Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Sutter rethinking things after injury ... Blazers, Chiefs make trade ... 'Cane train rolling


F David Turoň (Portland, 2002-03) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Polonia Bytom (Poland, PHL). He had been released by the Fife Flyers (Scotland, UK Elite) on Monday. He had three goals and five assists in 30 games with the Flyers. . . . Turoň told hokej.net: “I wanted to be closer to home because of health problems with my in-laws.” He is from Havirov, Czech Republic. . . .
F Radek Meidl (Seattle, Tri-City, 2006-08) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Orlik Opole (Poland, PHL). He had a goal and three assists in 27 games this season with Frydek-Mistek (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). He had signed with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga) on Dec. 19 but didn’t appear in a game with them.
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 D Alex Alexeyev of the Red Deer Rebels won’t play again this season and Brent Sutter, the team’s owner, general manager and head coach, now is taking an up-close look at everything from what players do in the off-season to how it practises.
“We’ve had some pretty significant injuries to some very important players the last year and a half,” Sutter
ALEX ALEXEYEV
told Greg Meachem of reddeerrebels.com.
“From a general manager’s perspective, I have to look at certain things. We have to look at the demands we put on these players nowadays, with the off-ice conditioning and the way we practise.These kids are still growing into their bodies. They’re still young players whose bodies are filling out.
“It bothers me, it’s something that I’ve been thinking about for quite some time. Some injuries are fluke things. That being said, it still happens, and it’s been happening here more often than it needs to be and you’d like it to be, especially in the last couple of years.”
Sutter was referring to recent injuries to F Grayson Pawlenchuk, F Reese Johnson, F Conner Bleackley, D Josh Mahura, F Adam Musil and G Rylan Toth.
Sutter has long been an outspoken advocate of having teenagers play other sports in the summer, allowing them to use other muscle groups and to get away from the pressures of hockey.
He also has been cognizant of how much rest his players get but now is wondering if there is more that can be done in that area.
“I’d like to think we’ve done a good job with the rest part, but maybe it’s still not enough,” Sutter said. “There are certain things we need to do differently as a coaching staff. I have to take a serious look at it. You can’t just stick your head in the sand and ignore this.”
Alexeyev was injured when he slid into the boards during the third period of a 4-1 loss to the visiting Regina Pats on Saturday. He underwent surgery Tuesday for an undisclosed “lower-body” injury and, according to Meachem, “will need three to five months to recover.”
Alexeyev, who turned 17 on Nov. 15, is from St. Petersburg, Russia. He had four goals and 17 assists in 21 games.
Meachem’s complete story is right here.
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There is some news on the Brevin Gervais front.
You will recall that Gervais, 17, underwent surgery for a brain aneurysm in Kamloops on Friday. A native of Prince George, he had been playing for the junior B 100 Mile House Wranglers of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
Mateo Albinati set up a gofundme page with a goal of $16,000, then shut it down when it raised more than $20,000. On Tuesday, Albinati reopened the page.
“Due to overwhelming support,” he explained, “I have been asked to reopen the go fund me account. Everyone's generosity has already been amazing but every penny still helps. So please continue to spread the word and help the Gervais family.”
That page is right here.
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The Swift Current Broncos have brought back F Brandan Arnold, 19. The Broncos dropped Arnold from their roster on Jan. 11 — he had six points, two of them goals, in 27 games — and he joined the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. He had 12 points, including five goals, in six games with Nipawin. . . . From Dodsland, Sask., he was a seventh-round pick by the Broncos in the 2012 bantam draft.
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The Kamloops Blazers have signed F Kyrell Sopotyk, 15, who was a fifth-round selection in the 2016
bantam draft. From Aberdeen, Sask., the 5-foot-8, 160-pounder has 29 goals and nine assists in 35 games with the Prince Albert Mintos of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. . . . On Tuesday, he scored four times as the host Mintos beat the Saskatoon Blazers, 4-3. . . . The Blazers also made a trade on Tuesday, as they dealt a fourth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft to the Spokane Chiefs for a fifth- and a sixth-round pick in that same draft. The Blazers had two fourth-rounders in that draft — their own and one they acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors for F Jesse Shynkaruk on Nov. 20, 2014. The news release doesn’t specify which pick was sent to Spokane.
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JUST NOTES:

G Liam Hughes won’t play again this season for the Edmonton Oil Kings. Hughes, who last played on Oct. 29, is shown as having a “season-ending” injury on the WHL’s weekly roster report that was issued Tuesday. A 17-year-old freshman from Kelowna, he got into seven games this season, going 1-4-2, 3.26, .895 before being injured. . . . The Oil Kings have been going with veteran Patrick Dea, 19, and freshman Josh Dechaine, 18, as their goaltenders. . . .
The Vancouver Giants will be without F Taden Rattie for four games. That’s the length of the suspension he drew for becoming involved in a one-man fight during a game against the host Victoria Royals on Sunday. The incident occurred at 15:32 of the second period in a game won by the Royals, 6-3. . . . The Royals had beaten the Giants 3-1 in Langley, B.C., on Friday, and 7-1 in Victoria on Saturday.
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Coaching

 Gordie Dwyer stepped down as head coach of Medvescak Zagreb of the KHL after a Tuesday game and now is head coach of Ambri-Piotta of the Swiss League. Dwyer, 39, was in his second season with Medverscak Zagreg. With Ambri-Piotta, he replaces Hans Kossmann. . . . Dwyer was an assistant coach with Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in December. . . . Medvescak Zagreb hasn’t named a replacement for Dwyer.
