Head coach Drake Berehowsky was fired on Tuesday, but the only communication from the team was a terse three-paragraph news release. No one from the organization provided any other communication. Why?
Because it seems that Robson fired Berehowsky without input from the board.
President Doug Paisley says GM Brad Robson chose to fire coach Drake Berehowsky. Team then fired Robson. #whl #yql
— Paul Kingsmith (@paulkingsmith) December 10, 2014
Rather than provide any comment on Berehowsky's firing, the board met on Tuesday evening and decided to pull the plug on Robson. He was informed of the move sometime Tuesday night.
Robson, whose son Blake is the Hurricanes’ head scout, spent four seasons as Lethbridge’s assistant GM, as well as director of player personnel and scouting, before replacing Rich Preston as GM after the 2012-13 season.
Under Robson, the Hurricanes went 12-55-5 last season. This season, they were 6-19-4 when the axe fell. His tenure was marked by the defections of a number of players and two trades in which the Brandon Wheat Kings landed defencemen Ryan Pilon and Macoy Erkamps, along with forward Reid Duke. Pilon and Duke had been the third and five overall selections in the 2011 bantam draft.
Robson's contract isn't due to expire until after next season.
At a Wednesday news conference, Doug Paisley, who stepped in as president of the board a couple of months ago, announced that Peter Anholt is the new general manager and head coach. Anholt was in transit from Prince Albert yesterday, so wasn't in attendance at the news conference.
Anholt joined the Lethbridge organization as assistant general manager in June. Prior to that, he had been the general manager of the Waskesiu Golf Club, which is located in Prince Albert National Park. He also was doing some scouting for the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Anholt has ample WHL coaching experience, having worked as the head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders, Seattle, Red Deer Rebels and Kelowna Rockets. His 450 coaching victories have him 10th on the WHL's all-time list, while he is sixth in games coached (973).
Anholt last coached in the WHL in 2006-07 when he was the head coach of the Raiders after which he was replaced by Bruno Campese, who now is Prince Albert’s general manager.
Anholt doesn’t have any experience as a WHL general manager.
When Anholt’s promotion was discussed at Wednesday’s news conference in Lethbridge, the word 'interim' wasn't mentioned.
"Pete's our guy for now," Paisley told reporters, adding that the Hurricanes would "bump up" Anholt's salary.
Assistant coaches Bryan Maxwell and Mike Craig ran the bench last night as the Hurricanes dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the visiting Kelowna Rockets.
It would appear that promoting Anholt was the board’s only move, especially from a financial standpoint. In recent times, the Hurricanes have chosen to fire Preston and assistant coach Brad Lukowich, both of whom had time remaining on contracts. The Lukowich situation resulted in his filing a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the Hurricanes. It was settled out of court.
And now the organization is on the financial hook with Robson and Berehowsky.
Making the move it made with Anholt, then, was the prudent thing to do.
The Hurricanes, who have one victory in their last 15 games, aren’t going to make the playoffs this season. In the last couple of months, they have changed board presidents and brought in six new directors. Now they have a new general manager and head coach.
You have to wonder, though, if the winds of change will continue to blow in Hurricane country.
---
The Prince Albert Raiders and Kelowna Rockets tied a bow on a blockbuster late Wednesday night.The Rockets acquired D Josh Morrissey, 19, and F Gage Quinney, 19, from the Rockets in exchange for D Jesse Lees, 19, F Austin Glover, 18, and two bantam draft picks -- a second-rounder in 2016 and a third in 2017.
Morrissey, the sixth overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft, is the best player in this exchange. A first-round selection by the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL’s 2013 draft, he finished last season with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps, earning nine points in 20 playoff games.
In 228 regular-season games, Morrissey had 179 points, including 60 goals. This season, the Calgarian has 21 points, seven of them goals, in 26 games. He heads for Toronto today for the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp and could very well be the team’s captain.In Kelowna, Morrissey will join his 17-year-old brother, Jake, who is one of three goaltenders on the Rockets’ roster.
