1. The QMJHL has never won three straight Memorial Cup championships. The Halifax Mooseheads will try to complete the trifecta today against the Portland Winterhawks in the championship final in Saskatoon. . . . The Saint John Sea Dogs won it two years ago and the host Shawinigan Cataractes won it last year. . . . The WHL hasn’t won the Memorial Cup since 2008 when the Spokane Chiefs did it. . . . The last time one league won three in a row was 1987-89 when the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers won it twice and the Swift Current Broncos won it in 1989, right in Saskatoon.
2. The Winterhawks first won the Memorial Cup in 1983. They won it again in 1998. This is 2013. If you do the math, those are 15-year increments. Omen? Coincidence?
3. The Mooseheads beat the Winterhawks 7-4 on the second game of this tournament. You may recall that Halifax F Nathan MacKinnon scored three goals in that one as Portland G Mac Carruth had a less than average night. . . . Carruth has gotten a whole lot better since that game. The Mooseheads haven’t played since beating the London Knights 9-2 on Tuesday. Yes, that’s a lot of time off.
4. A ticket price-related note from a Winterhawks fan: “I took an informal survey on the ’Hawks fan forum . . . and every respondent (including myself) wrote back and said that if they turned the $32 club level seat (WHL playoffs) into a $100-plus Memorial Cup ticket that we would all bypass the event and just watch it on TV.”
5. Assuming that both goaltenders, Carruth and Zach Fucale of Halifax, play well, I would suggest that the outcome of this game will rest with Portland’s big four on defence. Seth Jones, Derrick Pouliot, Troy Rutkowski and Tyler Wotherspoon are capable, as a group, of controlling a game. If that happens in this one, Portland wins. But if Halifax forwards Jonathan Drouin, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Frk get time with the puck in the offensive zone, the Mooseheads will win.
6. Some observers may look at this game as MacKinnon versus Jones. If you absolutely have to go in that direction, rather than Mooseheads versus Winterhawks, I’d suggest it’s more MacKinnon versus Ty Rattie. . . . MacKinnon is cooler than a Saskatchewan winter when the puck is on his stick; Rattie wants it on his stick when the temperature is the hottest.
7. The Mooseheads and Winterhawks have been the two top-ranked teams in the CHL throughout the season, so it’s only fitting that they meet today with all the marbles on the table. . . . And, if you were wondering, the Mooseheads will be the home team, so get the benefit of last change.
8. F Ben Fanelli of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers was honoured Saturday as the CHL’s humanitarian of the year. Fanelli‘s hockey career almost ended after he suffered a serious head injury that cost him most of the 2009-10 season. If you aren’t aware of his story, it’s worth at trip to Google. . . . Fanelli, 20, played out his eligibility this season and is working towards a psychology degree at Wilfrid Laurier University.
9. Considering what the Winterhawks have gone through this season, wouldn’t you like to know just how many WHL front-office types are pulling for them to win today? I’m thinking the over-under might be about two.
10. Memorial Cup attendance . . . it’s the story that just won’t go away. Kevin Mitchell, the sports editor of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, has been tackling the issue all week and his latest missive is right here. It includes some rather pointed comments from former Blades D Rhett Warrener. . . . Oh, and ticket prices in the upper deck apparently have slid to $27 for the final.
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The Reading Royals won the ECHL title on Saturday night, beating the host Stockton Thunder, 6-0, and winning the series, 4-1. . . . This is Reading’s first championship; the Royals completed their 12th ECHL season. . . . Reading D Patrick Wellar (Portland, Calgary, 2000-04) became the second player in ECHL history to win the Kelly Cup three times. The other is F Scott Burt (Seattle, Swift Current, Edmonton, Red Deer, 1994-98).
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If you missed it, Hockey Canada, which is holding its annual general meeting in Charlottetown, P.E.I., voted Saturday to dump body checking from peewee hockey and below.
The reaction, at least on Twitter, was to be expected, perhaps best summed up by this from Harrison Mooney (@HarrisonMooney): “I've never been more upset that my son won't be constantly hit in the head than I am right now. #BringBackBodychecking”
I would like to thank TSN’s Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) and Willy Palov (@CH_WillyPalov) of the Halifax Chronicle-Herald for providing me with so much Saturday morning entertainment. Your tweets and retweets were things of beauty.
A sample . . .
McKenzie: “I laugh at meatheads who say, If kids don't like hitting, play another sport. That's the point: they and their parents are goin to do that.”
Palov: “Concussions and hockey politics/toxic adults are why my kids play basketball.”
Palov again, this time in response to a tweet sent his way: “Because that's what matters? @AdamMX182: your kids will probably go nowhere sports career wise playing basketball in Canada”
And one more from Palov, in response to the intelligentsia: “I think it makes perfect sense." @MC_MooseCountry: “so your kids play basketball but you're a hockey reporter?? doesn't make sense”
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From Steve Webb (@SteveWebb20): “@HockeyCanada now that the game will be safer for kids on the ice.Can something be done about the crazy parents #unrealistic expectations”


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THE EDGE: Who has it, Kamloops or Portland?

