A look back at the series that was . . .

With the Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks set to meet in the WHL’s Western Conference final, here’s a look back at the seven-game second-round series between these teams that so captivated hockey fans last spring.
———
Game 1: Kamloops 3 at Portland 5 — The Blazers led 2-0 after a period and 3-1 with 11 minutes to play in the third period. . . . Portland tied it with goals by F Sven Baertschi and F Ty Rattie just 1:07 apart. . . . F Brad Ross got the winner on a power play at 14:47. . . . The play everyone was talking about occurred at 18:36 of the third period when Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave ventured behind his net to play a puck and was hit by Portland F Oliver Gabriel, who was given a minor for goaltender interference. He later was suspended for four games. . . . Rattie had two goals and two assists; Baertschi finished one and three. . . . F Brendan Ranford had two assists for Kamloops.
 ———
Game 2: Kamloops 1 at Portland 4 — Baertschi scored twice and G Mac Carruth stopped 39 shots for the Winterhawks. . . . Cheveldave had finished Game 1, but wasn’t feeling well by the morning of Game 2, so Cam Lanigan started and made 30 saves. . . . The Blazers had Taran Kozun on the bench in support of Lanigan. . . . Baertschi scored at 19:14 of the second period, F Taylor Leier made it 2-0 just 56 seconds into the third and F Cam Reid upped it to 3-0 just 19 seconds later. . . . Among the 22 penalties was a double minor to Kamloops F JC Lipon for butt-ending Rattie.
 ———
Game 3: Portland 5 at Kamloops 2 — The Winterhawks scored three shorthanded goals, two of them by Ross. . . . Portland F Taylor Peters drew three shorthanded assists. . . . Leier broke a 1-1 tie with a shorthanded goal at 5:16 of the second, with Ross scoring 33 seconds later. . . . Kamloops was 1-for-9 on the PP; Portland was 1-for-4.
———
Game 4: Portland 4 at Kamloops 5 — The Winterhawks, with a 3-0 lead in the series, led this game 4-0 at 10:58 of the first period and 4-1 going into the second. . . . Portland maintained that momentum shifted 12 minutes into the first period after an unpenalized Lipon hit that knocked Rattie out of the game and sent him to hospital with what turned out to be a neck injury. Lipon scored immediately after the hit to get Kamloops on the board. . . . Ranford tied the scored at 6:03 of the third period and F Dylan Willick got the winner at 7:37 on the power play. . . . Ranford also had two assists. . . . Portland also was unhappy about a third-period check to the head by Kamloops D Austin Madaisky on Leier. . . . Things definitely were beginning to heat up.
———
Game 5: Kamloops 7 at Portland 2 — F Jordan DePape had two goals and two assists and Madaisky had three assists as the Blazers won going away. . . . The Blazers were without Lipon, who drew a one-game suspension under supplemental discipline for his Game 4 hit on Rattie, who played. . . . The visitors led 2-0 and 4-1 at the period breaks. . . . Kamloops F Tim Bozon beat Carruth on a penalty shot at 6:30 of the third and when F Chase Souto scored at 7:35, the Winterhawks changed goaltenders with Brendan Burke cleaning up. . . . Lanigan stopped 34 shots.
———
Game 6: Portland 6 at Kamloops 7 — Portland F Brendan Leipsic’s power-play goal at 11:24 of the second period gave the Winter hawks a 5-2 lead. . . . It was still 5-2 with 15 minutes left in the third period. . . . And then the comeback began. . . . Kamloops D Marek Hrbas got it started at 5:55, on the PP. . . . DePape scored at 8:49 and F Aspen Sterzer beat Carruth 11 seconds later. . . . When F Colin Smith scored a PP goal at 15:21 the Blazers amazingly had the lead. . . . The joy was short-lived, however, as Reid pulled Portland into a 6-6 tie at 15:47. . . . Kamloops D Bronson Maschmeyer won it with his second goal of the game at 19:39. . . . Lanigan stopped 24 shots, while Carruth turned aside 36. . . . In something of a surreal moment, the Kamloops fans stood and cheered until the Blazers returned to the ice surface from their dressing room and took a curtain call.
———
Game 7: Kamloops 0 at Portland 2 — F Marcel Noebels scored at 1:01 of the first period and Carruth made it stand up with 32 saves. . . . Leipsic added an insurance marker at 9:49 of the third. . . . According to The Oregonian’s Paul Buker, when it was all over Portland radio analyst Andy Kemper said: “This was a war, folks, an absolute war.”
— GREGG DRINNAN


