Blazers' top pick back with Vees . . . Howe ashes to be interred by statue of Mr. Hockey

F Jens Meilleur (Brandon, 2010-14) has been assigned on loan by the Nuremburg Ice Tigers (Germany, DEL) to Beyreuth (Germany, DEL2). Meilleur signed a two-year contract with Nuremburg in April. Last season, with the Kassel Huskies (Germany, DEL2), he had 11 goals and 14 assists in 50 games.

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One day after recording two assists in the Kamloops Blazers’ intrasquad game, F Massimo Rizzo was back in the Penticton Vees’ lineup for a BCHL exhibition game against the host West Kelowna Warriors on Wednesday night.

Rizzo, from Burnaby, B.C., was selected by the Blazers with the 15th overall pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. He put up 137 points, including 60 goals, in 61 games with the bantam AAA Burnaby Winter Club Bruins last season.

Rizzo, who hasn’t signed with the Blazers, played in one game with the Vees last week, before joining the Blazers in time for their rookie camp. He was held over and took part in main camp, before rejoining the Vees on Wednesday.

It is quite evident that Rizzo and his family plan on keeping his NCAA option open, at least for the short term.

As for the Vees, general manager/head coach Fred Harbinson likes what he has seen.

“He’s an elite player, a player we are excited about,” Harbinson told Fraser Rodgers, the Vees’ radio voice, prior to Wednesday’s game. “I think he’s excited about us. Obviously, he has some decisions down the road but right now it looks like he’s going to be an affiliate player with us for this (season). We’ll see how many games he can get into.

“It’s more about building a relationship with him and his family and kind of seeing how it goes from there.”

If you’re wondering, the Vees and Warriors played to a 2-2 draw.

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The Victoria Royals have signed three players — D Jeremy Masella, D Matthew Smith and F Tarun Fizer. . . . Masella, 17, is from Phoenix. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder had a goal and 10 assists in 25 games with the U-16 Arizona Bobcats last season. . . . The 5-foot-10, 140-pound Smith, 16, was a seventh-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. From Saskatoon, he had seven assists in 41 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers last season. . . . Fizer, 15, was a fourth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. From Chestermere, Alta., he had 57 points, including 33 goals, with the Rocky Mountain Raiders of the Alberta Major Bantam League last season. . . . F Blake Bargar scored three goals in the Royals’ intrasquad game on Wednesday, helping Team White to a 6-3 victory over Team Blue. Bargar, 18, was acquired in May from the Moose Jaw Warriors for a conditional eighth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft. From Torrance, Calif., he had one goal and five assists in 59 games as a freshman, and one goal and one assist in 60 games last season.

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The Saskatchewan government has given the OK to a request by the City of Saskatoon to declare the area around a Gordie Howe statue a cemetery. The statue is located near the Sasktel Centre, the home of the Saskatoon Blades. . . . This all but clears the way for the Blades to honour Howe prior to their home-opener on Sept. 25. 

From a Blades’ news release:

“The Blades can now move forward in the planning to have the ashes of Gordie Howe and his wife Colleen interred in front of his statue on Sept. 25 at Sasktel Centre. This will happen in a private ceremony for Howe’s immediate family. Following the ceremony, the Blades will take the Howe family to the newly christened Gordie Howe Bridge for the official naming of the bridge.

“The celebration of Mr. Hockey’s life and legacy will then shift back to Sasktel Centre where a tailgate party is planned prior to the Blades home opener against the Swift Current Broncos. The Blades also have a spectacular pre-game ceremony planned to thank Gordie for everything he has done for the game of hockey, our city, and most importantly our people.”

The Blades will announce more details on Sept. 6.

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The Regina Pats have signed F Logan Nijhoff and F Duncan Pierce to WHL contracts. . . . Nijhoff, 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, is from Comox, B.C. Last season, with the Okanagan Hockey Academy’s bantam prep team, he had 27 points, including 11 goals. He was an eighth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . The 6-foot-1, 186-pound Pierce is from Winnipeg. Pierce, 16, had seven goals and six assists in 39 games with the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers last season.

