THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Lynn Loyns (Spokane, 1997-2001) was released by Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had one goal and one assist in nine games for Villach this season.
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The WHL’s board of governors awarded hosting rights to the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup to the Saskatoon Blades on Wednesday following meetings in Calgary.
The Blades, an original in this league, have never won a league championship or a Memorial Cup. They were the host team for the 1989 Memorial Cup when they lost the final 4-3 to the Swift Current Broncos on an OT goal by Tim Tisdale.
In awarding the tournament to Saskatoon, the governors chose not to go with a bid from either the Kelowna Rockets or Red Deer Rebels.
Saskatoon’s Credit Union Centre seats 15,195.
Prospera Place in Kelowna has 6,007 seats, with room for 500 standees, and will be home to the 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects festivities, with the skills competition Jan. 31 and the game Feb. 1
Red Deer’s Enmax Centrium had 5,735 seats with standing room for 1,000. Red Deer, however, is prepared to increase capacity to 7,000 seats and to add corporate boxes.
Kelowna played host to the Memorial Cup in 2004. Red Deer has never held the Memorial Cup; in fact, the tournament hasn’t been held anywhere in Alberta since 1974.
So you take in all that information and you’re thinking: Money talks.
And you would be correct.
The economy is in the dumper and there isn’t yet any light on the horizon, and there are WHL teams in deep financial doo-doo (see: Broncos, Swift Current, who drew 1,866 to a 5-4 victory over the Prince George Cougars last night). So the more money generated by the Memorial Cup, the better for the small- and mid-market teams.
The scary thing about this is that it would seem that whenever Saskatoon or the Vancouver Giants, Canadian teams who play in large facilities, choose to bid, one of them will get it.
And that’s too bad for teams that are ensconced in smaller venues but such is the nature of this beast.
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix began his story with:
“WHL commissioner Ron Robison knew exactly what made Saskatoon a worthy recipient of hosting the 2013 Mastercard Memorial Cup.”
The complete story is right here.
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Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier began his story like this:
“Money talks. That was the underlying message on Wednesday when the Saskatoon Blades were awarded the hosting rights for the 2013 Memorial Cup.”
His complete story should be right here sometime today.
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Here’s how Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate, began his story:
“Perhaps, just perhaps, the Red Deer Rebels bid never stood a chance.”
Sometime today that story should be posted right here.
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It was mentioned here Wednesday that the Prince George Cougars had added F Austin Daae, an 18-year-old from Estevan, Sask., to their roster. It also was mentioned that Austin isn’t believed to be related to Christine Daae. . . . Well, it turns out that he is related to Chrissy, who happens to be his mother. . . . I now am waiting to learn whether Chrissy is able to sing ‘Think of Me.’
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It also was mentioned here Wednesday that an announcement was imminent from the WHL regarding the use of video to explain some suspensions.
That announcement, I’m told, is likely to come today.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have dealt F Matt Marantz to the Regina Pats in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft.
The Hurricanes had given up a fourth-round 2012 pick to get Marantz, who is from Calgary, from the Spokane Chiefs on Sept. 29. Marantz had five assists in six games with Lethbridge.
Marantz’s departure left the Hurricanes with four 20-year-olds -- F Cam Braes, F Austin Fyten, F Brody Sutter and G Damien Ketlo. However, Fyten is out long term with a knee injury so another decision won’t be needed until he returns.
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The 20-year-old deadline arrives this afternoon with teams (well, most of them) having to declare a maximum of three such players.
The Saskatoon Blades are carrying four 20-year-olds but aren’t required to declare three until sometime next week. That’s because F Darian Dziurzynski didn’t arrive back from pro camp until last week, after which a team is given 14 days to trim its roster if it has more than three 20-year-olds.
The Victoria Royals have released G Braden Gamble, 20, so he will be available in today’s draft. He had a 6.22 GAA and a .816 save percentage in six games this season after going 3.54 and 3.86 in 19 games with the Chilliwack Bruins last season. The Royals have chosen to go with Keith Hamilton, 19, and Jared Rathjen, 17.
Dropping Gamble leaves the Royals with two 20-year-olds, which would seem to indicate that Victoria GM/head coach Marc Habscheid will be adding a player today.
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The photo at the top of this entry is the cover of the newest edition of DubNation.
If you go to DubNation’s link over their on the right, you should be able to click on it and download this season’s first issue.
It includes, among other things, an interview with Jeff Chynoweth, the GM and head coach of the defending-champion Kootenay Ice; a look at the young defencemen with the Kelowna Rockets; a look back at the Billings Bighorns; and, a piece remembering Brad McCrimmon.
Enjoy!
