Death of a hockey program . . . RBC Cup final set . . . Putin scores eight goals

There is an interesting note on overage players in the Finnish Nuorten SM-Liiga, which is that country’s top junior league.
A team is effectively allowed nine overagers — eight skaters and a goalie.
The goalie may be either 20 or 21. (In Finnish, it says "toinen maalivahdeista" which translates to "second goalies" or "other goalies.”)
Of the eight skaters, four may be 21, but they must be signed to a contract with the junior club's senior team and registered in the senior league.
In the lower junior leagues (think our Tier 2 and below), the rule is the same except there are no extra overage goalies and no restrictions on being signed to the senior team — just eight overagers with four allowed to be 21.
Imagine the quality of play in the WHL if teams were allowed to play under this rule. Imagine the quality of play in midget hockey, as players who still have midget eligibility would be playing midget.
——
Looking at the ‘summer’ roster for Espoo Blues, who finished third last season, they have 32 players listed. The age breakdown is:
 Age 21 (born 94) — zero
Age 20 (95) — five (all skaters)
Age 19 (96) — six
Age 18 (97) — 14 (five returning, nine played midget last season)
Age 17 (98) — six (two returning, four played midget)
Age 16 (99) — one (returning player)
The one 16-year-old who played this season as a 15-year-old is Urho Vaakanainen, a 6-foot-0, 176-pound defenceman. He had 12 points, including four goals, in 30 games. He was born on New Year's Day, 1999, so was just barely a 15-year-old for this season.
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Trevor Bast fought the good fight. But, in the end, he chose to walk away.
Bast’s son, Des, was to have played in 2014-15 for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack hockey team. However, citing financial issues, the TRU athletic department chose to drop the program before the season began.
Almost immediately, Trevor went to work trying to resuscitate the program. When it became evident that he couldn’t save the season, he tried to get the program up and running in time for 2015-16.
However, earlier this week he said that he was done.
“I don't think there was ever a chance of bringing hockey back to TRU but that doesn't mean the fight wasn't worth it,” he wrote in an email to Taking Note. “I think it is very important for someone in Kamloops, preferably a hockey alumni, to keep the torch burning to a small degree. The attitude and climate may change over time and it's important to be ready just in case.”
Despite TRU’s reluctance to get involved again, Bast said he really felt he was on the right road.
“I was close to having three seasons of hockey funded between player fees and private donations,” he explained. “That was without any advertising or fund-raising commitments. It's important to know money was the least of the obstacles to saving or reviving hockey. Once the cause went public, donors came out of the woodwork. We also had a hockey operations department standing by and ready to go.”
Bast also questions whether finances was the real reason that TRU chose to drop hockey. He is of the opinion that it had more to do with eight players becoming academically ineligible all at one.
“That,” Bast noted, “is a black mark on any institution and they needed to separate themselves from it as quickly as possible. . . . Baseball has survived as a club team at TRU for 13  years. They've had their ups and downs financially, but have avoided drawing that type of negative attention to themselves and the school.
“The reality is, hockey started at TRU under an athletic director and an administration that was fully supportive of hockey. The current AD has his preferences and when hockey became difficult to deal with and put itself in this position, it was an easy decision to nudge them off the cliff.”
At the end of the day, though, Bast said the big losers are the potential collegiate hockey players.
“I will always hope hockey comes back to TRU,” he said. “I feel badly for the players aging out of junior hockey who won’t play collegiate hockey because there now is one less place to play.”
——
Like so many other observers, long-time WHL watcher Peter Loubardias expected the championship final between the Kelowna Rockets and Brandon Wheat Kings to last six or seven games. Instead, the Rockets swept the series. So . . . what happened? That’s what Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix asks Loubardias right here.
——
Dan Lambert has won a Memorial Cup as a player. Now, in his first season as a head coach, he’s going back to the championship tournament. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun takes a look right here at Lambert and how he got to where he is today.
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The host Portage Terriers will meet the CCHL-champion Carleton Place Canadians in the RBC Cup’s championship final tonight. . . . The Terriers, the MJHL champions, got there with a 6-1 victory over the SJHL-champion Melfort Mustangs last night. . . . The Canadians reached the final with a 3-2 victory over the BCHL-champion Penticton Vees. That game was decided at 3:43 of double OT. . . . In the round-robin, Carleton Place beat Portage, 3-0. . . . This is the Canadians’ second trip to the final in two years. At last year’s tournament, in Vernon, B.C., they gave up two goals eight seconds part late in the third period before losing 4-3 in OT to the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. . . . Brian Munz and Craig Button will call the championship final on TSN.
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“The odds are slim for anyone to play a single game in the National Hockey League — let alone make a career of it. But I was one of the few, after playing my heart out in the minors, to reach the pinnacle of my profession,” writes Malcolm Davis in the National Post. “But this success was fleeting. Due to the League’s callous attitude toward head hits and concussions, my NHL days were cut short. The long-term effects haunt me to this day.” . . . And, with that piece, which is right here, another hockey player details his life of trying to deal with post-concussion syndrome. For starters, if he reads something for longer than 10 minutes, he gets a headache. This is not pretty.
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Russia's Putin plays with NHL veterans, scoring 8 goals http://t.co/BiwUOWa7dk

— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) May 17, 2015

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Change in Raiders' office . . . Attempt to save team is over . . . Montador had CTE

BOOK REVIEW:

Remember when hockey cards were the thing?
It really wasn’t that long ago, like in the 1990s and for a while after the turn of the century.
But the real feeding frenzy was in the 1990s. In fact, while I was the Regina Leader-Post’s sports editor, I came to know one person who paid off his mortgage

through hockey cards. He built up a supply — at one time, he had more than one million cards in his basement — and spent many weekends a year at card shows in southern and central Saskatchewan.
For most collectors, though, it isn’t about paying off a mortgage. Early on in He Shoots, He Saves: The Story of Hockey’s Collectible Treasures, author Jon Waldman quotes Hersh Borenstein, president of the Toronto-based memorabilia company Frozen Pond:
“More than anything it’s the pursuit . . . it’s not about the value.”
You will be aware of that if you have ever been a collector of anything. Yes, it’s about the chase.
In this book, Waldman goes back in time to the beginning of hockey-based collectibles. He also looks at everything from autographs — what to get autographed; what not to get autographed — to game-worn jerseys to programs and tickets and everything in between.
Still, cards are at the heart of hockey collectibles. Early on, Waldman provides a timeline of the history of hockey cards that shows just how crazy the industry was as it built to a peak and then came down the other side.
In chronicling the collectible industry, Waldman also provides something of a history of professional hockey, especially at the NHL level. He offers up a team-by-team look, including expansion and defunct franchises, always pointing out unique collectibles.
Should you give this book a look, it will bring back a million memories. It may even cause you to go on the hunt in your own home. Perhaps you have an H.M. Cowan painted tile or two hanging around somewhere. It could be that you had no idea what they were, other than small paintings of former players like, say, Harry Howell and Tom Johnson. Maybe you will find them, go on the Internet and find out that they are worth more than a few dollars.
But you won’t even attempt to sell them. No. Because it isn’t about the money, is it?
(He Shoots, He Saves: The Story of Hockey’s Collectible Treasures; ECW Press, 274 pages, soft cover, $19.95)
———







F Eric Johansson (Tri-City, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with Riessersee (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A), he had 25 goals and 19 assists in 37 games. He led the team in goals and points while it won the Italian championship. . . .
D Jace Coyle (Spokane, Medicine Hat, 2007-11) signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). He had two goals and 17 assists in 36 games with Aalborg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen) this season. . . .
F Marcin Kolusz (Vancouver, 2003-04) signed a two-year extension with Tychy (Poland, PHL). He had 40 points, including 16 goals, in 42 games this season. His club won the Poland championship. Kolusz captained Poland at the World Championship Division 1A, where he was named to the all-star team and named best player on his team.
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TUESDAY’S GAME:

No Game Scheduled.

The Kelowna Rockets get their first chance to win this season’s WHL championship when they meet the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings tonight. The Rockets hold a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. . . . The Rockets have won their last six games, beating the Portland Winterhawks three straight to close out the Western Conference final and now having opened the league final with three victories. . . . Wondering why the teams didn’t play on back-to-back nights when the series headed to Kelowna? Diana Krall was playing Prospera Place last night.
———


Bruce Vance is leaving the Prince Albert Raiders after 14 years with the WHL franchise. Vance, who has been involved in the WHL for 21 years, is leaving the Raiders to work as the City of Prince Albert’s marketing and sponsorship co-ordinator. Vance joined the Raiders as director of marketing, and has been the Raiders’ business manager for the past four years. . . . Michael Scissons will replace Vance as the Raiders’ business manager, effective June 1. Scissons has been with the Saskatoon Blades through 12 seasons, most recently as their vice-president of business operations.
——
The attempt at resuscitating the men’s hockey program at Thompson River University in Kamloops is dead. Trevor Bast of Victoria, who had been attempting to revive a program that was discontinued by TRU prior to this season, tells Taking Note that “I have stopped working towards reviving TRU hockey.” . . . With the TRU athletic department having said it no longer was interested in a hockey program, Bast approached the TRU Students’ Union in an attempt to form a link there. However, the TRUSU didn’t get back to him. At the same time, a deadline imposed by the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League went by, so Bast feels he has no choice but to walk away. . . . Don Schulz, the head coach of the WolfPack when the program collapsed, is preparing for his first season as head coach of the Kamloops-based Thompson Blazers, who play in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League.
——
The junior B Kimberley Dynamiters, champions of the Kootenay International Junior League, have changed the responsibilities of assistant coach Mike Reid and general manager Dave Smith. . . . Reid will take over as GM/director of player personnel, with Smith move to assistant GM-hockey operations. . . . “We’ve just taken the workload and divided it into two,” team president Chad Koran explained to Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman. “It’s a pretty demanding and time-consuming job. We’re just trying to divide it between the two guys and lighten the load for the both of them.” . . . Head coach Jerry Bancks is set for another season, with Reid, Jeff Keiver and Todd White all back on staff, too. . . . Rocca's story is right here.

