Showing posts with label Ryan Graham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan Graham. Show all posts

Monday, February 13, 2017

Kehler blanks former team . . . Season over for two skaters . . . Fans paint ice in P.G.

G Michael Garnett (Red Deer, Saskatoon, 1999-2002) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Bern (Switzerland, NL A). This season, with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL), he was 3.15 and .903 in 17 games.
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Cole Kehler says he never doubted his abilities, but admits there were times when he wondered if he would get another opportunity to play in the WHL.
Kehler, a 19-year-old from Altona, Man., was selected by the Kamloops Blazers in the sixth round of the
COLE KEHLER
2012 bantam draft. On Monday afternoon, he recorded his first career shutout, stopping 41 shots to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-0 victory over the host Blazers.
When the 2014-15 WHL season began, Kehler and Connor Ingram were the Blazers goaltenders. When they returned from the Christmas break, Ingram took over the starting job and refused to give it up; in fact, he has played lights out since then.
Kehler, meanwhile, had a poor exhibition season in the autumn of 2015 and ended up going to the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials in order to get some playing time.
“I don’t think I doubted myself,” he said, “but I maybe doubted whether I’d get another opportunity (in the WHL).”
Well, he played well enough in Merritt that the Winterhawks, looking to replace the graduating Adin Hill, who had played in 65 games last season, acquired Kehler from the Blazers for a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft.
Since then, he has played well enough in Portland — “He’s been good for us,” said GM/head coach Mike Johnston — that the Winterhawks were able to deal Michael Bullion to the Medicine Hat Tigers on Jan. 1 for a seventh-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. At that point, Portland brought in Shane Farkas, who turned 18 on Jan. 12, to back up Kehler.
“It was pretty fun,” Kehler said after Monday’s game, adding that the first shutout was special “no matter who it’s against.”
Kehler had played in Kamloops earlier this season, losing 4-3 in a shootout on Jan. 20. He struggled with rebound control that night, something that wasn’t a problem yesterday.
Kehler said he has been working on that part of his game — “There’s always something to work on” is how he put it — and admitted that he had been nervous on Jan. 20. That was his first game against his former team and he said he felt “tighter.”
That certainly wasn’t the case on Monday as he earned Portland’s first shutout this season and the team’s first since Oct. 25, 2015, when Hill turned aside 45 shots in a 5-0 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings.

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F Jake Leschyshyn of the Regina Pats won’t play again this season, thanks to a knee injury suffered during a game against the host Saskatoon Blades on Feb. 3. . . . He is scheduled to undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn ACL. . . . Leschyshyn, 17, had 17 goals and 23 assists in 47 games when he was injured and had played in the Top Prospects Game. . . . He is projected as a possible late first-round selection in the NHL’s 2017 draft. . . . Regina’s acquisition of F Wyatt Sloboshan from the Spokane Chiefs in January now looks rather prescient. Sloboshan, who turned 20 on Jan. 24, had 44 points, including 19 goals, in 66 games with the Blades last season. They dealt him to the Spokane Chiefs in December, but he chose not to return there after the Christmas break. On Jan. 2, the Pats acquired Sloboshan and a third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft from the Chiefs for F Rykr Cole and F Riley Woods. . . . Sloboshan, who had four goals and 12 assists in 30 games with the Blades, has four goals and four assists in 18 games with Regina. In his past four games, he has had a three-point game and a two-pointer. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more on this story right here.
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F Ryan Graham of the Swift Current Broncos has had his WHL career ended by a knee injury. The 20-year-old Graham hasn’t played since Jan. 22. Graham was acquired from the Saskatoon Blades on Nov. 20 for a second-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft and a conditional fourth-rounder in 2018. . . . Graham,  put up 12 goals and 11 assists in 21 games with the Broncos. From Calgary, Graham was a fifth-round pick by the Blades in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . In 269 regular-season games, he had 72 goals and 68 assists. . . . Graham will stay with the Broncos through the end of the season and get his introduction to the coaching game.
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The WHL has suspended two players — they both are TBD — because of incidents during the Kamloops Blazers’ 3-1 victory over the host Victoria Royals on Saturday night. . . . F Jared Dmytriw of the Royals was suspended for a headshot major and game misconduct at 17:19 of the third period. He hit F Deven Sideroff of the Blazers, who is in concussion protocol and was scratched from their game against the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Monday afternoon. . . . Kamloops D Ondrej Vala has been suspended under supplemental discipline. Vala took a cross-checking penalty for a hit on Victoria F Tyler Soy at 16:55 of the first period. Soy didn’t return from the hit.
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Fans in Prince George were invited on to the CN Centre ice surface after the Spokane Chiefs had beaten the Cougars, 4-3, on Monday afternoon. As fans ventured onto the ice, they were given paint brushes and cups of ice, and were then allowed to paint the ice. There were volunteers on the ice to show fans exactly where they would be allowed to paint. For example, stay away from the faceoff circles, goal creases, and the blue and red lines. . . . Andy Beesley, the Cougars’ vice-president of business, told Greg Fry of 250 News in Prince George, that arena staff would be sealing the ice and then building new ice over top of the art work. . . . As part of the painting package, fans taking part were  presented an opportunity to purchase half-price tickets for a game tonight (Tuesday) between the Chiefs and Cougars on the freshly painted ice. “Overall,” Beesley told Fry, “I think the players are going to get a great deal of fun out of playing on something so unique.”
