Showing posts with label Reid Gardiner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reid Gardiner. Show all posts

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Everett assistant heads to France ... Gardiner, Brooks OT heroes as Rockets, Pats even series


Brennan Sonne, who spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the Everett Silvertips, has signed as the head coach of Angers, a professional team in France. The Dukes of Angers play in the Ligue Magnus.
Sonne’s move was first reported by Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald on his blog.
Former Everett coaches Kevin Constantine and Jay Varady are both former Angers coaches and,
BRENNAN SONNE
according to a release on Angers’ website, both recommended Sonne for the position.
Sonne spent the past three seasons coaching with Constantine, who was told on Tuesday that his contract as the Silvertips’ head coach won’t be renewed. Sonne played parts of three seasons with the Silvertips while Constantine and Varady were on the team’s coaching staff.
Constantine was the head coach in Angers in 2010-11. Varady was the head coach there for two seasons (2011-12), before moving to Sioux City where he is the director of hockey operations and head coach of the USHL’s Musketeers. He recently was honoured as that league’s coach of the year.
Sonne had been on the Silvertips’ coaching staff since Aug. 18, 2014. From Maple Ridge, B.C., he played parts of three seasons (2005-08), totalling 106 games, with the Silvertips. He also played with the Red Deer Rebels and Edmonton Oil Kings before spend three seasons with the UBC Thunderbirds.
Sonne began his coaching career at the Meco Hockey Academy in Hong Kong.
In Angers, Sonne replaces Jean-Francois Jodoin, who cited family reasons when he left the club following this season.
Sonne’s contract with the Silvertips was to expire on May 31.
As things now rest in Everett, assistant coach Mitch Love and goaltender coach Shane Clifford remain under contract through the end of May. The future of both men with the organization may well depend on the new head coach, whomever that might be.
General manager Garry Davidson has said that he won’t be concentrating on hiring a new head coach until after the May 4 bantam draft.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Kent, Wash., F Reid Gardiner added to his WHL-leading goal total by scoring in OT to give the Kelowna Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Western Conference final is tied 1-
REID GARDINER
1. Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for Kelowna on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . The Thunderbirds had won 5-4 on Friday, scoring the winner, on a PP, with 11. 2 seconds left in the third period. Seattle now is 9-1 in these playoffs. . . . Last night, Gardiner scored twice, running his playoff total to 15 in 13 games. He won it at 4:56 of OT. . . . Seattle erased 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to force extra time. . . . Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Rockets, reported that Gardiner’s first goal of the game, his 13th, set a Kelowna franchise record for goals in a playoff season. The previous record was set by F Jamie Benn in 2009. . . . The Rockets took a 2-0 lead into the second period on goals from F Nick Merkley (4), at 12:52, and Gardiner, shorthanded, at 19:59. . . . D Ethan Bear (5) got Seattle on the scoreboard with a PP goal at 3:12 of the second period. . . . F Kole Lind (5) restored Kelowna’s two-goal lead, on a PP, at 19:34. . . . The Thunderbirds pulled even on third-period goals from F Keegan Kolesar (7), on a PP, at 1:43, and F Donovan Neuls (6), at 9:06. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf had a big night for the Rockets, with four assists. . . . F Mathew Barzal drew two assists for Seattle, with Neuls, Bear and Kolesar each getting one. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer stopped 30 shots. . . . Seattle G Carl Stankowski blocked 28 shots, 14 of them in the third period, as he lost for the first time in 10 playoff starts. . . . Seattle was 2-5 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-6. . . . D Cal Foote was back in Kelowna’s lineup after serving a three-game suspension. . . . Gardiner leads all scorers with 27 points, five more than F Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Gardiner’s 15 goals are three more than Regina Pats F Austin Wagner. . . . Announced attendance: 5,050.
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At Regina, F Adam Brooks scored at 17:05 of OT to give the Pats a 3-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Eastern Conference final is tied 1-1 as it heads for Lethbridge and games on
ADAM BROOKS
Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . The Hurricanes had won, 3-1 with an empty-net goal, on Friday. . . . Brooks (knee) was injured in Game 2 of the previous series, sat out two games, then dressed for the last three but never got on the ice. He had an assist in Friday’s opener against Lethbridge, but this was his first goal since the second game of a first-round sweep over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Brooks has four goals in these playoffs and three of them have been game-winners. . . . The Pats held a 2-0 lead in the third period, only to have Lethbridge force OT with two late goals. . . . F Jeff de Wit (2) gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 9:44 of the first period. . . . F Austin Wagner upped that to 2-0 with his 12th goal, shorthanded, at 7:21 of the third. . . . The Hurricanes tied it on goals 33 seconds apart from F Zane Franklin (2), at 9:21, and F Jordy Bellerive (6), at 9:54. . . . The Pats got two assists from D Sergey Zborovskiy. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown turned aside 29 shots. . . . At the other end, Stuart Skinner blocked 48, including 13 in OT. . . . Regina held a 14-3 edge in shots in the first period. . . . Each team was 0-4 on the PP. . . . D Calen Addison returned to Lethbridge’s lineup, but F Matt Alfaro remains sidelined. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

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

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

Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)
Regina at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:00 PM
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Friday, April 14, 2017

Rockets, Thunderbirds to meet again ... Pats stay alive ... Hurricanes have the edge

