Winterhawks in front of 'Tips . . . Former WHLer next top cop in Toronto? . . . Gong show in NHL

F Stanislav Balán (Portland, 2005-06) has signed a one-year contract with Vítkovice Steel Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had 13 goals and 18 assists in 51 games. . . .
F Roman Horák (Chilliwack, 2009-11) has signed a one-year extension with Vityaz Podolsk (Russia, KHL). This season, he had 31 points, including 18 goals, in 53 games. . . .
D Michal Hlinka (Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, 2010-12) has signed a one-year extension with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had 15 points, seven of them goals, in 43 games this season.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:

In Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game’s first five goals as they skated to a 5-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Portland takes a 2-1 lead into Game 4 tonight at home. . . . The teams hadn’t played since Saturday because of arena availability issues in Portland. . . . Portland D Anton Cederholm opened the scoring with his first goal at 17:52 of the second period. . . . By coincidence, freelancer Scott Sepich wrote a feature on Cederholm and his father, who is in Portland this week from Sweden, for The Oregonian. That piece is right here. . . . F Nic Petan got his sixth goal at 18:13 of the second, on a PP, and F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice, giving him eight, in the third period. . . . F Dominic Turgeon upped it to 5-0 at 14:27. . . . Everett scored three times in 1:46 late in the period, with D Kevin Davis, F Ivan Nikolishin and F Graham Millar scoring. . . . Petan also had two assists for Portland, as did F Miles Koules and F Chase De Leo. . . . F Logan Aasman had two assists for Everett. . . . Winterhawks G Adin Hill stopped 16 shots. . . . Everett starter Carter Hart gave up four goals on 34 shots. Reliever Austin Lotz was beaten once on two shots in 6:26 of playing time. . . . Portland was 2-for-5 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-2. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl returned to the lineup after a five-game absence, but the Silvertips remain without D Noah Juulsen and D Tristen Pfeiffer. . . . Leedahl was involved in a fight with F Keegan Iverson at 10:27 of the second period, then took a cross-checking minor at 19:01. Leedahl didn’t return to serve out his penalty to start the third period. Nikolishin actually finished serving the penalty. . . . Attendance was 5,518.

Joke that'll kill at your next dinner party: Q: What do you call it when Everett hockey players pay gratuities in quarters? A: Silver tips
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) April 17, 2015

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D Connor Hobbs of the Regina Pats has drawn one of those ‘tbd’ suspensions from the WHL for a hit in Game 4 against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday night. Hobbs took out Brandon D Ryan Pilon, whose status for Game 5 in Brandon tonight isn’t known.
Here’s Rob Henderson, the Brandon Sun’s sports editor, with some thoughts earlier Thursday:
“It would be in the Wheat Kings’ best interest to end the series as soon as possible. In addition to the obvious desire to not let the Pats force a Game 6 on Sunday in Regina, the physical series is also taking a serious toll on both teams’ lineups.
“Wheat Kings Jayce Hawryluk, Rihards Bukarts, Colton Waltz and Ryan Pilon have all been injured since the series began, with Pilon being knocked out of Game 4 by the hit that led to Hobbs’ major. . . . Pats defenceman Sergey Zborovskiy still has one game left in his suspension for the hit that sidelined Hawryluk, while Regina’s Rykr Cole and Chase Harrison have also gone down to injuries in the series.”
Henderson added that Kelly McCrimmon, Brandon’s general manager and head coach, “didn’t divulge any information when asked if any of his injured players would return for tonight’s game.”
Brandon F Morgan Klimchuk, who has sat out six games, took part in Thursday’s optional skate.
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The Calgary Hitmen can eliminate the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers tonight and book a berth in the Eastern Conference final. . . . The Hitmen are coming off a 2-1 OT victory in Medicine Hat on Wednesday night that gave them a 3-1 lead in the series. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini, who leads the WHL playoffs in assists (10) and points (19), missed Game 4 with an undisclosed injury, but was back on skates Thursday. He likely will skate again this morning and then be re-evaluated. . . . You can bet that the Hitmen go into tonight’s game with their first-round series victory over the Kootenay Ice fresh in their minds. Calgary was ahead 3-1 in that series and it ended up going seven games. . . . The Tigers may be without F Blake Penner, who left Game 4 with an undisclosed injury. . . . Laurence Heinen wrote this story for the Calgary Herald.
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The NHL’s Colorado Avalanche is dropping its affiliation with the AHL’s Cleveland-based Lake Erie Monsters. . . . The NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to announce today that they are moving their affiliation from Springfield, Mass., to Lake Erie. . . . There is speculation that the Arizona Coyotes will hook up with Springfield, at least for one seasno. . . . Former WHL GM/coach/player Dean Chynoweth is Lake Erie’s head coach. . . . Jared Bednar, another former WHL player, is the head coach in Springfield. . . . Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, who broke the story, writes that the Springfield coaching staff, which includes another former WHLer in Nolan Pratt, would move to Lake Erie. . . . Portzline’s blog piece is right here. . . . Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reported last night that the Avalanche will affiliate with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, which had been hooked up with the Florida Panthers. Next season, Florida will be affiliated with the AHL’s Portland Pirates, who had been Arizona’s farm team. Arizona, of course, will end up cutting a deal with Springfield, and the circle will be complete.
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The Globe and Mail is reporting that former WHLer Dale McFee, who is the president of the Prince Albert Raiders, is the “wild card contender” to become Toronto’s next police chief. McFee, who played four seasons with the Raiders (1982-86), also is a former Prince Albert police chief; he now is Saskatchewan’s deputy minister of corrections. . . . Robyn Doolittle’s story is right here.
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SUN FRONT: Game 2 btw #Sens & #Habs goes Friday. All we gotta say is HEADS UP, P.K. #ottnews #NHLPlayoffs #slashgate pic.twitter.com/qYJwF18yTL
— Ottawa Sun (@ottawasuncom) April 17, 2015

