Kulak, 19, is dealing with charges of assault causing bodily harm and threats to cause death or bodily harm. A native of Stony Plain, Alta., Kulak was a fourth-round selection by the Calgary Flames in the NHL's 2012 draft.
Houck, 18, has been charged with assault causing bodily harm. From North Vancouver, Houck was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round of the 2013 draft.
On Saturday, Ron Toigo, the Giants' majority owner, issued a statement that was posted here late that night.
On Sunday, it was the turn of Jay Feaster, the Flames' general manager. He issued his statement:"We were just made aware that Brett has been charged with assault and uttering threats as the result of an incident this past August in Delta, B.C. We have discussed the matter with Brett and are continuing to acquire additional information.
"While we don’t condone the behaviour associated with these charges, the Calgary Flames organization continues to support Brett as he moves through the legal process and we learn more about the incident.
"As the matter is before the courts in B.C., we are limited in the information we can publicly discuss and are unable to comment any further on the incident at this time.”
Kulak scored two goals and Houck one on Saturday as the Giants beat the visiting Prince George Cougars, 5-1.
Kulak next is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 20. Houck's next appearance is scheduled for Feb. 28.
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It was late Saturday night when I noticed a couple of tweets:
From Patrick (@pliefke85): "Thoughts with @daddeo87 tonight from myself & @JamesCarr15. May the surgeons have steady hands and praying for a quick recovery."
From BL-7 (@BLdash7): "At the hospital waiting for @daddeo87 to get zipped up and he has a new friend waiting. #teddybearpicnic"
It turns out that @daddeo87 is the Twitter handle of Ryan Dawson of Kamloops, who works a lot of junior hockey games as an on-ice official. He was working as a linesman for a BCHL game in Vernon on Saturday night when he took a punch to the face.
Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports has the details and video right here.
Later, Dawson tweeted: "All stitched up and heading for home! Thanks to @rbstripes90 and @BLdash7 for their support and patience waiting #trueteammates"
The referee for the game — the Prince George Spruce Kings and Vernon Vipers played to a 4-4 tie — was Brandon Liefke. Riley Balson was the other linesman. The incident took place at 14:28 of the third period.
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To say a lot has been written about President John F. Kennedy over the years is something of an understatement. And a lot more is going to appear over the next few days. . . . But this story right here is different. Written by Paul Gregory, it appeared in The New York Times and carried the headline Lee Harvey Oswald Was My Friend.
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So . . . Jay Glazer of Fox-TV got the first interview with Ritchie Incognito and it aired on Sunday's NFL pregame show. Never mind that the two men are friends and business partners. As Dave Zirin of The Nation writes that the result was "a big steaming pile of propaganda." . . . That piece is right here.
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If you read anything today, click right here and make it this story. It details how San Francisco is about to become Gotham to help a boy's dream come true. Awesome stuff!
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SUNDAY:
In Portland, F Nic Petan had a goal and two assists and F Taylor Leier scored twice as the Winterhawks bounced the Regina Pats, 5-2. . . . Leier has 15 goals. . . . Portland, which had lost its last two games, both at home, outshot Regina, 58-23. . . . Regina F Chandler Stephenson took a headshot major and game misconduct at the final buzzer. . . . The Pats apparently hit three goal posts in the game's first 10 minutes. They trailed 1-0 on a goal by Petan. . . . Still, Portland finished the first period ahead 16-5 on the shot clock and 2-0 on the scoreboard. . . . D Tye Hand was among Regina's scratches. He left Saturday's game in Kent, Wash., after taking a hit from F Justin Hickman early in the third period. Hand has missed time each of the last two seasons with brain injuries. Hickman drew a boarding major and may open the week on a 'tbd' suspension. . . . The Winterhawks (15-4-2) moved back atop the overall standings, two points ahead of the idle Kelowna Rockets (14-2-2), who hold three games in hand. . . .
In Kamloops, F Todd Fiddler scored on the PP just 19 seconds into OT to give the Prince George Cougars an 8-7 victory over the Blazers. . . . Fiddler, playing his third game with the Cougars since being acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors, had three goals and two assists. . . . The game featured 98 shots, 54 by the Cougars, and 19 skaters picked up at least one point. . . . The teams combined for 38 shots and seven goals in the first period. The Blazers led 24-14 in shots, but trailed 4-3 in goals. . . . Here is how the leads went: K, 1-0; PG, 2-1; PG, 4-2; PG, 5-3; K, 6-5; PG, 7-6. . . . Kamloops F Aspen Sterzer forced OT at 15:45 of the third period with his second goal of the game and 12th of the season. . . . Sterzer has a career-high 19 points in 21 games. Two seasons ago, he had 18 points in 63 games. Last season, injuries limited him to 31 games. . . . Each team used two goaltenders. . . . The Cougars ended a seven-game losing skid. . . . The Cougars (8-11-4) moved into sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Vancouver Giants and five up on the Blazers (6-12-3). . . . Kamloops has opened a five-game homestand with two losses. When the homestand ends on Nov. 19, the Blazers will have played 16 home games and eight on the road. Why the spread? The Blazers will be out of their building late in February and early in March to make room for the Brier, the Canadian men's curling championship.———
From Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF): "NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg brought a UND hockey game puck with her to space. Believed to be first hockey puck in space."
(Nyberg is a U of North Dakota alum.)
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