple of hours before the news conference in Pittsburgh, is right here.


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Which WHL player is this and what happened? Keep reading to find out.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, SM-Liiga) exercised its option to extend the tryout contract with F Riley Armstrong (Kootenay, Everett, 2002-04) for the rest of this season. Armstrong has two goals and one assist in five games with SaiPa. Earlier this season, he had three goals and four assists in nine games with the Elmira Jackals (ECHL) and one goal and two assists in five games with Binghamton Senators (AHL). . . . SaiPa head coach Ari-Pekka Selin: "Riley gives us more opportunities within our lineup. He's played in five games and has shown that he can certainly improve our game. He plays with good power and plays well in front of the net." . . .
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Olten (Switzerland, NL B). He started the season with with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL), getting one assist in 15 games. He then joined La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland, NL B) as an injury replacement for Benoit Mondou, where he had six goals and four assists in eight games. DaSilva was released by La Chaux-de-Fonds once Mondou, the son of former Montreal Canadiens F Pierre Mondou, was healthy. . . .
F Roman Tomanek (Calgary, Seattle, 2004-06) signed a two-year plus option year contract with Nitra (slovakia, Extraliga). He was pointless in seven games with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) and had eight goals and four assists in 23 games with Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga) earlier this season.
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It’s true.
The Portland Winterhawks are in a position where they could end up with three import players in their lineup at the same time.
That would be the exception to the rule that allows teams a maximum of two such players.
Mike Johnston, the Winterhawks’ general manager and head coach, mentioned that possibility after acquiring German F Marcel Noebels from the Seattle Thunderbirds on Tuesday.
Noebels joins Swiss sophomore F Sven Baertschi as the two imports now on Portland’s roster.
The Winterhawks also own the WHL rights to F Nino Niederreiter, 19, who is with the NHL’s New York Islanders. He has one goal and four penalty minutes in 18 games this season. He also is a minus-11.
The Niederreiter situation is covered under the following CHL import rule:
"An underage Import Player can be returned to his CHL Club until the NHL Trade Deadline date. Should an underage Import Player be returned to his CHL Club after the respective League’s trade deadline, and if the Club at that time has two Import Players, the Club shall be permitted to play three Import Players for the balance of the regular season, playoffs and Memorial Cup. This benefit cannot be traded to another Club. If a CHL Club has two Import Players, and wish to trade for the rights of an underage Import Player who is playing in the NHL, they must either delete or trade one of their Import Players to make an Import position available."
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, added this: “The reason for the rule is the CHL feels that all underage players should be treated similarly should the NHL Club wish to return them to their CHL Club.”
All told, the WHL has four underage players who are eligible to be returned by the NHL’s trade deadline (Feb. 27). The others are F Ryan Johansen (Columbus Blue Jackets), whose WHL team is Portland; F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers/Red Deer Rebels) and F Brett Connolly (Tampa Bay Lightning/Tri-City Americans).
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THE COACHING GAME:

JIM HILLER

The Tri-City Americans issued a news release Friday afternoon announcing that they have extended the contract of head coach Jim Hiller. However, they chose not to announce the length of the extension. We can assume that this was the last season of Hiller's contract and I would guess the extension runs through 2013-14. Hiller is in his third season as the Americans' head coach and went into Friday with a 123-54-7 record, which computes to a rather amazing .688 winning percentage. He also guided the Americans to the 2010 WHL final where they lost to the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Tri-City general manager Bob Tory signed Hiller after he had been dumped by the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?). . . .
Jim McKenzie (Moose Jaw, Victoria, 1986-89) is the new head coach of the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, who fired head coach Kevin Patrick on Friday. Patrick was in his second season with Muskegon, which was 9-14-2 when the move was made. McKenzie, 42, is a former NHLer, who played 880 games with 100 points, 48 of them goals, and 1,739 penalty minutes. He has a Stanley Cup ring from the 2002-03 New Jersey Devils. Josh Mervis, the Lumberjacks’ CEO and owner, has stepped in as general manager. Muskegon also cut a deal with Ron Mason, the former Michigan State Spartans head coach, to help out as a senior advisor. . . . There now have been three coaching changes in the USHL this season.
For more on the Muskegon situation and USHL happenings in general, check out Slightly Chilled, over there on the right.
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When F Patrick Holland of the Tri-City Americans woke up Thursday, his NHL rights belonged to the Calgary Flames, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2010 NHL draft. When he went to bed, his rights were with the Montreal Canadiens, thanks to a trade made that evening.
What does that mean to Holland in the short term?
Well, here’s a tweet from him: “You know it's a good pregame nap when you pick up another 300 followers.”
And he also tweeted this: “Je pense que mon talent avec mon baton est un petit peu meilleur que mon francais. #languageproblems”
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In the BCHL on Friday night the Penticton Vees ran their winning streak to 22 games, beating the visiting Langley Rivermen, 9-2. The Vees are at home to the Prince George Spruce Kings tonight.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, F Chad Robinson broke a 4-4 tie at 2:18 of the third period as the Red Deer Rebels dumped the Wheat Kings, 5-4. . . . Robinson is from Minnedosa, Minn., which is just north of Brandon on No. 10 highway. . . . He has five goals this season. . . . The Wheat Kings blew a 3-1 first-period lead. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had two goals, giving him 29, and two assists. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk, making his 10th straight start, stopped 29 shots. . . . Brandon D Brodie Melnychuk did the Gordie Howe hat trick thing — before the game was 12 minutes old. He drew an assist on a goal by Stone just 45 seconds into the game, got into a fight with F Tyson Ness at 4:03, and scored his third goal of the season at 11:06. . . . F Mark Mackenzie had a goal, his first in the WHL, and an assist for Red Deer. Mackenzie, 18, is from Kelowna. He actually started last season with the Prince Albert Albert Raiders but ended up in a dispute with team management over playing time and went home. He left about 10 days after a Sept. 10, 2010 incident in which he confronted and fought off a burlgar in the home of his Prince Albert billet. . . . Mackenzie had been playing with the Kelowna-Okanagan College Coyotes before joining the Rebels. He has three points in five games. . . .

In Swift Current, G Alex Moodie stopped 19 shots to help the Saskatoon Blades to a 4-1 victory over the Broncos. . . . Moodie appeared in his eighth straight game, six of which have been starts. He will return to the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild once G Andrey Makarov is recovered from a concussion. . . . Saskatoon held a 32-14 edge in shots after two periods. . . . Swift Current G Jon Groenheyde finished with 36 stops. . . .

