Showing posts with label Noah Gregor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Noah Gregor. Show all posts

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Hurricanes, Warriors stay alive . . . Winterhawks put Cougars on ropes . . . Lowry: It was offside


D Sam Klassen (Saskatoon, 2006-10) has signed a one-year contract with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). Klassen didn’t play this season. Last season, with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL), he had a goal and six assists in 51 games.
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 The Lethbridge Hurricanes had F Giorgio Estephan, one of their top forwards, back in their lineup for Game 5 against the visiting Red Deer Rebels on Saturday night, and he contributed a goal and two assists to a 5-3 victory. Estephan missed Games 3 and 4 after taking a high-stick to the face late in the second period of Game 2. . . . The Hurricanes also had D Calen Addison back after a one-game absence. The second-overall selection in the WHL’s 2015 bantam draft, Addison had a fine freshman season, with 33 points, including 24 assists, in 63 games. . . . Addison and Estephan drew the assists on Lethbridge’s second goal last night.
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The Red Deer Rebels played Game 5 in Lethbridge without F Lane Zablocki, who has been hotter than a firecracker. He was suspended for one game after taking a double minor for checking from behind in Game 5 on Thursday. . . . Zablocki has five goals in the playoffs, which had him tied for the WHL lead with F Patrick Bajkov of the Everett Silvertips when Saturday’s games began.
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F Brad Morrison was scratched by the Prince George Cougars again on Saturday, so he missed Game 5 against the visiting Portland Winterhawks. Morrison returned from an ankle injury to score the first goal of Game 2, but was hurting in Game 3, so was scratched from Game 4 and again last night.
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The Cougars and Winterhawks will complete their second bus trip to Portland today where they will play Game 6 on Monday night. It will be interesting to see how many fans show up for this one. The NCAA’s Final Four championship game — featuring Spokane’s Gonzaga Bulldogs and the North Carolina Tar Heels — also is scheduled for Monday. The WHL game is to start at 7 p.m.; the men’s basketball game is to begin at 6 p.m. PT. . . . The Gonzaga roster includes two players from Portland — guards Silas Melson and Nigel Williams-Goss. . . . Williams-Goss actually is from Happy Valley, Ore., which is in the Portland metro area. . . . Of course, it could have been worse. North Carolina eliminated the Oregon Ducks last night.
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So . . . is a hockey player better off to test positive for mumps or to be found to have mononucleosis? Would he miss more games with the former or the latter? Asking for a friend.
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A note from Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier, as the Rockets prepare to visit Kamloops tonight for Game 6 with the Blazers: “The Rockets have not been impacted by the mumps to date, and are now avoiding the media as a precautionary measure. Some members of the Kelowna media were in contact with Keen earlier in the series.” . . . Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Blazers, has missed two games after showing mumps symptoms and isn’t expected to be at Game 6.
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D Parker Wotherspoon of the Tri-City Americans left Saturday to join the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Islanders. Wotherspoon, from Surrey, B.C., was a fourth-round selection by the Islanders in the NHL’s 2015 draft. . . . Wotherspoon had 66 points, including 56 assists, in 69 games this season. He had one assist as the Americans were swept from the first round by the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Wotherspoon, who has signed with the Islanders, will turn 20 on Aug. 24, so is eligible to play one more WHL season. He also could play in the Islanders’ organization.
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Was it, or wasn’t it? F Eetu Tuulola scored in OT on Friday night, giving the Everett Silvertips a 4-3 victory over the visiting Victoria Royals and a 3-2 edge in that series. But did the winner come on a play that was offside at the Victoria blue line? . . . “It was 100 per cent offside . . . even the Everett players stopped skating,” Victoria head coach Dave Lowry told Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times-Colonist. “It’s a judgment call. We’ll find a way to move on and refocus.”
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BTW, Lowry also had this to say: “Our guys play extremely hard and are frustrated by (Everett’s) hooking and cross-checking (not being called). And then they go down real easy.” . . . Everett had three PP opportunities to Victoria’s one in Game 5. . . . They’ll play Game 6 in Victoria this afternoon.
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If you have any interest at all in the concussion lawsuit filed by retired players against the NHL, you will want to read this piece right here by John Vogl of the Buffalo News. Things are getting uglier and nastier by the day, and Vogl has all the details.
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It’s Opening Day. Enjoy!
