THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Stefan Warg (Seattle, Prince Albert, 2008-10) signed a two-year contract with Västerås (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had two goals and three assists in 51 games with Örebro (Sweden, Allsvenskan) this season.
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THE COACHING GAME:
There was word early Monday that former NHLer Tom Rowe is going to be the head coach for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL next season. Rowe is a scout with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. . . . I first saw a tweet on this from Russian hockey journalist Alessandro Seren Rosso (@AlexSerenRosso).
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It turns out that Ty Rattie and Sven Bartschi of the Portland Winterhawks are as tight off the ice as they are on it. Jim Beseda of The Oregonian has that story right here.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have won six of their seven playoff games to this point. And they hold a 2-0 lead over the Medicine Hat Tigers in a second-round series. One of the reasons is discipline. Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports right here that the Warriors have cut their penalty minutes in half over their regular-season totals.
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Chris Rumble, who played for the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild (2009-11), has been diagnosed with leukemia and has started treatment in a Seattle hospital. You may recognize Rumble’s name from the documentary ‘Into the Ice’ that he wrote and directed. It was the story of the Wild’s 2010-11 season. . . . If you would like to send Rumble a message, email him at crumble@live.com. . . . There’s more right here.

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Graeme Craig of the Swift Current Broncos shows off
his new look after a puck took out three teeth on
Friday night in Regina. What a way to bring in a new year!
(Photo courtesy Graeme Craig via Twitter — @craigstand6)

