Showing posts with label Zak Zborosky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zak Zborosky. Show all posts

Sunday, February 12, 2017

A WHL playoff situational ... Oil Kings shake that skid ... Hurricanes blow past Ice


If you’re wondering about there being four afternoon games on Monday and all of them in B.C., well, we are celebrating Family Day. Heaven forbid that we in B.C. should celebrate Family Day on Feb. 20, along with the good folks of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
If you know anything about the goofiness of B.C. politics, well, it’s a miracle that we don’t celebrate our Family Day on Feb. 30.
So that’s why the Portland Winterhawks are visiting the Blazers in Kamloops today, while the Seattle Thunderbirds meet the Rockets in Kelowna, the Spokane Chiefs are in Prince George to face the Cougars, and the Tri-City Americans and Vancouver Giants clash in Langley, B.C.
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With five weeks left in the WHL’s regular season, it’s time for a look at the playoff picture.
As often has been stated, with the number of loser points being doled out — to date, the total this season is 136 — it is hard for teams to make up ground, especially if the need is to pass more than one team in order to move on up the standings.
Anyway . . . here’s a division-by-division look, with the number in parentheses after each division representing the number of loser points that its teams have been awarded:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
East Division (43): The Regina Pats (40-6-7) are going to finish atop the overall standings. They will win the conference pennant, so will play the second wild-card team that at the moment is the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Moose Jaw Warriors (32-17-8) are second. They won’t catch Regina, but could be caught by the third-place Swift Current Broncos (29-17-9), who are five points back with two games in hand. Regardless, they may be headed to a first-round matchup with only home-ice to be decided. . . . The defending-champion Brandon Wheat Kings (27-20-8) will be in the playoffs, either in third place — they are five points behind Swift Current with each team having 17 games remaining — or in the conference’s first wild-card spot. The latter almost surely will mean a first-round go with the Medicine Hat Tigers, who seem likely to finish as the conference’s second seed. . . . This could be the season in which five East Division teams qualify for the playoffs with only the Prince Albert Raiders (14-38-5) not making it.
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Central Division (40): The Medicine Hat Tigers (40-16-1) may have pocketed the division title on Saturday when they beat the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-0. The Tigers now lead the division by eight points. They only have one loser point, but have seven more victories than do the Hurricanes (33-16-7), the beneficiaries of seven loser points. . . . . The Tigers are six points behind league-leading Regina but the Pats hold four games in hand. The Tigers, then, would appear headed to a first-round engagement with the conference’s first wild-card team and that, right now, looks to be Brandon. . . . The Hurricanes are likely to go into a first-round meeting with the third-place Red Deer Rebels (23-24-9), whose season has been full of inconsistencies. . . . However, the Rebels need to be careful because they are only five points ahead of the Calgary Hitmen (20-26-10). . . . The Edmonton Oil Kings (19-33-4) and Kootenay Ice (12-35-9) aren’t going to make it.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
B.C. Division (23): The Prince George Cougars (37-16-4) once appeared to have an insurmountable lead, but that is down to four points over the hard-charging Kamloops Blazers (34-18-6). While the Cougars have been treading water — they are 4-4-2 in their past 10 games — the Blazers, with the WHL’s top goaltending tandem in Connor Ingram and Dylan Ferguson, have gotten close enough that they are looming large in Prince George’s rearview mirror. The teams will meet five times before season’s end, too. . . . Finish first and you’ll get the conference’s second wild-card team in the first round. Finish second and you’ll get the division’s third-place team. . . . It’s looking like the Kelowna Rockets (32-20-4) and Victoria Royals (31-22-4) will scrap for third spot. Kelowna goes into the week with a two-point edge over Victoria. . . . The Vancouver Giants (18-34-5) will be on the outside looking in for the fourth time in five seasons.
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U.S. Division (30): The Seattle Thunderbirds (35-15-5) finally tracked down the Everett Silvertips (32-12-10) and passed them. Seattle is 18-2-2 since the Christmas break. . . . Seattle and Everett, which is 1-1-0 on its six-game East Division trip, will meet three more times. . . . The Tri-City Americans (31-23-3) are third, but have lost three in a row and now are only two points ahead of the Portland Winterhawks (30-23-3), who are 8-2-0 in their last 10 outings. Portland holds down the conference’s second wild-card spot, just three points behind Victoria. . . . About the only thing in the U.S. Division that isn’t up in the air is fifth place. The Spokane Chiefs (23-23-9) are eight points out of the playoffs and, with only 17 games remaining, have their work cut out if they are to make the playoffs. They last missed in 2005-06. 
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

