F Tomas Hricina (Regina, 2008-10) has signed a one-year contract with Arystan Temirtau (Kazakhstan, Vysshaya Liga). This season, with Bardejov (Slovakia, 1. Liga), Hricina had 65 points, including 43 assists, in 44 games. He led the league in assists and points.
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1. If you’re wondering why the WHL’s championship final turned out the way it did, Megan, over at Shinny Stats has done a terrific statistical analysis of what went on between her Portland Winterhawks and the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . That breakdown is right here. . . . I also have linked to Megan’s blog over there on the right, because she is doing some nifty work involving Portland games.
2. Amid all the chatter about the injury to Montreal G Carey Price, who was bowled over by New York Rangers F Chris Kreider in Game 1 of that Stanley Cup, came the news that Canadiens F Brendan Gallagher leads the NHL in goaltender interference penalties. . . . And anyone who paid attention to the WHL when Gallagher was with the Vancouver Giants said: “That’s news?”
3. Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune reported Sunday evening that D Derrick Pouliot of the Portland Winterhawks “will be in Pittsburgh this week to have a shoulder injury evaluated by physicians.” . . . According to Rossi, Pouliot was injured during the WHL final, and the injury has prevented him from joining the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for their playoff run. . . . Pouliot was selected by Pittsburgh with the eighth overall pick of the NHL's 2012 draft.
4. The Los Angeles Kings are halfway through what they hope will be a run to the Stanley Cup, and Jon Rosen, a former radio voice of the Everett Silvertips, is along for the ride. If you are a hockey fan, you should check out his blog, L.A. Kings Insider, right here. It is updated daily . . . and sometimes hourly. Watch especially for the wit and wisdom of Kings head coach Darryl Sutter.
5. Unfortunately, the 2014 Memorial Cup is quickly turning into a dud. At least it is if you’re a hockey fan in search of some excitement. The scores to date -- 1-0, 5-2, 5-2, 6-3. . . . Of course, last year wasn’t much better. In Saskatoon, the scores from the first five games were 3-2, 7-4, 5-2, 6-3 and 9-2. In fact, of the nine games played in Saskatoon, two were decided by one goal, two by two goals, three by three goals, one by five goals and one by seven goals.
6. I don’t know how much money you spent on the weekend, but AT&T is about to drop US$48.5 billion (that’s with a B) on purchasing DirecTV. How big is the NFL? Well, it seems the whole deal hinges on DirecTV’s ability to renew its NFL Sunday Ticket contract. . . . Sports Business Daily has more on all the big, big numbers right here.
7. Bob Moore, now the editor of the El Paso Times, was 18 when he was bitten in the butt by a dog belonging to Jeb Magruder of Watergate fame. Magruder died last week and Moore recalls the dog-biting incident right here.
8. When F Riley Kieser was traded by the Vancouver Giants to the Edmonton Oil Kings prior to this season, it may have meant more to his family than it did to him. He is from Sherwood Park, Alta., where his family still lives. His father, Chris, has been confined to a wheelchair by multiple sclerosis. The trade, then, made it a whole lot easier for Dad to watch his son play hockey. John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
9. Today is Tuesday, May 22. The New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens are two games into their Stanley Cup conference final. They will have two days off before Game 3 and then take two more days off before Game 4. Yes, they will play twice in seven days. Seriously. . . . Yes, it’s time to watch some NBA.
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F Cam McLise, who played one season with the Edmonton Oil Kings (2009-10) before going on to be named the CJHL’s player of the year (2012-13), will attend Mount Royal U in Calgary and play for the Cougars. . . . However, he will have to redshirt in 2014-15 as he played last season for the U of New Brunswick. . . . After playing with the Oil Kings, McLise spent three seasons with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits, winning two league titles and an RBC Cup. . . . The 22-year-old McLise is from Lacombe, Alta.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The USHL’s Madison Capitols have yet to play their first game and they already have gone through one general manager/head coach. Steve Miller resigned on the weekend, saying he has “decided to return to Colorado and pursue other interests at this time.” . . . Miller was named the expansion club’s head coach on Oct. 22 after spending 20 years on the coaching staff of the U of Denver Pioneers. . . . The Capitols expect to gave a GM/head coach signed within the next week, according to managing partner Tom Garrity.