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The QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques have added Denny Lambert to their coaching staff. He will work alongside Eric Landry, who took over as head coach on Jan. 23 when Mario Duhamel was fired. Most recently, Lambert, a former NHL player, was an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Allen Americans. Lambert, 47, spent seven seasons (2004-11) with the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, the last four as head coach.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Portland, F Joachim Blichfeld scored at 3:58 of OT to give the Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Winterhawks jumped out front when F Evan Weinger scored his 15th goal at
JOACHIM BLICHFELD
5:24 of the first period. . . . Everett scored two early second-period goals for a 2-1 lead. D Aaron Irvin got his 15th goal, at 3:17, and F Devon Skoleski scored No. 9 just 28 seconds later. . . . F Connor Dewar assisted on both goals. . . . Portland tied it on F Colton Veloso’s 13th goal, on a PP, at 6:02 and took the lead 42 seconds into the third period when F Alex Overhardt got his 10th goal. . . . The Silvertips tied the game, forcing OT, when F Brian King got his second goal of the season at 9:24 of the third period. . . . Blichfeld won it with his 17th goal of the season. . . . On Saturday, Blichfeld scored at 19:56 of the third period as Portland beat the Rockets 5-4 in Kelowna. . . . D Caleb Jones had two assists for Portland, while Blichfeld added one. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 31 shots for the Winterhawks. At the other end, Carter Hart made 42 saves. . . . Portland was 1-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-3. . . . The Silvertips continue to play without D Noah Juulsen, who is out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Winterhawks (26-21-3) have won four in a row. They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, three points behind Kelowna and seven ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Silvertips (30-9-10) have lost five in a row (0-3-2), but they still lead the U.S. Division by six points over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . This game was rescheduled from Jan. 7, when it was postponed due to inclement weather. . . . Announced attendance: 3,406.
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At Lethbridge, G Giorgio Estephan scored the only goal of a shootout to give the Hurricanes a 4-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Lethbridge now is 1-3 in shootouts; Brandon is 5-2. . . . The visitors
GIORGIO ESTEPHAN
held 2-0 and 3-2 leads but couldn’t hang on. . . . F Tanner Kaspick scored his 17th goal, on a PP, at 14:05 of the first period and F Nolan Patrick got his ninth at 17:01 for that 2-0 lead. . . . The Hurricanes tied it on second-period goals from F Egor Babenko (16) and F Matt Alfaro (14), on a PP, at 13:58. . . . F Reid Duke’s 31st goal put Brandon back out front at 16:33. . . . Lethbridge F Tyler Wong’s 36th goal, at 6:25 of the third period, forced OT. . . . F Zak Zborosky had two assists for Lethbridge. . . . D Kade Jensen drew two helpers for Brandon. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 31 shots from the Hurricanes, while Logan Thompson blocked 30 shots for Brandon. . . . Brandon was 1-3 on the PP; Lethbridge was 1-7. . . . Brandon was without D Kale Clague, who sat out a one-game suspension for a charging major and game misconduct he incurred Sunday in Calgary. . . . The Hurricanes (29-15-7) have points in 11 straight games (9-0-2). They are second in the Central Division, six points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Wheat Kings (24-19-6) are 1-0-1 in their last two. They are fourth in the East Division, four points behind the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Announced attendance: 3,410.
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At Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored the game’s last three goals to beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-3. . . . F Brett Davis gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 4:43 of the first period. . . . F Mason Shaw, playing with a full visor
JOHN DAHLSTROM
because of a facial laceration from a skate, tied it with his 19th goal, on a PP, at 16:49. . . . Kootenay took the lead with two second-period PP goals. . . . F Jake Elmer (5) scored at 3:57 and Davis added his 14th goal at 5:13 for a 3-1 lead. . . . Medicine Hat D Clayton Kirichenko’s eighth goal, at 6:58, got the Tigers back to within a goal. . . . F Mark Rassell’s 22nd goal, on a PP, tied it at 11:25. . . . F John Dahlstrom broke that tie with his 23rd goal, at 1:42 of the third period. . . . Shaw also had an assist. . . . F Vince Loschiavo had two assists for Kootenay. . . . Medicine Hat started G Nick Schneider, who was beaten three times on 20 shots in 25:13. Michael Bullion came on to finish up and get the victory, stopping all nine shots he faced in 34:46. . . . G Payton Lee blocked 42 shots for the Ice. . . . Kootenay was 2-3 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 2-4. . . . The Tigers (35-15-1) have won four in a row. They are third in the overall standings, four points behind the Regina Pats and Prince George Cougars, who are tied for top spot. . . . The Ice (12-32-8) has lost two straight. . . . These teams will play again tonight, this time in Cranbrook, B.C. . . . Announced attendance: 2,904, the smallest crowd in the history of the Canalta Centre, which is in its second season.
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KEEGAN KOLESAR
At Kent, Wash., F Keegan Kolesar scored on a breakaway at 1:07 of OT to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The teams combined for three goals in the final 4:09 of the third period in what was a frantic finish. . . . F Deven Sideroff had given the visitors a 1-0 lead at 11:10 of the first period. . . . Seattle tied it on D Ethan Bear’s 18th goal, at 3:43 of the third period. Originally, the goal was disallowed on the ice, but that call was overturned after video review. . . . Seattle’s first goal came on its 44th shot of the game. . . . F Lane Bauer gave the Blazers a 2-1 lead, on a PP, at 8:42. . . . Kolesar pulled Seattle even at 15:51 and F Sami Moilanen (15) sent the home team out front at 17:05. . . . However, Bauer’s 31st goal of the season tied it at 18:23. . . . Kolesar won it with his 12th goal. . . . Seattle got three assists from D Turner Ottenbreit, with Bear adding one. . . . Sideroff added two assist to his goal. . . . G Rylan Toth earned the victory with 22 saves. . . . The Blazers got a 57-save effort from G Connor Ingram, who was named the game’s first star. . . . Seattle held a 16-0 edge in shots with 9:37 left in the first period. . . . Kamloops was 1-3 on the PP; Seattle was 0-4. . . . The Thunderbirds (30-15-4) have won six straight and moved into second in the U.S. Division, six points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . . Kamloops (31-17-4) is 2-0-1 in its past three outings. It is second in the B.C. Division, three points ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . The Blazers and Thunderbirds will meet again in Kent on Friday, after Kamloops plays the Winterhawks in Portland on Wednesday. . . . Announced attendance: 4,407.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Calgary at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Portland, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Regina, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Everett vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:18 PM
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Monday, January 30, 2017

WHL suspends pair . . . Pats sneak past Blades; Brooks leads way


D David Turoň (Portland, 2002-03) has been released by the Fife Flyers (Scotland, UK Elite). He had three goals and five assists in 30 games. . . .
