McCrimmon signs with Vegas; injuries take out Everett defenceman

F Colton Gilles (Saskatoon, 2004-08) has signed a one-year contract with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL) after a successful tryout. Last season, with Banská Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had six goals and five assists in 28 games. . . .

F Colin Long (Kelowna, 2005-09) has signed a one-year contract with Asiago (Italy, Alps HL). Last season, he had seven goals and 14 assists in 40 games with Asplöven Haparanda (Sweden, Allsvenskan). . . .

D Andrej Meszároš (Vancouver, 2004-05) has signed a one-year contract with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). Last season, with Sibir Novosibirsk (Russia, KHL), he had six goals and three assists in 28 games.

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Las Vegas NHL expansion team has hired Kelly McCrimmon as its assistant general manager per owner Bill Foley. Official announcement Tuesday.

— Steve Carp (@stevecarprj) August 2, 2016

Yes, the NHL’s Las Vegas franchise, which is to begin play in 2017-18, has hired Kelly McCrimmon as an assistant general manager. McCrimmon, the owner, general manager and head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings, will work alongside Las Vegas general manager George McPhee. . . . McCrimmon is to be introduced at a news conference in Las Vegas today (Tuesday). At that point, perhaps he will enlighten folks as to his plans for the Wheat Kings, who are the WHL’s reigning champions. . . . Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal has a bit more right here.

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D Tristen Pfeifer revealed on Monday that he won’t be returning to the Everett Silvertips for a third season. “I am saddened to announce that I will not be returning to Everett next season because of health concerns,” he wrote on social media. “Would like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my hockey career. A special thanks to the Silvertips organization, my coaches, the fans, the city, my billets, and most importantly the guys for making these last couple years unforgettable. I’m very blessed and grateful for my time as a Tip.” . . . Pfeifer, from Phoenix, played two seasons with Everett, but was limited by injuries — shoulder and concussions — to 49 games as a freshman and 60 games last season when he wasn’t able to play in the playoffs. . . . He totalled four goals and 18 assists in 109 regular-season games. . . . Pfeifer showed enough as an 18-year-old freshman that NHL Central Scouting ranked him No. 135 among North American skaters prior to the 2015 draft. However, he went undrafted. . . . Without Pfeifer, the Silvertips are left with three 20-year-olds on their roster — F Lucas Skrumeda, F Graham Millar and F Brandon Ralph.

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The Spokane Chiefs have signed F Carter Chorney, who was a second-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. The 6-foot-0, 170-pounder is from Sherwood Park, Alta. Last season, he had 66 points, including 31 goals, in 36 games with the bantam AAA Sherwood Park Flyers. He added 14 points, six of them goals, in 10 playoff games.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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Mark Holick is the new head coach of HC Pustertal Wolfe, an Italian team that plays in the Alps HL out of Bruneck. . . . Holick, 47, is a native of Penticton, B.C., who has been coaching since 1994. He spent the previous three-plus seasons as head coach of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars. That relationship ended after the 2015-16 season, although Holick had one year left on his contract. This will be Holick’s first coaching assignment in Europe.

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Dustin Donaghy, a former WHLer, has joined the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers as an assistant coach. He will work alongside general manager/head coach Mike Vandekamp. Donaghy, 27, was with the Spokane Chiefs when they won the 2008 Memorial Cup. He also played in the WHL with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . He went on to play five seasons in the Central league. . . . From Cranbrook, he has been living in Spokane. He has coaching experience at the Compete Hockey Academy in Spokane and the Coeur d’Alene Hockey Academy.

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The midget AAA Eastman Selects, who play out of Beausejour, Man., went 40-1-3 in 2015-16, the best record in franchise history, before losing to the second-place Winnipeg Wild in the league final. . . . So why did the Eastman Minor Hockey Association dump the general manager and the coaching staff. Well, it seems the board “has determined to go in a different direction.” . . . Terry Frey of The Carillon has the story right here.

