Giants sign veteran trainer ... Brandon d-man tears Achilles ... T-Birds sign first pick

The Vancouver Giants have hired Mike Burnstein, a former NHL trainer, to fill the athletic trainer’s role in their organization. . . . Burnstein worked for the Vancouver Canucks for 20 years, a span covering almost 1,600 games, from 1995-2015. He was fired by the Canucks two years ago. He also has worked for Hockey Canada (four World Hockey Championships, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the 2015 Spengler Cup). Last fall, he was the athletic trainer for Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey. . . . With the Giants, Burnstein replaces Nick Murray, who spent six seasons there. He now is the head athletic therapist at Douglas College in New Westminster, B.C.

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There doesn’t seem much doubt but that F Klim Kostin is one of the most dynamic players available in next weekend’s NHL draft. The 6-foot-0, 207-pound Kostin played last season with the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow, although his season was shortened by shoulder surgery in January. . . . A year ago, the WHL’s Kootenay Ice selected him with the first pick in the CHL’s import draft. Obviously, he never reported to the Ice, which has finished with the WHL’s poorest record each of the past two seasons. . . . This season, because he will be drafted out of Russia, he will be eligible to play in the NHL, the AHL or the CHL, or he could choose to return to Russia. However, he told Joe Yerdon of NHL.com that he is not interested in playing for the Ice. . . . Through an interpreter, he told Yerdon: “I’d like to play for] a team that has some older players that are very strong players, those that can teach me a little bit more and I can benefit from their wisdom and skill.” . . . That story is right here.

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D James Shearer of the Brandon Wheat Kings has torn his right Achilles tendon and will be out until at least some time in October. Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun reports that Shearer, who is entering his 20-year-old season, was injured on May 31 during an off-season workout. “I heard a pop, kind of like a chip bag being popped open and I couldn’t really put any pressure on it," Shearer told Bergson. "I immediately grabbed the back of my Achilles and was half standing and half crouching. As soon as I heard it, people had told me what it sounded like, so I knew what had happened and knew my fate at that point.” . . . Shearer has since had surgery and now has his right foot in a walking boot and is using crutches. . . . He is one of four 20s on Brandon’s roster, along with G Logan Thompson, D Kade Jensen and F Neyer Nell. . . . Bergson’s complete story is right here.

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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed F Payton Mount, who was the 19th overall selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. From Victoria, he had 30 goals and 37 assists in 30 games with the Delta Hockey Academy’s bantam prep team last season. . . . The WHL’s 22 teams now have signed all but six of the first-round picks from the 2017 bantam draft.

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The Kamloops Blazers have signed G Dylan Garand, who was a third-round selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. The Blazers didn’t have a second-round pick, so Garand was their second selection, following F Josh Pillar, who signed on Monday. . . . Garand, from Victoria, is expected to play in 2017-18 with the Delta Hockey Academy midget prep team. Last season, he was 13-0-0, 1.15, .959 with Delta’s bantam prep Green team.

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F Tyler Sandhu, who captained the Tri-City Americans last season, will attend UBC and play for the Thunderbirds in 2017-18. Sandhu, from Richmond, B.C., played out his junior eligibility last season. . . . In 318 career WHL games, he had 90 goals and 138 assists. He also played with the Everett Silvertips and Red Deer Rebels. Last season, with the Americans, he had single-season highs of 23 goals and 60 assists in 72 games.

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The OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, who are preparing for their 50th anniversary season, have hired James Boyd as their new general manager and André Tourigny as vice-president of hockey operations and head coach. . . . Boyd spent last season as the GM of the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads, who reached the league’s championship series. He was with the Steelheads for six seasons, the first five as GM and head coach. . . . Tourigny was the head coach of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads last season and leaves despite having four years left on his contract. He wanted to be closer to family in Ottawa. Prior to that, he was GM/head coach of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies from 2002-13. He also worked as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators in 2015-16 after spending two seasons in the same role with the Colorado Avalanche. . . . Boyd and Tourigny take over from Jeff Brown, who resigned as GM/head coach on April 25.

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet filed his 30 Thoughts piece over the weekend and, as usual, it is highly readable. Well down into the column, Friedman writes about John Spoltore, who was a smallish forward who really new his way around the offensive end of the ice.

Spoltore really made a name for himself with the ECHL’s Louisiana IceGators, where he became a real fan favourite. But he did get a moment in the AHL’s sun when he helped the Providence Bruins win an AHL title in 1999. The Bruins’ head coach was Peter Laviolette, now the head coach of the NHL’s Nashville Predators.

Spoltore was diagnosed with brain cancer in March 2010 and died shortly afterwards.

Former WHLer Louis Dumont played with Spoltore on the IceGators and later was the team’s general manager.

Dumont told Taking Note that “the owner of the IceGators for the last six seasons bought the team because of his friendship with John and his love of the IceGators. The company name of the IceGators was JS Hockey Ventures DBA Louisiana IceGators. The JS being the initials of Spoltore.  Spotty's hockey IQ, vision and ability to execute was high NHL quality.”

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I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

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It's a great day, Joey's a champ! In his 1st year as a pro our former captain, @Hicksy_2, & @griffinshockey have captured the #CalderCup! pic.twitter.com/nzoySfIipU

— Victoria Royals (@victoriaroyals) June 14, 2017

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Everett clinches division, conference titles . . . History in Prince George . . . Halbgewachs finishes with flurry

people buying Scooter drinks pic.twitter.com/uaZHJSZy8y

— Dylan Bumbarger (@dylandb) March 19, 2017

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WHAT WE KNOW . . . 

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Regina vs. Calgary: The Pats finished atop the overall standings; the Hitmen earned the conference’s second wild-card spot on Friday. Season series: Regina, 3-1-0; Calgary, 1-2-1. Opens: Friday and Saturday, in Regina.

Medicine Hat vs. Brandon: The Tigers finished first in the Central Division; Brandon, the WHL’s defending champion, was in the conference’s first wild-card spot. Brandon will play home games in Dauphin, Man., as the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair rules the Keystone Centre complex. Season series: Medicine Hat, 3-1-0; Brandon, 1-3-0. Opens: Friday and Saturday, in Medicine Hat.

Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current: The Warriors were second in the East Division, finishing five points ahead of the third-place Broncos. Season series: Moose Jaw, 4-2-0; Swift Current, 2-4-0. Opens: Friday and Saturday, in Moose Jaw.

Lethbridge vs. Red Deer: The Hurricanes finished a comfortable second in the Central Division, 23 points ahead of the third-place Rebels. Season series: Lethbridge, 5-0-1; Red Deer: 1-4-1. Opens: Saturday and Sunday, in Lethbridge.

—

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Everett vs. Victoria: The Silvertips led the U.S. Division and the Western Conference, so draw the second wild-card entry, the Royals, who have lost seven straight (0-6-1), including two in a row to Everett this weekend. Season series: Everett, 4-0-0; Victoria, 0-3-1.

Kelowna vs. Kamloops: The Rockets wound up second in the B.C. Division, one point behind the Prince George Cougars. The difference? One loser point — Prince George finished with six; Kelowna had five. The Blazers were five points in arrears of Kelowna. Season series: Kelowna, 4-6-0; Kamloops: 6-3-1. Opens: Friday and Saturday, in Kelowna.

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WHAT WE DON’T KNOW . . . 

it's all simple now: match whatever result TC gets, and you have a 3-hour bus ride; if you do worse than that, it's a 15-hour bus ride

— Dylan Bumbarger (@dylandb) March 19, 2017

The combatants in two Western Conference series have yet to be decided, with the Prince George Cougars, who finished first in the B.C. Division, and the Seattle Thunderbirds, second-place finishers in the U.S. Division, awaiting opponents. One of them will get the Portland Winterhawks, the other the Tri-City Americans.

Portland goes into today’s games in third place, one point ahead of Tri-City. Both teams are at home, the Winterhawks to the Spokane Chiefs, who didn’t make the playoffs, and the Americans to the Everett Silvertips, who are the conference’s No. 1 seed.
A source has told Taking Note that there is some behind-closed-doors intrigue to a possible series featuring Prince George and Tri-City. According to the source, should that series transpire, the Americans want a 2-3-2 format, while the Cougars are asking for the traditional 2-2-1-1-1 format.
Stay tuned. . . .
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.