In Regina, the Pats erased a 3-1 deficit with six straight goals and beat the Victoria Royals, 7-3. . . . Regina F Andrew Rieder scored three times in the third period, giving him his first career hat trick and 13 goals this season. . . . F Jordan Weal had a five-point night, including two goals. He has 28 scores this season. . . . Regina head coach Pat Conacher spent last season as the assistant GM/assistant coach with the Chilliwack Bruins, who now are the Royals. . . . This was the first game in an East Division swing for the Royals, who have lost 10 in a row. . . . Regina D Martin Marincin, who was acquired Tuesday from the Prince George Cougars, had a goal and two helpers. . . .

In Calgary, F Trevor Cheek had a goal and two assists to help the Hitmen to a 5-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Cheek, who turned 19 on Dec. 29, is a sophomore from Vancouver, Wash. He had 25 points in 57 games last season. He now has 27 points in 37 games this season. . . . Cheek also was plus-4 last night. . . . The Hitmen have won six in a row. . . . Referee Andy Thiessen handed out two minor penalties before 17:17 of the third period. At that point, he dished out 10 minors and eight misconducts. In other words, 100 of the 104 penalty minutes came from one stoppage in play. . . .

In Vancouver, the Tri-City Americans exploded for six second-period goals and went on to beat the Giants, 11-4. . . . F Justin Feser had three goals for the Americans, giving him 21. It was his fourth career hat trick. . . . D Zach Yuen and FAdam Hughesman each was plus-5. . . . Yuen had two assists; Hughesman had two goals and an assist. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 22 shots in improving to 14-3-0. . . . The Americans hadn’t scored 11 goals in a game since March 4, 2003, when they beat Prince Geoge, 11-7. . . . The Giants set a franchise record for most goals against in a single home game. . . . Vancouver lost forwards Brendan Gallagher and Dalton Sward in the first period with undisclosed injuries. . . . Giants D David Musil sat out with a bruised wrist. Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that X-rays were negative. Musil missed practice on Thursday with what the Giants said was a maintenance day. . . . Vancouver D Kiefer McNaughton (broken jaw) was back after a 13-game absence. . . .

In Prince George, G Drew Owsley turned aside 49 shots to lead the Cougars to a 6-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . D Cody Carlson had two goals, giving him six, and an assist for the Cougars, who got three assists from F Troy Bourke. . . . The Hurricanes scored first but then gave up three goals in 2:47 late in the first period. . . . The Cougars were 2-for-10 on the PP. . . .

