Davidson has been the director of player personnel with the Portland Winter Hawks since Bill Gallacher purchased the franchise and hired Mike Johnston as general manager and head coach.
Davidson, who is from Souris, Man., will replace Doug Soetaert, who was fired on Feb. 2. Davidson becomes the second GM in the franchise’s history.According to a release by Silvertips yesterday, “Silvertips and Consolidated Sports Holdings President Gary Gelinas will be on hand to make the announcement . . .”
The Silvertips are owned by Bill Yuill; Gelinas is the president and governor.
Davidson and Gelinas both have long histories in the BCHL.
Davidson last was involved with the Salmon Arm SilverBacks, where he was owner, GM and head coach. He also spent time BCHL franchises in Nanaimo, Penticton, Trail and Victoria.
Gelinas was involved in the ownership of the Nanaimo Clippers, Langley Hornets and Westside Warriors.
Davidson reportedly was at the Silvertips’ practice on Tuesday.
With the exception of one season when he worked with a Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate in Omaha, Soetaert had been the Silvertips general manager since before the team began play in the fall of 2003.
The Silvertips are 15-32-9 and one point out of the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. They are 3-2-0 since Feb. 2.
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JUST NOTES:
F Joel Hamilton of the Red Deer Rebels has been in hospital since Saturday night after he was injured in an 8-5 loss to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. He won’t play hockey again for a while but is making progress after being found to have two broken vertebrae. On Tuesday afternoon, Hamilton tweeted: “Walked and even accomplished a few stairs today. Should be out of here tomorrow! #progress” . . .
Remember Raider, the puppy rescued not that long ago from freezing cold by Shane Danyluk, Josh Morrissey and Carson Perreaux of the Prince Albert Raiders? Well, CKOM in Saskatoon reports that a couple from North Vancouver has adopted Raider. The puppy is to be flown to Vancouver today. . . .
The WHL announced Tuesday that Ben Wiebe, who served governor for the Swift Current Broncos for 17 years, will receive the WHL Governors Award. This award is given annually to, according to the WHL, “an individual who, through his outstanding services as a builder of the league has made a contribution to the growth and development of the WHL.” . . . Wiebe was part of the group that brought the Broncos back from Lethbridge in time for the 1986-87 season. He served on the team’s board of directdors for eight seasons and then was elected chairman and governor. He served as chairman for eight seasons, starting in 1994, and as the team’s governor for 17 years. . . .
F John McFarland, the first player selected in the OHL’s 2008 draft, appears to have had his season ended by a shoulder surgery. McFarland, who was acquired by the Ottawa 67’s at the trade deadline in January, will undergo surgery this week and could take as much as four months to recover. He was a second-round selection by the Florida Panthers in the 2010 NHL draft. He had nine points, including four goals, in 12 games since Ottawa got him from the Saginaw Spirit. . . .
The BCHL has announced the creation of two awards to honour referees and linesmen for their contributions to the game. The awards will be named after Kelly Sutherland and Brad Lazarowich, with one going to the top referee and the other to the top linesman. Sutherland, who now is an NHL referee, and Lazarowich, an NHL linesman, both worked in the BCHL. They also worked in the WHL. . . . Each of the award winners will receive $500, with $250 of that going to a charity of their choice. . . .
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Cranbrook, D Eric Roy scored with 3.2 seconds left in the third period to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 4-3 victory over the host Kootenay Ice. . . . Roy’s eighth goal of the season was unassisted. . . . Ice F Jesse Ismond had tied the game with his 15th goal on a PP at 17:39. . . . Kootenay jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Wheat Kings scored three straight goal. . . . Brandon F Brenden Walker had three assists. . . . Wheat Kings F Mark Stone had a goal, his 37th, and an assist and took the lead in the WHL scoring race, with 92 points. . . . He is two points ahead of F Jordan Weal of the Regina Pats. . . . Brandon, which holds down eighth place in the Eastern Conference, moved six points ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Ice remains fourth in the conference, a point ahead of the Saskatoon Blades. . . .
In Kamloops, F Matt Needham scored off a rebound at 19:01 of the third period as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-2. . . . The Oil Kings had been 30-0-2 when leading after two periods. . . . The game matched the Blazers, who lead the Western Conference and the overall standings, against the Oil Kings, the top team in the Eastern Conference. When it was over, the Blazers held a five-point lead over the Oil Kings. . . . In the Western Conference, Kamloops is seven points ahead of the Tri-City Americans. . . . Edmonton took a 2-0 lead on goals by F Kristians Pelss, his 20th, in the first period and F Jordan Peddle, his ninth, in the second. . . . Kamloops got a PP goal from F Brandon Herrod, his 22nd, at 3:12 of the third. . . . D Austin Madaisky tied it with his 12th goal just 1:44 after that. . . . Needham won it off a Madaisky rebound. . . . Kamloops G Cam Lanigan beat his former club for the second time this season. This time, he made 24 saves, 11 fewer than Edmonton’s Laurent Brossoit. . . . Kamloops was 1-4 on the PP; Edmonton wasn’t given even one PP opportunity. . . . Edmonton, which plays the Rockets in Kelowna tonight, leads the Eastern Conference by five points over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Colin Jacobs and F Connor Honey had shootout goals to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Rockets erased a 3-1 deficit to force overtime. . . . F Zach Franko got it to 3-2 at 5:50 of the second period. . . . D Myles Bell forced OT when he beat G Calvin Pickard on a penalty shot at 19:07 of the third period. It was his 12th goal this season. . . . The penalty shot was awarded after it was ruled that Seattle had intentionally knocked its net off the moorings. . . . Seattle now has sole possession of seventh place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Victoria Royals and three up on the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Rockets are headed to a sixth-place finish. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., shootout goals by F Brendan Gallagher and F Cain Franson gave the Vancouver Giants a 5-4 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . F Brendan Gallagher scored three times for Vancouver, giving him the franchise record with 129 career goals. He went into the game tied with Adam Courchaine for the club record. . . . Gallagher, who has five hat tricks this season, has 34 goals this season. . . . His third goal, at 17:29 of the third, gave the Giants a 4-3 victory. . . . Tri-City tied it on D Zach Yuen’s ninth goal at 18:41 on a PP. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 29 shots. Franson wasn’t able to beat Comrie on a penalty shot at 5:47 of the third period. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin had two goals, giving him 36, and an assist for the Americans. . . . Vancouver lost F Anthony Ast with a charging major and game misconduct at 9:21 of the third period. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning played in his 296th career game, breaking Craig Cunningham’s franchise career record. . . . The Giants moved into a fourth-place tie with the Spokane Chiefs in the Western Conference. . . . The Americans now are two points ahead of the second-place Portland Winterhawks in the U.S. Division. . . . The Americans were playing their first game in a stretch that has them going four times in five nights. . . . They are in Portland tonight, in Kent, Wash., on Friday and at home to Spokane on Saturday. . . . The Giants, meanwhile, are playing five games in six nights. They are in Spokane tonight, at home to Edmonton on Friday, in Everett on Saturday and at home to Red Deer on Sunday. . . . Yikes!———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Paul Ciarelli, Brandon.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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Dave Bidini is a Canadian musician of some renown. He also is a terrific writer. If you haven’t already, make sure you read his book Tropic of Hockey as it is outstanding. In Tuesday’s National Post, Bidini writes of Trent Frayne, one of his literary heroes, who died on the weekend. This is short and well-written. Frayne would have appreciated that. It is right here.
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