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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, the Wheat Kings, with six regulars scratched, were no match for Regina as the Pats wheeled their way to a 6-0 victory. . . . The Wheat Kings were without D Garrett Sambrook (ill), D Kale Clague, F

SAM STEEL

Tanner Kaspick, F Nolan Patrick, F Reid Duke and F Tyler Coulter (WHL suspension). Then they lost F Meyer Nell and D Daniel Bukac in the third period. . . . Bukac was injured at 13:44 of the third period on a hit by F Nick Henry, who drew a boarding major and game misconduct. . . . "When you look at it,” John Paddock, the Pats’ GM/head coach, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post, the contact of the two guys happened quite a bit before the boards. I understand why it’s a boarding penalty, but there’s nothing malicious or dirty from Nick. He’s the kind of guy who’s probably going to win the gentlemanly player (award) in the next two years. But until we hear something for sure it’s something to be a little bit worried about. Everybody reads it differently.” . . . The game had no bearing on the final standings. . . . Regina (42-12-8) goes into the playoffs having won eight in a row. . . . Brandon (31-31-10) has lost two straight, having dropped a 6-1 decision in Regina on Friday night. . . . G Jordan Hollett recorded his second shutout of the season with 34 saves. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks had a goal, his 43rd, and two assists. Brooks, who won last season’s scoring title with 120 points, finished with 130 points, second to teammate Sam Steel, who had 131. Brooks led the WHL in assists, with 81. . . . Steel was blanked last night. . . . F Austin Wagner scored his 30th goal, giving the Pats six skaters with at least 30 goals. . . . D Connor Hobbs scored his 31st goal, to set a Pats’ single-season record for goals by a defenceman. He finished with one more than John Miner (1984-85). . . . D Jonathan Smart (3), F Dawson Leedahl (35) and F Filip Ahl (29) also scored. . . . Regina got two assists from each of D Sergey Zborovskiy and D Chase Harrison. . . . Regina won the season series, 6-1-1. . . . The Wheat Kings got 38 saves from G Logan Thompson. . . . Regina was 0-1 on the PP; Brandon was 0-7. . . . F Braden Schneider, the 12th overall selection in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft, made his WHL debut with Brandon. From Prince Albert, he had 12 goals and 19 assists in 35 games with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos this season. . . . F Robbie Holmes was among Regina’s scratches after he was suspended for one game under supplemental discipline — at hit on which Duke was injured — after Friday’s 6-1 victory over the visiting Wheat Kings. . . . Announced attendance: 5,621.

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At Calgary, the Hitmen scored the game’s last three goals en route to a 4-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice.

KYLE DUMBA

. . . The game didn’t mean anything to the final standings. . . . Calgary (30-32-10) has won two in a row, having posted a 6-1 victory over the host Ice on Friday. . . . The Ice (14-46-12) finished the season on a 10-game skid (0-8-2). . . . D Jake Bean gave the Hitmen a 1-0 lead with his eighth goal, at 3:57 of the second period. . . . F Vince Loschiavo tied it with No. 28 at 12:11. . . . The Hitmen won it with three third-period goals. . . . G Andrei Grishakov (11) provided a 2-1 lead at 11:45. . . . F Matt Dorsey (3) added insurance at 14:20. . . . D Brady Reagan (7) got the empty-netter at 19:34. . . . Calgary got two assists from each of F Matteo Gennaro and F Mark Kastelic. . . . G Kyle Dumba stopped 16 shots for Calgary. . . . Ice G Payton Lee, in the final game of his WHL career, turned aside 30 shots. . . . Kootenay was 0-2 on the PP; Calgary was 0-3. . . . The Hitmen will meet the Regina Pats in the first round of the playoffs. . . . The Ice won’t participate. . . . Announced attendance: 11,410.

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2016-2017 U.S. DIVISION CHAMPS BABY!!!! pic.twitter.com/CEhQaNmcj1

— Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) March 19, 2017

At Everett, D Kevin Davis had three assists to lead the Silvertips to a 5-2 victory over the Victoria Royals.

KEVIN DAVIS

. . . The victory allowed the Silvertips (44-16-11) to clinch first place in the Western Conference and the U.S. Division. . . . The Royals (37-29-6) will finish in the conference’s second wild-card spot, meaning they will meet the Silvertips in the first round. . . . Everett goes in having won three straight; Victoria has lost seven straight (0-6-1). . . . Last night, the Silvertips opened a 5-0 lead. . . . They really took control with three first-period goals, from F Brandson Hein (3), F Patrick Bajkov (29) and F Cal Babych (2). The latter two came via the PP. . . . F Riley Sutter (19) added a second-period PP goal, and F Matt Fonteyne made it 5-0 with his 20th goal at 19:46. . . . The Royals got third-period goals from F Vladimir Bobylev (9) and F Ethan Price (8). . . . D Aaron Irving and F Dominic Zwerger each had two assists for Everett. . . . The Silvertips got 25 saves from G Carter Hart. . . . Victoria G Dylan Myskiw blocked 28 shots. . . . Everett was 3-6 on the PP; Victoria was 0-5. . . . Announced attendance: 7,989.

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#OHCAPTAINMYCAPTAIN pic.twitter.com/IRukmwawzD

— LethbridgeHurricanes (@WHLHurricanes) March 19, 2017

At Medicine Hat, F Steve Owre had a goal and three assists to help the Tigers to an 8-7 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Tigers trailed 6-5 going into the third period, but tied it on F Mark

STEVE OWRE

Rassell’s 36th goal, on a PP, at 4:59. . . . F Egor Babenko (24) put Lethbridge back ahead at 5:20. . . . Medicine Hat F James Hamblin tied it with his second goal of the game, and 23rd this season, at 8:33. . . . D David Quenneville got the winner, on a PP, at 12:28. He’s got 23 goals. . . . Owre has 26 goals. . . . D Brad Forrest (3), F Mason Shaw (27) and F Max Gerlach (34) also scored for the Tigers, who got three assists from F Chad Butcher, who finished the season with 103 points, two from D Clayton Kirichenko and one each from Hamblin, Gerlach, Shaw and Rassell. . . . F Tyler Wong scored twice for Lethbridge, giving him 51, and added two assists. He is the first Lethbridge skater with 50 goals since F Shane Willis in 1997-98. . . . Wong and F Tyler Steenbergen of the Swift Current Broncos led the WHL in goals this season. . . . D Calen Addison (9), F Ryan Vandervlis (8), F Tanner Nagel (10) and F Alec Baer (15) had Lethbridge’s other goals. . . . Lethbridge got three assists from F Giorgio Estephan, two from each of Babenko and D Brennan Menell, and one from Addison. . . . All four goaltenders got into the game. . . . Medicine Hat starter Michael Bullion allowed three goals on 15 shots in the first period, but left when he reportedly felt ill. Duncan McGovern, who spent most of this season with the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings, gave up four goals on 23 shots over the last two periods. . . . The Tigers already are without G Nick Schneider, who the club said had returned home with an illness. . . . Lethbridge starter Stuart Skinner allowed four goals on 24 shots in 22:30. Adam Swan finished up, stopping 17 of 21 shots in 35:51. . . . Medicine Hat was 3-5 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-2. . . . F Zach Fischer of the Tigers sat this one out with back spasms. . . . F Matt Bradley was among Medicine Hat’s scratches as he served a one-game suspension assessed after he took a spearing major and game misconduct during Friday’s 5-1 victory in Lethbridge. . . . The Tigers (51-20-1) have won two in a row. . . . The Hurricanes (44-21-7) have lost two straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,390.

