THE MacBETH REPORT:
Kevin Saurette (Regina, 1997-99) signed a one-year contract with Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had 16 goals and 33 assists in 48 games for Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany Oberliga) this season. . . .
F Robin Figren (Calgary, Edmonton, 2006-08) signed a two-year contract with Linköping (Sweden Elitserien). He had 14 goals and 17 assists in 76 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) this season. Linköping GM Johan Hemlin: "It's great that Robin chose Linköping. He is an exciting forward who will be good for us."
———
JUST NOTES: F Tyler Pitlick of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who hasn’t skated in six weeks, is due to return to the ice today. He has been out with a broken ankle. . . . The QMJHL has fined Patrick Roy, the GM and head coach of the Quebec Remparts, for “inappropriate comments.” This comes after Martin Mondou, the Shawinigan Cataractes’ GM, complained about security at the rink in Quebec City after fans dumped beer and assorted other stuff on his players. Roy responded by saying that Mondou “has a brain the size of a pea.” . . .
D Alex Petrovic signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Florida Panthers last week. Capgeek.com reports that his AHL salary will be US$67,500 per season, with NHL salaries of $760,000, $815,000 and $900,000. The signing bonus was $270,000, payable over three years. . . . Petrovic was the 36th overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft. . . . F Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs has been suspended by the WHL for the first game of the Western Conference final. That’s for a kneeing major he incurred in Game 6 of the conference semfinal against the Tri-City Americans on Tuesday. The Chiefs won that game 5-4 in OT. Johnson was ejected at 18:31 of the first period for a hit on Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin, who returned to the bench but didn’t play again. The Chiefs open the conference final in Portland against the Winterhawks on Friday. Johnson, the WHL’s second-leading scorer in the regular season, has nine points in nine playoff games this spring. He missed the last two games of the Chiefs’ first-round 4-1 series victory over the Chilliwack Bruins with a concussion. . .
Kevin Dickie, who did a stint as head coach of the Saskatoon Blades (2000-03), is the new athletic director at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. He had been the hockey coach at Acadia before joining the Blades. Most recently, Dickie was the athletic director at the U of New Brunswick in Fredericton. . . . Kris Mallette (Kelowna, Moose Jaw, 1996-2000) is the new head coach of the junior B North Okanagan Knights, who play in the Kootenay International junior league out of Armstrong, B.C. Mallette, 32, was an assistant coach and replaces Sylvan Leone. Mallette is a native of Kelowna. . . . Nathan Lieuwen of the Kootenay Ice is the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .965 save percentage last week.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Showing posts with label Tyler Pitlick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tyler Pitlick. Show all posts
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sunday . . .
In the OHL, the Windsor Spitfires, who have won the last two Memorial Cup titles, 
are into the Western Conference final after finishing off the Sarnia Sting on Sunday. The Spitfires won 5-0 to take the series in six games.
With the victory, the Spitfires established an OHL record — it was their 10th straight series victory. They have been tied with the Peterborough Petes, who won nine straight (1978-80).
———
According to the gang at capgeek.com, Medicine Hat Tigers F Tyler Pitlick will get NHL salaries of US$865,000, $900,000 and $900,000 under terms of the three-year deal
he signed with the Edmonton Oilers. His AHL salary each season would be $67,500. And he got a $270,000 signing bonus, payable over three years. Pitlick, who hasn’t played since early March because of a broken ankle, was a second-round selection in the 2010 NHL draft. He left Minnesota State-Mankato to join the Tigers prior to this season. He had 62 points, including 27 goals, in 56 games when he was injured.
———
F Brayden Schenn made his AHL playoff debut with the Manchester Monarchs on Sunday. He had an assist and was plus-3 as the Monarchs scored a 5-4 OT victory over the host Binghamton Senators. The Monarchs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, lead the best-of-seven first-round series, 2-1. Schenn joined the Monarchs after his Saskatoon Blades were eliminated from the WHL playoffs on Wednesday night.
———
The WHL now has three teams having moved into conference finals.
The Portland Winterhawks got there Sunday, with a 4-2 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. That gave Portland a 4-2 victory in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal.
The Winterhawks will meet either the Spokane Chiefs or Tri-City Americans in the conference final. The Chiefs beat the host Americans 3-2 in OT on Sunday and will take a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 in Spokane on Tuesday.
The Eastern Conference final will open Friday, with the Kootenay Ice visiting the Medicine Hat Tigers.
———
In Kelowna, F Sven Bartschi had a goal and two assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . The Winterhawks took control with goals 51 seconds apart in the first period. F Ty Rattie broke a scoreless tie
at 6:44 and Bartschi made it 2-0 at 7:35. . . . F Craig Cunningham made it 3-0 at 3:14 of the second. . . . The Rockets got to within one on goals from F Geordie Wudrick, at 13:03 of the second, and F Brett Bulmer, 54 seconds into the third on a PP, but couldn’t get the equalizer. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow closed out the scoring with an empty-netter. . . . Attendance was 4,821. . . . The Rockets, a team that averaged more than 6,000 fans per game in the regular season, drew crowds of 6,059 and 6,085 for first-round games with the Prince George Cougars. However, crowds were under 5,000 for the three home games against Portland. Strange, no? . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 45 shots, 10 more than Kelowna’s Adam Brown. . . . The Winterhawks last appeared in the Western Conferencee final in 2001. That series is to open Friday in the Rose Garden in Portland. . . .
———
In Kennewick, Wash., F Blake Gal came out of the penalty box in OT to score the winner as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans, 3-2. . . . The Chiefs lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 in Spokane on Tuesday. . . . The Chiefs led this one 2-0
on goals by D Jared Cowen, hust 27 seconds in, and F Matt Marantz, at 4:32 of the second. . . . The Americans tied it on third-period goals from D Tyler Schmidt, at 3:24, and F Carter Ashton, at 18:59. . . . Gal went off for high-sticking at 2:46 of OT, but the Americans weren’t able to beat G James Reid, who made 33 saves. . . . Six seconds after getting out of stir, Gal put the winner past G Drew Owsley, who stopped 40 shots. . . . Owsley had opened OT with five saves as the Chiefs started extra time on the PP. . . . The goal was Gal’s sixth of these playoffs. . . . Attendance was 4,014. . . . If they need a Game 7, it’ll be played in Spokane on Wednesday. . . . The series winner will open the Western Conference final in Portland on Friday.
———
SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Portland F Craig Cunningham.
Spokane F Darren Kramer.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
are into the Western Conference final after finishing off the Sarnia Sting on Sunday. The Spitfires won 5-0 to take the series in six games.With the victory, the Spitfires established an OHL record — it was their 10th straight series victory. They have been tied with the Peterborough Petes, who won nine straight (1978-80).
———
According to the gang at capgeek.com, Medicine Hat Tigers F Tyler Pitlick will get NHL salaries of US$865,000, $900,000 and $900,000 under terms of the three-year deal
he signed with the Edmonton Oilers. His AHL salary each season would be $67,500. And he got a $270,000 signing bonus, payable over three years. Pitlick, who hasn’t played since early March because of a broken ankle, was a second-round selection in the 2010 NHL draft. He left Minnesota State-Mankato to join the Tigers prior to this season. He had 62 points, including 27 goals, in 56 games when he was injured.———
F Brayden Schenn made his AHL playoff debut with the Manchester Monarchs on Sunday. He had an assist and was plus-3 as the Monarchs scored a 5-4 OT victory over the host Binghamton Senators. The Monarchs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, lead the best-of-seven first-round series, 2-1. Schenn joined the Monarchs after his Saskatoon Blades were eliminated from the WHL playoffs on Wednesday night.
———
The WHL now has three teams having moved into conference finals.
The Portland Winterhawks got there Sunday, with a 4-2 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. That gave Portland a 4-2 victory in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal.
The Winterhawks will meet either the Spokane Chiefs or Tri-City Americans in the conference final. The Chiefs beat the host Americans 3-2 in OT on Sunday and will take a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 in Spokane on Tuesday.
The Eastern Conference final will open Friday, with the Kootenay Ice visiting the Medicine Hat Tigers.
———
In Kelowna, F Sven Bartschi had a goal and two assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . The Winterhawks took control with goals 51 seconds apart in the first period. F Ty Rattie broke a scoreless tie
at 6:44 and Bartschi made it 2-0 at 7:35. . . . F Craig Cunningham made it 3-0 at 3:14 of the second. . . . The Rockets got to within one on goals from F Geordie Wudrick, at 13:03 of the second, and F Brett Bulmer, 54 seconds into the third on a PP, but couldn’t get the equalizer. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow closed out the scoring with an empty-netter. . . . Attendance was 4,821. . . . The Rockets, a team that averaged more than 6,000 fans per game in the regular season, drew crowds of 6,059 and 6,085 for first-round games with the Prince George Cougars. However, crowds were under 5,000 for the three home games against Portland. Strange, no? . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 45 shots, 10 more than Kelowna’s Adam Brown. . . . The Winterhawks last appeared in the Western Conferencee final in 2001. That series is to open Friday in the Rose Garden in Portland. . . .———
In Kennewick, Wash., F Blake Gal came out of the penalty box in OT to score the winner as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans, 3-2. . . . The Chiefs lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 in Spokane on Tuesday. . . . The Chiefs led this one 2-0
on goals by D Jared Cowen, hust 27 seconds in, and F Matt Marantz, at 4:32 of the second. . . . The Americans tied it on third-period goals from D Tyler Schmidt, at 3:24, and F Carter Ashton, at 18:59. . . . Gal went off for high-sticking at 2:46 of OT, but the Americans weren’t able to beat G James Reid, who made 33 saves. . . . Six seconds after getting out of stir, Gal put the winner past G Drew Owsley, who stopped 40 shots. . . . Owsley had opened OT with five saves as the Chiefs started extra time on the PP. . . . The goal was Gal’s sixth of these playoffs. . . . Attendance was 4,014. . . . If they need a Game 7, it’ll be played in Spokane on Wednesday. . . . The series winner will open the Western Conference final in Portland on Friday.———
SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Portland F Craig Cunningham.
Spokane F Darren Kramer.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday . . .
THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 44:
It’s official. Not that it really was ever in doubt.
The Prince George Cougars aren’t going anywhere.
WHL commissioner Ron Robison has told CKPG-TV in Prince George that “there’s never been any application made to the WHL for a move.”
Robison went on to say
that “these rumours come up from time to time. I think any time you have a franchise that . . . is struggling with attendance, as Prince George has, for a lengthy period fo time, you’re going to see these types of rumours surface. But the ownership is still committed to the Prince George market and hoping that things can turn around soon.”
This all started, of course, because the WHL has allowed the majority owners of the Chilliwack Bruins to sell their franchise for $5.5 million. Eventually, the WHL will announce that Vancouver-based RG Properties has purchased the franchise and will relocate it to Victoria.
Once the WHL confirmed that the Bruins had been sold, the speculation was immediate that the Cougars were likely to head south. That just isn't going to happen.
But what Robison didn’t mention to CKPG-TV — or, if he did, the TV station didn’t use it — is that Moray Keith, one of the Bruins’ minority owners, made an attempt to purchase the Cougars.
Keith first tried to buy the Bruins, but his offer of $6.2 million — not $7.75 million as was reported about a month ago — wasn’t even considered, apparently because majority owners Darryl Porter, Brian Burke and Glen Sather had already accepted RG Properties’ offer.
Keith found out that the Cougars aren’t for sale, at least not for what he was offering, and now the good people of Chilliwack appear likely to have a BCHL franchise moving into their city in the near future.
———
Bob Sales, the president of the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires, has confirmed to CKPG-TV that, yes, “the team is for sale.”
And, furthermore, there have been talks with . . .
“We haven’t had any firm offers from Chilliwck,” Sales told the TV station, “but we have talked to Chilliwack.”
———
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Byron Ritchie (Lethbridge, 1993-97) signed a two-year contract with Bern (Switzerland NL A). He had 23 goals and 21 assists in 53 games with MoDo Örnsköldsvik (Sweden Elitserien) this season, good for fifth in league scoring.
———
A tip of the cap to the American Hockey League for trimming four games from each team’s regular-season schedule.
Yes, the AHL announced Wednesday that each of its teams will play 76 games next season, down from 80.
At the same time, the AHL said it will lengthen the amount of time it takes to play its regular-season schedule by one week. And it will reduce its first-round playoff series to best-of-five from best-of-seven.
The regular-season scheduling changes will mean teams no longer will be required to play four games in five nights.
"As our league has grown in recent years, we have been working closely with the National Hockey League and the Professional Hockey Players' Association to seek a solution to what has become a very onerous playing schedule," David Andrews, the AHL president, said.
"As our league has grown and our game has become faster and more physical, the wear and tear on our players has begun to affect player development and at times the quality of competition.