——
Does the NFL really concern itself more with deflated footballs and artificially inflated players? In light of Tom Brady’s suspension and Deflategate, Jere Longman of The New York Times examines the NFL and a history of deceit in sports right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The Prince Albert Raiders have re-signed associate coach Dave Manson and assistant coach Kelly Guard. Contract terms weren’t released. They will work under head coach Marc Habscheid, who signed a four-year contract earlier this spring. . . . The Raiders have yet to reveal whether they will retain general manager Bruno Campese, whose contract is soon to expire. . . . Manson, who is from Prince Albert, will be entering his 11th season on the Raiders’ coaching staff. He also is a former Raiders defenceman (1983-86). . . . Guard, who also is from Prince Albert, is preparing for his fourth season with the Raiders. He started as the team’s goaltending coach, then was promoted to assistant coach prior to this season. . . . Both men have been part of Memorial Cup championship teams, Manson with the 1984-85 Raiders and Guard with the 2003-04 Kelowna Rockets.
——
Former NHLer Jeremy Roenick, who now is in the broadcast business, said Tuesday that Travis Green, the former Portland Winterhawks assistant GM/assistant coach, should be considered for the head-coaching vacancy with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. . . . "He is a no-nonsense coach and I think a coach that's ready for the National Hockey League and that's waited for a National Hockey League job," Roenick said Tuesday on Comcast SportsNet's Breakfast on Broad. "He turned down an assistant job in Pittsburgh last year because of his craving to be a head coach. If there's a young guy out there that's ready for that jump, I think Travis Green would be that guy.” . . . Green now is the head coach of the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. . . . There’s more right here on Roenick and Green. . . . The Comets hold a 2-1 lead over the Oklahoma City Barons in a second-round series with Game 4 tonight in Oklahoma City.
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D Mackenze Stewart of the Prince Albert Raiders has signed with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Stewart, who turns 20 on Aug. 10, is from Calgary. The Canucks selected him in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2014 draft. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Stewart had 11 points, five of them goals, with the Raiders this season. . . . The Canucks apparently plan on turning Stewart into a left winger. . . .
The best baseball book you’ve never read? In a piece written for Rolling Stone, Dan Epstein makes a case for Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud. That is the story of former Major League first baseman Joe Pepitone, and it was on bookshelves before Jim Bouton’s Ball Four. The good news is that Joe, You Could Made Us Proud is being reissued. . . . Epstein’s piece is right here.
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“The family of Steve Montador is planning to launch a lawsuit against the NHL in the wake of news the late defenceman suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, widely known as CTE,” writes Rick Westhead of TSN. “The Krembil Neuroscience Centre’s Canadian Sports Concussion Project announced results on Tuesday of autopsies conducted on Montador, former CFL player John Forzani, and an anonymous donor. CTE was detected in the brains of Montador and the anonymous donor, but not Forzani, a former lineman with the Stampeders.” . . . Montador, who was 35 when he died in February. As a hockey player, he had a long history of concussions. . . . Westhead’s piece is right here.
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Hopefully Euro hockey notices that when #TeamCanada wins there is no big goal celebrations or hand slaps down the bench. #RespectOpponents

— Jeff Ulmer (@Ulms44) May 12, 2015

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KABOOM! Dynamiters into final with Storm . . . Bast seeing results . . . Religion in the dressing room

With apologies to Blackie Sherrod, we’re scattershooting:

1. The NHL is almost certain to use some form of 3-on-3 play in overtime next season. So you know that the WHL will follow suit. That might mean OT could last seven minutes if a goal isn’t scored.

2. The Cyclone Taylor Cup, the B.C. junior B championship tournament that is being held in Mission this weekend, gives three points for a regulation-time victory, two for an overtime victory and one for an OT loss. If a game goes into a second OT, they go to 3-on-3 and a minor penalty results in a penalty shot. Hmmmm . . .

3. If you watched any NHL on the weekend, you likely noticed that the on-ice officials are in playoff mode. Yes, they are letting the players decide things, and you can decide if that’s a good thing.

4. It’s kind of late in the season, but the Vancouver Canucks are going to need help in the faceoff circles if they are to get through the first round of the playoffs. Henrik Sedin and Linden Vey are liabilities in that area of the game, and having two centres in that boat in the playoffs will be too much to overcome.

5. It will be really interesting to watch things in Medicine Hat next season. The Tigers will move from the 4,006-seat Arena to the 7,000-seat Regional Event Centre, meaning the demand for tickets will change. How will the Tigers handle that?

6. The Kamloops Blazers underwent an ownership change after the 2006-07 season. In the eight seasons before then, the Blazers were 282-234-13, with 37 ties. In the eight seasons since then, the Blazers are 252-274-45. The Blazers missed the playoffs this season and last, the first time in franchise history that they have been on the outside looking in for consecutive seasons. . . . Under community ownership, the Blazers made the playoffs in seven of those eight seasons, losing out in the first round each time. Under private ownership, the Blazers have been in the playoffs in five of eight seasons — losing in the first round three times, the second round once and the conference final once.

7. In the last eight seasons, the Kelowna Rockets, who are the gold standard in B.C., are 356-177-43. In six of those eight seasons, the Rockets have reached at least the second round of the playoffs. . . . The Portland Winterhawks, over that same time span, are 327-217-32. Keep in mind that in the first two of those eight seasons, they won a total of 30 games. In the playoffs, the Winterhawks have made six straight appearances, getting to four straight WHL finals and winning once.

8. Those numbers really show how far a franchise has to go to get back to the top level once it falls off the pace.

9. If you are like me, you saw the announcement Saturday afternoon about Doug Ford joining the Hockey Hall of Fame board of directors and you thought it was still April 1.

10. When Ford is through with the HHoF, he’ll be taking over as the NHL commissioner.

11. If you are one who complains about the officiating in the WHL, I hope you saw the mess that was the Wisconsin-Kentucky basketball game on Saturday night.