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Have a night @halbgewachs97 so pumped for you. Please tell me you cracked a smile for 50 😎

— Dryden Hunt (@huntsy22) March 19, 2017

At Moose Jaw, F Jayden Halbgewachs scored four times and added three assists to reach the 50-goal and 100-point marks, leading the Warriors to a 10-5 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The

JAYDEN HALBGEWACHS

Warriors (42-21-9) had lost their previous five games (0-4-1). . . . The Broncos (39-23-10) finished third in the East Division, ?? points behind the Warriors. . . . The teams will open a first-round playoff series in Moose Jaw on Friday. . . . Halbgewachs, who finished with 101 points, became the WHL’s fifth 50-goal scorer and its fifth 100-point man this season. . . . F Riley Stotts (9) gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead 45 seconds into the first period. . . . F Brett Howden tied it at 3:35. . . . The Broncos went back out front at 7:15 as F Conner Chaulk scored his ninth goal, on a PP. . . . The Warriors took control with the next three goals, with Halbgewachs, F Noah Gregor (26) and Howden scoring. . . . Howden, who has 38 goals, completed a hat trick, on a PP, at 12:03 of the second period. He also had two assists. . . . Halbgewachs finished his scoring night with three goals in a span of 7:13 early in the third period. . . . F Justin Almeida (11) added another goal for Moose Jaw, while Gregor scored the game’s last goal, his second of the game. . . . Chaulk scored twice for the Broncos, with F MacKenzie Wight (1) and F Ryley Lindgren (27) also scoring. . . . The Warriors got three assists from F Brayden Burke, two from F Tanner Jeannot, and one from Almeida. . . . D Artyom Minulin had three assists for Swift Current, with F Aleksi Heponiemi getting two, and Lindgren one. . . . The Warriors got 16 stops from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . Swift Current G Bailey Brkin made his WHL debut in this one, allowing 10 goals on 53 shots. With Jordan Papirny (mumps) out, Brkin has been backing up Taz Burman. . . . Brkin, 17, spent this season with the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs. . . . Moose Jaw was 3-6 on the PP; Swift Current was 2-4. . . . The Warriors have added D Matthew Benson, who turned 16 on Nov. 24, to their roster. From Vancouver, he had four goals and 10 assists in 30 games with the Delta Hockey Academy prep team this season. A list player, he was pointless in three earlier games with the Warriors. He went pointless last night, but was plus-2. . . . The Warriors were without F Thomas Foster, who served a one-game suspension that was handed down under supplemental discipline following Friday’s 2-1 loss in Swift Current. . . . The Broncos’ scratches included F Lane Pederson, who was injured on Friday, G Jordan Papirny (mumps), D Colby Sissons, D Max Lajoie, F Kaden Elder and F Ryan Graham, all of them key performers. . . . Matthew Gourlie, a contributor at the DUBnetwork.ca, tweeted later that Emanuel Viveiros, the Broncos’ head coach, said Papirny and Sissons have been cleared to return to practice. In fact, all of the absentees should be ready for Game 1. . . . The Warriors won the season series, 4-2-0. . . . Announced attendance: 3,781.

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@BladesHockey (28-34-9) at @PARaidersHockey (20-44-7). Aside from rivalry, meaningless game for Blades. But, P-A is 1 point behind Edm...

— Les Lazaruk (@Bladesvoice) March 19, 2017

...for 10th place in Eastern Conference. Since WHL West has only 10 teams and 12 teams...highest 2 non-playoff teams in East get $$$ from...

— Les Lazaruk (@Bladesvoice) March 19, 2017

...WHL. In the case of 10th place in the East for @PARaidersHockey, that's $48,000 towards their bottom line. Big for community-owned team!

— Les Lazaruk (@Bladesvoice) March 19, 2017

At Prince Albert, the Raiders scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Saskatoon Blades, 5-1. . . . F Mason McCarty gave the Blades a 1-0 lead with his 21st goal, on a PP, at 5:39 of the first period. . . . The Raiders tied it when F Simon Stransky scored at 5:24 of the second period and took the lead on Stransky’s 22nd goal, on a PP, at 11:35. . . . F Curtis Miske added insurance with his 20th goal, on another PP, at 18:06. . . . The Raiders got third-period goals from F Adam Kadlec (5) and D Cody Paivarinta (2). . . . Miske and Stransky added an assist apiece. . . . G Ian Scott earned the victory with 24 saves, two fewer than Saskatoon’s Brock Hamm. . . . Prince Albert was 2-3 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-3. . . . Neither the Raiders (21-44-7) nor Blades (28-35-9) qualified for the playoffs. . . . Announced attendance: 2,953.

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Weird to be so hyped after a loss, but the @PGCougars are BC Division Champs for the first time in franchise history!! Hyped! #United pic.twitter.com/1b40V4aCsY

— Brett Cullen (@BrettCullen_) March 19, 2017

At Prince George, the Cougars won the first B.C. Division title in their 23-year history in the northern city

DYLAN FERGUSON

with a 2-1 shootout loss to the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The loser point was enough to clinch top spot in the division, one point ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Blazers won the game when F Brodi Stuart, who turned 17 on March 10, scored in the eighth round of the shootout. Because shootout goals aren’t counted in individual statistics, Stuart’s line will continue to show him with no goals in three games. . . . F Collin Shirley (28) gave Kamloops a 1-0 lead, on a PP, 23 seconds into the second period. . . . The Cougars tied it when D Brendan Guhle scored his 15th goal, at 14:56. . . . With the Blazers shooting first in the skills competition, F Lane Bauer gave them a 1-0 lead, only to have F Nikita Popugaev equalize. . . . F Nick Chyzowski scored for Kamloops in the sixth round, with the Cougars then getting a goal from F Kody McDonald. . . . That set the stage for Stuart, a fourth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft who is from Langley, B.C. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 30 shots through OT for the Cougars. . . . Kamloops G Dylan Ferguson was chosen as the game’s first start, thanks to a 47-save performance. . . . Kamloops was 1-2 on the PP; Prince George was 0-4. . . . The Blazers went north without G Connor Ingram, F Deven Sideroff, F Luc Smith and D Dallas Valentine. . . . D Devan Harrison, a second-round pick in the 2015 WHL bantam draft, made his WHL debut with Kamloops. . . . The Cougars had won, 3-1, in Kamloops on Friday. . . . The Cougars (46-21-5) have won four in a row. They will meet either the Portland Winterhawks or Tri-City Americans in the opening round of the playoffs. . . . The Blazers (41-25-6) finished third in the B.C. Division and will meet Kelowna in the first round for the second straight season. The Rockets was a seven-game series a year ago. . . . Announced attendance: 5,806.

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At Red Deer, the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Rebels, 4-1, winning on the road for the first time in

BRIAN HARRIS

regulation time since Dec. 28. . . . The teams will meet again today in Edmonton. . . . F Lane Zablocki gave the home side a 1-0 lead at 1:27 of the first period, but it was all Edmonton after that. . . . F Brian Harris scored his first WHL goal — it came in his fourth game — at 2:57. . . . D Anatolii Elizarov (7) put the visitors out front at 13:26. . . . F Riley Stadel, who hadn’t played since Feb. 12, scored his sixth goal — and first with Edmonton since moving over from the Kelowna Rockets in January — at 14:11, then drew an assist on F Graham Millar’s 12th goal, an empty-netter, at 18:27 of the third period. . . . Edmonton’s Robertson brothers — Matthew and Tyler — each had an assist. . . . G Josh Dechaine earned the victory with 33 saves. . . . The Rebels got 22 stops from G Lasse Petersen. . . . Each team was 0-5 on the PP. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky was among Edmonton’s scratches. . . . The Oil Kings (22-43-6) have won their past two games. . . . The Rebels (30-29-12) had points in each of their previous seven games (5-0-2). . . . Prior to the game, Red Deer trainer Dave (Radar) Horning was presented with a WHL Milestone Award. He was with the Prince Albert Raiders for three seasons before joining the Rebels for 1994-95. . . . Announced attendance: 7,135.

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At Kent, Wash., F Colton Veloso scored two goals and added an assist as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-1. . . . The victory allowed the Winterhawks (40-27-4) to remain third in the

COLTON VELOSO

U.S. Division, a point ahead of the Tri-City Americans. Portland has won three in a row and eight of nine. . . . Seattle (45-20-6), which had won its previous four games, had its hopes dashed for a first-place finish in the division. . . . Veloso, who has 18 goals, gave his guys a 2-0 lead, scoring at 17:57 of the first period and 6:16 of the second. . . . F Ryan Gropp (35) scored for Seattle at 10:15. . . . The Winterhawks put it away with third-period goals from F Alex Overhardt (41) at 3:39 and D Keoni Texeira (12), an empty-netter, at 19:21. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 31 shots for Portland, six fewer than Seattle’s Matt Berlin. . . . Portland was 0-2 on the PP; Seattle was 0-3. . . . G Rylan Toth, who led the WHL with 36 victories, was among Seattle’s scratches. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal (suspected mumps) missed his fourth straight game, but the Thunderbirds got back F Scott Eansor after a 29-game absence. He last played on Jan. 14. Also returning was D Jarret Tyszka, who had been out since Feb. 24, and D Reece Harsch, out since March 4. . . . The Winterhawks lost F Cody Glass, their leading scorer, to an undisclosed injury in the game’s first half. He’s got 94 points, 32 of them goals, in 69 games. . . . Announced attendance: 6,173.