“These steps are intended to provide a safer environment for our players through increased rest and recovery time, and also to provide our fans with an even higher calibre of play as a result of reduced player fatigue."
Hurrah for the AHL!
———
There is an interesting story developing in the OHL where the Soo Greyhounds areexpected to introduce Kyle Dubas as their general manager today. Dubas, at 25 years of age, is a player agent. In fact, he is the youngest player agent to be certified by the NHLPA.
Peter Ruicci of the Sault Star has more right here.
———
The New York Islanders will make a coaching change with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, their AHL affiliate. Pat Bingham, an assistant coach who took over as head coach when Jack Capuono moved up to the Islanders in November, won’t be returning.
The Sound Tigers went 24-30-11 under Bingham, who is a former WHL player (Kamloops, New Westminster, 1985-89).
———
F Tyler Pitlick of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who hasn’t played in a month because of a broken ankle, has signed a three-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers, who selected
him in the second round of the 2010 NHL draft.
Pitlick, 19, put up 62 points, including 27 goals, in 56 games in his first WHL season. He joined the Tigers from the NCAA’s Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks.
Pitlick wsa able to dump his crutches earlier this week, but isn’t expected back in the Tigers’ lineup in the near future.
———
ON THE ICE:
In Medicine Hat, the Red Deer Rebels stayed alive with a 1-0 victory over the Tigers. . . . G Dawson Guhle, starting in place of Darcy Kuemper (ankle), turned
aside 21 shots for the shutout. . . . Guhle, an 18-year-old from Daysland, Alta., played in 15 games during the regular season — five with the Regina Pats and 10 with Red Deer. . . . Bolton Pouliot, a 16-year-old from Calgary, served as Guhle’s backup. . . . F Byron Froese scored the game’s only goal, his fourth, at 11:27 of the third period. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz turned aside 23 shots. . . . The Tigers had won six straight games. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . The Tigers take a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 in Red Deer on Saturday. . . . “(Guhle) made some key saves at key times, some big saves,” Jesse Wallin, the Rebels’ head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “We know he has that capability and at times this season he’s played real well and shown us what he’s got. But talk about a tough situation to step into, because he hasn’t played a lot of games this season. Good for him. I’m real proud of him and I thought the boys battled real hard in front of him, keeping things to the outside and letting him see the puck and make the first stop. We did a good job of that and yet at playoff time you need big-time goaltending.” . . .
———
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and finished off the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . The Ice, the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed,
swept the Blades, who had finished with the WHL’s best regular-season record. . . . The Ice is the first team to advance to a conference final. . . . F Matt Fraser scored twice and added two assists for the Ice. He leads the playoffs with 10 goals and is third in points (15). . . . F Max Reinhart also scored twice for the Ice. He’s got seven in these playoffs. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 33 shots, five fewer than Saskatoon’s Steven Stanford. . . . Attendance was 3,021. . . . The Blades won a WHL-high 56 regular-season games. However, they scored only five goals in four games against the Ice. . . . The Los Angeles Kings, who open the NHL playoffs tonight against the Sharks in San Jose, are expected to recall Saskatoon F Brayden Schenn, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft. Schenn has played eight NHL games, so two more would result in him using up one year of his three-year contract. . . . Cody Nickolet, who provides colour on Blades’ radio broadcasts, tweeted late last night that “Schenn will speak to (Kings GM) Dean Lombardi on Thursday to learn where he is headed.” . . . Nickolet also tweeted that F Curtis Hamilton and D Stefan Elliott will be bound for AHL teams. Hamilton, a second-round NHL draft pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2009, likely will sign an ATO with the Oklahoma City Barons, while Elliott, who has signed with the Colorado Avalanche, is to join the AHL’s Lake Eric Monsters.
———
In Kelowna, F Nino Niederreiter drew three assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . The Winterhawks, having won three in a row, hold a 3-1 edge and get their first chance to end the series at home on Fridaynight. . . . The Winterhawks took a 2-0 on goals 39 seconds apart by F Ty Rattie, at 12:25 of the first, and F Taylor Peters and never trailed. . . . F Shane McColgan got his eighth goal on the PP at 17:39 of the first. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow got that one back on a PP at 2:30 of the third. . . . F Brett Bulmer pulled Kelowna to within one just over 10 minutes later, but the Rockets weren’t able to equalize. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen, with his seventh point in the last three games, got his sixth goal at 16:11 to provide some insurance. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth, who is 7-1 in these playoffs, stopped 24 shots, while Kelowna’s Adam Brown turned aside 35. . . . Attendance was 4,763.
———
WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
It’s official. Not that it really was ever in doubt.
The Prince George Cougars aren’t going anywhere.
WHL commissioner Ron Robison has told CKPG-TV in Prince George that “there’s never been any application made to the WHL for a move.”
Robison went on to say
that “these rumours come up from time to time. I think any time you have a franchise that . . . is struggling with attendance, as Prince George has, for a lengthy period fo time, you’re going to see these types of rumours surface. But the ownership is still committed to the Prince George market and hoping that things can turn around soon.”This all started, of course, because the WHL has allowed the majority owners of the Chilliwack Bruins to sell their franchise for $5.5 million. Eventually, the WHL will announce that Vancouver-based RG Properties has purchased the franchise and will relocate it to Victoria.
Once the WHL confirmed that the Bruins had been sold, the speculation was immediate that the Cougars were likely to head south. That just isn't going to happen.
But what Robison didn’t mention to CKPG-TV — or, if he did, the TV station didn’t use it — is that Moray Keith, one of the Bruins’ minority owners, made an attempt to purchase the Cougars.
Keith first tried to buy the Bruins, but his offer of $6.2 million — not $7.75 million as was reported about a month ago — wasn’t even considered, apparently because majority owners Darryl Porter, Brian Burke and Glen Sather had already accepted RG Properties’ offer.
Keith found out that the Cougars aren’t for sale, at least not for what he was offering, and now the good people of Chilliwack appear likely to have a BCHL franchise moving into their city in the near future.
———
Bob Sales, the president of the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires, has confirmed to CKPG-TV that, yes, “the team is for sale.”
And, furthermore, there have been talks with . . .
“We haven’t had any firm offers from Chilliwck,” Sales told the TV station, “but we have talked to Chilliwack.”
———
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Byron Ritchie (Lethbridge, 1993-97) signed a two-year contract with Bern (Switzerland NL A). He had 23 goals and 21 assists in 53 games with MoDo Örnsköldsvik (Sweden Elitserien) this season, good for fifth in league scoring.
———
A tip of the cap to the American Hockey League for trimming four games from each team’s regular-season schedule.
Yes, the AHL announced Wednesday that each of its teams will play 76 games next season, down from 80.
At the same time, the AHL said it will lengthen the amount of time it takes to play its regular-season schedule by one week. And it will reduce its first-round playoff series to best-of-five from best-of-seven.The regular-season scheduling changes will mean teams no longer will be required to play four games in five nights.
"As our league has grown in recent years, we have been working closely with the National Hockey League and the Professional Hockey Players' Association to seek a solution to what has become a very onerous playing schedule," David Andrews, the AHL president, said.
"As our league has grown and our game has become faster and more physical, the wear and tear on our players has begun to affect player development and at times the quality of competition.
“These steps are intended to provide a safer environment for our players through increased rest and recovery time, and also to provide our fans with an even higher calibre of play as a result of reduced player fatigue."
Hurrah for the AHL!
———
There is an interesting story developing in the OHL where the Soo Greyhounds are
expected to introduce Kyle Dubas as their general manager today. Dubas, at 25 years of age, is a player agent. In fact, he is the youngest player agent to be certified by the NHLPA.Peter Ruicci of the Sault Star has more right here.
———
The New York Islanders will make a coaching change with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, their AHL affiliate. Pat Bingham, an assistant coach who took over as head coach when Jack Capuono moved up to the Islanders in November, won’t be returning.
The Sound Tigers went 24-30-11 under Bingham, who is a former WHL player (Kamloops, New Westminster, 1985-89).
———
F Tyler Pitlick of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who hasn’t played in a month because of a broken ankle, has signed a three-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers, who selected
him in the second round of the 2010 NHL draft.Pitlick, 19, put up 62 points, including 27 goals, in 56 games in his first WHL season. He joined the Tigers from the NCAA’s Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks.
Pitlick wsa able to dump his crutches earlier this week, but isn’t expected back in the Tigers’ lineup in the near future.
———
ON THE ICE:
In Medicine Hat, the Red Deer Rebels stayed alive with a 1-0 victory over the Tigers. . . . G Dawson Guhle, starting in place of Darcy Kuemper (ankle), turned
aside 21 shots for the shutout. . . . Guhle, an 18-year-old from Daysland, Alta., played in 15 games during the regular season — five with the Regina Pats and 10 with Red Deer. . . . Bolton Pouliot, a 16-year-old from Calgary, served as Guhle’s backup. . . . F Byron Froese scored the game’s only goal, his fourth, at 11:27 of the third period. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz turned aside 23 shots. . . . The Tigers had won six straight games. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . The Tigers take a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 in Red Deer on Saturday. . . . “(Guhle) made some key saves at key times, some big saves,” Jesse Wallin, the Rebels’ head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “We know he has that capability and at times this season he’s played real well and shown us what he’s got. But talk about a tough situation to step into, because he hasn’t played a lot of games this season. Good for him. I’m real proud of him and I thought the boys battled real hard in front of him, keeping things to the outside and letting him see the puck and make the first stop. We did a good job of that and yet at playoff time you need big-time goaltending.” . . .———
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and finished off the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . The Ice, the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed,
swept the Blades, who had finished with the WHL’s best regular-season record. . . . The Ice is the first team to advance to a conference final. . . . F Matt Fraser scored twice and added two assists for the Ice. He leads the playoffs with 10 goals and is third in points (15). . . . F Max Reinhart also scored twice for the Ice. He’s got seven in these playoffs. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 33 shots, five fewer than Saskatoon’s Steven Stanford. . . . Attendance was 3,021. . . . The Blades won a WHL-high 56 regular-season games. However, they scored only five goals in four games against the Ice. . . . The Los Angeles Kings, who open the NHL playoffs tonight against the Sharks in San Jose, are expected to recall Saskatoon F Brayden Schenn, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft. Schenn has played eight NHL games, so two more would result in him using up one year of his three-year contract. . . . Cody Nickolet, who provides colour on Blades’ radio broadcasts, tweeted late last night that “Schenn will speak to (Kings GM) Dean Lombardi on Thursday to learn where he is headed.” . . . Nickolet also tweeted that F Curtis Hamilton and D Stefan Elliott will be bound for AHL teams. Hamilton, a second-round NHL draft pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2009, likely will sign an ATO with the Oklahoma City Barons, while Elliott, who has signed with the Colorado Avalanche, is to join the AHL’s Lake Eric Monsters.———
In Kelowna, F Nino Niederreiter drew three assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . The Winterhawks, having won three in a row, hold a 3-1 edge and get their first chance to end the series at home on Friday
night. . . . The Winterhawks took a 2-0 on goals 39 seconds apart by F Ty Rattie, at 12:25 of the first, and F Taylor Peters and never trailed. . . . F Shane McColgan got his eighth goal on the PP at 17:39 of the first. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow got that one back on a PP at 2:30 of the third. . . . F Brett Bulmer pulled Kelowna to within one just over 10 minutes later, but the Rockets weren’t able to equalize. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen, with his seventh point in the last three games, got his sixth goal at 16:11 to provide some insurance. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth, who is 7-1 in these playoffs, stopped 24 shots, while Kelowna’s Adam Brown turned aside 35. . . . Attendance was 4,763.———
WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Monday, April 11, 2011
 |
| Tri-City general manager Bob Tory helps Brian Williams put on an Americans' jersey on Monday. (Photo courtesy Tri-City Americans) |
G Brett Jaeger (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Saskatoon, 2001-04) signed a one-year contract with Hvidovre (Denmark AL-Bank Liga). He had a 2.59 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 57 games with the Coventry Blaze (UK Elite) this season. . . .
F Petr Vala (Seattle, 1997-98) signed a tryout contract with Zell am See (Austria Nationalliga). He had seven goals and two assists in 35 games this season, split between Dukla Trencin and Zilinia (both Slovakia Extraliga). . . .
D Victor Bartley (Kamloops, Regina, 2003-09) signed a one-year contract with Djurgården Stockholm (Sweden Elitserien). He had 11 goals and 23 assists in 52 regular-season games and two goals and seven assists in 10 Elitserien Qualifying Series games with Rögle Ängelholm (Sweden Allsvenskan) this season; Rögle did not qualify for promotion to Elitserien. Djurgården's general manager, Janne Järlefelt, said when announcing the signing: "Bartley was perhaps the best Allsvenskan defenseman over the whole season. He is also young and we believe he can continue to develop with us in Djurgården Hockey. He is good on the power play, has a very good shot, and is a good skater."