F J.T. Barnett (Vancouver, Kamloops, Everett, Kelowna, 2008-13) has been released by Amur Khabarovsk (Russia, KHL). He was pointless in three games. . . . Earlier this season, Barnett was pointless in one game with CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL), and seven goals and three assists in 24 games with Zvezda Chekhov (Russia, Vysshaya Liga). . . . Barnett was traded by CSKA to Amur on Dec. 13.
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 The WHL’s Department of Discipline dealt with a couple of players on Monday. . . . F Tadden Rattie of the Vancouver Giants drew a TBD suspension for becoming involved in a one-man fight during a game with the host Victoria Royals on Sunday. . . . Brandon D Kale Clague will sit out one game after taking a charging major and game misconduct during a game in Calgary against the Hitmen on Sunday.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Kade Nolan, 15, to a WHL contract. Nolan was a fourth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Nolan, from Rouleau, Sask., has six points, five of them assists, in 33 games with the Saskatoon Blazers of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. Last season, he had 26 points, including 24 assists, in 38 games with the bantam AAA Notre Dame Hounds.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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MONDAY’S GAME:


At Saskatoon, the Regina Pats scored a pair of PP goals as they beat the Blades, 2-1. . . . This was the Blades’ third annual Team Up for Respect game and included the teams shaking hands at centre ice
ADAM BROOKS
when it was over. . . . F Adam Brooks gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 18:04 of the first period with his 29th goal. . . . Brooks drew an assist on F Dawson Leedahl’s goal, his 26th, 35 seconds into the second period. Leedahl is from Saskatoon. . . . D Bryton Sayers (5) got the Blades to within a goal when he scored on a PP at 1:24 of the third period. . . . Regina F Sam Steel drew an assist on Leedahl’s goal. Steel leads the WHL with 88 points, two more than Brooks. . . . Brooks is No. 1 in assists, with 57, five more than Steel. . . . The Pats got 22 saves from G Tyler Brown, while Saskatoon’s Logan Flodell stopped 25 shots. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-5. . . . The Pats (34-6-7) have won five in a row. They have moved back into a tie for first-place overall with the Prince George Cougars. Regina holds six games in hand, too. . . . The Blades (20-25-6) have lost three straight after having won five in a row. They are in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, but are just one point ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Announced attendance: 8,019.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Everett vs. Portland, 7 p.m. (ppd. from Jan. 7)
Brandon at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 8:40 PM
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Sunday, January 29, 2017

Gervais shows improvement ... Milestones for Daum, Thibodeau ... Four-spots for Duke, Soy


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BREVIN GERVAIS
There was some good news on Sunday from the bedside of Brevin Gervais, the 17-year-old defenceman from the junior B 100 Mile House Wranglers, who underwent emergency surgery for a brain aneurysm in Kamloops on Friday.
Mateo Albinati, who started the gofundme site with proceeds to Brevin’s family, posted that “Brevin has slowly begun breathing on his own. Although it is minimal, it is a step in the right direction, and he now has opened his eyes on command and squeezed hands. His blood pressure has increased, which also is a very good sign.”
Friends and folks in the hockey community responded in such a fashion that Albinati shut down the gofundme site on Sunday evening, by which time donations had totalled $20,350. His original goal was $16,000.
Well done and thank you! Please keep Brevin and his family in your thoughts and prayers as this chapter of their lives has just begun.
A native of Prince George, Brevin was a fourth-round selection by the Calgary Hitmen in the 2015 bantam draft.
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The Everett Silvertips have added F Cal Babych, who turned 20 on Jan. 18, to their roster. While he was listed earlier this season by Everett, he had been with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. Everett will be Babych’s fifth WHL stop. He split 152 career games between the Calgary Hitmen, Prince George Cougars, Prince Albert Raiders and Vancouver Giants, putting up 35 points, including 15 goals. With the Express, he had seven goals and 21 assists in 33 games. . . . He made his Everett debut in Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the visiting Kamloops Blazers.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Concussion Report

 When Mary Lois Nittmo went looking for the ex-husband who ran out on her and their four children 12 years ago, Tim Graham of the Buffalo News accompanied her. They found Bjorn Nittmo, a Swede who is a former NFL and CFL kicker, but what they discovered wasn’t pretty. . . . Graham’s story is right here.
Meanwhile, in Houston, the site of Sunday’s Super Bowl game, a news conference is to be held today by a support group that calls itself Faces of CTE. In attendance will be co-founders Cyndy Feaser and Kimberly Archie. Feaser, whose ex-husband Grant Feasel was an offensive lineman who was diagnosed with Stage 3 CTE after his death, has written the book After the Cheering Stops: An NFL Wife’s Story of Concussions, Loss and the Faith That Saw Her Through.
Archie’s son Paul was 24 when he died from the effects of CTE caused by playing football.
The brain bank at Boston University has confirmed CTE in the brains of 91 of 95 deceased NFLers. Dr. Ann McKee, who has been in the forefront of all of this, admits she has stopped watching NFL games despite having been an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers.
“I, for one, don’t watch football anymore because I can’t,” she told Jeff Caplan of the Kansas City Star. “I can no longer sort of reconcile what I’m seeing at my work and watching the game on television. It’s been a long road, and it’s depressing. It’s very depressing.” . . . Caplan’s complete story is right here. Yes, it’s depressing.
Meanwhile, in the world of hockey, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman continues to deny a link between repeated blows to the head and CTE.
And in the WHL the powers-that-be continue to allow teenagers to punch each other in the face with no apparent thought given to the consequences.
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JUST NOTES:

A note from a reader informs us that the Red Deer Rebels had some special moments on Saturday night as they honoured three people who have been with them for 25 years, or since Day 1.
Judy Seher, the Rebels’ billet co-ordinator, and off-ice officials Carl Purves and Jim Hollman were saluted at centre ice prior to the game. They were presented with 25-year watches . . . first-class people honoured by a solid organization.
