How a beer fridge got to Indonesia . . . Corbett in Oil Kings' record book

The City of Swift Current is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and the Broncos are helping out with the party. The WHL team will join in the celebrations on March 12 when the Saskatoon Blades visit. You can look for the Broncos in these nifty-looking sweaters that were designed by the talented Taylor Vause, a former Broncos player. . . . The above images were tweeted by Vause. The top illustration shows front and back views of the sweaters; the bottom illustration includes Vause's explanations.
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What is happening in Ukraine is the biggest story in our world today. David Remnick of The New Yorker has a look at the situation right here.
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No doubt you have seen the TV commercial in which two buddies deliver a fridge full of Molson Canadian to a friend in Indonesia. Well, Stu Cowan, the sports editor of the Montreal Gazette, has the story, meaning you should click right here and meet Morgan Girouard, who had no idea that two pals from Ottawa were on their way for a visit and that they were bringing gifts.
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Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong, written by Juliet Macur, a sports columnist with The New York Times, is due from HarperCollins this week. If you’re wondering about it, give this excerpt right here a read. It’s devastating.
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Dean Holden, who has coached in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors and Tri-City Americans, is the new head coach of the Korean women’s national team. Holden, 48, the first foreigner to hold that position, signed with the Korean Ice Hockey Association to guide the women’s team through the 2014 Division II Group A world championship in Italy and to review its programs in advance of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games for which it is the host country. . . . According to an IIHF news release, “Holden arrived in Korea on Wednesday and already started to lay out his road map for Korean women’s hockey development towards the 2018 Olympics on home ice in PyeongChang.” . . . Holden has extensive coaching experience at various levels, including three years as the women’s coach at the U of Calgary. . . . The 2014 IIHF women’s world championship Division II Group A is scheduled for Asiago, Italy, April 6-12.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Red Deer/Prince Albert (8)
Regina (2) vs. Brandon (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Kootenay (5)
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Western Conference
Kelowna (1) vs. Tri-City (8)
Portland (2) vs. Vancouver (7)
Victoria (3) vs. Everett (6)
Seattle (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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MONDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
No games scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Edmonton, D Cody Corbett set a pair of franchise records as the Oil Kings beat the Saskatoon Blades, 3-0. . . . Corbett, who had gone 17 games without a goal, scored the game’s first goal, a PP snipe at 0:56. It was his 16th goal and his 56th point, both single-season franchise records for a defenceman. Martin Gernat recorded 55 points in 2011-12, while Keegan Lowe had 15 goals last season. . . . G Tyler Santos stopped 20 shots for the third shutout of his freshman season. That’s not bad considering that he’s been in 11 games. . . . Edmonton F Mitch Moroz scored his 33rd goal but couldn’t beat Saskatoon G Troy Trombley on a second-period penalty shot. . . . Trombley finished with 38 saves. . . . The Oil Kings had lost their previous two home games. . . . Ch-ch-ching! There was a multi-fight situation at 19:35 of the third period. . . . Prior to the game, the Blades announced that D Jordan Thomson will stay with them through the end of the season. Thomson, the fourth overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers in January and had been with the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings. It is likely that Thomson will return to Dauphin when the Blades’ season ends. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix tweeted that Blades GM Lorne Molleken “said no commitment from Thomson for next season, but added that all signs are positive.” . . . The Blades have shut down G Alex Moodie for the rest of the season with an undisclosed injury. Moodie, a Winnipegger who will turn 19 on March 16, played two games in January. He returned on Feb. 22, only to be injured again, this time ending his season. . . . The Oil Kings (45-16-3) and Calgary Hitmen (43-15-7) remain tied atop the Eastern Conference. However, Edmonton has more victories and one game in hand. . . . The Blades (16-45-5) have lost six in a row. . . .