There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE WHL FINAL:
Game 7 . . .
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings jumped out to a 4-0 lead and went to a 4-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions. The Oil Kings won the best-of-seven final, 4-3. . . . The Oil Kings, who are in only their fifth season in the WHL, will open the Memorial Cup tournament on Friday against the host Shawinigan Cataractes. Also competing will be the QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs, who also are the tournament’s defending champions, and the OHL-champion London Knights. . . . Prior to this season, when they finished with the WHL’s best record, the Oil Kings had never finished better than .500 in the regular season. . . . F Rhett Rachinski got the Oil Kings started when he scored 1:51 into the first period. . . . Edmonton F Tyler Maxwell scored a key goal with just 18 seconds left in the period. . . . The Oil Kings stretched the lead to 3-0 on F Michael St. Croix’s goal at 4:41 of the second period and F T.J. Foster made it 4-0 at 10:16. . . . Portland F Oliver Gabriel got his side on the board at 11:40 of the second. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 19 shots and was named the series MVP. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth turned aside 28 shots. . . . Edmonton was 0-2 on the PP; the Winterhawks didn’t receive even one opportunity. . . . Attendance was 12,514. . . . The Oil Kings held Portland’s big line — Marcel Noebels between Sven Baertschi and Ty Rattie — off the scoresheet for a second straight game. . . . This was the 10th time in WHL history that the championship final went to a seventh game. Prior to the game, @WHLFacts tweeted that the home team had won the previous nine times. . . . The Winterhawks franchise now is 0-3 in this situation, having also lost in Game of the final in 1987 (Medicine Hat) and Swift Current (1993). . . . A year ago, the Winterhawks also were in the WHL final, losing in five games to the Kootenay Ice. . . . This edition of the Oil Kings will be making its first Memorial Cup appearance. A previous incarnation of the Oil Kings appeared in the 1971 and 1972 Memorial Cups. More on those appearances later in the week. . . . The Oil Kings last won the Memorial Cup in 1963 and 1966, prior to the formation of the WHL which began play in 1966-67.
———
Here is the way things unfolded during the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup:
Thursday, May 3: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (7,466)
Friday, May 4: Portland 5 at Edmonton 1 (10,720)
Sunday, May 6: Edmonton 3 at Portland 4 (10,947)
Tuesday, May 8: Edmonton 4 at Portland 3 (OT) (10,947)
Thursday, May 10: Portland 3 at Edmonton 4 (11,077)
Saturday, May 12: Edmonton 2 at Portland 3 (10,947)
Sunday, May 13: Portland 1 at Edmonton 4 (12,514)
———
John MacKinnon, a sports columnist with the Edmonton Journal, was at Game 7. His column is right here.
———
Evan Daum, a writer with the Edmonton Journal, filed a piece that centres on the Winterhawks to The Oregonian and it is right here.
———
As if our elite junior-aged players don’t work out enough and don’t play enough high-intensity hockey games over the course of a year, Hockey Canada and the CHL have added four more games to their schedule.
Yes, they will be played during the summer.
They’re calling it the 2012 Canada-Russia Challenge and they’ll play Aug. 9 and 10 in Yaroslavl, Russia, and Aug. 13 and 14 in Halifax.
According to a Hockey Canada news release, the series is “being held to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series.”
Also according to the news release, “The event will replace this season's Canada's National Junior Team Summer Development Camp and will serve as part of player evaluations for the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship, scheduled for Dec. 26, 2012 to Jan. 5, 2013 in Ufa, Russia.”
The Canadian roster this summer will feature more than 30 players, born in 1993 or later. The team will be selected by Hockey Canada head scout Kevin Prendergast and a coaching staff that has yet to be named.
If you happen to be in the Halifax area, you will be able to purchase two-game ticket packages for $86 plus applicable fees. No, that is not a typo.
———
Jim Matheson’s Hockey World, from the pages of the Edmonton Journal, is right here. He leads with a look at how Oil Kings defenceman Griffin Reinhart has climbed the NHL draft rankings.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
Chris Shaw won’t be back as an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. He worked under first-year head coach Jason Williamson this season. “I just decided we should go separate ways as we had a difference of opinion,” Williamson told Graeme Corbett of the Vernon Morning Star. “We worked out fine and the season went OK, but the organization needs to go in a different direction.”
———
JUST NOTES:
D Michael Statchuk, a fifth-round pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2009 bantam draft, has committed to the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. He played this season with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos, putting up 29 points in 44 games.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Ales Cerny (Swift Current, 2000-02) signed a one-year contract extension with Mulhouse (France, Ligue Magnus). He had two goals and 20 assists in 26 games, helping Mulhouse win promotion from Division 1 to Ligue Magnus for next season. . . .
F Milan Kraft (Prince Albert, 1998-2000) signed a two-year contract extension with Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had 23 goals and 33 assists in 50 games as team captain for Chomutov this season, finishing third in 1.Liga scoring as Chomutov won promotion from the Czech 1.Liga to Extraliga. . . .
D Stefan Langweider (Portland, 2006-07) signed a one-year-plus-option contract with Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had two goals and nine assists in 51 games for Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL) this season. . . .
F Ryan Kinasewich (Medicine Hat, Tri-City, 1998-2004) signed a one-year contract with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Kinasewich finished second in Erste Bank Liga scoring this season, getting 25 goals and 29 assists in 49 games for Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia). . . .
D Jaroslav Obsut (Swift Current, Medicine Hat, 1995-97) signed a one-year contract with Donbass Donetsk (Ukraine, KHL). He had five goals and 24 assists in 52 games this season as captain of Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL). . . .
F David Svagrovsky (Seattle, 2002-04) signed a two-year contract with Hradec Kralove (Czech Republic, 1.Liga). He had 15 goals and 18 assists in 52 games for Berounsti Medvedi (Czech Republic, 1.Liga) this season.
———
JUST NOTES: The MacBeth Report adds a note about the IIHF World Championship . . . Two more WHL alumni participating in the World Championship. Brent Reiber, who holds a Swiss passport and works out of Switzerland, and Antti Boman (Kamloops, 1991-92) are working the tournament as referees. . . . The NAHL has announced that the Chicago Hitmen won’t ice a team in 2012-13. According to an NAHL news release, “All tendered and veteran players of the Hitmen are now considered free agents.” . . . Prior to last season there was speculation that Finnish G Jonathan Iilahti might end up with the Vancouver Giants, perhaps because the Vancouver Canucks had selected him in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL draft. Iilahti, who turned 20 on April 27, signed a one-year deal Friday with Sport Vaasa (Finland, Mestis).
———
THE COACHING GAME:
Mario Amantea is the new head coach of the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs. He takes over from David Haas, who was dropped early last month. The Mustangs went 31-22-7 this season before being upset by the Olds Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. Amantea, a native of Kimberley, B.C., is a veteran coach, having coached in the midget AAA ranks and at the EDGE school in Calgary where he spent three seasons. He left EDGE after the 2010-11 season in order to spend more time with family and business interests. He is a partner and general manager at ZGM Collaborative Marketing in Calgary.
———




THE WHL FINAL:
Game 6 . . .
In Portland, F Oliver Gabriel’s second goal of the game, at 17:21 of the third period, gave the Winterhawks a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The series is tied 3-3. . . . Immediately after the game, the teams boarded the same plane – for the fourth time in the series – and headed for Edmonton where Game 7 will be played tonight. . . . By the time this thing ends, the teams will have played the last three games in slightly more than 72 hours. . . . The winner advances to the Memorial Cup tournament that opens Friday in Shawinigan, Que. The host Cataractes, QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs and OHL-champion London Knights await. . . . The WHL champion plays in the tournament’s first game, meeting the host team on Friday. . . . Edmonton got on the board first in Game 6 when F Michael St. Croix scored his sixth goal at 7:53 of the first period. . . . Gabriel, who has five goals in these playoffs, tied the game at 11:07. . . . It’s worth pointing out that Gabriel is from Edmonton. . . . Portland got its first lead at 8:44 of the third period when D Joe Morrow scored his fourth goal. . . . However, the Oil Kings tied it at 11:05 when F Stephane Legault beat Portland G Mac Carruth for his fifth goal. . . . F Cam Reid drew two assists as he was in on both of Gabriel’s goals. . . . Portland won despite the fact that it’s big line of Marcel Noebels between Sven Baertschi and Ty Rattie didn’t get even one point. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 42 shots, including all 18 he faced in the second period. . . . Carruth finished with 30 saves. . . . This was the first game in which Portland had an edge in shots on goal. . . . Portland was 0-3 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-2. . . . Attendance was 10,947 as the Winterhawks drew a sellout crowd for the fourth straight game. . . . Five of the first six games have been decided by one goal, with Edmonton having won three of them. The exception was Portland’s 5-1 victory in Game 2 in Edmonton. . . . The WHL last had a Game 7 in its championship series in 2007 when the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the visiting Vancouver Giants in double OT. F Brennan Bosch got the winner at 7:16 of the second OT period. . . . This will be the 10th time in league history that the championship has been decided in a Game 7. . . . The Winterhawks franchise has twice been to Game 7 in the final, losing to Medicine Hat in 1987 and to Swift Current in 1993.
———
Here is the schedule for the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup (all times local):
Thursday, May 3: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (7,466)
Friday, May 4: Portland 5 at Edmonton 1 (10,720)
Sunday, May 6: Edmonton 3 at Portland 4 (10,947)
Tuesday, May 8: Edmonton 4 at Portland 3 (OT) (10,947)
Thursday, May 10: Portland 3 at Edmonton 4 (11,077)
Saturday, May 12: Edmonton 2 at Portland 3 (10,947)
Sunday, May 13: at Edmonton, 6 p.m.
———
A tidbit about the Shawinigan Cataractes, from Wikipedia: The name ‘Cataractes’ often confuses English-speaking hockey fans. The name literally translates as ‘Cataracts’ meaning ‘Waterfalls’; the team is named for Shawinigan Falls, a prominent waterfall in the city, even though the Cataractes do not have a waterfall on their uniform.
The Cataractes play out of the 4,112-seat Centre Bionest de Shawinigan. The facility opened on Dec. 18, 2008. Prior to that, the Cataractes played in the Jacques Plante Arena.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Oleg Tverdovsky (Brandon, 1994-95) signed a one-year contract extension with Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Russia, KHL). He had six goals and five assists in 24 games with Metallurg this season. Tverdovsky started the season with Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia, KHL), going pointless in 12 games, and played two games without a point for Salavat Yulaev's farm club, Toros Neftekamsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga), before he was released. He then signed with Metallurg for the rest of this season. . . .
D Ivan Usenko (Swift Current, 2001-02) signed a one-year contract with Neman Grodno (Belarus, Open League). He had 12 goals and 18 assists for Yunost Minsk (Belarus, Open League) this season.
———
ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Your bantam draft was held on Thursday. During the draft, a few trades involving players were made. How long will it take you to get these deals included in the transactions portion of your website?
Also, will you be including the transaction in which the Portland Winterhawks dealt director of player personnel Garry Davidson to the Everett Silvertips for a second-round draft pick or two?
One other thing . . . Are you aware that the NHL no longer allows compensation when executives change teams? In fact, the NHL hasn’t allowed it since the lockout that cost it the 2004-05 season.
———




