Showing posts with label Tim Bozon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tim Bozon. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Conference finals all tied up ... Series resume Friday ... Kelowna d-man gets NHL deal

Scattershoot

Looking for a good read today? Check out this piece right here by Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star, who takes a look back at the Blue Jays’ crazy Tuesday night victory and ahead to today’s doubleheader.
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A number of major junior players have signed NHL contracts over the past month or so. I’ve always wondered just how thrilled their junior coaches are to have this stuff going on at this time of the season.
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The next head coach of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips? How about Mark Holick? Holick, who spent this season in Italy, and Everett GM Garry Davidson go back to their days in the BCHL. In fact, they won a silver medal together with the BCHL team at the 2002 Viking Cup in Camrose, Alta. Holick, of course, has ample WHL experience, having been the head coach with the Kootenay Ice and Prince George Cougars.
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G Zach Sawchenko has already played four seasons in the WHL, so what’s left for him to prove with the Moose Jaw Warriors? I would suggest that he is showing maturity beyond his years with his decision to start the next chapter in his life by attending the U of Alberta and starting work on a business degree. If a professional contract shows up four years down the road, he’ll still be there.
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Unlike the rest of us, the WHL is much younger than it used to be. You can bet its teams will be hoping that no other 20-year-olds choose to follow Sawchenko’s example and leave with a year of eligibility remaining.
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As you will note in The MacBeth Report, former WHLer Tim Bozon is leaving North America to play next season in Switzerland. It could be that Bozon, a third-round selection by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 draft, never was the same after surviving a near-fatal run-in with Neisseria meningitis three years ago. You will recall that the WHL set up a trust fund and solicited donations from its fans on behalf of the Bozon family, but never did let those same fans know just how much money was raised.
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ESPN lopped somewhere around 100 folks from its payroll on Wednesday and some of them, like Jayson Stark and Ed Werder, were the best in the business at what they were doing. Of course, ESPN also dumped most of its NHL writers despite the fact the playoffs are in full swing. . . . In Vancouver, the Sun and Province newspapers don’t have a football writer between them, and they actually had a freelancer write the sports lead for Sunday’s Vancouver Sun Run, an event that drew around 40,000 runners. . . . My point? Don’t think for a minute that there is any rhyme or reason to the chopping when the axe starts falling.
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For a good read on exactly what ESPN’s cuts mean to the NHL and hockey in the U.S., check out this piece right here from Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star.
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Do you think anyone is enjoying these NHL playoffs more than Nashville Predators D P.K. Subban?
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 F Tim Bozon (Kamloops, Kootenay, 2011-15) has signed a one-year contract with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A). This season, with the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL), he had eight goals and seven assists in 43 games. He also had three goals and three assists in 14 games with the Manchester Monarchs (ECHL). . . .
F Dylan Stanley (Tri-City, 2000-05) has signed a one-year extension with Feldkirch (Austria, Alps HL). This season, in 40 games, he had 19 goals and 38 assists. He led the league in assists and points.
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 As you will know from Tuesday’s news, G Zach Sawchenko has decided to leave the Moose Jaw Warriors, rather than return for his 20-year-old season, and start working towards a business degree at the U of Alberta in Edmonton, where he will play for the Golden Bears. . . . Greg Ballock of ingoalmag.com spoke with Sawchenko and that conversation, which explains a lot, is right here. . . . It is quite apparent that attending the 2016 NHL draft in Buffalo and not being selected, despite being one of the WHL’s top goaltenders, weighed heavily on Sawchenko and influenced this decision.
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D Devante Stephens of the Kelowna Rockets has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres, who selected him in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2015 draft. Stephens, 19, is from Surrey, B.C. He has played three seasons with the Rockets, totalling 57 points, including 19 goals, in 203 regular-season games. This season, he put up career highs in goals (13), assists (22) and points, all in 67 games. . . . Interestingly, the Sabres were able to sign Stephens despite not having a general manager in place; Tim Murray was fired last week.
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The OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads are the first CHL team to advance to a league final. They got there last night by beating the Peterborough Petes, 7-0, to sweep the Eastern Conference final. . . . In the other series, Kris Knoblauch’s Erie Otters posted a 4-3 victory over the host Owen Sound Attack, who are coached by Ryan McGill. That series is tied, 2-2, with Game 5 in Erie on Friday. . . . In the QMJHL, the host Chicoutimi Sagueneens beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 4-3 to tie that series, 2-2. They’ll play Game 5 on Friday in Saint John. . . . In the other series, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada posted a 4-2 victory over the visiting Charlottetown Islanders to take a 3-1 lead. That series will resume on Saturday in Charlottetown.
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Joey Burke is the new general manager of the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs. Burke has been with the IceDogs since their inaugural season, when he was the goaltending scout. He was named assistant GM in 2010 and remained in that position until prior to this season, when he was named director of player personnel. . . . Burke’s brother, Billy Jr., is an assistant coach with the IceDogs, who are owned by their parents, Denise and Bill Burke.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:


At Kelowna, the Rockets erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals en route to a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Western Conference final is tied, 2-2, with Game 5 scheduled for Friday in
NOLAN FOOTE
Kent, Wash. . . . The teams will return to Kelowna for Game 6 on Sunday. . . . Last night, the Thunderbirds, who lost for the first time in six road games in these playoffs, thought they had taken an early 1-0 lead, but the goal was disallowed, officials ruling that a Seattle player in the Kelowna crease had kicked the puck into the net. . . . Shortly after that, at 3:09, F Ryan Gropp (3) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, on a PP. . . . The Rockets tied it when F Nolan Foote scored his first WHL playoff goal, on a PP, at 8:34, then took the lead just 28 seconds later as F Kole Lind scored his sixth goal. . . . F Nick Merkley (5) gave the Rockets a 3-1 lead at 2:40 of the second period, and F Tomas Soustal (4) made it 4-1 at 4:29 of the third. . . . F Scott Eansor (4) got Seattle to within two goals at 10:54. . . . The Rockets got two assists from F Dillon Dube and one each from Foote, Lind, Soustal and Merkley. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 27 shots to earn the victory. . . . Seattle G Carl Stankowski kicked out 31 shots in another stellar performance. . . . The Rockets held a 15-2 edge in shots in the second period, but only scored once. . . . Seattle was 1-3 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-5. . . . In the four games, Kelowna is 6-25 on the PP, with the Thunderbirds 4-11. . . . Kelowna F Reid Gardiner, who leads all playoff skaters in goals (15) and points (27), was held pointless for a second straight game. . . . The Thunderbirds were forced to scratch D Ethan Bear, who blocked a shot, perhaps with a hand, late in Game 3 on Tuesday and wasn’t able to go. . . . D Austin Strand got more playing time as he got what would have been Bear’s PP time. . . . Announced attendance: 5,063.
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At Lethbridge, F Adam Brooks and D Connor Hobbs each had a goal and two assists to lead the Regina Pats to a 6-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Eastern Conference final is tied, 2-2, with Game 5
BRAYDON BUZIAK
scheduled for Regina on Friday night. . . . They’ll return to Lethbridge for Game 6 on Sunday. . . . Last night, Regina took a 1-0 lead as F Braydon Buziak scored his first WHL playoff goal at 9:53 of the first period. . . . Lethbridge tied it at 2:21 of the second period as F Dylan Cozens scored his third goal. . . . Regina went back out front at 9:00 on F Jeff de Wit’s third goal. . . . F Ryan Vandervlis (6) pulled Lethbridge even again, at 9:34. . . . The Pats took control with two late second-period goals, Brooks (5) scoring at 18:06 and F Dawson Leedahl (10) counting at 19:16. . . . Hobbs (4), on a PP, at 7:53, and F Wyatt Sloboshan (3), into an empty net, at 17:04, added goals for the Pats. . . . F Sam Steel had two assists for the Pats, with Sloboshan getting one. . . . Regina got 24 stops from G Tyler Brown, while Stuart Skinner turned aside 28 shots for Lethbridge. . . . The Pats, who had the regular-season’s top PP unit, were 0-9 in the series. They went 1-4 in this one. . . . Lethbridge was 0-2 on the PP. . . . The Pats scratched F Austin Wagner, who left in the second period of Tuesday’s game, apparently after having absorbed a slash. His absence means Regina now is without three regulars, as F Jake Leschyshyn and D Dawson Davidson have long-term injuries. . . . With Wagner out, de Wit slid into the spot alongside Brooks and F Filip Ahl. . . . F Matt Alfaro again was missing from Lethbridge’s lineup. . . . Announced attendance: 5,203.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Regina, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)
Kelowna vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:14 PM
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Saturday, April 18, 2015

McDavid as a d-man? . . . OT rules in WHL playoffs . . . Thunder booms at Allan Cup

