Ice has line for Blades

F Cameron Hughes of Edmonton, who was selected by the Swift Current Broncos in the ninth round of the 2011 bantam draft, has made a verbal commitment to attend the U of Wisconsin and play for the Badgers. It hasn’t yet been decided whether he will make the jump next season or in 2015-16. . . . Andy Johnson of buckys5thquarter.com writes: “Hughes was widely regarded as the top uncommitted forward in Western Canada. Early reports consider the elite-skating center a potential top-two round draft pick for the 2015 NHL draft.” . . . Hughes has 44 points, 17 of them goals, in 44 games with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints.
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“Using advanced imaging techniques,” writes Sheryl Ubelacker of The Canadian Press, “researchers have detected microstructural brain damage in male and female varsity hockey players who sustained a concussion — changes that aren't apparent with standard hospital-based MRI scans.” . . . It’s one more step in the process as doctors move towards a better understanding of brain injuries. . . . Her complete story is right here.
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The Kamloops Blazers apparently have decided to shut down F Tyson Ness and allow him to go home to Grande Prairie, Alta., to recover from a broken jaw suffered last month. . . . Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Blazers, tweeted this on Tuesday: “Despite a report injured Blazer F Tyson Ness would try and come back to play final wknd of the season, the decision has been made for Tyson to return home to Grande Prairie to recover from a broken jaw, ending his WHL career.” . . . The day after Ness was hurt, I reported that he had told people within the Blazers organization that he badly wanted to return to play one last game in order to end his career on his terms. That apparently won’t happen.
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The SPHL’s Fayetteville FireAntz have named Emery Olauson as their head coach. Olauson, 32, is from Canmore, Alta., and played two seasons with the FireAntz. He replaces Greg McAuley, who resigned late last month in order to spend more time with his ailing mother. . . . Assistant coach Sean Edwards ran the bench for the last three games and will stay on under Olauson, who had been working as an assistant coach with the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers.
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WEDNESDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Medicine Hat at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Seattle at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Calgary at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
F Curtis Valk had a goal and two assists to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 4-1 victory over the host Regina Pats. . . . Valk, who has 29 goals, ran his point streak to 11 games. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 41 shots. . . . Regina’s lone goal came from F Chandler Stephenson, his 25th, on a second-period penalty shot. . . . The Tigers (30-19-3) are fourth in the Eastern Conference and visit the Eastern Division-leading Brandon Wheat Kings (27-19-6) tonight. . . . The Pats (27-22-5) are seventh. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Raiders scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-2. . . . Raiders F Leon Draisaitl scored three times and added an assist, completing his first WHL hat trick into an empty net at 19:52 of the third period. He’s got 22 goals. . . . Draisaitl, a sophomore from Cologne, Germany, has 64 points in 44 games. Last season, he finished with 58 points, including 21 goals, in 64 games. . . . F Coda Gordon scored his 20th goal for the Broncos. . . . Prince Albert D Josh Morrissey drew three assists, giving him 48 points in 39 games. Last season, as a sophomore, he finished with 47 points in 70 games. Morrissey has a career-high 17 goals and his 31 assists are one shy of last season‘s career high. . . . F Collin Valcourt added a goal, his 17th, and two assists for the Raiders. . . . The start of the game was delayed after the Broncos encountered some minor bus problems en route. . . . Referees Jon Stephenson and Colin Watt called only two minor penalties, both to the Broncos. . . . Raiders G Cole Cheveldave stopped 34 shots. . . . The Raiders (24-25-3) are seven points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Broncos (26-20-8) are tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference but have lost two in a row and are 3-5-2 in their last 10. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Saskatoon Blades couldn’t handle Kootenay’s big line as the Ice skated to a 6-3 victory. . . . Jaedon Descheneau, Sam Reinhart and Zach Franko combined for 16 points as they scored all five Ice goals. . . . Descheneau had his third WHL three-goal game -- he’s got 34 goals -- and added three assists. . . . Franko scored twice, giving him 17 goals, and added three assists. . . . Reinhart picked up his 25th goal and drew four assists as he ran his point streak to 11 games. . . . Descheneau has 71 points in 51 games; Reinhart has 70 points in 41 games; Franko has 12 points in nine games since joining the Ice from the Kelowna Rockets at the trade deadline. On the season, he’s got 30 points in 48 games. . . . Reinhart has 20 points, nine of them goals, in eight games since rejoining the Ice from Canada’s national junior team. . . . D Tyler King was the only other Kootenay player with a point as he drew an assist on Franko’s empty-netter at 19:25 of the third period. . . . The Ice led this one 3-0 before the first period was half over. . . . Blades D Dylan Busenius, who played in his 299th regular-season game, had two assists. . . . The Ice (28-21-4) has won three in a row and seven of 10, and has moved into a fifth-place tie with Swift Current. . . . The Blades (14-37-4) have lost four in a row. . . .