Scattershoot

The Regina Pats welcomed back forwards Adam Brooks (knee) and Filip Ahl (mumps) on Friday night as they played host to the Swift Current Broncos in a second-round playoff game. However, Brooks spent the entire game watching from the bench. Brooks, with 250 points over the past two seasons, was injured in Game 2. . . . Ahl hadn’t played since Game 1. . . . Brooks isn’t expected to play in Game 6 today in Swift Current. . . . Regina took out F Duncan Pierce and F Kjell Kjemhus. . . . The Broncos, meanwhile, added F Mackenzie Wight and F Brandan Arnold. Wight served a two-game suspension for a hit on Brooks in Game 2. Arnold, 19, made his playoff debut after being with the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks, whose season is over. . . . To get Wight and Arnold in, the Broncos scratched D Noah King and F Logan Barlage.
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In Kelowna last night, the Rockets were without D Cal Foote and F Carsen Twarynski (both suspended) and F Erik Gardiner and D Braydyn Chizen (both injured). . . . Twarynski’s suspension was set at one game on Friday. He took a boarding major and game misconduct in Game 4 for a hit on Portland F Keegan Iverson. We can assume Twarynski got one game because Iverson wasn’t injured. . . . The Winterhawks had F Alex Overhardt back from a one-game suspension, but were without F Evan Weinger, who completed a two-game suspension. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie (concussion) sat out a second game after taking a Foote elbow to the head. . . . Foote is two games into a three-game suspension, so will miss Game 1 of the Western Conference final against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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In Medicine Hat, the Lethbridge Hurricanes again scratched F Matt Alfaro, while F Zak Zborosky, who played in Game 4, was out of this one. Alfaro and Zborosky, both 20, were acquired from the Kootenay Ice in January in the hopes they would add some offence. In the exchange, the Hurricanes gave up F Brett Davis, 17, F Colton Kroeker, 19, and second- and fourth-round selections in the 2018 WHL bantam draft. . . . The Hurricanes also scratched D Kyle Yewchuk, while adding F Connor Lyons and F Ryan Bowen. . . . The Tigers didn’t make any changes, meaning D Brad Forrest played a second straight game.
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Apologies to followers of the Winnipeg Jets. I mentioned here yesterday that the Vancouver Canucks were the lone Canadian NHL team not to have suffered a loss this week. Of course, the Jets didn’t lose a game, either. . . . The only explanation I have for that error is that I worked at The Trib for five years (1973-78) and part of my brain thinks the Jets are still in the WHA.
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If you missed it, the Chicago White Sox had quite a starting outfield when they met the host Minnesota Twins last night. Avisail García was in right field, Leury García was in centre, and Willy García was in left. . . . Melky Cabrera, who usually is in left, is on paternity leave, so Willy was brought up from the minors and given the start. . . . The Garcias went 4-for-10 with a run in Chicago's 2-1 victory.
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Do you think maybe Montreal D Shea Weber should have been given a cross-checking penalty moments before the Canadiens got a game-tying, OT-forcing goal from F Tomas Plekanec against the visiting New York Rangers last night. Oh, I forgot. Cross-checking now is legal.
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A reading recommendation: If you haven’t already read it, Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run is a tremendous book. The Boss really does bare his soul, including his battles with anxiety and depression. This one definitely is a keeper.
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Another reading recommendation: Billy Martin: Baseball’s Flawed Genius, written by Bill Pennington, is an amazing look at a baseball manager who was a genius between the white lines, but rather troubled in a lot of other areas of his life. If you’re a baseball fan, this is a crackling good read.
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 D Brad Cole (Seattle, Kootenay, Saskatoon, 2003-07) has signed a one-year contract with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Alps HL). Cole played one league game for Ritten this season, recording one assist. He also had two goals and two assists in six games in the Continental Cup competition.
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Jay Varady (left) and Mark LeRose of the Sioux City
Musketeers have been honoured by the USHL.
(Photo: ushl.com)
The USHL has honoured a pair of former WHL coaches as it named Mark LeRose and Jay Varady as its general manager and head coach of the year, respectively. LeRose and Varady are in charge of the Sioux City Musketeers. . . . Voting was done by USHL general managers. . . . The Musketeers had the USHL’s best record (40-13-5-2) this season to win the Anderson Cup for the first time since 1985-86. The Musketeers surrendered only 125 goals in the regular season, the fewest in the USHL. . . . In the Western Conference, the Musketeers wound up three points ahead of the Waterloo Blackhawks. Sioux City also was six points ahead of the Chicago Steel, which led the Eastern Conference. . . . LeRose spent three seasons (2007-09, 2013-14) as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. Varady was with Everett for seven seasons, four (2003-07) as an assistant coach and the next three as associate coach. . . . The USHL news release is right here. . . . The Musketeers opened the playoffs last night, beating the visiting Des Moines Buccaneers, 4-1. Check out the tweet below for a tremendous assist from that game.


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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:


At Kent, Wash., F Keegan Kolesar scored twice and added an assist to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to
KEEGAN KOLESAR
a 4-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Thunderbirds won the second-round series, 4-0, and have yet to lose in these playoffs. They swept the Tri-City Americans from a first-round series, 4-0. . . . Seattle has moved into the Western Conference final and for a second straight season will meet the Kelowna Rockets. That series will open in Kent on Friday. . . . A year ago, the Thunderbirds beat the Rockets 4-0. . . . Last night, F Donovan Neuls (5) got Seattle started at 14:03 of the first period. . . . Kolesar made it 2-0 at 16:47. . . . F Mathew Barzal (4) upped it to 3-0, on a PP, at 6:24 of the second period. . . . Everett got to within two when F Dominic Zwerger (4) scored while shorthanded, at 10:05. . . . Kolesar restored the three-goal lead with his sixth goal at 12:51. . . . G Rylan Toth continues to be among Seattle’s scratches. He last played on March 11, when he left a game after the first period. At the time, I was told that he was ill, but the next day I was informed that Toth had been removed due to an injury but that it was only a precaution. . . . The Thunderbirds got 24 saves from G Carl Stankowski, who continued his amazing story since moving in for Toth. In eight starts, Stankowski is 8-0, 2.24, .913. . . . Stankowski, a Calgarian who turned 17 on March 9, got into seven regular-season games, going 3-0-1, 2.18, .910. . . . Everett G Carter hart stopped 27 shots. . . . Seattle was 1-2 on the PP; Everett was 0-2. . . . The Thunderbirds have won 20 of their last 21 playoff games within the Western Conference. . . . Announced attendance: 5,438.
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At Regina, the Pats scored three times in a span of 4:41 and went on to a 3-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Broncos still hold a 3-2 lead in the series with Game 6 tonight in Swift Current. .
SAM STEEL
. . The Pats likely will be without speedy F Austin Wagner, who was hit with a kneeing major and game misconduct at 8:52 of the third period last night. Wagner’s hit was on Broncos F Ryley Lindgren, who wasn’t injured. . . . "From watching it on the big screen, I thought there was shoulder contact," John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “Maybe there was slight knee (contact) after but Lindgren is popping his head up and down like (he had) obviously drawn the penalty so it worked. He fooled them. He completely fooled them. He wasn’t hurt. You could see him out there playing net-front for the last three minutes (of the power play).” . . . Harder’s story is right here. . . . D Colby Sissons (4) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 17:16 of the first period. . . . Regina F Sam Steel (5) tied the score, on a PP, with 13.5 seconds left in the period. . . . D Connor Hobbs (3) put the Pats ahead at 3:49 of the second period and F Nick Henry (3) made it 3-1 at 4:27. . . . The Broncos got to within a goal when F Glenn Gawdin (5) scored, on a PP, at 13:18 of the third period. That goal came on the PP opportunity created when Wagner was hit with the kneeing major. . . . Steel and Henry added an assist each. . . . The Pats got 30 stops from G Tyler Brown. . . . Swift Current G Jordan Papirny made 33 saves. . . . Papirny’s evening included a glove save off Regina F Braydon Buziak on a penalty shot at 8:52 of the third period. Regina was leading 3-1 at the time. . . . Swift Current was 2-6 on the PP; Regina was 1-4. . . . The Broncos lost F Lane Pederson when he left after a hit from Regina F Dawson Leedahl during the first period. Harder reported that Pederson “appeared to be woozy.” Broncos head coach Manny Viveiros told Harder: “Lane’s fine.” . . . Announced attendance: 6,484. . . . Darren Steinke, the Travellin’ Blogger, was at the game. His story is right here.