Graeme Craig is in his third season as a defenceman with the Swift Current Broncos.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder from Red Deer is one of those steady performers who will sacrifice his body for the team.
On Friday night, he took one for the team and it cost him three teeth.
With Regina leading 1-0 late in the second period, Pats F Jordan Weal took a one-timer that went high.
“As I turned to face the play, it hit me square in the mouth,” Craig wrote to me on New Year’s Eve.
It was a bad luck play all around as the puck went off Craig’s face into the crease and F Jack Rodewald tucked it in for his third goal of the season and one that stood up as the game-winner.
I’ll let Craig explain the dental aspect of it all:
“It turns out it was only three teeth — two were laying on the ice and we tried to put them back in but the bone that holds them in place got smashed. Got the third one pulled later in the dentist office.
“Seven stitches to close the holes. For now it'll be a week or so til I get X-rays and then will get a denture made for the rest of the season. I'm really hoping I can get some permanent ones or I'll be devastated haha.”
Of course, when Craig returns to the lineup he plans on wearing a cage.
And when will he makes his return?
He says he hopes to play today — New Year’s Day — against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.
Hey, he’s a hockey player!
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As you may have guessed, Craig’s mother, Helen, “was pretty upset and concerned.”
“I had pretty nice teeth, didn’t have braces or anything and she was probably mourning their loss more than I was,” Craig noted.
Craig has 20 points, three of them goals, and 182 penalty minutes in 163 regular-season games over three seasons. This season, he has a career-high two goals, to go with four helpers, in 30 games.
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JUST NOTES:
D David Musil of the Vancouver Giants didn’t play for the Czech Republic on Saturday in a 4-0 loss to Finland at the World Junior Championship. He took a blindside hit on Friday in a game against the U.S., and is experiencing concussion-like symptoms. . . . F Sven Bartschi of the Portland Winterhawks has missed Switzerland’s last two games and is believed to have a concussion. . . .
F Shayne Wiebe (Kamloops, Brandon, 2007-11) has been released by the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps and will join the University of New Brunswick Reds, who are the defending Canadian university champions. The 21-year-old Wiebe, who is from Brandon, had four assists in 12 games with the IceCaps, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. . . .
When Team Canada beat the U.S., 3-2, at the World Junior Championship on Saturday, the opposing goaltenders were Scott Wedgewood and Jack Campbell. Interestingly, they have something in common, aside from the fact both play in the OHL, Wedgewood with the Plymouth Whalers and Campbell with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. . . . They both are coached by former WHL G Stan Matwijiw, who played with the Prince Albert Raiders (1991-94) and Lethbridge Hurricanes (1993-94). . . . These days, Matwijiw operates Bandits Goalie School, with Campbell and Wedgewood included among his students. Matwijiw also is Plymouth’s goaltender coach. . . . And a stick tap to former Raiders play-by-play voice Kevin Smook for that one.
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WHL TRADE TRACKER (trades made since Dec. 27):
Trades made: 4
Players: 11
Draft picks: 4
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The race to the Jan. 10 trade deadline continued on Saturday as the Prince Albert Raiders dealt F Brandon Herrod, 20, to the Kamloops Blazers for F Logan McVeigh, 17, and a 2012 second-round bantam draft pick.
Herrod, who is expected to be in the Blazers’ lineup tonight against the visiting Prince George Cougars, has 36 points, including 18 goals, in 40 games this season. He has played 314 career regular-season games, never playing fewer than 64 games in a season, and has put up 241 points, 106 of them goals. Herrod is from Meadow Lake, Sask., and was a third-round pick by the Raiders in the 2006 bantam draft.
The Blazers have had room for a 20-year-old since trading D Josh Caron to the Everett Silvertips on Nov. 29. Kamloops has been looking for a winger to play alongside LW Brendan Ranford and C Chase Schaber. That spot had belonged to RW Jordan DePape, but he is out until at least March after having shoulder surgery on Nov. 4.
McVeigh, from Kenaston, Sask., was a second-round selection in the 2009 bantam draft. A sophomore, he has 16 points, including five goals, in 34 games. Last season, he finished with 13 points, four of them goals, in 59 games. He is a superb penalty killer and strong defensively.
The Raiders next play Wednesday when they meet the Pats in Regina.
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Late Saturday night, McVeigh tweeted:
“This 14 hour drive back to sask is getting old #butworthit , new years on the highway #lonely”
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In Saturday’s Everett Herald, Silvertips GM Doug Soetaert reiterated that he won’t trade D Ryan Murray, who almost certainly will be a top five selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft.
Here’s what Soetaert told the Herald’s Nick Patterson:
“Ryan Murray is what we want in a hockey player. Ryan is a young man who plays hard every day. He cares and competes. He's played hard in every game he's been with us since he was a 16-year-old. That's the type of player we want in our organization, and I won't trade Ryan Murray.”
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Everett, the Moose Jaw Warriors got out to a 3-0 lead and went on to beat the Silvertips, 5-2. . . . F Sam Fioretti, who was in Everett’s training camp in 2008, scored twice and set up another for the Warriors, who are 1-1 on their U.S. Division swing. Fioretti has 14 goals. . . . Moose Jaw has won five of its last six games. . . . F Justin Kirsch had three assists. . . . F Ryan Harrison had two assists for Everett, giving him five points over his last two games. . . . Everett went in having picked up at least a point in each of its last four games. . . . The two heavyweights — Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath and Everett D Josh Caron — got it on 9:13 into the first period. . . . Warriors G Luke Siemens stopped 22 shots in winning his 20th game. Siemens, who was acquired from Everett early in the season, is 20-7-5. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans tied a 20-year-old franchise record as they beat the Spokane Chiefs, 4-1. . . . The Americans have won 10 straight games, equalling the franchise record set in 1991. . . . The Americans went 10-0 in December, the first time in franchise history a team had gone undefeated in a month in which it played five or more games. . . . This was the 21st renewal of the New Year’s Eve series between the visiting Chiefs and the Americans. Tri-City now is 14-5-1 with one other game ending in a tie (remember them?). . . . F Patrick Holland and F Justin Feser each had a goal and two assists. Holland, who scored while shorthanded, has 15 goals; Feser has 18. . . . Attendance was announced at 6,064, the third-largest crowd in franchise history. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 16 shots in his first start since being acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders earlier in the week. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks held a 48-18 edge in shots as they beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 2-0. . . . G Mac Carruth stopped 18 shots for the shutout, his first of the season and third of his career. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie, who leads the WHL with 37 goals, scored the game’s first goal, with 9.3 seconds left in the second period. . . . Portland held a 23-3 edge in shots in the second period. . . . F Brendan Leipsic added a PP goal at 1:51 of the third. . . . These two teams have played in Portland each New Year’s Eve since 1995. Portland holds a 9-8-0 edge or, if you prefer, Seattle is 8-8-1. . . . The game drew 10,356 fans, Portland’s fourth straight game over 8,000. . . . The Winterhawks were without F Oliver Gabriel (undisclosed). F Pearce Eviston, 19, played his first game this season with the Winterhawks. He had one goal in two games last season. He also played in 12 playoff games, getting one assist. . . .
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Sam Grist, Tri-City (double minor)
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Team Pacific ran its record to 3-0 with a 4-3 victory over Russia on Saturday at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in LaSalle, Ont. . . . F Nic Petan (Portland) scored twice for Team Pacific, with F Macoy Erkamps (Lethbridge) and F Tyson Baillie (Kelowna) adding one each. . . . Petan’s second goal, at 19:14 of the second period, gave Team Pacific a 4-1 lead. . . . G Eric Comrie (Tri-City) stopped 27 shots. . . . F Sam Reinhart (Kootenay) had two assists. . . . After the game, Team Pacific headed across the river to the Joe Louis Arena and watched the Detroit Red Wings beat the St. Louis Blues, 3-0. Following the NHL game, the players spent about an hour in the Red Wings’ dressing room as guests of Detroit assistant coach Bill Peters, a former Spokane Chiefs coach. “It was a tremendous experience for the players,” one team official reported. “Bill had lots of motivational words and even passed around his Stanley Cup ring for the boys to try on for size.” . . .
On Saturday, in Tecumseh, Ont., Team West dropped a 5-2 decision to the Czech Republic. F Craig Leverton (Lethbridge) and F Jonathan Martin (Kootenay) scored for Team West, which got 30 saves from G Austin Lotz (Everett).
Team Pacific (3-0) is off until Monday when it plays the U.S. Today, Team West (0-2) meets the U.S. (1-1).
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Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times takes a look at the NHL and its problem with head injuries right here. She ends her piece with some chilling words from player agent Allan Walsh, who has been quite vocal about what he feels is a lack of action by the NHL.
Dillman writes that Walsh feels “the greatest push (for change) will come from a venue outside the sporting arena, taking note of the many lawsuits filed in the last few months by former NFL players against their league over concussions.”
She quotes Walsh: "Mark my words, lawsuits are coming. And there will be no greater change agent for the NHL and teams than lawsuits."
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And right here is today’s good read, from Bruce Arthur of the National Post. It’s a compilation of 2011’s best sports-related quotes. It's long, so make sure the coffee pot has three cups in it. Enjoy! . . . And a Happy New Year to all.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Roman Tomanek (Calgary, Seattle, 2004-06) was released by Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had eight goals and four assists in 23 games for Banska Bystrica this season. Tomanek started the season with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga), going pointless in seven games. . . .
D Aris Brimanis (Brandon, 1992-93) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Hannover Indians (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had six goals and 13 assists in 52 games with the Hannover Scorpions (Germany, DEL) last season.
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WHL TRADE TRACKER (trades made since Dec. 27):
Trades: 3
Players: 9
Draft picks: 3
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The Prince George Cougars dealt F Charles Inglis, 19, to the Red Deer Rebels for F Daulton Siwak and a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
Inglis had been sent home by the Cougars following a game on Dec. 2 in Kamloops. From what I understand, he was found in violation of a team rule that, while by itself may not have been considered a big deal, was the last straw.
Inglis, selected fourth overall by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2007 bantam draft, has a lot of talent but hasn’t been able to harness it off the ice. He put up 60 points, including 32 goals, in 69 games with the Cougars last season and had 16 points, nine of them goals, in 16 games when he was sent home this season. He has twice attended NHL camps, first with the Phoenix Coyotes and then with the San Jose Sharks.
Siwak, from Olds, Alta., had seven points, including five gaols, in 18 games. He was in his third season with the Rebels.
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The Saskatoon Blades have traded D Devan Fafard, 17, and a seventh-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft to the Red Deer Rebels for D Matthew Pufahl, 18, and F Locke Muller, 18.
Fafard, an eighth-round pick by Saskatoon in the 2009 bantam draft, has two assists and 38 penalty minutes in 23 games. He is from Carlyle, Sask.
Pufahl, who is from Saskatoon, has four points in 30 games. He was a fourth-round pick by Red Deer in the 2008 bantam draft.
Muller, from St. Paul, Alta., has six points in 33 games.
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JUST NOTES:
F Tyrel Seaman of the Brandon Wheat Kings played Wednesday in a 3-2 OT victory over the visiting Regina Pats. It was his first appearance after missing nine games with a concussion. Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Wheat Kings, reports that Seaman didn’t practice Thursday. “It appears there may have been a whiplash affect on Seaman after he was on the back end of a domino collision involving defenceman Ryley Miller and Regina forward Jordan Weal,” Luebke reported. . . . It wasn’t known Thursday whether Seaman would be able to play tonight against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . .
The Calgary Hitmen boarded their bus in Prince George on Thursday at 10 a.m., and headed south to Kamloops where they are to play the Blazers tonight.
Unfortunately, there was a serious accident on the highway and the Hitmen, along with a whole lot of other people, spent a good part of their day just sitting. The Hitmen arrived at Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops just after 7:30 p.m., what normally is about a six-hour drive turned into almost a 10-hour day.
The Cougars, who beat the Hitmen 3-1 on Wednesday, avoided the accident – they actually left after the game and headed for Vancouver, where they are to play the Giants tonight.
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It would appear that Portland Winterhawks F Sven Bartschi, who is playing for Switzerland at the World Junior Chamionship, has a concussion and is out indefinitely. Bartschi was injured when he took a hit in a 4-3 shootout loss to Sweden on Wednesday.
Swiss head coach Manuele Celio has said that he doesn’t expect Bartschi to play today against Latvia and that he isn’t sure when he might play again.
“He got a hit in the (neutral) zone,” Celio told reporters. “He wasn’t prepared for it. He didn’t feel really good after the hit. So now the doctors try to check on him, look at what’s going on in neck, head; could be like a concussion now.”
Bartschi, whose NHL rights belong to the Calgary Flames, has already put up an amazing 54 points, including 42 assists, in 25 games with the Winterhawks. . . .
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A couple of former prominent WHLer signed PTO deals on Thursday. . . . The AHL’s Abbotsford Heat signed F Judd Blackwater, who spent three seasons with the Spokane Chiefs (2005-08). He has 37 points in 31 games with the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wrangers. . . . Meanwhile, the Toronto Marlies have signed D Ray Macias, who played for the Kamloops Blazers (2003-07). The smooth-skating Macias has eight points in 19 games with the ECHL’s Reading Royals. . . .
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The Vancouver Giants have lost D Luke Fenske (hand). He was injured in a 3-1 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops on Wednesday night.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Anthony Bardaro drew two assists in his first game with the Raiders as they beat the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . The Raiders now have won five in a row to close within six points of a playoff spot. . . . The Blades scored the game’s first two goals before the first period was five minutes old. D Duncan Siemens got the first one, his fifth of the season. That matches his career high. He has five goals in 36 games this season; he had five in 72 last season. . . . The Raiders held their annual Toque Toss (fans throw toques, scarves and mitts) and D Matt Waseylenko, playing in his second WHL game, got the goal. . . . The Raiders took 60 of 106 penalty minutes. . . . Saskatoon has lost five in a row. . . .
In Red Deer, F Tyson Ness had two goals and an assist to lead the Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Ness has 11 goals on the season. . . . His 16 points in 35 games are two more than he had in 68 games last season when he had seven goals and seven assists. . . . Both Ice goals came via the PP. . . . D Devan Fafard and F Charles Inglis, both acquired earlier in the day, were in Red Deer’s lineup. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 31 shots. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Hunter Shinkaruk had a goal and two assists to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Shinkaruk, 17, has 51 points, including 31 goals, in 38 games. Last season, he finished with 42 points, 14 of them goals, in 63 games. . . . The Hurricanes took 58 of 74 penalty minutes. The Tigers, who have won four straight, were assessed two fighting majors and three minors. . . . The Tigers were 2-9 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 0-3. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin had three goals and an assist and was plus-4 as his Tri-City Americans beat the Kelowna Rockets, 5-1, for their ninth straight victory. . . . Shinnimin broke open a 1-1 game with back-to-back shorthanded goals at 4:05 and 8:07 of the second period. . . . He added his third goal at 5:11 of the third, giving him a natural hat trick. . . . He has 20 goals now, thanks to his first regular-season three-goal game. This was his 231^st game. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 33 shots. . . .
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In Tecumseh, Ont., F Sam Reinhart (Kootenay) scored twice as Team Pacific scored a 5-2 victory over Team West in the opening game for both teams at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . Macoy Erkamps (Lethbridge), Morgan Klimchuk (Regina) and Curtis Lazar (Edmonton), the latter into an empty net, also scored for the winners. . . . Nick Zajac (Saskatoon) and Remi Laurencelle replied for Team West. . . . Laurencelle plays for the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild. He was an eighth-round pick by Lethbridge in the WHL’s 2010 bantam draft. . . . Eric Comrie (Tri-City) was in goal for Team Pacific and saw only 14 shots. . . . There were 34 WHL players suited up for the game. . . . G Austin Lotz (Everett) stopped 34 shots for Team West.
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EXTRAS:Greg Wyshynski, over at the Puck Daddy blog, takes a look at the NHL and concussions, and at what the NHL is doing, and perhaps should do, to cut down on them. That piece is right here.
And, yes, there is a lot of talk among hockey people, even at the midget AAA and junior levels, about a need to slow down the game.
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Puck Daddy also has more on the Don Cherry Piano Desk right here. He talks to the guy who came up with the idea and posted it on YouTube.

