Smoke over the hills ... Warriors ink goalie coach ... Ex-WHL coach's run ends in Tucson

The summer of fires moved closer to our home late Wednesday afternoon when one broke out near Monte Lake. We live about 20 km east of Kamloops above the north shore of the South Thompson River. When we go to Vernon or Kelowna, we head east on the Trans-Canada Highway to the Monte Creek interchange and then take Highway 97. Monte Lake is about 15 minutes up that highway. . . . The four photos above were taken off our deck on Wednesday evening. When I first heard about the fire, at about 5 p.m., I took a look and there was one fairly thin column of smoke. Inside of 30 minutes it had grown by leaps and bounds. . . . The top photo shows the light from the setting sun glancing off the smoke as the clock neared 9 p.m. . . . The photo second from top was taken just moments before the top one. . . . The third photo was taken around 6 p.m. . . . There were a number of airplanes working the fire; the one in the photo has a retardant bay on its bottom; it was headed back to the Kamloops airport for the night as darkness set in. . . . The Thompson Nicola Regional District put evacuation alerts and orders in place, and there are an untold number of buildings at risk. . . . Now we can only wait and see what morning will bring. 

According to one witness #Montelake #bcwildfire pic.twitter.com/sVzI3chiCM

— Kamscan (@Kamscan) July 27, 2017

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THE MacBETH REPORT:

F Charles Wells (Seattle, Prince Albert, Portland, 2007-12) has signed a one-year contract with the Guildford Flames (England, UK Elite). Last season, with Mulhouse (France, Division 1), he had six goals and 15 assists in 22 games. . . .

F Tyler Redenbach (Prince George, Swift Current, Lethbridge, 2001-05) has signed a one-year contract with Tappara Tampere (Finland, Liiga). Last season, he had 11 goals and 22 assists in 34 games with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga), and two goals and three assists in nine games with Třinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . .

F Justin Maylan (Moose Jaw, Prince George, Prince Albert, 2007-12) has signed a one-year contract with Heilbronn (Germany, DEL2). Last season, with Fehérvár AV19 Székesfehérvár (Hungary, Erste Bank Liga), he had seven goals and 35 assists in 53 games. He led the team in assists.

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A LITTLE OF THIS . . .

Matt Weninger has joined the Moose Jaw Warriors as their new goaltender coach. . . . From a news release: “Weninger is currently the regional consultant and goaltending lead for Hockey Alberta and previously worked with the Saskatchewan Hockey Association in 2015-16 as a goaltending and coaching consultant.” . . . He also served as the goaltending coach for the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers for two seasons (2015-17) and has worked with Laurentian University (U Sports) and Hockey Canada. . . . As a player, he spent four seasons (2010-14) at St. Lawrence U, where he holds school records for career and single-season games played, minutes played, consecutive games played, and total saves. . . . He also played three SJHL seasons, splitting that time between the Kindersley Klippers and Flin Flon Bombers. . . . In Moose Jaw, Weninger takes over from Jamie Hodson, who had worked with the Warriors since 2011. Hodson now is the director of business and hockey operations for the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals.

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If you were wondering what was wrong with D Ethan Bear of the Seattle Thunderbirds late in the WHL playoffs and through the Memorial Cup, well, now we know. . . . As was reported here originally, Bear did have a broken finger. What we didn’t know until now is that he underwent surgery to repair the index finger on his left hand. . . . Bear was injured while blocking a shot in Game 3 of the Western Conference final against the Kelowna Rockets. He sat out the next three games, then returned for the final against the Regina Pats, a series that Seattle won, 4-2. . . . “I was lucky enough to get a quick surgery, and then I recovered enough to play in the final and then the Memorial Cup," Bear told Derek Van Diest for a story that is posted right here at nhl.com. “I had to adjust the knob on my stick and the way I placed my hand. But Seattle, they really made it work for me and I was able to play at my best abilities. They put a plate in it and couple of screws. The doctors did a really good job. They made it strong enough so that I could play and I wouldn't feel as much pain.” . . . According to Van Diest, “Bear still is recovering from his injury, but is expected to be ready for Oilers training camp in the fall.” . . . Bear, 20, was a fifth-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL’s 2015 draft and has signed a three-year entry-level contract.

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There are three WHL players on the roster for Team Finland as it prepares to play in the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Mich., from July 29 through Aug. 5. . . . F Sami Moilanen (Seattle Thunderbirds), D Juuso Valimaki (Tri-City Americans) and D Henri Jokiharju (Portland Winterhawks) all are on Team Finland’s roster for the tournament that also features teams from Canada, Sweden and the U.S.

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THE COACHING GAME . . .

Mark Lamb, who spent six seasons as the general manager and head coach of the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos, is out after one season as head coach of the Tucson Roadrunners, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. . . . John Chayka, the Coyotes’ president of hockey operations and general manager, announced Wednesday that Mike Van Ryn has taken over as head coach. . . . The assistant coaches will be John Slaney and Steve Potvin. . . . Mark Hardy, an assistant coach last season, also won’t be returning. . . . Van Ryn spent the past season working as the Coyotes’ development coach. . . . In 2015-16, he was the head coach of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. . . . Slaney spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Coyotes, while Potvin has been with the organization for one season as the skills coach. . . . The Roadrunners finished 29-31-8 last season, their first in the AHL. Their winning percentage (.485) left them sixth in the eight-team Pacific Division. They didn’t qualify for the playoffs.