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The Saskatoon Blades got their roster down to 30 players on Wednesday. Among the players released was D Chance Patterson, 19, of Foam Lake, Sask. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder had one assist in 57 games over the past two seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings.

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The Medicine Hat Tigers have signed D Dalton Gally, a 6-foot-5, 230-pounder from Eagle River, Alaska, who played last season with the NAHL’s Austin Bruins. Gally, 18, had three goals and four assists in 50 games. In 2014-15, he played four games with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers and 15 with the U-16 Omaha Lancers. . . . He was a sixth-round pick by the Calgary Hitmen in the 2013 bantam draft.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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Riley Armstrong has joined the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers as an assistant coach. Armstrong, 31, played two seasons (2002-04) in the WHL, with the Kootenay Ice and Everett Silvertips before going on to a pro career that ended following last season with the ECHL’s Reading Royals. A native of Saskatoon, Armstrong will work alongside Jeff Christian, who is preparing for his first full season as head coach.

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Raiders D-man done for season . . . Broncos add forward . . . The ring's the thing in Edmonton

F Riley Armstrong (Kootenay, Everett, 2002-04) has been released by Vita Hästen Norrkoping (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had six goals and seven assists in 25 games.
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It seems that every WHL team but one holds a Teddy Bear or a Toque toss game. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has more right here on the one team that doesn’t take part in what has become an annual tradition with most teams.
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D Hunter Warner’s first WHL season has come to an after only 24 games. The Prince Albert Raiders 19-year-old freshman from Eden Prairie, Minn., will be having surgery to repair a shoulder injury and recovery time is said to be as long as six months. . . . Warner, who signed with the Raiders in August, had three assists this season. He last played on Nov. 26 in Calgary. . . . He attended training camp with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild as an undrafted free agent and came out of it with a three-year contract. . . . The Raiders also are about to lose D Josh Morrissey, as he leaves this week to go to camp with Canada’s national junior team. . . . The Raiders are hopeful that D Raymond Grewal, 19, who was acquired Friday from the Prince George Cougars, will provide them with some depth on the back end.
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The Swift Current Broncos have added F Linden Penner, 19, to their roster. A 10th-round pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2010 bantam draft, Penner has played with the Everett Silvertips (one game), Calgary Hitmen (40) and Moose Jaw Warriors (24). . . . He has 12 points, including five goals, in 65 regular-season games. . . . Penner, from Sherwood Park, Alta., was to have practised with the Broncos on Monday.
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The Prince George Cougars have dropped F Jordan Ross, 18, from their roster. He is expected to join the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. Ross, from Kronau, Sask., played last season with the Terriers, who won the national junior A championship. . . . With the Cougars, Ross had three assists in 16 games. He was a ninth-round pick by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . The Cougars, who are at home to the Saskatoon Blades in a Teddy Bear game tonight, now are carrying 24 players, including 15 forwards and seven defencemen.
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The Kamloops Blazers have added D Nolan Kneen, 15, to their roster for a six-game swing through the Central Division. Kneen, the third overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft, is from Kelowna and plays for the Kelowna-based Okanagan Rockets of the B.C. Major Midget League. He has seven points, three of them goals, in 22 games. . . . Kneen has one assist in an earlier game with the Blazers this season. . . . The Blazers open their trip in Edmonton on Wednesday.
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The wait was worth it! #2014MemorialCupChampions pic.twitter.com/yVglIHbaP6
— Mitchell Walter (@mitchellwalter) December 9, 2014

