THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Rudolf Cerveny (Regina, 2007-09) and F Martin Podlesak (Tri-City, Lethbridge, 2000-02) signed one-year plus option contract extensions with Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . . Cerveny had three goals and two assists in 33 games with Ceske Budejovice and four assists in 11 games on loan to Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). . . . Podlesak had five goals and two assists in 32 games with Ceske Budejovice this season. . . .

D Michael Busto (Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Kootenay, 2001-07) signed a two-year contract extension with Angers (France, Ligue Magnus). He had three goals and 11 assists in 26 games this season. Angers finished the regular season in first place and lost to Rouen in Game 7 of the final, 4-3 in overtime. . . .

F Alex Leavitt (Swift Current, Everett, 2003-06) signed a one-year contract with Oskarshamn (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had one goal and four assists in 13 games with Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, Austria Erste Bank Liga) and 13 goals and 35 assists in 32 games with Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) this season. . . .

F Petr Dvorak (Regina, 2002-03) signed a one-year contract extension with Cracovia Krakow (Poland, Ekstraliga). He had 15 goals and 13 assists in 32 games this season for the Polish champions. . . .

F Curtis Huppe (Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Tri-City, 1995-2000) signed a one-year contract extension with the Guilford Flames (England Premier). He had 50 goals and 31 assists in 50 games with the English Premier champions this season.
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The USHL held Phase II of its draft last night. If you’re a fan of drafts, you have to love the USHL round-by-round. It’s right here, and if you click on a player’s name you will get his stats. Great stuff!
ushl.rinknetcloud.com/draft27.htm
Some names that caught my eye . . .

F Chris Wilkie was the second overall selection, going to the Tri-City Storm, in the the USHL draft on Tuesday evening. Wilkie, who turns 17 on July 10, has committed to North Dakota and has said he is leaving the U.S. National Team Development Program. . . . His WHL rights belong to the Victoria Royals, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2011 bantam draft. . . . The Storm plays out of Kearney, Nebraska. Wilkie is from Omaha and would become the first Nebraska native to play for the Storm should he, as expected, sign with there.

Still with the USHL draft, F Tyson McClellan, the son of San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McClellan, was picked by the Waterloo Black Hawks in the sixth round, 84th overall. Tyson, 17, has twice been in training camp with the Kamloops Blazers. . . .
Waterloo selected F Tanner MacMaster of Calgary in the fourth round, 57th overall. The Spokane Chiefs selected him in the first round, 19th overall, of the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft. He played this season with t he AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks and has committed to Boston College. . . .

F Ryan Gropp of Kamloops was taken in the eighth round, 108th overall, by the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL’s draft on Tuesday evening. Gropp, who turns 17 on Sept. 16, played this season with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. His WHL rights belong to the Seattle Thunderbirds, who selected him sixth overall in the WHL’s 2011 draft. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder has yet to publicly declare whether he will play in the WHL or take the NCAA route.

G Dawson MacAuley, whose WHL rights were acquired Thursday by the Regina Pats, was taken by the Lincoln Stars in the 22nd round, 326th overall. . . . MacAuley, who turns 19 on June 14, is from Prince Albert. He has some WHL experience with t he Medicine Hat Tigers, but played most of this season with the SJHL-champion Yorkton Terriers. The Pats acquired MacAuley from the Calgary Hitmen for a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft.


The Dubuque Fighting Saints selected D David Quenneville of Edmonton with the last pick of the 27th round. He was selected 10th overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL bantam draft on Thursday.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The BCHL’s Langley Rivermen have signed Jon Calvano as assistant general manager and associate coach. Calvano spent the past three years as head coach of the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express, going 92-87-3-4. . . . With the Rivermen, Calvano will work alongside GM/head coach Bobby Henderson.
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In the QMJHL, the host Baie-Comeau Drakkar scored a 3-1 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads. . . . Halifax, which now is 14-1 in these playoffs, holds a 2-1 lead with Game 4 in Baie-Comeau tonight.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Portland vs. Edmonton
(Portland leads, 2-1)
(All times local)
Game 1: Friday — Edmonton 4 at Portland 1 (10,097)
Game 2: Saturday — Edmonton 0 at Portland 3 (10,947)
Game 3: Tuesday — Portland 3 at Edmonton 1 (8,513)
Game 4: Today, May 8, at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Game 5: Friday, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x-Game 6: Sunday, at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Game 7: Monday, May 13, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x – if necessary.