At Edmonton, the Oil Kings broke a record-tying 16-game losing streak as they beat the Calgary Hitmen 3-2 in OT on F Tyler Robertson’s goal. . . . Robertson, now with 14 goals, scored at 1:12 of extra time. He
TYLER ROBERTSON
has tied his career high in goals from last season. . . . “It was a great feeling to watch that puck go in the net,” Steve Hamilton, Edmonton’s head coach, said in a story on the team’s website. “We talked about wanting to be dialed in for the full length of this game. Of course, we needed some extra time, but it only adds to the relief to watch (Robertson) get that goal. That was a pretty important goal for everybody. I think there was just a collective exhale from everyone involved.” . . . Edmonton hadn’t won since New Year’s Day when it beat the visiting Hitmen 4-3 on F Lane Bauer’s goal 21 seconds into OT. Bauer now plays for the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Edmonton also lost 16 in a row in 2009-10, from Dec. 19 through Jan. 30. That streak ended on Jan. 31 with a 5-4 victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders on D Adrian Van de Mosselaer’s goal at 3:07 of OT. . . . On Sunday, the Oil Kings jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as F Trey Fix-Wolansky scored his 15th goal, on a PP, at 2:50 of the first period and F Davis Koch got No. 16 at 6:02. . . . The Hitmen tied it later in the first period. . . . F Beck Malenstyn got his 23rd goal at 13:37, with D Jake Bean scoring his seventh, on a PP, at 15:34. . . . G Patrick Dea stopped 22 shots for the Oil Kings. . . . Dea also set a franchise single-season record for assists by a goaltender. His fifth assist of the season, this one on Fix-Wolansky’s goal, broke the record he had shared with Laurent Brossoit, who did it in 2012-13. . . . The Hitmen got 29 saves from G Trevor Martin. . . . Each team was 1-7 on the PP. . . . Edmonton D Wyatt McLeod left in the second period with what appeared to be an injury to his right shoulder. McLeod, who turned 17 on Jan. 27, is a freshman from Dawson Creek, B.C. He has six assists in 41 games. . . . With McLeod out, the Oil Kings’ coaching staff gave ample ice time to Robertson’s brother, Matthew, a 15-year-old who joined the team earlier in the week from the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . The Oil Kings (19-33-4) are 10 points from a playoff spot. . . . The Hitmen (20-26-10) are two points behind the Saskatoon Blades, who hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Calgary also has closed to within five points of the Red Deer Rebels, who are third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 13,524.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Zak Zborosky returned to haunt his former teammates as he scored twice and added an assist in leading the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 6-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . .
ZAK ZBOROSKY
Zborosky, a 20-year-old from Regina, had 44 points, 28 of them goals, in 41 games with the Ice when he was moved at the trade deadline. With Lethbridge, he has eight goals and 11 assists in 15 games. . . . F Matt Alfaro, who also went to Lethbridge in that deal, had one assist. . . . The Ice got F Colton Kroeker and F Brett Davis in return, along with a couple of draft picks. Kroeker matched Zborosky with two goals and an assist, while Davis had two assists. . . . Kroeker, who has 13 goals, gave the Ice a 2-0 lead when he scored at 1:01 and 8:23 of the first period. . . . Zborosky answered with goals at 11:22 and 12:49 of the first. . . . F Josh Tarzwell’s second goal, at 16:27, gave the visitors their first lead. . . . Kootenay tied it on F Vince Loschiavo’s 21st goal, at 18:44. . . . F Egor Babenko’s 19th goal, at 19:45, capped a seven-goal first period and gave Lethbridge a 4-3 lead. . . . F Tyler Wong’s 40th goal increased the lead to 5-3 at 6:10 of the second and F Ryan Vandervlis (5) added a shorthanded goal at 9:21. . . . Kootenay got its final goal from F Kaeden Taphorn (4) at 14:32 of the second. . . . Wong also added an assist to his goal. . . . G Adam Swan blocked 28 shots to earn his first WHL victory for Lethbridge. Swan, who will turn 17 on March 25, was an 11th-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. From Ashern, Man., he has been playing for the midget AAA Interlake Lightning. . . . The Ice started G Jakob Walter, who gave up five goals on 25 shots in 26:10. Payton Lee finished up with 33 saves on 34 shots in 32:34. . . . Lethbridge was 1-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-3. . . . The Hurricanes played three games in fewer than 48 hours, winning two of them. . . . Lethbridge (34-16-7) has won 10 of its past 11 games. The Hurricanes are second in the Central Division, six points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Kootenay (12-35-9) has lost six in a row (0-5-1). . . . Announced attendance: 1,597.

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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Portland at Kamloops, 2 p.m.
Seattle at Kelowna, 2:05 p.m.
Spokane at Prince George, 2 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 2 p.m.

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Sunday, January 22, 2017

Booster Club does its part for Literacy Week ... Blazers, Hurricanes come through late ... Rebels' line explodes