Broncos schedule news conference for Friday

D Deron Quint (Seattle, 1993-95) has signed a two-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia, KHL). Last season, with CSKA Moscow and Spartak Moscow (both Russia, KHL), Quint had 28 points, 13 of them goals, in 51 games. He led KHL defencemen in goals, and he also won the hardest-shot part of the KHL all-star game skills competition. . . .
F Boštjan Goličič (Calgary, 2007-09) has signed a one-year contract with Gap (France, Ligue Magnus). Last season, with Briançon (France, Ligue Magnus), he had 24 points, including 10 goals, in 21 games. . . .
F Riley Armstrong (Kootenay, Everett, 2002-04) has signed a one-year contract with Vita Hästen Norrkoping (Sweden, Allsvenskan). Last season, with Landshut (Germany, DEL2), he put up 64 points, including 24 goals, in 45 games. He led the team in goals, assists and points, finishing eighth in the league’s scoring race. . . .
D Alexander Urbom (Brandon, 2009-10) has signed a two-year contract with Severstal Cherepovets (Russia, KHL). Last season, with Washington (NHL), he had a goal and an assist in 20 games. With Albany (AHL), Urbom  had 11 points, including one goal, in 35 games.
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The WHL’s Swift Current Broncos are scheduled to hold a news conference on Friday.
They aren’t expected to announce any contract extensions or any player transactions.
Instead, they will announce that they are getting into the tractor-pull business.
When you are the community-owned Broncos and you are fighting to stay alive in a league in which there is neither revenue sharing nor an expenses cap, you play host to things like the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. The Broncos already have done that this season.
They also have been known to promote the odd concert, although that has been something of a hit-and-miss proposition and, after a Dwight Yoakam show last fall wasn’t didn’t go over the way they had hoped, they may have second thoughts of doing that again.
But when you’re the Broncos you have to experiment; you have to always be searching for new revenue streams.
Why?
Well . . .
The Portland Winterhawks drew 371,377 fans to 47 home games during the 2013-14 WHL season. That is an average of 7,902 fans per game and it explains why, as owner Bill Gallacher said during his club’s fourth straight appearance in the WHL’s championship series, the Winterhawks have a larger scouting staff than some NHL teams.
Meanwhile, the Broncos drew 84,905 fans to 39 games, three of which were in the postseason. That works out to an average of 2,177.
On Friday, the Broncos will hold a news conference at which they will provide details for the 2014 Redhead Equipment Case IH Tractor Pulls presented by Bourgault Industries.
When you are the Winterhawks, there aren’t any tractor pulls in your future and you don’t bring the bull-riders to town.
With the Broncos, it’s a completely different story. In fact, it’s bull-riding and tractor pulls . . . or perhaps the death of a franchise.
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F Brayden Watts has signed with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. He’s from Bakersfield, Calif., so perhaps he’ll bring some of that Bakersfield sound to Rob Carnie and CHAB. . . . Watts was a third-round selection in the WHL’s 2014 draft after playing last season with the U-14 AAA Arizona Bobcats. . . . For more on Watts and a couple of other Americans prospects, check out this story right here from Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. It was published late last month as the Warriors were holding their prospects camp.
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We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet.
— CIA (@CIA) June 6, 2014

Let's see the Tooth Fairy try to top this. #memorialcup #surprise pic.twitter.com/SFSzrGaWDn
— Steve Hamilton (@hamilton_steve) June 6, 2014

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Metropolitan Division? Really?