JUST NOTES:
D Dave Sutter of the Seattle Thunderbirds, F Sven Bartschi of the Portland Winterhawks and F Alessio Bertaggia of the Brandon Wheat Kings are among the 33 players in the Swiss national junior team’s selection camp. . . . That camp is being held in Red Deer. . . . The World Junior Championship opens Dec. 26 in Calgary and Edmonton. . . .
D Tanner Mort, 18, has asked the Spokane Chiefs to trade him. Dave Trimmer reports in the Spokane Spokesman-Review that Mort, “who has sat out seven games . . . requested a trade.” . . . Spokane GM Tim Speltz tells Trimmer: “We want players who are totally engaged. Tanner has had a stretch this year he needed to reflect. Because guys want (something), it doesn’t matter what they want. What matters is what’s best for the team.” . . . Mort has five assists and 11 penalty minutes in 20 games this season, his third with the Chiefs. He played 30 games in 2009-10 and 63 last season when he finished with 16 points. . . . Mort was a fourth-round selection by the Chiefs in the 2008 bantam draft. . . .
The BCHL’s Penticton Vees made it a franchise-record 18 in a row on Saturday, beating the visiting Powell River Kings, 7-2. . . . Freshman Mario Lucia, 18, had three goals, giving him 60 points, including 26 goals, in 31 games. . . . The Vees (30-3-0-2) next play Jan. 4 when they are at home to the Vernon Vipers. . . .
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SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Moose Jaw, F Andrew Johnson scored the winner as the Warriors beat the Kamloops Blazers 4-3 in a shootout. . . . The Warriors are 7-1-2 in their lst 10; Kamloops is 7-2-1. . . . It was the first time this season the Blazers had gone to a shootout. They were the last WHL team to get there. . . . Kamloops, which went 3-2-1 on its East Division swing, led 2-0 early in the second period. . . . The Warriors came back with three straight PP goals, with Johnson tying it eight minutes into the second and D Joel Edmundson giving the home side the lead for the first time at 7:22 of the third. It was his first goal of the season. . . . Kamloops F Chase Souto forced OT at 13:33. . . . Moose Jaw G Spencer Tremblay stopped 43 shots through OT. He gave up one goal in the shootout, made two stops and got help from a post on another attempt. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Carter Rigby scored his 10th goal and added two assists as the Kelowna Rockets droipped the Blades, 5-1. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown turned aside 37 shots. . . . The Rockets were 3-for-8 on the PP; the Blades were 0-for-5. . . . Kelowna finished its East Division trek at 2-3-1. . . . The Blades have lost three straight and are just 2-8-0 in their last 10 outings. . . .

In Edmonton, the Oil Kings ran their winning streak to 11 with a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Oil Kings, in their fifth season of existence, will complete their pre-Christmas schedule today against the visiting Regina Pats. But Edmonton will go into the break riding high atop the Eastern Conference, its 23-8-3 record leaving it with a one-point lead on the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . F Alex Gogolev game the Hitmen a 1-0 lead at 7:16 of the first on a PP. . . . Edmonton F Mitchell Moroz tied it with the Teddy Bear goal at 19:46 of the first. . . . F T.J. Foster go the winner, his 16th goal this season, on a PP at 13:58 of the second. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes won their fourth straight game, 4-1 over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Hurricanes, given up for dead not that long ago, have won four in a row and are 8-2-0 in their last 10 outings and will go into the break feeling good about their game. Still, they are eight points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Hurricanes scored the game’s first three goals, including F Cam Braes’ 20th of the season, a shorthanded effort at 1:31 of the second that stood up as the winner. . . . Lethbridge G Damien Ketlo stopped 35 shots. . . . Lethbridge D Albin Blomqvist, an 18-year-old freshman from Sweden, scored his first goal of the season in his 28th game. . . . Lethbridge F Juraj Bezuch, a Slovakian freshman who turned 18 on Tuesday, incurred a clipping major at 19:42 of the third. Swift Current D Erik Fleming took a slashing major at the same time. . . . Lethbridge F Graham Hood scored the Teddy Bear goal, on a PP, 45 seconds into the second period. . . . The Broncos have lost four straight. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Hunter Shinkaruk scored two goals to lead the Tigers to a 4-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Shinkaruk has 30 goals, second in the league to Portland Winterhawks F Ty Rattie, who has 33. Shinkaruk and teammate Emerson Etem, who is with the U.S. national junior team, have 30 apiece. . . . Shinkaruk has 48 points in 36 games; last season, he finished with 42 points, 14 of them goals, in 63 games. . . . The Tigers broke open a 1-1 game with three straight goals, F Scott McKay scoring at 19:42 of the first and Shinkaruk striking twice in the second period, at 8:49 and 19:25. . . .

In Red Deer, the Rebels scored two early second-period goals and went on to a 2-1 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . F Tyson Ness gave Red Deer a 1-0 lead 29 seconds into the second, and F Turner Elson upped that to 2-0 at 1:05. . . . Regina F Jack Rodewald cut the lead to 2-1 at 9:18 of the third but the Pats weren’t able to equalize. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 22 shots. . . .

In Spokane, the Portland Winterhawks posted an 8-6 victory over the Chiefs, giving them a 4-0 record against their divisional rivals this season. . . . F Brad Ross had two goals and two assists for the Winterhawks, while F Ty Rattie had a goal, his WHL-leading 33rd, and two helpers. Both players were cut by Canada’s national junior team earlier in the week. . . . The Winterhawks were without F Sven Bartschi, who is attending the Swiss national junior team’s tryout camp. . . . Portland led this one 2-1 just 3:39 into the first period and then never trailed. . . . Spokane F Colin Valcourt scored on a second-period penalty shot to cut Portland’s lead to 3-2. . . . However, Rattie scored 6:20 later on a PP and Ross scored shorthanded eight minutes after that. . . . Ross has 22 goals. . . . F Jarid Hauptman had two goals and an assist for Spokane, with F Marek Kalus chipping in a goal and two assists. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Tri-City Americans exploded for five third-period goals and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-3. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser started the comeback just 34 seconds into the third period. . . . F Patrick Holland tied it with goals at 2:29 and 4:13. . . . Feser got his 17th, at 6:21, and that stood up as the winner. . . . F Mason Wilgosh added insurance at 18:02. He also had three assists in becoming the 49th player in franchise history to reach 100 career points. . . . This was Wilgosh’s second career four-point night. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 25 shots, 13 fewer than Seattle’s Calvin Pickard. . . . Feser also had two assists, while Holland had one. . . . Tri-City F Adam Hughesman, 20, was held off the scoresheet in his 300th regular-season game. He has 293 points, including 113 goals, in those 300 games. He is the seventh player to play No. 300 in an Americans uniform. . . . Tri-City is 27-7-0, its best-ever record at the Christmas break. . . . In four of the last five seasons, the Americans have had at least 23 victories at the break. . . . The Americans have won eight in a row, the seventh time in franchise history the team has put together a streak of eight or more victories. . . . Tri-City leads the WHL in victories (27), points (54) and winning percentage (.794). . . . They also have the fewest losses (7). . . .