Let’s start with a great story involving the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club. . . .
You may be aware that 43 members of the booster club made their way to Prince George for a mid-week doubleheader, then rode the bus to Kamloops for Friday night’s game and wrapped it up in Kelowna on Saturday night.
It seems they made a stop before arriving at Friday’s game in Kamloops.
It was Family Literacy Week in Kamloops and the organizing committee had partnered with Kamloops Honda on a book drive that they called Heap the Honda. New and gently used children’s books were being collected to be given to children on Jan. 25, which is ABC Family Literacy Day.
The book drive was ongoing at Friday’s game between the Blazers and Winterhawks.
As I understand it, the booster club got wind of this promotion before arriving at Friday’s game and club members were able to make their way to a book store, where they purchased children’s books that helped Heap the Honda when they arrived at the Sandman Centre.
The Blazers won the game, beating the Winterhawks, 4-3 in a shootout, but the children of Kamloops were the real winners, thanks to people like those in the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club.
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Five people with ties to the WHL are among the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame’s class of 2017.
Bob Bourne, the late Eddie Litzenberger, the late Stan Dunn, Graham Tuer and Ken Wheler will be honoured at the annual induction dinner in Battlefords on July 22.
Bourne played for the Saskatoon Blades (1971-74) before going on to an NHL career that included four Stanley Cup titles with the New York Islanders.
Litzenberger played three seasons (1949-52) with the Regina Pats, appearing in the 1950 Memorial Cup. During his pro career, he won four Stanley Cups and two Calder Cups.
Dunn was the head coach of the Weyburn Red Wings during their only season in the WHL. He later spent four seasons as the general manager and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos.
Tuer is a favourite among the hockey scouting fraternity and has been around WHL arenas for a year or two. A former assistant GM with the Regina Pats, he most recently has scouted for the Kelowna Rockets and the Pats.
Wheler was a long-time WHL referee.
Bourne, Litzenberger and Fiona Smith-Bell will be inducted as players, with Dunn and Tuer going in as builders.
The Northwest Hockey Development Association is to be inducted in the grassroots division, while two teams — the 1983-84 Wilkie Outlaws and 2000-01 Lloydminster Border Kings — also will be inducted.
The Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame is located in the iPlex, the home of the Swift Current Broncos.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, F Stelio Mattheos had a goal and three assists to lead the Wheat Kings to a 5-2 victory over
STELIO MATTHEOS
the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Wheat Kings scored four goals, three of them on the PP, in the game’s first half and took that 4-0 lead into the third period. . . . F Nolan Patrick opened the scoring at 10:03 of the first period and F Connor Gutenberg (10) made it 2-0 at 15:33, on a PP. . . . Mattheos’s 17th goal upped the lead to 3-0, on a PP, at 2:25 of the second and F Reid Duke’s 26th goal, on another PP, made it 4-0 at 9:57. . . . The Tigers got a pair of third-period goals, both on the PP, from F Max Gerlach (25), at 7:43, and F Mason Shaw (15), at 11:01. . . . Patrick iced it with an empty-netter at 19:33. He’s got eight goals. . . . Mattheos, who is seen as a potential first-round pick in the NHL’s 2017 draft, has 38 points in 45 games. . . . F Ty Lewis had two assists for Brandon. . . . G Logan Thompson stopped 41 shots for Brandon, nine more than Medicine Hat’s Nick Schneider. . . . Brandon was 3-3 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 2-7. . . . The Wheat Kings lost D Dmitry Osipov to a charging major and game misconduct at 9:00 of the third period. . . . The Wheat Kings (23-17-5) have points in four straight (3-0-1). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot and are seven points behind the third-place Swift Current Broncos in the East Division. . . . The Tigers (31-15-1) lead the Central Division by four points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Announced attendance: 4,155.
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At Edmonton, the Prince Albert Raiders scored the game’s first four goals and went on to beat the Oil
JORDY STALLARD
Kings, 5-2. . . . F Curtis Miske (9) got it started at 7:30 of the first period. . . . The Raiders took control with three goals in 1:30 in the second period. F Jordy Stallard (13) made it 2-0 at 8:51, with F Cavin Leth (12) scoring at 9:06 and F Cole Fonstad (8) at 10:21. . . . The Oil Kings got on the scoreboard when F Davis Koch got No. 12, at 1:02 of the third period. . . . Prince Albert got that one back as F Sean Montgomery got his 10th at 3:47. . . . F Ty Gerla got his fifth goal for Edmonton at 18:25. . . . Miske and Stallard each had an assist for the Raiders. . . . G Nic Sanders blocked 29 shots for the winners. . . . Edmonton starter Patrick Dea was beaten four times on 20 shots in 30:21, with Josh Dechaine coming on in relief to stop four of five shots in 29:39. . . . Edmonton was 0-4 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-6. . . . Prince Albert (10-34-5) has won two in a row for the first time this season. . . . Edmonton (18-24-4) has lost seven straight and is four points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 10,647.
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At Kamloops, the Blazers tied the game with 52.3 seconds left in the third period and then scored 59 seconds into OT to beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-4. . . . Prince George led 4-2 after the second
COLLIN SHIRLEY
period. The Cougars went into the game with a 24-0-1 record when leading after two. . . . F Nic Holowko’s fourth goal got Kamloops to within one at 5:22 of the third period. . . . F Deven Sideroff tied it with his 27th goal and F Collin Shirley won it with his second goal of the game, and 20th of the season. . . . The visitors took a 2-0 lead before the game was five minutes old, with F Jesse Gabrielle (22) scoring, on a PP, at 3:29, and F Jansen Harkins (15) counting at 4:36. . . . F Lane Bauer cut the deficit in half with his 26th goal, his first with Kamloops since coming over from the Edmonton Oil Kings, on a PP, at 6:23. . . . Cougars D Brendan Guhle got that one back at 7:26, only to have Shirley score on a PP at 13:18. . . . Guhle’s second of the game, and 11th of the season, gave the Cougars a 4-2 lead at 13:18. . . . After the six-goal opening period, the teams played a scoreless second. . . . Sideroff, Bauer and F Rudolfs Balcers each had two assists. . . . The Cougars got two assists from each of Gabrielle and Nikita Popugaev, with Harkins adding one. . . . Harkins now has 151 career assists, one shy of the Prince George record held by Troy Bourke. . . . The Blazers got 27 saves from G Connor Ingram, while Ty Edmonds turned aside 35 for the Cougars. . . . Kamloops was 2-4 on the PP; Prince George was 1-3. . . . The Blazers (29-16-3) have won four in a row. They are second in the B.C. Division, eight points behind the Cougars and three in front of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Kamloops will play its next seven games on the road, six in the U.S. Division and one in Kelowna. . . . The Cougars (33-13-3) remain atop the overall standings, a point ahead of the Everett Silvertips. The Cougars have lost two in a row (0-1-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,734.
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At Kelowna, F Kole Lind, who hadn’t scored in 10 games, had two goals and two assists to lead the
KOLE LIND
Rockets to a 4-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Lind, who has 22 goals, picked up a pair of PP markers, breaking a 1-1 tie at 11:07 of the second period and adding insurance at 3:00 of the third. . . . F Tomas Soustal (15) gave the home side a 1-0 lead at 4:53 of the opening period. . . . Portland tied it at 14:00 when F Joachim Blichfeld got No. 14 on a PP. . . . D Braydyn Chizen iced it with his third goal at 15:45 of the third period. Lind’s assist on that goal gave him 100 career points. . . . Soustal also had an assist. . . . The Rockets got 34 saves from G Michael Herringer, while Cole Kehler stopped 33 at the other end. . . . Kelowna was 2-6 on the PP; Portland was 1-5. . . . Kelowna was again without F Reid Gardiner (undisclosed injury), F Dillon Dube (ill) and F Nolan Foote, who has missed eight straight games. . . . The Rockets (27-17-4) had lost their previous three games (0-2-1). Kelowna is third in the B.C. Division, three points behind the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Winterhawks (22-21-3), who were playing their fourth road game in five nights, have lost five in a row (0-3-2). They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,361.
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At Lethbridge, the Hurricanes scored late in the third period and again in OT, both goals coming via the
ZAK ZBOROSKY
