Showing posts with label Sam Steel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sam Steel. Show all posts

Sunday, May 14, 2017

It's True: Thunderbirds win first WHL title ... Great Dane wins Game 6 in OT ... Stankowski caps off amazing run

SUNDAY’S GAME:


At Regina, F Alexander True scored on his own rebound at 12:36 of OT to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Pats. . . . Seattle won the WHL championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, 4-2, bringing the franchise the first title in its history. . . . The Thunderbirds move on to the Memorial Cup that opens Friday in Windsor, Ont. Also there will be the host Spitfires, the OHL-champion Erie Otters and QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs. . . . The Pats will be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup. . . . All three championship final games in Regina needed OT, with Seattle taking Game 1, 2-1, on a goal from F Donovan Neuls, and the Pats winning Game 2, 4-3, when D Josh Mahura scored. . . . Last night, True entered the Regina zone on the right side, got off a shot, went to the net and was able to tuck in his own rebound for his 12th goal of these playoffs. . . . Seattle was 3-2 in OT in these playoffs; Regina was 2-5.

Regina F Sam Steel (11) opened the scoring, on a PP, at 7:18 of the first period, the third time in the series that he had scored the game’s first goal. . . . Seattle equalized at 8:55 of the second period as F Sami Moilanen scored his seventh goal. . . . The Pats went ahead 3-1 with two quick goals in the third period, D Josh Mahura (8) pounding in a rebound at 11:50 and F Austin Wagner scoring his playoff-leading 16th goal on a breakaway at 13:12. . . . The Thunderbirds got to within a goal at 14:38 as F Ryan
ALEXANDER TRUE
Gropp (7) scored on a wrist shot from the slot, giving him goals in three straight games. . . . Seattle forced OT as F Keegan Kolesar (12) scored on a slapshot from the left dot, on a PP, at 17:06. Regina D Chad Harrison had been penalized for holding Kolesar. . . . Seattle got two assists from D Ethan Bear, with Gropp and Kolesar adding one apiece. . . . Mahura had an assist for Regina. . . . True, a 19-year-old from Copenhagen, Denmark, put up 22 points, including 12 goals, in 20 playoff games. That followed a regular season in which he had 40 points, including 25 goals, in 66 games. . . . G Carl Stankowski stopped 28 shots for Seattle as he completed what was the No. 1 story of these playoffs. . . . G Tyler Brown made 39 saves for the Pats. . . . Each team was 1-4 on the PP. . . . In the six games, Seattle was 9-27 on the PP, with Regina going 8-24. . . . Seattle lost D Turner Ottenbreit at 9:11 of the second period when he was given a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on Wagner, who missed the remainder of that period. Wagner returned for the start of the third period. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks, the captain, returned for the first time since Game 1 when he left with a suspected concussion after taking a hard check from Ottenbreit. Brooks was held pointless. . . . Seattle’s scratches: G Rylan Toth (injured), F Elijah Brown, F Tyler Carpendale, F Dillon Hamaliuk, D Jake Lee and F Luke Ormsby. . . . Regina scratches: D Dawson Davidson and F Jake Leschyshyn, with injuries, F Kjell Kjemhus, G Max Paddock, F Duncan Pierce and F Owen Williams. . . . With Brooks back in the lineup, Kjemhus came out. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484, Regina’s 26th sellout of the season. . . . The game signalled the end of the line for the WHL on Shaw TV after a 13-year run.

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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a game story right here.
Darren Steinke, the Travellin’ Blogger, was on hand and posted this piece right here.
Tim Pigulski of 701 ESPN Seattle has a gamer right here.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds began life as the Vancouver Nats (1971-73), then moved to Kamloops and played four seasons (1973-77) as the Chiefs. They relocated to Seattle as the Breakers for the 1977-78 season. After eight seasons, they became the Thunderbirds for 1985-86.
Prior to last season, the closest Seattle had come to winning a WHL title was in 1996-97 when they were swept from the championship final by the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Last season, the Brandon Wheat Kings took out Seattle in the final, 4-1.
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At game’s end, F Mathew Barzal of the Thunderbirds was saluted as the playoff MVP.
However, you could make a pretty good case for Seattle G Carl Stankowski, who is the first starting
CARL STANKOWSKI
goaltender to win a WHL championship in his 16-year-old season since Dan Blackburn did it with the Kootenay Ice in the spring of 2000. Blackburn played in 51 regular-season games and 21 in the playoffs.
Stankowski, who turned 17 on March 9, is from Calgary. The 5-foot-9, 160-pounder played in only seven regular-season games, going 3-0-1, 2.18, .910. Starter Rylan Toth, 20, who led the WHL in regular-season victories (36), went down late in the regular season.
Stankowski stepped into the starter’s role and went 16-4, 2.50, .911. He set franchise records for most victories by a goaltender in one playoff season and most career playoff victories.
Stankowski’s performance brings back memories of Blackburn and Randy Petruk.
In 1995, Petruk was 16 when he took over the Kamloops Blazers’ starting role during Game 2 of the championship final against the Brandon Wheat Kings. Petruk, who had appeared in 27 regular-season games, remained in that role for the remainder of the season as the Blazers won their third Memorial Cup in four seasons.
And then there was the 1971-72 Edmonton Oil Kings. They went 44-22-2 to finish second in the West Division, before winning the playoff title by taking out the New Westminster Bruins, 4-1; the Calgary Centennials, 4-2; and the Regina Pats, 4-1.
Edmonton’s goaltenders were Doug Soetaert, who was 15, and Larry Hendrick, 16. In the regular season, Hendrick played in 46 games, with Soetaert getting into 37. In the playoffs, Soetaert played in six games, while Hendrick’s total seems to have been lost in the shuffle. The WHL Guide was first published prior to the 1972-73 season and doesn’t include any playoff goaltending stats from the spring of 1972.
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F Keegan Kolesar of the Seattle Thunderbirds led the WHL playoff scoring race, his 31 points leaving him one ahead of Regina F Sam Steel. F Reid Gardiner of the Kelowna Rockets, who lost to Seattle in the third round, was third, at 28. . . . F Austin Wagner of Regina led in goals (16), one more than Gardiner. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear was No. 1 in assists, with 20, one more than Kolesar and Steel.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:25 PM
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Saturday, May 6, 2017

