Good Friday . . .

ADAM TAYLOR

In Victoria, F Adam Taylor scored his third goal of the playoffs 48 seconds into the second overtime period Friday night to give the Salmon Kings a 2-1 victory over the Utah Grizzlies. . . . The Salmon Kings, who are dead things walking, swept the second-round ECHL series and now will meet the Alaska Aces in the Western Conference final. . . . F Simon Ferguson gave Utah a 1-0 lead at 2:44 of the first period on a PP. . . . F Keil McLeod pulled Victoria into a tie at 18:55 of the second period. . . . Victoria G David Shantz stopped 40 shots, 10 fewer than Utah’s Jean-Philippe Lamoureux. . . . Attendance was 6,095. . . . The Salmon Kings went into these playoffs as the Western Conference’s seventh seed. The top-seeded Aces beat the host Idaho Steelheads 4-0 on Friday to sweep that series. . . . The Salmon Kings, of course, are in their final season, at least in Victoria, after the WHL made it official this week that the Chilliwack Bruins are on their way to the B.C. capital.
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Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist started his game story:
“It took seven years, news of their demise and even comparisons to the movie Slap Shot, for the Victoria Salmon Kings to finally capture the imagination of the city.
“A season-high crowd of 6,295, attracted by cheap tickets, a Marty the Marmot mascot bobblehead giveaway, and the playoff success of the Salmon Kings, was electric with excitement during Friday night's tension-laden ECHL playoff game at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. The Salmon Kings won 2-1 in overtime.”
Dheensaw’s story is right here.
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The Nashville Predators beat the host Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in an NHL playoff game Friday night. And you can bet that the winning goal brought a smile to the face of Prince George Cougars head coach Dean Clark. . . . The winner came off the stick of F Jerred Smithson after a nifty pass from F Jordin Tootoo. . . . Smithson was a member of the 1998-99 WHL-champion Calgary Hitmen, with Clark as the head coach. Tootoo played four seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Clark was the head coach for two of those (2001-03).
Clark just happened to be in Anaheim on Friday, too. The WHL is holding its annual California camp and Clark is there as one of the coaches. He did see the winning goal, but it wasn’t live. Rather, he was at the ESPN Zone. . . . The other coaches at the Anaheim camp are Bruno Campese (Prince Albert Raiders), Don Hay (Vancouver Giants) and Derek Laxdal (Edmonton Oil Kings).
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Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., brought a few NCAA Division I coaches to Spruce Grove, Alta., recently. While there, there were presentations to players and their families. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal has the story right here.
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THE COACHING GAME: Paul Baxter has joined the NAHL’s Wichita Falls Wildcats as head coach, general manager of hockey operations and partner. The deal is effective May 1. Baxter had been with the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild from 2008 until he was released midway through this season. That position later was filled by former WHL coach John Becanic, who left his spot as assistant coach with the Vancouver Giants to join the Wild. With the Wildcats, Baxter replaces Mark LeRose whose contract wasn’t renewed. LeRose was an assistant coach with the Everett Silvertips in 2009-10. . . . Rick Brodsky, who owns the Prince George Cougars, is the president/owner of the Wildcats. . . . Nate Leaman is the new head coach of the Providence College Friars. Leaman, who was the head coach at Union College, was named the NCAA Division 1 coach of the year by the American Hockey Coaches Association last week. He replaces Tim Army, who resigned after six seasons with the Friars. Rick Bennett, associate head coach under Leaman, has been named the head coach at Union. . . .
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Capgeek.com reports that Kelowna Rockets F Brett Bulmer, who has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, will get US$67,500 as an AHL salary, with NHL salaries of $740,000, $790,000 and $900,000. His signing bonus is $270,000 over three years. . . . Bulmer has joined the AHL’s Houston Aeros for the duration of the season. . . . The Aeros, meanwhile, signed Kelowna D Colton Jobke to an amateur tryout. . . . Houston swept the Peoria Rivermen from the first round of playoffs and is waiting for the winner of a series between the Milwaukee Admirals and Texas Stars. Milwaukee won 2-1 in overtime on the road Friday and takes a 3-2 series lead back home for Game 6 on Monday.