With apologies to Blackie Sherrod, we’re scatter shooting on a Saturday evening:
1. There I was sitting at a counter in a DQ, enjoying a cup of coffee while my wife did the crossword puzzle in Saturday’s Vancouver Sun. I was tracking the NHL draft lottery on my tablet and wondering if the NHL intentionally created such humour.
2. Of course, the last thing the Edmonton Oilers, who won the lottery, need is another highly skilled forward. Perhaps they will select F Connor McDavid of the OHL’s Erie Otters and turn him into a defenceman?
3. Here’s a post-lottery tweet from Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports that says it all: “So Connor McDavid will go to #Oilers, who forced @ErieOtters owner Sherry Bassin to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. No justice. #OHL.”
4. Do you recall the comments by then-Vancouver Canucks head coach John Tortorella after his infamous dash towards the Calgary Flames dressing room last season? After that incident, he said of Flames head coach Bob Hartley: “I don’t like the way he does business.” . . . You can bet that wherever Tortorella was on Friday night, he was nodding his head.
5. If you’re like me, you’re wondering how much of that $50,000 fine will come out of Hartley’s pocket?
6. The WHL playoffs are almost through two rounds, and 21 of 61 games have gone to overtime. Unfortunately, these playoffs haven’t been as close as that might seem to indicate. To date, only three of 11 series have needed more than five games to decide. If Portland wins tonight in Everett, that will be three of 12.
7. If you’re a fan of the Portland Winterhawks, you have to like the way these playoffs are shaping up. The Winterhawks, who have been to four straight WHL finals, are relatively healthy, while the other four teams still standing — Brandon, Calgary, Everett and Kelowna — all have had injury issues. It could be, though, that the Rockets are getting healthy at just the right time.
8. You can bet that Brandon, Calgary and Kelowna, none of whom is likely to play before Friday, will make good use of the off days, simply by resting those players with bumps and bruises and worse.
9. There is speculation that Mike Johnston, who had so much success as the GM and head coach of the Winterhawks, is on the hot seat as his first season as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins winds down. . . . If you think that’s crazy, there is speculation that the Boston Bruins’ brain trust is giving at least some consideration to firing head coach Claude Julien and hiring Mike Milbury to replace him. . . . Peter Chiarelli, the GM the Bruins fired the other day, had three years left on his contract.
10. A Saturday night tweet from Randy Turner of the Winnpeg Free Press: “I don't know why media keeps asking MacT if he'll trade McDavid. The Edmonton Oilers would never trade the best hockey player in the world.”
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F Maximilian Kammerer (Regina, 2013-14) has signed a three-year contract with Düsseldorf (Germany, DEL). This season, with Red Bull Salzburg II (Austria, Russia MHL), he had five goals and eight assists in 35 games.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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G Steve Christie, a 30-year-old Winnipegger, stopped 27 shots on Saturday, leading the South East Prairie Thunder to a 2-0 victory over the Bentley, Alta., Generals in the Allan Cup final in Clarenville, Nfld. The Allan Cup was awarded for the 107th time. . . . The Prairie Thunder, which plays out of Steinbach, Man., will be host team for the 2016 Allan Cup tournament. . . . The goals came from F Mark Agnew, a 32-year-old native of Hartney, Man., who played four seasons at Quinnipiac U, and F Shawn Limpright, 33, who is from St. Adolphe, Man., and played four seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Thunder’s lineup also included F Terry Yake, who played three seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings before going on to a pro career that included 403 games in the NHL. Yake had an assist in the final, giving him a goal and two assists in four tournament games. Yake is 46 years of age. . . . The scoresheet from the final game is right here.
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The Kelowna Rockets advanced to the third round of the WHL playoffs on Friday night and now await the winner of the ongoing series between the Portland Winterhawks and Everett Silvertips. Portland takes a 3-1 lead into Everett tonight. . . . Should the next round feature Kelowna and Portland, Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier writes that the Rockets could be “heavy favourites to avenge last year’s loss.” His reasoning? “Portland has a couple elite talents up front in Oliver Bjorkstrand and Nic Petan, but the tables have been turned on the back end, with Kelowna now boasting a clear advantage with (Josh) Morrissey in the fold. If (Leon) Draisaitl can pick up where he left off against Victoria, then the Rockets will be heavy favourites to avenge last year’s loss.”
Fisher’s story is right here.
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Here’s Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune, before the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the host New York Rangers 4-3 on Saturday:
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in tough in their first-round NHL playoff series with the New York Rangers, who owned the league's best record in the regular season (53-22-7). According to a column in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, first-year coach Mike Johnston — the former Winterhawks general manager/head coach — is on the hot seat if the Penguins lose.
"Mike Johnston should survive. He probably won't," writes columnist Rob Rossi, blaming the Penguins' late-season swoon on injuries and a poor job of salary-cap management by general manager Jim Rutherford.
If the Penguins axe Johnston, the Winterhawks would be wise to welcome him back with open arms.
Johnston's replacement, Jamie Kompon, has done a capable job coaching the Hawks into the WHL's Western Conference semifinals. But Johnston did a sensational job in his six years in Portland, resurrecting a woebegone franchise that was a laughingstock when he arrived in 2008.
Keeping Kompon as coach and bringing back Johnston as the club's GM would be a win-win for everybody.
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Jack Brodsky, a former owner of the Saskatoon Blades, will be presented with the Saskatchewan Order of Merit on May 13 in Regina. . . . Before the Blades were sold to Edmonton-based auto dealer Mike Priestner prior to the 2013-14 season, Brodsky was prominent in WHL circles. He was the Blades’ president and governor, and served on numerous WHL committees. . . .
F Tim Bozon (Kootenay Ice) made his pro debut with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs last night. Bozon, who played out his junior eligibility this season, was pointless but had six shots on goal as the host Bulldogs dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the Lake Erie Monsters. Bozon had a chance to win the game in OT but Monster G Calvin Pickard came up with a tremendous save. . . . Kootenay D Rinat Valiev also made his debut last night. He was plus-1 as his Toronto Marlies beat the host Rockford IceHogs, 3-1.
F Cole Ully (Kamloops Blazers) was pointless as the Texas Stars scored a 4-3 OT victory over the San Antonio Rampage. It was Ully’s second pro game; he picked up an assist in a 3-2 victory on Friday night. Ully, who has signed with the parent Dallas Stars, is headed home to Calgary today. . . . BTW, former Kamloops F Brendan Ranford scored the OT goal for Texas last night.
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What is it like to be part of a family in which one individual is trying to cope with post-concussion syndrome? Kristin Reed has had six of these brain injuries, all while playing sports. She is 15 years of age. She yearns for a headache-free day. . . . Brandon Stoneburg of the Norristown, Pa., Times Herald has Stewart’s story right here.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:09 PM
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Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Happy birthday to Wonder Woman! . . . Tigers writing quite a story . . . Stewart off Great Britain's roster