I asked Raiders GM Bruno Campese on Monday if he was considering trading Morrissey. He said no
— Jeff D'Andrea (@jeff_dandrea) December 11, 2014
Quinney, from Las Vegas, has 15 points, including six goals, in 32 games with the Raiders this season. In 91 career games, he has 31 points, 14 of them goals.
Lees, from Calgary, was the ninth overall selection in the 2010 bantam draft. He was in his fourth season in Kelowna, having earned 78 points, including 25 goals, in 180 games. Of late, he had seen considerable playing time up front as the Rockets went through a stretch where a number of forwards were injured.This season, Lees has 20 points, six of them goals, in 28 games.
Glover, from Clavet, Sask., was a second-round selection by the Rockets in the 2011 bantam draft. In 73 career games, he has 28 points, nine of them goals. This season, he has 16 points, including six goals, in 18 games this season. Glover returned to the Rockets’ lineup last night in Lethbridge after being out since early November with an undisclosed injury.
You can bet that Rockets head coach Dan Lambert, a run-and-gunner in his playing days, is salivating at the thought of having Morrissey and Madison Bowey keying their transition game.
Yes, the WHL’s top team to this point just got a whole lot better.
Lees and two assists and Glover was pointless as the Rockets (25-4-3) beat Lethbridge 4-3 in a shootout last night. Kelowna is atop the 10-team Western Conference with a 13-point lead over the Everett Silvertips, who hold three games in hand.
Morrissey and Quinney were pointless last night as the Raiders (15-17-0) dropped a 3-0 decision to the Giants in Vancouver. Prince Albert has been blanked in three straight games. The Raiders are tied with the Kootenay Ice for ninth in the 12-team Eastern Conference.
Morrissey for Lees+Glover+2nd'16+ 3rd'17. Winterhawks were frozen out since they didn't have any 1st rd WHL picks to deal …wait…what…wtf?
— Fake Mike Johnston (@FakeMikeJ) December 11, 2014
D Sam Ruopp of the Prince George Cougars has been suspended for two games after taking a kneeing major and game misconduct in a 4-3 victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades on Tuesday night. Saskatoon F Nick Zajac needed help getting to the dressing room after the hit, but he later returned to the game. . . . Ruopp will miss Friday's game in Everett against the Silvertips and Saturday's game in Spokane with the Chiefs. . . .
The junior B Port Moody Panthers of the Pacific Junior Hockey League will be host team for the 2015 PJHL Top Prospects Game. It is to be played at Port Moody Arena on Jan. 26. Rosters for the game will be announced in early January. They comprise the league’s top first-year players, with at last one player from each team selected. . . . According to a news release: “Of the 40 players who participated in last year's edition of the PJHL Prospects Game, half of them have moved on to play at least one game at the junior A, Western Hockey League, or collegiate level this season, including Port Moody's Jordan Wharrie, who is a regular on the blueline of the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Tom Shaw Conference won last season's contest 4-1, with Richmond's John Wesley scoring twice in the victory. Wesley is now the third-leading scorer on the BCHL's Surrey Eagles and was also called up to play one game with the Vancouver Giants.”
