THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Vladimir Sicak (Medicine Hat, 1998-2000) signed a two-year contract extension with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He has four goals and 11 assists in 29 games with Sparta after starting the season with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga), where he had one assist in eight games. Sicak is now under contract to Sparta through the 2014-2015 season. . . .


D Dustin Kohn (Calgary, Brandon, 2003-07) was released by HC Energie Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had one goal and two assists in 19 games for Karlovy Vary. . . .



G Garrett Zemlak (Saskatoon, Prince Albert, 2006-10) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). Zemlak was released last week by the Braehead Clan (Scotland, UK Elite), where he had a 3.95 GAA and an .883 save percentage in 30 games.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, F Graham Black scored the only goal of the circus to give the Swift Current Broncos a 4-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Broncos have won five in a row. . . . Moose Jaw F Sam Fioretti forced OT with his 20th goal, at 18:35 of the second period. . . . The Broncos, who held a 37-22 edge in shots, outshot their hoss 13-2 in the third period but came close to losing when Moose Jaw F Derek Eberle hit the crossbar late in the third period. . . . Swift Current F Adam Lowry moved into the WHL goal-scoring lead as he scored twice, giving him 31. . . . Lowry also ran his point streak to 21 games, the longest in the WHL this season. . . . Broncos F Chance Lund, a 20-year-old from Fairview, Alta., played in his 300th regular-season game. The first 258 of those were played with the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Collin Shirley scored in the circus to give the Kootenay Ice a 4-3 victory over the Blades. . . . The Ice has won eight of its last nine games, while the Blades have dropped three straight. . . . Shirley, who is a native of Saskatoon, was the 14th shooter in the shootout. . . . F Sam Reinhart scored his 20th goal of the season for the Ice, while F Michael Ferland got his first with the Blades since being acquired from Brandon on Thursday. Ferland’s goal, at 12:35 of the third period, forced OT. . . .

In Everett, F Justin Gutierrez and F Jesse Mychan each scored his second goal of the season as the Tri-City Americans dumped the Silvertips, 6-1. . . . Tri-City G Luke Lee-Knight stopped 32 shots. He’s the No. 1 guy now, with G Eric Comrie nursing an injury for a couple of weeks. . . . Gutierrez played his first 31 WHL games without scoring. He now has a goal in each of his last two games. . . . The Americans were 3-for-3 on the PP. . . .


In Victoria, the Royals scored five times in the third period, four of them on the PP, and beat the Kamloops Blazers, 6-4. . . . After a scoreless first period, the Blazers took a 3-1 lead into the third. . . . Kamloops F Colin Smith, who had gone four games without a point, scored his 28th goal. . . . F Stephen Hodges scored twice for the Royals, while F Alex Gogolev had a goal and two assists. They each have 14 goals. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll scored his 10th goal — he has goals in three straight games — and Gogolev’s 14th, both via the PP, tied the game 3-3. . . . F Tim Bozon restored the Kamloops lead at 13:04, with his 27th goal. . . . But the Royals then scored three times in 1:49, with D Brett Cote, D Jack Walker and Hodges scoring. . . . Victoria D Joe Hicketts, who is from Kamloops, drew two assists. . . . The Royals went 4-for-7 on the PP. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Victoria and again Saturday in Kamloops. . . . Kamloops D Joel Edmundson took a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on Gogolev at 16:05 of the third. . . . Gogolev wasn’t injured on the play. . . . Kamloops associate coach Dave Hunchak will be away from the Blazers until at least Saturday. He is in Saskatoon following the death of his mother, Irene, on Saturday. A funeral service will be held there on Thursday. . . . Kamloops has signed F Eric Krienke, 16, a ninth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. He plays for the midget AAA Calgary Northstars.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Taylor Crunk, Victoria