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Coaching

 The SPHL’s Pensacola Ice Flyers have fired head coach Kevin Hasselberg, who was in his first season there. The Ice Flyers were 15-15-5 and in seventh place in the 10-team league when the move was made on Monday. Pensacola is expected to announce a new head coach today (Tuesday). . . . From Brooks, Alta., Hasselberg headed south after spending the previous five seasons as general manager and head coach of the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:


At Kamloops, G Cole Kehler stopped 41 shots as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Blazers, 4-0. . . . The Winterhawks acquired Kehler from the Blazers on July 19, giving up a conditional seventh-round pick
KEEGAN IVERSON
in the 2018 bantam draft in return. . . . Kehler stopped 18 shots in the third period as the Blazers fought to get back into the game. . . . Portland had surrendered 26 shots in its previous games, going 3-1-1 in the process. . . . D Keoni Texeira’s 10th goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 12:07 of the first period. . . . F Keegan Iverson, playing his first game since Jan. 13, scored No. 15, on a PP, at 4:02 of the second period. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld, who also had an assist, added insurance at 18:52. He’s got goals in three straight games. . . . F Evan Weinger put it away with his 17th, into an empty net, at 19:47 of the third period. . . . F Cody Glass and D Henri Jokiharju each had two assists. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 34 shots in suffering his first regulation-time loss since Nov. 25. He had been 9-0-3 since then. . . . The Winterhawks were 1-1 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-2. . . . Kamloops head coach Don Hay turned 63 on Monday, but didn’t have to celebrate about, at least not in terms of his hockey team. . . . The Blazers were without F Deven Sideroff (concussion protocol), a 31-goal man, and D Ondrej Vala (WHL suspension), who has goals in three of his past four games. . . . The Winterhawks welcomed back Iverson, who slid right into the right wing on their top line alongside Glass and Skyler MacKenzie. . . . Iverson, 20, has 47 points, including 32 assists, in 40 games. . . . Portland won the season series, 3-0-1. The Blazers went 1-3-0. . . . The Winterhawks (31-23-3) remain fourth in the U.S. Division, two points behind the Tri-City Americans and eight ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. Portland holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point behind the Victoria Royals. . . . The Blazers (34-19-6) had points in each of their previous five games (3-0-2). They are second in the B.C. Division, four points behind the Prince George Cougars and four ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Announced attendance: 5,605, on Faith, Family and Jermaine Loewen Bobblehead Day.
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At Kelowna, the Rockets overcame a 3-2 deficit with four goals in the second-half of the third period to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 6-3. . . . Kelowna held an 18-9 edge in shots in the decisive third period,
NICK MERKLEY
after being outshot 16-7 in the second. . . . The Thunderbirds, who have been hit by the injury bug were playing their fifth game in seven days. They went 4-1-0 in that stretch. . . . . They will make it six games in eight nights when they entertain the Red Deer Rebels tonight (Tuesday). . . . F Calvin Thurkauf gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead at 2:16 of the first period, with Seattle equalizing as D Ethan Bear scored No. 22 at 12:08. . . . The home side went back out front at 13:35 as F Leif Mattson got his sixth goal. . . . The Thunderbirds moved into a 3-2 lead on goals from F Keegan Kolesar (17), at 15:44 of the first, and F Ryan Gropp (23), at 5:10 of the second period. . . . Gropp has goals in seven straight games and points in 13 in a row. . . . Thurkauf’s 27th goal tied it at 12:04 of the third period and F Reid Gardiner sent the home boys into the lead with his seventh goal, at 12:28. . . . The Rockets got insurance from F Carsen Twarynski (11), at 17:52, and F Nick Merkley (17), at 18:19. . . . Merkley also had two assists, as did D Devante Stephens. Gardiner added one to his goal. . . . Seattle got two assists from each of F Mathew Barzal and Bear, with Gropp getting one. . . . G Michael Herringer turned aside 31 shots to earn the victory over G Matt Berlin, who stopped 26 shots. . . . Seattle was 1-2 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-3. . . . The Thunderbirds signed F Cody Savey on Monday and he made his WHL debut in this one. Savey, 15, is from Campbell River, B.C. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder, a list player, has 26 points, including 12 goals, in 26 games with the West Vancouver Academy elite 15s. . . . The Rockets (33-20-4) have won three straight games. They are third in the B.C. Division, four points ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . The Thunderbirds (35-16-5) had been 11-0-1 in their past 12 games. They lead the U.S. Division by one point over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Announced attendance: 5,563.
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At Prince George, the Spokane Chiefs struck for the game’s last three goals — all via the PP — and beat the Cougars, 4-3. . . . F Hudson Elynuik reached a career high with his 20th goal to get the Chiefs to
KEANU YAMAMOTO
within one, at 3-2, at 5:59 of the second period. He had 19 goals last season. . . . The Chiefs pulled even when F Keanu Yamamoto (22) scored at 1:32 of the third period. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s 31st goal, at 11:20 of the third period, snapped the tie. . . . Yamamoto drew assists on Spokane’s second and fourth goals. He has tied his career single-season high in goals — he had 22 last season — and now has 99 career assists. . . . D Tate Olson (7) had given the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 6:30 of the first period. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto, who also had an assist to reach the 200-point mark for his career, tied it with No. 32 at 11:54. . . . The Cougars took a 3-1 lead on first-period goals from F Radovan Bondra (27), at 14:27, and F Jansen Harkins (17), at 16:56. . . . Anderson-Dolan and Elynuik added an assist each, while Bondra and Harkins had one each for the Cougars. . . . The Chiefs got 39 stops from G Dawson Weatherill. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 28 for the Cougars. . . . Spokane was 3-10 on the PP; Prince George was 0-5. . . . F Brad Morrison was among Prince George’s scratches, as was D Brendan Guhle (ankle), who hasn’t played side Jan. 29. . . . It’s worth noting that the Chiefs played at home on Wednesday, in Portland on Friday and at home on Saturday, then rode the bus to Prince George for Monday’s game. They play there again tonight (Tuesday), their fifth game in seven days. . . . The Chiefs (24-23-9) have points in four straight (3-0-1). They are eight points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Cougars (37-17-4) had points in their previous two games (1-0-1). They remain atop the B.C. Division, four points ahead of Kamloops. . . . Announced attendance: 4,442.