In Everett, F Josh Winquist scored at 3:23 of OT to give the Silvertips a 4-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Winquist’s 10th goal came via the PP after Spokane F Dylan Walchuk was hit with a double minor for high-sticking at 2:55 of OT. . . . Everett, which lost twice to Spokane earlier in the week and had lost its last four overall, trailed 3-0 midway through the third period. . . . D Ryan Murray scored a shorthanded goal at 10:10. F Josh Birkholz scored on the PP at 13:41. F Kohl Bauml tied it at 19:32 and then took the stick to the mouth in OT for which Walchuk was penalized. . . . Everett was 2-for-2 on the PP. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 37 shots. . . . Walchuk, who joined the Chiefs this week after being with Northern Michigan and then the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers this season, scored his first WHL goal in his first game. . . . Spokae D Davis Vandane counted his first WHL goal in his 95th career game. He has played 13 games with the Saskatoon Blades and 82 with the Chiefs. . . . The Chiefs had won 5-3 in Everett on Sunday and 6-1 at home on Wednesday. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks tied a franchise record with their 16th straight home-ice victory, beating the Kelowna Rockets, 2-1. . . . The Winterhawks’ record was first set in 1993-94. Portland next plays at home on Monday afternoon when the Tri-City Americans come calling. . . . D Joe Morrow broke a 1-1 tie with a PP goal at 14:43 of the third. . . . F Cam Reid had two assists for Portland in his second game since leaving St. Cloud State. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 37 shots, two more than Kelowna’s Jordon Cooke. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers scored four times in the game’s first 6:02 and went on to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-1. . . . Kamloops is 2-0 against Seattle with a 15-3 edge in goals. . . . F J.C. Lipon had two goals for Kamloops. . . . F Dylan Willick picked up his 20th goal for the Blazers, who now have four skaters with at least that many goals. . . . The Blazers have won five in a row, while Seattle has lost five straight. . . . Seattle F Tyler Alos is wearing a full cage after taking a puck in the mouth during practice. He ended up with four teeth pushed back, but was fortunate that he didn’t lose any. That is his picture — he tweeted it earlier — at the top of today’s entry.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Graeme Craig, Swift Current.
D Alex Petrovic, Red Deer.
F Lucas Grayson, Everett.
D Mitchell Chapman, Kelowna.
F Rob Trzonkowski, Calgary.
D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, Vancouver.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-2005) signed a contract through Dec. 24 with La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland, NL B). He was released after a tryout with Biel (Switzerland, NL A) on Thursday. The contract begins Monday.
———
JUST NOTES: F Sebastian Svendsen, 20, wasn’t in the Moose Jaw Warriors’ lineup Friday night as they beat the host Brandon Wheat Kings, 7-6. James Gallo, the radio voice of the Warriors on CHAB, reported via Twitter than Svendsen has left the club and returned home to Denmark. He missed the early portion of the season with a knee injury and has four points in 11 games. . . . Moose Jaw F Justin Kirsch left in the first period and didn’t return. That followed a hit from Brandon F Darian Dziurzynski. . . . Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden had four assists. He has 22 points in 13 games. . . . The Warriors erased a 6-4 deficit with three third-period goals. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had a goal and two assists, giving him a WHL-leading 58 points in 27 games. Stone has goals in each of his last eight games. . . .
F Mark McNeill’s ninth goal, at 3:04 of OT, gave the Prince Albert Raiders a 4-3 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . The Raiders had lost six in a row. . . . F Kellan Tochkin of the Raiders tied the score with 8.4 seconds left in the third period. . . . F Justin Maylan, 20, drew three assists for the Raiders. He has 32 points in 27 games and just may have some market value between now and the Jan. 10 trade deadline. . . . In Saskatoon, the Calgary Hitmen dumped the Blades 6-2. That ended Saskatoon’s eight-game winning streak and franchise record-tying 10-game home-ice winning streak. . . . The Hitmen are 3-0 on a four-game East Division swing that ends tonight in Prince Albert. . . . Calgary got two goals from F Jimmy Bubnick, who is from Saskatoon. . . .
In Edmonton, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 27 shots to lead the Oil Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. It was Brossoit’s first shutout this season and the third of his career. . . . He is 13-7-2, 2.43, .914. . . . F Tyler Maxwell, acquired Thursday from the Everett Silvertips, had one assist in his Edmonton debut. He played on a line with Michael St. Croix and Dylan Wruck. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Mark Pysyk (undisclosed). . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes went into Red Deer and beat the Rebels 5-1 in a game that featured 12 fighting majors. The Hurricanes took 76 of the game’s 118 penalty minutes. . . .
In Kelowna, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 35 shots in leading the Kootenay Ice to a 4-0 victory over the Rockets. . . . At this point, Lieuwen has to be one of the leading candidates for the player of the year award. He is 13-4-3, 1.78, .938. This was his first shutout of the season and eighth of his career. . . . Backstopped by Lieuwen, the Ice is 18-5-3 and leading the overall standings. . . . The Ice played five B.C. Division teams in seven nights and ran the table. . . . The Ice scored its last three goals on the PP. . . . F Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist, giving him four goals and 10 assists over the five-game swing. His older brother, Max, had three assists and finished the B.C. part of what will be a nine-game trip with four goals and six helpers. . . . Ice F Brock Montgomery, who scored one goal in 54 games last season, had two last night, giving him seven in 26 games this season. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-1, in a game that featured 142 penalty minutes, 71 to each team. . . . The teams took 74 of those minutes for a dustup at 17:48 of the third period. . . . In Everett, F Jordan Weal had two goals and an assist, the 200th of this career, to help the Regina Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Silvertips. Regina is 1-2-1 on its U.S. Division tour that ends in Kennewick tonight. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Charles Inglis tied the game at 19:21 of the third period and scored the only goal of the shootout as the Prince George Cougars edged the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Prince George G Drew Owsley stopped 32 shots. Seattle F Burke Gallimore wasn’t able to beat Owsley on a first-period penalty shot. . . . G Mac Carruth stopped 46 shots as the host Portland Winterhawks beat the Spokane Chiefs, 5-3. . . . Spokane is 0-7 on the road this season and that includes three losses in Portland.
———
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
———
The AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons have recalled F Milan Kytnar (Kelowna, Saskatoon, Vancouver, 2007-10), while also signing D Dylan Yeo (Prince George, Calgary, 2003-2007) to a free-agent tryout deal. . . .
———
A Friday night tweet from Katie Strang of ESPN, who covers the New York hockey scene: “Asked (Islanders) GM Garth Snow if he is contemplating sending Nino Niederreiter back to junior team Portland Winterhawks of WHL; he said ‘No’.”
———
A second tweet from Strang: “Also, Isles spokesperson said Niederreiter is indeed healthy. 19-year-old Swiss winger was scratched for 3rd straight game tonight.”
———
Later, Strang wrote about this on her blog right here.
———
Josh Cooper of The Tennessean has the latest on Brent Peterson right here. Peterson, a former player and coach with the Portland Winterhawks is living with Parkinson’s disease and preparing for surgery that he and his family hope will provide some relief.
———
Andrew King, a former junior hockey player, tells his concussion-plagued story right here, from the pages of the Montreal Gazette.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Not sure if these are available to the public,
but would you want a Tri-City Americans
bathrobe for Christmas?

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Lynn Loyns (Spokane, 1997-2001) signed a tryout contract with DEG Metro Stars Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL). He had one goal and one assist in nine games with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) earlier this season. The Metro Stars did not release the length of the tryout.
———
Jack Brockest, who purchased control of the Brandon Wheat Kings during their great season of 1978-79, has died.
Brockest, a native of Onanole, Man., passed away Thursday. He was 84.
A celebration of his life will be held today (Tuesday), 2 p.m., at Central United Church in Brandon. It is located at 327 8th St. Interment will take place at a later date.
Before taking over the Wheat Kings, Brockest was one of the WHL franchise’s eight directors, having bought his way in during the mid-1970s. On Jan. 11, 1979, with the Wheat Kings having lost just once in 36 games, Bob Cornell, the team’s governor, announced that Brockest, who had been the general manager since April 24, 1975, had purchased control of the hockey team.
Brockest later bought out the remaining ‘B’ shareholders in 1980. Three years later, he sold the franchise to a community-based group.
The neat part of the Brockest story is that five years before he bought the team he had been the manager of the Keystone Centre, the Wheat Kings’ home arena. And so it was that he went from managing the arena in which they played to owning the team.
Brockest teamed with head coach Dunc McCallum and super-scout Ron Dietrich to put together three of the greatest teams in WHL history. Over a three-season stretch (1976-79), back when ties were part of the deal, Brandon went 158-27-31. That is an .803 winning percentage.
The 1978-79 Wheat Kings finished with a 58-5-9 record, good for a WHL record 125 points. They reached the Memorial Cup final, where they lost 2-1 to the OHL’s Peterborough Petes.
Brockest was predeceased by his wife Shirley. He is survived by daughter Cathie (she is married to a great sports fan, Nelson ‘Roger’ Strong) and son Bob (Doris).
———
JUST NOTES: D Colton Jobke of the Regina Pats has been added to the roster of the WHL team that will play the Russians in Regina on Wednesday. Jobke replaces D Mark Pysyk of the Edmonton Oil Kings, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Kamloops on Saturday. . . . D Alex Petrovic of the Red Deer Rebels is the WHL’s player of the week. He had nine points in four road games last week. . . . G Corbin Boes of the Brandon Wheat Kings is the WHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0, 1.13, .965 last week. . . .
The NHL’s New York Islanders have recalled F Nino Niederreiter from the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Niederreiter was there on a conditioning assignment as he recovered from a lingering groin injury. He had four points in six games, including a goal in each of his last three games there. He’ll play for the Islanders tonight against the new York Rangers. . . . Niederreiter, 19, has to stick with the Islanders or be returned to the Portland Winterhawks. . . .
Turning Point Sports Management revealed Monday night that F Chase Witala of the Prince George Cougars “has been selected to play for Team (Pacific) in the prestigious U-17 World Junior Challenge.” The tournament is scheduled for London, Ont., Dec. 29 through Jan. 4. . . . Organizers are poised to announce the roster for Team Pacific today at 10 a.m. PT. . . . A quick Twitter tour on Monday night showed that among those selected for Team Pacific are F Anthony Ast (Vancouver Giants), D Mason Geertsen (Edmonton Oil Kings), G Tristan Jarry (Edmonton), F Curtis Lazar (Edmonton), F Greg Chase (Calgary Hitmen), F Tyson Baillie (Kelowna Rockets), F Torrin White (Moose Jaw Warriors), F Morgan Klimchuk (Regina Pats), D Kyle Burroughs (Regina), D Jesse Lees (Kelowna), D Macoy Erkamps (Lethbridge Hurricanes), F Jackson Houck (Vancouver) and F Nic Petan (Portland Winterhawks). . . . Team West berths apparently have gone to, among others, F Jon Martin (Kootenay Ice), F Jay Merkley (Lethbridge) and G Eric Comrie (Tri-City Americans).