 By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks are about to meet in a WHL playoff series for the second straight spring.
While these organizations have met in 11 previous series, they haven’t done it in consecutive seasons since 1993-95.
Throw out the one time they met in one of those round-robin affairs, and each side has won five series, going back to 1981-82.
On Friday night in Portland, then, they will begin a best-of-seven series that carries with it some long-term bragging rights.
There isn’t much doubt that the Blazers go into the Western Conference final as the underdog.
After all, the Winterhawks finished atop the WHL’s overall standings. They led the league in offence and were second on defence. Their top line — Brendan Leipsic, Nic Petan and Ty Rattie — finished 1-2-3 in the scoring race. Defenceman Seth Jones, a freshman from Plano, Texas, is likely to be the first pick in the NHL’s 2012 draft.
We could go on and on, but by now you get the idea that this is a pretty good team.
On top of all that, the Winterhawks are of the opinion that the world is against them. Their general manager and head coach, Mike Johnston, has been suspended since late November and won’t be back this season. The franchise has been fined $200,000 and has forfeited a number of draft picks.
And, yes, the Portland players are buying into this adversity stuff.
“Absolutely,” veteran forward Taylor Peters told Paul Buker of The Oregonian. “When we had those sanctions back in November we kind of took it as a chip on our shoulder. It was ‘it’s us, we’re going to do this for Mike and we’re going to do this despite all the setbacks we’ve had.’
“We’re definitely building off that adversity. We have ‘adversity’ written on our playoff shirts, just to remind us that we’ve battled through this so far, we’re not going to come this far and give up now.”
But the Blazers haven’t come this far just to roll over, either. This also is a good team, one that finished second in the B.C. Division with the WHL’s fourth-best record.
The Kamloops line that had Colin Smith between Tim Bozon and JC Lipon was dominant until Lipon left to play for Canada at the World Junior Championship.
In the second half of the season, the Blazers have focused on their defensive play, and, with the acquisition of Joel Edmundson from the Moose Jaw Warriors, have gotten progressively better.
So . . . this shapes up as a series that should provide some terrific entertainment. Here’s a look at how one observer sees things as it begins:
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GOAL
Cole Cheveldave of the Blazers has gotten better as the playoffs have worn on. He was solid in a six-game victory over the Victoria Royals, who may have lost that series in the third period of Game 1 when they blitzed the Blazers’ net but weren’t able to beat the goaltender.
Portland’s Mac Carruth is the winningest goaltender in WHL history and is at the top of his game right now. Carruth, a 20-year-old from Shorewood, Minn., has signed with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. He will appear in his 65th WHL playoff game on Friday.
EDGE: Portland.
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DEFENCE
The Winterhawks big four — Jones, Derrick Pouliot, Troy Rutkowski and Tyler Wotherspoon — is the best in the WHL. Jones is a stud. Period. He almost surely will be the No. 1 pick in the NHL’s June draft. Pouliot was taken eighth overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2012 draft. Rutkowski (Ottawa Senators) and Wotherspoon (Calgary Flames) have signed NHL deals. They have 37 points in 10 playoff games this spring. They also have played in 183 playoff games.
The Blazers’ top four doesn’t carry that kind of pedigree, but has been in 114 postseason games and is a solid group that plays well together. Edmundson, who has signed with the St. Louis Blues, has gotten better and better over the last two months. He is a 6-foot-4, 210-pounder who can dominate. Tyler Hansen may be the most under-rated player in all of the WHL; he and partner Sam Grist punish people in their zone. Marek Hrbas has been consistent and will surprise you with some of his jaunts into the offensive zone. Those four have 16 points in 10 games. Their job, however, is to defend and they do that very well.
EDGE: Portland, but not by as much as you might think.
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FORWARDS
Portland has the WHL’s top forward line — Brendan Leipsic, Nic Petan and Ty Rattie finished 1-2-3 in the scoring race and have put up 49 points in 10 playoff games. . . . Rattie has 41 career playoff goals, 11 of them this spring. . . . Portland has been getting good secondary scoring from a line that features Oliver Bjorkstrand, a freshman from Denmark, Chase De Leo and Taylor Leier. They have a combined 35 points. . . . Taylor Peters, 20, is one of the WHL’s top defensive forwards and a great penalty killer.
Brendan Ranford of the Blazers has never played better. He had nine points in the four-game sweep of Kelowna. . . . Ranford, Cole Ully and Lipon have proved a formidable threesome. . . . The Blazers will welcome back Colin Smith on Friday. He missed the last three games after suffering a suspected concussion in Game 1 of the last round. Smith had 106 points in the regular season, tops on the Blazers. . . . Portland will have to try and keep Kale Kessy from taking up residence in front of Carruth. Kessy, a big body with good hands, has 11 goals and that ties him with Rattie for the league lead. . . . There is speculation that Bozon, who has missed seven games since suffering a fracture in his right hand on March 26, may be ready for Game 1. . . . Smith and Kessy will be reunited Friday, perhaps with Chase Souto on the left side.
EDGE: Portland. The pendulum could shift if Bozon returns.
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SPECIAL TEAMS
Portland has the best PP in the playoffs, at 30.8 per cent, and has scored the most PP goals (16). . . . The Blazers are fourth, at 26.3 per cent, and have scored 15 goals. . . . Kamloops has received 57 opportunities in 10 games, to Portland’s 52. . . . You may recall that the Blazers had 11 PP opportunities to Kelowna’s one in Game 4 of that series.
Portland’s penalty-killers have surrendered only three PP goals in 28 opportunities (89.3 per cent), and that’s No. 2 in the WHL. . . . The Blazers are 13th, having been beaten eight times on 35 chances (77.1). That has to get better if Kamloops is to win.
EDGE: Portland.
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COACHING
The Winterhawks went 37-12-3 after Travis Green, the assistant GM/assistant coach, took over for the suspended Johnston. Green’s right-hand man is Kyle Gustafson, who has been with the Winterhawks since before the 2008 ownership change.
The Blazers have put together back-to-back 47-20-5 seasons under head coach Guy Charron and associate coach Dave Hunchak. The latter has done a terrific job with the Blazers’ back end.
EDGE: Kamloops.
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INTANGIBLES
Every Kamloops player who took part in the seven-game thriller with Portland last spring will tell you the team learned never to quit while playing in those games. . . . At one time or another, every coach plays the ‘us against the world’ card. Never has it had more meaning than in the Portland dressing room this season. . . . Portland has seven players on its roster who have played in, and lost, each of the last two WHL championships series.
EDGE: Portland.
———
THE CALL
It’s Portland, in six games.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
The Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL) announced that they won’t re-sign six players to contracts for next season, including D Nick Ross (Regina, Kamloops, Vancouver, 2004-09). Ross started the season with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), getting one goal and three assists in nine games, before signing with Augsburg, where he had two goals and seven assists in 24 games.
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Another day and another logo similar to the one used by the NHL’s Washington Capitals.
This time a poster to this blog lets us know that the “Central Plains Capitals of the Manitoba Midget AAA League and Female Midget AAA team both use the Capitals logo as well.”
Here’s their logo . . .



