The coach and the national security advisor ... Lambert's in Spokane ... Ex-WHLers ECHL champs

A zamboni dragged the infield at Royal Athletic Park before @HarbourCats home opener. pic.twitter.com/M2vDJccx79

— Tom Hawthorn (@tomhawthorn) June 6, 2017

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F Tomáš Vincour (Edmonton, Vancouver, 2007-10) has signed a one-year extension with Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, in 39 games, he had nine goals and 13 assists.

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The NHL’s Anaheim Ducks announced Friday that Rich Preston would be back for a second season as an assistant coach, alongside head coach Randy Carlyle and fellow assistant Trent Yawney.

Preston and I were in Regina at the same time back in the day — I was at the Regina Leader-Post and he was coaching the Pats — so have known each other for a while.

More recently, he spent four seasons (2009-13) as the general manager and head coach of the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Anaheim’s announcement gives me reason to re-post one of my favourite stories from my stint with the late Kamloops Daily News.

Here it is, from Oct. 1, 2009 . . . 

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Rich Preston has had friends in high places.

Preston, the general manager and head coach of the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes, is friends with Condoleeza Rice, who was the first African-American woman to hold the office of United States Secretary of State.

Preston, a 57-year-old native of Regina, and Rice, a 54-year-old native of Birmingham, Ala., became

RICH PRESTON

friends while both were attending the University of Denver in the early 1970s.

Preston was there on a hockey scholarship; Rice was earning a BA in political science, which she got in 1974 at the age of 19.

Preston said her family — her father, John, was an assistant dean and also taught — followed the hockey team closely and would have the team over to their home for dinner once every season.

At one point, Preston said Rice asked him out.

"It was one of those dances where the girls ask the guys," said Preston, before his squad met the Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday night at Interior Savings Centre. "Still, it was in 1972-73 . . . but I was Canadian."

In other words, eyebrows were raised when the two of them showed up at the dance.

Later, the two would go their separate ways.

After a stop at Stanford University, Rice ended up in the White House as President George W. Bush's National Security Advisor.

Preston wound up as an assistant coach with the NHL's San Jose Sharks.

And so it was that with the Sharks scheduled to play in Washington, Preston decided it would be nice to

CONDOLEEZA RICE

at least say hello.

To make a long story shorter, Preston eventually got through to Rice's personal assistant and asked to leave a message for Rice.

"I said, 'Just tell her Sergeant Preston called. She'll know who it is,' " a chuckling Preston recalled. His nickname while playing hockey at Denver was Sergeant Preston, after the legendary Mountie, of course. Preston told the assistant when the Sharks were to be in Washington and at what hotel they would be staying.

When the team arrived and he got to his room, there was a message from Rice awaiting him.

"So I called her back," he said, "and we talked for about 20 minutes."

As the conversation wound down, Rice told Preston that she would love to meet him for coffee but that she "had a meeting with the President" at 5:30, which was minutes away, immediately after which she was flying to Europe for a NATO meeting.

Preston's response?

A laughing Preston said: "I told her, 'Can't you postpone the NATO meeting?’ “

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In her biography — Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me — Rice refers to Preston as “the captain of the hockey team and my first real crush.”

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As expected, the Spokane Chiefs announced on Monday that they have signed Dan Lambert as their new head coach. He is the 12th head coach in franchise history. . . . Lambert, 47, will be introduced to the Spokane fans and media at a news conference this afternoon (Tuesday) at Spokane Arena. . . . Lambert, who captained the Swift Current Broncos when they won the 1989 Memorial Cup, was fired by the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres as head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, on May 26. That was part of a regime change in Buffalo, where Lambert had spent 2015-16 as an assistant coach with the Sabres before being assigned to Rochester. . . . Prior to that, Lambert spent six seasons with the Kelowna Rockets, the first five as an assistant coach. In 2014-15, his one season as Kelowna’s head coach, he guided the Rockets to a WHL title (53-13-6) and into the Memorial Cup, where they lost the final, 2-1 in OT, to the OHL-champion Oshawa Generals. . . . The length of Lambert’s contract wasn’t disclosed. . . . Lambert replaces Don Nachbaur, the Chiefs’ head coach for the previous seven seasons. He and the team went their own ways after their season ended, even though Nachbaur had a year remaining on his contract.

There now are three WHL teams without head coaches — the Calgary Hitmen, Kootenay Ice and Victoria Royals.

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F Boston Maxwell has signed a WHL contract with the Prince George Cougars. From Saskatoon, Maxwell was a fourth-round selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. This season, with the bantam AA Saskatoon Stallions, he had 22 goals and 21 assists in 30 games. He will play with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts in 2017-18.

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The Moose Jaw Warriors have signed F Peyton McKenzie to a WHL contract. A native of Sherwood Park, Alta., he was a third-round selection in the 2017 WHL bantam draft. This season, he had 16 goals and 20 assists in 27 regular-season games with the bantam AAA Sherwood Park Flyers. He added six goals and six assists in 10 playoff games.