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Weird being here for the final time this season. At least I wont be seeing the handshake line this year.

— SpokaneChiefsFanPage (@gochiefsgoblog) March 19, 2017

At Spokane, F Jordan Topping and F Vladislav Lukin scored shootout goals to give the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The Americans (40-28-3) are fourth in the U.S. Division, one

JORDAN TOPPING

point behind the Portland Winterhawks going into the final day of the regular-season. The Americans will entertain the Everett Silvertips, who have clinched first place, while the Winterhawks are at home to the Chiefs (26-33-12), who have lost nine straight (0-6-3). . . . The third-place team will meet Seattle in the first round; the fourth-place finisher will get the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot and hit the highway to face the B.C. Division-champion Prince George Cougars. . . . The Chiefs held 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3 leads in this one. . . . F Keanu Yamamoto’s 24th goal gave Spokane a 1-0 lead at 1:39 of the first period. A 20-year-old from Spokane, Yamamoto was playing his final WHL home game and his last home game with his brother, Kailer. . . . The Chiefs went up 2-0 on F Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s goal, at 4:31. . . . Tri-City got its first goal from F Parker AuCoin, on a penalty shot, at 15:34. He’s got 21 goals. . . . D Ty Smith got that one back for Spokane on a PP, at 17:53. He’s got five goals. . . . The Americans pulled even on second-period goals from Topping (25), at 5:39, and Lukin (26), on a PP, at 15:50. . . . Anderson-Dolan put Spokane ahead again, with No. 39, at 8:54 of the third. . . . F Tyler Sandhu, who had let the game earlier for repairs after suffering a facial injury, forced OT with his 23rd goal, at 13:12. . . . F Riley Woods gave Spokane the edge with a goal in the first round of the shootout, but Topping scored in the second round and Lukin won it in the third. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto had two assists, with Keanu Yamamoto, Anderson-Dolan and Smith getting one each. . . . The Americans got two assists from Sandhu, and one from Topping. . . . G Rylan Parenteau stopped 35 shots for Tri-City, four more than Spokane’s Donovan Buskey. . . . The Americans were 1-2 on the PP; the Chiefs were 1-5. . . . F Max James was back in Tri-City’s lineup on Friday, after a three-game absence. But he was scratched from this one. . . . Announced attendance: 10,118.

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At Langley, B.C., F Kole Lind scored his 30th goal and added an assist as the Kelowna Rockets downed

KOLE LIND

the Vancouver Giants, 5-2. . . . The Giants took a 1-0 lead when F Calvin Spencer scored his 16th goal, on a PP, at 7:19 of the first period. . . . Lind got that one back just 26 seconds later. . . . F Jordan Borstmayer put the Giants back out front at 8:08. . . . The visitors took a 3-2 lead before the period ended, with D Nolan Foote (19) scoring, on a PP, at 14:23 and F Leif Mattson adding his ninth goal, at 16:41. . . . D Devante Stephens (13) added insurance at 19:01 of the second period and F Reid Gardiner got his 18th goal in 28 games 11 seconds later. . . . F Carsen Twarynski had two assists for Kelowna. . . . G Michael Herringer had 29 stops and an assist for the Rockets. . . . Vancouver starter Ryan Kubic allowed five goals on 25 shots through two periods. David Tendeck stopped all seven shots he saw in the third period. . . . Each team was 1-5 on the PP. . . . The Rockets (45-22-5) will finish second in the B.C. Division and meet the Kamloops Blazers in the first round. . . . The Giants (20-45-6) didn’t qualify. . . . Announced attendance: 4,423.

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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Edmonton, 4 p.m.

Spokane at Portland, 5 p.m.

Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.

Everett vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 5:05 p.m.

END OF REGULAR SEASON

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Silvertips, Americans streaking ... Tigers retire Lysiak's No. 9 ... Hitmen stun Rebels

Steve Ewen, who covers the Vancouver Giants for Postmedia, revealed Saturday morning that he is preparing for a second battle with cancer.

Ewen, one of the good guys, has fired up his blog again — Crush the Tumour with Humour.

On Saturday, he started a post with:

“I have a surgery some time this week to put a pin in my left leg. Hopefully it doesn't clash with the rods in my back.

“The cancer is back. Multiple myeloma. I had been in remission for six years, but when I was diagnosed with a solitary plasmacytoma in 2010 we were told that there was a good chance that it would return. We received recurrence rates of anywhere between 30 and 70 per cent then.”

Keep Steve and his wife, Carol-Ann, in your thoughts and prayers, and feel free to visit with him at his blog, which is right here.

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More WHL teams have postponed or cancelled fan-related events due to the mumps scare that is going through the league.

The Regina Pats were to have had a post-game skate with fans after their Sunday game with the visiting Swift Current Broncos. But that has been cancelled, and hopefully will be rescheduled.

Meanwhile, the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club was informed that player appearances at the Les Schwab in the Pearl District and Southeast scheduled for Monday have been postponed and will be rescheduled at dates to be determined.

The Winterhawks/Burgerville events scheduled for March 6 are on, but could be impacted should the mumps situation continue much longer.

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The Vancouver Giants have signed D Austin King-Cunningham to a WHL contract and he made his WHL debut in Victoria against the Royals on Saturday night. . . . A list player, King-Cunningham is from Pilot Butte, Sask. He had three goals and eight assists in 33 games with Battlefords Stars of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League this season. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder led the SMAAAHL in penalty minutes, with 161. . . . The Stars didn’t make the playoffs, so King-Cunningham is free to join the Giants.

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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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SC Bantam AA Broncos on their way to Estevan for playoffs stop to pay their respects. Never Forgotten @SCBroncos pic.twitter.com/IpLjYlf4yn

— Cheyenne Arntsen (@ArntsenC) February 25, 2017

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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

Carter Hart was INCHES away from scoring a goal

— Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) February 26, 2017

Hart misses an empty-netter by about six feet

— Jesse Geleynse (@JesseGeleynse) February 26, 2017

At Everett, the Silvertips clinched their 14th straight playoff berth as they beat the Kamloops Blazers, 3-1.

KEVIN DAVIS

. . . The Silvertips have qualified for the playoffs in every season they have played in the WHL. . . . Everett got off to a quick start when F Matt Fonteyne scored his 16th goal just 54 seconds into the first period. . . . F Patrick Bajkov made it 2-0 with No. 25 at 5:56. . . . Everett went ahead 3-0 on F Eetu Tuulola’s 16th goal, at 9:36 of the third period. . . . Kamloops F Lane Bauer scored his 36th goal at 19:14. . . . The Silvertips got two assists from D Kevin Davis. . . . Everett G Carter Hart finished with 35 saves. This was the second time since Feb. 17 that Hart lost a shutout late in a game with the other team’s goaltender on the bench for an extra attacker. It happened on Feb. 17 in a 3-1 victory over the host Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Late in the game, Hart took a shot at an empty Kamloops net. “He missed the net by quitre a bit,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine told Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald, “but you’ve seen goalies lately, pulled goalie situation and the puck gets dumped in. If they get a shot they go for it. Maybe with a one-goal lead you try not to do that because it’s an icing, but with a three-goal lead why not? It certainly got a rise out of the crowd.” . . . G Dylan Ferguson stopped 24 shots for the Blazers. . . . Each team was 0-3 on the PP. . . . The Silvertips (38-12-10) have won seven in a row. They lead the U.S. Division by three points over Seattle with two games in hand. . . . The Blazers (37-21-6) have lost two straight. They are second in the B.C. Division, five points behind Prince George. . . . Announced attendance: 6,377.