12. Isn’t it interesting that Shaw TV didn’t show one game out of Cranbrook in the first round of the WHL playoffs, while showing all four games out of Calgary? Might that have had something to do with concern over attendance in Cranbrook? . . . The Hitmen and Ice will play Game 7 tonight in Calgary and, yes, it’s on Shaw. . . . BTW, there isn’t any word on Shaw’s plans for the second round but were I betting man I might put a few bob on the Kelowna-Victoria series seeing some TV time.
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The Kootenay Ice are in Calgary to meet the Hitmen tonight in the first Game 7 of these WHL playoffs. A year ago, the Ice upset the Hitmen in six games. . . . Laurence Heinen of the Calgary Herald sets the stage right here.
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The move to resurrect the Kamloops-Thompson Rivers University hockey program continues to move forward. Trevor Bast, who is heading up the project, had some positive news on Sunday, after I wrote about it right here: “As a result of your article, I received an email from an individual who offered to put up 10K if another 10K is raised first. It appears momentum is growing.” . . . If you are interested in getting involved, don’t forget that the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League has told Bast that he is looking at a May 3 deadline. . . . You are able to email him at trevorbast@gmail.com.
———
KABOOM! The Kimberley Dynamiters will play for the Cyclone Taylor Cup this afternoon against the Campbell River Storm. The Nitros reached the final with a 5-4 double OT victory over the North Vancouver Wolf Pack on Sunday afternoon; the Storm beat the host Misson Outlaws 3-2 last night. . . . The winning goal came six seconds into the second extra period, with the teams playing 3-on-3. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story right here. . . . The winner of the Cyclone Taylor Cup advances to the Keystone Cup, the Western Canadian junior B championship, which this season will be held in Cold Lake, Alta., with the Cold Lake Ice as the host team. Former WHL G Bolton Pouliot (Red Deer, Kamloops, Portland, 2010-15) is on the Ice’s roster. Pouliot, 20, signed with the Ice on Feb. 10 and joined the team in time for it to win its fifth straight North East Alberta Junior B League championship. He played all six games of the final, going 4-2, 2.79, .925.
———

The Kelowna Rockets will meet the Victoria Royals in the second round of the WHL playoffs. That series will open Friday in Kelowna. . . . Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Couriers previews that series right here. Just don’t be looking for any update on injured players. After all, this is the playoffs.
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Now that the Red Deer Rebels have been eliminated from the playoffs, D Colton Bobyk will have knee surgery. Bobyk “gave us everything he could,” GM/head coach Brent Sutter told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate, “but unfortunately he’s been playing injured the whole year. Now he’ll get done what needs to get done and hopefully he’ll come back and be at the level he wants to be at and where we need him to be at next season.” . . . Bobyk, who turned 19 on March 16, is expected to be ready for training camp in August. A native of Rimbey, Alta., he was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs earlier this season. The Chiefs selected him in the 10th round of the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Meachem’s season-ending story is right here.
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Here’s Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe: “While spirituality is on display in other professional sports — with pitchers’ fingers pointing skyward, tattooed crosses adorning NBA arms, words of divine praise in postgame sideline interviews — that’s not the case in hockey. In the NHL, religion is mostly omitted from the conversation, God left unsaid.” . . . Religion, like mental health, is rarely talked about in the macho world of hockey, and that really is too bad because the time has come when both should be in the conversation. . . . Benjamin’s story is right here.
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Major League Baseball has a problem — the offence stinks. Here’s Tyler Kepner in The New York Times: “The numbers are staggering. Last season, major league teams scored roughly 5,000 fewer runs, and hit roughly 1,500 fewer homers, than they did in 2000 — statistically, the height of the steroid era. The average team scored 4.07 runs per game last season, down from 5.14 in 2000. And pitchers pumped in about 6,000 more strikeouts last season than they did in 2000.” . . . What to do about it? Kepner examines the issue right here.
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Apparently @pdxwinterhawks @SeattleTbirds @chiefshockey @whlsilvertips need not finish their respective series… pic.twitter.com/89N4WrtnsH
— Terry Massey (@TerryMassey) April 5, 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.

Want to help save a team? . . . Tigers, Royals move on . . . Hitmen, Ice go 7

My dads first birthday since he has been gone.....why not get my first pro hatty! Happy birthday dad, hope you liked your present
— Adam Hughesman (@Hughdog17) April 5, 2015

The move to get hockey back into Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops is staring a hard deadline squarely in the face.
The B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League has given those working to save the program a deadline of May 3 to gain re-entry.
“It was our plan to get accepted by TRU at some level, then create a hockey operations department and begin fundraising,” Trevor Bast, who is heading up the drive to save the team, told Taking Note on Saturday. “With only 30 days to prove all requirements, I have to start asking for money.”
All along, Bast has planned on raising money through sponsorships and fundraising. Now, though, things have changed.
“Considering where we have come from and where we need to go, we need to have some guaranteed money to assure our survival for the next few years,” he explained. “In my opinion that needs to come from supporters or donors as opposed to sponsors.”
Bast has done a lot of work and research on this project; in fact, he has been working at it since the university pulled the plug on the WolfPack prior to the start of the 2014-15 season. He has calculated that the “minimum survival budget” is $70,000 per season.
As he put it: “That's what we can spend to survive, not thrive."
He added: “We can work on thriving down the road. The players, through player fees, will provide $45,000 of that $70,000.”
Each player will be on the hook for $1,800 per season to play and won’t receive help towards books, tuition or housing. Thus, Bast said, the players shouldn’t “be under any pressure to provide that next $25,000 to survive. As a team they will be responsible to fund raise, acquire sponsorships and be great ambassadors of TRU. But the year-to-year stress to survive as a team should not be on them.
“It is my goal to have that $25,000 provided for them,” Bast said. “Since TRU won’t provide that money, I must ask the private sector.”
It is that $25,000 that will allow the project to move ahead . . . or, on the other hand, to wither on the vine.
“That next $25,000 is critical to proving to the powers that be that we have a long term sustainable model,” Bast said. “It doesn't matter to us if one person offers that money or a combination of 10 people make up that amount. What is important is that we find that sort of support lasting over a three-to-five-year period to help this program get back on its feet and be around for many years to come.
“The hockey world within B.C. is vast and generous. This program needs help now. The BCIHL is a great league. There is potential to have an eight-to-10-team league similar to the ACAC in Alberta, but it needs an Okanagan presence now.”
This is Bast’s last-ditch effort. He knows that the door closes on May 3.
If you are able to help, would like to get involved, or have any questions, email him at trevorbast@gmail.com.
———

