Happy New Year!
The Prince Albert Raiders served notice Tuesday that they are intent on spoiling the Saskatoon Blades’ Memorial Cup party.
With the WHL trade deadline arriving on Jan. 10, the Raiders began the day with a 12-point lead over the Blades atop the East Division. The Blades, of course, are the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup but have had more ups and downs than a yoyo in the first 38 games of their season.
The Raiders, who haven’t even made the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, perhaps sense an opening here, so they and the Medicine Hat Tigers got together Tuesday and agreed to swap five players and two draft picks.
The Raiders acquired D Dylan Busenius, 19, F Jayden Hart, 18, and a sixth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft from Medicine Hat for D Zach Hodder, 19, F Logan McVeigh, 18, D Connor Hobbs, 15, and a second-round pick in the 2013 draft.
Hobbs is the the only player involved who isn’t in the WHL. A fourth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft, he turns 16 on Friday and is with the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder has eight points in 22 games.
Busenius, from Edmonton, was in his fourth season with the Tigers. He has 26 points in 37 games this season. The 16th overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft, he gives the Raiders some size – he’s 6-foot-1, 190 pounds – and some more offence from the back end.
Hart had been at home in Spruce Grove, Alta., having asked the Tigers to trade him. A third-round selection in the 2009 bantam draft, he put up 32 points in 67 games as a freshman. This season, he has 10 points in 18 games.
Hodder, from Delta, B.C., was a first-round selection, 20th overall, in the 2008 bantam draft by the Vancouver Giants. He has a history of shoulder problems and has played 87 games with the Giants, Saskatoon Blades and the Raiders over three season. He has three points in 25 games this season.
McVeigh, from Kenaston, Sask., was a second-round selection by the Kamloops Blazers in the 2009 bantam draft. In his third WHL season, he has 23 points in 38 games with the Raiders this season.
On Dec. 31, 2011, the Blazers dealt McVeigh, and a second-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, to the Raiders for F Brandon Herrod, 20.
Hodder and McVeigh were in the Tigers’ lineup last night as they brought in 2013 with a 7-2 loss to the Blades in Saskatoon. McVeigh scored the Tigers’ first goal, while Hodder was minus-4.
The Tigers meet the Raiders in Prince Albert tonight.
For more on the trade, check out the story right here by Dave Leaderhouse of the Prince Albert Daily Herald.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings close out a three-game Alberta swing in Calgary against the Hitmen tonight. F Mike Ferland, 20, has an undisclosed injury and will be re-evaluated today before a decision is made as to whether he will play. He left in the second period of Sunday’s 6-2 loss to the host Edmonton Oil Kings.
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D Sena Acolatse (Seattle, Saskatoon, Prince George, 2006-11) underwent surgery for a broken jaw after being hit in the face by a puck on Saturday as his Worcester Sharks dropped a 3-2 decision to the host Providence Bruins. . . . Acolatse, in his second AHL season, had his jaw broken in two places.
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In the OHL, F Nikolay Goldobin scored four times, the last one in OT, as the Sarnia Sting beat host London 6-5 to end the Knights’ winning streak at 24 games. . . . That is one shy of the OHL record held by the 1983-84 Kitchener Rangers. The Rangers share the CHL record with the QMJHL’s 1973-74 Sorel Eparviers. . . . The WHL single-season record of 22 straight is held by the 1967-68 Estevan Bruins. . . . Goldobin, a Russian who isn’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2014, now has 18 goals. . . . London had won 3-2 in Sarnia on Monday. . . . The Knights actually had a 3-0 first-period lead.
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Concussions and how to prevent them will continue to be a big story in 2013.
Men’s Health magazine has come up with a list of “13 ladies to look for this year.”
No. 3 on the list is Dr. Ann McKee, the co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University.
There’s more right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Swift Current, the Lethbridge Hurricanes struck for five third-period goals and beat the Broncos, 6-4. . . . The Broncos led this one 4-2 with 13 minutes left in the third period. . . . F Tyler Wong got the visitors to within one at 7:14 and F Sam Mckechnie tied it at 8:05, with his 18th. . . . D Daniel Johnston got the winner, his seventh, at 14:42, via the PP. . . . F Graham Hood wrapped it up with the empty-netter, at 19:51. . . . Swift Current F Adam Lowry ran his point streak to 15 games with his 25th goal and an assist. . . . Johnston also had an assist, giving him 31 points in 38 games this season. Last season, he finished with 30 points on 55 games. . . . Lethbridge F Brady Ramsay had a goal, his 11th, and two assists. . . . The Hurricanes brought in G Jonny Hogue to backup starter Ty Rimmer as Chris Tai had to leave the club to deal with a family matter. Hogue, 16, was an eight-round bantam draft pick in 2011. Hogue plays for the midget AAA Lethbridge Pronghorns. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Blades opened up a 7-0 lead and went on to beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 7-2. . . . The Blades had lost their previous four games. . . . F Adam Kambeitz had two goals, giving him eight, and an assist for Saskatoon. . . . Blades F Shane McColgan had a goal, his 11th, and an assist on his 20th birthday. . . . Saskatoon G Patrick Johnson stopped 38 shots in earning his first WHL victory. . . . F Josh Nicholls scored his 27th goal for the Blades and now is tied for the WHL lead with F Colin Smith of the Kamloops Blazers and F Todd Fiddler of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Nicholls scored off a turnover high in the Medicine Hat zone. He went in alone on G Cam Lanigan, put his stick between his legs and went upstairs. “I practise that a lot in warm-ups just for fun,” Nicholls told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “It just felt like the right time to do it. I got it off nicely, luckily. I would have looked pretty stupid if I missed that.” . . . Nicholls, F Shane McColgan and D Dalton Thrower had been bench for the third period of a 6-2 loss in Regina on Sunday. . . . And what did Saskatoon GM/head coach Lorne Molleken think of the goal? “It was a highlight goal,” Molleken told Nugent-Bowman. “Those are things that the fans like to see. I’ll keep my own remarks to myself.” . . . The Blades lost F Nathan Burns in the second period when he didn’t return after being cross-checked from behind by Medicine Hat D Ty Stanton. “It doesn’t look good,” Molleken told Nugent-Bowman. . . . Medicine Hat lost D Kyle Becker following a first-period collision with Saskatoon F Alex Elliott. Becker may be concussed.
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The first time I saw the move that Nicholls used to score last night was in the mid-1980s.
F Theo Fleury of the Moose Jaw Warriors went in alone on G Stacey Nickel of the host Regina Pats, who went down and stacked his pads. Fleury tucked the stick through his legs, reached back and lifted the puck over Nickel’s pads and into the net.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Graeme Craig, Saskatoon

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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From hockey fan Chris Cote (@RealChrisCote): “Who needs a winter classic? The @SCBroncos play today.”
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From Everett Silvertips assistant coach Mitch Love (@mlovehockey): “I swear I grab a broken down grocery cart every time I attempt to go to the store. #nomoreshoppingfor this guy”

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Friday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ryan Kinasewich (Medicine Hat, Try City, 1998-2004) signed a one-year contract extension with Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, plays in Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 30 goals and 29 assists in 49 games this season for Zagreb. The contract extension was announced at a press conference Friday where Kinasewich was officially appointed an Ambassador of the Foundation for Humanitarian Demining of Croatia — "Croatia without Mines."
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes ran a promotion earlier this season that involved Gordie Howe spending some time in town.
Some people wondered how it was that the Hurricanes were able to get Howe involved.
Well, the game did involve the Vancouver Giants, a team to which Howe has a long-time attachment through owner Ron Toigo.
But you also have to remember that Preston once played for the World Hockey Association’s Houston Aeros.
In fact, there was a time when Preston once bumped Mr. Hockey off the right wing spot on the Aeros’ top line.
Houston head coach Bill Dineen put Preston on the right side of a line that featured Gordie at centre and his son, Mark, on the left wing.
“Yeah,” a chuckling Preston recalled Friday night before his club played the Blazers in Kamloops. “They called that line Howe, Howe and Who.”
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WHL commissioner Ron Robison offered up the league spin on the Chilliwack Bruins-to-Victoria story that exploded on Friday.
Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times spoke with Robison and has that story right here.
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In this story, WHL commissioner Ron Robison tells the Victoria Times Colonist that Victoria is the first priority for relocation.
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The NHL’s San Jose Sharks have signed D Sena Acolatse, 20, of the Prince George Cougars to a three-year NHL contract. Acolatse, a free agent, got a US$270,000 signing bonus. The contract calls for a salary of $67,500 in the minors and NHL salaries of $530,000, $540,000 and $750,000.

Victoria Bruins?

One day last week a Chilliwack Bruins’ season-ticket holder -- yes, there are some! -- asked in an email if I might have any idea why the team hadn’t yet sent out season-ticket renewal notices.
Alarm bells went off immediately, although my response was somewhat more tepid. At the time, I was prepared to cut the Bruins some slack and wrote back that perhaps they were waiting to tie them into playoff ticket sales. Then, when I thought about it, I wondered why the playoff vouchers hadn’t already gone out and, if they had, why weren't season-ticket forms with them?
Perhaps we now know the answer.
Because now it would seem that, while they may not have the moving van backed up to the door, the Bruins have at least looked up the phone number.
Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times has spoken with Darryl Porter, one of the franchise’s owners, and there isn’t one speck of hope there if you’re a Bruins’ fan.
Olsen’s story is right here.
At the end of the story, Porter does say that season-ticket renewals are in the works. Although it would seem the horse has left the barn and the Bruins just may want to save on the postage.
You can bet that the denials are soon to start flying from all directions, and we're going to hear words like "due diligence" a lot, too. But there is far too much smoke here to ignore the fact that Victoria is closer to getting a WHL franchise than it has been since the Cougars left for Prince George after the 1993-94 season.
When you combine Porter’s comments with the story that is in Friday’s Victoria Times Colonist, well, how does Victoria Bruins sound?
According to the Times Colonist, the city of Victoria has told RG Properties that it “will extend RG Properties' lease at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre to 2046 if the company can secure a Western Hockey League franchise.”
So, when you put two and two together, along with the fact that RG boss Graham Lee apparently was spotted at a recent Bruins' game, well, it would seem things are moving right along.
The problem, of course, is that the WHL has long said it doesn’t want to go back to Vancouver Island unless there are two teams located there. And, at the moment, Victoria is the home of the only arena that meets WHL standards.
However, there now are two people with WHL ties who are involved at the ownership level with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. Bill Gallacher, who owns the Portland Winterhawks, and former WHL goaltender Kelly Hrudey, who also is involved with the WHL alumni, are among the Clippers’ owners, so perhaps a plan is afoot to build a new arena in that city.
And, for what it’s worth, I heard from one WHL insider today who said he had heard that RG Properties has had a deal in place with a WHL franchise since some time in October.
We may never find out whether that is true. We also will never know whether the arrival of the AHL's Abbotsford Heat had anything to do with the predicament in which the Bruins find themselves. If it did, though, Bruins ownership must be just livid with the NHL's Calgary Flames. They, of course, own the WHL's Calgary Hitmen and the Heat is the Flames's top minor league affiliate.
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’Tis the time of the season when NHL teams are trolling the waters in search of signable free agents.
In the last week, we’ve seen the Dallas Stars sign D Brenden Dillon, 20, of the Seattle Thunderbirds. And, on Friday, the San Jose Sharks signed D Sena Acolatse, 20, of the Prince George Cougars.
Next up?
Perhaps it will be C Tyler Johnson, 20, of the Spokane Chiefs. He is said to have at least two offers on the table in front of him, with more than a couple of other teams also circling and checking out the situation.
Johnson’s numbers, his defensive play and his prowess in the faceoff circle make you wonder what’s taken so long?

The WHL has extended the Christmas break for four of its players by hitting them with brief suspensions for infractions that occurred in Saturday games.
Defenceman Sena Acolatse of the Prince George Cougars and forward Kale Kessy of the Medicine Hat Tigers each will sit out two games. Acolatse incurred a match penalty for attempt to injury at the end of a 3-2 victory over the visiting Kamloops Blazers, while Kessy was hit with a double minor for checking from behind during a 5-3 victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Defenceman Brandon Underwood of the Blazers will sit for one game after taking a kneeing major and game misconduct against the Cougars, while Lethbridge D Cason Machacek also got one game, his for a warmup violation against the Tigers.
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D Matt Delahey (Regina, Chilliwack, 2004-10) has left the ECHL’s Ontario Reign and will enrol at the U of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Delahey, 21, was a fourth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in the NHL’s 2008 draft. . . . F Jonathan Parker of the Prince Albert Raiders is the CHL’s player of the week. He had nine points in three games last week. . . . The MJHL’s Neepawa Natives have extended GM/head coach Bryant Perrier’s contract through 2012-13. Perrier is in his second season with the Natives. . . . The NHL’s Calgary Flames have signed F Ryan Howse of the Chilliwack Bruins to a three-year contract. Howse, who is from Prince George, was a third-round pick in the NHL’s 2009 draft. In his fourth season with the Bruins, Howse has 39 points, including 23 goals, in 32 games.

A goal for a 14-year-old . . .

There is a lot of focus these days on what is a legal hit and what isn’t, what warrants a suspension and what doesn’t.
In the WHL, the hit by F Brendan Shinnimin of the Tri-City Americans on F Josh Nicholls of the Saskatoon Blades was nasty and it was rather obvious that it warranted a suspension.
In the NHL, Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes caught a piece of Dan Sexton of the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. There wasn’t a penalty on the play — if you haven’t seen it, it’s right here.
It’s an open-ice hit on an unsuspecting player who has just delivered a pass. It isn’t one of those devastating checks that blows up someone. Doan cuts in front of Sexton and his shoulder appears to hit the jaw area.
And Colin Campbell, the NHL’s hanging judge, decided it warranted a three-game suspension.
Which is well and good, but, really, was a suspension warranted? Is the NHL skating on a slippery slope” As it works to get headshots out of the game, is it in danger of eliminating even more of the body contact?
Here’s a tweet from former NHLer Tyson Nash, who now is on the Phoenix Coyotes’ broadcast crew:
“Hockey isn't (tiddly) winks! Everyone who plays should know the consequences. It’s dangerous out there. Or it used to be. Heads up boys!”
He also tweeted:
“Oh and (Sexton) wasn't even hurt! Not right. Players need to be accountable as well. Keep ur head up and don't admire ur passes.”
Meanwhile, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., Dr. Michael J. Stuart and others have organized a conference called The Ice Hockey Summit: Action on Concussion.
In a piece by Jeff Z. Klein at The New York Times’ hockey blog, Dr. Stuart says: “Whenever I talk to young players, I always say the same things: never use your stick; never use your head as a weapon; never leave your feet to deliver a hit; never do anything at the expense of the health and safety of your opponent or yourself. I try to show them that you don’t have to kill the other guy to separate him from the puck.”
Amen!
And make no mistake — this has to start at the grass roots level of minor hockey. Players have to be taught how to use angles, how to squeeze an opponent out of the play and away from the puck, the dangers of leaving your feet and on and on and on.
But, at the same time, they need to be taught to be aware of what’s going on when they are out there on the ice.
Hockey is a tough, physical game. And when you get to the junior level and above, fans pay money to be entertained. That entertainment includes good, hard checks.
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I was told late Tuesday night that G Todd Mathews, 20, is joining the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. Mathews was dropped by the Kootenay Ice last week as it chose to go with three forwards — Steele Boomer, Matt Fraser and Kevin King — as its 20-year-olds. . . . Mathews, from Covina, Calif., got into three games this season, going 1-1-0-1, 2.28, .925. Last season, he got into 55 games with the Ice, and finished 33-14-3-2, 2.75, .907. . . . The Lancers have two goaltenders on their roster — Christopher Holden, 20, from Marlton, N.J., and John Keeney, 17, from Twin Peaks, Calif. Holden is 1-1, 2.02, .920. . . . Keeney, whose WHL rights belong to the Kamloops Blazers, is 2-0, 1.41, .942. Keeney’s two victories were over the Tri-City Storm — 3-2 and 2-1. Drew Schoneck, a former WHL player and coach, is the Storm’s GM/head coach.
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It seems that the Brandon Wheat Kings have supplied a second goaltender to the QMJHL. The Brandon Sun reports that the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles have signed G Andrew Hayes, 20, who was dropped late in September, a victim of the 20-year-old numbers game.
Hayes cleared waivers, The Sun reports, and is joining the Screaming Eagles. Last week, G Jacob DeSerres, 20, who also was dropped by Brandon, now is with the Saint John Sea Dogs. In fact, he put up a shutout in his first start with the Sea Dogs.
Hayes, from Sherwood Park, Alta., holds Brandon’s franchise record for GAA, at 2.79. He played 111 regular-season games with Brandon. Last season, he was 25-12-2, 2.68, .906.
The Screaming Eagles have two other goaltenders on their roster -- François Lacerte, 19, and Alex Veronneau, 17. And they have three other 20-year-olds -- F Stephen Horyl, who is injured at the moment, F Taylor MacDougall and D Spencer Metcalfe.

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DEPT. OF DISCIPLINE: D Mitchell Chapman of the Kelowna Rockets was hit with a six-game suspension for knee-on-knee hit on F Dylen McKinlay of the Bruins in Chilliwack on Friday. Chapman has served one game to date. . . . The Prince Albert Raiders and Red Deer Rebels each were fined $250 for a line brawl on Saturday night in Red Deer. As well, Campese was touched up for $500 for the game misconduct he received. Ch-ch-ching!
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On the heels of news that Everett Silvertips head coach Craig Hartsburg will be undergoing heart surgery, Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun spoke with Vancouver Giants coaches Don Hay and John Becanic. . . . Hay spoke of the stress involved with coaching, while Becanic, a former Everett coach, recalled a time when he was having his blood pressure taken between periods. . . . Give that story a read right here.
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The Kootenay Ice got down to 22 players Tuesday by reassigning two 17-year-old forwards — Ryan Bloom and Jarett Zentner — although their destinations haven’t yet been revealed. Bloom, a second-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, was pointless in two games, while Zentner, who didn’t have a point in four games, was a fourth-round selection. The Ice is carrying two goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards. . . . D Sena Acolatse of the Prince George Cougars is the CHL’s player of the week. He had 11 points in three games and was plus-8. . . . G Mark Friesen of the Swift Current Broncos is the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 5-0-0-0 last week, putting up two shutouts to go with numbers of 0.98 and .966. . . . The WHL will announce Thursday the rosters for the teams that will play against a touring Russian team in the Subway Super Series. Those games will be played Nov. 17 in Kamloops and Nov. 18 in Prince George.
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TUESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
EDMONTON 1 at KOOTENAY 4: D Luke Paulsen had a goal and two assists for the Ice (6-3-1). . . . Paulsen, an 18-year-old sophomore from Winnipeg, had four assists in 49 games last season. He has a goal and five assists in 10 outings this season. . . . F Sam Reinhart, 14, got the winning goal in his first WHL game. One of three brothers playing in the game, he broke a 1-1 tie at 1:19 of the third period. . . . He was the 15th pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Max Reinhart is a forward with the Ice, while Griffin is a defenceman with the Oil Kings. . . . Sam, who turns 15 on Nov. 6, and Max, who was pointless, each finished plus-1; Griffin had an assist but wound up minus-3. . . . Paulsen, who drew assists on the Ice’s first two goal, made it 3-1 with a shorthanded goal at 10:27. . . . The Oil Kings (5-6-0) have lost four in a row. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 26 shots, eight more than Edmonton’s Cam Lanigan. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-5 on the PP; Kootenay was 1-for-9. . . . Attendance was 2,189. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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SASKATOON 1 at MOOSE JAW 5: F Quinton Howden scored two goals and set up two others as the Warriors (4-7-0), who have won two in a row, ended the Blades’ six-game winning streak. . . . Saskatoon is 8-2-0. . . . The Blades scored the game’s first goal when F Darian Dziurzynski got his eighth just 5:33 into the first period. . . . But the Warriors got that one back eight minutes later when F Antonin Honejsek scored on the PP and Howden gave them the lead with another PP goal at 12:03 of the second. . . . F Dylan Hood added a goal, his sixth, and two assists for the Warriors, while D Dylan McIlrath had two assists. . . . Howden has five goals, as does Honejsek. . . . Moose Jaw F Joey Kornelsen had a goal and an assist. . . . Kornelsen, Hood and Howden were on a line together. . . . Warriors G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 22 shots. . . . Saskatoon opened with Steven Stanford, who gave up three goals on 15 shots. Adam Morrison came on to stop 11 of 12. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-for-5 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 2,517. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls. . . . Nicholls was penalized at 13:04 of the first period and the Warriors scored on the ensuing PP. It was Nicholls, of course, who was hit from behind by F Brendan Shinnimin of the Tri-City Americans on Oct. 6, a hit that resulted in a 12-game suspension to Shinnimin.
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CALGARY 1 at TRI-CITY 3: The Americans, in their first home game since Oct. 1, opened a 2-0 lead and went from there. . . . F Adam Hughesman scored his eighth of the season at 12:33 of the second period and F Brooks Macek made it 2-0 at 6:32 of the third. . . . The Hitmen cut into the lead on F Justin Kirsch’s goal at 8:03. . . . F Patrick Holland iced it with his seventh just 19 seconds later. . . . The Americans (8-3-1) now are 4-0 on home ice. They are back home after a 3-3 East Division swing. . . . The Hitmen (4-5-0) are 2-2 on their U.S. Division tour. . . . These teams met in last season’s championship final, with Calgary winning in five games. . . . Each team was 0-for-3 on the PP. . . . The Hitmen had a lengthy 5-on-3 in the first period when the Americans were caught with too many men at 8:08 and D Zach Yuen took a high-sticking minor at 8:57. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley stopped 34 shots, while Calgary’s Juraj Holly turned aside 26. . . . Attendance was 3,630. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter

Cougars take bite out of Blazers

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The only things missing were the blindfold and the cigarette.
Guy Charron, the head coach of the Kamloops Blazers, emerged from the WHL team’s dressing room Saturday night at Interior Savings Centre and prepared to face his inquisitors.
The Blazers, with the WHL’s poorest defensive record, had just surrendered eight goals for a second straight night and lost 8-1 to the Prince George Cougars. On Friday night, the Blazers had been beaten, 8-6, by the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
On Saturday, however, it wasn’t that the home side lost -- it was the incredibly amazing way in which it went up in flames. The Cougars turned a 1-0 deficit into a 5-1 lead in a matter of five shots in five minutes 11 seconds of the first period.
Charron didn’t disagree when it was suggested that his team’s game has fallen apart since a 5-4 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna on Wednesday.
“Absolutely,” he said. “And, to be honest with you, I’m out of answers. I’m really out of answers.”
Blazers captain Chase Schaber added: “We’re trying to establish a team identity of working hard every night and playing defence first. We have to have everyone on the same page . . . that’s the biggest thing.
“Our defensive game wasn’t close to what we wanted. It’s unacceptable to have that. We have to show up at the rink ready to work.”
Even Prince George head coach Dean Clark had a tough time believing what he had seen.
“We had that first power play and it wasn’t very good . . . I didn’t like it,” Clark said. “And then they came back and scored right after it and I was thinking, ‘OK, this isn’t the way we wanted to start.’ ”
Left-winger Brendan Ranford gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead just 17 seconds after that power play ended. But then Kamloops, which leads the WHL in penalty minutes and also has the league’s poorest penalty-killing record, ran into, yes, penalty trouble.
First came a penalty for having too many men on the ice -- and it wasn’t on a poor line change; rather, the Blazers had six skaters involved in the play.
Cougars defenceman Sena Acolatse scored on that power-play and 14 seconds later Schaber took a roughing penalty. That was followed by an incident that may have been game-changing.
With play in the Blazers’ zone, referee Matt Kirk, who got himself out of position, didn’t see Kamloops centre Colin Smith’s stick hit Prince George’s Greg Fraser in the mouth.
On his way to the bench, an incensed Fraser threw a glove in Kirk’s direction; the referee apparently didn‘t see that, either. Play continued until Kirk whistled Cougars left-winger Taylor Stefishen for holding, at which time one of the linesmen told Kirk about the high-sticking incident. Before play resumed, Smith had a double minor and Charron had a bench minor.
“(Kirk) came to me to explain that the high-stick was called by the linesman,” Charron said. “I said, ‘Fine. Why would there not be a penalty for the player throwing his glove at you?’
“He said, ‘Why? Did it hit you?’
“I said, ‘The one thing I like about you is you’re (bleeping) arrogant.’ And he hit me with a penalty.”
Instead of having the Stefishen penalty neutralize the Cougars’ power play, the Blazers found themselves facing a 5-on-3 situation. Acolatse scored nine seconds after that and right-winger Brett Connolly made it 3-1 just eight seconds later.
Three power plays. Three shots. Three goals.
Centre Charles Inglis scored on Prince George’s fourth shot, at which time Charron yanked goaltender Jon Groenheyde. Jeff Bosch was welcomed by a Connolly shot that went right through him and now it was 5-1.
Five shots. Five goals. The period wasn’t yet 12 minutes old.
“You can’t put everything on (the goaltenders),” Charron said. “But they are a big part of your team. You expect maybe one or two saves to give some positives to the team . . . there are some concerns.”
Inglis later added a second goal, while Tayler Thompson and Cody Carlson had the other Prince George goals.
Near game’s end, the handful of spectators who had hung around cheered the “less than one minute remaining to play” announcement and then booed the Blazers off the ice.
“A lot of time when things don’t go well and you get shellacked at home . . . it’s not a bad idea to get out of Dodge for a few days and maybe regroup,” Charron said.
“Road trips,” Schaber said, “are the funnest times in junior hockey. They bring everyone closer and I think that’s just what we need right now.
“Especially coming off a night like this . . .”
The Blazers (4-6-0-1) are in Red Deer on Wednesday, Edmonton on Friday and Calgary on Saturday.
JUST NOTES: Kirk gave the Blazers 12 of 20 minors, two of four majors and one of two misconducts. . . . Bosch gave up four goals on 21 shots. . . . Groenheyde also was yanked in his last start, in Kelowna on Wednesday. He has surrendered six goals on the last 10 shots he has faced. . . . Kamloops RW Chase Souto, who has missed seven games with a concussion, resumed skating Saturday. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. Marincin: Slovakian freshman was dominant; 2. Acolatse: Best night of his career; 3. Connolly: He’s back.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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Acolatse on the move

The Saskatoon Blades have dealt F Sena Acolatse, 20, to the Prince George Cougars for a third-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. He is in his fifth WHL season. The Blades acquired him from the Seattle Thunderbirds last season.
Acolatse, 5-foot-11 and 207 pounds, is versatile and can also play defence. He had 35 last season. In 256 career games, he has 152 points and 373 penalty minutes.
The deal gets the Blades down to three 20-year-olds -- G Steven Stanford, D Teigan Zahn and F Marek Viedensky.
(The Blades put F Jeremy Boyer, 20, on waivers last week. He now is with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos. Thanks to the anonymous poster who pointed out that Boyer had four points for the Broncos on Saturday.)
The Cougars, meanwhile, now have four 20-year-olds -- Acolatse, G Morgan Clark, F James Dobrowolski and F Parker Stanfield. The Cougars, like all teams, have until Oct. 14 to get down to three.
Acolatse is expected to practice with the Cougars on Monday and make his debut Wednesday in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice.
This was the second deal between these teams in the last while. Earlier, the Blades dealt F Charles Inglis, 18, to the Cougars for a second-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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