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

It would seem the Kelowna Rockets can forget about F Zemgus Girgensons, a 17-year-old Latvian whom they selected in the 2011 CHL import draft.
He played last season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, is there again this season, and doesn’t sound as though he is the least bit interested in playing in the WHL.
“You know, first of all I don’t see my future in the CHL,” Girgensons told Ryan Clark of the Fargo, N.D., Forum on the weekend. “I talked with other CHL teams that were interested in me. I thought about the Q (the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) and the Quebec Remparts, but (Kelowna) drafted me and didn’t say anything to me about it. After that, I felt they disrespected me a little bit. They pushed it a little bit onto my adviser and I don’t think he really liked it.”
For more on this story, check out Clark’s blog Slightly Chilled over there on the right.
———
The Prince Albert Raiders assigned F T.J. Constant, 18, to the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard. He had a goal and five penalty minutes in 15 games with the Raiders. . . . The Raiders, who made a coaching change on Friday, also have added Dave Manson, who was part of the 1985 Memorial Cup-championship team, to their coaching staff. Manson, who played for the Raiders (1983-86) before going on to a terrific NHL career, lives in Prince Albert where he operates a business. Manson was an assistant coach with the Raiders from 2002-09. . . . He will work alongside head coach Steve Young, who was promoted Friday when Bruno Campese, who remains as general manager, stepped aside. . . . Craig Bedard also is on staff as an assistant coach.
Drew Wilson has more right here on the guy they call Charlie.
———
The Minnesota Wild has returned F Brett Bulmer to the Kelowna Rockets. Bulmer had three assists and six penalty minutes in nine games with the NHL team. Bulmer was a healthy scratch for Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. That would have been his 10th game, meaning the first year of his three-year contract would have kicked in.
Bulmer’s return leaves three WHLers — F Nino Niederreiter and F Ryan Johansen of the Portland Winterhawks and F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels — in the NHL.
Niederreiter, 19, has yet to play with the New York Islanders because of a groin injury, although he is back skating.
Johansen, 19, is with the Columbus Blue Jackets; in fact, he has played nine games with them, scoring two goals, both game-winners, and drawing two assists. The word out of Columbus on Monday was that there may be an announcement today regarding Johansen’s immediate future.
The Edmonton Oilers said late last week that they will be keeping Nugent-Hopkins, 18, while F Brett Connolly, 19, has stuck with the Tampa Bay Lightning and won't be returning to the Prince George Cougars, at least not for a while.
———
THE COACHING GAME: The AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons have fired general manager and head coach Dan Price. The Dragons go into this week at 5-14-2, good for seventh place in the eight-team South Division. . . . On Monday, the Dragons announced that Barry Wolff is the new GM and head coach. Wolff most recently was associate head coach and assistant GM with the BCHL’s Langley Chiefs.
———
JUST NOTES: F Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants has drawn a two-game suspension for a penalty he incurred on Friday in Prince George. What was a checking-to-the-head major was turned into a boarding major before he was suspended. He has one game left to serve. . . . F Blake Gal of the Spokane Chiefs will watch for three games after he took a boarding major in a game against the host Tri-City Americans on Saturday. . . . As well, F Austin Carroll of the Victoria Royals got a two-game suspension under supplemental discipline for something he did against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday. . . . F Cody Beach of the Moose Jaw Warriors is the WHL’s player of the week. He had eight points, four of them goals, in three games last week. . . . Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the WHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0, 1.00, .966 last week. . . . Vancouver, with F Matt Bellerive, F Scott Cooke, F Anthony Ast and D Blake Orban all out with undisclosed injuries, has brought in F Logan Harland, 16, from the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs. He had two points in six games with the Pontiacs.
———
If you are a fan of hockey movies, there is some good news — nay, great news _ for you. The movie Face-Off is being released on DVD on Nov. 15.
Dave Shoalts of The Globe and Mail has more right here.
———
If you are into rankings, Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports posts weekly CHL rankings that have some bite to them and make for a good read. Check out this week’s Buzzing The Net rankings right here. If you’re a fan of the Spokane Chiefs, you will love them.
———
Take a few minutes out of your day and watch this video. It involves a Vancouver sportscaster who won quite a prize in a lottery draw. The draw was made on a set at the TV station where he works. But he wasn’t there at the time. No, Barry Deley was shopping for groceries when he got the call from a fellow sportscaster. Enjoy!
———
Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has a question, via Twitter:
“With the upper body/lower body injury thing, shouldn't it be a checking to the upper body penalty, rather than a checking to the head?”
———
And now for today’s good read . . . we bring you a piece by Jim Diamond at examiner.com. It has to do with former WHL referee Mike Hasenfratz, who will work a Thursday night game between the host Nashville Predators and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hasenfratz, who really is one of the good guys, hasn’t been working for a while and Diamond has his story right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Bozon hoping to follow in father's footsteps to NHL

Tim Bozon, with the HC Lugano juniors.
(Photo courtesy Tim Bozon)