SATURDAY’S GAMES:

In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice forced a seventh game with a 4-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . They’ll decide it Monday night in Calgary. The game will be televised by Shaw. . . . The Hitmen had won 7-2 in Cranbrook on Wednesday to take a 3-1 lead in the series. The Ice then won 5-4 in to in Calgary on Friday. . . . Last night, Ice F Jaedon Descheneau broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal at 14:55 of the second period. . . . That goal came after F Adam Tambellini pulled Calgary into a 1-1 tie with his sixth goal at 11:19. . . . F Tim Bozon had given the home side a 1-0 lead with a PP goal at 13:40 of the first. . . . Ice F Luke Philp added insurance with his fifth goal at 17:45 of the third. . . . That goal was needed, too, because Tambellini got his seventh goal at 18:35 to make it a one-goal game. . . . Kootenay’s Sam Reinhart added an empty-netter at 19:59. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 25 shots. . . . Calgary starter Brendan Burke gave up one goal on 14 shots before leaving at 12:31 of the second with an apparent injury. He departed after stopping a shot by Ice F Ryan Chynoweth. . . . G Mack Shields came on to stop 11 of 13. . . . Burke is to be re-evaluated today before the Hitmen will be able to decide on their goaltending for Game 7. . . . The Ice was 2-for-3 on the PP; the Hitmen were 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 2,645. . . . BTW, the game-winning OT goal in the Ice’s 5-4 victory in Calgary on Friday has been changed to F Luke Philp, his fourth goal of the series. It had been credited to F Levi Cable. Philp finished the game with two goals and three assists. . . . Trevor Crawley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story from Saturday right here.

In Medicine Hat, F Trevor Cox broke a 3-3 tie at 18:14 of the third period as the Tigers beat the Red Deer Rebels, 4-3. . . . The Tigers won the series, 4-1, and now await a winner between Calgary and Kootenay. . . . Medicine Hat has reached at least the second round in seven straight springs and 12 of the past 13. Yes, think about that for a moment or two. . . . Red Deer will be the host team for the 2016 Memorial Cup tournament. . . . The Rebels didn’t have an answer for the Tigers’ top line in this one as it accounted for all four goals. . . . F Steve Owre had two goals and an assist, while F Cole Sanford had his fourth goal and two helpers, and Cox had one of each. . . . Red Deer F Evan Polei gave the Rebels a 3-2 lead at 3:29 of the second period, on the PP. . . . Owre tied it with his second goal of the game, and third of the series, at 18:03 of the second. . . . Cox had three goals in the series. . . . F Riley Sheen had a goal and an assist for the Rebels, with D Brett Cote adding two assists. . . . Tigers G Marek Langhamer turned aside 28 shots, while Red Deer’s Rylan Toth stopped 32. . . . Red Deer was 2-for-7 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 4,006.

In Victoria, F Brandon Magee scored at 1:42 of OT to give the Royals a 5-4 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Royals won the series, 4-2, and will meet the Kelowna Rockets in the second round. That series will open with games Friday and Saturday nights in Kelowna. . . . Magee finished the series with six goals. . . . F Alex Forsberg, who was selected first overall by Prince George in the 2010 bantam draft, had the primary assist on Magee’s goal. . . . Prince George F Brad Morrison forced OT when he scored a PP goal with 1:14 left in the third period. . . . The Royals led 3-1 after one period and 4-3 late in the third period. . . . Victoria G Greg Chase scored three times, his third goal providing a 4-3 lead at 15:16 of the third. He’s got five goals in the series. . . . F Zach Pochiro scored the Cougars’ first three goals, giving him four. He cut Victoria’s lead to 3-2 at 15:14 of the second on a PP and then tied the game at 14:00 of the third. . . . F Jack Walker and F Tyler Soy each had two assists for Victoria. . . . F Jansen Harkins drew two assists for the Cougars. . . . Victoria G Coleman Collrath turned aside 34 shots, 12 more than Prince George’s Ty Edmonds. . . . The Royals were 1-for-3 on the pp; the Cougars were 2-for-5. . . . Attendance was 5,839.

