Sentencing date set for Blazers' owner . . . Brandon, Lethbridge settle on goaltenders

Tom Gaglardi, the majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers, will be in a Kamloops courtroom on Oct. 10 to be sentenced after being found guilty in August of two environmental-related charges. Tim Petruk of Kamloops This Week reports that “the maximum penalties for harmful alteration of a fish habitat are fines of up to $1 million and/or six months in jail.” . . . Petruk’s story is right here.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings got down to two goaltenders on Saturday by releasing Josh Dechaine, 16, who will join the midget AAA St. Albert, Alta., Raiders. . . . That leaves Brandon with Jordan Papirny, 18, the Wheat Kings’ rookie of the year last season, and freshman Logan Thompson, 17, on its roster. Papirny, the 22nd overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, is in camp with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. Thompson, from Calgary, was a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . The Wheat Kings close out their exhibition schedule against the Warriors in Moose Jaw today. . . . Bruce Luebke, the long-time radio voice of the Wheat Kings, tweeted Saturday morning: “At Young Stars Tourney, @bdnwheatkings D and @NHLFlames prospect Eric Roy left in 1st period last night with upper body injury.” . . . Later, Luebke pointed out that Roy missed part of the Flames’ camp a year ago “because of an abdominal injury.”
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes got their roster down to 28 early on Saturday as they released D Connor Rokosh, F Reid Nemeth and G Jonny Hogue. . . . That leaves the Hurricanes with two goaltenders -- Zac Robidoux, 18, who was acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers earlier this month, and Stuart Skinner, who turns 16 on Nov. 1. Skinner was the 17th overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . The Hurricanes gave up a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft for Robidoux. If he is on a WHL roster next season, the Tigers also will get a fourth-round pick in 2017. . . . Hogue was an eighth-round pick in 2011, while Nemeth was a ninth-round pick in 2011. . . . Hogue was 2-10-0/5.94/.855 last season. . . . Nemeth had five points, including three goals, in 58 games last season. . . . Rokosh, a fourth-round pick in 2013, will join the Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club midget AAA team.
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Former WHL D Bobby Zinkan, 19, has joined the junior A Summerside, P.E.I., Western Capitals. Zinkan, from Calgary, was a fourth-round pick by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2010 bantam draft. He played 102 games with the Broncos, picking up two goals and two assists, before being dealt in May to the Vancouver Giants for F Luca Leone and a sixth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. The Giants released him last week. Zinkan is likely to make his debut with the Capitals on Friday. . . . Tip of the hat to Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Broncos, for the tweet on Zinkan. . . .
Swift Current was without D Jordan Harris on Saturday night as they beat the Saskatoon Blades 4-2 in a game played in Maple Creek. Harris suffered an undisclosed injury on Friday night. . . . Last night, the Broncos played with only 16 skaters, two under the maximum allowed. . . . Broncos D Dillon Heatherington, 19, suffered an undisclosed injury on Friday night while playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets in a tournament in Traverse City, Mich. He didn’t practice Saturday, nor did he play in that evening’s 5-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. . . .
Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald reports that F Taylor Vickerman, 18, has been cleared to return to action with the Tri-City Americans. Vickerman, who is from Kennewick, Wash., suffered a knee injury on Feb. 15. He is expected to be available to play in the Americans’ season-opener on Saturday. The Edmonton Oilers have signed F Greg Chase of the Calgary Hitmen to a three-year entry-level contract. He was a seventh-round selection in the 2013 NHL draft.
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Former #BWK and @VanCanucks Ted Taylor is Saturdays ST #20in20 Contest winner! $100 gift card from @MontanasBrandon pic.twitter.com/PbRTyLK4Fa
— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) September 13, 2014