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MEMORIAL CUP
(at London, Ont., all times Eastern)
(all games televised by Sportsnet)
Friday: Val-d’Or 1, London 0 (8,863)
Saturday: Guelph 5, Edmonton 2 (8,842)
Sunday: Edmonton 5, London 2 (8,863)
Monday: Guelph 6, Val-d’Or 3 (8,796)
Tuesday: Edmonton vs. Val-d’Or, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: London vs. Guelph, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7 p.m.
Friday: Semifinal, 7 p.m.
Saturday: No game scheduled.
Sunday: Final, noon.
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MONDAY’S GAME:
The OHL’s Guelph Storm booked its berth in the Memorial Cup’s championship game with a 6-3 victory over the Val-d’Or Foreurs on Monday night. . . . The QMJHL-champion Foreurs and the WHL-champion Edmonton Oil Kings, each 1-1, are scheduled to play tonight. . . . The Storm is 2-0 and will meet the host London Knights (0-2) on Wednesday in the final game of the round-robin. A Guelph victory will eliminate the Knights. . . . The Storm got a goal apiece from six players -- F Kerby Rychel, F Zach Mitchell, F Jason Dickinson, F Robby Fabbri, F Pius Suter and F Tyler Bertuzzi, while F Scott Kosmachuk had three assists and Mitchell, F Brock McGinn and D Matt Finn each had two. . . . F Timotej Sille, F Anthony Beauregard and D Randy Gazzola replied for the Foreurs. . . . Guelph G Justin Nichols stopped 30 shots. . . . Val-d’Or starter Antoine Bibeau stopped 30 of 36 shots through two periods. Keven Bouchard came on for the third period and kicked out 13 shots. . . . Guelph D Chadd Bauman received a kneeing major and game misconduct at 7:50 of the third period for a hit on Foreurs D Guillaume Gelinas, who looked to have injured his left knee and needed help getting off the ice. . . . The Storm, the highest-scoring team in the CHL this season, with 340 goals, has scored 11 times in two games. . . . Guelph took control of this game with three goals in the first six minutes of the first period. . . . The Foreurs were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Storm was 0-for-6.
After the game, Alan Caldwell of Small Thoughts at Large, explained via Twitter what it all means:
4 possible outcomes of the Memorial Cup round-robin now . . .
1) Edmonton and Guelph win last 2 games. London goes home, Edmonton hosts Val-d'Or in semi.
2) Edmonton and London win last 2 games. Edmonton goes to semi. Val-d'Or hosts London in tiebreaker.
3) Val-d'Or and Guelph win last 2 games. London goes home, Val-d'Or hosts Edmonton in semi.
4) Val-d'Or and London win last 2 games. Val-d'Or goes to semi, Edmonton hosts London in tiebreaker.
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From former WHL D Garrett Thiessen (@thies89): “I hate to say it Habs fans, but I scored on Tokarski back in 06. And if I can score on Tokarski. Anyone can score on Tokarski. #gohabs”
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From the Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings): “It's an off day for the #OilKings at the #MCMemorialCup, and they'll spend it with their families. Back in action (today) vs. @LesForeurs!”
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D Jordan Thomson is joining the Saskatoon Blades, at least for three games. The Kamloops Blazers selected Thomson, now 17, with the fourth overall selection of the 2011 bantam draft. He left the Blazers earlier this season and subsequently was traded to the Blades, along with F Mitch Lipon and a first-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft for F Matt Revel, a third-round pick in 2016 and a conditional second-rounder in 2014. . . . After the trade, Thomson joined the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings, for whom he has two points in 13 games. He is expected to finish this season with the Kings, who are the host team for the Western Canada Cup. . . . Thomson, who hasn’t said he will join the Blades next season, is expected to practise with Saskatoon today and play Friday against the visiting Kootenay Ice. . . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds announced Tuesday that their 16th annual Hockey Challenge raised $200,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington and Alaska. The Hockey Challenge was held Saturday, featuring six different games plus one between the Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers. . . . The event now has raised more than $4.5 million in its 16 years of existence. . . .
