Taking Note honoured with Carson Award for third straight year ... SJHL champs lose head coach

F Spencer Asuchak (Tri-City, Prince George, 2008-12) has signed a one-year contract with Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga). Last season, with the Allen Americans (ECHL), he had 26 goals and 40 assists in 64 games. He was pointless in three games with the Providence Bruins (AHL).

———

I arrived home Wednesday evening from a short trek into Alberta to discover that Taking Note has won a Paul Carson Award for the third consecutive year.

The awards are named in honour of the late Paul Carson, who died in December 2010. He was responsible for Sports Page, an iconic sports highlight show in Vancouver and also was in on the founding of TEAM 1040, a Vancouver radio station.

In each of the past three years, Taking Note has been honoured as the Best Sports Blog in B.C., outside Vancouver.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the party last night in Vancouver, but I certainly feel honoured, and Taking Note will continue to strive to entertain and inform those who stop by here.

——

The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed F Holden Katzalay, a list player, to a WHL contract. From Vancouver, Katzalay, who was Seattle’s training camp prior to the 2016-17 season, had eight goals and 12 assists in 30 games with the Burnaby Winter Club prep team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

——

Surgery to repair a sports hernia has become a lot more common in the world of hockey over the past few years. Dr. L. Michael Brunt, who has worked with the St. Louis Blues since 1994, has told The Associated Press that he believes too much repetition among young athletes in a single sport can cause problems, something others have blamed for more Tommy John surgeries among younger and younger pitchers. . . . “It’s because of the sudden propulsive movements: turning, cutting, etc., that occur at high rates of speed,” Dr. Brunt said. “Young athletes are committed to one sport very, very early on, and so there are these repetitive movements that occur because they’re not doing three or four sports year-round and mixing up their physical sports activity. They concentrate on one sport, and it’s that gradual wear and tear over the years that tends to predispose them to developing something like this.” . . . There is more on this story right here.

——

Patrick Conway of Conway’s Russian Hockey Blog fame has filed Part 3 of his look at the coaches of the KHL. Click right here and you’ll find his piece on the Kharlamov Division. Look closely and you’ll find some familiar names among the assistants, including former WHLer Mike Pelino.

——

If you’re a regular here, and even you aren’t, feel free to contribute to the feeding of the Drinnan family by making a donation to the cause. You are able to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

———

Nate Bedford is leaving the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars to return to Portage College as head coach of the Voyageurs, who play out of Cold Lake, Alta. Bedford spent two seasons (2014-16) as head coach and two seasons (2012-14) as assistant coach of the Keyano Huskies in Fort McMurray. The Huskies have since folded, but they played in the ACAC, as do the Voyageurs. . . . In 2016-17, the North Stars went 48-9-1 in the regular season and 12-0 in the playoffs as they won the SJHL title.

———

I hope Mitch Love stays in the Seattle-area forever and helps grow and promote the game.

— Tom Helm ⭐️ (@RealmofHelm) June 16, 2017

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.

Asuchak gets AHL deal . . . Mattila young man on mission . . . Wheat Kings defender signs NHL deal

G Michael Garnett (Red Deer, Saskatoon, 1999-2002) signed a one-year contract with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). Last season, with Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia, KHL), he was 2.20 and .926 with one shutout in 36 games.
———




F Spencer Asuchak (Tri-City, Prince George, 2008-12) of Kamloops has signed a one-way, one-year contract with the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. . . . The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder played most of last season with the ECHL-champion Allen Americans. He had 30 points, including 12 goals, in 28 games. In 25 playoff games, he added 21 points, 11 of them goals. . . . He also had two goals and four assists in 18 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins and was pointless in three games with the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. . . . Asuchak is to learn in August whether he will get an invitation to the Blues’ training camp. Perhaps his Kamloops connection will provide him some currency with Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock.
——
Myles Mattila is a 16-year-old hockey player who recently moved from Prince George to Kelowna. . . . As Sawyer Klassen of the Kelowna Capital News writes, Mattila is bringing more than his hockey abilities to the Okanagan. He is “bringing his campaign for mental health awareness to the Okanagan.” . . . What this young man has done and is continuing to do is nothing short of terrific. . . . Give his story a look right here.
——
Steve Ewen, who covers the Vancouver Giants for the Vancouver Province, is a cancer survivor. He sends along this note:
“We're holding a Ride To Conquer Cancer fundraiser on Aug. 5, at Earls Restaurant on Fir Street in Vancouver.
“We receive a portion of the food and drinks sold that night, so coming by and having a little nourishment helps out.
“We also have a silent auction, featuring items from Michael Buble, Bif Naked and various sports teams.
"We're looking for more auction items, so if you have something you'd like to donate, we'd love to have it.”
You may check out Steve’s page and make a donation right here.
——
D Ivan Provorov of the Brandon Wheat Kings Kings has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, who selected him with the seventh overall pick in the NHL’s 2015 draft. . . . Provorov will be in Voorhees, N.J., next week for the Flyers’ development camp. . . . He had 61 points, including 15 goals, in 60 games with the Wheat Kings last season. He led all WHL freshmen defencemen in scoring and was fourth among all defencemen.
——
Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
———



