Pats lose their man of Steel . . . Sanford gets to 50 . . . T-Birds win in Kelowna

The Regina Pats have lost freshman F Sam Steel, 16, for the remainder of this season. Steel, from Sherwood Park, Alta., was the second overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . According to Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post: “Steel described the injury as a serious high-ankle sprain, noting that — although he didn’t sustain a fracture — the ligament damage was severe enough that it’s expected to keep him off the ice for about eight weeks.” . . . He suffered the injury during the second period of a game in Prince Albert on March 10. That is the game that was to have been played on Feb. 14 but was postponed due to inclement weather and poor road conditions. . . . Steel played 61 games, picking up 54 points, including 17 goals.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes will hold what they are calling an “informational and progress update” on March 30. The Hurricanes are about to finish out of the WHL playoffs for a sixth straight season. This was a season of more turmoil, too, as they fired general manager Brad Robson and head coach Drake Berehowsky, and brought in Peter Anholt as GM/head coach. . . . The Hurricanes are a community-owned team and shareholders are contemplating putting the franchise up for sale. . . . It should be noted, too, that the Hurricanes’ front office lost a key member this month when Esther Madziya, their efficient communications and public relations manager, left to join Hockey Canada as a co-ordinator of media relations.
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The Red Deer Rebels have signed D Ryan Pouliot, who turns 17 on May 26. Pouliot, from Horseshoe Bay, B.C., played this season with the major midget Vancouver-North West Giants. He also got into seven games with the BCHL’s Powell River Kings. . . . Pouliot ws an 11th-round pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2013 bantam draft. . . .
The junior B Kimberley Dynamiters, with what I think is the best nickname in all of hockey, will play for the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League championship for the first time. They will open the best-of-seven final at home against the Kamloops Storm on Saturday night. . . . The Dynamiters are coached by former Kootenay Ice assistant coach Jerry Bancks. . . . Ed Patterson, who has helped at times with the Kamloops Blazers, is the Storm’s head coach. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has more right here. . . .
G Jacob DeSerres (Seattle, Brandon, 2005-10) has signed an ATO (amateur tryout) with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. DeSerres, 25, played the past four seasons with the U of Calgary Dinos. He was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round of the NHL’s 2009 draft.
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When Chris Borland walked away from the San Francisco 49ers earlier this week, he left a whole lot of money on the table. Kenneth Arthur of Rolling Stone takes a look at that aspect of the linebacker’s retirement right here.
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THE WHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:

EAST DIVISION:
1. Brandon (2 games remaining) leads the overall standings by three points over Kelowna (2). The Wheaties last finished first overall in 1995-96. . . . The Wheat Kings will meet Edmonton, which will finish in the conference’s second wild-card spot, in the first round. . . . In Moose Jaw on Friday.
2. Regina (2) will finish second in division. Will meet third-place team in first round. . . . At home to Prince Albert on Friday.
3. Swift Current (2) leads Moose Jaw by two points. . . . In Lethbridge on Friday night.
4. Moose Jaw (2) is two points behind Swift Current. . . . Should the Broncos and Warriors end up tied, there would be a play-in game at the home of the team with the most victories. Swift Current has a 32-31 edge. . . . Moose Jaw entertains Brandon on Friday.
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CENTRAL DIVISION:
1. Calgary (2) won in OT at home last night to maintain a one-point lead over Medicine Hat. . . . Visits Kootenay on Friday.
2. Medicine Hat (2) won on the road last night to stay one point behind Calgary. . . . Each team has 43 victories. . . . In Saskatoon on Friday.
3. Red Deer (2) lost in OT in Calgary last night. . . . Will finish third in the division and meet the second-place team in the first round. . . . In Edmonton on Friday.
4. Kootenay (2) wrapped up the conference’s first wild-card spot with a victory last night. . . . Will meet the division’s first-place team in the first round. . . . At home to Calgary on Friday in what could be a first-round preview.
5. Edmonton (2) will finish in the conference’s second wild-card spot, meaning a first-round date with Brandon. . . . At home to Red Deer on Friday.
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B.C. DIVISION:
1. Kelowna (2) lost at home in OT last night and now trails Brandon by three points in the race for first place in the overall standings. The first tiebreaker is victories and Brandon has the edge (52-51) at the moment. . . . In Vancouver on Friday.
2. Victoria (2) will finish second and meet the division’s third-place team in the first round. . . . At home to Everett on Friday.
3. Prince George (2) is four points ahead of Kamloops. . . . Beat visiting Kamloops last night. . . . The same teams play Friday in Prince George and Saturday in Kamloops. . . . Prince George needs one point to clinch a playoff spot.
4. Kamloops (2) has two playoff options. It is four points behind Prince George in the division and is tied with Tri-City (3) for the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . In Prince George on Friday and at home to the Cougars on Saturday.
5. Vancouver (2) is four points out of the conference’s second wild-card spot but has only two games remaining, both against Kelowna. . . . At home to the Rockets on Friday.
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U.S. DIVISION:
1. Portland (3) won in Spokane last night to move into a tie with Everett for first place. Portland has the tiebreaker with more victories, 42-41. . . . Will visit the Tri-City Americans on Friday.
2. Everett (3) is tied with Portland. . . . Will play in Victoria on Friday.
3. Seattle (2) won in Kelowna last night and will finish third in the division and will meet the second-place team in the first round. . . . In Spokane on Friday.
4. Spokane (3) is locked into the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . At home to Seattle on Friday.
5. Tri-City (3) is tied with Kamloops for the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . At home to Portland on Friday.
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IF THE WHL PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:

Eastern Conference
Brandon vs. Edmonton
Calgary vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Medicine Hat vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Kelowna vs. Tri-City/Kamloops
Portland vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Prince George
Everett vs. Seattle
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Prince Albert, F Curtis Sanford scored his 50th goal of the season to help the Medicine Hat Tigerfs to a 6-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . Sanford, 19, has career highs in goals (50), assists (43) and points (93). Last season, he had 73 points, including 33 goals, in 72 games. . . . He is the second WHLer with 50 goals this season, behind only Portland Winterhawks F Oliver Bjorkstrand, who has 58. . . . The Tigers scored the game’s first three goals and five of the first six as they cruised to victory. . . . Sanford also had an assist. . . . F Steve Owre and F Dryden Hunt each had a goal and an assist for the Tigers. Owre has 19 goals; Hunt has 32. . . . The Raiders saluted Duane Bartley, their veteran trainer and equipment manager, prior to the game. He worked his 1,000th WHL game on Sunday in Medicine Hat. Bartley is in his 14th WHL season. . . . Medicine Hat (43-23-4) is 2-0-1 in its last three games. . . . Prince Albert slid to 29-37-4. . . .

In Calgary, F Connor Rankin scored at 3:59 of OT to give the Hitmen a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Rankin, who also had an assist, has 32 goals. . . . Red Deer D Colton Bobyk opened the scoring with his fifth goal at 14:19 of the second period. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini tied it with his 47th at 8:06 of third. . . . D Travis Sanheim gave the Hitmen a 2-1 lead with No. 14 at 11:24. . . . Red Deer F Riley Sheen forced OT with his 22nd goal at 17:02. . . . Sanheim and Tambellini each had an assist. . . . Red Deer was 0-for-6 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-3. . . . The Hitmen (43-22-5) have won three straight. . . . The Rebels (37-22-11) lead the WHL in loser points. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Kootenay Ice erased a 1-0 deficit with five straight goals and went on to beat the Hurricanes, 6-3. . . . F Jamal Watson gave the home side a 1-0 lead with his 25th goal at 4:06 of the first period. . . . Ice F Zak Zborosky, who had two goals and two assists, tied it at 8:38 of the first and F Jaedon Descheneau gave the Ice the lead with his 33rd goal at 7:37 of the second, via a PP. . . . Zborosky, who had gone 15 games without a goal, now has 18 goals. . . . Descheneau later scored his 34th goal and he also had an assist. . . . D Tyler King had two assists for the Ice. . . . D Brady Reagan scored his second goal and added an assist for Lethbridge. . . . Kootenay G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 18 shots in his 65th appearance this season. That ties the franchise record set by Mackenzie Skapski in 2012-13. . . . The Ice (37-29-4) has won four straight. . . . The Hurricanes (20-42-8) have lost six straight. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story right here. . . .

In Prince George, the Cougars built up a 3-0 lead and then withstood a furious Kamloops rally to beat the Blazers, 4-2. . . . F Zach Pochiro, with his 19th, and F Colby McAuley, with his fourth, gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead before the game was four minutes old. . . . F Brad Morrison scored his 23rd at 15:15 of the second for a 3-0 lead. . . . Kamloops F Logan McVeigh got his guys on the board with his ninth goal at 1:11 of the third period. . . . D Ryan Rehill scored his seventh at 8:36 to get Kamloops to within one. . . . Cougars F Chase Witala iced it with his 38th, into an empty net, at 19:42. . . . Witala and Pochiro also had an assist apiece. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 40 shots, 12 more than Prince George’s Ty Edmonds. . . . The Cougars were 0-for-2 on the PP; the Blazers’ PP unit didn’t get off the bench. . . . Prince George (30-35-5) has won two in a row. . . . The Blazers (27-36-7) have lost two straight. . . .

In Kelowna, F Lane Pederson’s goal at 3:08 of OT gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . Pederson has eight goals. . . . D Evan Wardley gave Seattle a 1-0 lead with his sixth goal at 18:06 of the first period. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier scored his 48th goal at 1:27 of the second. . . . Seattle regained the lead at 14:32 of the second, on a PP, as F Cory Millette scored his 22nd goal. . . . The Rockets forced the extra period when F Dillon Dube scored his 17th goal, via the PP, at 7:20 of the third. . . . Seattle (36-25-9) has won its last two games. . . . Kelowna (51-13-6) has lost two in a row (1-0-1). . . .