In Vancouver, F Cain Franson scored his 21st goal of the season at 4:20 of OT as the Giants beat the Red Deer Rebels, 3-2. . . . Red Deer F Conner Bleackley forced OT with his 24th goal at 15:47 of the third period, via the PP. . . . The Giants led 2-0 in the second period. . . . Vancouver started a four-game homestand with the victory; Red Deer, which has lost three in a row, opened a four-game road trip. . . . F Aspen Sterzer had a goal, his 22nd, and an assist for the Rebels. . . . Russian D Dmitry Osipov, the first selection in the 2013 CHL import draft, got his second goal of the season for Vancouver. Osipov, 17, has two points, both goals, in 38 games. . . . Vancouver head coach Don Hay posted his 604th WHL coaching victory, moving him past Lorne Molleken and into second place on the all-time list. He trails only Ken Hodge (742). . . . Vancouver (27-19-9) is sixth in the Western Conference, four points behind the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Red Deer (27-22-4) holds down the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, seven points ahead of Prince Albert. . . .

In Victoria, the Royals erased a 2-1 deficit with two goals 51 seconds apart late in the second period and went on to beat the Calgary Hitmen, 7-2. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll, who scored three times for his second hat trick this season, tied it 2-2 at 18:46 and F Logan Nelson made it 3-2 at 19:37. . . . Carroll, who had scored just twice in his previous 13 games, now has 25 goals this season; Nelson has 17. . . . Carroll, a 19-year-old from Scottsdale, Ariz., scored 15 goals last season and seven as a rookie. He has 41 points in 52 games this season; last season, he finished with 42 in 67. . . . Victoria got two assists from each of D Jordan Fransoo, F Steven Hodges and F Tyler Soy. . . . Royals F Braden Oleksyn, a 17-year-old from Saskatoon who came to Victoria in a swap with Calgary, scored his first WHL goal. It came in his 11th game, four of which have been with the Royals. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart reached the 100-goal mark in his 304th regular-season game. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 24 shots. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Victoria. . . . The Royals (35-16-3) tied the franchise record set last season for victories in one season. They are 3-0-1 in their last four games and are third in the Western Conference, two points ahead of Seattle. . . . The Hitmen (32-15-6) have lost their last two and are 3-6-1 in their last 10. They are a comfortable third in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the host Seattle Thunderbirds scored the game’s last two goals and beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-3. . . . Seattle F Alexander Delnov broke a 3-3 tie with his 21st goal at 9:31 of the third period, with F Justin Hickman getting his second of the game and 15th this season at 14:55. . . . Hickman also had an assist. . . . F Mathew Barzal had a goal, his ninth, and two assists for Seattle, with F Ryan Gropp and B Branden Troock each getting two assists. . . . Seattle G Danny Mumaugh turned aside 34 shots. . . . Seattle (33-16-5) is 8-2-0 in its last 10. . . . Everett (26-20-8) is seventh, three points ahead of the Tri-City Americans. But while the Americans are 7-2-1 in their last 10, the Silvertips, who are battling injuries and a flu bug, are 2-7-1.
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From the Lethbridge Herald’s Dylan Purcell (@dylpurcell): “I sure hope he's OK, Hurricanes assistant coach Brad Lukowich misses a sixth day of team activities, team says he sick.”

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Pochiro shoots way out of PG doghouse