PP, as they beat the Calgary Hitmen, 3-2. . . . F Tyler Wong’s 34th goal tied the game at 19:42 of the third period and F Zak Zborosky’s 31st goal won it at 3:21 of OT. . . . G Giorgio Estephan drew an assist on both goals. . . . F Alec Baer gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead with his ninth goal — his sixth since arriving from the Vancouver Giants at the trade deadline — at 14:25 of the first period. . . . Calgary F Matteo Gennaro put his guys ahead with two quick goals in the second period. He scored on a PP at 1:58 and added No. 28 at 6:45. . . . Gennaro has goals in five straight games, having scored 10 times during that stretch. . . . G Stuart Skinner turned aside 31 shots to earn the victory. . . . Calgary G Trevor Martin stopped 21 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 2-7 on the PP; Calgary was 1-5. . . . F Matt Alfaro, acquired from the Kootenay Ice at the trade deadline, made his Hurricanes debut with one assist. Lethbridge was without F Egor Babenko and F Ryan Bowen. . . . The Hurricanes (26-15-7) have points in eight straight (6-0-2). They are second in the Central Division, four points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Hitmen (17-21-7) have lost two in a row (0-1-1). They are three points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 4,231.
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At Red Deer, F Lane Zablocki scored three times and added an assist and F Brandon Hagel had two
LANE ZABLOCKI
goals and four assists to lead the Rebels to a 6-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Zablocki has six goals and two assists in seven games since coming over from the Regina Pats. . . . He opened the scoring at 3:56 of the first period. . . . Victoria D Scott Walford (2) tied it at 5:00. . . . Hagel’s PP goal, at 13:28, gave the Rebels a 2-1 lead. . . . Zablocki made it 3-1 at 12:48 of the second period. . . . The Royals got back to within one when F Tyler Soy scored his 20th goal, shorthanded, at 5:55. . . . Soy has scored at least 20 goals for three straight seasons. He had 28 in 2014-15 and 46 last season. . . . The Rebels put it away with the game’s last three goals. . . . F Adam Musil got his 17th at 10:20 of the third period. . . . Zablocki completed the hat trick at 11:10. . . . Hagel scored his second of the game, and 20th of the season, on a PP, at 15:38. . . . F Michael Spacek drew five assists for Red Deer. The line of Spacek, Hagel and Zablocki totalled 15 points. . . . The Rebels got 21 saves from G Lasse Petersen. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 38 shots for the Royals in what was his 21st consecutive game. That ties the Victoria/Chilliwack Bruins franchise record that had belonged to Lucas Gore (2010-11). . . . Red Deer was 2-6 on the PP; Victoria was 0-3. . . . Red Deer F Austin Glover played in his 200th regular-season WHL game. . . . The Rebels (21-20-7) had lost their previous four games (0-3-1). They look to be headed to a third-place finish in the Central Division. . . . The Royals (26-19-4) had won four in a row. This was their third game in as many nights, after wins in Edmonton and Calgary. . . . Victoria is in possession of the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. It is fourth in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Announced attendance: 5,557.
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At Kent, Wash., F Mathew Barzal scored two goals and added an assist as the Seattle Thunderbirds
TURNER OTTENBREIT
dumped the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. . . . This was the final Teddy Bear Game of this season and it was D Turner Ottenbreit who scored the goal, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead at 9:30 of the first period. . . . He was the sixth defenceman to score a TBG this season. . . . Ottenbreit has four goals. . . . Barzal made it 2-0, at 14:43. . . . Seattle went up 4-0 on goals from F Alexander True (14), at 8:03 of the second period, and Barzal, who has six goals, at 6:03 of the third. . . . F Calvin Spencer (11) scored for Vancouver at 7:45. . . . The Thunderbirds put it away on third-period goals from F Sami Moilanen (14), at 9:40, and F Luke Ormsby (4), at 11:36. . . . Seattle got three assists from F Ryan Gropp, while F Tyler Adams had two assists. . . . G Rylan Toth stopped 15 shots for Seattle. . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck turned aside 40 shots. . . . Seattle held a 33-9 edge in shots through two periods. . . . Each team was 0-3 on the PP. . . . The Thunderbirds (25-15-4) are comfortably in third in the U.S. Division. . . . The Giants (17-27-3) are 10 points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,146.
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At Spokane, the Chiefs unleashed a 50-shot barrage en route to a 5-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . .
TYSON HELGESEN
F Eli Zummack gave Spokane a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal, on a PP, at 12:18 of the first period. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto made it 2-0 with his 29th goal at 5:56 of the second period. . . . The Ice got to within a goal when F Noah Philp (6) scored at 1:04 of the third period. . . . D Ty Smith’s third goal, on a PP, at 9:59, restored the two-goal lead. . . . F Ondrej Najman (4) provided some insurance for the Chiefs at 14:09 and D Tyson Helgesen (7) added more, at 16:27. . . . Ice F Kaeden Taphorn’s second goal, at 19:22, closed out the scoring. . . . Spokane got two assists from each of F Rykr Cole and F Jaret Anderson-Dolan, with Helgesen adding one. . . . G Dawson Weatherill earned the victory with 22 saves, while Jakob Walter blocked 45 at the other end. . . . Spokane was 2-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-4. . . .  F Peyton Krebs, the first overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft, played in his sixth game this season. Under ordinary circumstances, a 15-year-old is allowed to play five games in the WHL before his club team has its season end. The Ice, however, has been allowed to keep using Krebs due to the team’s injury situation. . . . The Chiefs (19-20-7) are two points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Ice (11-29-8) has lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 9,506.
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At Swift Current, D Connor Hobbs snapped a 5-5 tie at 15:30 of the third period as the Regina Pats beat the Broncos, 6-5. . . . Hobbs won it with his 20th goal of the season. He and David Quenneville of the
CONNOR HOBBS
Medicine Hat Tigers lead all defencemen in goals. Quenneville is out with a broken fibula. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn (17) gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 7:51 of the first period. . . . The Broncos replied with goals 41 seconds apart from F Riley Stotts (6) and F Aleksi Heponiemi (17). . . . Regina followed that with two goals to take a 3-2 lead into the second period. D Josh Mahura got his 10th goal — his first with Regina since being acquired from the Red Deer Rebels — at 15:04 and D Chase Harrison (6) scored on a PP at 19:47. . . . F Glenn Gawdin’s 17th goal pulled the Broncos into a tie, on a PP, at 7:31 of the second period. . . . F Sam Steel’s 34th goal sent Regina into a 4-3 lead, on a PP, at 14:25. . . . Heponiemi’s second goal, on a PP, tied it at 14:25 and Gawdin put the home side out front at 16:49. . . . The Pats tied it when F Dawson Leedahl counted No. 22, on a PP, at 13:59. . . . Regina got three assists from F Adam Brooks, with Hobbs and Steel adding one each. . . . Gawdin, D Max Lajoie, F Tyler Steenbergen and F Lane Pederson each had two assists for Swift Current, with Heponiemi getting one. . . . G Jordan Hollett stopped 23 shots for Regina. He was playing his first game since Nov. 20 and ran his record to 8-0-1. . . . G Jordan Papirny turned aside 29 shots for the Broncos. . . . Regina was 3-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 2-5. . . . Regina (30-6-7) is atop the East Division, four points in front of the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . According to Kevin Shaw (@theblueliner), who knows such things, this is the third time that the Pats have had at least 30 victories in their first 43 games, the others being in 1980-81 (31) and 1983-84 (30). . . . The Broncos (25-15-8) have lost two in a row. They are third in the East Division, five points behind Moose Jaw. . . . Announced attendance: 2,177.
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At Kennewick, Wash., D Kevin Davis scored a pair of goals to help the Everett Silvertips to a 4-2 victory
KEVIN DAVIS
over the Tri-City Americans. . . . This season, Davis has six goals and 35 assists in 44 games. Over the previous two seasons, he totalled six goals and 35 assists in 133 games. . . . F Brandson Hein’s second goal gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 18:33 of the first period. . . . The Americans tied it at 19:48 of the second period when F Kyle Olson got his 12th goal. . . . Davis gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at 11:51 of the third period. . . . F Vladislav Lukin pulled the Americans into a 2-2 tie at 13:23. . . . Davis broke the tie, on a PP, at 15:30 and F Connor Dewar added insurance, with a PP goal into an empty net, at 19:33. He’s got nine goals. . . . F Morgan Geekie had two assists for the Americans. . . . G Mario Petit stopped 22 shots for the Silvertips as he improved to 10-2-3. . . . Tri-City got 19 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . Everett was 2-3 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-2. . . . Tri-City lost F Jordan Topping to a charging major and game misconduct at 19:10 of the third period. . . . The Silvertips (30-6-8) have won two in a row. They lead the U.S. Division by seven points over the Americans. Everett also is second in the overall standings, one point behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Americans (29-18-3) had won their previous seven games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,302.
——

TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:

Jan. 21: D Turner Ottenbreit, 9:30 1st period, Vancouver 1 vs. Seattle 6, at Kent, Wash.
Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).
Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.
Dec. 9: F Austin Glover, 0:32 2nd period, Moose Jaw 7 at Prince Albert 3. 
Dec. 9: F Riley Woods, 11:45 1st period, Swift Current 1 at Regina 8.
Dec. 9: F Keanu Yamamoto, 4:01 1st period, Kootenay 3 at Spokane 4.
Dec. 10: D Josh Thrower, 12:13 1st period, Prince Albert 4 at Moose Jaw 5 (SO).
Dec. 10: F Nick Bowman, 13:38 2nd period, Kamloops 3 at Edmonton 2.
Dec. 10: D Troy Murray, 1:51 2nd, Kelowna 7 at Kootenay 3.
Dec. 10: F Max Gerlach, 5:26 1st period, Calgary 4 at Medicine Hat 7.
Dec. 10: F Skyler McKenzie 2:21 1st, Everett 2 at Portland 5.
Dec. 10: F Josh Curtis, 6:02 2nd period, Seattle 4 at Prince George 6.
Dec. 10: F Tyler Sandhu, 0:36 1st period, Victoria 3 at Tri-City 4.
Dec. 16: F Linden McCorrister, 17:47 1st period, Saskatoon 2 at Brandon 3 (SO).
Dec. 16: F James Malm, 3:34 1st period, Portland 4 vs. Vancouver 6, at Langley, B.C.
Dec. 17: F Braylon Shmyr, 2:13 2nd period, Brandon 3 at Saskatoon 2.
Dec. 17: F Eetu Tuulola, 19:29 2nd period, Portland 2 at Everett 4.
Dec. 17: F Eric Florchuk, 15:57 1st period, Vancouver 5 at Victoria 4 (OT).
——

SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Prince Albert at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Spokane at Everett, 4:05 p.m.
Brandon at Regina, 4 p.m.
Swift Current at Saskatoon, 2:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:22 AM
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Monday, January 9, 2017

Anholt busy as deadline approaches . . . Ice deals top two scorers . . . Royals, Raiders swap d-men


WHL trades since Dec. 27:
Trades: 24.
Players: 42.
Bantam draft picks: 32.
Conditional bantam draft picks: 6.
(WHL trade deadline is Jan. 10).
——
Peter Anholt, the general manager of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, was a busy man on Monday.
Let us count the ways . . . 
1. He acquired two veteran forwards — Matt Alfaro and Zak Zborosky, both 20 — and a sixth-round pick
PETER ANHOLT
in the 2018 WHL bantam draft from the Kootenay Ice for F Brett Davis, 17, F Colton Kroeker, who turns 20 on Jan. 21, a second-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft and a fourth-round pick in that same draft.
2. Left with five 20-year-olds, two over the maximum, Anholt dealt F Ryley Lindgren, 20, and a sixth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft to the Swift Current Broncos for F Carson Dyck, 15, and a third-round pick in 2018.
3. Anholt got down to three 20-year-olds be trading D Shaun Dosanjh to the Portland Winterhawks for a ninth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft.
4. The Hurricanes dropped D Ethan King, 17, from their roster. He now will play for the junior B Kamloops Storm of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
—
Zborosky and Alfaro were Kootenay’s leading scorers. They were scratched from Sunday’s 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants in Cranbrook, B.C., signalling that something was in the works.
ZAK ZBOROSKY
MATT ALFARO
Zborosky, a Reginan who was a fifth-round pick by the Ice in the 2011 bantam draft, is one of the WHL’s top scorers. This season, the 6-foot-0, 180-pounder has 28 goals and 16 assists in 44 games. His 28 goals are tied for fifth in the WHL. In 237 career games, all with the Ice, he has 173 points, including 86 goals.
Alfaro, a list player, has 50 goals and 83 assists in 243 games with Kootenay. This season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound native of Calgary has 39 points, including 13 goals, in 41 games.
Alfaro and Zborosky will debut with the Hurricanes on Wednesday against the host Edmonton Oil Kings.
Davis, from Oakbank, Man., was a fourth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft by the Hurricanes. This season, the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder has seven goals and four assists in 29 games. In 85 career games, he has 12 goals and nine assists.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Kroeker, from Surrey, B.C., was selected by the Regina Pats in the seventh round of the 2012 bantam draft. This season, he has six goals and 21 assists in 41 games. His 27 points are more than any other player on the Ice roster. Kroeker has 22 goals and 37 assists in 155 career games.
The trade left the Ice with one 20-year-old — G Payton Lee, who is from Cranbrook — on its roster.
The Ice next plays Wednesday in Swift Current.
When all was said and done, the Hurricanes were left with Alfaro, Zborosky and F Tyler Wong, who is the team captain, as their 20-year-olds.
—
RYLEY LINDGREN
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Lindgren, from East St. Paul, Man., had 14 goals and 28 assists in 42 games with the Hurricanes this season.
Lindgren was a fifth-round pick by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the fifth round of the 2011 bantam draft. In 229 career games, he has 136 points, including 56 goals.
He joins F Ryan Graham and F Calvin Spencer as the Broncos’ 20-year-olds.
The Broncos expect to have Lindgren in their lineup when they play host to the Ice on Wednesday night.
Dyck was a second-round pick by the Broncos in the 2016 bantam draft. He is the son of Michael Dyck, a former WHL defenceman who is a former Hurricanes head coach, and a nephew to former WHL D Joel Dyck. Carson has 41 points, including 10 goals, in 18 games with the minor midget Lethbridge Hurricanes this season.


