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The Prince George Cougars have yet to announce it but sources have told Taking Note that assistant coaches Michael Hengen and Brent Arsenault have left the organization. . . . The names of both men have been removed 
from the Cougars’ website. . . . Hengen had been with the Cougars since July 3, 2014, when he signed on as assistant coach and strength-and-conditioning coach. A native of Surrey, B.C., he had been with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees for four seasons prior to joining the Cougars. He is a former WHL player who split 226 regular-season games between the Swift Current Broncos, Edmonton Oil Kings, Moose Jaw Warriors, Calgary Hitmen and Saskatoon Blades. . . . Arsenault had been with the Cougars since 2005. He signed on as an assistant coach and in 2007 also became the team’s education advisor. . . . The Cougars’ coaching staff now comprises head coach Richard Matvichuk, who is prepping for his first season on a three-year contract after replacing Mark Holick, and associate coach Steve O’Rourke, who also is about to begin his first season in Prince George. He had been on staff with the Red Deer Rebels before leaving after last season.
from the Cougars’ website. . . . Hengen had been with the Cougars since July 3, 2014, when he signed on as assistant coach and strength-and-conditioning coach. A native of Surrey, B.C., he had been with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees for four seasons prior to joining the Cougars. He is a former WHL player who split 226 regular-season games between the Swift Current Broncos, Edmonton Oil Kings, Moose Jaw Warriors, Calgary Hitmen and Saskatoon Blades. . . . Arsenault had been with the Cougars since 2005. He signed on as an assistant coach and in 2007 also became the team’s education advisor. . . . The Cougars’ coaching staff now comprises head coach Richard Matvichuk, who is prepping for his first season on a three-year contract after replacing Mark Holick, and associate coach Steve O’Rourke, who also is about to begin his first season in Prince George. He had been on staff with the Red Deer Rebels before leaving after last season.
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Assuming that the Cougars will hire an assistant coach, by my count there are three WHL teams on the hunt. . . . The Victoria Royals are looking to fill the spot created when veteran assistant Enio Sacilotto was moved up to director of prospect development and scout. That came about after Grant Armstrong, the Royals’ assistant general manager, player personnel signed with the Brandon Wheat Kings as their general manager. . . . The Calgary Hitmen, meanwhile, have yet to replace Trent Whitfield, a one-season assistant coach who now is an assistant with the AHL’s Providence Bruins.
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D Kaedan Korczak has signed with the Kelowna Rockets. Korczak, the 10th overall pick in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, announced the signing on Twitter. . . . The Rockets traded up at the draft in order to pick the native of Yorkton, Sask. . . . The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder had 15 points, two of them goals, with the midget AAA Yorkton Maulers last season. He will be returning to the Maulers for a second season.
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F Andrew Koep has decided not to return to the Edmonton Oil Kings for a third season. The 19-year-old from Lloydminster, Alta., has chosen instead to attend the U of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. . . . Koep was a second-round pick by the Oil Kings in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . Last season, he had 22 points, 11 of them goals, in 71 games. In 130 career regular-season games, Koep put up 63 points, including 26 goals.
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D Mark Matsuba won’t be back with the Brandon Wheat Kings for his 19-year-old season. From St. Albert, Alta., Matsuba has chosen to retire. He was fourth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . Last season, he had a goal and five assists in 50 regular-season games. In two seasons, he put up 10 points, two of them goals, in 86 games. . . . He played in only two playoff games during the Wheat Kings’ championship run last spring. . . . If you missed it, Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun also reported Saturday that D Jordan Thomson, 20, has retired so won’t be returning to the Wheat Kings.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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For those of you asking. Can't have been me, 5 hole is not big enough.... #alibi https://t.co/oF7uUoDj0I— Strombone (@strombone1) August 27, 2016
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Lucas Nickles scored twice to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over Kelowna, as the Rockets tasted defeat for the first time this season. . . . Nickles, who is from Salmon Arm, B.C., has six goals. . . . The Rockets now are 10-1-0. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 30 shots. . . . Americans F Beau McCue broke a 2-2 tie with his fifth goal 39 seconds into the third period. . . . Tri-City head coach Mike Williamson worked his 900th WHL game. He also has coached in Portland and Calgary. . . . The 8-4-0 Americans are atop the U.S. Division. . . . Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald has a game story 
In Spokane, F Ivan Nikolishin scored at 2:59 of OT to give the Everett Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Chiefs F Keanu Yamamoto scored twice for Spokane, the second one at 16:52 of the third period forcing OT. . . . The Silvertips, at 6-0-3, are the only WHL team not to have lost in regulation time. . . . D Noah Juulsen had two assists for Everett. He has 11 points in nine games. Last season, he finished with 10 points in 59 outings. . . . F Dominic Zwerger had two assists for Spokane. . . . The Chiefs (4-2-3) have points in seven of nine games. . . . Everett has won its last two games in Spokane, the first of those on March 12, after losing 18 in a row. . . . These same teams will play Wednesday in Everett. . . . Chris Derrick of the Spokane Spokesman-Review has a game story 
In Kent, Wash., D Ryan Rehill scored with 13.3 seconds left in OT to give the Kamloops Blazers a 5-4 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Keegan Kolesar had forced OT with a shorthanded goal at 16:10 of the third period. . . . Rehill has five goals in 130 career regular-season games. . . . Kamloops F Cole Ully set up four goals. . . . The Thunderbirds have played 11 games this season, with five of those going to OT. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 28 shots in earning his first WHL victory. . . . 
In Saskatoon, D Blake Orban and F Andrew Koep each scored twice as the Edmonton Oil Kings dumped the Blades, 6-4. . . . The Oil Kings have won four in a row. . . . The Blades had a three-game winning streak snapped. . . . The 7-3-0 Oil Kings are off to their best start in modern franchise history. “I’m shocked by that, to be honest,” Oil Kings head coach Steve Hamilton said on the team's website. “We’ve had some pretty good team efforts. When we’ve been able to generate offence, it’s come from a variety of sources. With the exception of tonight, we’ve defended pretty hard, and that’s always going to be backbone for us." . . . The Oil Kings broke a 2-2 tie with four straight goals, three in the second period and one early in the third. . . . F Brett Pollock and D Ashton Sautner each had three assists for Edmonton. . . . Edmonton F Cole Benson scored his second shorthanded goal in four games. . . . F Alex Forsberg had two goals for Saskatoon. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 25 shots, including beating F Garrett Armour on a second-period penalty shot with the Oil Kings leading 3-2. . . . Saskatoon was without F Nick Zajac (shoulder) and D Isaac Schacher (wrist), both of whom were injured on Friday. . . . The Blades ran a Pink The Rink promotion that included F Cory Millette wearing the captain's C in memory of his late father, Adrien, who died of cancer on Jan. 30, 2011. . . . Cory’s mother, Kim, took part in the ceremonial pre-game faceoff. Later in the evening, Kim won the 50/50 draw, so went home with $7,765 in her purse. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story 
In Calgary, F Chad Butcher's two goals led the Medine Hat Tigers to a 5-1 victory over the Hitmen. . . . One night earlier, in Calgary, the Hitmen beat the Tigers, 2-1, in OT. . . . Last night, the Tigers, now 9-1-1, enjoyed a 34-18 edge in shots. . . . Butcher, 18, went into this season with eight goals in 101 career regular-season games. This season, he has 10 goals in 11 games. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-6 on the PP; the Hitmen PP unit never had an opportunity. . . . 
In Prince Albert, the Raiders snapped a five-game losing skid with a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . D Josh Morrissey drew two assists for the Raiders, who outscored the visitors 4-1 in the third period. . . . F Reid Gardiner scored his seventh goal of the season for the Raiders. . . .
In Cranbrook, G Coleman Vollrath stopped 27 shots to help the Victoria Royals to a 4-0 victory over the host Kootenay Ice. . . . F Brandon Magee drew two assists in his first game after serving a 12-game suspension. . . . Vollrath posted his first shutout of the season and the second of his career. . . . The Ice completed a six-game Central Division road swing with four victories. . . . Ice F Jon Martin didn't finish the game, leaving late in the first period after seemng to injure himself while delivering a hit. He was playing his second game after returning from a three-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . . F Tim Bozon was among the Ice's scratches. He has an undisclosed injury. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story 
In Lethbridge, G Tyler Brown stopped 29 shots in his first WHL appearance to lead the Regina Pats to a 6-1 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Brown, from Winnipeg, joined the Pats a couple of weeks ago when Tyler Fuhr left the club for personal reasons. Brown normally backs up Daniel Wapple. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk scored his first goal of the season in his first game for Regina. He had returned from the camp of the NHL's Calgary Flames with a wrist injury. . . . F Connor Gay had a goal and two assists for Regina, which scored the game's last six goals. . . . Lethbridge D Nick Walters played in his 250th regular-season game, while it was No. 200 for F Zane Jones. . . . 
In Brandon, F Jayce Hawryluk scored four times to spark the Wheat Kings to a 10-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Hawryluk has nine goals on the season. . . . The Wheat Kings have a promotion with Smitty's, a local restaurant, that gives each fan in attendance a free breakfast if they scored seven goals in a home victory. . . . Brandon fans will be eating well, because the Wheat Kings beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos 8-3 on Friday night. . . . D Reid Duke added a goal and three assists for Brandon. . . . F Chase De Leo had two goals for Portland. . . . G Bolton Pouliot saw his first action with the Winterhawks since joining the team on Friday. He stopped 16 of 20 shots after coming on in relief of Brendan Burke with Brandon leading 6-2 late in the second period. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story 
In Vancouver, F Jackson Houck and F Alec Baer each scored three times as the Giants whipped the Prince George Cougars, 9-1. . . . Houck and Baer each has five goals this season. . . . Houck also added two assists. . . . The Giants got a goal and three assists from F Carter Popoff and a goal and two helpes from F Joel Hamilton. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson had two assists. 
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