Showing posts with label Rylan Toth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rylan Toth. Show all posts

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Why was K9 a healthy scratch? ... AHL's 2015 man of year joins Seattle ... Toth heading to school


D Patrik Maier (Kamloops, Moose Jaw, 2014-16) has signed a tryout contract with Benátky nad Jizerou (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). Last season, he had a goal and three assists in 53 games with Nové Zámky (Slovakia, Extraliga). . . . 
F Dustin Johner (Seattle, 1999-2004) has signed a one-year contract with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). Last season, with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had 13 goals and 26 assists in 54 games.
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In this space on Thursday, there was a revisitation of a confrontation between a couple of WHL head coaches. Yes, there was photographic evidence, too.
The picture and story prompted all kinds of responses, including the above tweet from Brent Parker, who was the Regina Pats’ general manager for 15 years so was front and centre in a lot of the rivalry with the Moose Jaw Warriors.
In the tweet, he referred to the shenanigans that went on during a home-and-home series on March 24 and 25, 2000.
The series opened in the Moose Jaw Civic Centre, aka the Crushed Can.
At the time, the Warriors had a mascot with the moniker of Puckhead and it looked pretty much like you might imagine — with a giant puck for a head.
At one point during the game, Puckhead was taunted by a few fans who apparently were pals of Pats F Ryan Thomas. One thing led to another and a couple of the fans bodychecked Puckhead. When Puckhead shoved back, one of the fans, according to a piece at CBC.ca, began punching her.
Yes, Puckhead’s outfit was inhabited by a woman, the late Doreen Gurnsey, who was in her sixth season as the mascot. (Gurnsey passed away on Oct. 1, 2007.) 
“I’ve been kicked," she told CBC a few days later. “I’ve had beer poured over me. One fellow one time gave me a shove towards the ice. I mean that's down to the bleachers towards the ice. And it was just lucky that I had straddled the railing and was able to grip on. I'm quite sure I might not have lived through that.”
Anyway, during the altercation, Puckhead’s head came off. You know that the two fans were surprised to see a woman’s face looking back at them, and they quickly and quietly exited stage right.
In a recollection that is posted at rodpedersen.com, veteran Pats/Warriors observer Kelly Remple wrote:
“Following the game, Pats head coach Tim Tisdale sat quietly in the front of the bus, waiting to depart for the Queen City. A lunatic sporting black, red, and white approached the bus and banged on the door. The bus driver opened the door to hear what this maniac was shouting. As the door opened, the crazed fan looked at Tisdale and, like Jack Nicholson in The Shining, said: ‘Your dog is dead. DEAD! You understand me. Your dog is DEAD!’ A concerned Tisdale called home and asked his wife, ‘Honey, is the dog OK?’ ”
There were reports of threatening phone calls to the Pats’ office the following day and, of course, Parker made reference to threatening faxes.
For the record, the Warriors won the Friday game, 6-3, in front of 3,074 fans. The next night, the Pats posted a 3-2 victory before 6,231 fans. Yes, there was a line brawl. No, K9 wasn’t there to witness it.

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The rivalry between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Everett Silvertips may have taken another turn away from love on Thursday. That’s because the Thunderbirds, the WHL’s reigning champions, have hired Kyle Hagel as an assistant coach.
As is evident from the above tweet, Hagel and Mitch Love, Everett’s assistant GM/assistant coach, are
KYLE HAGEL
(Photo: seattlethunderbirds.com)
quite familiar with each other.
There is a whole more to Hagel than a scrap, however.
Hagel, 32, is from Hamilton. He played four seasons at Princeton before going on to a pro career that ended after last season. A defenceman who sometimes played on left wing, he played the last three seasons with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
After 2014-15, Hagel was honoured as the AHL’s IOA/American Specialty AHL man of the year. He was presented with the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, which is awarded annually, according to the AHL, to a player “for his outstanding contributions to his local community and charitable organizations.” That was the fifth time that Hagel had been nominated by his AHL team for the award.
Hagel also is a co-founder of HP4K (Hockey Players for Kids), a non-profit organization that, according to its website, is “made up of hockey players around the world who are dedicated to positively impacting the communities they play in. . . . HP4K believes that promoting player interaction with children is the best way they can achieve this impact, and acts as a catalyst in connecting players with kids in their communities.”
O’Dette and Hagel met for the first time when they were teammates for part of the 2008-09 season with the ECHL’s Fresno Falcons. That was Hagel’s first season as a pro player, while it was O’Dette’s last one.
The Thunderbirds will hire one more assistant coach before the season. One vacancy was created when the Thunderbirds moved Matt O’Dette from assistant to head coach after Steve Konowalchuk left for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. The other spot came open when assistant coach Tyler Alos chose to leave the organization.
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G Rylan Toth, who played out his junior eligibility with the Seattle Thunderbirds last season, has decided to attend UBC and play for the Thunderbirds in 2017-18. . . . Toth led WHL goaltenders in regular-season victories (36) last season. He had a 2.75 GAA and .902 save percentage. He suffered an undisclosed injury late in the season and didn’t play again until getting into two games during the Memorial Cup tournament. . . . Toth also played two seasons with the Red Deer Rebels. . . . In 158 regular-season games, the Saskatoon native was 90-51-13, 2.76, .906.
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The BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals have signed Brian Passmore as their new general manager and head coach. He takes over from Bob Beatty, who has resigned after four seasons with the Capitals. Beatty had spent 17 seasons in the SJHL before signing with the Capitals prior to the 2013-14 season. . . . Passmore, 37, has been the head coach of the bantam prep team at Shawnigan Lake School for the past two seasons. . . . Passmore also has coaching experience in the junior B Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, having spent two seasons with the Peninsula Panthers and one with the Westshore Wolves. . . . The Capitals also announced that Dan Whiteford will be back for a second season as assistant coach, while Darren Rodney, who had been the assistant GM,  now is director of hockey operations.
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Mike Fraser, who scouts for the Brandon Wheat Kings, also has been writing a weekly column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal. In this week’s ponderings, who looks back at five years with the Wheat Kings. That column is right here. . . . With the Journal undergoing a change in the editor’s office, Fraser has chosen to step back, so next week’s column will be his last one. 
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Darren Steinke, the wandering blogger, spent a lot of the 2016-17 WHL season visiting various arenas. On Thursday, he blogged about his travels and how much fun he had. It’s all right here.
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If you would like to contact Taking Note with information, have a question or just feel like commenting on something, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:49 PM
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Sunday, May 21, 2017

