Doing some scattershooting ... Seattle's nightmare in Windsor continues ... Spitfires thrash WHL champs

Happiness is pic.twitter.com/bD1rxMOGxJ

— ken alpay (@ken19765) May 22, 2017

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I hope you caught at least the OT period in the IIHF World Championship game between Sweden and Canada from Cologne, Germany, on Sunday. The OT may have been the best hockey I have seen all of this season. There may not have been any goals, but there was a whole lot of action. It was hockey played the way it is meant to be played. It was wonderful.

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As for a tournament of such stature being decided by a shootout, let’s just say that in my mind Canada and Sweden shared the gold medal.

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RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com notes: “The wife of NFL cornerback Antonio Cromartie is pregnant. Currently Cromartie's offspring total 13 — or a dozen to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.”

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Every year around this time, I mention a pet peeve of mine, and this year is no different: Some things shouldn’t have a price tag on them, and the Memorial Cup is one of them. To have sold naming rights to the Memorial Cup is just wrong.

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The host Windsor Spitfires whipped the Seattle Thunderbirds 7-1 at the Memorial Cup on Sunday, in front of a crowd announced at 5,237. Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun points out that “should be embarrassing for Memorial Cup organizers. The WFCU Centre can hold 6,500 for hockey, but one end of the building had rows of empty seats. All due respect to the players participating, but ticket prices — singles are being sold for $75 for games not involving the host Spits and $90 when they are playing — are too high for major junior hockey.”

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In an interesting move, the Arizona Diamondbacks have come up with a promotion that allows fans to watch all 25 June and July home games for $50. By my math that’s $2 a game.

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Bench coach Rob Thomson managed the New York Yankees on Friday as they lost 5-4 to the host Tampa Bay Rays. Manager Joe Girardi was attending daughter Serena’s high school graduation. This was Thomson’s fourth stint as a fill-in manager with the Yankees. Thomson is from Sarnia, Ont., and is the first Canadian to manage an MLB game since George Gibson with the 1934 Pittsburgh Pirates. Gibson was from London, Ont.

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Can the Toronto Blue Jays ever be Canada’s team when they make themselves so easy to dislike?

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Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon Express: “Last week, the Jays solidified their grip as being the most disliked team in baseball. I wish people would quit saying Jose Bautista is an emotional player. He’s a jerk.”

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A note from Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan has filed divorce papers in Rhode Island, but jurisdiction figures to be a heated issue. Her soon-to-be ex wants the case heard in California, while she’s insisting on a French judge.”

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NBA star LeBron James apparently has threatened to sue a brewery in Cleveland for using a photo of him holding one of their beers without permission. Noted Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: “Someone should remind King James that he never obtained legal permission from the people who make that Bible.”

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On the subject of the NBA, do you think the league has a problem with its competitive balance? Aside from Sunday’s victory by the Boston Celtics over the Cleveland Cavaliers, that is.

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F John Lammers (Lethbridge, Everett, 2001-06) has signed a one-year extension with Innsbruck (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, in 55 games, he had 22 goals and 36 assists. He led his team in scoring and was fifth in the league scoring race. . . . 

F Robin Soudek (Edmonton, Chilliwack/Victoria, 2008-12) has signed a one-year extension with Epinal (France, Ligue Magnus). This season, he had 19 goals and 12 assists in 43 games. He led Epinal in goals and was second on the team in points. . . . 

F Michal Poletín (Regina, 2009-10) has signed a one-year extension with Piráti Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had 19 goals and eight assists in 52 games. . . . 

D Juraj Valach (Tri-City, Vancouver, Regina, Red Deer, 2006-08 has signed a one-year extension with Piráti Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had five goals and 13 assists in 51 games. . . .

F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) has signed a one-year contract with Epinal (France, Ligue Magnus). This season, with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite), he had a goal and four assists in six games, and he had three goals and 11 assists in 32 games with Frederikshavn (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). . . .

F Konstantin Pushkaryov (Calgary, 2004-05) has signed a one-year two-way extension with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). This season, he had three goals and nine assists in 32 games. . . . 