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Matthew Tkachuk said he's healthy but needs some rest so he's staying off the ice at #NJEC pic.twitter.com/O8I9i7t5uE

— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) August 2, 2016

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Matthews destined for Everett? . . . WHLers off to development camps . . . Rebels add coach

F Steven Goertzen (Seattle, 2001-04) has announced his retirement. Last season, with the league-champion Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite), he had 15 goals and 28 assists in 55 games.
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The Everett Silvertips may be back in the running as they attempt to get F Auston Matthews on to their roster. Matthews, who is projected as a potential No. 1 selection in the NHL’s 2016 draft, has signed a contract with the Zurich-based ZSC Lions, who play in Switzerland’s top pro league. . . . That signed contract would seem to take care of his NCAA eligibility. . . . However, he has been unable to get a work permit. In order to get a work permit in Switzerland, hockey and soccer players need to have played professionally for one year. Matthews played last season in the U.S. National Team Development Program. . . . Edgar Salis of the Lions has told Klaus Zaugg of the Limmattaler Zeitung, a Swiss German-language newspaper, “I think it is difficult.” Salis added that if the work permit doesn’t come through, the Lions will move on. He said that there won’t be a lawsuit in an attempt to get the permit. . . . The Silvertips selected Matthews, who is from Scottsdale, Ariz., in the third round of the 2012 bantam draft. . . . Last season, he had 116 points, 55 of them goals, in 60 games with the U.S. national U-18 team and 48 points, including 20 goals, with the national U-20 team.
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The CHL’s import/goaltenders-not-welcome draft is scheduled for Tuesday. . . . In advance of that, the Red Deer Rebels have released Slovakian D F Mario Grman, 18. That will allow the Rebels to select one player on Tuesday. Their other import is Russian F Ivan Nikolishin, 19, who was acquired from the Everett Silvertips in May. . . . The Rebels hold the 48th pick in the first round on Tuesday and Brent Sutter, the team’s owner, general manager and head coach, hasn’t ruled out selecting Grman again. . . . Sutter spoke with Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate on the crapshoot that is this particular draft, which has long been dominated by player agents. “I’ve said this from the get-go,” Sutter told Meachem. “Unless you can get a player who can play in your top six forwards, why are you drafting him?” . . . A year ago, the Rebels selected Latvian D Hugo Jansons with their first pick, taking Grman later. Jansons was injured in the season and later released. “We were told by his (Jansons’) agent, Igor Larionov, that he (Jansons) could come in and play in our top four,” Sutter told Meachem. “As it turns out, he comes in and can’t even play on our hockey team. That kind of stuff goes on, so you have to be really careful. Once all the A-list players are gone, you’re down to the B list and you’re just counting on agents at that point.” . . . Meachem's story is right here.
——Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada looks at the Kevin Bieksa situation and lots of NHL draft odds and ends in his weekly 30 Thoughts. It’s right here.
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More undrafted WHL players have accepted invitations to NHL team development camps. . . . F Ty Comrie of the Tri-City Americans will skate with the New York Rangers. He will turn 18 on Aug. 8. . . . The Florida Panthers’ camp will include D Evan Fiala, 18, of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . D Tristen Pfeifer, 19, of the Everett Silvertips will be in camp with the Arizona Coyotes. He is from Scottsdale, Ariz. . . . The New York Rangers’ camp will include D Arvin Atwal of the Vancouver Giants, who turns 20 on Nov. 26, and D Jerret Smith, 20, of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . F Evan Polei, 18, of the Red Deer Rebels is going to the Detroit Red Wings’ camp.
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If you’re looking for a good NHL draft notebook, give this right here a look. It’s by Ken McKenna of hockeyfutures.com and there is a lot of info in it.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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The Red Deer Rebels have added Erik Lodge, a 35-year-old native of Innisfail, Alta., to their coaching staff as the skills development coach. He replaces Clayton Beddoes, who has signed to coach in Italy with the Vipiteno Broncos. . . . Lodge played three games with the Lethbridge Hurricanes (1996-97) and later played five seasons at Lakehead University. . . . Lodge is a teacher and runs a hockey academy. . . . Lodge announced his signing via Twitter on Sunday afternoon: “Very excited to join the Red Deer Rebels coaching staff for the upcoming Memorial Cup season.”
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79 of 211 players taken in 2015 NHL draft are Canadian. That's more than next top 2 nations combined. Spare us angst over our hockey future.