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The fog has lifted for Brian Roberts, who is working to get back to what he once was — the Baltimore Orioles’ starting second baseman. He has gone through two concussions but it appears that he is fine now. If you are suffering with post-concussion syndrome or know someone who is, read this piece right here. It’s written by Ken Rosenthal of foxsports.com and it will show you what a long, long road recovery can be.
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JUST NOTES:
The Portland Winterhawks set a franchise playoff record when they allowed just 11 shots in beating the visiting Everett Silvertips 4-1 in Game 2 on Saturday. In the 2005 playoffs, the Winterhawks limited Everett to 14 shots in a game, although the Silvertips won that one, 3-0. . . . Portland D Troy Rutkowski now has played in a franchise record 58 playoff games, one more than F Ty Rattie. Going into these playoffs, Rutkowski had been tied with former Winterhawks D Joe Morrow. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth has played in 56 postseason games. . . . If you missed it, Morrow was traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, going to the Dallas Stars in a deal that had former Winterhawks F Brendan Morrow go the other way. No, the two aren’t related. . . .

The WHL has suspended Saskatoon Blades F Jessey Astles for two games for his hit on Medicine Hat Tigers F Matt Staples in Game 1 of that series. Astles sat out Game 2 and will miss Game 3 tonight in Medicine Hat. . . . Staples is believed to have suffered a concussion. . . .
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that Blades F Erik Benoit, 19, won’t play in the series. Benoit is expected to be out for up to two weeks. . . . “Benoit hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury March 15 in Prince Albert,” Nugent-Bowman reports. “He has been seen around Credit Union Centre with a brace on his left knee.” . . .

Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald reports that the Americans will have D Mitch Topping and F Tyson Dallman available tonight as they resume their series with the Spokane Chiefs. The Americans, down 2-0, will play host to the next two games — and three, if necessary — in the series. . . . Topping hasn’t played since March 8 and has missed nine games. Dallman has been out since Feb. 22. . . . The Americans have lost their last seven games, four of them to the Chiefs. . . .