 By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

Tim Bozon knows where he wants to play hockey in 2011-12.
“Kamloops,” Bozon told The Daily News during a texting exchange on Tuesday.
Bozon, the Kamloops Blazers’ lone selection in last month’s CHL import draft, is an interesting study.
The 17-year-old son of former NHL forward Philippe Bozon, Tim — “My name is Timothé, but everybody calls me Tim,” he wrote — was born in St. Louis while his father was playing for the Blues. The family now lives in Lugano, Switzerland, but Tim has played internationally for France, despite never having played minor hockey in that country.
“It’s just because all my family are French, and my grandfather and my father played for France’s national team,” Bozon explained. “It’s why I play, too.”
The 6-foot-1, 182-pound Bozon, who is fluent in English, Italian, French and German, played his minor hockey in Switzerland, the location dependent upon where his father was playing or coaching.
“I lived one year in Kloten and I learned German, and three years in Lugano and I learned Italian,” he noted. “I learned English at school.”
Naturally, Philippe has been rather important in the shaping of his son’s career.
“He has a lot of experience and is a good example for me and I try to learn from him,” Tim said. “He coached me when we were in Geneva.”
Not that it was always fun . . .
“It was not so easy for us,” the son stated. “He was hard with me but, finally, I learned a lot and I will always learn with him.”
Right now, the family is vacationing in France. That includes mother Hélène and the other two children — Allison, 19, and Kevin, 16.
Philippe was the first French-trained player to reach the NHL. An international legend, he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2008. Right now, he is between coaching jobs, having been fired by HC Lugano on Nov. 29. Former NHL assistant coach Barry Smith now is Lugano’s head coach; the roster includes ex-Blazers forward Hnat Domenichelli.
Tim said he was “really excited” to be selected by the Blazers and added that he has chatted with Domenichelli, who has played in Switzerland for eight seasons, the last three in Lugano.
“He said to me that it’s a very good team . . . so I’m very happy to play in the WHL,” Bozon continued. “It’s one of my dreams to play in this league. It’s a very good level and you get more chance to play one day in the NHL.
“It’s going to be a great experience.”
Asked to look in a mirror and describe his game, Bozon replied: “I like to have the puck to control the game. I have a good vision of the game. I like to play physical and I have good skills. I can score goals.”
Last season, he had 29 points, 16 of them goals, in 27 games with Lugano’s U20 team.
In December, France’s U20 team will play in the Division I Group B tournament in Tychy, Poland, but Bozon said that isn’t his first concern.
“No, not really,” he stated. “I told the coach and we agreed that if I go play in Canada he let’s me be free. But if he asks me to play in the World championship, I will say ‘yes,’ of course.
“But I just want to focus on Kamloops. That is most important for me right now.”
At 17, it’s more likely he would be invited to play for France at the IIHF Division I Group A U18 championship in Piestany, Slovakia, Dec. 11-17. That tournament also will include Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy and Japan.
Bozon already has played with France’s U18 side on two occasions, most recently at the Division I Group B tournament in Maribor, Slovenia, in April.
“We finished third and it was the first time that France’s U18 team has brought back a medal,” he noted. Bozon had six points, three of them goals, in five games.
Bozon is the second Swiss player selected by the Blazers in the import draft. The first, forward Janick Steinmann, played one season (2005-06) here, picking up 18 points in 55 games. He played this season for Davos in the Swiss-A league.
The Portland Winterhawks, however, have had great success with Swiss forwards Nino Niederreiter and Sven Bartschi, both of whom have signed NHL contracts after being first-round draft picks. Niederreiter has played two seasons in Portland, while Bartschi was the Western Conference’s rookie of the year in 2010-11.
Bozon knows both players. He also knows “very well” sophomore defenceman Dave Sutter of the Seattle Thunderbirds, having played two years with him in Geneva.
Bozon also is “very good friends” with forward Alessio Bertaggia, who was selected by the Brandon Wheat Kings in last month’s import draft.
Bertaggia’s father, Sandro, was an assistant coach with the Lugano team that fired Bozon’s father.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

It's Ice vs. Winterhawks

JEFF CHYNOWETH

It made something of a ripple when Jeff Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, revealed almost a year ago that his WHL team wouldn’t take part in the CHL’s 2010 import draft.
“Although we have been fortunate in the past with the CHL import draft,” Chynoweth reasoned in a news release, “we feel that in this day and age it is becoming very hard to attract the top European players.
“Our team is eligible to return 19 players and there is no guarantee if we selected a player (in the 2010 draft) that he would be able to play in our top six forwards or top four defencemen.”
Chynoweth took heat at the time, with some people saying that he owed it to the fans to ice the best possible product and pointing out that the best teams almost always include an import or two on their rosters.
Well, the Ice has won the Eastern Conference playoff championship and the roster that has made it this far has neither a European nor an American influence.
Of the WHL’s 22 teams, only the Ice and the Tri-City Americans don’t include even one import on their roster. (The Americans did use 20-year-old G Alexander Pechurskiy, a Russian, in three early-season games.)
The Ice would have had the 43rd selection in the 2010 import draft, but it dealt the selection to the Brandon Wheat Kings, who used it on Danish F Mark Mieritz.
You may recall that last season the Ice did use two Czechs — F Dominik Pacovsky and D Petr Senkerik. Pacovsky was 19 and didn’t come back as a two-spotter. Senkerik didn’t finish last season with the Ice, as he was dealt to the Prince George Cougars.
The Ice will open the best-of-seven WHL championship final on Friday in Portland against the Winterhawks.
Portland’s roster includes two high-flying Swiss forwards in sophomore Nino Niederreiter, who has a team-high 23 points in 16 games, and freshman Sven Bartschi, with 21 points in 16 outings.
Gee, I wonder which team will have Don Cherry’s support?
———