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SATURDAY GAMES:


At Lethbridge, F Giorgio Estephan returned from a two-game absence to spark the Hurricanes to a 5-3
GIORGIO ESTEPHAN
victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Red Deer holds a 3-2 edge in the series and will play host to Game 6 today. . . . Estephan finished with a goal — he got an empty-netter at 19:34 of the third period — and two assists. . . . Lethbridge F Zak Zborosky (2) snapped a 3-3 tie at 2:28 of the third period. . . . The Hurricanes thought they had scored the game’s first goal on a first-period breakaway by Zborosky. But the goal was negated when it was ruled that the net was off its moorings. . . . F Alec Baer (1) gave Lethbridge a 1-0 lead at 13:58 of the first period. . . . Red Deer tied it when F Michael Spacek (3) counted, on a PP, at 4:20 of the second period. . . . The Hurricanes went back out front at 7:07 when F Zane Franklin (1) scored. . . . Red Deer F Brandon Hagel (5) got that one back, on a PP, at 10:25. . . . The Hurricanes regained the lead 11 seconds later on F Matt Alfaro’s first goal. . . . Hagel sent Red Deer back into another tie with his sixth goal, at 13:49. . . . Zborosky added an assist to his goal. . . . Red Deer got two assists from F Adam Musil. . . . With the teams tied 3-3 heading into the third period, it marked the first time in the series that Red Deer didn’t trail going into the third period. . . . G Stuart Skinner earned the victory with 39 saves, three more than Red Deer’s Riley Lamb. . . . Red Deer was 2-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-3. . . . Announced attendance: 4,562.
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At Prince George, F Ryan Hughes snapped a 3-3 tie at 14:22 of the third period as the Portland Winterhawks, with 48 saves from G Cole Kehler, beat the Cougars, 5-3. . . . The Winterhawks took a 3-2
COLE KEHLER
lead in the series, with Game 6 scheduled for Monday in Portland. A seventh game, if needed, would be played in Prince George on Wednesday. . . . Hughes scored his first goal of the series just 59 seconds after F Colby McAuley (3) had pulled the Cougars into a 3-3 tie. . . . F Cody Glass (2) provided Portland with some insurance at 17:25. Glass, who turned 18 on Saturday, also had an assist. . . . F Jared Bethune (2) gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 1:09 of the first period. . . . The Winterhawks responded with the next three goals. . . . F Brad Ginnell (1) tied it at 4:28. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld scored the next two goals, his first two of the series, at 15:14 of the first and 2:45 of the third. . . . The Cougars closed to within a goal when F Brogan O’Brien (2) scored at 10:04. . . . D Shane Collins drew two assists for the Cougars. . . . The Winterhawks got a big game from Kehler, who faced 18, 15 and 18 shots by period. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 23 for the home side. . . . Portland was 1-2 on the PP; Prince George was 0-2. . . . The Cougars again scratched F Brad Morrison (ankle), while F Tyler Wishowski sat out a one-game suspension that, according to the WHL, was “for actions at Portland” on Thursday. Perhaps he didn’t tip a waitress. . . . Announced attendance: 5,822.
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At Swift Current, F Noah Gregor crawled out of the doghouse to score two goals and lead the Moose Jaw
NOAH GREGOR
Warriors to a 3-2 victory over the Broncos. . . . The Warriors evened the series, 3-3, with Game 7 scheduled for Moose Jaw on Monday. . . . Gregor had 51 points, including 27 goals, in 52 games this season, his second in the WHL. But he was pointless through five games in this series and, along with F Jayden Halbgewachs, took some heavy public criticism from head coach Tim Hunter after Game 4. . . . Halbgewachs was pointless in Game 5. . . . Gregor gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead at 5:24 of the first period. . . . The Broncos tied it when F Ryley Lindgren got his fifth goal of the series at 7:21. . . . Gregor broke the tie at 14:27, and F Justin Almeida (1) upped it to 3-1 at 13:52 of the second period. . . . The Broncos made things interesting when F Tyler Steenbergen got his fifth goal at 13:54 of the third period. . . . F Thomas Foster had two assists for Moose Jaw. . . . G Zach Sawchenko stopped 41 shots for the Warriors, three more than the Broncos’ Jordan Papirny. . . . Swift Current was 0-2 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-3. . . . Announced attendance: 2,890.
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SUNDAY GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Red Deer, 5 p.m. (Red Deer leads, 3-2)
Kelowna at Kamloops, 7 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 3-2)
Everett at Victoria, 2:05 p.m. (Everett leads, 3-2)

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Saturday, February 25, 2017

Silvertips, Americans streaking ... Tigers retire Lysiak's No. 9 ... Hitmen stun Rebels


Steve Ewen, who covers the Vancouver Giants for Postmedia, revealed Saturday morning that he is preparing for a second battle with cancer.
Ewen, one of the good guys, has fired up his blog again — Crush the Tumour with Humour.
On Saturday, he started a post with:
“I have a surgery some time this week to put a pin in my left leg. Hopefully it doesn't clash with the rods in my back.
“The cancer is back. Multiple myeloma. I had been in remission for six years, but when I was diagnosed with a solitary plasmacytoma in 2010 we were told that there was a good chance that it would return. We received recurrence rates of anywhere between 30 and 70 per cent then.”