Doing some scattershooting ... Seattle's nightmare in Windsor continues ... Spitfires thrash WHL champs

Scattershoot


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I hope you caught at least the OT period in the IIHF World Championship game between Sweden and Canada from Cologne, Germany, on Sunday. The OT may have been the best hockey I have seen all of this season. There may not have been any goals, but there was a whole lot of action. It was hockey played the way it is meant to be played. It was wonderful.
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As for a tournament of such stature being decided by a shootout, let’s just say that in my mind Canada and Sweden shared the gold medal.
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RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com notes: “The wife of NFL cornerback Antonio Cromartie is pregnant. Currently Cromartie's offspring total 13 — or a dozen to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.”
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Every year around this time, I mention a pet peeve of mine, and this year is no different: Some things shouldn’t have a price tag on them, and the Memorial Cup is one of them. To have sold naming rights to the Memorial Cup is just wrong.
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The host Windsor Spitfires whipped the Seattle Thunderbirds 7-1 at the Memorial Cup on Sunday, in front of a crowd announced at 5,237. Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun points out that “should be embarrassing for Memorial Cup organizers. The WFCU Centre can hold 6,500 for hockey, but one end of the building had rows of empty seats. All due respect to the players participating, but ticket prices — singles are being sold for $75 for games not involving the host Spits and $90 when they are playing — are too high for major junior hockey.”
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In an interesting move, the Arizona Diamondbacks have come up with a promotion that allows fans to watch all 25 June and July home games for $50. By my math that’s $2 a game.
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Bench coach Rob Thomson managed the New York Yankees on Friday as they lost 5-4 to the host Tampa Bay Rays. Manager Joe Girardi was attending daughter Serena’s high school graduation. This was Thomson’s fourth stint as a fill-in manager with the Yankees. Thomson is from Sarnia, Ont., and is the first Canadian to manage an MLB game since George Gibson with the 1934 Pittsburgh Pirates. Gibson was from London, Ont.
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Can the Toronto Blue Jays ever be Canada’s team when they make themselves so easy to dislike?
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Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon Express: “Last week, the Jays solidified their grip as being the most disliked team in baseball. I wish people would quit saying Jose Bautista is an emotional player. He’s a jerk.”
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A note from Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan has filed divorce papers in Rhode Island, but jurisdiction figures to be a heated issue. Her soon-to-be ex wants the case heard in California, while she’s insisting on a French judge.”
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NBA star LeBron James apparently has threatened to sue a brewery in Cleveland for using a photo of him holding one of their beers without permission. Noted Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: “Someone should remind King James that he never obtained legal permission from the people who make that Bible.”
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On the subject of the NBA, do you think the league has a problem with its competitive balance? Aside from Sunday’s victory by the Boston Celtics over the Cleveland Cavaliers, that is.
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 F John Lammers (Lethbridge, Everett, 2001-06) has signed a one-year extension with Innsbruck (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, in 55 games, he had 22 goals and 36 assists. He led his team in scoring and was fifth in the league scoring race. . . . 
F Robin Soudek (Edmonton, Chilliwack/Victoria, 2008-12) has signed a one-year extension with Epinal (France, Ligue Magnus). This season, he had 19 goals and 12 assists in 43 games. He led Epinal in goals and was second on the team in points. . . . 
F Michal Poletín (Regina, 2009-10) has signed a one-year extension with Piráti Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had 19 goals and eight assists in 52 games. . . . 
D Juraj Valach (Tri-City, Vancouver, Regina, Red Deer, 2006-08 has signed a one-year extension with Piráti Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had five goals and 13 assists in 51 games. . . .
F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) has signed a one-year contract with Epinal (France, Ligue Magnus). This season, with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite), he had a goal and four assists in six games, and he had three goals and 11 assists in 32 games with Frederikshavn (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). . . .
F Konstantin Pushkaryov (Calgary, 2004-05) has signed a one-year two-way extension with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). This season, he had three goals and nine assists in 32 games. . . . 
F Dylan Walchuk (Spokane, 2011-13) has signed a one-year contract with Odense (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). This season, he had eight goals and 14 assists in 28 games with the University of Calgary (CIS). . . .
D Nick Walters (Everett, Brandon, Lethbridge, 2010-15) has signed a one-year contract with Odense (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). This season, he had a goal and three assists in 34 games with the Rapid City Rush (ECHL).
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 The host Windsor Spitfires exploded for three goals in a record-tying 38 seconds and went on to beat the WHL-champion Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-1, at the Memorial Cup on Sunday. . . . The Spitfires improved to 2-0 in the four-team competition, with the Thunderbirds slipping to 0-2. . . . The victory assures the Spitfires of at least a spot in the tournament’s semifinal game. . . . 
The Thunderbirds were done in by horrid puck management. They were in possession of the puck in their zone on each of the first three goals, only to turn it over. Only on the play that led to the first goal was Windsor’s forecheck a real factor. . . . The Spitfires tied a tournament record for fastest three goals. They now share that record with the New Westminster Bruins, who did it in 1978 against the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs. . . . The Bruins got second-period goals from F Scott McLeod (6:03), F Ken Barry (6:21) and McLeod again (6:41) en route to a 6-3 victory on May 11, 1978 in Sudbury, Ont. The Bruins actually scored four times in 52 seconds. . . . 
On Sunday, Windsor scored those three goals on six shots, sending Seattle G Carl Stankowski to the bench in the process. Stankowski had played through all 20 of his club’s WHL playoff games without being hooked. . . . When Stankowski left, G Rylan Toth, 21, who last played on March 11, entered the game. He left that March 11 game following the first period with an undisclosed injury and hadn’t even dressed for a game until Saturday when he was on the bench as Seattle lost 4-2 to the OHL-champion Erie Otters. . . . 
F Graham Knott got Windsor’s first goal, at 4:48 of the first period. . . . F Julius Nattinen made it 2-0 just 21 seconds later. . . . F Logan Brown upped the lead to 3-0 at 5:26. . . . At that point, Seattle was being outshot, 6-0. . . . The Thunderbirds got on the scoreboard at 13:34 of the second period on a goal from F Keegan Kolesar. . . . Windsor responded with the game’s last four goals. . . . Nattinen, on a PP, restored the three-goal lead, at 18:24. . . . Knott, on another PP, added his second of the game, 33 seconds into the third period. . . . F Jeremiah Addison made it 6-1 at 3:48. He’s got two goals in the tournament. . . . Windsor F Jeremy Bracco completed the scoring with his second goal of the tournament, at 13:07. . . . Knott added an assist to his pair of goals, while Bracco had two helpers. . . .
G Michael DePietro blocked 24 shots for Windsor. . . . Stankowski gave up three goals on six shots, with Toth surrendering four on 22. . . . Windsor was 2-6 on the PP; Seattle was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 5,237. The facility holds 6,500. . . . OHL teams now have won 11 straight Memorial Cup games. The last time an OHL team lost in the tournament was in the 2014 final when the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Guelph Storm, 6-3. . . . On Monday, Erie (1-0) meets the QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs (0-1), at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET). . . . The Thunderbirds (0-2) are scheduled to play the Sea Dogs on Tuesday.
Tim Pigulski of 710 ESPN Seattle had a piece right here on the goaltending decision facing Thunderbirds head coach Steve Konowalchuk before Tuesday . . . 
Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has a game story right here.
If you click right here, Tbird Tidbits explains the situation in which the Thunderbirds now find themselves.
Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun has a game story right here in which he points out that the Thunderbirds have played 94 games this season and this was the worst loss they have suffered.
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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.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:02 PM
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Thursday, April 20, 2017