F Dylan Walchuk (Spokane, 2011-13) has signed a one-year contract with Odense (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). This season, he had eight goals and 14 assists in 28 games with the University of Calgary (CIS). . . .

D Nick Walters (Everett, Brandon, Lethbridge, 2010-15) has signed a one-year contract with Odense (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). This season, he had a goal and three assists in 34 games with the Rapid City Rush (ECHL).

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The host Windsor Spitfires exploded for three goals in a record-tying 38 seconds and went on to beat the WHL-champion Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-1, at the Memorial Cup on Sunday. . . . The Spitfires improved to 2-0 in the four-team competition, with the Thunderbirds slipping to 0-2. . . . The victory assures the Spitfires of at least a spot in the tournament’s semifinal game. . . . 

The Thunderbirds were done in by horrid puck management. They were in possession of the puck in their zone on each of the first three goals, only to turn it over. Only on the play that led to the first goal was Windsor’s forecheck a real factor. . . . The Spitfires tied a tournament record for fastest three goals. They now share that record with the New Westminster Bruins, who did it in 1978 against the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs. . . . The Bruins got second-period goals from F Scott McLeod (6:03), F Ken Barry (6:21) and McLeod again (6:41) en route to a 6-3 victory on May 11, 1978 in Sudbury, Ont. The Bruins actually scored four times in 52 seconds. . . . 

On Sunday, Windsor scored those three goals on six shots, sending Seattle G Carl Stankowski to the bench in the process. Stankowski had played through all 20 of his club’s WHL playoff games without being hooked. . . . When Stankowski left, G Rylan Toth, 21, who last played on March 11, entered the game. He left that March 11 game following the first period with an undisclosed injury and hadn’t even dressed for a game until Saturday when he was on the bench as Seattle lost 4-2 to the OHL-champion Erie Otters. . . . 

F Graham Knott got Windsor’s first goal, at 4:48 of the first period. . . . F Julius Nattinen made it 2-0 just 21 seconds later. . . . F Logan Brown upped the lead to 3-0 at 5:26. . . . At that point, Seattle was being outshot, 6-0. . . . The Thunderbirds got on the scoreboard at 13:34 of the second period on a goal from F Keegan Kolesar. . . . Windsor responded with the game’s last four goals. . . . Nattinen, on a PP, restored the three-goal lead, at 18:24. . . . Knott, on another PP, added his second of the game, 33 seconds into the third period. . . . F Jeremiah Addison made it 6-1 at 3:48. He’s got two goals in the tournament. . . . Windsor F Jeremy Bracco completed the scoring with his second goal of the tournament, at 13:07. . . . Knott added an assist to his pair of goals, while Bracco had two helpers. . . .

G Michael DePietro blocked 24 shots for Windsor. . . . Stankowski gave up three goals on six shots, with Toth surrendering four on 22. . . . Windsor was 2-6 on the PP; Seattle was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 5,237. The facility holds 6,500. . . . OHL teams now have won 11 straight Memorial Cup games. The last time an OHL team lost in the tournament was in the 2014 final when the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Guelph Storm, 6-3. . . . On Monday, Erie (1-0) meets the QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs (0-1), at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET). . . . The Thunderbirds (0-2) are scheduled to play the Sea Dogs on Tuesday.

Tim Pigulski of 710 ESPN Seattle had a piece right here on the goaltending decision facing Thunderbirds head coach Steve Konowalchuk before Tuesday . . . 

Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has a game story right here.

If you click right here, Tbird Tidbits explains the situation in which the Thunderbirds now find themselves.

Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun has a game story right here in which he points out that the Thunderbirds have played 94 games this season and this was the worst loss they have suffered.

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CHL fun fact: All of the American cities in the WHL are north of Windsor.