The Edmonton Oil Kings will again be without F T.J. Foster, who missed the first two games of their series with the Kootenay Ice, with an undisclosed injury. He didn’t make the trip to Cranbrook for Games 3 and 4. . . .
The Oil Kings drilled a bull elk on their way to Cranbrook for tonight’s third game of their series with the Kootenay Ice. “The elk is deceased,” writes columnist Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun. “The bus is disabled.”
Jones’ column is right here.
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The WHL’s first-round situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
(Series tied 1-1; Game 3 tonight in Cranbrook)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
(Medicine Hat leads 2-0; Game 3 tonight in Medicine Hat)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
(Calgary leads 2-1; Game 4 tonight in Swift Current)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)
(Red Deer leads 2-0; Game 3 tonight in Prince Albert)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
(Series tied 1-1; Game 3 on Wednesday in Everett)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
(Seattle leads 2-0; Game 3 tonight in Kent, Wash.)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
(Kamloops leads 2-0; Game 3 tonight in Victoria, Bear Mountain Arena)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
(Spokane leads 2-0; Game 3 tonight in Kennewick, Wash.)
———
MONDAY’S GAME:
In Swift Current, F Colby Cave’s second goal of the game, at 10:14 of OT, gave the Broncos a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Calgary leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 in Swift Current tonight. . . . Calgary F Cody Sylvester, who scored twice, forced OT with a goal with 33.2 seconds left in the third period. Sylvester scored with the goaltender on the bench for the extra attacker. The Broncos had two chances to clear the zone before Sylvester scored. Swift Current D Reece Scarlett, who drew an assist on each of his side’s first two goals, was off for delay of game — yes, it was for clearing the puck over the glass — at the time. . . . F Adam Lowry had Swift Current’s other goal and also had two assists. . . . Sylvester and Lowry have three goals each in the three games. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 43 shots, 17 of them in the first period. . . . G Chris Driedger of the Hitmen turned aside 39 shots. . . . This was the Broncos’ first home playoff game since the spring of 2009. The Broncos didn’t qualify in either of the last two seasons and in 2010 were bumped from their home arena by the world women’s curling championship.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (5):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (2):
None
———


From Swift Current D Reece Scarlett (@reecescartlett7): “What a roller coaster of emotions. Still trying to take a deep breath . . . #whyweplay”


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Hockey Canada is expected to announce one of the these days that Don Hay, the head coach of the Vancouver Giants, will coach Canada’s entry in the IIHF’s U-18 world championship. That tournament is scheduled for April 18-28 in Sochi, Russia. . . . Last year’s tournament was held in Brno and Znojmo, Czech Republic, with the U.S., Sweden and Canada finishing in that order. . . . This year, Canada will be in a pool with Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia. The other pool is to comprise the U.S., Finland, Russia, Czech Republic and Latvia. . . . Canada opens April 13 against Slovakia.
Hay, of course, has extensive experience with Hockey Canada. The 59-year-old from Kamloops has twice coached the national junior team, winning gold in Red Deer in 1995 and bronze in Calgary/Edmonton in 2012.
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We have word of another hockey team that uses a logo similar to that of the NHL’s Washington Capitals. Here is the logo used by the junior B Regina Capitals, of the Prairie Junior Hockey League.

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 The WHL’s first-round situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
(Edmonton leads 1-0; Game 2 on Sunday in Edmonton)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
(Medicine Hat leads 2-0; Game 3 on Tuesday in Medicine Hat)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
(Calgary leads 2-0; Game 3 on Monday in Swift Current)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)
(Red Deer leads 2-0; Game 3 on Tuesday in Prince Albert)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
(Series tied 1-1; Game 3 on Wednesday in Everett)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
(Seattle leads 2-0; Game 3 on Tuesday in Kent, Wash.)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
(Kamloops leads 2-0; Game 3 on Tuesday in Victoria. Bear Mountain Arena)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
(Spokane leads 2-0; Game 3 on Tuesday in Kennewick, Wash.)
———
SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Red Deer, the Rebels jumped out to a 3-0 lead and hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . F Rhyse Dieno gave the Rebels a 3-0 edge at 6:25 of the second. . . . The Raiders got in it on goals from F Jonas Knutsen, at 14:15 of the second, and F Shane Danyluk, at 10:05 of the third. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak stopped 36 shots, two fewer than Prince Albert’s Luke Siemens. . . . Red Deer F Joel Hamilton came up dry on a first-period penalty shot with his side up 1-0. . . . F Turner Elson had two assists for Red Deer. . . .

In Spokane, F Blake Gal broke a 4-4 tie at 16:31 of the third period and the Chiefs went on to a 6-4 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . F Jesse Mychan had pulled Tri-City into a 4-4 tie with a PP goal at 8:41 of the third. . . . The goal was Gal’s second of the game. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 15 shots. . . . The Chiefs have taken four straight games from the Americans, including two late in the regular season. . . . The next two games and a third, if necessary, will be played in Kennewick, Wash. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks held Everett to 11 shots on goal and beat the Silvertips, 4-1. . . . Portland D Troy Rutkowski had a goal and two assists, while F Ty Rattie had one of each. . . . Portland D Shaun MacPherson scored his first playoff goal at 8:04 of the second. It gave Portland a 2-0 lead and ended up being the winner. . . . The game degenerated in the late going and by the end the visitors had taken 88 of 130 penalty minutes. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 30 shots. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth turned aside 10 shots, including three in the first period and one in the second. . . . Everett had lost 16 consecutive games in Portland before winning Friday’s opener, 4-3. . . .

