Taking Note

The Tri-City Americans, who are at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers tonight, have brought back F Matthew Gelinas and are planning on keeping the 17-year-old son of former NHLer Martin Gelinas for three games. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Gelinas, whose father now is on the coaching staff of the Calgary Flames, signed with the Americans earlier this month and played in games in Kamloops and Kelowna before returning to his club team, the midget AAA Calgary Royals. . . . G Troy Trombley, 18, has rejoined the Americans after returning to Melville, Sask., to pick up his car. He and Luke Lee-Knight, 19, are the goaltenders now, what with Eric Comrie done for the season with a hip problem. . . . According to Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald, Americans F Ryan Chynoweth (arm) is out, while F Malte Strömwall (ill) and F Marcus Messier (ill) are due back after sitting out one game.
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The Regina Pats have lost D Colton Jobke, 20, to a knee injury that could keep him out of the lineup for a month. He was injured Saturday, in a 2-1 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . Jobke earlier missed 17 games with a skate cut to a hand. . . . The Pats are in Swift Current tonight and may get D Luke Fenske back. He was injured Saturday when he took a check from behind and ended up with back spasms. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post also reports that Pats D Dryden Hunt has received medical clearance and is skating, but won’t play on the weekend. He has missed 37 games with his second concussion this season.
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Howie Stalwick has written a nifty feature on D Brenden Kichton of the Spokane Chiefs for the Pacific Northwest Inlander and that piece is right here.
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Scott Niedermayer, who played three seasons as a defenceman with the Kamloops Blazers, will have his number (28) retired by the WHL team tonight at Interior Savings Centre. . . . Niedermayer put up 190 points in 156 regular-season games with the Blazers and was on the team that won the 1992 Memorial Cup. . . . It also was announced yesterday that Niedermayer is this season’s recipient of the WHL Alumni Achievement Award in the professional hockey category. WHL commissioner Ron Robison will present Niedermayer with the award as part of tonight’s festivities.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Kelowna, F Carter Rigby had his second straight three-goal game as the Rockets dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds, 8-0. . . . Rigby also had two assists as the Rockets won their 20th straight home game. . . . The victory also lifted Kelowna to within four points of the Portland Winterhawks, who lead the WHL’s overall standings but have lost four in a row. . . . Kelowna got four assists from F J.T. Barnett and a goal and three helpers from F Colton Heffley. They are Rigby’s linemates. . . . Rigby and Heffley each finished plus-6; Seattle D Shea Theodore was minus-6. . . . The Rockets haven’t lost at home since Oct. 10 when they were beaten 6-4 by the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 18 shots in putting up his fourth shutout of the season and the fourth of his career. Cooke now is 26-8-2. . . . The same teams meet tonight in Kent, Wash.
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From Red Deer D Brandon Underwood (@BUND3RWOOD): “Yakupov so clutch with that game 7 Stanley Cup overtime winning goal! Oh wait a second . . . #settledown”


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