In Swift Current, F Colby Cave and F Glenn Gawdin scored in the shootout as the Broncos beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . Neither Cave nor Gawdin scored in regulation time, but each took one minor penalty in a game in which only two were handed out. . . . F Andrew Johnson scored twice for the Broncos, giving him 10 this season. His second goal, at 19:18 of the second period, gave his guys a 3-2 lead. . . . Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk tied it with his second goal of the game -- he’s got 24 -- at 17:21 of the third. . . . F Tim McGauley scored his 20th goal giving Brandon a 2-1 lead at 13:32 of the second. The Wheat Kings now have six 20-goal scorers, tying with the Portland Winterhawks for the most in the WHL. . . . Broncos F Jay Merkley, with his 27th, tied it at 14:58 of the second. . . . Hawryluk has put together five straight multi-point games. In that stretch, he has 14 points, seven of them goals. . . . Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Wheat Kings, notes that Brandon has won only four of 13 games that have gone to OT or a shootout this season. . . . The Wheat Kings had won their pevious three games. . . . Among Brandon’s scratches was F Jens Meilleur, who didn’t finish Saturday’s 8-5 victory in Saskatoon. . . . The Broncos (33-24-9) are sixth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the Kootenay Ice and fouir ahead of Brandon (31-26-9). . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Matt Fonteyne broke a 1-1 tie at 18:35 of the second period and the Everett Silvertips went on to beat the host Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-1. . . . F Ivan Nikolishin scored his 16th goal, via the PP, at 15:03 of the first period for Everett. . . . Seattle F Jaimen Yakubowski tied it with his 10th at 5:43 of the second. . . . Everett F Carson Stadnyk iced it with his 19th goal, an empty-netter on a PP, at 19:21 of the third. . . . D Mirco Mueller had three assists for Everett. . . . G Austin Lotz stopped 24 shots for the Silvertips, while Taran Kozun turned aside 27 for Seattle. . . . Seattle had ended the Portland Winterhawks’ franchise-record 21-game winning streak the previous night. . . . With Seattle’s loss, the Winterhawks clinched their second straight U.S. Division title and their third in four seasons. Was it only 2009 when this franchise won 19 games? Was it only 2008 when this franchise won 11 games? . . . Everett F Zane Jones returned to the lineup after missing 18 games with an undisclosed injury. . . . Everett (33-23-9) is 5-0-1 in its last six and 7-2-1 in its last 10. That has it in sixth spot in the Western Conference, three points behind the Spokane Chiefs. Each team has seven games remaining. . . . Seattle (39-20-6) is fourth in the conference, 10 points behind Victoria and six ahead of Spokane.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Medicine Hat Tigers GM/head coach Shaun Clouston (@cluey15): “All the best to @clouston25 and @blazerhockey the rest of the way. Keep playing hard. It always pays back eventually. ALWAYS!!! #prouddad”
Kamloops D Connor Clouston (@clouston25) is Shaun’s son.
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “2x - On Jan. 31st, @WHLpats Colby Williams (@ColbyWilliams22) had 15 pts in his first 50 games... Since then, he has 15 pts in his last 14.”