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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From Trevor Crawley (@tcrawls), the sports editor of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman/Kimberley Daily Bulletin: “Nitros didn’t participate in warmup against the Rockies. Sit on the bench instead. I think they’re protesting something . . .”
The Nitros (aka the Kimberley Dynamiters) play in the junior B Kootenay International Junior League. They went through their second coaching change of the season this week. . . . The host Dynamiters dropped a 9-5 decision to the Columbia Valley Rockies.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
Langnau (Switzerland, NL A) signed F Tyler Ennis (Medicine Hat, 2005-09) and D Jared Spurgeon (Spokane, 2005-10) to lockout contracts. Ennis had 15 goals and 19 assists in 48 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season, while Spurgeon had three goals and 20 assists in 70 games with the Minnesota Wild. They are childhood friends and were teammates in minor hockey in Edmonton. . . .
F Stepan Novotny (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extrraliga). He had five goals and six assists in 34 games for Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) last season. . . .
F Shay Stephenson (Red Deer, 2000-04) was released by Karlskrona (Sweden, Allsvenskan) by mutual agreement due to injury. He had no points in three games this season with Karlskrona. . . .
F Jakub Rumpel (Medicine Hat, 2006-07) signed a try-out contract with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, Oberliga). He had one assist in one game with Trnava (Slovakia, 1.Liga) this season. Last season, Rumpel had three assists in two games with Trnava and seven goals and 12 assists in 30 games with Frederikshavn (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga).
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When the WHL gathered its head coaches for an information session in Calgary last week, there was a lot of talk about dangerous hits, about not hitting players who are in vulnerable positions, about not hitting another player in the numbers, about the respect factor.
Judging by the number of ugly hits in the Kamloops Blazers’ 6-5 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Friday night, there is some work to be done.
Make no mistake about it – this was a nasty game. Not nasty in terms of ample stickwork and a number of fights (there was only one), but nasty because of some really dangerous hits.
It started four minutes into the first period when Kelowna F Colton Heffley hit Kamloops F Aspen Sterzer from behind.
Before the game was done, Kamloops D Tyler Hansen had twice been penalized for hits from behind, while Kelowna F Ryan Olsen also picked up one.
But two of the most egregious checks from behind weren’t called such; in fact, one of them didn’t even draw a penalty.
At 16:43 of the first period, Kelowna F Henrik Nyberg hit Kamloops D Tyler Bell in the back and wasn’t even penalized. Nyberg ended up falling on Bell, who went down awkwardly and appeared to injure his right knee. He returned to the bench for the last two periods but didn’t play again. Nyberg, a freshman from Sweden, ended up in a fight as Kamloops F Dylan Willick went straight to him. The only penalty assessed Nyberg was a fighting major.
At 10:11 of the second period, Kelowna D Myles Bell drilled Kamloops F Matt Needham from behind and was given a boarding minor.
Meanwhile, at 12:08 of the second period, Kelowna F Colton Sissons drove to the Kamloops net off the left wing. He made no attempt to pull up and barrelled into G Cole Cheveldave in the crease. Somehow, Sissons came out of this without a goaltender interference penalty; rather, he was penalized for roughing.
Cheveldave left the game after the second period with an undisclosed injury. Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said he couldn’t yet say whether Cheveldave was injured on that play. Charron wasn’t at all happy to be talking about Cheveldave being injured again. After all, Cheveldave’s last season ended late in Game 1 of a second-round series with Portland when he was run over by Winterhawks F Oliver Gabriel behind the net.
Last night, shortly after Sissons ran into Cheveldave, Kamloops F Jordan DePape had a chance to bury Kelowna G Jordon Cooke on a similar play, put pulled up short and skated past the side of the net.
The messages in all of this: The penalties for checking from behind have to be made stiffer. If that’s what it takes to make players think before they drill an opponent in the numbers, well, that’s what it’s going to take.
And the WHL officials need to work harder to protect the goaltenders. A few charging majors would be a good place to start.
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In seasons past, I have done game-by-game reviews. I’m not going to do that this season; it’s simply too time-consuming and most of the information I provided is available on the game sheets on the WHL website. . . . Instead, I will try to provide some highlights, injuries, tidbits, etc. . . . If you are at a game and see something of interest, email me at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca. . . .
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FRIDAY’S STUFF:
The Portland Winterhawks outshot the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 30-2 in the first period and went on to drop a 5-2 decision. Seattle G Brandon Glover pitched a first-period shutout and finished with 55 saves. . . . Seattle had a 20-11 edge in shots in the second period. . . . The Winterhawks were 11-1-0 against Portland last season. . . . Portland D Seth Jones, whose first name really isn’t Highly Touted, made his WHL debut. “I thought he was good,” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston told Paul Buker of The Oregonian. “I thought he controlled the play. He moved the puck well. He’s a big guy when he jumps up ice. It’s amazing how quick he is with his stick when he heads up ice. He’s got really good offensive skills.” . . . Jones’ father, Popeye, was in the stands. Popeye, an assistant coach with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, played for the Portland Trail Blazers in Memorial Coliseum. . . . “The fans are crazy, and they really support this hockey team,” Jones told Buker. “I’m an old guy. I started coming here in 1993 for basketball. I played in Memorial Coliseum. That’s how old I am.” . . .

