Islanders return Barzal to Seattle . . . Broncos, Oil Kings swing deal . . . Three left in hunt for 2018 Memorial Cup

F Roman Tvrdoň (Spokane, 1999-2001) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Landshut (Germany, Oberliga). Last season, with Piešťany (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had three goals and four assists in 27 games. . . .

F Eric Johansson (Tri-City, 1997-2002) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Herning (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Last season, he had seven goals and 19 assists in 23 games with Riessersee Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany, DEL2). . . .

D David Hájek (Spokane, 1998-99) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Weiden (Germany, Oberliga). Last season, he had three goals and one assist with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2).

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The NHL’s New York Islanders returned F Mathew Barzal, 19, to the Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday. Barzal, the 16th overall selection in the 2015 NHL draft, had played in only two of the

MATHEW BARZAL

Islanders’ first 13 games this season, seeing a grand total of 19 minutes 30 seconds in ice time. Last week, he was said to be battling strep throat.

Barzal will be playing in his fourth WHL season. He put up 88 points, including 27 goals, in 58 games last season.

The Thunderbirds next play Friday in Kent, Wash., against the Calgary Hitmen.

Barzal’s return will give Seattle head coach Steve Konowalchuk the option to reunite one of the WHL’s top lines pf last season — Barzal between Ryan Gropp and Keegan Kolesar. However, that may not happen until some time in January.

Kolesar had surgery to repair a supraumbilical hernia while with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and isn’t expected back for another week or two.

Meanwhile, Barzal is certain to be invited to attend the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp. That list is to be released on Nov. 29. Should Barzal be on Team Canada’s final roster, he would be lost to the Thunderbirds until after the 2017 World Junior Championship, which is to conclude on Jan. 5.

Barzal had two goals and an assist for Canada at the 2016 WJC.

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KOLE GABLE

The Swift Current Broncos have acquired F Kole Gable, 18, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2018 WHL bantam draft. . . . Gable, from Fort McMurray, Alta., had six goals and five assists in 53 games as a freshman last season. This season, he has one goal in eight games. . . . The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder was a ninth-round selection by Edmonton in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . In 2014-15, Gable had 22 goals and 22 assists for the midget AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers. . . . “We have injuries and a stretch of games against divisional rivals. We can’t afford to be short any bodies,” Manny Viveiros, the Broncos‘ director of player personnel and head coach, said in a news release. “We’re really ecstatic that we have a young man here who could be a two-and-a-half year player that we didn’t have to give up any players or prospects for.”

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The Oshawa Express is reporting that there are three teams left in contention to play host to the 2018 Memorial Cup, which will be mark the 100th anniversary of the trophy. Joel Wittnebel of the Express writes that “according to sources, (the) list now has been narrowed down to three possible host teams who have submitted bids: the Hamilton Bulldogs, Regina Pats and Oshawa Generals.” . . . RoccoTullio, the Generals’ owner, said: “That’s what we’ve been told.” . . . Wittnebel’s story is right here. . . . The Pats are the oldest junior hockey team in North America; they will mark their 100th season in 2017-18. However, they are embroiled in nasty negotiations on a new lease, something that may well end up knocking the city out of the bidding.

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The BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks fired head coach Brandon West on Wednesday. Troy Mick, the franchise’s president and general manager, made the announcement. . . . West was in his fifth season with the organization, the third as head coach. The Silverbacks were 91-83-20, with eight ties, under West. This season, the Silverbacks are 8-14-0, good for sixth in the six-team Interior Division. They are three points out of fifth place and four out of third. . . . Assistant coaches Brooks Christensen and Darrell Hay are running things on an interim basis while a search continues for a new head coach. . . . Last season, the Silverbacks finished 29-20-5-4. They wound up third in the division and made the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13. . . . On June 6, West was signed to a contract extension, the duration of which wasn’t revealed.

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The SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers have added Mat Hehr to their staff as an assistant coach. He had been the assistant general manager and associate coach with the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves before leaving following the firing of GM/head coach Shawn Martin last month. . . . With the Terriers, Hehr will work alongside GM/head coach Casey O’Brien.

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JUST NOTES:

The Edmonton Oil Kings, who are at home to the Saskatoon Blades tonight, have brought in G Boston Bilous, 15, from the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds of the B.C. Major Midget League. A native of Langley, B.C., he was a fourth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . As a 15-year-old, Bilous is eligible to play five WHL games before theThunderbirds’ season concludes. The Oil Kings have two other goaltenders — veteran Patrick Dea, 19, and freshman Liam Hughes, 17 — on their roster. . . .

The Swift Current Broncos will be without freshman F Riley Stotts, 16, for up to six weeks. Stotts, the 10th overall selection in the 2015 bantam draft, had his skates off in the Canada Red dressing room during last week’s U-17 World Hockey Challenge when he was stepped on by a teammate. The resulting damage to one foot has put Stotts on the shelf. He has four goals in 12 games this season. . . . 

Last week, a Vancouver radio station (News 1130 Sports) reported that D Tyler Brown had left the Vancouver Giants. The roster report released this week by the WHL lists Brown as having retired. . . . Brown, from East Olympia, Wash., was a fifth-round pick by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2012 bantam draft. This season, he had two assists in 16 games with the Giants, who acquired him from Moose Jaw last season. . . . In 167 career regular-season games, he has three goals and 27 assists.

