A bus burns . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jordan Krestanovich (Calgary, 1997-2001) signed a one-year contract
with the Braehead Clan (UK Elite). He had 15 goals and 22 assists in 40
games with Cortina (Italy Serie A) last season.
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The Central league’s Tulsa Oilers hit the road on their bus Friday morning. They were en route to Independence, Mo., and a game against the Missouri Mavericks.
They didn’t get very far — about 20 minutes outside Tulsa — before they smelled smoke. And it wasn’t long before they realized the bus was on fire. And pretty soon there was a grass fire, too.
Included on the Oilers’ roster are former WHLers such as Chris Cloud, Derek Hulak and Marty Standish.
Hulak, who captained the Saskatoon Blades last season, texted this to Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix:
“As soon as we started driving, we could smell something but no one could figure out what it was. The further we drove, the more it started smelling like something was burning. Then there was a loud noise and it felt like we had blown a tire. It almost felt like we hit something.
“Once we pulled over, no one knew what was going on, so we sat there on the bus until the trainer ran on and said we needed to get off because there was a fire. Some guys grabbed their things and others didn’t because they didn’t think anything of it. Within about five minutes, we went from not being able to see the small fire under the bus to seeing the entire thing go up in flames.”
The bus was pulling a trailer that was carrying the team’s equipment, and passers-by were able to save it. The start of the Oilers’ game with the Mavericks was delayed about an hour.
The Mavericks won the game, 4-2, getting 27 saves from G Gerry Festa (Saskatoon, Calgary, Spokane, Red Deer, 2001-05). Attendance was 4,695.
The Tulsa World has more, including a photo, right here.
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The brown manila envelope was on my desk earlier this week.
It had Dan Mulhausen’s business card taped to the top left corner. He is the Tri-City Americans’ director of marketing, media and community relations. That meant this could only be be one thing — the Americans’ 2010-11 Media Guide.
Yesssssss!
If you haven’t yet seen one of these guides — Mulhausen is the executive editor, with help from Jill Greitzer and Craig West — it is, to a hockey nerd, a piece of art.
There are bio pages on each player, along with a page detailing the Americans’ 2009-10 season series with each of the other WHL teams. There is a page detailing transactions, from June 2009 through June 2010.
There is a record book that includes every score of every game in Americans’ history. There even is a page detailing the history of the logos the franchise has used.
In short, there is everything here that you want, or need, to know about the Americans, and then some.
To Mulhausen and the staff . . . congratulations on a job well done! Again!!
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The Saskatchewan Hockey Association has announced that it will open a Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012, which just happens to be its centennial. And that hall will be located in the Credit Union i-plex, the home of the Swift Current Broncos. According to Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post: “Chilliwack Bruins head coach and general manager Marc Habscheid, who has close ties to the Swift Current area, worked closely with all parties to make an alliance with the i-plex feasible.” Jack Brodsky, the owner of the Saskatoon Blades, is on the hall’s board of directors. . . . Is there any reason why the WHL doesn’t have its own Hall of Fame? . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes are getting ready to unveil a third jersey. That will happen Monday afternoon at the Vimy Ridge Armoury and will involve members of the 18th Air Defence Regiment. According to a Hurricanes’ news release: “The ’Canes new third jersey is a complete redesign that sees a return to one of the club’s original colors – Cardinal Red.” . . . D Lane Werbowski (Tri-City, Edmonton, 2007-10) has moved from the BCHL’s Penticton Vees to the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives. He is from Winnipeg.