LW Tim Bozon scored three goals, the last one in OT, to give the host Kamloops Blazers a 6-5 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . As noted earlier, this was a particularly nasty game. . . . Kamloops lost G Cole Cheveldave (undisclosed) and D Tyler Bell (knee) to injuries, both on aggressive plays by Kelowna players. Neither is expected to play tonight in Kelowna. . . . Rockets LW J.T. Barnett (knee) left during his first shift after throwing a hit deep in Kamloops territory. He won’t play tonight either. The Rockets claimed Barnett off waivers from Everett last week. Last season, Barnett suffered a knee injury while stretching prior to a game in Kamloops. He played that night, but the injury kept him out of action after that until playoffs. . . .

The host Moose Jaw Warriors overcame a 3-0 deficit and beat the Swift Current Broncos 4-3 in OT. The winning goal? F Andrew Johnson scored it on a penalty shot. . . . “I saw there was a gap there (between defenders) and I tried to split it. When the ref pointed for a penalty shot my heart almost stopped,” Johnson told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. . . . Swift Current D Reece Scarlett left the ice on a backboard after a hit from Moose Jaw F Justin Kirsch. Scarlett was on the ice for 10 minutes before being taken off. He gave the crowd the thumbs up as he left. . . . The Warriors successfully killed off two major penalties, the one to Kirsch for the hit on Scarlett and another to D Joel Edmundson who got tossed under the WHL’s new rule for instigating a fight off a faceoff. . . . Scarlett (@reecescarlett7) later tweeted: “Thanks for all the support. I am doing fine. Nothing seriously wrong. Just beyond stiff and sore. #bebacksoon.” . . .


Victoria F Stephen Hodges took a puck to the mouth in the warmup and then scored twice, both via the PP, and set up another as the Royals beat the Giants 6-4 in Vancouver. . . . Victoria D Joe Hicketts, the 12th overall pick in the 2011 draft, had a goal and an assist for the Royals in his first regular-season game. . . . Victoria scored six times on 18 shots. . . . Victoria head coach Dave Lowry, in his first season with the Royals, picked up the victory in the rink where he played his first NHL game with the Vancouver Canucks. They selected him 110th overall in the NHL’s 1983 draft. . . .

In Red Deer, the Rebels dropped a 3-2 decision to the Calgary Hitmen and lost D Mathew Dumba in the first period when he was tossed for a head hit on F Joe Kornelson. . . . Here’s Red Deer Advocate sports editor Greg Meachem: “It was the classic open-ice hit that Dumba has made his calling card, but also one that is being frowned upon by referees and the WHL head office and earned the third-year Rebel a major and game misconduct.” . . .