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First Taco Tuesday of the season! 21 players and 13 pounds of meat! @iverke @keoni_texeira @coltonveloso17 pic.twitter.com/h1JmPBtXr4

— Teresa Forni (@teresaforni) November 9, 2016

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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.

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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Saskatoon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.

Regina at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

Prince George vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.

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WHL teams going outside for coaches . . . Hockey dead at TRU? . . . Mykitiuk back in WHL

F Codey Burki (Brandon, 2002-07) has been loaned by Olten (Switzerland, NL B) to Fribourg-Gottéron (Switzerland, NL A) through Dec. 23. Burki, who has dual Canadian-Swiss citizenship, had 17 points, including four goals, in 19 games with Olten this season. . . .
F Roman Tvrdon (Spokane, 1999-2001) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Guildford Flames (England, Premier). Last season, with Považská Bystrica (Slovakia, 1. Liga), he had a goal and four assists in nine games; he also had 12 goals and nine assists in 21 games with Oświęcim (Poland, Ekstraliga). . . .
There was an interesting game in Gävle, Sweden, between home team Brynäs and Linköping in the SHL on Thursday night. Shots on goal in the first period were 24-0 for Linköping. The score was 0-0. . . .  Linköping went on to win 2-1 in a shootout. Final shots on goal were 51-20 for Linköping. . . . F Greg Scott (Seattle, 2005-09) scored for Brynäs with 1:22 left to send the game to OT. . . . Columnist Stisse Åberg, writing  in Gefle Dagblad, the local Gävle newspaper: "I was close, very close, to losing interest entirely . . . for the game. Why should I care -- when Brynäs decides to spend a troubled half hour in their own zone."
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THE COACHING GAME:

When the Vancouver Giants introduced Claude Noel as the fifth head coach in franchise history on Monday, it marked the 12th coaching change in the WHL since the end of last season.
In only two instances did the team in question promote an assistant coach to head coach.
The Giants, in fact, have gone outside their organization for their last two head coaches as they work to find a replacement for Don Hay, their head coach for the previous 10 seasons. Troy Ward lasted 25 games; the Noel era begins tonight against the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
Hay, of course, was let out of his contract with a year remaining on it, and he returned to Kamloops as the Blazers’ head coach. The Blazers twice overlooked associate coach Mark Ferner -- they brought Guy Charron down from the front office to replace Dave Hunchak when the latter disappeared in January; then they brought Hay back as head coach. Those moves may or may not have had anything to do with Ferner’s decision to leave the Blazers earlier this season and return to the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers as general manager and head coach.
The Calgary Hitmen (Mark French), Moose Jaw Warriors (Tim Hunter), Portland (Jamie Kompon), Prince Albert Raiders (Marc Habscheid), Regina Pats (John Paddock), Saskatoon Blades (Bob Woods) and Tri-City Americans (Mike Williamson) all reached outside their organizations when making a move to a new head coach.
Only the Edmonton Oil Kings and Kelowna Rockets chose to promote from within.
The Oil Kings, the defending Memorial Cup champions, lost head coach Derek Laxdal to the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Edmonton promptly moved associate coach Steve Hamilton into the head coach’s office. Hamilton, whose father, Al, played for the original Oil Kings, had spent four seasons as Laxdal’s lead assistant.
In Kelowna, the Rockets had to replace Ryan Huska, who now is the head coach of the Adirondack Flames, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. Huska was the Rockets’ head coach for seven seasons; Lambert, a former Swift Current Broncos defenceman, rode shotgun for five of those seasons.
“When I hired Dan Lambert, I wanted him to learn how to be a head coach,” Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ owner and general manager, told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “We wouldn’t let other teams have access to him because we were paying him to learn to be our head coach.”
Each of the last three times Hamilton has had to find a new head coach, he has promoted from within. When Habscheid left after 2003-04, it was Jeff Truitt’s turn to move up. When Truitt left, Huska was given his opportunity.
And now it’s Lambert’s turn.
Considering the success that the Rockets have had, you are free to wonder why other WHL teams don’t use that same strategy. Or are they trying to and just not having the same success?
At a glance, there are eight WHL head coaches who have worked in the league as assistant coaches. Four of those are Kelly McCrimmon (Brandon), Ryan McGill (Edmonton Ice), Hay and Williamson, each of whom was an assistant back in the day. The other four are Dave Lowry (Victoria), who was an assistant with the Hitmen for three seasons (2005-08); Shaun Clouston, who was an assistant in Medicine Hat for six seasons and moved up when Willie Desjardins left after 2009-10; Steve Hamilton and Lambert.
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By the way, Daniel Nugent-Bowman’s complete story on Bruce Hamilton and the way he operates the Kelowna Rockets is right here.
Interestingly, Hamilton takes the blame for the way the Rockets flamed out in the playoffs last spring.
What happened?
Hamilton makes no bones about the fact that he wants “good guys” on his roster. But . . .
“Last year we made a fatal mistake,” Hamilton admitted to Nugent-Bowman. “We brought in (Marek) Tvrdon thinking he was going to jump-start us. He jump-started us the wrong way.
“That’s all on my shoulders. He wasn’t a good enough guy to be the difference in games.”
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Ken Dryden was the late Jean Beliveau’s last roommate; Beliveau was Dryden’s first. . . . Right here, Dryden remembers “a very nice man.”
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Roy MacGregor, Canada’s greatest essayist at this point in time, gets to the essence of the late Jean Beliveau in a wonderful piece from The Globe and Mail. That essay is right here and it’s more than worth your time.
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Chris Daniels of King 5 News in Seattle reported Thursday night that Washington state regulators “have expanded their investigation into the (WHL) and its member franchises over possible violations of child labour laws.” . . . The WHL has four franchises in Washington -- the Everett Silvertips, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans -- and they are the subject of this investigation. . . . Daniels’ report is right here.
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Trevor Bast, who has spent the last while working in the hopes of re-establishing a hockey program with Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, reports that the door has been closed.
On Thursday afternoon, Bast took part in a conference call with Dr. Alan Shaver, TRU’s president, Matt Vilovick, the school’s vice-president finance/administration, and athletic director Ken Olynyk.
“By the end of the call,” Bast told Taking Note, “I was advised TRU will not support the revival of the men’s hockey team.”
Bast said the TRU officials “cited recent bad history with hockey, poor academic performance and behaviour with non-varsity club teams in general . . . as well as a lack of desire to support hockey financially and clerically, among other things.”
TRU killed the hockey program prior to this season, citing the team’s financial situation, among other things. The team wasn’t a varsity team, but rather was operated by a non-profit society. At the end, it was around $50,000 in debt.
“Athletic director Ken Olynyk did state by email at one point a concern we were going to take away sponsorship that is currently directed to TRU athletics,” Bast said. “I suppose you can't blame him as we were gaining momentum and folks in Kamloops do like hockey.”
Bast admitted that “the front door to re-entry to the BCIHL has been slammed shut.”
But the Victoria resident, whose son was to have played on the Wolfpack this season, isn’t about to give up.
“We now will turn our time and energy away from the TRU athletic department and explore other ways of entering the BCIHL,” he said. “Collegiate hockey in Kamloops can work and the BCIHL is a league worth fighting to be in. As well, the BCIHL is a league that deserves to exist and thrive.
“At this time, if there is anyone out there who can help this cause financially as a sponsor or a donor, please don’t wait for me to find you.”
If you are interested, feel free to email Bast at trevorbast@gmail.com.
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According to Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, F Rourke Chartier has reached 30 goals quicker than any player in franchise history. F Brett McLean (1997-98) got there in his 30th game. Chartier reached 30 on Wednesday night, in his 28th game. . . .
The Kelowna Rockets and Saskatoon Blades have been fined $250 apiece for the battling goaltenders during their Wednesday night game. Kelowna’s Jake Morrissey and Nik Amundrud of the visiting Blades scrapped at centre ice during the third period of the Rockets’ 5-1 victory. . . .
G Jared Rathjen, 20, who was placed on waivers by the Prince George Cougars earlier this week, has rejoined the AJHL’s Whitecourt Wolverines. He was 6-4-1/2.99/.916 with the Wolverines in 2012-13. . . . A native of Prince George, he got into three games with the Cougars before getting caught up in the 20-year-old numbers game. . . . He also has played with the Vancouver Giants and Victoria Royals, and was in camp prior to this season with the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . .
The Everett Silvertips have added F Jake Mykitiuk, 19, to their roster. He spent last season and the first part of this season in the AJHL, after spending two seasons with the Prince George Cougars. In 126 WHL games, he put up 22 points, including seven goals. . . . This season, with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints, he had 23 points, 10 of them goals, in 31 games. . . . Mykitiuk proves Everett with some depth up front, especially with F Dawson Leedahl (knee) and F Logan Aasman (undisclosed) on the shelf. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors are preparing to play three games in Alberta in fewer than 48 hours this weekend. Once again, the Warriors are having to juggle their defence due to injuries. Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more right here.
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3 journos who cover CHL teams told me over past few months their editors have told them not to cover labour issue b/c of biz ties with clubs
— rick westhead (@rwesthead) December 4, 2014

Seattle pick visiting Wisconsin

THE MacBETH REPORT:


F Stepan Novotny (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11) has been loaned by Plzen to Brno (both Czech Republic, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had three goals and an assist in 17 games. . . .

F Ivan Dornic (Portland, 2003-05) and F Roman Tvrdon (Spokane, 1999-2001) have signed for the rest of this season with Unia Oswiecim (Poland, Ekstraliga). . . . This season, Dornic, with Zilina (Slovakia, Extraliga), had one assist in 12 games, while Tvrdon, with Povazska Bystrica (Slovakia, 1.Liga), had a goal and four assists in nine games. . . .
F Tomas Fojtik (Portland, 2003-04) signed a short-term contract with the Swindon Wildcats (England, Premier). Swindon is short players due to injury and the Division 1 Group B World Junior Championship. Fojtik lives and works in Swindon. This season with Slouth (England, Premier), he had five assists in 11 games before being released on Oct. 21. . . .