— Adam Proteau (@Proteautype) June 29, 2015

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Calgary names starter . . . Silvertips hurting on back end . . . Big hockey news in Los Angeles

The second round of the WHL playoffs opens tonight with four games.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post takes a series-by-series look right here and suggests who he feels might emerge to play in the two conference finals.
I was going to do my own, but, hey, I hired Harder while I was the sports editor in Regina, so I’ll just ride his picks because he obviously knows what he’s writing about . . . otherwise I wouldn’t have hired him. Right?
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The WHL has yet to release the complete schedule for a second-round series between the Medicine Hat Tigers and Calgary Hitmen. That series opens tonight in Medicine Hat. The dates for the first four games are set but the WHL, as of Thursday night, had yet to release dates for the last three games, if they are needed. . . . It looks like the series will follow a 1-2-1-1-1-1 format. . . . All four series in the second round begin tonight; the schedules, as we know them, are in the graphics below (all graphics done by Terry Massey).

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A huge thank you to all who took the time to send birthday wishes to Dorothy. The last thing she said before she fell asleep on Wednesday night was: “I hope you didn’t post anything about my birthday because people don’t want or need to know that.” . . . Whoops! I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. . . . Her reaction on Thursday morning as she opened her email on her tablet was worth it. I also made sure she saw the comments and likes that were left on my Facebook account. . . . What did I get her for her birthday? A plane ticket to Brandon so that she can spend a week with her best friend. Yes, it's a return ticket! No, I'm not going.
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The Red Deer Rebels, who lost a first-round series in five games to the Medicine Hat Tigers, will be the host team for the 2016 Memorial Cup, so they know they’ll playing in May. Still, Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner/GM/head coach, had a message for his players this week. . . . “It’s going to be a big year for our team and organization. It’s great that (the Memorial Cup) is being hosted here, it’s great for the city, our fans and the organization,” Sutter told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “But the reality is, as I told them, we have to have the mindset that it doesn’t matter where it’s being played. We have to want to win our league next (season), be an elite team in our league. We want to go to the Memorial Cup as an elite team and that has to be our motivation for the summer.” . . . Meachem takes a look at the Rebels’ future right here.
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G Mack Shields will start for the Calgary Hitmen as they open a second-round series against the Tigers in Medicine Hat tonight. G Brendan Burke, who was injured in Game 6 of Calgary’s seven-game victory over the Kootenay Ice, wasn’t able to practice Thursday, so remains out on a day-to-day basis.
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Kevin Constantine, the head coach of the Everett Silvertips, has said that he likely will have to get by without D Tristen Pfeifer for the rest of this season. Pfeifer, an 18-year-old from Phoenix, didn’t finish the Game 6 victory over the Chiefs in Spokane on Tuesday night. The Silvertips won that game 2-1 in triple OT, but Pfeifer didn’t play at all in the extra time. . . . The Silvertips will entertain the Portland Winterhawks in Games 1 and 2 of their second-round series tonight and Saturday. . . . On Thursday, Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald wrote that Constantine told him Pfeifer “is probably done for the season.” . . . Meanwhile, Everett D Noah Juulsen, who left Tuesday’s game in the first period, wasn’t on the ice Thursday. It sounds as though he won’t start the series, but might return before it’s over. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl also didn’t skate Thursday. He missed the last three games against Spokane and isn’t likely to be in the lineup tonight.
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After playing tonight and Saturday in Everett, the Silvertips and Portland Winterhawks will take four days off. They will play at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland on Thursday and Friday (April 16 and 17). . . . The Coliseum isn’t available earlier due to a national craft brewers conference having the facility booked on Tuesday, with another event in there on Wednesday. . . . So, you’re wondering, why don’t the Winterhawks simply move the games into the Moda Center? Well, it seems that Garth Brooks -- remember him? -- is in that building for a five-day run (April 12-16).