— Scott Sepich (@SSepich) May 21, 2017

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Otters bite Thunderbirds at Memorial Cup ... Stankowski solid in goal ... Spitfires next for Seattle

The OHL-champion Erie Otters opened the Memorial Cup with a 4-2 victory over the WHL-champion Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday in Windsor, Ont., in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would seem to indicate. . . . G Carl Stankowski was Seattle’s best player, finishing with 31 saves and giving his side a chance to win a game in which Erie really was the better team. . . . In the first two periods, Erie outshot Seattle, 12-8 and 17-6. . . . Still, the teams were tied 2-2 going into the third period. . . . Erie F Alex DeBrincat opened the scoring, on a PP, at 5:40 of the second period. . . . Seattle tied it at 9:01 as F Scott Eansor scored. Eansor, a left-hand shot, beat G Troy Timpano off the rush from the right faceoff dot. . . . Erie went back out front at 17:59 as D Jordan Sambrook walked out of a corner, took the puck to the net and stuffed it past Stankowski. . . . At that point, Erie had a 16-4 edge in second-period shots. . . . The Thunderbirds tied it with 52.6 seconds left to play as D Austin Strand moved in from a point and scored over Timpano’s catching mitt. . . . Erie F Dylan Strome broke the tie at 1:36 of the third period, as he scored off the rush. He drove to the net, eluded the checking of F Keegan Kolesar and somehow backhanded a pass from F Taylor Raddysh past Stankowski. . . . F Christian Girhiny iced it with an empty-netter at 18:41. . . . Timpano finished with 18 saves. . . . Erie was 1-3 on the PP; Seattle was 0-2. . . . Announced attendance: 5,259, and there were a lot of empty seats. . . . G Rylan Toth, 20, was in uniform for Seattle for the first time since March 11. Toth, who led all WHL goaltenders in regular-season victories (36), played the first period against the Portland Winterhawks on March 11, stopped all 11 shots he faced and then was removed for what Taking Note was told at the time was precautionary reasons. He hasn’t played since then. . . . G Matt Berlin, who was on the bench for all 20 of Seattle’s WHL playoff games, was scratched to make room in the lineup for Toth. . . . F Haydn Hopkins, 20, was among Erie’s scratches. He has played 53 regular-season WHL games, split among the Saskatoon Blades, Prince George Cougars and Vancouver Giants. He had three goals and seven assists in those games. Hopkins, who is from Victoria, had a goal and three assists in 31 games with Erie last season. This season, he was pointless in four games, before adding two goals and an assist in 10 playoff games. . . . F Landon Quinney, who turned 19 on April 27, is on the Saint John Sea Dogs’ roster but hasn’t played since undergoing an appendectomy late in the regular season. He had a goal and seven assists in 35 regular-season games. Last season, he had three goals and 13 assists in 69 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Thunderbirds (0-1) are back at it today (Sunday) when they meet the host Spitfires (1-0) at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET). Windsor opened the tournament on Friday with a 3-2 victory over the QMJHL-champion Sea Dogs.

Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has a game story right here.

Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun was there, too, and filed this story right here.

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Mike Babcock, the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, stopped by the Memorial Cup on Saturday. This right here is worth a watch/listen.

Love this. True at the lower levels as well. Nothing wrong with slow and steady. pic.twitter.com/vEOcePco5B

— Cody Nickolet (@CodyNickolet) May 20, 2017

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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

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Hockey Canada votes for zero tolerance!