Keep Steve and his wife, Carol-Ann, in your thoughts and prayers, and feel free to visit with him at his blog, which is right here.
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More WHL teams have postponed or cancelled fan-related events due to the mumps scare that is going through the league.
The Regina Pats were to have had a post-game skate with fans after their Sunday game with the visiting Swift Current Broncos. But that has been cancelled, and hopefully will be rescheduled.
Meanwhile, the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club was informed that player appearances at the Les Schwab in the Pearl District and Southeast scheduled for Monday have been postponed and will be rescheduled at dates to be determined.
The Winterhawks/Burgerville events scheduled for March 6 are on, but could be impacted should the mumps situation continue much longer.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed D Austin King-Cunningham to a WHL contract and he made his WHL debut in Victoria against the Royals on Saturday night. . . . A list player, King-Cunningham is from Pilot Butte, Sask. He had three goals and eight assists in 33 games with Battlefords Stars of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League this season. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder led the SMAAAHL in penalty minutes, with 161. . . . The Stars didn’t make the playoffs, so King-Cunningham is free to join the Giants.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:



At Everett, the Silvertips clinched their 14th straight playoff berth as they beat the Kamloops Blazers, 3-1.
KEVIN DAVIS
. . . The Silvertips have qualified for the playoffs in every season they have played in the WHL. . . . Everett got off to a quick start when F Matt Fonteyne scored his 16th goal just 54 seconds into the first period. . . . F Patrick Bajkov made it 2-0 with No. 25 at 5:56. . . . Everett went ahead 3-0 on F Eetu Tuulola’s 16th goal, at 9:36 of the third period. . . . Kamloops F Lane Bauer scored his 36th goal at 19:14. . . . The Silvertips got two assists from D Kevin Davis. . . . Everett G Carter Hart finished with 35 saves. This was the second time since Feb. 17 that Hart lost a shutout late in a game with the other team’s goaltender on the bench for an extra attacker. It happened on Feb. 17 in a 3-1 victory over the host Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Late in the game, Hart took a shot at an empty Kamloops net. “He missed the net by quitre a bit,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine told Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald, “but you’ve seen goalies lately, pulled goalie situation and the puck gets dumped in. If they get a shot they go for it. Maybe with a one-goal lead you try not to do that because it’s an icing, but with a three-goal lead why not? It certainly got a rise out of the crowd.” . . . G Dylan Ferguson stopped 24 shots for the Blazers. . . . Each team was 0-3 on the PP. . . . The Silvertips (38-12-10) have won seven in a row. They lead the U.S. Division by three points over Seattle with two games in hand. . . . The Blazers (37-21-6) have lost two straight. They are second in the B.C. Division, five points behind Prince George. . . . Announced attendance: 6,377.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., the Lethbridge Hurricanes opened up a 4-0 first-period lead en route to a 5-3 victory
TYLER WONG
over the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Tyler Wong scored twice in that first period, giving him a WHL-leading 45 goals, and D Brennan Menell had three assists. . . . Wong opened the scoring at 6:23, with F Tanner Nagel (8) making it 2-0 at 8:48. . . . F Matt Alfaro, who was acquired from the Ice in January, scored at 9:29 and Wong, on a PP, made it 4-0 at 17:23. . . . D Brennan Riddle drew assists on the first two goals. . . . The Ice didn’t fold, though, and cut the deficit to one. . . . D Troy Murray (4) got it started at 3:54 of the third period. . . . F Colton Kroeker got his 15th goal, shorthanded, at 8:46, and D Cale Fleury (10) scored on a PP at 10:49 to get the Ice to within one. . . . Alfaro iced the victory with his 22nd goal, into an empty net, at 19:21. . . . The Ice got two assists from F Vince Loschiavo. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 30 shots for Lethbridge. . . . G Payton Lee, who picked up an assist, turned aside 22 shots for Kootenay. . . . The Hurricanes were 1-3 on the PP; the Ice was 1-4. . . . Lethbridge (38-17-7) has won two in a row. The Hurricanes are second in the Central Divison, six points behind Medicine Hat. . . . Kootenay (13-38-10) has lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 1,709.
