Tigers, Ice going to Game 7

G Riku Helenius (Seattle, 2007-08) signed a two-year contract with Jokerit Helsinki (Finland, KHL). Helenius split this season between the AHL and ECHL. With the Syracuse Crunch (AHL), he was 3.43 and .875 in five games; with the Florida Everblades (ECHL), he was 6.08 and .797 in four games. . . . Helenius, a first-round selection (15th overall) by Tampa Bay in the 2006 NHL draft, had his NHL contract terminated by the Lightning in February. The NHLPA had filed a grievance over that release and the case seems headed to arbitration. Lindsay Kramer of syracuse.com has more right here.
---




D Nick Holden of the Colorado Avalanche was in Vancouver recently, which gave Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province the opportunity to chat with him. And guess what? Holden says his junior team, the Chilliwack Bruins, would have survived just fine had the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat not arrived on the Lower Mainland hockey scene. . . . That piece is right here.
Interestingly, the city of Abbotsford has called a news conference for this morning at 10 a.m. PT, at which it is expected to address the future of the Heat. Again, there are rumours that the franchise is about to be sold and moved, this time to Glens Falls, N.Y.
Gord McIntyre of the Province reported last night that the Canucks aren’t interested in moving their AHL franchise, which is in its first season in Utica, N.Y., to Abbotsford at this time. That piece is right here.
---
F Sean MacTavish, who once was drafted by the Kelowna Rockets, has committed to Boston University. MacTavish, the son of Edmonton Oilers GM Craig MacTavish, was taken in the ninth round of the 2009 WHL bantam draft. He played the last two seasons with the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders. . . . MacTavish will turn 20 on Nov. 21.
---
The Vancouver Canucks inducted former general manager Pat Quinn into their Ring of Honour on Sunday. Ed Willes, a sports columnist with the Vancouver Province, wrote a column on Quinn that appeared in Sunday’s paper. Buried deep in that piece was a quote from Ron Toigo, the majority owner of the Vancouver Giants, that is rather interesting. It seems that Quinn, a minority owner with the Giants, isn’t all that enamoured with the Giants’ style of play of late.
Quinn’s teams, Willes writes, “have always been characterized by an uptempo pace and an emphasis on puck movement.
‘He doesn't really like the way we've played the last couple of years," Toigo says of the Giants' defensive style. ‘He likes the offensive game and defencemen who can move the puck. He says winning is important, but we still have an obligation to entertain.’ ”
---

Justin Crann of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has been following the situation in that city involving the Warriors and their bringing back a 30-year-old logo as part of their 30th anniversary celebrations. Crann writes that the Warriors are too deep into this anniversary to turn back now, but adds that “it can be used as a positive learning opportunity.” . . . That piece is right here.
---

Tom Gaglardi, the owner of the NHL’s Dallas Stars and majority owner of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, was back in a Kamloops courtroom on Monday. Gaglardi was on the stand as he faces two charges of harmful alteration of a fish habitat. . . . According to Tim Petruk of Kamloops This Week, Gaglardi spent part of his time in the courtroom apparently playing with line combinations as his Stars get ready to open the NHL playoffs this season. . . . Petruk’s story is right here.
---
D Ryan Pulock of the Brandon Wheat Kings will finish his season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders. Pulock was a first-round selection, 15th overall, by the Islanders in the 2013 NHL draft. . . . Pulock played his first game with the Sound Tigers on Monday night, going pointless in a 4-2 loss to the visiting Adirondack Phantoms.
---
The 106th Allan Cup competition, for the championship of Canadian senior AAA hockey, is underway in Dundas, Ont. Steve Milton of the Hamilton Spectator takes a look at the field right here, explaining how each of the six teams qualified.
In Monday night’s opener, the Brantford, Ont., Blast edged the Kenora, Ont., Thistles, 5-4. F Sean McAslan (Calgary, 1996-2001) scored one of the Thistles’ goals.
---