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Shawn Limpright (Moose Jaw, 1998-2002) signed a one-year contract with Esbjerg (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He had 21 goals and 37 assists in 58 games with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite) last season. . . .
F Ian McDonald (Tri-City, 2000-06) signed a one-year contract with Beibarys Atyrau (Kazakhstan, Premier). He had 24 goals and 26 assists in 33 games with Rosenborg Trondheim (Norway, GET Ligaen) last season. . . .
F Riley Armstrong (Kootenay, Everett, 2002-04) signed a one-year contract with Landshut (Germany, DEL2). He had 16 goals and 21 assists in 38 games with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) and was pointless in two games on loan to the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) last season. DEL2 is the new name for Germany’s 2. Bundesliga. . . .
F Ryan Keller (Saskatoon, 2001-05) signed a two-year contract with ZSC Zurich (Switzerland, NL A). He had 12 goals and 13 assists in 46 games with Genève-Servette (Switzerland, NL A) last season.
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There is news on the brain injury front.
Michael Tarm of The Associated Press writes: “Attorneys suing the NCAA over its handling of head injuries asked a federal judge Friday to let them expand the lawsuit nationwide to include thousands of plaintiffs in a case they contend could change college sports forever.”
That complete story is right here.
As Tarm points out: “The NFL is mired in a lawsuit involving more than 4,000 former players seeking millions of dollars for problems they blame on head injuries during their careers. The NCAA could wind up in a similar situation.”
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F Kirklan Lycar, 16, has signed with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. Lycar, from Gillam, Man., was a fourth-round selection by Brandon in the 2012 bantam draft. Last season, he played for the midget AAA Eastman Selects. . . . Lycar is represented by Turning Point Sports Management.
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If you are going to attend the third annual Hockey Coaches Conference in Burnaby, B.C., next month, please note that it will be held at the Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Centre. . . . According to a news release, “Delegates attending the conference are offered an exclusive discounted rate when staying at the hotel during the conference.” . . . To get a room there, call 604-453-0755 or 1-888-890-3222, and ask for The Coaches Site block of rooms for discounted room rates. You should book by Aug. 5 as the rooms have sold out in the past. . . . If you’re thinking about attending the conference, please note that it is 80 per cent sold out.
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Yes, NHL players will get to perform in the Winter Olympics once again. This time, the Games are scheduled for Sochia, Russia, and, according to columnist Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star, the 2014 Winter Games could prove to be a fiasco of Olympian proportions. . . . That piece is right here.
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It would seem that a mother in a small town in Romania has burned seven paintings valued at hundreds of millions of dollars in an attempt to protect her son who has been accused of being involved in their theft. This is intriguing stuff right here.
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The Metropolitan Division? Really, NHL? . . . There's more right here.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Stanislav Gron (Seattle, Kootenay, 1997-99) signed a one-year contract with Cortina (Italy, Serie A). He had 10 goals and 23 assists in 40 games with Kosice (Slovakia, Extraliga) and two goals in one game on loan to Bardejov (Slovakia, 1.Liga) last season. . . .
F Riley Armstrong (Kootenay, Everett, 2002-04) signed a try-out contract with Ambri-Piotta (Switzerland, NL A). He had one goal and two assists in five games with the Binghamton Senators (AHL), three goals and four assists in nine games with the Elmira Jackals (ECHL) and three goals and two assists in 12 games with SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, SM-Liiga) last season. The try-out is for one to two weeks. Ambri-Piotta is coached by former Everett head coach Kevin Constantine.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors inducted winger Jerome Bechard and goaltender Donovan Nunweiler into their Hall of Fame on Friday, along with Rose Mary Hartney, the club’s longtime education co-ordinator. . . . As Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald writes right here, Bechard and Nunweiler were kind of from opposite ends of the spectrum as players.
Gourlie has a piece right here on Hartney.
Gourlie also reported that the Warriors Hall of Fame will be housed in the city's new arena, Mosaic Place.
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From the beginning, my theory in regards to the NHL and NHLPA negotiations has revolved around the Winter Classic.
This time around, the Winter Classic involves the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, a pair of Original Six teams.
The NHL can’t afford to lose the exposure it gets in the United States from the Winter Classic. Donald Fehr and the NHLPA recognize that.
Jeff Z. Klein, at The New York Times blog SlapShot, expounds upon the Winter Classic theory right here.
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If you are even remotely interested in what it is like to have to negotiate with the NHL and its commissioner, Gary Bettman, you absolutely must give this right here a read. . . . It is an excerpt from a book by Richard Stursberg — The Tower of Babble: Sins, Secrets and Successes Inside the CBC — that details negotiations involved in keeping Hockey Night in Canada with the CBC. Stursberg was the head  of CBC English television. . . . As you are reading this, try to picture Donald Fehr, the head of the NHLPA, in negotiations with Bettman.  