In Kamloops, D Joel Edmundson and F Tim Bozon each scored twice as the Blazers got past the Victoria Royals, 6-4. . . . The Blazers led 5-1 going into the third period. The Royals then scored three times and trailed 5-4 with 1:44 left. . . . Kamloops F Dylan Willick put it away with an empty-netter at 18:52. . . . Kamloops F JC Lipon drew four assists. . . . The Royals got a goal and an assist from each of F Jamie Crooks and F Austin Carroll. . . . Victoria lost D Ryan Gagnon in the first period when he lost an edge and crashed awkwardly into the boards. He eventually was helped off the ice but didn’t return. Head coach Dave Lowry said Gagnon will be “re-evaluated” when the Royals return home. . . . Royals general manager Cam Hope told play-by-play man Marlon Martens that he saw Gagnon in the dressing room after the incident. “He was walking and talking and quite upset that he had put himself in that position and was out of the game. But hopefully he’ll be back soon.” . . .

In Kelowna, F Alex Delnov scored at 2:41 of OT to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 2-1 victory over the Rockets. . . . F Cole Linaker gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead at 13:28 of the second period. . . . Seattle D Jared Hauf forced OT with a goal at 10:08 of the third. . . . Among the Rockets’ scratches was veteran F J.T. Barnett, who had played in Game 1. The Rockets inserted freshman F Austin Glover, who turned 17 on Jan. 15, in Barnett’s spot. . . . The Rockets were 31-5-0 at home in the regular season, but now have lost two straight playoff games, both in OT, at home. . . .
The Thunderbirds now are 6-2 against the Rockets in playoff OT games. Here’s a look, courtesy of Ian Henry, the Thunderbirds’ director of public and media relations:
March 30, 2001 — In Game 1 of the first round, Shane Endicott scored at 2:14 of overtime for a 5-4 Seattle victory.
April 6, 2001 — In Game 4 of the first round, Brad Tutschek scored at 2:20 of overtime for a 3-2 Seattle victory.
April 8, 2001 — In Game 5 of the first round, Paul Hurd scored at 5:27 of overtime for a 2-1 Kelowna victory.
April 22, 2003 — In Game 3 of the Western Conference final, Tyler Metcalfe scored at 18:58 of the second overtime for a 3-2 Seattle victory.
March 28, 2008 — In Game 3 of the first round, David Richard scored at 15:12 of overtime for a 3-2 Seattle victory.
March 29, 2008 — In Game 6 of the first round, Lucas Bloodoff scored at 10:59 of overtime for a 4-3 Kelowna victory.
March 22, 2013 — In Game 1 of the first round, Luke Lockhart scored at 19:09 of overtime for a 5-4 Seattle victory.
March 23, 2013 — In Game 2 of the first round, Alexander Delnov scored at 2:41 of overtime for a 2-1 Seattle victory.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (5):
D Marco Mueller, Everett

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (2):
F Taylor Peters, Portland