Rocky Thompson, a former WHL player and coach, is the new head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. Thompson, 37, replaces majority owner Bob Boughner, who now is an assistant coach with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. . . . This will be Thompson’s first head-coaching position. He has been an assistant coach with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers (2014-15) and in their organization with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons (2010-14). He also spent three seasons (2007-10) as an assistant with the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Thompson played four seasons (1993-97) in the WHL, with the Medicine Hat Tigers and Swift Current Broncos, putting up 64 points and compiling 906 penalty minutes in 271 games.
———



The Regina Pats have signed F Zach Cox and D Jared Freadrich, a pair of their bantam draft picks. . . . Cox was an eighth-round pick in 2014. Last season, he had 11 points, including six goals, with the midget AAA CFR Bisons. He added a goal and four assists in 13 games as the Bisons won the AMHL championship. . . . Freadrich was a fourth-round selection in 2013. He played last season with the AJHL’s Whitecourt Wolverines, putting up 11 points, four of them goals, in 45 games. . . . Regina now has signed six of its eight 2013 draft picks and four of the nine players taken in 2014.

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.

New arena for Nanaimo? . . . Dillabaugh, Mast in demand? . . . Americans win another title

thank you so much everyone who helped and came out this weekend!! It means the world to us to see you out there!

— RD memorial (@RDMtournament) June 15, 2015

Most Fun I've Had In A Long Time, Thank You @RDMtournament Great Event And Better Cause 👍 @kellanlavallee @QuailLeroux78 @AaronMarkin

— Eric Callegari (@EricCallegari) June 15, 2015

———







F Ryan Harrison (Prince Albert, Medicine Hat, Everett, 2007-13) signed a one-year contract with Olofström (Sweden, Division 2). This season, with the University of Calgary (CIS), he had three goals and 14 assists in 23 games. . . .
F Brennan Bosch (Medicine Hat, 2005-09) signed a one-year contract with Harzer Falken Braunlage (Germany, Oberliga). This season, Bosch captained the University of Saskatchewan Huskies (CIS). He had nine goals and 16 assists in 28 games. . . .
F Kevin Undershute (Medicine Hat, Portland, 2004-08) signed a one-year contract with Harzer Falken Braunlage (Germany, Oberliga). This season, with the Eston Ramblers (Sask Valley Hockey League), he had 53 points, 21 of them goals, in 21 games. He led the Ramblers in scoring and was sixth in the league. . . .
D Bohdan Višňák (Saskatoon, 2006-07) signed a one-year extension with Nice (France, Division 1). This season, he had one goal and eight assists in 24 games.
———


Ever since the Chilliwack Bruins scurried across the Strait of Georgia to Victoria during the summer of 2011 and were re-born as the Royals, the WHL has yearned for a second team on Vancouver Island.
The natural choice is Nanaimo. The problem, of course, is that there isn’t an arena there that meets WHL requirements.
However, it seems there is a move afoot to build a new arena in Nanaimo.
Brian Martin, who owns the Howard Johnson Hotel and approximately eight acres of land there, is wanting to build a sports and entertainment complex in downtown Nanaimo. The total cost would be somewhere around $80 million.
The project would include a 5,000-seat arena.
Spencer Anderson of the Nanaimo Daily News has more right here.
Once a shovel goes into the ground on a new arena, the lineup to own the Nanaimo WHL franchise will form on the right.
——
There also is a report that Surrey, B.C., wants to get involved in a public-private partnership that would result in a new arena next to the Scott Road SkyTrain Station. . . . Were that arena to be built to WHL standards, you are free to wonder whether the Vancouver Giants would be interested in moving from the aged Pacific Coliseum. . . . Michael Mui of 24 Hours Vancouver has more on a possible new arena right here.
——
Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada filed his latest 30 Thoughts on Sunday. This one includes mention of Kim Dillabaugh, who had a good run as the Kelowna Rockets’ goaltending coach, and Lyle Mast, the Tri-City Americans’ goaltending coach. . . . 30 Thoughts is right here.
——
If the Tampa Bay Lightning is to win the Stanley Cup, it will have to go seven games to do it. If that happens, Stacy Roest would become the eighth former Medicine Hat Tigers player with at least one Stanley Cup ring. Roest, 40, is the Lightning’s director of player development. . . . There’s more right here. . . . With the AHL having been decided on Saturday night and the ECHL last night, the NHL is the last one standing. Of course, the Chicago Blackhawks can end it in Game 6 at home tonight.
———