In Spokane, D Adam Henry had three goals and an assist to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 7-4 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Henry has 11 goals after his first career hat trick. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and three assists. He lead the WHL in goals (58) and points (112), all in 56 games. . . . F Nic Petan scored his 14th goal and added two assists for Portland, while F Chase De Leo and F Keegan Iverson each had a goal and an assist. De Leo has 38 goals; Iverson has 14. . . . Portland F Evan Weinger had two assists. . . . F Calder Brooks scored his 23rd goal and added an assist for Spokane, which got two assists from F Liam Stewart. . . . Portland took a 3-2 lead into the second period, after F Riley Whittingham’s 18th goal got Spokane to within one, and then scored the next three goals, two of them late in the second period. . . . F Adam Helewka scored his 41st goal for the Chiefs. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 43 shots, 14 more than Spokane’s Garret Hughson. . . . Portland was 2-for-5 on the PP; Spokane was 2-for-4. . . . Portland (42-21-6) is 7-1-2 in its last 10. . . . Spokane (34-31-4) has lost two in a row.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Red Deer at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Regina, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Calgary vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Everett at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Lethbridge at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Spokane vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
——

SUNDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Kootenay at Calgary, 2 p.m.
Tri-City at Portland, 5 p.m.
Everett at Spokane 5:05 p.m.
END OF REGULAR SEASON

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Portland finally lands Koules, also trims goaltender . . . Blazers add two coaches