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The Major League Baseball season is soon to start, which means it won’t be long before we are once again treated to Vin Scully calling the play of games involving the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lyle Spencer of mlb.com chatted with Scully the other day and has a great read right here. It includes an anecdote about the time Scully and Jackie Robinson donned ice skates.
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Thanks to those folks who responded to my query of yesterday. It turns out that Matt Fonteyne is Val Fonteyne’s grandson. . . . Matt, a forward, signed with the Everett Silvertips on Tuesday. . . . Val played 820 NHL games and garnered only 26 penalty minutes. He also played 149 games in the WHA, compiling all of four penalty minutes. . . . He had 229 points in the NHL and 61 in the WHA. . . . Val was a star with the Seattle Americans and Totems of the professional Western Hockey League in the mid-1950s before going on to play in the NHL. . . . Oh, how I remember those photos — black-and-white, of course — in The Hockey News, back in the days of the Original Six when a young fan was on a first-name basis with every player on every roster.
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The Swift Current Broncos have added F Dakota Odgers, G Travis Child and D Zack Gonek to their roster. . . . Odgers, from Spy Hill, Sask., is a son of former WHLer/NHLer Jeff Odgers. Dakota had 47 points in 38 games with the midget AAA Yorkton Harvest. He was a second-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Gonek, from St. Albert, Alta., played for the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders. He was the 13th overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Child, from Killam, Alta., went 5-4-10, 4.82, .893 with the midget AAA Camrose Vikings. He was a second-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft.
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I don't know that it has been officially announced, but judging from Twitter on Wednesday, the NHL’s Ottawa Senators have signed Portland Winterhawks D Troy Rutkowski, 20, to a three-year, entry-level contract. Rutkowski was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL’s 2010 draft, but never signed a contract. This season, he has 61 points, including 20 goals, in 69 games.
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The Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans will meet in the first round of the WHL playoffs, but they don’t yet know who will have home-ice advantage. But because of the arena scheduling situation in Spokane, the series will begin with Games 1 and 2 in Spokane on March 22 and 23. . . . The series then will move to Kennewick, Wash., for Games 3 and 4 and, if necessary, 5 on March 26, 28 and 30. . . . A sixth game would be played in Spokane on April 2. The site of Game 7, set for April 3, will depend on which team finishes fourth in the Western Conference. . . . The arena in Spokane will be home to one of the NCAA women’s basketball regional tournaments, with games on March 30 and April 1. . . . The Chiefs hold a two-point lead over the Americans with each team having three games remaining. They will play each other in Spokane on Friday and in Kennewick on Saturday. On Sunday, the Americans wrap it up in Everett, while the Chiefs are to play in Portland. . . . Should the Chiefs and Americans end up tied for fourth, the first tiebreaker is victories. At the moment, Spokane has the edge, 42-40.
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Sorry, fans of the Portland Winterhawks.
You aren’t going to be given the opportunity to applaud WHL commissioner Ron Robison on Sunday as your favourite hockey team is presented with the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular-season champions.
The presentation will take place prior to the Winterhawks’ final regular-season game, against the Spokane Chiefs.
However, it won’t be the commissioner doing the presenting. Instead, it will be Richard Doersken, who is the WHL’s vice-president, hockey. Doerksen will do the honours following the presentation of the team’s individual awards.
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With the CIS championship to be held this weekend in Saskatoon, individual awards were handed out on Wednesday.
Former Kelowna Rockets F Lucas Bloodoff, who has played three seasons for the Saint Mary’s U Huskies, has been named the CIS player of the year. Bloodoff, who played four seasons (2006-10) with the Rockets, led the Atlantic conference in scoring, with 38 points, including 20 goals.
Former WHL G Kurtis Mucha (Portland, Kamloops, 2005-10) was named the CIS’s goaltender of the year. In his third season with the U of Alberta Golden Bears, who are the championship tournament’s top seed, Mucha led the CIS in GAA (1.30) and save percentage (.936), while going 13-2. He also became the first goaltender in Canada West history to be credited with scoring a goal. Late in the season, he put together a string of five straight shutouts as part of a shutout streak that lasted 335 minutes 6 seconds.
F Jordan Hickmott, a product of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, Prince Albert Raiders and Edmonton Oil Kings (2006-11), was named the most sportsmanlike player. He led the Golden Bears in goals (15) and points (35), while taking just two minor penalties in 28 regular-season games.
The All-Canadian first team included Mucha, Bloodoff and U of Manitoba F Blair Macaulay (Saskatoon, Tri-City, 2005-09).
On the second team: D Jesse Craige, Alberta (Lethbridge, Chilliwack, 2006-10); Andrew Clark, Acadia (Brandon, 2005-09); and Kyle Bortis, Saskatchewan (Swift Current, Calgary, 2005-09).
The all-rookie team included D Neil Manning, UBC (Vancouver, 2007-12); D Lane Werbowski, Toronto (Tri-City, Edmonton, 2007-10); and F James Henry, Manitoba (Vancouver, Moose Jaw, 2007-12).
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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, G Corbin Boes stopped 25 shots to help the Wheat Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Wheat Kings had lost four in a row at home. . . . The Raiders have lost six straight. . . . F Marek Kalus had two assists for Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings had F Jesse Gabrielle, a 15-year-old from the Minnesota high school ranks, in the lineup for the first time. . . . Brandon was without F Jayce Hawryluk, who suffered an undisclosed injury in practice on Tuesday. . . . The Raiders remain fifth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. Each team has two games remaining. . . . The Raiders go home-and-home with the Saskatoon Blades; the Broncos will do the same with the Regina Pats. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes scored the game’s last two goals and beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-2. . . . F Graham Hood, who was honoured before the game for having played in 300 regular-season games, broke a 2-2 tie with his 11th goal at 4:23 of the third period.. . . D Lenny Hackman added insurance at 7:51. That was his first WHL goal. It came in the 70th game of his freshman season. . . . The Ice had beaten the visiting Hurricanes 3-1 on Tuesday, eliminating Lethbridge from the playoff picture. . . . Lethbridge G Christopher Tai stopped 27 shots as starter Ty Rimmer as given a rare night off. It was Tai’s 11th appearance this season. . . . Kootenay G Wyatt Hoflin, who last started on Jan. 30, turned aside 34 shots. . . . The Ice scratched F Brock Montgomery with an undisclosed injury, and lost D Tanner Muth to an undisclosed injury during the first period. . . . The loss means the Ice will finish seventh or eighth in the Eastern Conference, meaning a first-round engagement with Edmonton or Saskatoon.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Harrison Ruopp, Prince Albert