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It doesn’t appear that F Morgan Klimchuk will be in Brandon’s lineup tonight as the Wheat Kings open against the visiting Regina Pats. Klimchuk, a high-end performer, didn’t play in the last two games of Brandon’s five-game victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings in the first round. The Wheat Kings acquired him from Regina in January. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that Brandon F Nolan Patrick was back on skates Thursday for the first time since the end of that first round. . . . The Pats remain without F Sam Steel (ankle), whose season may be over. Regina D James Hilsendager has two games of a three-game suspension left to serve.
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Shaw TV will show the entire second-round series between the Kelowna Rockets and Victoria Royals. It begins with games tonight and Saturday in Kelowna. . . . You’ll get Dan Russell calling the play, with analysis by Bill Wilms. The telecasts also will feature hosts Andy Neal and Stu Walters.
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The biggest news of the day as far as the WHL is concerned came out of Los Angeles where the NHL’s Kings announced the formation of the LA Kings High School Hockey League. . . . Something like that can only be good for the development of the game in California, meaning a bigger and deeper talent pool in the seasons to come. . . . Tryouts for the league begin in May. . . . Jim Fox, a former NHLer who now is a broadcaster with the Kings, is the commissioner. . . . Notes from the Kings’ news release: West Ranch High School in Santa Clarita is the first high school to field a team; more teams will be announced this spring; the league will be run by the Kings Hockey Development Department; hockey players in Grades 9-12 are eligible; and the League is set to begin play in September.
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A study that was published in March in the Journal of Athletic Training has provided a link between concussions and depression. Not only that, but the study’s results show how depressive symptoms increased in athletes who suffered more than one concussion. . . . “Considering that these athletes will likely have multiple concussions in their careers and that a large percentage already displayed clinically significant depression after 1 isolated concussion, our results are concerning,” the authors wrote in the report. . . . Maxwell Strachan of Huffington Post has the story right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Ken Pearson, the general manager and head coach of the MJHL’s Winkler Flyers, has signed a two-year extension. The Flyers were 31-17-12 this season. . . . Pearson is 283-182-54 in nine seasons as the Flyers’ head coach. . . . He also has coached the MJHL’s Winnipeg Blues, the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits and the SJHL’s North Battlefords North Stars. At some point in 2015-16, he will stand behind a junior A team’s bench for the 1,000th time. He will go into the season having coached in 966 games, 710 of them in the MJHL. . . . He has 401 MJHL coaching victories, behind only Don MacGillivray and Doug Stokes.
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Oh man, I REALLY hope Don Cherry tries to say "Laurent Brossoit" on Saturday night.
— Marc Majeau (@MarcMajeau) April 10, 2015

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Mr. Hockey in Saskatoon . . . Warriors retire No. 28 . . . Cougars end skid

Canada. Saskatchewan. Howe. pic.twitter.com/kNo3gvEgfc
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) February 6, 2015

How amazing is this. The Howe family. pic.twitter.com/FWhei3JHUx
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) February 7, 2015

F Codey Burki (Brandon, 2002-07) signed a contract extension (one year plus an option) with Olten (Switzerland, NL B). This season, with Olten, he has 13 goals and 18 assists in 39 games. He was pointless in two games on loan to Fribourg-Gottéron (Switzerland, NL A). Burki has dual Canadian-Swiss citizenship. . . .
F Chad Bassen (Regina, Vancouver, Medicine Hat, Everett, 2000-04) has signed a two-year extension with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). This season, with Iserlohn, he has 11 goals and 11 assists in 45 games. Bassen has dual Canadian-German citizenship.
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Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey, made what may well have been his last public appearance on Friday night in Saskatoon. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix was there. His story is right here.
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There is another story right here from the Howe family visit to Saskatoon.
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A year ago, Tristen Pfeifer wasn’t on anyone’s radar. Today, even NHL Central Scouting has taken notice. Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has a good read right here on Pfeifer, an 18-year-old freshman from Arizona who is having an impact on the Everett Silvertips’ back end.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