As Pierre LeBrun of ESPN notes in this piece right here, the NHL series between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators already has degenerated into a “gong show,” and it's only one game old. . . . It could be that Ottawa F Chris Neil, who didn’t play in Game 1, will be doing his thing tonight in Game 2.
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Just as things heat up in the NHL players and we are wondering if something might relieve the pressure, if only for a few minutes, along comes a video starring ESPN’s Britt McHenry. . . . If you haven’t seen it or read about what happened, well, it’s like something out of Dumb and Dumber and Dumbest. Seriously, you thought stuff like this only happened in Judd Apatow movies. . . . At one point, McHenry says to the attendant at a towing company’s lot: “Maybe if I was missing some teeth they would hire me, huh? . . I’m in television and you’re in a f------ trailer, honey.” . . . Sheesh, wouldn’t you think that someone who is in the TV business would realize that she just might be on camera in a place like that?
Richard Deitsch of SI.com has more right here.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed D Jarret Tyszka, who was the 16th overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. From Langley, B.C., Tyszka played this season for the midget team at the Yale Hockey Academy, putting up 10 points, three of them goals, in 23 games.
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F Tyler Jeanson of the MJHL-champion Portage Terriers has signed a letter of intent with the Colgate University Raiders. Jeanson, 17, was selected by the Kamloops Blazers in the ninth round of the 2012 bantam draft. The MJHL’s rookie of the year last season, he had 54 points, including 23 goals, in 56 regular-season games this season.
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The Melfort Mustangs won the SJHL championship last night, beating the host Notre Dame Hounds 4-0 to win the series, 4-0. Trevor Blevins, the Mustangs’ head coach, is from Melfort. He was a player with the Mustangs when they last won the SJHL title, in 1996. . . . The Mustangs went 12-2 in their playoff run, with both losses coming in OT. . . . In the BCHL, the host Penticton Vees beat the Nanaimo Clippers 3-2 last night. The Vees take a 3-2 series lead into Nanaimo for Game 6 tonight. The Clippers had won Games 1 and 2, both in Penticton. . . . In the AJHL, the Spruce Grove Saints hold a 3-1 lead on the Brooks Bandits with Game 5 scheduled for Spruce Grove tonight. . . . Three teams — the host Fort McMurray Oil Barons, Melfort and the MJHL-champion Portage Terriers — now have spots in the Western Canada Cup. It runs in Fort McMurray, April 25 through May 3. The top two teams move on to the Royal Bank Cup, the national championship tournament. This year, it will be held in Portage la Prairie, Man.
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I hear contract talks with Canes head coach and GM Peter Anholt are proceeding and they hope to have him signed soon.
— Dylan Purcell (@dylpurcell) April 17, 2015

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Oil Kings crowned kings of the WHL

F Gilbert Brulé (Vancouver, 2002-06) has signed a one-year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (Russia, KHL). This season, with the Phoenix Coyotes (NHL), he was pointless in three games. In 11 games with the Portland Pirates (AHL), he had 12 points, including 12 goals. . . .