In the ECHL, the host Allen Americans scored two first-period goals 1:16 apart and went on to a 6-1 victory over the South Carolina Stingrays in Game 7 of the Kelly Cup final. . . . The Americans have won a championship each of the past three seasons. They won the last two Central league titles before the league was absorbed by the ECHL. . . . F Chad Costello (10:31) and F Vincent Arseneau (11:47) got the Americans off to a 2-0 lead and they never looked back. . . . The Americans’ lineup includes F Spencer Asuchak (Tri-City, Prince George, 2008-12) and F Dyson Stevenson (Regina, 2010-14). . . . Asuchak had 21 points, including 11 goals, in 25 playoff games, while Stevenson had eight points, three of them goals, in 23 games. . . . Attendance last night was 6,125. . . . The game sheet is right here. . . . Ryan Gerbosi of the Dallas Morning News has a gamer right here.
———

Congrats to pal Mike Stothers on leading his @MonarchsHockey to the Calder Cup Championship! #jobwelldone #waytogoGoldie

— Don Nachbaur (@HCChiefs42) June 14, 2015

Congrats to my old liney Steve Martinson who directed his @AllenAmericans to the Kelly Cup. Special congrats to @Asuchak16

— Don Nachbaur (@HCChiefs42) June 15, 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.

Terry Siebert, a Toronto Maple Leafs fan of long-standing, died in Hamilton on Monday, and his obituary appeared in the Hamilton Spectator. The last line read: “It was Terry’s last wish that his pallbearers be the Toronto Maple Leafs so they could let him down one last time.” . . . Well, none of the Maple Leafs showed up, but the six pals who served as pallbearers all wore Maple Leafs jerseys. . . . The Regina Pats are the only team in the WHL without a head coach. Oh, they also need a couple of assistant coaches. Should we tell the new owners that training camp opens in about a month? . . .

“Germany’s World Cup trophy somehow got a piece chipped off during the title celebration,” reports Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “Conspiracy theorists immediately claimed that Luis Suarez bit it.” . . . You have to love the eastern side of the CFL, where all four teams are tied for first place, each at 1-3. That would be the Toronto BlueWhites, the Hamilton GoldBlacks, the Montreal BlueRedWhites and, of course, the Ottawa RedBlacks. . . .

Headline at TheOnion.com: Report: Most Americans Have Enough Saved For Retirement To Live Comfortably On Streets. . . . Why did the Los Angeles Kings win the Stanley Cup? Because, as head coach Darryl Sutter, says: “We had four centres no one can match up against.” Which explains why the Boston Bruins have signed Spencer Asuchak to a PTO and an invitation to rookie camp. Asuchak, who is from Kamloops and played last season with the Central league-champion Allen Americans, is 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds and can skate. . . . Don’t be surprised if Asuchak starts the season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. . . .

Here’s Ron Judd in the Seattle Times: “The recent national kerfuffle over customer service, or lack thereof, by U.S. corporations — not to mention any names, such as COMCAST — is a blunt reminder of an indisputable fact: Corporate America has confused the art of talking about customer service with the practice of actually providing it.” . . . That’s hard to believe, isn’t it? . . . Here’s Judd, again using a skewer to point out something of an injustice: “Former U-Dub boss Mark Emmert, currently El Presidente of the cartel known as the NCAA, saw his pay soar to $1.7 million last year as he trotted around the country explaining why college football players should continue to be paid nothing.” . . . BTW, U-Dub would be U of Washington, not the U of Western Hockey League. . .