———
The WHL office finalized a pair of suspensions on Monday.
F Brad Ross of the Portland Winterhawks will sit for three games for the charging major he incurred for a hit on Kelowna Rockets F Zach Franko in Game 1 of the
Western Conference semifinal on Thursday.Ross sat out Game 2 in Portland on Sunday and will miss Games 3 and 4 in Kelowna tonight and Wednesday.
The teams are tied 1-1 going into tonight.
Franko hasn’t played since the first-period hit. He was left with at least a broken nose and an abrasion on his face. He also is believed to have a concussion.
Meanwhile, D Tyler Schmidt of the Tri-City Americans was hit with a one-game suspension for a clipping major he picked up in the third period of Game 2 of their series with the Spokane Chiefs on Sunday. Schmidt will sit out Game 3 tonight in Kennewick, Wash.
This series also is tied 1-1.
———
The Tri-City Americans have signed another highly touted Californian.
F Brian Williams, who is from Claremont, Calif., was an eighth-round selection in
the 2010 bantam draft.Williams was the first native-Californian drafted by Tri-City since it took Jason Beeman in the second round in 2001. According to an Americans press released, Williams “was projected as a top five pick prior to the 2010 draft but fell after he expressed interest in pursuing an NCAA scholarship.”
The 5-foot-9, 160-pound Williams had 34 points in 34 games with the Los Angeles Selects U-16 club. He was a teammate with G Eric Comrie, who signed with the Americans on Thursday.
Williams has joined the Americans and will stay with them for the remainder of this season.
———
F Tyler Pitlick of the Medicine Hat Tigers hasn’t played since suffering a broken ankle on March 1. He won’t play in the second round of the playoffs — the Tigers hold a 2-0 lead over the Red Deer Rebels — but he is making progress.
On Monday, after seeing a doctor, Pitlick tweeted: “Well I got the news I was hoping for I got rid of the crutches, doc wants me to lose the walking cast by the weekend #greatday"
The Rebels and Tigers are to meet in Game 3 tonight in Medicine Hat.
———
F Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the WHL’s player of the week. He had nine points, including four goals, in three games, all of them victories. . . . Medicine Hat’s Tyler Bunz is the WHL nominee as the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He went 2-0 with a 0.50 GAA and a .986 save percentage. . . . Steve Papp, who is one of the WHL’s top referees, has been selected to work the RBC Cup in Camrose, Alta., from April 30 to May 8. The RBC Cup is the national junior A championship. Papp, a veteran WHL official, is certified as a level VI referee, which qualifies him to officiate at national and international championships.———
NHL Central Scouting released its final pre-draft rankings on Monday.
If you haven’t seen them yet, they’re right here.
———
There has been an interesting debate going on in some areas of the Internet of late, all because of Mark Cuban, who owns the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and HDNet, for starters.
The other day, Cuban, on his blog, penned a piece that began this way:
“I’m going to make this short and sweet. In the year 2011, I’m not sure I have a need for beat writers from ESPN.com, Yahoo, or any website for that matter to ever be in our locker room before or after a game. I think we have finally reached a point where not only can we communicate any and all factual information from our players and team directly to our fans and customers as effectively as any big sports website, but I think we have also reached a point where our interests are no longer aligned. I think those websites have become the equivalent of paparazzi rather than reporters.”
That entry is right here.
On Monday, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com took Cuban to task. Berger’s piece is right here.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Some Sunday stuff . . .
Regular visitors to this site will notice the Twitter feed is missing from the top right corner.
Repeated efforts to get that feed to show the origination of retweets has led me to have it deleted.
When something is retweeted, there should be an avatar appear on the left side, showing where the tweet originated. Unable to get it to work properly, I have chosen to simply delete it.
You are still able to follow me on twitter (twitter.com/gdrinnan) and get tweets and retweets there.
---
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Max Brandl (Prince Albert, Portland, 2007-09) signed a one-year contract extension with the Landshut Cannibals (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had eight goals and 13 assists in 46 games for the Cannibals this season. . . .
F Ty Morris (Swift Current, Vancouver, Red Deer, 2003-05) signed a one-year contract with the Bietigheim Steelers (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had 17 goals and 29 assists in 42 games with the Landshut Cannibals (Germany 2.Bundesliga) this season.
———
Might F Jaden Schwartz of the Colorado College Tigers end up with the Tri-City Americans? The speculation has started and some of it is right here. The Americans selected him in the eighth round of the 2007 bantam draft.
———
It’s doubtful that many people had a week like the one Dale Saip experienced.
Saip, the Vancouver Giants’ vice-president of business development, was nominated Monday as the federal Conservative candidate for the Lower Mainland riding of Delta Richmond.
But then came a story by Jeff Lee of the Vancouver Sun that detailed Saip’s personal and financial history.
It didn’t take long after that for the Conservative Party to change its mind and move Saip to the sideline.
In Saturday’s Vancouver Sun, columnist Craig McInnes looked at the situation involving Saip and wondered why anyone would want to get involved in Canadian politics.
Having read all of this, and more, on this situation, I’m thinking Saip might well be a great fit as a politician. If nothing else, because of everything he has been through and all that he has dealt with to get here from there, he might be closer to understanding the problems faced almost daily by the average citizen than many of the politicians we see in action these days.
———
SUNDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Saskatoon, the Blades went home with a 5-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders and one fan — or maybe two — took home $44,000. . . . F Brayden Schenn scored twice to lead the Blades, who take a 2-0 series lead into Game 3 in Prince Albert on Wednesday. . . . The 50/50 draw was worth somewhere near $44,000. The total pool during Friday’s first game reached $40,000, with $20,000 of that ticketed for the winner. But no one claimed the pot, so it rolled over to Sunday night and someone went home within around $44,000. . . . Word after the game was that a couple of former WHL players had won the draw. . . . Prince Albert started G Eric Williams, who had come in for starter Jamie Tucker during the opener. . . .
In Portland, F Nino Niederreiter and F Craig Cunningham each scored twice as the Winterhawks dumped the Everett Silvertips, 7-2. . . . Portland won the opener 7-1 on Saturday. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 37 shots. . . . The Silvertips, with starter Kent Simpson unable to dress because of an ankle problem, again went with Luke Siemens in goal. He finished with 39 saves. . . . Attendance was 6,119. . . . The series now shifts to Everett for games on Wednesday and Thursday. . . .
———
SUNDAY’S CFB COUNT:
One minor:
Portland F Riley Boychuk
———
JUST NOTES: John MacNeil of the Brandon Sun is reporting today that Medicine Hat Tigers G Tyler Bunz will sit out at least two more games due to a concussion. Bunz sat out the last two weeks of the regular season with a concussion. He told MacNeil that he got bumped during Brandon’s 7-2 victory in Game 1 and some symptoms returned. . . . Late last night, Bunz tweeted: “Roomin with the other injured Tyler in winnipeg, biggest band aids in the league.” . . . Bunz rooms with F Tyler Pitlick, who is out with a broken ankle. . . . The Tigers and Wheat Kings resume their series — they’re tied 1-1 — tonight in Winnipeg. The Wheat Kings had to move their first-round games to the Manitoba capital because their home arena is occupied by the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. . . . One other series resumes tonight with the Red Deer Rebels taking a 2-0 lead into Edmonton to play the Oil Kings.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Repeated efforts to get that feed to show the origination of retweets has led me to have it deleted.
When something is retweeted, there should be an avatar appear on the left side, showing where the tweet originated. Unable to get it to work properly, I have chosen to simply delete it.
You are still able to follow me on twitter (twitter.com/gdrinnan) and get tweets and retweets there.
---
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Max Brandl (Prince Albert, Portland, 2007-09) signed a one-year contract extension with the Landshut Cannibals (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had eight goals and 13 assists in 46 games for the Cannibals this season. . . .
F Ty Morris (Swift Current, Vancouver, Red Deer, 2003-05) signed a one-year contract with the Bietigheim Steelers (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had 17 goals and 29 assists in 42 games with the Landshut Cannibals (Germany 2.Bundesliga) this season.
———
Might F Jaden Schwartz of the Colorado College Tigers end up with the Tri-City Americans? The speculation has started and some of it is right here. The Americans selected him in the eighth round of the 2007 bantam draft.
———
It’s doubtful that many people had a week like the one Dale Saip experienced.
Saip, the Vancouver Giants’ vice-president of business development, was nominated Monday as the federal Conservative candidate for the Lower Mainland riding of Delta Richmond.
But then came a story by Jeff Lee of the Vancouver Sun that detailed Saip’s personal and financial history.
It didn’t take long after that for the Conservative Party to change its mind and move Saip to the sideline.
In Saturday’s Vancouver Sun, columnist Craig McInnes looked at the situation involving Saip and wondered why anyone would want to get involved in Canadian politics.
Having read all of this, and more, on this situation, I’m thinking Saip might well be a great fit as a politician. If nothing else, because of everything he has been through and all that he has dealt with to get here from there, he might be closer to understanding the problems faced almost daily by the average citizen than many of the politicians we see in action these days.
———
SUNDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Saskatoon, the Blades went home with a 5-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders and one fan — or maybe two — took home $44,000. . . . F Brayden Schenn scored twice to lead the Blades, who take a 2-0 series lead into Game 3 in Prince Albert on Wednesday. . . . The 50/50 draw was worth somewhere near $44,000. The total pool during Friday’s first game reached $40,000, with $20,000 of that ticketed for the winner. But no one claimed the pot, so it rolled over to Sunday night and someone went home within around $44,000. . . . Word after the game was that a couple of former WHL players had won the draw. . . . Prince Albert started G Eric Williams, who had come in for starter Jamie Tucker during the opener. . . .
In Portland, F Nino Niederreiter and F Craig Cunningham each scored twice as the Winterhawks dumped the Everett Silvertips, 7-2. . . . Portland won the opener 7-1 on Saturday. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 37 shots. . . . The Silvertips, with starter Kent Simpson unable to dress because of an ankle problem, again went with Luke Siemens in goal. He finished with 39 saves. . . . Attendance was 6,119. . . . The series now shifts to Everett for games on Wednesday and Thursday. . . .
———
SUNDAY’S CFB COUNT:
One minor:
Portland F Riley Boychuk
———
JUST NOTES: John MacNeil of the Brandon Sun is reporting today that Medicine Hat Tigers G Tyler Bunz will sit out at least two more games due to a concussion. Bunz sat out the last two weeks of the regular season with a concussion. He told MacNeil that he got bumped during Brandon’s 7-2 victory in Game 1 and some symptoms returned. . . . Late last night, Bunz tweeted: “Roomin with the other injured Tyler in winnipeg, biggest band aids in the league.” . . . Bunz rooms with F Tyler Pitlick, who is out with a broken ankle. . . . The Tigers and Wheat Kings resume their series — they’re tied 1-1 — tonight in Winnipeg. The Wheat Kings had to move their first-round games to the Manitoba capital because their home arena is occupied by the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. . . . One other series resumes tonight with the Red Deer Rebels taking a 2-0 lead into Edmonton to play the Oil Kings.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Monday, February 21, 2011
 |
| Olaf Kolzig was back in a Tri-City Americans jersey on Saturday. (Photo by John Allen/AridAcres.com) |
 |
| Olaf Kolzig thanks the crowd for its applause on Saturday night. (Photo by John Allen/AridAcres.com) |
Olie the Goalie
back with Ams
back with Ams
The Tri-City Americans’ fans, as it turns out, did have something to cheer about on Saturday night.
While there may not have been much to cheer about as their favourite team dropped a 6-2 victory to the arch-rival Spokane Chiefs, they did greet Olaf Kolzig’s appearance with some rousing applause.
Kolzig is a former NHL goaltender who also played for the Americans and now is one of the WHL team’s owners.
On Saturday, he was on the ice between periods taking shots in a charity event.
“The fans loved it,” offered Tri-City GM Bob Tory. “Maybe the league will approve him to be our emergency backup.”
The Americans have been going with Chris Driedger, 16, as their starter, with Cam Gorchynski of the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies backing him up. This is because starter Drew Owsley has been out with a knee injury.
The Americans are at home tonight to the Spokane Chiefs.
Tonight’s game originally was to have been played on New Year’s Eve. You will recall that the teams got started on Dec. 31 only to have the game postponed by a problem with the ice.
———
JUST NOTES: Tri-City Americans D Sam Grist has drawn a two-game suspension for the boarding major he incurred in the second period of a 6-2 loss to the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Saturday. Grist, who hit Spokane F Steven Kuhn on the play, will sit out tonight’s game against visiting Spokane and a Tuesday night home game against the Everett Silvertips. . . . Kamloops Blazers D Josh Caron also has been suspended. He picked up a checking-from-behind major in a 4-3 OT loss to the Rebels in Red Deer. F Josh Cowen, who was on the receiving end, left the game and didn’t return. Caron has been suspended tbd — to be determined. . . .