F Roman Horák (Chilliwack, 2009-11) has signed a one-year contract with Vityaz Podolsk (Russia, KHL). This season with the Calgary Flames/Edmonton Oilers, Horák had one goal in three games. With the Abbotsford Heat/Oklahoma City Barons (AHL), he had 55 points, 23 of them goals, in 66 games.
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G Justin Myles’ stint with the Kamloops Blazers is over, and he never did get into a game.
In January, the Blazers sent G Taran Kozun to the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for Myles, D Austin Douglas and a fourth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft.
However, Myles, who is from Calgary, was injured and never did play for the Blazers.
On Monday, the Blazers dealt Myles, 19, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft.
Kamloops also has received a 2016 fourth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft from Seattle as compensation for Myles.
The Blazers are expected to open next season with Bolton Pouliot, 20, as their starter. Cole Kehler, 17, is No. 2 on the depth chart, after getting into 11 games this season. Connor Ingram, 17, of the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos, who won the Telus Cup, and Dylan Ferguson, 16, of the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos also are in the picture.
Myles joins Teagan Sacher, who turns 20 on Dec. 1, Jarrod Schamerhorn, 19, Jonny Hogue, 18, and Stuart Skinner, who will be 16 on Nov. 1, as goaltenders on the Lethbridge roster who have seen action in the WHL.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have acquired F Kolten Olynek, 18, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes for F Miles Warkentine, 18.
Olynek, from Saskatoon, had 12 points, including four goals, in 57 games with the Hurricanes this season. He was a second-round pick, 26th overall, in the 2011 bantam draft.
After an injury-filled freshman season, Warkentine, from Prince Albert, had 12 points, three of them goals, in 65 games with the Warriors this season. Moose Jaw selected him 16th overall in the 2011 bantam draft.
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1. Travis Green, the head coach of the AHL’s Utica Comets, was in the house in Portland on Tuesday night as the Winterhawks lost 4-2 to the Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 7 of the WHL final. Green spent most of last season as the Winterhawks’ head coach, with GM/head coach Mike Johnston suspended. Stu Walters of Shaw-TV reported that Green watched Game 6 of the WHL final in Anaheim, while communicating with Portland assistant GM Matt Bardsley. With the Oil Kings leading 5-2, Green apparently told Bardsley that if the Winterhawks came back and won, he would be in Portland for Game 7. They did and he was.


2. The Memorial Cup field will be rounded out tonight when Game 7 of the QMJHL final is played in Baie-Comeau between the Drakkar and the Val-d’Or Foreurs.

3. The Memorial Cup is to be played in London, Ont., and will open Friday with the host Knights meeting the QMJHL champion. The Edmonton Oil Kings, who won the WHL title last night in Portland, open Saturday against the OHL-champion Guelph Storm. . . . The Oil Kings then meet London on Saturday.

4. Late night tweet from the Guelph Storm (@Storm_City): “Hey @EdmOilKings, we found some ice time in London on Saturday. Are you in?”

5. Response from the Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings): “It's a date!”

6. G Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers drew a $5,000 fine for squirting Sir Sidney Crosby with water during a playoff game on Sunday night. . . . Earlier in these playoffs, F Milan Lucic was fined $5,000 for spearing Detroit Red Wings D Danny DeKeyser in the jewels. . . . Boston F Shawn Thornton was fined $2,820.52 for squirting water in the face of Montreal Canadiens D P.K. Subban. . . . All of these are the maximum allowed under the CBA, which makes one wonder if that part was negotiated near the end of an all-nighter.

7. Remember when the NHL said it was going to crack down on obstruction and that penalties would be called in the playoffs just like they are in the regular season? Did you believe the NHL at the time? If so, do you now feel shame?