Don't be looking for anything here for the next two or three days. We are heading for the hinterland where Internet coverage has been known to be awfully spotty -- in other words, keeping the laptop in the bag lowers the frustration level!
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The Seattle Thunderbirds added a key component to their roster on Sunday when the Montreal Canadiens returned D Evan Wardley, 20, to the WHL team. . . . Wardley's arrival left Seattle with four 20-year-olds, the others being F Justin Hickman, D Adam Henry and G Taran Kozun. . . . That was one over the limit, but the Thunderbirds dealt with that situation on Monday, as we shall see.
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With his Saskatoon Blades at 0-4, freshman general manager/head coach Bob Woods said on Sunday that no one in the organization is hitting the panic button. But he told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that the team isn't through making changes, explaining that he wanted to add a 20-year-old defenceman before Oct. 15.
On Monday, the Blades acquired that 20-year-old defenceman, getting Adam Henry from the Seattle Thunderbirds. By day's end, the Blades had traded away two defencemen, acquired one (Henry) and released two other players.
The Blades dealt D Turner Ottenbreit, 17, to Seattle for Henry.
Henry, from Winnipeg, turns 20 on Nov. 24. He was a third-round selection by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2009 bantam draft. Since then, he has played 176 regular-season games and has put up 76 points, 16 of them goals. The Hurricanes traded him to Seattle early last season; he recorded 38 points, seven of them goals, in 64 games with the Thunderbirds.
Ottenbreit, from Yorkton, Sask., was a 12th-round selection by the Blades in the 2012 bantam draft. The 6-foot-4, 180-pounder was pointless in 10 games with the Blades last season. This season, he has one goal in two games. He looked wobbly on Friday night after taking two shots to the chin from Brandon Wheat Kings F Jesse Gabrielle during a scrap and then was scratched from Saturday's game in Moose Jaw against the Warriors.
Henry's arrival leaves the Blades with three 20-year-olds, the others being F Sam McKechnie, another former Hurricanes player whom Saskatoon acquired from Seattle last week, and F Brett Stovin.
F Chase Clayton, 20, who had been on the Blades' roster, was one of the players released yesterday. From Abbotsford, Clayton also has played with the Calgary Hitmen. In 245 regular-season games, he has 84 points, including 32 goals. He was pointless in four games this season, after putting up 11 goals and 11 assists in 58 games with Saskatoon last season.
Also being released by Saskatoon was D Tyler Dea, a 19-year-old from St. Albert, Alta. He has three assists in 37 career games; he was pointless in two games this season.
Meanwhile, the Blades dealt D Ayrton Nikkel, 19, to the Swift Current Broncos for D Cole Bevan, 18, and a seventh-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft.
Bevan, a 6-foot-1, 208-pounder from Cloverdale, B.C., has two assists in 18 regular-season games with the Broncos. He was a 10th-round pick in the 2011 draft.
Nikkel, from Kelowna, also has played with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Everett Silvertips. He was pointless in three games with the Blades this season. In 173 career regular-season games, he has 34 points, including eight goals. A native of Kelowna, he was a second-round pick of the Blades in the 2010 bantam draft.
On Sunday, the Montreal Canadiens released F Nikita Scherbak from their training camp roster and he joined the Everett Silvertips. That completes the deal in which Scherbak moved to Everett from the Blades. Everett gave up G Nik Amundrud, 17, a first-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft and a second-rounder in 2016. The draft picks had been conditional on Scherbak being assigned to Everett.
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The Spokane Chiefs have acquired F Calder Brooks, 20, from the Prince Albert Raiders for a fifth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . From Emerald Park, Sask., Brooks was an eighth-round pick by the Calgary Hitmen in the 2009 bantam draft. The Raiders acquired him from Calgary midway through last season. In 144 regular-season games, he has 68 points, including 26 goals. This season, he has a goal and an assist in two games. . . . The move leaves the Raiders with three 20s -- D Sawyer Lange, F Dakota Conroy and F Jayden Hart, who turns 20 on Dec. 14. . . . The Chiefs' roster now features four 20s, with Brooks joining F Connor Chartier, F Marcus Messier and F Liam Stewart.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers have traded F Miles Koules, 20, to the Portland Winterhawks for a fourth-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. . . . Koules, from Los Angeles, had played 141 regular-season games with the Tigers, putting up 92 points, including 45 goals. Last season, he had 51 points, 25 of them goals, in 70 games. He has one goal in two games this season. He is the son of former WHLer Oren Koules (Portland, Great Falls Americans, Medicine Hat, Spokane Flyers, Calgary, Brandon, 1979-82). . . . If you are wondering who has Koules family bragging rights, Dad had 154 points, including 60 goals, in 179 regular-season games. . . . “It’s hard," Miles told Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News. "When you’re an older guy, you’re a leader and you just have to be up front and show the young guys that things are good. . . . But it’s alright, it’s good news to be going to a great team like that, but the Tigers are a great team as well.” . . . Originally, Koules's WHL rights were held by the Everett Silvertips. They dealt him to Medicine Hat for F Reid Petryk at the trade deadline during the 2011-12 season. Before that deal was made, there had been speculation that Koules would end up with Portland. . . . It is believed that Portland tried hard to acquire Koules, but that Doug Soetaert, then Everett's GM, wouldn't move him within the U.S. Division. . . . The Winterhawks now are carrying four 20s -- Koules, D Josh Hanson, F Travis McEvoy and D Joshua Smith, who turns 20 on Oct. 10. . . . It also is interesting that the Winterhawks' 27-man roster now includes 14 American-born players, although both those numbers will change on Tuesday (see next item). . . . The Tigers' roster now includes three 20s -- D Tyler Lewington, who will be 20 on Dec. 5, D Kyle Becker and G Marek Langhamer.
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The Portland Winterhawks got down to two goaltenders on Monday as they assigned Michael Bullion to the NAHL's Wenatchee, Wash., Wild. . . . Bullion, 17, is from Anchorage, Alaska. He played one regular-season game with Portland, giving up five goals on 33 shots. . . . Bullion, who split last season between the junior A Toronto Jr. Canadiens and the midget AAA Toronto Marlboros, was a ninth-round selection by the Winterhawks in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . The move leaves Portland with veteran Brendan Burke and newcomer Adan Hill, 18, as its goaltenders. Hill, from Calgary, was 4-0-0/1.65/.934 in four games last season with the Winterhawks; this season, he is 0-2-0/3.98/.905.
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The Kootenay Ice has released F Shane Allan, who turns 17 on Dec. 19, and D Mark O'Shaughnessy, 17. Allan will play for the midget AAA Calgary Royals, while O'Shaugnessy joins the BCHL's Vernon Vipers. . . . The Ice also released Russian F Alexander Chirva, 18. Chirva had six points, two of them goals, in 58 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors last season. This season, he had one goal in three games with the Ice. . . .After Chirva was released by the Warriors, the Ice selected him in the 2014 CHL import draft. . . . Kootenay is left with one import player, but Rssian D Rinat Valiev, who turns 19 on Oct. 5, is out for up to four weeks with an undisclosed injury. . . . Kootenay is carrying 23 players, including eight defencemen and 13 forwards. Included are two 20-year-olds -- F Levi Cable and F Austin Vetterl. . . . Asked about Chirva by Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman, Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth responded: "First of all, we expected more. Secondly, with some of our younger players, they might be behind him at this point, but by Christmas time they would be ahead of him and he’s taking ice time away from some of those younger players.” . . . As for having an import opening and a 20-year-old opening, Chynoweth told Rocca: “We’re just going to play it out. . . . We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks. As teams start to play more games and their numbers get set there’s going to be more players available. Whether they’re 20-year-olds or import players, there’s going to be some options to look at.” . . . The Ice also holds the rights to F Tim Bozon, 20, who is with the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs and G Mackenzie Skapski (AHL-Hartford Wolf Pack). . . . Rocca's story is right here.
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Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that Warriors D Austin Adam, who suffered a shoulder injury in a Saturday game, doesn't need surgery, but still might miss eight weeks. . . . Gourlie's story is right here.
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Bob McKenzie of TSN takes an early look right here at some players who remain in NHL camps but still are being watched closely by Canada's national junior team. That includes F Curtis Lazar of the Edmonton Oil Kings, who is having a solid camp with the NHL's Ottawa Senators.
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Larry Brooks of the New York Post has been watching with interest as NHL teams have been hiring numbers people who specialize in analytics. But, he wonders "why there isn’t more information available to an inquiring, inquisitive and educated public than exists in any forum that hasn’t been bought and paid for by NHL teams?" . . . Could it be that hockey has its head in the sand when it comes to marketing statistics to fans? . . . Brooks' piece is right here.
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The 42nd anniversary of Paul Henderson's winning goal in Game 8 of the Summit Series came and went on Sunday. Right here is a piece that Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun wrote two years ago, providing some inside info on the series.
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The Portland Winterhawks slipped to 0-5 as they were swept in a weekend doubleheader by the visiting Everett Silvertips. The Winterhawks are 0-5 for the first time since 1999-2000. . . .The Kamloops Blazers have added Terry Bangen and Chris Murray as part-time assistant coaches. Bangen, who also is an assistant coach with the UBC Thunderbirds, spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Blazers under head coaches Tom Renney and Don Hay. Murray played three seasons (1991-94) with the Blazers and was on two Memorial Cup-winning teams. He works full-time as a member of the Kamloops Fire Department. . . .
The Victoria Royals have signed G Griffen Outhouse, 16, who was added to their list in 2013. Outhouse, from Williams Lake, B.C., is playing for the major midget Cariboo Cougars, who play out of Prince George. He played last season with the POE U-16 team, going 2.88/.882 in 12 appearances. . . . Kamloops Blazers D Patrik Maier has been suspended for three games for a Friday night headshot on Victoria F Axel Blomqvist. Maier sat out Saturday's rematch in Victoria, which the Royals won 4-3 in OT. Blomqvist missed that game and Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Giants in Vancouver. . . .
Victoria D Ryan Gagnon was given a two-game suspension for a charging major he incurred in Friday's game against visiting Kamloops. He served his suspension by missing Saturday and Sunday games. . . . D Riley Hillis of the Tri-City Americans will sit for two games after being hit with a clipping major and game misconduct at Spokane on Saturday, while Chiefs D Tamas Laday got a one-game suspension for a charging major and game misconduct in the same game. . . . The major midget Okanagan Rockets' Twitter account revealed Monday that D Nolan Kneen will make his WHL debut with the host Kamloops Blazers against the Swift Current Broncos on Wednesday. Kneen, from North Vancouver, was the third-overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft.
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Exciting team but still bad crowds for the #WHLGiants at the Pacific Coliseum.
— News1130 Sports (@News1130Sports) September 29, 2014

Just wondering how long owner Ron Toigo will be patient, he's lost lots of money the last 2 years.
— News1130 Sports (@News1130Sports) September 29, 2014

Can't see Toigo staying at Coliseum long term, if crowds don't improve.
— News1130 Sports (@News1130Sports) September 29, 2014

Winterhawks' streak reaches 16! Royals win on road -- again!!

SUNDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Kamloops at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
Prince George at Seattle, 5:05 p.m.
Everett at Spokane, 5:05 p.m.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, the Victoria Royals scored two late goals and beat the Raiders, 5-4. . . . The Royals, who won their 40th game of the season, have won seven straight away from home. Victoria is 20-6-1 on the road. . . . Royals D Travis Brown tied the game with a PP goal at 9:49 of the third, and F Jack Walker won it at 14:54. Brown has 12 goals; Walker has five. . . . F Brandon Magee had three assists for the Royals, who opened a five-game East Division swing, while D Joe Hicketts and F Axel Blomqvist each had two. The Broncos will play in all East Division cities with the exception of Swift Current. Victoria beat the host Broncos 4-3 in OT on Dec. 12. . . . F Leon Draisaitl and F Collin Valcourt each had three assists for the Raiders, who had taken a 4-3 lead on F Dakota Conroy’s 22nd goal at 5:21 of the third. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 22 shots in earning his 20th victory. . . . The Royals, who are 10-0-2 in their last 12 outings, are thrd in the Western Conference, five points behind the Portland Winterhawks and five ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Raiders (26-28-4) are four points out of the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Regina, F Glenn Gawdin scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Swift Current Broncos a 4-3 victory over the Pats. . . . Regina F Dyson Stevenson forced OT with a PP goal at 5:42 of the third period. He’s got 26 goals. . . . F Colby Cave scored twice -- he’s got 27 -- for the Broncos, at 16:37 of the second and 42 seconds into the third, as they took a 3-2 lead. . . . F Graham Black got his 29th goal for the Broncos. . . . Swift Current G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 46 shots, 16 more than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . The Broncos were 1-for-1 on the PP; the Pats were 1-for-5. . . . The Broncos (29-22-8) got two points for the victory, while Regina (30-22-6) got the loser point. The outcome left the teams tied for first place in the East Division. . . . After the game, Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Broncos, tweeted that Broncos F Nate Burns “left the game hurt at the end of regulation. Hopefully it's not serious.” . . .

In Brandon, F Jaedon Descheneau scored his 37th goal and added three assists as the Kootenay Ice skated to a 5-2 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart had a goal, his 31st, and an assist as he ran his point streak to 17 games, the second-longest active streak in the WHL. . . . Brandon has lost five in a row. . . . Kootenay had won 3-2 in OT in Brandon on Friday night. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon scored his 100th regular-season goal in his 198th game. It was his 28th of the season and came into an empty net at 19:32 of the third period. . . . Six of the goals were scored in the first period. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock had given his side a 1-0 lead with his 17th goal at 2:43. Pulock has 58 career goals, three shy of Brad McCrimmon’s franchise record for a defenceman. . . . Ice F Luke Philp got his 25th at 4:02 and the Ice went on to get goals from Reinhart, Descheneau and F Austin Vetterl, his 11th (shorthanded), before the period ended. . . . Ice D Landon Peel helped out with two assists. . . . The Wheat Kings were able to dress only 16 skaters as they scratched five injured regulars -- F Rihards Bukarts, F Jayce Hawryluk, D Rene Hunter, F Richard Nejezchleb and F John Quenneville. . . . The Ice (33-22-4) is fifth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-23-8) are two points behind Regina and Swift Current. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Adam Tambellini scored three times to lead the Calgary Hitmen to an 8-1 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Hitmen have won six in a row. . . . Tambellini has 24 points, including 12 goals, in 18 games since leaving the U of North Dakota and joining the Hitmen. Eight of his goals have come over his last six games. . . . Calgary D Alex Roach scored twice, giving him four goals in his last two games after he had gone 17 games without a goal. He’s got eight on the season. . . . D Travis Sanheim added three assists for Calgary. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart had an assist, giving him a career-high nine-game point streak. . . . With No. 1 G Chris Driedger serving a team-issued suspension, G Mack Shields stopped 29 shots. . . . The Hitmen were 4-for-8 on the PP, and held a 47-30 edge in shots. . . . Lethbridge D Macoy Erkamps took a kneeing major and game misconduct at 6:38 of the third period. . . . The Hitmen were without D Jaynen Rissling, who drew a TBD suspension under supplemental discipline after a game against the visiting Saskatoon Blades on Friday night. . . . Calgary (38-15-6) is tied with the idle Edmonton Oil Kings atop the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. The Oil Kings (40-14-2) hold three games in hand. . . . Lethbridge (12-43-5) is back in the WHL cellar, .004 behind the Kamloops Blazers. . . .

In Red Deer, the Saskatoon Blades scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Rebels, 4-1. . . . F Conner Bleackley scored his 26th of the season for the Rebels at 6:32 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon F Chase Clayton tied it with his eighth goal at 11:20 and F Ryan Graham gave the Blades the lead at 18:53, via the PP. . . . Graham finished with two goals, giving him nine this season. . . . Saskatoon G Troy Trombley stopped 41 shots. . . . Les Lazaruk, the play-by-play voice of the Blades, called his 1,500th WHL game. . . . The Blades (16-39-5) are 11th in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Rebels (28-27-4) hold down the conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Curtis Valk ran his point streak to 18 games as the Tigers beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-1. . . . Valk scored his 34th goal, just 16 seconds into the first period, and later added an assist. . . . F Josh Winquist of the Everett Silvetips had an 18-game point streak earlier in the season. Those are the longest streaks in the WHL this season. . . . The single-season record? F Jeff Nelson of the Prince Albert Raiders had a 56-game streak in 1990-91. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider turned aside 29 shots. He is 3-0 with the Tigers, who acquired him from the Regina Pats in January. . . . Medicine Hat F Trevor Cox scored his 20th goal. . . . The Warriors were without F Scott Cooke, who completed a two-game WHL suspension. . . . The Tigers (36-20-3) have won four straight and are fourth in the Eastern Conference, five points ahead of Kootenay. . . . The Warriors (15-34-8) are 10th. . . .

In Kamloops, F Cole Ully scored in OT to give the Blazers a 4-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Ully’s goal, at 3:27 of extra time, snapped the Blazers’ 11-game losing streak. . . . In regulation time, the Cougars erased 2-0 and 3-1 deficits. . . . F Mitch Friesen scored his first WHL goal for the Blazers. He started the season with them, but has been playing for the junior B Kamloops Storm. . . . Ully’s 27th goal, at 17:50 of the second period, had given Kamloops a 3-1 edge. . . . Kamloops D Edson Harlacher had one assist and was plus-3. . . . F Todd Fiddler, with his 38th goal of the season, shorthanded, got the Cougars to within one and F Troy Bourke, with his 24th, tied it at 4:10. . . . Fiddler also had two assists. . . . The Blazers won’t play at home again until March 12 as the Tim Hortons Brier, the Canadian men’s curling championship, takes over the Interior Savings Centre. The Blazers have 13 games remaining in their regular season and only two of them are at home. . . . Kamloops (12-42-5) now has a .246 winning percentage, just ahead of the cellar-dwelling Lethbridge Hurricanes (.242). . . . The Cougars (24-29-8) are four points out of the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Vancouver, the Portland Winterhawks set a franchise record as they beat the Giants, 7-4. . . . The Winterhawks, who broke open a scoreless game with five second-period goals, now have won 16 straight games, breaking the franchise record that had been shared by the 1979-80 and 1997-98 teams. . . . The Kelowna Rockets also won 16 straight games this season. . . . Portland next plays on Tuesday when it entertains the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Winterhawks’ last regulation loss occurred Jan. 4 when they were beaten 3-2 by the visiting Victoria Royals. Six days later, Portland dropped a 3-2 shootout decision in Victoria. . . . Portland led this one 6-0 when F Nic Petan scored his 32nd goal, on a PP, just 34 seconds into the third period. Petan also had an assist and now leads the WHL, with 100 points, three more than Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg, who had four-point night. . . . Petan also has a 12-game assist streak, tying him with F Leon Draisaitl of the Prince Albert Raiders for the longest this season. Petan has 16 assists in the 12 games, exactly what Draisaitl put up. . . . Portland F Dominic Turgeon had a goal, his 10th, and two assists, while F Alex Schoenborn also had a goal, his 16th, and two helpers. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand helped out with three assists, while F Paul Bittner scored his 20th goal. . . . F Tim Traber scored twice for Vancouver, giving him 12 goals this season. . . . Prior to the game, the Giants inducted F Brendan Gallagher, their all-time leading scorer, into their Ring of Honour. . . . The Winterhawks went 4-0 on a swing into the B.C. Division. They won twice in Prince George and once in Kamloops. . . . Portland (42-12-5) is seven points behind the Kelowna Rockets, who lead the overall standings. . . . Vancouver (27-23-10) has lost five in a row and is tied for sixth with the Everett Silvertips in the Western Conference. . .

In Everett, the Seattle Thunderbirds scored two third-period goals and beat the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . With the victory, Seattle clinched a Western Conference playoff spot. . . . F Russell Maxwell tied the game at 1:39 of the third and F Adam Henry won it at 9:03. Maxwell has 13 goals; Henry has seven. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist scored his 37th goal on a first-period PP. That was his 200th career point. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 27 shots, including all 11 he faced in the third period. . . . Attendance was 7,579. . . . The Thunderbirds were fined $750 for their role in a line brawl with the visiting Tri-City Americans on Friday night. It was Seattle’s second such incident this season. . . . Seattle (37-17-5) is fourth in the Western Conference, five points behind Victoria and eight ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Everett (28-22-8) is tied with Vancouver for sixth. . . .

In Spokane, G Eric Williams recorded the shutout and F Mitch Holmberg, who was playing in his 300th regular-season game, had four points as the Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans, 7-0. . . . Williams stopped 16 shots in posting his third shutout this season and the ninth of his career. . . . Holmberg had two goals, giving him a WHL-leading 49, and two assists. He now has 97 points, three behind Portland F Nic Petan, who leads the scoring race. . . . Spokane D Reid Gow had three assists. He has 46 assists in 51 games; he finished last season with a career-high 44 in 64 games. . . . Gow has 51 points this season, equalling his total from last season. . . . Chiefs F Adam Helewka scored his 20th goal. . . . The Chiefs are 7-1-1 against the Americans this season. The teams will meet three more times before season’s end. . . . Tri-City F Jessey Astles was assessed a headshot major and game misconduct at 19:26 of the second period. . . . The Americans drew a $500 fine for their part in a line brawl with the host Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday night. It was Tri-City’s first such incident this season. . . . Spokane (33-20-5) is fifth in the Western Conference, eight points behind Seattle. . . . Tri-City (27-26-6) is eighth, four points ahead of Prince George.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Saskatoon Blades D Dylan Busenius (@OnTheBus_2): “Huge congrats to @Bladesvoice for calling his 1500th game! Massive milestone glad I could be apart of it. #bestofthebest”
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From Kamloops Blazers F Mitch Friesen (@freezer_96), who scored his first WHL goal last night: “Holy cow is this real life? I scored a goal!! #btown”
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From Tbird Tidbits (@TBirdTidbits): “Getting third star tonight in Everett, Taran Kozun (@KingTarzan49) has been 1 of the games 3 stars in 9 out of his 13 starts with Seattle.”

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Padakin does it again

SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, the Hitmen scored three second-period goals and went on to beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-1. . . . F Pavel Padakin scored the game’s first goal, the Teddy Bear Goal, at 3:42 of the second period. He also got that goal a year ago and now is the first player in franchise history with two such scores. . . . Attendance was 17,199 and they tossed 25,921 stuffed toys onto the ice. According to the Hitmen, that total is 998 shy of their record total from 2007 . . . . F Greg Chase scored twice for Calgary, giving him 16 on the season, while D Alex Roach had two assists. . . . Padakin’s goal was his seventh. . . . Padakin almost certainly will be hearing from the WHL office, after he took a slashing major and game misconduct at game’s end. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Edmonton Oil Kings opened up a 2-0 lead and went on to beat the Hurricanes, 3-2. . . . Edmonton had beaten host Lethbridge 2-1 on Friday night. . . . F Edgars Kulda’s eighth goal, at 13:26 of the second period, via the PP, gave the visitors a 3-1 lead. . . . Lethbridge F Reid Duke got his side to within one with a PP goal at 11:18 of the third. It was his second goal. . . . Hurricanes D Nick Walters played in his 200th regular-season WHL game. . . . The Hurricanes (3-22-4) have won just once in their last 17 outings. . . . Edmonton has won three in a row. . . .

In Spokane, the Seattle Thunderbirds outshot the Chiefs 46-29 as they cruised to a 5-1 victory. . . . D Adam Henry had a goal and two assists for Seattle, which got two assists from D Shea Theodore. . . . Seattle was 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . The Thunderbirds had a 5-0 lead before F Riley Whittingham scored for the Chiefs at 11:27 of the third. . . . Seattle G Justin Myles stopped 28 shots. . . . The Thunderbirds (16-9-4) have won four in a row and are tied with the Chiefs (17-10-2) for fifth spot in the Western Conference. . . . The Chiefs have lost three in a row and four of five. . . . Spokane was without D Reid Gow, its captain, after he suffered an undisclosed injury in a Saturday game. . . . Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg, who leads the WHL in goals (30) and points (64), was held without a point for the second game in a row. He has played 29 games this season and has points in 25 of them. . . .

In Portland, F Nic Petan struck for four goals and added an assist, leading the Winterhawks to a 6-5 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . F Brendan Leipsic drew five assists for Portland, which held a 53-16 edge in shots. . . . The Blades are 0-3 in the U.S. Division. . . . Petan, who didn’t get his first goal until 15:37 of the second period, has 19 scores this season. . . . The Blades led 4-1 when Petan scored his first goal. . . . Portland scored six goals but only five players picked up points. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand had two goals, giving him 23, and added an assist. He broke a 5-5 tie at 19:40 of the third. . . . F Nathan Burns and F Matt Revel each scored twice and added an assist for the Blades. Burns has 14 goals; Revel has nine. . . . F Nikita Scherbak had four assists and was plus-4 for Saskatoon. . . . Petan now has 60 points, just four behind WHL scoring leader Mitch Holmberg of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Holmberg also leads the WHL in goals (30), while Petan leads in assists (41). . . . The Winterhawks (20-5-3) closed to within one point of the Everett Silvertips (20-4-4), who lead the overall standings.
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From Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks): “Saskatoon takes their lone timeout. If they want another then head coach Dave Struch will need to dump a soda on the ice.”
Someone has been paying attention to the follies of Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd.

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The home of the Kootenay Ice now has a new name.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Travis Ehrhardt (Moose Jaw, Portland, 2004-09) signed a try-out contract with TPS Turku (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had one goal and six assists in 41 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) last season. The contract lasts until the start of the regular season (Sept. 13) and rolls into a one-year contract should Ehrhardt's try-out be a success. TPS play their first exhibition game on Friday. . . .
D Dustin Friesen (Swift Current, 2000-04) signed a one-year contract
with the Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He had one goal and two assists in 19 games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) and one assist in one game on loan to the Missouri Mavericks (CHL) last season. Friesen is due to arrive in Bremerhaven in the middle of next week to begin practices with the club. The Pinguins play their first exhibition game on Aug. 31 and begin their regular season on Sept. 21. . . .
F Justin Kelly (Prince Albert, Spokane, Saskatoon, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with Troja/Ljungby (Sweden, Allsvenskan), returning to the club after a 10-year absence. He had two assists in 14 games with Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL) during an injury-plagued 2011-12 season. The contract contains a clause in which either party can terminate the agreement at anytime prior to the end of September. Kelly is to arrive in Ljungby on Sunday and the team opens its exhibition season on Aug. 10. Sweden's Allsvenskan begins its regular season on Sept. 12. . . .
G Alexander Fomitchev (Calgary, Seattle, 1997-2000) signed a one-year contract with THK Tver (Russia, Vysshaya Liga). He had a 2.94 GAA and a .916 save percentage in nine games with Sarov (Russia, Vysshaya Liga) last season.
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The Cranbrook RecPlex is no more. Under a 10-year deal, the home of the Kootenay Ice will be called Western Financial Place. . . . According to a news release, “Western Financial Group, an insurance and financial services company based in Alberta, won naming rights for the next 10 years and plans to work with the City of Cranbrook, the facility operators, and the company's regional partner, Falkins Insurance Group, to build on the longstanding tradition of providing the residents of Cranbrook and surrounding areas a first-class destination for entertainment, recreation, and community involvement.” . . . The 10-year deal that includes naming rights and other sponsorship and usage commitments, is worth $750,000, “including an advance of $500,000.” . . . The facility opened Oct. 13, 2000, and also includes a lap and wave pool, and racquet ball/squash courts.
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Dan Mulhausen has had the ‘interim’ removed from his title as he has been named the Tri-City Americans’ vice-president of business operations and marketing communications. He had been in that role since the departure of Brian Sandy in December. . . . Mulhausen, 30, joined the Americans seven years ago as an account executive. For the last four seasons, he worked as the club’s director of marketing, media relations and game operations.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed D Kevin Davis, the 11th overall selection in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. Davis, from Kamloops, had 46 points in 49 games with the bantam AAA Jardine’s Blazers last season.
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D Paul Bonar (Moose Jaw, Everett, 2008-10) has committed to attend the U of Regina and play for the Cougars. Bonar, who is from Brandon, spent the last two seasons with the MJHL’s Winnipeg Blues. He played 44 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2008-09 and two with the Everett Silvertips in 2009-10.
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Grant Armstrong is the Victoria Royals’ new director of player personnel. Armstrong spent the last four seasons as the Portland Winterhawks’ head scout. Armstrong, 50, is from North Vancouver. For the last two seasons, he was head coach of the junior B North Delta Devils, who played in the Pacific International league. He also was the North Vancouver Minor Hockey Association’s director of hockey operations since 2010. . . . Armstrong’s signing doesn’t affect the status of Garry Pochipinski, who remains the Royals’ director of scouting.
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The Portland Winterhawks have had two recent departures from their scouting department, what with Garry Davidson having stepped down as director of player personnel to join the Everett Silvertips as general manager and now Grant Armstrong leaving for Victoria. . . . “With the departures of Grant and Garry we now have two key scouting positions to fill, and we will begin that process immediately,” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston said in a news release.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes will be without D Adam Henry until at least January. According to the Hurricanes, Henry has been diagnosed with myocarditis, “a condition that’s an inflammation of the heart muscle and while there are various causes, it’s most often due to common virus infections.” . . . Henry, who will turn 18 on Nov. 24, had 21 points and 47 penalty minutes in 60 games as a freshman last season.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Victoria Royals have confirmed that assistant coaches Enio Sacilotto, Ben Cooper and Brady Robinson will be back for another season, as will Jeff Compton, the strength and conditioning coach. Robinson works with their goaltenders. . . . They will be working with new head coach Dave Lowry. . . . The Royals’ staff also will include Geoff Grimwood, the head coach of the major midget South Island Royals. He will work with the WHL team when available. . . .
Jim Mollard (Brandon, Winnipeg Warriors, 1981-83) has signed a three-year deal as the new head coach of the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard. He actually signed a couple of weeks and I somehow missed this one. Mollard, 48, has been away from the game for 13 years, but he has coaching experience with the now-defunct Brandon U Bobcats and in Europe. He replaces Jomar Cruz, who resigned in May.

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