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None

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By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
In the WHL these days, the Portland Winterhawks are the measuring stick.
When you want to know how good your team is, you stack it up against the Winterhawks, the top-ranked team in all of the CHL, and away you go.
The Kamloops Blazers, who had been on a seven-game winning streak, did exactly that at Interior Savings Centre on Wednesday night and came up a bit short of the big dogs, the opportunistic Winterhawks scoring a 3-0 victory despite being outshot 27-24.
With the victory, the Winterhawks (49-9-3) became the WHL’s first 100-point team this season. With 11 games to play, they now lead the overall standings by 10 points (101-91) over the Edmonton Oil Kings, who lost 3-2 to the visiting Regina Pats last night.
Portland also tied a franchise record with its 24th road victory of the season. The Winterhawks, 24-3-2 away from home, equalled the mark held by the 1980-81 and 2010-11 squads.
The Winterhawks will spend the weekend in Prince George where they meet the Cougars on Friday and Saturday.
A victory would have lifted the Blazers to within one point of the B.C. Division-leading Kelowna Rockets (42-15-4), who will play the Royals in Victoria on Friday and Saturday nights. The Blazers will spend Friday in Vancouver playing the Giants and then will mosey on down to Spokane for a Saturday night date with the Chiefs.
In their previous three visits to Kamloops, the Winterhawks had given up 18 goals in losing all three games. Last night, it was evident that they weren’t interesting in getting in a run-and-gun show with the Blazers.
The Winterhawks were especially tight in their zone, with defencemen Seth Jones, Troy Rutkowski and Tyler Wotherspoon at the top of their games.
Offensively, the Winterhawks took control in the second period when their top two snipers — Brendan Leipsic and Nic Petan — each beat goaltender Cole Cheveldave to give the visitors a 3-0 lead.
Leipsic’s goal really stung, coming as it did so early (1:56) into the second period. Leipsic, a 5-foot-9 pain who leads the WHL with 105 points, came out the penalty box, skated down the right wing and eventually beat Cheveldave along the ice and through the legs. That was his WHL-leading 42nd goal.
Not to be outdone, Petan, who plays on a line with Leipsic and Ty Rattie, scored at 16:09, finishing off a tic-tac-toe play for his 42nd score as the Winterhawks took advantage of a 4-on-2 break.
And it was those kinds of breakdowns that haunted the Blazers all game long.
The Winterhawks had drawn first blood at 8:59 of the first period, thanks to some good puck possession by forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand, Taylor Leier and Chase DeLeo. Their cycling resulted in a pass to Rutkowski, who beat Cheveldave with a low shot to the stick side, going off the post and into the mesh for his 18th goal this season.
It’s not that the Winterhawks were dynamite in this one — they weren’t. But they were awfully good, especially with their defensive structure. Their puck support was better than that of the Blazers, and the visitors applied enough pressure in Kamloops’ defensive zone that the home side’s skaters often gave pucks away as they approached the neutral zone. And the Winterhawks were tight defensively, allowing the Blazers very little in the way of sustained pressure on offence.
Portland goaltender Mac Carruth finished with 27 saves, few of the difficult variety, as he put up his WHL-leading seventh shutout.
Even at that, the Blazers had an opportunity to get back into it early in the third period when they were presented with a 58-second two-man advantage. But the home boys were guilty of some errant shooting, a lot of their shots going wide and bouncing harmlessly away out the other side. That, too, was something that hampered their game on a regular basis on this night.
They were, it could be said, a gang that couldn’t shoot straight.
JUST NOTES: Attendance was 4,527. . . . The Blazers hadn’t been blanked at home since losing 1-0 to G Drew Owsley and the Prince George Cougars on Sept. 24, 2011. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. Leipsic: An ultra-effective pest; 2. Rutkowski: Tower of strength; 3. Carruth: Stayed in the moment. . . . R.J. Broadhead and Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet were interested observers. They will air the Blazers’ game from Vancouver on Friday. . . . The Blazers are next at home Wednesday against the Giants. . . . Prior to the game, the crowd responded with a nice standing ovation as Corryn Brown’s Canadian junior championship rink was introduced.


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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
There were 10 games last night and five ended in shutouts. . . . Also when the night was done, three players were tied for the WHL lead in goals, with 36. . . .

In Portland, G Mac Carruth was writing records again as the Winterhawks blanked the Spokane Chiefs, 4-0. . . . Carruth stopped 26 shots as he set a single-season franchise record with his sixth shutout. Lanny Ramage had set the record of five in 2000-01. . . . It also was Carruth’s 10th career shutout, extending his franchise record. . . . The Winterhawks also extended the team franchise record with this season’s 11th shutout. . . . As well, D Troy Rutkowski played in his 221st straight game, tying D Andrew Ference for the franchise’s iron man record. Ference set the record by playing from Feb. 18, 1995 through Oct. 11, 1998. . . . Rutkowski has played in 332 regular-season games. . . . F Taylor Leier got the game’s first goal, his 20th, at 14”22 of the first period. . . . Portland held a 21-1 edge in shots in the opening period. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic scored twice, giving him 36 goals this season and moving him into a tie for the WHL lead with teammate Nic Petan and F Colin Smith of Kamloops. . . . Petan, the WHL’s points leader, was held of the score sheet and now holds a three-point lead, 93-90, over Leipsix. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie also was blanked and had his 15-game point streak ended. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Michael Ferland scored three times to lead the Blades to a 4-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Saskatoon now has won four in a row. . . . Ferland, who also had an assist, broke a 1-1 tie with his second goal at 6:01 of the second and later added an empty-netter. He’s got six goals now. . . . Ferland was playing in his 200th regular-season game. . . . The Broncos have followed a seven-game winning streak by dropping three of four. . . .

