Some Friday notes . . .

LW Evander Kane, back after missing three games with a bruised heel, ran his point streak to 22 games as the Vancouver Giants dumped the host Chilliwack Bruins, 5-1. . . . The Giants held a 46-19 edge in shots. . . . G Shayne Barrie stopped 22 shots as the host Everett Silvertips blanked the Portland Winter Hawks, 3-0. It was Barrie’s first WHL shutout. Portland now has lost six straight. . . . The Toyota Centre in Kennewick, Wash., was sold right out (5,858) and the Tri-City Americans rewarded their fans with a 5-1 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. The victory was the 400th in the WHL for Tri-City head coach Don Nachbaur, the 11th coach in WHL history to reach that milestone. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s first goal and then gave up five straight, including a penalty-shot score by F Johnny Lazo. F Taylor Procyshen had three assists for the Americans. . . . “It’s a pretty big milestone,” Tri-City goaltender Chet Pickard told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. “We are proud of him. Not many coaches get 400, and to play for him and have it be against Spokane, there’s no better story than that.” Procyshen told Fowler: “The guys played really hard and were rewarded for it. It was nice to get this for Don. He’s done a lot of work for this organization and has piled up a lot of wins.”
———
The WHL office will be busy over the next few days. There were multi-fight situations in Kamloops where the Blazers beat the Pats 8-5 and in Lethbridge where the Hurricanes doubled the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-2. As well, Kamloops RW Tyler Shattock got an interference major and game misconduct and almost certainly won’t play Saturday night in Spokane against the Chiefs. . . . LW Steve Oursov returned to the Red Deer Rebels’ lineup after missing 21 games with a broken hand. The Rebels beat the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors, 4-2. F Landon Ferraro scored twice for the Rebels. He has 17 goals this season and 30 in his career. His father, Ray, holds the WHL’s single-season record, having scored 108 for the Brandon Wheat Kings in 1983-84.
———
D Thomas Hickey had the winner as the host Seattle Thunderbirds got past the Kootenay Ice, 4-1. The Thunderbirds then climbed aboard their bus and headed for Portland and a Saturday game with the Winter Hawks. Faceoff is at noon. Yes, noon. That will avoid an evening conflict with the Oregon-Oregon State college football game. Hickey had played Wednesday and Thursday in the ADT Challenge in Swift Current and Prince Albert. He arrived back in Seattle just in time to get into Friday’s game. Kootenay is 11-2-0-1 at KeyArena. . . . In Calgary, F Kyle Bortis had two goals and two assists as the Hitmen dropped the Swift Current Broncos, 9-7. Still, Bortis was minus-1 in what obviously was a goofy affair. The Broncos torched two Calgary goaltenders for seven goals on 14 shots. Starter Martin Jones was beaten five times on 10 shots; reliever Michael Snider stopped two of four shots. . . . When the night ended, Calgary F Brett Sonne was the WHL’s leading scorer, with 42 points, one more than Vancouver’s Casey Pierro-Zabotel and two more than Calgary’s Brandon Kozun. Sonne had a goal and two assists against Swift Current, while Kozun set up three goals.
———
F Curtis Hamilton (knee), returned from a 14-game absence, to score a goal as the host Saskatoon Blades defeateed the Prince Albert Raiders, 3-1. Hamilton scored his club’s third goal, providing some insurance. . . . Saskatoon G Braden Holtby made his 139th appearance, second on the club’s all-time list behind Trevor Robins (150). Holtby had been tied with Norm Maracle and Ron Loustel. . . . Saskatoon concluded an 11-game homestand at 7-3-1-0. . . . The Blades open a B.C. swing in Prince George on Sunday. . . . Hamilton will turn 17 on Thursday, a day after the Blades play in his hometown of Kelowna. . . . Brad Boutilier has left his position as the Blades’ marketing director. He is returning to his hometown (Swift Current) where he will work for the Cypress Health Region.
———
Thanks to members of the Western Major Junior Hockey Writers Association for many of the above tidbits.