In Brandon, head coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk picked up his first victory as the Wheat Kings edge the Regina Pats, 3-2. . . . Gylywoychuk, a veteran assistant coach in Brandon, was named head coach of the Wheat Kings over the summer. . . . Gylywoychuk also played with the Wheat Kings. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades began their march to the 2013 Memorial Cup by beating the host Prince Albert Raiders 2-1 in a shootout. . . . Last season, the Raiders lost 19 games by one goal, which contributed mightily to their missing the playoffs. . . . The Raiders got their goal on the PP after Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls was given a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on D Zach Hodder. The Vancouver Giants selected Hodder with the 20th overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. He had a short stay in Saskatoon last season and was making has Prince Albert debut in this one.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Madie Gylywoychuk (@Madietaylor99): “Congrats on the first win of the season @bdnwheatkings! Way to go Dad! @millchew.”
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IN OTHER NEWS:
The Regina Pats have acquired F Adam Rossignol, 19, from the Swift Current Broncos for a 2013 bantam draft pick. The Broncos announced that pick as being conditional; according to the Pats, it’s a 12-rounder. . . . Rossignol, who was acquired by the Broncos form Kootenay Ice in January, had 21 points in 71 games last season. He was released by the Broncos earlier this week. . . . Rossignol played for Regina last night. . . .
The Broncos also announced Friday that they have released F Christian Magnus, 20. He came over from the Kootenay Ice on Jan. 9, 2011, as part of the  monster deal in which F Cody Eakin moved to the Ice. . . . Magnus, the ninth overall pick in the 2007 bantam draft, actually started with the Broncos, but was dealt to the Ice with D James Martin in exchange for F Michael Stickland and D John Negrin. There also were some draft picks in that deal. . . . Last season, Magnus had 24 points in 62 games with the Broncos. The announcement of his release came three days after Broncos F Graham Black (@GrahamBlack9) said farewell to Magnus via Twitter: “Going to miss my best friend on the swift current broncos @mr_mangus big beauty, unreal friend, and amazing line mate! We love you mags!!!” . . . The Broncos are left with F Chance Lund, F Ryon Moser and D Dalton Reum as their 20-year-olds. . . .
The Tri-City Americans have assigned F Brendan Persley, 19, to the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals, who acquired his rights last week from the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. . . . The Americans now are carrying 26 players, including two goaltenders and 15 forwards. . . .
F Brock Balson, 19, who was released this week by his hometown Kamloops Blazers, is back with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks. Balson was released by the Prince Albert Raiders prior to the start of last season. He joined the SilverBacks and put up 19 points in 20 games. He then moved to the Blazers, for whom he had six points in 42 games. . . .
F Justin Maylan (Moose Jaw, Prince George, Prince Albert, 2007-12) has signed with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. Maylan, 21, had 89 points, including 63 assists, with Prince Albert last season.
The Medicine Hat Tigers have assigned G Kenny Cameron, 19, to the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. Last season, Cameron backed up Tyler Bunz with the Tigers. His departure leaves the Tigers with Dawson MacAuley, 18, and Marek Langhamer, an 18-year-old Czech freshman, as the goaltenders. . . . Langhamer stopped 18 shots in last night’s 4-2 loss to the host Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . .
Brian Wiebe, who covers the BCHL like a glove, reports that the Surrey Eagles have added D Tommy Stipancik, 18, who was released by the Saskatoon Blades. Stipancik had three points in 34 games with the Blades last season. . . . Wiebe also has F Brayden Low, 18, joining the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials after being dropped by the Seattle Thunderbirds. Low, who played four games with the Portland Winterhawks in 2010-11, had 16 points in 44 games with the Centennials last season.
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The OHL and the Windsor Spitfires have come to an agreement on disciplinary measures brought on by a violation of the league’s player recruitment policy. Originally, the Spitfires were fined $400,000 and had five draft picks taken from them. . . . The Spitfires appealed and recently met with OHL commissioner David Branch. . . . According to an OHL news release, “During the meeting . . . the Windsor Spitfires accepted that there were certain violations of the league’s recruitment policy.” . . . When all was said and done, the earlier decision was changed. The Spitfires have agreed to pay a fine of $250,000 and lose four draft picks – first-rounders in 2013 and 2016, and second-rounders in 2015 and 2017. . . . As a result of this agreement, the Spitfires won’t appeal the decision. . . . And here is the last line of the OHL news release: “Neither the League nor the Windsor Spitfires will be making any further comment in relation to this matter.” . . . So that takes care of that.
Bob Duff of the Windsor Star writes right here about how this means the Spitfires have “dropped their innocent act.”
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The QMJHL’s P.E.I. Rocket franchise will change its name to P.E.I. Islanders effective next season. The team held a rename-your-team contest and Islanders got 49 per cent of the votes. Also considered were Riptide and Confederation. . . . The change can’t take place yet because Reebok is just now working on changing logos and colours.

