Lots for MacBeth to report . . . Rockets lose forward indefinitely . . . Virtanen off to AHL

F Sebastian Svendsen (Vancouver, Edmonton, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, 2009-12) has signed a one-year contract with Frederikshavn (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). This season, with Herlev (Denmark, Metal Ligaen), he had seven goals and two assists in 34 games. He was an alternate captain. . . .
D Tomáš Voráček (Prince Albert, 2007-09) has been assigned on loan by Libbers to Mladá Boleslav (both Czech Republic, Extraliga) for next season. This season, he had five assists in 39 games with Liberec. . . .
D Tomáš Andrlik (Prince Albert, Prince George, 2013-15) has signed a tryout contract with Plzeň (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Prince Albert and Prince George, he had four goals and four assists in 62 games. . . .
D Renat Mamashev (Moose Jaw, 2000-01) has signed a one-year contract with Sochi (Russia, KHL). This season, with Sibir Novosibirsk (Russia, KHL), he had two goals and 11 assists in 33 games. . . .
F Ned Lukacevic (Spokane, Swift Current, 2001-06) has signed a one-year contract with the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite). This season, with the Fife Flyers (Scotland, UK Elite), he had a team-high 65 points, including 27 goals, in 60 games. . . .
F Kris Schmidli (Kelowna, Prince Albert, 2013-15) has signed a one-year contract with the GCK Lions Zurich (Switzerland, NL B). This season, with Kelowna and Prince Albert, he had 12 goals and 22 assists in 50 games. . . .
F Kris Foucault (Swift Current, Kootenay, Calgary, 2006-11) has signed a one-year contract with the GCK Lions Zurich (Switzerland, NL B). This season, with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had 22 goals and 25 assists in 54 games. He led the Capitals in goals, assists and points. . . .
F Lukáš Vantuch (Calgary, Lethbridge, 2005-07) has signed a one-year extension with Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Landshut (Germany, DEL2), he had three assists in six games; and five goals and one assist in 25 games with Hradec Králové. . . .
F Cody Sylvester (Calgary, 2008-13) has signed a one-year extension with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). This season, with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL), he had seven goals and 10 assists in 25 games. With Iserlohn, with whom he signed on Jan. 26, he had a goal and two assists in eight games.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

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GOULBOURNE

The Kelowna Rockets will be without F Tyrell Goulbourne tonight when they meet the Winterhawks in Portland in Game 6 of the WHL’s Western Conference final. . . . Goulbourne, 21, underwent surgery after Game 5 on Friday night to repair damage to his left leg. He suffered a skate cut to his calf muscle in the second period after he initiated contact with Portland F Keegan Iverson. According to a tweet from the Rockets, their doctors “say it was successful surgery, he will make a full recovery. To be re-evaluated on week to week basis.” . . . The Rockets report that he is out indefinitely. . . . Goulbourne, who has signed with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, is the leader of Kelowna’s physical game. He had 45 points, 22 of them goals, in 62 regular-season games. In 12 playoff games, he has one goal and one assist.
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The Kelowna Rockets lead the Western Conference final 3-2 going into tonight’s game against the Winterhawks in Portland. The Winterhawks are trying to reach the WHL’s championship final for a fifth straight season. . . . Four of the first five games have been decided by one goal; the exception was Game 3, which was won 7-3 by host Portland.
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The WHL’s championship final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, will begin with games in Brandon on Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets for those games will go on sale in Brandon on Monday morning. . . . The series will follow a 2-3-2 format. . . . The Wheat Kings last met the Kelowna Rockets in the final in the spring of 2005. The Rockets won that series in five games. . . . The last time Brandon and Portland met in the final, in 1998, the Winterhawks won, 4-0.
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Dave Anderson, who covered many a boxing match, has taken a look back at how things worked when he covered the big fights, and how things are now. In between, he tells some stories. This right here is good stuff.
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F Jake Virtanen of the Calgary Hitmen is expected to report to the AHL’s Utica Comets on Monday. The Comets are the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, who selected Virtanen in the first round, sixth overall, of the 2014 NHL draft. The Comets, who are coached by former Portland Winterhawks assistant GM/assistant coach Travis Green, defeated the visiting Chicago Wolves 4-2 last night to take that best-of-five first-round series, 3-2.
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In the OHL, F Connor McDavid had a goal and four assists to lead the Erie Otters to a 7-3 victory over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The Otters won the Western Conference final, 4-2. . . . The game was 2-2 in the second period when Soo F Hayden Verbeek was given a match penalty for slewfooting Erie G Devin Williams. The Otters scored twice on the PP. . . . McDavid has 42 points, including 19 goals, in 15 games in these playoffs. . . . The Oshawa Generals lead the Eastern Conference final 3-2 with Game 6 scheduled for today in North Bay.
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#WHA #Jets #Aeros #Nordiques up next on Pay Per View... Campbell versus Baxter $0.19 much better value. :)

— Scott Campbell (@NHL_Campbell) May 3, 2015

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.

Getting caught up on transactions from the past few days. . . .
G Jeff Glass (Kootenay, 2002-05) was acquired by CSKA Moscow for monetary compensation from Spartak Moscow (both Russia, KHL). In 37 games, he had a 2.32 GAA and .919 save percentage. . . .