—
Dosanjh moves on to his fourth team this season, having started with the Prince George Cougars and then made stops with the Kamloops Blazers and the Hurricanes.
In 12 games with the Hurricanes, Dosanjh, who is from Richmond, B.C., had three assists. In 154 career games, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder has three goals and 10 assists. He was a third-round selection by the Vancouver Giants in the 2011 bantam draft. 
The Winterhawks now have two 20-year-olds, the other being F Keegan Iverson.
—
King, from Vernon, B.C., was pointless in 14 games with Lethbridge this season. He was a second-round pick by Lethbridge in the 2014 bantam draft. 
Moving the 6-foot-6, 225-pound King leaves the Hurricanes with 21 players on their roster, including 12 forwards and seven defencemen. Obviously, then, Anholt isn’t finished.
——
The Victoria Royals have acquired D Loch Morrison, 19, and a fourth-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft from the Prince Albert Raiders for D Brayden Pachal, 17, and a sixth-round pick in 2017.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Morrison, who is from Prince Albert, has two goals and 11 assists in 37 games this season. The Raiders acquired him from the Calgary Hitmen a year ago. In 165 career games, he has 10 goals and 30 assists. Morrison, a seventh-round pick by Calgary in the 2012 bantam draft, was a member of the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos, who won the 2014 Canadian championship.
Pachal, who is from Estevan, Sask., had three assists in 34 games with the Royals this season. In 74 career games, the 6-foot-0, 195-pounder has one goal and eight assists. The Royals selected him in the second round of the 2014 bantam draft.
The Royals are at home to the Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday night, while the Raiders entertain the Hitmen.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 5:36 PM
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Friday, December 30, 2016

Cougars, 'Tips tied on top ... 'Canes win old-fashioned shootout ... Ferguson great for Blazers


FRIDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, F Reid Duke scored at 4:31 of OT to give the Wheat Kings a 4-3 victory over the Moose Jaw
REID DUKE
Warriors. . . . Duke, who drew the primary assist on the goal that forced OT, now has 20 goals in 28 games. He finished last season with 33 in 68. . . . Brandon forced OT when F Tyler Coulter scored his second goal of the game, and 15th of the season, at 6:33 of the third period. . . . F Connor Gutenberg (6) gave the Wheat Kings a 1-0 lead 47 seconds into the first period . . . Warriors F Nikita Popugaev (22) tied it at 16:57 of the first period. . . . Coulter’s shorthanded goal gave the home side a 2-1 lead at 10:17 of the second period. Coulter also drew the lone assist on the winner. . . . The Warriors took a 3-2 lead on goals from F Tristin Langan (3), at 14:03 of the second period, and F Jayden Halbgewachs, at 4:42 of the third period. Halbgewachs leads the WHL with 31 goals. . . . Brandon F Ty Lewis had two assists. He also was awarded a penalty shot after being hauled down by Moose Jaw D Josh Thrower at 17:20 of the third period with the score 3-3. Lewis wasn’t able to solve G Brody Willms. . . . Willms finished with 38 saves, while Brandon’s Logan Thompson earned the victory with 24 stops. . . . The Warriors were 0-3 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 0-4. . . . The Wheat Kings (17-15-4) have won two in a row. They are fourth in the East Division, nine points out of third, but hold down a wild-card spot. . . . The Warriors now are 21-9-6 and sit second in the division, one point ahead of the third-place Swift Current Broncos. . . . The rematch is scheduled for tonight in Moose Jaw. . . . The Wheat Kings lost two forwards — Gutenberg and Meyer Nell — to undisclosed injuries in the first period. . . . F Ben McCartney, a second-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft, made his WHL debut with the Wheat Kings. From Portage la Praire, Man., McCartney plays at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. . . . Announced attendance: 3,625.
——

At Calgary, G Cody Porter stopped 31 shots to lead the Hitmen to a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil
CODY PORTER
Kings. . . . D Aaron Irving’s 14th goal put the Oil Kings ahead 1-0 at 5:23 of the first period. . . . Calgary then scored the next three goals. . . . F Andrei Grishakov (4) tied it on a PP at 9:28. . . . F Beck Malenstyn got his 14th goal, and fourth in the past three games, at 5:27 of the second period. . . . F Andrew Fyten (4) increased the lead to 3-1 at 16:25. . . . Edmonton D Will Warm scored his fifth goal with 5.5 seconds left in the third period to get the visitors to within a goal. . . . Irving also had an assist. . . . The Oil Kings got 29 saves from G Patrick Dea. . . . F Liam Keeler, who was a first-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft, was in Edmonton’s lineup. He plays for the midget AAA team at the Edmonton Southside Athletic Club (AMHL). He has 10 goals and 18 assists in 22 games with the Lions. . . . The Hitmen (14-17-3) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). They are seven points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Oil Kings slipped to 17-17-4, but still hold down a wild-card spot. . . . They’ll clash again Sunday afternoon in Edmonton. . . . Announced attendance: 8,754.
——