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An interesting email hit the inbox today, and here it is, in its entirety:
Conspiracy theory — Were the owners of the Calgary Hitmen "encouraged" by the WHL executive to place their AHL farm team within a 30-minute drive of Chilliwack, so that there would be "plausible cause" to move the Bruins to Victoria? I have always wondered why one of the league's members would do such a thing. Remember that the WHL said in February 2009 that it was looking to move an established team into Victoria. Sixteen months later, there is a building in Abbotsford and an AHL team playing in it. . . .”
Hmmm . . .
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FRIDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:





In Medicine Hat, F Cody Eakin scored in OT to give the Kootenay Ice a 6-5 victory over the Tigers. . . . It was the first game of the Eastern Conference final, with Game 2 set for tonight in Medicine Hat. . . . Eakin scored his fourth goal of these playoffs at 5:59. . . . This was a wild one, with the Ice leading 2-0 at 11:01 of the first period and 3-1 after one. . . . The Tigers then scored the next three goals, two of them by F Emerson Etem. . . . Ice F Matt Fraser tied it at 7:13 of the third. . . . Medicine Hat F Wacey Hamilton gave his side a 5-4 lead on the PP at 10:03. . . . Fraser forced OT with a PP goal at 18:05. . . . Fraser now has 12 goals. He had two goals and two assists on this night. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart had a goal, his eighth, and two helpers. . . . The Tigers got two goals and an assist from F Linden Vey. . . . Vey has a WHL-leading 24 points. He and Fraser lead in goals, each with 12. . . . Ice D Brayden McNabb had one assist. He leads the WHL with 13. . . . The Ice now is 8-0 in these playoffs when it scores the game’s first goal. . . . It’s worth noting, too, that Ice F Drew Czerwonka and F Erik Benoit each scored his first goal of these playoffs. . . . Injuries have limited Czerwonka, who had 14 regular-season goals among his 43 points, to six playoff games. Benoit had four goals in 52 regular-season games. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 30 shots, one fewer than Medicine Hat’s Tyler Bunz. . . . The Tigers were 2-for-6 on the PP; the Ice was 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . You can bet that this was one to remember for Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth. It was the third anniversary of the death of his father, former WHL commissioner Ed Chynoweth.
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In Portland, F Levko Koper’s second-period goal stood up as the winner as the Spokane Chiefs opened the Western Conference final with a 2-1 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . The second game will be played Sunday in Portland. . . . Spokane F Brady Brassart, who had eight goals in 65 regular-season games, scored his first of the playoffs at 2:11 of the first period. . . . Brassart scored off a rebound of a shot by F Marek Kalus. Brassart hadn’t played since the first game of the Chiefs’ series against the Tri-City Americans; Kalus last played in Game 5 of a first-round series against the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Koper made it 2-0 at 4:25 of the second on the PP. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen got his side to wthin one at 19:36 of the third period. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 27 shots, 14 fewer than Portland’s Mac Carruth. . . . Spokane was 1-for-4 on the PP; Portland was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 7,642. . . . The Chiefs played without F Tyler Johnson, the WHL’s second-leading regular-season scorer. He sat out a one-game suspension for a kneeing major in Game 6 of their series with the Americans. . . . With Johnston out, Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur also scratched F Mitch Holmberg, and went with Brassart and Kalus.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
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Wednesday . . .

Congratulations to old friend Greg Evtushevski! (Well, he’s not that old, but you know what I mean.) . . . Yes, that's him with the award in the photo at the top of this post. . . .

The Norm Bodle Memorial Award, the most prestigious annual award handed out by Sports Distributors of Canada, has been given to Greg Evtushevski, owner of Chevy’s Source For Sports in Kelowna. Evtushevski played for the Kamloops Jr. Oilers/Blazers from 1982-86 and his number has been retired. . . . SDC has more than 200 members under the Source For Sports, Source For Adventure and sporting goods and outdoor buying group divisions. The award was presented at its annual general meeting earlier this month in Hamilton. The award is named after the first managing director of SDC when it was incorporated in 1972. According to a news release, it “is given yearly to the member who is the most supportive of the group, and who encourages and supports other members within the organization. . . . As well as having his name engraved on the plaque which hangs in the lobby of the SDC headquarters in Burlington, Ont., Greg has donated the $1,000 that accompanies the honour to the Kelowna Christian School Scholarship for post-secondary education for a deserving student.”