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Winterhawks streak at 13

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Malte Strömwall (Tri-City, 2011-13) has been loaned by Växjö (Sweden, SHL) to Troja-Ljungby (Sweden, Allsvenskan) for three games during the SHL’s Olympic break. Strömwall played one game with Troja-Ljungby in the autumn, recording one assist.
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Two full-patch Hells Angels drew 15-year jail sentences last week for their roles in an attack that left former WHL F Dain Phillips dead. Phillips played 82 WHL games (1978-80), 34 with the Lethbridge Broncos and 48 with the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Kim Bolan of the Vancouver Sun has more right here.
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TUESDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Kootenay at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince George, the Portland Winterhawks ran their winning streak to 13 games as they dumped the Cougars, 8-4. . . . The Cougars went into the game having won six in a row. . . . Portland scored four times on eight power-play opportunities and twice while shorthanded. . . . The Cougars were 3-for-8 on the PP. . . . Portland’s franchise record for consecutive victories is 15 (1979-80, 1997-98). . . . The Winterhawks play in Prince George again on Wednesday. . . . Portland F Chase De Leo tied a career single-game high with five points, two of them goals. He‘s got 31 goals. . . . Portland F Taylor Leier had a goal and three assists. He‘s got 28 goals. . . . Portland F Nic Petan had one assist as he moved to within one point of Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg, who leads the WHL with 93 points. . . . The visitors had a 50-32 edge in shots. . . . F Zach Pochiro scored twice for the Cougars. Pochiro, who has 24 goals this season, has scored seven times in his last seven games. . . . During their winning streak, the Winterhawks have outscored the opposition, 76-23. . . . The Cougars dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. Scratched with injuries were F Jari Erricson, F Alex Forsberg, D Zach Gonek, D Peter Kosterman, F David Soltes, F Chase Witala and G Brett Zarowny. . . . The Winterhawks (29-12-5), who are 14-0-1 in their last 15 outings, are second in the overall standings, nine points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Cougars (24-27-7) slipped four points behind the Tri-City Americans in the chase for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. . . .

In Vancouver, the Victoria Royals completed a weekend road sweep with a 3-2 victory over the Giants. . . . D Travis Brown won it with his 11th goal of the season, via the PP, at 17:13 of the third period. . . . The Royals won in Kamloops (3-1) on Friday night and in Kelowna (6-4) on Saturday. . . . The Giants held leads of 1-0 and 2-1. . . . Vancouver F Dominik Volek scored his 19th goal, on the PP, at 16:44 of the first period. The Giants had been 0-for-19 on the PP over their previous three games. . . . Victoria F Logan Fisher tied it, with his sixth, just 33 seconds into the second. . . . Vancouver took the lead again when F Cain Franson got his 22nd at 3:41 of the second. . . . The Royals tied it on F Austin Carroll’s 28th, just 1:42 later. . . . Attendance was a season-high 11,621. . . . The Giants continue to be without D Dalton Thrower (ankle). . . . The Royals (38-16-4) are 8-0-2 in their last 10 and hold a five-point lead over the fourth-place Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Conference. . . . The Giants (27-22-9) have lost three in a row and are six pints behind the fifth-place Spokane Chiefs. . . .

In Kamloops, F Taylor Vickerman was credited with the winning goal as the Tri-City Americans beat the Blazers, 2-1. . . . This was a game between two teams that struggle to score and the lack of offensive confidence was glaring in both offensive zones. . . . The winner came when Vickerman redirected a point shot by D Mitch Topping past G Bolton Pouliot for his third goal of the season at 15:00 of the third period. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 30 shots and held the Blazers at bay in the last minute when they won four straight faceoffs, three by F Matt Revel, in the Americans' zone. . . . Revel scored the game's first goal, at 3:30 of the third, tucking a Cole Ully centring pass in behind Comrie. . . . Tri-City F Jessey Astles equalized at 5:23, going wide on a defender and ripping a rolling puck past Pouliot off the left wing. . . . Pouliot finished with 29 saves. . . . The Americans won the season series 4-0-0, outscoring the Blazers, 11-5. . . . It's the third time a team has swept the season series. The Americans went 4-0-0 in 2009-10, while the Blazers were 5-0-0 in 2002-03. . . . The Americans now are 8-8-0 against teams in the B.C. Division. . . . With six players scratched due to injury, the Blazers added F Deven Sideroff, 16, to their lineup. D Connor Clouston, F Luke Harrison, G Justin Myles, F Matt Needham, F Tyson Ness and F Chase Souto all are out with injuries. . . . The Blazers , who have lost 10 in a row, slipped into a tie with the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL cellar. Each team is 11-41-5. . . . Kamloops also was officially eliminated from playoff contention with the loss. . . . The Americans (27-24-5) are eighth in the Western Conference, three points behind the Everett Silvertips and four ahead of Prince George. . . .