Hockey Canada did it!
The governing body of hockey — other than major junior — in Canada came out strongly against headshots as its annual general meeting wrapped up in Calgary on Saturday.
Hockey Canada’s board of directors decided that there will be “zero tolerance” for headshots — meaning all and any contact with the head — in minor, female and senior hockey.
According to a Hockey Canada news release that was issued upon the AGM’s conclusion:
“In minor and female hockey, a minor penalty shall be assessed for all accidental hits to the head, while a double minor penalty, or a major and game misconduct at the discretion of the referee based on the degree of violence of impact, shall be assessed for any intentional contact to the head;
“In junior (Junior A, B, C, D) and senior hockey, a minor and a misconduct or a major and a game misconduct shall be assessed for all checks to the head, at the discretion of the referee;
“A major penalty and a game misconduct, or match penalty, shall be assessed to any player who injures an opponent under this rule.”
This is exciting news because it means that at least some of the people who call the shots for the game of hockey are paying attention and realize what is going on in terms of head injuries and the impact they are having.
The fact that Hockey Canada has made this decision means it immediately will begin educating the youngest minor hockey players and they should move through the system playing the game the right way.
Hopefully there will come a time when we look back on May 28, 2011, as the day the tide turned.
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It sounds as though the IIHF also will be taking a long, hard look at the issue of head contact.
IIHF vice-president Murray Costello told Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald:
“President (Rene) Fasel of the IIHF has said from the beginning that there’s no such thing as a clean hit to the head.
“One of the worrisome things in all of our consultations was to get head injuries out of our game. There’s no room for it. But we have to come down hard and fast in a zero tolerance way.
“This will be welcomed that Canada is taking a stronger initiative. That will cause the (IIHF) to consider getting more serious and making tougher rules there, too.”
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Also of note from the Hockey Canada AGM:
The host communities were named for various events, with Langley, B.C., getting the 2011 World Junior A Challenge.
During the 2012-13 season, the WJAC will be held in Yarmouth, N.S., with the Esso Cup in Burnaby, B.C., the TELUS Cup in Sault Ste. Marie, and the RBC Cup in Summerside, P.E.I.
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Over the last two weeks, Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post has written extensively about Derek Boogaard and his death on May 13.
For one story, Vanstone spoke with a professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Here is the start of that story:
The kind of blows that led to Derek Boogaard's final concussion should be eradicated, according to an authority on head trauma.
"I think fighting should be eliminated," states Dr. David Dodick, a professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic and the president of the American Headache Association.
"How can I say that when you elbow me in the head you're going to be suspended for 10 games with a $100,000 fine, yet I can drop the gloves and you can drop the gloves and I can punch you 10 times in the head? There's an incongruence there. It's mutually contradictory that you can eliminate head hits, but you can implicitly condone fighting."
Vanstone’s complete story is right here.
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Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun takes a look at Friday night’s Memorial Cup semifinal game between the host Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors and the WHL-champion Kootenay Ice right here.
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Koshan also touched base with Robert Savard, who remains the only player to win back-to-back-to-back Memorial Cups, a feat that F Justin Shugg of the St. Michael’s Majors hopes to equal today. That story is right here.
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Three WHL players were selected in the KHL draft on Saturday. F Marek Tvrdon of the Vancouver Giants was taken in the second round, 26th overall, by the Slovakian club Poprad. He was Poprad’s first pick. . . . D Matt Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels was selected in the third round, 60th overall, by Vityaz Chekhov, which took Prince Albert Raiders F Mark McNeil in the fifth round, 112th overall. Vityaz Chekhov used the fifth overall selection to take F Jonathan Huberdeau of the QMJHLs Saint John Sea Dogs.
If you’re so inclined, there is a translated version of the draft right here.
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Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun was in Red Deer on Friday night as the 1963 and 1966 Edmonton Oil Kings were inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. That story is right here.
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I first met Tom Thompson in the mid-1970s when I was working at the late, great Winnipeg Tribune and he was involved with the Manitoba Junior Baseball League. We still run into one another from time to time, and always have a grand conversation.
An aspiring lawyer, he also was dabbling in hockey. Eventually, hockey would win out and he has since worked with the Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers. These days, he scouts for the Rangers.
What I didn’t know until now is that he also has entered the blogosphere. If you weren’t aware, he has been blogging for The Hockey News, and you should check him out right here.
His most recent entry, on the gathering of the hockey community to say goodbye to Derek Boogaard, is most poignant.
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In Houston on Saturday, F Jim O’Brien (Seattle, 2007-09) scored on a delayed penalty at 7:54 of OT to give the Binghamton Senators a 2-1 victory over the Aeros. . . . The AHL’s championship final for the Calder Cup is 1-1 — the Aeros won 3-1 on Friday — with Game 3 in Binghamton on Wednesday. . . . O’Brien was selected 29th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2009 NHL draft. . . . Attendance at the Toyota Center was 9,002, a franchise record for a playoff game. . . . The Aeros are the AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild. . . . They’ll play Games 4 and 5 in Binghamton on Friday and Saturday. . . . If they need to continue beyond that, Game 6 is scheduled for Houston on Tuesday, June 7, with Game 7 there on Thursday, June 9.
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If you have access to SiriusXM Satellite Radio, you’re in luck.
Games 4, 6 and 7 are scheduled for Sirius 207 and XM 92. Game 4 is to start at 4 p.m. PT, with Game 6 and 7 both at 5 p.m. PT.