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TWEET OF THE DAY . . .

Put me in coach #southkorea 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/Rvw17hfQ82

— Sheehan Desjardins (@SheeDesjardins) July 26, 2017

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T-Birds, 'Canes win openers ... Estephan, Bear opening-night stars ... CTE found in ex-juniors

The Kelowna Rockets opened the Western Conference final against the host Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., last night without D Cal Foote, who will be a first-round selection in the NHL’s 2017 draft. He was completing a three-game WHL suspension. . . . The Rockets also were missing D Braydyn Chizen, who is out with a leg injury suffered in the previous round against the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Minus those two veterans, the Rockets had two young defencemen in the lineup — Kaedan Korczak, who turned 16 on Jan. 29, and Konrad Belcourt, who will be 17 on May 4. . . . F Erik Gardiner, who also was injured against Portland, was back in Kelowna’s lineup.
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 As expected, G Carl Stankowski, who turned 17 on March 9, made his ninth straight start for the Thunderbirds. He has played every one of Seattle’s playoff games with G Rylan Toth, 20, out with an undisclosed injury.
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 Just a thought: If the Thunderbirds play in Kent, shouldn’t they be the Kent Thunderbirds? Or will the Thunderbirds move back to Seattle if/when the big city gets an NHL-type facility?
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 Doug Weight, the head coach of the NHL’s New York Islanders, was in attendance at the game in Kent. The Islanders selected Seattle F Mathew Barzal in the first round of the 2015 NHL draft. Barzal started this season with the Islanders before eventually being returned to Seattle.
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 In Regina, the Lethbridge Hurricanes had two of their five injured regulars back for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference against the host Pats. F Zak Zborosky and F Zane Franklin returned, but F Matt Alfaro, F Ryan Vandervlis and D Calen Addison remain out.
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#Regina #Pats captain Adam Brooks is at the bottom of a scrum his first shift back from injury. #WHL. pic.twitter.com/p0V54uaTpe — Darren Steinke (@StanksSports) April 22, 2017

The Pats were without D Dawson Davidson, who was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers in January. He was injured in Game 7 against the Swift Current Broncos. John Paddock, the team’s GM/head coach, has said Davidson will be out for a while. . . . Regina had F Adam Brooks, its captain, in the lineup and he played after missing the previous five games. He suffered a knee injury in Game 2 against the Broncos. He was in uniform for the last three games of that serious, but never got on the ice. Last night, Brooks took his first shift shortly after the Pats had taken an early 1-0 lead. Yes, the crowd roared when Brooks left the bench.
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 Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press points out that “this is the kind of (NHL) playoffs where the winner of the office pool will be the guy who thought PK Subban still played for the Canadiens.” . . . Yeah, or the guy who tried to select Wayne Gretzky in the fourth round.

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F Brad Moran (Calgary, 1995-2000) announced his retirement through the website of the Nottingham Panthers (England, UK Elite). The team captain, he had 11 goals and 28 assists in 51 games this season. . . . F Devin Setoguchi (Saskatoon, Prince George, 2003-07) has signed a two-year contract with Adler Mannheim (Germany, DEL). This season, he had four goals and eight assists in 45 games with the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), and three assists in nine games with the Ontario Reign (AHL). . . . D Dominik Bittner (Everett, 2011-12) has signed a two-year contract with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, DEL). This season, he had a goal and four assists in 36 games with Adler Mannheim (Germany, DEL). . . . F Justin Kirsch (Calgary, Moose Jaw, 2009-13) has signed a one-year extension with the Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2). This season, he had 18 goals and 21 assists in 52 games.
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  Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post wrote a column this week that marked his 30th anniversary — or, rather, one of them — at his favourite newspaper. The reasons I mention this isn’t because I was the assistant sports editor there at the time, but because it is amazing to read this and realize just how many people worked in that sports department. Yes, those were the days, my friends. . . . Vanstone’s piece is right here.
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 The finalists will be decided today at the IIHF’s U-17 World Championship in Poprad, Slovakia. It’s Finland against Russia in the first semifinal, with Team USA and Sweden meeting in the second game. . . . The winners will play in Sunday’s final in Poprad. . . . Meanwhile, in Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia, Latvia beat Belarus, 3-2, on Friday in Game 2 of the best-of-three relegation series. It’s tied 1-1 and will be decided on Sunday. D Vladislav Yeryomenko of the Calgary Hitmen had an assist for Belarus.
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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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“A researcher at Boston University says she has diagnosed chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in the brains of four former junior hockey players,” writes Rick Westhead, a senior reporter at TSN. “Neuropathologist Dr. Ann McKee made the diagnoses over the past two years. Each of the four former junior players – none of whom advanced to the National Hockey League – committed suicide before the age of 30, she said. . . . Only one of the players has been identified. Drew Mulligan, who was 22 when he committed suicide, played for the Springfield, Mass., Pics of the Empire Junior Hockey League. . . . Westhead’s story is right here.
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USA Hockey will go into the 2018 World Junior Championship with the same coaching staff that guided it to a gold medal earlier this year in Toronto and Montreal. . . . Bob Motzko, the head coach at St. Cloud State, is back for a second go-round as Team USA’s head coach. Also returning are assistant coaches Greg Brown (Boston College), Kris Mayotte (Providence), Steve Miller (Air Force) and Grant Potulny (Northern Michigan). . . . The 2018 tournament is to be held in Buffalo, Dec. 26, 2017, through Jan. 5, and will feature an outdoor game between Team Canada and the Americans on Dec. 29.
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 The ECHL’s Rapid City Rush fired head coach Mark DeSantis on Friday. The announcement was made by general manager Joe Ferras, who had been the head coach before DeSantis was moved up from his post as an assistant. The Rush was 38-47-11 under DeSantis.
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Just in time for Game 1 vs Pats our behind the scenes Vlog #6 is up. @CTVAllieMiller & I get a little excited.. https://t.co/0JLWMWyL7m pic.twitter.com/gEjTmOlzDo — Kaella Carr (@CTVKaellaCarr) April 21, 2017