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At Medicine Hat, G Michael Bullion stopped 26 shots to lead the Tigers to a 4-0 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Prior to the game, the Tigers celebrated the career of F Tom Lysiak as they retired his
MICHAEL BULLION
sweater number (9). F Zach Fisher, who had been wearing No. 9, has switched to 39. During the ceremony, Fischer took off the No. 9 sweater and presented it to Lysiak family members. . . . Bullion, who was acquired from the Portland Winterhawks in January, posted his second shutout in five starts and the second of his career. . . . D David Quenneville opened the scoring, on a PP, when he scored his 21st goal at 9:29 of the first period. . . . F Mason Shaw (25) made it 2-0 at 16:57. . . . F Chad Butcher assisted on both goals. . . . The Tigers got to 3-0 when F Mark Rassell scored his 30th at 13:33 of the second period. . . . F Gary Haden (7) closed out the scoring at 2:19 of the third period. . . . Rassell also had an assist. . . . Brandon got 45 stops from G Logan Thompson. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-6 on the PP; Brandon was 0-3. . . . The two teams at the heart of the WHL’s mumps situation had three players missing due to illness — F James Hamblin and D Jordan Henderson of the Tigers and F Baron Thompson of the Wheat Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings lost F Ty Lewis to an undisclosed injury during this one. . . . Medicine Hat (44-18-1) has won two in a row. The Tigers are second in the overall standings, six points behind Regina which has three games in hand. . . . Brandon (28-25-9) has lost four straight (0-3-1). It holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . The Wheat Kings have lost eight straight road games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,489.

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At Moose Jaw, the Warriors snapped a 2-2 tie with three third-period goals and went on to beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-2. . . . F Noah Gregor, in his first game since Jan. 7, gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead with
NOAH GREGOR
No. 21 at 8:52 of the second period. . . . D Josh Brook (8) made it 2-0 at 18:23. . . . The Broncos tied the game with two late second-period goals despite being outshot 21-5 over the 20 minutes. . . . F Ryley Lindgren got No. 18 at 19:12 and F Glenn Gawdin (22) tied the score at 19:38. . . . The Warriors took a 3-2 lead when F Tanner Jeannot (16) scored at 8:15 of the third period. . . . F Thomas Foster added insurance with his 18th goal, at 12:23, and F Brayden Burke, in his first game since Feb. 8, got the final goal, his 17th, at 15:40. . . . Jeannot also had two assists, while Foster had one. . . . The Warriors got 25 stops from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . At the other end, Jordan Papirny turned aside 38. . . . Swift Current was 0-2 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-3. . . . F Mackenzie Wight, an 18-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., made his Swift Current debut. The Broncos acquired him from the Seattle Thunderbirds in December for F Tyler Adams, 19, and an undisclosed conditional pick in the 2019 bantam draft. Earlier in the season, he was pointless in six games with the Thunderbirds, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2014 WHL bantam draft. Wight has been playing with the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs. He had six goals and six assists in 27 games. . . . The Broncos were without F Lane Pederson, who sat out the first of a two-game suspension after he took a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on Regina F Robbie Holmes during the Pats’ 7-0 home-ice victory on Friday night. Holmes left the game with an apparent shoulder injury. . . . The Warriors (37-17-8) have won five in a row. They are headed to a second-place finish in the East Division as they are 13 points behind Regina and 12 ahead of third-place Swift Current. . . . The Broncos (30-20-10) have lost three straight (0-2-1). They are five points ahead of fourth-place Brandon. . . . The Broncos lost 7-0 in Regina on Friday, played in Moose Jaw on Saturday and are back in Regina for a Sunday game. . . . Announced attendance: 3,829.
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At Prince Albert, the Raiders broke a 1-1 tie with two early third-period goals as they defeated the
KOLTEN OLYNEK
Saskatoon Blades, 4-2. . . . F Cavin Leth had given the home team a 1-0 lead with his 19th goal, on a PP, at 10:05 of the first period. . . . F Michael Farren (6) got Saskatoon even at 10:55 of the second period. . . . The Raiders regained the lead when F Simon Stransky got No. 17 at 4:48 of the third. . . . F Kolten Olynek, who also had an assist, got his 12th goal, at 6:52, for a 3-1 lead. . . . The Blades got to within a goal when F Braylon Shmyr (29) scored at 18:04. . . . The Raiders iced it on F Curtis Miske’s 17th goal, into an empty net, at 19:32. . . . G Ian Scott earned the victory with 21 saves, two more than Saskatoon’s Logan Flodell. . . . The Raiders were 1-2 on the PP; the Blades were 0-7. . . . Saskatoon has won four of six games from Prince Albert this season. . . . The Blades are 0-5-1 and have been outscored 24-10 in their past six road appearances. . . . Prince Albert (17-40-6) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). . . . Saskatoon (24-30-8) is two points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 2,396.