D Bryce Lampman (Kamloops, 2002-03) has signed for the rest of this season with Lørenskog (Norway, GET-Ligaen). This season, with Florida (ECHL), he had five points, including one goal, in eight games. . . .
F Kirill Starkov (Red Deer, 2006-07) has signed with Red Ice Martigny (Switzerland, NL B) for the rest of the season, with an option. (Red Ice contacted the Danish federation and inserted a termination clause should Starkov be suspended by the IIHF over a Danish betting case.)
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George Johnson, the Calgary Herald’s sporting columnist, is one of Canada’s best wordsmiths. He was in attendance Sunday as the hometown Hitmen dropped a 3-2 OT decision to the Edmonton Oil Kings, and his report is right here.
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Things appear to be going from bad to worse for the Kamloops Blazers. They have the WHL’s second-poorest record (11-33-5) and have only one victory in their last 10 outings. And now, as they prepare to play four games in five nights, they have lost two veterans to what they are calling “long-term injuries.”
F Luke Harrison, 18, suffered an undisclosed injury during a 4-0 loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday. Harrison, who missed time earlier this season with a brain injury, was involved in a heavy collision with Tigers D Scott Allan at 14:13 of the third period. Harrison needed help from trainer Colin Robinson and left with gauze in his mouth.
One night earlier, F Tyson Ness, 20, suffered a broken jaw when struck by a puck during a 7-2 loss to the visiting Victoria Royals. Ness is expected to be lost for the remainder of the season, although he has told team officials that he badly wants to play in one more game.
The Blazers also are missing freshman F Eric Krienke and veteran F Matt Needham, their captain, with undisclosed injuries. According to the team, Krienke is out one to two weeks, while Needham is week-to-week.
With the injuries, the Blazers have added F Deven Sideroff, 16, to their roster for this week. He has 55 points, 26 of them goals, in 33 games with the midget prep team at the Okanagan Hockey Academy.
G Cole Kehler, 16, also has rejoined the Blazers and will stay with the team while G Justin Myles, who was acquired from the Seattle Thunderbirds at the trade deadline, recovers from an undisclosed injury. Kehler also attends the Okanagan Hockey Academy and plays for the midget prep team for whom he has a 19-4 record. He has gotten into six games with the Blazers this season.
The Blazers are at home to the Spokane Chiefs on Tuesday night, then visit the Giants in Vancouver on Wednesday. F Quinn Benjafield, the Blazers’ first pick, 19th overall, in the 2013 bantam draft, is expected to make his WHL debut in Vancouver, which happens to be his hometown. Benjafield, 15, has 34 points, including 14 goals, in 27 games with the major midget Vancouver-North West Giants.
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The ECHL’s San Francisco Bulls folded on Monday. The Bulls had an affiliation with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. . . . “We regret to inform you that the SF Bulls are ceasing operations, effective immediately,” president/GM/head coach Pat Curcio wrote to season-ticket holders. “The team was hoping to secure new ownership, however the terms of an updated deal were unable to be finalized, cancelling the remainder of the season.” . . . Included on the roster was D Kalvin Sagert (Kamloops, Lethbridge, Regina, 2002-08). Sagert now is an unrestricted free agent, as are any Bulls players who don’t have AHL or NHL contracts.
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Ron Judd of the Seattle Times starts your Super Bowl preparations -- it’s the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos on Sunday -- with a piece that includes this: “Denver’s Gates Corporation is the world’s largest producer of automotive belts and hoses. Seattle’s Gates Foundation is the world’s largest curer of global hunger and disease.” . . . There’s more right here.
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 The Portland Winterhawks, who have won seven in a row, have earned 17 of a possible 18 points since Jan. 4. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic has 20 points in the nine games he has played since serving a seven-game suspension. He has 63 points in 38 games this season. . . . If you were wondering, the Winterhawks are 5-0-0 since D Mathew Dumba joined them after getting some rest following the World Junior Championship. He’s got six points, including two goals, and is plus-10. . . .
Don’t look now but things are heating up in the WHL’s scoring derby. Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg continues to lead, with 85 points in 48 games, but Portland F Nic Petan is on the move, with 79 points in 41 games. . . . Holmberg leads the WHL in goals, with 43, and that’s 10 more than Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand, who is third in the points derby, with 70. . . . Petan leads the league in assists, with 55. . . . Leipsic and Petan shared the scoring title last season, each with 120 points. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings, who are 4-0-1 in their last five games, open a four-game road swing in Edmonton against the red-hot Oil Kings today. If you’re in the area, not that the game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Yes, they are calling it Hockey Hooky. . . .
Kootenay Ice F Luke Philp is on a 10-game point streak, with 16 points in that time, while F Tim Bozon is riding a nine-game tear. He has 15 points over that stretch. . . . Philp has the longest ongoing streak in the WHL at the moment. . . .
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The Prince George Cougars were without three of their top eight scorers as they dropped a 6-3 decision to the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Saturday night. Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen reports that “centre Alex Forsberg (concussion) and winger Chase Witala (upper body) were out with injuries and centre Zach Pochiro was scratched as punishment for his undisciplined play after he took three straight minor penalties in the first period of the Regina game.” . . . The Cougars had lost 8-0 to the Pats in Regina on Friday. . . .
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MONDAY’S GAME:
In Prince Albert, F Zach Pochiro, back in the lineup after sitting out a game as a healthy scratch, forced OT and then won the game in the shootout as the Prince George Cougars beat the Raiders, 6-5. . . . Pochiro tied the game right off a faceoff with 15.4 seconds left in the third period. He then was the only one of eight skaters to score in the shootout. . . . F Todd Fiddler scored twice for the Cougars, giving him 30 goals this season. . . . The Raiders led five times in this one -- 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4. . . . The Raiders (23-23-3), who had scored five regulation-time goals in their previous five games, are ninth in the Eastern Conference, five points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Cougars (19-26-7) are ninth in the Western Conference, eight points out of the playoffs.
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From Francis Costello (@FrankCostello_): “Welcome back. I actually had to scroll box scores! Business idea alert: $10 annual subscription. I’d gladly play!!”
Hmmm . . . seeing as I’m unemployed . . .

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A bra on the ice? In a WHL game?

