Just a couple of football guys watching hockey. #LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/pvDiWd3maW— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) October 14, 2016
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G Patrik Polívka (Victoria, 2012-14) has been assigned on loan by Plzeň (Czech Republic, Extraliga) to Slavia Prague (Czech Republic, 1. Liga) for the remainder of the season. This season, with Plzeň, he was 3.20 and .895 in two games. On loan to Klatovy (Czech Republic, 2. Liga), he had a 4.14 GAA in one game. . . .
F Anthony Ast (Vancouver, Medicine Hat, 2010-15) has been released by Duisburg (Germany, Oberliga) at his request. He had a goal and an assist in six games. A Duisburg news release indicates that Ast requested his release in order to return to Canada "to take advantage of scholarship opportunities.”
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The Portland Winterhawks played their sixth game in nine nights on Wednesday, finishing an East Division swing with a 5-4 OT victory over the Regina Pats.
The game featured 103 shots on goal, 52 by Regina.
Neither of the head coaches was selected as one of the stars, but they should have been.
Why?
Because both men — Mike Johnston of the Winterhawks and John Paddock of the Pats — understand
that while they are in the business of developing players, they also are in the entertainment business. As such, there is pressure on them to fill the seats.
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| JOHN PADDOCK |
“It was a highly entertaining game,” Paddock told columnist Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post. “The fans all got their money’s worth, because there was a lot of up and down the ice at a fast pace. There were nine goals and it was full entertainment, for sure.
“There won’t be many games probably played like that, I don’t think. But saying that, there’s a lot of games to be played and there’s a lot of good teams to play against.”
Vanstone writes:
“Paddock and his coaching counterpart, Mike Johnston, should take a bow after Wednesday’s sublime skating spectacle. The Pats’ bench boss noted that the Winterhawks have done an effective job of enticing American-born players to play for them, and displays such as that of Wednesday are a fine recruiting tool.”
As Paddock told Vanstone: “I think it helps that if you have a game like that, players want to come and play for you. They want to be involved in an entertaining game. They don’t want to be skating backwards in the neutral zone all the time and defending. They want to go. They want to pressure. They want to go after it.”
As Vanstone points out, “That is entirely in tune with Paddock’s philosophy.”
More from Paddock:
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| MIKE JOHNSTON |
“The style of hockey that’s in vogue in the game today can be and is entertaining. You have to have a lot of good players to do it. (Portland) really played an outstanding game. We want to play an up-tempo game. We want to have the puck a lot. We want to put pucks to the net a lot. If you do that, it lends to entertainment.”
Meanwhile, Greg Harder of The Leader-Post spoke with Johnston.
“We are a very fast team and we can move the puck and we can get in behind people,” Johnston told him. “We have to play a fast hungry game or we just can’t stay with those teams.”
Why does Johnston want his club playing that way?
“It’s really hard to defend against (a fast team) so you have to have guys who are quick on the backcheck and take away space from the skilled players. But it’s an enjoyable game, I’m sure, for people watching rather than trapping it up, slugging it out. You got your money’s worth tonight.”
Oh, for more games like that one . . . and more coaches who think like Johnston and Paddock.
Vanstone’s column is right here.
Harder’s game story is right here.
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Really excited to be joining @BladesHockey ! Can't wait to get things going and see what the future holds!— Caleb Fantillo (@calebfantillo) October 13, 2016
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| CALEB FANTILLO |
The Saskatoon Blades have acquired F Caleb Fantillo, 18, from the Medicine Hat Tigers for a sixth-round pick in the 2019 WHL bantam draft. . . . Fantillo, from Coquitlam, B.C., was a sixth-round selection by the Tigers in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Last season, he had 12 points, including six goals, in 63 games. This season, he has two assists in five games. . . . The Blades arrived in Kelowna on Thursday and will open a B.C. Division tour against the Rockets tonight (Friday). . . . The Blades are hoping that the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Fantino can add some grit to their lineup. In 70 games (2013-15) with the Vancouver-Northeast Chiefs of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League, he totalled 89 points, including 54 goals, and 200 penalty minutes.