In Prince George, F Cain Franson scored twice to help the Vancouver Giants to a 3-1 victory over the Cougars. . . . Franson had scored once and set up two others Friday as the Giants won 3-2 in Prince George. . . . He has 14 goals. . . . Franson has 10 points in six games against the Cougars. . . . Prince George F Alex Forsberg scored the Teddy Bear goal at 15:26 of the third period on a PP. . . . Earlier, there was a false alarm when a Prince George hit the cross-bar and was ruled no goal. It did result in a few Teddy Bears on the ice, thought. . . . More bears hit the ice with 5:39 to play and the Giants leading 2-0. This time it was a fight involving Cougars D Jesse Forsberg and Vancouver D Luke Fenske that brought out the bears. . . . Must have been tough to maintain any momentum with three separate Teddy Bear-related delays. . . .
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Kristians Pelss, Edmonton.
F Marc McCoy, Red Deer.
D Zach Yuen, Tri-City.
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SATURDAY’S TWEET OF THE DAY:
From freshman F CurtisLazar of the dmonton Oil Kings:
“Solid evening, 2pts for the boys- @MitchMoroz picked up the teddy bear goal and we got Nintendo DS 3D's as a X-mas gift #WHL #Oilkings”
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SATURDAY’S TWEET OF THE DAY, Part 2:
From the Spokane Chiefs:
“The Chiefs want to send out a very special thank you to Dave Trimmer (@SRtrim) for all the years of great journalism. You will be missed and best of luck in the future.”
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F Charlie Coyle, the 28th overall selection in the NHL’s 2010 draft, has left the Boston University Terriers and joined the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. “I’m at the point where I want to just focus on hockey,” he told the Boston Globe. “I just want to set school aside and focus on my pro career and get to (the NHL). That’s why I made the move to go play for Saint John, to put my 100 percent effort toward hockey.” . . . Coyle, 19, is from East Weymouth, Mass. . . . The San Jose Sharks selected him in the 2010 draft. But they dealt his rights to the Minnesota Wild last summer, along with F Devin Setoguchi and a 2011 first-round pick, for D Brent Burns.
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F Ryan Walsh, an all-star player during his QMJHL and Canadian university career, is the latest player to retire due to post-concussion syndrome. Walsh, 33, had been playing with the Clarenville Caribous of the Newfoundland Senior league. "For the most part, I'm fairly healthy,” he told John Browne of the St. John’s Telegram. “I don't have any headaches, which I had when I was younger and had a few concussions. I'm fortunate. It's not that bad. And, at the end of the day, it's just a game.”
The complete story is right here.
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This has nothing to do with hockey, but everything to do with putting people on pedestals.
This is from the blog of Gregg Doyel, a national columnist for cbssports.com:
“Rudy Ruettiger was unmasked this week as a financial fraud, a liar and a swindler who used his fame — and a series of lies — to pump up the profile of his company to unwitting investors, then dump the stock at an enormous profit.”
Rudy Ruettiger? He is the Rudy of Rudy/Notre Dame fame. If you’ve seen the movie . . . RUDY! RUDY!! RUDY!!!
Doyel spins his story into more on Tim Tebow and it’s definitely worth a read.
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For today’s good read, we take you to The Globe and Mail and a piece headlined: Ken Dryden’s call to action for NHL boss Gary Bettman.
It is right here.

F Ty Rattie scored four times, including three in the first period, as the host Portland Winterhawks dumped the Swift Current Broncos 6-2 on Sunday. . . . The game featured a late line brawl that included battling goalies. Ch-ch-ch-ching!!!! . . . The Winterhawks also should be fined by the WHL office for disrespecting the Grey Cup game. . . . Rattie scored three times in the first period as he posted Portland’s first hat trick of the season. . . . Scott Sepich reports that the last Portland player to score four times in a game was D Brayden Coburn on Feb. 4, 2005. . . . Portland has won seven in a row at home. . . . Rattie also had an assist. . . . Linemate Sven Bartschi drew four assists. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow scored to run his goal-scoring streak to five games. That’s pretty neat for a defenceman. . . . Swift Current took 105 of the 200 minutes in penalties handed out by referee Trevor Hanson. . . . Of those, 166 came at 18:37 of the third period. That included 12 fighting majors and 10 game misconducts. . . . And just in time for Christmas, too. . . . At least there weren’t any checking-from-behind penalties.
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Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that Rebels F Adam Kambeitz (broken wrist) will be out for up to six weeks. He was injured Friday during the Rebels’ 5-1 loss to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Red Deer F Daulton Siwak (undisclosed) also is out, but should be back in about a week. . . . At the same time, F Turner Elson has drawn one of those ‘tbd’ suspensions and F Joel Hamilton took a headshot during Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers and he, too, is on the shelf. Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy will draw a suspension for the hit on Hamilton. . . . And let’s not forget D Aaron Borkejko, who is day-to-day with some kind of injury.
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F Brendan Persley, 18, who was released last week by the Victoria Royals, has rejoined the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. Persley, who is from Kelowna, played a few games for the Vipers in 2009-10. He had a goal in nine games with Victoria, after putting up eight points and 62 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) last season.

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

Brock Otten from ohlprospects.blogspot.com — there’s a link over there on the right — is beating the drum for an interesting suggestion.
“I can already hear you saying it. In fact, I'm prepared to read your comments that tell me just that,” he begins. “I'm going to try and convince you that the OHL (and CHL) should increase the number of Import players allowed on each team's roster.”
If you are interested in the rest of his argument, check out his blog.
But I, for one, would be all for that.
And I would go two steps further . . .
I would do away with the provision that a 20-year-old import player takes up two spots — one as an import and one as a 20-year-old. (Teams are allowed to list two imports and three 20-year-olds on their rosters; a 20-year-old import thus takes up two of those five spots.)
I also would allow teams to keep four or five 20-year-old players. I would push for five, but would settle for four.
“The question is,” Otten writes, “would the league not benefit from increasing the quality of its talent base?”
Oh, boy, would it ever.
I have never been able to understand how it is that teams in the CHL will spend money to develop players and then cut one of them loose when he turns 20, not because he isn’t good enough to play, but because they are only permitted to keep three players in his age group.
The same holds true for imports. With the money spent on recruiting imports, getting all the paperwork done, flying them back and forth . . . why cut one loose because he’s 20 years of age when he still has another season in him?
Of course, it is doubtful that the CHL ever will go to three import players or more than three 20-year-olds.
Why not?
Because the CHL and its teams will argue that they are in the business of developing players.
While I would certainly agree with that, I would argue that they also are in the entertainment business. And given a little more maturity the product that now is being presented to the paying customers could be a whole lot better than it is today.
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JUST NOTES: F Ryan Johansen, who still is eligible to play for the Portland Winterhawks, scored twice as the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Saturday night. Johansen has five goals, including all three of CBJ’s game-winners. That is one off the league lead, held by Vinny Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning. . . .
The Everett Silvertips have picked up F Teal Burns, 19, from the Prince Albert Raiders for a sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Burns, who is from Victoria, opened this season with the Vancouver Giants, before being dealt to the Raiders. He has eight assists and eight penalty minutes in 16 games. He also has played for the Portland Winterhawks, who selected him in the eighth round of the 2007 bantam draft. . . . With F Tyler Maxwell, 20, having asked for a trade and subsequently been sent home, Everett had an opening for a player with WHL experience. . . .
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In Kamloops, the Blazers outshot the Edmonton Oil Kings 22-1 in the second period as they posted a 5-2 victory. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Griffin Reinhart and F Klarc Wilson, both of whom were injured in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday. Edmonton D Mark Pysyk didn’t return after the first period in Kamloops. . . . According to Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal, Reinhart and Pysyk have upper body injuries — there is a real epidemic of those in the WHL this season — and Wilson has, uhh, a lower body owwie. . . . 

In Portland, F Sven Bartschi’s goal just 30 seconds into OT gave the Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Winterhawks had beaten the visiting Chiefs 6-5 in a shootout on Friday. . . . Portland has won five straight. . . . Bartschi had a goal and two assists; he has 30 points, including 23 helpers, in 13 games. . . . Portland’s Ty Rattie, who plays on a line with Bartschi, had two goals and two assists. . . . Rattie has 14 points in five November games, picking up at least two points in each game. . . . Interestingly, the team’s 20-year-old captains — Portland D William Wrenn and Spokane F Darren Kramer — duked it out at 12:23 of the first period. It was Wrenn’s second fight in 51 games; Kramer has had 54 in 83 games. . . .