THE WHL FINAL:
Game 3 . . .
In Portland, the Winterhawks opened up a 3-0 second-period lead and held on to beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 4-3. . . . Portland leads the best-of-seven series 2-1 with the fourth game scheduled for the Rose Garden on Tuesday night. The Black Keys are playing in the Rose Garden tonight, thus the day off between games. . . . Game 5 will be played in Edmonton on Thursday. . . . Using the Rose Garden’s hockey layout, the game was sold out – 10,947. . . . Portland F Sven Baertschi opened the scoring at 4:53 of the second period. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie, who missed Game 2 with an undisclosed injury, scored his 29th career playoff goal at 12:06. Rattie set a franchise record in the process. He had shared the record with Randy Heath. . . . Just 29 seconds later, F Oliver Gabriel scored on a breakaway to give Portland a 3-0 lead. . . . Rattie and Gabriel both scored on the PP as the Winterhawks went 2-5 with the man advantage. . . . Edmonton was 1-3. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson scored for Edmonton just 20 seconds into the third period, via the PP, but Portland got that one back at 4:37, thanks to F Brendan Leipsic. . . . D Martin Gernat (7:16) and D Keegan Lowe (10:34) got the Oil Kings to within one but they weren’t able to equalize. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 34 shots, five more than Edmonton’s Laurent Brossoit. . . . Edmonton F Jordan Peddle and Portland F Brad Ross were ejected for becoming involved in the second fight during a stoppage in play. They fought after Lowe and Portland’s Josh Morrow scrapped at 12:21 of the first period. . . . Edmonton inserted D Ryan Dech into the lineup, choosing to take out D Ashton Sautner. . . . With Rattie back, the Winterhawks scratched F Jason Trott.
———
Jim Beseda of The Oregonian covered the game and his story is right here.
———
Chris O’Leary was there on behalf of the Edmonton Journal. His game story is right here.
———
Somehow, columnist John Canzano of The Oregonian discovered the WHL’s great secret — the two teams shared a charter flight from Edmonton to Portland on Saturday.
“Turns out the WHL finals are a big deal,” Canzano writes. “The pucks are brand new. The officials are said to be the best in the league. The Zamboni gets a tune-up. And also, it's the only road trip of the season that the teams utilize an airplane instead of a bus. Except, these are still tight economic times and the teams have agreed to share a single plane.”
And they’ll share again when they return to Edmonton for Game 5. Canzano’s column is right here. It’s terrific. And would someone find a way to get him on that flight to Edmonton. Please!
———
Here is the schedule for the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup (all times local):
Thursday, May 3: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (7,466)
Friday, May 4: Portland 5 at Edmonton 1 (10,720)
Sunday, May 6: Edmonton 3 at Portland 4 (10,947)
Tuesday, May 8: at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 10: at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, May 12: at Portland (Rose Garden), 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, May 13: at Edmonton, 6 p.m.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Series turns into adjustment bureau

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks will have some adjustments to make before they hit the ice tonight for Game 5 of their best-of-seven WHL Western Conference semifinal series.
The Blazers, no doubt still feeling the glow after erasing a 4-0 first-period deficit and winning Game 4, 5-4, at home on Wednesday night, will be without right-winger J.C. Lipon as they attempt to force Game 6 at Interior Savings Centre on Monday.
The Winterhawks, who take a 3-1 series lead into tonight’s game in the Rose Garden, may be missing right-winger Ty Rattie, a native of Airdrie, Alta., who is one of the WHL’s most-prolific offensive talents.
Lipon was suspended Friday morning for a Game 4 check that took Rattie out of that game and perhaps out of the Portland lineup indefinitely. Lipon wasn’t penalized for the hit but the Winterhawks requested supplemental discipline and he was suspended yesterday morning.
“You can’t really elaborate,” Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said. “It is what it is. You accept it and move on.”
Lipon drove Rattie into the side boards in Portland’s zone 12 minutes into the first period and then seconds later scored the Blazers’ first goal. Rattie went to the bench and was feeling his left lower back before going to the dressing room. However, his helmeted forehead struck the glass quite forcefully and he is believed to have a neck injury. Rattie was wearing a neck brace as he watched Portland practise yesterday.
“It’s really a neck problem,” Mike Johnston, the Winterhawks’ general manager and head coach, told Jim Beseda of The Oregonian. “There are no concussion symptoms. He said his pain seems a little bit better today and they’re just trying to take pressure off it right now by having him wear a brace.”
With Lipon gone, Charron did some juggling for yesterday’s practice in Portland. He put Brendan Ranford in Lipon’s spot, on the right side with Tim Bozon and Colin Smith. Cole Ully, who has been out with an undisclosed injury, skated in Ranford’s spot, with Brandon Herrod and Jordan DePape.
Which isn’t to say that’s how the lineup will look tonight.
“That may change . . . we’ll see how it goes (tonight),” Charron said. “You want to balance your lines because we don’t have last change. We’ll see. We’ll see how it goes and try to match as best we can.”
Charron had broken up the Ranford-Herrod-DePape line earlier in the series and then put it back together in the third period of a 5-2 loss in Game 3. That line responded with seven points in Wednesday’s startling comeback.
Smith’s line, meanwhile, has struggled of late and has just four points, none from Bozon, in the last five games.
Charron feels that Ully, who has yet to play in this series, is capable of injecting some offence into one of the top two lines.
“He has got some offensive ability,” said Charron of Ully, who had 20 points in 55 regular-season games while seeing mostly third- and fourth-line duty. “He’s probably in a better position to be put on a top line than to use him on the fourth line, which we would have had to. He’s in a better situation for him to produce.”
The Blazers, meanwhile, will have Cam Lanigan in goal for a fourth straight game. Cole Cheveldave, who was selected to the Western Conference’s second all-star team, remains out with a concussion. He has yet to pass his baseline test that would allow him to begin exercising and then return to practice. It is highly unlikely he would be able to play should there be a Game 6 here on Monday.
At the same time, Rattie’s absence would mean some adjustments by the Winterhawks. He finished third in the WHL in the regular season in goals (57) and points (121), and leads the WHL playoffs with 13 goals and 20 points.
Rattie, who turned 19 on Feb. 5, plays alongside Sven Baertschi and Marcel Noebels on Portland’s top line. Rattie, Baertschi and Brad Ross have played together all season on the first power-play unit, as well. In fact, Rattie led the WHL with 26 regular-season power-play goals and was tied for seventh, with 28 assists.
Johnston also is without veteran left-winger Oliver Gabriel, who is serving the final game of a four-game suspension for a late Game 1 hit on Cheveldave. (Gabriel was penalized for goaltender interference on that play. The Blazers later asked for and received supplemental discipline from the WHL office.)
Without Gabriel and Rattie, Johnston is likely to shorten his bench, moving Taylor Leier up with Baertschi and Noebels, leaving Cam Reid between Brendan Leipsic and Ross, and rotating freshmen forwards Nic Petan and Chase De Leo with Taylor Peters and Joey Baker. Under normal circumstances, Gabriel would play on a line with Leier and Peters.
However, the Winterhawks haven’t yet ruled Rattie out of the game. If he is able to handle the discomfort, he just may play.
“He has to be able to play well in order to play,” Johnston told The Oregonian. “We have other guys that are ready to step in if he’s not ready. I’m hoping it won’t take more than a couple days if he’s not ready (tonight).”
Rattie has been taking treatment from athletic therapist Rich Campbell, and also from a massage therapist and a chiropractor.
“The pain’s still there,” Rattie said, “but I guess we’ll see how it goes.
“Therapy is helping a lot. It’s getting better. So, I’ll wake up in the morning and we’ll go from there. Obviously, Rich has to give me the go-ahead, I have to feel right to play, and then the final decision is Mike’s.”
Charron is hopeful that all of this, combined with what transpired Wednesday night in Kamloops, will have the Winterhawks at least thinking about things.
“It gives us a sense of confidence,” Charron said. “For them, they can’t take us for granted. I’m sure they’re going to give it the best they can to finish it (tonight).
“We just have to be prepared for the challenge and play the way we can.”