Two former WHL players have had their contracts terminated by Esbjerg Energy, a pro team in Denmark’s Al-Bank Liga.
F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) and F Kirill Starkov (Red Deer, 2006-07), along with backup goaltender David Jones, admitted, according to Lokalavisen.dk, before the Danish Ice Hockey Federation (DIF), having bet that “Rungsted would score at least one goal in the 1st period” of a Jan. 3 game. Rungsted scored three times in the first period, en route to a 7-4 victory.
Lokalavisen.dk reported that team president Christian Rølmer Christensen was “both surprised and disappointed about the matter.”
After tweeting about this on Friday, The MacBeth Report checks in with:
“Players were told at the start of the season that they were prohibited from betting on their own games – this is the government lottery, not some back-alley bookie deal. A Rungsted player told someone in Esbjerg’s management that they were suspicious about what happened in the first period. The club went to the Danish Federation. The three players admitted to the bets to the DIF and Esbjerg terminated their contracts immediately. The DIF Match Fixing Committee is investigating and will report to the DIF board in about three weeks. I would guess that DIF could ban the players for a period of time. This would probably be honoured by other federations, so their careers may be done.”
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“The process of determining who gets to host the Memorial Cup is broken,” writes Tony Saxon of the Guelph Mercury. . . . This comes after the news that the 2013 tournament, which was held in Saskatoon, fell quite a bit short of the pre-tournament profit guarantee of $3.5 million. . . . Saxon’s column is right here.
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The junior career of Tyson Ness, 20, may have ended Friday night when the Kamloops Blazers forward took a puck to the face and suffered a broken jaw during a 7-2 loss to the visiting Victoria Royals. Ness, who had 24 points, including 12 goals, in 48 games, may need surgery. He has told people in the Blazers’ organization that he wants to come back and play one more game, so perhaps he’ll suit up for the team’s final regular-season game. . . .
F Curtis Valk of the Medicine Hat Tigers ran his goal-scoring streak to seven games, the longest in the WHL this season, in a 4-0 victory over the host Blazers on Saturday night. He has a team-high 26 goals. . . . G Nick Schneider, 16, earned the shutout for the Tigers. He stopped 19 shots in his first start since coming over from the Regina Pats in January. . . . The Tigers, playing their fourth game in five nights, outshot the Blazers, 34-19, including 17-9 in the third period. . . . The Blazers, who are 1-4-1 under head coach Guy Charron since he replaced Dave Hunchak on Jan. 11, were without F Matt Needham, who was injured again in Friday’s game, and lost F Luke Harrison in the third period last night following a collision with Medicine Hat D Scott Allan. Harrison, who has missed time this season with a brain injury, was attended to by trainer Colin Robinson and left with gauze in his mouth. . . . Kamloops G Justin Myles remains out with an undisclosed injury. G Al Duncan, who plays for the junior B Chase, B.C., Heat, backed up Bolton Pouliot last night. . . . 
You may have seen this tweet from Bob Ridley, the Tigers’ legendary broadcaster, on Friday night: “Can't understand why the classy Prospera Place in Kelowna can't provide visiting broadcasters with a decent broadcast location.” . . . It turns out that he had problems broadcasting the Tigers’ 6-2 loss to the Rockets because he struggled to see past the TV cameras that were perched in front of his location. . . .
F Peter Quenneville had two goals to lead the host Brandon Wheat Kings to a 6-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. Quenneville has 35 points, including 14 goals, in 30 games since leaving Quinnipiac University for the Wheat Kings earlier this season. He had four assists in five games with the Bobcats. . . .
The host Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s first five goals en route to a convincing 7-3 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. The victory left Edmonton at 33-13-1 and atop the Eastern Conference. The Oil Kings are tied in points (67) with Calgary (31-12-5), but have played one fewer game and have two more victories. . . . The Oil Kings are 9-1-0 in their last 10 and have won four in a row. . . . The same teams will meet today in Calgary. . . . 
G Patrik Bartosak stopped 41 shots as the Red Deer Rebels went into Regina and beat the Pats, 4-0. He has five shutouts this season and 11 in his career. . . . One night earlier, the Pats blanked visiting Prince George, 8-0. . . .
They saluted the Brodsky in Saskatoon last night -- the family owned the Blades for 37 years -- and the Blades then went out and got past the Swift Current Broncos 3-2 in OT. D MacKenzie Johnston, who is from Swift Current, got the winner at 3:16 of extra time. . . .
F Sam Reinhart struck for three goals, giving him 24, as the host Kootenay Ice dropped the Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-2. . . . Moose Jaw actually led 2-0 midway through the first period before giving up the game’s last six goals. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon scored his 20^th goal of the season. He has 41 points, including 17 goals, in 36 games with the Ice, who acquired him from the Kamloops Blazers 13 games into the season. . . .
The Victoria Royals, who may be the WHL’s best defensive team these days, got 32 saves from G Patrik Polivka and beat the Giants 3-1 in Vancouver. . . . The Royals have allowed 120 goals in 41 games. At 33-16-2, they are third in the Western Conference, three points ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Victoria needs two more victories to tie the franchise’s single-season record that was set last season. . . . Vancouver D Dalton Thrower (ankle) sat out as his side played its sixth game in nine nights. . . . The Royals and Giants will meet again Friday and Saturday, this time in Victoria. . . . 
G Jackson Whistle stopped 26 shots as the host Kelowna Rockets dumped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-0. The Kelowna native posted the first shutout of the season and the third of his career. . . . The Hurricanes, who have lost eight in a row, were outscored 27-3 in a four-game swing into B.C. . . . The Rockets, who lead the overall standings, won for the 40^th time this season. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Roberts Lipsbergs scored his 29^th goal this season at 1:48 of OT as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-3. . . . Lipsbergs scored via the PP. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp had tied the game 3-3 with a PP goal at 14:19 of the third. . . . Seattle was 4-for-5 on the PP. . . . F Josh Winquist scored his 30^th goal of the season for Everett. He is the eighth skater in franchise history to reach 30 goals in a season. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 25 shots. He’s 5-0-0, 1.35, .952 since coming over in a deadline-day swap with Kamloops, where he was 5-19-3, 3.95, .897. . . . It was a Teddy Bear Game and Seattle D Shea Theodore scored the goal. He also had three assists. . . .
The Spokane Chiefs outscored Tri-City 3-2 in the shootout and beat the Americans, 2-1. . . . Attendance was 10,325. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 35 shots, 15 more than Eric Williams of the Chiefs. . . . Spokane D Reid Gow scored his second goal of the season, to go with his 40 assists, all in 41 games.
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From Victoria Royals F Jack Walker: “Got the win and some lady threw her bra on the ice what more could you ask for? #2pts”