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At Langley, B.C., the Tri-City Americans broke a 2-2 tie with two late second-period goals and went on to beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-3. . . . F Riley Sawchuk gave the Americans a 3-2 lead with his second
RILEY SAWCHUK
goal, at 15:57, and F Parker AuCoin upped it to 4-2 with No. 18, at 18:56. . . . F Owen Hardy pulled the Giants to within a goal with his fourth at 1:24 of the third period. . . . The Americans got insurance from F Jordan Topping, who scored his 17th at 8:48. . . . Tri-City had taken a 1-0 lead on F Morgan Geekie’s 30th goal, on a PP, at 4:18 of the first period. . . . F Jordan Borstmayer (5) tied it at 10:11, snapping Vancouver’s scoring drought at 158:34. . . . The Americans went back out front on D Dylan Coghlan’s 10th goal, at 18:35. . . . Vancouver tied it when F Brendan Semchuk, who also had an assist, got his eighth goal, on a PP, at 19:11. . . . F Tyler Sandhu had two assists for the winners, with Topping and Geekie adding one each. . . . G Rylan Parenteau earned the victory with 18 saves. . . . At the other end, G Ryan Kubic turned aside 35 shots. . . . Tri-City was 1-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-6. . . . Americans F Michael Rasmussen missed his fourth straight game. They hope to have him in the lineup on Wednesday against the visiting Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Americans (32-23-3) snapped a three-game skid. They are third in the U.S. Division, two points ahead of Portland. . . The Giants (18-35-5) have lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,145.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Brandon at Moose Jaw, 8 p.m.
Spokane at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Everett at Regina, 7 p.m.
Red Deer vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.


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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:06 PM
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Friday, December 2, 2016

Cougars lose D-man to Buffalo . . . New lease on life for Pats . . . Silvertips on top rung now


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F Petr Kalus (Regina, 2005-06) has signed for the rest of this season with Cracovia Kraków (Poland, PHL). This season, he was pointless in three games with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Erste Bank Liga) and had a goal and an assist in six games with the Nottingham Panthers (England, UK Elite). . . .
F Kristaps Baževičs (Prince Albert, 2011-12) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Gap (France, Ligue Magnus). This season, he had two goals and eight assists in 24 games on tryout contracts with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Erste Bank Liga).
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The NHL’s Buffalo Sabres have brought in D Brendan Guhle, 19, from the Prince George Cougars under emergency recall rules.
Guhle was acquired by the Cougars from the Prince Albert Raiders on Nov. 19. He was a second-round
pick by the Sabres in the NHL’s 2015 draft and has signed with them.
He has three goals in four games with the Cougars. In 19 total games this season, Guhle has five goals and two assists.
The Sabres are at home to the Boston Bruins this afternoon (Saturday).
Already without D Zach Bogosian and D Dmitry Kulikov, both with long-term injuries, the Sabres may have lost D Josh Gorges, a former captain of the Kelowna Rockets, who was injured blocking a shot on Thursday in a 5-4 victory over the New York Rangers. His status won’t be known until sometime this morning.
Guhle almost made the Sabres prior to the 2015-16 season, but was sidelined with a concussion after taking a hit from D Dion Phaneuf, who was then with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to this season, Guhle was one of the Sabres’ last cuts.
The Cougars are at home to the Victoria Royals this weekend. They played last night and will meet again tonight.
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D Matt Sozanski of the Moose Jaw Warriors left late in the second period of a 5-3 loss to the Raiders in Prince Albert on Friday night and didn’t return. Sozanski was checked hard by Raiders F Tim Vanstone and was slow in returning to the Moose Jaw bench.
Jeff D’Andrea of paNOW reported that a doctor was called to the Moose Jaw dressing room during the second period.
According to D’Andrea, Tim Hunter, the Warriors’ head coach, was asked why a doctor was needed. However, Hunter chose to downplay things . . . or was he just being a snarky sore loser?
Here, according to D’Andrea, is Hunter’s reply: ”Somebody’s got a hangnail and I don't know why they'd send a doctor over for it. That's just a trick they pull here in P.A., to get the fans all excited about how physical they think their team is. That's all.”
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The way has been cleared for the Regina Pats to serve as the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament. The WHL team’s bid hinged on it having a new lease with Regina Exhibition Association Ltd., which operates the Brandt Centre, and that lease was agreed to on Friday. The Pats are one of three CHL teams — the others are the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs and Oshawa Generals — on the short list of teams being considered as the host team for what will be the Memorial Cup’s 100th anniversary. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more on the Pats right here.
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JUST NOTES:

F Josh Bruce, 18, has joined the BCHL’s Power River Kings. Bruce, from Surrey, B.C., had one goal in four games with the Saskatoon Blades, before being traded to the Vancouver Giants. He was pointless in two games with the Giants. He also had one goal in three games with the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles this season. . . .
The host Whitecourt Wolverines set franchise records for goals and shots in a single game on Friday night. They unleashed a 66-shot attack in beating the Calgary Mustangs, 14-0. . . . The teams combined for 90 shots, which also is an AJHL single-game record. . . . Former Kamloops Blazers F Eric Krienke had three goals for the Wolverines. . . . Whitecourt scored five PP goals in 2:43 during a major penalty in the second period. 