It is Wonder Woman’s birthday today (April 9). If you have been following her story over the past 18 months, you know that she really is our Wonder Woman. She’s not on Twitter or Facebook, but feel free to send her birthday greetings at ddrinnan52@gmail.com. . . . I know she’ll yell at me for doing this, but it’ll be worth it to see the look on her face when she checks her email.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers aren’t much for bragging, but what they have accomplished of late is worth examining.
At the turn of the century, the Tigers were — let’s be honest — a mess.
In four straight seasons (1993-97), the Tigers won 29, 33, 38 and 30 games, enough to get them into the playoffs each season. But in those playoffs, they went 2-15 and were first-round losers each time.
But that was nothing compared to what awaited them.
You may recall that the Tigers missed the playoffs in each of the next five seasons (1997-2002), winning 16, 15, 21, 24 and 30 regular-season games.
Obviously, though, management used that time to settle on a plan, put it into action, and see it through. The right people were hired and put into place and allowed to do whatever it is that they do best.
The results have been terrific.
The Tigers are in the playoffs now for a 13th straight season. In those 13 springs, they have left in the first round on only one occasion — in 2008, after going 43-22-7, they were bounced in five games by the Kootenay Ice. That was hardly an upset, though, as the Central Division featured four teams with more than 90 regular-season points. The Calgary Hitmen finished first, with 47 victories and 99 points, followed by the Lethbridge Hurricane (45 and 96), Medicine Hat (43 and 93) and Kootenay (42 and 92).
Six times in those 13 seasons, the Tigers have gone out in the second round. They have lost the Eastern Conference final on three occasions. Twice, in 2004 and 2007, the Tigers won the WHL championship.
On Friday, they will be at home as they open a second-round series with the Hitmen.
Since shaking off the black cloud, the Tigers have come to be known as a team that plays the game the right way. They love to deploy a fleet of small, skilled forwards who love nothing more than to forecheck an opponent into submission. They employ defencemen with size who can move the puck. And for three seasons now their last line of defence has been Czech goaltender Marek Langhamer. If the CHL doesn’t come to its senses and drop the embargo, Langhamer is destined to be the answer to a trivia question — who was the last European goaltender to play in the WHL?
Still, no matter what happens over the rest of these WHL playoffs, it is obvious that Medicine Hat, which will vacate the Arena and move into the new Regional Event Centre in time for next season, has become one of the WHL’s model franchises.
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It isn’t as easy as one might think to get at least into the second round of the WHL playoffs with any kind of regularity. With the Medicine Hat Tigers in the playoffs for a 13th straight season and into the second round for a seventh straight spring, here’s a look at the 22 teams and their active streaks (consecutive seasons in playoffs, followed by consecutive seasons into at least the second round):
Brandon, 2 and 2.
Calgary, 4 and 1.
Edmonton, 5 and 0.
Everett, 12 and 1.
Kamloops, 0 and 0.
Kelowna, 8 and 3.
Kootenay, 17 and 0.
Lethbridge, 0 and 0.
Medicine Hat, 13 and 7.
Moose Jaw, 0 and 0.
Portland, 6 and 6.
Prince Albert, 0 and 0.
Prince George, 1 and 0.
Red Deer, 1 and 0.
Regina, 2 and 1.
Saskatoon, 0 and 0.
Seattle, 3 and 0.
Spokane, 9 and 0.
Swift Current, 3 and 0.
Tri-City, 12 and 0.
Vancouver, 0 and 0.
Victoria, 6 and 2.
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F Liam Stewart of the Spokane Chiefs has a shoulder injury so won’t play for Great Britain in the IIHF Division I Group B World champoinship in Eindhoven, Netherlands. That tournament runs from April 13-19. . . . Great Britain has added F Craig Peacock of the Belfast Giants to fill the spot meant for Stewart, 20. “Liam is so disappointed not to be coming but he has picked up a shoulder injury,” Pete Russell, Great Britain’s head coach, is quoted as saying at icehockeyuk.co.uk. “He has just had a really intense playoff series, including (Tuesday) night’s game which went to triple overtime, and his injury means he will not be able to travel. It is a shame for the lad but I am sure his time will come again in the future.”
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Three players from the Kootenay Ice were reassigned by NHL teams on Tuesday, two days after the team’s season ended. . . . F Sam Reinhart is off to the Rochester Americans, the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. Reinhart, the second overall pick in the NHL’s 2014 draft, opened the season by playing nine games with Buffalo. He went on to help Canada win the 2015 World Junior Championship. In 47 regular-season games with the Ice, he had 65 points, including 19 goals. . . . F Tim Bozon was sent by the Montreal Canadiens to their AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. Bozon, who has used up his junior eligibility, was a third-round pick by the Canadiens in the 2012 NHL draft and he has signed with Montreal. This season, Bozon had 63 points, including 35 goals, in 57 regular-season games. . . .  D Rinat Valiev will join the Toronto Marlies, the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Valiet, who turns 20 on May 11, was selected by the Maple Leafs in the third round of the NHL’s 2014 draft. He had 46 points, nine of them goals, in 52 regular-season games with the Ice this season. He also played for Russia at the 2015 World Junior Championship. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau of the Ice, who was fifth-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in the NHL’s 2014 draft, is joining the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. He has yet to sign with the Blues. This season he had 81 points, 34 of them goals, in 70 games this season.
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A CHL team filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday. Yes, it was the team for which the highly touted Connor OHLMcDavid plays.
“The Erie Otters filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, a move owner Sherry Bassin insisted would not affect the Ontario Hockey League team's immediate future,” wrote Stephen Whyno of The Canadian Press. “Bassin said Erie Hockey Club Limited filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a way to prevent Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz's Ontario Major Junior Hockey Corporation from holding its own private sale of the Otters and their assets. Bassin still plans to sell the team and pay off creditors, including Katz, but said filing was necessary to protect the organization.”
Whyno’s story is right here.
The Otters open a second-round series tonight against the London Knights. That series features McDavid against the Knights’ Max Domi. Should be a good one.———