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Some notes and thoughts on the Western Conference semifinal between the Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks, which resumes Saturday in the Rose City with the host team holding a 3-1 edge. . . .
1. Dylan Bumbarger, who blogs about all things WHL and Winterhawks at OregonLive.com, did the research and reported that the Winterhawks “hadn't lost a game in which they led by four goals in at least 15 years” prior to Wednesday night. He went back to 1996 on the WHL website and reached that conclusion. . . . On Wednesday, of course, the Winterhawks led 4-0 just past the first-period’s midway point and went on to lose, 5-4.
2. Portland-based writer Scott Sepich pointed out that the Blazers once blew a four-goal lead against the Winterhawks. On April 9, 1989, the Blazers had a 5-1 lead in the third period of a best-of-nine second-round series. Portland, playing in front of 5,102 fans, roared back for a 6-5 victory. The Winterhawks had won the opener 7-3. Portland would go on to take a 3-0 lead in games and would eventually win the series, 5-3.
3. Portland F Oliver Gabriel will sit out the fourth game of his four-game suspension on Saturday. He was suspended for a late-game hit on Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave in the series opener. . . . Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said Thursday evening that Cheveldave won’t be available for Game 5.
4. Charron said that F Cole Ully, who has missed the series with an undisclosed injury, will be available. That being the case, look for the Blazers to insert Ully in place of F Brayden Gelsinger, who made his WHL debut in Game 4 but saw very limited playing time.
5. It is interesting that the Winterhawks players on the bench actually sit while between shifts. I don’t know that there is another WHL team whose players do that, the players preferring instead to stand and hang over the boards. . . . Sure, it’s a case of a team doing something that it thinks might give it an edge somewhere down the road. . . . But when you think about it, it makes sense. Why not take advantage of an opportunity to get off your feet and rest your legs, even if for only a few minutes?
6. The Winterhawks didn’t play on Thursday but F Ty Rattie picked up another goal. A scoring change has given Rattie credit for Portland’s first goal in Game 4. The goal had been given to D Troy Rutkowski. . . . On the goal, Rutkowski rifled the puck from the right side toward the Blazers net. Rattie, fighting off a defenceman, got his stickblade on the puck and directed it into the net. . . . Rattie, who was injured eight minutes later, now has 13 goals in these playoffs. . . . Rutkowski and F Sven Baertschi got the assists on the goal.
7. Rattie left with what appeared to be a lower back problem but may well be a concussion after he was drilled by Kamloops F J.C. Lipon. On Thursday, Mike Johnston, the Winterhawks’ general manager and head coach, asked the WHL for supplemental discipline on Lipon, who wasn’t penalized on the play. . . . Rattie was fishing for a loose puck in his feet, when Lipon hit him. Rattie’s helmeted forehead bounced off the glass, although when he reached the Portland bench — after Lipon followed up by scoring the Blazers’ first goal — he reached for his left lower back area. . . . I would suggest that Rattie is doubtful for Game 5.
8. Johnston chose not to ask for supplemental discipline on Kamloops D Austin Madaisky, who was given a minor penalty for a check to the head of Portland F Taylor Leieir. Madaisky received a minor penalty but, because Leier wasn’t injured, Johnston chose not to press the issue.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
The Oshawa Generals announced a changing of the guard on Thursday. General manager Chris DePiero, head coach Gary Agnew and Joe Cirella, the assistant head coach and assistant GM, won’t be back. . . . Agnew took over the coaching reins from DePiero in November. The Generals went into the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed and lost a six-game series to Niagara IceDogs. . . . DePiero had been with the Generals since 2006, first as associate coach. . . . Cirella was an assistant coach with the Generals from 1998-2004 and later returned in 2010. . . .
The NHL’s Calgary Flames have parted company with head coach Brent Sutter and assistant coach Dave Lowry. . . . Sutter owns the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels and is a former Rebels head coach. . . . Lowry coached the Calgary Hitmen for one season, reaching the WHL final where they lost to the Kelowna Rockets, before moving up to the Flames. . . .
The USHL’s Omaha Lancers have named Mike Aikens as GM and head coach, with Michael Zucker staying on as associate head coach. . . . The two have been co-coaches with the Lancers since Bliss Littler was fired on Nov. 30. . . . Omaha is 27-11-1 since the coaching change. . . . Aikens and Zucker are signed through the end of the 2012-13 season. . . .
The U of Alberta is looking for a hockey coach for the Golden Bears. The position is posted right here. . . . Stan Marple was the head coach last season, but now is the general manager after a restructuring took place. . . .
———
The Manitoba community of Virden, which is about 80 km west of Brandon, has a new recreation facility that includes a 1,200-seat arena. It appears that also may soon have an MJHL franchise. Should the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints relocate there, it would leave Winnipeg with just one franchise, the Blues, in the junior A league.
There’s more on that story right here.
———
JUST NOTES:
D Brandon Underwood of the Regina Pats will join the Central league’s Texas Brahmas in time to play Sunday in Game 2 of a best-of-seven second-round series with the Wichita Thunder. That series opens tonight in Wichita with Game 2 there on Sunday. . . . Underwood, from San Marcos, Calif., is eligible to return to Regina as a 20-year-old. He had 13 points and 76 penalty minutes in 54 games this season. Underwood missed some time with a broken foot incurred while blocking a shot. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors are expected to have D Morgan Rielly in their line up for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final against the Oil Kings in Edmonton on April 20. Rielly hasn’t played since Nov. 14 when he suffered a knee injury. He had surgery on Dec. 1. Despite not playing, Rielly was ranked at No. 5 by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters eligible for the NHL’s 2012 draft. . . . Rielly has been skating with the Warriors for two months and good on them for not rushing him back into the lineup. . . .
F Emerson Etem, whose season with the Medicine Hat Tigers ended on Wednesday night, has joined the Syracuse Crunch, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim selected Etem, who is from Long Beach, Calif., with the 29th overall pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft. . . .
In case you missed it, D Ryan Pulock of the Brandon Wheat Kings and F Hunter Shinkaruk of the Medicine Hat Tigers have joined the Canadian team at the IIHF U-18 World championship tournament in Czech Republic. . . .
The Vancouver Giants’ website shows Dan Elliott as the director of media relations and broadcasting. But it seems that the Giants and Elliott, who also was the team’s play-by-play man, have parted company. Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun first tweeted that news on Wednesday.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Johannes Salmonsson (Spokane, 2005-06) signed a two-year contract with Linköping (Sweden, Elitserien). He had five goals and 13 assists in 41 games for AIK Stockholm (Sweden, Elitserien) this season.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
The Salmon Arm SilverBacks will introduce Troy Mick as their general manager and head coach today. Owner Randy Williams also is bringing Mick on board as a business partner. . . . Mick has been working as the director of hockey operations and the under-18 boys coach at the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna. . . . In Salmon Arm, Mick will take over from Colin O’Hara, who resigned a week ago as GM and head coach. O’Hara was there for two seasons. . . . Mick is a familiar figure in the interior of B.C., having coached the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers and the junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies in recent seasons.
———
The Portage Terriers won the MJHL championship on Tuesday night, beating the visiting Winnipeg Saints 2-1 to take the best-of-seven final in five games. . . . The Terriers have won the title four of the last five seasons, including each of the last two seasons. . . . Blake Spiller has been the head coach for all four championships. . . . The Terriers went 12-3 in the playoffs.
———
I’m sorry, but are all Portland Winterhawks’ fans paranoid, or is it just a select few?
With Kamloops having scratched G Cole Cheveldave due to what obviously is a concussion, there are those people out there who actually believe the Blazers have done this simply to get Portland F Oliver Gabriel out of the lineup.
Seriously!
Here’s a sample of texts and tweets sent my way over the last couple of days:
“Does it actually make sense in your head that blazers would scratch their most needed player in exchange for a #5 forward?”
“They scratch Cheveldave to make it look good.”
“If you saw infraction you’d shake head at nonsense call.”
“What an absolute joke!”
People! People! People! Take a deep breath and climb down off the roof.
Cheveldave is the Blazers’ No. 1 goaltender. He was selected as a Western Conference second-team all-star. Were it not for the regular season turned in by F Tim Bozon, Cheveldave may well have been the Western Conference’s rookie of the year.
And you’re suggesting that the Blazers would put Cheveldave in the stands with an injury that is the figment of someone’s imagination!
Go back and take a look at the fuzzy video of the hit. Surely, you will at least admit that Cheveldave was the victim of a rather hard check. Surely, you also will admit that the hit sent Cheveldave flying. And, surely, you will admit that there is a least a slim chance, even while viewing it through your Rose City-coloured glasses, that Cheveldave may have been injured on the play.
To suggest that Cheveldave has been told to fake an injury, or that a doctor has been told to invent an injury, in an attempt to get Gabriel out of the Portland lineup is laughable.
Now . . . if we were talking about Ty Rattie or Sven Baertschi . . .
Seriously, ask yourself this. If you’re a Portland fan and one of the Blazers, say Brandon Herrod, had run over Mac Carruth like that, how sharp would you have the guillotine by now?
———