8. If you were wondering, Brett Iverson will be the WHL referee to work Memorial Cup games in London.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Jason Williamson, the general manager and head coach of the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, got a new two-year contract last week. Williamson, 33, who is coaching the host team for the RBC Cup this week, was in the final year of a three-year contract. . . . Associate coach Kris Mallette also will return to the Vipers next season, as will assistant coach Dave Robinson.
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Bob Prier has resigned after three seasons as head coach of the Princeton U Tigers, who were 6-26-0 this season. Prier, who resigned Monday, had a 25-58-12 record at Princeton.
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The junior B Grand Forks Border Bruins of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League have signed Brad Snyder as their general manager and head coach. Snyder, from Flin Flon, Man., replaces Kevin Flather, who had been hired Nov. 7 to replace Nick Deschenes, who left early in the season to join the staff of the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters.
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)(Edmonton wins, 4-3)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton 2 at Portland 5 (10,947)
Sunday: Edmonton 1 at Portland 3 (10,645)
Tuesday: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (6,799)
Wednesday: Portland 0 at Edmonton 2 (7,859)
Friday: Edmonton 3 at Portland 2 (10,947)
Sunday: Portland 6 at Edmonton 5 (OT) (11,902)
Monday: Edmonton 4 at Portland 2 (10,095)
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MONDAY’S GAME:
In Portland, the Edmonton Oil Kings erased a 1-0 deficit with four goals in the second period and went on to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup with a 4-2 victory over the defending-champion Winterhawks. . . . The Oil Kings, who won four of the last five games in the series, took the best-of-seven series 4-3. . . . The Memorial Cup opens Friday in London, Ont., with the host Knights playing the QMJHL champion, which will be decided tonight. . . . The Oil Kings open Saturday against the OHL-champion Guelph Storm. . . . In 10 previous WHL championship Game 7s, the home team was 10-0. . . . This was the third time in as many years that the same teams met in the WHL final. Edmonton won two years ago; the Winterhawks won last season. In the three finals, each team won 10 times. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand opened the scoring at 4:42 of the first period, going coast-to-coast and beating G Tristan Jarry off the right wing, high to the long side, moments after G Brendan Burke had come up big on Edmonton F Mitch Moroz. . . . The Oil Kings came close to tying it a short time later while on the game’s first PP, but F Curtis Lazar was ruled to have kicked the puck into the net with his left foot. . . . Edmonton tied it when F Mitch Moroz waltzed from the right wing across the slot and beat Burke at 3:50 of the second. . . . With the Winterhawks on the PP but looking the more tired of the two teams, Lazar scored shorthanded at 9:02 for a 2-1 lead. . . . Just 40 seconds later, F Reid Petryk drove to the net and got the puck through Burke for a 3-1 lead. . . . Edmonton finished off the period with F Mads Eller scoring on a 3-on-1 break at 17:17. . . . Portland didn’t score again until F Brendan Leipsic beat Jarry on a PP at 16:38 of the third period. . . . Portland was 1-for-5 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-2. . . . Jarry finished with 32 saves, three more than Burke. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart was selected as the MVP of the playoffs. Reinhart was injured last season and didn’t play in the championship series. . . . Bjorkstrand and Leipsic tied for the playoff scoring lead, each with 33 points. Bjorkstrand led the playoffs in goals (16) and Portland D Derrick Pouliot was tops in assists (27).
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From Edmonton Journal sports columnist John MacKinnon (@rjmackinnon), after the post-game trophy presentations: “#WHL pres. Ron Robison gets the boos in Portland. Fans don't forgive or forget, apparently. Yikes.”

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Just wondering . . .

Ten things I wonder about:

1. Does F Liam Stewart of the Spokane Chiefs have a copy of his father’s Christmas album? If so, does he listen to it? (Has Liam read his dad’s book yet?)

2. Are you aware that I will be on SportsTalk with Dan Russell tonight? We chatted for almost an hour recently and he’s playing that conversation tonight. Yes, it’s all about Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos. (Listeners to CBC Regina will be able to hear an interview with Ted Deller that was taped Friday morning. I also have done an interview with CBC Kamloops that will be played sometime next week. . . . You also will be able to hear me with Shawn Mullin, the play-by-play voice of the Swift Current Broncos, during an intermission on Saturday or Sunday.)

3. How can the Los Angeles Lakers fire head coach Mike Brown when his big four — Kobe, Paul Gasol, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash — were on the floor together for a total of 45 minutes during the 1-4 start?

4. Do you care that the NHL and NHLPA have spent time talking this week, or is this a case of ‘Wake me when it’s over?’ ”

5. Are you aware that F Roman Horak of the Abbotsford Heat is leading the AHL in goals, with 10? Horak, whose NHL rights belong to the Calgary Flames, played two seasons (2009-11) for the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins. Surely, you remember them.