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Blazers working to get back on track

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
There weren’t any Barcaloungers at Kamloops Blazers practice Monday, and the players weren’t passing around beach balls.
For some, six days off might seem like a vacation; for the Blazers, it’s a chance to get their WHL season back on track.
The Blazers are hard at work practising ahead of their Saturday home date against the Everett Silvertips. That game will come exactly one week after the Blazers lost 1-0 in Everett.
Kamloops, at 4-9-0, has the third-worst record in the 22-team league. The Blazers are giving up an average of 36 shots against per game and have lost six of eight games.
This time away from games — it’s tough to call it a break, really, considering the work the players are putting in — has come at a good time for the Blazers.
“We really need to have a good week of practice,” said 20-year-old forward Tyson Ness. “We have to change a lot to get to where we should be, and it’s got to be a big week for us.”
Aside from the nine days the Blazers will get at Christmas, this is their longest stretch between games this season. With 59 games remaining in the regular season, there’s a long way to go, but also a lot of work to do.
There are some issues that can’t be fixed in practice, like discipline, which the Blazers have lacked all season. Kamloops has given its opposition 79 power plays, more than any other team, and, although the penalty kill is fifth in the league at 82 per cent, it takes its toll over time.
Something that can be worked on in practice is offensive production.
“The one thing that we have to do a better job of is . . . I wouldn’t say dumbing down our game, but finding simpler ways to get pucks to the net and converging and getting second and third chances,” said Blazers head coach Dave Hunchak.
Hunchak knew from the start that the Blazers would have a lot to learn this season. He and associate coach Mark Ferner have worked hard teaching the players, and skills coach Mike Needham and advisor to hockey operations Guy Charron — the Blazers’ former head coach — have pitched in as well.
But the Blazers continue to be a work in progress.
“We’re a victim of the way we’ve played the last couple of years maybe,” Hunchak said. “We’ve had the skill to do certain things in the past and those younger guys coming up are thinking they can do the same things.”
Kamloops will play its next five games — and 10 of its next 11 — at Interior Savings Centre, where it is 3-3-0.
The Blazers have won their past two home games, beating the Lethbridge Hurricanes 7-1 on Oct. 14 and the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-1 on Wednesday. Kamloops also had a solid effort despite the loss in Everett on Saturday, following a dud the game before, a 5-1 loss to the Giants in Vancouver on Friday.
 “Friday, we didn’t get the effort . . . we didn’t play hard at all,” Hunchak said. “Saturday we played hard, we were in the game, and we probably deserved a better fate. Having said that, we didn’t get a better fate.
“We aren’t going to deviate from our plan — our focus is to get better every day with the little things.”
Blazers trainer Colin Robinson has done a nice job keeping the players healthy — although luck does play a part — as Kamloops has only lost two man games to injury this season.
Jordan Thomson (upper body) sat out practice Monday, with Hunchak saying, “It’s an issue that we have to be very cautious with — we want to make sure everything is looked after properly. He should be back on the ice by Wednesday, hopefully.”
The rest of the players are using this time to heal their aches and pains.
“Everyone has bruises on them, and we’ve all been in today to get them iced and everything,” Ness said. “Hopefully we’ll all be 100 per cent by the weekend.”
JUST NOTES: D Ryan Rehill, who was ejected from Saturday’s game for an interference major, won’t be suspended by the WHL. Rehill missed practice Monday for what Hunchak called a maintenance day. . . . Saturday’s game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. . . . The Giants will be in town Sunday, 6 p.m., at ISC.

 