F Ryan Hollweg (Medicine Hat, 1999-2004) signed a two-year extension with Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He has three goals in 18 games this season.
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F Dante Fabbro is spending the weekend in Madison, Wisc., checking out the University of Wisconsin campus and the men’s hockey program. The Seattle Thunderbirds selected Fabbro, who is from Coquitlam, B.C., with the eighth overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . There’s more on Fabbro and his visit right here.
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The SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs have fired general manager/head coach Gavin Holcomb. . . . Trevor Blevins has stepped in as interim head coach. Blevins is a former Melfort player and assistant coach. . . . Dwight Kulchysky will remain on as assistant coach and also will serve as the interim general manager. . . . The Mustangs are 10-12-0-4 after beating the visiting Estevan Bruins 4-2 on Friday night. Melfort is fourth in the four-team Sherwood Division, four points behind the division-leading Nipawin Hawks.
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Over at greatesthockeylegends.com, Joe Pelletier has named his 2013 Hockey Book of the Year. . . . The honour goes to Keon and Me, by Dave Bidini. . . . If you haven’t already, you really should visit Pelletier’s website. If you are a reader of hockey books, this is a great site as Pelletier keeps tabs on what’s on the shelves and what’s on the way.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have traded G Christopher Tai, 18, to the Medicine Hat Tigers for an undisclosed 2015 bantam draft pick. With the move, Brandon made room for G Curtis Honey, who missed 14 games with an undisclosed injury. He played the third period of Brandon’s 4-3 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncos Friday night. . . . Tai played in one game with Brandon, after coming over from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He gave up one goal in 30 minutes with the Wheat Kings. Tai is expected to arrive in Medicine Hat on Monday. . . . The Tigers need a goaltender with G Marek Langhamer soon to leave for the selection camp of the Czech Republic national junior team.
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FRIDAY NIGHT:
In Brandon, the Swift Current Broncos erased a 2-1 first-period deficit with three second-period goals in a 7:16 span and beat the Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . The Broncos (19-11-3) have won three in a row and lead the Eastern Conference by four points. . . . F Dakota Odgers opened the game’s scoring for the Broncos with his first WHL goal. It came in his 13th game, four of which have come this season. . . . F Andrew Johnson’s fourth goal, at 13:36 of the second, stood up as the winner. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 38 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Jayce Hawrulyk, their scoring leader, who served the first game of a two-game suspension. He drew the punishment under supplemental discipline for a hit on Regina D Kyle Burroughs on Wednesday night. Burroughs, who is going through the WHL’s concussion protocol, didn’t play Friday night. . . . Regina F Max Kammerer also is concussed. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Regina Pats scored two shootout goals to beat the Warriors, 5-4. . . . The Warriors actually took a 4-2 lead into the third period. . . . F Dyson Stevenson got the Pats to within one with his 16th goal at 12:26 of the third, with F Chandler Stephenson forcing extra time with his second goal of the game, and his 13th this season, at 16:26. . . . Stephenson also had an assist. . . . F Brayden Point scored twice, giving him 11, and added an assist for Moose Jaw, which got three assists from D Jesse Forsberg. . . . F Boston Leier and Stevenson scored for the Pats in the shootout, while the Warriors got a goal from F Torrin White. . . .

In Edmonton, F Mitchell Moroz and F Reid Petryk scored shootout goals to give the Oil Kings a 5-4 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Winterhawks erased a late 4-2 third-period deficit to force OT. F Taylor Leier scored twice, giving him 22, at 17:13 and 19:04. . . . F Edgars Kulda had his ninth goal and an assist for Edmonton, which has won four straight. . . . F Nic Petan had a goal and two assists for Portland, giving him 64 points and moving him to within two points of the WHL points lead. He also had Portland’s lone goal in the shootout. . . . Portland (21-5-4) has points in seven straight (5-0-2) and leads the overall standings by two points over the Kelowna Rockets and Everett Silvertips. . . . This was a meeting of the two teams that appeared in the last two WHL finals, Edmonton winning the first title and the Winterhawks now the defending champions. . . . Edmonton D Dyson Mayo scored the game’s second goal at 15:20 of the first period; it was the Teddy Bear goal. . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot had a goal and two assists. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes beat the Prince Albert Raiders 3-1 for their third victory in their last 18 games. . . . The Hurricanes (4-23-4) had lost seven in a row. . . . Lethbridge F Russell Maxwell opened the scoring late in the second period with the Teddy Bear goal. . . . F Tyler Wong gave the home side a 2-0 lead with his 12th goal at 1:07 of the third period. . . . F Riley Sheen put it away with an empty-netter at 18:55. . . . Sheen has six goals. . . . Lethbridge G Teagan Sacher stopped 31 shots. . . . Only two minor penalties were called, both against Lethbridge. . . .

In Kamloops, F Tim Bozon burned his former team for two goals and two assists as the Kootenay Ice beat the Blazers, 7-3. . . . Bozon has 19 points, including six goals, since being acquired by the Ice from Kamloops. He has nine goals on the season. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau had two goals, giving him 21, and an assist for Kootenay, while F Sam Reinhart had two assists. . . . F Eric Krienke scored his first WHL goal for the Blazers. He’s a 17-year-old freshman from Calgary. . . . Kamloops D Sam Grist was hit with a match penalty for attempt to injure during a third-period scrap with Ice F Jon Martin. Grist apparently used Martin’s helmet to strike the Ice player. . . . The Blazers are at home to the Everett Silvertips tonight, so Grist may have to sit out depending on how the WHL office views the matter. . . . Ice F Ryan Chynoweth was among the scratches. He was injured when hit from behind during a game in Vancouver on Wednesday night. . . . Kamloops, which has lost 11 in a row, is without F Aspen Sterzer, who suffered an undisclosed injury on Nov. 29 against visiting Kelowna. Sterzer isn’t expect to play tonight, either. . . .