---
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Swift Current, F Jake DeBrusk scored three times and added two assists to lead the Broncos to a 6-4 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . DeBrusk completed his hat trick into an empty net at 19:59 of the third period. He's got 16 goals in 34 games. Last season, as a freshman, he finished with 15 goals in 72 games. . . . The Broncos erased a 2-0 first-period deficit with four second-period goals. They took a 5-2 lead just 58 seconds into the third period on D Brycen Martin's second goal of the season. . . . The Broncos improved to 16-13-4. . . . The Pats (18-11-1) had a five-game winning streak snapped. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, F Tanner Eberle scored the only goal of a four-round shootout as the Warriors beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-4. . . . F Nolan Patrick scored twice and added an assist for the Wheat Kings, giving him 12 goals in his freshman season and eight goals in his last nine games. His second goal, at 15:30 of the third period, tied the score at 4. . . . F Jack Rodewald scored his 18th goal and added two assists for the Warriors, while F Tanner Eberle scored twice, giving him 17. . . . Brandon led 3-1 after the first period, with the Warriors equalizing on Rodewald's PP goal at 11:29 of the second. . . . Eberle gave the host team the lead at 5:54 of the third. . . . G Alex Moodie made his first start for the Wheat Kings since being acquired from the Saskatoon Blades on Nov. 26. He made 27 stops, one more than Moose Jaw's Zach Sawchenko. . . . The Warriors dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. They lost F Tanner Jeannot in the second period after he took a hit from Brandon D Macoy Erkamps, who was penalized for charging. . . . The Warriors improved to 14-14-3. . . . Brandon is 22-7-3 and tied with the Medicine Hat Tigers for top spot in the Eastern Conference. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a game story right here. . . . 
In Edmonton, D Ben Carroll broke a 1-1 tie at 17:08 of the second period and the Oil Kings went on to a 4-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Carroll, who scored the goal via the PP, has four goals. . . . The Blazers were playing their first game of a six-game road trip. They'll play six games in eight nights. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner had his point streak snapped at 12 games. He now shares the franchise record with F Michael St. Croix and F Dylan Wruck. . . . Kamloops F Deven Sideroff was back in the lineup after missing four games with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Oil Kings (15-12-5) had lost their previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The Blazers (12-16-5) have lost three straight. . . . The Blazers meet the Rebels in Red Deer in tonight’s lone game. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Nick Merkley's shootout goal gave the Kelowna Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . F Jamal Watson gave the home side a 1-0 shootout lead, but Kelowna F Justin Kirkland tied it in the third round and Merkley won it in the fourth. . . . The Hurricanes erased a 3-1 deficit with two third-period goals. F Taylor Cooper got his ninth at 14:27 and D Nick Walters scored his first, on the PP, at 18:35. . . . F Dillon Dube, playing his fifth game since returning from an undisclosed injury, scored twice for the Rockets. Dube has four goals in seven games this season. In fact, he has four goals in his last five games. . . . Kelowna F Rodney Southam broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal just 10 seconds into the third period. . . . This was the Hurricanes' first game since the firing of general manager Brad Robson and head coach Drake Berehowsky. Assistant coaches Mike Craig and Bryan Maxwell ran the bench in this one, even though the online scoresheet listed Berehowsky as the head coach. . . . Kelowna had F Austin Glover and D Dalton Yorke back in the lineup. Both had been out since early November. . . . The Rockets (25-4-3) have won two in a row. . . . The Hurricanes (6-19-5) have lost five straight. . . . 
In Vancouver, G Payton Lee stopped 29 shots to lead the Giants to a 3-0 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Lee has two shutouts this season and four in his career. . . . Vancouver F Jackson Houck got the game’s first goal, his 12th, at 10:31 of the second period. . . . Houck, who has five goals over his last four games, left late in the third period while favouring one leg. After the game, head coach Claude Noel said that Houck is day-to-day. . . . F Matt Bellerive had two assists for Vancouver. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride stopped 35 shots. . . . The Giants (13-18-0) have won four in a row and now are three points behind the ninth-place Kamloops Blazers in the Western Conference. Vancouver is 3-0-0 under Noel. . . . The Raiders (15-17-0) have lost three in a row.---
Canes President Doug Paisley confirms Robson out as GM. Peter Anholt new GM & Head Coach going forward. pic.twitter.com/YDRWuIEBo1
— Pat Siedlecki (@radiopat258) December 10, 2014
came out of the game with a 4-2 victory.