Nick Vitucci has resigned after almost five years as head coach of the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. . . . The resignation is effective immediately. . . . Vitucci will remain with the organization, while assistant coach Dan Watson will serve as head coach through the rest of this season. . . . Toledo, which has lost eight in a row, is 16-31-4 and is fifth in the five-team North Division. Toledo’s 36 points leave it 13th in the 13-team Eastern Conference. 
In Regina, F Dyson Stevenson scored the game’s first three goals, all in the first period, and finished with four as the Pats drubbed the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 8-0. . . . Stevenson scored his first three goals in a span of 6:08, then added a fourth in the third period. . . . He has 33 goals this season. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk had a goal, his 26th, and four assists, while F Chandler Stephenson drew three assists. . . . Klimchuk has 14 points, including seven goals, in his last five games. . . . F Patrick D’Amico scored twice, giving him five this season. . . . Regina G Dawson MacAuley stopped 29 shots for his fourth shutout this season and the fourth of his career. . . . The Hurricanes have lost six in a row and been outscored 42-8 in the process. . . . Lethbridge F Seth Swenson played in his 300th regular-season game. He has played 19 games with Lethbridge, after suiting up 149 times with the Seattle Thunderbirds and 132 times with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Pats (35-22-6) are 8-0-1 in their last nine games and now lead the East Division by eight points over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Hurricanes (12-47-5) have the WHL’s poorest record. . . .
In Saskatoon, F Sam Fioretti broke a 2-2 tie in the third period and the Moose Jaw Warriors went on to a 5-2 victory over the Blades. . . . Fioretti scored his 15th goal of the season at 1:41. Teammate Josh Uhrich got his ninth at 2:35 and D Alexey Slepstov added his third, via the PP, at 3:48 as the Warriors put it away. . . . Warriors F Brayden Point had three assists. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherback had one assist, running his assist and point streaks to 10 games. . . . F Logan Harland scored twice, giving him 10 goals, for the home side. . . . The Warriors and Blades hadn’t met since they went home-and-home on Nov. 8 and 9. They will meet again on March 7 in Saskatoon. . . . The Warriors (16-37-9) are 10th in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of the Blades (16-42-5). . . .
In Medicine Hat, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Tigers, 5-2. . . . Edmonton F Riley Kieser tied the game 2-2 with his 12th goal, shorthanded, at 7:14 of the second period. . . . Edmonton F Mads Eller gave his guys the lead, with his sixth goal, at 17:08 of the second. . . . F Henrik Samuelson of the Oil Kings got his 30th just 1:06 after that. He also had an assist, giving him 81 points in 55 games. Last season, he finished with 80 points, including 33 goals, in 69 games. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner scored his eighth goal and drew three assists. In each of his first two seasons, Sautner, a 19-year-old from Flaxcombe, Sask., had two goals and 10 assists. This season, he has 39 points, including 31 assists. . . . Tigers F Markus Eisenschmid took a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on F Ben Carroll at 15:47 of the third period. Before leaving, he fought Edmonton F Curtis Lazar, who took the instigating minor and a game misconduct. . . . These two teams meet again tonight in Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings (44-15-2) are back atop the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the idle Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Tigers (38-22-3) are fourth in the conference, five points ahead of the Kootenay Ice. . . .
In Kelowna, the Rockets scored six times in the second period and went on to beat the Prince George Cougars, 9-5. . . . The Rockets scored nine goals for the second time this season. They also did it in beating the host Portland Winterhawks 9-3 on Dec. 31. . . . The Cougars and Rockets were tied 1-1 after the first period. . . . The Rockets then took a 4-1 lead, before the Cougars scored two PP goals to get to within a goal. . . . The Rockets closed the period by scoring three times in 4:18. . . . F Tyrell Goulbourne scored three times for the Rockets; it was his first WHL hat trick. He’s got 15 goals this season. . . . F Marek Tvrdon added a goal, his seventh, and three assists for Kelowna. Tvrdon, 20, is playing on a line with Nick Merkley, 16, and Rourke Chartier, 17. Merkley had two goals, giving him 18, and Chartier added three assists. . . . F Todd Fiddler scored his 42nd goal and added three assists for the Cougars, while F Troy Bourke helped out with his 26th goal and two assists. . . . This was the third straight game (and fourth in 10 days) between these teams. They split a weekend doubleheader in Prince George. . . . When the Cougars won 2-1 on Saturday, it ended a 13-game losing skid versus the Rockets. . . . The Rockets went 7-1-0 against the Cougars this season, including 4-0-0 at home. . . . Kelowna (49-9-4) leads the overall standings by five points over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Cougars (26-32-8) are one point behind the Tri-City Americans, who hold down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. The Americans hold four games in hand as the Cougars have only six games remaining. . . .