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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Friendly fire in visitors broadcast booth. pic.twitter.com/Q6kpT2THOL — Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) April 22, 2017

At Kent, Wash., D Ethan Bear broke a 4-4 tie with a PP goal with 11.2 seconds left in the third period to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 5-4 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . They’ll play Game 2 of the

ETHAN BEAR

Western Conference final tonight in Kent. . . . Seattle was on only its second PP of the game — it finished 1-2 — when there was a face-off in Kelowna’s zone. The puck came to Bear and he hammered home a slap shot from the top of the left circle for his fourth goal of these playoffs. . . . Just 35 seconds earlier, Seattle G Carl Stankowski had stopped Kelowna D Devante Stephens on a shorthanded breakaway. . . . The Rockets, who were 3-6 on the PP, had tied the game 4-4 with a pair of third-period PP scores. . . . F Tomas Soustal (3) cut Kelowna to within a goal at 5:53 and F Calvin Thurkauf (6) tied it at 15:00. . . . Earlier, the Thunderbirds scored first for a ninth straight playoff game when F Ryan Gropp got his second goal at 10:00 of the first period. . . . The Rockets took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Kole Lind (4), on a PP, with 6.2 seconds left in the first period, and F Reid Gardiner, his WHL-leading 13th, at 1:09 of the second. . . . The Thunderbirds pulled even when F Alexander True (5) scored with 2.6 left in the second. . . . Seattle then scored two goals three minutes apart to start the third period. . . . D Turner Ottenbreit (1) counted at 0:52 and F Sami Moilanen (3) added another goal at 3:52. . . . Moilanen added two assists to his goal, while Gropp had one. . . . The Rockets got two assists from Gardiner, with Thurkauf adding one. . . . Stankowski stopped 29 shots in running his record to 9-0. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer turned aside 20 shots. . . . The Thunderbirds had their big line — Mathew Barzal between Keegan Kolesar and Gropp — together to start a game for the first time in a while. . . . As a result of Gropp rejoining that line, F Donovan Neuls moved back to play on a line with True and Tyler Adams. . . . Announced attendance: 4,001. ——

#Lethbridge #Hurricanes goaltender @ssskipy_74 dives across his crease to make a save. #WHL. pic.twitter.com/5RGX9T9brE — Darren Steinke (@StanksSports) April 22, 2017

At Regina, F Giorgio Estephan scored twice, the second into an empty net, to help the Lethbridge

GIORGIO ESTEPHAN

Hurricanes to a 3-1 victory over the Pats. . . . They’ll play Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final tonight in Regina. . . . Last night, F Austin Wagner’s 11th goal gave the Pats a 1-0 lead at 1:10 of the first period. . . . The Hurricanes, who have won four straight road games, tied it on Estephan’s first goal of the game, at 13:23 of the second period. . . . The Hurricanes took their first lead at 1:59 of the third period when F Jordy Bellerive scored his fifth goal, on a PP. . . . The Pats thought they had tied it at 8:21 of the third when Wagner got the puck into the Lethbridge net. However, the goal was disallowed after a video review during which it was ascertained that the net was off its moorings before the puck entered the net. . . . Estephan iced it with his 10th goal, into an empty net, at 18:38. . . . D Igor Merezhko had two assists for Lethbridge. . . . The Hurricanes got 36 saves from G Stuart Skinner, while Regina’s Tyler Brown stopped 22 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 1-3 on the PP; Regina was 0-2. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484. . . . Darren Steinke, the Travellin’ Blogger, was in attendance and posted his game piece right here.