In Kelowna, F Tyrell Goulbourne scored twice and added an assist to help the Rockets to a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Goulbourne has 11 goals. . . . He also find time to accumulate 19 minutes in penalties. . . . The Rockets, who had lost their previous two games, both at home, led 6-0 early in the third period. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle stopped 27 shots. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun, who has been on such a run, started but didn't get through the second period. He stopped 15 of 19 shots before Danny Mumaugh came on at 7:28 of the second period. . . . Kelowna lost F Tyson Baillie with an injury to his right leg after a collision with Seattle D Jared Hauf in the second period. Baillie didn’t return to the game. . . . The Rockets (44-8-4) are atop the overall standings, nine points up on Portland and 11 ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Seattle (35-17-5) is fourth, five points behind Victoria.

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Whatever happened to Doug Soetaert?

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Mike Egener (Calgary, 2000-04) has been released by the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite) due to illness. According to Coventry’s press release, Egener, the captain of the Blaze, “has been diagnosed with Guillain–Barré Syndrome, a rare and serious condition affecting the peripheral nervous system. It occurs when the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. Whilst his symptoms appear to have reached a plateau, he now faces an extended recovery period as his body gradually repairs the nerve damage that has taken place. The diagnosis was confirmed by a neurologist in Canada earlier this week and after review with the club’s own medical staff, it was determined that Egener was in no condition to be able to take his planned flight to the UK (Friday evening) and that his recovery may well take many weeks. After an extended discussion between Head Coach Matt Soderstrom and Egener on Thursday evening, it was agreed that his focus now needs to be on returning to full health rather than playing for the Blaze at some point this season.” . . . Egener had three goals and 12 assists in 56 games with the Blaze last season.
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Taylor Vickerman didn’t report to the Vancouver Giants’ training camp and speculation was that he wanted to be traded closer to home. Well, he got his wish. Vickerman, 17, is from Kennewick, Wash., and he has been dealt to the Tri-City Americans, who play out of the Toyota Centre in Kennewick. . . . The Giants received a second-round 2015 bantam draft pick in return. . . . Vickerman told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald:  “I’m at a loss for words. I’m still kind of in shock. Still in disbelief. I’m just glad they saw the value in me. I know I will play a bigger role here, put up some points and help the team win.” . . . Vickerman, a sixth-round selection by the Giants in 2011, had nine points in 52 games last season. . . . According to Fowler: “Vickerman is just the second Mid-Columbia player to earn a spot on the Americans’ roster. Defenseman Justin Togiai (2001-03) of Kennewick was the first.”
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Mark Johnston is back with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Johnston, a defenceman with the Wheat Kings back in the day (1971-73), was named the club’s head scout on Friday. The move came one day after Wade Klippenstein was named the team’s director of scouting. . . . Johnston, a 58-year-old native of Wawanesa, Man., also has worked as an assistant coach with Brandon. He had been a Manitoba scout for the Kelowna Rockets for 12 years.
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Jamie Novakoski is the Edmonton Oil Kings’ new director of scouting. Novakoski, 41, had been on the Oil Kings’ scouting staff since prior to the 2007 expansion draft. Novakoski takes over the position previously filled by Randy Hansch, who now is the club’s general manager. Hansch was promoted after GM Bob Green moved up to the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers as director of amateur free-agent scouting. . . . Novakoski and Hansch are rather familiar with each other, having spent 11 seasons scouting together with the Kamloops Blazers.
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Doug Soetaert, who did such a good job as general manager of the Everett Silvertips before  being fired on Feb. 2, 2012, now is working as a scout with the Austrian team Red Bull Salzburg. . . . Don Jackson, the head coach in Salzburg, spent one season as head coach of the IHL’s Kansas City Blades while Soetaert was the GM there. . . . Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun has more right here on Eetu Selanne, 15, who is in the Calgary Hitmen’s rookie camp. . . . A pair of undrafted Medicine Hat Tigers forwards — Curtis Valk and Jacob Doty — will go to camp with the St. Louis Blues’ prospects as free-agent invitees. They will be on the Blues’ entry at the tournament in Traverse City, Mich.
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If you’re wondering what has happened to the Los Angeles Angels, you may gain some insight from this terrific piece by Scott Miller, the senior baseball columnist at cbssports.com. . . . It’s mostly about the night last season when Torii Hunter and Albert Pujols almost came to blows.
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One of the biggest stories in sports today involves ESPN ending its relationship with the public affairs TV series Frontline, apparently under some pressure from the NFL. James Andrew Miller and Ken Belson of The New York Times explain right here how all of this came to pass.
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Linda Ronstadt could sing. Oh, could she! And there was timne when a whole lot of males of a certain age — likely a bunch of females, too — were in love with her. . . . Well, Ronstadt revealed on Friday that she has Parkinson’s disease, something that means she won’t sing again.
If you’ve forgotten just what a great singer she was, or if you weren’t aware, check this out right here.