TUESDAY’S GAMES:
What is going on in the WHL? Five of the eight first-round series ended in the minimum four games; two others went five games.
Here we are into the second round and three of the four series stand at 3-0. Three road teams won last night to go up 3-0.
All of this follows a 2011 playoff season in which there were six sweeps, three five-game series and six six-game sets.

In Brandon, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Wheat Kings, 5-1. . . . The Oil King, who have won 18 straight games, including seven in the playoffs, lead this series 3-0 and can wrap it up tonight in Brandon. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock scored the game’s first goal, on a PP, at 10:48 of the first. . . . Edmonton scored two second-period goals, the eventual winner coming from F Curtis Lazar, his fourth playoff goal, at 14:21. . . . The visitors had a 19-2 edge in shots in the second period. . .  .The Oil Kings got two assists from F Henrik Samuelsson, who missed a couple of shifts after taking a heavy check from Brandon F Michael Ferland. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 25 shots, 12 fewer than Brandon’s Corbin Boes. . . . Edmonton was 2-5 on the PP; Brandon was 1-3. . . . According to the Wheat Kings, F Mark Stone is questionable for Game 4 with an injury. He didn’t come out of the dressing room for the third period. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports: “Attendance was 3,651, the lowest turnout for a playoff game in Brandon since March 21, 2009 when 3,506 showed up for a first-round game against the Kootenay Ice.” . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Moose Jaw Warriors erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and beat the Tigers, 4-2. . . . Moose Jaw leads the series 3-0 with Game 4 in Medicine Hat tonight. . . . Medicine Hat F Curtis Valk gave his side a 1-0 lead at 8:15 of the first. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point who turned 16 on March 12, got his fourth playoff goal in eight games at 1:49 of the second and D Kendall McFaull gave his guys the lead at 12:40. . . . Moose Jaw F Cam Braes had one assist to run his point streak to eight games. . . . Tigers G Tyler Bunz stopped 48 shots, 24 more than Moose Jaw’s Luke Siemens. . . . The Tigers had F Emerson Etem back from a one-game suspension, but he was held off the scoresheet. . . . Moose Jaw D Morgan Rielly (knee) remains on the sideline. . . .

In Kamloops, F Brad Ross scored four times — even strength, power play, two shorthanded — to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 5-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . The Winterhawks, with a 3-0 lead, can finish the series tonight in Kamloops. . . . Ross scored four goals in 16 playoff games last spring. He now has seen in seven games in these playoffs. . . . The Winterhawks broke a 1-1 tie with two shorthanded goals 33 seconds apart early in the second period. . . . Ross now holds the franchise record for shorthanded goals (4) in one playoff season. . . . Portland F Taylor Peters drew three shorthanded assists. . . . @WHLFacts tweeted that Ross “has just become the first WHL player in at least 15 years to get 4 Shorthanded Goals in one playoff season.” . . . More from @WHLFacts: “Taylor Peters has become the first WHL player in at least 15 years with 4 Shorthanded Assists in one playoff season” . . . The Winterhawks also set a franchise record with three shorthanded goals in one playoff game. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 38 shots in running his record this spring to 7-0. . . . Kamloops G Cam Lanigan turned aside 24 shots. . . . The Blazers are without G Cole Cheveldave (concussion). Portland F Oliver Gabriel was suspended for four games for the Game 1 hit on which Cheveldave was injured. Gabriel now has served two games of that suspension. . . . Attendance was 3,712, the third-smallest playoff crowd since the Blazers moved into what now is Interior Savings Centre for the 1992-93 season. The only smaller crowds came on March 25 and 26, 2008, when 2,895 and 2,570 fans showed up for Games 3 and 4 of a first-round sweep at the hands of the Tri-City Americans.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Rhett Gordon (Regina, 1992-96) announced his retirement after helping the Nottingham Panthers (England, UK Elite) win the UK Elite championship. Gordon started the season with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL), getting one goal and four assists in 10 games. He joined the Panthers in January and had three goals and 16 assists in 19 games. Gordon, as quoted in Monday's online edition of the Sheffield Star: "This was a very difficult decision and I thought long and hard about it but I feel the time is right for me to retire." . . .
F Matt Pettinger (Calgary, 1999-2000) signed a two-year contract with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL). He had 14 goals and 23 assists in 52 games with Kölner Haie (Cologne Sharks) this season. Cologne GM Stephane Richer: "Matt will be a real asset to our team. He's agile, good on the road, strong and physical on the puck. He is also a reliable scorer and can bring his experience to our team also to enrich it off the ice. A player like Matt has been missing from our team." . . .
F Antonin Honejsek (Moose Jaw, 2009-11) signed a two-year contract extension with Zlin (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Honejsek had three goals and four assists in 34 games with Zlin, four goals and seven assists in six games with Zlin U20, and two assists in three games on loan to Horacka Slavia Trebic (Czech Republic, 1.Liga).
———
There weren’t any WHL games on Monday night, but three series resume tonight.
The Medicine Hat Tigers will have F Emerson Etem back in their lineup for Game 3 as they play host to the Moose Jaw Warriors. Etem sat out Game 2 after taking a kneeing major early in Game 1. The Warriors hold a 2-0 lead. . . .
The Edmonton Oil Kings hold a 2-0 lead as they head into Brandon for two games with the Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon hasn’t played at home since March 17. It played its first-round games in Winnipeg as the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair had taken over Westman Place in Brandon. . . .
Portland LW Oliver Gabriel has served one game and is awaiting a final ruling on his suspension stemming from a Game 1 collision with Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave … Medicine Hat RW?Emerson Etem has had his suspension finalized at one game — which he has already served — after taking a kneeing major in Game 1 of the Tigers’ series against Moose Jaw. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers won’t have G Cole Cheveldave for a second straight game as they take on the visiting Portland Winterhawks. Cheveldave was injured — no one is saying but it would appear he has a concussion — late in Game 1 when Portland F Oliver Gabriel ran over him behind the net. . . . Gabriel sat out Game 2 with a suspension. The length of that suspension hadn’t been determined as of early, early this morning. . . . The Winterhawks hold a 2-0 lead in this series. . . .
The Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans, meanwhile, are tied 1-1 and will resume hostilities on Wednesday night in Spokane.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
The USHL’s Indiana Ice fired general manager and head coach Kyle Wallack on Monday. Wallack had been an associate head coach at Yale U since 2006. He signed with the Ice on June 1, 2011, agreeing to a deal through 2013-14. Wallack replaced Charlie Skjodt, who at the time moved up to president. Skjodt was named interim head coach through the end of this season. . . . The Ice was 37-19-4 last season when it was ousted in the second round of playoffs. This season, the Ice is 34-15-9 and second in the Eastern Conference. . . . "There were a number of factors that led me to make this decision at this time of the year, but team unity, improvement in team play during the season and the development of the players who sign up for the Indiana Ice will never be compromised, " said Ice CEO Paul Skjodt in a news release. . . . There have been five coaching changes in the 16-team USHL this season. . . . The USHL is into the final week of its regular season. . . .
The midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings will have Ken Schneider as their head coach again in 2012-13. Schneider, one of hockey’s good guys, played in the WHL with Brandon (1979-82), finishing up as the Wheat Kings’ captain. He is the father of former WHL D Mark Schneider (Kamloops, Brandon, Regina, 2006-11). Mark played this season with the U of Regina Cougars. . . .
The Kootenay Ice has an opening on its coaching staff after the U of Regina Cougars named Todd Johnson as their new head coach, effective immediately. Johnson, who played in the WHL with Moose Jaw, Kamloops and Red Deer (1990-93), has been an assistant with the Ice for the last two seasons. With the Cougars, he takes over from Blaine Sautner, who resigned in order to return to the family farm. . . . “I’m really happy for Todd as he is a classy young man who . . . will do a real good job for them,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told me Monday evening. “Proud also to have another coach move on up.” . . .
Ryan Pollock, the associate coach and assistant GM of the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs, has resigned, citing personal and family reasons. Pollock spent the last five seasons with the Pontiacs, starting as an assistant coach and moving to associate coach/assistant GM under Chad Mercier for this season. . . . The Pontiacs also are looking for a trainer after Kim Sydora left following the season.
———
Marc Habscheid, the general manager and head coach of the Victoria Royals, and team president Dave Dakers have denied a rumbling in the Edmonton Journal from the weekend. Jim Matheson, in his weekly Hockey World report, had speculated that Habscheid might be looking to give up the GM’s role, which might open the door for Doug Soeteart, the former Everett Silvertips’ GM, to land in Victoria. According to Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist, Habscheid and Dakers responded identically: “There is nothing to it."

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

The expressions and body language from Nathan MacMaster of the Tri-City
Americans and Cole Wedman and Eric Williams of the Spokane Chiefs
say it all in this photo from Saturday's game in Kennewick, Wash.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Mark Santorelli (Chilliwack, 2006-08) signed a two-year contract extension with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had 11 goals and 24 assists in 48 games with Tingsryd this season. . . .
F Dustin Johner (Seattle, 1999-2004) signed a one-year-plus-option contract with Djurgården Stockholm (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had 23 goals and 18 assists in 50 games with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan) this season. Djurgården GM and head coach Charles Berglund: "Dustin is a very good two-way centre who is good defensively and offensively, on the penalty kill and power play. He has delivered in Allsvenskan two years running. This is very important for us. He has been through this before and we need that kind of player on our team." Johner's 23 goals was fifth best in Allsvenskan this season. Djurgården was relegated to Allsvenskan from Elitserien earlier this week.
———
There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
———

“With former Edmonton Oil Kings goalie Doug Soetaert stupidly being cashiered as GM with the Western Hockey League Everett Silvertips, with a rebuilding team that still made the playoffs, where will he wind up? There’s talk that Marc Habscheid, who has the coach/GM job in Victoria, might want to just be coach. Maybe Soetaert will wind up there.” That’s from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. His complete weekend Hockey World is right here.
———
Kevin Parnell of the Kelowna Capital News wants to write hockey stories, but the Rockets are done for the season. So what does he do? He profiles referee Steve Papp right here.
———
The ECHL lost a franchise on Friday when the Chicago Express folded, effective immediately. The Express’ roster included a couple of former WHLers in D Taylor Ellington and F Ryley Grantham. . . . All players on the Express roster now are unrestricted free agents. . . . The ECHL is expected to add teams in Orlando and San Francisco for 2012-13.
———
In the AHL, the Norfolk Admirals ran their amazing streak to 25 straight victories last night as they dropped the visiting Binghamton Senators, 4-1. . . . F Tyler Johnson, who played out his eligibility with the Spokane Chiefs last season, scored his 31st goal of the season for the Admirals. . . . Former Spokane goaltender Dustin Tokarski stopped 30 shots for the victory. . . . The Norfolk roster also features D Radko Gudas (Everett), D Scott Jackson (Seattle) and F Brandon Segal (Calgary).
———
The Seattle Thunderbirds and their fans are mourning the death of Scott Lowe, one of their off-ice officials. Lowe was 54 when he lost a battle with ALS, which also is known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He referee hockey for almost 40 years and worked as an off-ice official for WHL games for more than 20 years. . . . “He was a really nice guy and conscientious about his duties,” I was told last night. . . . A celebration of Lowe’s life is scheduled for April 22. . . . There are more details right here.
———
The gang in Prince George that is well on its way to turning the World Baseball Challenge into a major event on the international sporting calendar has been nominated for three Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance PRESTIGE awards. WBC co-chair Jim Swanson, who covered the Prince George Cougars for years as sports editor of the Prince George Citizen, is one of three nominees for the CSTA’s community service award. . . . Ted Clarke of the Citizen has more right here.
———




SATURDAY’S GAMES:
(If you want WHL facts and stats, get on Twitter and follow @WHLFacts)

Who would have thought the second round of the WHL playoffs would get off to such a bizarre start?
F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers led the WHL with 61 regular-season goals. But he got tossed from Game 1 against the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Friday night after going knee-to-knee with F Torrin White. Before the game, Etem was hit was a ‘tbd’ suspension so wasn’t in the lineup last night as the Warriors won 6-1 to take a 2-0 lead in that series.
Meanwhile, the Kamloops Blazers, on the advice of a team doctor, didn’t dress G Cole Cheveldave for Game 2 against the Winterhawks in Kamloops. That meant that G Cam Lanigan, 19, made his playoff debut as the Blazers dropped a 4-1 decision. . . . Cheveldave, a second-team Western Conference all-star, was injured at 18:36 of the third period on Friday when he was hit by Portland F Oliver Gabriel, who was killing a penalty with a 4-3 lead. Cheveldave moved into the trapezoid to play the puck and an on-rushing Gabriel chose not to pull up and ran over the goaltender. Gabriel, like Etem, sat out last night with a ‘tbd’ suspension. . . . The Winterhawks Booster Club was selling ‘Free Ollie’ buttons at its table last night. . . . No one with the Blazers is using the ‘c’ word, choosing to say only that Cheveldave has an “upper-body injury.” . . .

Cheveldave finished Game 1 but was re-examined by a team doctor following breakfast on Saturday. At that point, the doctor recommended that Cheveldave not play. . . . The Blazers had G Taran Kozun backing up Lanigan. Kozun started the season with the Blazers and made two starts before being assigned to the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. . . . Lanigan, in his fourth WHL season, joined the Blazers last season from the Edmonton Oil Kings in a deal that had G Jon Groenheyde go the other way. Lanigan ended up backing up Cheveldave after the latter, the AJHL’s rookie of the year with the Drumheller Dragons last season, took the reins and wouldn’t let go. . . . Prior to last night, Lanigan last played on March 17 in the Blazers’ last regular-season game, a 4-2 loss to the Cougars in Prince George.
By the way, the Winterhawks also were fined $250 for what the WHL calls a warmup violation. The WHL didn’t identify a particular incident, but observers did see Portland F Sven Baertschi flip a puck in the direction of Kamloops F Tim Bozon. The two are friends from Switzerland.
———
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings won their 17th straight game, beating the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . Edmonton leads the series 2-0 with Games 3 and 4 scheduled for Brandon on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . The Wheat Kings, who played their first-round home games in Winnipeg, haven’t played in Westman Place since March 17. The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair was in the arena during the first round of WHL playoffs. . . . Last night, the Oil Kings erased a 2-1 deficit with three goals in 2:27 midway through the second period. . . . Edmonton F Kristians Pelss tied it with his second of the game at 8:28. . . . F Travis Ewanyk gave Edmonton the lead at 9:54 and F Jordan Peddle added another goal at 10:55. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock scored at 19:59 of the second to get Brandon to within one. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 26 shots, five fewer than Brandon’s Corbin Boes. . . . Each team was 0-for-3 on the PP. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s last six goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-1. . . . The Warriors lead the series 2-0 with the next two games in Medicine Hat on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 18:02 of the first. . . . Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden scored at 9:50 and 10:35 of the second and the Warriors were off and scoring. . . . Moose Jaw D Kendall McFaull had four assists and was plus-4. . . . Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath had one assist and also was plus-4. . . . The Warriors held a 40-15 edge in shots. Medicine Hat had four shots on goal in each of the last two periods. . . . In the two games, the Warriors hold an 83-32 advantage in shots on goal. . . . With F Emerson Etem suspended, the Tigers dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . Moose Jaw F Torrin White, who was hit by Etem, didn’t play last night. . . . Medicine Hat F Dylan Bredo, who took a major for a check to the head in Game 1, wasn’t suspended. . . . The Warriors had D Travis Brown back in their lineup after he missed four games. . . . The Tigers dressed F Cole Sanford and D Kyle Becker. Sanford, 16, is from Vernon, B.C., and played for the junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies. Becker, who turned 18 on Jan. 24, got into 11 games with the Tigers this season, but played most of the season with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans built up a 2-0 lead and hung on for a 2-1 victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . The series is 1-1 as it heads to Spokane for games on Wednesday and Friday. Game 5 is scheduled for Kennewick on Saturday. . . . F Adam Hughesman opened the scoring at 13:21 of the first period and F Justin Feser added another at 4:01 of the third. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg scored on a PP at 18:35 of the third period. Holmberg has eight goals in these playoffs. . . . The Chiefs had won five straight playoff games. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin drew a first-period assist, meaning he has at least one point in each of his last 29 games. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 23 shots, eight fewer than Spokane’s Eric Williams, who lost for the first time in six starts. . . . The Chiefs came awfully close to forcing OT when D Corbin Baldwin’s point shot got past Rimmer at the game-ending buzzer. However, video review showed that time had expired before the puck entered the net. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks broke open a scoreless game with three goals in 2:01 and went on to beat the Kamloops Blazers, 4-1. . . . Portland takes a 2-0 series lead into Games 3 and 4 in Kamloops on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Portland F Sven Baertschi opened the scoring at 19:14 of the second period. F Taylor Leier made it 2-0 just 56 seconds into the third and F Cam Reid upped it to 3-0 at 1:15. . . . Baertschi finished up with two goals. . . . Linemates Ty Rattie and Marcel Noebels each had one assist. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth made 39 saves. . . . Kamloops was 0-7 on the PP and now is 0-11 in the series. . . . With F Oliver Gabriel suspended, the Winterhawks inserted F Jason Trott into the lineup and moved F Joe Baker into Gabriel’s usual spot alongside Taylor Peters and Taylor Leier. . . . The Winterhawks have scored nine goals in the two games, with seven of them coming in the two third periods.
———
For today’s good read, we take you to the Seattle Times where Danny O’Neil writes about the latest chapter in the life of Ryan Leaf. That piece is right here.

