.@Kelowna_Rockets having Christmas dinner on the road. Left to right: Kyle Topping, Brodan Salmond and Connor Bruggen-Cate. #xmassweaters pic.twitter.com/bNZ9MAJInD— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) December 15, 2016
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM TAKING NOTE
Today we have a true WHL flavour to our musical opening. It’s Michael Bublé, who owns a chunk of the Vancouver Giants, and Mariah Carey, with All I Want For Christmas Is You, and it's right here.
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It’s your lucky day, because right here is another Christmas video. If you haven’t heard this song, give it a listen. It’s a catchy one from Chris Rea, who is . . . Driving Home for Christmas.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings always have a grand time with their Christmas video. Their latest one is no exception, and it’s right here.
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F J.T. Barnett (Vancouver, Everett, Kelowna, 2008-13) has been traded by CSKA Moscow to Amur Khabarovsk (both Russia, KHL) for "monetary considerations.” Barnett was pointless in one game with CSKA and had seven goals and three assists in 24 games with Zvezda Chekhov (Russia, Vysshaya Liga). . . .
D Filip Novák (Regina, 1999-2002) has been released by Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). He had three assists in 11 games. Earlier this season, he had a goal and two assists in nine games with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga).
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The Saskatoon Blades have acquired F Markson Bechtold, 20, D Evan Fiala, 19, and a conditional sixth-round WHL bantam draft selection in an undisclosed year from the Spokane Chiefs in exchange for F and Wyatt Sloboshan, 19, D Nolan Reid, 18, and a third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. (At a guess, the
The trade was announced after the Blades were beaten, 3-2 in OT, by the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday night.
The acquisition of Bechtold left the Blades with four 20-year-olds, one over the maximum, so they have placed F Kolten Olynek on waivers. The Blades had acquired Olynek on waivers from the Prince Albert Raiders earlier in the season.
The Blades now have Bechtold, F Jesse Shynkaruk and D Bryton Sayers as their 20-year-olds.
It would appear that the Blades (13-18-3) were wanting to shake things up in their dressing room. That doesn’t mean anything untoward has been happening, just that management is looking for a different mix.
The Blades have picked it up a bit of late — they are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games — as they go into two important weekend games. They are one point out of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot that is held by the defending-champion Brandon Wheat Kings (13-14-4). The teams meet Friday in Brandon and Saturday in Saskatoon.
Bechtold, from Strathmore, Alta., has five goals and three assists in 13 games this season. He has three goals and an assist in five games since returning from an undisclosed injury. A third-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2011 bantam draft, Bechtold has 93 points, 35 of them goals, in 211 regular-season games.
Fiala, from Clavet, Sask., has two goals and seven assists in 32 games this season. The Chiefs selected him in the first round of the 2012 bantam draft. In 157 regular-season games, he has eight goals and 32 assists.
Bechtold and Fiala are expected to join the Blades on Friday in time for the game in Brandon.
Sloboshan, the Blades’ captain, is from Vanscoy, Sask. He was a third-round pick by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2012 bantam draft. This season, he has four goals and 12 assists in 30 games. In 145 career games, all with Saskatoon, he has 91 points, including 33 goals.
Reid, from Deer Valley, Sask., was a second-round selection by the Blades in the 2013 bantam draft. Last season, he had four goals and 22 assists in 72 games. This season, he has 11 assists in 34 games. In 161 career games, all with the Blades, he has 48 points, seven of them goals.
Sloboshan, who hasn't played since Dec. 6 because of an undisclosed injury, and Reid are expected in Spokane before the Chiefs meet the visiting Prince George Cougars on Saturday.
Like the Blades, the Chiefs are chasing a playoff spot. At 14-12-6, they are one point out of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot and five points short of third place in the U.S. Division.
Getting the 2017 third-round draft pick was important for the Chiefs as they traded a conditional third-rounder to the Red Deer Rebels, along with G Tyson Verhelst, who has since retired, for G Dawson Weatherill and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2018.
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After beating Czech Republic 8-0 in an exhibition game on Wednesday night in Boisbriand, Que., the Canadian national junior team made its last cuts.
Released were G Michael McNiven of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack, F Sam Steel of the Regina Pats, F Zach Senyshyn of the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, D Guillaume Brisebois of the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders and D Samuel Girard of the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes.