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FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
SPOKANE 2 at BRANDON 3 (OT): F David Toews, in his first game back after missing a month with a high ankle sprain, scored at 2:29 of OT. . . . The goal came on the PP — Spokane was hit for having too many men on the ice — as Brandon was 3-for-5 with the man advantage. . . . Toews has four goals in seven games. . . . Brandon had been away from home for three weeks as it finished off an eight-game road trip that took it through the B.C. Division. . . . The Wheat Kings improved to 7-10-1, while the Chiefs fell to 7-9-0. Spokane is 2-3-0 on his swing. . . . Brandon F Shayne Wiebe, with his sixth, opened the scoring at 8:25 of the first. . . . Spokane F Dominik Uher got his guys even at 19:50 of the second with his first of the season. . . . F Mark Stone put Brandon back out front at 7:35 of the third with his 11th. He has goals in five straight games. . . . F Levko Koper got his ninth at 18:34 to pull Spokane into a 2-2 tie. . . . Koper has 11 points, including seven goals, over his last seven games. . . . Spokane was 0-for-1 on the PP. . . . Brandon G Liam (Sonny) Liston stopped 35 shots, six more than Spokane’s James Reid. . . . Attendance was 4,534. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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KAMLOOPS 5 at CALGARY 4: F Jordan DePape broke a 4-4 tie at 5:34 of the third period while the Blazers enjoyed a 5-on-3 power play. . . . DePape has five goals. . . . The Blazers (9-8-1) ran their road winning streak to seven games, the first time they have done that since 1998-99 when they put together an eight-game streak. . . . The Hitmen (4-12-0) have lost eight straight games. They also have lost seven in a row on home ice. . . . G Cam Lanigan, acquired Thursday from the Edmonton Oil Kings, played the last two periods for Kamloops. He stopped 18 of 20 shots and earned the victory. . . . Kamloops starter Jeff Bosch stopped eight of 10 shots in the first period but apparently tweaked a knee. . . . The Hitmen opened with Juraj Holly, who left after giving up three goals on four shots in the first period. Michael Snider came on to stop 11 of 13. . . . F Brendan Ranford got his 14th goal of the season for the Blazers. . . . F Logan McVeigh, a second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, got his first goal for the Blazers. . . . C Colin Smith had two assists for Kamloops. . . . Calgary got three assists from F Misha Fisenko. . . . Kamloops was 3-for-7 on the PP; Calgary was 3-for-8 but couldn’t score on a 74-second 5-on-3 in the second half of the third period. . . . Attendance was 7,888. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Calgary D Peter Kosterman.
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MOOSE JAW 3 at REGINA 1: The Warriors (8-8-1) scored the game’s last three goals, with the last one coming into an empty net. . . . Captain Garrett Mitchell, with his sixth scored for the Pats (5-9-2) in the first period. . . . The Warriors, who have won four in a row, took the lead on second-period goals by F Spencer Edwards, his fourth, and F Matt Grant, his first. . . . Grant, a 17-year-old from Ladysmith, B.C., scored his first WHL goal in his 16th game. . . . F Quinton Howden, with his ninth, scored into the empty net with10 seconds to play. . . . F Brayden Cuthbert had two assists for the Warriors as he was in on the first two goals. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Moose Jaw. . . . .Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 30 shots. . . . Regina G Damien Ketlo turned aside 43 shots. . . . Each team was 0-for-2 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 4,581. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . There were only six minor penalties in the entire game. My but how times have changed! . . . Regina F Dane Muench (knee) returned from a seven-game absence. . . . Moose Jaw F Brandon Rowinski (knee) may make his season debut tonight. He is a 20-year-old; once he plays, the Warriors will have two weeks to declare their three 20s. They also have Edwards, Heemskerk and F Dylan Hood on their roster.
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SWIFT CURRENT 5 at PRINCE ALBERT 1: This one ended in a line brawl as referees Ryan Bonnett and Chad Williams handed out 141 penalty minutes at 19:46 of the third period. . . . Ch-ch-ching! . . . The Broncos (10-9-0) opened up a 3-0 lead, gave up a second-period goal to F Jonathan Parker, his 12th, and then put it away with two more scores. . . . F Stepan Novotny got his 13th goal for the Broncos, while F Taylor Vause had two assists, and D Kyle Verdino and F Killian Hutt each had a goal and an assist. . . . Verdino’s goal was his first of the season and his second career goal. It came in Game No. 169. . . . Broncos D Tanner Muth was pointless and plus-4. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen was sharp in making 41 saves. . . .The Raiders (6-9-4) opened with Jamie Tucker, but he was gone at 5:52 of the second after allowing four goals on 17 shots. . . . Eric Williams came on to stop 29 of 30. . . . The Broncos were 1-for-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 1-for-6. . . . The Broncos took 113 of 185 penalty minutes. . . . Attendance was 2,261 and you know what they’ll be talking about today. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Raiders D Tyler Yaworski. . . . According to the Prince Albert Daily Herald, “The game ended with a number of fisticuffs, and injuries for the Broncos who finished the game with eight players.” . . . The Broncos are at home to the Spokane Chiefs tonight.