Interesting day in the WHL office

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers will be without defenceman Austin Madaisky for Games 3 and 4 of their first-round WHL playoff series with the Victoria Royals.
The Blazers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 going into Game 3 tonight at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria. The fourth game is scheduled for there on Wednesday. If necessary, Game 5 will be played at Interior Savings Centre on Friday.
Madaisky, the Blazers best all-around blue-liner, was suspended Monday for two games for a hit that occurred early in the Blazers’ 7-4 victory on Saturday night.
The play in question occurred at 1:28 of the first period when Madaisky checked Victoria forward Zane Jones. Madaisky was given a checking-to-the-head minor penalty for the hit.
At some point after the game, the Royals requested supplemental discipline from the WHL office, meaning they sent in video of the hit and $500. If the league acts on it, as was the case here, a team gets its money back. If not, it pays the money as a fine, which is what happened to the Regina Pats when they requested supplemental discipline for a hit by Moose Jaw Warriors forward Cody Beach in Game 1 of their series. (Beach was suspended for one game Monday, for a comment he directed at the Regina bench during Game 2.)
The Royals had started the series’ first game on Friday by going hard to the body. Madaisky said last night from Victoria that he was expecting the same thing in Game 2, so he was prepared to counter that.
“For the first three or four minutes of (Game 1), it seemed that they were just trying to run us out of the building,” Madaisky said. “The energy level was getting pretty high. I was expecting to be one of the guys they were targeting . . .”
When Game 2 started, he said he “wanted to go out there and take the body to show them that we weren’t going to shy away . . . and it just happened.”
Asked to describe the play, Madaisky recalled:
“It was a 50-50 puck that bounced off the boards and I saw Jones coming. I know he’s one of their players who will always take the body. It seemed that he was reaching for the puck . . . he’s a left-handed player . . . he kind of opened himself up and was in a bit of a vulnerable position.
“I watched the replay and I did make contact with his head. I mean, I didn’t mean to . . . it’s not like I was targeting his head. It just happened to be in a position where I did clip it a bit.”
Jones, a 17-year-old freshman from Olds, Alta., is 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds. He had 30 points, including 14 goals, and 64 penalty minutes in 62 regular-season games. He wasn’t injured on the play.
Madaisky, 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, added that he “was definitely surprised to get two games.” But he had been forewarned by head coach Guy Charron and associate coach Dave Hunchak.
“I was told to expect something,” Madaisky said. “I was told to expect one, maybe two, and it happened to be two.”
Madaisky, who turned 20 on Jan. 30, said he was disappointed with the league’s decision.
“Especially at this time of year,” he said. “It’s never fun sitting out. You kind of feel like letting the team down by not being in the lineup. Hopefully, we’re a deep enough squad that we have guys who are able to come into the lineup and do a good job.”
Madaisky played quite well in the first two games, picking up three assists and going plus-4. He and Tyler Hansen have been used in a shutdown role for much of the season, playing against the opposition’s best offensive line. Madaisky also plays a point on the first power-play unit and kills penalties.
Madaisky’s absence means Landon Cross, a 17-year-old in his first WHL season, is likely to check into the lineup after being a healthy scratch for three straight games.
This is the second suspension of the season for Madaisky, who served a two-game sentence after taking a cross-checking major against the visiting Calgary Hitmen on Feb. 18.
———
Madaisky’s suspension was one of six handed out by Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, on Monday.
* F Manraj Hayer of the Everett Silvertips drew a ‘tbd’ after taking a double minor for checking from behind against the host Tri-City Americans on Saturday night. The teams are scheduled to play in Everett tonight and Wednesday. Tri-City D Drydn Dow, who was hit by Hayer, suffered an injury to his right arm on the play and isn’t expected to play again in this series.
* Everett F Ryan Harrison also won’t play tonight after taking a one-game sentence for an interference major he incurred on Saturday.
* The Silvertips also were fined $500 for being in “violation of the WHL Social Media and Networking Policy” after Saturday’s game. That was for a tweet by Everett F Cody Fowlie, who was ejected with a checking-from-behind major on Saturday. The tweet contained a couple of obscenities, one of which referred to “bullshit refing.” Interestingly, Fowlie wasn’t suspended for the major penalty.
* F Brett Bulmer of the Kelowna Rockets is on a ‘tbd’ after taking a kneeing major in Game 2 against the Winterhawks in Portland on Saturday. He won’t play in Game 3 tonight in Kelowna. Bulmer’s penalty came for a hit on Portland D William Wrenn, who is the Winterhawks’ captain. The WHL may be waiting to see if he plays tonight before deciding on the length of Bulmer’s suspension.
* F Oliver Gabriel of the Winterhawks will sit out tonight after being suspended for one game. He took a slashing minor on Saturday, and then was given a game misconduct. At this point, no one is saying what he did that warranted a game misconduct.
* F Cody Beach of the Moose Jaw Warriors was hit with a one-game suspension for a “derogatory comment to the Regine bench” during Game 2 of that series on Saturday. Interestingly, the Pats had requested supplemental discipline for a Beach-delivered hit during Game 1, a request that was turned down by the WHL. That cost the Pats $500.
Alan Millar, the Warriors’ director of hockey operations, told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald that he “received an email from Richard Doerksen saying that (Regina head coach) Pat Conacher had sent in a complaint to the league after the game regarding something Cody had said to their bench and that he asked the league to review the matter,”
No one seems to be too eager to repeat what Beach said and the Warriors chose not to make him available to the media on Monday.
“It was something we thought was over the limit of what would be classified as hockey talk,” Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post.
This is Beach’s fourth suspension of the season. He will have sat out 11 games in suspensions when he misses tonight’s game in Regina.
According to Gourlie, the Warriors are 8-1-1 with Beach serving suspensions.
The Warriors tied the series with an 8-1 victory in Game 2. Beach had two goals and an assist, and was selected as the game’s first star.
Meanwhile, Scott Sepich, writing for Yahoo! Sports, points out that while Fowlie’s tweet was taken down about an hour after it was posted, a tweet from Everett F Jordyn Boyd remains in cyberspace.
That tweet was posted after Game 2 and reads: “This is actually a joke. Never seen a team dive so much in my life.”
And to think the playoffs are only a few days old!

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.