———
The WHL goes outdoors today for a game between the Calgary Hitmen and the visiting Regina Pats at McMahon Stadium, the home of the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders.
The Calgary Flames blanked the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 there on Sunday, in front of 41,022 fans.
As of late Sunday, the WHL game, which begins at noon and will be televised by Rogers Sportsnet, had sold close to 21,000 tickets.
The WHL single-game attendance record of 19,305 was set in Calgary on March 16, 2008 as the Hitmen beat the Kootenay Ice, 6-1.
The CHL record is 20,081 from an OHL game between the visiting Kingston Frontenacs and the Ottawa 67’s at the Corel Centre.
This will be the second outdoors game in CHL history, but the first to be played in Canada. On Jan. 15, in the Rockstar Outdoor Hockey Classic, the Spokane Chiefs beat visiting Kootenay 11-1 before 7,075 fans at Avista Stadium.
———
SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Medicine Hat, F Tyler Pitlick scored twice and added an assist to help the Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Pitlick has 24 goals. . . . F Wacey Hamilton gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with his 19th goal just 44 seconds into the game. . . . Saskatoon F Curtis Hamilton tied it with his 20th less than a minute later. . . . F Reid Petryk got his 10th for the Tigers at 8:31 and Saskatoon F Marek Viedensky equalized, with his 28th, at 16:37 on a PP. . . . Pitlick then gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead, on a PP, at 16:37 of the first. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem got his 34th, on a PP, late in the second and Pitlick scored another in the third. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 31 shots, three fewer than Saskatoon’s Steven Stanford. . . . Medicine Hat D Alex Theriau had one assist and was plus-4. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . The Tigers moved into third in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Kootenay and seven behind the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The conference-leading Blades are six points ahead of Red Deer. . . . The Rebels are in Lethbridge this afternoon. . . .
———
In Kent, Wash., the host Seattle Thunderbirds erased a 3-1 third-period deficit and beat the Chilliwack Bruins 4-3 in a shootout. . . . Seattle F Mitch Elliot got his fifth goal of the season at 11:40 of the third to get his side to within one. . . . F Colin Jacobs, with his 19th, tied it at 18:12 on a PP. . . . Seattle was 2-for-5 on the PP; the Bruins were 0-for-4. . . . F Burke Gallimore and Jacobs scored for Seattle in the shootout. . . . D Brenden Dillon had two assists for Seattle. . . . F Ryan Howse was the only one of three Chilliwack shooters to score in the circus. . . . Howse had two goals in regulation, giving him 44 on the season. He has scored in eight straight games, one shy of F Oscar Moller’s franchise record. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore set a franchise single-season record for saves in one game (64). The previous record (55) was set by Braden Game in a 6-3 loss to the Winterhawks in Portland on Saturday. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 37 shots. . . . Attendance was 5,319. . . . The loser point lifted the Bruins, who have lost four straight, to within three points of eighth-place Kamloops in the Western Conference. The Bruins hold three games in hand. . . . The Thunderbirds are two points behind the Bruins.
———
SUNDAY’S CFB COUNT:
One minor:
Saskatoon D Teigan Zahn
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Medicine Hat Tigers were on their way to a 5-2 victory over the host Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday night when the visitors were awarded what would be their only full power play of the game.
Head coach Shaun Clouston responded by sending out five forwards. A member of the Tigers’ entourage said it was the first time the team had done that this season.
The move involved
having Linden Vey, Wacey Hamilton, Tyler Pitlick and Emerson Etem on the ice, along with newcomer Kellan Tochkin, who had just arrived via trade from the Everett Silvertips.
Those forwards, all with great skill and good speed, basically moved the puck around the outside, looking for the long pass to set up a one-timer, with the odd foray in the direction of Kamloops goaltender Jeff Bosch.
The Tigers didn’t score, but it was an intriguing couple of minutes and it will be interesting to see how often Clouston goes with that PP alignment.
Of course, it is the acquisition of Tochkin that allows Clouston to do that. Tochkin is a highly skilled player who should fit right in -- he played his first game with the Tigers on a line with Vey and Etem, two of the WHL’s premier performers.
The Tigers acquired Tochkin, 19, and defenceman Alex Theriau, 18, from Everett for forward Ryan Harrison, 18, and a 2011 second-round bantam pick.
Tochkin has signed an NHL contract, as a free agent, with the Vancouver Canucks. Theriau, who was taken sixth overall by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2007 bantam draft, was selected by the Dallas Stars in the fourth round of the NHL’s 2010 draft. Theriau (ankle) won’t play for a couple of weeks.
Brad McEwan, now the Tigers’ general manager, was running the Lethbridge draft table when the Hurricanes selected Theriau.
“We believe he has a lot of upside,” Clouston said earlier this week. “This is a bit of an off season for him, but last season was pretty good for him.”
Clouston is excited with the new additions because, as he put it, “One is signed and one is drafted.”
“You always want guys excited about the future,” he added, “and pushing and working and trying to get better every day. We’ve added two guys who can help us right now.”
As for how the deal went down, Clouston explained: “Both sides were interested in the other guys. Everett was definitely interested in a (1992-born) forward. With Harrison leaving, getting Tochkin in to fill that position for right now made a lot of sense. I think the deal made sense for both sides.”
Theriau is only the second 1992-born defenceman on the Tigers’ roster. The other is Scott McKay, who spent most of Wednesday’s game on a forward line.
“Yes,” Clouston said, “looking to next season on the back end, we’ve definitely got some room with the ’92 defencemen. It helps us in that area next season.”
As for this season, the Tigers would appear poised to make a run.
They’ve got two forward lines -- Vey between Etem and Tochkin, Hamilton with Pitlick and 16-year-old Hunter Shinkaruk -- that can score. They’ve got a beef line, in Dylan Bredo with Cole Grbavac and Kale Kessy. And the acquisition of Scott Ramsay from the Seattle Thunderbirds at the deadline will help them in their zone. He’s a solid 6-foot-4 defender with some sandpaper in his game, who will fit in well alongside the likes of 6-foot-4 Sebastian Owuya and 6-foot-3 Matthew Konan.
Yes, indeed, the Arena just may be rocking well into April or early May this spring.
---
The Prince George Cougars’ chances of finishing atop the B.C. Division, thus earning the second seed in the Western Conference, took a hit Wednesday when F Brett Connolly went down with a knee injury during a 5-2 loss to the Bruins in Chilliwack.
He has beendiagnosed with a sprained right knee and is expected to be out from three to six weeks.
Connolly, recently returned from helping Team Canada to a silver medal at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, was injured late in the first period when he went knee-to-knee with F Steve Oursov of the Bruins.
Oursov wasn’t penalized but has since been suspended by the WHL under its supplemental discipline rule. The length of the suspension has yet to be determined.
"He just came to hit (Connolly) and kind of stood in his path a little bit -- it ended up being knee-on-knee and (Oursov) didn't do a lot to get out of the way," Cougars head coach Dean Clark told Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen. "He tried to turn his body but left his knee there and there was no call on the play, which was really disappointing. The league has the video of it now. . . . Regardless of who's getting hit, we just can't go knee-on-knee, it's too dangerous. We want to take that right out of hockey, whether it's our level, minor hockey or the NHL."
Connolly, 18, was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the sixth overall pick of the 2010 NHL draft. Hip problems limited him to 16 games last season. This season, he has 40 points, including 25 goals.
The Cougars (21-18-3) were beaten 5-2 by the Bruins, who are in Prince George for games tonight and Saturday.
Prince George and the Vancouver Giants (20-18-5) are tied atop the B.C. Division, with the Kelowna Rockets (22-19-0) just one point back. The Kamloops Blazers (20-22-2) are three points off the pace, with the Bruins (19-18-3) in fifth, one point behind the Blazers.
The Cougars also lost F Charles Inglis on Wednesday. He took a high stick to the face, left for repairs and then finished the game. But he didn’t practise Thursday and may not play tonight. . . . Chilliwack D Brandon Manning (groin) took Wednesday’s pregame warmup but didn’t play. Manning, 20, isn’t expected to play this weekend.
---
The Regina Pats will honour Mike Sillinger tonight. He is a Regina native who lived a dream by excelling for his hometown team for four seasons (1987-91). . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post talks with Sillinger right here.
---
Craig Stancher of nhl.com takes a look at former Portland Winterhawks F Luke Walker, who now is with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters, an affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. That story is right here.
---
The 2012 World Junior Championship, which will be held in Calgary and Edmonton, already is sold out. But, boy, are there some unhappy people, none of whom are scalpers! There is a story right here from CBC News.
Head coach Shaun Clouston responded by sending out five forwards. A member of the Tigers’ entourage said it was the first time the team had done that this season.
The move involved
having Linden Vey, Wacey Hamilton, Tyler Pitlick and Emerson Etem on the ice, along with newcomer Kellan Tochkin, who had just arrived via trade from the Everett Silvertips.Those forwards, all with great skill and good speed, basically moved the puck around the outside, looking for the long pass to set up a one-timer, with the odd foray in the direction of Kamloops goaltender Jeff Bosch.
The Tigers didn’t score, but it was an intriguing couple of minutes and it will be interesting to see how often Clouston goes with that PP alignment.
Of course, it is the acquisition of Tochkin that allows Clouston to do that. Tochkin is a highly skilled player who should fit right in -- he played his first game with the Tigers on a line with Vey and Etem, two of the WHL’s premier performers.
The Tigers acquired Tochkin, 19, and defenceman Alex Theriau, 18, from Everett for forward Ryan Harrison, 18, and a 2011 second-round bantam pick.
Tochkin has signed an NHL contract, as a free agent, with the Vancouver Canucks. Theriau, who was taken sixth overall by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2007 bantam draft, was selected by the Dallas Stars in the fourth round of the NHL’s 2010 draft. Theriau (ankle) won’t play for a couple of weeks.
Brad McEwan, now the Tigers’ general manager, was running the Lethbridge draft table when the Hurricanes selected Theriau.
“We believe he has a lot of upside,” Clouston said earlier this week. “This is a bit of an off season for him, but last season was pretty good for him.”
Clouston is excited with the new additions because, as he put it, “One is signed and one is drafted.”
“You always want guys excited about the future,” he added, “and pushing and working and trying to get better every day. We’ve added two guys who can help us right now.”
As for how the deal went down, Clouston explained: “Both sides were interested in the other guys. Everett was definitely interested in a (1992-born) forward. With Harrison leaving, getting Tochkin in to fill that position for right now made a lot of sense. I think the deal made sense for both sides.”
Theriau is only the second 1992-born defenceman on the Tigers’ roster. The other is Scott McKay, who spent most of Wednesday’s game on a forward line.
“Yes,” Clouston said, “looking to next season on the back end, we’ve definitely got some room with the ’92 defencemen. It helps us in that area next season.”
As for this season, the Tigers would appear poised to make a run.
They’ve got two forward lines -- Vey between Etem and Tochkin, Hamilton with Pitlick and 16-year-old Hunter Shinkaruk -- that can score. They’ve got a beef line, in Dylan Bredo with Cole Grbavac and Kale Kessy. And the acquisition of Scott Ramsay from the Seattle Thunderbirds at the deadline will help them in their zone. He’s a solid 6-foot-4 defender with some sandpaper in his game, who will fit in well alongside the likes of 6-foot-4 Sebastian Owuya and 6-foot-3 Matthew Konan.
Yes, indeed, the Arena just may be rocking well into April or early May this spring.
---
The Prince George Cougars’ chances of finishing atop the B.C. Division, thus earning the second seed in the Western Conference, took a hit Wednesday when F Brett Connolly went down with a knee injury during a 5-2 loss to the Bruins in Chilliwack.
He has been
diagnosed with a sprained right knee and is expected to be out from three to six weeks.Connolly, recently returned from helping Team Canada to a silver medal at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, was injured late in the first period when he went knee-to-knee with F Steve Oursov of the Bruins.
Oursov wasn’t penalized but has since been suspended by the WHL under its supplemental discipline rule. The length of the suspension has yet to be determined.
"He just came to hit (Connolly) and kind of stood in his path a little bit -- it ended up being knee-on-knee and (Oursov) didn't do a lot to get out of the way," Cougars head coach Dean Clark told Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen. "He tried to turn his body but left his knee there and there was no call on the play, which was really disappointing. The league has the video of it now. . . . Regardless of who's getting hit, we just can't go knee-on-knee, it's too dangerous. We want to take that right out of hockey, whether it's our level, minor hockey or the NHL."
Connolly, 18, was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the sixth overall pick of the 2010 NHL draft. Hip problems limited him to 16 games last season. This season, he has 40 points, including 25 goals.
The Cougars (21-18-3) were beaten 5-2 by the Bruins, who are in Prince George for games tonight and Saturday.