In Prince George, F Braden Purtil scored his third goal of the season at 4:21 of OT as the Tri-City Americans beat the Cougars, 4-3. . . . Cougars F Todd Fiddler forced OT with his 11th goal at 18:15 of the third period. . . . F Lucas Nickles had a goal, his seventh, and two assists for the Americans, who have won three in a row. . . . Americans G Eric Comrie turned aside 38 shots. . . . Prince George F Troy Bourke completed a three-game suspension. . . . The Cougars are hurting through sickness and injuries. Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen reports that the Cougars had just six forwards available for one practice this week. . . . Prince George F Zach Pochiro (concussion) was symptom free only to have headaches return. Also out with concussions are F Jari Erricson, D Tate Olson and F Brad Morrison. . . . Also out of the Cougars lineup are D Raymond Grewal (ankle), F David Soltes (knee) and G Brett Zarowny (groin). . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Everett Silvertips, 3-1. . . . Kelowna F Ryan Olsen got his fifth goal, on the PP, at 10:55 of the second and D Damon Severson, with his eighth on a PP just 57 seconds into the third, broke the 1-1 tie. . . . Olsen, whose first goal was the Teddy Bear score, later scored his second of the game. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 26 shots. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist had his point streak snapped at 18 games. He had 40 points, including 16 goals, over that stretch. That is the longest point steak in the league this season. . . . The Rockets, who have the WHL’s best winning percentage (.846), have won five straight. . . .

In Victoria, F Brandon Magee scored twice, the last one into an empty net, as the Royals doubled the Vancouver Giants, 4-2. . . . Magee has 10 goals. . . . Royals F Taylor Crunk snapped a 2-2 tie with his third goal at 9:50 of the third. . . . Vancouver lost F Tim Traber, who spent two seasons with the Chilliwack Bruins and two with the Royals, to a boarding major and game misconduct at 10:44 of the first period. . . . The Giants had earned at least a point in each of their previous 11 games. . . .

In Spokane, F Branden Troock struck for three goals and added an assist as the Seattle Thunderbirds dropped the Chiefs, 7-3. . . . Troock, who enjoyed his first WHL hat trick, has 13 goals. . . . Seattle, which won 5-1 in Spokane on Sunday, has won five in a row. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore had four assists for the first time in his career, with D Jarret Smith scoring his first goal and adding two helpers for his first three-point outing. Smith has two goals in 101 regular-season games. . . . F Adam Helewka had two goals, giving him 14, and an assist for Spokane. . . . Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg, who leads the WHL in goals (32) and points (66), was held pointless and, in fact, was ejected after becoming involved in a multi-fight situation at 17:41 of the third period. . . . Seattle held a 25-15 edge in shots on goal.

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No ordinary number for Hay

DON HAY

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

The hockey gods have been known to work in mysterious ways.
How else to explain that the Vancouver Giants, who have had one five-game losing streak in more than six seasons under head coach Don Hay, should lose four straight times before beating the visiting Chilliwack Bruins 2-1 on Saturday night?
That meant Hay was able to be credited with his 500th WHL coaching victory on a night when his good friend Ken Hitchcock was at Pacific Coliseum.
“It’s not just a number,” Hay said Monday afternoon. “It means I’ve been really lucky to work with good people, good organizations in Kamloops and Tri-City and here.”
Hay, who also has coached the Kamloops Blazers and Tri-City Americans, is the fourth coach in WHL history to reach that milestone. He is in his 12th season as a WHL head coach; this is his seventh with the Giants.
On the all-time list, he trails Ken Hodge (742), Ernie (Punch) McLean (548) and the late Pat Ginnell (518).
“When you have success it’s got a lot to do with the people around you,” Hay said. “You look at the players I’ve had the opportunity to coach and you feel pretty lucky.”
Hitchcock was the Blazers’ head coach in Kamloops when Hay, then a local firefighter, joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach. Hay, of course, eventually took over as head coach and guided the Blazers to Memorial Cup titles in 1994 and 1995.
Hitchcock was fired last season as head coach of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, despite having a contract that pays US$1.3 million annually and runs through next season. Hitchcock was in Vancouver for the first Hyundai Hockey national coaching symposium and minor hockey clinic.
“Yeah,” Hay said. “Hitch was at the game . . . that was good.”
Of course, Hay was well aware that he was close to them milestone but he said he really began to realize Sunday just what it was that he had accomplished.
“It really sank in on Sunday when I got a lot of texts and emails and congratulatory messags from ex-players and coaches around the league and form other coaches,” he said. “It starts to sink in and you say, ‘Wow, it is quite a milestone.’ ”
However, Hay added, he is glad that it’s over because “your focus as always as a coach is to win the next game.”
That next game happens to be tonight and, with Hay to be honoured in a pregame ceremony, it is somehow only fitting that it will be against the visiting Blazers.
“That organization means a lot to me, obviously,” Hay said. “It’s where I started and have a home.
“It’s always special when we play against the Blazers but the games right now are so important. You can have a bad week and go from first to right out of the hunt.”
The Giants (14-11-4), who have won five B.C. Division pennants in a row, are tied for second in the division, a point back of the Prince George Cougars. Vancouver is tied for fifth in the10-team Western Conference, where nine teams are within six points of each other.
The Blazers (14-13-2) are eighth, two points behind the Giants.
“We’ve been telling our guys that it’s like Ferburary, when normally you’re scratching and fighting,” Hay said. “Usually in Febrary, there’s one or two teams out of it, but there’s nobody out of the hunt right now.”
Hay, 56, has been in the business long enough to know that injuries are part of the game. But, he admitted, injuries have taken a toll on the Giants.
“I don’t think we can gauge our team right now,” Hay said. “I don’t know if we’re ever going to get everybody back at the same time. We’ll have some decisions to make when we get everybody healthy. Hopefully, by the trade deadline we’ll be healthier.”
The Giants have five players with long-term injuries, including Slovakian winger Marek Tvrdon, who had 11 points, including six goals, in 12 games when he went down with a season-ending shoulder injury.
They also are missing forwards Randy McNaught (ankle) and Connor Redmond (shoulder), while defencemen Luke Fenske and Zach Hodder are out with shoulder injuries. On top of that, forward Greg Lamoureux left Saturday’s game with an upper body injury and was to see a doctor yesterday.
“To lose a guy like Tvrdon, a young guy who scored six goals in 12 games . . . we’re not blessed with a lot of scoring right now anyway,” Hay said. “To lose him was a big blow.”
Things have gotten so desperate on offence that late last week Hay split up forwards Craig Cunningham and Brendan Gallagher, who not that long ago were running one-two in the WHL points derby. Cunningham has 43 points, but only seven since Nov. 1.
Hay said it’s a matter of the puck “just not going in” for Cunningham. “Teams are playing him hard,” the coach said. “He’s still working as hard as ever but (goals) are becoming tougher and tougher to come by.”
JUST NOTES: The game features the WHL’s top two goal scorers in LW Brendan Ranford of the Blazers, who has 25, and Gallagher, with 24. . . . The Giants get D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen back from a seven-game suspension tonight. He hasn’t played since Nov. 11. . . . The Giants will be without F Brett Lyon, who has drawn a one-game suspension for fighting off the opening faceoff on Saturday. . . . The Blazers have followed a six-game road winning streak by losing four in a row away from home. And five of the six games left on their pre-Christmas schedule are on the road.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.comTaking Note on Twitter