In the U.S., more than 1,000 golf courses have disappeared over the past eight years. As realtor Steve Ekovich told HBO: “There’s people that had this idea that build it and they will come. They didn’t come.” . . . The Calgary Stampeders visited the Edmonton Eskimos in CFL action on Thursday night and it seems the fans in attendance paid more attention to the 50-50 draw than they did to the game. Does that sound like the CFL, or what? . . . Connor Croken had the winning ticket and will pick up his cheque, for $348,534, on Tuesday. Croken now has more friends than any other 20-year-old in Edmonton. . . .

After centre Pau Gasol left the Los Angeles Lakers for Chicago, RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com put it this way: “He’ll just be another Spaniard running with the Bulls.” . . . Receiver Chad Johnson of the Montreal Alouettes was bemoaning the fact that he had received 15 parking tickets because he is unable to read French. Currie had a message for him: “Here’s a tip: A French fire hydrant looks just like an English one.” . . .

You may have heard that Fox Sports has bumped Pam Oliver off its No. 1 NFL crew, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, and replaced her with Erin Andrews. Oliver reacted by saying that she felt blindsided. To which Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald wrote: “We have about 314 million Americans. I’m pretty sure the other 313,999,999 saw this one coming.” . . . With Byron Scott said to be pondering an offer to coach the NBA’s Lakers, Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register tweeted: “Byron Scott obviously trying to balance prestige of coaching the Lakers against the chore of coaching Nick Young.” . . . Nick Young? Perhaps you know him better as Swaggy P. . . . OK, maybe not. . . .

Somehow, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was handed only a two-game suspension for allegedly knocking unconscious the woman who now is his wife. “Maybe it’s for the best,” reasoned Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe. “If instead of fighting, the couple had just mellowed out with a joint, he’d have been suspended at least four games.” . . . DJ Gallo of SportsPickle.com writes that you are a professional golfer if “your only shots that roll on the ground the whole way are putts” and “your Buick is a source of income, not personal shame” and “none of your playing partners loudly belch in your backswing.” . . .

There now is a move afoot to take the 2018 World Cup away from Russia. Yeah, like FIFA is going to put itself in front of Vladimir Putin and do that. . . . The other day, Fark.com wondered “what if every NHL player went home like LeBron?” . . . Fark.com answered its own question with: “No American team would win the cup ever again.” . . . You know it was a slow weekend in sports when the biggest story in some places had to do with LeBron deciding what number he will wear with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at gdrinnan.blogspot.ca and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, except when it doesn’t.)

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.

Asuchak gets phone call, PTO with Bruins

Spencer Asuchak, shown here with the CHL's Allen Americans, has signed
a PTO with the NHL's Boston Bruins.
(Photo courtesy Spencer Asuchak)

Spencer Asuchak had waited most of his 22-plus years on this earth for THE phone call.
It came last month, and now he’s preparing for a taste of the big time.
After being part of a Central Hockey League championship with the Allen Americans, Asuchak, who is from Kamloops, has signed a PTO (professional tryout agreement) with the Boston Bruins and will attend the NHL team’s rookie camp in September.
It all began with that phone call. On the other end of the line was Don Sweeney, the Bruins’ assistant general manager.
“It was about how well my season went and how they would like me to come to camp,” Asuchak said. “As you could imagine, I was pretty emotional after receiving a call like that.
“I have been waiting my entire life for an opportunity like this. I feel like I’ve definitely earned it and am going to do absolutely whatever I can to take full advantage of the chance I’m being given to prove myself and earn a spot within the Bruins organization.”
In hockey circles, it often is said that the deeper a team gets into its playoff season, the better chance its players have for advancement. The theory is simply the opposite of out of sight, out of mind.
Asuchak played in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans and Prince George Cougars (2008-12). Late in 2011-12, he got into three games with the ECHL’s Ontario Reign, then chose to attend Mount Royal College in Calgary for a year.
Through it all, he wasn’t able to rid himself of the itch to play professionally, so he signed with the Americans, who play out of Allen, Texas.
The 6-foot-5, 232-pound Asuchak has always seen himself as a hockey player. According to his agent, Darren Hermiston of Points West Sports and Entertainment, that wasn’t always the way coaches saw him.
“Spencer is a hulking forward,” Hermiston said, “and, as sometimes happens in junior hockey with players that size, he was pigeon-holed into a specific role -- a north-south winger who needs to hit and fight and not do much else. This role was not ideal for Spencer's skill set, but no junior coach saw that.”
Hermiston, like Asuchak, is from Kamloops. One thing led to another and Hermiston now represents Asuchak.