At Everett, F Josh Curtis broke a 3-3 tie at 14:16 of the third period as the Prince George Cougars beat
JOSH CURTIS
the Silvertips, 4-3. . . . The victory lifted the Cougars (27-10-2) into a tie with the Silvertips (25-5-6) atop the overall standings. They are one point ahead of the Regina Pats (24-3-7) and Medicine Hat Tigers (27-11-1). . . . F Jansen Harkins had given the Cougars a 2-0 lead with goals at 1:02 of the first period and 1:04 of the second. He’s got nine goals. . . . Everett scored the next three goals, with D Kevin Davis drawing an assist on each of them. . . . F Matt Fonteyne scored at 9:19 of the second, and F Dominic Zwerger (17) tied it, on a PP, at 13:48. Fonteyne gave Everett the lead with his 10th goal, on a PP, at 2:26 of the third period. . . . That lead stood less than two minutes as Cougars D Brendan Guhle tied it with No. 9, at 4:15. . . . Harkins added an assist to his brace of goals, while F Brad Morrison and F Kody McDonald each had two assists. Guhle added one. . . . F Patrick Bajkov had two assists for Everett. . . . Prince George got 17 stops from G Ty Edmonds, while Mario Petit stopped 21 shots for Everett. . . . The Silvertips were 2-7 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-3. . . . Mike Benton, the Silvertips’ radio voice, reports that Everett’s record (25-5-6, 56 points) is the second-best through 36 games in franchise history, behind the 2006-07 team that was 30-5-1. . . . Announced attendance: 5,323.
——
GRIFFEN OUTHOUSE
At Kelowna, G Griffen Outhouse stopped 26 shots to lead the Victoria Royals to a 2-1 victory over the Rockets. . . . Outhouse stopped four shots in the first period and then turned aside 15 in the second. . . . F Jack Walker gave the Royals a 1-0 lead with his 19th goal at 4:12 of the first period. . . . F Kaid Oliver increased that to 2-0 with his second goal, at 8:17 of the third period. . . . Outhouse lost his shutout bid when Rockets freshman F Nolan Foote scored No. 10, on a PP, at 15:39. . . . The Rockets got 26 saves from G Michael Herringer. . . . Kelowna was 1-5 on the PP; Victoria was 0-4. . . . The Royals (20-15-4) are 3-0-1 in their past four games. They are fourth in the B.C. Division, four points behind the second-place Rockets and Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Rockets (23-14-2) have lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 5,839.
——


At Medicine Hat, F Brett Davis broke a 7-7 tie — yes, 7-7 — at 16:23 of the third period as the Lethbridge
BRETT DAVIS
Hurricanes beat the Tigers, 9-7. . . . Davis has 10 points, including six goals, in 25 games. Four of his goals have come over his past three games. Last season, he finished with five goals and four assists in 53 games. . . . F Giorgio Estephan put this one away with the empty-net goal. He’s got 19 goals. . . . The Hurricanes scored three goals in the second-half of the second period to take a 6-3 lead. Estephan and F Tyler Wong scored PP goals, at 10:54 and 14:22, with F Egor Babenko (11) counting at 19:06. . . . The Tigers tied it by scoring three times in 2:17 in the third period. F Mason Shaw got it started at 9:46, with F Chad Butcher (17) scoring at 11:35. Shaw’s 13th goal tied it 6-6 at 12:03. . . . Wong, with his 25th, gave Lethbridge the lead at 12:25. . . . Tigers F Zach Fischer tied it, again, with his 20th goal, at 15:15. . . . Wong finished with two goals and three assists, while Estephan had two goals and two assists, and F Ryley Lindgren had a goal (13) and two helpers. D Brennan Menell and F Colton Kroeker had two assists each, while Davis and Bellerive each had a goal and an assist. Bellerive has 15 goals. . . . F Matt Bradley scored twice, giving him 17, and added three assists for Medicine Hat, while Shaw added two assist to his two goals. F John Dahlstrom drew three assists and D David Quenneville had two. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner stopped 43 shots, while Medicine Hat’s Nick Schneider blocked 22. . . . The Hurricanes were 3-5 on the PP; the Tigers were 1-5. . . . Lethbridge (20-13-5) has won two in a row and is second in the Central Division, 10 points behind the Tigers and five points ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Medicine Hat (27-11-1) had a six-game winning streak snapped, but still leads the Central Division by 10 points. . . . Announced attendance: 3,803.
——
At Prince Albert, G Tyler Brown stopped 24 shots to help the Regina Pats to an 8-0 victory over the
LANE SCHIOLER
Raiders. . . . Brown has two shutouts this season and four in his career. . . . D Lane Schioler got the winning goal, his first WHL score coming at 8:48 of the first period. The goal came in his 69th regular-season game. . . . F Nick Henry (17) and F Lane Zablocki (10) each scored twice for Regina, while F Sam Steel scored his 25th goal and added two assists. F Austin Wagner also had a goal, his 16th, and two helpers. . . . The Pats got two assists from each of D Chase Harrison and D Jonathan Smart. . . . Steel’s goal came while the Pats were shorthanded. That was their WHL-leading 17th shorthanded score. . . . Prince Albert G Ian Scott gave up three goals on 13 shots in 22:46. Nic Sanders came on to finish up, allowing five goals on 19 shots in 37:14. . . . Regina was 3-5 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-3. . . . Regina (24-3-7) has points in four straight (3-0-1) and leads the East Division by seven points over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Raiders (8-28-2) have lost two in a row. . . . The teams will meet again on Sunday in Regina. . . . Announced attendance: 2,137.
——