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Huge thanks to the fans who came out on the fan bus to support us tonight in Cranbrook! We love the passion, and hope you enjoy the #tacos

— Brent Kisio (@Brent_Kisio) February 26, 2017

At Cranbrook, B.C., the Lethbridge Hurricanes opened up a 4-0 first-period lead en route to a 5-3 victory

TYLER WONG

over the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Tyler Wong scored twice in that first period, giving him a WHL-leading 45 goals, and D Brennan Menell had three assists. . . . Wong opened the scoring at 6:23, with F Tanner Nagel (8) making it 2-0 at 8:48. . . . F Matt Alfaro, who was acquired from the Ice in January, scored at 9:29 and Wong, on a PP, made it 4-0 at 17:23. . . . D Brennan Riddle drew assists on the first two goals. . . . The Ice didn’t fold, though, and cut the deficit to one. . . . D Troy Murray (4) got it started at 3:54 of the third period. . . . F Colton Kroeker got his 15th goal, shorthanded, at 8:46, and D Cale Fleury (10) scored on a PP at 10:49 to get the Ice to within one. . . . Alfaro iced the victory with his 22nd goal, into an empty net, at 19:21. . . . The Ice got two assists from F Vince Loschiavo. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 30 shots for Lethbridge. . . . G Payton Lee, who picked up an assist, turned aside 22 shots for Kootenay. . . . The Hurricanes were 1-3 on the PP; the Ice was 1-4. . . . Lethbridge (38-17-7) has won two in a row. The Hurricanes are second in the Central Divison, six points behind Medicine Hat. . . . Kootenay (13-38-10) has lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 1,709.

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The final time the number 9 will hang in a Tigers stall after tonight! pic.twitter.com/evWifuMOka

— Medicine Hat Tigers (@tigershockey) February 26, 2017

At Medicine Hat, G Michael Bullion stopped 26 shots to lead the Tigers to a 4-0 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Prior to the game, the Tigers celebrated the career of F Tom Lysiak as they retired his

MICHAEL BULLION

sweater number (9). F Zach Fisher, who had been wearing No. 9, has switched to 39. During the ceremony, Fischer took off the No. 9 sweater and presented it to Lysiak family members. . . . Bullion, who was acquired from the Portland Winterhawks in January, posted his second shutout in five starts and the second of his career. . . . D David Quenneville opened the scoring, on a PP, when he scored his 21st goal at 9:29 of the first period. . . . F Mason Shaw (25) made it 2-0 at 16:57. . . . F Chad Butcher assisted on both goals. . . . The Tigers got to 3-0 when F Mark Rassell scored his 30th at 13:33 of the second period. . . . F Gary Haden (7) closed out the scoring at 2:19 of the third period. . . . Rassell also had an assist. . . . Brandon got 45 stops from G Logan Thompson. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-6 on the PP; Brandon was 0-3. . . . The two teams at the heart of the WHL’s mumps situation had three players missing due to illness — F James Hamblin and D Jordan Henderson of the Tigers and F Baron Thompson of the Wheat Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings lost F Ty Lewis to an undisclosed injury during this one. . . . Medicine Hat (44-18-1) has won two in a row. The Tigers are second in the overall standings, six points behind Regina which has three games in hand. . . . Brandon (28-25-9) has lost four straight (0-3-1). It holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . The Wheat Kings have lost eight straight road games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,489.

Made it to Medicine Hat, Alberta! Can't wait to see my dad's number get retired at tonight's Tiger's game @tigershockey

— Jessie Lysiak Braun (@ChefJessieLB) February 25, 2017

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At Moose Jaw, the Warriors snapped a 2-2 tie with three third-period goals and went on to beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-2. . . . F Noah Gregor, in his first game since Jan. 7, gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead with

NOAH GREGOR

No. 21 at 8:52 of the second period. . . . D Josh Brook (8) made it 2-0 at 18:23. . . . The Broncos tied the game with two late second-period goals despite being outshot 21-5 over the 20 minutes. . . . F Ryley Lindgren got No. 18 at 19:12 and F Glenn Gawdin (22) tied the score at 19:38. . . . The Warriors took a 3-2 lead when F Tanner Jeannot (16) scored at 8:15 of the third period. . . . F Thomas Foster added insurance with his 18th goal, at 12:23, and F Brayden Burke, in his first game since Feb. 8, got the final goal, his 17th, at 15:40. . . . Jeannot also had two assists, while Foster had one. . . . The Warriors got 25 stops from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . At the other end, Jordan Papirny turned aside 38. . . . Swift Current was 0-2 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-3. . . . F Mackenzie Wight, an 18-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., made his Swift Current debut. The Broncos acquired him from the Seattle Thunderbirds in December for F Tyler Adams, 19, and an undisclosed conditional pick in the 2019 bantam draft. Earlier in the season, he was pointless in six games with the Thunderbirds, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2014 WHL bantam draft. Wight has been playing with the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs. He had six goals and six assists in 27 games. . . . The Broncos were without F Lane Pederson, who sat out the first of a two-game suspension after he took a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on Regina F Robbie Holmes during the Pats’ 7-0 home-ice victory on Friday night. Holmes left the game with an apparent shoulder injury. . . . The Warriors (37-17-8) have won five in a row. They are headed to a second-place finish in the East Division as they are 13 points behind Regina and 12 ahead of third-place Swift Current. . . . The Broncos (30-20-10) have lost three straight (0-2-1). They are five points ahead of fourth-place Brandon. . . . The Broncos lost 7-0 in Regina on Friday, played in Moose Jaw on Saturday and are back in Regina for a Sunday game. . . . Announced attendance: 3,829.

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At Prince Albert, the Raiders broke a 1-1 tie with two early third-period goals as they defeated the

KOLTEN OLYNEK

Saskatoon Blades, 4-2. . . . F Cavin Leth had given the home team a 1-0 lead with his 19th goal, on a PP, at 10:05 of the first period. . . . F Michael Farren (6) got Saskatoon even at 10:55 of the second period. . . . The Raiders regained the lead when F Simon Stransky got No. 17 at 4:48 of the third. . . . F Kolten Olynek, who also had an assist, got his 12th goal, at 6:52, for a 3-1 lead. . . . The Blades got to within a goal when F Braylon Shmyr (29) scored at 18:04. . . . The Raiders iced it on F Curtis Miske’s 17th goal, into an empty net, at 19:32. . . . G Ian Scott earned the victory with 21 saves, two more than Saskatoon’s Logan Flodell. . . . The Raiders were 1-2 on the PP; the Blades were 0-7. . . . Saskatoon has won four of six games from Prince Albert this season. . . . The Blades are 0-5-1 and have been outscored 24-10 in their past six road appearances. . . . Prince Albert (17-40-6) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). . . . Saskatoon (24-30-8) is two points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 2,396.

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Gotta love the rookie lap for @Mkryski_7! Did a whole warmup lap by himself before his mates joined him on the ice! Welcome to @TheWHL kid!!

— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) February 26, 2017

At Prince George, F Jesse Gabrielle scored twice and added an assist as the Cougars skated to a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Cougars also became the first B.C. Division to clinch a

JESSE GABRIELLE

playoff spot this season. . . . F Jared Bethune gave the home boys a 1-0 lead with his 18th goal, at 4:27 of the first period. . . . Gabrielle upped that to 2-0 at 12:01. . . . D Conner McDonald’s sixth goal, on a PP, at 19:08 got the Oil Kings to within a goal. . . . Gabrielle’s 29th goal, on a PP, restored the Cougars’ two-goal lat at 15:17 of the second period. . . . F Tyler Robertson’s 15th goal, also on a PP, pulled Edmonton back to within a goal, at 18:10. . . . The Cougars put it away with third-period goals from F Josh Curtis (8), at 5:47, and F Radovan Bondra (29), on a PP, at 6:37. . . . The Cougars got two assists from each of F Jansen Harkins and Bondra, with Bethune adding one. . . . G Nick McBride earned the victory with 31 saves. . . . At the other end, Josh Dechaine stopped 42 shots in his second straight start. . . . The Cougars had beaten visiting Edmonton, 4-1, on Friday. . . . Prince George was 2-3 on the PP; Edmonton was 2-5. . . . F Brad Morrison (undisclosed injury) was among Prince George’s scratches. Also out was F Colby McAuley, who got a two-game suspension after taking a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on F Ty Gerla of the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday night. Gerla was a scratch on Saturday night. . . . F Max Kryski, 16, made his WHL debut with the Cougars. He is the younger brother of F Jake Kryski of the Calgary Hitmen. Max, from Kelowna, has been playing for the Kelowna-based Okanagan Rockets of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. . . . The Cougars (40-19-5) have points in three straight (2-0-1). They lead the B.C. Division by five points over Kamloops. Each team has eight games remaining; they will play each other four times. . . . The Oil Kings (20-38-5) have lost six in a row (0-5-1). They went 0-4 on a trip into the B.C. Division and were outscored 26-4 in the process. . . . Announced attendance: 5,805.