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Speaking of the Blades, here’s a tip of the cap to Russ Smart, one of their scouts who has been around the WHL since the early 1980s. . . . He started out as an area scout out of central Alberta for the Prince Albert Raiders and was part of their organization when they won the 1985 Memorial Cup. Later, he moved on to the Lethbridge Hurricanes where he worked under Wayne Simpson, Terry’s brother, and Bob Bartlett. . . . By 1992-93, he was the assistant GM and director of player personnel with the Victoria Cougars. He remained with the Cougars through 2008-09 by which time they had been in Prince George for 15 seasons. . . . He then spent six seasons scouting for the Vancouver Giants and now is into his second season with the Blades. . . . Smart lives in Red Deer these days, but winters in Arizona where, yes, he spends time scouting in the area that produced Auston Matthews. . . . D Jonathan Smart, who is in his second season with the Kelowna Rockets, is Russ’ grandson. Jonathan’s father is former Jason Smart, who played with the Raiders and Blades (1986-90) and now is an RCMP officer.
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Dream come true signing my first NHL contract with the @ArizonaCoyotes . So grateful for all the support I've received along the way!— Lane Pederson (@LanePederson) October 13, 2016
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| LANE PEDERSON |
F Lane Pederson of the Swift Current Broncos has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. He was an undrafted free agent. He went to camp with the Anaheim Ducks prior to the 2015-16 season, then was with the Coyotes prior to this season. . . . Pederson, a 19-year-old from Saskatoon, has nine points, seven of them assists, in seven games this season. He had 34 points, 14 of them goals, in 37 games with the Broncos last season, after being acquired from Red Deer as part of a deal in which F Jake DeBrusk joined the Rebels. Pederson had put up 21 points, six of them goals, in 35 games with Red Deer. . . . In 144 regular-season games, including 65 with the Seattle Thunderbirds, who picked him in the fifth round of the 2012 bantam draft, he has 84 points, including 30 goals. . . . Pederson is the third player on the Broncos roster to have signed an NHL deal in the last few days. D Colby Sissons signed with the New Jersey Devils, while D Max Lajoie got a deal done with the Ottawa Senators.
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The U of Saskatchewan Huskies hockey teams play in a facility that opened in 1929. It’s little wonder, then, that the university has begun fund-raising with plans of building a $41-million multi-purpose facility that will include an arena and a double gymnasium. The new facility is to be called Merlis Belsher Place after Belsher, a U of S graduate with degrees in commerce and law, donated $12.25 million to the fund-raising drive. . . . Darren Zary of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.
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Hockey at the CIS level is one of Canada’s best-kept secrets in a lot of markets. But now there is a place on the Internet that you are able to visit if you want to keep up on what’s happening with any number of former WHL players. The Attacking Zone belongs to Victor Findlay and it’s look back at Week 1 is right here.
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JUST NOTES:
D Micheal Zipp has been named the 24th captain in the history of the Calgary Hitmen. Zipp, 20, is into his fourth season with the Hitmen. . . .
If you’re keeping track, F Mathew Barzal wasn’t in the lineup last night as the New York Islanders opened their NHL season with a 5-3 loss to the New York Rangers. Barzal, 19, is eligible to return to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . .
The Red Deer Rebels have dropped D Jacob Herauf, 16, from their roster. He is expected to join the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. A first-round pick by the Rebels in the 2015 bantam draft, he was pointless in our games.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Just as Rusty Staub was about to score a stunning upset victory, Marty and Mark Howe jumped in and beat the hell out of him. pic.twitter.com/ucyByv5yPD— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) October 13, 2016
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Prince Albert at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Victoria at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Regina vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Prince George vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Everett at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 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.
2. The news in The MacBeth Report that G Patrik Polivka has signed to play 
4. The championship game for the 2014 Memorial Cup is eight days away, but I have no idea what time the puck will drop. On what I believe is the tournament’s official website, there is one place where it has game time as noon Eastern. But I received an email today that contained the entire schedule, with starting times for every game but the final, which is listed as “TBD.” . . . So let’s go with TBD until TV decides when the game will begin.