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Former WHL scoring champion F Casey Pierro-Zabotel had a goal and an assist and was named the game’s first star as the Colorado Eagles beat the South Carolina Stingrays 2-1 on Monday in North Charleston, S.C., to sweep the ECHL’s best-of-seven championship final. . . . The Eagles won four one-goal games. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, who won the WHL’s 2008-09 scoring title while with the Vancouver Giants, opened the scoring at 17:10 of the first period with his fourth goal of the playoffs. He added an assist, his 11th, on F Luke Salazar’s tie-breaking goal at 1:19 of the second period. . . . Pierro-Zabotel has won back-to-back Kelly Cups, as he was with the Allen Americans a year ago. . . . Colorado’s lineup last night also included former WHLers D Mason Geertsen (Edmonton, Vancouver, 2011-15), D Sean Zimmerman (Spokane, 2003-07), F Johnny Lazo (Tri-City, 2007-10), D Teigan Zahn (Saskatoon, 2006-11), F Cam Maclise (Edmonton, 2009-10), F Ryan Harrison (Prince Albert, Medicine Hat, Everett, 2008-13) and G Kent Simpson (Everett, 2008-12), who backed up last night. . . . Zimmerman is the team captain. . . . F Jackson Houck (Vancouver, Calgary, 2011-16) also is on Colorado’s roster, although he hadn’t played since May 13. . . . The Eagles won their last eight games. They also set an ECHL playoff record with six OT victories. . . . Announced attendance: 5,519. . . . Former Prince Albert Raiders head coach Chris Stewart (1995-98) is Colorado’s president and general manager, while Ryan Tobler, who played with Saskatoon, Calgary, Swift Current and Moose Jaw (1994-97), is an assistant coach.

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I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

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The Kootenay Ice’s new owners have set a target of 2,500 season-ticket holders. The Ice went into this season having sold 1,315.

The #Driveto25 continues, with 1029 Season Seats Sold so far. #ICECountry pic.twitter.com/gJhBBZJ8qI

— Kootenay ICE (@WHLKootenayICE) June 5, 2017

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First baseman Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins is all to familiar with post-concussion syndrome, and the former hockey player tells Tom Maloney of The Globe and Mail all about it right here.
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How quickly things change in the coaching game.
Less than 10 months ago, on July 12, the Lethbridge Hurricanes announced that they were picking up the 2013-14 option on the contract belonging to general manager/head coach Rich Preston.
On Tuesday morning, they fired him and promoted Brad Robson, who had been the assistant general manager and director of player personnel, to general manager.
The Hurricanes have missed the playoffs each of the last four seasons, going 100-156-32 during that time.
Robson, a familiar face around the WHL, has been with the Hurricanes since 2007. While Robson has been working out of Calgary, he said his plan now is to relocate his family to Lethbridge.
In conversation with Pat Siedlecki, who calls the play on 94.1 CJOC, and his partner, Fred Jack, Hurricanes president Brian McNaughton said:
“This is not a business that’s about potential; this is a business that’s about performance. We are on a five-year plan; we’re still on that plan. But I think the performance in the last half of the season had to be better. There’s really no way that I think I could justify in my own mind that we were going to be better next (season), so that forced a decision like this, which is unfortunate.”
Asked by Siedlecki if the franchise’s financial situation played any role at all in the decision, McNaughton replied:
“Absolutely not at all. Quite honestly, everyone keeps focusing on how bad our financial situation is. We had an outstanding year . . . we’re way ahead of where we projected. Our attendance is up 11 per cent and as a result of that there’s a lot of revenues that are up in that area and in other areas. We’ve made a major turn here financially this season. We’ll present that to our shareholders in September . . . and we have a business plan in place that is going to mitigate this expense. We have an obligation, we are prepared to live up to our obligation, but we have a plan to deal with it.”
McNaughton pointed to the Hurricanes’ final 30 games as the harbinger.
The Hurricanes came back from the Christmas break with 34 games remaining, 21 of those on the road. They went 10-19-5 in those 34 games. Six times they went to extra time – they lost twice in OT and three times in shootouts. The only victory in extra time came on Jan. 18 when they went into Portland and beat the Winterhawks 5-4 in a shootout.
As for promoting Robson to the GM’s post, McNaughton said the directors came up with a short list, went through the process and “came to the conclusion very quickly that this is the right decision for us.”
In conversation with Siedlecki, Robson said all of this came together in the previous 12 hours. He added that he will take the organization through the bantam draft and then look after hiring a coach.
“After a coach is selected,” Robson said, “whoever that person may be and myself will select an assistant coach that will help our hockey club, help our young players. I’m looking for two coaches that are young, have experience . . . the main thing is I want guys who can teach . . .”
Assistant coaches Matt Kabayama and Chris Chisamore are under contract through May 31. Robson told Siedlecki he will take with both men over the next while.
There’s more on Siedlecki’s blog right here, or you can find it over there on the right.
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THE COACHING GAME:
In the OHL, the Guelph Storm has signed vice-president and general manager Mike Kelly to a deal that takes him through next season. The club has an option on the 2014-15 season.
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The WHL’s first-round situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
(Edmonton leads 2-1; Game 4 tonight in Cranbrook)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
(Medicine Hat leads 3-0; Game 4 tonight in Medicine Hat)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
(Calgary leads 3-1; Game 5 on Thursday in Calgary)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)
(Red Deer leads 3-0; Game 4 tonight in Prince Albert)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
(Series tied 1-1; Game 3 tonight in Everett)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
(Seattle leads 3-0; Game 4 tonight in Kent, Wash.)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
(Kamloops leads 2-1; Game 4 on Thursday in Victoria, Bear Mountain Arena)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
(Spokane leads 2-1; Game 3 on Thursday in Kennewick, Wash.)
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored the game’s first five goals and went on to beat the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . The Blades, the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup, trail the series, 3-0, with Game 4 in Medicine Hat tonight. . . . In 2001, the Regina Pats were the host team for the Memorial Cup and lost a first-round series to the Calgary Hitmen in six games. . . . Saskatoon GM/head coach Lorne Molleken was the head coach of the Pats in 2000-01. . . . The Tigers swept the Blades from a first-round series last spring. . . . Saskatoon now has lost 11 straight playoff games. . . . The Blades have been outscored 12-3 in this series. . . . F Curtis Valk and D Kyle Becker had the Tigers up 2-0 by 5:01 of the first period. . . . Valk also had two assists. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov surrendered four goals on 14 shots and was gone when the second period started. Alex Moodie came on to stop 19 of 20. . . . Medicine Hat G Cam Lanigan continued his strong playing with 42 saves, the third straight game in which he has done that. . . . “They took full advantage and came at us hard and we didn’t get a save,” Molleken told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “(It’s) mental. We’re mental midgets right now.” . . . When F Lukas Sutter scored for the Blades in the second period, it ended Medicine Hat G Cam Lanigan’s shutout streak at 110:03. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls was hit with a slashing major for a hack on Medicine Hat F Hunter Shinkaruk at game’s end. Chances are Nicholls won’t be allowed to play in Game 4. . . . Saskatoon F Jessey Astles served the second game of his two-game suspension that resulted from a Game 1 hit on Medicine Hat F Matt Staples, who is concussed. . . . With Astles out, Saskatoon F Logan Harland played for the first time since Feb. 12. . . . Nugent-Bowman’s full report is right here.