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We just wished longtime @Rebelshockey fan, Arnold Blair a Happy 102nd Birthday at the Rebels game tonight. pic.twitter.com/1lhN9S4Bmg

— Joe Whitbread (@joewhitbread) February 26, 2017

At Red Deer, the Calgary Hitmen scored the game’s last six goals and beat the Rebels, 6-3. . . . The Calgary onslaught included five goals on 26 third-period shots. . . . The Rebels seemed to take control

LUKE COLEMAN

with three second-period goals. . . . F Austin Pratt (14) started it at 5:34, before F Lane Zablocki scored twice, giving him 23, at 8:31 and 18:20. . . . Calgary got some life when F Matteo Gennaro got his 36th goal, on a PP, at 19:09. . . . F Andrei Grishakov’s 10th goal allowed the Hitmen to get within one goal just 23 seconds into the third period. . . . F Luke Coleman, who is from Red Deer, tied the game at 5:58. . . . D Jameson Murray put the Hitmen out front with his first WHL goal at 7:58. Murray, from Kelowna, turned 18 on Feb. 10. He scored his first goal in his 30th game. . . . D Brady Reagan (5) added insurance, on a PP, at 12:35. . . . Coleman put it away with his 13th goal at 13:33. . . . The Hitmen got two assists from each of D Jake Bean, D Micheal Zipp, D Vladislav Yeryomenko and F Mark Kastelic, while Reagan had one. . . . F Adam Musil had two helpers for the Rebels. . . . G Trevor Martin stopped 34 shots for Calgary. . . . Red Deer G Lasse Petersen stopped 41. . . . Calgary was 2-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-1. . . . The Hitmen (24-27-10) moved two points ahead of Saskatoon in the race for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Rebels (25-28-10) had points in each of their previous three games (2-0-1). Red Deer is third in the Central Division, two points ahead of Calgary. . . . These teams will meet again this afternoon in Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 5,355.

Boo birds in the Enmax Centrium. Yikes.

— Troy Gillard (@Troy_Gillard) February 26, 2017

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At Kent, Wash., F Ryan Gropp scored the game’s first two goals and the last one as the Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Kelowna Rockets, 5-3. . . . Gropp provided Seattle with a 2-0 lead as he

RYAN GROPP

scored on two of its first three shots, at 3:26 and 5:42 of the first period. The second of those goals came via the PP. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear stretched the lead to 3-0, on a PP, at 3:32 of the second period. . . . F Dillon Dube got Kelowna on the scoreboard with his 11th goal, scoring on a penalty shot at 7:26. . . . F Keegan Kolesar (21) scored another Seattle PP goal, this one at 9:47. . . . F Reid Gardiner got his ninth goal for Kelowna, on a PP, at 8:38 of the third period. . . . Gropp completed his hat trick, for a 5-2 lead, with an empty-netter, on a PP, at 18:53. . . . F Kyle Topping (12) scored Kelowna’s final goal, at 19:37. . . . Gropp also had an assist, while F Mathew Barzal drew four assists and Kolesar had two. That line combined for 10 of Seattle’s 15 scoring points. . . . Bear also had an assist as he ran his career point total to 187. That ties him with Craig Channell for second on the franchise list for career points by a defenceman. Shea Theodore holds the record (212). . . . Bear has at least a point in 11 straight games, the longest active streak in the WHL at the moment, while Kolesar is at 10 games. . . . Dube added an assist to his goal. . . . The Thunderbirds got 36 stops from G Rylan Toth, while Kelowna’s Michael Herringer blocked 19. . . . Toth is tied for the WHL lead in victories (32) with Griffen Outshouse of Victoria. . . . Seattle was 4-9 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-4. . . . D Jarret Tyszka was among Seattle’s scratches after he was injured in Friday’s 7-3 loss to the host Tri-City Americans. . . . Seattle (39-18-5) is second in the U.S. Division, three points behind Everett. . . . Kelowna (36-21-5) had points in each of its previous seven games (6-0-1). It is third in the B.C. Division, three points behind Kamloops and four ahead of Victoria. . . . The Rockets, who beat the Blazers 8-2 in Kamloops on Friday, finish their weekend Sunday afternoon in Spokane. . . . Announced attendance: 5,313.

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At Spokane, F Tyler Sandhu scored three goals and added an assist as the Tri-City Americans dumped

TYLER SANDHU

the Chiefs, 5-1. . . . Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto scored the game’s first goal, getting No. 35 at 10:58 of the opening period. . . . Sandhu, who has 20 goals, tied the game at 14:41 of the first and put his side ahead at 11:27 of the second period. . . . F Jordan Topping added insurance at 9:55 of the third period. . . . Sandhu completed his hat trick at 12:45 and Topping (23) closed out the scoring with an empty-netter, at 19:30. . . . The Americans got four assists from F Morgan Geekie and two from D Juuso Valimaki, with Topping adding one. . . . G Evan Sarthou stopped 33 shots for Tri-City. . . . The Chiefs got 21 saves from G Jayden Sittler. . . . G Donovan Buskey was on the bench in support of Sittler. Buskey, who turned 17 on Jan. 29, is from North Vancouver, B.C., and was a third-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2015 bantam draft. Buskey has been playing for the major midget Vancouver Northwest Giants. . . . Buskey replaced G Dawson Weatherill, who was scratched. . . . The Americans (38-23-3) have won seven in a row. They are third in the U.S. Division, four points behind Seattle. . . . The Chiefs (25-26-9) have lost two straight. They are nine points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 9,331.

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At Victoria, F Jared Dmytriw scored twice to help the Royals to a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. .

JARED DMYTRIW

. . The Royals went ahead 1-0 when F Vladimir Bobylev scored his seventh goal, at 1:30 of the first period. . . . Dmytriw made it 2-0 at 8:55. . . . It went to 3-0 at 9:37 of the second period when Dmytriw got his 12th goal. . . . Victoria got three assists from F Matt Phillips. . . . F Calvin Spencer (14) scored his 14th goal, on a PP, at 15:52 of the second period. . . . Victoria G Griffen Outhouse turned aside 31 shots in posting his 32nd victory of the season. That ties the Royals’ single-season record that was set last season by Coleman Vollrath. . . . G David Tendeck stopped 20 shots for the Giants. . . . Vancouver was 1-3 on the PP; Victoria was 0-2. . . . The Royals (34-23-5) have points in four straight games (3-0-1). They are in possession of the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . The Giants (19-38-5) have lost two in a row. . . . The Royals had beaten the Giants, 6-4, in Langley, B.C., on Friday night. The two teams will complete their weekend tripleheader today in Victoria. . . . Announced attendance: 7,006, on Pink in the Rink night.

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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Calgary, 4 p.m.

Swift Current at Regina, 4 p.m.

Moose Jaw at Saskatoon, 4:05 p.m.

Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.

Kelowna at Spokane, 5:05 p.m.

Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Second WHL team hit by mumps ... Cougars "being subsidized by ownership group" ... Goalie scores in AJHL

A second WHL team has been hit by the mumps. Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News reported via Twitter on Friday afternoon that the Medicine Hat Tigers had two players “diagnosed with mumps, while another two have been tested and quarantined.” . . . Apparently, one coach also has been impacted. . . . McCracken later reported that the two players who had been diagnosed were F John Dahlstrom and D Jordan Henderson, neither of whom played against the host Swift Current Broncos on Friday night. The Tigers also scratched F Zach Fischer and F Ryan Chyzowski. . . . Earlier this month, the Brandon Wheat Kings also had mumps in their dressing room. Their stricken players returned to the lineup earlier this week. . . . If you're wondering, Brandon played in Medicine Hat on Jan. 28. . . . The Tigers also remain without D David Quenneville and D Ty Schultz, both of whom are recovering from broken legs suffered while blocking shots. Quenneville, however, is nearing a return. He was injured on Jan. 3 and now has been cleared for full-contact at practices.