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored the game’s last four goals, two of them into an empty net, and beat
LANE BAUER
the Saskatoon Blades, 4-1. . . . F Logan Christensen scored his seventh goal, at 11:59 of the first period, as the visitors took a 1-0 lead. . . . Edmonton D Will Warm (2) tied it at 3:21 of the third period, with F Lane Bauer providing the home side with a 2-1 lead at 15:00. . . . Bauer has goals in five straight games and has put in three straight game-winning goals. . . . Bauer, who has 18 goals, added an empty-netter at 18:27 and F Davis Koch, who also had two assists, added another at 19:21. He’s got seven goals. . . . D Aaron Irving had two assists for Edmonton. . . . G Patrick Dea blocked 20 shots for the winners, while Saskatoon’s Logan Flodell turned aside 35. . . . The Oil Kings were 0-1 on the PP; the Blades were 0-5. . . . Edmonton (13-13-2) has won three in a row. . . . Saskatoon (10-17-2) had lost three straight (0-2-1). . . . The Blades had F Kirby Dach, the second overall pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft, in their lineup for the second time this season and he earned an assist for his first career point. He is playing in his hometown for the midget AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers. Dach made his WHL debut in Edmonton on Nov. 10. . . . Announced attendance: 8,154.
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At Everett, F Patrick Bajkov scored three straight second-period goals to spark the Silvertips to a 4-3
PATRICK BAJKOV
victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Silvertips (20-3-4) have won five and row and now lead the overall standings by one point over the Tigers (21-6-1), who had a 10-game winning streak snapped. . . . Everett now is 13-2-0 on home ice. . . . F Steve Owre (8) gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead at 6:47 of the first period. . . . Bajkov, who has 14 goals, tied it at 6:17 of the second period, provided a 2-1 lead at 6:32 and made it 3-1 at 10:44. . . . Everett D Kevin Davis notched his third goal, on a PP, with Bajkov getting the lone assist, at 13:12 and that one proved to be the winner. . . . The Tigers made it interesting on goals from D Brad Forrest (1) at 4:34 of the third period and F John Dahlstrom (14) at 8:24. . . . F Matt Fonteyne had two assists for Everett. . . . The Tigers got two assists from F Matt Bradley. . . . Bajkov turned in Everett’s first hat trick of the season. . . . Everett G Carter Hart blocked 23 shots. He went into the game having put up three straight shutouts. That streak ended at 193 minutes 48 seconds. . . . G Nick Schneider, who leads the WHL with 19 victories, stopped 20 shots for the Tigers. . . . Everett was 1-6 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 0-2. . . . Tigers F Zach Fischer left with a fighting major and game misconduct at 10:51 of the first period for what appears to have been ruled a one-man fight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,387.
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At Lethbridge, F Jordy Bellerive scored twice and added an assist to lead the Hurricanes to a 5-3 victory
JORDY BELLERIVE
over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The visitors led 2-0 in the first period on goals from F Akash Bains (5), at 6:06, and D Carson Sass (3), at 10:02. . . . Bellerive, who has eight goals, scored the Teddy Bear Goal at 14:00 of the first, sending both teams to their dressing rooms while the ice was cleared. . . . Bellerive then tied it, on a PP, at 19:05. . . . F Giorgio Estephan broke the tie 33 seconds into the second period and F Tyler Wong, with his 18th, on a PP, made it 4-2 at 5:36. . . . F Adam Musil (9) pulled the Rebels to within one at 13:13. . . . Estephan added insurance with his 14th goal at 18:18. It was an empty-netter. . . . Wong also had three assists, while D Brennan Menell had two and Estephan added one. . . . Estephan has 12 points, including six goals, over his past five games. . . . Wong has five goals and four assists over his past three games. . . . Red Deer D Colton Bobyk picked up an assist, running his assist streak to 12 games, the longest in the WHL this season. He has 15 assists in that stretch. . . . G Stuart Skinner stopped 28 shots for Lethbridge. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 28 for Red Deer. . . . Lethbridge was 2-5 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-2. . . . The Hurricanes (13-11-3) have won six in a row. . . . The Rebels now are 13-12-4. . . . With G Riley Lamb scratched due to illness, the Rebels had G Byron Fancy backing up Petersen. Fancy, who will turn 16 on Jan. 1, is from Claresholm, Alta. A second-round pick by the Rebels in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft, he is playing for the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Announced attendance: 4,979.
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At Prince Albert, the Raiders scored two empty-net goals and beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-3. . . .
SIMON STRANSKY
Prince Albert (6-20-1) had lost nine in a row. It won for the first time since Nov. 4. . . . The Warriors (15-6-4) had won their previous two games. . . . Prince Albert built a 4-1 lead and then hung as the Warriors scored twice before F Simon Stransky scored his 10th goal into an empty net at 19:35. . . . D Brandon Armstrong gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead with his first goal, at 13:07 of the first period. . . . The Raiders scored the next four goals. . . . F Cavin Leth (6) tied it at 15:16 of the first period and Stransky snapped the tie at 17:46 of the second. . . . F Austin Glover got his seventh goal at 6:47 of the third period, with D Max Martin (4) scoring a shorthanded empty-netter at 18:08. That was Martin’s first goal since coming over from the Prince George Cougars in the deal that had D Brendan Guhle go the other way. . . . Moose Jaw F Nikita Popugaev got his 20th goal, on a PP, at 18:32 and F Jayden Halbgewachs made it 4-3 with his 20th goal at 18:45. . . . Popugaev, a sophomore from Russia, scored his 20th goal in his 26th game. Last season, he finished with 16 scores in 70 games. . . . Halbgewachs has 20 goals in 25 games. Last season, his second, he totalled 15 goals in 69 games. . . . Glover added an assist to his goal. . . . Popugaev also had an assist. . . . The Raiders got 33 saves from G Ian Scott. . . . G Brody Willms stopped 37 shots for the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw was 1-4 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-5. . . . F Kolby Johnson was back in the Raiders’ lineup after a three-game absence. . . . Announced attendance: 2,463.