In Brandon, the Wheat Kings won their third straight game, beating the Prince Albert Raiders, 7-4. . . . The Wheat Kings had won 4-1 in Prince Albert on Wednesday night. . . . The victory lifted Brandon (14-6-2) into first place in the Eastern Conference. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had two goals and two assists, moving back into the lead in the WHL points race, with 46. He is two ahead of Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem. . . . D Ryan Pulock, who is having an all-star season, had two goals and an assist. He has 28 points, tops among defencemen. . . . Brandon was 4-for-6 on the PP. . . .

In Swift Current, the Broncos built up a 3-0 lead and hung on to beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 3-2. . . . The Warriors had won seven in a row. . . . F Shea Howorko, a 17-year-old from Regina, scored his second goal of the season and it stood up as the winner. He has two goals in 22 games, both of them coming in his last two outings; last season, he had one in 61. . . .

In Cranbrook, D Joey Leach had two goals as the host Kootenay ice bounced the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-1. . . . Leach has four goals this season. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 13 shots. . . . Seattle finished 2-4-0 on its swing through the Central Division. . . .


In Lethbridge, F Jordan Messier had two goals and an assist to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 7-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 13 shots for his fourth straight victory. . . . The Americans held an 18-0 edge in shots in the third period. . . . He was beaten by F Nick Buonassisi on a second-period penalty shot. . . . The Americans went 3-0 on their brief trip into the Central Division and six in a row overall on the road. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Matej Stransky had two goals — he’s got 12 — as the Saskatoon Blades beat the Tigers, 5-1. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem was held pointless for the second time this season. . . . Saskatoon F Jake Trask broke a 1-1 tie at 14:09 of the first period as the Blades scored the game’s last four goals. . . . F Chris Collins was back in Saskatoon’s lineup after missing three weeks with a broken thumb. . . .

In Everett, the Silvertips scored two PP goals early in the second period and went on to beat the Prince George Cougars, 3-2. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz earned his first WHL victory as Everett ended a six-game losing streak. Lotz stopped 21 shots in his third start. . . . Prince George F Charles Inglis, the enigmatic one, took a charging major at 19:56 of the first period. Everett F Ryan Harrison scored PP goals at 3:28 and 4:48 of the second period. . . . Inglis is certain to hear from Richard Doerksen, who handles discipline for the WHL. Inglis served a 10-game suspension for a check to the head earlier this season. . . . Everett F Josh Birkholz left the game after the Inglis hit. . . . Everett F Jesse Mychan also can expect a phone call after taking a major for a check to the head at 14:08 of the second period. . . . Mychan also is a repeat offender, having served a two-game sentence for a check to the head in the exhibition season and another two-gamer late in October. . . . The Cougars lost F Brock Hirsche and D Jesse Forsberg to injuries during the game. . . .

In Vancouver, F Marek Tvrdon scored 56 seconds into OT to give the Giants a 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning forced OT with a PP goal at 5:00 of the third period. . . . It was Manning’s first goal this season. . . . Tvrdon has 10. . . . The Giants are 9-1-1 at home. . . .

In Victoria, the Rebels got a goal and three assists from D Alex Petrovic as they won their third game in four nights, beating the Royals, 7-4. . . . The Rebels beat the Rockets 6-4 in Kelowna on Wednesday, then dumped the Blazers 5-3 in Kamloops on Friday. . . . Overall, Red Deer has won six straight. . . . Victoria was again without F Kevin Sundher (undisclosed). . . .
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Could it be that while the WHL has been working on educating its players on the harm that can be caused by checks to the head, it has forgotten about the nastiness of hits from behind?
Well, there were a gawd-awful 10 checking-from-behind minors handed out on Saturday night, which means it’s time to bring back the nightly count.
SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (10):
Kenton Miller, Moose Jaw
Richard Nedomlel, Swift Current
Carter Proft, Spokane
Alessio Bertaggia, Brandon
Mitchell Moroz, Edmonton
Tyler Alos, Seattle
Mitch Topping, Tri-City (double minor)
Mason Burr, Red Deer
Austin Carroll, Victoria
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Bryant Perrier, who no longer is the general manager and head coach of the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives, says he is being “hung out to dry” over a hazing incident that has enveloped that team.
Perrier has spoken with Dan Lett of the Winnipeg Free Press, and that story is right here.
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Are you wondering how something like the Penn State sexual abuse scandal could happen? Ron Bracken, a former sports editor of the Centre Daily Times, writes about just that right here. And it has everything to do with transparency, or lack of same.