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The Regina Pats announced Friday that they have shut down four players for the remainder of the season. . . . F Dryden Hunt, D Tye Hand, D Luke Fenske and D Colby Williams all have been out with “upper-body injuries.” Each of the players is believed to be concussed, with Hunt and Williams both out with their second concussions of this season. . . . The Pats have gone over the 300-game mark for man-games lost to injury and illness.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more on the injured players right here.
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You’ve never experienced a concussion and you’re wondering what it’s like. Click right here and read about all that Philadelphia Flyers D Chris Pronger has gone through since he left the game.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed head scout Bil La Forge through the 2014-15 season. La Forge is in his fifth season with Everett and his second as the organizations’s head scout. La Forge, 38, also has worked for the Tri-City Americans and Lethbridge Hurricanes. La Forge, who is from Edmonton, is the son of the late Bill La Forge, who was a well-known junior hockey coach and coached in the WHL with the Regina Pats, Kamloops Blazers and Tri-City Americans.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Trinity Western University won’t renew Dwayne Lowdermilk’s conract as head coach of the Spartans. Lowdermilk started as the head coach of the TWU Titans and helped the organization make the move from club to varsity team, something that included a name change. . . . For more information on the position, contact Carol Hofer, the assistant director of athletics/administration at hofer@twu.ca.
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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Tri-City (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Kennewick, Wash., F Connor Rankin scored three times and added two assists as the Tri-City Americans got past the Kootenay Ice, 6-4. . . . The victory was the 40th of the season for the Americans, the seventh straight season in which they have done that. That equals the WHL record that is shared by the Kamloops Blazers (1989-96) and Regina Pats (1979-86). . . . The Americans are the only franchise to accomplished it with all seven seasons coming since the institution of the bantam draft. . . . “It’s a pretty special night,” Tri-City GM Bob Tory told me, “considering all the injuries this season. I am very proud of my players and our program.” . . . In reference to Tory, head coach Jim Hiller told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald: “I’m pretty happy for the guy who has done more work than anyone to make it happen.” . . . F Tyler Fraser made his WHL debut with the Americans, the ninth affiliated player to get into their lineup this season. . . . The Ice held a 3-2 lead halfway through the game. . . . Rankin, who got his 30th goal into an empty net, tied the score at 10:13 of the second and F Mitch Messier broke the tie 17 seconds into the third period. . . . Rankin scored at 14:56, before F Jaedon Descheneau got his 25th goal at 18:42. . . . Descheneau also had two assists. . . . Tr-City got a goal and two assists from each of Rankin’s linemates, Brian Williams and F Parker Bowles. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski, who set a single-season franchise record with his 58th appearance on March 1, played in his 61st game. The previous record had been shared by Clayton Pool (1998-99), Jeff Glass (2003-04) and Nathan Lieuwen (2011-12). . . . Tri-City G Troy Trombley stopped 33 shots in running his record to 8-2-0. . . . The Americans remain fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Ice is eighth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and six ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who have five games left. . . .

In Kamloops, F Cole Linaker broke a 2-2 tie at 9:15 of the third period to give the Kelowna Rockets a 3-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . Linaker has two goals this season. He scored his first on one on Dec. 30 in a 5-1 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . The Blazers, who had won their previous four games, led 2-0 at 6:09 of the first period but didn’t score again. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford scored his 20th goal and it was his 350th career point, leaving him sixth in franchise history. . . . Kelowna F Myles Bell, who sat out a game after suffering a leg injury in Kamloops on Sunday, scored his 37th goal. . . . Kamloops continues to be without F Matt Needham, who hasn’t played since Feb. 15. . . . The Rockets can wrap up first place in the B.C. Division with a regulation-time victory over the Blazers tonight in Kelowna. . . . The Rockets, with 100 points, hold a five-point leave and Kamloops has three games remaining. . . .

In Victoria, F Jack Walker broke a 3-3 tie at 4:26 of the third period as the Royals dropped the Vancouver Giants, 5-3. . . . The Royals had lost their previous 11 games. . . . Walker’s eighth goal of the season came off an assist from his older brother, Ben. . . . F Brandon Magee got his 30th goal for Victoria when he scored shorthanded at 7:36 of the first period. . . . Vancouver F Alex Baer, a Minnesota high school star playing in his third WHL game, scored his first goal at 17:00 of the second period, pulling his side into a 3-3 tie. . . . Giants F Cain Franson had his 28th goal and two assists. . . . Victoria got two goals and an assist from Steven Hodges. He’s got 27 goals. . . . The Royals are sixth in the Eastern Conference and appear headed to a first-round matchup with Kamloops. . . .

In Brandon, F Henrik Samuelsson and F Stephane Legault scored in the circus as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . With the victory, Edmonton clinched its second straight Eastern Conference pennant. . . . Samuelsson was back after serving a two-game WHL suspension. . . . Legault had a goal, his 12th, and an assist in regulation time. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored with 36.7 seconds left in the third period to force OT. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 43 shots. . . . Edmonton has won five straight; Brandon has lost seven of eight. . . . The Oil Kings, who have four games remaining, have 48 victories, two shy of the franchise’s single-season record. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle, a 15-year-old who left the Minnesota high school ranks and joined the Wheat Kings earlier in the week, wasn’t in the lineup. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Josh Nicholls scored two shorthanded goals and added an assist as the Blades dropped the Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-3. . . . Nicholls has 44 goals. . . . The Blades scored the game’s first four goals. . . . F Boston Leier scored twice for the Tigers, giving him 17. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov turned aside 40 shots. . . . The Blades will win the East Division pennant and are one point behind the Calgary Hitmen, who are second in the Central Division and third in the Eastern Conference. The teams are reseeded by points after the first round. . . .