“We were able to find him a situation with the Allen Americans where the coach (Steve Martinson) loved Spencer's size and skating ability and was willing to gave him a shot,” Hermiston said.
According to Hermiston, Martinson “realized what junior coaches didn't . . . that Spencer and his great skating ability should be given an opportunity at centre and in a different role than the one that hadn’t worked out overly well for the better part of five years.”
Asuchak has always taken pride in his conditioning, so he showed up in Allen ready to go. He did get off to a shaky start -- he had three points and was minus-3 through nine games. But then he was moved to centre and, yes, the move agreed with him. Not only did he begin to put up points, but Martinson turned to him as his club’s shutdown centre.
“He played against the opposition’s top lines and was a first-line penalty-killer,” Hermiston said, “and won 60 per cent of his faceoffs.”
While playing centre, Asuchak put up 53 points in 57 games and was plus-6. He had 18 points over his final nine regular-season games. In all, he had 56 points, 21 of them goals, in 66 games. He also led the CHL with five shorthanded goals and twice was the league’s player of the week.
He added 11 points, four of them goals, as the Americans went on a 17-game run to the CHL title.
“Winning the championship in Allen was definitely the most fun I’ve ever had,” Asuchak said. “So many amazing people and teammates were involved . . . friends and memories I will never forget. Being able to hoist the trophy over my head with a group of guys that you’d do absolutely anything for was amazing and there is no better feeling.”
What made it that much sweeter was that it was Asuchak’s “first championship at any level.”
After giving it some thought, he allowed that “I do think I won a B.C. roller hockey championship when I was about 14 playing for the Prince George Reapers . . . if that counts.”
The exposure that Asuchak received in 2013-14, combined with his size and skating ability, has paid off. The Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks have combined to win the last four NHL titles and the foundation of each of those teams is its strength up the middle.
As Hermiston put it, “every NHL general manager now wants to be ‘big and heavy down the middle.’ ” That is right up Asuchak’s alley.
“So after a few conversations with Don Sweeney, we were able to secure a PTO for Spencer to attend the Bruins’ rookie camp in September with the goal of earning an entry-level contract,” Hermiston said.
Asuchak, who never has been a stranger to off-ice conditioning, now is working hard to get ready for camp, even if it is almost two months away. Like many athletes in the Kamloops area, and as he has done in the past, he is working with Greg Kozoris at Kozoris Acceleration.
If you’re looking for Asuchak, chances are that you’ll find him there. He said his days comprise sprints at 7 a.m., soccer at 8 and then up to three hours of weight training. He does that five or six days a week, and also finds time to skate three or four times a week. On the ice, he has been working with Aaron Konescni, a Kelowna-based power-skating coach; Ron Johnson, a skills coach from Vancouver who works with various NHLers; and former pro Ed Patterson, the head coach of the junior B Kamloops Storm, who runs practice sessions.
Asuchak’s training group includes the likes of the Nash brothers, Brendon and Riley, Shane Doan, the afore-mentioned Blair Riley, Peter Mueller, Tyler Redenbach, Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Devin Gannon, James Friedel and Ryan Gropp.
“Our training group is pretty good . . . so the pace is very high and very competitive,” Asuchak said.
In past summers, Asuchak often would find time for the lake and a few golf games.
This summer is different.
“There’s not really much time for anything else,” he said.

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.