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

The Emerson Etem Show, co-starring Hunter Shinkaruk, played in Brandon on Saturday night.
Etem had a goal in OT and drew two assists as the Tigers beat the Wheat Kings 4-3 in Chapter 2 of the Clouston Challenge. Shaun’s Tigers are 2-0-0 against Cory’s Wheat Kings, who are 0-1-1 against Cory’s Tigers.
Etem leads the WHL in goals (23) and points (39), all done in 17 games. He has two more points than Brandon F Mark Stone.
Shinkaruk, meanwhile, has 17 goals in 18 games. And he isn’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2013. Last season, the Calgary native — his father, Roger, is the team dentist for the Calgary Hitmen — had 14 goals in 63 games. Strangely enough, he finished last season with 14 goals and 28 assists; this season, he has 17 goals and eight apples.
Last night, he scored the Tigers’ three regulation-time goals. It was his second straight three-goal game and his third in 10 games. Last season, he had one two-goal game. This season, he has had five multi-goal games and four one-goal outings.
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The host Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-1 on Saturday night. Seattle, which has lost four in a row, is 0-2-0 on its six-game swing throught he Central Division. . . . In Kelowna, the Portland Winterhawks beat the Rockets 3-1 to complete their 17-day, nine-game road trip. Portland won its last three games — beating the Kamloops Blazers and then taking two from the Rockets — to finish the trip at 5-3-1. . . . The Rockets have lost four straight and 12 of 14. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi had three assists and now has 24 points in 11 games. . . .
Portland now has only four trips (seven games) left to make into Canada. It will play Dec. 6 and 7 at Prince George, Dec. 9 and Jan. 7 at Vancouver, March 7 at Kamloops, and March 14 and 16 at Victoria. . . . Seattle also will have only seven games left in Canada once it is through in the Central Division next week. But the Thunderbirds will make the trip north six times to play those seven games. . . .
In Victoria, F Brendan Gallagher had two goals and an assist as the Giants beat the Victoria Royals, 5-3. Gallagher has 16 goals in 15 games. . . . Two of the Royals’ goals came from F Kevin Sundher, who is third in the WHL scoring race, with 36 points. . . . In Spokane, the Chiefs fell 4-1 to the Tri-City Americans. It was Spokane’s first loss at home in nine games. . . . The Americans will meet the defending-champion Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook on Wednesday in what could be a ding-dong dandy. . . .
On Saturday afternoon, F Ryan Hanes of the Kamloops Blazers, who has a lot of fun with Tweeter, tweeted: “20bucks on the line for D_Owsley30 if ya let me score tonight!Or maybe @1Ass16 toss up a pizza for your best bud.” . . . Later that night, Hanes didn’t score, Owsley didn’t play and the Cougars beat the Blazers 3-1. Cougars F Spencer Asuchak (@1Ass16 on Twitter) drew an assist as G Devon Fordyce got his first WHL victory with 26 saves. . . .
In Regina, the Pats scored a pair of own goals and lost 3-2 to the Calgary Hitmen. The visitors are without F Cody Sylvester (undisclosed). . . . F Cole Grbavac, the captain of the Medicine Hat Tigers, will be hearing from the WHL office after taking a charging major for a collision with Brandon Wheat Kings G Brandon Anderson, who wasn’t injured. . . .
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JUST NOTES: The Moose Jaw Warriors have dealt F Sean Aschim, who turns 19 on Dec. 30, to the Moose Jaw Warriors for a conditional 2014 bantam draft pick (Other details not released). Aschim has nine points in 13 games this season with Moose Jaw, but couldn’t get in the lineup after the Warriors acquired F Kenton Miller, 20, from the Calgary Hitmen. Aschim has 13 points in 60 career games with the Prince Albert Raiders, Kelowna Rockets and Moose Jaw. He is expected to play for the Thunderbirds on Tuesday when they meet the Tigers in Medicine Hat. . . . The Saskatoon Blades have released D Zach Hodder, 18, who was acquired earlier in the season from the Vancouver Giants. Hodder, who is from Delta, B.C., was the 20th overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. He had three points and four penalty minutes in 11 games with Saskatoon. The Blades acquired Hodder, F Michael Burns, 20, and a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft from Vancouver for G Adam Morrison, 20, and F Levi Bews, 17, on Oct. 4. . . .
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Earlier in the week, Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports researched and wrote a piece on F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers and his hot start. At the time, Etem had 22 goals in the season’s first 16 games, which is rather prolific.
That caused Sager to ask this question: “How many (WHL players) also had 22 or more goals after 22.2 per cent of the season?”
Sager discovered that F Layne Ulmer of the Swift Current Broncos had done it in 2000-01, and he wrote that.
And, as sometimes happened, a reader came up with another name and another hot start.
After hearing from the reader via email, here’s what Sager wrote:
“Coincidentally . . . both happened in the same year, 2000-01. Present-day NHLer Mike Comrie had 25 goals in his first 16 games for the Kootenay Ice. But Comrie's glut of goals came under exceptional circumstances. Hilary Duff's future hubby had spent two seasons with the University of Michigan before leaving to sign with the Edmonton Oilers, so he was well past most juniors in seasoning. (Comrie actually hit the 30-goal mark by Game 18, and had 39 in 37 contests by the time the Oilers decided to bring him up to the NHL.)
“That same winter, Layne Ulmer had 22 goals in the Swift Current Broncos' first 16 games on his way to scoring 63 goals (and 119 points) in 68 games. The rub is Ulmer was also a 20-year-old with an advantage over his peers in maturity and experience than the 19-year-old Etem ought to have.”
And just who was the reader who let us know about Comrie’s hot start?
That would be Darcy Ewanchuk, and you bet he knew what the facts on this story. After all, he was the Ice’s trainer then, meaning he had a front-row seat to Comrie’s blazing start.
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A few days ago, a tweet from Tampa Bay Lightning F Brett Connolly, formerly of the Prince George Cougars, appeared here. It referenced his having gone out and purchased a vehicle. Well, in case you lost sleep wondering what kind of vehicle he bought, we have word from Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times that he got a new Range Rover. . . . Connolly also said he has plans to take his parents on a vacation. “I’ve got to pay them back,” he told Cristodero. “A lot of sacrifices by them, a ton of money put in, early mornings. I’ve got to repay them somehow.”
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For those of you following the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives and the hazing scandal in which they have been embroiled, Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press reported late in the week on the team having issued apologies and that GM/head coach Bryan Perrier resigned.
Turner’s story is right here.
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There also is word of another possible hazing, this one in Ontario.
Mary Caton of the Windsor Star reports:
“A LaSalle midget hockey team is being investigated by the sport’s governing body for an alleged hazing incident where rookies were forced to drink beer and other alcohol to the point of passing out or becoming ill.”
Caton’s story is right here.
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Caton’s report comes on the heels of news from Los Angeles about the death of Griffen Kramer, a high school quarterback and the son of former NFL and CFL quarterback Erik Kramer. There are reports that he died of alcohol poisoning.
There are pieces right here and right here.
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The Winnipeg Sun even came up with an editorial on the Neepawa hazing. That opinion piece is right here.
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And, finally, a hockey father has written a letter on the Neepawa situation. It is right here.
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For your Sunday morning reading enjoyment, we bring you a piece written by Mike Boone of the Montreal Gazette. He starts out writing about how the contract signed by Nashville Predators G Pekka Rinne might impact Canadiens G Carey Price, who if he doesn’t seen between now and then would be a restricted free agent on July 1. Boone then segues into a scathing critique of Hockey Night in Canada, and it really is hard to disagree with him.
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Now, because it’s Sunday and it’s chilly outside and the coffee is good and hot, here’s a second good read. This one is from Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail. The headline is “The thumbing down of sportswriting.” And it's hard to disagree with him, too. That piece is right here.

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

The first star in Lethbridge on Wednesday night?
(Photo from Lethbridge Hurricanes' Facebook page)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Pavel Brendl (Calgary, 1998-2000) signed a one-month contract with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had seven goals and eight assists in 16 games with KalPa Kuopio (Finland, SM-Liiga) and nine goals and one assist in 24 games for Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (Russia, KHL) last year. Brendl has been without a contract this season and Pardubice is currently going through injury issues.
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D Chad Starling (Kamloops, 1998-2000) had planned on playing hockey again this season. In fact, Starling, 31, had planned on returning to the ECHL, a league in which he played 503 games between 2000 and 2009. But it just didn’t happen. In fact, his career may well be over, amid a bunch of nattering about immigration policies and B-1 and P-1 forms. These days, Starling is at home in Delisle, Sask., where he is working for his family-owned business.
J.P. Hoornstra of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin has the complete story right here and it should be compulsory reading for anyone in the hockey business, especially players at any level.
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JUST NOTES: F Anthony Paskaruk, a seventh-round selection by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2009 bantam draft, has committed to Clarkson University where he will play for the Golden Knights, who play out of Potsdam, N.Y. Paskaruk, 17, is from Airdrie, Alta., and is playing for the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. . . . The Chiefs have assigned F Cody Nelson, 17, to the MJHL’s Portage Terriers. He had nine penalty minutes in three games. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Ben Betker, 17, and he made his WHL debut against the Blazers in Kamloops last night. Betker, who was added to the Winterhawks’ 50-player list in June, had three points in 13 games with the BCHL’s Westside Warriors. Last season, he had 13 points in 38 games with the major midget Kootenay Ice. . . . The Winterhawks also announced that they have moved a Nov. 22 game against the Regina Pats to the Rose Garden. . . .
G Andrey Makarov of the Saskatoon Blades will be in the Russian lineup for the Subway Super Series game in Regina on Nov. 16. Makarov, 18, played last season with the QMJHL’s Lewiston Maineiacs, who folded after the season. . . . F Darian Dziurzynski of the Brandon Wheat Kings is on a ‘tbd’ suspension for the charging major he incurred in a 7-3 victory over the Broncos in Swift Current on Tuesday night. . . .
F Adam Rehak, 19, has left the Medicine Hat Tigers and returned to his native Czech Republic to deal what the teams says is a family issue. However, Rehak’s name no longer appears on the Tigers’ roster on the WHL website and, according to the Tigers’ statistical page, Rehak no longer is on the team. He had four points in 16 games. . . . That leaves the Tigers with one import player — D Patrik Parkkonen of Finland.
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There were a couple of monster deals made in the OHL on Wednesday as the Windsor Spitfires unloaded a couple of star players. The Spitfires, who won the 2009 and 2010 Memorial Cups, are hoping to be the host team for the 2014 tournament. The building process for that 2013-14 teams appears to have started.
The Spitfires traded G Jack Campbell, who was selected 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in the NHL’s 2010 draft, to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and F Tomas Kuhnackl to the Niagara IceDogs.
In exchange for Campbell, the Spitfires got D Mackenzie Braid, 18, F Patrick Sieloff, 17, who is with the U.S. National Team Development Program and has committed to Miami U in Ohio, a third-round pick in the 2012 OHL draft, second- and third-round picks in 2013, two second-round selections in 2014 and a second-rounder in 2015.
Campbell had a 3.13 GAA and .906 save percentage in 12 games this season. From Port Huron, Mich., he was the starting goaltender for the U.S. as it won the 2008 and 2009 IIHF U-18 championships and the 2010 World Junior Championship.
In exchange for Kuhnhackl and a second-round pick in the CHL’s 2013 import draft, the Spitfires received F Phillip DiGiuseppe, 18m who is in his first season with the U of Michigan Wolverines, G Jaroslav Pavelka, 18, second-round selections in the 2012, 2014 and the 2015 OHL drafts and a first-round pick in the 2013 import draft.
Kuhnhackl, a 39-goal man last season, is from Germany. He is just back from a knee injury and has four points in four games.
Coincidentally, Kuhnhackl’s parents — his father Erich is generally recognized as the greatest player in German hockey history — were to arrive in Windsor on Friday to visit with their son.
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Four B.C.-based on-ice officials have received IIHF assignments. . . . Referee Matt Kirk of Vancouver will work the Division 1, Group B World championship in Kryncia, Poland, April 15-21. . . . Linesman Kiel Murchison of Surrey has been selected to work the World Junior Championship in Calgary and Edmonton, Dec. 26-Jan. 5. . . . Justin Hull of Burnaby will travel to Brno and Znojmo, Czech Republic, for the U-18 World championship, April 12-22. . . . Referee Trevor Hanson of Langley is scheduled to work the Division 1, Group A U-18 World championship in Piestany, Slovakia, April 11-17.
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes snapped a 13-game losing streak — in the first game after an anonymous fan performed an exorcism at centre ice — by beating the Everett Silvertips, 4-3, in a shootout. . . . F Cam Braes, Lethbridge’s third shooter, was the only skater to score in the shootout. . . . The Hurricanes won two of three September games and then lost all 13 games they played in October. . . . Everett F Josh Birkholz scored on a penalty shot to give his side a 3-0 lead at 6:36 of the second period. . . . The Hurricanes pulled even with two PP goals after Everett F Jordyn Boyd was given a major penalty for clipping. . . . Everett took 53 of 99 penalty minutes. . . . The Silvertips, with the flu bug going through their dressing room, had F Ty Mappin and F Carson Samoridny in their lineup. Mappin, 15, was the seventh overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. He is playing for the midget AAA Red Deer Rebels. Samoridny, 17, has 11 points, including nine goals, in 15 games with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. . . . Everett next plays Friday in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice. That game will feature Silvertips freshman F Ryan Chynoweth, 16, against the team of which his father, Jeff, is president and GM. . . . Trevor Crawley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has more on that matchup right here. . . .
In Saskatoon, the Blades opened a 4-0 lead early in the third period and went on to beat the Calgary Hitmen, 4-1. . . . F Josh Nicholls scored his 11th goal of the season for the winners, who got 39 saves from G Andrey Makarov. . . . Calgary had won the first two games of what is a six-game road trip. . . . The Hitmen were without F Brady Brassart, who sat out a one-game suspension for a checking-from-behind major one night earlier in Prince Albert. . . .
In Kamloops, F Sven Bartschi had a goal and two assists to help the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . Bartschi had missed the previous six games with a hip injury. . . . The Blazers had won four in a row. . . . F Logan McVeigh scored his second goal of the season for Kamloops. Both have come shorthanded. The Blazers have seven shorthanded goals in 15 games, after scoring four all of last season.
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For today’s good read, we go to Yahoo! Sports and a tremendous piece of writing by Nicholas J. Cotsonika. He explores where we are and how we got here in terms of brain injuries, CTE, concussions and all the rest. If you have been following the debate about concussions, you won’t want to miss this piece, which tells the story from all the angles.