In Moose Jaw, Swift Current F Adam Lowry scored two first-period goals and the Broncos beat the Warriors, 2-1. . . . Lowry’s second goal, at 15:58, was his 200th career point. . . . Broncos F Coda Gordon drew two assists. . . . Moose Jaw G Justin Paulic stopped 17 shots in his 22nd consecutive start. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen turned aside 25 shots. . . .
Moose Jaw F Jordan Wyton didn’t return to the game after a first-period fight with Swift Current F Ryon Moser. . . . Wyton has been limited by injuries, including a concussion, to 32 games this season. . . . The Broncos are sixth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind Prince Albert and two ahead of Medicine Hat. . . .

In Regina, the Pats scored six times in the second period and dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 6-2. . . . F Lane Scheidl scored twice for Regina, giving him 37. . . . Regina F Mogan Klimchuk scored his 35th goal. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 28 shots. . . . Although he didn’t play last night, the Pats have added D Sean Whelan to their roster. He had been with the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers and their season is over. . . . The Raiders, who have lost four in a row, can finish no higher than fifth in the Eastern Conference. They now are three points ahead of Swift Current. . . . Regina, which won’t make the playoffs, has won four of five. . . .

In Red Deer, F Tyson Ness scored twice to help the Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Rebels scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Rhyse Dieno scored his 27th goal for the Rebels. . . . Ness has 17 goals. . . . F Brady Ramsay scored his 12th goal of the season for Lethbridge. He last scored on Jan. 1. He went 23 games between goals. . . . The Hurricanes were without F Graham Hood, their captain, who drew a two-game suspension for a hit on D Devan Fafard of the Red Deer Rebels on Wednesday night. . . . The Rebels, who are fourth in the Eastern Conference, will have home-ice advantage in the first round. They have three games remaining and are five points Calgary, which has yet to play five games. . . .

In Spokane, the Chiefs erased a 2-0 deficit and beat the Everett Silvertips, 6-3. . . . F Alessio Bertaggia scored three times and added an assist for the Chiefs. Bertaggia, who completed the hat trick into an empty, net, has 26 goals. . . . Everett F Brayden Low scored his first WHL goal in his 44th game. The 18-year-old from Richmond, B.C., has played in 39 games this season. He played five games with the Portland Winterhawks over the previous two seasons. . . . Everett held 2-0 and 3-2 leads. . . . Bertaggia tied it at 17:51 of the second and broke the tie at 6”30 of the third on the PP. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist scored twice, giving him 23. . . . The Chiefs are fifth in the Western Conference, a point behind Tri-City. . . . Everett is eighth, three points behind Seattle and four ahead of Everett. . . . Seattle and Everett each has four games remaining; Prince George has six games left. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Jake Mykitiuk scored in the circus to give the Prince George Cougars a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent). . . . D Taylor Green got his second goal of the season for Seattle, via the PP, at 15:30 of the first. . . . Cougars F Troy Bourke tied it with his 14th at 4:42 of the second. . . . Mykitiuk scored in the fifth round of the shootout. . . . The Thunderbirds are seventh in the Western Conference, three points ahead of Everett.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Mike Simpson, Lethbridge
F Brendan Ranford, Kamloops
F Jacob Cardiff, Spokane

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Duncan Siemens, Saskatoon
F Dawson Leedahl, Everett