6. Might the 5,500-seat Langley Events Centre, at some point in time, end up as the home to a WHL franchise? In the last two weeks, I have had two long-time WHL watches tell me that the league would be much better off there than it was in Chilliwack.

7. How much impact have the TV cameras that are documenting the Saskatoon Blades’ every move had on the team’s shaky start? And if the adults in charge had it to do all over again would they cut the same deal? It’s all four a 24/7-type show that is being tied in with the Blades being the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup.

8. The Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks, the team’s with the WHL’s best winning percentages going into the weekend, will play Sunday in the Rose City. But with each team playing its third game in as many nights will that be a real test? Or will a better test come Nov. 16 in Kamloops when both teams will be coming off four off days?

9. What will the Everett Silvertips do with D Ryan Murray? The Silvertips are 6-13-2 and have lost seven in a row as the weekend begins. What is the asking price if the NHL talks break off and it looks as though the season is in jeopardy? What is the asking break if there remains a chance that the NHL season may get started at some point?

10. Where have the fans gone in Kelowna? The Rockets are drawing about 5,300 fans per game, down more than 700 from recent seasons. Bruce Hamilton, the president and general manager, told AM1150 play-by-play man Regan (Clark Griswold) Bartel that a lot of former season-ticket holders didn’t renew because they are wintering in the south. But, sheesh, isn’t that a lot of ticket-holding snowbirds flying south at one time?

And a freebie — Whatever happened to the WHL’s Ask The Commissioner on Facebook? Just wondering . . .