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At Kelowna, F Reid Gardiner scored four times, three of them on the PP, and added two assists as the Rockets dumped the Portland Winterhawks, 6-2. . . . Kelowna won the second-round series, 4-1, and
REID GARDINER
next will play in the Western Conference final against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Game 1 of that series is scheduled for Friday in Kent, Wash. . . . Last night, the Rockets scored on their first three power-plays — the first took four seconds, the second took nine, the third took 35 — with Gardiner scoring two of those goals. . . . Gardiner scored at 4:54 and 12:41 of the first period. He leads all playoff performers in goals (12) and points (22), all in 11 games. . . . In between F Rod Southam (2) added the other PP goal, at 8:51, with, Gardiner getting the primary assist. . . . The Winterhawks made it interesting with second-period goals from F Joachim Blichfeld (5), at 7:06, and F Matt Revel (3), shorthanded, at 9:04. . . . However, Gardiner scored at 9:27 of the third period and added another PP goal at 16:02. . . . Kelowna F Dillon Dube (6) added an empty-netter, at 17:32. . . . Dube added three assists to his goal, while F Nick Merkley and F Calvin Thurkauf each had two of them. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer blocked 27 shots, 11 fewer than Portland’s Cole Kehler. . . . Kelowna was 4-9 on the PP; Portland was 0-4. . . . F Liam Kindree, who turned 17 on Jan. 2, made his playoff debut with the Rockets. From North Vancouver, he was a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. He had one assist in seven regular-season games with Kelowna. . . . Announced attendance: 5,846.
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At Medicine Hat, F Ryan Vandervlis snapped a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 4:14 of the third period and the
RYAN VANDERVLIS
Lethbridge Hurricanes went on to a 5-4 victory over the Tigers. . . . The Hurricanes lead the series, 3-2, and get their first chance to end it when they play at home on Sunday. . . . Last night, the Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead as F Tyler Wong scored at 3:36 of the first period. . . . The Tigers, as they would do three times, tied it, as F Max Gerlach scored at 6:17. . . . The visitors went back out front at 8:33 when F Ryan Bowen, who had missed the previous two games, scored his second goal of the playoffs. . . . Medicine Hat D Clayton Kirichenko (4) tied it at 12:44. . . . Wong’s ninth goal, on a PP, put Lethbridge back out front at 17:48. . . . Gerlach tied it with his fourth goal at 14:00 of the second period. . . . Vandervlis broke the tie with his fifth goal and D Brennan Riddle upped it to 5-3 at 10:27. That was Riddle’s first goal in 39 games. . . . The Tigers got to within a goal when D David Quenneville (4) scored, on a PP, at 14:34. . . . F Dylan Cozens drew two assists for the Hurricanes. . . . The Tigers got two assists from D Kristians Rubins. . . . G Stuart Skinner turned aside 37 shots for Lethbridge. . . . The Tigers got 22 stops from G Michael Bullion. . . . Lethbridge was 2-6 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-4. . . . Announced attendance: 5,046.
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SATURDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina at Swift Current, 7 p.m. (Swift Current leads, 3-2)
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SUNDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Medicine Hat at Lethbridge, 6 p.m. (Lethbridge leads, 3-2)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:09 PM
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Wednesday, April 12, 2017

After suspensions, Rockets drop Winterhawks ... Tigers pull even with Hurricanes ... WJC schedule released


D Craig Schira (Regina, Vancouver, 2003-09) has signed a two-year contract with Rögle Ängelholm (Sweden, SHL). This season, with Luleå (Sweden, SHL), he had six goals and nine assists in 42 games. . . .
F Antonín Honejsek (Moose Jaw, 2009-11) has signed a one-year contract with Zlín (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he was pointless in seven games. On loan to Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had seven goals and 12 assists in 34 games. . . .
F Lukáš Vantuch (Calgary, Lethbridge, 2005-07) has signed a one-year extension with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, in 47 games, he had four goals and six assists.
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The WHL suspended three players on Wednesday, all of whom sat out Game 4 between the Kelowna Rockets and host Portland Winterhawks last night. . . . Unfortunately, the WHL’s aversion to transparency has reared its ugly head again, so fans are left with nothing in the way of explanations from the league and that really is a shame. . . . What we do know is that six players who took part in Game 3 were missing from Game 4. . . . According to the WHL website, two Winterhawks — F Alex Overhardt and F Evan Weinger — and Kelowna D Cal Foote all drew TBD suspensions “under supplemental discipline.” . . . We can assume that Foote was suspended after his late-game elbow to the head took out Portland F Skylar McKenzie, who was scratched last night and is believed to have a concussion. . . . D Braydyn Chizen of the Rockets didn’t finish Game 3, so perhaps he was injured on a play involving Overhardt or Weinger. The Rockets also scratched F Erik Gardiner last night, so perhaps he was injured on a suspendible play on which there wasn’t a penalty called. . . . After searching for info, I think Overhardt was suspended for a slash to one of Chizen’s knees, while Weinger hit Gardiner from behind. Weinger was given a cross-checking penalty. . . . Of course, all of that is pure speculation because the WHL, unlike many other leagues, including the NHL and the OHL, doesn’t offer its followers anything in the way of explanations for these decisions, not through video or even a news release.