In Regina, D Colby Williams had a goal and three assists to lead the Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Pats erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits as they scored the game’s last four goals. . . . Pats F Patrick D’Amico tied it 2-2 with his 16th goal, shorthanded, at 2:32 of the third. . . . Williams broke the tie with his sixth at 8:32. . . . Regina F Jake Leschyshyn, brought in for the game from the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers, scored his first goal at 17:41 of the third, on the PP. He was a first-round selection by Red Deer in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft, but was dealt to Regina at the trade deadline last month. . . . F Sam Steel had two assists for the Pats. . . . D Brycen Martin had two assists for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon G Nik Amundrud stopped 49 shots, 18 more than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . The Pats have beaten the Blades the last 12 times they have met. . . . Regina (29-17-6), which is likely to finish second in the East Division, has points in four straight (3-0-1). . . . The Blades slipped to 15-32-3. . . . The Pats are at home to Spokane tonight, while the Blades are in Swift Current. . . .

In Prince Albert, F Jake DeBrusk scored at 3:32 of OT to give the Swift Current Broncos a 4-3 victory over the Raiders. . . . DeBrusk has 31 goals this season. . . . Raiders F Tim Vanstone forced OT with his seventh goal at 3:13 of the third period. . . . The Broncos had a 2-0 lead in the second period, only to have the Raiders tie it. . . . F Jay Merkley gave the Broncos a 3-2 lead with his 12th goal at 1:41 of the third, on a PP. . . . D Max Lajoie had two assists for the Broncos. . . . Merkley also had an assist, while D Brett Lernout had a goal, his 11th, and an assist. . . . D Jesse Lees scored twice for the Raiders, giving him 10. . . . The Broncos had F Coda Gordon back in their lineup. Gordon, 20, had been out since Jan. 7 with an undisclosed injury. . . . Among the Raiders’ scratches was F Kris Schmidli (undisclosed injury). . . . The Broncos (24-23-5), who entertain Saskatoon tonight, are third in the East Division, seven points ahead of Moose Jaw. . . . The Raiders (21-30-2) have lost three in a row (0-2-1) and are two points behind Moose Jaw. . . . The Raiders are at home to Calgary tonight. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Spokane Chiefs opened a six-game East Divison swing with a 3-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . Prior to the game, the Warriors honoured F Ryan Smyth by retiring his number (28). . . . Chiefs F Riley Whittingham broke a 1-1 tie with his ninth goal at 12:11 of the second period. . . . Spokane F Markson Bechtold made it 3-1 at 17:09 with his sixth goal. . . . Moose Jaw F Axel Blomqvist scored his 20th goal of the season. . . . The Warriors were 0-for-4 on the PP; the Chiefs’ PP didn’t get off the bench. . . . Spokane G Tyson Verhelst stopped 32 shots, six more than Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko. . . . Warriors F Jesse Shynkaruk served the second of a three-game suspension. . . . The Chiefs (25-22-4) are fourth in the U.S. Division, two points behind Seattle. Spokane holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. Spokane visits Regina tonight. . . . The Warriors (21-28-4), who will play their next seven games on the road, are fourth in the East Divison, seven points out of a playoff spot. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a story right here on the Smyth pre-game celebration. . . . Gourlie was a busy man; his game story is right here. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Brandon Wheat Kings erased a 3-1 deficit with four third-period goals to beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-3. . . . The Ice took a 3-1 lead into the second and third periods. . . . Brandon F Quintin Lisoway cut that to 3-2 with his eighth goal, at 4:15 of the third, and D Eric Roy tied it, with his fourth, at 7:33. With seven defencemen dressed, Roy actually moved up to the forward ranks for the third period and also drew an assist on Lisoway’s goal. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored his club’s last two goals, at 7:48 and 19:57, the latter into an empty net. . . . McGauley, who also had an assist, has 33 goals. . . . Wheat Kings D Colton Waltz had two assists, as did D Kale Clague. He was playing his first game since Oct. 28 after suffering a wrist injury in early November at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. This was only his 16th game of the season. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau earned his 250th career regular-season assist when he was in on F Luke Philp’s 23rd goal at 11:46 of the first period. . . . F Tim Bozon scored his 21st goal for the Ice and F Levi Cable got his 23rd. . . . Ice D Tanner Lischynsky had two assits. . . . Brandon was 0-for-5 on the PP as the Ice took the game’s last five minors. . . . The Ice PP was 0-for-1. . . . The Wheat Kings (39-9-5), who lead the Eastern Conference by 10 points over Medicine Hat, have points in their last 11 games (10-0-1). . . . The Ice (27-25-1) has lost two in a row. It holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, a point ahead of Edmonton. . . . The same teams meet again tonight in Cranbrook. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story from Friday right here. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Brayden Burke had a goal and two assists to help the Hurricanes to a 4-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The game was delayed for about 70 minutes with 17 minutes left in the third period due to a brine leak that helped create a hole in the ice. . . . Burke has five goals. . . . F Trevor Cox, the WHL’s leading scorer, got his 23rd goal and added two assists. He now has 90 points. . . . Cox gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 10:08 of the first, but the Hurricanes scored the next four goals. . . . F Carter Folk tied it with his eighth, at 12:53 of the first, and F Giorgio Estephan got his 13th at 17:14. Burke upped it to 3-1 at 19:02. . . . Hurricanes F Tyler Wong got his 22nd at 9:03 of the second. . . . Tigers F Cole Sanford scored his 42nd goal at 14:14 of the second, allowing him to keep pace with Kelowna F Rourke Chartier for the league lead. . . . Lethbridge G Jayden Sittler stopped 34 shots, six more than Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer. . . . The Hurricanes (14-31-6) have won two in a row. . . . The Tigers (35-14-3) have lost three straight (0-2-1) for the first time this season. . . . The same teams will clash tonight in Medicine Hat. . . .