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Winterhawks give Blazers the shaft

Winger Brad Ross (18) of the Portland Winterhawks and Kamloops
defenceman Austin Madaisky fight for position, while Blazers
goaltender Cole Cheveldave searches for the puck.
(Photo by Murray Mitchell / Kamloops Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

The Portland Winterhawks got the two points and the Kamloops Blazers got the shaft — twice — on Wednesday night at Interior Savings Centre.
The Winterhawks, seven games into a 17-day, nine-game road trip, scored a 4-2 victory over the Blazers before 3,846 fans, and the visitors had the shafts of two sticks to thank.
The Blazers, trailing 3-2 nine minutes into the third period, came within an inch or two of tying it when left-winger Tim Bozon’s shot through traffic was headed into an empty net until it appeared to strike the shaft of a stick and bounce harmlessly away.
Less than four minutes later, the Blazers dumped the puck into the Portland zone. Goaltender Mac Carruth left his net to play it, then had to dive back as the puck hit a defender’s stick and headed for the vacated net. Carruth’s stick, extended well in front of him, kept the puck out of the net.
And so it was that the Blazers (11-4-0) had their four-game winning streak come to an end. They remain tied with the Tri-City Americans (11-5-0) for the Western Conference lead, two points ahead of the Winterhawks (9-7-2), who are 3-3-1 on this lengthy trip.
The Winterhawks, an outfit with arrogance and swagger that is fueled at least in part by the irritation that is Carruth, are a high-risk outfit that feeds off a transition game. For a while in the second period, the Blazers got caught up in the visitors’ game and were guilty of far too many turnovers high in their zone and in the neutral zone. The result was that Portland outshot the home boys, 18-11, and outscored them, 2-1.
In the end, that is where the Blazers lost the game.
The Winterhawks took control with two quick goals early in the second period, defenceman Tyler Wotherspoon scoring on a high slapshot through traffic and winger Sven Bartschi slapping in a rebound moments after he had been stoned on a breakaway.
Bartschi, who also drew two assists, was playing his first game after missing six with a hip injury.
The Blazers, however, got life when left-winger Logan McVeigh pulled the trigger on a shorthanded 2-on-1 break at 10:37. It was McVeigh’s second goal of the season, both of which have come while shorthanded.
Still, Portland wasn’t able to put this one on ice until 16:44 of the third period when centre Ty Rattie potted his 12th goal of the season, this one via the power play.
Kamloops goaltender Cole Cheveldave suffered his first WHL loss after five victories, but he was solid in a 40-save performance. Carruth, meanwhile, stopped 24 shots.
Portland’s Charles Wells, 57 seconds into the game, and centre Colin Smith of the Blazers, at 18:41 of the first period, also scored.
The Blazers will play the Cougars in Prince George on Friday and Saturday nights.
JUST NOTES: The Blazers were 1-for-6 on the power play; the Winterhawks were 1-for-5. . . . McVeigh’s goal was the Blazers’ seventh shorthanded tally of the season. They scored four all of last season. . . . Kamloops D Austin Madaisky had a tough night, finishing minus-3, but scored the hit of the night when he stepped up and lowered the boom on Rattie 14 minutes into the game. . . . The Daily News’ Three Stars: 1. Bartschi: Gotta think he could help the Calgary Flames; 2. Cheveldave: Solid; 3. Rattie: Sometimes it’s his puck. . . . By the time the Winterhawks get home, they will have covered about 4,200 kilometres. . . . The Blazers next home game is Nov. 11 against the Red Deer Rebels. Game time will be 2 p.m. After the game, fans who bring their skates will be able to dangle with the Blazers.