At Red Deer, D Troy Murray broke a 1-1 tie at 5:31 of the third period and the Kootenay Ice went on to a
ZAK ZBOROSKY
4-1 victory over the Rebels. . . . Murray has three goals this season. . . . F Zak Zborosky led the Ice with a goal, his 27th, and two assists. . . . F Matt Alfaro (12) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 2:00 of the first period. . . . F Brandon Hagel’s 18th goal tied the score 41 seconds into the second period. . . . Zborosky’s 27th goal, in his 39th game, upped the Ice lead to 3-1 at 9:32 of the third period. Last season, Zborosky finished with 32 goals in 58 games. . . . Ice F Vince Loschiavo (13) iced it with an empty-netter, at 19:40. . . . F Noah Philp had two assists for Kootenay. . . . Ice G Payton Lee was outstanding, with 41 saves, 20 more than Red Deer’s Riley Lamb. . . . The Ice was 1-3 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-4. . . . By game’s end, Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ GM and head coach, had his top line — Evan Polei, Austin Glover and Hagel — firmly planted on the bench. “In the third period tonight,” Sutter told reporters later, “our best players were terrible. That’s why they sat for the last 11 minutes.” . . . The Ice improved to 8-23-8. . . . The Rebels (17-16-6) have lost two in a row and remain third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 5,104.
——
At Kent, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks got 40 saves from G Cole Kehler as they beat the Seattle
COLE KEHLER
Thunderbirds, 2-1. . . . Kehler, an off-season pickup from the Kamloops Blazers, is 16-12-0, 3.04, .911 with Portland. . . . The Winterhawks won this one when F Skyler McKenzie scored his 25th goal, unassisted, to break a 1-1 tie at 15:42 of the third period. . . . He has 47 points in 39 games, after going into this season with 12 goals and 29 assists in 138 regular-season games. . . . F Keegan Iverson (14) gave the Winterhawks a 1-0 lead at 8:29 of the first period. . . . Seattle tied it when D Aaron Hyman (2) scored his first goal with the Thunderbirds, on a PP, at 6:01 of the second period. He was acquired on Tuesday from the Calgary Hitmen. . . . G Rylan Toth stopped 34 shots for the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle was 1-2 on the PP; Portland was 0-2. . . . Seattle F Scott Eansor was back after a one-game absence. . . . The Winterhawks (21-17-1) have won two in a row. They are third in the U.S. Division, two points behind the Tri-City Americans and three ahead of the Thunderbirds. . . Seattle (18-14-4) had points in each of its previous three games (2-0-1) and holds down a wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,019.
——
At Spokane, the Tri-City Americans rode a pair of three-goal outbursts to a 6-3 victory over the Chiefs. . .
PARKER AuCOIN
. D Ty Smith (3) got Spokane on the scoreboard first, at 4:37 of the first period. . . . The Americans scored the next three goals, with D Parker Wotherspoon (6) counting at 9:42, F Parker AuCoin scoring at 18:59, and F Morgan Geekie (21) making it 3-1 at 15:46 of the second period. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto’s 22nd goal, shorthanded, at 0:37 of the third period got the home side to within a goal. . . . The Americans then scored three straight, with F Michael Rasmussen (27) counting shorthanded, at 10:37, AuCoin getting his 14th, at 16:05, and F Max James (6) finding the range at 18:33. . . . F Keanu Yamamoto (15) scored for the Chiefs, at 18:49. . . . AuCoin has four goals in three games after not scoring for 14 in a row. . . . James, who hadn’t played since Oct. 22, now has six goals in 11 games. . . . Tri-City F Nolan Yaremko had two assists. . . . G Rylan Parenteau stopped 25 shots to earn the victory over Dawson Weatherill, who made 24 saves. . . . Each team was 0-4 on the PP. . . . The Americans (21-16-3) are second in the U.S. Division, two points ahead of Portland. . . . The Chiefs (15-15-6) are four points out of a playoff spot. . . . The same teams will meet again tonight in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Announced attendance: 7,740.
——

At Swift Current, F Kaden Elder scored off a pass from F Aleksi Heponiemi at 2:11 of OT to give the
KADEN ELDER
Broncos a 3-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Elder has eight goals this season. . . . The Broncos won on a night when families of the four players killed in a Dec. 30, 1986 bus crash were recognized in a pre-game ceremony. . . . The Blades took a 2-0 lead on goals from F Josh Paterson (9), on a PP, at 10:31 of the first period, and F Lukus MacKenzie (5), at 7:29 of the second period. . . . Paterson was playing in his 100th regular-season game. . . . D Max Lajoie (6) pulled the Broncos to within a goal, on a PP, at 8:25 of the second period. . . . F Kole Gable tied the score with his fifth goal, at 10:14 of the second. . . . The Broncos got 21 saves from G Travis Child. . . . G Brock Hamm turned aside 32 shots for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon was 1-2 on the PP; Swift Current was 1-4. . . . With four forwards out with injuries, the Blades dressed eight defencemen. . . . The Broncos (20-11-7) are third in the East Division, on point behind the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Blades (14-20-5) are five points out of a playoff spot. . . . The same teams will go at it again on Sunday in Saskatoon. . . . Announced attendance: 2,234.
——
At Langley, B.C., G Dylan Ferguson stopped 39 shots to lead the Kamloops Blazers to a 4-2 victory over
DYLAN FERGUSON
the Vancouver Giants. . . . Ferguson, an 18-year-old from Lantzville, B.C., started on Nov. 18, in a 6-5 victory over the host Tri-City Americans, then didn’t play until Dec. 10. With G Connor Ingram with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, Ferguson now has made nine straight starts, and the Blazers are 6-2-1 in those games. . . . D Dallas Valentine’s first goal of the season gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 14:39 of the first period. . . . The Blazers went up 2-0 on second-period goals from F Garrett Pilon (9), at 1:06, and F Quinn Benjafield (10), on a PP, at 19:47. . . . Benjafield also had an assist. . . . The Giants made it interesting on third-period goals from F James Malm (10), on a PP, at 16:27, and F Ty Ronning (13), at 18:31. . . . The Blazers put it away when F Collin Shirley scored his 16th, into an empty net, at 19:21. . . .  Vancouver G Ryan Kubic turned aside 26 shots. . . . Each team was 1-5 on the PP. . . . The Blazers (23-14-2) have won two in a row. They are tied with the Kelowna Rockets for second in the B.C. Division. . . . The Giants (14-20-3) have lost two straight and are nine points from a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 4,446.
——

SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Victoria at Kamloops, 5 p.m.
Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Portland, 7:30 p.m.
Spokane vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:55 PM
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