The headline in the Prairie Post reads: 'Johann Sebastian' Black hitting all the right notes. . . . It's atop a story by Brad Brown on F Graham Black, a classical pianist who is having a terrific season with the Swift Current Broncos. That story is well worth reading and it's 
F Jagger Williamson, who was selected by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the sixth round of the 2013 bantam draft, has said he will play next season with the BCHL's Vernon Vipers. Williamson, a 15-year-old from Vernon, is playing for the midget Tier 1 team in Vernon. 
Chris Driedger of the Calgary Hitmen is the sixth goaltender in WHL history to score a goal. He was credited with a Kootenay Ice own goal on Saturday night in Cranbrook. Jefferson Hagen of the Calgary Herald caught up with Driedger and has the story 
The visiting Saskatoon Blades erased a 2-0 second-period deficit and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-3. . . . Blades F Mitch Lipon gave his guys a 3-2 lead with his fifth goal at 1:37 of the third. . . . Saskatoon D Dylan Busenius played in his 300th regular-season game and scored his eighth goal of the season, a shorthanded marker at 9:21 of the third. It stood up as the winner. . . . F Jamal Watson scored twice for Lethbridge. He's got 15. . . . Saskatoon G Troy Trombley turned aside 50 shots. . . . Saskatoon F Austin Adamson scored his first goal and it came in his 37th game. Adamson, who turned 18 on Feb. 2, is from Vancouver. . . . The Hurricanes had won their previous two games. . . . Neither the Blades (15-37-4) nor Hurricanes (11-39-5) will make the playoffs. The Hurricanes continue to hold down last place in the overall standings, their .245 winning percentage slightly ahead of the Kamloops Blazers’ .250. . . . 
In Brandon, F Trevor Cox scored twice to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Cox broke a 1-1 tie at 10:47 of the second period and upped the lead to 3-1 just 19 seconds into the third. He's got 18 goals. . . . Tigers F Cole Sanford had a goal, his 25th, and two assists. . . . Medicine Hat F Curtis Valk ran his point streak to 12 games, the longest in the WHL at present, with two assists. . . . Tigers G Marek Langhamer stopped 23 shots, including one on Brandon F Ryley Lindgren on a second-period penalty shot with the visitors leading 2-1. . . . The Tigers (31-19-3) have won two in a row and are fourth in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind the Calgary Hitmen and five ahead of the Kootenay Ice. . . . Brandon (27-20-6) is tied with Kootenay (28-21-4) and the Swift Current Broncos (26-20-8) atop the East Division. . . .
In Kamloops, the Edmonton Oil Kings ran their winning streak to a season-high nine games as they got past the Blazers, 4-1. . . . Edmonton F Riley Kieser broke a 1-1 tie with his ninth goal at 2:05 of the third period. . . . Kieser finished with two goals, giving him 10, and an assist. He was the Oil Kings' best skater in this one. . . . The Oil Kings now have won 15 of their last 16 games and 24 of 28. . . . The Kamloops PP unit was 0-for-8 and gave up two shorthanded goals, the last one Kieser’s empty-netter. . . . Kamloops D Sam Grist drew an interference major and game misconduct at 10:12 of the first period for a hit on Edmonton F Reid Petryk, who needed help on the ice but was out on the PP shortly thereafter. . . . It was a dangerous hit and Grist can expect a call from the WHL office today. . . . The Blazers won't play in Edmonton this season, but the Oil Kings played twice in Kamloops. Edmonton won 5-0 on Nov. 8. . . . Edmonton G Tyler Santos, who posted that 5-0 shutout, stopped 31 shots last night. The Oil Kings needed him through the first two periods as they were outshot 27-17. Edmonton held a 21-6 edge in the third, though. . . . The Oil Kings will visit the Kelowna Rockets on Friday for a battle of the conference leaders. . . . The Blazers (11-38-5) have lost seven in a row; they are 1-9-1 since Guy Charron took over as head coach from Dave Hunchak on Jan. 11. The Blazers will play their next five games at home, after which they will hit the road for 10. . . . The Blazers were the better team through two periods but couldn’t get enough pucks past Santos to give them some breathing room. For the most part, Edmonton’s best players didn’t show up until the third period. Perhaps they were looking ahead to Friday. . . . The Oil Kings (38-13-1) are comfortably atop the Eastern Conference standings, five points ahead of Calgary with two games in hand. . . . 