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At Prince George, F Jesse Gabrielle scored three times to lead the Cougars to a 4-2 victory over the
JESSE GABRIELLE
Victoria Royals. . . . Gabrielle, who has 16 goals, gave his guys a 1-0 lead 4:48 of the first period, only to have Victoria F Matt Phillips tie it, with No. 20, at 6:14. . . . Gabrielle put the Cougars out front again, at 14:39 of the second period. . . . The Royals tied it at 16:26 as F Regan Nagy scored his seventh goal. . . . Prince George F Colby McAuley (12) broke the tie at 17:21. . . . Gabrielle added insurance with his third goal of the game, at 4:10 of the third period. . . . The Cougars got three assists from F Jansen Harkins. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 25 shots to earn the victory over Griffen Outhouse, who stopped 26. . . . The Cougars were 0-6 on the PP; the Royals were 0-8. . . . Prince George (20-6-2), which started a seven-game homestand with the victory, has won three in a row. The Cougars are third in the overall standings, two points behind Everett and one back of Medicine Hat. . . . Victoria (14-13-2) has lost four straight. . . . The Cougars welcomed back D Sam Ruopp from an eight-game suspension, but were without D Brendan Guhle, who was recalled earlier in the day by the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. . . . Announced attendance: 2,842.
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At Kent, Wash., F Scott Eansor’s OT goal gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Kootenay
SCOTT EANSOR
Ice. . . . Eansor, who has 13 goals, won it at 1:24 of the OT period. . . . D Fedor Rudakov (4) had given the Ice a 1-0 lead at 1:13 of the opening period. . . . Seattle took a 2-1 lead on goals from D Ethan Bear (9) at 2:17 of the first and Eansor, on a PP, at 7:26 of the second. . . . Kootenay bounced back to take a 3-2 lead when F Jake Elmer scored his second goal, at 16:13 of the second, and F Vince Loschiavo got his fifth at 18:48. . . . Seattle forced OT when F Matthew Wedman (4) scored at 11:59 of the third period. . . . The Thunderbirds got three assists from F Mathew Barzal and two from F Ryan Gropp, who now has 100 career helpers. . . . Bear added two assists to his goal. . . . Kootenay F Barrett Sheen had two assists. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth stopped 16 shots. Toth was back on the ice after watching for three games. . . . The Ice got 38 saves from G Jakob Walter. . . . The Thunderbirds had an 11-4 edge in shots in the second period and it was 17-3 in the third. . . . Seattle was 1-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-4. . . . The Thunderbirds (14-9-3) are 3-0-1 in their last four games. . . . The Ice (5-17-7) has lost five in a row. . . . Seattle lost F Donovan Neuls in the second period with an injury to his right leg. The Thunderbirds claim that Neuls was slashed on the knee. . . . Kootenay welcomed back F Max Patterson after an eight-game absence. . . . The Ice was without D Troy Murray, who is serving a four-game suspension after taking a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on Nov. 27. F Artyom Baltruk of the Oil Kings, who absorbed Murray’s hit, didn’t play last night against the visiting Saskatoon Blades. . . . Announced attendance: 3,266.
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At Spokane, F Hudson Elynuik’s OT goal gave the Chiefs a 2-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . .
HUDSON ELYNUIK
Elynuik scored his 11th goal at 4:32 of extra time. . . . The Rockets took a 1-0 lead when F Kole Lind scored his 15th goal, on a PP, at 1:37 of the second period. Lind has goals in six straight games and has scored at least once in nine of his past 10 outings. . . . F Keanu Yamamoto’s 10th goal tied the game at 6:21 of the third period. Elynuik drew an assist on that goal. . . . Spokane G Jayden Sittler blocked 35 shots in a terrific outing. . . . The Rockets got 19 saves from Michael Herringer. . . . Kelowna was 1-1 on the PP; Spokane was 1-5. . . . The Chiefs (11-10-5) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Rockets (15-11-1) picked up their first loser point of the season. They are 2-0-1 in their last three games. . . . The Rockets continue to be without D Gordie Ballhorn, who injured a hand in a fight. Ballhorn could be gone for as long as two months, which is why the Rockets gave up D Jonathan Smart, 17, who was a first-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, in a deal this week that got them D James Hilsendager, 19, and F Erik Gardiner, 17. Hilsendager played for the Rockets in this one; Gardiner, who is with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos, will get into the lineup later this month when the Rockets travel through the East Division. . . . Announced attendance: 4,579.
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At Swift Current, F Ryan Graham scored twice and added an assist to lead the Broncos to a 5-1 victory
RYAN GRAHAM
over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Graham had a goal and four assists in 11 games with the Saskatoon Blades when he was dealt to Swift Current. In five games with the Broncos, he has seven goals and five assists. . . . F Matteo Gennaro (7) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 7:19 of the first period. . . . Broncos D Artyom Minulin tied it with the Teddy Bear Goal at 13:24 of the first period, forging a 1-1 tie. . . . F Kaden Elder (5) broke the tie at 18:55. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen then took over the WHL goal-scoring lead with his 21st goal at 7:43 of the second period. He has 21 in 29 games after putting up 20 in 67 games last season. Later in the night, Tri-City F Michael Rasmussen scored his 21st, moving into a tie with Steenbergen. . . . Graham put it away with unassisted goals at 13:02 and 16:57 of the second. . . . F Lane Pederson had two assists for the Broncos. . . . Calgary D Jake Bean returned from a hand injury to draw an assist. A late returnee from the camp of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, Bean hadn’t played since Oct. 14 when he was injured in his third game of the season. . . . G Travis Child stopped 27 shots to earn the victory. . . . Calgary got 15 saves from Cody Porter. . . . The Hitmen were 1-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-4. . . . The Broncos (15-8-6) have won two straight. . . . The Hitmen (8-13-2) have lost four in row. This was Game 1 in a four-game East Division swing. . . . Announced attendance: 1,990.