Kudos to the WHL for putting a link from its website to DubNation, the online magazine that is loaded with WHL-related information. . . . It’s produced by Doyle Potenteau of Kelowna, a veteran hockey writer who follows the Rockets for the Daily Courier. . . . If you haven’t checked out the March edition, get on over to whl.ca and give it a look.
———
D Cody Carlson of the Prince George Cougars has signed an ATO with the Central league’s Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. The team announced the signing Tuesday morning. Carlson had 39 points in 72 in his final season of junior eligibility. . . . G Damien Ketlo, who played out his WHL eligibility with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, stopped 27 shots to record his first pro shutout and was the game’s first star last night as the ECHL’s Colorago Eagles, who play out of Loveland, beat the visiting Ontario Reign, 3-0. . . . F Spencer Asuchak of the Cougars made his pro debut in that game. Asuchak, 20, had two shots on goal.
———
The Spokane Chiefs confirmed Tuesday morning that D Brenden Kichton has had surgery to repair a broken jaw suffered Friday in Game 1 of their series with the Vancouver Giants. Kitchton was struck in the face by puck early in the third period. He has undergone surgery and is awaiting medical clearance to travel to his family’s home in Spruce Grove, Alta. . . . Kitchton is a first team Western Conference all-star and the conference’s defenceman of the year.
———
Another hockey career has come to a sudden end because of concussions. Matt Eagles, the captain of the St. Thomas University Tommies men’s hockey team, has had to walk away from the game. That story is right here. St. Thomas U is in Fredericton, N.B.
———
Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail has written an interesting piece about the impact that concussions may have on the NHL playoffs.
“More and more,” he writes, “you get the sense that the 2012 NHL playoffs may well be The Concussion Games, a two-month marathon that could twist and turn on how many times players in (Daniel) Sedin’s category get clocked in the head and are forced out of a team’s lineup.”
That complete column is right here.
———
If you read anything today, make it this piece right here. It’s columnist Dave Kindred remembering the legendary Furman Bisher, who left us earlier this month.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
The USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers fired head coach Regg Simon on Tuesday. He promptly told Mark Emmert of t he Des Moines Register that it was “one of the happiest days of my life, and I’m glad it happened now rather than later.” . . . Simon is the fourth coach to be fired in the 16-team USHL this season. . . . The Buccaneers are 20-27-4 and in danger of missing the playoffs. . . . A replacement should be named today.
———
TUESDAY’S WHL GAMES:
(If you want WHL facts and stats, get on Twitter and follow @WHLFacts)
———
Let’s get this out of the way early. . . . The Spokane Chiefs came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Portland Winter Hawks in the spring of 1996. That is the only time in WHL history a team has done that. . . . There are six playoff games scheduled for tonight and the Saskatoon Blades, Everett Silvertips and Victoria Royals all are down 3-0. . . .
———
In Winnipeg, F Mark Stone had a goal and an assist to lead the Wheat Kings to a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Wheat Kings, the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed, hold a 3-1 series lead over the No. 3 Hitmen and can wrap up the series in Winnipeg on Thursday night. . . . Game 6, if needed, would be played in Calgary on Sunday. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock also had a goal and an assist. . . . The Wheat Kings are playing their first-round home games at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair has taken over Westman Place in Brandon. . . . F Cody Sylvester, Calgary’s captain, returned after missing the first two games with an undisclosed injury. The Hitmen remain without F Victor Rask (leg). . . . Calgary G Brandon Glover came in for Chris Driedger with the Wheat Kings leading 3-0 at 1:53 of the second. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 32 shots. . . . Attendance was 3,563, 15 fewer than attended Game 3. . . .

In Saskatoon, Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem scored all of his club’s goals as the Tigers beat the Blades 3-2 in overtime. . . . This was the first overtime game of this season’s playoffs and it ended at 9:42 as Etem scored his sixth goal of the series. . . . Etem has scored or assisted on the Tigers’ last 10 goals. He leads all playoff scorers, with 10 points, and is tied with Portland F Ty Rattie, each with six goals. . . . The Tigers hold a 3-0 edge and can wrap it up tonight in Saskatoon. . . . Blades F Matej Stransky forced OT with his first goal at 16:52 of the third. . . . F Michael Burns scored Saskatoon’s first goal. He was playing his first game after missing seven with a concussion. . . . Tigers F Dylan Bredo drew two assists. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 32 goals, one fewer than Saskatoon’s Andrej Makarov. . . .

In Regina, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored five first-period goals and went on to a 5-3 victory over the Pats. . . . The Warriors take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 tonight in Regina. . . . Moose Jaw D Joel Edmundson scored 23 seconds into the first period and F Quinton Howden made it 2-0 just 27 seconds later. . . . Howden also had two assists. . . . F James Henry had two assists for the Warriors. . . . F Lane Scheidl got his first two goals of the series for Regina. . . . Moose Jaw F Cody Beach served a one-game suspension for making derogatory comments to the Regina bench in Game 2. . . . Moose Jaw D Travis Brown sat out with an undisclosed injury. . . . Regina F Andrew Rieder left during his first shift with an apparent shoulder injury. He missed the last 16 games of the regular season with a shoulder problem. . . .