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Matt Gallagher, the father of Ian Gallagher, the Vancouver Giants’ strength and conditioning coach, and grandfather of Giants F Brendan Gallagher, passed away last week in Edmonton. . . . Brendan and the Giants will keep his grandfather’s memory alive this season. Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has that story right here.
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The Giants, who have some injury problems, have had a player walk out on them. The Province’s Steve Ewen reports that F R.J. Reed left the team late last week and now is with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. . . . With D Tanner Sohn (knee) and D Tyler Hart (foot) hurt, the Giants have brought in D Brett Kulak, a ninth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. He attended Vancouver’s training camp and now is with the midget AAA St. Albert, Alta., Raiders.
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The Spokane Chiefs have named C Tyler Johnson, 20, as team captain, succeeding D Jared Cowen, 19, who is expected to at least open the season with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. . . . F Levko Koper, 20, is one alternate captain. . . . According to a news release from the Chiefs: “The other two alternate captains will be chosen on a nightly basis from a leadership core that includes key veterans.”
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The NHL’s Buffalo Sabres have returned D Brayden McNabb, 19, to the Kootenay Ice. McNabb, from Davidson, Sask., was a third-round pick in the NHL’s 2009 draft.
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The NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild has lost an assistant coach. Corey Voegele of the Wenatchee World reports that Tyson Terry has left the Wild, leaving head coach Paul Baxter and assistant coach Chris Clark to go it alone. The move apparently was a mutual decision. “I didn’t get fired. I didn’t quit. I just wanted to pursue other interests right now,” Terry told Voegele. . . . Terry was with the Wild for less than a month. He replaced Ryan McKelvie, now on staff with the U of Alaska-Anchorage.
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F Misha Fisenko, 20, is back with the Calgary Hitmen, his tryout with the Central league’s Laredo Bucks cut short for some reason. . . . His arrival leaves the Hitmen with five 20-year-olds, the others being D Kyle Aschim, F Tyler Fiddler, F Kris Foucault and D Zak Stebner. Aschim (shoulder) remains on the injured list. . . . Fisenko, who had 44 points in 55 games last season, also gives the Hitmen two imports, the other being Slovakian G Juraj Holly, 19.
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WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
BRANDON 5 at MOOSE JAW 2: D Darren Bestland scored two goals and drew an assist for the Wheat Kings (3-0-0-0). . . . Bestland, who turned 20 on Sept. 19, scored two goals in 70 games last season. . . . He gave Brandon a 2-0 lead with goals at 15:48 of the first period and 9:44 of the second. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone, who had a goal and five assists in two season-opening victories over the Regina Pats, had a goal and an assist. . . . F Quinton Howden had a goal and an assist for Moose Jaw (1-2-0-0). . . . The Wheat Kings started G Ty Rimmer, who made 21 stops, and had Corbin Boes on the bench. . . . Brandon held a 43-23 edge in shots. . . . Brandon was 2-for-7 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-for-2. . . . Brandon F Tyrel Seaman, 16, picked up 22 minutes in penalties after getting into two fights and adding an instigating minor and a misconduct. . . . Attendance was 2,502.
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KOOTENAY 2 at RED DEER 4: The Rebels went 2-for-3 on the PP in running their record to 3-0-0-0. . . . The Rebels broke a 1-1 tie with three goals in a 2:13 span midway through the second period. . . . F Adam Kambeitz scored shorthanded at 9:11, F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added another at 11:22 and F Turner Elson notched a PP marker at 12:24. . . . Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist, giving him five points in three games. . . . Red Deer F Byron Froese had two assists but was minus-2, while F Andrej Kudrna had a goal and an assist. . . . The Ice (1-1-0-0) was 0-for-5 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 3,861.