RYAN JOHANSEN

The Winterhawks qualified for the final by doubling the Chiefs 6-3 in Spokane on Monday night. . . . Portland won the Western Conference final, 4-2. . . . The Chiefs, who scored first in each of the six games, led 2-0 before the first period was four minutes old, on goals by F Marek Kalus and F Mike Aviani, but couldn’t hold it. . . . F Sven Bartschi got Portland on the board at 8:17 of the first period and F Ryan Johansen tied it at 9:38 of the second. . . . F Craig Cunningham gave Portland its first lead at 10:38, but Spokane F Levko Koper tied it at 19:44. . . . However, the Winterhawks scored the game’s last three goals, with D Troy Rutkowski breaking the tie at 5:22 of the third and F Ty Rattie (14:07) and F Nino Niederreiter (17:41) adding insurance. . . . Johansen, with five goals and three assists in the series, was named the MVP. . . . Cunningham, Bartschi and D Joe Morrow each had two assists for Portland. . . . F Dominik Uher had two helpers for the Chiefs. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 24 shots, while Spokane’s James Reid turned aside 32. . . . Each team was 0-for-5 on the PP. . . . The Winterhawks are 7-1 on the road in these playoffs. . . . Portland last appeared in a WHL final in the spring of 2001 when it lost to the Red Deer Rebels, who went on to win the Memorial Cup in Regina. . . . The final against the Kootenay Ice opens with games in Portland’s Rose Garden on Friday and Saturday nights. . . . The Ice won 5-3 in Portland on Dec. 1. . . . The Ice will arrive in Portland having won 11 straight playoff games, one off the WHL record.
———
MONDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
———
Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review was at last night’s game. His game story is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Wednesday . . .

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 44:
It’s official. Not that it really was ever in doubt.
The Prince George Cougars aren’t going anywhere.
WHL commissioner Ron Robison has told CKPG-TV in Prince George that “there’s never been any application made to the WHL for a move.”
Robison went on to say that “these rumours come up from time to time. I think any time you have a franchise that . . . is struggling with attendance, as Prince George has, for a lengthy period fo time, you’re going to see these types of rumours surface.  But the ownership is still committed to the Prince George market and hoping that things can turn around soon.”
This all started, of course, because the WHL has allowed the majority owners of the Chilliwack Bruins to sell their franchise for $5.5 million. Eventually, the WHL will announce that Vancouver-based RG Properties has purchased the franchise and will relocate it to Victoria.
Once the WHL confirmed that the Bruins had been sold, the speculation was immediate that the Cougars were likely to head south. That just isn't going to happen.
But what Robison didn’t mention to CKPG-TV — or, if he did, the TV station didn’t use it — is that Moray Keith, one of the Bruins’ minority owners, made an attempt to purchase the Cougars.
Keith first tried to buy the Bruins, but his offer of $6.2 million — not $7.75 million as was reported about a month ago — wasn’t even considered, apparently because majority owners Darryl Porter, Brian Burke and Glen Sather had already accepted RG Properties’ offer.
Keith found out that the Cougars aren’t for sale, at least not for what he was offering, and now the good people of Chilliwack appear likely to have a BCHL franchise moving into their city in the near future.
———
Bob Sales, the president of the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires, has confirmed to CKPG-TV that, yes, “the team is for sale.”
And, furthermore, there have been talks with . . .
“We haven’t had any firm offers from Chilliwck,” Sales told the TV station, “but we have talked to Chilliwack.”
———
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Byron Ritchie (Lethbridge, 1993-97) signed a two-year contract with Bern (Switzerland NL A). He had 23 goals and 21 assists in 53 games with MoDo Örnsköldsvik (Sweden Elitserien) this season, good for fifth in league scoring.
———
A tip of the cap to the American Hockey League for trimming four games from each team’s regular-season schedule.
Yes, the AHL announced Wednesday that each of its teams will play 76 games next season, down from 80.
At the same time, the AHL said it will lengthen the amount of time it takes to play its regular-season schedule by one week. And it will reduce its first-round playoff series to best-of-five from best-of-seven.
The regular-season scheduling changes will mean teams no longer will be required to play four games in five nights.
"As our league has grown in recent years, we have been working closely with the National Hockey League and the Professional Hockey Players' Association to seek a solution to what has become a very onerous playing schedule," David Andrews, the AHL president, said.
"As our league has grown and our game has become faster and more physical, the wear and tear on our players has begun to affect player development and at times the quality of competition.
“These steps are intended to provide a safer environment for our players through increased rest and recovery time, and also to provide our fans with an even higher calibre of play as a result of reduced player fatigue."
Hurrah for the AHL!
———
There is an interesting story developing in the OHL where the Soo Greyhounds are expected to introduce Kyle Dubas as their general manager today. Dubas, at 25 years of age, is a player agent. In fact, he is the youngest player agent to be certified by the NHLPA.
Peter Ruicci of the Sault Star has more right here.
———
The New York Islanders will make a coaching change with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, their AHL affiliate. Pat Bingham, an assistant coach who took over as head coach when Jack Capuono moved up to the Islanders in November, won’t be returning.
The Sound Tigers went 24-30-11 under Bingham, who is a former WHL player (Kamloops, New Westminster, 1985-89).
———
F Tyler Pitlick of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who hasn’t played in a month because of a broken ankle, has signed a three-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers, who selected him in the second round of the 2010 NHL draft.
Pitlick, 19, put up 62 points, including 27 goals, in 56 games in his first WHL season. He joined the Tigers from the NCAA’s Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks.
Pitlick wsa able to dump his crutches earlier this week, but isn’t expected back in the Tigers’ lineup in the near future.
———
ON THE ICE:
In Medicine Hat, the Red Deer Rebels stayed alive with a 1-0 victory over the Tigers. . . . G Dawson Guhle, starting in place of Darcy Kuemper (ankle), turned aside 21 shots for the shutout. . . . Guhle, an 18-year-old from Daysland, Alta., played in 15 games during the regular season — five with the Regina Pats and 10 with Red Deer. . . . Bolton Pouliot, a 16-year-old from Calgary, served as Guhle’s backup. . . . F Byron Froese scored the game’s only goal, his fourth, at 11:27 of the third period. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz turned aside 23 shots. . . . The Tigers had won six straight games. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . The Tigers take a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 in Red Deer on Saturday. . . . “(Guhle) made some key saves at key times, some big saves,” Jesse Wallin, the Rebels’ head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “We know he has that capability and at times this season he’s played real well and shown us what he’s got. But talk about a tough situation to step into, because he hasn’t played a lot of games this season. Good for him. I’m real proud of him and I thought the boys battled real hard in front of him, keeping things to the outside and letting him see the puck and make the first stop. We did a good job of that and yet at playoff time you need big-time goaltending.” . . .
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In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and finished off the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . The Ice, the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed, swept the Blades, who had finished with the WHL’s best regular-season record. . . . The Ice is the first team to advance to a conference final. . . . F Matt Fraser scored twice and added two assists for the Ice. He leads the playoffs with 10 goals and is third in points (15). . . . F Max Reinhart also scored twice for the Ice. He’s got seven in these playoffs. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 33 shots, five fewer than Saskatoon’s Steven Stanford. . . . Attendance was 3,021. . . . The Blades won a WHL-high 56 regular-season games. However, they scored only five goals in four games against the Ice. . . . The Los Angeles Kings, who open the NHL playoffs tonight against the Sharks in San Jose, are expected to recall Saskatoon F Brayden Schenn, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft. Schenn has played eight NHL games, so two more would result in him using up one year of his three-year contract. . . . Cody Nickolet, who provides colour on Blades’ radio broadcasts, tweeted late last night that “Schenn will speak to (Kings GM) Dean Lombardi on Thursday to learn where he is headed.” . . . Nickolet also tweeted that F Curtis Hamilton and D Stefan Elliott will be bound for AHL teams. Hamilton, a second-round NHL draft pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2009, likely will sign an ATO with the Oklahoma City Barons, while Elliott, who has signed with the Colorado Avalanche, is to join the AHL’s Lake Eric Monsters.
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In Kelowna, F Nino Niederreiter drew three assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . The Winterhawks, having won three in a row, hold a 3-1 edge and get their first chance to end the series at home on Friday night. . . . The Winterhawks took a 2-0 on goals 39 seconds apart by F Ty Rattie, at 12:25 of the first, and F Taylor Peters and never trailed. . . . F Shane McColgan got his eighth goal on the PP at 17:39 of the first. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow got that one back on a PP at 2:30 of the third. . . . F Brett Bulmer pulled Kelowna to within one just over 10 minutes later, but the Rockets weren’t able to equalize. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen, with his seventh point in the last three games, got his sixth goal at 16:11 to provide some insurance. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth, who is 7-1 in these playoffs, stopped 24 shots, while Kelowna’s Adam Brown turned aside 35. . . . Attendance was 4,763.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Some Sunday stuff . . .