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

Saturday . . .

Jeff Z. Klein of The New York Times offers more insight into Derek Boogaard as he speaks with former Medicine Hat Tigers GM/head coach Willie Desjardins and Doris Sullivan, a billet mom from Medicine Hat.
How big was Boogaard?
Sullivan remembers Boogaard coming home after one game leaning against the refrigerator.
“He rested his arm on top of the refrigerator,” she said. “On top — that’s how big he was.”
Klein’s piece is right here.
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Jennifer Graham of The Canadian Press attended Derek Boogaard’s funeral in Regina on Saturday. Her report is right here.
———Robin Short of the St. John’s Telegram reports that the deal is done and the AHL’s Manitoba Moose will be relocating to the Newfoundland capital. That story is right here. (It should be noted that the Moose owners have denied that a deal is in place.)
———Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun field a Day 1 notebook from the Memorial Cup. He opens with criticism of the on-ice officials. That piece is right here.
If you missed it, the Owen Sound Attack beat the Kootenay Ice 5-0 on Saturday in the Memorial Cup opener for both teams. Ice G Nathan Lieuwen kept this one from being worse than it was, especially in the game's second half.
To make matters worse, the Ice lost D Brayden McNabb, the team captain, to an elbowing major for a hit on F Joey Hishon. McNabb almost certainly will draw at least a one-game suspension, meaning he wouldn't play tonight against the host Mississauga St. Michael's Majors.
If the Portland Winterhawks were watching this one, they had to be wondering why that Ice team didn't show up for any of the games in the WHL final.
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From Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal:
Hockey Canada may announce a world junior head coach shortly after the Memorial Cup. Don Hay of the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants is the leading candidate. One junior coach who has definitely popped onto Hockey Canada’s radar for future junior assignments is Swift Current Broncos coach-GM Mark Lamb, who assisted Mike Williamson (Calgary Hitmen) on Canada’s world under-18 squad in Germany last month. “I was really impressed with Mark’s preparation and how he related to the kids,” said Hockey Canada chief scout Kevin Prendergast. Leduc’s Williamson is definitely an up-and-comer, too. Don’t be surprised if he’s coaching somebody’s American Hockey League team soon.
Read more of Matheson’s hockey world right here.
———JUST NOTES: The Alaska Aces won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup on Saturday night, beating the host Kalamazoo Wings 5-3 to take the championship final, 4-1. F Chris Langkow (Spokane, Saskatoon, Everett, 2005-2010) had two goals for the Aces. . . . Brett Larson will be introduced Monday as the head coach of the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers. He had been an associate coach at the U of Minnesota-Duluth. . . . The Dubuque Fighting Saints won the USHL’s Clark Cup on Saturday, beating the visiting Green Bay Gamblers, 6-1, to win the best-of-five final, 3-1. What is nifty about this story is that the Fighting Saints were an expansion franchise when the season began.