WHL final all even ... Pats' Mahura wins Game 2 in OT ... Brooks out of action


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 While the Seattle Thunderbirds welcomed back F Keegan Kolesar, their top scorer in these playoffs, from a one-game WHL suspension, the Regina Pats were without F Adam Brooks for Game 2 of the championship final in the Saskatchewan capital on Saturday night.
If you haven’t seen it, here’s the hit Brooks, a point-a-game man, absorbed from Seattle D Turner Ottenbreit in Game 1:

There was much debate after the game and well into Saturday as to whether Ottenbreit should have been suspended. This was one of those classic cases where it depends whose ox is being gored.
Regina fans, for the most part, are of the opinion that, yes, Ottenbreit should have been slapped with a suspension. Seattle fans are saying it was a legal hit.
Of course, had that been Seattle F Mathew Barzal, say, on the receiving end of a hit from Regina D Sergey Zborovskiy, chances are that the opinions would have been reversed.
While the check may have been legal, I really question, in this day and age when player safety is supposed to be first and foremost, whether that’s the kind of hit that should be welcomed in junior hockey. Keep in mind that this is precisely the kind of hit that the NFL has outlawed when it involves an defenceless receiver.
Of course, if all the junior hockey talk about player safety being a priority is just lip service, well then, hit away.
In the meantime, Brooks, who won the 2015-16 scoring champion and who put up 250 points over the past two seasons, most likely is going through the concussion protocol. He has five goals and 13 assists in these playoffs.
Brooks suffered a knee injury in Game 2 of the second-round series against the Swift Current Broncos and never skated another shift until the Eastern Conference final with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
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In the QMJHL, the host Saint John Sea Dogs scored a 4-0 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Saturday night and now lead the championship series, 2-0. . . . Announced attendance was 5,872. . . . F Julien Gauther had two goals and an assist, giving him six points in the first two games of the series. . . . G Callum Booth earned the shutout with 27 stops. . . . They’ll play Game 3 on Tuesday in Blainville-Boisbriand.
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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 Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League have shaken up their front office. Trevor Sprague, a two-time coach of the year, has stepped aside as head coach, but will remain the organization’s general manager. Sprague goes out on top as the Cougars won the league championship this season; they also were the host team for the TELUS Cup national championship tournament. . . . The new head coach is Tyler Brough, who has worked as an assistant coach with Sprague for the past two seasons. . . . The assistant coaches will be Justin Fillion and RJ Berra, while Bryan MacLean, who had been an assistant coach, now is the assistant GM. . . . Fillion and Berra both played for the Cougars and the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. . . . Pam Solmonson is returning for a second season as the Cougars’ trainer.
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SATURDAY’S GAME:


At Regina, D Josh Mahura scored two PP goals, the second in OT, to lead the Pats to a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Regina scored the game’s last three goals as it erased a 3-1 deficit to tie the WHL’s championship series for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, 1-1. . . . The Thunderbirds had won Game 1, 2-1 in OT, on Friday. . . . The series will resume with Game 3 in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday night. In fact,
JOSH MAHURA
the next three games will be played in the ShoWare Center in Kent, meaning the Thunderbirds now have the opportunity to win their first WHL title on home ice. . . . A year ago, the Thunderbirds lost the WHL final to the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-1. The first three games all went to OT, with Brandon posting three 3-2 victories. . . . Last night, the Thunderbirds appeared to take control when they struck for three goals in 56 seconds early in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. . . . The Pats took a 1-0 lead just 50 seconds into the game as F Sam Steel (9) took advantage of a Seattle turnover deep in its zone. . . . D Austin Strand (5) pulled the Thunderbirds even at 3:56 of the second period, his shot from just above the left circle getting through traffic and changing directions before beating G Tyler Brown. . . . Just 16 seconds later, D Turner Ottenbreit’s second goal, a slap shot from the point, gave the visitors the lead. . . . Just 40 seconds after that, F Alexander True (9) scored on a rebound while on a PP. . . . The Pats’ comeback began as Mahura pinched on a 5-on-3 PP and scored from beside the Seattle net at 18:35 of the second period. . . . Regina tied it at 5:20 of the third when F Filip Ahl (5) forced a turnover deep in the Seattle and then scored off it. . . . Seattle F Keegan Kolesar was giving a kneeing minor after he gave the business to Regina D Connor Hobbs following a stoppage at 4:59 of OT. Mahura, who has six goals in the playoffs, scored just 23 seconds later, beating Seattle G Carl Stankowski with a 70-foot snapshot through some traffic. . . . Brown finished with 27 saves, five more than Stankowski. . . . Regina was 2-7 on the PP; Seattle was 1-3. . . . F Dawson Leedahl had two assists for Regina, while Steel and Ahl each had one. . . . Steel, the regular-season scoring champion, now has 27 points in the playoffs, one behind F Reid Gardiner of the Kelowna Rockets, who leads with 28. Steel leads playoff scorers in assists (18). . . . The Thunderbirds got back Kolesar from a one-game suspension. He went into the game leading them in goals (9) and points (22) in these playoffs. . . . Regina scratches: F Adam Brooks, D Dawson Davidson and F Jake Leschyshyn, all with injuries, G Max Paddock, F Duncan Pierce and F Owen Williams. With Brooks out, F Kjell Kjemhus got into the lineup. . . . Seattle’s scratches: G Rylan Toth (injured), F Elijah Brown, F Tyler Carpendale, F Dillon Hamaliuk, D Jake Lee and F Luke Ormsby. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a game story right here.
Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has a game story right here.
Darren Steinke, the Travellin’ Blogger, posted this piece right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)
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WEDNESDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
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FRIDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:30 PM
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Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Pats have good day at awards bash ... Paddock double winner ... Thunderbirds arrive in Regina


D Andrej Meszároš (Vancouver, 2004-05) has signed a one-year extension with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). The team captain, he had four goals and nine assists in 35 games this season. . . . 
F C.J. Stretch (Kamloops, 2005-10) has signed a one-year extension with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, he finished third in the league scoring race, putting up 60 points, including 34 assists, in 52 games. . . . 
G Patrik Bartošák (Red Deer, 2011-14) has signed a one-year extension with Vítkovice Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, in 41 games, he was 2.22 and 926, with five shutouts. . . .
F Marek Kalus (Spokane, Brandon, 2010-13) has signed a try-out contract with Vítkovice Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Havířov (Czech Republic, 1. Liga), he had 12 goals and 13 assists in 41 games. . . . 
D Tomáš Kundrátek (Medicine Hat, 2008-10) has signed a one-year contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (Russia, KHL). This season, with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL), he had eight goals and five assists in 39 games.
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The WHL handed out its postseason awards on Wednesday in Calgary and it turned into the Regina Pats show.
The Seattle Thunderbirds are hoping that doesn’t happen in the championship final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, that opens Friday in Regina.
During the afternoon proceedings, a number of Pats were honoured:
F Sam Steel was given the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as player of the year;
John Paddock received the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as the coach of the year, the second time his three seasons in the WHL that he has won this award;
Paddock also picked up the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as the executive of the year;
The Pats’ front office was award the WHL Business Award; 
The Pats were presented the Scott Munro Memorial Trophy as regular-season champions; and,
Steel picked up the Bob Clarke Trophy as the regular-season scoring champion.
The last time the same man was coach- and executive-of-the-year in the same season? Brent Sutter of the Red Deer Rebels got both awards for the 2000-01 season.
There is a whole lot more on these award winners and others on the WHL’s website — whl.ca.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds flew into Regina on Wednesday afternoon to begin final preparations for the Friday night opening of the WHL’s championship series for the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
Last season, the Thunderbirds met the Brandon Wheat Kings in the final, with the Manitoba squad winning the series, 4-1. That series opened in Brandon and was played with a 2-3-2 format. In order to get to Brandon, the Thunderbirds rode their bus to Abbotsford, B.C., then flew to the Wheat City. When the teams flew back, they rode the same charter from Brandon to Abbotsford, then took separate busses to Kent, Wash.
Yesterday, the Thunderbirds flew out of Boeing Field, which I’m told involved a 15-minute bus ride to get there, which beats the two-hour ride to Abbotsford. So the Thunderbirds, you might say, already are ahead of the game.
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The WHL’s bantam draft is scheduled to begin this morning at 7:30 PT in Calgary. There won’t be any running coverage of the draft at this site. They start streaming at whl.ca at 7:30 PT.
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There has been some grumbling about ticket prices for the 2017 Memorial Cup that is scheduled to run in Windsor, Ont., from May 19-28.
Dale Molnar of CBC News writes:
“Tournament packages have sold for as much $885. The cheapest single-game tickets now on sale are $75, compared to around $20 for the cheapest regular season ticket for a Windsor Spitfires game.”
John Savage, the chairperson of the Windsor organization committee and a co-owner of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, the host team, told Molnar that ticket prices cover costs like flights and hotels for the competing teams.
 "Just looking at the work and effort that has to go into this, it's really a break even proposition," Savage told Molnar.
According to financial statements filed in a Calgary court earlier this year, each of the WHL’s 22 teams received $148,913 — a total of $3,276,088 — from the 2013 Memorial Cup that was held in Saskatoon. On top of that, each team got $118,477 — a total of $2,606,494 — from the 2016 Memorial Cup that was held in Red Deer.
Molnar’s story is right here.
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The Southern Professional Hockey League lost a franchise on Wednesday as the Columbus Cottonmouths announced that they will suspend operations, at least for 2017-18. . . . The Cottonmouths had been around for 21 seasons. . . . Jerome Bechard, who played in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors (1986-90), is the Cottonmouths’ general manager and head coach. “The franchise is still there,” Bechard, who has been in Columbus since Day 1 in 1996, told Chuck Williams of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. “The league and ourselves are still working to get an ownership group in here. Obviously, not to play ’17-18, but, hopefully, to come back in ’18-19.” . . . Williams’ story is right here.
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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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Coaching