G Rastislav Stana (Moose Jaw, Calgary, 1998-2000) was released by CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL) by mutual agreement. In 24 games, he was 2.41, .908. . . .
Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) announced the signing of F Eric Hunter (Prince George, 2002-07) for the rest of this season; the deal includes a club option for next season. Hunter was with Herlev (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga) this season. In 15 games, he had 13 points, including seven goals, before exercising an out clause last week. . . .
F Denis Tolpeko (Seattle, Regina, 2003-06) has been traded by Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk to Salavat Yulaev Ufa (both Russia, KHL) for “monetary compensation." In 38 games with Neftekhimik this season, he had 10 points, five of them goals. . . .
F Sebastian Svendsen (Vancouver, Edmonton, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, 2009-2012) has signed a contract through 2014-2015 with Herlev after being released by Aalborg (both Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He wanted more ice time. In 26 games with Aalborg this season, he had two goals. . . .
F Jeremy Colliton (Prince Albert, 2001-05) has announced his retirement due to post-concussion syndrome via Mora (Sweden, Allsvenskan). With Mora this season, Colliton, the team’s captain, had three assists in three games. He has been suffering from post-concussion syndrome for the past four months. . . .
D Stefan Ulmer (Spokane, 2007-10) signed contract extension through 2016-17 with Lugano (Switzerland, NL A). This season, he has 15 points, six of them goals, in 36 games.
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A daily newspaper closes its doors and coaches begin to disappear.
The Kamloops Daily News published for the last time on Saturday.
Early that morning, the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers announced they were making a coaching change, with Guy Charron coming out of a short-lived retirement to take over from Dave Hunchak.
Of course, the coaching change actually had been made Thursday, when Hunchak left the Blazers while they were in Spokane. Associate coach Mark Ferner ran the bench during a 6-3 loss to the Chiefs on Friday night.
On Tuesday, Thompson Rivers University, which is based in Kamloops, fired Keith Lundgren, the head coach of the WolfPack women’s volleyball team. Chad Grimm, an assistant coach with the WolfPack men’s team, takes over on an interim basis.
The Blazers had a 10-28-5 record when Hunchak was replaced.
The WolfPack, which plays in CIS’s Canada West conference, was 0-14 when the axe fell on Lundgren. He had an 11-63 all-time record.
Now I’m not suggesting that the disappearance of a city’s only daily newspaper might figure in a decision on when to make a coaching change, but . . .
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So . . . you’re wondering how unemployment is going.
Well, for starters, I had to check a calendar in order to figure out Tuesday’s date. When I first got out of bed, I wasn’t even sure it was Tuesday. (BTW, the Wednesday schedule includes a stint with the vacuum cleaner.)
I also can tell you that not having to meet a deadline six days a week is going to be a huge adjustment. In the daily newspaper business, you live by deadlines. In Kamloops, five days a week that deadline was 11 p.m.; on Wednesday’s it was 10 p.m. You didn’t miss a deadline because missed deadlines cost money. In almost 14 years here, I can’t ever recall missing a deadline.
Meanwhile, thanks to all of you for all of the emails, tweets, texts and shoutouts. I never could have imagined so much support and, believe me, it all means a lot at a time like this.
Thanks, too, to Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada for what he wrote right here and to Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald for his kind words right here.
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Tom Gaglardi, the majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers, is in a Kamloops courtroom this week. He and his father, Bob, along with Northland Properties Corporation, are facing two charges of harmful alteration of a fish habitat. . . . Tim Petruk of Kamloops This Week reports right here on Day 1 of the trial.
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has an interesting piece right here, suggesting that the Vancouver Giants, with attendance declining, need to find a new home.
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Perhaps some WHL teams are going to have to follow the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs, who announced this week that they are going to special season-ticket prices for next season, which will be their 25th.
From a Chiefs news release:
“To recognize and honour our loyal fans the club announced that season-tickets for the celebration 2014-15 season will be slashed, in some cases by more than 50 per cent. Adult prices will tumble from $388 this year to $199 next year. Seniors can secure their seats for just $189 and all child and youth prices will drop to $99 — down from $230.
“The new prices are available only until April 1 at which time they will rise to a level that is still at least 25 per cent lower than 2013-14.”
This follows the Penticton Vees, who in July announced a major restructuring of season-ticket prices, with some available for as little as $149.
There is a story right here detailing the Vees’ plan. What is interesting is that, according to the story, the Vees had sold only nine children’s season-tickets the previous season and “probably 50” over the past five season.
All of this brings back memories of the Medicine Hat Tigers who, if memory serves correct, sold $199 season-tickets after a number of seasons of poor on-ice performance. One thing led to another and the Tigers now sell out The Arena (4,006) for every game.
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Cal Swenson, who played for the MJHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings and the WCJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers (1966-68), died on Jan. 1. He was 65. A memorial service was held in Stony Plain, Alta., on Jan. 8.
An obituary can be found right here.
And right here is a brief story that appeared in the Amarillo, Texas, Globe-News.
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Condolences to former Brandon Wheat Kings forward Steve Patrick Jr. and family on the death of his father, Steve. Steve, who died Saturday at the age of 85, played 11 years with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and is a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. He also was a former Manitoba MLA. Arrangements are being handled by wojciksfuneralchapel.com.