Prince George and the Vancouver Giants (20-18-5) are tied atop the B.C. Division, with the Kelowna Rockets (22-19-0) just one point back. The Kamloops Blazers (20-22-2) are three points off the pace, with the Bruins (19-18-3) in fifth, one point behind the Blazers.
The Cougars also lost F Charles Inglis on Wednesday. He took a high stick to the face, left for repairs and then finished the game. But he didn’t practise Thursday and may not play tonight. . . . Chilliwack D Brandon Manning (groin) took Wednesday’s pregame warmup but didn’t play. Manning, 20, isn’t expected to play this weekend.
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The Regina Pats will honour Mike Sillinger tonight. He is a Regina native who lived a dream by excelling for his hometown team for four seasons (1987-91). . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post talks with Sillinger right here.
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Craig Stancher of nhl.com takes a look at former Portland Winterhawks F Luke Walker, who now is with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters, an affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. That story is right here.
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The 2012 World Junior Championship, which will be held in Calgary and Edmonton, already is sold out. But, boy, are there some unhappy people, none of whom are scalpers! There is a story right here from CBC News.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Bad break doesn't stop Shinkaruk
BY GREGG DRINNAN
“He’s been great,” Medicine Hat head coach Shaun Clouston says. “He’s a really excellent young man. He’s very smart. He’s very dedicated.”
As Shinkaruk was laying on the ice after that hit, he says he “knew something was wrong, for sure.”
Two weeks earlier, he had been named to the Alberta U-16 team that was to play in the inaugural Western Canada Challenge Cup in Blackfalds, Alta.
“I was very excited about that,” he says.
So what was the first thing he thought about when he was laying on the ice that day in Fort Saskatchewan?
He laughs and says: “That was the first thing that popped into my brain — I probably won’t be able to play in that tournament. While I was laying on the ice . . . that was the first thing that set in.”
It wasn’t long, though, before he came to realize how much work was ahead of him.
He says he especially is indebted to Kent Kobelka, a native of Revelstoke, B.C., who works with Hockey Canada and was the therapist for the 2010 Canadian Olympic men’s hockey team.
“I had a great physiotherapist,” Shinkaruk says “He was huge in getting me back on the ice.
“You look at things and try to make positives out of them. We worked hard to get my leg stronger and get my whole body stronger so I’d be ready to make the jump into this league.”
Clouston agrees that Shinkaruk dedicated himself to getting stronger and rehabbing the leg over the summer.
“He worked very, very hard in the summer,” Clouston says. “He went to some different camps. He is just an exceptional young player.”
Shinkaruk spent some time in Toronto, where he skated and worked with NHLers like Mike Cammalleri and Andrew Cogliano. Shinkaruk also skated in Calgary with pros like Mason Raymond.
The one thing he learned from being around those NHLers is that “they work a lot harder than some people and that’s one of the things you try to bring to your game.
“When you’re with them, you realize how close but also how far away you are (to being at their level). So you keep on working and hopefully one day we’ll be skating with them in The Show.”
Shinkaruk also learned that those NHL players are people, too.
“They’re great guys,” he says. “They work so hard but at the same time they like to have fun. I can’t say enough good things about them.
“They taught me a lot over the summer. They’re a big reason why I’m having the season here this year.”
In his first 32 games, he earned 22 points, including nine goals. For the most part, he has been playing on a line with captain Wacey Hamilton, 20, and Tyler Pitlick, 19, a 2010 draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers who left Minnesota State-Mankato to join the Tigers.
“They’re two great linemates,” Shinkaruk says, adding that his game plan is simple.
“I just try to come to the rink every day and learn new things and work really hard because that’s something a lot of players need to do to make the next level.”
Shinkaruk, who was an all-star as he helped Team Pacific to a bronze medal at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg after Christmas, doesn’t even sound surprised that he stuck with the Tigers even though he hardly played last season. He has always had confidence in his game and the broken leg didn’t cost him any of that.
“The confidence in my game stuck with me, which I’m thankful for,” he says. “I knew my leg was strong and I knew I just had to keep playing the way I can play. I was lucky I had a good training camp; I’m lucky with how everything has worked out so far.”
Editor, Taking Note
Hunter Shinkaruk is penning quite a story with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.
After all, when is the last time a player missed virtually all of his midget AAA season and returned at the WHL level?
In fact, not only has Shinkaruk gotten back into the game at the WHL level, he is a major contributor to the success the Tigers are enjoying this season.  |
| HUNTER SHINKARUK |
He must be.
Shinkaruk, 16, was born and raised in Calgary. In fact, his father, Roger, is the team dentist for the Calgary Hitmen. Hunter played bantam AAA with the Calgary Royals — he missed four weeks with a hip injury — and was selected by the Tigers with the 14th overall pick in the 2009 bantam draft.
He moved up to the midget AAA Royals for 2009-10 but disaster struck early in the season.
“It was the third game of the season,” Shinkaruk recalls. “We were in Fort Saskatchewan. I got hit and I kind of fell awkwardly on my leg.”
He broke the tibia and fibula in his right leg. He didn’t play again that season, thanks primarily to the hip-to-toe cast.“Some people might say it was dirty, but that’s hockey. You get hurt,” he says.As Shinkaruk was laying on the ice after that hit, he says he “knew something was wrong, for sure.”
Two weeks earlier, he had been named to the Alberta U-16 team that was to play in the inaugural Western Canada Challenge Cup in Blackfalds, Alta.
“I was very excited about that,” he says.
So what was the first thing he thought about when he was laying on the ice that day in Fort Saskatchewan?
He laughs and says: “That was the first thing that popped into my brain — I probably won’t be able to play in that tournament. While I was laying on the ice . . . that was the first thing that set in.”
It wasn’t long, though, before he came to realize how much work was ahead of him.
He says he especially is indebted to Kent Kobelka, a native of Revelstoke, B.C., who works with Hockey Canada and was the therapist for the 2010 Canadian Olympic men’s hockey team.
“I had a great physiotherapist,” Shinkaruk says “He was huge in getting me back on the ice.
“You look at things and try to make positives out of them. We worked hard to get my leg stronger and get my whole body stronger so I’d be ready to make the jump into this league.”
Clouston agrees that Shinkaruk dedicated himself to getting stronger and rehabbing the leg over the summer.
“He worked very, very hard in the summer,” Clouston says. “He went to some different camps. He is just an exceptional young player.”
Shinkaruk spent some time in Toronto, where he skated and worked with NHLers like Mike Cammalleri and Andrew Cogliano. Shinkaruk also skated in Calgary with pros like Mason Raymond.
The one thing he learned from being around those NHLers is that “they work a lot harder than some people and that’s one of the things you try to bring to your game.
“When you’re with them, you realize how close but also how far away you are (to being at their level). So you keep on working and hopefully one day we’ll be skating with them in The Show.”
Shinkaruk also learned that those NHL players are people, too.
“They’re great guys,” he says. “They work so hard but at the same time they like to have fun. I can’t say enough good things about them.
“They taught me a lot over the summer. They’re a big reason why I’m having the season here this year.”
In his first 32 games, he earned 22 points, including nine goals. For the most part, he has been playing on a line with captain Wacey Hamilton, 20, and Tyler Pitlick, 19, a 2010 draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers who left Minnesota State-Mankato to join the Tigers.
“They’re two great linemates,” Shinkaruk says, adding that his game plan is simple.
“I just try to come to the rink every day and learn new things and work really hard because that’s something a lot of players need to do to make the next level.”
Shinkaruk, who was an all-star as he helped Team Pacific to a bronze medal at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg after Christmas, doesn’t even sound surprised that he stuck with the Tigers even though he hardly played last season. He has always had confidence in his game and the broken leg didn’t cost him any of that.
“The confidence in my game stuck with me, which I’m thankful for,” he says. “I knew my leg was strong and I knew I just had to keep playing the way I can play. I was lucky I had a good training camp; I’m lucky with how everything has worked out so far.”
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers were double losers on Wednesday night - they lost a hockey game and their leading scorer no longer leads the WHL point parade.
The Medicine Hat Tigers, who skate as well as any team in the league, jumped out to a 2-0 lead and went on to a 4-1 victory over the Blazers before 3,857 fans at Interior Savings Centre.
Medicine Hat centre Linden Vey had a goal and an assist, giving him 67 points on the season, one more than left-winger Brendan Ranford of the Blazers, who was held off the scoresheet.
“I don't think it's something you worry about,” Vey, a 19-year-old from Wakaw, Sask., said of a potential scoring title. “It just happens. You go out there and focus on winning. At the end of the day, they don't remember who wins the scoring race; they remember who wins the championship.”
The Tigers (27-12-2) kept pace with the top bunch in the Eastern Conference - they are fourth, a point out of third - while the Blazers (20-22-2) remain tied for seventh in the Western Conference, two points out of sixth and one ahead of the Chilliwack Bruins.
Kamloops leaves today at 9 a.m., for Kennewick, Wash., and a Friday night date with the Tri-City Americans. Kamloops is at home to the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday night.
The Blazers had their chances last night - they outshot the visitors, 28-17 - but were done in by a wonky power play and the goaltending of Medicine Hat's Tyler Bunz.
“I thought we had chances,” offered Kamloops right-winger Jordan DePape, who said he isn't concerned over an offence that has two goals in its last two games, both losses. “We hit a couple of posts. We just needed a couple of bounces to go in.”
The Blazers ended up 1-for-7 on the power play, the goal coming off the stick of left-winger JT Barnett with the Tigers ahead 3-0 midway though the second period. The Kamloops power play also was torched for a shorthanded goal, as Vey set up the speedy Emerson Etem for the team's WHL-leading 12th such score.
That goal rounded out the night's scoring.
“Again, we generated some chances,” DePape said of a power-play unit that is ranked sixth in the WHL. “But we have to be better, especially defensively. They scored a shorthanded goal and we can't let that happen.”
The Blazers started OK but Medicine Hat's first goal, winger Tyler Pitlick's 17th just 5:43 in, seemed to set them on their heels. Even though the Blazers came out of the period with a 10-7 edge in shots, the Tigers dominated play.
“They came out with a lot of intensity,” Vey said. “Right off the bat they were after us. But we got pucks in and then we stuck to our game plan. We played simple, got pucks on net, got a few breaks and ended up with the win.”
It wasn't quite that simple, but that about sums it up.
Cole Grbavac, who began his WHL career with Kamloops, got his eighth goal in typical garbageman fashion, with the Tigers piling into the crease and hacking away until the puck got behind goaltender Jeff Bosch.
That would stand up as Grbavac's first game-winner this season.
The visitors went up 3-0 at 6:34, as winger Kellan Tochkin, acquired Monday from the Everett Silvertips, found Vey alone on the right side of the Blazers' zone. He zigged and zagged and beat Bosch for his 27th goal this season.
Not quite 10 minutes later, Bosch made a blocker save on Vey. As often happens, the play moved into the Medicine Hat zone and Barnett was able to shovel the puck under Bunz.
That goal gave the Blazers a lift, as did a glove save by Bosch on Medicine Hat captain Wacey Hamilton on a late Tigers' power play.
However, Kamloops wasn't able to put any more pucks behind Bunz, who finished with 27 saves in winning for the 20th time this season.
“He's played real well,” Vey said of Bunz, 18, who was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL draft. “He gives us confidence.
“We capitalized on our opportunities. We tried to keep pucks to the outside and our goaltender played well for us. He's played well the whole season and is a big part of the reason why we're winning.”
The Blazers had centre Chase Schaber back after their captain missed two games with a leg injury. But he obviously is still hurting and wasn't nearly as effective as he normally is.
And they welcomed back defenceman Josh Caron after a 41-game absence. Against a Medicine Hat team with tremendous speed, Caron was used sparingly as he returned from a broken collarbone suffered in the second game of the season.
JUST NOTES: Referee Steve Papp gave Medicine Hat seven of nine minors. . . . The Tigers were 0-for-2 on the power play with the first of those lasting just 11 seconds. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. D Sebastian Owuya: The 6-foot-4 Swede was a tower of power back there; 2. Bunz: 20 victories; 3. Barnett: Had some chances. . . . Oilers head scout Stu MacGregor was upstairs, no doubt watching Bunz and Pitlick, both of whom were 2010 Edmonton draft picks.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers were double losers on Wednesday night - they lost a hockey game and their leading scorer no longer leads the WHL point parade.
The Medicine Hat Tigers, who skate as well as any team in the league, jumped out to a 2-0 lead and went on to a 4-1 victory over the Blazers before 3,857 fans at Interior Savings Centre.
Medicine Hat centre Linden Vey had a goal and an assist, giving him 67 points on the season, one more than left-winger Brendan Ranford of the Blazers, who was held off the scoresheet.