Canes gather at centre ice.. raise their sticks and salute the crowd.officials also booed off the ice.. this will be a long series #WHL — Warren Woods (@WoodsyCJME) April 22, 2017

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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kelowna vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m. (Seattle leads, 1-0) Lethbridge at Regina, 7 p.m. (Lethbridge leads, 1-0)
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Hitmen tied for last playoff spot ... Blazers applying heat to Cougars ... Thunderbirds stun Winterhawks

There was an error on the online scoresheet involving the winning goal in the Everett Silvertips’ 3-2 OT victory over the host Swift Current Broncos on Saturday night. . . . According to the scoresheet, the winning goal came from D Lucas Skrumeda. It turns out that it actually was scored by F Eetu Tuulola, his 15th of the season. Tuulola, who will turn 19 on March 17, is from Finland and is in his freshman season. That was his second game-winning goal.

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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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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, the Hitmen erased a 1-0 deficit with three straight goals and went on to a 3-2 victory over the

MARK KASTELIC

Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Hitmen (22-26-10) are 3-0-1 in their past four games. They now are tied with Saskatoon for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. The Hitmen, fourth in the Central Division, also are just two points behind the third-place Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Blades (23-28-8) have lost four in a row (0-2-2). . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his 27th goal, on a PP, at 2:00 of the first period. . . . F Andrew Fyten (6) tied the score at 15:10. . . . The Hitmen took a 2-1 lead when D Vladislav Yeryomenko notched his fifth goal, at 8:42 of the second period. . . . F Mark Kastelic’s 10th goal upped that to 3-1 at 12:49. . . . F Mason McCarty got the Blades to within a goal with No. 17, on a PP, at 6:38 of the third period. . . . Shynkaruk also had an assist. . . . G Trevor Martin stopped 16 shots for Calgary. . . . At the other end, G Logan Flodell blocked 34. . . . Saskatoon was 2-3 on the PP; Calgary was 0-4. . . . The Blades were playing their third game in three different cities in fewer than 48 hours. They went 0-2-1. . . . Saskatoon was without F Cole Johnson, who served a one-game suspension after taking a major and game misconduct for goaltending interference on Saturday in Lethbridge. . . . Announced attendance: 6,254.

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At Kamloops, G Connor Ingram stopped 28 shots to lead the Blazers to a 3-0 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Blazers (36-19-6) have won two in a row. They are second in the B.C. Division

CONNOR INGRAM

and have closed to within two points of the Cougars (38-19-4). These two teams will meet four more times this season. . . . Kamloops is 2-2-0 in the season series; Prince George is 2-1-1. . . . Ingram has four shutouts this season and 11 in his career. He leads the WHL with a .934 save percentage and is second in GAA (2.14). Carter Hart of the Everett Silvertips leads at 1.95. . . . F Collin Shirley gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead at 19:16 of the first period. . . . F Rudolfs Balcers (34) added insurance at 13:46 of the second period. . . . F Garrett Pilon’s 16th goal sealed the victory at 1:32 of the third period. . . . The Cougars got 39 saves from G Ty Edmonds. . . . Prince George was 0-2 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-4. . . . Prince George had lost 5-2 to the Rockets in Kelowna on Saturday night. The Rockets are third in the B.C. Division, five points behind Kamloops with two games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 3,727. . . . After the loss in Kelowna, Prince George head coach Richard Matvichuk told Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier that the game in Kamloops “is a must two points for us, but if we’re not willing to put the work in and willing to win the little puck battles, you’re not going to beat any team in this league. We have to get back to working first and our skill will follow up after. It’s crazy, you talk to anybody in the Canadian Hockey League and they say this is the toughest division in the country. You look at the four teams and, unfortunately, someone gets bounced out in the first round.”

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At Portland, the Seattle Thunderbirds overcame a 4-2 third-period deficit to beat the Winterhawks, 5-4, in a shootout. . . . F Mathew Barzal scored for Seattle in the first round of the shootout, with Portland F

SAMI MOILANEN

Keegan Iverson equalizing in the second round. F Sami Moilanen won the game as he scored to finish the third round. . . . F Tyler Adams had given Seattle a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 6:58 of the first period. . . . Portland tied it at 14:22 when F Evan Weinger (18) scored on a PP. . . . F Alexander True’s 20th goal gave the Thunderbirds a 2-1 lead at 2:19 of the second period. . . . The Winterhawks responded with the next three goals. . . . D Caleb Jones (7) scored a shorthanded beauty at 6:19 to tie the score. . . . F Skyler McKenzie gave Portland a 3-2 lead at 13:42. . . . D Keoni Texeira upped that to 4-2 with his 11th goal at 8:50 of the third period. . . . Seattle closed to within a goal at 11:33 as F Donovan Neuls got No. 19. . . . The Thunderbirds forced OT as Moilanen got his 18th goal at 19:14 with G Matt Berlin on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Seattle got two assists from D Jarret Tyszka. . . . McKenzie and Texeira had an assist each for Portland. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp was held off the scoresheet, ending his point streak at 16 games. . . . Portland F Evan Weinger wasn’t able to score on a penalty shot at 16:42 of the third period with his side leading, 4-3. . . . Berlin finished the game with 29 saves, while Portland’s Cole Kehler stopped 45 shots. . . . Portland was 1-2 on the PP; Seattle was 1-6. . . . The Thunderbirds, who dressed only 16 skaters, apparently have added F Keegan Kolesar to their injury list. He was a last-minute scratch. . . . Each team was playing for the third time in fewer than 48 hours. . . . Seattle was beaten, 4-2, by the host Tri-City Americans on Friday, then beat Portland 5-3 in Kent, Wash., on Saturday night. . . . The Winterhawks had beaten the visiting Red Deer Rebels 4-3 on Friday. . . . The Thunderbirds (38-17-5) have won two in a row. They are second in the U.S. Division, one point behind Everett with the Silvertips holding two games in hand. . . . The Winterhawks (32-24-4) have lost two straight (0-1-1). They are fourth in the U.S. Division, five points behind Tri-City. Portland does hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point behind the Victoria Royals. . . . In the season series, Seattle is 5-3-2, while Portland is 5-4-1. Yes, the loser point has to go!. . . . The Thunderbirds and Winterhawks will meet twice more this season, too. . . . Announced attendance: 9,233.