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LETHBRIDGE 4 at KOOTENAY 3 (SO): F Jacob Berglund was the only one of eight shootout participants to score and that was enough to give the Hurricanes (7-6-3) the victory. . . . The Ice (11-4-2) had won seven of its last eight. . . . Ice F Kevin King forced the OT with his seventh goal at 19:04 of the third period. . . . Lethbridge G Brandon Anderson stopped 30 shots, while the Ice’s Nathan Lieuwen turned aside 26. . . . Lethbridge was 0-for-5 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 2,487. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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KELOWNA 4 at VANCOUVER 3: F Colton Sissons doubled his goal total from two to four as the Rockets (7-10-0) won their third straight game. . . . Kelowna F Mitchell Callahan broke a 2-2 tie at 1:16 of the third and Sissons got his second of the night at 9:08. . . . Callahan was coming off back-to-back four-point outings. . . . The Giants (10-7-2) had won five of six. . . . Vancouver F Craig Cunningham had tied the score 2-2 with a goal as time ran out in the second period. Video review confirmed that the puck entered the net before the final buzzer. . . . Kelowna D Kevin Smith, who was terrific in a 5-2 victory in Kamloops on Wednesday, had a goal and two assists. . . . F Brett Bulmer had two assists for Kelowna. . . . Vancouver F James Henry had a goal, his eighth, and two assists, while F Brendan Gallagher notched his WHL-leading 17th goal at 19:04 of the third. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 33 shots in winning his third game in four nights. . . . G Brendan Jensen kicked out 29 shots for Vancouver. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-for-5. . . . Attendance on a night when they saluted Gordie Howe was 9,458. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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EVERETT 4 at CHILLIWACK 3: F Tyler Maxwell led the Silvertips (6-4-4) with two goals and an assist. He has 14 goals. . . . Maxwell’s 14th goal, at 16:13 of the third period, gave the visitors a 4-2 lead. . . . Everett is 1-3-1 on the road. . . . F Landon Ferraro had two assists for Everett, with F Kellan Tochkin getting one and one. . . . F Ryan Howse scored his 16th goal for Chilliwack (9-6-0). . . . F Jesse Pauls and F Kevin Sundher had two assists each for the Bruins who were playing their first home game after going 3-1-0 on a Central Division trip. . . . The Silvertips had lost five in a row and hadn’t played in a week. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 27 shots, while Lucas Gore of the Bruins turned aside 26. . . . Everett was 1-for-6 on the PP; Chilliwack was 2-for-5. . . . Attendance was 3,201. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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RED DEER 3 at PORTLAND 4: D Taylor Aronson scored a 3:40 of overtime as the Winterhawks (13-2-1) ran their winning streak to seven games. . . . Portland had to erase 2-0 and 3-2 deficits. . . . F Andrej Kudrna had his 13th goal for the Rebels (11-6-1), who got two assists from F Byron Froese. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi forced the OT with his 12th goal at 17:48 of the third period. . . . Portland F Brad Ross was presented with a penalty shot in overtime, only to hit a post in behind G Darcy Kuemper. . . . D Derek Pouliot, the first overall pick in the 2009 bantam draft, got his first career goal for the Winterhawks. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 32 shots, three fewer than Kuemper. . . . The game featured two of the WHL’s top draft-eligible players. Portland F Ty Rattie drew an assist on Bartschi’s goal, while Red Deer F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had an assist on Kudrna’s goal. . . . Rattie and Bartschi both are on 10-game point streaks. . . . Red Deer was 1-for-7 on the PP; Portland was 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 4,113. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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EDMONTON 3 at PRINCE GEORGE 6: The Cougars scored three goals on their first six shots, taking a 3-0 lead before the game was nine minutes old. . . . The Cougars improved their record to 10-7-1 — they won 12 games all of last season. . . . Prince George now is one point behind the B.C. Division-leading Vancouver Giants, who have played one more game. . . . The Oil Kings (5-10-1) have lost nine in a row. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince George. . . . D Sena Acolatse had a goal and three assists for the Cougars, while D Martin Marincin had two assists. . . . F Brett Connolly had a goal, his 15th, and an assist for the Cougars. . . . The home team also got a goal and an assist from each of F Nick Buonassisi and F James Drobowolski. . . . F Michael St. Croix scored twice for Edmonton. He has eight. . . . G Ty Rimmer stopped 38 shots for the winners. . . . The Oil Kings started Laurent Brossoit, but he was gone at 8:28 of the first period. Jon Groenheyde, who was acquired Thursday from the Kamloops Blazers, came on to turn aside 30 of 33 shots. . . . Prince George was 4-for-9 on the PP; Edmonton was 2-for-7. . . . Attendance was 2,161. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Edmonton F Travis Ewanyk.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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