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At Kennewick, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks earned points in an eighth straight game as they beat
KEEGAN IVERSON
the Tri-City Americans, 5-2. . . . The Winterhawks (15-12-1) are 7-0-1 in their last eight outings. . . . The Americans (16-11-2) have lost two in a row. . . . F Vladislav Lukin (14) gave the Americans a 1-0 lead just 11 seconds into the game. . . . Portland followed that with four straight goals. . . . F Evan Weinger (10) tied the score at 17:29 and F Colton Veloso (7) provided a 2-1 lead just 1:06 later. . . . D Henri Jokiharju (3) added insurance at 4:21 of the second period and F Skyler McKenzie (16) made it 4-1 at 5:46. . . . Tri-City F Michael Rasmussen got his 21st goal, on a PP, at 2:24 of the third period. He and Swift Current F Tyler Steenbergen are tied for the WHL goal-scoring lead. . . . Portland F Joachim Blichfeld added an empty-netter at 17:51. He’s got 10 goals. . . . Portland got two assists from each of F Keegan Iverson and F Ryan Hughes, with Blichfeld and Veloso adding one each. . . . G Michael Bullion blocked 26 shots for Portland, six fewer than Tri-City’s Evan Sarthou. . . . Tri-City was 1-5 on the PP; Portland was 0-2. . . . Announced attendance: 2,857.
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DYLAN PLOUFFE
At Langley, B.C., D Dylan Plouffe scored at 1:49 of OT to give the Vancouver Giants a 2-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Plouffe, who has two goals, scored while a delayed penalty call was going against Brandon. Plouffe, in his second season, has four goals in 88 career regular-season games. . . . Vancouver D Matt Barberis scored his fifth goal at 6:11 of the first period. . . . Brandon tied it on D James Shearer’s fourth goal, on a PP, at 14:01 of the third period. . . . G Ryan Kubic stopped 25 shots for the Giants, while the Wheat Kings got 22 saves from Logan Thompson. . . . Brandon is 1-6 on the PP; Vancouver is 0-5. . . . The Giants (11-16-2) had lost their previous six games (0-4-2). . . . The Wheat Kings (13-9-4) are 1-0-1 in a B.C. Division swing that continues in Kelowna tonight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,239.
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TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GOALS:

Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 first period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Vancouver at Kamloops, 7 p.m. (TBG)
Brandon at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (TBG)
Calgary at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Portland, 2 p.m.
Victoria at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Red Deer, 7 p.m. (TBG)
Prince Albert at Regina, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Spokane vs. Tri-City Americans, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
TBG: Teddy Bear Game.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:03 PM
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Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Disgruntled Paddock sounds off . . . Tigers roar in Brandon . . . Graham hot for Broncos


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F Lukáš Králík (Victoria, 2011-12) has signed a "monthly contract" with Šumperk (Czech Republic, 2. Liga). Last season, he had one assist in two games with Epinal (France, Ligue Magnus), one goal in four games with Brest (same), and two goals and nine assists in 16 games with Mulhouse (France, Division 1). . . .
F Jakub Rumpel (Medicine Hat, 2006-07) has been released after an unsuccessful tryout with Schönheide (Germany, Oberliga). He had a goal and two assists in four games. . . . 
F T.J. Galiardi (Calgary, 2007-08) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL). Last season, he had three goals and 12 assists in 29 games with Malmö (Sweden, SHL). He was in camp with the St. Louis Blues (NHL) on a PTO but was released on Oct. 1.
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Defeat doesn’t rest easily on the shoulder of John Paddock, the general manager and head coach of the Regina Pats.
Paddock knows how good his hockey team can be and has been for most of this season. However, he didn’t think it was very good during a 5-2 loss to the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday night.
Never mind that it was only the Pats’ second regulation-time loss this season.
Chatting with play-by-play man Phil Andrews after the game, Paddock didn’t bother hide his
JOHN PADDOCK
disappointment and frustration.
“For probably 50 of 60 minutes we had no inclination to play at all,” Paddock said. “We did not want the puck. We could not move it hard. We didn’t want it if it was coming to us. It was really bad.”
When Andrews ventured that perhaps the way the Cougars played had something to do with the Pats’ performance, Paddock was quick with his response.
“No,” he said. “We didn’t want the puck. We didn’t want to play. (The Cougars) have a disciplined system in the neutral zone. They turn the puck over and they go quick. But I couldn’t tell you because we never gave ourselves a chance.”
Paddock pointed to a 5-on-3 break in the latter half of the game when “we couldn’t put a pass on a stick . . .”
He also pointed a finger or two at goaltender Tyler Brown, who started out by surrendering three shots on nine shots.
“He made some good saves in the second and third periods,” Paddock said, “but he’s just like the other players. Two short side goals go in . . . he did not help us in the first period, just like he didn’t have any help from 18 skaters.”
When Andrews ventured that perhaps the game was a learning opportunity, Paddock scoffed.
“I don’t think there’s anything to learn,” he said, “other than if you don’t want to play . . . that means you have to get the puck and you have to make plays with it and you have to play hard with the puck. . . . There’s nothing else to learn.”
Regina F Sam Steel, the WHL’s leading scorer, left the game in the second period with an undisclosed injury, although he returned in the third. Asked about Steel’s condition, Paddock simply replied: “I got nothing on nothing.”
Paddock certainly was consistent with his opinion, as he told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post:
“We didn’t want to play. You have to have the puck for a game of hockey and we didn’t want to touch it or make a play with it. We didn’t give (the Cougars) any resistance in any area at all. They just did what they wanted to do. If we would have played like that against anybody in the league we would have lost.”
Referring to the Cougars, Paddock told Harder:
“They had a good neutral-zone transition. If you don’t do the right things and get the puck by them they counter-attack really good. Past that, I don’t know (how to evaluate them) because we didn’t do anything. They could have played in their sweat pants and probably won the game easily.”
A night’s sleep — assuming that he slept — didn’t cause Paddock to soften his approach, either.
“Two or three people have asked me how good Prince George is,” Paddock told Harder on Wednesday.“I don’t have any idea because we didn’t compete. We may as well have not come to the rink.