Moon continues to shine

The PBR Canadian Cup National Finals presented by Wrangler are scheduled for Saskatoon, in Credit Union Centre, Nov. 19 and 20.
The CUC, of course, is home to the Saskatoon Blades.
So the Blades have cut a promotional deal with PBR Canada and Wrangler that includes the use of a third jersey.
Yes, that is the third jersey in the photo above.
The Blades plan on wearing these jerseys on Nov. 12 against the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
One look at those jerseys raises a question: They practically scream WRANGLER, even through there is no label in evidence. So how long before we see advertising patches on WHL team jerseys?
When you see a jersey like this one it makes you think it won’t be long until there are Husky/Mohawk patches on the front and KalTire strips across the back.
Or maybe it’ll have Drake Hotel across the back in place of the name bar.
(PBR? That would be Professional Bull Riders.)
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jared Aulin (Kamloops, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with Leksand (Sweden Allsvenskan). He had 16 goals and 21 assists in 64 games for the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) last season. The contract contains a one-month tryout clause, then rolls into a contract for the rest of the season. . . .
F Roman Tvrdon (Spokane, 1999-2001) signed a one-year plus option contract with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia Extraliga). He had six goals and four assists in an 11 game try-out with Skalica (Slovakia Extraliga) this season.
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Congrats to old friend Cam Moon, the long-serving radio voice of the Red Deer Rebels. He worked his 1,001st consecutive game Friday night as the Rebels beat the visiting Vancouver Giants, 5-2.
If you haven’t listened to Moon call a game, you should. He’s personable and easy to listen to, and he and analyst Mike Moller clearly enjoy bringing the games to their listening audience.
Moon will be back at it tonight as the Saskatoon Blades visit Red Deer. Moon once played goal for the Blades — he also played for the Prince Albert Raiders and Medicine Hat Tigers — and has some great stories to tell, most of which are fit only for private conversations.
He will have a tougher time calling tonight’s game than he did last night. You can bet on that. . . . Why? . . . Because he is one of the biggest baseball fans around. So you know he’ll have Game 3 of the World Series up on his laptop tonight. Yes, he is talented enough to keep one eye on Texas and San Francisco, while talking about Saskatoon and Red Deer.
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Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate, has a story right here on the Seattle Thunderbirds’ backup goaltender. Michael Salmon hasn’t had a whole lot to do this season because he’s the caddy for Calvin Pickard, perhaps the WHL’s best goaltender. Salmon, however, is working hard and trying to be a good teammate.
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Former WHL scoring champion Erik Christensen continues to be his own worst enemy. Christensen has all the tools to be a superb offensive player -- he won the 2002-03 WHL scoring title with 108 points while with the Kamloops Blazers -- has always struggled to deal with the pressure he puts on himself to perform. That is the problem again, this time as he struggles to find his place with the New York Rangers. Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes about it right here.
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haven’t seen all of Hockey Canada’s officiating assignments for IIHF events, but at least four WHL officials have been selected to work on the international stage. . . . Matt Kirk and Pat Smith will work at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. . . . Kiel Murchison will be at the the IIHF World Championship in Bratislava and Kosice, Slovakia, April 29 though May 5. . . . Trent Knorr gets the U-18 World Championship (Division 3, Group B) in Mexico City, March 14-19.
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There was an interesting goaltending battle in Canada West hockey on Friday night as the visiting Alberta Golden Bears scored a 5-4 shootout victory over the Calgary Dinos. . . . Kurtis Mucha of the Golden Bears stopped 18 shots through OT and then turned aside five shooters in a shootout. At the other end, Dustin Butler turned aside 29 shots and stopped the first four shootout shooters he faced before F Sean Ringrose scored to win it. . . . Calgary F Matt Isbister had given his side a 4-3 lead at 18:56 of the third, only to have Alberta F Chad Klassen tie it at 19:42.
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It was one year ago tonight when Ben Fanelli of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers was crushed by Mike Liambis of the Erie Otters. Liambis now is playing for the UBC Thunderbirds, who play in the CIS’s Canada West conference. But waht of Fanelli? It turns out he has yet to receive medical clearance to return to game action. Jeff Hicks of the Kitchener-Waterloo Record has that story right here.
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John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that U.S. college hockey officials will meet with NHL people on Nov. 9 in Toronto. The college hockey people, including Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., are concerned about losing young players to NHL teams. Shipley’s story is right here.