D Kyle Burroughs of the Medicine Hat Tigers has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL’s New York Islanders. Burroughs, 19, was a seventh-round pick by the Islanders in the NHL’s 2013 draft. The Tigers acquired him from the Regina Pats in January. He finished the regular-season with 39 points, including seven goals, in 66 games. . . .
F Brandon Baddock of the Edmonton Oil Kings has signed an ATO with the Albany Devils, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Baddock, who turned 20 on March 29, had 40 points, 19 of them goals, in 71 games with the Oil Kings this season. He was a sixth-round pick by the Devils in the 2014 NHL draft, but has yet to sign with them. . . .
The AJHL’s Canmore Eagles have hired Barry Sawchuk as their head scout. Andrew Milne, the Eagle’s general manager, made the announcement earlier this week. Sawchuk, who spent the past two seasons has the head scout for the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats, takes over from Jason Rycroft. Rycroft has been named the Eagles’ executive assistant responsible for player development. . . .
The Red Deer Rebels are poised to announce the signing of F Austin Pratt, who was a fourth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Troy Gillard (@Troy_Gillard) tweeted Wednesday that Pratt “will be here Friday from Minnesota to sign with the club.” . . . The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Pratt is from Lakeville, Minn. The Rebels drafted him after he played for the bantam Tier 1 at Shattuck St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn. This season, he put up 52 points, including 20 goals, in 55 games with Shattuck St. Mary’s U-16 midget team.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:07 PM
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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Wheaties, Pats, Rockets one win away . . . Sudden-Death Tambellini strikes again









D Patrick Baum (Swift Current, 1997-98) signed a one-year contract with Dresdner Eislöwen (Germany, DEL2). This season, with the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, DEL2), he had 17 points, including five goals, in 49 games. He is a dual Canadian-German citizen.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:


In Edmonton, the Brandon Wheat Kings turned in a workmanlike effort as they beat the Oil Kings, 3-2. . . . Brandon leads the series 3-1 and gets its first chance to end it tonight in Edmonton. The game will be televised by Sportsnet on its 360 channel. . . . After a scoreless first period, the Wheat Kings took a 2-0 second-period lead when F Tyler Coulter scored at 8:24 and F Rihards Bukarts counted at 13:45, on a PP. . . . The Oil Kings got a big goal when F Andrew Koep scored at 19:03 of the second. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick countered that with his first playoff point just 36 seconds into the third. . . . Edmonton F Brandon Baddock pulled his guys close at 19:21. . . . F Jayce Hawrulyk had two assists for the Wheaties. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 30 shots, four fewer than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . Brandon was 1-for-3 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-3. . . . F Mads Eller, who went hard into an open gate at the Edmonton bench in Game 3, was scratched by the Oil Kings. That allowed F Garan Magnes to get into the lineup. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Morgan Klimchuk, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Game 3. D Mark Matsuba went back into the lineup to fill that spot. . . . F Duncan Campbell moved into Klimchuk’s spot alongside Patrick and Peter Quenneville. . . . Edmonton F Blake Orban took a shot to the face off the stick of Brandon D Ivan Provorov early in the third period and didn’t return. . . . Attendance was 5,357. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story right here.

In Swift Current, F Austin Wagner scored in OT to give the Regina Pats a 5-4 victory over the Broncos. . . . Wagner’s winner, his first goal of the series, came at 4:25 of extra time. . . . The Pats hold a 3-0 lead in the series with Game 4 in Swift Current tonight. The game will be televised by Shaw. . . . The Broncos held 3-2 and 4-3 leads but were’t able to finish it with the lead. . . . F Colby Cave gave the Broncos a 4-3 lead with his second goal of the game 25 seconds into the third period. . . . Regina D Colby Williams tied it at 6:46. . . . Williams, F Adam Brooks and F Braden Christoffer each had a goal and an assist for Regina. . . . D Max Lajoie had a goal and two assists for the Broncos, with F Carter Rigby getting three assists, and F Coda Gordon getting one of each. . . . Broncos G Landon Bow stopped 43 shots, 19 more than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . The Broncos were 1-for-3 on the PP; the Pats didn’t get even one opportunity. . . . Broncos F Jake DeBrusk took a hit from D James Hilsendager in the third period. DeBrusk, who needed help getting off the ice, was on the bench in OT but didn’t get on the ice. . . . The Broncos had veteran D Dillon Heatherington in the lineup and he took the warmup, but an illness apparently kept him from playing. . . . Attendance was 2,666.

In Cranbrook, F Adam Tambellini scored his second OT goal in as many games as the Calgary Hitmen beat the Kootenay Ice, 8-7. . . . Tambellini scored his third goal of the game at 1:12 of extra time. . . . On Sunday in Calgary, Tambellini scored at 16:36 of OT to give the Hitmen a 3-2 victory. . . . The Hitmen take a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 tonight in Cranbrook. . . . Last night, Calgary led 3-2 after one period and the teams were 5-5 going to the third. . . . Ice F Matt Alfaro put the home boys ahead at 2:12 of the third. . . . The Hitmen took the lead when Tambellini scored his second of the game at 8:50, via the PP, and F Taylor Sanheim scored at 13:19. . . . Ice D Rinat Valiev forced OT when he scored his second goal of the game at 19:56. . . . Calgary D Travis Sanheim, who originally was credited with the winner, also had four assists. . . . F Chase Lang had two goals for Calgary, while F Kenton Helgesen had two assists. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon tied a franchise record for most points in one playoff game, with six. He had two goals and four assists. That tied the record set by F Jaedon Descheneau when he had a goal and five assists against Calgary on March 24, 2014. . . . F Sam Reinhart had two goals and an assist for Kootenay, with F Luke Philp drawing two assists. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 30 shots. . . . Calgary opened with G Mack Shields, but he left at 14:42 of the second period, having allowed four goals on 21 shots. Calgary held a 5-4 lead at the time. . . . G Brendan Burke came on to turn aside eight of 11 shots. . . . Calgary was 2-for-5 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 2,126. . . . A note from Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun: “What’s up, Cranbrook? Western Financial Place was half empty (or is it half full?) for Game 3 on Tuesday night. If you’re not going to come out to watch a talent like future NHLer Sam Reinhart and Co., the writing is probably on the wall.”

In Kent, Wash., D Jerret Smith scored two goals and added an assist to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Thunderbirds lead the series 2-1 and will play host to Game 4 on Thursday. . . . Last night, Seattle scored the game’s first two goals and Portland never recovered. . . . F Scott Eansor got the home boys rolling at 3:28 of the first period and F Roberts Lipsbergs made it 2-0 at 8:48. . . . F Dominic Turgeon got the Winterhawks on the board at 1:37 of the second. . . . Seattle got that back at 4:12 when F Alexander True scored a PP goal at 4:12. . . . Smith upped the lead to 4-1 at 4:06 of the third and later added an empty-netter. . . . F Ryan Gropp and F Donovan Neuls each had two assists for the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 35 shots, 11 more than Portland’s Adin Hill. . . . Seattle was 1-for-4 on the PP; Portland was 0-for-4. . . . There were 19 NHL scouts in attendance at this one. Well, for at least the first two periods. . . . Attendance was 6,119.

In Kennewick, Wash., the Kelowna Rockets closed to within one victory of a sweep as they beat the Tri-City Americans, 5-3. . . . Game 4 is scheduled for tonight in Kennewick. . . . The Rockets, who didn’t give up a goal in either of the first two games, never trailed in this one. . . . D Riley Stadel, at 15:37 of the first period, and F Tomas Soustal, at 8:49 of the second, gave Kelowna a 2-0 lead. . . . F Beau McCue scored Tri-City’s first goal of the series on a PP at 14:14 of the second. . . . The Rockets got that one back 1:21 later when F Cole Linaker scored on a PP. . . . F Jordan Topping got the Americans back to within one at 3:57 of the third, but the Rockets put it away on goals by F Tyson Baillie, at 9:31, on a PP, and F Chance Braid, at 16:02. . . . McCue later added his second goal. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle stopped 19 shots. Tri-City’s Eric Comrie turned aside 20. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-4 on the PP; Tri-City was 1-for-9. . . . The Rockets had D Mitch Wheaton back in the lineup. An undisclosed injury limited him to four games this season, the last on Oct. 3. . . . F Tyrell Goulbourne (undisclosed injury) was among Kelowna’s scratches, as were D Josh Morrissey and F Justin Kirkland. . . . D Riley Hillis and D Tyler Morrison were among the Americans’ scratches. . . . Tri-City F Justin Gutierrez is questionable for tonight. He left 16 minutes into the first period after taking what Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald called “a hit to the head.” . . . Attendance was 3,257.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings played Game 4 of their series with the Edmonton Oil Kings last night in the Alberta capital. However, subscribers to the Brandon Sun won’t find a game story in today’s newspaper. With the decision to change the starting time to 8 p.m. — that’s 9 p.m. in Brandon — in order to allow Sportsnet to televise the game, Sun sports editor Rob Henderson had no chance of getting a game story in by the newspaper’s 11:05 p.m. deadline. As a result, Henderson filed a story that was posted on the Sun’s website. . . . The exercise will be repeated again tonight as Sportsnet televises Game 5, as well.
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F Grant Mismash of Edina, Minn., has said he will attend the U of North Dakota and play hockey there. Mismash, who turned 16 on Feb. 19, is at Shattuck St. Mary’s, the prep school in Faribault, Minn. This season, he had 31 goals and 31 assists in 52 games. . . . The Red Deer Rebels selected him in the fifth round of the 2014 bantam draft.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed F Brogan O’Brien, who has played the last two seasons with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. This season, he had 29 points, including 12 goals, in 57 games. . . . O’Brien, who will turn 18 on Aug.13, is from Prince George. . . . The Cougars acquired his right in a January trade in which F Chance Braid joined the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Rockets selected him in the 10th round of the 2012 bantam draft. . . . O’Brien practised with the Cougars on Tuesday.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Don Schulz is the new head coach of the major midget Thompson Blazers, who play out of the Kamloops area. Schulz spent four seasons as head coach of the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack of the B.C. Intercollegiate League. The WolfPack program collapsed prior to this season. . . . With the Blazers, Schulz will replace Mark Chase. . . . The Blazers were 2-35-3 this season.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:57 PM
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Sunday, February 15, 2015

McGauley extends streak . . . McKechnie big for Blades . . . Walker fills his hat








D Martin Gründling (Moose Jaw, 2005-07) has signed for the rest of this season with Banská Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga). This season, with Skalica (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had two goals and 10 assists in 51 games. He was the team captain.
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Steve Montador, a former NHL defenceman who struggled with post-concussion syndrome, was found dead in his home on Sunday morning. His name is on a concussion-related lawsuit that has been filed against the NHL. . . . Rick Westhead of TSN has more right here.
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Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail has a fond remembrance of Steve Montador right here.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES

B.C. DIVISION: No teams played.
U.S. DIVISION: Seattle lost at home and remains third, three points behind idle Portland.
EAST DIVISION: Brandon won at home to move back to within two points of idle Kelowna, which leads the overall standings. Each team has 15 games remaining. . . . Prince Albert lost on the road and remains eight points out of a playoff spot. . . . Saskatoon won on the road and now has one more victory (17) than it had all of last season.
CENTRAL DIVISION: Kootenay lost at home. The Ice holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot.
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In Brandon, F Duncan Campbell scored twice to lead the Wheat Kings to a 5-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Campbell has 10 goals this season. . . . He opened the scoring at 3:55 of the first period and made it 4-2 at 17:18 of the third. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk drew three assists for Brandon, while F Tim McGauley had two assists as he ran his point streak to 13 games. . . . McGauley came up short on a second-period penalty shot attempt. . . . Brandon F Peter Quenneville scored his 17th goal, into an empty net, and added an assist. . . . D Reid Gow scored his first goal since joining the Wheat Kings from the U of Manitoba Bisons after the Christmas break. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 35 shots, seven fewer than Prince Albert’s Rylan Parenteau. . . . Brandon was 0-for-8 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-for-4. . . . Three players were given misconducts at various points for mouth guard infractions. . . . Raiders F Colton Heffley scored his sixth goal of the season in what was his 300th regular-season game. The first 270 of those were with the Kelowna Rockets. . . . F Reid Duke was among Brandon’s scratches. He has an undisclosed injury. The Wheat Kings remain without D Kale Clague, F Jayce Hawryluk, G Alex Moodie and D Ivan Provorov. . . . The Wheat Kings (42-9-6) are 13-0-2 in their last 15 games. . . . The Raiders (23-32-2) had won their previous two games. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Sam McKechnie scored 24 seconds into OT to give the Saskatoon Blades a 5-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . McKechnie, who now has 20 goals, scored twice in the game. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon forced OT when he scored his third goal of the game, and 25th of the season, with 53.2 seconds left in the third period. . . . McKechnie’s first goal, at 4:24 of the second, gave the Blades a 4-1 lead. . . . Bozon and F Vince Loschiavo, with his fifth, got the Ice to within 4-3 in the second period. . . . F Cameron Hebig had two assists for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon D Brycen Martin had one assist to run his point streak to 11 games. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau had two assists for the Ice. . . . Each team was 1-for-2 on the PP. . . . The game featured two goaltenders who were teammates last season with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. Brock Hamm of the Blades stopped 33 shots. Declan Hobbs, who is expected to go back to the Contacts today, turned aside 25 shots in what was his first WHL start. . . . The Blades were playing their seventh game in 10 days. . . . Saskatoon went 4-0-0 against the Ice this season, outscoring it 19-12 in the process. . . . The Blades (17-36-3) won 16 games all of last season. . . . The Ice (28-27-2) had head coach Ryan McGill back behind the bench. He had missed the previous two games. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Jack Walker scored three times and added an assist to help the Victoria Royals to a 6-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Walker completed his hat trick with an empty-netter at 18:39 of the third period. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll, with his 33rd goal, and Walker, with two, gave the Royals a 3-0 first-period lead. . . . Walker has 15 goals. . . . Carroll also had two assists, as did D Joe Hicketts. He’s got five assists over his last two games. . . . Royals F Tyler Soy scored his 24th goal and added an assist, giving him five points in two games. . . . F Mathew Barzal and D Shea Theodore each had two assists for Seattle. . . . Victoria lost D Ryan Gagnon at 4:15 of the third period when he took a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on F Luke Osterman, who left the game. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 28 shots. . . . Each team was playing its third game in three days. The Royals, who played in three different cities, went 2-1-0. The Thunderbirds, who also played two road games, one of them in Everett, went 1-1-1. . . . The Royals (32-21-4) have won two in a row. . . . The Thunderbirds (29-21-7) had points in their previous three games (2-0-1). . . . Headline on Seattle news release after the game: Royals Colonize T-Birds.
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MONDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 2 p.m.
Brandon at Regina 2 p.m.
Prince George at Edmonton, 2 p.m.
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There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:22 PM
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