 The BCHL’s Surrey Eagles have signed Brandon West to a multi-year contract as their head coach. West has coached in the BCHL for more than six seasons, most recently with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. He was in his third season with Salmon Arm when he was fired in November. . . . With the Eagles, West, 32, takes over from Blaine Neufeld, the head coach for the past three seasons. Neufeld now is the Eagles’ general manager. . . . It is interesting, too, that Eagles owner Chuck Westgard has taken a hands-on approach again. From a news release: “Three years ago, after having the Eagles win the Fred Page Cup, the Western Canada Cup and eventually lose in overtime in the semi-final of the RBC Cup In Charlottetown, Westgard hired an outside management group to run the team. He has now decided the time is right to get actively involved again.” . . . This season, the Eagles finished 18-36-4-0 and didn’t qualify for the playoffs.
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Ed Patterson will be back for a seventh season as head coach the junior B Kamloops Storm of the Kootenay Junior International Hockey League. The Storm made that announcement on Wednesday. . . . The Storm also added Matt Kolle to its staff as the assistant general manager. . . . Patterson, 44, played in the WHL (1988-92) with the Seattle Thunderbirds, Swift Current Broncos and Kamloops Blazers. There had been some doubt as to whether he would return to the Storm after a change of venue — the team moved from McArthur Island to Memorial Arena — wasn’t greeted with gusto by the citizenry. “It . . . comes down to money,” Storm owner/GM Barry Dewar told Kamloops This Week in March. “If I can’t find a source of revenue to pay Ed  . . . then it becomes hard to keep those kinds of talents.” . . . Apparently, Dewar and Patterson found a way to keep making it work. . . . Kolle had tried earlier this year to land a KIJHL franchise for Quesnel, B.C., however other team owners voted down that move in January.
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Former WHL/NHL F Jeff Shantz has been added to the coaching staff at the Edge School in Calgary. Shantz, 43, will be a co-coach, alongside Evan Bak, with the Bantam varsity team that plays in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. . . . Shantz, from Duchess, Alta., played for the Regina Pats (1990-93), before going on to a pro career that included 642 games in the NHL. He retired following the 2010-11 season, after spending eight years in Europe.
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MONDAY-THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

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

Seattle 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 9:46 PM
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Monday, April 17, 2017

Steel sparks Pats past Broncos ... 'Canes, Tigers set for Game 7 ... Iverson off to AHL