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A Tuesday night tweet from Tyler King, the radio voice of the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons:
“Mayor Melissa Blake says they could have qualified bidders and shovels in the ground for a downtown arena as early as this year.”
All of which is rather interesting because there are hockey people who aren’t anywhere near the Alberta city who would love to put a WHL franchise there.
However, the WHL office has said it’s not interested.
You have to wonder how long the WHL can ignore Fort McMurray.
Consider a couple of paragraphs from a piece by Fabrice Taylor, a financial journalist and analyst, that I spotted on the Winnipeg Free Press’ website:
“The average household income in Fort Mac is about $180,000. The average house price is almost $750,000. The majority of the population is under 40. The unemployment rate is about four per cent. The population in the region is 104,000, has doubled in the past decade and will grow by double-digits for years.”
Fort McMurray is located 452 kilometres north of Edmonton.
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The MJHL and a group that is calling itself Virden Hockey Ventures Inc. will hold a news conference in the south-western Manitoba community this morning. The group is expected to announce the purchase and relocation of the Winnipeg Saints.
According to the Winnipeg Sun, it is expected that Troy Leslie, who was the head coach of the midget AAA Southwest Cougars, who play out of Souris, Man., will be named the Virden team’s head coach. He is expected to bring some of his coaching staff with him. Assistants with the Cougars were Brett Braybrook, Chad Leslie, Brad Vandenberghe and Bob Caldwell. The Cougars announced Monday that the coaching staff wouldn’t be returning.
The departure of the Saints will leave the Winnipeg Blues as the only junior A franchise left in the Manitoba capital.
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The NAHL’s Alexandria, Minn., Blizzard is moving to Brookings, S.D., where it will continue to be know as the Blizzard and play in a 2,000-seat facility. . . . Roman Augustoviz, over at the The Roman Empire blog, reports that the 28-team NAHL set an attendance record this season, drawing 1,128,098 fans, an average of 1,342 fans per game. . . . The Wenatchee Wild was third in attendance, averaging 3,028 for each of its 30 home games.
There’s more right here.
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Yesterday, you will recall, a list appeared here showing the five goaltenders who have scored goals in the WHL.
It turns out that one of those goaltenders didn’t even start the game in which he scored.
It turns out that Jeff Calvert was on the bench when the Tacoma Rockets began play against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Dec. 29, 1992.
Considering that his family lived in Moose Jaw and that there wasn’t an Internet back in the day, well, he apparently wasn’t very happy because his folks would be listening to Rob Carnie’s call of the game on CHAB but he wouldn’t be in the game.
Todd MacDonald was in goal for the Rockets when the game began, but it wasn’t long before Tacoma was down 3-0.
So, at 9:30 of the first period, out went MacDonald and in came Calvert and away went the Rockets.
“We ended up getting even and then getting the go-ahead goal,” recalls former Tacoma defenceman Dallas Thompson, now the GM of the Prince George Cougars. “The Moose Jaw goalie was pulled and history was made.”
Thompson remembers Carnie providing Calvert’s father, Bob, with a tape of the broadcast.
As Thompson puts it: “Pretty sure it was not emailed to his iPod.”
It could be, too, that as Thompson notes: “I would bet he was the only goalie in history to score in a game he never started.”
The Rockets, who trailed 4-0 at one point, won the game 6-4. It was their 17th straight victory on home ice, a streak that would reach 23.
By the way, Calvert also had an assist in that game.
Think about this for a second . . . he was a scrap away from a Gordie Howe hat trick, and how many goaltenders have one of those to their credit?
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Thanks to the reader who passed along a link to a Prime Sports Northwest video that shows G Olaf Kolzig of the Tri-City Americans scoring a goal against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Kolzig, it turns out, also had an assist in that game. So he, too, was a fight away from a Gordie Howe hat trick.
It was Nov. 29, 1989, and Kolzig was the first WHL goaltender to score a goal.
That link is right here and it's a good one. Enjoy!
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The Vancouver Giants have signed F Taylor Vickerman, 16, who was a sixth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. Vickerman, who is from Kennewick, Wash., played minor midget with the Cleveland Barons this season. He had 41 points in 61 games.
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The Western Conference final resumes tonight in Portland with the Winterhawks holding a 2-0 series lead over the Tri-City Americans. The first two games both went to OT. . . .