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Friday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Karel Hromas (Everett, 2004-06) signed a one-year contract with Chomutov (Czech Republic 1.Liga). He had seven goals and four assists in 52 games for Sparta Prague (Czech Republic Extraliga) this season. . . .
D Justin Kurtz (Brandon, 1993-97) signed a one-year contract with the Black Wings Linz (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had seven goals and 33 assists in 48 games for the Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven (Germany 2.Bundesliga) this season.
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The WHL’s championship final opened in Portland on Friday night, with F Ty Rattie tipping in a shot on a PP just 55 seconds into OT to give the Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Rattie tipped in a shot by C Craig Cunningham after a faceoff in the Kootenay zone. The second assist went to D Derrick Pouliot, a 16-year-old who quarterbacks one of Portland’s PP units. He was the first overall pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . The Ice had its playoff winning streak snapped at 11 games, one shy of the WHL record. . . . Rattie has goals in three straight games. . . . Kootenay had a late PP after Portland F Brad Ross was penalized for high-sticking at 17:28 of the third. . . . Portland’s final PP came after Ice D James Martin went off for tripping at 19:04. He dumped Portland F Ryan Johansen. . . . Ice F Kevin King forced OT with an unassisted goal at 11:11 of the third period. The goal came moments after play was delayed while a broken pane of glass was replaced. . . . The game’s first five goals all came in the first period. . . . F Sven Bartschi scored Portland’s first two goals, with Ice D Hayden Rintoul scoring between those goals. . . . Ice F Joe Antilla tied it 2-2 at 17:50 of the first, with Portland F Nino Niederreiter giving his side a 3-2 lead with 3.9 seconds left in the first. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 39 shots, nine more than the Ice’s Nathan Lieuwen. . . . The Winterhawks were 1-for-6 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-5. . . . The referees were Pat Smith and Derek Zalaski. . . . Attendance was 7,595. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for tonight in Portland. . . . The Ice remains without F Brock Montgomery (mononucleosis) remains out, while the Winterhawks are still without D Brett Ponich (knee) and F Oliver Gabriel (shoulder). Ponich is back skating but isn’t yet ready to return.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Kootenay D Brayden McNabb
Portland F Tayler Jordan
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In Victoria, the Salmon Kings were laid to rest on Friday as RG Properties announced that it won’t operate the ECHL franchise next season. And, just like that, the franchise, which spent seven seasons in Victoria, is dead and buried.
RG Properties, which manages the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, owned the ECHL franchise. It announced Friday that it “has withdrawn from the League with the full approval of the ECHL Board of Governors.”
According to a Salmon Kings news release: “The withdrawal effectively ends the Salmon Kings organization. The players have been awarded free-agency, and given the opportunity to choose the future direction of their hockey careers.”
The focus now has shifted to the former Chilliwack Bruins franchise, which is soon to be renamed the Victoria Tide or something like that. Andrew A. Duffy of the Victoria Times Colonist has that story right here.
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“Forget hunting for steroids and performance-enhancing substances: This is the real issue. Even if its not as sexy or black-and-white moralistic,” writes Jeff Blair in The Globe and Mail. Yes, he’s writing about Dr. Charles Tator and others and the research they are doing on concussions. If you’re a parent, or if you are playing a contact sport, you should give this a read. It’s right here.
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Meanwhile, James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail sat down with Brian Levine, senior scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest in Toronto, and talked about the work they are doing with the NHL alumni association. That interview is right here.
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F Adam Chorneyko (Kamloops, Lethbridge, Saskatoon, 2004-09) scored at 4:35 of the third OT on Thursday night in Loveland, Colo., giving the Colorado Eagles a 2-1 victory over the Rapid City Rush in the fifth-longest game in Central league history. . . . The Eagles hold a 3-1 lead the Turner Conference final 3-1 with Game 5 in Rapid City, S.D., tonight. . . . The New York Rangers have signed Czech F Roman Horak to a three-year NHL contract. Horak played the last two seasons with the Chilliwack Bruins. He had 78 points, including 26 goals, in 64 games this season. Horak, who turns 20 on May 21, was a fifth-round pick in the 2009 NHL draft. . . . Former WHL D and coach Mark Ferner has been named head of Canada West for the 2011 World Junior A Challenge. Ferner is in his fourth season as GM/head coach of the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, who have a chance to win their third straight national title this weekend in Camrose, Alta. A host community for the 2011 WHC has yet to be announced. . . . Former WHLer Dalyn Flette was named the RBC Cup’s top goaltender and most valuable player on Friday in Camrose, Alta. Flette now plays for the host Camrose Kodiaks. . . .
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In the OHL, D Matt Petgrave scored early in the first OT period Friday, giving the visiting Owen Sound Attack a 6-5 victory over the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors. Attendance was 4,053. . . . Mississauga holds a 2-1 lead in the championship final with Game 4 scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Owen Sound.
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A Friday morning tweet from Willy Palov of the Halifax ChronicleHerald: “Announcement coming on Monday at Lewiston Maneaics will move to Summerside, PEI.” . . .
That was followed by this from QMJHL_Fanhouse: “Lewiston to Summerside relocation rumors are heating up once again. Usually smoke leads to fire but we'll see.” . . .
However, Charles Reid of the Charlottetown Guardian reports that it isn’t that simple. His story is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME: Mel Pearson Jr., an assistant or associate coach for 23 seasons with the Michigan Wolverines, is the new head coach of the Michigan Tech Huskies. Pearson is a Michigan Tech alum. A native of Vancouver, Pearson is the son of the late Mel Pearson Sr., who played (1955-57) and coached the Flin Flon Bombers for two full seasons (1973-75) and part of one other (1975-76). . . . As expected, the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads have named Dominique Ducharme as their head coach. He spent the last three seasons as a head coach with the Montreal Junior.
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Tweet of the day, from @mpysyk03: Congrats to @backhandsauce07 for finally graduating high school! And also happy 25th birthday buddy! You did it!