“This is a self-inflicted thing that should never happen. There are a whole bunch of situations or adversity that we know we’re going to go through during the season that make you stronger. I hope it will but this is completely unexplainable.”
The Pats ventured into the B.C. Division as the only one of the CHL’s 60 teams not have tasted defeat in regulation time. They now have two of those on their record, having lost 5-3 to the Royals in Victoria on Saturday before Tuesday’s setback in Prince George. In between, the Pats dropped the host Vancouver Giants, 8-3, on Sunday.
Next up for the Pats will be the Kamloops Blazers on Friday, before the long trip comes to an end in Kelowna with a Saturday date with the Rockets.
The Pats (16-2-3) were the CHL’s top-ranked team when they left home. But they slipped to No. 2 on Wednesday, with the Cougars moving from fifth to first.
The Cougars (18-4-2) now lead the WHL’s overall standings by one point over the Medicine Hat Tigers (18-5-1), who seem to flying under the radar despite having won seven straight and being 10-1-0 in their past 11 games. Regina is fourth, three points in arrears of the Cougars.
The Cougars next will play on Saturday when they meet the host Everett Silvertips (16-3-4), who are just two points out of top spot.
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Just wondering:
On Nov. 11, Peter Anholt, the general manager of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, was fined $1,000 by the WHL “for public comments” he had made two days earlier. In those comments, Anholt was critical of a player whom he had just traded away.
If being critical of one player is worth a grand, what’s it worth when a general manager/head coach rips into 19 players?
Hey, just asking.
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If you’ve got a comment, some information you would like to pass along, or if you just want to say hello, feel free to contact me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Coaching Game
Mark McNaughton has taken over as the general manager and head coach of the junior B Princeton Posse of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey  League. A former associate head coach with the Posse, McNaughton has agreed to fill the positions for the remainder of this season. Dan Hillman and Connor Martin remain on staff as assistant coaches. . . . McNaughton replaces Geoff Goodman, who was fired on Nov. 16.
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JUST NOTES:

The Everett Silvertips have dropped D Mackenzie Dwyer, 19, from their roster. He is expected to report to the MJHL’s Portage Terriers. From Winnipeg, Dwyer was an 11th-round selection by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2012 bantam draft. He was pointless in 13 games this season.In 35 career games, 33 of them with Everett, he has one goal and three assists.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, the Medicine Hat Tigers erased a 2-1 second-period deficit with three straight goals and
CHAD BUTCHER
went on to score a 5-3 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . The Tigers (18-5-1) have won seven in a row. They lead the Central Division by 11 points. They also lead the Eastern Conference by two points over Regina, although the Pats hold three games in hand. . . . The Wheat Kings (12-8-3) had won their previous five games. . . . F Chad Butcher, who also had two assists, gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead just 50 seconds into the game. He’s got nine goals. . . . The Wheat Kings took a 2-1 lead on two goals by F Reid Duke (15), who scored a PP goal at 4:50 of the first and scored again at 6:37 of the second. . . . Medicine Hat D David Quenneville tied it with his 12th goal, on a PP, at 16:26. . . . F Steve Owre put the Tigers out front with No. 5, at 1:52 of the third, and F Mark Rassell added another at 7:05. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos got his 11th goal, on a PP, at 13:00, before Rassell (14) finished the scoring shorthanded at 19:11. . . . Owre and Quenneville each added an assist to their goals. . . . G Nick Schneider stopped 21 shots in winning his WHL-leading 17th game. . . . Brandon got 32 stops from Jordan Papirny. . . . The Wheat Kings were 2-4 on the PP; the Tigers were 1-5. . . . Brandon continues to play without F Nolan Patrick. He last played on Oct. 11 and now has missed 17 games this season. . . . Announced attendance: 4,135.
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At Everett, G Carter Hart stopped 37 shots to lead the Silvertips to a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Hart has two shutouts this season and 12 for his career. . . . He turned aside 18 shots in the first period and 10 in the third. . . . F Matt Fonteyne scored what turned out to be the winning goal at 5:57 of the first period. He has five this season. . . . F Riley Sutter, who also had an assist, added his ninth at 14:46 of the first and F Orrin Centazzo got his second at 2:04 of the third period. . . . G Rylan Toth started for Seattle and allowed two goals on eight shots. Matt Berlin played the last two periods, stopping 15 of 16 shots. . . . The Silvertips were 1-5 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-3. . . . Everett (16-3-4) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). . . . Seattle (11-9-2) had points in its previous five games (4-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 4,434.
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At Kamloops, the Spokane Chiefs got all their goals from import players in a 3-2 victory over the Blazers.