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

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Kevin Seibel (Prince George, Swift Current, Vancouver, 1998-2004) requested and was granted his release by Rødovre (Denmark, AL-Bank Ligaen). He had one goal and four assists in nine games this season.
———
There were more player moves on Monday . . .
The Everett Silvertips acquired D Lucas Grayson, 17, from the Red Deer Rebels for a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Grayson, from Port Hardy, B.C., was a sixth-round selection by Red Deer in the 2009 draft. He had two points and 71 penalty minutes, 45 of those from fighting majors, in 40 games last season in Red Deer. This season, he had gotten into only one game. . . .
The Silvertips also assigned F Tyler Giebel, 18, to the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. Giebel was a second-round selection by Everett in the 2008 bantam draft; Everett actually gave the Prince Albert Raiders a third-round pick in order to move up in the second round and take Giebel. He had six points in 49 games last season and is pointless in eight games this season. . . .
F Campell Elynuik, 19, is on the move for the second time this season. Elynuik, the son of former WHLer/NHLer Pat Elynuik, has been traded by the Regina Pats to the Prince George Cougars for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. He had three points, including a goal, and 24 penalty minutes in eight games with the Pats. They had acquired him from the Everett Silvertips for a sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have acquired F Austin Connor, who turns 19 on Nov. 16, and D Arvin Atwal, 16, from the Prince Albert Raiders for F Teal Burns, 19, and D Tyler Hart, who turns 19 on Saturday. . . . Connor, a 6-foot-4, 228-pounder, is pointless with seven penalty minutes in five games. Last season, he had 13 points and 104 Pms in 59 games. . . . Atwal is with the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians, for whom he has one assist and 22 PMs in eight games. He was an eighth-round pick by the Raiders in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . Connor will give the Giants some much-needed size up front. . . . Burns, who had 20 points as he split last season between the Portland Winterhawks and the Giants, has four assists this season. Portland selected him in the eighth round of the 2007 bantam draft. . . . Hart has two assists in nine games with the Giants. Last season, he had eight points and 80 PMs in 44 games. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has a good look at the Vancouver-Prince Albert deal right here.
Prince Albert also released Latvian D Kristaps Bazevics, 17, and filled that import slot with Slovakian F Michal Hlinka, 18, whom they had acquired last season from the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Bazevics had two penalty minutes in two games this season. . . . Hlinka had 10 points in 45 games last season. He played 23 of those games with the Raiders, picking up four points, including one goal. . . . According to a Raiders’ news released, Hlinka “will arrive immediately after receiving his visa to enter Canada, which is expected to take approximately 7-10 days.”
———
JUST NOTES: F Sven Bartschi of the Portland Winterhawks is the WHL’s player of the week. He had seven points, three of them goals, in two games last week. . . . Patrik Bartosak of the Red Deer Rebels is the WHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0, 1.00, .966 last week. . . . The Brandon Wheat Kings have recalled F Jack Palmer, 16, from the junior B Saanich, B.C., Braves and he will play tonight against the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash. Palmer, an eighth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft, has seven points in seven games with the Braves this season. . . . The Vancouver Giants have assigned F Greg Lamoureux, 19, to the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers. In 109 regular-season games with the Giants, he had 28 points, including six goals. . . . The Kamloops Blazers have assigned G Taran Kozun to the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. Kozun, 17, is from Nipawin. He got into two games with the Blazers, going 1-1-0, 3.53, .857. . . . Congratulations to Earl Morris, a former Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman, who has been inducted into the Duncan, B.C., Sports Wall of Fame. Morris played for the BCJHL’s Kelowna Buckaroos before spending two seasons (1969-71) with the Wheat Kings. He was Brandon’s captain in 1970-71.
———
SOME MONDAY NOTES:
In Lethbridge, the Kootenay Ice got a goal and two assists from F Max Reinhart in beating the Hurricanes, 4-2. . . . The defending-champion Ice improved to 7-2-2, while the Hurricanes have lost nine in a row. . . . G Liam Liston and D Spencer Galbraith, both of them acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Sunday, were in the Lethbridge lineup. Liston made 30 saves. . . . F Nick Buonassisi, who was acquired by Lethbridge from the Prince George Cougars, is expected to make his Lethbridge debut on Friday against the visiting Kamloops Blazers. . . . Lethbridge also had D Joel Topping and F Reid Duke in its lineup. Duke was a first-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft; Topping was a second-round selection in 2010. Duke picked up an assist in what was his second game this season; Topping, who played one game last season, was in the lineup for the first time this season.
———
F Darren Kramer of the Spokane Chiefs 46 fights during the WHL’s 2010-11 regular season. That may well be the WHL record. In fact, it may be a major junior record. And if it is it may be in jeopardy as F Ty Bilcke, a 17-year-old freshman with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, has had nine fights in 12 games. Go ahead. Do the math.
Jim Parker of the Windsor Star has that story right here.

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Goaltender Ty Rimmer of the Tri-City Americans, sporting new pads and a new paint job
on his mask, is focused — check out the eyes — on the puck as he works
on his second shutout this season.
(Photo courtesy John Allen/AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
The Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL) announced that F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) won’t be offered a contract extension once his try-out contract ends on Oct. 23. Mueller is pointless in seven games with the Tigers, who have two
players returning from injury this weekend.
———
Here’s one from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal:
“Best nickname in hockey these days? The Fish Line of Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi and centre Mikko Koivu of the Minnesota Wild. Two Sharks and a Finn.”
Matty also wrote:
“If Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi buys the Stars for well over $200 million, he’s got a huge marketing campaign ahead of them to get fans back in the building. They announced a crowd of 6,300 on Columbus Day (Thanksgiving Monday) against Phoenix, but observers said there might have been 3,000 fans in the 18,532 American Airlines Arena. Then the Stars said they sold 7,499 tickets for the Blues game on Thursday, but they must have been counting both hands and feet.”
Check out Matty’s Hockey World right here.
———
JUST NOTES: The Seattle Thunderbirds have won three straight games after doubling the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 4-2 on Saturday night. . . . Seattle had lost three in a row before winning three straight. . . . The host Red Deer Rebels beat the Regina Pats, 4-1. Regina was without F Dyson Stevenson, who was stretchered off the ice during a 6-3 victory over the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Friday. X-rays of an ankle were negative and he is shown as day-to-day. . . .
G Ty Rimmer, wearing new pads and a new stylized mask, posted his second shutout of the season and sixth of his career as the Tri-City Americans bounced the visiting Vancouver Giants, 5-0. Rimmer stopped 26 shots. . . . G Cole Cheveldave stopped 26 shots in his third WHL start to lead the Blazers to a 3-0 victory over the Prince George Cougars in Kamloops. Cheveldave, who is 3-0-0, recorded his first WHL shutout. The Cougars concluded a seven-game road trip at 2-5-0. That includes a 2-4-0 swing through the East Division. . . . The Cougars lost F Jordan Tkatch with what appeared to be an injury to his left knee. He will be re-evaluated first thing in the week. . . . Kamloops D Bronson Maschmeyer played in his 200th regular-season game. . . .
F Kevin Sundher had a goal and three assists as the host Victoria Royals got past the Kelowna Rockets, 4-3, in OT. D Jesse Zgraggen got the winner, 35 seconds into OT. It was Zgraggen’s first goal in nine games; last season, he had one goal in 62 games. . . . The Rockets have lost five straight after opening the season with three victories. . . . In Portland, F Sven Bartschi had two goals and two assists as the Winterhawks bounced the Brandon Wheat Kings, 6-1. Brandon F Mark Stone picked up one assist, to run his season-opening point streak to nine games. . . .
In Spokane, the Chiefs erased a 1-0 deficit with three third-period goals and beat the Everett Silvertips, 3-1. F Darren Kramer had a goal, his sixth, and an assist for the Chiefs. . . . Everett has lost four in a row and has just one victory in eight games this season. . . . F Taylor Vause scored three times — he has nine in 10 games — as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Hurricanes 9-3 in Lethbridge. Vause, 20, has two hat tricks already this season. . . . During the game in Lethbridge, the buzz throughout the league was that the Hurricanes had dealt G Brandon Anderson, 19, to the Spokane Chiefs. Anderson, who has signed with the NHL’s Washington Capitals, was scratched last night, as he was Friday as the Hurricanes lost 2-1 to the host Kootenay ice. However, Lethbridge G Damien Ketlo, 20, left last night’s game after five minutes with a groin injury. After the game, Anderson was told that he was going anywhere. . . . I have been told that there were two teams, Spokane and one other, in the chase for Anderson. . . .
In Cranbrook, F Max Reinhart drew three assists as the Kootenay Ice dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 3-1. . . . The Raiders wound up 2-3-1 on a six-game road trip than included five games in the U.S. Division. They lost one game in OT, two others by one goal and last night’s by two. . . . In Medicine Hat, G Tyler Bunz stopped 26 shots for his first shutout this season and the sixth of his career, 5-0 over the Calgary Hitmen. F Hunter Shinkaruk had two goals for the Tigers and, at one point, had nine goals and zero assists this season. However, he drew an assist on the Tigers’ last goal so is 9-1—10. Tigers F Emerson Etem didn’t score but he did set up four goals, leaving him at 13-8—21. . . . Etem, Victoria F Kevin Sundher and Brandon F Mark Stone are tied for the WHL scoring lead, each with 21 points. . . .
Keith Gretzky, once an assistant coach with the Tri-City Americans, now is scouting for the NHL’s Boston Bruins. That comes after a stint as the Phoenix Coyotes’ director of amateur scouting. . . . F Ryan Johansen, who played the last two seasons with the Portland Winterhawks, was a healthy scratch by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. That has been the case in three of the Blue Jackets’ five games. The fourth overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft, he has played 17 minutes 12 seconds in total this season. . . .
———
F Brett Connolly hs to play with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning or the Prince George Cougars this season. So far, he has played five games with the Lightning, the last two on a line with Marty St. Louis and Steven Stamkos.
Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune has more right here.

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