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Kamloops, Victoria to get TV treatment

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

It’s going to be Hockey Nights in Kamloops and Victoria.
The WHL announced Tuesday that the entire first-round playoff series between the Victoria Royals and Kamloops Blazers will be carried live by Shaw TV.
Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-seven affair are to be played at Interior Savings Centre on Friday and Saturday nights.
Dan Russell, the long-time host of CKNW’s Sportstalk, will call the play, with Bill Wilms providing the analysis. Andy Neal, a former radio voice of the Prince George Cougars, will be the program host. Peter Loubardias, a former play-by-play voice with Rogers Sportsnet, also will provide analysis on the telecasts of the first two games.
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Neither the Blazers nor the Royals set the world on fire coming down the stretch, both going 4-5-1 in their last 10 games.
However, Kamloops head coach Guy Charron feels his team played better than that.
“I don’t think we have reason to (be concerned),” he said. “In some ways you want to finish on a good note. But it hasn’t been because our play has been bad.
“I’m not saying, ‘Holy sheesh, we’re going into the playoffs and not playing very well.’ We’re playing well enough to win games but we’re not finding ways to score and the goaltending has been the difference. We’re playing fine . . .”
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Charron said he and associate coach Dave Hunchak have been harping on their players about defensive commitment.
“We’ll get our chances. We’ll score goals,” Charron said. “But it’s the commitment defensively. If we do that, we can have a lot of success in the playoffs. We can’t just play run-and-gun. In the playoffs, if you score, great, but if you don’t, you can get hurt.”
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Charron also is well aware that the Royals, who gave up a WHL-high 325 goals, have the ability to score. After all, they do have five 20-goal men on their roster.
“Just do the things you need to do,” Charron said. “Their defence can be vulnerable, but if you don’t exploit their weaknesses, it’s like anything else . . . you allow the other team to stay alive and they have the ability to score. They have guys who can put the puck in the net.”
Jamie Crooks led the Royals in goals (37) and points (67), with Robin Soudek (27), Brandon Magee (23), Logan Nelson (23) and Steven Hodges (21) also getting more than 20. Soudek missed the last three regular-season games with an undisclosed injury. Magee, meanwhile, isn’t expected to play after being hurt in the Royals’ last game of the regular season.
As well, defenceman Hayden Rintoul struck for 17 goals, 13 of them on the power play.
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There hasn’t been a WHL playoff game on Vancouver Island since 1989 when the Blazers eliminated the Victoria Cougars 5-3 in a best-of-nine first-round series. The Cougars then missed the playoffs for five straight seasons before moving to Prince George over the summer of 1994.
The Royals, of course, are in their first season after spending five winters as the Chilliwack Bruins. In Chilliwack, they qualified for the playoffs in four of those seasons but have yet to advance past the first round, going 4-16 in the process.
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The Blazers won the season series with the Royals, 7-1, outscoring them 39-21.
“Some people are picking them in three games, not just four,” Marc Habscheid, the Royals’ GM/head coach, told the Victoria Times Colonist. “We shouldn't even go to Kamloops, the way it sounds.
“All I know is, we’ll show up Friday when the puck is dropped.”
Habscheid continued: “They are a good team and ranked highly. They have earned that status and are an older team built for this season.
“They've got all the pressure on them.”
Never mind The Hunger Games; in the WHL, the mind games are underway.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
twitter.com/gdrinnan