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Vancouver head coach Don Hay will be after the 600th victory of his WHL coaching career on Friday when the Giants visit the Kamloops Blazers. Somehow that is only fitting because the first 144 of those victories came as head coach of the Blazers. Hay, who is from Kamloops and was a firefighter there before getting into coaching on a full-time basis, spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Blazers before moving up to the head job. . . . When Hay reaches that milestone, he will be only the third coach in WHL history to get there, and he soon will move into the No. 2 slot, ahead of the retired Lorne Molleken (603). The top spot on the list belongs to Ken Hodge (742). . . . After Hay, the next coach to 600 is likely to be Don Nachbaur of the Spokane Chiefs. After losing 1-0 in OT to the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds last night, Nachbaur is at 584. . . .
 D Mathew Dumba has arrived in Portland and is preparing for his debut with the Winterhawks. Acquired last month from the Red Deer Rebels while he was with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, Dumba has been resting after playing for Canada at the World Junior Championship. While there he ended up with a virus that really zapped his energy level. You can bet that Mike Johnstone, the Winterhawks’ GM and head coach, won’t use Dumba unless he’s healthy. . . . The Winterhawks are at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday. . . .
By the way, the Winterhawks have signed D Blake Heinrich, who was selected by the Washington Capitals in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2013 draft. Heinrich, 18, is with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers and won’t show up in the WHL until their season is over. . . . At the time of the signing, he had 14 points, six of them goals, in 31 games. Last season, he put up 20 points, including three goals, in 42 games with Sioux City. . . . Heinrich, from Cambridge, Minn., was taken by the Winterhawks in the 12th round of the 2012 WHL bantam draft while playing for Hill-Murray High School. . . . At one point, Heinrich had committed to the U of Minnesota-Duluth. . . . Why do I get the feeling the Winterhawks won’t miss a beat despite the punishment meted out to them in November 2012? . . .
D Carter Cochrane of Kamloops has signed with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. Cochrane is a late-1996 who was never taken in the WHL’s bantam draft. He has 34 points, 12 of them goals, in 42 games with the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs. In fact, he leads the Chiefs in points and is second in goals and assists. . . . Cochrane was in camp with the Silvertips as a listed player in 2012, but didn’t attend prior to this season. He will join the Silvertips once the Chiefs’ season has concluded. . . .
The Kelowna Rockets should have F Marek Tvrdon, 20, in their lineup on Friday when they meet the Royals in Victoria. Tvrdon, acquired from the Vancouver Giants last week, has joined the Rockets from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and has been skating with his new teammates.
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TUESDAY NIGHT:
In Lethbridge, F Curtis Valk broke a 1-1 tie at 5:29 of the second period as the Medicine Hat Tigers got past the Hurricanes, 2-1. . . . Valk has 20 goals this season. . . . Tigers F Cole Sanford also scored his 20th goal, pulling his mates into a 1-1 tie at 5:12 of the second, via the PP. . . . D Macoy Erkamps had given the home boys a 1-0 lead at 19:57 of the first, also on the PP. . . . The Tigers held a 42-14 edge in shots. . . .

In Spokane, F Ryan Gropp scored at 4:16 of OT to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 1-0 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Gropp, who is from Kamloops, has 11 goals and 10 assists in 32 games since leaving the BCHL’s Penticton Vees for the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle is 3-0-0 in its last three games, each of which has been decided in extra time. . . . G Taran Kozun, acquired last week from Kamloops, made his Seattle debut and earned the shutout with 28 saves. . . . It was his first shutout this season and the third of his career. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 22 shots. . . . Kozun came over for D Austin Douglas, G Justin Myles and a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . The Chiefs held a 4-1 edge in OT shots. . . . Seattle is 5-0-0 against the Chiefs this season. . . . Seattle (26-14-5) moved in sole possession of fourth place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the idle Everett Silvertips. . . . The Chiefs (26-14-4) moved into fifth, one point ahead of the Silvertips.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Sebastian Svendsen (Vancouver, Edmonton, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, 2009-12) signed a two-year contract with Aalborg (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). Svendsen started the season with Moose Jaw, getting two goals and two assists in 11 games. He returned to Denmark in December, where he played four games with Hvidovre (Denmark, U20 Liga), getting four goals and two assists in four games, and 12 games with Copenhagen Hockey, (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga), scoring three goals and four assists to go along with 49 PIMs. . . .
F Erik Christensen (Kamloops, Brandon, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract with Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL). He had one goal and four assists in 20 games with the New York Rangers, two goals and one assist in five games with Connecticut Whale (AHL), and six goals and one assist in 29 games with Minnesota Wild this season.
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JUST NOTES:
Rob Morphy of Kamloops has been named director of scouting/head scout by the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks. It’s a reunion of sorts for Morphy and Troy Mick, the Silverbacks’ new GM and head coach. The two worked together with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers and won the 1999 Royal Bank Cup. . . . Morphy also is a veteran WHL scout, most recently having worked with the Chilliwack Bruins and Tri-City Americans. . . .
The Tri-City Americans have signed D Tyler Fraser, who was a third-round pick, 55th overall, in the 2012 bantam draft. Fraser, from Surrey, B.C., played for the bantam AAA Cloverdale Colts; in fact, he was the team captain. He also was partnered with Parker Wotherspoon, the Americans’ first-round selection in the 2012 draft. . . .