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MONDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina at Prince Albert, 4 p.m.

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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Edmonton at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Moose Jaw at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.

Red Deer at Prince George, 7 p.m.

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Steel, Brooks spark Pats . . . Zborosky, Ice calm Hurricanes . . . Steenbergen, Broncos drop Warriors

TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Kelowna, F Conner Bruggen-Cate’s second goal of the season, an empty-netter, was the winner as

CONNER BRUGGEN-CATE

the Rockets beat the Kamloops Blazers, 3-2. . . . F Collin Shirley’s 15th goal had given the Blazers the lead at 2:12 of the first period. . . . Kelowna F Kole Lind tied with when he scored No. 20, on a PP, at 17:29. . . . The Rockets took their first lead when F Nolan Foote got No. 8, on a PP, at 5:00 of the second period. . . . Bruggen-Cate scored his empty-netter, at 19:17 of the third period. . . . Kamloops F Erik Miller then got his third goal of the season, at 19:35. . . . F Nick Merkley had two assists for the Rockets. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 30 shots for the Rockets, while Dylan Ferguson also stopped 30 for Kamloops. . . . Kelowna was 2-6 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-3. . . . The Rockets (23-12-2) have points in five straight (4-0-1). . . . Kamloops (21-14-2) is third in the B.C. Division, four points behind Kelowna. . . . D Kaedan Korczak, 15, made his WHL debut with the Rockets. From Yorkton, Sask., the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder has six goals and 12 assists in 26 games with the midget AAA Yorkton Maulers. He was the 11th overall selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. . . . Kamloops F Luc Smith, who was acquired from the Regina Pats on Tuesday, wasn’t in the Blazers’ lineup. He flew into Kelowna but didn’t get there in time to play. . . . Announced attendance: 6,238.

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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Zak Zborosky struck for three goals to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 6-4 victory over

ZAC ZBOROSKY

the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . It was Zborosky’s second career hat trick. He also had one last season when he scored 32 times in 58 games. . . . The Ice got out to a 2-0 lead on goals from F Jake Elmer (3), at 7:27 of the first period, and Zborosky, at 8:55. . . . F Brett Davis (3) pulled Lethbridge to within one at 15:10. . . . The Ice restored its two-goal lead as F Tanner Sidaway (2) scored 28 seconds into the second period. . . . Lethbridge’ F Zane Franklin (4) got that one back at 2:07. . . . The Ice then put it away with three straight goals, Zborosky scored at 5:19 and 12:48 of the second period, and F Austin Wellsby (3) counting at 13:50. . . . Zborosky now has 26 goals, second in the WHL to F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors, who has 29. . . . The Hurricanes got the game’s last two goals, both from F Tyler Wong, who haas 23. . . . The Ice got two assists from F Matt Alfaro, while Elmer added one to his goal. . . . D Igor Merezhko and D Brandon Menell each had two helpers for the visitors. . . . G Payton Lee stopped 30 shots for the Ice. . . . The Hurricanes started G Stuart Skinner, who gave up four goals on 13 shots in 25:19. Ryan Gilchrist finished up by stopping 12 of 14 shots over 25:19. . . . Kootenay was 1-3 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-5. . . . The Ice (7-22-8) had lost its previous six games (0-5-1). . . . The Hurricanes (18-13-5) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . . Announced attendance: 1,839.

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At Medicine Hat, F Max Gerlach scored the only goal of a three-round shootout as the Tigers got past the