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Drew Wilson, the radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, is moving on, all the way to Saskatoon. Wilson has been the Raiders’ play-by-play man on CKBI since October 2004. He also worked as the sprots director for Rawlco Radio in Prince Albert. Now he is joining the sports department of the Saskatoon Media Group, which is headed up by Les Lazaruk, the long-time radio voice of the Saskatoon Blades. . . . In Saskatoon, Wilson will handle morning sportscasts, and also will be involved in coverage of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Saskatoon Hilltops, the various U of Saskatchewan teams and other sporting goings-on in the city.
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Mark Recchi, one of five owners of the Kamloops Blazers, was among the class of 2017 that was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in Vancouver on Wednesday. Recchi played 22 seasons in the NHL, totalled 1,533 points, including 577 goals, and won three Stanley Cups. . . . Recchi played three seasons in the WHL, one (1985-86) with the New Westminster and the next two with the Blazers. . . . Tom Gaglardi, who owns the NHL’s Dallas Stars, is the Blazers’ majority owner, with Recchi, Jarome Iginla, Darryl Sydor and Shane Doan splitting the rest.
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The 2018 World Junior Championship is scheduled to be decided in Buffalo and a schedule has been released. Included in the release, which is right here, are the prices for tournament ticket packages.
Sunaya Sapurji, a veteran observer of the junior hockey wars, was quick to tweet: “The cheapest tournament packages are US$690 (roughly Cdn$916).”
David H Bradley followed with: “That is for ionosphere seats, most jr fans are used to sitting at lower bowl level. They go for US$1,250 to $1,550. That’s a bigly amount.”
Keep in mind that Canada won’t play on New Year’s Eve in this tournament. Instead, it and Team USA will meet outdoors on Dec. 29. It is the only game listed on the schedule that doesn’t yet have a starting time.
In its final round-robin game, Canada will play Denmark on Dec. 30.
Meanwhile, in the world of the NHL, here are a couple of ticket-related tweets:
Darren Rovell, a business reporter with ESPN: “The folks in Edmonton are not joking. $250 is the get-in price for tonight’s first round Oilers playoff game.”
Dean Brown, the play-by-play voice of the Ottawa Senators: “Just checked Stubhub. Lower centre 110, row 25, seats 5-6 for Game #3 of Caps/Leafs in Toronto. With fees they are asking $16,805.”
Brent Gunning, a Toronto sportscaster, checked Stub Hub and found the cheapest ticket in each of the buildings where an NHL game was played last night: Ottawa, $34; Minneapolis, $88; Pittsburgh, $88; Montreal, $89; and Edmonton, $220.
You’re right. The recliner suddenly feels a lot more comfortable.
At the same time, the Oakland A’s are in the process of removing the tarps from the third deck of Oakland Coliseum and they will sell tickets for the uncovered seats for $15 each.
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MORE ON THE MOVE: D Sam Ruopp, who played out his junior eligibility with the Prince George Cougars this season, has joined the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. This season, he had four goals and 20 assists in 55 games. He was a fifth-round pick by the Blue Jackets in the NHL’s 2015 draft. Ruopp is the seventh player off the Cougars’ roster to have moved on to the AHL since their season ended.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Coaching

 The Marquette, Mich., Mining Journal reported Wednesday that “charges of residential mortgage fraud and forgery of a document affecting real property against former Northern Michigan University hockey coach Walt Kyle have been dropped. Marquette County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Wiese announced his decision to dismiss the charges (Wednesday), stating that additional evidence has been presented after the charges were authorized last month.” . . . Kelsie Thompson’s complete story is right here. . . . Kyle spent two seasons (1992-94) as the head coach of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . He had been NMU’s head coach for 15 seasons when the school announced in March that he wouldn’t be returning.
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WEDNESDAY'S GAMES:


At Portland, F Reid Gardiner scored twice and added two assists to help the Kelowna Rockets to a 7-2 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . The Rockets lead the second-round series, 3-1, and get their first
REID GARDINER
opportunity to wrap it up on Friday in Kelowna. . . . Last night, the Rockets took control with five second-period goals. . . . F Carsen Twarynski (3) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 1:48 of the first period. . . . Gardiner opened the second-period with two PP goals, at 2:07 and 5:49. . . . F Cody Glass gave the Winterhawks a glimmer of hope with his fourth goal, on a PP, at 9:41. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley upped the lead to 4-1 when he scored on a penalty shot at 14:09. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf followed with a pair of goals, at 14:37 and 17:55. . . . D Caleb Jones (2) added a third-period PP goal for Portland, with F Rodney Southam (1) scoring shorthanded for the Rockets. . . . Gardiner now has eight goals and eight assists in 10 playoff games. He joined the Rockets after the trade deadline, and put up 37 points, including 18 goals, in 28 games. . . . Merkley picked up two assists, while Thurkauf earned one. . . .  F Colton Veloso had two assists for Portland, with Jones getting one. . . . Kelowna got 35 saves from G Michael Herringer. . . . Portland starter Cole Kehler was beaten six times on 32 shots. Shane Farkas came on to play the third period, stopping seven of eight shots. . . . Kelowna was 2-2 on the PP; Portland was 2-5. . . . With D Cal Foote (suspended) and F Erik Gardiner and D Braydyn Chizen (both undisclosed injuries) scratched, the Rockets added F Conner Bruggen-Cate, D Kaeden Korczak, 15, and D Konrad Belcourt, 16, to their lineup. . . . The Winterhawks added D Matthew Quigley, F Jake Gricius and F Bronson Sharp to replace F Skyler McKenzie (concussion) and suspended forwards Evan Weinger and Alex Overhardt. . . . Twarynski took a boarding major and game misconduct at 16:12 of the third period, so there may be a suspension in his future. . . . Announced attendance: 4,469. . . . Portland freelancer Scott Sepich covered the game for The Oregonian and his story is right here.
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At Lethbridge, F John Dahlstrom scored at 12:32 of OT to give the Medicine Hat Tigers a 3-2 victory over
JOHN DAHLSTROM
the Hurricanes. . . . The series is tied 2-2, with Game 5 in Medicine Hat on Friday night. . . . They’ll be back in Lethbridge for Game 6 on Sunday. . . . Last night, the Tigers had to erase a 2-0 first-period deficit. . . . F Giorgio Estephan’s eight goal, and sixth in his last three games, gave Lethbridge a 1-0 lead at 10:25. . . . That was the first time in seven games in these playoffs that the Tigers had allowed the opening goal. . . . F Egor Babenko (4) made it 2-0 at 17:22. . . . The Tigers got to within a goal when F Chad Butcher (3) scored at 18:06 of the second period. . . . F Max Gerlach (2) forged a 2-2 tie, on a PP, at 13:28 of the third period. . . . Dahlstrom won it with his fifth goal of these playoffs. . . . The Tigers got two assists from F Mason Shaw, with Gerlach and Dahlstrom each getting one. . . . G Michael Bullion earned the victory with 28 saves. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner turned aside 56 shots. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-3. . . . The Hurricanes had D Calen Addison and F Zak Zborosky back in the lineup, but F Matt Alfaro was scratched again. . . . Lethbridge also scratched F Zane Franklin. Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat Tigers tweeted: “Hearing Franklin broke his hand, likely in the Game 2 fight with (Tigers F) Zach Fischer.” . . . D Brad Forrest played for the Tigers for the first time since the first game of the playoffs. With Forrest in, F Ryan Chyzowski was scratched. . . . Announced attendance: 4,920.
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THURSDAY GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY GAMES (all times local):

Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m. (Seattle leads, 3-0)
Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m. (Swift Current leads, 3-1)
Portland at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 3-1)
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:30 PM
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Monday, April 3, 2017

'Tips oust Royals after marathon game ... Rockets finish off Blazers ... 'Canes Rebels going 7

Scattershoot


The Everett Silvertips and host Victoria Royals played the longest game in CHL history on Sunday.
The game, which began at 2 p.m. PT, ended near 8 p.m., when F Cal Babych scored his second goal of the game at 11:36 of the fifth OT period, giving Everett a 3-2 victory.
As an aside, Mike Benton, Everett’s play-by-play man, reported that the Silvertips weren’t able to make the night’s last ferry sailing, so ended up spending the night in Victoria. Something tells me, they didn’t mind.
The teams played 151minutes 36 seconds in breaking records for the longest game in WHL history and then the longest game in CHL history.
The longest game in CHL history going into Sunday? On March 19, 1999, the Victoriaville Tigres and Hull Olympiques went 146:31. Hull F Brock Boucher won that one, 3-2.
Going into Sunday, the longest game in WHL history was played in Cranbrook, B.C., on March 25, 2003, with the Kootenay Ice getting past the Kamloops Blazers, 3-2, in 136:56. F Colin Sinclair scored the winning goal.
No. 3 on the list was on April 10, 2009, when the visiting Spokane Chiefs beat the Vancouver Giants, 3-2, in 126:05. F Blake Gal got the winner in that one.
The fourth-longest game was played in Regina on March 21, 1996, with the Pats beating the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 3-2, in 122:46. Regina F Josh Holden won that one.
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Also on Sunday night, the junior B Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League championship was decided in the fourth OT period of Game 7 as the visiting Campbell River Storm beat the Victoria Cougars, 4-3. F Christian Brandt scored the winner at 4:48 of the fourth OT period.
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The Sunday game in Kamloops was to have started at 7 p.m. However, earlier in the day the weather turned nasty on the Coquihalla Highway, the main connection between Kamloops and the Lower Mainland. There were ugly conditions, a couple of accidents, one involving a fatality, and the highway was closed. Three on-ice officials who were to have worked the game between the Blazers and Kelowna Rockets were trapped by the closure. In the end, game time was delayed by an hour as everyone awaited the arrival of backup officials. . . . Of the assigned officials, only referee Derek Zalaski made it. Mike Langin, who is from Kelowna, came in to fill for Jeff Ingram. Linesmen Riley Balson of Kamloops and Dustin Minty of Summerland, B.C., were called in to replace Ron Dietterle and Michael McGowan. . . . Ingram, Dietterle and McGowan all were caught on the Coquihalla when it was shut down. . . . In the end, the game began shortly after 8 p.m.
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The Red Deer Rebels went into Game 6 of their first-round series with the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sunday having held the lead for a total of 10 minutes three seconds over the first five games. Still, the Rebels had won three of those games. That proves once again that it only matters who’s ahead at the final buzzer. . . . The Hurricanes forced Game 7 with a 4-1 victory in Red Deer. The winner of Tuesday’s game will advance to play the Medicine Hat Tigers, who swept the Brandon Wheat Kings.
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The Rebels may be missing one of their top forwards for Game 7. Evan Polei was ejected from Sunday’s game at 10:40 of the third period after taking a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on F Tanner Nagel. Nagel needed help getting off the ice and went directly to the dressing room. . . . Polei has three goals and six assists in the series.
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If you watched the San Francisco Giants and host Arizona Diamondbacks on Opening Day, you know why baseball can be such a terrific game. . . . It’s 12:30 a.m., and I am watching the visiting Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals on the PVR. Somehow I don’t think I’ll see the end of this one, at least not until later in the day.
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Is there a sport/league available on TV today that doesn’t have issues with video review? . . . Both NCAA Final Four men’s basketball games on Saturday were impeded by lengthy reviews, which serve mostly to provide coaches with more timeouts. . . . The first video review of the MLB season came in the game between San Francisco and Arizona, and it surely looked as though New York got it wrong. . . . The video review that took a goal away from the Kamloops Blazers last night was interesting, because when the replay was shown on the big screen on the score clock a lot of people, like more than 4,000 fans, surely thought it was inconclusive.
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It is going to be interesting to watch things play out between the City of Calgary and the NHL’s Flames, who want a new arena but don’t want to pay for it. . . . Murray Edwards and Clayton Riddell, two of the Flames’ six owners, are billionaires, something of which the city’s taxpayers certainly are aware.
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 Even if you don’t have a dog in the hunt, you have to be pulling for F Reese Johnson of the Red Deer Rebels. He returned to the Rebels’ lineup in Game 5 of their series with the Lethbridge Hurricanes after
REESE JOHNSON
not having played since the exhibition season.
Johnson, 18, is a list player from Saskatoon. He played in 12 games with the Rebels in 2014-15, but then missed half of 2015-16 after having surgery on his left shoulder. He was all geared up for this season, until he injured his right should during an exhibition game and ended up having more surgery.
He has been skating since late January and finally got back into the lineup on Saturday night. On Sunday, he was on a top line with Michael Spacek and Brandon Hagel.
“He’s been fine. There’s nothing fancy in his game, nothing spectacular, but he’s been steady,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, GM and head coach, told Greg Meachem of reddeerrebels.com. “When you really think about it, he’s been out of hockey for probably about 15 months, he hadn’t played a regular-season or playoff game in that time. It’s good to get him back in the lineup and put him in a situation where he can get going. When the bottom half of your lineup is not producing offensively you might as well change things up. He’s handled it well.”
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F Patrick D’Amico, who played three seasons (2012-15) with the Regina Pats, has committed to attend the U of Regina and play for the Cougars next season. D’Amico, a 22-year-old native of Winnipeg, played the past two seasons in the ECHL, seeing time with the Colorado Eagles, Atlanta Gladiators and Indy Fuel. . . . D’Amico had 75 points, including 27 goals, in 160 WHL games. In the ECHL, he put up 40 points, 21 of them goals, in 105 games.
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SUNDAY GAMES:


At Red Deer, the Lethbridge Hurricanes forced a Game 7 in their first-round series with a 4-1 victory over
STUART SKINNER
the Rebels. . . . They’ll play Game 7 in Lethbridge on Tuesday night. . . . F Michael Spacek (4) gave Red Deer a 1-0 lead at 19:04 of the first period. . . . The Hurricanes scored the game’s other four goals. . . . F Ryan Vandervlis (2) tied the score at 13:51 of the second period. . . . F Alec Baer (2) put the Hurricanes out front at 17:13. . . . F Tyler Wong (5) added insurance with a PP goal just 23 seconds into the third period. . . . Lethbridge F Jadon Joseph (1) got the empty-netter at 18:21. . . . F Egor Babenko had two assists for the winners. . . . The Hurricanes got 33 saves from G Stuart Skinner, while Riley Lamb stopped 31 for the Rebels. . . . Lethbridge was 1-5 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-2. . . . Red Deer F Evan Polei left at 10:40 of the third period with a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on F Tanner Nagel. . . . Nagel needed help getting off the ice and went directly to the dressing room. . . . The Rebels had F Lane Zablocki back after he served a one-game WHL suspension. . . . Announced attendance: 4,070.
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At Kamloops, F Reid Gardner scored three times to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 4-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . The Rockets won the first-round series, 4-2, and will face the winner of the series between
REID GARDINER
the Prince George Cougars and Portland Winterhawks in the second round. . . . A year ago, the Rockets beat the Blazers in seven games in a first-round series. . . . Last night, F Dillon Dube (4) gave the Rockets a 1-0 lead at 11:57 of the first period, with Gardiner, on a PP, making it 2-0 at 5:36. . . . The Blazers thought they had moved to within a goal at 10:18 of the third period when F Deven Sideroff, parked in front of the Kelowna crease, got his stick on a point shot and the puck ended up behind G Michael Herringer. However, the goal was disallowed on video review, with the ruling being that Sideroff’s stick made contact with the puck above the cross-bar. . . . Sideroff has yet to score in 13 career playoff games, all against Kelowna. . . . The Rockets appeared headed for victory when the Blazers tied the score with two late third-period goals. . . . F Collin Shirley (2) cut the home team’s deficit in half at 16:49. Just 57 seconds later, F Brodi Stuart scored his first playoff goal on a rebound to tie the score. . . . However, Gardiner cruised in off the right wing, took a pass from F Nick Merkley and beat G Connor Ingram high to the glove side only 17 seconds later. . . . Gardiner completed his hat trick with an empty-netter, for his fifth goal of the series, at 19:37. . . . Merkley and D Cal Foote each had two assists, while Dube added one to his goal. . . . Herringer finished with 21 saves, 10 fewer than Ingram. . . . For the series, Herringer wound up 2.00, .928, while Ingram was 2.18, .946. . . . Kelowna went 1-2 on the PP, to finish the series 4-21. . . . When the Blazers are looking for reasons for the series setback, they need look no further than their PP. It was 0-4 on Sunday and finished 1-32 in the six games. . . . “Our power-play got outworked,” Kamloops head coach Don Hay said, adding that Kelowna’s penalty-killers “blocked a lot” of shots. . . . Announced attendance: 4,144.
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At Victoria, F Cal Babych scored on a breakaway in the fifth OT to give the Everett Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Royals. . . . The Silvertips, who won Game 5, 3-2 in OT on Friday at home, won the series, 4-2,
CAL BABYCH
and will open the second round at home against the Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday. . . . The son of former WHL/NHL D Dave Babych, Cal, who turned 20 on Jan. 18, spent most of this season with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. In 12 regular-season games with Everett, he had two goals and two assists. He got into three early-season games with the Vancouver Giants. . . . Babych also scored the game’s first goal, his first of the playoffs, at 6:31 of the second period. . . . The Royals took a 2-1 lead on second-period goals from F Regan Nagy (2), at 7:42, and F Jared Dmytriw (2), on a PP, at 16:44. . . . D Noah Juulsen pulled the Silvertips into a 2-2 tie with his first goal at 1:36 of the third period. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 64 shots, eight fewer than Victoria’s Griffen Outhouse. . . . Hart finished the season at 1.58 and .938, while Outhouse was 2.10 and .923. . . . Victoria was 1-4 on the PP; Everett was 0-4. . . . According to the Royals, two of their defencemen — Ryan Gagnon and Chaz Reddekopp — each played 74 minutes. . . . The Royals again were without F Jack Walker and D Scott Walford, while F Ethan Price missed his second straight game. . . . Everett remains without F Devon Skoleski. . . . Announced attendance: 4,613.
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MONDAY GAMES (all times local):