In the OHL, the Erie Otters, playing their first game without F Connor McDavid, dropped a 2-1 decision to the host Niagara IceDogs in St. Catharines, Ont. . . . McDavid, the OHL scoring leader, is out for up to six weeks with a broken hand suffered in a fight on Tuesday. . . . The Otters (16-2-1) have two regulation-time losses this season, both to the IceDogs (6-13-0), who have won four in a row. . . . Earlier in the day, the IceDogs acquired F Josh Ho-Sang, a first-round selection by the New York Islanders in the NHL’s 2014 draft, from the Windsor Spitfires. He had one assist last night.
In Regina, F Dryden Hunt scored three times to help the Pats to a 6-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Hunt, who has nine goals, gave his side a 3-1 lead at 16:35 of the second period and 4-2 and 5-2 leads at 5:54 and 10:06 of the third. It was his first career hat trick. . . . Regina F Connor Gay helped out with his seventh goal and two assists. . . . The Pats are 10-9-1. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple, who was acquired from Medicine Hat on Jan. 10, stopped 39 shots. . . . G Nick Schneider, who went the other way in that deal, turned aside 29 shots for the Tigers (14-4-1), who had a three-game winning streak snapped. . . . Schneider had been 11-0 with the Tigers, including 5-0 this season. . . . Each side was 2-for-9 on the PP. . . . Earlier in the week, the Pats brought back G Tyler Brown, 17, from the MJHL’s Winnipeg Blues. He’ll back up Wapple, 19, while the Pats look for a junior A club where Tyler Fuhr, 19, will play. . . . The Pats are at home to the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight. . . . 
In Brandon, F Keegan Kolesar, who is from Winnipeg, had a goal and two assists to spark the Seattle Thunderbirds in a 6-4 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon (16-4-1) had won six in a row. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore scored his first goal of the season to break a 3-3 tie at 7:21 of the third period. The goal came via the PP. . . . Theodore was playing his second game since being returned by the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. He had been with their AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. . . . Kolesar, who had family on hand for this one, has six goals this season. . . .Seattle (9-8-3) is 2-2 on its East Division swing. . . . F Ryan Gropp scored his 10th goal for the Thunderbirds, while F Jesse Gabrielle got his 12th for Brandon. . . . Wheat Kings G Logan Thompson stopped 27 shots in his first home-ice start. . . . Seattle G Danny Mumaugh made 29 stops. . . . "I thought Seattle was better than our team in every regard," Brandon GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. "Their work ethic was superior to ours, they were way more physical than we were. We were not engaged in the game fully at any point." . . . The Wheat Kings had D Ryan Pilon back after a four-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . . Brandon D Kale Clague is out with an undisclosed injury suffered during the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . The Eastern Conference’s top two teams, the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Wheat Kings, meet tonight in Brandon. . . . 
In Red Deer, the Rebels scored four third-period goals and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-1. . . . The Hurricanes (5-11-4) took a 1-0 lead into the third period on F Zane Jones' 10th goal, at 3:07 of the third. . . . F Tyler Sandhu tied it at 4:16 and gave the Rebels the lead at 9:24. He's got seven goals. . . . F Grayson Pawlenchuk and F Wyatt Johnson each had two assists for Red Deer. . . . With referee Tyler Adair working solo, the Hurricanes didn't take any penalties in this one, while the Rebels took two minors. . . . The Rebels (10-8-3) have points in nine of their last 10 games. . . . Lethbridge is 0-2-3 in its last five. . . . The Rebels entertain the Saskatoon Blades tonight. . . . The Kootenay Ice visit Lethbridge tonight. . . .