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Another day, another upset coach throwing things.
This time, it’s Benoit Groulx of the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques, who is rather upset that there wasn’t a penalty for what he felt was a kneeing incident.
It’s obvious that Groulx hasn’t yet been to the Marlin Murray school of cleaning up the bench, but he does get good distance in the garbage can toss.
With a tip of the cap to Jérôme Bérubé.
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The Vancouver Giants took a couple of hits Tuesday with the news that D David Musil and F Nathan Burns won’t play again this season. . . . Musil, who has had wrist problems for a couple of months, was found to have a broken scaphoid and was to have surgery yesterday. Musil played major minutes for the Giants and was a key part of their penalty kill. He was a second-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2011 NHL draft. . . . Burns, who has 34 points in 55 games, was injured in the third period of a 5-4 OT victory over the visiting Victoria Royals on Sunday. He has been diagnosed with a sprained knee. . . . The Giants also are without F Anthony Ast (high ankle sprain) and F Austin Vetterl (foot), neither of whom is likely to play again this season. . . . Vancouver did get the news that F Austin Fyten, 20, has been given medical clearance to practise with contact. Fyten had knee surgery prior to the start of the season and has yet to play.
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The Portland Winterhawks have added D Ben Betker, 17, to their roster. A native of Cranbrook, Betker spent this season with the BCHL’s Westside Warriors. He put up 18 points in 59 games and had 52 penalty minutes.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
A couple of notes: After last night’s games, all Eastern Conference teams have two games remaining. . . . The Prince George Cougars were not eliminated from playoff contention last night. They still can tie for the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff. Should two teams tie for a conference’s final playoff spot, they would play a sudden-death game, with the winner advancing. . . .

In Brandon, the Moose Jaw Warriors got two goals in the circus and beat the Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . F Cam Braes and F Eric Arnold, who scored his 13th goal in regulation, scored in the shootout for Moose Jaw. . . . Brandon got one shootout goal from F Mark Stone. . . . The Wheat Kings got their regulation-time goals from D Ryan Pulock, his 19th, and D Eric Roy, with 6.2 seconds left in the third period. . . . Stone had two assists. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 44 shots, 15 more than Moose Jaw’s Luke Siemens. . . . The Wheat Kings took the game’s only two minor penalties. . . . The Warriors scratched second-year F Jordan Wyton, 18, after he suffered a broken hand in practice on Tuesday. . . . The victory allowed Moose Jaw to clinch home-ice advantage through two rounds of playoffs. . . . The Wheat Kings remain eighth in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Saskatoon and Kootenay. . .

In Calgary, the Lethbridge Hurricanes scored the game’s first two goals and went on to surprise the Hitmen, 5-2. . . . F Jaimen Yakubowski, at 2:10, and F Russell Maxwell, at 5:19, on a PP, put the Hurricanes out front early and they never trailed. . . . Lethbridge F Graham Hood, playing his 250th career game, got his 15th goal this season. . . . F Juraj Bezuch drew two assists for Lethbridge. . . . G Damien Ketlo stopped 37 shots for the Hurricanes. . . . The loss kept the Hitmen from moving into a tie with idle Medicine Hat for third place in the Eastern Conference. The Hitmen, who can finish no lower than fourth, remain two points back. . . .

In Regina, F Jordan Weal scored twice to help the Pats to a 4-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Weal got his 40th of the season on a PP with two seconds left in the first period and later added an empty-netter. . . . Regina F Matt Marantz had two assists. . . . D Sawyer Lange, a 17-year-old from Prince Albert, scored his first WHL goal in his 56th game this season. . . . The victory moved Regina into fifth, a point ahead of Saskatoon and Kootenay. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Kristians Pelss scored at 3:55 of OT to give the Edmonton Oil Kings a 5-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The goal was the 27th of the season for Pelss and gave Edmonton its ninth straight victory. . . . D Jagger Dirk gave the Ice a 4-3 lead with a shorthanded goal at 10:21 of the third period. . . . Edmonton F Tristan Sieben tied it at 10:52 on a PP. . . . Ice D Spencer Wand, a 16-year-old from Saskatoon, scored his first WHL goal in his 50th game. . . . The loser point lifted the Ice into a sixth-place tie with idle Saskatoon. . . . The Oil Kings moved into first place in the overall standings, one point ahead of idle Tri-City. Each team has two games remaining, meaning Edmonton finishes first if it wins out. . . .