Prince George at Portland, 7 p.m. (Portland leads, 3-2)
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 3-3)
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TUESDAY GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 3-3)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:46 AM
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Sunday, February 26, 2017

Rebels get some breathing room . . . No quit in these Broncos . . . T-Birds putting heat on 'Tips


The Dauphin Kings were eliminated from MJHL playoff contention on Sunday, something that officially clears the way for the Brandon Wheat Kings to play first-round playoff games in that city’s Credit Union Place.
The Wheat Kings are forced to hit the road because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair takes over the Keystone Centre complex in Brandon from March 27 through April 1.
The Wheat Kings, the WHL’s defending champions, hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. They are fourth in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind the Swift Current Broncos with 10 games remaining.
It is looking like the Wheat Kings will face the Medicine Hat Tigers, who lead the Central Division, in the first-round of the playoffs.
The Wheat Kings are expected to play Games 3 and 4 there on March 28 and 29. A sixth game, if needed, would be played in Dauphin on April 2.
The Dauphin facility has 1,763 seats and room for 752 standees.
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If you’re looking for an interesting read, try this one right here. The headline is: The RV Bandit who stole a million dollars, one wallet at a time. . . . It involves a guy who was a regular on the auto-racing circuit but didn’t watch much of the races. Instead, he . . . well, give it a read. It’s interesting, to say the least.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, F Lane Zablocki scored two goals and added an assist to help the Red Deer Rebels to a 7-2
LANE ZABLOCKI
victory over the Hitmen. . . . One night earlier, playing at home, Red Deer had blown a 3-0 lead and dropped a 6-3 decision to Calgary. . . . Yesterday, the Rebels scored the game’s first four goals and went from there. . . . Zablocki, who has 25 stars, got it started with a PP goal at 17:47 of the first period. . . . D Carson Sass (5) made it 2-0 just 25 seconds later. . . . F Evan Polei’s 28th goal, at 3:12 of the second period, increased the lead and F Michael Spacek (27) made it 4-0 at 11:24. . . . The Hitmen threw a scare into Red Deer by cutting the deficit to 4-2 with late second-period goals from F Matteo Gennaro (37) at 17:45 and F Jakob Stukel (21) at 19:17. . . . But the Rebels took control back with three third-period goals, from Zablocki, on a PP, F Austin Glover (20) and F Austin Pratt (15). . . . Red Deer got three assists from F Adam Musil and two from D Brandon Schuldhaus, with Polei, Pratt and Spacek each getting one. . . . G Riley Lamb stopped 22 shots to earn the victory. . . . Calgary got 22 stops from G Trevor Martin. . . . Red Deer was 2-6 on the PP; Calgary was 0-4. . . . The Rebels (26-28-10) are third in the Central Division, their lead over fourth-place Calgary (24-28-10) now at four points. . . . Calgary is in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points ahead of Saskatoon. . . . Announced attendance: 7,208.
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At Regina, the Swift Current Broncos, playing their third game in fewer than 48 hours, scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Pats, 5-4 in OT. . . . The Broncos lost 7-0 in Regina on Friday, then went into
RYLEY LINDGREN
Moose Jaw on Saturday and dropped a 5-2 decision. . . . The Broncos, who had lost five straight games to Regina, won this one on F Ryley Lindgren’s 19th goal, at 3:16 of OT. . . . F Austin Wagner (27) had given Regina a 1-0 lead at 2:54 of the first period. . . . The Broncos tied it on F Kole Gable’s sixth goal, at 6:30. . . . Regina went back out front when F Nick Henry got No. 31, at 7:27. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen tied it 2-2, on a PP, at 11:20. . . . The Pats took the lead again on F Dawson Leedahl’s 31st goal, at 14:15 of the second period. . . . F Sam Steel, who leads the WHL scoring race, gave the Pats a two-goal lead, on a PP, with his 44th goal at 16:08. . . . The Broncos’ comeback started when F Aleksi Heponiemi (24) struck at 1:11 of the third period. . . . Steenbergen tied it, on a PP and with an extra attacker on the ice, with 12.6 seconds left in the third. . . . Swift Current D Max Lajoie drew the primary assist on each of the last two goals. . . . Lindgren and Heponiemi each had one assist. . . . Henry, F Adam Brooks and D Connor Hobbs had two assists each for Regina, with Steel and Leedahl each getting one. . . . Steel now has 113 points, 10 more than Brooks. . . . Steenbergen has 45 goals and is tied for the league lead with F Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Steel and F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors are next, at 44. . . . G Taz Burman earned the victory with 43 saves. . . . G Jordan Hollett stopped 25 shots for the Pats. . . . Swift Current was 2-4 on the PP; Regina was 1-6. . . . The Broncos lost D Sahvan Khaira to a charging major and game misconduct at 14:35 of the second period. . . . F Robbie Holmes was among Regina’s scratches. He was injured on Friday on a hit by Broncos F Lane Pederson, who completed a two-game suspension by sitting out this one. . . . The Broncos also were without F Glenn Gawdin (ill). . . . F Kjell Kjemhus made his WHL debut with the Pats. From Grande Prairie, Alta., Kjemhus, 15, was a fourth-round pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. He has been playing at Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna. . . . Swift Current (31-20-10) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). The Broncos appear headed to a third-place finish in the East Division and a first-round matchup with Moose Jaw. . . . Regina (44-9-8) has points in four straight (3-0-1) and leads the overall standings by seven points over Medicine Hat. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
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At Saskatoon, G Zach Sawchenko blocked 29 shots to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 2-0 victory over
ZACH SAWCHENKO