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Which WHL player is this and what happened? Keep reading to find out.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, SM-Liiga) exercised its option to extend the tryout contract with F Riley Armstrong (Kootenay, Everett, 2002-04) for the rest of this season. Armstrong has two goals and one assist in five games with SaiPa. Earlier this season, he had three goals and four assists in nine games with the Elmira Jackals (ECHL) and one goal and two assists in five games with Binghamton Senators (AHL). . . . SaiPa head coach Ari-Pekka Selin: "Riley gives us more opportunities within our lineup. He's played in five games and has shown that he can certainly improve our game. He plays with good power and plays well in front of the net." . . .
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Olten (Switzerland, NL B). He started the season with with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL), getting one assist in 15 games. He then joined La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland, NL B) as an injury replacement for Benoit Mondou, where he had six goals and four assists in eight games. DaSilva was released by La Chaux-de-Fonds once Mondou, the son of former Montreal Canadiens F Pierre Mondou, was healthy. . . .
F Roman Tomanek (Calgary, Seattle, 2004-06) signed a two-year plus option year contract with Nitra (slovakia, Extraliga). He was pointless in seven games with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) and had eight goals and four assists in 23 games with Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga) earlier this season.
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It’s true.
The Portland Winterhawks are in a position where they could end up with three import players in their lineup at the same time.
That would be the exception to the rule that allows teams a maximum of two such players.
Mike Johnston, the Winterhawks’ general manager and head coach, mentioned that possibility after acquiring German F Marcel Noebels from the Seattle Thunderbirds on Tuesday.
Noebels joins Swiss sophomore F Sven Baertschi as the two imports now on Portland’s roster.
The Winterhawks also own the WHL rights to F Nino Niederreiter, 19, who is with the NHL’s New York Islanders. He has one goal and four penalty minutes in 18 games this season. He also is a minus-11.
The Niederreiter situation is covered under the following CHL import rule:
"An underage Import Player can be returned to his CHL Club until the NHL Trade Deadline date. Should an underage Import Player be returned to his CHL Club after the respective League’s trade deadline, and if the Club at that time has two Import Players, the Club shall be permitted to play three Import Players for the balance of the regular season, playoffs and Memorial Cup. This benefit cannot be traded to another Club. If a CHL Club has two Import Players, and wish to trade for the rights of an underage Import Player who is playing in the NHL, they must either delete or trade one of their Import Players to make an Import position available."
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, added this: “The reason for the rule is the CHL feels that all underage players should be treated similarly should the NHL Club wish to return them to their CHL Club.”
All told, the WHL has four underage players who are eligible to be returned by the NHL’s trade deadline (Feb. 27). The others are F Ryan Johansen (Columbus Blue Jackets), whose WHL team is Portland; F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers/Red Deer Rebels) and F Brett Connolly (Tampa Bay Lightning/Tri-City Americans).
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THE COACHING GAME:

JIM HILLER

The Tri-City Americans issued a news release Friday afternoon announcing that they have extended the contract of head coach Jim Hiller. However, they chose not to announce the length of the extension. We can assume that this was the last season of Hiller's contract and I would guess the extension runs through 2013-14. Hiller is in his third season as the Americans' head coach and went into Friday with a 123-54-7 record, which computes to a rather amazing .688 winning percentage. He also guided the Americans to the 2010 WHL final where they lost to the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Tri-City general manager Bob Tory signed Hiller after he had been dumped by the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?). . . .
Jim McKenzie (Moose Jaw, Victoria, 1986-89) is the new head coach of the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, who fired head coach Kevin Patrick on Friday. Patrick was in his second season with Muskegon, which was 9-14-2 when the move was made. McKenzie, 42, is a former NHLer, who played 880 games with 100 points, 48 of them goals, and 1,739 penalty minutes. He has a Stanley Cup ring from the 2002-03 New Jersey Devils. Josh Mervis, the Lumberjacks’ CEO and owner, has stepped in as general manager. Muskegon also cut a deal with Ron Mason, the former Michigan State Spartans head coach, to help out as a senior advisor. . . . There now have been three coaching changes in the USHL this season.
For more on the Muskegon situation and USHL happenings in general, check out Slightly Chilled, over there on the right.
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When F Patrick Holland of the Tri-City Americans woke up Thursday, his NHL rights belonged to the Calgary Flames, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2010 NHL draft. When he went to bed, his rights were with the Montreal Canadiens, thanks to a trade made that evening.
What does that mean to Holland in the short term?
Well, here’s a tweet from him: “You know it's a good pregame nap when you pick up another 300 followers.”
And he also tweeted this: “Je pense que mon talent avec mon baton est un petit peu meilleur que mon francais. #languageproblems”
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In the BCHL on Friday night the Penticton Vees ran their winning streak to 22 games, beating the visiting Langley Rivermen, 9-2. The Vees are at home to the Prince George Spruce Kings tonight.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, F Chad Robinson broke a 4-4 tie at 2:18 of the third period as the Red Deer Rebels dumped the Wheat Kings, 5-4. . . . Robinson is from Minnedosa, Minn., which is just north of Brandon on No. 10 highway. . . . He has five goals this season. . . . The Wheat Kings blew a 3-1 first-period lead. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had two goals, giving him 29, and two assists. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk, making his 10th straight start, stopped 29 shots. . . . Brandon D Brodie Melnychuk did the Gordie Howe hat trick thing — before the game was 12 minutes old. He drew an assist on a goal by Stone just 45 seconds into the game, got into a fight with F Tyson Ness at 4:03, and scored his third goal of the season at 11:06. . . . F Mark Mackenzie had a goal, his first in the WHL, and an assist for Red Deer. Mackenzie, 18, is from Kelowna. He actually started last season with the Prince Albert Albert Raiders but ended up in a dispute with team management over playing time and went home. He left about 10 days after a Sept. 10, 2010 incident in which he confronted and fought off a burlgar in the home of his Prince Albert billet. . . . Mackenzie had been playing with the Kelowna-Okanagan College Coyotes before joining the Rebels. He has three points in five games. . . .

In Swift Current, G Alex Moodie stopped 19 shots to help the Saskatoon Blades to a 4-1 victory over the Broncos. . . . Moodie appeared in his eighth straight game, six of which have been starts. He will return to the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild once G Andrey Makarov is recovered from a concussion. . . . Saskatoon held a 32-14 edge in shots after two periods. . . . Swift Current G Jon Groenheyde finished with 36 stops. . . .

In Regina, the Pats erased a 3-1 deficit with six straight goals and beat the Victoria Royals, 7-3. . . . Regina F Andrew Rieder scored three times in the third period, giving him his first career hat trick and 13 goals this season. . . . F Jordan Weal had a five-point night, including two goals. He has 28 scores this season. . . . Regina head coach Pat Conacher spent last season as the assistant GM/assistant coach with the Chilliwack Bruins, who now are the Royals. . . . This was the first game in an East Division swing for the Royals, who have lost 10 in a row. . . . Regina D Martin Marincin, who was acquired Tuesday from the Prince George Cougars, had a goal and two helpers. . . .