In Victoria, F Stephen Hodges broke a 3-3 tie at 13:14 of the third period to give the Royals a 4-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The visitors hit three posts after Hodges’ goal. . . . Portland F Oliver Gabriel tied the game 3-3 with his 17th goal at 2:36 of the third. . . . Hodges has 21 goals this season. . . . Portland led 2-1 after the first period, but Victoria took a 3-2 led into the third. . . . Victoria G Keith Hamilton stopped 32 shots, including 12 of 13 in the third when his side was outshot 13-2. The Royals acquired Hamilton from Portland prior to the start of the season. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 15 shots. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie scored his 55th goal, while F Jamie Crooks got his 36th for Victoria. . . . Victoria continues with F Robin Soudek, who has an undisclosed injury. . . . The Winterhawks remain without F Sven Baertschi, who remains on emergency recall with the NHL’s Calgary Flames. . . . The victory lifted the Royals into seventh in the Western Conference, a point ahead of Everett and three ahead of idle Seattle, which has three games left. . . . The Winterhawks, with two left, are two behind Tri-City and three behind Edmonton. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets broke a 1-1 tie with three straight goals and beat the Everett Silvertips 4-2. . . . F Tyson Baillie broke a 1-1 tie at 18:10 of the first period, getting his ninth goal on a PP, and F Shane McColgan and F Cody Chikie scored in the third period as the Rockets pulled away. . . . McColgan and Chikie both have 18 goals. . . . The Rockets were 2-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-4. . . . Kelowna F Brett Bulmer scored his 33rd goal. . . . The Rockets, already without veteran D Mitchell Chapman due to injury, lost D Myles Bell (leg) in the first period and D Madison Bowey (upper body) in the second. . . . The Rockets will finish sixth in the Western Conference. . . . The Silvertips slid back a spot and now are eighth, two points ahead of Seattle. Everett has two games remaining. Seattle will finish with three games in three nights, starting Friday in Spokane. . . .

In Spokane, D Reid Gow broke a 4-4 tie at 19:13 of the third period as the Chiefs beat the Kamloops Blazers, 6-4. . . . Gow has two goals this season. . . . Spokane F Dominik Uher iced it with his 33rd into an empty net. . . . D Brendan Kichton had two goals, giving him 16, and an assist for Spokane. . . . F Tim Bozon scored twice for Kamloops, giving him 35 in his freshman season. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave left after the first period due to illness. He stopped eight of nine shots. Cam Lanigan replaced him and turned aside 14 of 18 shots. . . . The Blazers have added G Taran Kozun, 17, to their roster. He spent the season with the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. . . . Kamloops F Chase Schaber missed his fourth straight game with a leg injury. . . . The victory lifted Spokane back into a fourth-place tie with Vancouver. Each team has two games remaining. Should they end up in a tie, Vancouver would finish fourth as it would have more victories. . . . The loss means the Blazers can’t finish first overall and will go into the first round as the second seed because they are B.C. Division champions.
———
WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Cole Wedman, Spokane.
———
WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Chase Souto, Kamloops.
———




IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Brandon (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Kootenay (7)
Medicine Hat (3) vs. Saskatoon (6)
Calgary (4) vs. Regina (5)
———
Western Conference
Tri-City (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kamloops (2) vs. Victoria (7)
Portland (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
Vancouver (4) vs. Spokane (5)
———
TODAY’S GAMES:
None.
———
FRIDAY’S GAMES:
Calgary at Kootenay
Moose Jaw at Prince Albert
Brandon at Regina
Saskatoon at Swift Current
Edmonton at Medicine Hat
Lethbridge at Red Deer
Prince George at Kamloops
Seattle at Spokane
Everett at Tri-City
Portland at Victoria
Kelowna at Vancouver