In Prince George, F Jari Erricson scored twice to lead the Cougars to a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Erricson, who had missed four games with a concussion, has 17 goals. . . . Cougars F Kody McDonald broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal, at 14:19 of the first period. . . . Erricson stretched the lead with second-period goals at 4:54 and 10:40. . . . Edmonton D Dysin Mayo scored his 11th goal and added and assist, while F Edgars Kulda had two assists. . . . Prince George F Aaron Macklin scoed his fourth goal, to open the game’s scoring, but he left later with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 34 shots. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry tied Laurent Brossoit’s franchise career record for most regular-season appearances (147). However, Jarry left at 10:40 of the second period after surrounding four goals on 16 shots. . . . Edmonton F Cole Benson played in his 200th regular-season game. . . . The Cougars (21-31-2) snapped a 12-game losing skid (0-10-2). They are fifth in the B.C. Division, but now just two points behind third-place Kamloops. . . . The Oil Kings (24-24-6), who hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, have lost three straight. . . . They’ll play again tonight in Prince George. . . .

In Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier scored once and added two assists to lead the Rockets to a 5-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Chartier leads the WHL with 42 goals. . . . His goal, 12 minutes into the second period, broke a 1-1 tie. . . . Rockets F Tyson Baillie scored his 21st goal just 18 seconds later for a 3-1 lead. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley had two assists, while Baillie and F Cole Linaker each had a goal and an assist. . . . Linaker has nine goals. . . . F Deven Sideroff scored his 16th goal and added an assist for Kamloops. . . . Kamloops had import defencemen Michael Fora (undisclosed injury) and Patrik Maier (suspected concussion) back in the lineup. . . . The Rockets are 6-0-0 in the season series; the Blazers are 0-5-1. . . . The Rockets (40-8-4) have points in seven straight (6-0-1) and are the first WHL team to 40 victories. They lead the overall standings by one point over Brandon. . . . The Blazers (20-28-6) have lost two in a row. They are third in the B.C. Division, a point ahead of Vancouver. . . . The Rockets and Blazers are to meet again tonight, this time in Kamloops. . . .