“I don't think it's something you worry about,” Vey, a 19-year-old from Wakaw, Sask., said of a potential scoring title. “It just happens. You go out there and focus on winning. At the end of the day, they don't remember who wins the scoring race; they remember who wins the championship.”The Tigers (27-12-2) kept pace with the top bunch in the Eastern Conference - they are fourth, a point out of third - while the Blazers (20-22-2) remain tied for seventh in the Western Conference, two points out of sixth and one ahead of the Chilliwack Bruins.
Kamloops leaves today at 9 a.m., for Kennewick, Wash., and a Friday night date with the Tri-City Americans. Kamloops is at home to the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday night.
The Blazers had their chances last night - they outshot the visitors, 28-17 - but were done in by a wonky power play and the goaltending of Medicine Hat's Tyler Bunz. “I thought we had chances,” offered Kamloops right-winger Jordan DePape, who said he isn't concerned over an offence that has two goals in its last two games, both losses. “We hit a couple of posts. We just needed a couple of bounces to go in.”
The Blazers ended up 1-for-7 on the power play, the goal coming off the stick of left-winger JT Barnett with the Tigers ahead 3-0 midway though the second period. The Kamloops power play also was torched for a shorthanded goal, as Vey set up the speedy Emerson Etem for the team's WHL-leading 12th such score.
That goal rounded out the night's scoring.
“Again, we generated some chances,” DePape said of a power-play unit that is ranked sixth in the WHL. “But we have to be better, especially defensively. They scored a shorthanded goal and we can't let that happen.”
The Blazers started OK but Medicine Hat's first goal, winger Tyler Pitlick's 17th just 5:43 in, seemed to set them on their heels. Even though the Blazers came out of the period with a 10-7 edge in shots, the Tigers dominated play.
“They came out with a lot of intensity,” Vey said. “Right off the bat they were after us. But we got pucks in and then we stuck to our game plan. We played simple, got pucks on net, got a few breaks and ended up with the win.”
It wasn't quite that simple, but that about sums it up.
Cole Grbavac, who began his WHL career with Kamloops, got his eighth goal in typical garbageman fashion, with the Tigers piling into the crease and hacking away until the puck got behind goaltender Jeff Bosch.
That would stand up as Grbavac's first game-winner this season.
The visitors went up 3-0 at 6:34, as winger Kellan Tochkin, acquired Monday from the Everett Silvertips, found Vey alone on the right side of the Blazers' zone. He zigged and zagged and beat Bosch for his 27th goal this season.
Not quite 10 minutes later, Bosch made a blocker save on Vey. As often happens, the play moved into the Medicine Hat zone and Barnett was able to shovel the puck under Bunz.
That goal gave the Blazers a lift, as did a glove save by Bosch on Medicine Hat captain Wacey Hamilton on a late Tigers' power play.
However, Kamloops wasn't able to put any more pucks behind Bunz, who finished with 27 saves in winning for the 20th time this season.
“He's played real well,” Vey said of Bunz, 18, who was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL draft. “He gives us confidence.
“We capitalized on our opportunities. We tried to keep pucks to the outside and our goaltender played well for us. He's played well the whole season and is a big part of the reason why we're winning.”
The Blazers had centre Chase Schaber back after their captain missed two games with a leg injury. But he obviously is still hurting and wasn't nearly as effective as he normally is.
And they welcomed back defenceman Josh Caron after a 41-game absence. Against a Medicine Hat team with tremendous speed, Caron was used sparingly as he returned from a broken collarbone suffered in the second game of the season.
JUST NOTES: Referee Steve Papp gave Medicine Hat seven of nine minors. . . . The Tigers were 0-for-2 on the power play with the first of those lasting just 11 seconds. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. D Sebastian Owuya: The 6-foot-4 Swede was a tower of power back there; 2. Bunz: 20 victories; 3. Barnett: Had some chances. . . . Oilers head scout Stu MacGregor was upstairs, no doubt watching Bunz and Pitlick, both of whom were 2010 Edmonton draft picks.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun talks with F Brandon Leipsic of the Portland Winterhawks prior to the opener at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. Leipsic and his Team Western teammates meet Team Pacific tonight and the game is sold out. Wiebe’s story is right here.
———
F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers is in Buffalo with the U.S. national junior team at the World Junior Championship. Early in the week, Etem slagged Buffalo in a tweet. Things were in damage control-mode on Tuesday. That story is right here.
———
F Brian Matte (Prince George, 2008-09) has signed with the Central league’s Laredo Bucks. Matte, who is from Prince George, started the season in camp with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons. He played 12 games with the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns last season.
———
JUST NOTES: F Tyler Fiddler (ankle) has returned to the Calgary Hitmen lineup after an 11-game absence, but F Misha Fisenko is weather-bound in Russia so hasn’t yet made his way back from the Christmas break. . . . The Saskatoon Blades, with skaters away at the WJC and the WHC, have added F Tim McGauley, 15, from the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians and F Hudson Morrison, 16, from the Manitoba midget AAA league’s Southwest Cougars. McGauley was the 20th overall pick in the 2010 WHL draft, while Morrison was a ninth-round pick in 2009. . . . The NHL’s Minnesota Wild has re-assigned D Jared Spurgeon (Spokane, 2005-10) to the AHL’s Houston Aeros. He had two penalty minutes in 12 games with the Wild. He average 12:09 in playing time during those games.
———
SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM TUESDAY’S GAMES:
F Dylan Hood scored three goals, giving him 17, as the Moose Jaw Warriors beat the Hitmen 6-1 in Calgary. . . . In Regina, F Lyndon Martell, who was acquired earlier this month from the Kamloops Blazers, had a goal and an assist in the last two minutes of the third period to force OT and the Pats went on to defeat the Swift Current Broncos 4-3 in a shootout. Martell was playing in his first game with Regina. The Pats have 11 victories this season, with five of those against the Broncos. . . . The Kootenay Ice got two goals from each of D Brayden McNabb and F Brendan Hurley and beat the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-3. F Tyler Pitlick scored twice for the Tigers. . . . D Aaron Borejko and F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had two assists to help the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. . . .
F Jordan DePape returned from serving a five-game suspension to score twice as the hometown Kamloops Blazers beat the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. Kamloops F Brendon Ranford had three assists, increasing his point total to a WHL-leading 57, two more than F Linden Vey of Medicine Hat. . . . In Portland, the Messier brothers, Jordan and Marcus, each scored as the Tri-City Americans dropped the Winterhawks, 5-1. Marcus has two goals, while Jordan has 21. . . . In Prince George, G Lucas Gore stopped 29 shots to lead the Chilliwack Bruins to a 3-0 victory over the Cougars. Gore has two shutouts this season and seven in his career. . . .
In Kelowna, F Evan Bloodoff scored twice and G Adam Brown stopped 26 shots as the Rockets blanked the Everett Silvertips, 4-0. Bloodoff has eight goals, while Brown has nine career shutouts, one this season. Everett has been blanked a WHL-high six times this season. . . . Kelowna was 4-10 on the PP, while Everett was 0-1. . . . In Kent, Wash., before 6,125 fans, G James Reid stopped 29 shots to lead the visiting Spokane Chiefs to a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. Reid, who now has 20 victories this season, has three shutouts this season and 12 in his career.
———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Five minors:
Kootenay D Luke Paulsen
Kootenay F Matt Fraser
Kootenay D Brayden McNabb
Tri-City F Connor Rankin
Seattle F Chance Lund
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
———
F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers is in Buffalo with the U.S. national junior team at the World Junior Championship. Early in the week, Etem slagged Buffalo in a tweet. Things were in damage control-mode on Tuesday. That story is right here.
———
F Brian Matte (Prince George, 2008-09) has signed with the Central league’s Laredo Bucks. Matte, who is from Prince George, started the season in camp with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons. He played 12 games with the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns last season.
———
JUST NOTES: F Tyler Fiddler (ankle) has returned to the Calgary Hitmen lineup after an 11-game absence, but F Misha Fisenko is weather-bound in Russia so hasn’t yet made his way back from the Christmas break. . . . The Saskatoon Blades, with skaters away at the WJC and the WHC, have added F Tim McGauley, 15, from the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians and F Hudson Morrison, 16, from the Manitoba midget AAA league’s Southwest Cougars. McGauley was the 20th overall pick in the 2010 WHL draft, while Morrison was a ninth-round pick in 2009. . . . The NHL’s Minnesota Wild has re-assigned D Jared Spurgeon (Spokane, 2005-10) to the AHL’s Houston Aeros. He had two penalty minutes in 12 games with the Wild. He average 12:09 in playing time during those games.
———
SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM TUESDAY’S GAMES:
F Dylan Hood scored three goals, giving him 17, as the Moose Jaw Warriors beat the Hitmen 6-1 in Calgary. . . . In Regina, F Lyndon Martell, who was acquired earlier this month from the Kamloops Blazers, had a goal and an assist in the last two minutes of the third period to force OT and the Pats went on to defeat the Swift Current Broncos 4-3 in a shootout. Martell was playing in his first game with Regina. The Pats have 11 victories this season, with five of those against the Broncos. . . . The Kootenay Ice got two goals from each of D Brayden McNabb and F Brendan Hurley and beat the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-3. F Tyler Pitlick scored twice for the Tigers. . . . D Aaron Borejko and F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had two assists to help the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. . . .
F Jordan DePape returned from serving a five-game suspension to score twice as the hometown Kamloops Blazers beat the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. Kamloops F Brendon Ranford had three assists, increasing his point total to a WHL-leading 57, two more than F Linden Vey of Medicine Hat. . . . In Portland, the Messier brothers, Jordan and Marcus, each scored as the Tri-City Americans dropped the Winterhawks, 5-1. Marcus has two goals, while Jordan has 21. . . . In Prince George, G Lucas Gore stopped 29 shots to lead the Chilliwack Bruins to a 3-0 victory over the Cougars. Gore has two shutouts this season and seven in his career. . . .
In Kelowna, F Evan Bloodoff scored twice and G Adam Brown stopped 26 shots as the Rockets blanked the Everett Silvertips, 4-0. Bloodoff has eight goals, while Brown has nine career shutouts, one this season. Everett has been blanked a WHL-high six times this season. . . . Kelowna was 4-10 on the PP, while Everett was 0-1. . . . In Kent, Wash., before 6,125 fans, G James Reid stopped 29 shots to lead the visiting Spokane Chiefs to a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. Reid, who now has 20 victories this season, has three shutouts this season and 12 in his career.
———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Five minors:
Kootenay D Luke Paulsen
Kootenay F Matt Fraser
Kootenay D Brayden McNabb
Tri-City F Connor Rankin
Seattle F Chance Lund
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Rudy skates on at the Soo
The Chilliwack Bruins have acquired F T.C. Cratsenberg, 18, from the Spokane Chiefs for a conditional eighth-round pick in the 2012 WHL bantam draft. Cratsenberg, who is from Federal Way, Wash., was a sixth-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2007 draft. He was pointless in five games this season. In 68 career games, he has two assists and 84 penalty minutes. . . . The move leaves the Chiefs with 24 players on their roster, including two goaltenders and eight defencemen---
F Tyler Pitlick of the Medicine Hat Tigers drew a three-game suspension for a kneeing major he incurred in Friday’s 9-2 victory over the Raiders in
Prince Albert. Pitlick hit Prince Albert D Nathan Deck, who suffered a knee injury and could miss up to six weeks with a torn MCL. Pitlick sat out a 4-1 loss to the Blades in Saskatoon on Saturday and last night’s 3-2 loss to the visiting Kootenay Ice. He also will miss Saturday’s visit by the Chilliwack Bruins. He is eligible to return on Tuesday when the Tigers meet the Hitmen in Calgary.---
From the latest musings of Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada: “Mike Milbury, Craig Simpson and I are in the hotel bar in Philadelphia. A man walks in and looks at Milbury, who says, ‘Don't hate me because I used to kick the Flyers' asses.’ The guy says, ‘Don't worry, I'm from Pittsburgh.’ The reply: ‘Oh, I kicked their asses, too.’ ” . . . The whole package is right here.
---
The Prince Albert Raiders have assigned F Tyler Paslawski, 18, to the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. Paslawski, who is from Choiceland, Sask., had one
assist in five games with the Raiders. . . . This gets the Raiders’ roster down to 24, including two goaltenders and nine defencemen. . . . Of the nine defencemen, three are injured. Nathan Deck (knee) won’t play for a while, nor will Emerson Hrynyk (shoulder). Jordan Rowley (wrist) should be back within two weeks. . . . The Raiders (5-7-2) are at home tonight to the Moose Jaw Warriors (4-8-1).---
Rudy is skating into the Soo. F Rudy Sulmonte, 18, has forsaken a scholarship to Mercyurst College, a Division 1 NCAA school in Erie, Penn.,
and has joined the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Dave Torrie said it was the first time in his eight seasons as the Greyhounds’ general manager that “we have had a free agent player who was attending an NCAA institution on a full scholarship decide to leave and join our program.” . . . Sulmonte, who is from Levittown, N.Y., played two seasons with the junior New Jersey Rockets. He is to join the Greyhounds on a three-game swing that opens tonight in Windsor.---
F Josh Cowen of the Red Deer Rebels will sit for another couple of weeks as
he recovers from mononucleosis. Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that “tests have revealed that his spleen hasn’t been affected but the 19-year-old is lacking energy.” . . . D Matt Pufahl is close to returning from a concussion and may play this weekend. . . . F Locke Muller (broken hand) has had a pin removed but is still a couple of weeks away.---
TUESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
KOOTENAY 3 at MEDICINE HAT 2: The Ice (9-3-1) scored the only two goals of the third period to extend its winning streak to five. . . . The Tigers (6-5-0) led 1-0 and 2-1. . . . D Dylan Busenius, with his first WHL goal in 51
games, scored for the Tigers at 11:07 of the first. . . . F Joe Antilla, with his first of two, pulled the Ice even just 43 seconds later. . . . F Curtis Valk, with his first WHL goal, gave the Tigers’ a 2-1 lead at 12:58. . . . It was the Medicine Hat native’s seventh game this season and the 11th of his career. . . . Antilla, with his sixth of the season, pulled the visitors even at 2:55 of the third. . . . F Matt Fraser of the Ice won it on the PP at 14:52 of the third. It was his fifth of the season. . . . F Emerson Etem had two assists for the Tigers, while D Joey Leach had two helpers for the Ice. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 26 shots, two more than Medicine Hat’s Tyler Bunz. . . . The Ice was 1-for-2 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.---
SASKATOON 2 at REGINA 5: The Blades (10-3-0) scored the game’s first and last goals. In between, the Pats (5-7-2) struck five times. . . . Regina now has won three in a row. . . . The Blades had won two in a row. They now
are 3-3-0 on the road. . . . F Marek Viedensky got his 10th of the season for Saskatoon at 9:54 of the first. . . . F Colin Reddin, with his third, and F Thomas Frazee, with his sixth, put the Pats out front before the period ended. . . . Frazee scored on the PP. . . . The Pats took control on second-period goals from F Jordan Weal, his seventh, and F Garrett Mitchell. . . . F Carter Ashton also scored for Regina, his sixth. . . . F Darius Dziurzynski got his 10th for the Blades. . . . Regina was 3-for-7 on the PP, while Saskatoon was 0-for-4. . . . Regina G Damien Ketlo stopped 33 shots, including 19 of 20 in the third period. . . . Saskatoon’s Adam Morrison stopped 28 shots. . . . Paid attendance was 3,620, although Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post wrote: “Only about half that number actually braved the first blizzard of the season.” . . . Harder also pointed out that this was the “Pats’ first regulation home victory in three years over Saskatoon.” The Blades were 7-0-3 in their last 10 visits to Regina. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.---
BRANDON 3 at KELOWNA 1: F Shayne Wiebe, the Wheat Kings’ captain, had a goal and an assist as Brandon snapped its nine-game losing streak. . . . The Wheat Kings (5-9-0) opened the season with four victories and then lost
nine in a row. . . . Wiebe broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal just 49 seconds into the third period. . . . The Rockets thought they had tied the game four minutes later when a puck bounced in off F Cody Chikie’s upper body. Referee Andy Thiessen waved it off and the call was upheld with video review. . . . F Shane McColgan had given the Rockets (4-8-0) a 1-0 lead at 5:17 of the first period. He has 12 points in a seven-game point streak. . . . F Mark Stone pulled Brandon even at 10:23 of the first. . . . F Brenden Walker added an empty-netter for the Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon G Liam Liston stopped 27 shots, two more than Kelowna’s Adam Brown. . . . Brandon was 0-for-2 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-for-4. . . . Kelowna F Geordie Wudrick, 20, was back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for what he said was the first time in his career. According to the WHL website, this was Wudrick’s 323rd career regular-season game. If he is to play in all of the Rockets remaining 60 games, he will finish at No. 2 on the all-time list. Of course, according to the website, he played 86 games last season -- 24 with the Swift Current Broncos and 62 with the Rockets. . . . Ahh, yes, the troubled WHL website. . . . During the Kelowna broadcast, Gord McGarva, who rides shotgun with Rockets voice Regan Bartel, was heard to say: “Sometimes I’m wrong.” . . . For some reason, Bartel chose not to walk through the wide-open door. . . . The Wheat Kings are 1-4 on this eight-game swing that continues tonight in Kamloops. Brandon also will stop in Cranbrook on Frieday and Lethbridge on Saturday before returning home to face the Spokane Chiefs on Nov. 5. . . . Attendance was 6,021. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.---
TRI-CITY 5 at SEATTLE 4 (SO): F Justin Feser’s shootout goal gave the Americans the victory. . . . It was the first time all night that the Americans held the lead. . . . Seattle F Marcel Noebels, the third shooter,
gave his side 1 -0 lead, only to have Tri-City F Patrick Holland tie it. . . . The Americans (10-4-1) are the third WHL team to 10 victories this season. . . . The Thunderbirds are 5-2-3. . . . Feser, who forced OT at 14:00 of the third, won it after Seattle F Luke Lockhart deked and then missed the net behind Tri-City G Drew Owsley. . . . The Thunderbirds scored the game’s first goal and the team’s alternated goals through the third period. . . . Feser also had an assist. . . . Tri-City D Tyler Schmidt drew two helpers. . . . Noebels, a freshman from Germany, had a rather memorable night. He had a goal, his third, and two assists, picked up 17 minutes in penalties as he got into a third-period scrap, and scored in the shootout. . . . Lockhart scored twice for the Thunderbirds, while D Brenden Dillon had two assists and F Burke Gallimore had a goal and an assist. . . . Tri-City had a big chance in OT when F Jordan Messier tipped a Schmidt shot off a post behind G Calvin Pickard. . . . Messier scored his ninth of the season in the first period. . . . Owsley made 29 saves; Pickard made 30. . . . The Americans were 1-for-2 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 3-for-4. . . . Attendance in Kent, Wash., was 3,045. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Two minors, one each to Tri-City D Spencer Humphries and Schmidt.gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Saturday, October 23, 2010
No ch-ch-ching from Spokane
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president hockey, advises that there won’t be any fines from the Wednesday night game that had the Calgary Hitmen in Spokane to play the Chiefs. There was something up a dust-up near game’s end. Doerksen informs that “fine are only levied if there are more than two fights during an altercation . . . there were two fights during the altercation (in Spokane) in the third period, so no fines were applicable.”I wasn’t aware of that and thanks for the clarification.
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G Chase Martin, 18, has moved from the Prince George Cougars to the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Martin joined Prince George a couple of weeks ago to backup James Priestner, 19. That role now belongs to Ty Rimmer, 18, who was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings.
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FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
MEDICINE HAT 9 at PRINCE ALBERT 2: F Linden Vey, F Ryan Harrison and F Emerson Etem scored two goals each as the Tigers (6-3-0) won their fourth game in a row. . . . The Raiders (5-7-1) were playing their first home game
since returning from a six-game swing that took them into the B.C. Division. . . . Vey and Harrison, who was acquired from the Raiders over the offseason, also had an assist each, while D Thomas Carr had a goal and two helpers, as did F Cole Grbavac. . . . D Scott McKay and D Sebastian Owuya also had two assists apiece. . . . The Raiders got the game’s first goal, when F Justin Maylan scored at 16:20 of the first period. However, Vey scored two minutes later and that was the first of seven in a row. . . . Medicine Hat G Deven Dubyk stopped 19 shots. . . . P.A. starter Jamie Tucker stopped 16 of 23 shots, before Eric Williams came on to give up two goals on as many shots. . . . The Tigers were 3-for-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-for-4. . . . Attendance was 2,337. . . . Raiders F Jonathan Parker had an assist and now is on an eight-game point streak. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . Medicine Hat F Tyler Pitlick was ejected at 2:44 of the second period with a kneeing major. Prince Albert D Nathan Deck was injured on the play and didn’t return to the game. . . . “I watched it on the video afterwards and I didn’t think I did anything too horrible,” Pitlick told John MacNeil of the Prince Albert Daily Herald. “I thought it barely should have been a (minor). But that’s what happens (when) a ref makes a mistake. I mean, I went in there with my hip and the guy (Deck) hit me and tripped. There was nothing I could do about it. I went to go and make a physical play and he tried to duck away from it and he ended up falling. It may have looked worse to the ref than it was, but I watched it on the video and I didn’t think it was too big of a deal.” . . . The Raiders remain without D Jordan Rowley (broken wrist).---
RED DEER 1 at KOOTENAY 4: The Rebels, who had been 5-1 on the road, scored the game’s first goal and then gave up four in a row. . . . F Colten Mayor got his first goal, at 15:12 of the first period, only to have F Jesse
Ismond of the Ice get his third just 2:32 later. . . . F Joe Antilla got the eventual winner at 11:43 of the third. . . . Ice F Kevin King got his sixth, into an empty net, at 18:10. . . . Ice D Joey Leach got his first of the season 31 seconds later. . . . The Ice improved to 7-3-1 as it won for the third time in a row and the fourth time in five games. . . . The Rebels slipped to 8-5-0. . . . Kootenay G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 27 shots, one fewer than Red Deer’s Darcy Kuemper. . . . The Rebels were 0-for-4 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-7. . . . Attendance was 2,626. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Ismond at 1:49 of the first period. . . . The Ice remains without D Brayden McNabb (shoulder).---
SWIFT CURRENT 0 at REGINA 2: G Damien Ketlo stopped 29 shots as the Pats (3-7-2) won after losing two in a row. . . . It was Ketlo’s first shutout this season and the 10th of his career. Whoops! There’s that darn WHL website
again. Actually, Ketlo hadn’t had a shutout since he was in the BCHL three seasons ago. . . . Included in Ketlo’s effort was stopping F Killian Hutt, who started the season with Regina, on a second-period penalty shot. . . . Regina has won three games this season, with two of those over Swift Current. . . . D Mark Schneider got the game’s first goal just 54 seconds into the first period. . . . F Carter Ashton, the subject of recent trade speculation, got his fourth on the PP at 1:54 of the third. . . . F Jordan Weal drew two assists. . . . The Broncos (7-7-0) had won five in a row. They have given up only seven goals in their last six games. . . . G Mark Friesen stopped 30 shots for Swift Current. He has played in all 14 of the Broncos’ games this season. . . . Swift Current was 0-for-6 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-9. . . . D Art Bidlevskii, whom the Pats acquired Oct. 6 from the Prince George Cougars, finally made his Regina debut. He had been out with a broken thumb. . . . Attendance was 4,534, the largest crowd this season in Regina. . . . The teams meet again Sunday in Swift Current. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. There were 21 minor penalties handed out, though.---
KAMLOOPS 3 at EDMONTON 2: F Dalibor Bortnak had a goal and two assists for the Blazers (6-6-1), who won their second straight game on this three-game Alberta swing that ends tonight in Calgary. . . . The Oil Kings (5-7-0)
have lost five in a row after winning five straight. . . . Kamloops G Jeff Bosch stopped 34 shots just two nights after turning aside 39 in a 1-0 victory in Red Deer. . . . Kamloops F Jesse Sinatynski, in his second game since being acquired last week from Brandon, opened the scoring at 11:26 of the first period. . . . Edmonton F Mike Piluso tied it 37 seconds later. . . . Kamloops then got two PP goals -- from F JT Barnett at 10:45 of the second and Bortnak at 16:37 of the third. . . . D Griffin Reinhart scored at 17:37 of the third period with G Cam Lanigan on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Lanigan made 36 saves. . . . Kamloops was 2-for-5 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-4. . . . Attendance was 3,367. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.---
LETHBRIDGE 3 at SASKATOON 4 (SO): F Ryan Olsen, a 16-year-old freshman, scored his first WHL goal in the first period and then scored the only goal of the shootout as the Blades (9-2-0) ran their home record to 6-0. . . .
The Hurricanes (4-5-2) led this one 1-0, 2-1 and 3-1. . . . F Curtis Hamilton, on a second-period PP, and D Duncan Siemens, on the PP at 15:30 of the third, pulled the Blades into a tie. . . . Saskatoon was 2-for-7 on the PP; Lethbridge was 1-for-5. . . . The Hurricanes’ PP is 5-for-59 in 10 games. . . . Lethbridge G Brandon Anderson stopped 33 shots, nine more than Saskatoon’s Adam Morrison. . . . Attendance was 4,268. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.---
EVERETT 3 at KELOWNA 4 (SO): D Tyson Barrie scored in the shootout to give the Rockets (4-7-0) the victory. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown preserved the victory with a left pad save on F Landon Ferraro and then beat F Kellan
Tochkin. . . . Kelowna F Spencer Main hit a goal post in OT. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan scored two early third-period goals to put the Rockets ahead 3-1. He has five goals. . . . F Manraj Hayer’s first WHL goal, at 9:33, got Everett (5-3-3) to within one and F Tyler Maxwell, with his 12th, tied it on the PP at 12:49. . . . F Zach Franko set up two goals for Kelowna, while D Chad Suer had two helpers for Everett. . . . Barrie opened the scoring with his first of the season at 4:55 of the first period on the PP. . . . Everett was 1-for-4 on the PP; Kelowna was 2-for-8. . . . Brown finished with 36 saves, two more than Everett’s Kent Simpson. . . . Attendance was 6,061. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . The Silvertips were without head coach Craig Hartsburg, who underwent a heart catheterization procedure on Wednesday, for a second straight game. He will miss one more game this weekend, then will return to the team as he awaits a date for heart surgery.---
TRI-CITY 7 at PRINCE GEORGE 3: F Justin Feser and F Adam Hughesman each scored twice for the Americans (9-3-1). . . . Tri-City, having won five of six, held a 2-1 lead before Feser sandwich two goals around a Hughesman
score early in the third period. . . . F Patrick Holland of the Americans finished the night with a goal and four assists. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin sat out the sixth game of his 12-game suspension. The Americans are 5-1 without him. . . . The Americans, who counted five times in the third period, have won 18 of their last 19 meetings with the Cougars, including 11 in a row. . . . F Brett Connolly scored twice for the Cougars (6-5-1), who had won three in a row. He has 13 goals. . . . Tri-City G Chris Driedger, a 16-year-old from Winnipeg, made 23 saves in his first WHL appearance. . . . Prince George opened with James Priestner, who stopped 20 of 25. Ty Rimmer finished up by giving up two goals on 12 shots. . . . Tri-City was 1-for-3 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 2,113. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.---
SEATTLE 1 at PORTLAND 2 (SO): F Ty Rattie and F Brendan Leipsic scored in the shootout for the Winterhawks (10-2-1), the first team to 10 victories this season. . . . Portland has won four in a row and eight of nine. . . .
Seattle (5-2-2), which was blanked in the shootout, had won four of its last five. . . . F Colin Jacobs scored for Seattle, at 5:05 of the second period, on a PP. . . . F Ty Rattie replied for Portland, also on a PP, at 18:16 of the second. . . . Rattie extended his point streak to seven games (15 points). Linemate Sven Bartschi had an assist and now has 14 points on his own seven-game streak. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 42 shots, while Portland’s Mac Carruth turned aside 25. . . . Seattle was 1-for-5 on the PP; Portland was 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 8,342. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Portland F Riley Boychuk.---
BRANDON 2 at VANCOUVER 5: F Brendan Gallagher scored twice and F Craig
Cunningham had two assists to lead the Giants (7-5-2). . . . Gallagher moved into the WHL goal-scoring lead, with 15 goals, while Cunningham is No. 1 in points, with 29 in 14 games. . . . The Wheat Kings (4-8-0) have lost eight straight games. . . . Vancouver G Brendan Jensen made 31 saves, one fewer than Brandon’s Liam (Sonny) Liston. . . . Brandon was 0-for-6 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 6,349. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday . . .
G Kurtis Mucha earned the victory Sunday as the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder edged the visiting Las Vegas Wranglers, 6-5, in front of 6,845 fans. Mucha came on in the first period, relieving Andrew Perugini, with his club down 3-0. Mucha stopped 15 of 17 shots the rest of the way, with Stockton winning on F Matt Robinson’s third goal of the game, and 29th of the season, at 19:00 of the third period.
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The Dallas Stars like what they’ve got in former Kelowna Rockets F Jamie Benn. Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News has more right here.
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As was written here late last week, it is sounding more and more as though F Tyler Pitlick will be leaving Minnesota State-Mankato and joining the Medicine Hat Tigers. Check out this right here, from Shane Frederick of the Mankato Free Press.
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The Prince George Citizen’s Jason Peters reports that D Michael King, a third-round selection by the Kootenay Ice in the 2008 WHL bantam draft, has opted to join the BCHL’s Westside Warriors. King, 6-foot-4 and 198 pounds, played the last two seasons with the major midget Cariboo Cougars, who play out of Prince George. “We phoned Kootenay and told them that I was going BCHL and was going for a scholarship,” King told Peters. “They phoned quite a few times after that, wanting to talk and stuff but I think I made the right choice.”
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WHL PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Moose Jaw (8)
(Series tied 3-3)
Monday: Moose Jaw at Calgary, 7 p.m.
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Brandon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
(Brandon wins series 4-0)
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Saskatoon (3) vs. Red Deer (6)
(Saskatoon wins series 4-0)
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Kootenay (4) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
(Medicine Hat wins series 4-2)
Sunday: Kootenay 1 at Medicine Hat 4
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Chilliwack (8)
(Tri-City wins series 4-2)
Sunday: Tri-City 4 at Chilliwack 1
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Vancouver (2) vs. Kamloops (7)
(Vancouver wins series 4-0)
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Everett (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
(Series tied 3-3)
Monday: Kelowna at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
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Spokane (4) vs. Portland (5)
(Portland leads series 3-2)
Monday: Spokane at Portland, 7 p.m. (Rose Garden)
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PLAYOFF NOTES: The Portland Winterhawks have played seven games in Spokane this season, including three in the playoffs, and have won them all. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have gone into Portland six times and has won five times. . . . The series between the Winterhawks and Chiefs is on a 2-3-1-1 format because the NCAA basketball tournament was in the arena in Spokane last weekend. Spokane opened in Portland with two victories; the Winterhawks went to Spokane and won three times. . . . They’ll play Game 6 in Portland on Monday, with Game 7, if needed, in Spokane on Wednesday. . . . Scott Sepich of The Oregonian reports: “The only other time the Winterhawks have won three road games in a playoff series was in 2006, when they won three games in Seattle in a 4-3 series victory. That was the last postseason series victory for Portland.” . . .
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SUNDAY:
In Medicine Hat, F Joey Frazer scored twice, the last one into an empty net, as the Tigers scored a 5-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Tigers, who won 5-2 in Cranbrook on Friday night, won the series, 4-2. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem scored his fourth goal of the series at 12:37 of the first period, with Fraser getting his second of the series at 1:36 of the second period. . . . Etem finished with a goal and two helpers, while F Linden Vey had four assists. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 23 shots, while Nathan Lieuwen turned aside 20 for the Ice. . . . The Tigers were 0-for-5 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 4,006.
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In Chilliwack, G Drew Owsley stopped 33 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-1 victory over the Bruins. . . . The Americans won the series, 4-2. . . . F Patrick Holland opened the scoring for the visitors, with his second goal of the series, at 10:56 of the first period. . . . Chilliwack F Roman Horak tied it at 8:27 of the second period, on the PP. . . . F Jordan Messier scored the eventual winner at 12:55 of the second period, with F Sergei Drozd and F Brooks Macek adding third-period goals. . . . Macek had four goals in the series. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 32 shots. . . . The Americans were 1-for-6 on the PP; the Bruins were 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 3,787.
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The Dallas Stars like what they’ve got in former Kelowna Rockets F Jamie Benn. Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News has more right here.
———
As was written here late last week, it is sounding more and more as though F Tyler Pitlick will be leaving Minnesota State-Mankato and joining the Medicine Hat Tigers. Check out this right here, from Shane Frederick of the Mankato Free Press.
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The Prince George Citizen’s Jason Peters reports that D Michael King, a third-round selection by the Kootenay Ice in the 2008 WHL bantam draft, has opted to join the BCHL’s Westside Warriors. King, 6-foot-4 and 198 pounds, played the last two seasons with the major midget Cariboo Cougars, who play out of Prince George. “We phoned Kootenay and told them that I was going BCHL and was going for a scholarship,” King told Peters. “They phoned quite a few times after that, wanting to talk and stuff but I think I made the right choice.”
———
WHL PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Moose Jaw (8)
(Series tied 3-3)
Monday: Moose Jaw at Calgary, 7 p.m.
———
Brandon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
(Brandon wins series 4-0)
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Saskatoon (3) vs. Red Deer (6)
(Saskatoon wins series 4-0)
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Kootenay (4) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
(Medicine Hat wins series 4-2)
Sunday: Kootenay 1 at Medicine Hat 4
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Chilliwack (8)
(Tri-City wins series 4-2)
Sunday: Tri-City 4 at Chilliwack 1
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Vancouver (2) vs. Kamloops (7)
(Vancouver wins series 4-0)
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Everett (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
(Series tied 3-3)
Monday: Kelowna at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
———
Spokane (4) vs. Portland (5)
(Portland leads series 3-2)
Monday: Spokane at Portland, 7 p.m. (Rose Garden)
———
PLAYOFF NOTES: The Portland Winterhawks have played seven games in Spokane this season, including three in the playoffs, and have won them all. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have gone into Portland six times and has won five times. . . . The series between the Winterhawks and Chiefs is on a 2-3-1-1 format because the NCAA basketball tournament was in the arena in Spokane last weekend. Spokane opened in Portland with two victories; the Winterhawks went to Spokane and won three times. . . . They’ll play Game 6 in Portland on Monday, with Game 7, if needed, in Spokane on Wednesday. . . . Scott Sepich of The Oregonian reports: “The only other time the Winterhawks have won three road games in a playoff series was in 2006, when they won three games in Seattle in a 4-3 series victory. That was the last postseason series victory for Portland.” . . .
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SUNDAY:
In Medicine Hat, F Joey Frazer scored twice, the last one into an empty net, as the Tigers scored a 5-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Tigers, who won 5-2 in Cranbrook on Friday night, won the series, 4-2. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem scored his fourth goal of the series at 12:37 of the first period, with Fraser getting his second of the series at 1:36 of the second period. . . . Etem finished with a goal and two helpers, while F Linden Vey had four assists. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 23 shots, while Nathan Lieuwen turned aside 20 for the Ice. . . . The Tigers were 0-for-5 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 4,006.
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In Chilliwack, G Drew Owsley stopped 33 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-1 victory over the Bruins. . . . The Americans won the series, 4-2. . . . F Patrick Holland opened the scoring for the visitors, with his second goal of the series, at 10:56 of the first period. . . . Chilliwack F Roman Horak tied it at 8:27 of the second period, on the PP. . . . F Jordan Messier scored the eventual winner at 12:55 of the second period, with F Sergei Drozd and F Brooks Macek adding third-period goals. . . . Macek had four goals in the series. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 32 shots. . . . The Americans were 1-for-6 on the PP; the Bruins were 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 3,787.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday . . . early
The Medicine Hat Tigers may be close to adding a potential impact forward to their roster for next season. Tyler Pitlick, a 6-foot-1, 190-pounder from
Centerville, Minn., turns 19 on Nov. 1. He played this season as a freshman at Minnesota State-Mankato, earning 19 points, including 11 goals, in 38 games. A nephew of former NHLer Lance Pitlick, Tyler was ranked 21st among North American skaters eligible for the NHL draft in Central Scouting’s mid-term ratings. . . . Pitlick apparently is about to visit Medicine Hat and check out things before deciding whether to leave school and join the Tigers.
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The Kamloops Blazers’ three 20-year-olds all will be getting at least a taste of the pro game. . . . D Ryan Funk flew out of Kelowna Friday morning to join the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. He is expected to be in the lineup Friday night against the Victoria Salmon Kings. . . . C C.J. Stretch is heading home to California on Sunday and will skate with the ECHL’s Ontario Reign. . . . G Kurtis Mucha is expected to join the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder at some point on the weekend. The Thunder is affiliated with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. Mucha went to camp with the Oilers and was offered a minor-league contract; instead of signing, he chose to return to the Portland Winterhawks, hoping to finish his WHL career there. However, they dealt him to Kamloops in November.
Centerville, Minn., turns 19 on Nov. 1. He played this season as a freshman at Minnesota State-Mankato, earning 19 points, including 11 goals, in 38 games. A nephew of former NHLer Lance Pitlick, Tyler was ranked 21st among North American skaters eligible for the NHL draft in Central Scouting’s mid-term ratings. . . . Pitlick apparently is about to visit Medicine Hat and check out things before deciding whether to leave school and join the Tigers.
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The Kamloops Blazers’ three 20-year-olds all will be getting at least a taste of the pro game. . . . D Ryan Funk flew out of Kelowna Friday morning to join the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. He is expected to be in the lineup Friday night against the Victoria Salmon Kings. . . . C C.J. Stretch is heading home to California on Sunday and will skate with the ECHL’s Ontario Reign. . . . G Kurtis Mucha is expected to join the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder at some point on the weekend. The Thunder is affiliated with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. Mucha went to camp with the Oilers and was offered a minor-league contract; instead of signing, he chose to return to the Portland Winterhawks, hoping to finish his WHL career there. However, they dealt him to Kamloops in November.
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