Hockey Now has named F Mathew Barzal of the Burnaby Winter Club and F Jansen Harkins of the North Shore Winter Club as co-winners of its B.C. minor hockey player-of-the-year award. . . . Barzal was selected first overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. . . . Harkins went second overall to the Prince George Cougars. . . . There’s more right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Steve Johnson has signed on as an assistant coach with the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. He will work alongside head coach Dean Blais. Johnson and Blais both are former head coaches of the USHL’s Fargo Force. In fact, Johnson replaced Blais for the 2009-10 season. For the last two seasons, Johnson has been an assistant coach at St. Cloud State. . . . Back in the day, Johnson spent four seasons as a player at the U of North Dakota; Blais was an assistant coach with the Fighting Sioux at the time. . . .
Gary Graham is the new head coach of the Southern Professional league’s Pensacola Ice Flyers. Graham is coming off four seasons as an assistant coach with the Fort Wayne Komets, who played in the IHL and the Central league and now are making the move to the ECHL. Graham worked under veteran coach Al Sims with the Komets.
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The 2012 Hockey Coaches Conference is all set for July 20-21 at the Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Centre. And it promises to be the best one yet, with presenters like Ken Hitchcock, Mike Keenan, Don Hay, Glen Hanlon, Brent Peterson, Milan Dragicevic and Troy Ward.
There’s more on the conference right here. In fact, if you’re a coach — or an aspiring coach — you should have this site bookmarked.

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.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Sebastian Svendsen (Vancouver, Edmonton, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, 2009-12) signed a contract for the rest of this season with
Copenhagen Hockey (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He had two goals and two assists in 11 games with the Warriors this season.
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David Steele at AOL FanHouse has a solid piece right here on the NFL and the crisis it appears to be facing with concussion-related lawsuits.
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Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail looks at the World Junior Championship and the economics of it all. Yes, it’s BIG! That piece is right here.
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Christmas officially has arrived. How do I know that? Because the viewings of two important Christmas movies — National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story — have been completed.
And if you're wondering whatever happened to that lamp from A Christmas Story, well, the next time you're watching PTI keep an eye on the background. . . . As I watched Christmas Vacation, I couldn't help wondering where Randy Quaid and his wife are celebrating Christmas.
Good night and have a merry one. Here's hoping your turkey isn't dry and don't forget to check your tree for squirrels!

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-2005) signed a contract through Dec. 24 with La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland, NL B). He was released after a tryout with Biel (Switzerland, NL A) on Thursday. The contract begins Monday.
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JUST NOTES: F Sebastian Svendsen, 20, wasn’t in the Moose Jaw Warriors’ lineup Friday night as they beat the host Brandon Wheat Kings, 7-6. James Gallo, the radio voice of the Warriors on CHAB, reported via Twitter than Svendsen has left the club and returned home to Denmark. He missed the early portion of the season with a knee injury and has four points in 11 games. . . . Moose Jaw F Justin Kirsch left in the first period and didn’t return. That followed a hit from Brandon F Darian Dziurzynski. . . . Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden had four assists. He has 22 points in 13 games. . . . The Warriors erased a 6-4 deficit with three third-period goals. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had a goal and two assists, giving him a WHL-leading 58 points in 27 games. Stone has goals in each of his last eight games. . . .
F Mark McNeill’s ninth goal, at 3:04 of OT, gave the Prince Albert Raiders a 4-3 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . The Raiders had lost six in a row. . . . F Kellan Tochkin of the Raiders tied the score with 8.4 seconds left in the third period. . . . F Justin Maylan, 20, drew three assists for the Raiders. He has 32 points in 27 games and just may have some market value between now and the Jan. 10 trade deadline. . . . In Saskatoon, the Calgary Hitmen dumped the Blades 6-2. That ended Saskatoon’s eight-game winning streak and franchise record-tying 10-game home-ice winning streak. . . . The Hitmen are 3-0 on a four-game East Division swing that ends tonight in Prince Albert. . . . Calgary got two goals from F Jimmy Bubnick, who is from Saskatoon. . . .
In Edmonton, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 27 shots to lead the Oil Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. It was Brossoit’s first shutout this season and the third of his career. . . . He is 13-7-2, 2.43, .914. . . . F Tyler Maxwell, acquired Thursday from the Everett Silvertips, had one assist in his Edmonton debut. He played on a line with Michael St. Croix and Dylan Wruck. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Mark Pysyk (undisclosed). . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes went into Red Deer and beat the Rebels 5-1 in a game that featured 12 fighting majors. The Hurricanes took 76 of the game’s 118 penalty minutes. . . .
In Kelowna, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 35 shots in leading the Kootenay Ice to a 4-0 victory over the Rockets. . . . At this point, Lieuwen has to be one of the leading candidates for the player of the year award. He is 13-4-3, 1.78, .938. This was his first shutout of the season and eighth of his career. . . . Backstopped by Lieuwen, the Ice is 18-5-3 and leading the overall standings. . . . The Ice played five B.C. Division teams in seven nights and ran the table. . . . The Ice scored its last three goals on the PP. . . . F Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist, giving him four goals and 10 assists over the five-game swing. His older brother, Max, had three assists and finished the B.C. part of what will be a nine-game trip with four goals and six helpers. . . . Ice F Brock Montgomery, who scored one goal in 54 games last season, had two last night, giving him seven in 26 games this season. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-1, in a game that featured 142 penalty minutes, 71 to each team. . . . The teams took 74 of those minutes for a dustup at 17:48 of the third period. . . . In Everett, F Jordan Weal had two goals and an assist, the 200th of this career, to help the Regina Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Silvertips. Regina is 1-2-1 on its U.S. Division tour that ends in Kennewick tonight. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Charles Inglis tied the game at 19:21 of the third period and scored the only goal of the shootout as the Prince George Cougars edged the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Prince George G Drew Owsley stopped 32 shots. Seattle F Burke Gallimore wasn’t able to beat Owsley on a first-period penalty shot. . . . G Mac Carruth stopped 46 shots as the host Portland Winterhawks beat the Spokane Chiefs, 5-3. . . . Spokane is 0-7 on the road this season and that includes three losses in Portland.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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The AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons have recalled F Milan Kytnar (Kelowna, Saskatoon, Vancouver, 2007-10), while also signing D Dylan Yeo (Prince George, Calgary, 2003-2007) to a free-agent tryout deal. . . .
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A Friday night tweet from Katie Strang of ESPN, who covers the New York hockey scene: “Asked (Islanders) GM Garth Snow if he is contemplating sending Nino Niederreiter back to junior team Portland Winterhawks of WHL; he said ‘No’.”
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A second tweet from Strang: “Also, Isles spokesperson said Niederreiter is indeed healthy. 19-year-old Swiss winger was scratched for 3rd straight game tonight.”
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Later, Strang wrote about this on her blog right here.
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Josh Cooper of The Tennessean has the latest on Brent Peterson right here. Peterson, a former player and coach with the Portland Winterhawks is living with Parkinson’s disease and preparing for surgery that he and his family hope will provide some relief.
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Andrew King, a former junior hockey player, tells his concussion-plagued story right here, from the pages of the Montreal Gazette.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Shayne Toporowski (Prince Albert, 1991-95) signed a tryout contract with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had 16 goals and 17 assists in 58 games for Tappara Tampere (Finland, SM-Liiga) last season. . . .
F Pat Iannone (Kootenay, Try-City, Regina, 1999-2003) signed a one-year contract with Pontebba (Italy, Serie A). He had 11 goals and 26 assists in 38 games for Valpellice (Italy, Serie A) last season.
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It is quite possible that Alberta fans will never get to watch Everett Silvertips D Ryan Murray in the comfort of their favourite team’s arena. The Silvertips open an Alberta swing against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday, but Murray didn’t make the trip. He’s at home nursing a sprained ankle that could keep him sidelined for up to five weeks.
As Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports:
“This isn't the first time Murray has had to stay behind while his teammates headed to Alberta. Two years ago, Murray suffered a broken thumb just before the team departed to visit the Central Division, home of all five of the WHL's Alberta-based teams. He was left behind then, too. Given that Everett only goes to Alberta every other year, it seems unlikely the 18-year-old Murray will ever play a WHL game in Alberta as a Silvertip.”
Murray is projected as an early first-round selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft and might very well be playing in The Show a year from now.
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The Portland Winterhawks have been without F Sven Bartschi for the start of their monster 17-day, nine-game road trip. After the team bus arrived in Edmonton, he hopped a plane and flew back to Portland to get what is believed to be a hip injury examined. He already has missed the trek’s first two games and won’t play tonight against the Hitmen in Calgary. But he was to rejoin the Winterhawks on Monday night and it could be that the Flames’ medical staff will take a look at him, too. The Flames selected him in the first round, 13th overall, of the 2011 NHL draft and he sparkled in their training camp. Bartschi, 18, is a Swiss sophomore. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have added free-agent F Taylor Makin, 19, to their roster. Makin, from Blairmore, Alta., played one game with the Cougars this season before being released. He had 14 points and 43 penalty minutes in 48 games with the Cougars last season, and 17 points and 82 Pms in 70 games in 2009-10. . . . The Giants are at home to the Cougars tonight; the teams play a weekend doubleheade in Prince George. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning (back), who hasn’t played since late September, may get back into the lineup on Friday in Prince George. . . .
The Medicine Hat Tigers have dealt F Kellan Tochkin, 20, to the Prince Albert Raiders for D James Bettauer, 20, and a sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Tochkin, who has signed with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, had eight assists in 10 games with the Tigers this season, and had just returned to their lineup after suffering a concussion on Oct.10. He has 214 points in 227 regular-season games, most of that with the Everett Silvertips, who dealt him to Medicine Hat last season. . . . Bettauer had nine points, including five goals, in 15 games with the Raiders this season. He has 39 points in 153 career games. . . .
The Swift Current Broncos have assigned D Bobby Zinkan, 16, to the midget AAA Calgary Northstars. A fourth-round pick by the Broncos in the 2010 bantam draft, the Calgary native had gotten into just one game with the Broncos. . . .
 F Brendan Gallagher of the Vancouver Giants is the WHL’s player of the week. He had seven points, three of them goals, in three games last week. . . . Eric Comrie of the Tri-City Americans is the WHL’s goaltender of the week. Comrie, 16, put up back-to-back 1-0 shutouts as the Americans swept the Cougars in Prince George on the weekend. . . .
Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald fills us in on the Warriors’ injury situation. . . . The Warriors are at home to the Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday night. . . . D Dylan McIlrath didn’t practice Monday. He took an elbow to the head in a Saturday game, but head coach Mike Stothers told Gourlie that McIlrath was having a “maintenance day” and that he also had a touch of the flu. . . . D Kendall McFaull (lower body) didn’t finish Monday’s practice. He has missed two games. . . . D Joel Edmundson (ankle) may play Wednesday for the first time this season. He was injured in camp with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. . . . F Quinton Howden (concussion) is day-to-day, while F Sebastian Svendsen (knee) remains sidelined.
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An interesting note in the weekly blog from Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman:
“Anaheim/Phoenix played Sunday night with only one referee, as Steve Kozari's eyes swelled up due to an allergic reaction. (Ugh, sounds gross. Get well, Steve.) As a result, Brad Watson did the game alone. Apparently, the players loved it.”
Friedman’s complete blog entry is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

If you are wanting to watch today’s game from Whitehorse between the Vancouver Giants and Kamloops Blazers, it will be streamed at cbc.ca and whl.ca. . . . The game has a starting time of 4 p.m. PT, but may start as late as 4:30 p.m. . . . The WHL wants to maximize its exposure on Hockey Night in Canada, so has told the TV people that it is prepared to delay the faceoff up to 30 minutes in order to get the best fit with HNIC’s schedule. . . . Perhaps the thinking is this: The NHL game between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs also is to start at 4 p.m., so if the WHL game starts a bit later, its first period might still be in progress during the NHL’s games first intermission. If that is the case, Coach’s Corner could be shown while the WHL game is being played in the background. . . . Just a thought. . . .
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When the Portland Winterhawks exploded for five goals in 1:59 during a 10-5 victory over the host Spokane Chiefs the other night, it got Todd Vrooman to thinking. Vrooman, the son of former Portland play-by-play voice Dean (Scooter) Vrooman, now is the analyst on Winterhawks’ broadcasts. After that game, Todd blogged about the way things used to be, such as the night when Portland pulled its goaltender while leading Spokane 18-2. . . . The franchise in Spokane was called the Flyers in those days.
Vrooman’s piece is right here.
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Neate Sager, over at Yahoo! Sports, takes a look at the challenges facing commissioner Ron Robison, who has been given a five-year contract extension by the WHL’s board of governors. The biggest challenge? Decreasing attendance in some key markets. That piece is right here.
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The Central league’s Dayton Gems have come up with a neat Valentine’s Day promotion, all in the aid of a good cause. They are auctioning off a date with their tough guy. Tom Archdeacon of the Dayton Daily News has the story right here.
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The OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds fired head coach Denny Lambert, who had two years left on his contract, on Jan. 11. Dave Torrie, the general manager, now is also the interim head coach.
Obviously, then, the Greyhounds will have a new head coach for next season.
Craig Hartsburg is a former Soo player and head coach, but he has two seasons left on his contract as head coach of the Everett Silvertips.
So . . . might Hartsburg be interested in returning to the Greyhounds? After all, he spends his summers in the Soo.
"My only focus is here (in Everett)," Hartsburg told Peter Ruicci of the Sault Star. "I can't be thinking, let alone talking, about other things. I wouldn't. It's not fair to Everett. I would say I feel badly for Dave and for Denny and the organization. I hope it all gets straightened out."
Ruicci’s complete column is right here.

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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, F Sebastian Svendsen scored the lone goal of the shootout as the Warriors beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-4, to halt a four-game losing skid. . . . Earlier, Svendsen had opened the game’s scoring with his 22nd goal, shorthanded, at 2:10 of the first period. . . . The Oil Kings held a 15-4 edge in shots in the third period and forced OT on F Colton Stephenson’s sixth goal at 1:43 of the third. . . . Edmonton F Dylan Wruck had two assists, giving him a team-high 60 points and leaving him three points shy of the franchise’s modern-day single-season record. . . . Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden had a goal, his 32nd, and two assists, while F Dylan Hood had two helpers and Spencer Edwards, the third player on that line, had a goal and an assist. . . . F T.J. Foster had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Moose Jaw D Joel Edmundson, a 17-year-old freshman from Brandon, scored his first WHL goal in his 55th game. He also has 18 assists this season. . . . Attendance was 2,663. . . . The Warriors continue to be without D Dylan McIlrath (knee). . . . Edmonton is in Brandon tonight, while the Warriors are home to Saskatoon. You may have read here earlier about Saskatoon GM/head coach Lorne Molleken and Moose Jaw head coach Dave Hunchak volleying a few words at each other. Interestingly, Hunchak once played for Molleken with the Blades. As well, Hunchak’s mother, Irene, is an usher during Blades’ games at Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon. . . .
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In Regina, F Cody Eakin scored three times to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 5-1 victory over the Ice. . . . There only were four assists awarded on the five Ice goals. Eakin has 28 goals. . . . He also set up one goal. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 34 shots, losing his shutout at 14:38 of the first period when D Myles Bell scored his 12th goal of the season. . . . Attendance was 3,912. . . . Eakin has 10 goals and 10 assists in 10 games since joining the Ice in that trade from the Swift Current Broncos. . . . On the season, he has 59 points in 40 games. . . . The Ice on the season series with Regina, 4-0, outscoring the Pats 21-9 in the process. . . . The Ice has won three in a row and is tied for third in the Central Division with Medicine Hat. . . . Kootenay plays in Swift Current tonight. . . . The Pats, who play visiting Medicine Hat tonight, are four points out of a playoff spot and will have to climb over three teams to get there. That’s a tall order in this era of loser points. . . .
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In Saskatoon, the Blades dropped the Prince Albert Raiders 7-2 as they ran their winning streak to 10 games. . . . The Blades’ franchise record for longest winning streak (13) was set in 1987-88. . . . F Marek Viedensky and F Josh Nicholls each had three assists for Saskatoon, which got two goals from F Chris Collins, who has 17, and two more from F Brayden Schenn. . . . Schenn scored the game’s first two goals, both via the PP. He’s got 11 goals on the season. Schenn has 23 points, including 10 goals, since being acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Jan. 10. . . . On the season, Schenn has 27 points in 12 games. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 25 shots to run his record to 31-3-0. . . . Saskatoon won the season series, 7-1. . . . The Blades were 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . Saskatoon GM/head coach Lorne Molleken was honoured in a pregame ceremony for having won his 500th game on Jan. 26 in Edmonton. . . . Attendance was 5,833. . . . Blades G Adam Morrison (mononucleosis) has been given the OK to practise. . . . Saskatoon is in Moose Jaw tonight. . . .
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In Brandon, F Michael Ferland completed his first WHL hat trick with a penalty shot score at 3:23 of OT to give the Wheat Kings a 6-5 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Brandon F Matt MacKay, who played last season with the Tigers, scored with 11.9 seconds left in the third period to force OT. . . . Ferland has 16 goals. . . . F Mark Stone had three assists for Brandon. . . . F Linden Vey scored his 37th and 38th goals for the Tigers. He leads the WHL scoring race with 90 points, one more than Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . . The Tigers trailed 4-3 when Vey scored at 16:25 of the second and again at 3:24 of the third. . . . Brandon F Shayne Wiebe got his 31st and 32nd goals. He scored the first goal of the game for the 10th time this season. . . . In a game that featured 11 goals, there were only four minor and two major penalties. . . . The Tigers scratched F Tyler Pitlick and lost D Matthew Konan after a first-period hit by Wiebe. . . . Attendance was 4,288. . . . Medicine Hat moves over to Regina tonight, while Brandon meets visiting Edmonton. . . . The Wheat Kings now are seventh in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of Prince Albert and Swift Current. . . .
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In Lethbridge, F Brett Connolly and F Charles Inglis each scored twice, leading the Prince George Cougars to a 7-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Cougars scored the game’s last four goals. . . . Cougars G Ty Rimmer stopped 31 shots. . . . Connolly has 32 goals, while Inglis has 23. . . . Prince George F Nick Buonassisi had a goal and two assists. . . . Attendance was 3,423. . . . The Cougars are in Calgary tonight, while the Hurricanes are at home to Red Deer. . . . Prince George is sixth in the Western Conference, just four points behind Kelowna and three in front of Everett. . . . The Hurricanes are two points out of a playoff spot. . . .
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In Red Deer, the Rebels scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Calgary Hitmen, 4-1. . . . Red Deer F Byron Froese scored the game’s last two goals, both on the PP. He has 33 goals. . . . Red Deer F Brett Ferguson got his 19th goal and added two assists in running his point streak to 12 games. . . . Red Deer F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins drew two assists. He leads the WHL with 62 helpers. . . . Calgary F Brooks Macek scored on the PP at 6:17 of the second period. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 29 shots. . . . The Rebels were 3-for-3 on the PP. . . . Red Deer D Alex Petrovic had a goal and an assist before being ejected in the second period with a checking-from-behind major for a hit on Calgary F Danny Gayle. . . . The Rebels already were without injured defencemen Matt Dumba and Justin Weller. . . . With three d-men gone, head coach Jesse Wallin moved Froese to the back end. . . . Attendance was 5,973. . . . The Rebels are in Lethbridge tonight and home to Prince George on Sunday. . . . Prince George is in Calgary tonight. . . .
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In Kelowna, the Chilliwack Bruins scored three times in the shootout and beat the Rockets, 5-4. . . . F Kevin Sundher, F Robin Soudek and F Jamie Crooks scored for the Bruins in what was a six-round shootout. . . . The Rockets held 2-0 and 3-1 leads in the second period. . . . F Ryan Howse pulled the Bruins into a 3-3 tie with two goals, giving him 37. . . . F Colton Sissons restored Kelowna’s lead at 6:29 of the third. . . . Chilliwack F Robin Soudek forced with his 18th goal at 16:52 of the third. . . . The last three third-period goals all came via the PP. . . . The Bruins were 2-for-12 on the PP, while the Rockets were 2-for-4. . . . Kelowna took 55 of the game’s 103 penalty minutes. . . . Rockets F Colton Jobke was tossed late in the second period with an interference major and a game of misconduct. . . . Attendance was 6,089. . . . The loser point lifted the Rockets to within two points of the B.C. Division-leading Vancouver Giants and Kelowna has two games in hand. . . . The Bruins moved to within a point of the Kamloops Blazers, who hold down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Rockets are in Chilliwack tonight for the rematch. . . .
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In Everett, G Mac Engel stopped 23 shots for his second WHL shutout as the Spokane Chiefs blanked the Silvertips, 2-0. . . . Engel is starting in place of the injured James Reid. Earlier, Engel blanked Everett, 3-0, making 18 saves. . . . The Silvertips have been blanked a WHL-high eight times. . . . F Dominik Uher scored the game’s first goal, at 15:20 of the first period, on a PP. . . . F Mitch Holmberg added an empty-netter at 18:51 of the third. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson had one assist. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 37 shots. . . . Attendance was 6,112. . . . The Chiefs stayed one point ahead of third-place Tri-City in the U.S. Division, although the Americans hold three games in hand. . . . Everett is seventh in the Western Conference, three points behind Prince George and three ahead of Kamloops. . . . The Chiefs are at home to the Americans tonight. . . .
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In Portland, G Drew Owsley stopped 30 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 5-0 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . Owsley, who won his 30th game of the season, has four shutouts this season and nine in his career. . . . Owsley won 33 games last season. . . . Portland, which had won four straight, was blanked for the first time this season and was the last team to experience that feeling. . . .The Winterhawks had dropped the Americans 8-2 a week earlier. . . . The Americans are 5-2-1 against Portland and will win the season series for a seventh straight season. . . . F Adam Hughesman opened the scoring with his 36th goal of the season, on the PP at 8:35 of the first. . . . Hughesman also had an assist. . . . F Kruise Reddick had a goal and two assists, while F Brendan Shinnimin had two assists and F Connor Rankin had a goal and an assist. . . . The Americans were 2-for-15 on the PP. Yes, 2-for-15. . . . Portland took 51 of the 76 penalty minutes that were handed out. . . . The Winterhawks were 0-for-6. . . . Attendance was 6,352. . . . Portland continues to lead the Western Conference. It is five points ahead of Spokane and six up on Tri-City; the Chiefs hold two games in hand and the Americans five. . . . Portland is in Kent, Wash., to play the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight, while the Americans are in Spokane.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Five minors:
Calgary F Kris Foucault
Portland F Tayler Jordan
Portland D Taylor Wotherspoon (double minor)
Tri-City F David Conrad
One major:
Red Deer D Alex Petrovic

MOOSE JAW gets: F Sebastian Svendsen, 19.
PRINCE ALBERT gets: F Michal Hlinka, 17; third- and sixth-round picks in 2011 bantam draft.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince George, F Taylor Stefishen and F Charles Inglis each scored twice as the Cougars stopped the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-2. The Warriors had won their last three road games, including stops in Vancouver and Chilliwack. . . . Stefishen has nine goals; Inglis has 18. . . . Prince George D Martin Marincin, who played for Slovakia at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, was in the building but didn’t play. . . .
In Edmonton, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 23 shots to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 2-1 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . D Brayden McNabb and F Matt Fraser gave the Ice a 2-0 lead. . . . F Michael St. Croix, with his 21st, scored for Edmonton at 19:20 of the third period with G Jon Groenheyde on the bench for the extra attacker. . . .
In Regina, the Pats scored two third-period goals to force OT and then beat the Calgary Hitmen 4-3 in a shootout with goals from F Jordan Weal and F Colin Reddin. . . . D Tyler Bortsmayer got Regina to within 3-2 with his first goal of the season at 5:01 of the third and Weal tied it, with his 19th, at 14:44. . . . F Justin Kirsch scored his 18th of the season and added two assists for Calgary. . . . F Lyndon Martell scored his second goal in as many games for Regina. He joined the Pats after the Christmas break from the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. . . . The victory moved the Pats into 10th place in the 12-team Eastern Conference and got them to within two points of a playoff spot. . . .
In Prince Albert, F Sebastian Svendsen had two goals and an assist and F Justin Maylan had three assists to help the Raiders to a 5-4 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Svendsen has 17 goals. . . . F Igor Revenko scored the Raiders’ fifth goal, into an empty net at 19:34 of the third period, to give his side a 5-3 lead. . . . The Raiders had lost three in a row. . . .
In Swift Current, the Broncos, who hadn’t played at home since Dec. 3, beat the Saskatoon Blades, 4-2. . . . F Trevor Cameron, who joined the Broncos from the SJHL’s Notre Dame Hounds after the Christmas break, scored the home team’s first two goals. . . . The Blades cut a 3-0 deficit to 3-2 but F Adam Lowry iced it for the Broncos with an empty-netter. . . .
In Chilliwack, F Spencer Bennett broke a 2-2 at 17:47 of the second period and the Vancouver Giants went on to a 6-2 victory over the Bruins. . . . Bennett has 15 goals, and has scored three times in three games since joining the Giants in a deal with Portland last week. . . . The Giants got two goals from each of F Dalton Sward and F Nathan Burns. F Teal Burns, who came from Portland with Bennett, had three assists. . . . F Dylen McKinlay had a goal and an assist for the Bruins, the goal coming on a second-period penalty shot. . . .
In Kamloops, F Brendan Ranford scored his WHL-leading 30th goal as the Blazers dropped the Kelowna Rockets, 5-1. . . . Ranford, who leads the WHL with 62 points, also had two assists. Linemate Jordan DePape added three assists.