the Blades. . . . Sawchenko has three shutouts this season and nine in his career. He has won 27 games this season, one shy of the 28 he posted last season. . . . F Luka Burzan’s 13th goal, at 10:32 of the first period, stood up as the winner. . . . F Justin Almeida’s ninth goal, at 10:10 of the third period, provided insurance. . . . The Blades got 20 saves from G Brock Hamm. . . . Each team was 0-5 on the PP. . . . Moose Jaw lost F Noah Gregor at 15:50 of the second period when he took a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Saskatoon D Mark Rubinchik. . . . D Josh Thrower of the Warriors played in his 300th regular-season game. This was his 89th game with the Warriors. He also has played with the Vancouver Giants, Tri-City Americans and Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Warriors (38-17-8) have won six straight games. They are second in the East Divsion, 12 points behind Regina and 12 ahead of Swift Current. . . . The Blades (24-31-8) have lost two in a row. They are two points behind the Hitmen, who hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,844.
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At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds opened up a 4-0 lead en route to a 6-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Seattle, which clinched a playoff spot with the victory, got first-period goals from F Keegan Kolesar (22), on a PP, at 7:10; F Luke Ormsby
ANTHONY BISHOP
(6), at 12:35; and D Anthony Bishop (1), at 18:04. . . . Bishop, an 18-year-old from Kelowna, scored in his 98th regular-season game, the 58th of this season. . . . The Thunderbirds went ahead 4-1 on F Ryan Gropp’s 29th goal, on a PP, at 4:56 of the second period. . . . F Connor Dewar’s 11th goal, shorthanded, got Everett on the scoreboard at 10:39. . . . F Mathew Barzal, who also had three assists, scored No. 9, on a PP, at 12:14. . . . Seattle’s Elijah Brown added his third goal at 15:13 of the third period. . . . Barzal has 71 points, including 62 assists, in 37 games. He has points in 18 of his past 20 games, recording 52 points over that stretch. He has put up back-to-back four-pointers. . . . Seattle got two assists from D Ethan Bear, who left in the second period and was seated in the press box by game’s end. Later, Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle tweeted that he asked Thunderbird head coach Steve Konowalchuk “what he could tell us about Bear’s situation.” The response: “Nothing.” . . . Seattle next is scheduled to play Wednesday in Kamloops. . . . Bear ran his point streak to 12 games, while Kolesar now is riding an 11-game streak. . . . The Thunderbirds got 20 saves from G Rylan Toth, who now leads the WHL with 33 victories. . . . Everett starter Carter Hart was beaten three times on 12 shots in the first period. Mario Petit played the last two periods, stopping 12 of 15 shots. . . . Seattle was 3-5 on the PP; Everett was 0-4. . . . Seattle (40-18-5) has won 14 straight home games and is second in the U.S. Division, one point behind Everett (38-13-10), which had a seven-game winning streak snapped. . . . Everett also leads the Western Conference standings, one point ahead of Prince George and Seattle. . . . Announced attendance: 5,157.
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At Spokane, F Reid Gardiner and D Devante Stephens had four-point nights as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Chiefs, 9-5. . . . The Rockets, who scored nine times on 22 shots, were playing their third game
REID GARDINER
in fewer than 48 hours, while the Chiefs had Saturday off. . . . Kelowna scored five times in the first period and opened up a 7-0 lead before the second period was half over. . . . Gardiner scored twice, giving him 11 goals, and added two assists, while Stephens picked up his 11th goal and added three helpers. . . . The Rockets also got two goals from each of F Rod Southam, who has 16, and F Carsen Twarynski, who has 15. Also scoring for Kelowna were F Dillon Dube (12) and F Nick Merkley (22). . . . Merkley, Dube and F Nolan Foote had two assists each. . . . Spokane scored five of the game’s last seven goals, getting them from F Keanu Yamamoto (23), F Hudson Elynuik (22), F Alex Mowbray (3), D Ty Smith (4) and F Riley Woods (10). F Jaret Anderson-Dolan had two assists, with Yamamoto and Woods each getting one. . . . The Rockets got 21 saves from G Bordan Salmond. . . . Spokane starter Jayden Sittler allowed four goals on six shots in 12:00, with Donovan Buskey coming on for his WHL debut at that point. Buskey, a 17-year-old from North Vancouver, gave up three goals on six shots in 18:54. Sittler re-entered and finished up, stopping eight of 10 shots in 29:06. . . . Buskey was a third-round pick by Spokane in the 2015 bantam draft. He has been with the major midget Vancouver Northwest Giants. . . . Spokane was 3-6 on the PP; Kelowna was 2-5. . . . The Rockets (37-21-5) are third in the B.C. Division, one point behind Kamloops with a game in hand. . . . Spokane (25-27-9) has lost three in a row and is nine points out of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining. . . . Announced attendance: 4,927.
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At Victoria, the Royals completed a tripleheader sweep of the Vancouver Giants with a 3-2 victory. . . .
DYLAN MYSKIW
The Royals had won 6-4 in Langley, B.C., on Friday and 3-1 at home on Saturday. . . . On Sunday, the visitors took a 1-0 lead at 3:15 of the first period when F Johnny Wesley scored his 10th goal. . . . The Royals took control by scoring the next three goals. . . . F Jared Dmytriw, who had scored twice on Saturday, got No. 13 at 10:36 of the second period. . . . F Dante Hannoun (21) gave the Royals the lead with a PP goal, at 11:15. . . . Victoria F Vladimir Bobylev picked up his eighth goal, on a PP, 49 seconds into the third period. . . . The Giants got close when F Bartek Bison (6) scored at 14:38. . . . The Royals got two assists from F Jack Walker. . . . G Dylan Myskiw turned aside 24 shots to earn the victory. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic blocked 35 shots. . . . Victoria was 2-8 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-5. . . . The Royals (35-23-5) have points in five straight (4-0-1). They hold down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, five points ahead of Portland. Victoria also is fourth in the B.C. Division, six points behind Kelowna. . . . The Giants (19-39-5) have lost three in a row. . . . Next up for Vancouver: Another tripleheader, this time against the Portland Winterhawks. It starts Wednesday in Langley. . . . Announced attendance: 4,007.
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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Lethbridge at Regina, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:19 PM
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