In Cranbrook, F Luke Philp scored with 14.3 seconds left in OT to give the Kootenay Ice a wild 7-6 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon forced OT with a shorthanded goal at 17:52 of the third period. The Ice had been penalized for too many men as they tried to get G Wyatt Hoflin off the ice for the extra attacker. . . . Bozon has a goal in each of his last three games. . . . The Hitmen led 2-0 in the first period, trailed 3-2 in the second, and led 5-4 and 6-5 in the third. . . . Philp finished with two goals, giving him eight, and two assists. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart drew four assists, including one on the equalizer and another on the winner. . . . The Hitmen got two goals from F Taylor Sanheim, who has three. . . . Calgary spent the first 59 seconds of OT on the PP after Ice D Rinat Valiev was penalized for delay of game. . . . Kootenay (7-13-0) has won four in a row. . . . The Hitmen (10-8-3) have points in each of their last five games (3-0-2). . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story 
In Kamloops, the Spokane Chiefs opened up a 4-0 lead and hung on for a 4-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . F Liam Stewart scored twice for the Chiefs. Playing a point on the PP, he scored both goals with the man advantage. He's got nine goals this season. . . . Chiefs F Kailer Yamamoto had a goal, his third, and an assist as he figured in the game's first two goals. . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka had two assists, both on the PP. . . . Spokane D Jason Fram, who was playing in his 200th regular-season game, picked up an assist to run his point streak to 11 games. He has two goals and 12 assists during that stretch. Only Swift Current F Coda Gordon, who takes a 12-game streak into a game against visiting Prince Albert tonight, has had a longer run this season. . . . The Chiefs were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-for-4. . . . Chiefs G Tyson Verhelst stopped 29 shots, 18 of those coming over the last two periods. . . . The Chiefs (9-6-3) moved into a tie with Kamloops for sixth in the Western Conference. Spokane is at home to the Tri-City Americans tonight. . . . The Blazers (9-10-3) have lost six in a row (0-4-2) and are in Everett tonight. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Beau McCue had a goal and three assists as the Tri-City Americans dropped the Victoria Royals, 4-1. . . . McCue, who enjoyed his first career four-point outing, scored the game's first goal and assisted on the next three, two of those by F Richard Nejezchleb. . . . McCue has nine goals; Nejezchleb has four. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie, who is 7-0-0 on home ice, stopped 24 shots. He lost the shutout when F Tyler Soy scored his fifth goal at 11:17 of the third. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 31 shots. . . . Nejezchleb scored both goals on the PP as the Americans (13-9-0) went 2-for-6; the Royals (10-10-2) were 0-for-4. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee had a nine-game point streak end. . . . The Royals are in Vancouver to face the Giants tonight. . . .
In Everett, the Silvertips scored two shootout goals and beat the Portland Winterhawks, 4-3. . . . F Ivan Nikolishin and F Graham Millar both scored for Everett in the shootout, while Portland’s first two shooters were blanked. . . . Nikolishin, who also drew two assists, had tied the game 3-3 with his sixth goal at 13:39 of the second. . . . The Winterhawks led 3-1 on F Paul Bittner’s eighth goal at 8:35 of the second. . . . Everett D Noah Juulsen got his second goal, from Nikolishin, at 9:43. . . . F Chase De Leo scored his 12th goal of the season for Portland (8-11-3). . . . D Layne Viveiros had two assists for Portland. . . . The Silvertips (13-2-3) are at home to Kamloops tonight and then will play in Portland on Sunday night.
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings got goals from eight players as they dumped the Saskatoon Blades, 8-5. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock scored his 22nd goal and added two assists, while F Richard Nejezchleb got his 31st goal and also had two helpers. . . . The Wheat Kings broke open a 1-1 game with four straight goals. . . . F Nikita Scherbak and D MacKenzie Johnston each had two assists for the Blades, while F Chase Clayton scored his 10th goal and added an assist. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Jayce Hawryluk, their leading scorer, who is serving a WHL suspension and won’t play again in the regular season. . . . Also missing was F Peter Quenneville. . . . F Nolan Patrick, the fourth overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft, played for Brandon. He was pointless but finished plus-2. . . . The Wheat Kings (32-29-9) moved into seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Red Deer Rebels and Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Blades (16-48-5) have lost nine in a row. . . . 