McNiven’s release means that Team Canada will go with two WHL goaltenders — Carter Hart of the Everett Silvertips is expected to go into the pre-World Junior Championship games as the starter, with Connor Ingram of the Kamloops Blazers backing him up.
Last night, Ingram stopped six shots and McNiven 11 in the victory over Czech Republic.
Other WHLers on the 22-player roster are F Mathew Barzal (Seattle Thunderbirds), F Dillon Dube (Kelowna Rockets), D Jake Bean (Calgary Hitmen), D Kale Clague (Brandon Wheat Kings) and D Noah Juulsen (Everett).
The roster features seven players from each of the WHL and QMJHL, with six from the OHL and two from the NCAA. The two NCAA skaters are D Dante Fabbro (Boston U), whose WHL rights belong to the Seattle Thunderbirds) and F Tyson Jost (North Dakota), whose WHL rights were acquired by Regina from Everett earlier this season.
Team Canada will move today from Boisbriand to Mont-Tremblant, Que., where it will prepare for exhibition games against Finland (Montreal, Dec. 19), Czech Republic (Ottawa, Dec. 21) and Switzerland (Toronto, Dec. 23).
The 2017 World Junior Championship opens Dec. 26 in Toronto and Montreal.
There is more on the Canadian roster right here.
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if you just want to say hello, feel free to contact me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If you would like to donate to the cause — and many thanks to those who have — please visit the bottom of this post and go right ahead.
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JUST NOTES:
F Dylan Holloway, who was selected by the Everett Silvertips in the sixth round of the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft, has committed to the U of Wisconsin where he will play for the Badgers. Holloway, 15, is from Bragg Creek, Alta., and plays for the midget AAA Calgary Flames.
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Biggest shocker during my yearly visit to Medicine Hat was learning @tigershockey PR man Dave Andjelic left team after 24 years. #classact— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) December 14, 2016
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
At Kootenay, F Tyler Steenbergen broke a 2-2 tie at 13:17 of the second period and the Swift Current
Broncos went on to a 5-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Steenbergen has 22 goals. . . . F Vince Loschiavo (11), who also had an assist, got the Ice on the scoreboard first, just 35 seconds into the game. . . . The Broncos took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Conner Chaulk (3), at 13:29, and F Ryan Graham (10), at 16:49. . . . F Matt Alfaro’s 10th goal pulled the Ice into a tie at 18:43. . . . Steenbergen broke the tie and F Cole Johnson (4), who also had an assist, added insurance at 15:59. Johnson was playing his first game since Dec. 2. . . . Broncos F Aleksi Heponiemi added his eighth goal at 13:15. . . . The Broncos got 21 stops from G Travis Child. . . . G Payton Lee stopped 38 shots for the Ice. . . . Swift Current (16-10-7) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The Ice (6-20-8) has lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . The Broncos welcomed back F Glenn Gawdin, their captain, who last played on Oct. 28. He missed 19 games. . . . Announced attendance: 1,506.
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| COLE JOHNSON |
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At Lethbridge, F Deven Sideroff scored in OT to give the Kamloops Blazers a 3-2 victory over the
Hurricanes. . . . Sideroff also scored in OT on Tuesday night as the Blazers won, 4-3, over the Rebels in Red Deer. . . . The Blazers now are 3-0-1 on a six-game jaunt through the Central Division. They are 2-0-1 in their last three games, each of which has been decided in OT. . . . Sideroff, who scored twice in Lethbridge, now has 21 goals. He leads the WHL with seven game-winners, four of them in his last seven games. Four of his winners have come in extra time. . . . The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead on goals from F Brett Davis (2), at 5:42 of the first period, and F Egor Babenko (10), on a PP, at 19:22 of the second period. . . . The Blazers tied it on third-period goals from F Travis Walton (2), at 7:48, and Sideroff, at 15:08. . . . Babenko also had an assist. . . . G Dylan Ferguson stopped 25 shots for the winners. With starter Connor Ingram with Canada’s national junior team, Ferguson has made four straight starts. In those games, he is 3-0-1, 2.15, .932. . . . The Hurricanes got 26 stops from Stuart Skinner. . . . Lethbridge was 1-4 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-4. . . . Kamloops (20-12-2), which was playing its fourth game in five nights, has points in seven straight (6-0-1). . . . Lethbridge (18-11-5) has points in 13 in a row (11-0-2). . . . The Hurricanes had won their previous five games, and had won six in a row on home ice. . . . Announced attendance: 2,871.