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

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The dogfight that is the chase for playoff spots in the WHL’s Western Conference continues tonight at Interior Savings Centre with the Chilliwack Bruins going against the Kamloops Blazers.
The Blazers (19-20-2) go into the game in seventh place in the 10-team conference in which seven teams are within six points of each other. The Bruins (17-17-3) are ninth, three points behind Kamloops. The Bruins hold four games in hand.
The Bruins also are 2-0 against the Blazers this season, having won 5-2 here and 6-1 there, but the teams haven’t met since Oct. 2.
Both teams have been making do with thin rosters, what with injuries and players away at tournaments, but there should be at least some relief today.
The Blazers expect to have forwards Dalibor Bortnak (Slovakia) and Bernhard Keil (Germany) back from the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, while defenceman Brady Gaudet and forward Logan McVeigh return after playing for Team Western at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie.
However, the Blazers are expected to again be without defenceman Josh Caron (collarbone) and forward JC Lipon (ankle), while captain Chase Schaber left their last game, a 4-2 loss to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors, six minutes into the third period with a leg injury.
The Blazers are continuing with their policy of not allowing anyone in the organization to communicate with The Daily News, a situation into its 16th day.
Meanwhile, Marc Habscheid, the former Blazers head coach who now is the Bruins’ general manager and head coach, is looking forward to having a few more bodies on his roster. He said the Bruins were missing nine players when they dropped a 6-2 decision to the visiting Vancouver Giants on Sunday.
“Even with nine guys out, I didn’t like our compete,” he said, using hockey’s new ‘hot’ word. “No matter what, you still have to play the games and you still have to complete. I didn’t like our compete.
“You do what you do but the one thing that has to be a staple is the compete . . . the will to win and not accepting to lose.”
The Bruins expect to have forwards Roman Horak and Robin Soudek back from the Czech Republic team that played in Buffalo, while forwards Steven Hodges and Brandon Magee both were with Team Pacific at the WHC.
There is some question about Horak, however. He was scratched from the Czech’s last game at the WJC and Habscheid hadn’t been able to ascertain why that happened. He was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Horak, who has 38 points in 30 games and rides shotgun with 24-goal man Ryan Howse.
And if Horak and Soudek are back and healthy, they will play tonight, as will Hodges and Magee.
Veteran defenceman Brandon Manning (leg) remains day-to-day, while forward Mike Forsyth (hand) is available. Habscheid said that forwards Brendan Persley (foot), Curt Gogol (shoulder) and Jesse Pauls (leg) remain sidelined.
Habscheid said the 16-year-old Magee, a 5-foot-7, 160-pounder from Edmonton, was one of the young players who picked up his play before Christmas.
Magee, Habscheid said, “has stepped up and played some important minutes for us.”
Magee, who has 13 points in 31 games, should be coming back on a high, too. It was his overtime goal that gave Team Pacific, including equipment manager Troy Clifford of Kamloops, a 5-4 victory over Quebec in the bronze-medal game at the WHC on Tuesday.
Habscheid, who won gold with Team Canada at the 1982 WJC, said the returning players, in particular Horak and Soudek, will get some down time in the days to come.
“I’ve never given them time off,” Habscheid said, referring to players returning from the WJC. “I will give them some practices off. They’re young. We’ll find time to give them a day off practice here or there.”
As for having them miss games, Habscheid said, “That’s not really fair to the organization.”
Certainly not with the race for playoff spots this heated.
There is some separation in the conference, with three teams -- the Portland Winterhawks, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans -- starting to pull away. The Americans, with the conference’s third-best record, now are five points ahead of the Prince George Cougars, who lead the B.C. Division.
But seven of the teams are packed together like sardines in a tin, and points are as important now as they will be in March.
JUST NOTES: Game time is 7 p.m. . . . Kamloops native Lucas Gore (15-11-3, 3.17, .907) is to start in goal for the Bruins, with Jeff Bosch (15-9-1, 3.23, .903) expected to get the call for the Blazers. Bosch has started the team’s last five games and 12 of its last 13. . . . The Blazers are 4-1 against conference rivals since the Christmas break. . . . Chilliwack and Kamloops each is 4-6-0 in its last 10 games. . . . The Blazers will play the Rockets in Kelowna on Saturday. That will be the third meeting between those teams in 10 days, with each having won on home ice.