In Everett, F Riley Whittingham scored at 15:25 of OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 4-3 victory over the Silvertips. . . . The Silvertips still lead the series, 3-2, with Game 6 set for Spokane on Tuesday night. . . . The goal was Whittingham’s first of these playoffs. . . . Spokane D Nick Charif’s first goal, at 17:42 of the third period, forced extra time. . . . Everett F Kohl Bauml had broken a 2-2 tie at 12:44 of the second period. . . . F Markson Bechtold got the Chiefs on the board at 12:19 of the first period. . . . Everett took the lead on second-period goals by F Carson Stadnyk, at 2:59, on the PP, and F Brayden Low, his third, at 10:17. . . . Spokane F Liam Stewart pulled his guys even at 11:14. . . . Chiefs F Garret Hughson turned aside 36 shots, three fewer than Carter Hart of the Silvertips. . . . Spokane D Evan Fiala was tossed at 2:28 of the second period with a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Everett F Patrick Bajkov. . . . The Silvertips scored one goal on the five-minute PP. . . . Everett was 1-for-4 on the PP; Spokane was 0-for-1. . . . D Ben Betker was back in the Everett lineup after sitting out two games with an undisclosed injury. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl sat out his second straight game with an undisclosed ailment. . . . Attendance was 4,249. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has a game story right here.

In Portland, F Paul Bittner scored twice to help the Winterhawks to a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Winterhawks hold a 3-2 lead in the series as the teams return to Kent, Wash., for Game 6 on Tuesday night. . . . Portland scored the game’s first two goals and Seattle never was able to equalize. . . . F Oliver Bjorkstrand, who had a goal and two assists, was in on both goals, from F Keegan Iverson and Bittner. . . . Seattle F Scott Eansor got his third goal, shorthanded, at 19:49. . . . The teams alternated goals from that point on. . . . Bittner’s goals were his first of the series. . . . Bjorkstrand, who led the WHL in goals and points in the regular season, has eight points in his last two games. . . . Portland F Chase De Leo had two assists. . . . Seattle got two assists from F Cory Millette. . . . Seattle F Matt Barzal scored his fourth goal of the series. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 27 shots, three fewer than Seattle’s Taran Kozun. . . . Portland was 1-for-3 on the PP; Seattle was 1-for-1. . . . Attendance was 7,119. . . . The game story Scott Sepich wrote for The Oregonian is right here.
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F Carter Rigby, who completed his junior eligibility with the Swift Current Broncos earlier this week, has signed on with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. Rigby, from Penticton, B.C., started the WHL season with the Kelowna Rockets and finished in Swift Current, totalling 46 points, including 18 goals, in 62 games. . . . The Thunder is affiliated with the NHL’s Calgary Flames and New York Islanders and the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. . . . Rigby made his professional debut last night against the Ontario Reign. He had two shots in a 7-4 loss to the host Ontario Reign.
D David Musil, 21, made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers last night. Musil, whose father, Frank, also played for the Oilers, was a second-round selection in the 2011 NHL draft while he was playing for the Vancouver Giants. After playing three seasons with the Giants, he was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings 14 games into 2012-13. Musil, who has been with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons, is the first ex-Oil Kings player in modern franchise history to play in a game with the Oilers. . . . The Oilers, of course, own the Oil Kings.
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D Justin Hamonic, who played out his eligibility with the Tri-City Americans, made his pro debut last night with the ECHL’s Anchorage Aces. He had one shot on goal in a 3-0 loss to the host Utah Grizzlies. . . .
F Colby Cave, who captained the Swift Current Broncos, is likely to join the AHL’s Providence Bruins after signing a three-year contract with the NHL’s Boston Bruins. Cave, 20, was an undrafted unrestricted free agent. . . . He previously had attended camps with the Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks.
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“The Prince Albert Minor Hockey Association will be adopting new measures in their concussion protocol beginning in the 2015-16 season,” writes Brett Smith of the Prince Albert Daily Herald. “PAMHA technical director James Mays said the matter was discussed at a recent board meeting in order to protect both the players and the coaches. . . . The information will be in the coaches’ and parents’ manuals handed out at the start of the year. . . . One of the changes to the protocol is that if a doctor diagnoses any player with a concussion, the player will have to follow up with the doctor before being cleared to get back on the ice.”
Smith’s complete story is right here.
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from the WHL website: Dewey beats Truman pic.twitter.com/01I6Inw2Pr
— Dylan Bumbarger (@dylandb) April 5, 2015

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WHL teams going outside for coaches . . . Hockey dead at TRU? . . . Mykitiuk back in WHL

F Codey Burki (Brandon, 2002-07) has been loaned by Olten (Switzerland, NL B) to Fribourg-Gottéron (Switzerland, NL A) through Dec. 23. Burki, who has dual Canadian-Swiss citizenship, had 17 points, including four goals, in 19 games with Olten this season. . . .
F Roman Tvrdon (Spokane, 1999-2001) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Guildford Flames (England, Premier). Last season, with Považská Bystrica (Slovakia, 1. Liga), he had a goal and four assists in nine games; he also had 12 goals and nine assists in 21 games with Oświęcim (Poland, Ekstraliga). . . .
There was an interesting game in Gävle, Sweden, between home team Brynäs and Linköping in the SHL on Thursday night. Shots on goal in the first period were 24-0 for Linköping. The score was 0-0. . . .  Linköping went on to win 2-1 in a shootout. Final shots on goal were 51-20 for Linköping. . . . F Greg Scott (Seattle, 2005-09) scored for Brynäs with 1:22 left to send the game to OT. . . . Columnist Stisse Åberg, writing  in Gefle Dagblad, the local Gävle newspaper: "I was close, very close, to losing interest entirely . . . for the game. Why should I care -- when Brynäs decides to spend a troubled half hour in their own zone."
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THE COACHING GAME:

When the Vancouver Giants introduced Claude Noel as the fifth head coach in franchise history on Monday, it marked the 12th coaching change in the WHL since the end of last season.
In only two instances did the team in question promote an assistant coach to head coach.
The Giants, in fact, have gone outside their organization for their last two head coaches as they work to find a replacement for Don Hay, their head coach for the previous 10 seasons. Troy Ward lasted 25 games; the Noel era begins tonight against the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
Hay, of course, was let out of his contract with a year remaining on it, and he returned to Kamloops as the Blazers’ head coach. The Blazers twice overlooked associate coach Mark Ferner -- they brought Guy Charron down from the front office to replace Dave Hunchak when the latter disappeared in January; then they brought Hay back as head coach. Those moves may or may not have had anything to do with Ferner’s decision to leave the Blazers earlier this season and return to the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers as general manager and head coach.
The Calgary Hitmen (Mark French), Moose Jaw Warriors (Tim Hunter), Portland (Jamie Kompon), Prince Albert Raiders (Marc Habscheid), Regina Pats (John Paddock), Saskatoon Blades (Bob Woods) and Tri-City Americans (Mike Williamson) all reached outside their organizations when making a move to a new head coach.
Only the Edmonton Oil Kings and Kelowna Rockets chose to promote from within.
The Oil Kings, the defending Memorial Cup champions, lost head coach Derek Laxdal to the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Edmonton promptly moved associate coach Steve Hamilton into the head coach’s office. Hamilton, whose father, Al, played for the original Oil Kings, had spent four seasons as Laxdal’s lead assistant.
In Kelowna, the Rockets had to replace Ryan Huska, who now is the head coach of the Adirondack Flames, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. Huska was the Rockets’ head coach for seven seasons; Lambert, a former Swift Current Broncos defenceman, rode shotgun for five of those seasons.
“When I hired Dan Lambert, I wanted him to learn how to be a head coach,” Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ owner and general manager, told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “We wouldn’t let other teams have access to him because we were paying him to learn to be our head coach.”
Each of the last three times Hamilton has had to find a new head coach, he has promoted from within. When Habscheid left after 2003-04, it was Jeff Truitt’s turn to move up. When Truitt left, Huska was given his opportunity.
And now it’s Lambert’s turn.
Considering the success that the Rockets have had, you are free to wonder why other WHL teams don’t use that same strategy. Or are they trying to and just not having the same success?
At a glance, there are eight WHL head coaches who have worked in the league as assistant coaches. Four of those are Kelly McCrimmon (Brandon), Ryan McGill (Edmonton Ice), Hay and Williamson, each of whom was an assistant back in the day. The other four are Dave Lowry (Victoria), who was an assistant with the Hitmen for three seasons (2005-08); Shaun Clouston, who was an assistant in Medicine Hat for six seasons and moved up when Willie Desjardins left after 2009-10; Steve Hamilton and Lambert.
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By the way, Daniel Nugent-Bowman’s complete story on Bruce Hamilton and the way he operates the Kelowna Rockets is right here.
Interestingly, Hamilton takes the blame for the way the Rockets flamed out in the playoffs last spring.
What happened?
Hamilton makes no bones about the fact that he wants “good guys” on his roster. But . . .
“Last year we made a fatal mistake,” Hamilton admitted to Nugent-Bowman. “We brought in (Marek) Tvrdon thinking he was going to jump-start us. He jump-started us the wrong way.
“That’s all on my shoulders. He wasn’t a good enough guy to be the difference in games.”
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Ken Dryden was the late Jean Beliveau’s last roommate; Beliveau was Dryden’s first. . . . Right here, Dryden remembers “a very nice man.”
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Roy MacGregor, Canada’s greatest essayist at this point in time, gets to the essence of the late Jean Beliveau in a wonderful piece from The Globe and Mail. That essay is right here and it’s more than worth your time.
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Chris Daniels of King 5 News in Seattle reported Thursday night that Washington state regulators “have expanded their investigation into the (WHL) and its member franchises over possible violations of child labour laws.” . . . The WHL has four franchises in Washington -- the Everett Silvertips, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans -- and they are the subject of this investigation. . . . Daniels’ report is right here.
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Trevor Bast, who has spent the last while working in the hopes of re-establishing a hockey program with Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, reports that the door has been closed.
On Thursday afternoon, Bast took part in a conference call with Dr. Alan Shaver, TRU’s president, Matt Vilovick, the school’s vice-president finance/administration, and athletic director Ken Olynyk.
“By the end of the call,” Bast told Taking Note, “I was advised TRU will not support the revival of the men’s hockey team.”
Bast said the TRU officials “cited recent bad history with hockey, poor academic performance and behaviour with non-varsity club teams in general . . . as well as a lack of desire to support hockey financially and clerically, among other things.”
TRU killed the hockey program prior to this season, citing the team’s financial situation, among other things. The team wasn’t a varsity team, but rather was operated by a non-profit society. At the end, it was around $50,000 in debt.
“Athletic director Ken Olynyk did state by email at one point a concern we were going to take away sponsorship that is currently directed to TRU athletics,” Bast said. “I suppose you can't blame him as we were gaining momentum and folks in Kamloops do like hockey.”
Bast admitted that “the front door to re-entry to the BCIHL has been slammed shut.”
But the Victoria resident, whose son was to have played on the Wolfpack this season, isn’t about to give up.
“We now will turn our time and energy away from the TRU athletic department and explore other ways of entering the BCIHL,” he said. “Collegiate hockey in Kamloops can work and the BCIHL is a league worth fighting to be in. As well, the BCIHL is a league that deserves to exist and thrive.
“At this time, if there is anyone out there who can help this cause financially as a sponsor or a donor, please don’t wait for me to find you.”
If you are interested, feel free to email Bast at trevorbast@gmail.com.
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According to Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, F Rourke Chartier has reached 30 goals quicker than any player in franchise history. F Brett McLean (1997-98) got there in his 30th game. Chartier reached 30 on Wednesday night, in his 28th game. . . .
The Kelowna Rockets and Saskatoon Blades have been fined $250 apiece for the battling goaltenders during their Wednesday night game. Kelowna’s Jake Morrissey and Nik Amundrud of the visiting Blades scrapped at centre ice during the third period of the Rockets’ 5-1 victory. . . .
G Jared Rathjen, 20, who was placed on waivers by the Prince George Cougars earlier this week, has rejoined the AJHL’s Whitecourt Wolverines. He was 6-4-1/2.99/.916 with the Wolverines in 2012-13. . . . A native of Prince George, he got into three games with the Cougars before getting caught up in the 20-year-old numbers game. . . . He also has played with the Vancouver Giants and Victoria Royals, and was in camp prior to this season with the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . .
The Everett Silvertips have added F Jake Mykitiuk, 19, to their roster. He spent last season and the first part of this season in the AJHL, after spending two seasons with the Prince George Cougars. In 126 WHL games, he put up 22 points, including seven goals. . . . This season, with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints, he had 23 points, 10 of them goals, in 31 games. . . . Mykitiuk proves Everett with some depth up front, especially with F Dawson Leedahl (knee) and F Logan Aasman (undisclosed) on the shelf. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors are preparing to play three games in Alberta in fewer than 48 hours this weekend. Once again, the Warriors are having to juggle their defence due to injuries. Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more right here.
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3 journos who cover CHL teams told me over past few months their editors have told them not to cover labour issue b/c of biz ties with clubs
— rick westhead (@rwesthead) December 4, 2014