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| DEVEN SIDEROFF |
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At Moose Jaw, F Jayden Halbgewachs continued to torch opposing teams, this time scoring a goal and
adding two assists as the Warriors beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-1. . . . Halbgewachs, 19, leads the WHL with 28 goals and is tied for the scoring lead, with 50 points, in 31 games. He has scored at least once in each of his past 10 games. The WHL record for longest goal-scoring streak is 18 games and is held by F Cliff Ronning, who did it with the New Westminster Bruins in 1984-85. Halbgewachs went into this season with single-season career highs of 15 goals and 41 points, both set in 69 games last season. . . . Last night, Halbgewachs scored the game’s first goal, at 16:01 of the second period. He drew an assist on F Noah Gregor’s 17th goal, on a PP, at 19:12. . . . Raiders D Loch Morrison was serving a slashing minor when Gregor scored. “I thought it was a weak call,” Prince Albert associate coach Dave Manson told Jeff D’Andrea of paNow.com. “It was something that was going on all night and they let it go for the first period and a half and they for some reason, they decided to call it there. It was a terrible call but those things happen. We have to kill that penalty in order to stay in it. They got one off of it and that put the nail in the coffin for us.” . . . F Tanner Jeannot (10) made it 3-0 at 1:28 of the third period and D Josh Brook added his fourth at 17:01, with Halbgewachs drawing his second assist. . . . Brook and Gregor also had an assist apiece, while F Nikita Popugaev had two of them. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Burke had an assist to run his point streak to 10 games. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko stopped 29 shots, losing his shutout bid when F Austin Glover (11) scored at 17:37 of the third period. . . . G Ian Scott stopped 42 shots for Prince Albert. . . . Moose Jaw was 1-4 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-6. . . . The Warriors were without D Matt Sozanski for a sixth straight game, while F Tristin Langan missed his third in a row. . . . Warriors F Brett Howden, released Tuesday by the Canadian national junior team, was back in the lineup and had an assist. . . . Prince Albert was without D Vojtech Budik and F Simon Stransky, both of whom played for the Czech Republic’s national junior team in an 8-0 loss to Canada in an exhibition game in Boisbriand, Que., on Wednesday. . . . Moose Jaw improved to 19-7-5. . . . The Raiders (7-24-2) are 1-1-1 in their last three games. . . . Announced attendance: 2,726.
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| JAYDEN HALBGEWACHS |
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At Prince George, D Brendan Guhle snapped a 3-3 tie at 16:31 of the second period and the Cougars
went on to beat the Tri-City Americans, 5-3. . . . One night earlier, the Cougars had beaten the Americans, 4-1. . . . The doubleheader sweep allowed the Cougars (24-8-2), who have won three in a row, to move back into first place in the overall standings. They are one point ahead of the Everett Silvertips (22-4-5), who hold three games in hand, and two ahead of the Regina pats (21-2-6), who have played five fewer games. . . . Last night, the Cougars jumped out front 2-0 when F Brad Morrison (14) and F Jared Bethune (11) scored 39 seconds apart midway through the first period. . . . The visitors tied it on goals from F Morgan Geekie (18), at 17:57, and F Michael Rasmussen (23), at 0:19 of the second period. . . . F Brogan O’Brien’s fifth goal, at 2:00 of the second, put the Cougars back into the lead, but Tri-City F Jordan Topping tied it with his third goal, at 13:26. . . . Guhle broke that deadlock, and F Kody McDonald added insurance with his eighth goal, on a PP, at 5:08 of the third period. . . . The Cougars got two assists from F Colby McAuley, while O’Brien, Guhle, McDonald and Bethune added one each. . . . Geekie and Topping had an assist each for Tri-City. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 22 shots for the Cougars, as he won for the 19th time this season. . . . The Americans got 32 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . The Cougars were 1-7 on the PP; the Americans were 0-4. . . . The Americans (19-13-3) have lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 2,855.