TUESDAY’S GAME:
In Moose Jaw, the Edmonton Oil Kings ran their winning streak to 22 straight as they beat the Warriors, 3-2. . . . Edmonton leads the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final, 3-0, with Game 4 in Moose Jaw tonight. . . . The Oil Kings have won 11 consecutive playoff games as they attempt to sweep their third straight series tonight. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit, the CHL’s goaltender of the week for each of the previous two weeks, stopped 30 shots in running his winning streak to 20 games. . . . In the playoffs, Brossoit is 11-0, 1.45, .949. . . . The game was 1-1 going into the second period when Edmonton F Curtis Lazar scored his seventh goal of the these playoffs, on the PP, at 1:44. . . . F Michael St. Croix added insurance at 5:48 of the third. . . . F James Henry got Moose Jaw to withing one at 15:33 of the third. . . . Moose Jaw G Luke Siemens stopped 20 shots. . . . Among the faces in the crowd — Brian Burke and Steve Yzerman.
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Ray Easterling, 62, committed suicide last week. The former Atlanta Falcons safety was among more than 1,000 players involved in lawsuits against the NFL over the way the league has handled concussion-related injuries.
“He had been feeling more and more pain. He felt like his brain was falling off. He was losing control,” his wife, Mary Ann, told foxsports.com. “He couldn’t remember things from five minutes ago. It was frightening, especially somebody who had all the plays memorized as a player when he stepped on the field.”
There is more right here.
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As well, there was another lawsuit filed against the NFL on Tuesday, this one including a number of former Dallas Cowboys. The NFL now is facing more than 50 such lawsuits that include more than 1,200 former players.
There is more right here on the latest lawsuit.


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