In Calgary, F Trevor Cheek had a goal and two assists to help the Hitmen to a 5-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Cheek, who turned 19 on Dec. 29, is a sophomore from Vancouver, Wash. He had 25 points in 57 games last season. He now has 27 points in 37 games this season. . . . Cheek also was plus-4 last night. . . . The Hitmen have won six in a row. . . . Referee Andy Thiessen handed out two minor penalties before 17:17 of the third period. At that point, he dished out 10 minors and eight misconducts. In other words, 100 of the 104 penalty minutes came from one stoppage in play. . . .

In Vancouver, the Tri-City Americans exploded for six second-period goals and went on to beat the Giants, 11-4. . . . F Justin Feser had three goals for the Americans, giving him 21. It was his fourth career hat trick. . . . D Zach Yuen and FAdam Hughesman each was plus-5. . . . Yuen had two assists; Hughesman had two goals and an assist. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 22 shots in improving to 14-3-0. . . . The Americans hadn’t scored 11 goals in a game since March 4, 2003, when they beat Prince Geoge, 11-7. . . . The Giants set a franchise record for most goals against in a single home game. . . . Vancouver lost forwards Brendan Gallagher and Dalton Sward in the first period with undisclosed injuries. . . . Giants D David Musil sat out with a bruised wrist. Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that X-rays were negative. Musil missed practice on Thursday with what the Giants said was a maintenance day. . . . Vancouver D Kiefer McNaughton (broken jaw) was back after a 13-game absence. . . .

In Prince George, G Drew Owsley turned aside 49 shots to lead the Cougars to a 6-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . D Cody Carlson had two goals, giving him six, and an assist for the Cougars, who got three assists from F Troy Bourke. . . . The Hurricanes scored first but then gave up three goals in 2:47 late in the first period. . . . The Cougars were 2-for-10 on the PP. . . .