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| TY EDMONDS |
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At Saskatoon, F Davis Koch scored his second goal of the game 11 seconds into OT to give the
Edmonton Oil Kings a 3-2 victory over the Blades. . . . The Oil Kings overcame a 2-0 first-period deficit before winning it on Koch’s ninth goal of the season. . . . The Blades got a pair of first-period PP goals, with F Josh Patterson (7) scoring at 9:34 and F Chase Wouters (4) at 10:34. . . . D Anatolii Elizarov’s third goal, at 19:14 of the first, got the Oil Kings to within one. . . . Koch, who finished last season with nine goals, tied the score at 5:32 of the third period. . . . F Tyson Gruninger had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Koch, 18, now has 36 points in 33 games, after totalling 23 in 58 games last season and 25 in 52 in 2014-15. . . . The Oil Kings had a 46-17 edge in shots. . . . G Patrick Dea stopped 15 shots to earn the victory over Logan Flodell, who turned aside 43. . . . Saskatoon was 2-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-4. . . . The Oil Kings went 4-0-0 against the Blades, who would up 0-3-1 against the Oil Kings. . . . Edmonton (15-15-3) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). . . . Saskatoon (13-18-3) has points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,056.
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| DAVIS KOCH |
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At Victoria, F Ilijah Colina scored his first WHL goal at 8:33 of the third period, breaking a 3-3 tie and
giving the Portland Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Royals. . . . Colina, 16, is from North Delta, B.C. He has a goal and three assists in 14 games. Portland selected him in the eighth round of the 2015 bantam draft. . . . The Winterhawks, who had lost 5-1 in Victoria one night earlier, took a 2-0 lead on goals from D Connor MacEachern, his first, at 4:32 of the first period and F Skyler McKenzie, his 21st, at 8:28. . . . F Ryan Peckford’s 12th goal, at 10:21, got the Royals to within one, but Portland F Cody Glass scored his 17th at 18:41 for a 3-1 lead. . . . The Royals tied it on second-period PP goals from F Matt Phillips (23), at 9:09, and F Dante Hannoun (14), at 13:35. . . . Glass also had two assists, giving him 48 points in 34 games. Last season, as a freshman, he finished with 27 points, including 10 goals, in 65 games. . . . F Evan Weinger also had two assists for Portland. . . . The Royals got three helpers from F Jack Walker and two from D Chaz Reddekopp, with Phillips adding one to his goal. . . . The Winterhawks got 32 saves from G Michael Bullion, while Griffen Outhouse stopped 23 for Victoria. . . . Victoria was 3-8 on the PP; Portland was 1-6. . . . The Winterhawks are 19-14-1; the Royals are 17-15-3. . . . Victoria D Ryan Gagnon returned after serving a four-game suspension. He played in his 283rd regular-season game, all with the Royals. That is tied for second, with F Logan Fisher, for second on the franchise’s all-time list. F Brandon Magee (318) holds the franchise record after playing with the Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria. If Gagnon plays the remainder of the Royals’ games, he will finish at 320. . . . Announced attendance: 3,568.
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| ILIJAH COLINA |
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Lethbridge at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Kamloops at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Regina at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Seattle, 7:35 p.m.
Prince Albert at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Portland vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
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TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:
Friday, Dec. 16: Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 16: Portland vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
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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In Prince Albert, F Luke Philp scored twice to help the Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . Philp, who had scored the game’s first goal, broke a 1-1 tie at 5:46 of the third period with his 20th goal of the season. . . . F Sam Reinhart had two assists for the Ice. He’s got 285 career regular-season points, one shy of the franchise record held by F Jarret Stoll, now of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau scored his 22nd goal and added an assist. . . . F Tim Vanstone had two assists for the Raiders. . . . The Ice (22-21-1) had lost four in a row. . . . The Raiders (19-24-1) had a three-game winning streak end. . . . The Ice holds down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot and the Raiders now are six points off the pace. . . . The Raiders are at home to Medicine Hat tonight, while the Ice visits Saskatoon. . . . Jeff D’Andrea of panow.com has a game story 
