A WHL franchise and the economy . . .

Pats captain Garrett Mitchell (left), Jordan Weal
and Carter Ashton model the jerseys the club will wear Saturday night.

The Regina Pats are to stage their fifth annual Breast Cancer Awareness Night on Saturday as they play the visiting Spokane Chiefs.
Most, if not all, WHL teams are involved in breast cancer awareness promotions, in one way or another. The Pats, however, will wear special jerseys that night — they are pictured above and, I’m thinking, they are looking awfully spiffy.
The jerseys will be auctioned off, via silent auction, and presented to their new owners immediately following the end of the game. According to a Pats press release:
“The proceeds from the auction, as well as the sales of the Pats pink scarves this season, will go to the Canadian Cancer Society for breast cancer research.
“Over the past four years, the Pats have raised more than $50,000 towards breast cancer research through their jersey auctions and sales of pink hats, scarves and lollipops. All of the money raised stays in Saskatchewan.”
A pink scarf? If you’re interested, they’re available for $15 through the Pats’ online store right here.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Mike Wirll (Brandon, Prince Albert, Prince George, Lethbridge, 1997-2003) was released by Skövde (Sweden Division 1) with one week left on his contract. He had three goals and one assist in seven games this season. The club said that Wirll has been hampered with a back injury. . . .
D Ross Lupaschuk (Lethbridge, Prince Albert, Red Deer, 1996-2001) was released by the Cologne Sharks (Germany DEL). He had two goals and one assist in 15 games this season.
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What is a WHL franchise worth to a city’s economy? Kenneth Carlaw, an associate professor of economics at Kelowna’s UBC-Okanagan, has completed a study and come up with a figure of $31 million. Doyle Potenteau of DubNation takes a look at that story right here . . . . Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ president and general manager, plans on using the report to help as the club prepares to bid on the 2013 Memorial Cup.
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The midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires have lost their general manager and their head coach. GM Scott Rumpel and head coach Regan Darby resigned following 7-1 and 9-0 losses to the Prince Albert Mintos that left the Legionnaires at 2-6-1. Andy Schneider, a former Swift Current Broncos forward, now is helping assistant coaches Todd Hornung and Sheldon Reinhart with the team. . . . Hornung played five seasons in the WHL, split between the Portland Winterhawks, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Swift Current. . . . F Walker Wintoneak, who played out his WHL eligibility last season with the Saskatoon Blades, has signed with the Central league’s Missouri Mavericks. He played four seasons with the Blades.
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Remember Pavel Brendl? Well, he’s 29 years of age now and has just signed on with his 10th professional organization. There’s more right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
KOOTENAY 3 at CALGARY 0: G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 22 shots for his third shutout of the season and the sixth of his career. . . . The Ice (10-3-1), which has won six in a row, got a shorthanded goal from F Max Reinhart, his seventh, at 15:27 of the first period. . . . F Jesse Ismond scored on the PP at 15:08 of the third. . . . F Matt Fraser added an empty-netter at 19:00 of the third. . . . The Hitmen (4-8-0) have lost four in a row; they are 2-4-0 at home. . . . Calgary G Michael Snider stopped 27 shots. . . . Kootenay was 1-for-7 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-6. . . . D Brayden McNabb was back in the Ice lineup after being out with a shoulder injury. However, D Hayden Rintoul (collarbone) didn’t play. He was injured in Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat. . . . Attendance was 7,210. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Kootenay D Luke Paulsen.