Anholt responds to Paddock's chatter ... Playoffs resume Friday ... Ex-WHL coach honoured in OHL


Things are heating up as the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Regina Pats prepare to open the Eastern Conference final in the Saskatchewan capital tonight (Friday). On Wednesday, John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, lit the fire when, in reference to Lethbridge captain Tyler Wong, he told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post: “He‘s a hard-working, inspirational guy who has skill. He’s physical. He jumps a couple feet in the air when he hits guys and doesn’t get called.” On Thursday, Lethbridge GM Peter Anholt tossed a couple of logs on the fire while chatting with Matt Battochio of Global News. “Love the man,” Anholt said of Paddock, “but he’s sly like a fox. “I think really, ultimately, the facts speak for themselves. (Dawson) Leedahl takes (Lane) Pederson out of the Swift Current series. . . . The Regina Pats take runs at top players, I think it’s pretty obvious. Facts speak for themselves.” Anholt went a step further, asking the Lethbridge fans to prepare a welcome for Paddock’s arrival in the Alberta city. “I hope our fans show their ire towards John Paddock when he comes back here for Games 3 and 4,” Anholt said. “It doesn’t make sense to me, but the facts speak for themselves. . . . I think our top players better be very wary and watch because their team has a history of taking runs at top players.”
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 Regina is expected to be without F Adam Brooks, F Jake Leschyshyn and D Dawson Davidson when the series opens. Brooks hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury in Game 2 of the seven-game second-round series with the Swift Current Broncos. He dressed for the last three games and was on the bench, but never got on the ice. That scenario very well may continue in the conference final. Leschyshyn (knee) has been out since February and won’t play again this season. Without Brooks and Leschyshyn, the Pats are missing two of their top three centres. Davidson, meanwhile, suffered an undisclosed injury in the Game 7 victory over the visiting Broncos on Monday night. He isn’t likely to play in this series, so Jonathan Smart will move back to defence. Smart, who was acquired from the Kelowna Rockets during the season, is a defenceman by trade, but has been playing on a forward line. The Hurricanes scratched D Calen Addison, F Matt Alfaro, F Zak Zborosky, F Zane Franklin and F Ryan Vandervlis, all of them regular contributors, from Game 7 against the host Medicine Hat Tigers on Tuesday.
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 Things are a little quieter in Kent, Wash., where the Seattle Thunderbirds will play host to the Kelowna Rockets tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference final. The Rockets will be without D Cal Foote, as he completes a three-game suspension left over from the second-round victory over the Portland Winterhawks. Foote was suspended after he elbowed Portland F Skyler McKenzie in the head during Game 3. McKenzie came out of that with a concussion and missed the last two games. Also, it’s not known if Kelowna D Braydyn Chizen is ready to return. He suffered a leg injury in Game 3 against Portland and sat out the last two games of that series. Seattle’s Rylan Toth, who led all WHL goaltenders with 36 victories in the regular season, has yet to dress for a playoff game. In Toth’s absence, G Carl Stankowski has backstopped the Thunderbirds to eight victories in as many games.
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 There won’t be a medal for Team Canada at the IIHF U-18 World Championship. Canada was beaten 7-3 by Sweden in a quarterfinal game on Thursday at Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia. . . . D Mark Rubinchik of the Saskatoon Blades and Team Russia advanced to a semifinal game with a 3-2 victory over Slovakia. Rubinchik didn’t record any points, leaving him with six in five games. . . . Russia and Finland will meet in one of Saturday’s semifinal games. . . . The other will feature Sweden and Team USA, which got past Switzerland, 4-2. . . . In the best-of-three relegation series, D Vladislav Yeryomenko of the Calgary Hitmen had a goal and an assist as Belarus beat Latvia, 2-0, in Game 1. 
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 Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald used to cover the Everett Silvertips for the newspaper. Now he is a sports columnist there. In both roles, he has seen a lot of Kevin Constantine, who was the team’s head coach for eight seasons — two four-year stints — before being told Tuesday that his contract won’t be renewed. . . . Patterson, using the word “shaft,” opined on the move and that piece is right here.
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 MORE ON THE MOVE: D Noah Juulsen of the Everett Silvertips has joined the St. John’s IceCaps, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. He was a first-round selection in the 2015 NHL draft. Juulsen signed a three-year entry-level contract with Montreal before the 2015-16 season. In this regular season, he had 12 goals and 22 assists in 49 games.
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 Ryan McGill, a former WHL player and coach, has been named the OHL’s coach of the year. McGill guided the Owen Sound Attack to a 49-15-4 record in what was its best season in franchise history. . . . The 49 victories and 102 points broke franchise records of 46 and 97 from 2010-11. . . . McGill is in his second season in Owen Sound. . . . From Sherwood Park, Alta., he played four seasons (1985-89) with the Lethbridge Broncos, Swift Current Broncos and Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . He was on the Edmonton/Kootenay Ice’s coaching staff for seven seasons (1996-2002) and later returned for three more (2012-15). . . . The Attack opens the third round of playoffs tonight in Erie against the Otters. 
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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. If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:

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

Kelowna vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m. (Game 1) Lethbridge at Regina, 7 p.m. (Game 1)
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.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:48 PM
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Sunday, March 12, 2017

Source: Barzal in isolation . . . Hitmen control playoff spot . . . Winterhawks shock Silvertips



With the WHL playoffs almost upon us, you can bet that those teams headed for the post-season are sweating bullets as they wait and wonder if they will hear from Mr. Mumps.
While the Victoria Royals wait to find out whether mumps has been riding along on their team bus, a source in the Seattle area told Taking Note on Sunday that “indications are that (Mathew) Barzal has the mumps. He’s in isolation as a precautionary measure but signs point to mumps.”
Barzal, arguably the WHL’s best forward, took the warmup prior to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips on Friday night, but then left for the dressing room and didn’t return. He was said to be experiencing flu-like symptoms. Barzal wasn’t in the lineup on Saturday as the Thunderbirds dumped the Winterhawks in Portland, 6-3.
Barzal has 79 points, including a career-high 69 assists, in 41 games. He began the season with the New York Islanders, who selected him in the first round of the NHL’s 2015 draft.
It seems feasible that any WHL coaches or players who don’t feel well from now through season’s end will be tested for mumps.
The Royals isolated head coach Dave Lowry and one player prior to a 6-2 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops on Friday. It now seems that there are at least two players involved. The Victoria Times Colonist has reported that D Ralph Jarratt and D Mitchell Prowse both have experienced flu-like symptoms, have undergone testing for mumps, and have been isolated.
The Royals, who next play Tuesday when they are to meet the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C., are awaiting test results on all three.
“It takes a couple of days and we’re still waiting to hear,” Royals general manager Cam Hope told the Times Colonist. “We’re still crossing our fingers and hoping it isn’t that and that it’s just the flu.”
The Giants lost 4-3 in Kamloops on Saturday. Vancouver chose not to use the new visitors’ dressing room, the same one that had been occupied by the Royals from Wednesday through Friday night. Instead, the Giants operated out of what had been the visitors’ room prior to this season. A new dressing room was built to facilitate the 2016 IIHF World Women’s Championship that was held in Kamloops a year ago.
Prior to this weekend, it was believed the mumps outbreak had been contained in the Eastern Conferece with the Brandon Wheat Kings, Medicine Hat Tigers and Swift Current Broncos having had issues.
The NHL’s Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks also have had players diagnosed with the mumps in the past two or three weeks.
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With the WHL playoffs almost upon us, the Seattle Thunderbirds chose not to take any chances with G Rylan Toth on Saturday night. In a game against the Winterhawks in Portland, Toth stopped all 11 shots he faced in the opening period, but didn’t return for the second period. Originally, I reported that Toth left because of illness. That appears to have been in error. I have since been told that Toth has a “lower-body issue” and that his removal was simply a precaution. The Thunderbirds will be careful with this because he’s their horse and they need him if they are to make a deep run into the spring. Toth leads the WHL in victories — he is 36-18-3 — and is fifth in GAA (2.75) and has a .902 save percentage. . . . On Saturday, G Matt Berlin played the last two periods for Seattle, as the Thunderbirds skated to a 6-3 victory. . . . Seattle, which leads the U.S. Division by one point over the Everett Silvertips, next is scheduled to play Wednesday in Spokane against the Chiefs.
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D Nolan Orzeck, a Calgarian, has signed with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice. A fourth-round selection in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft, Orzeck announced via Twitter that he had signed. Orzeck, who turned 16 on Feb. 20, played this season with the midget AAA Calgary Northstars, putting up five goals and six assists in 30 games.
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F Alex DeBrincat of the OHL’s Erie Otters had his 19-game goal-scoring streak end on Sunday in a 7-0 victory over the host Peterborough Petes. DeBrincat does hold a share of the OHL record for consecutive games with a goal. That record had been held by F Mike Ricci, who did it with the Petes in 1988-89. . . . DeBrincat, who is still riding a 24-game point streak, has 62 goals and 60 assists in 60 games. He leads the OHL scoring race by 18 points over line mate Taylor Raddysh. 
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A game in the Norwegian League playoffs on Sunday was decided in the eighth overtime period when Joakim Jensen scored to give the host Storhamar Dragons a 2-1 victory over the Sparta Warriors. . . . The Dragons lead the best-of-seven quarterfinal series, 3-2. . . . The game, which lasted 217 minutes 14 seconds, ended at 2:32 a.m. . . .
The longest game in WHL history lasted 136 minutes 56 seconds, with the Kootenay Ice beating the visiting Kamloops Blazers, 3-2, on March 25, 2003. F Colin Sinclair scored the winner in the fourth OT period. It was Game 3 of a first-round playoff series.