In Calgary, F Brady Brassart drew three assists as the Hitmen dumped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-3. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini scored his 17th goal and added an assist, while F Jake Virtanen notched his 43rd goal. . . . F Riley Sheen scored twice for Lethbridge, giving him 18 goals. . . . Virtanen broke a 2-2 tie 7:56 of the second period, with D Kenton Helgeson scoring his 10th goal at 17:55. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner, the 17th overall pick in the 2013 WHL bantam draft, stopped 39 shots in his first WHL start. . . . Calgary (46-17-7) is tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for first place in the Eastern Conference. . . . Lethbridge (12-53-5) has lost 12 straight. . . . 
In Portland, the Tri-City Americans lost 3-2 in OT to the Winterhawks, but the visitors were celebrating as the loser point allowed them to clinch the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic won it with his 38th goal just 30 seconds into OT. . . . Portland D Mathew Dumba forced OT with his sixth goal at 11:07 of the third period. . . . F Parker Bowles scored twice for the Americans, giving him 13. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 46 shots as he set the franchise‘s single-season record for most saves. . . . Portland G Brendan Burke turned side 18 shots in his first appearance since Feb. 10. He had been out with mononucleosis. . . . F Beau McCue had two assists for Tri-City. . . . Portland has won four in a row, while the Americans have lost four straight. . . . The loser point that went to the Americans was enough to eliminate the idle Prince George Cougars, who now are five points behind with just two games remaining. . . . Portland (51-13-5) will be the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed and will meet the No. 7 Vancouver Giants in the first round. . . . The No. 8 Americans (28-32-9) will open against the No. 1 Kelowna Rockets. . . . 
In Kelowna, the Victoria Royals scored two third-period goals and beat the Rockets, 3-2. . . . D Ryan Gagnon tied the game 2-2 with his second goal of the season at 5:04. . . . Victoria F Axel Blomqvist -- was there a better addition via trade this season than this guy? -- scored his 24th goal at 16:40 to win it. . . . Victoria G Patrick Polivka kicked out 34 shots, one more than Kelowna’s Jordon Cooke. . . . Kelowna F Tanner Wishnowski scored his first goal at 2:18 of the first period. Wishnowski, who is from Oakbank, Man., turned 17 on Jan. 28 and was playing his first WHL game. He played this season with the major midget Kelowna-based Okanagan Rockets. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee tied it with his 25th at 16:23 of the first period. . . . Kelowna F Cole Linaker scored his 11th goal, shorthanded, at 16:45 of the second. . . . The Royals have won six in a row. . . . The Rockets have lost just four home games this season, but three of those have come against the Royals. . . . Victoria penalty-killers were 35-for-35 as the Royals won the season series, 5-2-1. . . . The Royals (48-17-4) have 100 points for the first time in franchise history. They will finish third in the Western Conference. . . . The Rockets (54-11-4) lead the Western Conference by five points over Portland. Each team has three games left. . . . 
Wade Klippenstein has signed on as the Brandon Wheat Kings’ new director of scouting. He takes over from Al Macpherson, who stepped down as director of player personnel earlier this summer after being with the club since 1986. . . . Klippenstein, 43, was born in Boissevain, which is about six slapshots south of Brandon, and raised in Dauphin, which is that far north of Brandon. He spent the last six seasons with the Prince George Cougars. For the last four seasons, he was assistant general manager and director of player personnel. Klippenstein left the Cougars just before the 2013 bantam draft; neither he nor the Cougars have explained the obvious falling out. . . . Klippenstein also is the head scout for Team Pacific, which will play in the U-17 World Hockey Challenge.