Scattershoot

I can’t remember the last time ticket scalpers, of the Internet or street-corner variety, were interested in a WHL game but that was the case Monday in Regina prior to the Pats meeting the Swift Current Broncos in Game 7 of an Eastern Conference second-round series. When I asked columnist Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post when was the last time that had happened, he responded: “I can’t recall a precedent for that.”
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The Broncos went into Game 6 on Saturday night with a 3-2 series lead over the visiting Pats. The Broncos then went on to build up a 3-1 lead in Game 6. However, the Pats scored the last four goals in that one, for a 5-3 victory, then opened Game 7 in Regina on Monday by scoring the first four goals en route to a 5-1 victory.
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Regina hadn’t played host to a Game 7 in 45 years. In 1972, the Pats beat the visiting Flin Flon Bombers, 3-2, in Game 7 to win a first-round series, 3-2-2. That was an eight-point series — the first team to eight points won — and there wasn’t any OT. . . . According to Pats historian Kevin Shaw, this also was the first time in franchise history that the Pats had won a series after trailing 3-1. The Pats are the oldest junior franchise in existence.
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F Adam Brooks was on the Pats’ bench for a third straight game Monday, and for a third straight game he didn’t get on the ice. Brooks, who put up 250 points over the past two regular seasons, injured a knee in Game 2 of the second-round series. He is in his final junior season, and it had to provide motivation for his teammates to have him there. You know that teammates would look down the bench, see Brooks and think: “We don’t want his season to end like this.” . . . Now we will have to wait and see if he’ll be able to play in the Eastern Conference final.
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The Broncos may have bowed out in the second round but you can bet that the community-owned team’s board of directors will look at this as a successful season. They got six home playoff dates and that will make a huge difference to their bottom line, likely guaranteeing a profit for the 2016-17 season. That’s rather important for the team that plays in the 60-team CHL’s smallest market.
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If you have info you would like to share or just a general comment, send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes and the Tigers are in Medicine Hat for their own Game 7 tonight. The Hurricanes needed seven games to get past the Red Deer Rebels in the first round, while the Tigers were sweeping the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Hurricanes scratched five regulars — D Calen Addison, F Matt Alfaro, F Zane Franklin, F Ryan Vandervlis and F Zak Zborosky — from Game 6 so you’re free to wonder if/when fatigue sets in. . . . “There’s times that I expected them to look a little more tired than they have,” Shaun Clouston, the Tigers’ GM and head coach, told Sean Rooney of the Medicine Hat News. “What (Tyler) Wong and (Giorgio) Estephan have done this series has been unbelievable, it’s been spectacular. They’ve played an absolute ton every night, almost like two lines. Now the challenge is can they keep it going? So far they’ve been very effective at doing that. We have to expect them to be able to do that again and match it.”
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While flipping channels last night, I happened to hear the first two rules of baseball, according to Chicago White Sox broadcaster Ken (Hawk) Harrelson: “First rule. Not hitting, not pitching or anything. You got to catch the ball. Can’t give that other team 28, 29, 30 outs when you’re getting 27. The next rule in baseball is don’t mess with Joe West.”
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With the visiting Washington Capitals and Toronto headed to OT on Monday night, Bryce Thoma, an assistant coach with the Saskatoon Blades, picked Tyler Bozak to win it for the Maple Leafs. Bingo! Bozak’s goal gave Toronto a 4-3 victory. . . . That came one day after Thoma picked Ottawa D Dion Phaneuf to score in OT against the visiting Boston Bruins. Bingo!! Phaneuf won that one. . . . Thoma was last seen headed for a lottery kiosk.
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You are aware, of course, that the Toronto Maple Leafs have as many victories in these playoffs (2) as the Toronto Blue Jays have in the 2017 regular season.
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You are aware, too, that Canadian teams now are 8-7 in the NHL playoffs, which comes after starting 0-5. Canadian teams also are leading in four series. Sorry, NBC-TV. . . . OK. You may have seen that coming. But no way you saw Dart Man as a first-round star.
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 F Axel Blomqvist (Lethbridge, Victoria, Moose Jaw, 2012-15) has signed a one-year contract with Osby (Sweden, Division 2). This season, he had two goals in six games with the Tulsa Oilers (ECHL); went pointless in seven games with Södertälje (Sweden, Allsvenskan); and had a goal and two assists in seven games with Kristianstad (Sweden, Division 1).
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 F Keegan Iverson of the Portland Winterhawks has joined the Ontario Reign, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. Iverson, who played out his junior eligibility this season, had 70 points, including 26 goals, in 55 regular-season games with Portland. In five seasons with the Winterhawks, he had 80 goals and 110 assists in 293 games. He also may be the only player in WHL history to have played at least one playoff game in six consecutive seasons. . . . Iverson, from St. Louis Park, Minn., was selected by the New York Rangers in the third round of the 2014 NHL draft but never signed.
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Two days after being named to Team Canada’s roster, F Cody Glass of the Portland Winterhawks scored twice and added an assist in a 7-3 victory over Switzerland at the IIHF U-17 World Championship in Poprad, Slovakia, on Monday. Glass and the Winterhawks were eliminated from the WHL playoffs on Friday in Kelowna; he was added to Team Canada’s roster on Saturday morning. . . . F Stelio Mattheos of the Brandon Wheat Kings also scored for Canada, giving him at least a goal in three straight games. F Tate Olson of the Tri-City Americans scored for Canada, too. . . . Finland (3-0-0-0) leads Group A with nine points. Canada (2-1-0-0) is second, with eight. Teams get three points for a regulation victory, two for an OT victory and one for an OT loss. . . . Canada meets Finland today as the round-robin portion of the tournament ends.
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It was like dominoes falling in the OHL on Monday. . . . The Sudbury Wolves announced that Barclay Branch had stepped down as general manager. Later in the day, he was named vice-president of hockey operations and general manager of the Flint Firebirds. . . . In Flint, Branch replaces George Burnett as GM. You may recall that the OHL sent Burnett into Flint a year ago to, according to an OHL news release, “re-establish the team both on and off the ice.” . . . Later on Monday, Burnett was named GM and head coach of the Guelph Storm and, to complete the circle, Rob Papineau now is the GM in Sudbury. . . . There’s more on these announcements at ontariohockeyleague.com.
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Reports late Monday night indicated that Grant Potulny, an assistant coach with the Minnesota Gophers, will be introduced today as the head coach of the Northern Michigan Wildcats. Potulny, 37, is from Grand Forks, N.D., and is a cousin to former Portland Winterhawks F Paul Gaustad. . . . Potulny played four seasons at Minnesota, then went on to a pro career that ended after the 2008-09 season. He has been on staff at Minnesota for eight seasons and also has twice been an assistant coach with USA Hockey’s national junior team. . . . At Northern Michigan, he will take over from Walt Kyle, whose contract wasn’t renewed after 15 seasons there.
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MONDAY’S GAME:


At Regina, the Swift Current Broncos didn’t have an answer for the Man of Steel as the Pats posted a 5-1 victory in Game 7 of a second-round series. . . . The Pats will open the Eastern Conference final at home on Friday night. The opponent will be the winner of tonight’s Game 7 between the host Medicine Hat Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Regina hasn’t been in the conference final since the spring of 1993. . . . Regina F Sam Steel, the WHL’s reigning scoring champ, went into last night with three goals and six assists in the first six games against the Broncos. He gave the Pats a 1-0 lead at 2:19 of the first period and made it 3-0 at 9:19 of the second period, with his seventh goal of these playoffs. Both of last night’s goals came on rebounds. . . . In between, F Filip Ahl added his second goal, at 4:57 of the first period, scoring on a breakaway after two Broncos defencemen collided at their blue line. . . . F Austin Wagner increased Regina’s lead to 4-0 at 15:36 of the second. . . . Trailing 4-0 and on the PP with six minutes left in the third period, the Broncos pulled G Jordan Papirny for an extra attacker and F Conner Chaulk (2) got them on the scoreboard at 14:33. . . . Shortly after, the Pats took another penalty and Papirny was back on the bench. This time, Wagner scored a shorthanded goal into the empty net. He’s got 10 goals now. . . . The Pats got three assists from D Connor Hobbs, with Ahl adding an assist to his goal. . . . The Broncos were without F Lane Pederson for a second straight game. . . . Swift Current was 1-6 on the PP; Regina was 0-5. . . . The Pats got 23 saves from G Tyler Brown, while Papirny blocked 38. . . . Papirny ended his career with a combined 159 regular-season (119) and playoff (40) victories. That is believed to be second in WHL history, behind Mac Carruth, who put up 166 (117 and 49) victories with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Papirny recorded 145 victories with the Brandon Wheat Kings, who dealt him to the Broncos in January. . . . G Tyson Sexsmith is believed to hold the WHL record for regular-season victories, having put up 120 with the Vancouver Giants. He also had 30 playoff victories. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484, the 20th sellout of this season in Regina.

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TUESDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 3-3)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:22 PM
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Friday, April 14, 2017

Rockets, Thunderbirds to meet again ... Pats stay alive ... Hurricanes have the edge

Scattershoot

The Regina Pats welcomed back forwards Adam Brooks (knee) and Filip Ahl (mumps) on Friday night as they played host to the Swift Current Broncos in a second-round playoff game. However, Brooks spent the entire game watching from the bench. Brooks, with 250 points over the past two seasons, was injured in Game 2. . . . Ahl hadn’t played since Game 1. . . . Brooks isn’t expected to play in Game 6 today in Swift Current. . . . Regina took out F Duncan Pierce and F Kjell Kjemhus. . . . The Broncos, meanwhile, added F Mackenzie Wight and F Brandan Arnold. Wight served a two-game suspension for a hit on Brooks in Game 2. Arnold, 19, made his playoff debut after being with the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks, whose season is over. . . . To get Wight and Arnold in, the Broncos scratched D Noah King and F Logan Barlage.
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In Kelowna last night, the Rockets were without D Cal Foote and F Carsen Twarynski (both suspended) and F Erik Gardiner and D Braydyn Chizen (both injured). . . . Twarynski’s suspension was set at one game on Friday. He took a boarding major and game misconduct in Game 4 for a hit on Portland F Keegan Iverson. We can assume Twarynski got one game because Iverson wasn’t injured. . . . The Winterhawks had F Alex Overhardt back from a one-game suspension, but were without F Evan Weinger, who completed a two-game suspension. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie (concussion) sat out a second game after taking a Foote elbow to the head. . . . Foote is two games into a three-game suspension, so will miss Game 1 of the Western Conference final against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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In Medicine Hat, the Lethbridge Hurricanes again scratched F Matt Alfaro, while F Zak Zborosky, who played in Game 4, was out of this one. Alfaro and Zborosky, both 20, were acquired from the Kootenay Ice in January in the hopes they would add some offence. In the exchange, the Hurricanes gave up F Brett Davis, 17, F Colton Kroeker, 19, and second- and fourth-round selections in the 2018 WHL bantam draft. . . . The Hurricanes also scratched D Kyle Yewchuk, while adding F Connor Lyons and F Ryan Bowen. . . . The Tigers didn’t make any changes, meaning D Brad Forrest played a second straight game.
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Apologies to followers of the Winnipeg Jets. I mentioned here yesterday that the Vancouver Canucks were the lone Canadian NHL team not to have suffered a loss this week. Of course, the Jets didn’t lose a game, either. . . . The only explanation I have for that error is that I worked at The Trib for five years (1973-78) and part of my brain thinks the Jets are still in the WHA.
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If you missed it, the Chicago White Sox had quite a starting outfield when they met the host Minnesota Twins last night. Avisail García was in right field, Leury García was in centre, and Willy García was in left. . . . Melky Cabrera, who usually is in left, is on paternity leave, so Willy was brought up from the minors and given the start. . . . The Garcias went 4-for-10 with a run in Chicago's 2-1 victory.
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Do you think maybe Montreal D Shea Weber should have been given a cross-checking penalty moments before the Canadiens got a game-tying, OT-forcing goal from F Tomas Plekanec against the visiting New York Rangers last night. Oh, I forgot. Cross-checking now is legal.
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A reading recommendation: If you haven’t already read it, Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run is a tremendous book. The Boss really does bare his soul, including his battles with anxiety and depression. This one definitely is a keeper.
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Another reading recommendation: Billy Martin: Baseball’s Flawed Genius, written by Bill Pennington, is an amazing look at a baseball manager who was a genius between the white lines, but rather troubled in a lot of other areas of his life. If you’re a baseball fan, this is a crackling good read.
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 D Brad Cole (Seattle, Kootenay, Saskatoon, 2003-07) has signed a one-year contract with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Alps HL). Cole played one league game for Ritten this season, recording one assist. He also had two goals and two assists in six games in the Continental Cup competition.
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Jay Varady (left) and Mark LeRose of the Sioux City
Musketeers have been honoured by the USHL.
(Photo: ushl.com)
The USHL has honoured a pair of former WHL coaches as it named Mark LeRose and Jay Varady as its general manager and head coach of the year, respectively. LeRose and Varady are in charge of the Sioux City Musketeers. . . . Voting was done by USHL general managers. . . . The Musketeers had the USHL’s best record (40-13-5-2) this season to win the Anderson Cup for the first time since 1985-86. The Musketeers surrendered only 125 goals in the regular season, the fewest in the USHL. . . . In the Western Conference, the Musketeers wound up three points ahead of the Waterloo Blackhawks. Sioux City also was six points ahead of the Chicago Steel, which led the Eastern Conference. . . . LeRose spent three seasons (2007-09, 2013-14) as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. Varady was with Everett for seven seasons, four (2003-07) as an assistant coach and the next three as associate coach. . . . The USHL news release is right here. . . . The Musketeers opened the playoffs last night, beating the visiting Des Moines Buccaneers, 4-1. Check out the tweet below for a tremendous assist from that 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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FRIDAY’S GAMES:


At Kent, Wash., F Keegan Kolesar scored twice and added an assist to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to
KEEGAN KOLESAR
a 4-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Thunderbirds won the second-round series, 4-0, and have yet to lose in these playoffs. They swept the Tri-City Americans from a first-round series, 4-0. . . . Seattle has moved into the Western Conference final and for a second straight season will meet the Kelowna Rockets. That series will open in Kent on Friday. . . . A year ago, the Thunderbirds beat the Rockets 4-0. . . . Last night, F Donovan Neuls (5) got Seattle started at 14:03 of the first period. . . . Kolesar made it 2-0 at 16:47. . . . F Mathew Barzal (4) upped it to 3-0, on a PP, at 6:24 of the second period. . . . Everett got to within two when F Dominic Zwerger (4) scored while shorthanded, at 10:05. . . . Kolesar restored the three-goal lead with his sixth goal at 12:51. . . . G Rylan Toth continues to be among Seattle’s scratches. He last played on March 11, when he left a game after the first period. At the time, I was told that he was ill, but the next day I was informed that Toth had been removed due to an injury but that it was only a precaution. . . . The Thunderbirds got 24 saves from G Carl Stankowski, who continued his amazing story since moving in for Toth. In eight starts, Stankowski is 8-0, 2.24, .913. . . . Stankowski, a Calgarian who turned 17 on March 9, got into seven regular-season games, going 3-0-1, 2.18, .910. . . . Everett G Carter hart stopped 27 shots. . . . Seattle was 1-2 on the PP; Everett was 0-2. . . . The Thunderbirds have won 20 of their last 21 playoff games within the Western Conference. . . . Announced attendance: 5,438.
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At Regina, the Pats scored three times in a span of 4:41 and went on to a 3-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Broncos still hold a 3-2 lead in the series with Game 6 tonight in Swift Current. .
SAM STEEL
. . The Pats likely will be without speedy F Austin Wagner, who was hit with a kneeing major and game misconduct at 8:52 of the third period last night. Wagner’s hit was on Broncos F Ryley Lindgren, who wasn’t injured. . . . "From watching it on the big screen, I thought there was shoulder contact," John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “Maybe there was slight knee (contact) after but Lindgren is popping his head up and down like (he had) obviously drawn the penalty so it worked. He fooled them. He completely fooled them. He wasn’t hurt. You could see him out there playing net-front for the last three minutes (of the power play).” . . . Harder’s story is right here. . . . D Colby Sissons (4) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 17:16 of the first period. . . . Regina F Sam Steel (5) tied the score, on a PP, with 13.5 seconds left in the period. . . . D Connor Hobbs (3) put the Pats ahead at 3:49 of the second period and F Nick Henry (3) made it 3-1 at 4:27. . . . The Broncos got to within a goal when F Glenn Gawdin (5) scored, on a PP, at 13:18 of the third period. That goal came on the PP opportunity created when Wagner was hit with the kneeing major. . . . Steel and Henry added an assist each. . . . The Pats got 30 stops from G Tyler Brown. . . . Swift Current G Jordan Papirny made 33 saves. . . . Papirny’s evening included a glove save off Regina F Braydon Buziak on a penalty shot at 8:52 of the third period. Regina was leading 3-1 at the time. . . . Swift Current was 2-6 on the PP; Regina was 1-4. . . . The Broncos lost F Lane Pederson when he left after a hit from Regina F Dawson Leedahl during the first period. Harder reported that Pederson “appeared to be woozy.” Broncos head coach Manny Viveiros told Harder: “Lane’s fine.” . . . Announced attendance: 6,484. . . . Darren Steinke, the Travellin’ Blogger, was at the game. His story is right here.