A look at Lorne Frey . . . Still hope for WolfPack . . . Constantine pays for early exit

Lorne Frey of the Kelowna Rockets may have the longest title in the WHL -- assistant general manager, head scout and director of player personnel. Besides being one of the good guys, he has an eagle eye for talent. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has a video look at Frey right here. It’s good, and it’s 5:34 in length.
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F Tyler Nanne, an 18-year-old from Edina, Minn., has signed a national letter of intent with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Nanne, whose WHL rights belong to the Vancouver Giants, is expected to begin playing there next season. This season, he is with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede. A fifth-round selection by the New York Rangers in the NHL’s 2014 draft, he is a grandson to former NHL executive and player Lou Nanne.
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F Colt Conrad, whose WHL rights belong to the Brandon Wheat Kings, has signed a national letter of intent with the Western Michigan University Broncos. . . . Conrad, 17, is attending Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn. He is from St. Alphonse, Man. . . . Conrad was selected by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the third round of the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. On Nov. 16, his rights were dealt to Brandon. The Hurricanes sent D Ryan Pilon and Conrad to the Wheat Kings for D Nick Walters, F Taylor Cooper and D Tanner Browne. Should Conrad end up with Brandon, the Hurricanes would get a fifth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft.
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Mario Forgione, a former owner of the OHL’s Mississauga IceDogs, says CHL teams are making money on the backs of teenagers, who aren’t getting back nearly what they should. . . . “Fortunately,” offers CHL commissioner David Branch, he’s no longer an owner in our league. . . .” Rick Westhead of tsn.ca has that story right here.
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Trevor Bast, who heads up a group hoping to revive hockey at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, and Cam Weir, a WolfPack player, met with athletic director Ken Olynyk on Monday.
According to Bast, “The meeting . . . went great.”
While Bast didn’t get approval to restart the program that was axed prior to the start of this season, it seems that his proposal will move on to the next level.
That means waiting until after Dec. 2 when “the other decision-maker,” as he put it, returns from a business trip to China.
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JUST NOTES:

Kevin Constantine, the head coach of the Everett Silvertips, has been fined $500 for talking his way out of Sunday’s 7-1 loss to the Winterhawks in Portland during the first period. . . . He is the second WHL head coach to be fined this season. Steve Konowalchuk of the Seattle Thunderbirds paid $750 for post-game comments concerning the officiating after a 2-1 loss in Everett on Oct. 25. . . .
F Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice has 160 career regular-season assists, two shy of the franchise record held by F Jarret Stoll (1998-2002). . . . The Ice is at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The MJHL’s OCN Blizzard has made a coaching change, with Jason Smith having replaced Clay Debray. . . . According to a news release, Debray resigned effective Nov. 13, with Smith, who had been the assistant coach, taking over for the remainder of this season. . . . The Blizzard, which plays out of The Pas, has a 10-13-1 record, good for seventh place in the 11-team league. . . .
The AJHL's Calgary Mustangs hired Chad Allen as their head coach earlier this month, replacing Derek Stuart, who was fired and has since returned to the Okotoks Oilers as an assistant coach. . . . The Mustangs are 7-18-1 and last in the eight-team South Division. . . . Stuart was in his second season as their head coach. He spent three seasons with Okotoks before signing with the Mustangs.