F Tanner Eberle of the Moose Jaw Warriors will go to camp with the Montreal Canadiens’ prospects, Sept. 5-9. “I was pretty excited,” the undrafted Eberle, 19, told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. I’ve kind of stuck in the shadows until I got my chance and hopefully I can break out. Getting to go to a camp is a big deal for me and that’s something I’ve wanted to do since I got to the WHL.” . . . Eberle had 36 points in 65 games last season.
Greg Meachem, the sports editor at the Red Deer Advocate, reports that the Red Deer Rebels will have players going to NHL camps — D Mathew Dumba, Minnesota; G Patrik Bartosak, Los Angeles; F Rhyse Dieno, Minnesota; D Kayle Doetzel, Nashville, and F Lukas Sutter, Winnipeg. . . . Dumba, Bartosak and Sutter are NHL draft picks, while Dieno and Doetzel are free-agent invitees.
F Logan Nelson, 20, of the Victoria Royals will play for the Buffalo Sabres’ prospects in the annual tournament at Traverse City, Mich., Sept. 5-9. Nelson was a fifth-round selection by the Sabres in the 2012 NHL draft. . . . Royals F Ben Walker, 20, also will play in that tournament. He is a free-agent invitee to the Minnesota Wild’s camp. . . . Victoria D Keegan Kanzig, a third-round pick by Calgary in the 2013 draft, will play for the Flames at the Young Stars Classic in Penticton, B.C., Sept. 5-9. . . . Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Time Colonist also reports that F Steven Hodges was to attend the Florida Panthers’ prospects camp but that he may have to sit this one out because “of an injury that might require minor surgery.” He was a third-round selection by Florida in 2012.
Chynoweth was knocked into the boards, hitting his head and suffered a cut to his forehead.
In Regina, F Chandler Stephenson scored in the circus to give the Pats a 4-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings held a 3-1 lead halfway through the third period. The Pats tied it on goals by F Carson Samoridny, his 10th, at 11:14, and Stephenson, his 14th, at 15:12, on the PP. . . . The Pats, who won’t make the playoffs, won three games in as many nights. . . . 
In Vancouver, D Blake Orban scored at 1:47 of OT to give the Giants a 1-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Vancouver G Payton Lee stopped 13 shots for the shutout, his first in the WHL. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz turned aside 26 shots. . . . There was some discussion after the game over whether Orban’s shot went in off the stick of Vancouver F Alec Baer, the 15-year-old Minnesotan who was playing in his third WHL game. "I don't even know, to be honest," Baer told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. "I'm glad our team did. I was just in front battling. I hit something: might have been a stick, might have been a puck. The Giants scored. That's all that matters." . . . Baer is to return to Minnesota today but plans on returning to play in a home-and-home series against the Victoria Royals on Friday and Saturday. . . . The loser point moved Everett into a tie with Seattle for seventh in the Western Conference. However, Everett has more victories — 23-22 — so is shown in seventh place. . . . 
In Kamloops, F JC Lipon scored three times and G Cole Cheveldave stopped 25 shots as the Blazers beat the Kelowna Rockets, 3-0. . . . Lipon has 34 goals this season. He has two career hat tricks, both of them this season. . . . Cheveldave earned his fifth shutout this season and the ninth of his career. . . . F Myles Bell, who leads the Rockets in goals, assists and points, didn’t play after 17:50 of the first period. He went to the bench after going knee-to-knee with Kamloops D Sam Grist in a collision that was more of an accident than anything. . . . The Blazers closed to within three points of the B.C. Division-leading Rockets, who hold a game in hand. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, D Derek Ryckman got the Tigers rolling to a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen when he opened the scoring with his first goal of the season. . . . Ryckman, a 20-year-old form Red Deer, now has nine goals in 284 regular-season games. . . . F Curtis Valk scored his 42nd goal — it was shorthanded and gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead at 11:50 of the first — and added two assists. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 39 shots. . . . The start of the game was delayed 40 minutes as poor weather conditions kept the Hitmen from arriving until 5:40 p.m. The game was to have started at 6 p.m. 
Posts