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At Kelowna, F Reid Gardiner scored four times, three of them on the PP, and added two assists as the Rockets dumped the Portland Winterhawks, 6-2. . . . Kelowna won the second-round series, 4-1, and
REID GARDINER
next will play in the Western Conference final against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Game 1 of that series is scheduled for Friday in Kent, Wash. . . . Last night, the Rockets scored on their first three power-plays — the first took four seconds, the second took nine, the third took 35 — with Gardiner scoring two of those goals. . . . Gardiner scored at 4:54 and 12:41 of the first period. He leads all playoff performers in goals (12) and points (22), all in 11 games. . . . In between F Rod Southam (2) added the other PP goal, at 8:51, with, Gardiner getting the primary assist. . . . The Winterhawks made it interesting with second-period goals from F Joachim Blichfeld (5), at 7:06, and F Matt Revel (3), shorthanded, at 9:04. . . . However, Gardiner scored at 9:27 of the third period and added another PP goal at 16:02. . . . Kelowna F Dillon Dube (6) added an empty-netter, at 17:32. . . . Dube added three assists to his goal, while F Nick Merkley and F Calvin Thurkauf each had two of them. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer blocked 27 shots, 11 fewer than Portland’s Cole Kehler. . . . Kelowna was 4-9 on the PP; Portland was 0-4. . . . F Liam Kindree, who turned 17 on Jan. 2, made his playoff debut with the Rockets. From North Vancouver, he was a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. He had one assist in seven regular-season games with Kelowna. . . . Announced attendance: 5,846.
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At Medicine Hat, F Ryan Vandervlis snapped a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 4:14 of the third period and the
RYAN VANDERVLIS
Lethbridge Hurricanes went on to a 5-4 victory over the Tigers. . . . The Hurricanes lead the series, 3-2, and get their first chance to end it when they play at home on Sunday. . . . Last night, the Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead as F Tyler Wong scored at 3:36 of the first period. . . . The Tigers, as they would do three times, tied it, as F Max Gerlach scored at 6:17. . . . The visitors went back out front at 8:33 when F Ryan Bowen, who had missed the previous two games, scored his second goal of the playoffs. . . . Medicine Hat D Clayton Kirichenko (4) tied it at 12:44. . . . Wong’s ninth goal, on a PP, put Lethbridge back out front at 17:48. . . . Gerlach tied it with his fourth goal at 14:00 of the second period. . . . Vandervlis broke the tie with his fifth goal and D Brennan Riddle upped it to 5-3 at 10:27. That was Riddle’s first goal in 39 games. . . . The Tigers got to within a goal when D David Quenneville (4) scored, on a PP, at 14:34. . . . F Dylan Cozens drew two assists for the Hurricanes. . . . The Tigers got two assists from D Kristians Rubins. . . . G Stuart Skinner turned aside 37 shots for Lethbridge. . . . The Tigers got 22 stops from G Michael Bullion. . . . Lethbridge was 2-6 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-4. . . . Announced attendance: 5,046.
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SATURDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina at Swift Current, 7 p.m. (Swift Current leads, 3-2)
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SUNDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Medicine Hat at Lethbridge, 6 p.m. (Lethbridge leads, 3-2)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:09 PM
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