MAX GERLACH

Calgary Hitmen, 5-4. . . . The Tigers had to come from behind to get to OT. Trailing 4-2 late in the third period, D Clayton Kirichenko (4) scored, on a PP, at 15:28 and F John Dahlstrom, who assisted on Kirichenko’s goal, tied it, at 17:58. . . . Dahlstrom has 17 goals. . . . F Beck Malenstyn gave Calgary a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 5:33 of the first period. . . . The Tigers scored the next two goals, with F Ryan Chyzowski (5) counting at 9:59 and F James Hamblin (8) scoring at 1:42 of the second period. . . . The Hitmen then appeared to take control with three straight goals. . . . F Mark Kastelic (5) scored at 13:47, Malenstyn (12) got his second of the night at 15:51 and F Jakob Stukel scored his 11th at 2:15 of the third period. . . . The Hitmen got two assists from each of F Matteo Gennaro and D Micheal Zipp, with Stukel and Malenstyn adding one apiece. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider stopped 33 shots. He leads the WHL with 24 victories. He has won his last five decisons. . . . The Hitmen got 42 stops from G Cody Porter. . . . Calgary was 1-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-5. . . . The Tigers lost F Chad Butcher, their leading scorer, at 5:55 of the second period after he was given a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Calgary F Murphy Stratton. . . . The Tigers (26-10-1) have won five in a row and are one point behind the Everett Silvertips and Prince George Cougars, who are tied atop the overall standings. . . . Calgary now is 13-16-3. . . . Announced attendance: 3,808.

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@PARaidersHockey playing 1 skater short...10 forwards and 7 defencemen; @BladesHockey with 11 F and 7 D dressed, but @kustra_99 playing C.

— Les Lazaruk (@Bladesvoice) December 28, 2016

At Prince Albert, the Raiders scored the game’s first three goals and went on to beat the Saskatoon

CODY PAIVARINTA

Blades, 5-3. . . . D Cody Paivarinta got the Raiders on the scoreboard with his first career goal, in his 50th game, at 4:35 of the first period. That was the Raiders’ first goal against the Blades this season, in two-plus games. . . . F Luke Coleman made it 2-0 with No. 6, at 12:24, and F Cole Fonstad (6) upped it to 3-0 at 15:45, on a PP. . . . Saskatoon F Jake Christensen (8) scored shorthanded, at 18:04. . . . F Drew Warkentine’s second goal, at 16:57, restored the Raiders’ two-goal lead. . . . The Blades cut into the deficit at 19:05 when F Braylon Shmyr scored on a PP. . . . The Raiders got insurance from F Cavin Leth (9), at 5:32, with Shmyr (16) finishing the scoring at 8:05. . . . F Tim Vanstone had two assists for the winners, with Warkentine and Coleman each adding one. . . . Christensen also had an assist for Saskatoon. . . . The Raiders got 38 stops from G Ian Scott, while Logan Flodell blocked 27 at the other end. . . . Saskatoon was 2-6 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-6. . . . The Raiders had D Rhett Rhinehart in their lineup as he made his WHL debut. Rhinehart, who turned 15 on Nov. 27, was the 13th overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder is eligible for the NHL’s 2020 draft. Rhinehart, who is from Lloydminster, Alta., has four goals and 14 assists in 13 games with the Yale Hockey Academy prep team in Abbotsford, B.C. . . . F Austin Glover (ill) was among the Raiders’ scratches, as was D Vojtek Budik, who is with the Czech Republic’s national junior team although he isn’t on its roster. . . . D Libor Hajek, who was dropped by the Czech Republic’s national junior team before the World Junior Championship began, wasn’t in Saskatoon’s lineup. . . . Saskatoon had F Matt Mosher, 16, in its lineup. From White Rock, B.C., he was a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. He has six goals and five assists in 16 games with the prep team at the Delta, B.C., Hockey Academy. . . . The Blades had been 2-0-0 against the Raiders, having posted shutouts in both games. . . . Prince Albert (8-26-2) had lost its previous three games. . . . Saskatoon (13-20-4) has lost four in a row (0-2-2). . . . Announced attendance: 2,313.

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At Red Deer, the Rebels got shorthanded goals 16 seconds apart as they beat the Edmonton Oil Kings,

RILEY LAMB

3-0. . . . G Riley Lamb stopped 28 shots, 13 of them in the first period, in recording the third shutout of his freshman season. . . . Red Deer F Evan Polei scored his 16th goal, while shorthanded, at 11:45 of the second period. . . . F Matt Campese notched his first with the Rebels, also while shorthanded, at 11:57. . . . F Brandon Hagel, who also had an assist, scored No. 17 at 14:51 of the third period to put this one away. . . . The Oil Kings got 39 saves from G Patrick Dea, 19 of them in the first period. . . . Each team was 0-6 on the PP. . . . Red Deer (17-14-6) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The victory allowed the Rebels, who are third in the Central Division, to move four points ahead of Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings (16-16-4) had points in their previous four games (2-0-2). . . . Announced attendance: 5,392.

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#WHL BDN/REG:  @WHLPats Austin Wagner falls to 0-for-5 in career in penalty shots.  He and J. Papirny also faced off on Dec. 5, 2014.

— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) December 28, 2016

At Regina, F Adam Brooks and F Sam Steel each had five points as the Pats got past the Brandon

SAM STEEL

Wheat Kings, 7-4. . . . Brooks has 10 points over his last two games, including back-to-back hat tricks. . . . Brandon F Tyler Coulter (12) scored the game’s first goal, at 14:29 of the first period. . . . Regina replied with three straight as F Austin Wagner got No. 15 at 19:33, Brooks scored at 8:30 of the second and F Dawson Leedahl (15) counted at 10:25. . . . The last two of those came via the PP. . . . The Wheat Kings got to within one, at 3-2, when F Reid Duke got his 19th, shorthanded, at 11:24. . . . However, D Connor Hobbs (15), shorthanded, at 15:58 and Brooks, at 3:31 of the third period, but the home side back in control. . . . Still, the visitors got back to within a goal when Coulter scored, at 4:14, and F Ty Lewis added his 17th at 11:00. . . . Steel, who has 24 goals, provided some insurance, at 11:46, and Brooks got No. 20 into an empty net, at 19:04. . . . When the dust had cleared, Steel was leading the scoring race with 59 points, one more than Brooks. . . . Wagner and Leedahl each added an assist, as did Coulter and Duke. . . . G Tyler Brown blocked 31 shots for the Pats. With G Jordan Hollett still injured, Max Paddock of the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings backed up Brown. Paddock is a nephew to John Paddock, the Pats’ GM and head coach. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny made 29 saves. Wagner was unable to beat him on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Brandon was 0-10. . . . The Wheat Kings again were without F Nolan Patrick, who hasn’t played since Oct. 11. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs left at 12:50 of the third period with a kneeing major and game misconduct. . . . D Dawson Davidson, acquired earlier in the day from the Kamloops Blazers, was in Regina’s lineup, but was pointless. . . . F Ben McCartney, a second-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft, has joined the Wheat Kings for a few days, although he didn’t play in this one. A native of Portage la Prairie, Man., he has 13 goals and 12 assists with a prep team at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. . . . Regina (23-3-6) has won two in a row and is two points out of first place in the overall standings. The Pats have five games in hand on the Prince George Cougars and two on the Everett Silvertips, who are tied atop the standings. . . . Brandon (15-15-4) had won its previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.

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At Kent, Wash., F Sami Moilanen broke a 2-2 tie at 12:12 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds

SAMI MOILANEN

beat the Spokane Chiefs, 3-2. . . . D Ethan Bear (11) gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 9:39 of the first period, only to have F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (18) pull Spokane even at 15:50. . . . Seattle went back out front on F Scott Eansor’s 17th goal, at 6:02 of the second period. . . . D Tyson Helgesen (4) tied it for the Chiefs at 10:28 of the third period. . . . Moilanen won it with his 12th goal. . . . Bear and Eansor each had an assist. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto drew two assists for the Chiefs. . . . Seattle got 41 stops from G Rylan Toth, while Dawson Weatherill stopped 21 for Spokane. . . . The Thunderbirds were 0-1 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-2. . . . F Alex Mowbray, 20, who was added to the Chiefs’ roster earlier in the day, was in Spokane’s lineup. . . . The Chiefs also welcomed back F Curtis Miske, who hadn’t played since Nov. 27. . . . However, F Wyatt Sloboshan, who didn’t return from the Christmas break, and F Kolby Morrisseau were among Spokane’s scratches. . . . Morrisseau is out with an injury after taking a hit from Seattle D Turner Ottenbreit on Dec. 13 in Kent. Morrisseau, 16, needed attention from both trainers before leaving the ice. He spent some time in hospital after leaving a Sept. being injured during a Sept. 3 exhibition game against the Portland Winterhawks in Everett. That day, Morrisseau left the ice on a stretcher in the third period. . . . The Chiefs had been 2-0-0 in Kent this season, while the Thunderbirds are 1-0-0 in Spokane. . . . Seattle (18-13-3) has won two straight. . . . Spokane (14-14-6) has lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 6,200.

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At Swift Current, F Tyler Steenbergen scored three goals and added an assist to help the Broncos to a 6-

TYLER STEENBERGEN

1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Broncos had lost seven straight games to the Warriors. . . . Swift Current took control with three first-period goals. . . . G Glenn Gawdin (9) scored at 3:05, with F Aleksi Hopinieme (11) making it 2-0 at 5:28. Steenbergen followed with three straight goals — at 7:42 of the first period, 13:10 of the second and 6:30 of the third. He’s got 25 goals in 36 games after finishing his freshman season with 20 in 67. This was his first career hat trick. . . . Moose Jaw F Brett Howden scored his 16th goal at 17:46, with Broncos F Lane Pederson (16) getting that one back at 18:16. . . . Heponiemi also had two assists, with D Max Lajoie getting two and Pederson adding one. . . . The Broncos got 28 saves from G Taz Burman. . . . Moose Jaw started Zach Sawchenko allowed five goals on 40 shots in 55:30. Reliever Brody Willms stopped eight of nine shots in 5:30. . . . The Broncos were 1-4 on the PP; the Warriors’ unit never saw action. . . . The Broncos (19-10-7) have points in five straight (4-0-1). The victory moved them into a second-place tie with the Warriors in the East Division. . . . The Warriors (20-9-5) have lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 2,342.