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Two Giants facing charges

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Bernhard Keil (Kamloops, 2010-11) has signed for the rest of this season with Red Bull Munich (Germany, DEL).
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Vancouver radio station CKNW reported Friday night that two veteran players with the Vancouver Giants — F Jackson Houck and D Brett Kulak — are facing criminal charges stemming from an Aug. 18 house party in Delta. B.C. According to CKNW, the players, who continue to play with the Giants, have already made three court appearances. . . . Kulak leads the Giants in points (20), while Houck has a team-high eight goals. . . . The Giants, who were idle last night, are at home to the Prince George Cougars tonight. . . . The CKNW report is right here.
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On Wednesday night, F Brandon Baddock of the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings left Victoria Royals D Keegan Kanzig woozy and wobbly following a late second-period fight. (Kanzig was scratched from Victoria's game with the host Seattle Thunderbirds last night.)
Which got me to wondering what the numbers are looking like, so I scurried over to hockeyfights.com and checked things out.
According to hockeyfights.com, in 2011-12, there were 790 fights during the WHL's regular season.
In 2012-13, there were 666 fights during the WHL's regular season, a decrease of 15.7 per cent.
This season, through Friday's action, there have been 206 fights in 217 games, leaving the WHL on a 752-fight pace. If that plays out, it would be a 12.9 per cent increase over last season.
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Brent Sapergia, who played with the Saskatoon Blades and Medicine Hat Tigers (1979-81), got caught up in a drug ring and found himself in a New York court room last month. . . . The New York Post story is right here. . . . And right here is a story from the Winnipeg Free Press.
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A fourth former NFL player has demonstrated signs of CTE. Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mark Duper confirmed it to CBS Sports on Friday. That story is right here.
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Elliotte Friedman's weekly column — 30 Thoughts — is right here. At the end of it, he writes:
"Here are the eight NHL teams to watch for my Nov. 1 stat, ie. if you're four points out of the playoffs after games on that date, you are in a brutal spot to make it. The teams: Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia and Winnipeg (five points back), Calgary (7), Florida (8), Buffalo and Edmonton (11). Some of you think the new format will change things. We'll all find out together."
I don't know if Friedman's theory applies to the WHL and its 72-game regular season, but if it does only the Kamloops Blazers, Moose Jaw Warriors and Lethbridge Hurricanes were at least four points out of the playoffs after Friday's games. The Blazers were four points out in the Western Conference; the Warriors were four points back in the Eastern Conference, with the Hurricanes 13 off the pace.
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The Vancouver Giants won't have D Dalton Thrower, their captain, in the lineup tonight when they play host to the Prince George Cougars. According to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province:
"The Giants aren't saying what's wrong with the Montreal Canadiens prospect, but Thrower took a blindside hit to the head from Edmonton Oil Kings winger Mitch Moroz behind the Vancouver net on the first shift of the third period in Tuesday's 3-0 home side defeat at the Coliseum.
"Thrower stayed down for a time, but went to the bench without assistance and remained in the game. He later challenged Moroz to a fight. Moroz declined and Thrower was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
"Moroz didn't get a penalty for the check.
"Thrower did suffer a concussion last season while with the Saskatoon Blades, the result of a fight in practice in early November. He ended up missing 11 games."
Ewen's story is right here.
Meanwhile, the WHL injury list shows Vancouver F Rob Trzonkowski as being out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury. However, the team's stats page has an 'x' beside his name, indicating that he no longer is with the team. Trzonkowski, 19, had one point, a goal, in three games.
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The Regina Pats have dealt G Teagan Sacher, 19, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a fifth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. Sacher, from Winnipeg, played 26 games with the Pats last season (8-13-2, 3.87, .883), but was limited to two games this season because of injury. Sacher left the Pats on Oct. 15  with the team stating that he was going to "pursue academic interests at the University of Winnipeg." . . . Sacher is to join the Hurricanes before they play in Brandon on Monday. . . . The Hurricanes have two goaltenders on their roster -- Corbin Boes, 20, and Christopher Tai, who turns 18 on Dec. 1. They also are working to trade D Ryan Pilon, 17, who has left the team and is at home awaiting a deal.
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FRIDAY:
In Moose Jaw, F Nate Burns had a goal and two assists as the Saskatoon Blades opened a 4-0 lead and hung on to beat the Warriors, 4-3. . . . The Warriors are 0-5-3 on home ice since beating the Vancouver Giants 2-1 on Oct. 5. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherback had two assists as he ran his point streak to 13 games. The Russian freshman has 11 goals and 10 assists over that stretch. . . . Saskatoon D David Nemecek was bleeding and went to the dressing room after a third-period scrap with Moose Jaw D Jesse Forsberg. . . .