In Kelowna, F Sven Baertschi and F Ty Rattie each had two goals and two assists as the Winterhawks doubled the Rockets, 6-3. . . . Portland leads 3-0 and can finish it in Kelowna on Thursday. . . . Rattie and Baertschi have nine points apiece in the series. Rattie is tied for the WHL lead in goals, with six, while Baertschi and teammate Marcel Noebels are tied for the WHL lead, with seven assists. . . . Noebels had three assists last night. . . . Rattie and Baertschi each was plus-4. . . . Portland ended it with two empty-netters. . . . Rattie broke a 2-2 tie at 19:19 of the second period and Baertschi gave the visitors a 4-2 lead at 3:55 of the third. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 38 shots, two fewer than Kelowna’s Adam Brown. . . . D Damon Severson had two goals for Kelowna, but finished minus-5. . . . The last time Kelowna has been swept? That hasn’t happened since 1994 when the franchise was in Tacoma, Wash., and lost four straight to Portland. . . . The Winterhawks had F Brendan Leipsic back in their lineup after he missed the first two games with an undisclosed injury. . . . Portland D William Wrenn, who was kneed by Kelowna F Brett Bulmer in Game 2, also played. Bulmer, who was given a kneeing major on that play, served the first game of a ‘tbd’ suspension. . . .

In Spokane, D Corbin Baldwin gave the Chiefs a 3-1 lead at 15:56 of the third period and they hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Giants lead the series 2-1 going into Game 4 tonight in Spokane. . . . The Chiefs got first-period goals from D Reid Gow and F Blake Gal. . . . Vancouver F Cain Franson cut into that lead with his fourth goal of the series at 3:48 of the second. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher got his team’s second goal at 17:30 of the third. . . . The Chiefs turned to Eric Willians in goal after going with Mac Engel in the first two games. Williams made 26 saves, one more than Vancouver’s Adam Morrison. . . . Giants F Jordan Martinook wasn’t able to beat Williams on a penalty shot with 5:48 left in the third period and the Chiefs leading 2-1. . . . Vancouver added F Anthony Ast to its lineup and scratched F Alex Kuvaev. . . . The Chiefs were without D Brenden Kichton (broken jaw). . . .

In Everett, G Ty Rimmer stopped 23 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-0 victory over the Silvertips. . . . The Americans hold a 3-0 series lead and can end it tonight in Everett. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin, the WHL scoring champ, scored his first two goals of the series as he ran his point streak to 26 games. . . . He scored the game’s first goal at 1:41 of the second period. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland, who led the WHL in assists during the regular season, took a clipping major and game misconduct at 13:28 of the first period. . . . There was only one minor penalty called in the game, that an elbowing infraction by Everett F J.T. Barnett. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 27 shots. . . . The Silvertips were without F Ryan Harrison and F Manraj Hayer, both of whom were serving suspensions. Harrison is eligible to return tonight; Hayer’s suspenskon was ‘tbd’ . . . The Americans were without D Drydn Dow (broken arm), who was hurt on the check by Hayer. . . . Tri-City F Jesse Mychan left in the second period with a leg injury. . . .

In Victoria, the Kamloops Blazers scored six second-period goals and went on to a 7-5 victory over the Royals. . . . Kamloops holds a 3-0 lead and can win the series tonight in Victoria. . . . The Blazers haven’t won a playoff series since the spring of 1999 when they beat the Tri-City Americans in the Western Conference final. . . . The Royals got three goals from F Jamie Crooks, the first playoff hat trick in Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria franchise history. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham broke a 4-4 tie with his first playoff goal, a shorthanded effort, at 17:26 of the second period. . . . Blazers F J.C. Lipon stretched the lead to 6-4 with a PP goal at 18:48 of the second. Lipon also had two assists, his third straight game with two helpers. . . . Kamloops F Colin Smith had a goal and three assists. . . . Kamloops has scored 18 goals in this series, 14 of them in second periods. . . . The Blazers were 3-6 on the PP and also scored two shorthanded goals. . . . Victoria was 0-4 on the PP. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 18 shots, while the Victoria duo of Jared Rathjen and Keith Hamilton combined for 26 saves. Rathjen started and left after Needham’s goal. . . . Kamloops F Chase Schaber, the team captain, suffered a skate cut to one of his legs and spent the night in hospital. He is to be re-examined and re-evaluated today but isn’t expected to play tonight. . . . According to Mike Walker of CHEK-TV, the teams also combined to hit seven goalposts.
———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Tyler Vanscourt, Vancouver.
———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Kiefer McNaughton, Vancouver.

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.