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By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The dogfight that is the chase for playoff spots in the WHL’s Western Conference continues tonight at Interior Savings Centre with the Chilliwack Bruins going against the Kamloops Blazers.
The Blazers (19-20-2) go into the game in seventh place in the 10-team conference in which seven teams are within six points of each other. The Bruins (17-17-3) are ninth, three points behind Kamloops. The Bruins hold four games in hand.
The Bruins also are 2-0 against the Blazers this season, having won 5-2 here and 6-1 there, but the teams haven’t met since Oct. 2.
Both teams have been making do with thin rosters, what with injuries and players away at tournaments, but there should be at least some relief today.
The Blazers expect to have forwards Dalibor Bortnak (Slovakia) and Bernhard Keil (Germany) back from the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, while defenceman Brady Gaudet and forward Logan McVeigh return after playing for Team Western at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie.
However, the Blazers are expected to again be without defenceman Josh Caron (collarbone) and forward JC Lipon (ankle), while captain Chase Schaber left their last game, a 4-2 loss to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors, six minutes into the third period with a leg injury.
The Blazers are continuing with their policy of not allowing anyone in the organization to communicate with The Daily News, a situation into its 16th day.
Meanwhile, Marc Habscheid, the former Blazers head coach who now is the Bruins’ general manager and head coach, is looking forward to having a few more bodies on his roster. He said the Bruins were missing nine players when they dropped a 6-2 decision to the visiting Vancouver Giants on Sunday.
“Even with nine guys out, I didn’t like our compete,” he said, using hockey’s new ‘hot’ word. “No matter what, you still have to play the games and you still have to complete. I didn’t like our compete.
“You do what you do but the one thing that has to be a staple is the compete . . . the will to win and not accepting to lose.”
The Bruins expect to have forwards Roman Horak and Robin Soudek back from the Czech Republic team that played in Buffalo, while forwards Steven Hodges and Brandon Magee both were with Team Pacific at the WHC.
There is some question about Horak, however. He was scratched from the Czech’s last game at the WJC and Habscheid hadn’t been able to ascertain why that happened. He was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Horak, who has 38 points in 30 games and rides shotgun with 24-goal man Ryan Howse.
And if Horak and Soudek are back and healthy, they will play tonight, as will Hodges and Magee.
Veteran defenceman Brandon Manning (leg) remains day-to-day, while forward Mike Forsyth (hand) is available. Habscheid said that forwards Brendan Persley (foot), Curt Gogol (shoulder) and Jesse Pauls (leg) remain sidelined.
Habscheid said the 16-year-old Magee, a 5-foot-7, 160-pounder from Edmonton, was one of the young players who picked up his play before Christmas.
Magee, Habscheid said, “has stepped up and played some important minutes for us.”
Magee, who has 13 points in 31 games, should be coming back on a high, too. It was his overtime goal that gave Team Pacific, including equipment manager Troy Clifford of Kamloops, a 5-4 victory over Quebec in the bronze-medal game at the WHC on Tuesday.
Habscheid, who won gold with Team Canada at the 1982 WJC, said the returning players, in particular Horak and Soudek, will get some down time in the days to come.
“I’ve never given them time off,” Habscheid said, referring to players returning from the WJC. “I will give them some practices off. They’re young. We’ll find time to give them a day off practice here or there.”
As for having them miss games, Habscheid said, “That’s not really fair to the organization.”
Certainly not with the race for playoff spots this heated.
There is some separation in the conference, with three teams -- the Portland Winterhawks, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans -- starting to pull away. The Americans, with the conference’s third-best record, now are five points ahead of the Prince George Cougars, who lead the B.C. Division.
But seven of the teams are packed together like sardines in a tin, and points are as important now as they will be in March.
JUST NOTES: Game time is 7 p.m. . . . Kamloops native Lucas Gore (15-11-3, 3.17, .907) is to start in goal for the Bruins, with Jeff Bosch (15-9-1, 3.23, .903) expected to get the call for the Blazers. Bosch has started the team’s last five games and 12 of its last 13. . . . The Blazers are 4-1 against conference rivals since the Christmas break. . . . Chilliwack and Kamloops each is 4-6-0 in its last 10 games. . . . The Blazers will play the Rockets in Kelowna on Saturday. That will be the third meeting between those teams in 10 days, with each having won on home ice.