In Prince Albert, G Luke Siemens turned aside 40 shots as the Raiders beat the Calgary Hitmen, 2-0. . . . Siemens put up his fifth shutout this season and the 11th of his career. . . . F Shane Danyluk scored the game’s first goal, his seventh, shorthanded at 11:32 of the second period. He’s got seven goals. . . . F Chase Braid, with his eighth, added insurance at 2:38 of the third. . . .

In Brandon, F Jayce Hawryluk scored twice to help the Wheat Kings to a 5-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Hawryluk, who has 15 goals, also scored twice Friday in Brandon’s 3-2 loss in Regina. After his first goal last night, he had been in on seven consecutive Brandon goals, scoring five of them. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock drew five assists for his first career five-point night. . . . Brandon lost D Tyler Yaworski to a headshot major that took Regina D Luke Fenske out of the game. . . .

In Cranbrook, G Mackenzie Skapski turned aside 23 shots as the Kootenay Ice beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 3-0. . . . Skapski has four shutouts, all of them this season. . . . F Levi Cable’s shorthanded goal at 7:00 of the second period stood up as the winner. . . . The Ice scored its other two goals via the PP, the last one into an empty net. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau had two assists. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart drew one assist and ran his point streak to 16 games, the longest active streak at the moment. . . .

In Medicine Hat, G Laurent Brossoit earned his second straight shutout as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Tigers, 6-0. . . . Brossoit stopped 23 shots in putting up his fourth blank job this season and the ninth of his career. He already held the modern-day franchise record. . . . Brossoit and Tristan Jarry have posted seven shutouts in Edmonton’s last 16 games. . . . The Oil Kings have played 53 games and have held the opposition to two or fewer goals in 36 of those. . . . D Ashton Sautner’s second goal this season, at 19:00 of the first period, stood up as the winner. . . . D Martin Gernat had three assists. . . . F Curtis Lazar and F Henrik Samuelsson each scored his 27th goal. . . . F Michael St. Croix had a goal and an assist to run his point streak to nine games. . . . The defending-champion Oil Kings have won eight straight. . . .

In Prince George, F Alex Gogolev scored the lone goal of the circus as the Victoria Royals beat the Cougars, 2-1. . . . The Cougars had beaten the Royals 6-2 on Friday. . . . Gogolev gave Victoria a 1-0 lead with his 19th goal at 5:41 of the second period. . . . D Dallas Ehrhardt got his fifth to tie it at 18:26 of the third. . . . Gogolev was the seventh shooter in a four-round shootout. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka stopped 38 shots through OT. . . .

In Everett, F JC Lipon scored once in regulation time and again in the circus as the Kamloops Blazers got past the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . Everett D Landon Oslanski forced OT with his 12th goal, via the PP, at 11:54 of the second. . . . Lipon was the only scorer in a shootout that went four rounds. . . . Kamloops F Colin Smith scored his 36th goal. He has goals in five straight games. . . . Everett was able to dress only 16 skaters, two under the maximum. . . . On top of the injuries they had going into the weekend, Everett was without F Tyler Sandhu, who was injured in Friday’s 2-1 shootout loss to visiting Tri-City, and F Kohl Bauml (ill). . . . Of the 18 players Everett dressed last night, 12 were freshmen. . . . The teams meet again Thursday in Kamloops. . . .

In Kelowna, G Jordon Cooke stopped 22 shots to lead the Rockets to a 5-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Rockets had beaten the host Giants 5-1 on Friday. . . . Cooke has five shutouts, all this season. . . . The Rockets won their 23rd straight home game, one shy of a franchise record set in 1994-95 when the team played out of Tacoma. . . . F Myles Bell scored twice, giving him 31, and added an assist, while F Colton Sissons had three assists and now has an 11-game point streak. . . . The Rockets scored two shorthanded goals and one on the PP. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Justin Feser scored the game’s last two goals as the Tri-City Americans beat the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), 4-3, in overtime. . . . Feser tied the game at 18:27 of the third period and won it 27 seconds into OT. . . . Tri-City’s captain has 29 goals this season. . . . Americans G Luke Lee-Knight turned aside 32 shots.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Lukas Sutter, Saskatoon
D Mason Geertsen, Vancouver (double minor)

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Tyler Yaworski, Brandon (major)
F Jens Meilleur, Brandon
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From Everett G Austin Lotz (@lotzy30): “Shopping will be the reason that one day il be homeless #clothesonclothesonclothes”
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From Portland D Troy Rutkowski (@TRutter2): “Would like to thank the @pdxwinterhawks for flying my family and @abawdzy in this weekend. #firstclassorganization”

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