THE SECOND ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. BRANDON (7)
(Edmonton wins, 4-1)
Season series: Edmonton, 3-1-0; Brandon, 1-2-1.
Thursday: Brandon 0 at Edmonton 5 (5,899)
Saturday: Brandon 0 at Edmonton 3 (7,115)
Tuesday: Edmonton 5 at Brandon 2 (3,522)
Wednesday: Edmonton 2 at Brandon 5 (3,246)
Friday: Brandon 1 at Edmonton 5 (6,356)
---
MEDICINE HAT (4) vs. KOOTENAY (6)
(Series tied, 3-3)
Season series: Medicine Hat, 3-3-0; Kootenay, 3-3-0.
Saturday: Kootenay 4 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,750)
Sunday: Kootenay 2 at Medicine Hat 5 (3,755)
Wednesday: Medicine Hat 1 at Kootenay 3 (2,461)
Thursday: Medicine Hat 4 at Kootenay 7 (2,578)
Saturday: Kootenay 2 at Medicine Hat 9 (3,624)
Monday: Medicine Hat 2 at Kootenay 1 (2,732)
Wednesday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
(NOTE: Kootenay plays home games in Cranbrook, B.C.)
INJURIES
Medicine Hat: F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
Kootenay: F Tim Bozon, indefinite; F Ryan Chynoweth, indefinite; D Landon Cross, day-to-day; D Tanner Faith, 3-5 months.
---
WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. SEATTLE (4)
(Kelowna wins, 4-0)
Season series: Kelowna, 2-1-1; Seattle, 2-1-1.
Thursday: Seattle 2 at Kelowna 6 (4,581)
Saturday: Seattle 3 at Kelowna 6 (5,675)
Tuesday: Kelowna 5 at Seattle 4 (5,029)
Wednesday: Kelowna 5 at Seattle 2 (2,219)
---
PORTLAND (2) vs. VICTORIA (3)
(Portland wins, 4-1)
Season series: Portland, 1-1-2; Victoria, 3-1-0.
Friday: Victoria 2 at Portland 8 (6,152)
Saturday: Victoria 3 at Portland 6 (10,947)
Monday: Portland 1 at Victoria 2 (6,505)
Tuesday: Portland 4 at Victoria 3 (6,745)
Thursday: Victoria 1 at Portland 5 (8,083)
---
THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
WESTERN CONFERENCE

KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-0-0; Portland, 0-4-0.
Friday: Portland at Kelowna, 7:30 p.m. (Sportsnet)
Saturday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 22: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
Wednesday, April 23: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
x-Friday, April 25: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 27: Kelowna at Portland, 5 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 29: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
Portland: None.
---
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. MEDICINE HAT (4)/KOOTENAY    (6)
Season series: Edmonton, 5-0-1; Medicine Hat, 1-5-0.
Season series: Edmonton, 4-2-0; Kootenay, 2-2-2.
Friday: Medicine Hat/Kootenay at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 20: Medicine Hat/Kootenay at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Other dates TBA.
INJURIES
Edmonton: D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
---

MONDAY’S GAME:
In Cranbrook, F Curtis Valk broke a 1-1 tie with 35.6 seconds left in the third period as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Kootenay Ice, 2-1. . . . The second-round series is tied 3-3 with Game 7 scheduled for Medicine Hat on Wednesday night. . . . The winner of the series will open the Eastern Conference final in Edmonton against the Oil Kings on Friday night. . . . F Miles Koules gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead at 8:10 of the first period with his fourth goal of these playoffs. . . . The Ice tied it at 15:46 of the third period when F Jon Martin got his second goal off a rebound. . . . Valk, known as The Incredible Valk around the Tigers, won it with his 10th goal of the playoffs. It was his sixth goal of this series, all of them coming in the last five games. . . . It also was Valk’s 20th playoff goal in 43 games. He has scored 19 times in his last 28 post-season games. . . . Valk and F Jaedon Descheneau of the Ice lead the WHL, each with 10 goals. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski turned aside 28 shots, two more than Marek Langhamer of the Tigers.
---







From Darren Steinke (@MHND_Steinke) of the Medicine Hat News: “(Monday) night will mark the 392nd post-season contest Bob Ridley calls as the play-by-play voice of the #MHTigers.”
---
From F Anthony As (@AAST18) of the Medicine Hat Tigers: “Curtis Valk is my man crush Monday right now. Someone sign this guy to a NHL contract. That is all #CaptainClutch #TheIncredibleValk #Game7”
Ast was scratched from Monday’s game.


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

Thursday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Marcin Kolusz (Vancouver, 2003-04) signed a two-year contract with Sanok (Poland, Ekstraliga) for next season. He had seven goals and 14 assists in 24 games for Podhale Nowy Targ (Poland, Ekstraliga) this season and also was an assistant captain of the Polish national team at this year's Division 1 World Championship. Kolusz had two goals and four assists in five games to lead Poland in scoring. . . .
G Riku Helenius (Seattle, 2007-08) signed a two-year plus option contract with JyP Jyväskylä (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had a 3.03 GAA and a .884 save percentage in 18 games for Södertälje (Sweden, Elitserien) this season.
———
They were playing street hockey at Portage and Main last night, which must mean the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers are headed to Winnipeg.
Which means, of course, that the Manitoba Moose, the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, will need a new home.
Let’s see. There is an arena in Chilliwack that has yet to land a hockey team as a tenant. The WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins, you’ll recall, were sold and have relocated to Victoria. Vancouver-based RG Properties, which purchased the Bruins, has since killed off its other team, the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings.
Negotations aimed at bringing the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires to Chilliwack are on-going. But you have to wonder if they won’t be slowed by news that the Moose suddenly are available. If for no other reason than to let this sort itself out.
Or what of Regina, where the Pats again are embroiled in lease negotiations with their landord, Evraz Place? A few weeks ago, when the Phoenix Coyotes-to-Winnipeg rumours were running rampant, I was told that Evraz Place people had at least touched base with the AHL.
So . . . what if the Moose ended up in Regina? Could the Pats pack up and move to Chilliwack?
John Shannon, a hockey analyst with Rogers Sportsnet, tweeted Thursday night that he has heard that a destination for the Moose might well be St. John’s, Nfld., or Thunder Bay.
Or, hey, how about the Chilliwack Moose?
———
THE COACHING GAME: Steve Hartley has signed on as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads. He is the son of former NHL coach Bob Hartley. Steve will work under Dominique Ducharme, the Mooseheads’ new head coach. Hartley, 25, is a former goaltender who played at Miami-Ohio. He spent the last two seasons coaching the in the Quebec Junior AAA league. . . . Two former WHL head coaches, both of whom also played in the league, are out of work. Terry Ruskowski, who coached the Saskatoon Blades (1989-91), has stepped down as president, general manager and head coach of the Central league’s Laredo Bucks. He had been there for nine seasons, winning championships in 2004 and 2006. “My first instinct was to make sure hockey stays in Laredo,” Ruskowski told Pro 8 Sports-TV, “so I sacrificed my contract to make sure hockey stays in Laredo.” . . . Kenny Ryan of the Laredo Morning Times has more right here. . . . Serge Dube, who has played for the Bucks since 2002, is the Bucks’ new head coach. . . . Brad McCrimmon, another former Blades head coach (1998-2000), has resigned after three seasons as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings. McCrimmon, who has head-coaching aspirations, also has worked as an assistant with the Atlanta Thrashers, Calgary Flames and New York Islanders.
———
Management of the Central leagues Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees say the franchise is still alive; however, the office is closed because the team can’t make payroll. Brian Sandalow of  Valley Freedom Newspapers has the story right here.
———
D Brayden McNabb of the Kootenay Ice signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. According to capgeek.com, his AHL salary each of the seasons will be US$67,500 with NHL salaries of $615,000, $690,000 and $740,000. McNabb, a second-round pick in the NHL’s 2009 draft, got a $270,000 signing bonus over the three years. . . . Gotta think McNabb will be buying lunch for the boys sometime during Memorial Cup week.
———
Medicine Hat Tigers F Emerson Etem has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. He was the 29th player selected in the 2010 NHL draft. Last season, his second in the WHL, he had 80 points, including 45 goals, in 65 games. Etem who is scheduled to turn 19 on June 16, also was plus-41.
———
The Max Gardiner watch is on. Gardiner, a forward who was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the third round of the 2010 NHL draft, has left the U of Minnesota after one season with the Gophers. The Dubuque Fighting Saints hold his USHL rights, but he could be ticketed for the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, who have him on their college list. . . . The 6-foot-2, 187-pound Gardiner, who turned 19 on May 7, is from Minnetonka, Minn. He had a miserable season at Minnesota, though, getting just three points in 17 games.
———
The Tri-City Americans have listed F Justin Gutierrez, who played for the Alaska All-Stars midget AAA (U-16) team this season. He had 35 points, including 17 goals, and 40 penalty minutes in 39 games. The 6-foot-3, 170-pound Gutierrez is a late birthday; he’ll turn 16 on Dec. 22. He is a younger brother to former WHLer Moises Gutierrez.
———
Wade Klippenstein, the assistant GM and director of player personnel with the Prince George Cougars, scored what is believed to be the first journalist scoop of his life Wednesday night when he tweeted congratulations to Brian Chow as the SJHL’s new president.
The SJHL made the formal announcement Thursday.
Chow, 52, has been with the Prince Albert Police Service for 29 years, while also scouting for the Spokane Chiefs.
Chow signed a three-year contract. He replaces Laury Ryan, who resigned in March after spending eight years in the office.
———
TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Edmonton Oil Kings D Keegan Lowe: “i dont like the sound of 7 canadian NHL teams. whats gonna happen on hockey day in canada? 1 gets left out.”
If you’re on Twitter, you are able to follow him at @Klowe4.

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