In Cranbrook, F Michael St. Croix had two goals and an assist as the Edmonton Oil Kings dropped the Kootenay Ice, 7-1. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar broke a 1-1 tie at 4:13 of the first period and the Oil Kings went from there. . . . Edmonton scored on each of its first three shots. . . . Edmonton F Trevor Cheek had a goal and two assists. . . . Edmonton D Martin Gernat was pointless and plus-4. . . . The Oil Kings have outscored the Ice 17-3 in three games. . . . The Oil Kings inserted D Dysin Mayo into their lineup, replacing D Ashton Sautner, who has an undisclosed injury. . . . The Ice averaged 2,411 fans during the regular season, the lowest average in the team’s 15 seasons in Cranbrook. Attendance last night was 2,204. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Red Deer Rebels broke a scoreless tie with two second-period goals and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . F Brooks Maxwell and F Turner Elson, on the PP, scored 3:24 apart in the first half of the second. . . . Elson added a second goal into an empty net at 19:16 of the third. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak stopped 29 shots. . . . Red Deer D Mathew Dumba had two assists, as did F Rhyse Dieno. . . .

In Swift Current, F Victor Rask scored the game’s only goal, banging home a rebound just 37 seconds into OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 1-0 victory over the Broncos. . . . It was the third time in four games that these teams have gone to OT. . . . The Broncos felt the goal should have been disallowed because of a gloved pass between two Hitmen. . . . A tweet from Broncos radio voice Shawn Mullin (@shawnmullin): “Upon review of the replay... Macek clearly scooped the puck in his glove and tossed it into the crease…” . . . More from Mullin: “There is some question as to if it hit Laurikainen's stick before Rask's but it was _clearly_ gloved into the crease.” . . . A tweet from the Calgary Herald’s Kristen Odland (@KristenOdlandCH): “A seething Mark Lamb on Calgary's OT goal (which had been apparently gloved down by Brooks Macek): ‘(The referees) totally missed the call.’ ” . . . Lamb is the Broncos’ GM/head coach. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger stopped 28 shots, while Swift Current’s Eetu Laurikainen turned aside 26. . . .

In Kent, Wash., D Evan Wardley scored at 4:55 of OT was the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent) got past the Kelowna Rockets, 3-2. . . . It was the third time in as many games that OT was needed to decide the issue. The Thunderbirds had won 5-4 and 2-1 in Kelowna to begin the series. . . . Wardley has two goals in 90 career regular-season games, both of them scored this season when he played in 60 games. . . . Seattle D Jesse Forsberg tied the game at 2 at 19:35 of the second period. . . . The Rockets led 2-0 at 6:10 of the first period on goals by F Zach Franko and F Cody Fowlie. . . . F Roberts Lipsbergs of the Thunderbirds scored at 15:25 of the first period. . . . Seattle G Brandon Glover stopped 33 shots, six more than Kelowna’s Jordon Cooke. . . . Kelowna had a glorious opportunity in OT when Seattle was penalized for having too many men on the ice at 0:34. . . .

In Victoria, F Tim Traber broke a 1-1 tie 50 seconds into the third period and the Royals beat the Kamloops Blazers, 2-1. . . . F Ben Walker gave Victoria a 1-0 lead at 18:23 of the first. . . . Kamloops F JC Lipon tied it with his third goal of the series, at 12:52 of the second, on a PP. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka stopped 39 shots. . . . Attendance in Bear Mountain Arena was 2,395. The Royals are having to play first-round games there because Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre is home to the world men’s curling championship. . . . Bear Mountain will be home tonight to the deciding game in a best-of-five BCHL series between the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and Victoria Grizzlies. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Parker Bowles scored his second goal of the game at 10:46 of OT to give the host Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Americans forced OT by coming back from a 4-1 second-period deficit. . . . F Mitch Messier scored at 10:38 of the second and F Justin Feser added a goal at 12:00. . . . D Drydn Dow tied it at 18:06 of the second, via a PP. . . . Americans F Connor Rankin had three assists. . . . Tri-City G Luke Lee-Knight made 34 saves, while Eric Williams of the Chiefs stopped 38. . . . This was the 15th time in the last 28 playoff meetings between these teams that OT was needed.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (5):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (3):
F Carson Perreaux, Prince Albert

