Showing posts with label Alexander True. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alexander True. Show all posts

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Balcers, Clifford, True get contracts ... Battah heads overseas . . . About that $1 million


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 F Bruno Mráz (Brandon, 2011-12) has signed a one-year contract with Metallurg Novokuznetsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga). Last season, he had 17 goals and 19 assists in 44 games with Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga). . . . 
D Roman Pšurný (Medicine Hat, 2004-06) haa signed a one-year extension with Přerov (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). Last season, he had 12 goals and 19 assists in 29 games. Pšurný tied for the team lead in scoring despite missing 23 games.
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Jeff Battah, who has worked in the WHL, is off to Austria as the goaltending coach with the Graz 99ers (Erste Bank Liga). Battah, 36, has been coaching since 2001, both as an assistant coach and as a goaltending coach. He has worked in the WHL, with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Prince George Cougars, as well as in the AJHL and BCHL and in U Sports. With the 99ers, his first European assignment, he will work alongside head coach Doug Mason.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed goaltending coach Shane Clifford to a contract extension, the length of which wasn’t disclosed. Clifford, 46, is preparing for his 11th season with the Silvertips. In that position, he has tutored Carter Hart, the WHL’s goaltender of the year in each of the past two seasons. . . . According to a news release, Clifford, who is from Cincinnati, has coached professionally with the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL) and Les Ducs d’Angers (French Elite League), with goalies in the college ranks at Ohio State University (NCAA), and goaltenders across two separate tiers of junior levels for the Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) and Wenatchee Wild (NAHL).” . . . The Silvertips are heading into their 15th WHL season and earlier in the week they unveiled sweaters “the team will wear for home and road games designed to commemorate the anniversary campaign.” You are able to get a look at those sweaters by clicking right here.
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Jay Varady, the new head coach
of the Kingston Frontenacs.
(Photo: kingstonfrontenacs.com)
The OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs introduced former WHL coach Jay Varady as their new head coach on Thursday. Varady, 39, spent the past four seasons as the head coach of the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers. . . . Last season, the Musketeers finished with the USHL’s best regular-season record, and a franchise-record 87 points, and reached the championship final before bowing out to the Chicago Steel. Varady was named the USHL’s coach of the year. . . . In four seasons with Sioux City, Varady was 136-88-10. . . . Varady, a native of Cahokia, Ill., spent eight seasons (2003-11) with the Everett Silvertips, as assistant coach and then associate coach. . . . In Kingston, Varady replaces Paul McFarland, now an assistant coach with the NHL’s Florida Panthers.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have signed G Bryan Thomson and D Jonah Regier, both of whom played last season for the bantam AAA Notre Dame Hounds. . . . Thomson was a second-round pick in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. From Moose Jaw, he was 3-13-1, 3.72, .895 in the regular season, then went 2-1-0, 2.33, .935 in the playoffs. . . . The Hurricanes selected Regier one pick after having taken Thomson. Regier, from Weyburn, Sask., had two goals and three assists in 30 regular-season games, then was pointless in four playoff games.
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F Rudolfs Balcers, who played last season with the Kamloops Blazers, has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. . . . Balcers, a 20-year-old Latvian, was a fifth-round selection in the NHL’s 2015 draft. He is expected to play in San Jose’s organization in 2017-18. . . . Last season, the 5-foot-11, 165-pounder had 77 points, 40 of them goals, in 66 games with Kamloops. . . . The Blazers are likely to open the 2017-18 season with veteran D Ondrej Vala, who will be playing his third season in Kamloops, and Swiss F Justin Sigrist, picked in the 2017 CHL import draft, as their two import players.
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F Alexander True, who scored the biggest goal in the Seattle Thunderbirds’ history, has signed a two-year contract with the San Jose Barracuda, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. . . . True, who will turn 20 on Monday, is from Denmark. He finished last season with 25 goals and 15 assists in 66 games, then added 12 goals and 10 assists in 20 playoff games. That included the winner at 12:36 of OT as the Thunderbirds beat the host Regina Pats, 4-3, in Game 6 of the WHL’s championship series. Seattle won the series and the Ed Chynoweth Cup, 4-2. . . . In 169 career regular-season games, True had 45 goals and 39 assists. . . . True spent last week in the Sharks’ developmental camp. . . . True’s father, Soren, was a 12th-round pick by the New York Rangers in the NHL’s 1986 draft.
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F Austin Glover, who played out his junior eligibility last season, will attend UBC and play for the Thunderbirds in 2017-18. Glover totalled 22 goals and 36 assists in 69 games split between the Prince Albert Raiders and Red Deer Rebels. . . . Glover, who also played with the Kelowna Rockets, totalled 146 points, including 51 goals, during a 224-game WHL career. . . . He was second-round pick by Kelowna in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft.
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Before shutting things down for the remainder of the summer, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet filed one last 30 Thoughts. As he points out, when he returns for another the season, the NHL will have 31 teams and that means he’ll be writing 31 Thoughts. . . . His final 30 Thoughts, then, is right here.
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You are almost out of time, but you still have time to register and attend the seventh annual TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference that runs in Vancouver today (Friday) and Saturday. If you click on The Coaches Site website right here to register, you are able to get a 20-per-cent discount by entering the coupon code TakingNote.
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If you would like to contact Taking Note with information, have a question or just feel like commenting on something, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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Concussion Report

 The CFL has a new commissioner in Randy Ambrosie but, writes Paul Wiecek of the Winnipeg Free Press, the new guy “sounds a whole lot like the old commissioner of the CFL” when it comes to talking about CTE. . . . Wiecek’s column, which is headlined ‘CFL should do the right thing and pull its concussed head out of the sand,’ is right here.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:57 PM
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Sunday, May 14, 2017

It's True: Thunderbirds win first WHL title ... Great Dane wins Game 6 in OT ... Stankowski caps off amazing run

SUNDAY’S GAME:


At Regina, F Alexander True scored on his own rebound at 12:36 of OT to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Pats. . . . Seattle won the WHL championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, 4-2, bringing the franchise the first title in its history. . . . The Thunderbirds move on to the Memorial Cup that opens Friday in Windsor, Ont. Also there will be the host Spitfires, the OHL-champion Erie Otters and QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs. . . . The Pats will be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup. . . . All three championship final games in Regina needed OT, with Seattle taking Game 1, 2-1, on a goal from F Donovan Neuls, and the Pats winning Game 2, 4-3, when D Josh Mahura scored. . . . Last night, True entered the Regina zone on the right side, got off a shot, went to the net and was able to tuck in his own rebound for his 12th goal of these playoffs. . . . Seattle was 3-2 in OT in these playoffs; Regina was 2-5.

Regina F Sam Steel (11) opened the scoring, on a PP, at 7:18 of the first period, the third time in the series that he had scored the game’s first goal. . . . Seattle equalized at 8:55 of the second period as F Sami Moilanen scored his seventh goal. . . . The Pats went ahead 3-1 with two quick goals in the third period, D Josh Mahura (8) pounding in a rebound at 11:50 and F Austin Wagner scoring his playoff-leading 16th goal on a breakaway at 13:12. . . . The Thunderbirds got to within a goal at 14:38 as F Ryan
ALEXANDER TRUE
Gropp (7) scored on a wrist shot from the slot, giving him goals in three straight games. . . . Seattle forced OT as F Keegan Kolesar (12) scored on a slapshot from the left dot, on a PP, at 17:06. Regina D Chad Harrison had been penalized for holding Kolesar. . . . Seattle got two assists from D Ethan Bear, with Gropp and Kolesar adding one apiece. . . . Mahura had an assist for Regina. . . . True, a 19-year-old from Copenhagen, Denmark, put up 22 points, including 12 goals, in 20 playoff games. That followed a regular season in which he had 40 points, including 25 goals, in 66 games. . . . G Carl Stankowski stopped 28 shots for Seattle as he completed what was the No. 1 story of these playoffs. . . . G Tyler Brown made 39 saves for the Pats. . . . Each team was 1-4 on the PP. . . . In the six games, Seattle was 9-27 on the PP, with Regina going 8-24. . . . Seattle lost D Turner Ottenbreit at 9:11 of the second period when he was given a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on Wagner, who missed the remainder of that period. Wagner returned for the start of the third period. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks, the captain, returned for the first time since Game 1 when he left with a suspected concussion after taking a hard check from Ottenbreit. Brooks was held pointless. . . . Seattle’s scratches: G Rylan Toth (injured), F Elijah Brown, F Tyler Carpendale, F Dillon Hamaliuk, D Jake Lee and F Luke Ormsby. . . . Regina scratches: D Dawson Davidson and F Jake Leschyshyn, with injuries, F Kjell Kjemhus, G Max Paddock, F Duncan Pierce and F Owen Williams. . . . With Brooks back in the lineup, Kjemhus came out. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484, Regina’s 26th sellout of the season. . . . The game signalled the end of the line for the WHL on Shaw TV after a 13-year run.

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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a game story right here.
Darren Steinke, the Travellin’ Blogger, was on hand and posted this piece right here.
Tim Pigulski of 701 ESPN Seattle has a gamer right here.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds began life as the Vancouver Nats (1971-73), then moved to Kamloops and played four seasons (1973-77) as the Chiefs. They relocated to Seattle as the Breakers for the 1977-78 season. After eight seasons, they became the Thunderbirds for 1985-86.
Prior to last season, the closest Seattle had come to winning a WHL title was in 1996-97 when they were swept from the championship final by the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Last season, the Brandon Wheat Kings took out Seattle in the final, 4-1.
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At game’s end, F Mathew Barzal of the Thunderbirds was saluted as the playoff MVP.
However, you could make a pretty good case for Seattle G Carl Stankowski, who is the first starting
CARL STANKOWSKI
goaltender to win a WHL championship in his 16-year-old season since Dan Blackburn did it with the Kootenay Ice in the spring of 2000. Blackburn played in 51 regular-season games and 21 in the playoffs.
Stankowski, who turned 17 on March 9, is from Calgary. The 5-foot-9, 160-pounder played in only seven regular-season games, going 3-0-1, 2.18, .910. Starter Rylan Toth, 20, who led the WHL in regular-season victories (36), went down late in the regular season.
Stankowski stepped into the starter’s role and went 16-4, 2.50, .911. He set franchise records for most victories by a goaltender in one playoff season and most career playoff victories.
Stankowski’s performance brings back memories of Blackburn and Randy Petruk.
In 1995, Petruk was 16 when he took over the Kamloops Blazers’ starting role during Game 2 of the championship final against the Brandon Wheat Kings. Petruk, who had appeared in 27 regular-season games, remained in that role for the remainder of the season as the Blazers won their third Memorial Cup in four seasons.
And then there was the 1971-72 Edmonton Oil Kings. They went 44-22-2 to finish second in the West Division, before winning the playoff title by taking out the New Westminster Bruins, 4-1; the Calgary Centennials, 4-2; and the Regina Pats, 4-1.
Edmonton’s goaltenders were Doug Soetaert, who was 15, and Larry Hendrick, 16. In the regular season, Hendrick played in 46 games, with Soetaert getting into 37. In the playoffs, Soetaert played in six games, while Hendrick’s total seems to have been lost in the shuffle. The WHL Guide was first published prior to the 1972-73 season and doesn’t include any playoff goaltending stats from the spring of 1972.
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F Keegan Kolesar of the Seattle Thunderbirds led the WHL playoff scoring race, his 31 points leaving him one ahead of Regina F Sam Steel. F Reid Gardiner of the Kelowna Rockets, who lost to Seattle in the third round, was third, at 28. . . . F Austin Wagner of Regina led in goals (16), one more than Gardiner. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear was No. 1 in assists, with 20, one more than Kolesar and Steel.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:25 PM
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Saturday, May 6, 2017

WHL final all even ... Pats' Mahura wins Game 2 in OT ... Brooks out of action


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 While the Seattle Thunderbirds welcomed back F Keegan Kolesar, their top scorer in these playoffs, from a one-game WHL suspension, the Regina Pats were without F Adam Brooks for Game 2 of the championship final in the Saskatchewan capital on Saturday night.
If you haven’t seen it, here’s the hit Brooks, a point-a-game man, absorbed from Seattle D Turner Ottenbreit in Game 1:

There was much debate after the game and well into Saturday as to whether Ottenbreit should have been suspended. This was one of those classic cases where it depends whose ox is being gored.
Regina fans, for the most part, are of the opinion that, yes, Ottenbreit should have been slapped with a suspension. Seattle fans are saying it was a legal hit.
Of course, had that been Seattle F Mathew Barzal, say, on the receiving end of a hit from Regina D Sergey Zborovskiy, chances are that the opinions would have been reversed.
While the check may have been legal, I really question, in this day and age when player safety is supposed to be first and foremost, whether that’s the kind of hit that should be welcomed in junior hockey. Keep in mind that this is precisely the kind of hit that the NFL has outlawed when it involves an defenceless receiver.
Of course, if all the junior hockey talk about player safety being a priority is just lip service, well then, hit away.
In the meantime, Brooks, who won the 2015-16 scoring champion and who put up 250 points over the past two seasons, most likely is going through the concussion protocol. He has five goals and 13 assists in these playoffs.
Brooks suffered a knee injury in Game 2 of the second-round series against the Swift Current Broncos and never skated another shift until the Eastern Conference final with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
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In the QMJHL, the host Saint John Sea Dogs scored a 4-0 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Saturday night and now lead the championship series, 2-0. . . . Announced attendance was 5,872. . . . F Julien Gauther had two goals and an assist, giving him six points in the first two games of the series. . . . G Callum Booth earned the shutout with 27 stops. . . . They’ll play Game 3 on Tuesday in Blainville-Boisbriand.
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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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Coaching

 The Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League have shaken up their front office. Trevor Sprague, a two-time coach of the year, has stepped aside as head coach, but will remain the organization’s general manager. Sprague goes out on top as the Cougars won the league championship this season; they also were the host team for the TELUS Cup national championship tournament. . . . The new head coach is Tyler Brough, who has worked as an assistant coach with Sprague for the past two seasons. . . . The assistant coaches will be Justin Fillion and RJ Berra, while Bryan MacLean, who had been an assistant coach, now is the assistant GM. . . . Fillion and Berra both played for the Cougars and the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. . . . Pam Solmonson is returning for a second season as the Cougars’ trainer.
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SATURDAY’S GAME:


At Regina, D Josh Mahura scored two PP goals, the second in OT, to lead the Pats to a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Regina scored the game’s last three goals as it erased a 3-1 deficit to tie the WHL’s championship series for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, 1-1. . . . The Thunderbirds had won Game 1, 2-1 in OT, on Friday. . . . The series will resume with Game 3 in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday night. In fact,
JOSH MAHURA
the next three games will be played in the ShoWare Center in Kent, meaning the Thunderbirds now have the opportunity to win their first WHL title on home ice. . . . A year ago, the Thunderbirds lost the WHL final to the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-1. The first three games all went to OT, with Brandon posting three 3-2 victories. . . . Last night, the Thunderbirds appeared to take control when they struck for three goals in 56 seconds early in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. . . . The Pats took a 1-0 lead just 50 seconds into the game as F Sam Steel (9) took advantage of a Seattle turnover deep in its zone. . . . D Austin Strand (5) pulled the Thunderbirds even at 3:56 of the second period, his shot from just above the left circle getting through traffic and changing directions before beating G Tyler Brown. . . . Just 16 seconds later, D Turner Ottenbreit’s second goal, a slap shot from the point, gave the visitors the lead. . . . Just 40 seconds after that, F Alexander True (9) scored on a rebound while on a PP. . . . The Pats’ comeback began as Mahura pinched on a 5-on-3 PP and scored from beside the Seattle net at 18:35 of the second period. . . . Regina tied it at 5:20 of the third when F Filip Ahl (5) forced a turnover deep in the Seattle and then scored off it. . . . Seattle F Keegan Kolesar was giving a kneeing minor after he gave the business to Regina D Connor Hobbs following a stoppage at 4:59 of OT. Mahura, who has six goals in the playoffs, scored just 23 seconds later, beating Seattle G Carl Stankowski with a 70-foot snapshot through some traffic. . . . Brown finished with 27 saves, five more than Stankowski. . . . Regina was 2-7 on the PP; Seattle was 1-3. . . . F Dawson Leedahl had two assists for Regina, while Steel and Ahl each had one. . . . Steel, the regular-season scoring champion, now has 27 points in the playoffs, one behind F Reid Gardiner of the Kelowna Rockets, who leads with 28. Steel leads playoff scorers in assists (18). . . . The Thunderbirds got back Kolesar from a one-game suspension. He went into the game leading them in goals (9) and points (22) in these playoffs. . . . Regina scratches: F Adam Brooks, D Dawson Davidson and F Jake Leschyshyn, all with injuries, G Max Paddock, F Duncan Pierce and F Owen Williams. With Brooks out, F Kjell Kjemhus got into the lineup. . . . Seattle’s scratches: G Rylan Toth (injured), F Elijah Brown, F Tyler Carpendale, F Dillon Hamaliuk, D Jake Lee and F Luke Ormsby. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a game story right here.
Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has a game story right here.
Darren Steinke, the Travellin’ Blogger, posted this piece right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)
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WEDNESDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
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FRIDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:30 PM
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Friday, April 28, 2017

Owners prepping plan for new Ice age ... Pats, T-Birds take control; series resume Sunday

Scattershoot

When the host Ottawa Senators opened the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday night, there were more than 2,000 empty seats in the Canadian Tire Centre.
The howls of outrage could be heard all the way to Kamloops. Where were the fans?
According to Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen, “Ticket prices jump for Round 1 playoff tickets and jump again for Round 2. Those $25-$30 cheap seats in the regular season become $100. Lower-level seats are about $300, rich by local standards even if most other NHL clubs charge more.”
It likely didn’t help, either, that a parking lot close to the arena jacked up its fee fro $20 to $30.
And did I mention that a double bacon cheeseburger and a tall boy beer would total $27.75?
At some point, and perhaps we’re there now, sporting fans are going to tire of paying high prices to watch athletes who pull down much higher salaries than they do. Those in the corporate seats may always be there, but the average folks, I think, have about run out of the funds necessary to watch a lot of professional sports.
I have always found it interesting when people, often media types who can’t remember the last time they had to pay for a ticket, question the loyalty of fans because they, for whatever reason, choose not to fork over their hard-earned dollars, not even for a playoff game.
Of course, then there’s Edmonton, where thousands show up at Rogers Place even when the Oilers are playing a playoff game away from home. Last night, the winner of the 50/50 draw went home with $51,522.
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Two recent headlines of note . . . 
At TheOnion.com: Clogged rain causes Orioles’ dugout to overflow with chewing-tobacco spit.
At The kicker.com: LeBron passes Popovich for most wins by active head coach.
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Saw a young lady today who was wearing those cut up jeans that seem so popular these days. Had a thought: How do you put those on without catching your toes in the holes and causing even more damage?
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I spent 17 years at the Regina Leader-Post, the last 12 as sports editor, and for a lot of that time the Saskatchewan Roughriders weren’t far removed from the youngster next door with the lemonade stand. They were far removed from the big business that they are today. How much have times changed? The organization swallowed another $36,500 in fines on Friday, something that ran the tab to $116,500 since Aug. 2. . . . As Rob Vanstone of The Leader-Post writes right here: “Six figures worth of sanctions do not take into account other questionable moves by the Roughriders.” . . . Ohh, how times have changed!
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Hey, Sportsnet, how about getting rid of the giant computer-generated logos that you love to put up on the hitters’ background on the camera shot from behind home plate? There is a reason why that background is big and blank.
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The Toronto Blue Jays jettisoned backup catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia on Friday, then went out and blew a 3-1 seventh-inning lead in losing 7-4 to the visiting Tampa Bay Rays, who hit three eighth-inning home runs. Can we assume, then, that the 6-17 start wasn’t Saltalamacchia’s fault, even if he was only 1-for-25? . . . The Toronto bullpen now has blown eight of 12 save opportunities.
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The NHL’s Calgary Flames have lost 29 straight games in Anaheim; Calgary last won there on April 25, 2006. The Edmonton Oilers just posted two victories there in three days.
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 D Spencer Humphries (Tri-City, Calgary, 2008-13) has signed a one-year extension with the Stavanger Oilers (Norway, GET-Ligaen). This season, in 45 games, he had 14 goals and 19 assists. Humphries led the league’s defencemen in goals as the Oilers won the Norwegian championship. . . .
F David Vrbata (Calgary, 2000-01) has announced his retirement from hockey. This season, with Neumarkt/Egna (Italy, Alps HL), he had fige goals and six assists in 12 games. He had four assists in 12 games with Benátky and Jizerou (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). Vrbata has accepted an offer to work in the marketing department for Czech Extraliga team Mladá Boleslav. He is from Mladá Boleslav.
G Chet Pickard (Tri-City, 2005-09) has signed a two-year contract with Adler Mannheim (Germany, DEL). This season, with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL), he was 6-14, 2.98, .920 in 26 games.
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 Matt Cockell, the new president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, says he and partner Greg Fettes will need help to get the WHL franchise back on track.
“We wouldn’t be getting into this if we weren’t confident that we could make it a success,” Cockell told Cranbrook radio station Summit 107 FM. “Of course, in order to do that, we are going to need the help of everybody — we’re going to need the help of the community, we’re going to need the help of the city,
MATT COCKELL
we’re going to need the help of the entire East Kootenay region.”
The WHL’s board of governors unanimously approved the transfer of the franchise from the Chynoweth family to Fettes and Cockell, both of whom have been headquartered in Winnipeg, on Thursday.
Earlier this month, Fettes and Cockell are said to have met with Lee Pratt, the mayor of Cranbrook, for about five hours. Mayor Pratt has told people that he felt “very positive” about the meeting.
"This really is the City of Cranbrook and the East Kootenay region's team,” Cockell said. “That's how my partner, Greg, and I are approaching this, and in order for that partnership to be something that's really exciting and allows everybody to participate, we need to first and foremost get the chance to hear what that means for everybody.
"The franchise in its current state needs some investment, and that's what we're going to do. We're going to come in and we're prepared to invest and engage all the stakeholders. Our sincere hope and commitment is to ensure the long term viability of the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook.”
WHL commissioner Ron Robison told the Cranbrook Townsman that the new ownership’s plans will be “contingent, obviously, on the level of support from the community.”
Robison went one step further, in fact, and used the word “immediately.”
“The attendance levels are at a point where they need to improve immediately,” he said, “and (the new owners) are focused not only on being very engaged in the community but (also) on improving the fan experience in the building.”
The Ice plays in the 4,264-seat Western Financial Place, which also has room for 352 standees. This season, the Ice had the poorest average attendance (1,754) in the 22-team league. that was down from 1,957 in 2015-16 and 2,239 in 2014-15.
There was a time, in the early 2000s, when the Ice drew more than 3,000 fans per game.
Of course, on the other hand, had the taxpayers of Nanaimo voted to allow city council to borrow $80 million that would have gone towards a new arena, the moving vans would be in Cranbrook and the Ice would be moving to Vancouver Island in time for the 2017-18 season.
Nanaimo taxpayers voted 80 per cent not to allow city council to borrow the money, so the Ice now has new owners who are about to get to work in Cranbrook.
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Austria and Korea have advanced to the top division of the IIHF World Championship after finishing in the top two spots at the Division I Group A championship that concluded Friday in Kyiv, Ukraine. . . . Austria finished the tournament in top spot after beating Poland, 11-0, in the final game. The Austria roster includes F Brian Lebler, who was a seventh-round selection by the Kamloops Blazers in the WHL’s 2003 bantam draft. He had four goals and an assist in five games. . . . Korea finished second after scoring a 2-1 shootout victory over host Ukraine. D Alex Plante, a former WHLer, is on the Korean roster. He had two goals and an assist in three games. . . . Plante was named to the tournament all-star team, was was F Nigel Dawes, another former WHLer, who plays for Kazakhstan. Dawes led the tournament in goals (5) and was tied for the points lead (9), in five games. . . . Former NHLer Jim Paek is the Korean team’s head coach. He won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins. . . . The 2018 World Championship is scheduled to be played in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark.
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In the OHL, the host Erie Otters scored a 4-2 victory over the Owen Sound Attack on Friday and now lead the Western Conference final, 3-2. Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday in Owen Sound. The winner of that series will meet the Mississauga Steelheads in the championship final.
In the QMJHL, the host Saint John Sea Dogs blanked the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, 4-0, to take a 3-2 lead in that semifinal. Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday in Chicoutimi. . . . The other semifinal, featuring the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Charlottetown Islanders, resumes today. The Aramada holds a 3-1 lead as they go into Charlottetown for Game 5.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Regina, F Adam Brooks drew four assists to lead the Pats to a 5-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Regina now leads the Eastern Conference, 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Lethbridge
ADAM BROOKS
on Sunday. . . . Brooks, the Pats’ captain, has seven points over the last two games. . . . Last night, Regina F Dawson Leedahl broke a 3-3 tie with his 11th goal of these playoffs, at 6:25 of the third period. Leedahl one-time a nifty backhand pass from Brooks, who was cruising behind the Lethbridge net. . . . Leedahl has goals in three straight games. . . . F Josh Tarzwell gave Lethbridge a 1-0 lead at 2:53 of the first period as he scored his first WHL playoff goal. He left shortly after that with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return. . . . The Pats tied it as D Josh Mahura (3) scored at 15:37. . . . Lethbridge went back in front when F Ryan Vandervlis, who had eight regular-season goals, scored his seventh of the playoffs, on a PP, at 3:04 of the second period. . . . The Pats took the lead on second-period goals from F Sam Steel (8), on a PP, at 5:10, and F Filip Ahl (3), at 11:29. That was Ahl’s first goal of the series. . . . Lethbridge pulled even at 13:54 as F Egor Babenko got his ninth goal. . . . That set the stage for Leedahl’s winner, with F Austin Wagner (13) adding an empty-netter at 19:57. . . . Shortly after Leedahl’s goal, the Hurricanes found themselves with a 5-on-3 PP for 1:30, but they weren’t able to score. . . . Wagner also had two assists, with Steel and Leedahl adding one each. . . . Vandervlis added an assist to his goal for Lethbridge. . . . G Tyler Brown earned the victory with 29 saves, three more than Lethbridge’s Stuart Skinner. . . . Regina was 1-2 on the PP; Lethbridge was 1-4. . . . The Pats had the speedy Wagner back in the lineup after he missed the previous game with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Hurricanes again scratched F Matt Alfaro, and they also took out F Ryan Bowen. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484, the 23rd sellout at the Brandt Centre this season.
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At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds broke a 2-2 tie with a pair of late second-period goals and went on to a 5-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Thunderbirds hold a 3-2 lead in the Western
ALEXANDER TRUE
Conference final with Game 6 in Kelowna on Sunday. . . . In a game that featured 18 power-plays and six PP goals, Seattle took advantage of two Kelowna turnovers to grab a 2-0 first-period lead, F Scott Eansor (5) scoring while shorthanded at 3:15 and F Sami Moilanen (4) counting on a breakaway at 10:57. . . . Kelowna pulled even on PP goals from F Calvin Thurkauf (8), at 12:07 of the first period, and F Nick Merkley (6), at 9:23 of the second. . . . Seattle countered with a pair of PP goals in a span of 1:20 late in the period. F Alexander True (6) broke the 2-2 tie at 17:34 and F Ryan Gropp (4) added insurance at 18:54. . . . True added a second goal, on another PP, at 6:57 of the third period. . . . Kelowna F Dillon Dube (7) completed the scoring with, yes, another PP goal, at 19:25. . . . Seattle was 3-8 on the PP; Kelowna was 3-10. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal had three assists, with D Turner Ottenbreit adding two and Moilanen one. . . . The Rockets got two assists from D Cal Foote. . . . The Thunderbirds got 37 saves from G Carl Stankowski, while Kelowna’s Michael Herringer turned aside 19. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear took the pregame warmup but it was apparent that he was having difficulty handling the puck and he was scratched. He suffered a hand injury — Taking Note has been told that there is a break — while blocking a shot late in Game 4. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth was scratched again. He has yet to dress for a playoff game. . . . With Bear out, D Jake Lee, a 16-year-old who played four regular-season games, made his WHL playoff debut with Seattle. . . . Announced attendance: 5,001.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Seattle at Kelowna, 5:05 p.m. (Seattle leads, 3-2)
Regina at Lethbridge, 6 p.m. (Regina leads, 3-2)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:08 PM
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Monday, December 5, 2016

Patrick off Canada's roster . . . Silvertips add goaltender . . . Want the book on Wheat Kings?


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D Jonathan Harty (Everett, 2004-08) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Erste Bank Liga), he had five goals and eight assists in 23 games.
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NOLAN PATRICK
In news that hardly ranks as surprising, Hockey Canada announced Monday night that F Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings won’t be taking part in the national junior team’s selection camp that opens Sunday in Blainville, Que.
Patrick, who still is the consensus No. 1 pick for the NHL’s 2017 draft, hasn’t played since Oct. 11 and hasn’t been medically cleared to attend the camp. He underwent sports hernia surgery in July and is believed to have incurred some difficulties relating to that surgery.
According to Hockey Canada, there won’t be a roster replacement for Patrick, who was the WHL’s playoff MVP as he lead the Wheat Kings to the 2016 Ed Chynoweth Cup. Without Patrick, Canada’s selection camp roster will include 18 forwards.
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The Regina Pats could have as many as four players involved in the 2017 World Junior Championship when it opens in Toronto and Montreal on Boxing Day.
F Filip Ahl was named Monday to Team Sweden’s preliminary roster. Ahl and John Dahlstrom of the Medicine Hat Tigers join 13 other forwards selected to the roster.
Last week, the Pats had forwards Sam Steel and Austin Wagner named to the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp roster, while D Sergey Zborovskiy is on Team Russia’s preliminary roster.
The tournament runs from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. The The Pats will return from their Christmas break to play the visiting Brandon on Wheat Kings on Dec. 27. Counting that game, Regina is to play seven games from Dec. 27 through Jan. 7.
Five other players showed up on preliminary rosters on Monday, three of them with Team Denmark.
Lasse Petersen of the Red Deer Rebels is one of six goaltenders on Denmark’s roster. He is joined by forwards Joachim Blichfeld of the Portland Winterhawks and Alexander True of the Seattle Thunderbirds. Denmark’s roster includes 22 forwards.
Juuso Välimäki of the Tri-City Americans is one of 10 defencemen on Team Finland’s preliminary roster.
Caleb Jones of the Portland Winterhawks is one of eight defencemen on Team USA’s preliminary roster. He is the only WHL player on that roster.
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D Juuso Välimäki has left the Tri-City Americans for a couple of days as he has been invited to take part in Independence Day celebrations in Helsinki today (Tuesday). Välimäki was the captain of the Finnish team that won the IIHF’s U-18 world championship in Grand Forks, N.D., in April. . . . Independence Day in Finland celebrates accomplishments of its citizens around the world. About 1,800 guests will join President Sauli Niinistö and his wife, Jenni Haukio, in Helsinki.
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DORRIN LUDING
The Everett Silvertips have acquired G Dorrin Luding, 17, from the Saskatoon Blades for a sixth-round selection in the 2019 bantam draft. From Prince George, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Luding is 4-4-0, 2.93 with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. Saskatoon picked him in the third round of the 2014 bantam draft. . . . Luding has been added to Everett's roster. . . . Everett GM Garry Davidson explained the trade in a news release: “As we’re anticipating Carter Hart’s potential absence with commitments to Hockey Canada for the upcoming World Junior Championship, the move to acquire Dorrin helps address an immediate need for goaltending depth with our current roster, imperative in the oncoming weeks.” . . . Hart could miss as many as 11 games if he makes Team Canada’s roster. With him gone, it would appear that the Silvertips will go with sophomore Mario Petit and Luding. This season, in five appearances, Petit is 4-0-1, 2.45, .916.
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D Brendan Guhle of the Prince George Cougars played his second game in three days with the NHL’s
BRENDAN GUHLE
Buffalo Sabres on Monday. The Sabres dropped a 3-2 OT decision to the Capitals in Washington.
Guhle’s ice time was 16 minutes 48 seconds. He had three hits and four blocked shots, with no shots on goal. The Sabres dressed six defencemen; Guhle had more ice time than two of them.
Guhle only saw five seconds of PP time but head coach Dan Bylsma admits that he may give him a shot on the team’s second PP unit.
Guhle went to Buffalo under emergency recall regulations. The Sabres have four defencemen injured — Zach Bogosian (knee), Josh Gorges (broken foot), Dmitri Kulikov (undisclosed) and Taylor Fedun (undisclosed) — so Prince George shouldn’t hold its breath waiting for Guhle’s return.
The Sabres had D Erik Bergdoerfer up from the AHL’s Rochester Americans and he made his NHL debut, the 11th defenceman dressed by Buffalo this season.
The Sabres are back on the ice tonight (Tuesday) as they play host to the Edmonton Oilers.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings are celebrating their 50th anniversary season in the WHL. In conjunction with that, they are publishing a book: Brandon Wheat Kings — The First 50 Years in the WHL. . . . According to a news release, the 124-page soft cover book provides “a look back at the teams and players of Manitoba’s major junior franchise.” . . . From the news release: “The book, which highlights the club’s history, team and player photos and detailed stats, will go on sale later this week at the BWK Team Store located at the Keystone Centre as well as online at wheatkings.com. . . . Proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the Wheat Kings’ Education Fund.” . . . The book will set you back $29.99, which includes all taxes.
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The Denver Post reported Monday morning that a coroner has revealed that former Kootenay Ice F Marek Svatos had codeine, morphine and the anti-anxiety medication Xanax in his system when he died on Nov. 5 in Lone Tree, Colo., near Denver. . . . Svatos, a Slovakian, was 34. . . . Tom McGhee of the Post wrote that Svatos “had a history of heroin use and had gone through drug rehabilitation, according to the coroner’s report. He also had suspected depression, prior suicidal ideation, and ‘recent life stressors.’ ” . . . The report also said that there was drug paraphernalia at the scene of Svatos’s death. . . . McGhee’s story is right here.
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Peter King of Sport Illustrated spends more than a few column inches on quarterback Henry Burris and the Grey Cup-champion Ottawa Redblacks in his Monday Morning Quarterback piece. . . . It’s right here.
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If you’ve got a comment, some information you would like to pass along, or if you just want to say hello, feel free to contact me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If you would like to donate to the cause, please visit the bottom of this post and go right ahead.
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Coaching
AJHLJeff Richards has resigned as general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs. According to a news release from the Mustangs, Richards resigned for “personal reasons . . . Later Monday, the Mustangs announced they had signed Tyler Drader as head coach. He had been the head coach of the midget AAA Calgary Northstars. . . . Then the Mustangs went out and beat the visiting Camrose Kodiaks, 2-1, to run their winning streak to two games. They beat the host Grande Prairie Storm, 5-3, on Saturday night. . . . The Mustangs (5-24-1) have the AJHL’s poorest record. . . . Richards stepped in as head coach just over a year ago after the team fired Chad Allen.
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MONDAY’S GAME:


At Edmonton, F Tyler Wong had a goal and two assists to lead the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 6-4 victory
TYLER WONG
over the Oil Kings. . . . Wong, the team captain, has 19 goals. . . . F Egor Babenko gave Lethbridge a 1-0 lead at 9:43 of the first period. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer tied it with his 19th goal, at 9:43. . . . Wong broke the tie at 10:14. . . . The Oil Kings took the lead on goals from F Trey Fix-Wolansky (8), at 6:01 of the second period, and F Tyler Robertson (10), at 7:07. . . . The Hurricanes took control by scoring the next four goals. . . . F Zane Franklin (3) tied it at 16:32 of the second and F Jordy Bellerive (9) broke the tie at 19:40. . . . Babenko, who has eight goals, stretched the lead, on a PP, at 2:13 of the third period, with F Giorgio Estephan (16) giving the visitors a 6-3 lead at 11:07. . . . Edmonton D Aaron Irving (9) closed out the scoring at 16:23. . . . The Hurricanes got two assists from F Ryley Lindgren. . . . Wong has 13 points, including six goals, over his past five games. He has 34 points in 26 games. . . . F Davis Koch had two assists for the Oil Kings and Fix-Wolansky had one. . . . Lethbridge got 26 saves from G Stuart Skinner, while Patrick Dea stopped 22 for Edmonton. . . . The Hurricanes were 1-5 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-5. . . . The Hurricanes (14-11-4) have points in eight straight (7-0-1) and have moved into a tie with the Red Deer Rebels (14-12-4) for second place in the Central Division. . . . The Oil Kings (13-14-2) had a three-game winning streak snapped. They are four points behind Lethbridge and Edmonton. . . . Announced attendance: 5,067.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Regina vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
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TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:

Friday, Dec. 9: Moose Jaw at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 9: Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 9: Kootenay at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Prince Albert at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Kamloops at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Kelowna at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Calgary at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Everett at Portland, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Seattle at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Victoria vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 16: Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 16: Portland vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 21: Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).
Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:25 PM
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