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At Kennewick, Wash., F Parker AuCoin and F Michael Rasmussen each scored twice to help the Tri-City

PARKER AuCOIN

Americans to a 6-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Rasmussen now has 25 goals. . . . AuCoin, who didn’t have even one point over his last 14 games prior to the Christmas break, now has 11 goals. . . . F Skyler McKenzie scored both Portland goals, his first giving the visitors a 1-0 lead at 2:57 of the opening period. His second got Portland to within a goal, at 3-2, at 5:40 of the third period. He’s got 24 goals. . . . Rasmussen tied the game, 1-1, at 3:32 of the second period, on a PP. . . . AuCoin scored back-to-back goals, at 19:07 of the second and 2:14 of the third, for a 3-1 lead. . . . Tri-City F Tyler Sandhu (9) added insurance at 13:41 of the third period, with Rasmussen getting his second goal, on a PP, at 16:13 and F Vladislav Lukin (15) adding another PP goal, at 18:50. . . . D Dylan Coghlan drew three assists for the winners, while D Parker Wotherspoon had two and Rasmussen, Sandhu and Lukin each added one. . . . G Evan Sarthou stopped 23 shots for Tri-City, while Cole Kehler blocked 26 for Portland. . . . The Americans were 3-9 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 1-3. . . . The Americans have taken five of seven games from Portland this season. Tri-City last won five games from Portland in 2011-12. . . . The Americans (20-15-3) had lost their previous four games. . . . The Winterhawks (19-17-1) have lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 4,080.

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🎉🎂 Happy Birthday, @KlcCoach! 🎉🎂 pic.twitter.com/4H1SllewW4

— Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) December 27, 2016

At Langley, B.C., F Ty Ronning scored 31 second into OT to give the Vancouver Giants a 5-4 victory over

TY RONNING

the Everett Silvertips. . . . Ronning won it with his 12th goal of the season. It was his second straight OT winner. . . . F James Malm had forced OT, completing his first career three-point game — on his father’s birthday — with his ninth goal at 17:08 of the second period. . . . F Eetu Tuulolo (9) gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 4:09 of the first period. . . . The Giants responded with the next three goals. . . . F Alec Baer (3) scored on a PP, at 10:16 of the first period and F Brendan Semchuk (5) counted just 14 seconds later. . . . Vancouver F Owen Hardy (2) made it 3-1 at 12:27. . . . Everett scored three times in the second period to take a 4-3 lead. . . . F Dominic Zwerger, who has 15 goals, got the first two, at 0:41 and 11:45. . . . F Connor Dewar (5) broke the tie at 13:44. . . . F Tyler Benson had two assists for Vancouver, with Baer and Semchuk adding one each. . . . G Ryan Kubic turned aside 30 shots to earn the victory. . . . Everett’s Mario Petit stopped 21 shots. . . . Vancouver was 1-4 on the PP; Everett was 1-6. . . . Everett had been 3-0-0 against Vancouver these season and is 8-0-3 against teams from the B.C. Division. . . . The Giants (14-18-3) have won three in a row. . . . The Silvertips (24-4-6) have points in four straight (3-0-1) and are tied with the Prince George Cougars atop the overall standings. Everett holds three games in hand. . . . Vancouver D Ryan Jones, who suffered a shoulder injury during the exhibition season, played his first game of this season. With only 17 skaters dressed, Jones played on a forward line. . . . Everett head coach Kevin Constantine celebrated his 58th birthday by taking a game misconduct at 9:46 of the second period. According to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Constantine was “angry about Zwerger dive call” at 6:49. . . . Announced attendance: 4,317.

A man shouldn't work on his birthday?

— Kevin Constantine (@KlcCoach) December 28, 2016

FWIW: In KRKO post-game interview Tips assistant Mitch Love said this was 2nd time Kevin Constantine has been tossed by ref Mike Campbell.

— Jesse Geleynse (@JesseGeleynse) December 28, 2016

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At Victoria, F Tyler Soy returned to the Royals’ lineup with a bang, his three goals and an assist leading

TYLER SOY

them to a 5-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Soy, 19, hadn’t played since suffering an undisclosed injury on Nov. 19. . . . He scored Victoria’s last three goals, giving him 15 goals in 22 games, and his second hat trick this season. He has four in his career, including two in 2014-15. . . . F Matt Phillips (25) and Soy gave the Royals a 2-0 lead, with goals at 1:18 of the first period and 7:31 of the second. . . . F Brad Morrison’s 16th goal got the Cougars close at 8:31. . . . Soy completed his three-goal game by scoring at 15:05 of the second and 28 seconds into the third. . . . D Chaz Reddekopp (6) got Victoria’s last goal, at 15:13. . . . D Ryan Gagnon had two assists for the Royals, while Reddekopp had one. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 42 shots for the Royals. . . . G Ty Edmonds, who stopped 19 shots, made his 189th career regular-season appearance with Prince George, setting a franchise record in the process. . . . Victoria was 0-1 on the PP; Prince George was 0-4. . . . The Royals (18-15-4) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Cougars (26-9-2) had a five-game winning streak snapped. . . . Announced attendance: 5,285.

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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Regina at Brandon, 7 p.m.

Medicine Hat at Calgary, 7 p.m.

Red Deer at Edmonton, 7 p.m.

Vancouver at Everett, 7:05 p.m.

Kelowna at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Kootenay at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

Tri-City at Portland, 7 p.m.

Prince Albert at Saskatoon, 7 p.m.

Seattle at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.

Prince George at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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