In Brandon, F Jake DeBrusk enjoyed a four-point second period to help the Swift Current Broncos dump the Wheat Kings, 6-3. . . . A freshman, DeBrusk went into the game with six points in 20 games. . . . Swift Current has won six in a row, while Brandon has dropped two straight, both at home. . . . The Broncos erased a 2-1 first-period deficit with five straight goals, four of them in the second period. . . . Swift Current D Jordan Harris, 17, scored his first WHL goal in his 38th game. He played 17 games with the Prince George Cougars last season. The Cougars selected the Prince Albert native with the 10th pick of the 2011 bantam draft. . . . With G Curtis Honey hurt, Brandon G Jordan Papirny made his fourth consecutive start. Honey was on the bench, though. . . .

In Cranbrook, G Patrik Bartosak stopped 19 shots to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 3-0 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Bartosak has one shut out this season and seven in his career. . . . It was School Spirit Night, and attendance was 2,908. . . . The Rebels snapped a three-game losing skid. They are 2-3-0 on a six-game road swing that ends tonight in Lethbridge. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Mitch Holmberg became the WHL's first 20-goal scorer this season as he led the Spokane Chiefs to a 6-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Holmberg scored three times, giving him 22 goals, and added an assist. He leads the WHL in goals and points (49). . . . Holmberg's first goal tied the game 2-2 and his second gave his side a 3-2 lead. It stood up as the winner, giving him a league-high six GWG this season. . . . There were three fights in the game's first eight minutes. . . . The Hurricanes now have lost eight straight. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Cole Sanford scored twice and added an assist to lead the Tigers to a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Sanford has 12 goals in 18 games this season. He had two goals in 53 games last season. . . . Tigers F Trevor Cox, who chipped a front tooth in his previous game and posted a 'Sorry, Mom' photo on Twitter, had three assists. . . . Raiders F Shane Danyluk drew a cross-checking major and game misconduct for a hit on Sanford late in the third period. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets scored the game's last five goals and beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-2. . . . The Cougars led 2-0 late in the second period and took a 2-1 edge into the third. . . . Kelowna held a 51-28 shot advantage, including 19-5 in the second period. . . . F Todd Fiddler, 20, played his first game with the Cougars after being acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . .

In Everett, G Daniel Cotton stopped 14 shots for the shutout as the Silvertips beat the Tri-City Americans, 2-0. . . . Everett held a 35-14 edge in shots. . . . Cotton has two shutouts this season and four in his career. . . . He is the go-to guy in Everett as Austin Lotz rehabs an ankle injury. . . . The second intermission was extended by about 45 minutes when a pink breast cancer awareness logo came through the ice and got caught by a Zamboni. . . . The Americans were missing F Ty Comrie, F Marcus Messier, F Philip Tot and F Taylor Vickerman. . . . Tri-City, which had won six of seven, has been blanked twice this season, both times by Everett. . . .

In Kamloops, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored four times in 4:20 early in the second period en route to a 5-0 victory over the Blazers. . . . Edmonton G Tyler Santos posted his first WHL victory and shutout in his third start. . . . Tristan Jarry, the Oil Kings' No. 1 goaltender, has posted two straight shutouts. Overall, the Oil Kings are riding a shutout streak of 228 minutes 10 seconds. . . . The Oil Kings have won four in a row and seven of eight. . . . Edmonton F Brandon Ralph, from Fort McMurray, Alta., scored twice, his first two WHL goals coming in his seventh game. . . . Santos, a 19-year-old from Edmonton, finished with 33 saves, including turning aside freshman F Eric Krienke on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Santos also has stopped Kootenay F Sam Reinhart on a penalty shot this season. . . .