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CHILLIWACK 2 at EDMONTON 1: Bruins G Lucas Gore stopped 37 shots. . . . The Bruins (7-4-0) took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by F Roman Horak, at 9:49, and F Brendan Persley, at 14:24. . . . Edmonton (5-8-1) got its goal from F Stephane Legault at 14:52 of the third. . . . The Oil Kings have lost seven in a row. . . . Edmonton G Cam Lanigan stopped 18 shots. . . . The Bruins were 0-for-1 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 3,566. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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BRANDON 6 at KAMLOOPS 4: D Ryan Pulock, who turned 16 on Oct. 6, scored his first WHL goal and added two assists as the Wheat Kings won their second straight game. . . . Brandon (6-9-0) ended a nine-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Rockets in Kelowna on Tuesday. . . . Pulock went into last night’s game with two assists in 10 games. . . . Brandon scored the game’s first five goals and then watched as Kamloops (7-7-1) scored four in a row. . . . The Blazers had won their last three games, all on the road. . . . F Mark Stone had a goal and two assists for Brandon. . . . F Scott Glennie had three assists for Brandon. Glennie, a first-round selection by the Dallas Stars in the NHL’s 2009 draft, has been getting heat from some corners for what is seen as a slow start, but Wheat Kings owner/GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon said that the criticism is unfair. “He just hasn’t been scoring,” McCrimmon said. “But he’s been just fine.” Glennie now has two goals and nine assists in 13 games. . . . Brandon was 3-for-10 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-for-7. . . . Attendance was 3,808. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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VANCOUVER 5 at LETHBRIDGE 2: F Craig Cunningham, the WHL’s scoring leader, had three assists for the Giants. . . . He now has 34 points. . . . The Giants (9-5-2) scored three goals in the game’s first 10 minutes, driving Lethbridge starter Dylan Tait to the bench. He stopped four of seven shots. Tanner Kovacs, 16, from Innisfail, Alta., came on in his WHL debut to stop 27 of 29 shots. . . . Lethbridge starter Brandon Anderson wasn’t available due to illness. . . . Vancouver G Brendan Jensen, in his third straight start, stopped 25 shots. . . . Lethbridge (5-5-3) got two goals from F Alex Kuvaev, who now has four. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher, who leads the WHL with 15 goals, had two assists, as did F James Henry. . . . The Burns brothers, Michael and Nathan, each scored for the Giants. One of them has three goals; the other has one. . . . The Giants now have won four in a row. . . . Lethbridge was 2-0-1 in its last three games. . . . The Giants were 1-for-6 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-fo4-6. . . . Vancouver went east without F Randy McNaught (ankle), F Marek Tvrdon (shoulder), D Zach Hodder (shoulder) and F Connor Redmond (shoulder). . . . Attendance was 2,543. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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MOOSE JAW 5 at PRINCE ALBERT 4 (SO): F Antonin Honejsek, who had two assists in regulation time, scored the only goal of the shootout. He was the first of the six shooters who took part. . . . The Raiders (5-7-3), who have lost five in a row, led 3-1 midway in the second period and 4-3 late in the third period. . . . The Raiders’ last two losses have been via shootout. . . . F Sebastian Svendsen, with his second of the game, gave the Raiders a 4-3 lead on the PP at 16:53. . . . He has seven goals this season. . . . Moose Jaw D Morgan Rielly, with his second of the season, forced OT at 18:21. . . . The Warriors, who had lost their last two games, are 5-8-1. . . . Svendsen also had an assist, for a three-point night. F Jonathan Parker of the Raiders had a goal and two assists. . . . The Warriors got two assists from F Jordan Wyton. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 45 shots, 10 more than P.A.’s Jamie Tucker. . . . Moose Jaw D Dallas Ehrhardt played his first game of the season. He suffered a knee injury while in the Edmonton Oilers’ training camp. . . . The Raiders again were without three injured defencemen — Jordan Rowley (wrist), Nathan Deck (knee) and Emerson Hrynyk (shoulder). . . . The Raiders were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Warriors never had even one opportunity. . . . Attendance was 1,917. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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PRINCE GEORGE 3 at SPOKANE 7: The Chiefs (5-6-0) scored four of the game’s last five goals. . . . The Chiefs finished 2-for-5 on the PP and also had a shorthanded goal. . . . The Cougars (7-6-1) were 1-for-3 with a shorthanded tally. . . . The Chiefs went 3-3-0 on a six-game homestand. They now head east where they will play six games in eight nights. They open Friday in Moose Jaw. . . . Spokane D Tyler Vanscourt scored his first goal of the season, and second of his career, at 19:59 of the second period, giving his side a 4-2 lead. . . . D Brendan Kichton had a goal and two assists for Spokane. He has played four games and has seven points. . . . Spokane D Garrett Leedahl and F Dominik Uher each had two assists. . . . F Brett Connolly got his 14th goal of the season for Prince George. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 29 shots, five fewer than Prince George’s James Priestner. . . . Attendance was 3,514. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Kichton.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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