Bruins push, pull their way past Blazers

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
You kind of knew what the Chilliwack game plan was when on each of his first two shifts Bruins left-winger Brendan Persley hit the cross-bar behind Kamloops Blazers goaltender Jon Groenheyde on Saturday night.
Persley did that with his body, not the puck.
The game plan worked, too, as the Bruins, using a physical in-your-face style, handed the Blazers a 5-2 licking before 4,010 fans at Interior Savings Centre.
“Absolutely,” replied Blazers captain Chase Schaber when it was suggested the Bruins had been allowed to set the tempo. “For the first couple of shifts we sat back and we watched them take the shots and then we responded after that.
“As a team, we can’t let that happen. We have to be the ones that jump the gun and take it to them and dictate the pace of the game.”
The Blazers (1-1-0-0) will get the opportunity to do just that on Saturday when the teams meet again, this time in Chilliwack’s home-opener. One night earlier, the Blazers will meet the Silvertips in Everett.
This was a costly loss, too, as defenceman Josh Caron left early in the third period with what Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said is an “upper body” injury. Charron expects to be without the rugged Caron for up to six weeks. It was a tough end to what had been a terrific week for Caron, 19, who signed a three-year NHL contract — he was a free agent — with the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
Caron was injured in the second- period but thought, mistakenly as it turned out, that he could play in the third.
The Bruins (1-1-0-0) got big games from two veteran forwards who have tasted NHL camps themselves.
Left-winger Ryan Howse, whose NHL rights belong to the Calgary Flames, scored twice, giving him five goals in two games. Centre Roman Horak, in his first game since returning from the New York Rangers, had a goal and three assists.
“How good was Horak?” a smiling Marc Habscheid, the Bruins’ general manager and head coach, asked rhetorically.
Howse, who is from Prince George, was quick to credit his Slovakian linemates — Horak and Robin Soudek — for his night’s work, but added “everybody played well. Every line contributed with hits or making plays.”
As for the Bruins’ aggression, Howse said: “We have to bring that kind of game.”
Howse got his club started when he rifled a shot past Groenheyde’s glove just 1:05 into the game. Five minutes later, Horak upped it to 2-0 when, while on the power play, he went to the net and had an airborne puck go off his body and into the net.
The Blazers were left to play catch-up and, while they got close at 2-1 and 3-2, they weren’t able to pull even.
“I thought we generated a lot of scoring chances,” said Charron, whose club had 38 shots on goaltender Lucas Gore, who is from Kamloops.
The Blazers, as they did in beating the Prince George Cougars on Friday, had problems with turnovers and spent too much time in their zone.
“There were a number of times when our gap . . . our defencemen weren’t in their face at all,” Charron said. “That allows them to generate some speed.”
The Bruins used that speed to access the Kamloops zone and the Blazers’ passivity often allowed the visitors to set up camp there.
Jamie Crooks and Tyler Stahl also scored for the Bruins, who led 2-1 and 4-2 at the breaks. Ryan Hanes and Brendan Ranford replied for the Blazers, who got 27 saves from Groenheyde.
Charron scratched two forwards — freshman Logan McVeigh and sophomore JC Lipon, both of whom played Friday. That got two new forwards — Lyndon Martell and Chase Souto — into the lineup. Charron said he hadn’t seen enough energy from the line of Hanes, McVeigh and Lipon.
Souto, who turns 16 on Oct. 8, gave the crowd something to cheer about at 19:37 of the third period. The 5-foot-10, 165-pounder took a slash from Chillwack defenceman Zach Habscheid, 18, who goes 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds and had 96 penalty minutes in 53 games last season.
Souto dropped the gloves and then dropped Habscheid with a straight right to the jaw.
“He knows his role and he does it very well,” said Charron of Souto. “(Chilliwack) did a lot more talking than action, but their game plan worked so more power to them.”
The Bruins don’t play again before meeting the Blazers on Saturday. Schaber said his guys will be ready.
“It all starts with our preparation,” he said. “I don’t think we were ready. We didn’t bring the energy that we need to bring every night.
“We’re going to work on that through the week and we’re going to come back strong and we’re going to come back ready to play and play Blazers hockey.”
JUST NOTES: Referees Ryan Benbow and Trent Knorr gave the Blazers 13 of 23 minors, two of four majors and two of three misconducts. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. Horak: Could have had eight or nine points; 2. Howse: Scored 47 last season and on pace for 180 this season; 3. Persley: Spent the night in Groenheyde’s face. . . . Kamloops D Corey Fienhage (Buffalo Sabres) was expected back in town last night. The timing of his return couldn’t be better, what with Caron expected to miss as much as six weeks of action. . . . D Brandon Manning (N.Y. Rangers) and C Kevin Sundher (Buffalo) were to rejoin the Bruins on Sunday. . . . The honourary Blazer on Saturday was Brendan Mucha of Barriere, a cousin to G Kurtis Mucha, who completed his WHL eligibility with the Blazers last season. Kurtis made his CIS debut with the U of Alberta Golden Bears on Friday night. He stopped 25 shots in a 3-0 victory over the Regina Cougars. . . . Charron indicated that Groenheyde likely will play both games this weekend, as Jeff Bosch (ankle) isn’t ready. . . . F Tyler Shattock, the Blazers’ captain a year ago, has been sent to the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen by the St. Louis Blues.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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