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SWIFT CURRENT 3 at REGINA 4: The Pats (1-2-0-0) won this one with three third-period goals. . . . F Dane Muench, who had four assists in six games with the Broncos last season, got the winner at 8:17, just 33 seconds after D Cody Carlson had tied it. . . . F Killian Hutt had gotten the Pats to within one at 6:59. . . . F Stepan Novotny had two goals, giving him four, and an assist for the Broncos. He had the Broncos (1-2-0-0) up 2-0 at 6:10 of the first period. . . . The Pats were 0-for-2 on the PP and now are 0-12 on the season. . . . The Broncos were 1-for-2 on the PP. . . . F Justin Dowling had two assists for the Broncos. . . . C Thomas Frazee and C Jordan Weal each had two assists for Regina. . . . Regina G Damien Ketlo stopped 12 of 15 shots but left after the Broncos took a 3-1 lead at 6:42 of the second period. G Dawson Guhle came on to stop the nine shots he faced. . . . Attendance was 3,123.
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PORTLAND 4 at VANCOUVER 3: The Winter hawks (2-1-0-0) erased a 1-0 deficit with four second-period goals and then withstood a late Vancouver (1-3-0-0) rally. . . . The Giants, who opened with a 9-4 victory over the visiting Chilliwack Bruins on Friday, now have lost three straight. . . . F Craig Cunningham set up all three Vancouver goals, including one from D David Musil at 2:16 of the first period. . . . F Brad Ross scored twice early in the second period, with F Spencer Bennett (7:54) and D Ty Rattie (10:59, PP) also scoring before the frame ended. . . . Vancouver got two third-period PP goals, by D Neil Manning at 10:52 and F Brendan Gallagher at 19:25. . . . Portland beat visiting Vancouver 7-2 on Monday. . . . Gallagher had a goal and an assist. He has nine points in four games. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton stopped 33 shots. (Portland has two goaltenders, Ian Curtis and Mac Carruth, out with injuries.) . . . Referees Brett Iverson and Jeff Ingram handed out 112 penalty minutes, with the Giants taking 61 of those. . . . Of that total, 53 minutes was shared by three players -- D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen (21), F Randy McNaught (17) and F Greg Lamoure (15). . . . Attendance was 4,823.
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TRI-CITY 4 at KELOWNA 3: The Americans ran their record to 3-0-0-0 by coming from behind 2-1 and 3-2 deficits. . . . F Patrick Holland tied the score with his second goal of the game at 4:53 of the third period. . . . F Connor Rankin. a 16-year-old from North Vancouver, got the winner, his first WHL goal, at 6:51. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin added two assists for the winners, who got 26 saves from G Drew Owsley. . . . Tri-City D Brock Sutherland had three assists. He went into the game with 14 assists in 126 career games. . . . The Rockets (0-2-0-0) lost for the second straight time at home. . . . Tri-City is 17-4 over Kelowna over the last four-plus seasons. That includes a 4-0 record last season. . . . The Americans were 2-for-7 on the PP; the Rockets were 1-for-6. . . . Referee Andy Thiessen handed out 126 penalty minutes, 64 to the Rockets. Of that, 102 minutes were dished out at 19:52 of the second period as a multi-fight situation took place. . . . The Rockets were without D Tyson Barrie (hamstring) and F Shane McColgan (tonsils). . . . Attendance was 6,026. . . . The teams will meet again Friday in Kennewick, Wash. . . . The Americans are 3-0 for the third time in their 23-year history. The only time they have opened 4-0 was 2007-08.
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EDMONTON 3 at PRINCE ALBERT 1: F Dylan Wruck scored twice to lead the Oil Kings (1-2-0-0). . . . Edmonton had been outscored 12-2 in two season-opening losses to the Red Deer Rebels. . . . In this one, Wruck’s two goals gave Edmonton a 3-0 lead late in the second period. . . . Wruck, 18, scored five goals in 53 games last season. . . . Wruck’s second goal came via the PP, ending a 0-for-14 season-opening drought for Edmonton. . . . F Jordan Hickmott, 20, scored the game’s first goal for Edmonton, which acquired him from the Raiders over the summer. . . . F Brandon Herrod scored for Prince Albert (0-3-0-0). He has four of his club’s eight goals this season. . . . Edmonton G Cam Lanigan stopped 36 shots, five more than Prince Albert’s Jamie Tucker. . . . Attendance was 1,916. . . . The Raiders are without D Jordan Rowley (wrist) who has returned to his home in Edmonton and will have an MRI.

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