In Kelowna, the Rockets scored four first-period goals and went on to beat the Red Deer Rebels, 4-3. . . . The Rockets had 11 players with one point each in that first period, and every skater but two was at least plus-1. . . . Red Deer G Taz Burman was gone 1:34 in to the first period after stopping one of three shots. G Patrik Bartosak came on and finished up. . . . Kelowna held a 22-8 edge in shots after one period. . . . The Rebels scored three times in the third period to make it interesting, the last one coming from F Aspen Sterzer, at 18:13. . . . Sterzer scored Red Deer's last two goals, giving him 24 in 52 games this season. . . . He had two goals in 31 games last season and five in 63 games in 2011-12. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle stopped 35 shots. . . . The Rockets (43-7-3) have a 12-point lead atop the overall standings. . . . The Kelowna franchise record for victories (52) was set last season. . . . The Rebels (27-23-4) are eighth in the Eastern Conference. . . . 
In Spokane, Seattle G Taran Kozun continued his magical run as the Thunderbirds blanked the Chiefs, 4-0. . . . Kozun stopped 29 shots in posting his third shutout in nine starts with Seattle. Two of the blank jobs have been against the Chiefs. . . . Kozun was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers at the trade deadline. . . . With Kamloops, the 19-year-old from Nipawin, Sask., was 5-19-3, 3.95, .897. With Seattle, he is 8-1-0, 1.31, .957. . . . Seattle F Justin Hickman had three goals for his first WHL hat trick. He has 18 goals this season, five of them coming over the last two games. . . . The Thunderbirds are 6-0 versus the Chiefs this season. The teams meet again Friday, this time in Kent, Wash. . . . Seattle (34-16-5) is fourth in the Western Conference, one point behind the Victoria Royals and six ahead of the Chiefs (31-17-5). . . . 
In Victoria, Calgary F Pavel Padakin scored on a breakaway at 1:26 of OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 7-6 victory over the Royals. . . . The Royals looked to be in control after scoring three PP goals and taking a 3-0 lead into the second period. . . . The Royals had dumped the Hitmen 7-2 on Tuesday night. . . . This was the second time this season Victoria has given up seven goals. The Royals lost 7-4 to the visiting Vancouver Giants on Dec. 7. . . . The Hitmen took the first period's last three minors and the Royals scored on each of them. . . . The Hitmen forced OT on third-period goals by F Brady Brassart, at 5:03; F Adam Tambellini, at 6:36, via the PP; and F Mike Winther, at 12:23. . . . Padakin finished with two goals and an assist. He has 19 goals this season. . . . Brassart had a goal, his 24th and two assists. . . . Tambellini's goal was his fifth. . . . F Ben Walker had two goals, giving him 22, and an assist for Victoria. . . . F Logan Nelson was among Victoria's scratches. . . . Royals D Joe Hicketts had two assists. He's got a goal and five assists in four games since returning from an injury. He had last played on Oct. 26. . . . Hitmen head coach Mike Williamson was hired in Calgary when Dave Lowry, now the Royals’ head coach, left for an assistant coaching job with the NHL’s Calgary Flames. . . . The Royals were without G Patrik Polivka for both games. He has an undisclosed injury. Michael Herringer, a ninth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, backed up Coleman Vollrath. Herringer plays for the junior B Kerry Park Islanders who are coached by former WHL toughie Dale Purinton.
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