Regular visitors to this site will notice the Twitter feed is missing from the top right corner.
Repeated efforts to get that feed to show the origination of retweets has led me to have it deleted.
When something is retweeted, there should be an avatar appear on the left side, showing where the tweet originated. Unable to get it to work properly, I have chosen to simply delete it.
You are still able to follow me on twitter (twitter.com/gdrinnan) and get tweets and retweets there.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Max Brandl (Prince Albert, Portland, 2007-09) signed a one-year contract extension with the Landshut Cannibals (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had eight goals and 13 assists in 46 games for the Cannibals this season. . . .
F Ty Morris (Swift Current, Vancouver, Red Deer, 2003-05) signed a one-year contract with the Bietigheim Steelers (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had 17 goals and 29 assists in 42 games with the Landshut Cannibals (Germany 2.Bundesliga) this season.
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Might F Jaden Schwartz of the Colorado College Tigers end up with the Tri-City Americans? The speculation has started and some of it is right here. The Americans selected him in the eighth round of the 2007 bantam draft.
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It’s doubtful that many people had a week like the one Dale Saip experienced.
Saip, the Vancouver Giants’ vice-president of business development, was nominated Monday as the federal Conservative candidate for the Lower Mainland riding of Delta Richmond.
But then came a story by Jeff Lee of the Vancouver Sun that detailed Saip’s personal and financial history.
It didn’t take long after that for the Conservative Party to change its mind and move Saip to the sideline.
In Saturday’s Vancouver Sun, columnist Craig McInnes looked at the situation involving Saip and wondered why anyone would want to get involved in Canadian politics.
Having read all of this, and more, on this situation, I’m thinking Saip might well be a great fit as a politician. If nothing else, because of everything he has been through and all that he has dealt with to get here from there, he might be closer to understanding the problems faced almost daily by the average citizen than many of the politicians we see in action these days.
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SUNDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Saskatoon, the Blades went home with a 5-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders and one fan — or maybe two — took home $44,000. . . . F Brayden Schenn scored twice to lead the Blades, who take a 2-0 series lead into Game 3 in Prince Albert on Wednesday. . . . The 50/50 draw was worth somewhere near $44,000. The total pool during Friday’s first game reached $40,000, with $20,000 of that ticketed for the winner. But no one claimed the pot, so it rolled over to Sunday night and someone went home within around $44,000. . . . Word after the game was that a couple of former WHL players had won the draw. . . . Prince Albert started G Eric Williams, who had come in for starter Jamie Tucker during the opener. . . .
In Portland, F Nino Niederreiter and F Craig Cunningham each scored twice as the Winterhawks dumped the Everett Silvertips, 7-2. . . . Portland won the opener 7-1 on Saturday. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 37 shots. . . . The Silvertips, with starter Kent Simpson unable to dress because of an ankle problem, again went with Luke Siemens in goal. He finished with 39 saves. . . . Attendance was 6,119. . . . The series now shifts to Everett for games on Wednesday and Thursday. . . .
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SUNDAY’S CFB COUNT:
One minor:
Portland F Riley Boychuk
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JUST NOTES: John MacNeil of the Brandon Sun is reporting today that Medicine Hat Tigers G Tyler Bunz will sit out at least two more games due to a concussion. Bunz sat out the last two weeks of the regular season with a concussion. He told MacNeil that he got bumped during Brandon’s 7-2 victory in Game 1 and some symptoms returned. . . . Late last night, Bunz tweeted: “Roomin with the other injured Tyler in winnipeg, biggest band aids in the league.” . . . Bunz rooms with F Tyler Pitlick, who is out with a broken ankle. . . . The Tigers and Wheat Kings resume their series — they’re tied 1-1 — tonight in Winnipeg. The Wheat Kings had to move their first-round games to the Manitoba capital because their home arena is occupied by the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. . . . One other series resumes tonight with the Red Deer Rebels taking a 2-0 lead into Edmonton to play the Oil Kings.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Friday . . .