The longest game in NHL history was played on March 24, 1936. It ended at 16:30 of the sixth OT as F Mud Bruneteau scored to give the Detroit Red Wings a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Maroons in Game 1 of a 1936 Stanley Cup first-round game.
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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.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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Jason Stephens is the general manager and head coach of the junior B Golden Rockets, who play in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
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If the playoffs began today . . . 
Eastern Conference
Regina vs. Calgary
Medicine Hat vs. Brandon
Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current
Lethbridge vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Seattle vs. Tri-City
Prince George vs. Victoria
Kelowna vs. Kamloops
Everett vs. Portland
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, the Hitmen took control of an Eastern Conference playoff spot with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Hitmen (28-31-10), who have won three straight games, hold down the
MATT DORSEY
conference’s second wild-card spot, three points ahead of the Saskatoon Blades. Calgary is fourth in the Central Division, two points behind the Red Deer Rebels, who hold a game in hand going into the final week of the regular season. . . . Red Deer is to visit the Medicine Hat Tigers on Tuesday, then return home to meet the Hitmen on Wednesday. . . . The Blades will face the Pats in Regina on Tuesday. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky (23) gave the Oil Kings the lead at 14:40 of the first period. . . . Calgary F Tyler Mrkonjic (7) tied it at 18:23. . . . F Lucas Cullen’s fourth goal gave the Hitmen the lead at 16:31 of the second period, but Edmonton tied it 18 seconds later when F Jesse Roach scored his second goal. . . . Calgary put it away with the next three goals. F Matt Dorsey started it with his second goal, at 18:53 of the second period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro added insurance with No. 42 at 16:26, then F Beck Malenstyn (28) added the empty-netter at 19:20. . . . Calgary got two assists from F Jakob Stukel, with Dorsey adding one. . . . Dorsey, a 17-year-old from Wenatchee, Wash., who was a third-round pick in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. He has two goals and three assists in five games this season, after missing the past two seasons thanks to knee problems. . . . The Hitmen got 29 saves from G Cody Porter. . . . G Patrick Dea turned aside 32 shots for the Oil Kings. . . . Edmonton was 1-3 on the PP; Calgary was 0-2. . . . The Oil Kings (20-43-6) have lost 12 in a row (0-10-2). . . . Announced attendance: 10,143.
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At Portland, the Winterhawks erased a 3-1 deficit with three goals in the game’s final six minutes to beat
CODY GLASS
the Everett Silvertips, 4-3. . . . F Cody Glass scored his 32nd goal and added two assists in the late flurry. . . . D Caleb Jones (9) scored while shorthanded at 14:21 of the third period to get Portland to within a goal. . . . Glass tied the score at 17:23. . . . F Skyler McKenzie won it with his 41st goal, at 19:47. . . . F Keegan Iverson, Portland’s captain, drew an assist on each of the last two goals. . . . The Silvertips had gotten out of the first period with a 2-0 lead on goals from F Brandson Hein (3), at 2:20, and F Matt Fonteyne (17), at 15:58. . . . The Winterhawks cut into that lead when F Lane Gilliss got his fifth goal, at 11:49 of the second period. . . . Everett F Eetu Tuulola (17) got that one back just 18 seconds later. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 32 shots for the Winterhawks. . . . Everett got 42 saves from G Carter Hart. . . . Portland was 0-2 on the PP; Everett was 0-5. . . . The Winterhawks (38-27-4) moved into third in the U.S. Division, one point ahead of the the Tri-City Americans, who have four games remaining. Portland has three games left. . . . Tri-City now holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, a point behind the Victoria Royals. . . . The Winterhawks and Americans are to meet Tuesday in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Everett (41-16-11) is second in the U.S. Division, one point behind the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Announced attendance: 9,176.
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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Swift Current at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Edmonton vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Regina, 7 p.m.
Portland vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Victoria vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Everett at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Kootenay at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m. (ppd., from March 8)
Calgary at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:35 p.m.
Calgary vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Spokane vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Everett at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Regina at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Red Deer at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Spokane at Portland, 5 p.m.
Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
Everett vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
END OF REGULAR SEASON 

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:08 PM
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Friday, March 3, 2017

Pats' financial losses not unexpected ... Tigers roar back in Regina ... Seattle back on top in U.S.





When Bill Peters was the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs, I always made a point of stopping for a post-game conversation.
Why?
NHLBecause he never met a question he wouldn’t answer and because he always had questions of his own. He always wanted to know what was happening.
On Friday, Peters, now the head coach of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, was asked about his club’s goaltending and whether Cam Ward and Eddie Lack were involved in any kind of competition for the starter’s role.
“You've gotta push," Peters replied. “The one guy's played 10 games. Eddie's played 10 games and was poor in his last outing, let's not kid ourselves, right?
"There were 16 shots and four went in. Not good enough. You look at his numbers in the league and they're not good enough. So I don't think it's much of a competition. I think we've got a guy who's well ahead of the other guy. That's what I see and the numbers back that up.”
Still, it sounds as though Peters will be giving Lack 2-4-2, 3.33, .873) at least one more opportunity.
"When he gets in again, he better play," Peters said. "You better earn some respect from your teammates. Your teammates are out there working their bag off, you better get some saves. And a timely save at the right time wouldn't hurt.”
That’s gold if you’re a sports journalist, something there is darn little of these days.
NHLThe same holds true for comments from Claude Julien, the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. Asked about defensive zone adjustments his club has made, Julien chose to answer the question with an honest explanation, rather than bafflegab.
“The biggest thing is we call it a bit of a swarm, which all teams do,” Julien explained. “When the puck’s in the corner we’re trying to outnumber teams. If there’s two in there, we’re three, but we’re tight. We’re not giving them an opportunity to make plays.
“I think we’re closing the play a little quicker, so instead of being passive we’re a little bit more aggressive, but we can be more aggressive because we’ve got more people there to give you some second layers and third layers. That’s what we’ve done.
“I think we’ve closed the play a little quicker. Where I think we’ve improved a lot from the start is we were doing it well, but once we got the puck we were having trouble getting our breakouts from that swarm.
“So now we’re getting used to understanding that our wingers are low, we can’t just rim the puck hard to the boards. We either make soft rims or we skate with it until a players’ out there. So both those things, we’re giving less scoring chances because we’re spending probably a little less time (in our zone), and the time we’re spending in there the A-grade (scoring chances) of the other team have really gone down.”
Wonderful. Just wonderful. Here’s hoping coaches everywhere are paying attention.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed F Aidan Barfoot, who was a sixth-round pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. Barfoot, from Richmond, B.C., has 12 goals and 13 assists in 33 games with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. 
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According to the numbers, the Regina Pats have been one of the WHL’s biggest money-losing franchises over the past couple of seasons. As Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports: “According to financial details revealed this week, the Pats recorded the largest deficit in the 22-team WHL during the 2014-15 season ($1.2 million). Their net loss was just under $900,000 in 2015-16, bringing the total deficit to more than $2 million despite back-to-back winning seasons and two straight trips to the second round of the playoffs.” . . . The figures were contained in financial statements that were released as more than 400 former and present CHL players seek certification for a class-action lawsuit that asks that teams pay minimum wage and other benefits. . . . Despite losing money, the Pats’ ownership group, Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group, isn’t concerned. In fact, Anthony Marquardt, the group’s president, explains that buying the franchise was a long-term investment and that the owners new going in that there would be some expenses in the early days. . . . Harder’s story is right here.
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The lawsuit involving the CHL and its teams continues, with things now having shifted to a court in Toronto. As Rick Westhead of TSN reports right here, the focus has turned to the value of franchises, especially those that were sold between 2012 and 2016. . . . Westhead’s latest story is right here.
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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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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, F Caiden Daley had the first three-point game of his WHL career in helping the Wheat Kings to a 6-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Daley, a first-round selection in the 2015 WHL bantam draft,
CAIDEN DALEY
has a goal and eight assists in 53 games this season. . . . F Nolan Patrick, F Tyler Coulter and F Reid Duke also had three points each for Brandon. . . . Patrick’s 18th goal got Brandon started at 19:47 of the first period. Patrick, who also had two assists, now has 42 points in 27 games. . . . Patrick’s first assist was the 200th point of his career. It came in his 157th game. . . . Brandon went ahead 2-0 when F Ty Lewis got his 29th goal, at 1:41 of the second period. . . . F Jake Kryski’s 18th goal, on a PP, got Calgary on the scoreboard at 5:01. . . . The Wheat Kings got the game’s last four goals, from F Reid Duke (35), F Tyler Coulter, who scored twice to give him 29, and F Stelio Matheos (24). Two of those came via the PP. . . . Duke and D James Shearer each had two assists, with Mattheos, Lewis and Coulter each getting one. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 36 shots, while Calgary’s Kyle Dumba blocked 27. . . . G Cody Porter was back on Calgary’s bench after not having played since Jan. 1. . . . The Hitmen also had F Lucas Cullen back for the first time since Dec. 10. . . . Brandon was 2-3 on the PP; Calgary was 1-4. . . . The Wheat Kings (29-26-10) had lost their previous six games (0-4-2). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . The Hitmen (24-30-10) have lost three straight. They are tied with Saskatoon for the conference’s second wild-card spot. Each has eight games remaining. . . . The Wheat Kings are celebrating their 50th anniversary and as part of the celebrations are naming the top 50 players. Last night, they introduced a fourth line of Jordin Tootoo, Matt Calvert and Mark Stone. . . . Announced attendance: 4,008.
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At Everett, F Nolan Foote scored the only goal of a six-round shootout as the Kelowna Rockets beat the
NOLAN FOOTE
Silvertips, 3-2. . . . F Reid Gardiner scored twice for Kelowna, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead at 1:22 of the first period and putting them ahead 2-1 at 19:11 of the second. . . . Everett D Jake Christiansen (6) tied the game 1-1 at 7:50 of the second. . . . F Patrick Bajkov’s 26th goal, at 11:40 of the third period, pulled Everett into a 2-2 draw. . . . D Kevin Davis had two assists for Everett, with Bajkov and Christiansen adding one each. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 34 shots for the Rockets through OT, then was perfect in the shootout. . . . Everett got 23 saves from G Carter Hart. . . . Kelowna was 0-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-4. . . . F Tomas Soustal was among Kelowna’s scratches. . . . Mitch Love, Everett’s veteran assistant coach, had a $500 hole in his wallet. That’s how much he was fined by the WHL after getting tossed from a Wednesday game against the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Rockets (39-21-5) have won three in a row. They have moved into second place in the B.C. Division, one point ahead of Kamloops. . . . The Silvertips (38-14-11) have lost three straight (0-2-1). They slipped to second in the U.S. Division, one point behind Seattle. Everett holds two games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 4,811.
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At Portland, F Ryan Hughes scored at 1:44 of OT to give the Winterhawks a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Hughes won it with his 26th goal of the season. . . . This was Game 2 of a
RYAN HUGHES
tripleheader. The Winterhawks had beaten the Giants, 5-1, in Langley, B.C., on Wednesday night. They’ll play again in Portland tonight. . . . Last night, the Giants forced OT with two late third-period goals. . . . D Jordan Wharrie scored his fourth goal at 18:40 and F Jordan Borstmayer tied it with his sixth goal, with just 42.8 seconds showing on the clock. . . . F Keegan Iverson (21) had given Portland a 1-0 lead 47 seconds into the second period. . . . The Giants took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Ty Ronning (24) at 7:41, and F Jack Flaman (14), at 8:32. . . . The Winterhawks scored the next three goals, with F Skyler McKenzie getting No. 37, on a PP, at 10:50; F Brad Ginnell (6) scoring at 15:33; and F Matt Revel getting his ninth goal, and second in three games with Portland, at 16:37 of the third period. . . . F Cody Glass had two assists for the winners, with Iverson and McKenzie getting one each. . . . Flaman and Ronning had an assist each for the Giants. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 27 shots for Portland, 10 fewer than Vancouver’s Ryan Kubic. . . . Portland was 1-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Giants had F Tyler Ho, a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft, and D Bowen Byram, the third-overall selection in the 2016 draft, in their lineup. . . . Portland (34-26-4) has won two in a row. They are in possession of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Giants (19-40-6) have lost five straight (0-4-1). . . . Announced attendance: 5,469.
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At Prince Albert, F Matt Alfaro scored twice and added an assist to help the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 5-
MATT ALFARO
2 victory over the Raiders. . . . The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead on first-period PP goals from Alfaro, at 8:44, and F Zak Zborosky, at 12:31. . . . F Simon Stransky got the Raiders close with his 18th goal at 7:58 of the second period. . . . The Hurricane regained their two-goal lead when F Egor Babenko (21) scored at 16:14. . . . Prince Albert D Max Martin (7) narrowed the lead at 17:30. . . . Lethbridge put it away on third-period goals from F Tyler Wong, who leads the WHL with 48 goals, at 7:30, and Alfaro, his 25th, on a PP, at 13:47. . . . The Hurricanes got two assists from each of Wong, D Brennan Menell and F Giorgio Estephan. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 38 shots for Lethbridge, while the Raiders got 36 stops from G Nic Sanders. . . . Lethbridge was 3-6 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-6. . . . The Hurricanes (41-17-7) have won five in a row. They are second in the Central Division, four points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Raiders (17-41-7) had points in their previous two games (1-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 2,026.
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At Prince George, D Brendan Guhle returned from a 12-game absence to score one goal and draw three assists as the Cougars beat the Kamloops Blazers, 8-4. . . . Guhle, who was out with an ankle injury, had
BRENDAN GUHLE
last played on Jan. 29. He had 24 points, 11 of them goals, in 26 games with the Cougars, who acquired him from the Prince Albert Raiders in November. . . . F Kody McDonald gave the hosts a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 2:05 of the first period. . . . Kamloops tied it on F Luc Smith’s 12th goal, at 7:30. . . . McDonald, who has 15 goals, put his guys back out front at 10:02. . . . The Cougars then took control with four second-period goals in a span of 10:06. . . . F Colby McAuley (23) scored at 1:50, with F Nikita Popugaev (27) scoring at 4:05, Guhle gett his 13th goal at 9:33, and F Radovan Bondra putting in No. 31, at 11:56. . . . The Blazers got to within 6-3 on goals from F Travis Walton (5), at 15:10, and F Quinn Benjafield (13), on a PP, at 17:52. . . . The Cougars put it away on a pair of goals from F Jared Bethune, at 19:31 of the second and 3:24 of the third. . . . F Collin Shirley finished the scoring with No. 26, shorthanded, at 14:26. . . . The Cougars got two assists from each of D Sam Ruopp, F Josh Curtis and F Jesse Gabrielle, with Bethune, Bondra, McDonald and McAuley adding one apiece. . . . F Lane Bauer had two assists for Kamloops, and Shirley had one. . . . G Ty Edmonds earned the victory with 27 saves. . . . Kamloops starter Connor Ingram stopped 27 of 32 shots in 31:07, with Dylan Ferguson coming on in relief to allow three goals on 18 shots in 28:53. . . . Prince George was 1-2 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-4. . . . It was the second time in a week that Kamloops allowed eight goals — they were beaten 8-2 by the visiting Kelowna Rockets — after not having done so since Jan. 22, 2016. In that one, the Blazers lost 9-4 in Prince George. . . . The Cougars continue to play without F Brad Morrison (undisclosed injury). . . . Kamloops lost F Jermaine Loewen to a cross-checking major and game misconduct at 11:24 of the third period. . . . Prince George (41-20-5) now leads the B.C. Division by four points over Kelowna. . . . Kamloops (38-22-6) is third, one point behind Kelowna. . . . The two teams are scheduled to meet again tonight in Prince George. . . . The Cougars went into Friday's game having gone 0-7-2 in their previous nine games against teams in possession of playoff spots. They hadn’t beaten a team with a winning record since Jan. 18 when they scored a 6-5 shootout victory over the visiting Portland Winterhawks. . . . Announced attendance: 4,273.
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At Regina, D Jordan Henderson had a goal and two assists to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 6-4 victory over the Pats. . . . The Tigers came all the way back from a 3-0 deficit in a battle of the WHL’s top
JORDAN HENDERSON
two teams — at least according to the overall standings. . . . Regina led 3-0 early in the second period on goals from F Austin Wagner (28), at 4:48 of the first period, F Nick Henry (32), at 1:37 of the second period, and D Josh Mahura (15), at 2:32. . . . Henderson’s sixth goal, at 11:43, cut into the lead and F Mark Rassell’s 33rd goal got the visitors to within one at 17:10. . . . F Sam Steel’s 45th goal, shorthanded, at 18:46 seemed to put the Pats back in control. . . . However, the Tigers stormed back with four third-period goals. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko got No. 11 at 1:58 and F Chad Butcher (24) tied it at 13:49. . . . F Steve Owre broke the tie with his 24th goal, at 15:50, and F Zach Fischer got the empty-netter at 19:19. He’s got 30 goals. . . . Henderson has 18 points, five of them goals, in 19 games with the Tigers, who acquired him from the Saskatoon Blades. He had started the season with the Spokane Chiefs. Prior to joining the Tigers, Henderson had two goals and 15 assists in 132 games. . . . Owre, Butcher, Rassell and Fischer each had an assist. . . . The Pats got two assists from F Adam Brooks, with Steel adding one. . . . G Michael Bullion, in his third straight start for the Tigers, made 33 saves. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 34 shots for Regina. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-3 on the PP; Regina was 0-4. . . . The Tigers (46-18-1) have won four in a row to close within three points of the Pats, who lead the overall standings. . . . Regina (44-11-8) has lost three in a row (0-2-1) for the first time this season. . . . Announced attendance: 5,759.
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LOGAN FLODELL
At Saskatoon, G Logan Flodell blocked 20 shots to lead the Blades to a 4-0 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Flodell, who turned 20 on Feb. 10, has three shutouts this season and six in his career. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk gave the Blades a 1-0 lead with his 28th goal just 54 seconds into the game. . . . Saskatoon went ahead 2-0 on a PP goal by F Mason McCarty, his 18th, at 17:41. . . . F Kirby Dach added insurance with his fourth goal, at 4:29 of the second period, and F Markson Bechtold put it away with his eighth goal just 15 seconds later. . . . F Michael Farren had three assists, with McCarty, Bechtold and Dach adding one apiece. . . . The Ice got 24 saves from G Jakob Walter. . . . The Blades (25-31-8) had lost their previous two games. They now are tied with Calgary for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Ice slipped to 14-39-10. . . . Announced attendance: 3,783.
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At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds built a 3-0 lead and held on for a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth stopped 27 shots in recording his WHL-leading 34th victory. . . .
RYLAN TOTH
Seattle F Mathew Barzal, playing in his 200th regular-season game, scored his 10th goal for a 1-0 lead 57 seconds into the first period. Barzal also had an assist on Seattle’s third goal. . . . F Sami Moilanen scored Seattle’s other two goals, giving him 20. He counted at 11:17 of the first period and again at 13:38 of the second. . . . D Dylan Coghlan (13) cut into Tri-City’s deficit at 8:27 of the third period, and F Kyle Olson’s 18th goal made it a one-goal game at 11:05. . . . F Nolan Volcan had two assists for Seattle. . . . Coghlan added an assist to his goal. . . . The Americans got 20 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . There was only one minor penalty called in the game. . . . Tri-City was 0-1 on the PP; Seattle’s unit never got on the ice. . . . Seattle F Mathew Wedman was back in the lineup after missing 25 games with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Thunderbirds remain without three top-end players — D Ethan Bear, D Jarret Tyszka and F Scott Eansor. . . . D Tyson Terretta, who turned 17 on Feb. 22, made his WHL debut with Seattle. From High River, Alta., he was a sixth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. He had a goal and nine assists in 34 games with the midget AAA Foothills CFR Chemical Bisons of Strathmore, Alta. . . . The Thunderbirds (41-18-6) have points in four straight (3-0-1). They now lead the U.S. Division by a point over Everett. . . . The Americans (38-24-3) had won their previous seven games. They are third in the U.S. Division, eight points behind Everett and seven in front of Portland. . . . Announced attendance: 5,066.
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At Victoria, the Royals scored the game’s last three goals to beat the Spokane Chiefs, 4-3. . . . Trailing 3-1, the Royals got two PP goals from F Dante Hannoun, the second with 0.2 seconds left in the second
DANTE HANNOUN
period. . . . Hannoun, who has 23 goals, also scored at 16:43 of the second to cut the deficit to one. . . . F Matt Phillips snapped the tie with his 44th goal, at 13:54 of the third period. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan had given Spokane a 1-0 lead with his 35th goal, at 4:54 of the first period. . . . The Royals tied it on a PP as F Jack Walker got his 28th goal, at 18:27. . . . The Chiefs went up 3-1 on second-period goals from F Ondrej Najman (5), at 1:51, and F Ethan McIndoe (17), at 14:46. . . . Phillips and F Vladimir Bobylev had two assists each for the Royals, with Walker adding one. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 26 shots in earning his franchise-record 33rd victory of the season. G Coleman Vollrath had set the previous record last season. . . . The Chiefs got 28 saves from G Jayden Sittler. . . . The Royals were 3-3 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-2. . . . Victoria (36-23-5) has points in six straight games (5-0-1). It holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot and is fourth in the B.C. Division, five points behind Kamloops. . . . The Chiefs slipped to 26-28-9. They have nine games remaining and are 11 points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,148.

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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Portland, 6 p.m.
Kootenay at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:55 PM
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