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At Prince George, F Jesse Gabrielle scored twice and added an assist as the Cougars skated to a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Cougars also became the first B.C. Division to clinch a
JESSE GABRIELLE
playoff spot this season. . . . F Jared Bethune gave the home boys a 1-0 lead with his 18th goal, at 4:27 of the first period. . . . Gabrielle upped that to 2-0 at 12:01. . . . D Conner McDonald’s sixth goal, on a PP, at 19:08 got the Oil Kings to within a goal. . . . Gabrielle’s 29th goal, on a PP, restored the Cougars’ two-goal lat at 15:17 of the second period. . . . F Tyler Robertson’s 15th goal, also on a PP, pulled Edmonton back to within a goal, at 18:10. . . . The Cougars put it away with third-period goals from F Josh Curtis (8), at 5:47, and F Radovan Bondra (29), on a PP, at 6:37. . . . The Cougars got two assists from each of F Jansen Harkins and Bondra, with Bethune adding one. . . . G Nick McBride earned the victory with 31 saves. . . . At the other end, Josh Dechaine stopped 42 shots in his second straight start. . . . The Cougars had beaten visiting Edmonton, 4-1, on Friday. . . . Prince George was 2-3 on the PP; Edmonton was 2-5. . . . F Brad Morrison (undisclosed injury) was among Prince George’s scratches. Also out was F Colby McAuley, who got a two-game suspension after taking a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on F Ty Gerla of the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday night. Gerla was a scratch on Saturday night. . . . F Max Kryski, 16, made his WHL debut with the Cougars. He is the younger brother of F Jake Kryski of the Calgary Hitmen. Max, from Kelowna, has been playing for the Kelowna-based Okanagan Rockets of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. . . . The Cougars (40-19-5) have points in three straight (2-0-1). They lead the B.C. Division by five points over Kamloops. Each team has eight games remaining; they will play each other four times. . . . The Oil Kings (20-38-5) have lost six in a row (0-5-1). They went 0-4 on a trip into the B.C. Division and were outscored 26-4 in the process. . . . Announced attendance: 5,805.
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At Red Deer, the Calgary Hitmen scored the game’s last six goals and beat the Rebels, 6-3. . . . The Calgary onslaught included five goals on 26 third-period shots. . . . The Rebels seemed to take control
LUKE COLEMAN
with three second-period goals. . . . F Austin Pratt (14) started it at 5:34, before F Lane Zablocki scored twice, giving him 23, at 8:31 and 18:20. . . . Calgary got some life when F Matteo Gennaro got his 36th goal, on a PP, at 19:09. . . . F Andrei Grishakov’s 10th goal allowed the Hitmen to get within one goal just 23 seconds into the third period. . . . F Luke Coleman, who is from Red Deer, tied the game at 5:58. . . . D Jameson Murray put the Hitmen out front with his first WHL goal at 7:58. Murray, from Kelowna, turned 18 on Feb. 10. He scored his first goal in his 30th game. . . . D Brady Reagan (5) added insurance, on a PP, at 12:35. . . . Coleman put it away with his 13th goal at 13:33. . . . The Hitmen got two assists from each of D Jake Bean, D Micheal Zipp, D Vladislav Yeryomenko and F Mark Kastelic, while Reagan had one. . . . F Adam Musil had two helpers for the Rebels. . . . G Trevor Martin stopped 34 shots for Calgary. . . . Red Deer G Lasse Petersen stopped 41. . . . Calgary was 2-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-1. . . . The Hitmen (24-27-10) moved two points ahead of Saskatoon in the race for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Rebels (25-28-10) had points in each of their previous three games (2-0-1). Red Deer is third in the Central Division, two points ahead of Calgary. . . . These teams will meet again this afternoon in Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 5,355.

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At Kent, Wash., F Ryan Gropp scored the game’s first two goals and the last one as the Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Kelowna Rockets, 5-3. . . . Gropp provided Seattle with a 2-0 lead as he
RYAN GROPP
scored on two of its first three shots, at 3:26 and 5:42 of the first period. The second of those goals came via the PP. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear stretched the lead to 3-0, on a PP, at 3:32 of the second period. . . . F Dillon Dube got Kelowna on the scoreboard with his 11th goal, scoring on a penalty shot at 7:26. . . . F Keegan Kolesar (21) scored another Seattle PP goal, this one at 9:47. . . . F Reid Gardiner got his ninth goal for Kelowna, on a PP, at 8:38 of the third period. . . . Gropp completed his hat trick, for a 5-2 lead, with an empty-netter, on a PP, at 18:53. . . . F Kyle Topping (12) scored Kelowna’s final goal, at 19:37. . . . Gropp also had an assist, while F Mathew Barzal drew four assists and Kolesar had two. That line combined for 10 of Seattle’s 15 scoring points. . . . Bear also had an assist as he ran his career point total to 187. That ties him with Craig Channell for second on the franchise list for career points by a defenceman. Shea Theodore holds the record (212). . . . Bear has at least a point in 11 straight games, the longest active streak in the WHL at the moment, while Kolesar is at 10 games. . . . Dube added an assist to his goal. . . . The Thunderbirds got 36 stops from G Rylan Toth, while Kelowna’s Michael Herringer blocked 19. . . . Toth is tied for the WHL lead in victories (32) with Griffen Outshouse of Victoria. . . . Seattle was 4-9 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-4. . . . D Jarret Tyszka was among Seattle’s scratches after he was injured in Friday’s 7-3 loss to the host Tri-City Americans. . . . Seattle (39-18-5) is second in the U.S. Division, three points behind Everett. . . . Kelowna (36-21-5) had points in each of its previous seven games (6-0-1). It is third in the B.C. Division, three points behind Kamloops and four ahead of Victoria. . . . The Rockets, who beat the Blazers 8-2 in Kamloops on Friday, finish their weekend Sunday afternoon in Spokane. . . . Announced attendance: 5,313.