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The Prince George Cougars have added Nick Drazenovic to their front office as director of player development. Drazenovic, who is from Prince George, played 281 games with the Cougars, putting up 214 points, including 77 goals. . . . He went on to a professional career that included 12 games in the NHL and more than 500 in the AHL. . . . “Nick will be responsible for developing our current roster players,” general manager Todd Harkins said in a news release, “while also spending one-on-one time with our prospects. He will monitor their progress year-round to ensure that when their time comes to join our team full-time that they are ready to make an impact.”

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There isn’t anything new to report regarding the Kootenay Ice and where they will play next season.

One thing is for certain, though. “We can't continue,” Jeff Chynoweth, the team’s president and general manager, told Jaimie Kehler of CBC News. “We are bleeding bad right now, averaging under 1,700 people a night. That just doesn't work in today's economics of the Western Hockey League.” . . . For now, there aren’t likely to be any developments before March 11 when the citizens of Nanaimo vote in a referendum that could allow the city to borrow $80 million for an events centre that would include an arena large enough for a WHL franchise. . . . Taking Note reported last month that the WHL is preparing two schedules for the 2017-18 season — one that includes Kootenay, and one that includes Nanaimo but not Kootenay. . . . Kehler’s story is right here. . . . The Ice stage Pink the Rink night on Friday and drew 2,690 fans to a 3-2 OT victory over the Saskatoon Blades.

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In Prince George, meanwhile, the EDGEPRO Sports and Entertainment group in its third season owning the Cougars. That group features Greg Pocock, Eric Brewer, Ray Fortier, Dan Hamhuis,

Ernest Ouellet and John Pateman. As the franchise’s president and governor, Pocock has morphed into the group’s public face.

The Cougars’ average announced attendance in 2013-14, the final season under owner Rick Brodsky, was 1,693. That number has reached 3,467 this season, but Pocock said that’s not enough.

“We are happy to see the continued growth of the attendance in our building,” he told play-by-play man Dan O’Connor and Hartley Miller, the analyst on home games, during a 4-3 loss to the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Monday afternoon. “It seems to be sustainable growth. It’s not people jumping on a bandwagon that are going to be here today and gone tomorrow.

“Having said that, this team is not making money. This team is being subsidized by the ownership group and that is not a circumstance that is going to continue indefinitely. We are behind in projections as far as numbers go. Although we are happy to see where we are it, we’re not satisfied where we are at either.”

There’s more from Pocock right here in a story that was posted by Miller.

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Jake Morrissey, a former WHL goaltender, scored a goal for the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders on Friday night. Morrissey, who made 32 saves, scored an empty-net goal at 19:59 of the third period to put the cap on a 3-1 victory over the visiting Camrose Kodiaks. . . . Morrissey, a 19-year-old from Saskatoon, made WHL stops with the Kelowna Rockets, Vancouver Giants, Saskatoon Blades and Medicine Hat Tigers.

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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

Adam Brooks has become just the 17th player in @WHLPats history to reach 300 points. He's now in 16th place with 302.

— Kevin Shaw (@theblueliner) February 18, 2017

At Brandon, G Logan Thompson blocked 45 shots to lead the Wheat Kings to a 5-3 victory over the

Regina Pats. . . . Thompson stopped 21 of 23 shots in the third period as the Wheat Kings snapped a three-game losing skid (0-2-1). . . . Brandon scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Baron Thompson (3) opened the scoring at 1:42 of the first period. . . . F Nolan Patrick added his 14th at 3:54. . . . F Ty Lewis upped the lead to 3-0 with his 27th goal, on a PP, at 15:47 of the second period. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs got his guys started, on a PP, at 16:20. He leads all WHL defencemen with 26 goals. . . . Brandon D Schael Higson (4) got that one back, on a PP, at 18:58. . . . Regina made it interesting with two third-period goals. . . . F Austin Wagner got his 26th, at 1:34, and F Adam Brooks scored No. 32, on a PP, at 8:11. . . . The Wheat Kings hung on until F Stelio Mattheos got an empty-netter at 18:30. He’s got 23 goals. . . . Brandon got two assists from F Connor Gutenberg, with Matheos adding one to his goal. . . . Hobbs and Brooks each had two assists for Regina. . . . G Jordan Hollett stopped 24 shots for Regina as he lost for the first time in regulation this season. He now is 12-1-1. . . . The Wheat Kings were 2-3 on the PP; the Pats were 2-5. . . . Brandon (28-22-8) holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Regina (41-8-7) remains atop the overall standings, six points ahead of Medicine Hat with three games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 4,433.

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Martin's mask is a tribute to his late father Jim. "I had someone watching over me tonight (in 3-2 win over Edm) as I always do," he said. https://t.co/rwaTPZj9SF

— Laurence Heinen (@lheinen21) February 18, 2017

At Calgary, F Jakob Stukel scored at 1:52 of OT to give the Hitmen a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . This was Calgary’s 20th trip to OT this season. The Hitmen are 7-8 in OT and 3-2 in shootouts. . . . The Hitmen had the only three shots of the extra time and won it on Stukel’s 18th goal of the season. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky’s 17th goal gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 9:20 of the first period. . . . Calgary tied it on F Andrei Grishakov’s sixth goal, at 7:58 of the second period. . . . Calgary D Jake Bean had two assists. . . . The Hitmen got 23 saves from G Trevor Martin. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea turned aside 33 shots. . . . Edmonton was 1-5 on the PP; Calgary was 0-2. . . . The Hitmen (21-26-10) have points in three straight (2-0-1). They are two points out of a wild-card spot, but also trail third-place Red Deer by only three points in the Central Division. . . . The Oil Kings (20-33-5) have points in three in a row (2-0-1) after losing 16 in a row. They are nine points out of a playoff spot with 14 games remaining. . . . Announced attendance: 6,945.

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At Kelowna, F Kailer Yamamoto scored at 1:01 of OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 5-4 victory over the Rockets. . . . Spokane G Jayden Sittler, who had an outstanding game, stopped Kelowna F Nick Merkley at one end and the Chiefs broke out 2-on-1 with Yamamoto scoring off a pass from Hudson Elynuik. . . . The Chiefs are 3-0-0 against Kelowna this season, winning three times in OT. . . Spokane scored the game’s first three goals, then surrendered three in a row. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s 33rd goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 8:47 of the first period, with F Ethan McIndoe (16) making it 2-0 at 12:24. . . . Elynuik’s 21st goal made it 3-0 at 1:30 of the second period. . . . The Rockets roared back to tie it with Merkley’s 18th goal starting the comeback at 6:39. . . . D Nolan Foote’s 15th goal cut the deficit to one at 17:12. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf tied it at 3:55 of the third period. . . . The Chiefs went back in front at 6:18 when F Hayden Ostir got No. 7. . . . Thurkauf tied it, scoring his second of the game and 29th of the season at 18:55, on a PP. . . . Yamamoto won it with his 33rd goal of the season. . . . Sittler, who also had an assist, finished with 45 saves. . . . The Rockets started G Michael Herringer, who gave up three goals on nine shots in 21:30. Brodan Salmond came on to stop 10 of 12 shots in 39:17. . . . Kelowna was 1-6 on the PP; Spokane was 0-1. . . . Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur was stitched up at the arena after being struck in the head by a puck off Foote’s stick in the second period. Nachbaur was back for the third period and no one who saw him during his playing days was surprised. . . . Spokane (25-24-9) is eight points out of a wild-card spot. . . . Kelowna (33-20-5) had won three straight. It is third in the B.C. Division, five points behind Kamloops. . . . Announced attendance: 4,836.