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From Swift Current Broncos D Reece Scarlett (@reecescarlett): “What a travesty... That's all that can be said about that #movingonnow”
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From Swift Current G Eetu Laurikainen (@eetu41): “It's ice hockey. Not basketball.. #alleyoop”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Brad Moran (Calgary, 1995-2000) signed a contract for the rest of this season with SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, SM-Liiga) after his release by Växjö (Sweden, Elitserien). He had five goals and three assists in 37 games with Växjö this season. Moran was released after Växjö signed American F Ryan Lasch, which put the club over the Swedish limit of two non-European Union citizens per team — ex-NHL/AHL D Noah Welch is the other non-EU player on Växjö. Lasch, who was playing in the Anaheim Ducks farm system this season, led SM-Liiga in scoring last season with 24 goals and 38 points in 59 games for Pelicans Lahti.
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It was a ch-ch-ching kind of day in the WHL office on Tuesday as $2,250 in fines were handed out. Toss in another $1,500 from the previous few days, and the coffers are swollen these days.
Rich Preston, the GM/head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, paid $500 for getting tossed from a 7-1 loss to the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Sunday.
It’s interesting to note that Preston was seething after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Rebels in Red Deer on Saturday night. The Hurricanes went ahead 2-1 at 16:28 of the third period, only to have the Rebels tie it at 18:28.
Preston felt his club got the short end of the stick in that one.
Preston told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate that he felt the Rebels should have penalized right before the tying goal.
“It was a tripping call. They (referees Adam Bylbow and Reagan Vetter) put their whistles away and it ends up in our net,” Preston told Meachem. “Our guy has the puck, he gets tripped, they (Rebels) get it and it’s in the net. But that happens.
“We blew two one-goal leads and that was the difference. At least one of those should have been the winner. But we gained a big point and now we have to move on. That’s all you can do.”
After that, you know that Preston likely wasn’t happy to show up in Edmonton, look out at the referees and see — you guessed it — Byblow and Vetter.
Meanwhile, Lethbridge also was fined $750 because the line brawl in Edmonton was its second of the season. The Oil Kings got touched for $500 for their part in the donnybrook.
As well, each team was fined $250 because the goaltenders — Laurent Brossoit of the Oil Kings and Ty Rimmer of the Hurricanes — also fought.
On Monday, the WHL fined the Moose Jaw Warriors and Swift Current Broncos each $500 for a line brawl in Swift Current on Saturday. As well, Calgary Hitmen GM Kelly Kisio paid $500 for postgame comments to officials after a 4-2 loss in Lethbridge on Friday.
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James Shewaga, the sports editor of the Brandon Sun, tweeted Tuesday that “sources confirm Dauphin of the MJHL fined $2,500 after being accused of contacting PG Cougars' Daulton Siwak without authorization.”
Later, Shewaga reported that the WHL had filed a complaint “on the behalf” of the Cougars. . . . Siwak, 19, left the Cougars on Jan. 6 and is under suspension until Feb. 10, after which he is expected to join Dauphin. . . . Shewaga reports: “Siwak has not yet played a game for the Kings, who were fined after an investigation by a joint committee of members of Hockey Manitoba, the WHL and the MJHL who operate under a recruiting agreement.”
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THE COACHING GAME:
The BCHL’s Cowichan Capitals have made a coaching change, with assistant coach Aaron Plumb taking over as head coach from Jim Ingram.
According to a statement on the team’s website, the move was made “after much discussion between management, ownership and coaching staff” and it was made by “mutual agreement.”
“In what has been a year with some difficult challenges,” the statement continued, “it was felt that the best interest of the team, moving forward, would be best served by a coaching change.”
Plumb will be helped by assistant coach Darren Rodney.
The Capitals are 10-26-1-3 and in fifth place in the five-team Island Division.They are 18 points out of fourth but do hold six games in hand on the Power River Kings.
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The Spokane Chiefs have added F Markson Bechtold to their roster for a pair of road games. They’ll play in Kamloops on Friday and in Portland on Saturday.
Bechtold, 16, was a third-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. From Strathmore, Alta., he is playing for the midget AAA UFA Bisons. He has 28 points and 64 penalty minutes in 30 games.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings will be without G Corbin Boes (knee) indefinitely after he was injured in Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer. . . . The means Curtis Honey, 18, is Brandon’s starter for the foreseeable future. He will start tonight against the visiting Saskatoon Blades. . . . G Jordan Papirny, who plays for the midget AAA Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club Athletics, has joined the Wheat Kings for now. He was a first-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Medicine Hat, F Pavlo Padakin broke a 2-2 tie at 4:40 of the third period as the Calgary Hitmen scored a 3-2 victory over the Tigers. . . . Padakin, an 18-year-old from Kiev, Ukraine, has 15 goals. . . . The Hitmen trailed 2-0 late in the second period. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk scored twice for the Tigers, giving him 30 in 47 games. . . . Tigers G Cam Lanigan stopped 45 shots, including a first-period penalty shot attempt by F Cody Sylvester, wo later got his 26th goal to tie the score at 19:58 of the second. . . .