5. When this season began, F Brendan Ranford was struggling to find playing time with the AHL’s Texas Stars. Things have since changed and Ranford, in his first pro season, is tied for the AHL playoff lead in goals. . . . Alyssa Dombrowski has more 
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D Nikolai Ladygin (Medicine Hat, Tri-City, 2001-02) has signed for the rest of this season with the Hull Stingrays (England, UK Elite). He started this season with the Generals Kiev (Ukraine, PHL); no statistics are available. Last season, he had six points, two of them goals, in 35 games with Yuzhny Ural Orsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga).
In Prince Albert, F Bryson Gore broke a 2-2 tie with two third-period goals to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 4-3 victory over the Raiders. . . . F Reid Gardiner pulled the Raiders into a 2-2 tie at 3:14 of the third period. . . . Gore than struck for his fourth and fifth goals of the season, at 12:06 and 18:28, the latter into an empty net. . . . Raiders D Dylan Busenius got his side to within one at 19:21 of the third. . . . The Warriors, who have won two in a row, had three defencemen — Travis Brown, Jesse Forsberg and Reid Zalitach — each get two assists. . . . The Raiders have lost seven in a row and now are tied with the Red Deer Rebels for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Swift Current, the Broncos overcame an early 2-0 deficit with five straight goals and went on to dump the Kamloops Blazers, 6-3. . . . Kamloops got PP goals from F Cole Ully and F Aspen Sterzer at 11:10 and 11:51 of the first. . . . Ully has 15 goals; Sterzer has 14. . . . The Blazers were without F Chase Souto who suffered a suspected brain injury in a fight with F Bryson Gore of the host Moose Jaw Warriors on Sunday. . . . F Colby Cave got the Broncos even with his 19th and 20th goals, at 3:35 and 10:47 of the second. The latter came via the PP. . . . Cave also had an assist, while F Graham Black had three helpers. . . . F Collin Shirley had two assists for Kamloops. . . . The Blazers finished 3-3-0 on their East Division swing, but lost the last two. . . . The Broncos had lost four in a row. . . . 
In Saskatoon, the Kelowna Rockets finished running the East Division table as they dropped the Blades, 7-1. . . . Kelowna, which has won 12 in a row, went 6-0 on its East Division trek. . . . The Rockets set a franchise record with their 13th straight road victory. . . . Kelowna (28-3-2) leads the overall standings by eight points over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Blades have lost 11 straight. . . . The Rockets scored the game’s last six goals. . . . F Carter Rigby scored twice for Kelowna, while D Mitchell Wheaton had a goal and three assists and F Rourke Chartier, who is from Saskatoon, had a goal and two helpers. . . . Kelowna held a 51-28 edge in shots. . . . Rockets G Jackson Whistle stopped 27 shots. . . . Kelowna F Myles Bell had a goal and an assist. He totalled seven goals and three assists on the six-game jaunt. Prior to the trip, he had one goal in eight games. . . . The Blades were without F Logan Harland, F Brett Stovin, F Collin Valcourt and F Nick Zajac, all of whom are injured. As well, D Nelson Nogier suffered an undisclosed injury Sunday in Edmonton and, according to the Blades, “is expected to miss several weeks.” . . . Thus, the Blades had three prospects arrive in time for this game. D Turner Ottenbreit, a 16-year-old from Yorkton, Sask., was a 12th-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. F Parker Smyth, 15, was a second-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft, while F Cody Prevost, 16, is a list player. Smyth, from Red Deer, is a nephew to Edmonton Oilers F Ryan Smyth. . . .
In Calgary, the Hitmen scored the game’s first six goals and went on to a 6-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The Hitmen have points in their last 10 games (9-0-1) and now lead the Eastern Conference by two points over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Calgary F Greg Chase scored twice, giving him 19 goals, while F Radel Fazleev had three assists. . . . The Hitmen were 2-for-4 on the PP and also had two shorthanded goals. . . . Earlier Tuesday, the NHL’s Calgary Flames announced they had signed Regina F Morgan Klimchuk to a three-year entry-level contract. Klimchuk, a Calgarian who is out with a hip injury suffered in the Subway Super Series, was the 28th overall pick in the 2013 NHL raft. He has 29 points, including 12 goals, in 26 games. His contract is worth US$832,500. A $92,500 signing bonus is payable each season. The AHL salary is $70,000. . . . 