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Haven’t seen one like this in a while. In the Central league last night, the host Missouri Mavericks scored a 5-2 victory over the Mississippi RiverKings. The teams combined for 300 penalty minutes. Check out the scoresheet right here. Gotta love the fact that each team ended up with 150 minutes.
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FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
CHILLIWACK 7 at CALGARY 2: F Roman Horak had two goals and an assist and F Ryan Howse drew three assists for the Bruins (8-4-0), who won their fourth straight game. . . . D Brandon Manning helped out with a goal and three helpers. . . . The Hitmen (4-9-0) have lost five in a row and have scored six goals in those games. . . . The Bruins scored the game’s first two goals — F Brandon Magee getting his first WHL goal and Horak getting his eighth — before the Hitmen roared back to tie it before the first period ended. . . . F Justin Krisch and F Trevor Cheek, with his first WHL score, counted for Calgary. . . . The Bruins, however, got goals from F Robin Soudek, his sixth, and F Chris Collins, his first, before the first period ended. Soudek scored at 17:53, with Collins scoring shorthanded at 19:46. . . . Manning, with his fifth, gave Chilliwack a 5-2 lead in the second. . . . Horak, with his ninth, and F Kevin Sundher, with his second, finished the scoring in the third. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 30 shots. . . . Calgary opened with Juraj Holly. He gave up two goals on five shots and left at 4:39 of the first. Michael Snider came on to stop 20 of 25. . . . The Bruins were 2-for-6 on the PP and now are 23-for-75 (30.7 per cent) on the season. . . . Attendance was 7,813. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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BRANDON 4 at KOOTENAY 5 (SO): The Ice scored three shootout goals to win this one. . . . F Matt Fraser, F Jesse Ismond and F Max Reinhart beat Brandon G Liam (Sonny) Liston, who stopped 37shots through OT. It was the first shootout of Liston’s WHL career. . . . Ice G Brett Teskey stopped 13 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings (6-9-1) were playing the seventh game of an eight-game swing that ends tonight in Lethbridge. . . . The Ice now is 11-3-1 and has won seven in a row. . . . The Wheat Kings led this one 3-0 at 12:18 of the first period on goals by F Brenden Walker, his seventh, D Brodie Melnychuk (3) and F Mark Stone (9). . . . The Ice came back to take a 4-3 lead, with F Drew Czerwonka counting at 11:38 of the third period for that lead. . . . Brandon F Hampus Gustafsson forced OT at 12:34 of the third. . . . F Scott Glennie and F Paul Ciarelli each had two assists for Brandon. . . . F Christian Magnus, D Joey Leach and Czerwonka each had a goal and an assist for the Ice, while F Elgin Pearce had two assists. . . . Brandon was 0-for-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 2,478. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . The Ice was without two defencemen — Hayden Rintoul (collarbone) and James Martin (nose). They lost D John Neibrandt after a second-period scrap with F Michael Ferland.
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SPOKANE 2 at MOOSE JAW 3: D Connor Cox scored at 15:40 of the third period to break a 2-2 tie. It was his third goal of the season. . . . The Warriors (6-8-1) got the game’s first goal, from F Dylan Hood at 6:39 of the first, and the teams alternated goals after that. . . . Chiefs F Levko Koper forged a 2-2 tie at 5:54 of the third on the PP. . . . The Chiefs (5-7-0), who had won three of four, were playing Game 1 of an eight-game road trip. . . . Moose Jaw F Danny Gayle had a goal and an assist. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk kicked out 21 shots, while Spokane’s James Reid turned aside 40. . . . The Chiefs were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-for-4. . . . Attendance was 2,556. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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SWIFT CURRENT 4 at PRINCE ALBERT 3 (OT): F Stepan Novotny’s 11th goal of the season, at 2:04 of OT, won it for the Broncos (9-8-0). . . . The Raiders (5-7-4) have lost six in a row. . . . Prince Albert’s Sebastian Svendsen scored twice, giving him 10. He opened the scoring at 15:52 of the first period and the teams alternated scoring after that. . . . Swift Current F Cody Eakin, returning from a hip injury, tied the score 3-3 with his ninth goal at 7:43 of the third on the PP. . . . F Mark McNeill and F Jonathan Parker each had two assists for P.A. . . . The Broncos got two assists from F Taylor Vause, while F Justin Dowling, playing with a sore right shoulder, had a goal and an assist. . . . The Broncos were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Raideers were 1-for-5. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped 37 shots, 12 more than Prince Albert’s Eric Williams. . . . Attendance was 2,073. . . . The Raiders played again without three defencemen — Jordan Rowley (wrist), Nathan Deck (knee) and Emerson Hrynyk (shoulder). . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . Of the 13 minor penalties handed out, four were for goaltender interference. Each team took two of those penalties.