In Everett, the Portland Winterhawks put up their third straight shutout as they beat the Silvertips, 6-0. . . . The Winterhawks (40-7-3) became the first team to 40 victories this season and also are the first to clinch a playoff spot. . . . G Brendan Burke stopped 17 shots to post his second straight shutout and his fourth of the season. . . . The Winterhawks have recorded a team-record 10 shutouts this season. . . . F Nic Petan, the WHL scoring leader, had a goal and two assists, while F Ty Rattie scored twice. . . . Rattie is riding a 14-game point streak. . . . Petan has 34 goals, one behind F Todd Fiddler of Spokane, who leads the WHL. . . . Portland is 8-0-0 against Everett this season. . . . G Daniel Cotton went the distance for Everett. He made 35 saves while being backed up by Bryce Fink, a 19-year-old from Gig Harbor, Wash., who plays for the Seattle Totems of the Western States Hockey League. He filled in for Austin Lotz (foot). . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that the Silvertips are likely to bring in G Nik Amundrud for the weekend. Amundrud, a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, plays for the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans. . . . The Winterhawks started a strech of four games in five nights with this one. They are at home to the Kamloops Blazers tonight. . . . The Winterhawks remain without D Derrick Pouliot (high ankle sprain). . . . Everett F Josh Winquist departed with an injury in the second period. . . . By game’s end, the Silvertips were without Lotz, Winquist, D Ryan Murray (shoulder), F Ryan Harrison (concussion), D Austin Adam (concussion), D Ayrton Nikkel (finger) and F Lucas Grayson (undisclosed). . . .

In Victoria, F Leon Draisaitl scored the only goal of the circus and the Prince Albert Raiders got past the Royals, 6-5. . . . The Raiders forced OT when F Mark McNeill scored with 0.1 seconds left in the third period. Draisaitl drew the lone assist on McNeill’s 19th goal. . . . D Davis Vandane had a goal, his seventh, and two assist for the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert got shorthanded goals from Vandane and F Shane Danyluk. Vandane gave the Raiders a 3-2 lead at 19:02 of the first period as the visitors erased a 2-0 deficit. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . D Shea Theodore scored twice for Seattle, which got 29 saves from G Brandon Glover. . . . F Alex Delnov had three assists. . . . Seattle D Griffin Fould scored his first WHL goal. It came in his 26th game this season and the 40th of his career. . . . The Thunderbirds hold down the Western Conference’s eight and last playoff spot. They are three points behind Everett and sixahead of Prince George. . . . There was a two-fight situation at 19:38 of the third period. Although the goaltenders — Glover and Prince George’s Mac Engel — didn’t scrap, they got tossed for at least making motions as though there were going to square off.


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This column appeared in Wednesday's Kamloops Daily News:

In the days before the WHL’s regular season opened, the league summoned its general managers and head coaches to Calgary for a meeting.
During said gabfest, there was much talk about the respect factor, or lack of same, between opposing players on the ice, about not hitting players who find themselves, for whatever reason, in vulnerable positions, about headshots and about hits from behind.
Guy Charron, the head coach of the Kamloops Blazers, put together a video presentation showing, among other things, players who were in vulnerable positions absorbing hits. He didn’t have to dig too deeply to find examples of players not protecting themselves and of some bad hits. He looked at one game and found instances of both on the first two shifts.
After the meeting, the coaches, who all are in agreement that these hits have to be removed from the game, returned home and immediately set about spreading the word.
Unfortunately, it seems to have fallen on some deaf ears.
In the regular season’s first 22 games, referees handed out 13 checking-from-behind minors and one major. There also were three minors and three majors for checks to the head.
There were other instances when what could have been checking-from-behind penalties were called boarding. There was a checking-from-behind incident in a Friday night game in Kamloops that was ignored by the officials.
And when the weekend was done, nine players were awaiting possible suspensions, each of them having been tossed from a game for one indiscretion or another.
These players included Mathew Dumba, a defenceman with the Red Deer Rebels who was a first-round selection by the Minnesota Wild in the NHL’s 2012 draft, and forward Ty Rattie of the Portland Winterhawks, a second-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in 2011 who is seen as a potential WHL scoring champ this season.
On Friday night, forward Andrew Johnson of the Moose Jaw Warriors won a game by scoring on a penalty shot in overtime. The next night, he was ejected with a major penalty for charging.
In Medicine Hat, Tigers forward Kale Kessy, who turns 20 in December, took out Lethbridge Hurricanes defenceman Ryan Pilon, who turns 16 next month. Pilon was the third pick in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft. Kessy was given a major and game misconduct for the headshot; Pilon didn’t return to the game and may be out for a while.
“We lose one of the top young defencemen in the league to a headshot elbow,” Rich Preston, the Hurricanes’ general manager and head coach, told Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News. “What are you going to do?
“You have to try and take that out of the game.”
Later in the same game, Lethbridge defenceman Spencer Galbraith dropped Medicine Hat forward Hunter Shinkaruk, who is likely to be an early selection in the NHL’s 2013 draft, with a headshot and was tossed from the proceedings.
“It is frustrating as a league and as a coach,” Shaun Clouston, the Tigers’ GM/head coach, told Steinke. “We had a meeting in Calgary, the coaches and the GMs.
“It is just something that we have to keep stressing to the players. We have to have a little bit more respect for each other and stay away from those headshots and stay away from the dangerous plays.”
Charron, for his part, sounds at least a bit frustrated.
“It’s up to us as coaches,” Charron said. “There are no other people to blame. There are certain things about encouraging the physical play for our team. We always say we have to finish our checks. . . . I tell the players, ‘If you see his number and you hit a player you’re apt to get a penalty and perhaps injure a player.’
“Just tell your players, ‘I want you to be physical but if you hit a guy from behind expect to be penalized. Perhaps you will injure a player and then you’re going to be suspended.’ ”
Kamloops defenceman Tyler Hansen was hit with two checking-from-behind minors on Friday night. On Saturday, he took an inadvertent shot to the head and ended up being taken to hospital in an ambulance. The game is physical enough, then, without players drilling other players from behind.
“It’s my role to be physical and tough but there are rules in this league that protect guys,” Hansen said of the two penalties he took. “When you see those numbers you have to steer (the player) into the boards and rub him out; you can’t put all your weight into him and try to finish him.”
Charron added: “Our thing is to make the players aware. But it’s an intense game. I tell our players, ‘If you see the number, don’t hit him.’ We have to teach them how to play to avoid those injuries. We constantly say, ‘Now it’s one hand on your stick, stick on puck and ride them off.’
“We don’t want our players to be hurt. We understand that these things need to be addressed.”
As of Tuesday evening, Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, had doled out 11 games in suspensions to six different players. There may be more to come, perhaps even today.
This is just like when you’re building a deck with hammer and nails and that first nail keeps bending. You can’t quit. You have to keep hammering away.

(Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, gdrinnan.blogspot.com and twitter.com/gdrinnan.)

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Darrell Hay (Tri-City, 1996-2000) signed a one-year contract with Cortina (Italy, Serie A). Last season, he had one goal in 20 games with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga) before transferring to Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga), where he had one goal and seven assists in 32 games. . . .
Alba Volan Szekesfehervar (Hungary, Austria Erste Bank Liga) announced the signing of F Eric Johansson (Tri-City, 1997-2002) to a one-year contract extension and F Frank Banham (Saskatoon, 1992-1996) to a one-year contract. Johansson had six goals and 15 assists in 21 games for Alba Volan, while Banham had 19 goals and 23 assists in 47 games for Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, Austria Erste Bank Liga) last season. . . .
F Steven Goertzen (Seattle, 2001-04) signed a two-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). He had two goals and one assist in 43 games with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) last season. Goertzen indicated in the club's press release that he plans to attend the University of Sheffield while playing for the Steelers.
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Peter Anholt, one of the winningest coaches in WHL history, is back with the Seattle Thunderbirds. General manager Russ Farwell announced Thursday that Anholt had been added to the team’s scouting staff. "Peter will concentrate on the player pool already drafted or already playing in the WHL,” Farwell said. "Peter will . . . allow us to do a more in-depth evaluation of the current WHL player pool." Anholt, who spent last season scouting Saskatchewan for the Red Deer Rebels, spent three seasons (1989-91) as Seattle’s head coach, going 127-77-12 coaching record. . . . Anholt, with 450 regular-season coaching victories, is one of 12 men in WHL history to have surpassed the 400-victory barrier. . . . Seattle also announced that it has added Ross Patterson of Calgary to its scouting staff. He will add to the coverage in Alberta.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed Danish F Oliver Bjorkstrand, who was the 26th selection in the CHL’s 2012 import draft. Bjorkstrand played last season with the Herning Blue Fox of Denmark’s top pro league, putting up 26 points, including 13 goals, in 36 games. He was the league’s top-scoring 16-year-old, by 21 points, as the Blue Fox won the league championship. . . . He also played for Denmark at the 2012 World Junior Championship, scoring two goals. At the 2012 U-18 World tournament, he had seven points in six games.
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THE COACHING GAME:
It would seem that Rich Preston, the GM and head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, will be staying put. There had been speculation that Preston was in the running for an assistant coaching position with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. But it seems the Kings have signed former St. Louis Blues head coach Davis Payne. . . .
Whoops! It was mentioned here yesterday that Geoff Grimwood is the new head coach of the South Island Royals. I had the right team but the wrong league. The Royals play in the B.C. Major Midget League. They aren’t a junior B squad. . . . Thanks to the two folks who pointed out the error and apologies all around.

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As of Thursday night, each of the WHL’s 22 teams had a head coach in place for the upcoming season.
The Victoria Royals completed the circle on Thursday when they introduced Dave Lowry as their head coach, replacing Marc Habscheid, who has been bumped upstairs within the franchise’s parent company.
On Wednesday, the Brandon Wheat Kings announced that long-time assistant coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk had been promoted to head coach. Gylywoychuk, who holds the Wheat Kings’ franchise record for most games played, replaces Cory Clouston, who was dropped, despite having a year left on his contract, following the end of last season.
Lowry, 47, spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Calgary Flames. His contract wasn’t renewed following last season as the Flames cleaned out their coaching staff.
Lowry, who spent 19 years playing professionally, began his coaching career with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. He signed on as an assistant coach for 2005-06, was promoted to associate coach for 2007-08, and was named head coach the following season. In 2008-09, he guided the Hitmen to a 59-9-4 record. They then swept three playoff series before losing the WHL final in six games to the Kelowna Rockets.
While Habscheid was a defence-first kind of coach, Lowry told reporters: “I like an up-tempo game but obviously will have to assess the personnel to see what style of play is conducive to us winning.”
Habscheid also had served as the club’s general manager. That position was filled July 6 with the hiring of Cam Hope, who said he “didn’t know (Lowry) at all.” Lowry said it was important to him that he come to an organization in which the two positions were split.
“Too much gets missed when those positions are combined,” Lowry told Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist. “When (I was) told it would be two separate positions, that piqued my interest because I have no interest in doing the GM part of it. My strength is coaching and that’s what I wanted to do.”
As for moving from the NHL to major junior, Lowry said: “The game is the same. The only difference is the pay scale.”
Lowry’s oldest son, Adam, 19, is preparing for his fourth season with the Swift Current Broncos. His NHL rights belong to the Winnipeg Jets. Another son, Joel, is preparing for his sophomore season with the Cornell Big Red. His NHL rights are with the Los Angeles Kings. Joel played two seasons with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies.
Dave Lowry’s first game behind the Royals’ bench will come Aug. 30 when they travel to Kamloops to meet the Blazers in an exhibition game.
The Royals didn’t make any announcements regarding assistant coaches.
Gylywoychuk, meanwhile, is a 39-year-old Winnipegger who played 323 regular-season games with the Wheat Kings. He has been an assistant coach with the Wheat Kings since 2003, working under head coaches Dean Clark, Mike Kelly, Kelly McCrimmon and Clouston.
McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner and general manager, also announced Darren Ritchie will be back for a sixth season as an assistant coach.
Last week, the Lethbridge Hurricanes announced they had picked up the 2013-14 option on GM/head coach Rich Preston’s contract.
However, there is speculation that Preston may have an opportunity to join the coaching staff of the Stanley Cup-champion Los Angeles Kings. He was an assistant coach under Kings’ head coach Darryl Sutter with the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames.
Preston has been with the Hurricanes through three seasons.
A source familiar with Preston and his situation said last night that Preston has an out clause in his new contract that would allow him to leave to accept an offer from the Kings. The source also said he wouldn’t be at all surprised if Preston ended up in L.A.
The Kings are looking to fill a hole created when Jamie Kompon, a six-year assistant, left and signed with the Chicago Blackhawks.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Jiri Ryzuk (Kootenay, 2007-09) signed a one-year contract with Weiden (Germany, Oberliga). He had one goal and five assists in 37 games with Selb (Germany, Oberliga) last season. . . .
G Justin Pogge (Prince George, Calgary, 2003-06) signed a one-year contract with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A). He had a 3.07 GAA and a .890 save percentage in 37 games with the Portland Pirates (AHL) last season.
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And then there was one . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings named Dwayne Gylywoychuk as their newest head coach on Wednesday, leaving the Victoria Royals as the only WHL team presently without a head coach.
However, there was ample speculation yesterday that the Royals, who have a news conference scheduled for today, will name Cory Clouston as their head coach.
Gylywoychuk, a former Wheat Kings defenceman and long-time assistant coach, replaces Clouston, who was let go with a year left on his contract after last season.
There also has been speculation that Rich Preston, the general manager and head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, still may end up as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings. I had heard that rumour a while ago, but put it to bed last week when the Hurricanes announced they had picked up the 2013-14 option on Preston’s contract. However, Preston does have a relationship with Kings head coach Darryl Sutter, who is looking for an assistant coach.
Meanwhile, in Brandon, Gylywoychuk, a 39-year-old Winnipeg native, has been an assistant coach with the Wheat Kings since 2003. As an assistant coach in Brandon, he has worked under head coaches Dean Clark, Mike Kelly, Kelly McCrimmon and Clouston.
McCrimmon is the franchise’s owner, governor and general manager, and many observers had expected him to end up back behind the bench.
Gylywoychuk played five seasons with the Wheat Kings and holds the franchise record for most games played (323).
Assistant coach Darren Ritchie will be back for a sixth season with the Wheat Kings.
Gylywoychuk also is serving as an assistant coach with Team West, the squad that will represent Manitoba and Saskatchewan at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge after Christmas.
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Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada has written his final 30 Thoughts – it’s actually 44 thoughts – for the 2011-12 season and they’re right here.
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The Tri-City Americans have added Dan Price to their coaching staff, while announcing that assistant coach Brent Bilodeau has resigned. . . . Price, a former goaltender, worked under Americans head coach Jim Hiller with the Chilliwack Bruins (hey, remember them?). . . . Bilodeau, a former WHL defenceman who enjoyed a lengthy pro career, has been named a coaching advisor for the Tri-Cities Amateur Hockey Association.
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F Andy Blanke has decided not to return to the Swift Current Broncos for his 20-year-old season. Instead, he will attend the U of Saskatchewan and play for the Huskies. Blanke, who is from Swift Current, had 11 points and a team-high 168 penalty minutes in 71 games with the Broncos last season. He played three seasons with them, missing only 10 games over that time. He finished with 28 points, including nine goals, and 312 penalty minutes.
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Cool Bird proves he can fly on Wednesday at KeyArena in Seattle.
(Photo courtesy Seattle Thunderbirds)

THE COACHING GAME:
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have exercised the option on general manager/head coach Rich Preston’s contract, meaning he now has two years left. Yes, he is signed through 2013-14. . . . Which takes care of rumours that he was soon to join the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings as an assistant coach under old friend Darryl Sutter. . . .
The OHL’s Soo Greyhounds have signed Joe Cirella to a two-year deal as an assistant coach. Cirella is a former OHL and NHL defenceman who captained the Oshawa Generals to the 1983 OHL title. . . . He later went on to a 14-year NHL career. . . . He has worked as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Florida Panthers (1997-98) and has spent seven seasons as an assistant with the Generals, which is where he was for the last two seasons. . . . In Sault Ste. Marie, Cirella will work alongside head coach Mike Stapleton and fellow assistants Mike Oliverio and Seamus Kotyk. . . .
The Edmonton Oil Kings have re-signed Randy Hansch, the assistant general manager and director of player personnel, and assistant coach Steve Hamilton. . . . Hansch, a former goaltender, joined the Oil Kings after spending 15 seasons with the Kamloops Blazers. He has been with Edmonton since before it took part in an expansion draft in 2007. . . . Hamilton has spent two seasons with the Oil Kings. Prior to that, he was the GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints for four seasons. . . . The length of the contracts wasn’t disclosed. . . .
Ryan Mougenel, the head coach of the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers, was involved in an attempt to save a man from drowning in Boston on Thursday. . . . Ed Hauth of the Las Vegas Sun has that story right here.
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D Kevin Smith, who played 286 regular-season and playoff games in his WHL career, has decided to go to the U of British Columbia and play for the Thunderbirds. Smith, who is from North Vancouver, split last season between the WHL's Kelowna Rockets and the BCHL's Victoria Grizzlies.
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F Mason Wilgosh, who played five seasons in the WHL, will attend the U of Prince Edward Island and play for the Panthers. The Charlottetown-based Panthers play in Atlantic University Sport. . . . Wilgosh, from Winnipeg, played out his WHL eligibility last season with the Tri-City Americans. He had 38 points in 59 games.
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F Brenden Silvester, who played 159 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds (2007-10), is headed for Simon Fraser University where he will play for the school’s British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League team.
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Cool Bird, the Seattle Thunderbirds’ mascot, attended the Seattle Storm’s Kid’s Day game on Wednesday.
The Storm, a WNBA team, was playing host to the Atlanta Dream.
According to Ian Henry, the Thunderbirds’ media guru, Cool Bird “took part in media timeouts and halftime promotions, including a dunk contest with other mascots.”
Henry added that he was told the game, at KeyArena, was sold out.
The game began at noon and is a big promotion involving chidren’s summer camps and youth groups getting in through special ticket offers.
The KeyArena was home to the Thunderbirds before they moved to Kent.
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The Buffalo Sabres have signed Latvian F Zemgus Girgensons, 18, who ws the 14th overall selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft. Girgensons played last season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints and had committed to the U of Vermont. By signing a pro contract, of course, he has forsaken his NCAA eligibility. . . . Girgensons WHL rights are held by the Kelowna Rockets, who selected him in the CHL’s 2011 import draft. However, it is unlikely that Girgensons will ever see Kelowna. Because he was drafted out of the USHL and because he has never played in the CHL, he is eligible to play with Buffalo’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. . . . Girgensons had 104 points, including 45 goals, and 115 penalty minutes in 100 USHL regular-season games over two seasons.
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If you’re a baseball fan, you are aware that the Washington Nationals plan to shut down pitcher Steven Strasburg at around 160 innings, which should happen in early September. This has become one of the biggest talking points in Major League Baseball this season. Everyone has an opinion. Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post explains right here why this is the right thing to do.
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The can of worms opened just a little bit wider on Thursday when the Michigan Daily released this statement:
“On June 28 The Michigan Daily published an article on its website that said hockey player Jacob Trouba was considering an offer to play for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. The article was updated to include further developments on July 2, July 3 and July 4. The Rangers and the Trouba family have denied the offer, and the Rangers have threatened legal action. The Daily stands behind the story and the reporter, Matt Slovin. The Daily will respond to threats of legal action in an appropriate fashion.”
To go back, Slovin’s original story claimed, via an OHL source, that the Rangers had come up with a $200,000 package in an attempt to entice Trouba, a first-round selection by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2012 NHL draft, to Kitchener instead of the U of Michigan.
The Rangers, a community-owned team, was quick with the denials. The Trouba family quickly issued a statement saying that Matt was going to Michigan and would play for the Wolverines.
The Rangers also threatened legal action if there wasn’t a retraction.
The retraction never came.
On Tuesday, the Waterloo Region Record reported that the Rangers did indeed visit court and filed a suit seeking $500,000 in general damages and $500,000 in punitive damages.” The suit was filed in Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Kitchener.
The blog United States of Hockey summed it up this way:
“The Rangers may be backed into a corner now into where they have to stand by their word and pursue this case despite the fact that it is unlikely they will be able to collect damages. This is due to the SPEECH Act protecting U.S. media outlets from foreign libel/defamation judgments so long as the report satisfies First Amendment standards. Should the Daily lose the case, most likely the worst that will happen is the defendants would be denied entry into Canada due to the outstanding judgment (via Student Press Law Center).
“This case has so many different angles of importance from how the Canadian Hockey League’s member leagues and clubs do their business to NCAA vs. CHL recruitment to journalism ethics and ‘libel tourism.’ The eyes of more than just the hockey world will be fixed on this case.”
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If you’re a fan of the Boston Red Sox, well, this doesn’t appear to be your season. And it sure looks like the snowball is gathering speed as it tumbles down the hill. Right here is a piece by veteran baseball write Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com on the trials and tribulations of the BoSox and manager Bobby Valentine.



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