In Saskatoon, D Nolan Reid broke a 4-4 tie at 9:12 of the third period and the Blades went on to a 5-4 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Reid, a 16-year-old from Deer Valley, Sask., has one goal in 25 games this season after scoring once in two games last season. . . . Tigers F Trevor Cox gave his guys a 4-3 lead with his 16th goal at 16:34 of the second period. . . . Saskatoon F Brett Stovin tied it at 3:02 of the third, on a PP, with his second of the game and 15th of the season. Last season, he finished with 14 goals in 61 games. . . . The Blades had lost five straight games to the Tigers. . . . F Wyatt Sloboshan and D Brycen Martin each had two assists for the Blades. . . . Medicine Hat F Dryden Hunt scored his 17th goal and added an assist, while F Markus Eisenschmid had two assists. F Matt Bradley got his ninth goal and had an assist for the Tigers. . . . Saskatoon G Nik Amundrud stopped 42 shots, seven more than Medicine Hat’s Nick Schneider. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Soshnin came up short on a third-period penalty shot with the game tied at 4. . . . The Tigers were 3-for-6 on the PP but gave up a shorthanded goal. . . . The Blades were 2-for-3 on the PP. . . . Saskatoon (11-29-3), which is at home to Kootenay tonight, has won two straight. . . . The Tigers (29-12-2) have lost two in a row. . . . The Tigers are in Prince Albert tonight. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story 
In Brandon, F Tim McGauley scored two goals and added three assists to lead the Wheat Kings to an 8-5 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . McGauley has 27 goals. . . . The Wheat Kings opened up a 3-0 first-period lead, only to have the Hurricanes pull even on F Ryley Lindgren’s first goal of the season at 10:28 of the second. . . . The Wheat Kings took control again when McGauley scored twice, at 14:55 and 17:17. . . . F Peter Quenneville and F Morgan Klimchuk also had two goals each for Brandon. Quenneville has 12 goals; Klimchuk, who reached the 100-goal plateau for his career, has 17 this season. . . . Brandon F Reid Duke scored his 12th goal and had two assists. . . . F Tyler Wong scored his 16th goal of the season for Lethbridge. . . . Brandon held a 57-21 edge in shots. . . . The Wheat Kings lost F Jayce Hawryluk to an undisclosed injury in the first period. . . . F Jamal Watson was among Lethbridge’s scratches. . . . F Brett Davis, a fourth-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft, made his debut with Lethbridge. From Oakbank, Man., he plays for the midget AAA Eastman Selects. . . . The Wheat Kings (32-9-4) have won three straight. . . . The Hurricanes (10-26-6) have lost three in a row. . . . Brandon will play in Swift Current tonight, while Lethbridge is in Moose Jaw. . . . 
In Edmonton, F Lane Bauer scored three times to lead the Oil Kings to a 6-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Bauer has 16 goals; that was his first WHL hat trick. . . . The Oil Kings scored the game’s first six goals. . . . Edmonton D Blake Orban and F Cole Benson each had two assists. . . . Benson was playing his first game since Nov. 27 as he had been out with an undisclosed injury. He missed 16 games. . . . D Marshall Donald, who was acquired from Calgary last week, made his Edmonton debut and drew two assists. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry made 28 saves. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock, its leading scorer, left in the third period with an undisclosed injury. After the game, Brian Swane of the Edmonton Sun tweeted that Oil Kings head coach Steve Hamilton said: “We're waiting to get an update on (Pollock’s) situation, but hopefully it's nothing too substantial.” . . . The Oil Kings, who are at home to Victoria on Sunday afternoon, improved to 22-18-5. . . . The Pats now are 26-15-3. They’ll play in Red Deer tonight. . . . 
In Red Deer, F Austin Carroll scored the only goal of the shootout, in the seventh round, as the Victoria Royals beat the Rebels, 2-1. . . . F Greg Chase scored his 10th goal of the season to give Victoria a 1-0 lead 57 seconds into the first period. . . . F Brooks Maxwell scored his 14th goal for Red Deer at 14:33 of the first. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath, making his 100th WHL appearance, stopped 34 shots through OT, five more than Red Deer’s Rylan Toth. . . . The Royals (23-19-3) have won three straight. They visit Calgary tonight. . . The Rebels (25-14-6), who play host to Regina tonight, had won their previous five games. . . . 
In Prince George, F Chase De Leo’s shootout goal gave the Portland Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Cougars before 3,858 fans. . . . De Leo, who had a 17-game point streak end in a 6-2 loss in Kamloops on Wednesday, scored his 18th goal in the first period. . . . Portland F Miles Koules forced OT with his 19th goal at 16:54 of the third period. . . . The Cougars scored three first-period PP goals to take a 3-2 lead. . . . D Josh Connolly scored his seventh goal and added an assist for Prince George. He was acquired from Kamloops last week with the hopes that he could add some life to the Cougars’ PP. . . . F Nic Petan and F Oliver Bjorkstrand each had two assists for Portland. . . . F Chase Witala scored his 24th goal for Prince George. . . . Winterhawks G Adin Hill stopped 31 shots, five fewer than Ty Edmonds of the Cougars. . . . Portland F Mitch Walter was among the scratches. He left Wednesday’s game in Kamloops after taking a hard punch to the face in a second-period altercation. That was his first game with the Winterhawks since being acquired from Edmonton. . . . F David Soltes played his first game with the Cougars since leaving to play for Slovakia at the WJC. His father, sister and girlfriend took in the game from the Cougars’ corporate box. . . . The Winterhawks (24-19-3) moved into second place in the U.S. Division, a point ahead of Spokane, which has three games in hand. . . . The Cougars (20-23-2) have lost four in a row (0-2-2). . . . The same teams will play again tonight in Prince George. . . . The Cougars have drawn 63,787 fans to their 23 home games. Last season, their 36-game attendance total was 60,931. . . . 
In Kelowna, G Taran Kozun stopped 36 shots to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Kozun was especially sharp in the first period when the Rockets held a 17-9 edge in shots. . . . Seattle came out of that period with a 2-0 goal. . . . F Roberts Lipsbergs scored his first goal since returning to the Thunderbirds from the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. . . . Lipsbergs also had an assist. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley scored his 14th goal, at 6:39 of the second, to get the Rockets to within 2-1. . . . But Seattle F Cory Millette restored the two-goal lead 15 seconds later with his 11th goal of the season. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier, who leads the WHL in goals, was scratched with a back injury. Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier reports that Chartier is day-to-day “after getting hit from behind last game.” . . . Among Seattle’s scratches were F Mathew Barzal (knee) and F Alexander True (broken wrist). . . . Barzal, who hasn’t played since Nov. 4, is getting close to returning. True was injured on Tuesday. . . . The Thunderbirds (22-16-5) are 3-0-1 in their last four. They are in Everett tonight. . . . The Rockets now are 34-8-3 with six of those losses coming at home. They’ll have a lot of time to chew on this one as they don’t play again until Friday. . . . Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier has a game story 
In Vancouver, G Evan Sarthou stopped 30 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 3-0 victory over the Giants. . . . Sarthou, who has three shutouts this season, is the Americans’ starter with Eric Comrie out with an undisclosed injury. . . . F Ty Comrie scored his fourth goal at 9:19 of the second period and it stood up as the winner. . . . F Taylor Vickerman added insurance with his fifth goal at 12:40 of the third, via the PP, and F Austyn Playfair got his first career goal, into an empty net, at 19:06. . . . F Max James had two assists. . . . Vancouver G Payton Lee stopped 28 shots. . . . Vancouver F Thomas Foster took a kneeing major and game misconduct at 11:09 of the third period. . . . The Americans (21-21-2) had lost their previous two games. They entertain Spokane tonight. . . . The Giants (19-22-2), who are in Kamloops tonight, have lost two straight. . . .
In Everett, D Ben Betker drew four assists to help the Silvertips to a 5-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Playing in his 174th regular-season game, Betker had never had more than two points in one game. He has 46 points, 11 of them goals, in his career. He now has a career-high 16 assists, two more than he earned all of last season. In his last 10 games, Betker has 12 points, including 10 assists. . . . The Silvertips scored the game’s first three goals, taking a 3-0 lead on F Matt Fonteyne’s fourth goal, shorthanded, at 7:40 of the first period. . . . That was the Silvertips’ first SHG of the season. They were the last of the 22 teams to score a SHG. . . . The Chiefs got to 3-2 before the period ended but were never able to equalize. . . . In fact, Everett F Jake Mykitiuk scored his first of the season at 14:37 of the first to restore the two-goal lead. . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka scored his 26th goal at 13:15 of the second period. He tied a franchise record with at least one goal in nine straight games. . . . Helewka shares the record with F Marian Cisar, 1997-98; F Brent Gilchrist, 1986-87; and F Terry Perkins, 1985-86. . . . Thanks to WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) for the info. . . . F Calder Brooks was among Spokane’s scratches. . . . The Silvertips (27-12-4), who are at home to Seattle tonight, have won three straight. . . . The Chiefs (23-16-4), who meet Tri-City in Kennewick, Wash., tonight, slipped into third place in the U.S. Division, one point behind Portland. Spokane does hold three games in hand.