In Everett, F Josh Winquist scored at 3:23 of OT to give the Silvertips a 4-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Winquist’s 10th goal came via the PP after Spokane F Dylan Walchuk was hit with a double minor for high-sticking at 2:55 of OT. . . . Everett, which lost twice to Spokane earlier in the week and had lost its last four overall, trailed 3-0 midway through the third period. . . . D Ryan Murray scored a shorthanded goal at 10:10. F Josh Birkholz scored on the PP at 13:41. F Kohl Bauml tied it at 19:32 and then took the stick to the mouth in OT for which Walchuk was penalized. . . . Everett was 2-for-2 on the PP. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 37 shots. . . . Walchuk, who joined the Chiefs this week after being with Northern Michigan and then the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers this season, scored his first WHL goal in his first game. . . . Spokae D Davis Vandane counted his first WHL goal in his 95th career game. He has played 13 games with the Saskatoon Blades and 82 with the Chiefs. . . . The Chiefs had won 5-3 in Everett on Sunday and 6-1 at home on Wednesday. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks tied a franchise record with their 16th straight home-ice victory, beating the Kelowna Rockets, 2-1. . . . The Winterhawks’ record was first set in 1993-94. Portland next plays at home on Monday afternoon when the Tri-City Americans come calling. . . . D Joe Morrow broke a 1-1 tie with a PP goal at 14:43 of the third. . . . F Cam Reid had two assists for Portland in his second game since leaving St. Cloud State. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 37 shots, two more than Kelowna’s Jordon Cooke. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers scored four times in the game’s first 6:02 and went on to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-1. . . . Kamloops is 2-0 against Seattle with a 15-3 edge in goals. . . . F J.C. Lipon had two goals for Kamloops. . . . F Dylan Willick picked up his 20th goal for the Blazers, who now have four skaters with at least that many goals. . . . The Blazers have won five in a row, while Seattle has lost five straight. . . . Seattle F Tyler Alos is wearing a full cage after taking a puck in the mouth during practice. He ended up with four teeth pushed back, but was fortunate that he didn’t lose any. That is his picture — he tweeted it earlier — at the top of today’s entry.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Graeme Craig, Swift Current.
D Alex Petrovic, Red Deer.
F Lucas Grayson, Everett.
D Mitchell Chapman, Kelowna.
F Rob Trzonkowski, Calgary.
D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, Vancouver.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Riley Armstrong (Kootenay, Everett, 2002-04) signed a contract with SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had three goals and four assists in nine games with the Elmira Jackals (ECHL) and one goal and two assists in five games with the Binghamton Senators (AHL) this season. The contract is for the rest of the season but there is an opt-out clause which can be exercised during the next two weeks.
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For a taste of some hockey Christmas spirit, head on over to Joe Pelletiers’s Greatest Hockey Legends — the link is over there on the right — and check out some of his recent postings. . . . You will especially enjoy the posting “Merry Christmas from the Montreal Canadiens” — even if you’re not a fan of the Habs.
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F Adam Lowry of the Swift Current Broncos is scheduled to have surgery this morning to repair a fractured wrist. It isn’t yet known how long he will be out. “We don’t know all the details yet so I’m not sure how it will affect our thinking towards the deadline,” Mark Lamb, the Broncos’ GM/head coach, told me in a text message on Monday afternoon.
Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Broncos on The Eagle 94.1 FM, tweeted: “Apparently Lowry got hurt in Game 4 of the season but tests were not conclusive until now. It's amazing Lowry played this well (point per game, PP, PK, big hits, fighting, made super series) all with a fractured wrist. A huge loss!”
Mullin had some spare time on his hands Monday — LOL! He was stuck in an airport due to travel delays — and was able to post some thoughts on the Lowry injury and what it means to the Broncos.
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The Everett Silvertips have brought back G Andy Desautels, 17, to ride shotgun with Kent Simpson while Austin Lotz is with Team West at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in the Windsor area. Desautels, who was with the Silvertips for a while last season, has been with the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers, going 9-4-1, 3.35, .903. Everett selected him in the fifth round of the 2009 bantam draft. . . The Silvertips meet the host Seattle Thunderbirds tonight in Kent, Wash.
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There was an interesting debate taking place on the Portland Winterhawks forum at OregonLive.com on Monday night.
It seems the Winterhawks are promoting themselves in a TV commercial that has caused some controversy.
While I haven't seen it, according to one Portland fan, “The commercial featured footage of Hawks players delivering hard hits/checks or clearly getting the better of a foe in a fight.
“The ‘tag line’ . . . at the end of the commercial was ‘Season's Beatings from the Winterhawks’.”
Seriously! Season’s Beatings.
At a time of year when police forces and support groups all say there is an increase in domestic abuse, we have a WHL team wishing folks “Season’s Beatings.”
Now that is an interesting marketing strategy.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have brought in F Tim McGauley, 16, from the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds. The Wheat Kings have three players away with F Mark Stone (Canada) and F Alessio Bertaggia (Switzerland) at the World Junior Championship and D Ayrton Nikkel at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . McGauley was a first-round pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2010 bantam draft. Brandon acquired his rights in the Brayden Schenn deal that was made prior to the last trade deadline. . . . McGauley has 35 points, including 22 goals, in 25 games with the Hounds. . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Regina Pats on Wednesday.
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D Jordan Thomson, 15, is expected to make his WHL debut with the Kamloops Blazers tonight against the Giants in Vancouver. Thomson, the fourth overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, will stay with the Blazers through Jan. 2. They play four games between tonight and New Year’s Day. . . . Thomson has 15 points, including 12 assists, in 20 games with the midget AAA Southwest Cougars, who play out of Souris, Man.
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With G Andrey Makarov (Russia) at the World Junior Championship, the Saskatoon Blades will go with Adam Todd, who has gotten into only six games to this point, and Alex Moodie, 16, who has been brought in from the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild. . . . Todd is 1-2-1, 5.15, .852. . . . Moodie was a fifth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. He is 15-0-1, 1.87 with the Wild. . . . The Blades are at home to the Edmonton Oil Kings tonight, then go home-and-home with the Prince Albert Raiders.

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