In Edmonton, the Victoria Royals fell behind early but roared back for a 5-3 victory over the Oil Kings, who had won their previous nine games. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka stopped 37 shots. . . . Royals F Brandon Magee had a goal, his 12th, and two helpers. The goal was an EN. . . . F Mitch Moroz gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead, with his 21st goal, at 4:30 of the first. . . . F Matt Dykstra, a 16-year-old from Edmonton, pulled Victoria even with his first WHL goal in his third goal this season at 11:37 and F Axel Blomqvist gave the Royals the lead, with his 11th, at 16:36. . . . Victoria scored four straight goals before Edmonton cut the lead to 4-3. . . . The Royals took the game’s first five minor penalties, all in the second period, but surrendered only one PP goal. . . . Victoria went 3-1-1 on a road swing that featured stops in Vancouver, Swift Current, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and Edmonton. . . . The Royals are tied for third with the Everett Silvertips in the Western Conference, just two points behind the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Oil Kings trail the Eastsern Conference-leading Calgary Hitmen by two points. . . . 
In Red Deer, F Lukas Sutter scored twice and F Conner Bleackley had a goal and two assists as the Rebels beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-2. . . . F Curtis Valk opened the scoring for the Tigers, getting his 15th goal, on the PP, at 1:33 of the second. . . . The Rebels scored the next four goals, with Sutter getting his sixth and seventh, and Bleackley adding his 17th. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak kicked out 46 shots. . . . Red Deer was without four of its top six scorers — F Matt Bellerive, F Rhyse Dieno and F Brooks Maxwell are injured, while F Dominik Volek is in the Czech Republic national junior team’s selection camp. . . . Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate, also reports that Red Deer F Vukie Mpofu left after the warmup. Mpofu a 17-year-old freshman, was injured during a Monday practice and apparently aggravated the injury during the warmup. . . . F Brayden Burke, a 16-year-old from Edmonton, made his WHL debut with the Rebels. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . The Rebels have won three straight and now are tied with the Prince Albert Raiders for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., F Branden Troock scored twice and set up another as the host Seattle Thunderbirds defeated the Tri-City Americans, 5-2. . . . Troock, who was plus-4, has 7 goals. . . . F Alexander Delnov helped Seattle with a goal, his 16th, and three assists. He was plus-4. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp, the third member of that line, had one goal, his fifth, and also was plus-4. . . . Seattle is 9-1-0 in its last 10 and is just four points behind the U.S. Division-leading Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Thunderbirds dressed 16 skaters. Among the scratches was F Keegan Kolesar, who took a headshot from Portland F Brendan Leipsic on Saturday. Leipsic drew a seven-game suspension. . . . The Americans have lost four in a row. . . . 
In Portland, F Josh Winquist scored twice as the Everett Silvertips halted a four-game losing skid with a 4-2 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . The Silvertips had lost six of seven. They also had dropped 16 straight regular-season decisions in Portland. . . . Winquist, whose second goal was into an empty net, has 26 goals. . . . According to the WHL website, Everett G Austin Lotz made 14 saves in the game’s first 26:37, then was replaced by Daniel Cotton, who stopped seven of nine shots. . . . According to the Everett Herald, Lotz was injured “after taking a knee to head from Portland’s Shane McColgan.” The Herald has the injury occurring late in the first period, with Lotz not returning for the second. Lotz, according to the newspaper, stopped all seven shots he saw, with Cotton coming in to stop 13 of 15. . . . Earlier in the day, Portland F Brendan Leipsic was suspended for seven games for a headshot on Seattle F Keegan Kolesar. Leipsic, who has 43 points, 20 of them goals, in 29 games, will be eligible to return on Jan. 8 against the host Silvertips. . . . Leipsic served a three-game suspension earlier this season
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