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

It sure does sound as though at least a couple of QMJHL teams are going to be on the move once this season draws to a close. It could be that the province of Prince Edward Island will lose one team but gain another. There is more right here.
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It turns out that the website on the Lethbridge Maple Leafs that was mentioned here earlier this week is the work of Trevor Esau and his son, Darcen. They also have another site dedicated to hockey history. It is right here. Feel free to check it out and, once you do, don’t forget to bookmark it. . . . Make sure you find the photo of the 1970-71 Lethbridge Sugar Kings. There is Lanny McDonald, without the ’stache, and, yes, that is John Chapman kneeling in the front.
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Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun was at the Top Prospects game on Wednesday night and he had Red Deer Rebels F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as the best player on the ice. Koshan’s report from the Air Canada Centre is right here. . . . The attendance? One can only assume the hockey fans stayed at home to watch their Maple Leafs lost to the Rangers in New York. And how did that go?
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They are the mostly unsung heroes of the WHL. They are the off-ice officials. About the only time you hear about them is when a coach is upset over the shots on goal.
Which is why congratulations are in order to Ken Thomas, who is an off-ice official with the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash.
Thomas, who does it all from being a goal judge to spotter to penalty box attendant, has been named Kent’s new Chief of Police. The announcement was made Wednesday by Kent Mayor Suzzette Cooke.
Chief Thomas will be sworn in sometime in the next two weeks. Presently a captain of the 185-member department, he is a 22-year veteran of policing. He also serves on the Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation and is on the foundation’s grant review committee. As well, he makes an annual presentation to Seattle players on public safety.
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Some folks were tweeting earlier today about WHL products on NHL rosters, and someone noted that every NHL team but one has a WHLer on its roster. That one, it was noted, was the New Jersey Devils. . . . The Devils do have one WHLer out with a long-term injury — D Bryce Salvador (Lethbridge, 1992-97) hasn’t played this season because of a concussion.
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The MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders, who play out of Swan River, have signed head coach Dwayne Kirkup to an extension that will run through 2012-13. He was the MJHL’s coach of the year in 2009-10, his first season with the Stampeders. . . . Kirkup is from Souris, Man., which also produced the likes of Andy Murray, Garry Davidson and Glen (Ab) Williamson, all of whom have had good runs in hockey at one level or another.
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One WHL player had his truck stolen on Wednesday afternoon. Which is why police officers regularly tell people not to leave their vehicles running, even when you are going to be away only for a minute or two. Read all about this incident right here.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, goaltenders Thomas Heemskerk and Brandon Stone combined for 20 saves as the Warriors blanked the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-0. . . . Heemskerk stopped 19 shots over 59:06, with Stone coming on to make one save in the final 54 seconds. . . . Moose Jaw head coach Dave Hunchak made the goaltending change as play got chippy late in the third period. . . . F Quinton Howden scored twice for the Warriors, giving him 27. . . . D Dylan McIlrath drew three assists, while F Sebastian Svendsen had two. . . . The teams combined for 104 penalty minutes, with 64 of those going to Lethbridge. . . . The Hurricanes have been blanked six times this season; the Warriors have put up three shutouts, with Heemskerk and Stone sharing two of them — both at home against Lethbridge. . . . The Crushed Can was rocking with 2,807 fans in the building. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Spencer Main had four assists and G Adam Brown stopped 30 shots as the Rockets dumped the Prince George Cougars, 6-2. . . . F Cody Chikie scored his eighth and ninth goals of the season, getting both in the first period to help the Rockets take a 3-0 lead. . . . Chikie’s second goal, at 13:00, sent G Ty Rimmer to the bench in favor of James Priestner. Chikie stopped six of nine; Priestner 17 of 20. . . . Attendance was 6,061. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Connor Rankin had a goal and two assists and G Drew Owsley earned his third shutout this season as the host Tri-City Americans blanked the Kamloops Blazers, 5-0. . . . The Americans were leading 1-0, on D Paul Sohor’s second goal, when F Carter Ashton and Rankin scored 19 seconds apart in the second period. . . . Owsley stopped 21 shots, only two in the third period, in earning his eighth career shutout and his 25th victory this season. . . . The Blazers were without injured forwards Jordan DePape, Thomas Frazee, Bernhard Keil and Chase Schaber, then lost C Dalibor Bortnak to an undisclosed injury in the third period. That left them with eight forwards on their bench. . . . The Americans have won 12 straight home games. . . . Kamloops D Josh Caron may hear from the WHL office after being hit with a spearing major and game misconduct in the third period. . . . Kamloops took 45 of the 59 penalty minutes handed out by referee Jason Nissen. . . . Attendance was 3,812. . . . The Blazers wrapped up the U.S. portion of their road schedule with the game. The Americans have yet to play in Kamloops this season.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
D Daniel Johnston, Lethbridge
D Reid Jackson, Lethbridge

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