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JUST NOTES: D Joshua Smith of the Prince George Cougars had his suspension set at four games on Wednesday. The WHL website had him out with a ‘tbd’ suspension following a kneeing major and game misconduct in a game against the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Monday. . . . The Portland Winterhawks have moved a Nov. 12 game with the Spokane Chiefs to the Rose Garden. Game time remains at 5 p.m. With the NBA having cancelled the first two weeks of its regular season, that date came open in the Rose Garden. The same teams play the previous night in the Rose Garden, at 7 p.m. . . . F Emerson Etem is the CHL’s player of the week. He had six goals and an assist in three games last week. . . .
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SOME WEDNESDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
In Cranbrook, the Edmonton Oil Kings took apart the defending-champion Kootenay Ice to the tune of 6-1. . . . The Oil Kings (6-2-1-1) are in first place — they lead the Central Division and the Eastern Conference — for the first time in franchise history. . . . The Ice got two goals from F Curtis Lazar, the second overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft. He’s got three goals this season. . . . Edmonton F Dylan Wruck had three assists. . . . The Oil Kings went 4-1 on their road swing, winning in Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Lethbridge and Cranbrook. . . .
In Red Deer, the Rebels, no doubt disappointed at not being named the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup, beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-1. . . . The Hurricanes have lost six in a row. . . . The Hurricanes had F Reid Duke, the fifth overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, in their lineup. Duke is from Calgary. . . .
In Calgary, the Regina Pats erased a late 3-1 defict and beat the Hitmen 4-3 in a shootout. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal scored at 17:50 of the third period and F Dyson Stevenson, with G Matt Hewitt on the bench for the extra attacker, tied it with 51 seconds to play. . . . Regina now is 6-2-0. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger, who was acquired from the Tri-City Americans over the summer, made his first appearance with the Hitmen. He stopped 20 shots through OT, then was beaten by Weal and F Morgan Klimchuk in the shootout. . . . Driedger had been slowed by a high ankle sprain (aka lower body injury). . . .
In Swift Current, F Brad Hoban scored this third goal of the game at 19:22 of the third period to break a 4-4 tie and give the Broncos a 5-4 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Hoban has four goals this season. . . . The Broncos were 3-for-7 on the PP. . . . D Martin Marincin had a goal and two assists for the Cougars. . . . F Adam Lowry and F Taylor Vause did the same for the Broncos. . . . The Cougars went 2-4-0 in their East Division swing. They next play Saturday in Kamloops. The Cougars left for Kamloops right after last night’s game; the Blazers leave today for Portland where they will play the Winterhawks on Friday night. . . .
In Kelowna, the Medicine Hat Tigers’ two Cy Young candidates continued to roll in a 4-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk scored three times for the Tigers; he has seven this season. F Emerson Etem added his 13th goal and two assists. . . . Shinkaruk has zero assists to go with his seven goals; Etem is 13-4 in eight games. . . . The Rockets have lost three in a row after opening with three victories. . . . The Tigers spent a week in B.C., and finished 4-1-0. They now go home for five in a row. . . . As the Tigers were getting ready to leave Kamloops after a 5-4 victory Monday afternoon, the legendary Bob Ridley, the club’s bus driver and play-by-play voice, was spotted hustling out of the press box. When it was suggested that the way Etem was playing, he likely could drive the bus, too, Ridley didn’t disagree. . . . The Tigers swept the three star awards — in order, Etem, Shinkaruk and G Tyler Bunz — something that doesn’t happen all that often in Kelowna. . . .
In Spokane, the Chiefs scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . F Darren Kramer tied the score at 18:33 of the second period and F Dominik Uher won it at 16:18 of the third. . . . Spokane G Luke Lee-Knight — you should check him out on Twitter — stopped 20 shots in his second WHL appearance. . . . This was Brandon’s first game on a U.S. tour. . . . Kramer, who had seven goals in 68 games last season, has five in five outings this time around. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., G Ty Rimmer stopped 29 shots to help the Tri-City Americans to a 2-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin’s first goal of the season, a shorthanded effort at 19:31 of the second, gave the home boys a 2-0 lead. . . . F Shayne Danyluk spoiled Rimmer’s shutout bid at 17:51 of the third. . . . The Americans have won three in a row and are 4-0 at home. . . . The Raiders, winless in their last seven trips to the Toyota Center, are 2-2 in their U.S. swing.
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Yesterday, we provided a link to a story that took you inside the locker-room of the Boston Red Sox as their season imploded. Today, we provide a look at another angle to that story, this one from veteran U.S. broadcaster Keith Olbermann, who just happens to be friends with Theo Epstein and Terry Francona.