A tip of the cap to the WHL for posting details of the Portland-Red Deer trade from Tuesday. . . . In that exchange the Winterhawks acquired D Mathew Dumba from the Rebels for F Presten Kopeck. Four conditional bantam draft picks were involved. . . . Should Dumba end up in Portland after the World Junior Championship, the Rebels will get second-round bantam picks in 2014, 2015 and 2016. There are conditions on the 2016 selection that could turn it into a third-round pick, all depending on when Dumba would be returned. . . . If Dumba doesn’t go to Portland, the Rebels cough up a third-rounder in 2014, meaning the deal would become Kopeck for that selection.
The Saskatoon Blades have brought in D Nolan Reid from the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos. Reid, a 15-year-old from Deer Valley, Sask., was the Blades’ first pick, 41st overall, in the 2013 bantam draft. He has 19 points in 23 games with the Argos. . . . Reid is expected to practise with the Blades today and could play Friday and Saturday against the visiting Regina Pats and Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Blades have lost D David Nemecek to the Czech Republic’s national junior team’s selection camp.
The Portland Winterhawks, about to lose five players to Christmas tournaments, have brought in F Skyler McKenzie, F Colton Veloso and D Justin Greer. . . . McKenzie was an eighth-round pick in the 2013 draft. From Sherwood Park, Alta., McKenzie is playing with the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . Greer, who is from Edmonton, was taken in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. He is playing for the South Side Athletic Club midget AAA team in Edmonton. . . . Veloso, from Winnipeg, plays for the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild.
The Victoria Royals have acquired F Braden Oleksyn, 17, from the Calgary Hitmen in exchange for F Landon Welykholowa, 17. . . . Oleksyn, from Saskatoon, was pointless in seven games with the Hitmen this season. A third-round bantam draft pick by the Hitmen in 2011, he had 28 points, including 11 goals, in 50 games with the SJHL's La Ronge Ice Wolves last season. . . . Welykholowa, who is from Calgary, had one goal in 18 games with Victoria. He was a third-round pick by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2011 bantam draft. Last season, he played 34 games the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes, putting up 26 points, including 12 goals.
In Prince Albert, F Curtis Lazar and F Mitch Moroz had two goals each to help the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 7-5 victory over the Raiders. . . . Edmonton has won seven in a row. . . . Lazar’s 20th goal of the season, at 16:03 of the first, gave the Oil Kings a 2-1 lead and they never trailed after that. . . . Lazar’s second goal, at 17:29 of the third, left Edmonton with a 6-4 lead. . . . Moroz has 19 goals in 31 games. Two seasons ago, he scored 16 times in 66 games; last season, he had 13 scores in 69 outings. . . . F Dakota Conroy had two goals for the Raidersd, giving him 15, while F Leon Draisaitl had a goal, his 18th, and two assists. Draisaitl, who will play for Germany at the World Junior Championship, extended his point streak to seven games. He has 19 points, including eight goals, over that stretch. He has multiple points in 10 of 16 games since Nov. 1. . . . Edmonton D Aaron Irving, in his first season, had a goal and an assist. He’s got 24 points, seven of them goals, in 31 games. . . . The Oil Kings (21-9-1) and Calgary Hitmen (19-7-5) each has 43 points, tops in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Raiders, who are tied for fifth with the Regina Pats, have lost four in a row. . . .
In Moose Jaw, the Kelowna Rockets scored the game’s first four goals and went on to a 6-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . The victory, their eighth in a row, lifted the Rockets atop the overall standings. . . . F Myles Bell’s second goal of the game and 12th of the season, shorthanded at 6:47 of the second, gave Kelowna a 4-0 lead. . . . The Warriors got to within 4-3 when F Scott Cooke got his first goal of the season at 9:26 of the third. . . . F Carter Rigby restored Kelowna’s two-goal lead at 15:01. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 35 shots in running his record to 18-1-2. . . . Kelowna is 2-0 on its East Division swing. . . . The Warriors have lost six in a row and, at 8-20-6, are 14 points out of a playoff spot. . . .
In Regina, F Jesse Shynkaruk’s shootout goal gave the Kamloops Blazers a 4-3 victory over the Pats, snapping a franchise-record 13-game losing streak. . . . Shynkaruk, who is from Saskatoon, scored his first WHL goal in a 5-2 loss to the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Tuesday night. . . . The Blazers hadn’t won since beating the visiting Red Deer Rebels 4-1 on Nov. 5. . . . F Matt Needham gave the Blazers a 3-2 lead with his second goal of the game, and seventh of the season, at 19:07 of the third. . . . However, Regina F Boston Leier forced OT with his second goal of the game, and 22nd of the season, at 19:25. . . . Needham also had an assist, while linemate Cole Ully scored once, his 12th, and added two helpers. Ully’s goal pulled the Blazers into a 2-2 tie at 18:37 of the third. . . . Kamloops G Taran Kozun, who was on the bench when Ully scored, stopped 39 shots through OT. . . . Regina has points in its last three games (2-0-1). . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more 
In Lethbridge, F Calder Brooks scored twice to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Brooks has six goals this season. He gave his mates a 2-0 lead at 18:55 of the first and made it 3-1 at 5:33 of the second. . . . Calgary F Jake Virtanen had a goal, his 15th, and an assist. . . . The Hurricanes had won their previous two home games. . . . Lethbride F Reid Duke got his guys to within 4-3 with his fourth goal at 3:42 of the third. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart iced it with his 10th, into an empty net, at 19:38. . . . The Hitmen are 6-0-1 in their last seven and 8-1-1 in their last 10. . . .
In Spokane, F Mike Aviani broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 16:12 of the third period as the Chiefs beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-3. . . . Spokane scored the game’s first three goals, taking a 3-0 lead on F Dominic Zwerger’s fifth goal at 4:19 of the second. . . . Zwerger was playing his first game since suffering an undisclosed injury on Nov. 8. . . . The Silvertips scored twice in the second and tied it on F Tyler Sandhu’s 13th goal at 8:19 of the third. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg scored twice, giving him a WHL-leading 35 goals, the last one into an empty net. . . . Holmberg also had an assist, giving him 70 points, four more than Portland Winterhawks F Nic Petan. . . . G Eric Williams stopped 34 shots for Spokane, 17 more than Everett’s Austin Lotz.
The Saskatoon Blades have signed three of their 2013 bantam draft picks. . . . D Nolan Reid, the 41st overall selection, is from Deer Valley, Sask. He had 27 points in 30 games with a bantam team at Notre Dame last season. . . . F Parker Smyth, the 44th selection, had 32 points in 31 games with his hometown bantam AAA Red Deer Rebels Black. . . . F Luke Gingras, from Langley, B.C., was taken in the third round, 67th overall. He played for the bantam AAA Langley Eagles last season. . . . The Blades also trimmed two players with WHL experience from their camp roster — G Spencer Tremblay and F Daniel Wray. Tremblay, who turns 19 on Sept. 20, got into 20 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2011-12. Last season, he played just five games — one with the MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines, three with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats and one with the Red Deer Rebels. Wray, 18, had had one assist in 31 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds last season.
The Kelowna Rockets have signed head coach Ryan Huska, 38, to a three-year contract extension that will kick in following the completion of the 2013-14 season. That means that Huska, who is going into his seventh season as the team’s head coach, is signed through 2016-17. He also served as an assistant coach with the Rockets, so is entering his 12th season with the organization.
The OHL’s North Bay Battalion has signed Stan Butler, the director of hockey operations and head coach, to a five-year extension. Butler, 57, has been with the franchise since 1998-99. The Battalion is in its first season in North Bay, after 15 winters in Brampton. . . . Butler spent one season (1996-97) as head coach of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.
The Tri-City Americans have signed D Brendan O’Reilly, a 16-year-old training camp invitee from Southlake, Texas. O’Reilly, 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, was one of a team-record 14 American players to attend Tri-City’s training camp. . . . O’Reilly spent last season with the Victory Honda U-16 team in the Tier 1 Elite League. In 47 games, he had 20 points.
The Regina Pats have signed F Sam Steel, the second overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft, to a WHL contract. Steel had a team-high 104 points, including 52 goals, in 31 games for the bantam AAA Sherwood Park, Alta., Flyers last season.
F Ryan Harrison, who completed a five-year WHL career last season, has signed with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. Harrison, 21, is from Kelowna. He played 325 WHL games, split between the Prince Albert Raiders, Medicine Hat Tigers and Everett Silvertips. Last season, he had 32 points in 51 games with Everett.
What follows is a corrected version of something that appeared here yesterday. Mike Dyck won’t be running the bench when he joins the Kootenay Ice in December. Assistant coach Jay Henderson will be in charge, with Dyck assisting him. . . .
Earlier this week, the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers revealed that they had made a profit of $22,165 for the 2012-13 season. That may not seem like much, but check out Josh Brown’s story from the Guelph Mercury 
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