All games are being televised by Shaw in Canada. They also will be televised in Portland, with Games 4, 5 and 6 on Comcast SportsNet, and Game 7 on Root Sports.
Comcast and Roots will pick up the Shaw telecast that feature play-by-play man Dan Russell, along with Bill Wilms, Peter Loubardias and Andy Neal.
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TUESDAY’S GAME:
In Edmonton, F Ty Rattie tied the WHL record for career playoff goals as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Oil Kings, 3-1. . . . Rattie scored his WHL-leading 17th goal to give Portland a 2-0 lead in the first period. That was his 47th career playoff goal, tying him with F Mark Pederson (Medicine Hat, 1983-88). . . . Rattie has played in 73 career playoff games; Pederson played in 71. . . . Rattie also leads the WHL with 33 points, in 18 games. Last season, he put up 33 points in 21 games, finishing one point behind then-teammate F Sven Baertschi. . . . The Winterhawks dominated the first period, getting goals from F Taylor Leier (8:39), Rattie (8:14) and F Oliver Bjorkstrand (15:48). . . . Portland G Mac Carruth, who lost his shutout bid when F Michael St. Croix scored at 9:13 of the second, stopped 38 shots. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit turned saide 24. . . . The Oil Kings remain without F Trevor Cheek, who has an undisclosed injury and may not play at all in the series, and D Griffin Reinhart, whose season was ended by a skate cut to a foot that required surgery.
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The Winterhawks gained at least a measure of revenge with last night’s victory, writes Evan Daum, who is covering the games in Edmonton for The Oregonian. That story is right here.
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“Maybe they had no ‘puck luck’, but the Edmonton Oil Kings fell 3-1 in Game 3 of the WHL finals at Rexall Place — and 2-1 in the series — to the Portland Winterhawks at Rexall Place on Tuesday night,” writes Dave (Crash) Cameron of the Edmonton Sun. His story is right here.
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Veteran Edmonton Sun columnist Terry Jones figures the Winterhawks “are going to be hard to stop now.” His column from Game 3 is right here.
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The Oil Kings, writes Chris O’Leary of the Edmonton Journal, “have started each game of the series progressively slower, with the results becoming increasingly predicable.” His game story is right here.
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Columnist John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal writes that the Oil Kings know what they want to do, but “it’s putting the plan into action that’s hanging them up.” His piece is right here.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (21):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (7):
None
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From the USHL’s Chicago Steel (@ChicagoSteel): “With (its) final pick the Steel draft Jack Jablonski. Congrats @Jabs_13 on becoming a member of the Steel!”
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From Jack Jablonski (@Jabs_13): “Best night ever. #steel”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Rudolf Cerveny (Regina, 2007-09) was assigned on loan by Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic, Extraliga) to Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, 1.Liga). He has two goals and one assist in 14 games with Ceske Budejovice this season. . . .
F Radek Duda (Regina, Lethbridge, 1998-2000) was released by Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga) and signed to a contract for the rest of this season by Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had two goals and 12 assists in 19 games for Chomutov prior to his release. . . .
F Marek Ivan (Lethbridge, Moose Jaw, 1996-98) was released by Novy Jicin (Czech Republic, 2.Liga). He had seven goals and eight assists in 10 games for Novy Jicin this season.
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There were 221 responses to the latest poll that was posted over there on the right.
The question was: Who gets most of the blame for the NHL lockout?
And there wasn’t much doubt which way y’all are leaning.
The NHL owners got 81 votes (36 per cent), with commissioner Gary Bettman close behind at 78 and 35 per cent.
NHL players got 35 votes (15 per cent), with Donald Fehr, the NHLPA’s executive director, drawing 27 votes (12 per cent).
You will note a new poll over there on the right. The teams are shown in the order of the Western Conference standings after Sunday’s game.
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The Name the Line contest ended Saturday at midnight PST.
I hope to be able to announce a winner at some point this week.
Thanks to those who took part.
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JUST NOTES:
The Saskatoon Blades will be without D Kyle Schmidt, 19, for six to 10 weeks after he suffered an undisclosed injury in Saturday’s 9-2 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna. The Blades already were without D Dalton Thrower (suspected concussion) and D Duncan Siemens, who is in Sherwood Park, Alta., with his father who is ill but apparently feeling better. . . . Lorne Molleken, the Blades’ general manager and head coach, told the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that Thrower, F Shane McColgan and F Brett Stovin may return to action this week. . . . The Blades don’t get much opportunity to rest as they meet the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes on Tuesday. . . .
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You will recall that prior to this season the OHL put a10-fight limit on its players. It’s interesting that fighting is down 20 per cent in the OHL. And the players don’t sound at all upset, not even the guy who fought 37 times last season. Jeff Z. Klein of The New York Times has more right here.
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SUNDAY’S GAME:
F Carter Rigby struck for three goals to lead the visiting Kelowna Rockets to an 8-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The goals were the first of the season for Rigby, who just returned last week after missing 12 games with a shoulder injury. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle ran his record to 6-0-0. He’s got a 1.20 GAA and a .955 save percentage. . . . The Rockets won three games in three nights over the weekend, outscoring the opposition, 22-5. . . . F Tyler Sandhu scored his ninth goal of the season for Everett. Sandhu, 16, leads the Silvertips in goals. . . . How good are the Rockets? "They're a good hockey team," Everett head coach Mark Ferner told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald. "They're well coached and have a tremendous amount of talent. They're as good as we've faced this year."
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Ben Betker, Everett

CHECKING-T0-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Calgary Hitmen F Calder Brooks (@CalderBrooks): “The merging lane on to the highway is useless if you’re going 40. #mixinawater”
Ain’t that the truth!
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From Vancouver Giants F Anthony Ast (@AAST18): “Goodbye Twitter, it’s been real.”

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