In Kent, Wash, G Coleman Vollrath stopped 43 shots to spark the Victoria Royals to a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . At one point in the second period, Seattle held a 20-5 edge in shots and was trailing 2-0. . . . F Tyler Soy, the eighth overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft, had a goal, his fourth, and two assists for the Royals. . . . D Shea Theodore scored all three Seattle goals.
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From Hecklers Row (@Hecklers_Row): "half way threw the first and the chiefs coach has already yelled at us, love it @WHLHurricanes @Jordancjoc @CanesCast"
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From ESPN's John Buccigross (@Buccigross): "University of Minnesota women's hockey team (11-0-0, 9-0-0 WCHA) recorded its 60th-straight victory with a 4-1 win over St. Cloud State"
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From Iain MacIntyre (@imacVanSun) of the Vancouver Sun: "Once asked Alex Edler how he treats himself at dinner out. 'Maybe have french fries instead of a baked potato.' Look out, LA!"

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The Prince George Cougars may have taken something of a hit earlier this week when Finnish G Joonas Korpisalo, 18, signed a two-year extension with Jokerit Helsinki (SM-Liiga). . . . The Cougars had selected him fifth overall in the CHL’s 2012 import draft. . . . “It was a shot,” Prince George GM Dallas Thompson told me Tuesday afternoon. “We took the best player.” . . . The Columbus Blue Jackets took Korpisalo with the 62nd selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft. . . . Korpisalo, 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, played last season with Jokerit Helsinki’s junior team, putting up a 2.04 GAA and .920 save percentage in 38 games. He also played for Finland in the U-18 World championship, going 3.02 and .902 in six games. Without Korpisalo on his way, it would appear that Devon Fordyce, 18, is No. 1 on the Cougars’ depth chart at goaltender. Fordyce, from Cochrane, Alta., got into 14 games last season, going 2-8-1, 4.30, .875.
Also on that depth chart at this point are Brett Zarowny, 17, of Edmonton, who was a third-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft; Tyler Santos, 18, of Edmonton, who was acquired from the Saskatoon Blades; and, Ty Edmonds, 16, of Winnipeg, who was a ninth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft.
Santos was a 10th-round pick by the Blades in 2009 and was dealt to the Cougars at the trade deadline in 2010, along with a 2010 third-rounder and a 2011 conditional third-rounder for F Marek Viedensky.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed D Tate Olson, who was a second-round selection in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. Olson had 50 points, including 21 goals, in 36 games last season with his hometown bantam Saskatoon Stallions. . . . The Cougars now have signed there top three selections from that draft.
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Perhaps the most mysterious thing to happen in the WHL this offseason was the disappearing act pulled by Marc Habscheid.
One minute, the career coach was the general manager and head coach of the Victoria Royals, and the next he was shuffled upstairs in the Victoria Royals’ parent company.
And you can bet there are people in the WHL who wonder what happened.
Habscheid, who has a ranch in the Swift Current area, was in that city on Saturday night for the inaugural Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame induction banquet. That was only fitting, because he was one of the folks who originally got behind the idea of such a Hall in the first place.
While there, Habscheid chatted with Broncos’ play-by-play man Shawn Mullin. That interview is right here, but in typical Habscheid fashion, he doesn’t say a whole lot.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Ryan Cuthbert has resigned from his position as an assistant coach with the Kelowna Rockets. According to Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier, Cuthbert, a former Rockets captain, resigned “for undisclosed personal reasons.” . . . Cuthbert had been on the Rockets’ coaching staff for five seasons; he also played for the Rockets for five seasons. His pro career was cut short after three seasons due to post-concussion syndrome. . . . There aren’t any plans to replace him, leaving head coach Ryan Huska with assistants Kim Dillabaugh, who works with goaltenders, Kim Gellert and Dan Lambert. . . .
Scott Allen has signed on as an assistant coach with the Peoria Rivermen, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. Allen will work alongside Peoria head coach Dave Allison. . . . Allen, 46, spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL’s New York Islanders. . . .
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The CHL has to be snickering into its hand today. Why? Because another hockey season is almost upon us and College Hockey Inc., which not that long ago was a tremendous pain in the you-know-where, is twiddling its thumbs.
As Chris Dilks at WCHBlog points out right here, at least one other NCAA sport, men’s basketball, has dealt with recruiting issues, while hockey hasn’t done much of anything.


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