That piece is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Jamie Crooks (15) of the Victoria Royals looks to clear the puck from
in front of goaltender Jared Rathjen, with Cole Ully (right) of the Kamloops
Blazers on the prowl. Also in photo, at back, are Victoria's Emerson Hrynyk (4)
and Tim Traber, and Logan McVeigh (12) of the Blazers.(Photo by Murray Mitchell/Kamloops Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

It was one game in a season that is a marathon.
The Kamloops Blazers hope it was one step towards building a new identity.
The Blazers opened their six-game WHL exhibition season with a a 4-2 victory over the Victoria Royals on Friday night in front of about 800 fans at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre.
The Blazers will travel to Ladner today where they will face the Vancouver Giants tonight, while the Royals, who were playing their first game since relocating from Chilliwack over the summer, will meet the Rockets in Kelowna. Last night, the Rockets beat the Giants 4-3 in overtime.
“We’d like to create an identity . . . work ethic and being on loose pucks,” Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said. “I don’t want to dwell on the past but we need to be a team that is always on the puck and tenacious.”
The Blazers, of course, missed the playoffs last season, when their identity, if anything, was one of undisciplined play. If last night’s game is to be a point of reference, they are off to a good start.
The Blazers came out hard and used their speed to get in on the forecheck and create problems deep in Victoria’s zone.
“We wanted to be first on the puck and I thought we did that,” Charron said. “Puck possession . . . I thought we did a pretty good job.
“Overall, I was pleased with the effort.”
The Blazers got some help from a Royals team that wasn’t able to stay out of the penalty box. The visitors presented Kamloops with 11 power-play opportunities and the home side, despite not having worked on the PP, cashed in three of them.
“We said, ‘Be on the puck, move it to the points and get shots on net,’ ” Charron stated. “We weren’t going to try any plays.”
Right-winger J.T. Barnett, again looking comfortable on his off wing, snapped a shot past goaltender Jared Rathjen at 9:30 of the first period. Centre Colin Smith made it 2-0 just 1:05 later when he squeezed a shot from the left dot through Rathjen, a 16-year-old list player who signed with the Royals earlier in the day.
Both goals came with the man advantage and the Blazers were full marks for the 2-0 lead.
“I thought our forwards in the first period didn’t finish as many checks as we would have liked,” Charron said. Other than that, it was a good 20 minutes for the home boys.
But just 37 seconds into the second period, Czech veteran Robin Soudek whipped a shorthanded shot from the high slot past Kamloops starter Cam Lanigan.
Kamloops had four power-play opportunities in the second period but couldn’t beat Rathjen or Braden Gamble, who came on at 9:48. Still, the Blazers outshot the Royals 13-7.
Centre Chase Schaber  beat Gamble with a shot just under the cross-bar at 11:29 of the third, for the Blazers’ only even-strength goal.
Victoria got a power-play score of its own two minutes later when defenceman Kade Pilton’s point shot appeared to hit a foot and change direction on Cole Cheveldave, who had taken over from Lanigan.
The Blazers closed out the scoring at 15:43 when winger Chase Souto, on yet another power play, accepted a nifty pass to the back door from defenceman Bronson Maschmeyer and tucked it home.
Charron felt his guys “didn’t check well” in the neutral zone in the third period, but even at that the Blazers held a 13-9 edge in shots. They finished with a 36-29 lead for the game.
One player Charron was particularly pleased with was Swiss forward Tim Bozon, 17, who followed up a strong intrasquad game with a fine performance against the Royals.
Bozon, who picked up one assist, set the tone for Kamloops on his first shift with a big hit on Victoria forward Steven Hodges. About three minutes later, Bozon, on the penalty kill, went down and blocked a shot. A few minutes later, he scored another big hit, this one on forward Lukas Kralik.
“Yes,” Charron said, “I was pleased with Bozon.”
As for the goaltending, it’s too early to put Cheveldave, Lanigan or Taran Kozun in the lead, simply because Kozun has yet to play. He’ll get his first chance tonight in Kelowna, likely splitting time with Cheveldave.
JUST NOTES: Among the Blazers scratches were F Matt Needham (elbow) and F Jordan DePape (hip flexor). Needham has been skating and has medical clearance to resume full contact on Monday. He hopes to play Friday when the Rockets are at Interior Savings Centre. . . . The Royals also signed two 2010 draft picks yesterday — F Reid Halabi of Edmonton and F Taylor Crunk of San Jacinto, Calif. . . . Victoria D Joe Hicketts of Kamloops, who signed Thursday, was in the starting lineup and had more than a handful of vocal fans in attendance. . . . The Red Deer Rebels have released F Tad Kozun, 18, the older brother of Blazers G Taran Kozun. Tad, who had a goal and two assists in the Rebels’ intrasquad game, will play at home for the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. . . . F Liam Stewart, the son of actress Rachel Hunter and rocker Rod Stewart, is in camp with the Spokane Chiefs.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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