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Coaching

 Rob Daum of EHC Linz has become the winningest head coach in Austria’s Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL). Daum put up victory No. 235 on Sunday, as the Black Wings beat the visiting Vienna Capitals, 5-3, allowing him to move out of a tie with Pierre Pagé. Daum, in his sixth season with EHC Linz, is a former WHL coach, having worked with the Prince Albert Raiders, Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes (1989-95).
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Gord Thibodeau, the head coach of the Whitecourt Wolverines, has tied the AJHL record for most regular-season coaching victories. When the Wolverines beat the host Bonnyville Pontiacs, 4-3, on Sunday, it gave Thibodeau 832 victories, tying him with Don Phelps, the long-time (1979-2011) head coach of the Calgary Canucks. . . . Thibodeau has been an AJHL head coach since 1997 and also has worked with the Lloydminster Blazers, St. Albert Saints, Fort McMurray Oil Barons and Lloydminster Bobcats. He is in his first season with the Wolverines.
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The AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons fired general manager and head coach Brian Curran on Sunday. He was in the fifth year of a contract that was to expire after this season. A former AJHL coach of the year, Curran took the Dragons to the South Division championship in 2013-14. . . . Assistant coach Darryl Olsen has stepped in as interim head coach. . . . The Dragons (20-23-4) are sixth in the six-team South Division, 11 points out of fifth.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, F Reid Duke scored four times to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 6-1 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Duke, a Calgarian who has 30 goals, scored the game’s first three goals, recording his fifth
REID DUKE
career hat trick and his second against the Hitmen this season. . . . He scored at 2:55 and 8:23 of the first period, 11:02 of the second and nine seconds into the third. Duke’s first goal came via the PP, while the third one was shorthanded. . . . F Tyler Coulter earned assists on three of Duke’s goals. . . . F Connor Gutenberg also had three assists. . . . F Beck Malenstyn scored for Calgary, his PP goal at 11:24 of the second period cutting the deficit to 3-1. He’s got 21 goals. . . . D James Shearer (6), who also had an assist, and D Dmitry Osipov (2) also scored for Brandon, which lost D Kale Clague to a charging major and game misconduct at 10:06 of the second period. That was for a hit on Malenstyn. . . . G Travis Child stopped 31 shots for Brandon. . . . Calgary starter Trevor Martin allowed four goals on 14 shots through two periods. Kyle Dumba played the third period, stopped six of eight shots. . . . Each team was 1-6 on the PP. . . . The Wheat Kings (24-19-5) had lost their previous two games. They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot but the defending champions are just five points behind the Swift Current Broncos in the East Division. . . . The Hitmen (18-22-9) had points in each of their previous four games (1-0-3). This was their third game in fewer than 48 hours; they went 1-1-1. Calgary is one point behind the Saskatoon Blades, who are in possession of the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,913.
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At Edmonton, G Ty Edmonds turned aside 26 shots to help the Prince George Cougars to a 3-1 victory
TY EDMONDS
over the Oil Kings. . . . The Cougars had won, 11-3, in Edmonton on Saturday night. . . . Edmonds now has 95 career regular-season victories, tying the Prince George franchise record that was held by Scott Myers (1996-2000). . . . This was Edmonds’ 26th victory this season. . . . F Aaron Boyd (7) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 3:33 of the first period. . . . Edmonton tied it when F Davis Koch scored his 13th goal — it was his 100th career point — at 14:49. . . . Prince George F Jansen Harkins broke the tie with his 16th goal at 4:50 of the second period. . . . D Brendan Guhle added insurance with his 12th goal just 15 seconds later. . . . Guhle and Boyd each added an assist. . . . The Oil Kings got 34 saves from G Patrick Dea. . . . Each team was 0-4 on the PP. . . . The Cougars (36-14-3) have won two in a row. They are alone atop the overall standings, two points ahead of the Regina Pats, who hold six games in hand. . . . The Oil Kings (18-28-4) have lost 11 straight games and are six points out of a playoff spot. . . . Both teams were playing for the third time in fewer than 48 hours. The Cougars went 2-1-0; the Oil Kings went 0-3-0. . . . Announced attendance: 6,827.
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At Everett, G Dylan Ferguson stopped 37 shots and F Lane Bauer had two goals as the Kamloops
LANE BAUER
Blazers skated to a 5-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Bauer, who has 29 shots. broke a 1-1 tie 25 seconds into the second period as the Blazers took control with three goals in a span of 4:27. . . . F Deven Sideroff (28) had given Kamloops a 1-0 lead at 10:34 of the first period. . . . Everett F Connor Dewar (10) tied it 11 seconds into the second period. . . . Bauer broke that tie just 14 seconds later. . . . F Nick Chyzowski’s 14th goal upped the Blazers’ lead to 3-1 at 3:54 and Bauer made it 4-1, while shorthanded, at 4:52. . . . Kamloops F Quinn Benjafield added more insurance with an empty-net goal at 11:37 of the third period. Yes, Everett head coach Kevin Constantine had his goaltender on the bench for the extra attacker with more than eight minutes to play. . . . F Garrett Pilon had two assists for the Blazers. . . . Bauer has 13 points, including four goals, in 10 games with Kamloops since coming over in a deal with the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Everett G Mario Petit was beaten three times on 17 shots in 23:54. Carter Hart came off the bench to stop 10 of 11 shots in 35:25. . . . Kamloops was 0-2 on the PP; Everett was 0-4. . . . Kamloops (31-17-3) has won two in a row. It is second in the B.C. Division, three points ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . The Silvertips (30-9-9) have lost four in a row (0-3-1). They lead the U.S. Division by six points over the Tri-City Americans. Everett has five games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 4,089.
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At Kent, Wash., F Ryan Gropp and F Keegan Kolesar each enjoyed four-point outings as the Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Tri-City Americans, 5-1. . . . The hosts scored the game’s first four goals to
RYAN GROPP
lead 4-0 before the second period was six minutes old. . . . Gropp, who finished with two goals and two assists, got it started 29 seconds into the first period. . . . Kolesar, who had a goal and three assists, made it 2-0 with No. 10 at 5:12. . . . F Mathew Barzal got his seventh goal at 4:17 of the second period and F Alexander True made it 4-0, on a PP, at 5:39. He’s got 16 goals. . . . Tri-City F Tyler Sandhu scored his 14th goal, on a PP, at 10:16. . . . Gropp scored his 13th goal into an empty net at 16:52 of the third period. . . . Seattle got two assists from D Austin Strand, while Barzal had one helper. . . . Americans D Parker Wotherspoon recorded one assist, the 133rd of his career. That gave him the franchise’s career record for most assists by a defenceman, with one more than Tyler Schmidt (2006-11). . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth stopped 19 shots, 15 fewer than Tri-City’s Beck Warm. . . . Seattle was 1-3 on the PP; Tri-City was 1-4. . . . The Thunderbirds (29-15-4) have won five in a row. They are third in the U.S. Division, one point behind Tri-City and with five games in hand. . . . The Americans (30-20-3) are six points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . . Each team was playing for the third time in fewer than 48 hours. That included Seattle’s 4-3 victory over host Tri-City on Friday. Seattle went 3-0-0 in the triple header weekend; the Americans were 1-2-0. . . . Announced attendance: 4,098.
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At Swift Current, the Prince Albert Raiders scored three PP goals to beat the Broncos, 3-2. . . . The third
MAX MARTIN
of those goals, from D Max Martin, snapped a 2-2 tie with 6.7 seconds left in the third period. Martin has six goals. . . . F Cavin Leth gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead with his 16th goal at 3:13 of the first period. . . . Leth is a Cy Young candidate with 16 goals and three assists in 44 games with Prince Albert since moving over from the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . He has goals in four of his last five games, including four in his last three outings. . . . F Kaden Elder (10) scored on a PP at 11:53 to get the Broncos even, and F Arthur Miller (6) counted at 11:46 of the second period for a 2-1 lead. . . . The Raiders tied it on F Curtis Miske’s 11th goal at 9:07 of the third period. . . . Martin and Miske also had an assist each. . . . G Nic Sanders stopped 27 shots to earn the victory over Jordan Papirny, who made 29 saves. . . . The Raiders were 3-7 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-3. . . . F Logan Barlage, the fourth overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft, played his second game of the season with the Broncos. He turned 16 on Jan. 7. . . . While the Raiders were playing their third game in fewer than 48 hours — they went 2-1-0 — the Broncos hadn’t played since the previous Sunday when they dropped a 6-3 decision to the host Saskatoon Blades. . . . Prince Albert (13-35-5) has won two straight. The Raiders remain in the WHL cellar but now are just one point behind the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Broncos (25-17-8) have dropped four in a row and remain third in the East Division. . . . Announced attendance: 2,106.
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At Victoria, F Tyler Soy scored four times and added an assist to lead the Royals to a 6-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Royals swept the triple header weekend from the Giants, having won 3-1 in
TYLER SOY
Langley, B.C., on Friday and 7-1 in Victoria on Saturday. . . . F Jack Flaman’s 12th goal 49 seconds into the game gave the Giants a 1-0 lead on Sunday. . . . The Royals took a 2-1 lead on goals from D Scott Walford (5) at 6:07 and Soy at 14:01. . . . Walford has goals in four straight games. . . . Vancouver tied it at 3:50 of the second period as F James Malm scored. . . . Soy, who has 24 goals, then scored three straight goals as the Royals took control. All three came via the PP — at 6:03 and 17:12 of the second period and 16 seconds into the third. . . . Victoria F Carter Folk added his fifth goal, on a PP, at 7:32 of the third period. . . . Malm closed out the scoring with his 17th goal, on a PP, at 10:39. . . . Soy, a 19-year-old from Cloverdale, B.C., has 50 points in 37 games. In his past eight games, he has scored seven times and added 10 assists. He is the third player in Royals history with a four-goal game, joining F Kevin Sundher (Oct. 29, 2011) and F Brandon Magee (Jan. 25, 2013). . . . F Matt Phillips, F Dante Hannoun, D Chaz Reddekopp and F Vladimir Bobylev each had two assists for Victoria. . . . The Giants got two assists from F Calvin Spencer. . . . D Ryan Gagnon, the Royals’ captain, played in his 300th regular-season game. . . . The Royals got 22 saves from Dylan Myskiw, who picked up his first career victory. Myskiw, who was injured before Christmas, was making his first appearance since Dec. 17 and only his second since Nov. 30. . . . G Griffen Outhouse had started the Royals’ previous 23 games as he set a franchise record. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic stopped 36 shots. . . . Victoria was 4-10 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-4. . . . The Royals (29-19-4) have won three straight games. They are third in the B.C. Division, four points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Giants (17-30-4) have lost five in a row (0-4-1). . . . Announced attendance: 5,866.
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MONDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina at Saskatoon, 11:30 a.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:54 PM
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Saturday, January 28, 2017

Player, family need our help ... Records for Harkins, Sandhu, Wotherspoon, Outhouse ... 'Hawks stun Rockets


F Blair Jones (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2002-06) has been released by the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). He had seven goals and 12 assists in 30 games.
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 Brevin Gervais, a fourth-round selection by the Calgary Hitmen in the 2015 bantam draft, underwent
BREVIN GERVAIS
emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops on Friday.
Gervais, a defenceman who also is a terrific baseball player, turned 17 on Jan. 15. From Prince George, he was playing with the junior B 100 Mile House Wranglers of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. The 6-foot-2, 17-pounder had two goals and eight assists in 36 games.
According to a Facebook posting that included a link to a gofundme site, Gervais underwent a nine-hour operation. The posting indicated that he “has shown great signs since then but still faces a long road to recovery.”
His family indicated that he “has opened eyes for a longer period of time and responded on both sides of body moving both legs and both hands.”
If you would like to help out the family cover travel expenses, the gofundme site is right here.
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D Cale Fleury of the Kootenay Ice was named Saturday as an injury replacement for the Top Prospects Game that is scheduled for Monday in Quebec City. From Calgary, Fleury is in his third season with the Ice. He has eight goals and 22 assists in 49 games. . . . Fleury replaces D Jarret Tyszka of the Seattle Thunderbirds, who was injured in a game on Tuesday and hasn’t played since then.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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The WHL didn’t schedule any games for Wednesday and Thursday of last week, but is playing right through the Top Prospects Game that is scheduled for Monday in Quebec City.
So if one of your favourite players isn’t in the lineup for the next day or three, it may have nothing to do with an injury.
The WHLers who are scheduled to play in the TPG: D Cale Fleury, Kootenay Ice; D Cal Foote, Kelowna Rockets; F Cody Glass, Portland Winterhawks; D Henri Jokiharju, Portland; F Jake Leschyshyn, Regina Pats; F Kole Lind, Kelowna; F Stelio Mattheos, Brandon Wheat Kings; D Artyom Minulin, Swift Current Broncos; F Nolan Patrick, Brandon; F Nikita Popugaev, Prince George Cougars; F Michael Rasmussen, Tri-City Americans; G Ian Scott, Prince Albert Raiders; G Stuart Skinner, Lethbridge Hurricanes; D Juuso Valimaki, Tri-City; and F Kailer Yamamoto, Spokane Chiefs.
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I stopped being a typical fan a long time ago. That’s what more than 40 years in sports journalism does to you. I can sit at home and watch a game and talk to the TV screen. But I can’t go to a game and watch live with anything but a critical eye. . . . In a piece right here at seattlepi.com, Jim Moore explains all of that and more.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Edmonton, F Jansen Harkins wrote his name in the Prince George Cougars’ record book during an 11-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Harkins drew three assists, the first of which allowed him to become
JANSEN HARKINS
Prince George’s all-time assists leader with No. 153. The previous record had been held by F Troy Bourke (2009-14). . . . F  Radovan Bondra gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 1:16 of the first period. . . . The Oil Kings tied it on D Will Warm’s eighth goal at 2:28. . . . The Cougars went back out front at 6:15 when F Jesse Gabrielle (23) scored, on a PP, at 6:15. . . . Edmonton tied it again, this time on a goal from F Tyler Robertson (12) at 14:14. . . . The Cougars then scored the next seven goals, including three more in the first period. . . . Bondra added another goal, giving him 25, while F Colby McAuley also scored twice. He’s got 18. D Tate Olson (6), F Brad Morrison (20), F Brogan O’Brien (9), F Kody McDonald (11) and D Josh Anderson (1) also scored. . . . The Cougars got two assists from each of D Sam Ruopp, McAuley, O’Brien, McDonald and F Jared Bethune. . . . Morrison picked up one assist, the 100th of his career. . . . F Graham Millar had two assists for Edmonton. . . . G Nick McBride blocked 19 shots in earning the victory. . . . The Oil Kings started G Patrick Dea, who was beaten eight times on 29 shots in two periods. Josh Dechaine gave up three goals on 15 shots in one period. . . . The Cougars went 4-4 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 1-3. . . . According to Corey Graham, the radio voice of the Oil Kings, it was the third time in franchise history that they have allowed 11 goals in one game. . . . The Cougars (35-14-3) are tied with Regina atop the overall standings, but the Pats have six games in hand. . . . The Oil Kings (18-27-4) have lost 10 in a row and haven’t won since the Jan. 10 trade deadline. They are six points out of a wld-card spot. . . . These same teams will meet again this afternoon in Edmonton. That may have had something to do with the teams combining for 106 penalty minutes, 65 to the Oil Kings. . . . Announced attendance: 9,321.
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At Kelowna, F Joachim Blichfeld scored at 19:56 of the third period to give the Portland Winterhawks a 5-4 victory over the Rockets. . . . Blichfeld, a freshman from Frederikshavn, Denmark, also had two assists.
JOACHIM BLICHFELD
The 18-year-old has 38 points, 16 of them goals, in 40 games. . . . The Rockets held a 4-1 lead early in the second period before Portland roared back. . . . F Nick Merkley (12) gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead at 2:53 of the first period, only to have F Colton Veloso tie it with his 12th goal, on a PP, at 3:58. . . . The Rockets got the next three goals, with D Gordie Ballhorn (2) scoring at 13:45 and F Kyle Topping (10) counting at 14:34. F Reid Gardiner got his third goal at 4:29 of the second period. . . . Merkley assisted on the last two of those goals. . . . F Skyler McKenzie started the comeback with his 31st goal, on a PP, at 8:34 of the second. . . . F Ryan Hughes (22) cut the deficit to one at 9:25 of the third period and F Jake Gricius (4) tied it at 12:51 of the third period. . . . McKenzie also had two assists, including one on the game-winner. The second one was his 100th career point. . . . McKenzie, who turned 19 on Jan. 20, has 59 points in 49 games. He went into this season with 41 points, including 12 goals, in 138 games. . . . G Shane Farkas, who turned 18 on Jan. 12, stopped 31 shots. The Penticton, B.C., native is 2-2-0. . . . The Rockets got 31 saves from G Michael Herringer. . . . Portland was 2-6 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-5. . . . The Winterhawks (25-21-3) have won three in a row. They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, five points ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Rockets (27-19-4) have lost two straight and have fallen to fourth in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Victoria Royals. Kelowna does hold down the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,318.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Jakob Stukel and D Jake Bean enjoyed four-point nights as the Calgary Hitmen
JAKOB STUKEL
dumped the Kootenay Ice, 8-3. . . . Stukel scored once, his 16th, and added three assists, while Bean recorded four assists. . . . The Hitmen actually fell behind 2-1 in the first period before opening the second period with four straight goals. . . . Calgary took a 1-0 lead when F Matteo Gennaro scored, on a PP, at 1:01. . . . F Vince Loschiavo and F Brett Davis (12) scored PP goals, at 9:20 and 11:18, to give the Ice that 2-1 edge. . . . Stukel tied it with another PP goal, at 1:19 of the second period and F Luke Coleman (10) gave Calgary the lead at 3:41. . . . Goals from F Andrew Fyten (5) at 4:23 and F Tyler Mrkonjic (5) at 10:50 put the visitors in control. . . . Loschiavo added another goal, his 18th, and also had an assist. . . . Gennaro ended up with two goals, giving him 31 this season. He has 21 goals in January. Last season, he totalled a career-high 18 goals in 42 games with the Prince Albert Raiders and 28 with Calgary. . . . F Beck Malenstyn (20) and F Mark Kastelic (9) also scored for the Hitmen. . . . Calgary got three assists from D Vladislav Yeryomenko, two from F Andrei Grishakov, and one each from Coleman and Mrkonjic. . . . F Colton Kroeker had two assists for the Ice, giving him five points in two games, while D Dallas Hines had two and Davis added one. . . . G Trevor Martin stopped 15 shots for Calgary. . . . Ice starter Jakob Walter allowed seven goals on 27 shots over 50:06, with Payton Lee stopping five of six shots over 9:54. . . . The Hitmen were 3-4 on the PP; the Ice was 3-6. . . . Calgary (18-21-9) had lost four in a row (0-1-3). It now is one point out of a wild-card spot. . . . The Ice slipped to 12-31-8. . . . Announced attendance: 1,783.
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At Medicine Hat, F Matt Bradley had a goal and two assists to help the Tigers to a 6-4 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Tigers had to overcome a 2-1 deficit in the latter part of the second p
MATT BRADLEY
eriod. . . . Medicine Hat took a 1-0 lead on F Mason Shaw’s 18th goal, at 2:13 of the first period. . . . Brandon took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Connor Gutenberg (11), on a PP, at 1:58 of the second and F Ty Lewis (23) at 13:05. . . . The Tigers tied it at 13:49 when F James Hamblin scored his 12th goal and took the lead at 19:33 on F Ryan Jevne’s goal. . . . Bradley upped the lead to 4-2 with his 21st goal, on a PP, at 3:46 of the third. . . . F Tanner Kaspick’s 16th goal, at 4:00, got Brandon to within a goal, but the Tigers put it away with goals from F Chad Butcher, his 22nd, at 16:50 and an empty-netter from Jevne, his second goal of the game and eighth of the season. . . . F Zach Russell (3) scored for Brandon at 19:08. . . . The Tigers got two assists from D Kristans Rubins. . . . The Tigers lost Hamblin and Shaw in the first period, both leaving while bleeding from facial injuries. . . . Hamblin, who was injured when he was checked and fell into the boards, returned. Shaw didn’t return after taking a skate to the face. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 18 shots for the Tigers, while Brandon’s Logan Thompson turned aside 29. . . . The Wheat Kings were 1-3 on the PP; the Tigers were 1-4. . . . Medicine Hat (34-15-1) has won three in a row and is tied with the Everett Silvertips for third place in the overall standings. . . . The Wheat Kings (23-19-5), who play their third game in fewer than 48 hours today in Calgary, have lost two in a row. They are in the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,732.
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At Prince Albert, F Cavin Leth tied the game and then set up the winning goal as the Raiders beat the Moose Jar Warriors, 5-4. . . . Moose Jaw overcame a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 lead, only to have Leth tie
CAVIN LETH
the score with his 15th goal, shorthanded, at 4:12 of the third period. . . . The Raiders won it when Leth set up F Cole Fonstand for his ninth goal, on a PP, at 13:35. . . . F Justin Almeida had given Moose Jaw a 1-0 lead at 4:12 of the first period. . . . Prince Albert responded with three straight goals. . . . F Parker Kelly (9) scored at 7:34 of the first period, with F Curtis Miske getting his 10th at 8:15. F Simon Stransky’s 14th goal, on a PP, 15 seconds into the second period gave the home said a 3-1 lead. . . . The Warriors skated to a 4-3 lead with goals from F Brayden Burke, his 16th, on a PP, at 4:03; Almeida, with his second of the game and sixth of the season, at 4:47, and F Thomas Foster (13), at 1:18 of the third period. . . . Stransky also had an assist. . . . Foster and Burke each had an assist for the Warriors. . . . The Raiders got 27 saves from G Nic Sanders. . . . Moose Jaw starter Brody Willms allowed three goals on 11 shots in 20:15. Zach Sawchenko finished up by stopping 12 of 14 shots in 38:26. . . . Prince Albert was 2-2 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 1-5. . . . The Raiders improved to 12-35-5. . . . The Warriors (30-13-7) had a four-game winning streak come to an end. They are second in the East Division. . . . Announced attendance: 2,023.
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At Red Deer, G Tyler Brown stopped 31 shots in leading the Pats to a 4-1 victory over the Rebels. . . . Brown earned his 20th victory — he is 20-4-6 — in his first appearance since Jan. 13. . . . The Pats
TYLER BROWN
scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Filip Ahl got it started with No. 22, on a PP, at 7:40 of the first period. . . . F Adam Brooks made it 2-0 with another PP goal, this one at 19:43. . . . Regina had a 17-4 edge in first-period shots. . . . Brooks scored again, giving him 28, at 3:17 of the second period. . . . Red Deer’s goal game from F Adam Musil, his 18th, on a PP, at 5:49 of the second. . . . F Wyatt Sloboshan got Regina’s last goal, his fifth, at 3:18 of the third. That was Sloboshan’s first goal in 11 games with the Pats since being acquired from the Spokane Chiefs on Jan. 2. . . . Sloboshan also had an assist. . . . The Rebels got 34 stops from G Lasse Petersen. . . . Regina was 2-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 1-5. . . . The Rebels lost D Alexander Alexeyev with an injury to his right leg in the third period. Later, Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ general manager and head coach, told reporters that “he’s in quite a bit of pain right now. I’m not sure exactly what it is. It doesn’t look good, though.” . . . Regina (33-6-7) has won four in a row and remains tied with the Prince George Cougars atop the overall standings. . . . The Rebels (22-21-7) had won their previous two games. They are third in the Central Division, six points ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Announced attendance: 5,505.
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At Saskatoon, F Jordy Bellerive scored two goals to help the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 3-1 victory over
JORDY BELLERIVE
the Blades. . . . The Hurricanes now have points in 10 straight games (8-0-2). . . . F Zak Zborosky’s 32nd goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 16:21 of the second period. . . . Bellerive made it 2-0 at 17:49. . . . The Blades got to within a goal when D Jake Kustra scored his first goal at 18:14. . . . That was Kustra’s second career goal and came in his 85th game. . . . Bellerive put it away with a shorthanded goal at 12:14 of the third period. He’s got 23 goals. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 27 shots for the Hurricanes as he improved to 4-2-2 this season. With G Stuart Skinner away at the Top Prospects Game, the Hurricanes didn’t list a backup goaltender on the online game sheet. . . . The Blades got 27 saves from G Logan Flodell. . . . Lethbridge was 0-4 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-7. . . . The Hurricanes (28-15-7) are a comfortable second in the Central Division. . . . The Blades (20-24-6) have lost two straight after winning five in a row. They are in the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot but hold only a one-point lead over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Announced attendance: 4,124.
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At Kent, Wash., D Ethan Bear scored at 18:51 of the third period to break a 2-2 tie and give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Everett, the league’s least-penalized team,
ETHAN BEAR
surrendered a 2-1 lead on two PP goals in the second half of the third period. . . . The Silvertips took a 1-0 lead when F Dominic Zwerger scored his 21st goal at 16:00 of the first period. . . . Seattle F Keegan Kolesar tied it at 3:56 of the second period. . . . Everett went back out front when F Patrick Bajkov got No. 21 at 15:20. . . . That lead held until 12:54 of the third period when Kolesar got his second goal of the game, and 10th of the season, tipping in a Bear shot on a PP. . . . Bear then won it with his 16th goal of the season. . . . F Mathew Barzal had three assists, while Kolesar had one. . . . Bajkov also had an assist. . . . Seattle G Matt Berlin, in his first start since Dec. 28, stopped 21 shots. . . . The Silvertips got 27 saves from G Carter Hart. . . . Seattle was 2-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-2. . . . The Thunderbirds (28-15-4) have won four straight. They are third in the U.S. Division, three points behind the Tri-City Americans and with five games in hand. . . . The Silvertips (30-8-9) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). They are tied for third in the overall standings, four points from the top rung. . . . F Dawson Butt, a 16-year-old from Buckley, Wash., played his second game with the Everett. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. Dawson is the son of Jamie Butt, who played four seasons (1992-96) with the Tacoma/Kelowna Rockets. . . . Announced attendance: 5,075.
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At Kennewick, Wash., D Dylan Coghlan and F Kyle Olson each had a goal and three assists as the Tri-City Americans skated to an 8-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Tri-City took control of this one with
TYLER SANDHU
three goals before the game was five minutes old. . . . Olson scored his 13th goal at 1:27 of the first period, with Coghlan getting No. 8 at 2:16 and D Parker Wotherspoon counting his eighth, while shorthanded, at 4:26. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s 24th goal got Spokane on the scoreboard at 5:59, but the Americans got that one back when F Vladislav Lukin scored his 20th goal at 9:36. . . . F Hudson Elynuik (18) pulled the Chiefs to within two at 9:00 of the second period, but F Jordan Topping restored the three-goal margin with his 14th just three minutes later. . . . Spokane F Eli Zummack (7) made it 5-3 at 16:44. . . . The Americans put it away with three third-period goals. . . . F Tyler Sandhu got his 13th goal, and his 200th career point, at 13:25. He has split 298 regular season games between Tri-City, the Everett Silvertips and Red Deer Rebels. . . . F Morgan Geekie (27) and F Vladislav Lukin (21) added goals before the period ended. . . . Geekie also had two assists, with Topping, Lukin and Wotherspoon picking up one apiece. . . . Wotherspoon’s assist was No. 132 in his career, tying him for first in the franchise’s record book with Tyler Schmidt (2006-11). . . . Anderson-Dolan and Elynuik had an assist each for Spokane. . . . G Rylan Parenteau blocked 35 shots for the Americans. . . . G Dawson Weatherill gave up six goals on 19 shots in 42:16 for the Chiefs, with Jayden Sittler stopping two of four shots in 17:44. . . . The Americans were 0-1 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-4. . . . Tri-City (30-19-3) had lost its previous two games. It is second in the U.S. Division, six points behind the Everett Silvertips, who have five games in hand. . . . Spokane (20-22-8) has lost three in a row (0-2-1) and is five points from a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,015.
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At Victoria, F Dante Hannoun and F Matt Phillips had two goals each to help the Royals to a 7-1 victory
DANTE HANNOUN
over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Royals had beaten the Giants, 3-1, in Langley, B.C., on Friday night. . . . They’ll play again today, 5:05 p.m., in Victoria. . . . F Jordan Borstmayer’s fourth goal gave the Giants a 1-0 lead at 12:58 of the first period. . . . Victoria scored the next seven goals. . . . Phillips tied it with No. 36 at 17:52 and Hannoun gave the home team a 2-1 lead with his 16th at 6:03 of the second period. . . . Phillips later got No. 37. He’s second in the WHL, one behind F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Royals also got goals from D Scott Walford (4), F Ethan Price (6) and F Carter Folk (4). . . . Victoria got two assists from each of D Chaz Reddekopp and F Regan Nagy, with Walford and Phillips adding one apiece. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 25 shots to pick up his WHL-leading 28th victory, one more than Nick Schneider of the Medicine Hat Tigers. He has started a franchise record 23 straight games. He broke the previous record (21), that had been held by Lucas Gore (Chilliwack Bruins, 2010-11). . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck turned aside 26 shots. . . . Victoria was 1-4 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Royals (28-19-4) have won two straight and have moved into third in the B.C. Division, three points behind the Kamloops Blazers and two ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Giants (17-29-4) have lost four in a row (0-3-1) and seven of eight since the trade deadline. . . . Announced attendance: 5,604.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Brandon at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Prince George at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Kamloops at Everett, 4:05 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
Prince Albert at Swift Current, 4 p.m.
Vancouver at Victoria, 5:05 p.m.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:37 PM
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