In Vancouver, F Ty Ronning’s first goal, at 19:02 of the third period, broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Giants a 5-4 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Rebels D Colton Bobyk had given his side a 4-3 lead with his third goal at 11:14 of the third. . . . Vancouver F Alex Baer tied it with his 11th at 11:59. . . . Red Deer D Austin Strand took a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Ronning at 17:01 of the third. Ronning scored the winner on the ensuing PP. . . . Giants D Josh Thrower and D Brennan Menell each had two assists. F Zane Jones scored his 25th goal — his seventh since being acquired from Lethbridge at the trade deadline — and had an assist, while Baer added an assist to his goal. . . . Red Deer F Wyatt Johnson scored No. 21 and added an assist. . . . Red Deer F Conner Bleackley scored his 27th goal, at 15:20 of the first period, for a 2-0 lead. But the Rebels captain later took a hit from D Clayton Kirichenko, left the game and didn’t return. . . . The Giants (21-28-3) had lost four in a row (0-3-1). The victory got them to within a point of third-place Kamloops in the B.C. Division. Vancouver travels to Kent, Wash., to play Seattle tonight. . . . The Rebels (28-16-8), who are in Victoria tonight, are 1-1-1 in their last three. They are second in the Central Division, a point ahead of idle Calgary. . . .

In Everett, F Kohl Bauml scored the game’s first goal with 0.1 second left in the first period and the Silvertips went on to a 4-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Everett has a 4-1-1 edge in the season series. . . . F Carson Stadnyk and F Nikita Scherbak each had two assists for Everett, which built a 4-0 lead. . . . F Jordan Topping scored his sixth goal for the Americans, at 17:32 of the third period. . . . Bauml has 25 goals. . . . F Dawson Leedahl scored his eighth goal and added an assist for the winners. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 19 shots, six fewer than Tri-City’s Austin Lotz. . . . Everett (33-15-4) has won two in a row and has a five-point leader over Portland atop the U.S. Division. . . . The Americans (24-25-3) are 0-2-1 in their last four. They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The same two teams will play again tonight, this time in Kennewick, Wash. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Roberts Lipsbergs scored twice and added two assists as his Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Portland Winterhawks, 5-3. . . . Portland had an eight-game winning streak snapped. . . . Seattle scored the game’s first three goals, only to have Portland roar back and tie it on F Dominic Turgeon’s 16th goal at 5:56 of the third. . . . F Ryan Gropp gave the Thunderbirds a 4-3 lead with a deflection at 7:52. He’s got 21 goals. . . . Lipsbergs added insurance at 14:14. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his 36th goal. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore had two assists and now holds the Breakers/Thunderbirds franchise record for career regular-season points by a defenceman. It had been held by Craig Channell. . . . Thunderbirds D Evan Wardley scored his fifth goal and added an assist, while D Turner Ottenbreit had two assists. . . . Seattle was 1-for-5 on the PP; Portland was 0-for-1. . . . The Winterhawks are without F Alex Schoenborn (undisclosed injury). Paul Danzer of the Vancouver Columbian reports that Schoenborn is week-to-week. . . . Seattle (26-19-6) has won three straight and sits third in the U.S. Division, nine points behind Portland. Seattle is at home to Vancouver tonight. . . . The Winterhawks are 31-20-3 and now trail U.S. Division-leading Everett by five points. They’ll play Sunday in Portland.
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The view in the Warriors dressing room pic.twitter.com/ZddpDMb4EX
— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) February 6, 2015

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