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VANCOUVER 2 at RED DEER 5: F Andrej Kudrna had a goal and two assists for the Rebels (10-5-0). They acquired Kudrna, who has nine goals, from the Giants last season. . . . F Byron Froese added two goals for the Rebels. He has eight on the season. . . . D Alex Petrovic and F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had two helpers for the home team. . . . The Giants (9-6-2), who had won four in a row, scored the game’s first and last goals. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher had his 16-game point streak snapped. Gallagher, with 15 goals and 13 assists, had at least one point in each of his team’s 16 games going into this one. . . . Giants F Craig Cunningha, who leads the WHL with 34 points, also was held pointless. He had been riding a 10-game streak. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots. Vancouver opened with Mark Segal, who gave up four goals on 22 shots. Brendan Jensen came on late in the second period and stopped nine of 10. . . . The Giants were 1-for-7 on the PP; the Rebels were 3-for-7. . . . Vancouver took 50 of the game’s 90 penalty minutes. . . . Attendance was 4,408. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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PRINCE GEORGE 2 at SEATTLE 0: G Ty Rimmer stopped 36 shots for his first WHL shutout. Rimmer, who was acquired by Prince George from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Oct. 16 for a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, was making his first start for the Cougars (8-6-1). . . . This was the first shutout by a Prince George goaltender since March 6, 2009, when Kevin Armstrong stopped 31 shots in a 2-0 victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . Last night, the teams were scoreless well into the third period. . . . F Nick Buonassisi broke the scoreless tie with his sixth of the season, on the PP, at 13:59. . . . F Taylor Stefishen added insurancee at 16:24. It was his second of the season. . . . Tefishen, Buonassisi and D Martin Marincin each had two points. . . . G Calvin Pickard stopped 30 shots for Seattle (5-3-3). . . . The Thunderbirds have lost four in a row, with the first three of those losses coming in OT or a shootout. This, in fact, was their first loss in regulation in seven games. . . . The Cougars were 1-for-8 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-for-7. . . . Attendance was 3,033. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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TRI-CITY 3 at EVERETT 2 (SO): The Americans (11-4-1) got two shootout goals, while both Everett (5-4-4) shooters were blanked. . . . F Adam Hughesman and F Patrick Holland both scored in the shootout. . . . The Silvertips have lost five in a row and have scored seven goals in those games. . . . The Americans have won four of five. . . . F Parker Stanfield scored his third goal at 2:30 of the second period to give the Silvertips a 2-1 lead. . . . F Brooks Macek got his third at 9:21 of the second to tie the score at 2-2. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley turned aside 38 shots, seven more than Everett’s Kent Simpson. . . . This was victory No. 48 for Owsley, moving him into seventh on the franchise’s all-time list, one ahead of Olaf Kolzig, who now is one of the team’s owners. . . . The Americans were 1-for-3 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 6,422. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . The Silvertips announced after the game that their Pink in the Rink auction raised US$38,807.77, with proceeds benefiting the Providence General Foundation. Among other things, they auctioned off special game jerseys. The highest price paid for a jersey was $1,500, for D Ryan Murray’s. . . . And a special tip of the cap to Denny Spencer, a season-ticket holder in Everett. He donated $5,000 in memory of his wife, who recently lost her battle with breast cancer. You, sir, are someone special.
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KELOWNA 2 at PORTLAND 4: The Winterhawks (11-2-1) broke a 1-1 tie with three straight goals as they welcomed F Nino Niederreiter back into their lineup. . . . Niederreiter, the fifth pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft, was sent back by the New York Islanders on Thursday. He had one assist last night. . . . Niederreiter had a goal and an assist in nine games with the Isles. According to CapGeek.com, he was paid US$101,613 while in the NHL. . . . The Winterhawks have won five in a row. . . . D Joe Morrow scored for Portland, on the PP, at 8:45 of the first, with Kelowna F Cody Chikie, who scored both Kelowna goals, tying it at 9:04 with his first of the season. . . . F Riley Boychuk broke the 1-1 tie at 16:55 of the first. . . . After a scoreless second period, the Winterhawks got third-period goals from F Brad Ross, his seventh, at 15:32, and F Sven Bartschi, his 10th, at 15:59. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie had two assists. . . . Rattie and Bartschi are on eight-game point streaks. . . . The Rockets, who have lost four of five, are 4-9-0. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 33 shots, while Kelowna’s Adam Brown turned aside 32. . . . Kelowna wsa 0-for-9 on the PP; Portland was 1-for-8. . . . Attendance was 2,448. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . However, the teams, who play again tonight in Portland, combined for 114 penalty minutes, with the Winterhawks taking 58 of those.
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Congratulations to all of the players who were in action on Friday night. Eight games and not one checking-from-behind penalty. In Regina, Brad Hornung is smiling.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter