Wheaties, Hitmen, Rockets advance. . . . Winterhawks in control . . . Stoll in hot water

F Zdeněk Okál (Medicine Hat, 2008-10) has signed a one-year extension with Zlín (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, in 47 games, he had 11 goals and nine assists. . . .
F Ondřej Veselý (Portland, Tri-City, 1996-98) has signed a two-year extension with Zlín (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had 10 goals and 10 assists in 51 games.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

In Brandon, F Peter Quenneville scored at 6:15 of OT to give the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Brandon won the series, 4-1, and next goes against the Calgary Hitmen in the Eastern Conference final. . . . Brandon was 3-1-0 against Calgary in the regular season. . . . The series will open with games in Brandon on April 24 and 25, before moving to Calgary for games on April 28 and 29. . . . Quenneville’s fourth playoff goal was set up by his brother, John. . . . Peter also had two assists. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick forced OT with his second goal of the game, and fourth of the playoffs, at 13:39 of the third period. . . . Patrick had opened the scoring at 12:52 of the first, while shorthanded. . . . Regina D Jake Leschyshyn tied it with his first goal at 13:41 of the second, and F Taylor Cooper gave the Pats the lead at 18:58, with his fourth goal. . . . Each team was 0-for-5 on the PP. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 25 shots. Regina G Daniel Wapple put on a clinic, turning aside 48 shots. . . . In the third period, Wapple stopped 19 of 20 shots. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk was back in Brandon’s lineup after a six-game absence. He drew one assist. . . . Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk, F Rihards Bukarts and D Colton Waltz sat out for a third straight game. . . . The Pats scratched D Sergey Zborovskiy, D Chase Harrison, D Connor Hobbs, F Rykr Cole and F Sam Steel, meaning they played without three of their top four defencemen. . . . Attendance was 4,333, the smallest crowd of the series.

In Calgary, D Travis Sanheim scored in the second OT period to give the Hitmen a 4-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Calgary won the series, 4-1, and will meet the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Eastern Conference final. . . . Calgary was 1-2-1 against Brandon in the regular season. . . . Sanheim’s fifth goal of these playoffs came at 7:45 of the second OT. . . . The loss means that Wednesday’s game in Medicine Hat, which the Hitmen won 2-1 in OT, was the last game in the Arena. The Tigers will be in the new Regional Event Centre when next season gets here. . . . This was the third game in the series to go to OT; the Hitmen won two of them. In all, Calgary has played in six OT games in these playoffs, winning four of them. . . . F Jake Virtanen scored twice for Calgary, his second goal came with 44.9 seconds left in the third period and forced OT. It came on a PP with G Mack Shields on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Virtanen has four goals in these playoffs. . . . Tigers F Markus Eisenschmid, who was serving a hooking penalty when Virtanen tied it, had given the Tigers a 3-2 lead at 12:03 of the third. . . . F Cole Sanford gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead at 3:22 of the first, but Virtanen tied it at 15:03. . . . The Tigers took a 2-1 lead 59 seconds into the second on F Dryden Hunt’s fifth goal. . . . Calgary D Jake Bean, playing for the first time since March 27, scored his second goal at 17:31 of the second. . . . Bean hadn’t played since Game 1 of the first round. . . . F Adam Tambellini also returned to the Calgary lineup — he had one assist — but F Chase Lang remained out. . . .  Shields stopped 55 shots, four more than Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer. . . . Calgary was 1-for-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 7,290. . . . Laurence Heinen wrote this game story for the Calgary Herald.

In Kelowna, D Josh Morrissey returned to the Rockets lineup with two goals and three assists as they dumped the Victoria Royals, 7-3. . . . The Rockets won the series, 4-1. . . . Morrissey, who sat out the previous two games, scored his first two goals of these playoffs. . . . Kelowna F Leon Draisaitl scored the game’s first goal, his fourth, at 1:24 of the first period. . . . Victoria got the next two goals, from F Jack Walker at 17:54 and F Brandon Fushimi at 18:17. . . . But the Rockets tied it on Morrissey’s first goal at 19:28. . . . The Rockets then pulled away with three second-period goals, from F Rodney Southam, F Tyson Baillie and Morrissey, the latter two scoring on the PP. . . . Baillie’s goal was his seventh; he’s got points in nine straight playoff games. . . . F Rourke Chartier, with his seventh, and F Cole Linaker, with his second, scored for Kelowna in the third, with D Travis Brown getting his second, on a PP, for Victoria. . . . Kelowna D Madison Bowey had three assists, with Draisaitl and F Nick Merkley each getting two. . . . Draisaitl had 11 points in the series, while Morrissey put up eight in two-plus games. . . . Kelowna opened with Jackson Whistle in goal, but head coach Dan Lambert took him out after the first period in an attempt to fire up his team. The game was tied 2-2 with Whistle having allowed two goals on nine shots. . . . Michael Herringer came on in relief and stopped 11 of 12 shots. . . . Victoria starter Justin Paulic gave up five goals on 26 shots, with reliever Coleman Vollrath giving up two on 13. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-4 on the PP; Victoria was 1-for-6. . . . Victoria F Jared Dmytriw took a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on Kelowna D Cole Martin at 11:54 of the second period. The WHL will review the play and Dmytriw, a 16-year-old from Craven, Sask., could open next season under suspension. He had 13 penalty minutes in 49 regular-season games, and was hit with 15 minutes worth last night. . . . Kelowna had F Justin Kirkland back in the lineup after a nine-week absence. Kirkland, who had 51 points in 50 regular-season games, hadn’t played since Feb. 14. . . . Attendance was 5,226.

In Portland, D Blake Heinrich scored at 5:40 of OT to give the Winterhawks a 2-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Winterhawks take a 3-1 lead into Game 5 in Everett on Sunday. . . . Heinrich has three playoff goals. . . . F Chase De Leo got Portland on the board with his third goal at 1:15 of the second period. . . . Everett D Ben Betker tied it with his first goal at 12:54 of the second. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 29 shots, as did G Carter Hart of the Silvertips. . . . Portland was 0-for-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-2. . . . Among Everett’s scratchers were D Noah Juulsen, D Tristen Pfeifer and F Dawson Leedahl. Leedahl, who had missed the previous five games, played two periods in Game 3 on Thursday, but didn’t come out of the dressing room for the third. Last night, Everett F Jake Mykitiuk left in the third period. . . . Attendance was 8,590. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has a game story right here.
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The story broke in the middle of night No. 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A CBS-TV outlet in Los Angeles reported that F Jarret Stoll of the Los Angeles was arrested in Las Vegas on Friday on suspicion of possession of cocaine and Ecstasy. He is reported to have been at the MGM Grand’s Wet Republic pool.
Stoll, a 32-year-old native of Melville, Sask., played four seasons (1998-2002) with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice. He has spent the past seven seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, helping them win two Stanley Cup titles. His contract expired with the conclusion of this season and he appears headed for unrestricted free agency.
The Kings released this statement: “We are aware of police reports out of Clark County, Nevada, regarding Jarret Stoll. Our organization is concerned and has begun conducting a thorough internal investigation. While we continue to actively gather facts, we are withholding further comment at this time.”
Bill Daly, the NHL’s deputy commissioner, told the Los Angeles Times: “We are aware of the reports tonight, and we obviously will follow up to understand the nature of the allegations that are being made. "We are not in a position at this time to comment further until we have more information.”
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The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are three nights old and we have seen starting goaltenders from Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Slovakia and Sweden. . . . Unfortunately, we won’t see anything like that in the CHL because it has chosen to ban European goaltenders from its three leagues — the OHL, QMJHL and WHL. . . . Marek Langhamer of the Medicine Hat Tigers had his WHL career come to an end last night. From the Czech Republic, he will go down in history as the WHL’s last European goaltender.
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The OHL named its coach of the year on Friday, with the award going to Sheldon Keefe, the head coach of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. If you are at all familiar with Keefe’s story — to refresh your memory, he was one of David Frost’s boys — you know just what all of this means. For a good read on Keefe, pick up a copy of Bob McKenzie’s book Hockey Confidential. One chapter, a terrific chapter, tells Keefe’s story, warts and all. . . . In the meantime, Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports has a story right here on Keefe winning the coach-of-the-year award.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Josh Paterson, the team’s first selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Paterson, a 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Edmonton, was the 25th overall pick in that draft. Last season, Paterson led the Alberta bantam AAA league in scoring when he put up 97 points in 33 games for the South Side Athletic Club. This season, he played for the SSAC midget AAA side, picking up 19 points, including nine goals, in 32 games. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Brett Clayton, 16, a list player who played this season with the B.C. major midget league’s Fraser Valley Thunderbirds. The 6-foot-3, 197-pounder had 34 points, 16 of them goals, in 40 games with the Thunderbirds. The Winterhawks placed him on their list after they liked what they saw of him in training camp in August. . . .
D Shea Theodore (Seattle Thunderbirds) had a goal and an assist last night, helping the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals to a 4-2 victory over the visiting Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In eight AHL games this season, Theodore has nine points, four of them goals. . . . Theodore began the season with the Admirals and had three goals and four assists in five games. He joined Norfolk when Seattle’s season ended, and has a goal and three helpers in three games. . . .
F Cole Ully (Kamloops Blazers) made his pro debut last night, earning one assist as the Texas Stars beat the host San Antonio Rampage 3-2 to clinch an AHL playoff spot. Ully, who has signed with the NHL’s Dallas Stars, drew the primary assist on F Brendan Ranford’s 17th goal of the season. Ranford also played in Kamloops. . . .
F Sam Reinhart (Kootenay Ice) drew two assists and was chosen the second star last night as his Rochester Americans dropped a 3-2 AHL decision to the visiting Utica Comets. Reinhart was selected by the parent Buffalo Sabres with the second pick of the NHL’s 2014 draft. Earlier this season, he played nine games with the Sabres; this was his first game with the Americans. . . .
F Liam Stewart (Spokane Chiefs) scored his first pro goal to help the visiting Quad City Mallards to a 3-2 victory over the Rapid City Rush in an ECHL game. It was Stewart’s first pro game. . . .
The Penticton Vees won the BCHL championship last night when F Dakota Conroy (Brandon, Victoria, Prince Albert, 2010-15) scored at 2:06 of OT to give them a 3-2 victory over the host Nanaimo Clippers. . . . The Vees lost the first two games of the series, then won four in a row. . . . In the AJHL, the Brooks Bandits posted a 6-4 victory over the host Spruce Grove Saints. Spruce Grove takes a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 in Brooks on Sunday.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Geoff Goodman is the new general manager and head coach of the junior B Princeton Posse of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. Goodman spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with the KIJHL’s Osoyoos Coyotes. . . . Goodman replaces Bill Rotheisler, whose contract wasn’t renewed after two seasons there.
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It is a crime that Pilon is in and Hobbs is out. Where is the justice! #Gamechangers
— Regina Pats (@WHLpats) April 18, 2015

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.

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

Detroit Red Wings forward Drew Miller is slashed across the eye with a hockey skate. https://t.co/trKVe6jgLb pic.twitter.com/fmbirHXCk8
— [ Detroit News ] (@goinsidedetroit) April 1, 2015

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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Love exploring all @TheWHL arenas. Of all the banners I've had privilege of seeing, here's the most important one! 😥 pic.twitter.com/TYANuB932D
— Dan Russell (@DanRussellST) March 31, 2015

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Did it work to fire coaches? . . . Bjorkstrand wins scoring title . . . Hitmen top Central Division

Three WHL teams — the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Prince Albert Raiders and Vancouver Giants — made coaching changes during the WHL regular season that wrapped up on Sunday.
How did it work out? Well, not one of those teams qualified for the playoffs.
The Hurricanes were 6-19-4 when they fired head coach Drake Berehowsky. Shortly thereafter, they also dumped general manager Brad Robson. They then brought in Peter Anholt as GM/head coach. Under Anholt, they went 14-25-4. Their overall record (20-44-8) means they missed the playoffs for a sixth straight season. It seems likely that Anholt will return as general manager, but that the Hurricanes will hire a new head coach.
The Raiders fired Cory Clouston when they were 6-9-0. Associate coach Dave Manson went 1-0-0 before Marc Habscheid was hired as head coach. Under Habscheid, the Raiders went 24-28-4. Their 31-37-4 record left them fifth in the East Division and 10th in the Eastern Conference. There is speculation that Raiders general manager Bruno Campese won’t be back. He has been in Prince Albert, as either head coach or GM, since 2007. Perhaps Habscheid, who signed on only through the end of this season, ends up as GM and head coach.
The Giants tossed Troy Ward overboard with a 9-16-0 record. Assistant coach Matt Erhart went 1-2-0 before Claude Noel came on board. Under Noel, the Giants were 17-23-4. They finished fifth in the B.C. Division and 10th in the Western Conference. That left them on the outside looking in for the second time in three seasons. Noel isn’t expected to return, meaning majority owner Ron Toigo and GM Scott Bonner will spend a second straight offseason looking for a coach.
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province takes a look right here at what went wrong with the Giants, a team that scored only 189 goals, the lowest total in franchise history. That came after management talked about moving from a grinding, forechecking style to one that emphasized skating and puck possession.
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BJORKSTRAND

F Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Portland Winterhawks led the WHL in goals (63) and points (118), all in 59 games. He is the first Portland player to win the scoring title since F Brendan Leipsic and F Nic Petan tied with 120 points in 2012-13. . . . Leipsic led the WHL with 49 goals that season. . . . This season, Medicine Hat Tigers F Cole Sanford (apologies for having referred to him as Curtis in past posts) was second in goals, with 50 in 72 games. . . . Medicine Hat F Trevor Cox was No. 1 in assists, with 80 in 69 games. Petan was second, with 74 in 54 games. . . .
D Ivan Provorov of the Brandon Wheat Kings led all freshmen in assists (46) and points (61), all in 60 games. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick was tops in goals (30), in 55 games. . . . Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto had 57 points in 67 games, while Patrick put up 56. . . . Regina Pats F Sam Steel had 54 points, including 37 assists, in 61 games. . . .
Travis Sanheim of the Calgary Hitmen scored one goal Sunday afternoon, allowing him to lead all defencemen in points (65). He finished with one more than Joe Hicketts of the Victoria Royals. . . . Victoria D Travis Brown led all defencemen in goals (18), one more than Madison Bowey of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Spokane’s Jason Fram was tops in assists (53), one more than Hicketts. . . .
Among goaltenders, Brandon’s Jordan Papirny had the most victories (44), eight more than Wyatt Hoflin of the Kootenay Ice. . . . Evan Sarthou of the Tri-City Americans and Landon Bow of the Swift Current Broncos each had seven shutouts, one more than Victoria’s Coleman Vollrath. . . . Carter Hart of Everett had the best GAA (2.29), with Taran Kozun of the Seattle Thunderbirds next (2.41). . . . The best save percentage (.921) belonged to Portland’s Adin Hill, ahead of Hart and Kozun (.915).
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Here are the WHL’s playoff pairings:
Eastern Conference
Brandon vs. Edmonton
Medicine Hat vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Calgary vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Kelowna vs. Tri-City
Everett vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Prince George
Portland vs. Seattle
(Didn’t make it: Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Lethbridge, Saskatoon, Kamloops, Vancouver.)
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
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Here are the playoff pairings had the WHL used a divisional format:
Brandon vs. Moose Jaw
Regina vs. Swift Current
Medicine Hat vs. Kootenay
Calgary vs. Red Deer
Kelowna vs. Kamloops
Victoria vs. Prince George
Everett vs. Spokane
Portland vs. Seattle
(Wouldn’t have made it: Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Vancouver, Tri-City.)
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Here are the playoff pairings had the WHL used a conference format:
Brandon vs. Swift Current
Medicine Hat vs. Edmonton
Calgary Hat vs. Kootenay
Red Deer vs. Regina
Kelowna vs. Tri-City
Everett vs. Prince George
Portland vs. Spokane
Seattle vs. Victoria
(Wouldn’t have made it: Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Lethbridge, Saskatoon, Kamloops, Vancouver.)
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F Adam Musil of the Red Deer Rebels suffered an apparent ankle injury during a 3-2 loss to the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on Saturday night. Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that Musil is to undergo an MRI today. . . .
Ralph Zander, who has worked with the Calgary Hitmen since they arrived in the Alberta city in 1996, has been honoured with a WHL Distinguished Service Award. He has helped the Hitmen out by selling tickets, working as an off-ice official, scorekeeping and compiling statistics. He and his wife, Karen, also have billeted players for 20 years.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

In Calgary, the Hitmen won their seventh Central Division banner with a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The same teams will open a first-round playoff series in Calgary on Friday night. . . . The Hitmen were 4-2-1 in the season series; the Ice was 3-4-0. . . . Calgary’s victory means the Medicine Hat Tigers finished second in the division. They draw the Red Deer Rebels in the opening round. That series opens Saturday in Medicine Hat. . . . On Sunday, Calgary D Travis Sanheim broke a 2-2 tie with his 15th goal at 15:43 of the third period. . . . F Levi Cable gave the Ice a 1-0 lead with his 28th goal at 3:15 of the second period. . . . Calgary F Kenton Helgesen got No. 21 at 12:41, on a PP. . . . Calgary took the lead on F Jody Stallard’s sixth goal at 1:43 of the third. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart tied it with his 19th goal at 9:16. . . . Calgary G Brendan Burke stopped 23 shots; two fewer than the Ice’s Wyatt Hoflin. . . . Calgary was 1-for-5 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-for-3. . . . Calgary (45-22-5) has won five in a row. . . . Kootenay (37-31-4) has lost two in a row, both against Calgary. . . .

In Portland, F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored two goals and added an assist, leading the Winterhawks to a 5-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Bjorkstrand led the WHL in goals (63) and points (118). . . . Portland F Chase De Leo broke a 2-2 tie with his 39th goal at 12:06 of the third period. . . . F Nic Petan added his 15th, into an empty net, at 18:54. . . . Tri-City F Max James then scored his fifth, on a PP, at 19:17 to get the Americans to within one. . . . Bjorkstrand wrapped it up with an empty-netter at 19:41. . . . Tri-City F Richard Nejezchleb scored his 20th goal. . . . Portland G Evan Johnson stopped 18 shots, while Tri-City’s Evan Sarthou turned aside 49. . . . The Winterhawks (43-23-6) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Americans (31-38-3) had won their previous two games. . . .

In Spokane, G Austin Lotz stopped 39 shots to help the Everett Silvertips to a 5-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . These two teams will open a first-round series in Everett on Friday. . . . The Silvertips snapped a 2-2 tie with three goals in the first 15:13 of the third period. . . . D Noah Juulsen got his ninth goal at 3:35. F Jake Mykitiuk got his fourth, on a PP, at 11:19. F Brayden Low scored No. 16 at 15:13. . . . The Chiefs got close with two late goals as F Riley Whittingham scored his 19th and F Adam Helewka got No. 44. . . . Everett F Gunnar Wegleitner scored his first WHL goal in his 43rd game. . . . F Logan Aasman, D Cole MacDonald and D Kevin Davis each had two assists for Everett. . . . Helewka finished with two goals and an assist for Spokane, while F Hudson Elyniuk had two assists. . . . Everett scratched F Kohl Bauml, D Ben Betker, F Nikita Scherbak and F Carson Stadnyk, while dressing D Alex Astasiewicz, 16, D Jantzen Leslie, 15, and F Bryce Kindopp, 15. . . . Astasiewicz made his WHL debut. Leslie played in his sixth game; Kindopp was in his third. . . . Among the Chiefs scratches were F Liam Stewart, D Jason Fram and F Calder Brooks. . . . Everett (43-20-9) has points in five straight (3-0-2). . . . The Chiefs (34-34-4) have lost five in a row.
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@CollinGallant HEARTBROKEN @tigershockey leaving #MHArena. Saw so many games, & was cut there as 16 yr. old goalie by great Paddy Ginnell.
— Mike Toth (@miketothmedia) March 22, 2015

"@CollinGallant @tigershockey Tigers went with some guy named Kelly Hrudey between pipes, rather than Leaky Toth.....It was all politics....
— Mike Toth (@miketothmedia) March 22, 2015

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Raiders suspend veteran forward . . . Warriors, Broncos: Rivalry heating up

The Prince Albert Raiders have suspended F Dakota Conroy, 20, after he left the team and returned to his home in Edmonton. . . . He has a goal and an assist in 10 games, but that goal came on Sept. 20. . . . In 214 regular-season games, Conroy has 137 points, including 63 goals. He also has played with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Victoria Royals. The Wheat Kings selected him in the third round of the 2009 bantam draft. . . . Without Conroy, the Raiders are left with F Jayden Hart and D Sawyer Lange as their 1994-born players.
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There isn’t anything in sports like a good rivalry, and it would seem that Moose Jaw F Jaimen Yakubowski is doing his bit to fire up the rivalry between the Warriors and the Swift Current Broncos.
Yakubowski broke a 3-3 tie with 4.1 seconds left in the third period on Saturday night.
“He then staked his claim as public enemy No. 1 in Swift Current by skating to centre ice,” reported Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, “stopping on the Broncos' logo and hushing the 2,205 fans at the Credit Union i-plex before his teammates mobbed him.”
Swift Current F Carter Rigby, who was acquired last week from the Kelowna Rockets, played against Yakubowski when the latter was with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
"I played against him in the other conference, in the west, and he's one guy that I don't care for — at all," Rigby told Gourlie. "To see him score that (winning goal), get two tonight and then do that (celebration) doesn't sit well with me. There will be a time when we can get him back and I'm sure we will."
These two don’t play again until Jan. 16 in Swift Current.
Gourlie’s complete story is right here.
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A note from Jim Matheson’s Hockey World in the Edmonton Journal:
“The Detroit Red Wings were gob-smacked by the play of their tryout defenceman Joe Hicketts, who wasn’t drafted this past June, in part because he missed a chunk of playing time with the Victoria Royals courtesy a bad shoulder and also because he stands just five-foot-eight and 185 pounds. They quickly signed him, loving it that he’d mix it up with way bigger guys in the corners, after he was just a good in their main camp as he was in the prospects tournament at Traverse City. They think he might be another Brian Rafalski.”
The complete Hockey World is right here.
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Veteran coach Dave King is back in the KHL, having returned to Yaroslavl Lokomotiv to replace Sean Simpson, who was fired eight games into the season. King had been working with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes when the call came from the KHL team as September turned into October. The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson has more right here.
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SUNDAY'S REPORT:

D Travis Sanheim had two goals and an assist as the host Calgary Hitmen dumped the Regina Pats 5-1 in the day’s lone game. . . . Sanheim has six goals in 10 games this season. Last season, he finished with five goals in 67 games. . . . Sanheim also was hit in the face by an errant puck during the game, so will be spending some time with a dentist to get a tooth repaired. . . . The Hitmen broke open a scoreless game with three second-period goals. . . . Calgary’s first two goals came via the PP, which had been on an 0-14 skid. . . . Calgary F Pavel Karnaukhov, a 17-year-old freshman from Minsk, Belarus, scored his sixth goal. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk scored his second goal in as many games for the Pats. . . . The Hitmen next play Friday when they visit the Kootenay Ice. Calgary hopes to have F Jake Virtanen, who had off-season shoulder surgery, in the lineup for the first time this season.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have scored 18 goals in their last two games; the Lethbridge Hurricanes have scored 19 goals in 10 games this season. . . . The Medicine Hat Tigers are 9-1-1 and atop the Central Divison, thanks, at least in part, to their penalty killing. They have surrendered three goals on 40 opportunities and, at 92.5 per cent, are the only team in the league with a success rate above 90. As well, they have scored three shorthanded goals. . . . The Everett Silvertips, the only team in the league without a regulation-time loss, have only been shorthanded 26 times in nine games, but they’ve given up six PP goals. Their penalty killers are ranked 16th, at 76.9. . . . I was going to add a few more stats-related items here, but the WHL website crapped out on me. Imagine that!

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The @WHLGiants are getting creative with their board ads. Either that or the @blazerhockey are very under dressed. pic.twitter.com/VIDZBCbbxV
— Pucks on net (@Pucksonnetca) October 19, 2014

Conference finals resume Friday night

D Brett Festerling (Tri-City, Vancouver, 2001-07) signed a four-year contract with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL), where he joins twin brother Garrett. This season with Nuremberg (Germany, DEL), Brett had 11 points, including two goals, in 31 games. The Festerlings hold dual Canadian-German citizenship. . . .
F Daine Todd (Medicine Hat, 2003-08) has signed a two-year contract with Jokerit Helsinki (Finland, KHL). This season, with Portland (AHL), he had 32 points, four of them goals, in 54 games. . . .
F Curtis Huppe (Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Tri-City, 1995-2000) has signed a one-year extension with the Guildford Flames (England, Premier). Huppe missed most of this season due to injury, but did have seven points, including four goals, in eight games with the Flames.
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Queen City Sports & Entertainment has confirmed the names of its partners as it works through the process of purchasing the Regina Pats from Diane and Russ Parker of Calgary.
Anthony Marquart, who heads up QCSE, is joined by former WHL goaltender Todd Lumbard, Jason Drummond of DGC Entertainment Inc., and Shaun and Gavin Semple of Brandt Entertainment Inc., all of Regina. (Gavin and Shaun Semple are father and son, respectively. Jack Semple, a Canadian guitar player of note, is another son.)
According to a QCSE news release, “Marquart also said that in the coming weeks they will be sitting down with all Pats management, coaches, and employees to discuss their needs, their ideas, their goals, and their career aspirations. Once they’ve done that, they’ll be rolling out a business plan that will chart a course for a successful future for all of the Pats stakeholders – especially the fans.”
The WHL’s board of governors is expected to approve the sale on April 30 in Calgary.
(If you are at all curious about the Semple family, you may want to give this right here a read. It’s from the Prairie Policy Centre and details the growth of the Brandt brand.)
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1. If you watched Canada beat Switzerland 3-2 in a quarterfinal game at the IIHF U-18 world championship on Thursday, you saw a prime example of how puck possession is most times more important than playing dump and chase. . . . Canadian D Travis Sanheim of the Calgary Hitmen mishandled a pass at the Swiss blueline and had to retreat into the neutral zone. He got control of the puck, with his head up, then stepped up and then around a Swiss defenceman to create 2-on-1 with F Travis Konecny, who took the pass, deked to the backhand and got the winner. . . . I’m thinking Sanheim’s draft standing, at least with a few NHL teams, jumped a few spots on that one play alone. He was at No. 53 among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s last rankings.

2. I’m still trying to get my mind around the fact that New York Yankees starter Michael Pineda drew a 10-game suspension for using pine tar, while F Matt Cooke of the Minnesota Wild got seven games for a knee-on-knee collision that took an opponent out for what is expected to be four to six weeks.

3. What makes the Pineda suspension even more confusing is that virtually every baseball person who has spoken about this admits that most pitchers use pine tar, or another foreign substance, to help their grip on the baseball, especially in cooler weather.

4. What makes the Pineda suspension even more confusing than that . . . hitters say they don’t mind pitchers using pine tar to improve their grip, something that gives them better control. No pine tar might mean more hit batters and who wants that?

5. The adage “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’ ” used to belong to NASCAR. These days, it apparently belongs to Major League Baseball.

6. Rick Reilly, once of Sports Illustrated, now of ESPN.com, has written a column that is full of some truths that he has discovered over time. Of course, they all are true, including: “The best sports book ever written was Ball Four. Everything else has just been an attempt to copy it.” . . . That column is right here.

7. It was in the third period when TSN’s Gord Miller, calling the Boston at Detroit Stanley Cup game, said it was “Hudson Bay rules” and you knew right then that the Red Wings were done. Detroit GM Ken Holland and head coach Mike Babcock need to admit that the Red Wings won’t win anything unless they find another Bob Probert or Joey Kocur to ride shotgun and create room for the skaters.

8. Detroit F Henrik Zetterberg returned to action for the first time since a back injury took him out of the Sochi Olympics. Can we just give him the Grizzly Adams Award for best beard in the playoffs?

9. If the Portland Winterhawks and Edmonton Oil Kings both win their next games, it will set up the third straight WHL championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup between these two teams. . . . It also will be Portland’s fourth straight trip to the final. . . . Portland is in Kelowna tonight with a 3-1 lead on the Rockets; the Oil Kings are at home on Saturday and hold a 3-1 edge on the Medicine Hat Tigers.

10. Team Canada beat Switzerland 3-2 in a quarterfinal game at the IIHF U-18 world championship in Finland on Thursday. Canada will meet the Czechs in a Saturday semifinal game. The game starts at 9 a.m. Pacific time and will be shown on TSN. The other semifinal features Sweden and the U.S. It starts at 5 a.m. Pacific.
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F Dyson Stevenson, who played out his junior eligibility with the Regina Pats this season, has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Portland Pirates. Stevenson had 76 points, including 38 goals, in 68 games with the Pats this season. In 252 career regular-season games with Regina, he had 168 points, including 75 goals.
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The OHL’s Owen Sound Attack has signed general manager Dale DeGray, head coach Greg Ireland, assistant coach Drew Bannister and athletic therapist Andy Brown to contract extensions. . . . DeGray now is signed through 2016-17, which will be his 10th season as GM. . . . Ireland, who has been head coach for three seasons, is signed through 2015-16. . . . Bannister has been with the Attack for two seasons. . . . Brown, who has been with the Attack since 2005-06, is signed through 2016-17.
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After playing three seasons (2010-13) with the Edmonton Oil Kings, F Stephane Legault didn’t play hockey in 2013-14, choosing not to play his 20-year-old season. Instead, he attended NAIT in Edmonton. . . . Now, Legault, who had 105 points in 172 regular-season games with the Oil Kings, has committed to attend the U of Alberta and play for the CIS-champion Golden Bears in the fall. Legault, who turned 21 on March 3, is from Edmonton.
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THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. MEDICINE HAT (4)
(Edmonton leads, 3-1)
Season series: Edmonton, 5-0-1; Medicine Hat, 1-5-0.
(All games on Shaw TV)
Friday: Medicine Hat 3 at Edmonton 8 (7,694)
Sunday: Medicine Hat 1 at Edmonton 3 (5,763)
Tuesday: Edmonton 1 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,189)
Wednesday: Edmonton 4 at Medicine Hat 1 (3,832)
Saturday: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, day-to-day; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
(Portland leads, 3-1)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-0-0; Portland, 0-4-0.
Friday: Portland 4 at Kelowna 5 (6,218)
Saturday: Portland 5 at Kelowna 3 (6,341)
Tuesday: Kelowna 3 at Portland 4 (OT) (9,259)
Wednesday: Kelowna 1 at Portland 5 (9,744)
Friday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Kelowna at Portland, 2 p.m.
x-Tuesday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
Portland: None.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
No games scheduled.

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