PAVEL KOUSAL
. . . F Pavel Kousal scored twice, giving him six goals, and F Ondrej Nalman got his second of the season. Both are from Jihlava, Czech Republic. . . . Najman put Spokane ahead 48 seconds into the first period, with Kousal making it 2-0 at 9:25. . . . Kamloops F Rudolfs Balcers, a Latvian freshman, scored his 15th goal at 14:07. . . . Kousal restored the two-goal edge at 5:24 of the second period, with F Garrett Pilon (5) pulling the home side back to within one at 12:32. . . . The Chiefs put up a strong defensive front in the third period, limiting the Blazers to six shots. . . . G Jayden Sittler turned aside 25 shots for the Chiefs. . . . Kamloops got 25 saves from Connor Ingram. . . . Spokane was 1-2 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-4. . . . The Chiefs, who had lost seven in a row to Kamloops, improved to 9-8-5. . . . The Blazers (14-11-1), who beat the host Chiefs 6-4 on Saturday, had won their previous three games. . . . Blazers F Collin Shirley played in his 300th regular-season game — 71 with the Kootenay Ice and 229 with Kamloops. . . . The Chiefs scratched injured forwards Ethan McIndoe, Markson Bechtold, Jake McGrew, who won’t play again this season, Kailer Yamamoto and Tanner Wishnowski. They brought in F Eli Zummack from the major midget Okanagan Rockets, who play out of his hometown of Kelowna. Zummack has 20 points, including six goals, in 10 games with the Rockets. . . . Kamloops head coach Don Hay has 689 victories, second in WHL history behind former Portland head coach Ken Hodge. Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur is third on the WHL’s career list, with 674. . . . Mike Moore, the general manager and vice-president of business operations with the Calgary Hitmen, and Dallas Thompson, their B.C. director of scouting, were in the house. . . . Announced attendance: 3,259.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Jake Elmer’s shootout goal gave the Kootenay Ice a 6-5 victory over the Red Deer
JAKE ELMER
Rebels. . . . Elmer, who was acquired from the Regina Pats on Monday, was playing his first game with the Ice. He also had an assist. Before driving to Cranbrook, Elmer had been with the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm. . . . The Ice erased a 4-2 deficit in the third period and actually led 5-4 with fewer than four minutes to play in the third period. . . . Kootenay F Matt Alfaro (8) scored at 3:28 of the third to cut the deficit to one. . . . D Cale Fleury (5) tied the score at 11:08 and F Noah Philp (3) put the home boys ahead at 12:29. . . . Red Deer F Michael Spacek (14) forced OT at 16:15. . . . Kootenay F Zak Zborosky continued his outstanding season with a goal, his 19th, and two assists. . . . The Ice got a goal, his fourth, and an assist from F Barrett Sheen and two assists from F Vince Loschiavo. . . . F Evan Polei (9) and F Brandon Hagel (9) each had a goal and an assist for Red Deer, while D Austin Strand had two assists. . . . Polei was ejected at 1:06 of OT with a charging major and game misconduct after a hit on Ice G Payton Lee. . . . Lee stopped 38 shots for the victory. . . . Riley Lamb turned aside 34 for the Rebels. . . . Red Deer was 1-2 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-6. . . . The Ice (5-13-6) has lost its last two games (0-1-1). Kootenay is five points out of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-cart spot. . . . The Rebels now are 11-10-4. . . . Announced attendance: 1,506.
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At Portland, F Cody Glass scored twice to lead the Winterhawks to a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil
CODY GLASS
Kings. . . . Glass has 35 points, including 12 goals, in 24 games. Last season, as a freshman, he finished with 27 points, 10 of them goals, in 65 games. . . . Glass scored the game’s first goal, at 8:04 of the first period. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer (12) tied it at 10:05. . . . Portland then took control with three straight goals. . . . Glass counted at 16:33 of the first and F Ryan Hughes got his 10th at 16:32 of the second. D Keoni Texeira (6) made it 4-1 at 3:51 of the third period. . . . Edmonton got its second goal from F Trey Fix-Wolansky (7) at 14:26 of the third. . . . Portland got three assists from F Keegan Iverson. . . . G Cole Kehler turned aside 22 shots for the Winterhawks, while Edmonton’s Patrick Dea blocked 36. . . . The Oil Kings were 1-6 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 0-5. . . . The Winterhawks (11-12-1) are 3-0-1 in their last four games. . . . The Oil Kings (10-12-2) have lost two in a row. They are 2-2-0 on a season-long seven-game road trip that continues Friday in Everett, Saturday in Spokane and ends Sunday afternoon in Cranbrook. . . . Announced attendance: 6,549.
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At Prince Albert, F Ryan Graham scored two goals to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 3-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . Graham, who was acquired Sunday from Saskatoon, had a goal and three assists in his Broncos debut on Tuesday, a 5-1 victory over the visiting Blades. . . . Graham has four goals this season. He scored 37 seconds into the second period in this one. . . . F Cavin Leth (5) tied it at 12:14, on a PP. . . . Graham scored a PP goal at 12:10 of the third period and that one stood up as the winner. . . . D Max Lajoie (4) added an empty-netter at 19:43. . . . Lajoie also had an assist. . . . Last season, while with the Blades, Graham scored seven times against the Raiders. . . . G Taz Burman stopped 33 shots for the Broncos, while the Raiders got 28 saves out of Nic Sanders. . . . The Broncos were 1-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 1-7. . . . Swift Current (13-7-6) has points in each of its past three games (2-0-1). . . . The Raiders (5-17-1) have lost six in a row. . . . F Kolby Johnson and D Max Martin, acquired by the Raiders from the Prince George Cougars in a deal that had D Brendan Guhle go the other way, made their Prince Albert debuts. . . . Announced attendance: 1,901.
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At Kennewick, Wash., D Juuso Valimaki scored three goals, all in the third period, to help the Tri-City
JUUSU VALIMAKI
Americans to a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Giants, who are 2-11-2 in their last 15 trips to Kennewick, took a 1-0 lead on F Tyler Popowich’s second goal at 3:11 of the first period. . . . Tri-City F Brett Leason tied it with his first goal, at 8:22. . . . F Tyler Sandhu gave his guys the lead with his fourth goal at 5:00 of the second period. Sandhu is riding a 10-game point streak. . . . Valimaki, who has nine goals, scored at 1:44, 8:22 and 11:21 of the third period for his first WHL hat trick. . . . Valimaki, a sophomore from Nokia, Finland, has nine goals and 20 assists in 25 games. He finished last season with seven goals and 25 assists in 56 games. . . . Tri-City F Kyle Olson had three assists. . . . Tri-City G Rylan Parenteau had a big night with 39 saves, 14 more than Vancouver’s Ryan Kubic. . . . Tri-City was 0-2 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-4. . . . The Americans (15-8-2) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). They are 2-1-1 with five games left on a nine-game hometand. . . . The Giants (10-15-0) have lost three straight. . . . The same teams will meet in Kennewick again on Saturday. . . . Announced attendance: 2,854.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Moose Jaw at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Regina at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Portland, 3 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Seattle vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:54 PM
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