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At Spokane, F Tyler Sandhu scored three goals and added an assist as the Tri-City Americans dumped
TYLER SANDHU
the Chiefs, 5-1. . . . Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto scored the game’s first goal, getting No. 35 at 10:58 of the opening period. . . . Sandhu, who has 20 goals, tied the game at 14:41 of the first and put his side ahead at 11:27 of the second period. . . . F Jordan Topping added insurance at 9:55 of the third period. . . . Sandhu completed his hat trick at 12:45 and Topping (23) closed out the scoring with an empty-netter, at 19:30. . . . The Americans got four assists from F Morgan Geekie and two from D Juuso Valimaki, with Topping adding one. . . . G Evan Sarthou stopped 33 shots for Tri-City. . . . The Chiefs got 21 saves from G Jayden Sittler. . . . G Donovan Buskey was on the bench in support of Sittler. Buskey, who turned 17 on Jan. 29, is from North Vancouver, B.C., and was a third-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2015 bantam draft. Buskey has been playing for the major midget Vancouver Northwest Giants. . . . Buskey replaced G Dawson Weatherill, who was scratched. . . . The Americans (38-23-3) have won seven in a row. They are third in the U.S. Division, four points behind Seattle. . . . The Chiefs (25-26-9) have lost two straight. They are nine points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 9,331.
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At Victoria, F Jared Dmytriw scored twice to help the Royals to a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. .
JARED DMYTRIW
. . The Royals went ahead 1-0 when F Vladimir Bobylev scored his seventh goal, at 1:30 of the first period. . . . Dmytriw made it 2-0 at 8:55. . . . It went to 3-0 at 9:37 of the second period when Dmytriw got his 12th goal. . . . Victoria got three assists from F Matt Phillips. . . . F Calvin Spencer (14) scored his 14th goal, on a PP, at 15:52 of the second period. . . . Victoria G Griffen Outhouse turned aside 31 shots in posting his 32nd victory of the season. That ties the Royals’ single-season record that was set last season by Coleman Vollrath. . . . G David Tendeck stopped 20 shots for the Giants. . . . Vancouver was 1-3 on the PP; Victoria was 0-2. . . . The Royals (34-23-5) have points in four straight games (3-0-1). They are in possession of the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . The Giants (19-38-5) have lost two in a row. . . . The Royals had beaten the Giants, 6-4, in Langley, B.C., on Friday night. The two teams will complete their weekend tripleheader today in Victoria. . . . Announced attendance: 7,006, on Pink in the Rink night.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Swift Current at Regina, 4 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Saskatoon, 4:05 p.m.
Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Spokane, 5:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:59 PM
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Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Presentation day for Pats ... Nanaimo picks arena site ... Glass breaks Blazers


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 This is a big day for the Regina Pats and a pair of OHL teams — the Hamilton Bulldogs and Oshawa Generals. One of those teams will be selected as the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament, which will be the 100th anniversary of the prestigious tropy. Team representatives will be in Toronto today to make their presentations in front of the CHL’s site selection committee. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a piece right here on the Pats and management’s mindset going into the presentations.
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The City of Nanaimo has decided that if it is to have a new arena, it will be built on land on the waterfront. City council made the decision at a Monday meeting, choosing that location over the Howard Johnson Harbourside Hotel property.
According to Mayor Bill McKay, Tamara Cunningham of the Nanaimo News Bulletin reports, the costs of acquisition and construction were estimated to be much higher for the Howard Johnson site, including land purchase, building demolition, site contamination and access. He also said 1 Port Dr. supports better technical analysis, including knowledge of geotechnical issues and transportation requirements.
OK, so what’s next? Cunningham reports right here: “Council will hold a special council meeting Wednesday . . . for the first three readings of a borrowing bylaw and vote on a referendum question. The votes had been planned for Feb. 6.” . . . The referendum is expected to be held on March 11.
Earlier, Cunningham reported that the city already is in negotiations with the WHL aimed at acquiring a franchise for the new arena, should construction get the green light.
Of course, the city has yet to announce what the question will be for the referendum, although I would imagine it will seek the OK to borrow a good chunk of the money needed for the project, which is estimated at more than $80 million.
This is starting to remind me of a referendum that was held in Kamloops on Nov. 7, 2015.
Shortly after Glacier Media announced the closure of the Kamloops Daily News, the City of Kamloops revealed that it had purchased the newspaper building, which once was a department store, for $4.8 million. The plan was to spend $90 million on a performing arts centre and parkade on the sight.
The referendum question was: “Are you in favour of the City of Kamloops borrowing up to $49 million to design and construct the parkade and performing arts centre complex?”
The loan, which you will note wasn’t for the complete cost of the project, would have cost the average tax-paying household something like $40 per year for 20 years.
In the end, 53.7 per cent of those who voted said “NO!” However, only 32 per cent of eligible voters chose to exercise their right.
I got the feeling at the time that people weren‘t voting against the construction of a performing arts centre. Rather, it was a vote by taxpayers against something that would have resulted in an increase in their taxes. Through that process I really got the sense that those who voted “No” were wanting to deliver a message to those in charge of the public purse, something about being tired of costs always rising.
There was plenty of public debate preceding the referendum in Kamloops, as I’m sure the citizens of Nanaimo will experience over the next few weeks.
BTW, The Daily News building sits empty in downtown Kamloops, more than three years after the newspaper closed.
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The Tri-City Americans have shut down D Tyler Jette, 18, for the remainder of this season, thanks to an “upper-body” injury.
A native of Farmington, Minn., the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder was placed on the Americans’ protected list in November 2015. They signed him on Sept. 26 and he practised with the Americans that week, but never got into a game.
He showed up on the WHL roster report on Sept. 26 as having been added from Farmington High School. On Oct. 3, he was shown as being out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. One week later that status was changed to week-to-week.
On the latest roster report that was released Tuesday, Jette is shown as having a “season-ending” injury.
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Like Ken Campbell of The Hockey News, I haven’t watched Don Cherry in years. So I didn’t see Cherry’s latest rant, nor will I hunt it up on the Internet. As Campbell writes, “Don Cherry stopped being relevant a long time ago, even before he ran the Mississauga IceDogs into the ground.” . . . Campbell wasn’t watching on Saturday when Cherry embarrassed himself, again, this time by being critical of Paul Romanuk, who just happens to be a fellow employee. However, Campbell heard about it and then found it on social media, watched it and felt compelled to write this piece right here.
This also allows me to relate my favourite Cherry anecdote, something I uncovered while researching a year-by-year epic on the Memorial Cup that I put together about 20 years ago.
What follows comes from what I wrote about the 1953 Memorial Cup that featured Cherry’s Barrie Colts and the St. Boniface Canadiens:
The Cherry legend includes — or doesn't include, depending upon to whom you are speaking — an incident from Game 5 that included Gary Blaine, a St. Boniface defenceman of immense potential whose career would fall victim to the demon rum, and Cherry.
Legend has it that Blaine actually chased Cherry around the Winnipeg Amphitheatre in an attempt to get him to fight.
As Winnipeg Free Press columnist Hal Sigurdson recounted in June of 1996, "Blaine's teammate, Ab McDonald . . . says it was Cherry. So does former provincial cabinet minister Larry Desjardins, who was general manager of Blaine's St. Boniface Canadiens at the time.”
As for Blaine . . .
"To be honest,” he told Sigurdson, "I'm not sure.
"Orval Tessier had just slashed our goaltender, Hal Dalkie, and I drilled him. When he went down I tried to pick him up, but he turtled. I'd never seen a guy do that before. Anyway, I heard another of their players chirping so I went after him. He took off and I chased him. When I asked our guys who it was they told me his name was Don Cherry.”
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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet filed his latest 30 Thoughts on Tuesday and, as always, it’s highly readable. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s right here.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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JUST NOTES:

F Noah Gregor of the Moose Jaw Warriors is scheduled to have knee surgery this week and isn’t expect to be out for as long as four weeks. Gregor, 18, last played on Jan. 7 in Regina and now has missed seven games. He has 52 points, including 20 goals, in 42 games. . . . 
The Prince George Cougars have signed F Edge Lambert, 15, to a WHL contract. Lambert, from Grande Prairie, Alta., was a seventh-round selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. . . . Lambert, 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, has four goals and two assists in 29 games with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds of Wilcox, Sask. Last season, he had 20 goals and 24 assists with the bantam AAA Hounds.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Portland, the Winterhawks, with F Cody Glass enjoying a five-point night, opened up a 5-0 lead and hung on for a 6-4 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Portland drove Kamloops G Connor Ingram to
CODY GLASS
the bench with four goals in the game’s first 9:41, with Glass scoring one of them and assisting on the other three. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld got it started as he ran his goal-scoring streak to six games with his 15th goal at 1:51. . . . F Skyler McKenzie got No. 30 at 4:17. . . . F Evan Weinger (13) made it 3-0 at 4:45. . . . Glass upped it to 4-0 at 9:41. . . . D Keoni Texeira assisted on the last two goals. . . . F Ryan Hughes made it 5-0 with his 20th goal just 23 seconds into the second period. . . . Kamloops got back into it by scoring the next four goals. . . . F Luc Smith got his eighth at 10:00 of the second period, with F Garrett Pilon (12) scoring at 18:55. . . . F Rudolfs Balcers, who has 27 goals, added two third-period goals, at 10:00 and 13:16, to get the Blazers to within a goal. . . . Glass put it away with his 23rd goal, on a PP, at 17:41. . . . Glass, who has had two five-point games this season, has 23 goals and 41 assists in 46 games. He went into this season with 10 goals and 17 assists in 68 games. . . . Glass had two assists on Friday when the Winterhawks fell, 4-3 in a shootout, in Kamloops. . . . Blichfeld added an assist to his goal. . . . Pilon also had an assist. . . . Portland G Shane Farkas, who sat out Friday’s game in Kamloops due to illness, made 39 saves. Farkas, who turned 17 on Jan. 12, is from Penticton, B.C. He earned his first WHL victory in his third appearance. . . . Ingram, who was 6-0-1 against Portland going into the game, was beaten four times on 13 shots. Dylan Ferguson relieved him and stopped 27 of 29 shots in 48:05. . . . Portland had a 22-18 edge in the first period. Yes, the teams combined for 40 shots in the opening period. . . . The Winterhawks (23-21-3) had lost their previous five games (0-3-2). They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Blazers (29-17-3) watched a four-game winning streak end. They are second in the B.C. Division, three points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . This was the first of seven straight road games for Kamloops. . . . This game had been scheduled to be played on Jan. 8 but was postponed by inclement weather conditions. . . . Announced attendance: 5,674.
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At Spokane, D Austin Strand’s second goal, at 3:48 of OT, gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The winner was Strand’s fourth goal this season. He had one goal in 38 games with
AUSTIN STRAND
the Red Deer Rebels before behind dealt to Seattle, where he has scored three times in nine outings. . . . Seattle took a 2-0 lead with second-period goals from F Alexander True (15), on a PP, at 7:34, and Strand, at 14:24. . . . F Mathew Barzal assisted on both goals. . . . The Chiefs pulled even on third-period goals from F Eli Zummack, his fifth, at 5:31, and F Alex Mowbray, his first, at 9:11. . . . D Nolan Reid assisted on both Spokane goals. . . . Mowbray, who came over from the Medicine Hat Tigers, didn’t play this season until Dec. 27. The goal came in his 13th game. . . . The Thunderbirds had a glorious chance to win it in the third period when they were a presented with a 5-on-3 PP for 1:57. . . . Seattle went 1-4 on the PP; Spokane was 0-4. . . . Strand’s winner came after Seattle G Rylan Toth made a couple of terrific saves, including a poke-check that foiled a Spokane 2-on-0 break. . . . Toth finished with 35 saves as he ran his record to 21-15-1. . . . Spokane G Dawson Weatherill turned aside 31 shots. . . . The Thunderbirds lost D Jarret Tyszka with an undisclosed injury in the first period. He is scheduled to play in the Top Prospects Game in Quebec City on Jan. 30. . . . Seattle F Wyatt Bear, 17, was in the lineup for the first time this season. He had been out with an undisclosed injury since the season started. A fifth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, Bear played three games with Seattle in 2014-15 and nine, with one assist, last season. He only played four other games last season, those with the midget AAA Interlake Lightning in Manitoba. . . . Seattle (26-15-4) has won two in a row. The Thunderbirds are third in the U.S. Division, five points behind the Tri-City Americans with five games in hand, and five ahead of the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Spokane (20-20-7) is 2-0-1 in its last three. The Chiefs are nine points behind Seattle. . . . Announced attendance: 3,237.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., the Medicine Hat Tigers surrendered the game’s first goal, but responded with the
MAX GERLACH
next eight en route to an 8-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Max Patterson scored his sixth goal, at 3:27 of the first period, to give the home team a 1-0 lead. . . . D Jordan Henderson’s second goal of the season, his first season joining the Tigers from the Saskatoon Blades, tied the score at 8:52. . . . Medicine Hat took control with two goals from F Max Gerlach, who leads it with 27 goals. He broke the tied at 2:29 of the second period and added insurance at 13:58. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko had a goal, his sixth, and two assists. F James Hamblin had two assists, while Gerlach added one to his two goals. F Mark Rassell added a goal, his 21st, and an assist. . . . The Tigers also got goals from F Zach Fischer (26), F John Dahlstrom (22) and F Mason Shaw (16). . . . G Michael Bullion earned the victory with 19 saves. . . . Kootenay starter Payton Lee was beaten eight times on 33 shots in 48:56. Jakob Walter came on to stop three shots in 11:04. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-5. . . . Medicine Hat (32-15-1) leads the Central Division by six points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Ice (11-30-8) has lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 1,568.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

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

No Games Scheduled.


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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:18 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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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