Tuesday . . .

Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News reported Tuesday that “Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi has emerged as the ledaing candidate to buy the Stars, according to two sources close to the sale.”
Gaglardi, of course, is the majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers.
Heika’s piece is right here.
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F Brayden Schenn had a goal, his first, and an assist and F Bud Holloway (Seattle, 2003-08) set up three goals on Tuesday, leading the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs to a 6-3 playoff victory over the host Binghamton Senators. Manchester holds a 3-1 lead in the Atlantic Division semifinal with Game 5 in Binghamton tonight.
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The Coaches Site is playing host to a hockey coaches conference at the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre in Burnaby, B.C., July 29-30.
Included among the speakers are WHL head coaches Don Hay of the Vancouver Giants, Ryan Huska of the Kelowna Rockets and Mike Johnston of the Portland Winterhawks. Also on hand will be former WHL head coaches Mark Holick (Kootenay Ice) and Kevin Constantine (Everett Silvertips).
According to news release:
“The goal of the conference is to share the experience and insight of professional coaches and experts in human performance with coaches at the grassroots levels. The two-day event will cover various topics, including tactical strategies, individual skill development and off-ice conditioning. It will also feature a charity reception for H.E.R.O.S (Hockey Education Reaching Out Society).”
For more info, visit thecoachessite.com or send an email to info@thecoachessite.com.
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ON THE ICE TUESDAY NIGHT:
In Spokane, the Chiefs erased a 3-0 third-period deficit and beat the Tri-City Americans 5-4 in overtime to advance to the Western Conference final. . . . The Chiefs won the series 4-2 and will open against the Winterhawks in Portland on Friday. . . . F Levko Koper scored his third goal of these playoffs at 6:39 of OT. . . . The last three games in this series went to OT, with the Chiefs winning the last two. . . . The Chiefs got a goal and an assist from F Darren Kramer, who now has six points, five of them goals, in the playoffs. . . . He had 14 points, including seven goals, and 306 penalty minutes in 68 regular-season games. He has just six penalty minutes in the playoffs. . . . With the Americans leading 3-0 in the third period, the Chiefs struck for three goals in 1:57 and four in 7:41 to take the lead. Karmer got it started at 1:16, D Tanner Mort continued it at 2:35 with his first goal of the playoffs, and F Blake Gal, who scored in OT to win Game 5, tied it at 3:13. . . . Here is how Dan Mulhausen, the Americans’ media guru, described all that was involved with Gal’s goal: “In a heavily scrutinized play, (Tri-City G Drew) Owsley kicked out Kenton Miller’s shot, where it appeared to ricochet off of (Tri-City F Kruise) Reddick’s skate and into the slot. Blake Gal then crashed the net, poking the puck on goal before it was cleared by Tri-City. Play continued for almost two minutes before a stoppage allowed the video goal judge and the on-ice officials to review the play. After a lengthy discussion, video evidence showed Gal’s attempt crossed the goal line before being kicked out, overruling the original no-goal call on the ice and tying the game at 3.” . . . F Kenton Miller put the Chiefs out front at 8:57, only to have Tri-City F Adam Hughesman tie it at 12:39 on the PP. That was Hughesman’s second goal of the game. F Patrick Holland also scored twice for the Ams. . . . The Americans were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-for-1. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson was tossed with a kneeing major at 18:31 of the first period for a hit on F Brendan Shinnimin, who returned to the Tri-City bench but didn’t play again. . . . Johnson could be facing a suspension as the WHL will conduct its usual investigation into such a penalty. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 26 shots, seven fewer than Tri-City’s Drew Owsley. . . . Attendance was 6,083.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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This will be the ninth time that Spokane and Portland have met in the playoffs. Last season, the Winterhawks took the Chiefs out in a seven-game first-round series in which neither team could win on home ice. . . . These times have gone the distance five times in those seven meetings. . . . They have met twice before in Western Conference finals (1998 and 2001), with the Winterhawks winning both times. . . . Portland finished with 103 points this regular season, one more than the Chiefs. . . . However, Spokane won the season series, 5-3-1.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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