Goaltender Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans gets a close-up look at
Kevin Sundher of the Chilliwack Bruins during a game in the Toyota Center
at Kennewick, Wash., on Friday night.
(Photo by John Allen/AridAcres.com)

If you read only one thing today, make it this piece right here. Written by Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail, it features Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier and his view on the problem of concussions in hockey. MacGregor is the best sports essayist in Canada today, and one of the best in North America, and Regier is one of the most progressive thinkers in the game.
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After Friday’s WHL games, here are some things that we know:
1. The Saskatoon Blades, with the WHL’s best record, will meet the Prince Albert Raiders in the first round. The Raiders locked up the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot last night.
2. The Red Deer Rebels will be the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. They clinched that with a victory in Edmonton and will face either the Oil Kings or Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round.
3. The Lethbridge Hurricanes won’t be in the playoffs. That was assured when Prince Albert won and the Hurricanes lost at home to the Kootenay Ice.
4. The Moose Jaw Warriors will finish fifth and play either the Medicine Hat Tigers or Kootenay in the first round.
5. The Kamloops Blazers won’t be in the playoffs for only the second time in the franchise’s 30-year history in that city. They were finished when they lost 3-2 in a shootout to the visiting Prince George Cougars.
Here are some things we don’t know:
1. Who will finish third and fourth in the Eastern Conference? The Medicine Hat Tigers, with two games left, are third, one point ahead of the Kootenay Ice, which has one game left. The Tigers are at home to the 12th-place Calgary Hitmen tonight and then visit Calgary Sunday. The Ice is at home to Lethbridge tonight.
2. Who will finish sixth and seventh in Eastern Conference? The Brandon Wheat Kings are sixth, two points ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Wheat Kings are at home to Moose Jaw tonight, while the Oil Kings wrap things up in Red Deer. Should Brandon lose in regulation and should Edmonton win, both would have 71 points. Edmonton would win the tiebreaker on victories, 32-31.
3. What will be the first-round matchups in the Western Conference? We don’t know any of them. The Kelowna Rockets will be the No. 2 seed; the Tri-City Americans will be No. 4. Everything else is up in the air.
4. Which other Western Conference team will join Kamloops on the outside looking in? . . . Seattle is four points behind eighth-place Everett, with both teams having two games remaining. Seattle needs two victories and two Everett losses in regulation to force a sudden-death game for the final playoff spot. That game would be played in Kent, Wash., as Seattle would have more victories — 29-28. . . . Everett is in Chilliwack tonight and in Vancouver on Sunday. . . . The Thunderbirds are at home to Portland tonight and Tri-City on Sunday.
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In Edmonton, the Red Deer Rebels beat the Oil Kings 4-3 to clinch the Central Division pennant and the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed for the first round of the playoffs. . . . Attendance was 12,960. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Red Deer. . . . The Oil Kings are seventh, two points behind the sixth-place Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to Moose Jaw tonight. . . .
In Prince Albert, the Raiders doubled the Swift Current Broncos 6-3 and locked up the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The eighth-place Raiders can start preparing for a first-round matchup with the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Raiders lost D Antoine Corbin to a kneeing major and game misconduct at 5:01 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 3,366. . . . They play again tonight in Swift Current. . . .
In Regina, F Brayden Schenn scored in OT to give the Blades a 2-1 victory over the Pats. . . . Schenn has 22 goals in 27 games with the Blades. . . . F Jordan Weal scored the game’s first two goals for Regina, giving him 42. . . . The Pats won’t be in the playoffs for a third straight season. . . . The teams will play again tonight in Saskatoon. . . .
In Lethbridge, the Kootenay Ice dumped the Hurricanes, 5-3. . . . The Hurricanes had needed a victory and a Prince Albert loss to have any chance to make the playoffs. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Cranbrook. . . .
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 2-1 in a shootout in the last regular-season game to be played in the Civic Centre (aka the Crushed Can). . . . Attendance was 2,945. . . . Former Warriors captain Mark MacKay dropped the puck for the ceremonial opening faceoff. In a nice touch, his son, Matt, took the draw for the Wheat Kings. . . . The Warriors will move into the new Multiplex in time for next season. . . . Moose Jaw F Antonin Honejsek scored in the shootout in his first game back after missing 16 with a broken ankle. . . . Moose Jaw won for the 40th time this season, the third time in franchise history that it has reached 40. . . .
In Kamloops, F Charles Inglis, the 14th shooter, scored the only goal of the shootout as the Prince George Cougars beat the Blazers, 3-2. . . . The loss dashed the Blazers’ hopes of making the playoffs. . . . Kamloops has lost seven in a row. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince George. . . . F Brett Connolly scored twice for the Cougars, giving him 45. . . .
In Portland, the Winterhawks got two goals from F Nino Niederreiter, who has 40 now, as they came from behind to beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-3. . . . The Winterhawks continue to lead the Western Conference by one point over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Portland, with 101 points, broke the century mark for the first time since 1997-98. . . . If you believe in omens, the Winterhawks won the Memorial Cup that season. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth got the victory in his first appearance since he was injured during the pregame warmup on March 4. . . . Everett continues to be without F Landon Ferraro (groin) and G Kent Simpson (ankle). . . . The Winterhawks meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., tonight, then return home to face Spokane on Sunday, 5 p.m., at the Rose Garden. . . . The Silvertips are eighth in the Western Conference so may end up meeting the Winterhawks in the first round. . . .
In Spokane, G Mac Engel stopped 23 shots as the Chiefs beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-0. . . . Engel has four shutouts. . . . The victory allowed the Chiefs to reach the 100-point barrier and to stay within one point of the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Chiefs visit Tri-City tonight — they have beaten the Americans five straight times — and are in Portland on Sunday. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Mason Wilgosh scored once in his return from injury as the Tri-City Americans dumped the Chilliwack Bruins, 5-1. . . . Wilgosh had missed 11 games. . . . The Toyota Center was sold out (5,929). . . . The Bruins had picked up at least one point in each of their last 10 games. . . . Tri-City also had F Neal Prokop (leg) back in the lineup. He sat out 28 games since being injured on Jan. 14. . . .
In Vancouver, F Geordie Wudrick scored twice as the Kelowna Rockets got past the Giants, 3-1. . . . Wudrick has 42 goals. . . . The Giants lost their eighth straight game. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher (concussion) returned to action. . . . The Giants are sixth in the Western Conference, one point behind Chilliwack. Vancouver can finish no lower than sixth. . . . The Giants are in Kelowna tonight and at home to Everett on Sunday. . . . The Bruins meet visiting Everett tonight.
———
FRIDAY’S CFB COUNT:
Two minors:
D Graeme Craig, Swift Current
F Andrew Rieder, Regina
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter