Bibeau sharp as Foreurs open with victory; Royals goaltender signs pro deal

G Patrik Polivka (Victoria, 2012-14) has signed a two-year contract with Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season with the Royals, he was 2.56 and .915 in 43 games. . . . Polivka, who turned 20 on March 4, is eligible to return to Victoria for one more season, but would have been a two-spotter -- a 20-year-old and an import. . . .


G Leland Irving (Everett, 2003-08) has signed a one-year contract with Avangard Omsk (Russia, KHL). This season with Jokerit Helsinki (Finland, Liiga), he was 2.14 and .922 in 55 games.
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1. Dan Kinvig of the Abbotsford News reports right here that the CHL had some people conducting a survey in a local shopping centre on Wednesday. However, Jeff Hubert, the WHL’s director of communications, told Kinvig that the purpose of the survey wasn’t to test Abbotsford’s receptiveness to a WHL team. . . . I wonder how many Chilliwack residents happened to be in that particular shopping centre on Wednesday?

2. The news in The MacBeth Report that G Patrik Polivka has signed to play
professionally with his hometown team (he’s from Plzen, Czech Republic) puts G Coleman Vollrath, 19, atop the Victoria Royals’ depth chart. . . . Vollrath had a terrific season (20-8-2, 2.39, .928), really stepping up his game when Polivka missed time in early January and again in early February with a concussion. . . . Michael Herringer, an 18-year-old from Comox, B.C., who was a ninth-round draft pick in 2011, likely is in the Royals’ No. 2 slot, at least at this moment.

3. Wondering what’s in store for the Canadian Hockey League in terms of TV exposure through Rogers Communications over the next few years? Chris Zelkovich of the Eh Game over at Yahoo! Sports has some answers right here.

4. The championship game for the 2014 Memorial Cup is eight days away, but I have no idea what time the puck will drop. On what I believe is the tournament’s official website, there is one place where it has game time as noon Eastern. But I received an email today that contained the entire schedule, with starting times for every game but the final, which is listed as “TBD.” . . . So let’s go with TBD until TV decides when the game will begin.

5. When this season began, F Brendan Ranford was struggling to find playing time with the AHL’s Texas Stars. Things have since changed and Ranford, in his first pro season, is tied for the AHL playoff lead in goals. . . . Alyssa Dombrowski has more right here on Ranford, who played the previous five seasons with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Ranford got his seventh goal last night as the visiting Stars beat the defending-champion Grand Rapids Griffins 3-2 to take a 3-2 lead in that series. Game 6 is Sunday in Texas.

6. The Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers open the third round of Stanley Cup play today and the puck drops at 10 a.m. Pacific. Thank you, Gary Bettman, and tell me again how TV doesn’t rule your world. . . . Come on! The Canadiens and Rangers in a Stanley Cup game has to be on CBC-TV on Saturday night.

7. The Drummond men now are involved in the ownership of two hockey teams, father Gary with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes and son Jason with the Regina Pats. Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has Jason’s story right here.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed G Cody Porter, a North Vancouver native who turns 17 on Sept. 23. . . . Porter played this season with the midget AAA Vancouver-North West Giants (1.75, .942 in five games) and the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors (3.55, .875 in 16 games).
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THE COACHING GAME:
Craig Mohr is the new head coach of the junior B Fernie Ghostriders of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. Mohr is quite familiar with the KIJHL, having coached the Ghostriders in their first two seasons (2004-06) in the KIJHL and also worked with the Golden and Beaver Valley franchises. He also has worked with the midget AAA Calgary North Stars. This season, he was the assistant GM and assistant coach with the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks. . . . He also played 17 games with the Flin Flon Bombers in what was then the WCHL in 1971-72. . . . Mohr takes over in Fernie from Dale Hladun, who now is head coach of the KIJHL’s 100 Mile House Wranglers.
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The B.C. Major Midget Hockey League has revealed its list of head coaches for 2004-15. If you are interested, that list is right here.
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MEMORIAL CUP
(at London, Ont., all times Eastern)
(all games televised by Sportsnet)
Friday: Val-d’Or 1 vs. London 0 (8,863)
Saturday: Guelph vs. Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Sunday: London vs. Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Monday: Guelph vs. Val-d’Or, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Edmonton vs. Val-d’Or, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: London vs. Guelph, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7 p.m.
Friday: Semifinal, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 24: No game scheduled.
Sunday, May 25: Final, TBD.
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FRIDAY’S GAME:
The Val-d’Or Foreurs’ two stars came through in a 1-0 tournament-opening victory over the London Knights. . . . G Antoine Bibeau, whose NHL rights belong to the Toronto Maple Leafs, stopped 51 shots and F Anthony Mantha scored his 87th goal this season at 16:20 of the first period. . . . Mantha has 82 goals in 82 games for the Foreurs this season. . . . London G Anthony Stolarz, playing his first game in seven weeks after also serving an OHL suspension, stopped 27 shots. . . . The Knights were playing their first game after a 34-day layoff. They were eliminated by the eventual-champion Guelph Storm in the second round of the playoffs. . . . Bibeau stopped London F Bo Horvat on a third-period penalty shot. . . . In Saturday’s lone game, the WHL-champion Edmonton Oil Kings will meet the OHL-champion Guelph Storm.

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Oil Kings back in final . . . Voice of Tigers will be back!

F Mikhail Fisenko (Vancouver, Calgary, 2008-11) has signed a two-year extension with Amur Khabarovsk (Russia, KHL). This season, he had six points, including one goal, in 25 games. . . .
D Deron Quint (Seattle, 1993-96) has been traded by CSKA Moscow to Spartak Moscow (both Russia, KHL) for monetary considerations. Quint was traded by Spartak to CSKA on Jan. 15 for monetary considerations. This season, he led all KHL defencemen in goals, with 13. He finished with 28 points in 51 games.
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1. The biggest (and best) news in the WHL on Tuesday came out of Medicine Hat. Actually, it came late Monday night when Bob Ridley (@BobRidley_CHAT) tweeted: “I wish to thank chat radio and t.v for allowing me to semi retire. Will remain as tigers play by play man.” . . . Yes, the Tigers’ bus-driving play-by-play man will be back for another season, and that’s great news.

2. Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada has his weekly 30 Thoughts right here. Mike Johnston, the GM/head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, as the next head coach of the Vancouver Canucks? Hey, why not?

3. Ben Cooper, who did a turn as an assistant coach with the Victoria Royals, is back in the WHL as a regional scout with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He also is a coach at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C.

4. Attendance at Game 3 in each of the three major junior championship finals on Tuesday night: Val-d-’Or, 2,890 (seats, 2,140; capacity, 3,504); North Bay, 4,248 (sellout); Edmonton, 6,799.

5. Michael Kim won’t be in the outfield or on the mound this spring as the baseball season begins in Mississauga, Ont. But he is an angel in the outfield. Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun wrote this story right here in 2006, about a young man who lost his life and whose organs benefited eight people.
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After 17 years with the Prince George Cougars, general manager Dallas Thompson worked his last day with the organization on Tuesday. With the franchise going through the sale process, he won’t be returning.
Late Monday night, Thompson posted this on Facebook:
“Not much for updates, however, tomorrow will by my last day going to work for the Prince George Cougars. It has been a great 17 years. We did not get to the place we wanted but we touched a lot of hearts along the way. Thank you Prince George! You were kind and I wish you all the best along the way. ‪#‎princegeorgecougars‬ All the best.”
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have acquired D Cole Wedman, 20, from the Spokane Chiefs for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . Wedman, from Edmonton, had 29 points, including eight goals, in 181 regular-season games over three seasons with the Chiefs. . . . He was a sixth-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . Wedman’s brother, Matthew, a forward, was selected by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the second round of last week’s bantam draft. . . . The Chiefs are left with five 1994-born players on their roster -- D Reid Gow, the team captain, F Connor Chartier, F Marcus Messier, F Carter Proft and F Liam Stewart. . . . The Warriors now have four such players on their roster -- Wedman, along with F Scott Cooke, F Tanner Eberle and F Jack Rodewald. . . . The deadline for teams to get down to three 20-year-old players is Oct. 16.
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If you’re interested in the names of players with ties to the WHL who were selected in Phase 2 of the USHL’s draft on Tuesday, there’s a list right here.
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THE OHL FINAL:
In North Bay, the Guelph Storm scored twice in the last minute of the third period and beat the Battalion 4-3 to take a 2-1 lead in that series. . . . F Zack Mitchell tied the game at 19:30 of the third period and F Brock McGinn got the winner at 19:49. . . . The Battalion had leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2. . . . Game 4 is scheduled for tonight in North Bay.
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THE QMJHL FINAL:
In Val-d’Or, the Foreurs dropped the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 5-2 and now lead that series, 2-1. . . . F Anthony Mantha had two goals and an assist for the winners, who scored the game’s last four goals, three of them in the third period. . . . Mantha gave the Foreurs a 3-2 lead 6:41 and added insurance at 16:57. He’s got 20 goals in these playoffs. . . . The Foreurs are scheduled to play host to Game 4 tonight.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Former UBC Thunderbirds head coach Milan Dragicevic (Regina, New Westminster, Victoria, Spokane, Tri-City, 1986-90) has signed on as director of hockey development for the Richmond, B.C., Minor Hockey Association. Dragicevic, 43, spent 14 seasons as head coach of the Thunderbirds before being fired in March. He was the head coach of the Vancouver Giants in their first two WHL seasons.
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised on delayed basis by Root Sports)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
(Portland leads, 2-1)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton 2 at Portland 5 (10,947)
Sunday: Edmonton 1 at Portland 3 (10,645)
Tuesday: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (6,799)
Wednesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Friday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
x-Sunday: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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TUESDAY’S GAME:
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Portland Winterhawks, 3-2. . . . The Winterhawks lead the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, 2-1, with Game 4 in Edmonton tonight. . . . Game 5 is scheduled for the Moda Center in Portland on Friday. . . . F Chase De Leo, at 2:38, and D Mathew Dumba, at 3:30, scored first-period goals for the Winterhawks. . . . Edmonton F Henrik Samuelsson got a PP goal at 4:11 of the second period and F Luke Bertolucci pulled his guys even at 11:04. . . . F Edgars Kulda gave the Oil Kings their first lead of the series at 13:13 of the third period, and it stood up as the winner. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 35 shots, as did Portland’s Corbin Boes. . . . The Oil Kings were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 0-for-4. . . . The Winterhawks now are 42-4 since Jan. 11. . . . In Game 1, the Oil Kings trailed 1-0 at 2:50 of the first period. In Game 2, Portland scored at 2:12 and 3:14 of the first period. Last night, the Winterhawks scored at 2:38 and 3:30 of the opening period. . . . Portland has outscored Edmonton 7-0 in the first periods of this series. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic had one assist, giving him 30 points in 16 games. He now is tied for the playoff scoring lead with teammate Oliver Bjorkstrand, who leads in goals (15). . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot had an assist, leaving him at 29 points. He leads in assists, with 25.
John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal writes right here that Game 3 looked over early, but now it’s a series.
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From Fake GAINER (@fakeGAINER): “#Saskie Derrick Pouliot 29 pts in WHL Playoffs - absolutely crazy for a defenseman. Another product of the Weyburn AllUCanEat KFC Buffet.”


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