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F John Lammers (Lethbridge, Everett, 2001-06) and F Tyler Spurgeon (Kelowna, 2001-06) each signed one-year contract extensions with Klagenfurt (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). . . . Lammers has 12 goals and 13 assists in 43 games. . . . Spurgeon has two goals and seven assists in seven games this season.
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I was in the press box at Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops late Saturday night when I learned of the passing of Cal Murphy, who had been in a Regina hospital after experiencing a fall.
While I wasn’t surprised as I had heard Murphy was having health issues of late, I was saddened.
During a total of 22 years at the late, great Winnipeg Tribune and the Regina Leader-Post, I came in contact with a lot of football people. The one I remember the most is Murphy, who would have been 80 on March 12.
When he smiled, he lit up the room. And no one had a laugh — nay, a cackle — like he did.
Most people are aware that Murphy, after having had heart issues and at least two heart attacks, underwent a heart transplant in July of 1992 at the London, Ont., Health Sciences Centre.
No one loved the CFL more than did Murphy. Once he was able to leave the hospital in London, he returned to Winnipeg and one of his first stops was Winnipeg Stadium where he watched the Blue Bombers beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 59-11 in the East final.
In recent times, Murphy’s health hasn’t been terrific and in early 2010 he actually was on a respirator in a Regina hospital. A month after that episode, however, he was back searching for players on behalf of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
Murphy spent three seasons on the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ coaching staff, starting in 1997. He was the director of football operations and head coach in 1999.
On Sept. 29, 1999, I underwent triple bypass surgery in a Regina hospital.
There was a gift basket from the Roughriders in the first batch of mail I received upon returning home.
Included was a card from Murphy, who had written: “I didn’t know you had a heart!!!”
I laughed because I could see that smile and I could hear him cackling as he wrote it.
Cal Murphy . . . he was one of a kind.
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You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that the WHL has been hit by an epidemic of injuries.
The Red Deer Rebels, of course, are the best (worst?) example, but right now the Brandon Wheat Kings and Tri-City Americans also are hurting in a big, big way. The Saskatoon Blades also have had their injury woes.
The Medicine Hat Tigers have at least four regulars out of the lineup.
The Kelowna Rockets have fought the injury bug for most of the season, as have the Vancouver Giants.
And on and on it goes.
Yes, coaches regularly are heard to say that “all teams go through this” and “this gives other guys the opportunity to step up.”
That’s fine if a team is missing one, two or maybe even three players. But when a team has three or four players out on a long-term basis, it is going to catch up with it.
So . . . what do do?
I was told Sunday that there is some talk about WHL teams carrying 25 players next season. That would be an increase of two.
I would suggest that would be a good idea if the two added players both were 20 years of age. Why not increase the number of allowable 20-year-olds per roster to five from three?
That would raise the league’s maturity level, improve the level of entertainment and give some more veteran players a chance to prolong their WHL careers.
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JUST NOTES:
I meant to mention this in yesterday’s notes, and it slipped through the cracks. . . . Saturday’s game between the visiting Calgary Hitmen and the Kamloops Blazers may have been the best-officiated game in Kamloops this season. Surely, the fact that referee Brent Montsion was working by himself was a coincidence. . . .
Say what you want about the Montreal Canadiens, but nobody does special ceremonies any better. The playing of Eagles’ New Kid in Town during Sunday’s tribute to the late Gary Carter was wonderful. . . .
If you were paying attention on the weekend, you may have seen former Montreal Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin in a WHL arena or two. He was checking out Tri-City Americans F Patrick Holland, a player the Habs acquired from the Calgary Flames earlier this season. . . . Martin is keeping busy. He was in Sweden not that long ago and has Denver and Boston on his itinerary.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
The Western Conference now has five teams with playoff berths in their hip pockets. The Vancouver Giants clinched a spot Saturday and the Spokane Chiefs are in as of Sunday. . . . The sixth spot will go to the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The conference’s other four teams are going to scrap over the last two spots and it may well go down to the wire. Right now, there are two points separating the four teams. . . .
In the Eastern Conference, the chances are that the teams that are one through eight right now are the ones who will be in the playoffs. But the Red Deer Rebels, as injury ravaged as they are, obviously aren’t prepared to lay down for anyone. They won Sunday and are seven points back with 13 to play. . . . They couldn’t, could they?

In Vancouver, F Tyson Ness broke a 1-1 tie at 18:28 of the second period and the Red Deer Rebels went on to beat the Giants, 3-1. . . . F Charles Inglis scored his 18th goal just 18 seconds into the game for Red Deer. . . . F Riley Kieser got his fourth for the Giants at 14:25 of the second. . . . Ness has 15 goals. . . . F Turner Elson provided insurance with his 21st, but it didn’t come until 19:53 of the third. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 29 shots, two fewer than Vancouver’s Adam Morrison. . . . Vancouver F Anthony Ast and F Marek Tvrdon both completed WHL suspensions by sitting out this one. . . . The Rebels, who were playing their third game in three nights, went 2-1-1 on a four-game swing into the B.C. Division. . . . Vancouver was playing its fifth game in six nights — it went 3-1-1, losing the last two, one of them in a shootout. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning played in his 300th regular-season game, the first player to do that entirely in a Giants uniform. . . .

In Kent, Wash., G Mac Engel stopped 18 shots as the Spokane Chiefs beat the host Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-0. . . . It was Engel’s first shutout of the season; he has five in his career. . . . F Dominick Uher got the game’s first goal, his 25th, at 10:05 of the first period. F Colin Valcourt, with his 14th, and F Liam Stewart, with his 11th, also scored. . . . Seattle dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 31 shots. . . . The Chiefs snapped a four-game losing skid. . . . Seattle last won two in a row on Dec. 28 and 30. Since then, the Thunderbirds have lost 21 of 25.
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Mitch Elliot, Seattle.
D Corbin Baldwin, Spokane.
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Scott Cooke, Vancouver.
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Every Sunday, I fire up the Keurig coffee maker and read the Sunday papers online. One of my first stops is the Seattle Times, where I  check in with Ron Judd. His Sunday column is a piece of work. It really is. He obviously has a lifetime supply of darts and he uses them well. This week, Judd, who isn’t believed to be related to Naomi, Ashley or Wynonna, writes about the future of the NBA and NHL in Seattle. It is today’s good read and I dare you not to nod your head in agreement as you’re reading.
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D Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers hasn’t shown any improvement with his post-concussion symptoms. This story, from Tim Panaccio of csnphilly.com, is rather frightening.
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Just for kicks, click right here and read an obituary from the Casper Tribune. You won’t be disappointed.
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Jim Jamieson of the Vancouver Province takes a look right here at D Nolan Baumgartner, who now plays for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. He will saluted there on Friday for playing in his 1,000th professional game.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From F Matt Kassian (@kassassination) after his Minnesota Wild beat the visiting Boston Bruins 2-0 on Sunday in a game that was televised by NBC-TV: “Funny thing — during a TV timeout tonight Pierre Mcguire leaned over and told me 7 or 8 detailed facts about my life that I didnt even know.”


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