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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Vince Loschiavo’s goal at 2:16 of OT gave the Kootenay Ice a 3-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Loschiavo scored his 23rd goal of the season on Kootenay’s second shot of OT. . . . F Markson Bechtold had given Saskatoon a 1-0 lead with his seventh goal just 15 seconds into the game. . . . The Ice tied it when F Brett Davis got No. 16 at 13:10 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon went back out front at 5:00 of the third period as F Mason McCarty got his 16th goal. . . . The Ice tied it as F Noah Philp (7) scored at 14:45. . . . Kootenay G Jakob Walter earned the victory with a 28-save performance. . . . The Blades got 28 saves from Logan Flodell. . . . Saskatoon was 0-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-5. . . . Kootenay (13-35-10) had lost its previous seven games (0-5-2). It now has one more victory than it managed all of last season. . . . The Blades (23-26-8) have points in five straight (3-0-2). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points ahead of Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 2,690.

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At Lethbridge, F Tyler Wong scored the only goal of a three-round shootout to give the Hurricanes a 5-4 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Royals had taken a 1-0 lead on F Blake Bargar’s fourth goal, at 10:03 of the first period. . . . Wong tied it with his 41st goal at 11:51. . . . Victoria went back out front when F Matt Phillips got his 41st, at 19:59. . . . The home side took a 3-2 lead on second-period goals from F Alec Baer (12), at 2:38, and F Egor Babenko (20), at 7:53. . . . The Royals tied it when F Regan Nagy counted at 11:24, only to have Lethbridge go back ahead on F Zak Zborosky’s 37th at 14:53. . . . Victoria forced OT when Nagy got his second of the game, and 15th of the season, at 18:29 of the third period. . . . Wong added an assist to his goal. . . . G Stuart Skinner blocked 35 shots for the winners. . . . Victoria got 36 saves from Griffen Outhouse. . . . Lethbridge was 0-1 on the PP; Victoria was 0-4. . . . The Hurricanes (35-16-7) have won two in a row. They are second in the Central Division, six points behind Medicine Hat with a game in hand. . . . The Royals (31-23-5) have lost three straight (0-2-1). They are tied with Portland for the Western Conference’s wild-card spots. Victoria also is fourth in the B.C. Division, four points behind Kelowna. . . . Announced attendance: 4,653.

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At Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game’s first two goals and never trailed en route to a 4-3

victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld got it started with his 25th goal just 59 seconds into the first period. . . . F Ryan Hughes scored his 24th goal at 1:16 of the second period, with Blichfeld getting the lone assist. . . . F Adam Musil (19) got Red Deer on the scoreboard, on a PP, at 2:47. . . . Portland got that one back as F Keegan Iverson got No. 16 at 12:24. . . . F Michael Spacek, who also had an assist, pulled the Rebels back to within a goal with his 25th, at 13:03. . . . F Jake Gricius restored Portland’s two-goal lead with No. 7 at 14:37. . . . D Jared Freadrich (6) added Red Deer’s third goal, at 14:12 of the third period. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 30 shots for Portland and also picked up an assist. . . . The Rebels got 40 stops from G Lasse Petersen. . . . Red Deer was 2-6 on the PP; Portland was 0-5. . . . The Rebels went 0-3-0 on a three-game U.S. Division swing on which they were outscored 16-8. . . . The Winterhawks (32-23-3) have won two in a row. They are fourth in the U.S. Division, four points behind Tri-City. . . . The Rebels (23-27-9) have lost seven straight (0-6-1). They are third in the Central Division, three points ahead of Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 4,724.

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At Prince Albert, the Everett Silvertips scored three second-period goals, two of them via the PP, and went on to beat the Raiders, 3-1. . . . F Eetu Tuulola (14) opened the scoring at 5:14 and F Riley Sutter (16) made it 2-0, on a PP, just 45 seconds later. . . . When F Patrick Bajkov scored his 23rd goal on another PP, at 12:44, it was 3-0. . . . The Raiders got their goal from F Curtis Miske, on a PP, at 18:11 of the third period. . . . G Carter Hart stopped 26 shots for Everett. . . . The Raiders got 33 saves from G Nic Sanders. . . . The Silvertips were 2-4 on the PP; the Raiders were 1-5. . . . The Raiders lost F Kolby Johnson to a charging major and game misconduct 16:14 of the second period after an open-ice hit on F Orrin Centazzo in the neutral zone. . . . The Silvertips are 4-1-0 and have outscored opponents 12-6 on a six-game East Division swing that ends tonight (Saturday) in Swift Current. . . . Everett (35-12-10) has won four in a row and leads the U.S. Division by three points over Seattle. . . . Prince Albert (15-39-5) had won its previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 2,014.

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At Swift Current, G Jordan Papirny made 42 saves to lead the Broncos to a 3-1 victory over the

Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Papirny turned aside all 15 shots he faced in the first period and 14 of 15 in the second. He is 5-5-2, 2.97, .911 since coming over from the Brandon Wheat Kings in January. . . .   The Broncos got a pair of first-period goals from F Aleksi Heponiemi, at 15:18 and 18:08, the latter via the PP. He’s got 23 goals in his freshman season. . . . F Riley Stotts made it 3-0 with his seventh goal, at 8:48 of the second period. . . . The Tigers got their goal from F Mark Rassell (27), on a PP, at 18:52 of the second. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 31 shots for the Tigers. . . . Swift Current was 1-3 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-4. . . . The Tigers were able to dress only 16 skaters as they scratched four players with illness and two with broken legs. . . . Swift Current (30-18-9) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). It is third in the East Division, five points behind Moose Jaw with a game in hand. . . . Medicine Hat (41-17-1) had a five-game winning streak come to an end. It leads the Central Division by six points over Lethbridge. . . . Announced attendance: 2,244.

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At Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and went

on to a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle took a 1-0 lead on D Ethan Bear’s 23rd goal, on a PP, at 2:56 of the first period. . . . The Americans responded by taking a 4-1 lead. . . . F Morgan Geekie’s 32nd goal, on a PP, at 6:48, tied it. . . . D Dakota Krebs scored his second goal of the season, at 9:26, to give the home side the lead. . . . F Tyler Sandhu increased the lead to 3-1 with his 16th goal, at 17:04 of the second period. . . . D Dylan Coghlan’s 12th goal, on a PP, at 19:19, provided more insurance. . . . F Keegan Kolesar (19) got Seattle to within two goals 17 seconds into the third period. . . . Sandhu and Geekie each added an assist for Tri-City. . . . F Mathew Barzal and F Ryan Gropp each had two assists for Seattle. Gropp had his goal streak end at eight games, but is on a 15-game point streak. . . . G Rylan Parenteau earned the victory with 25 saves. . . . Seattle also got 25 saves from G Rylan Toth. . . . Each team was 2-5 on the PP. . . . The Americans (34-23-3) have won three in a row. They are third in the U.S. Division, six points behind Seattle. . . . The Thunderbirds (36-17-5) are second in the U.S. Division, three points behind Everett. . . . Announced attendance: 3,408.

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At Langley, B.C., the Kamloops Blazers broke a 1-1 tie with four second-period goals in a span of

6:06 and went on to beat the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. . . . F Calvin Spencer sent the Giants out to a 1-0 lead with his 12th goal at 1:53 of the first period. . . . The visitors tied it when F Quinn Benjafield scored No. 12 at 10:25. . . . Kamloops blew it open with the four second-period scores. . . . F Rudolfs Balcers scored two of them, at 7:29, on a PP, and 13:06. He’s got 33 goals. . . . F Lane Bauer’s 33rd goal made is 3-1 at 9:19. . . . F Garrett Pilon (15) upped it to 5-1 at 13:35. . . . The Blazers got their final goal from F Nick Chyzowski (15) at 1:38 of the third period. . . . The Blazers got two assists from each of F Deven Sideroff and F Collin Shirley, with Chyzowski and Bauer adding one each. . . . The Blazers got 24 saves from G Connor Ingram. . . . G Ryan Kubic stopped 33 for the Giants. . . . Kamloops was 1-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Blazers (35-19-6) are second in the B.C. Division, four points behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Giants (18-36-5) have lost four in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 4,321.

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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Prince Albert at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.

Prince George at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.

Victoria vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.

Saskatoon at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.

Regina at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 6:05 p.m.

Everett at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

Spokane vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

Red Deer vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.

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