F Justin Feser has signed an amateur tryout contract (ATO) with the Portland Pirates, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes. Feser played five seasons with the Tri-City Americans, completing his junior eligibility this season. He put up 106 points in 72 games to finish fourth in the WHL scoring race. . . .
Bob Tory, the Tri-City Americans’ governor and general manager, announced Tuesday that D Mitch Topping, 20, will be the team’s captain in 2013-14. Topping is the 25th captain in Americans’ history and succeeds F Justin Feser, who completed his junior eligibility this season. . . . Topping, from Red Deer, was taken eighth overall by the Chilliwack Bruins in the 2008 bantam draft. He just completed his second season with the Americans. . . .
Jeff Chynoweth, the governor and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, announced Tuesday that F Sam Reinhart is the team's new captain. He takes over from D Joey Leach, who has used up his junior eligibility. . . . Reinhart is preparing for his third WHL season, although he isn’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2014. . . . Reinhart is the 18th captain in franchise history. . . .
Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Silvertips F Reid Petryk is joining the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters. . . . Patterson also reports that Everett D Mirco Mueller will play for Switzerland at the IIHF U-18 world championship in Sochi, Russia, April 18-28.
———



So . . . you’re wondering what Shaw TV will do in the second round of the playoffs.
Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate tells us that if the Kelowna Rockets win tonight’s Game 7 against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds, Shaw will bring you the series between Kelowna and the Kamloops Blazers.
If Seattle wins tonight, Shaw will televise the series between the Calgary Hitmen and Red Deer Rebels.
By the way, Shaw, with Dan Russell calling the play, will televise tonight’s Game 7 between the host Rockets and the Thunderbirds.
Regardless of the outcome, history will be made.
If Kelowna wins, the Rockets will become the second team in WHL history to fall behind 3-0 and come back to win a series. The Spokane Chiefs did it in 1996 in beating the Portland Winterhawks.
If Seattle wins, it will be the biggest upset, in terms of regular-season point differential, in WHL history. The Rockets finished with 108 points, 50 more than the Thunderbirds.
WHL Facts pointed out on Twitter that the Prince George Cougars have pulled off the two biggest such upsets, having beaten the Everett Silvertips in 2007 after finishing 37 points back and having dumped Portland in 1997 after being 36 points in arrears.
———



The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
FIRST ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
(Edmonton wins 4-1)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
(Medicine Hat wins 4-0)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
(Calgary wins 4-1)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)
(Red Deer wins 4-0)
———
SECOND ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Red Deer (4)
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
FIRST ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
(Portland wins 4-2)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
(Series tied 3-3; Game 7 tonight in Kelowna)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
(Kamloops wins 4-2)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
(Spokane wins 4-1)
———
TUESDAY GAME:
In Kent, Wash., F Myles Bell scored at 10:39 of OT to give the Kelowna Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent). . . . Strangely, the game’s first six goals all came in the first period. . . . Kelowna F Cody Fowlie scored 22 seconds into the game. . . . Seattle then took a 3-1 lead as it scored three times on its first four shots. . . . F Connor Sanvido, F Adam Kambeitz and F Luke Lockhart, who would hit a post early in OT, put Seattle out front. . . . F Tyrell Goulbourne and Fowlie, with a second goal at 16:20, forged the 3-3 tie. . . . Seattle G Brandon Glover stopped 55 shots, 15 more than Kelowna’s Jordon Cooke. . . . It was the fourth time in six games that the teams went to OT. Seattle had taken a 3-0 lead in the series by winning three times in extra time. . . . The Rockets lost D Jesse Lees late in the second period when he took a check to the head from Seattle F Justin Hickman. . . . Hickman left with a major and game misconduct and could be suspended for Game 7. . . . Lees didn’t return to the ice, although he was on the bench. That left the Rockets to finish up with four defencemen. . . . Seattle was 0-2 on the PP and now is 0-24 in the six games. . . . The Rockets had six regulars out of the lineup — F JT Barnett (ill), F Rourke Chartier (back), D MacKenzie Johnston (shoulder), F Carter Rigby (shoulder, foot), F Colton Sissons (shoulder) and D Mitchell Wheaton (shoulder). As a result, the Rockets had F Nick Merkley, 15, and F Justin Kirkland, 16, in their lineup last night and they saw ample ice time. . . . The Thunderbirds were without F Connor Honey as he served Game 2 of a three-game suspension for a hit on Johnston in Game 4. . . . "We just have to put that game behind us," Glover told freelancer Jim Riley, who covered the game for the Seattle Times. "Before this series began, if we'd have known we just had to steal a Game 7, we'd have taken that every time. We just have to look at the positives."
Riley’s story is right here.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (12):
F Justin Hickman, Seattle (major)

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (4):
None
———


From Pat Siedlecki (@radiopat), the play-by-play voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes: “New @WHLHurricanes GM Brad Robson says it's been a busy 1st week on the job. Already received more than 20 resumes for Head Coach position.”
Check out Siedlecki's blog over there on the right for a Tuesday interview he did with Robson.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

G Brandon Glover of the Seattle Thunderbirds got the WHL a whole lot of publicity, including some pub at SI.com. However, it seems the league doesn’t believe in the axiom that no publicity is bad publicity.
Glover has been suspended for two games after getting into a scrap with G Austin Lotz of the Everett Silvertips on Saturday night. According to the WHL website, the suspension actually is “for game misconduct versus Everett.”
From that same game, the Thunderbirds drew a $500 fine for the goaltenders’ fight, and Seattle D Evan Wardley was suspended for two games after picking up his fourth game misconduct of the season.
Meanwhile, F Jordan Messier of the Moose Jaw Warriors was hit was a three-game suspension for a game misconduct he incurred in a game against the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Friday. Messier came off the bench during a line change and got involved in a scrap. . . . That suspension ends Messier’s WHL career as he is 20 and the Warriors have only three games remaining.
The Warriors also were fined $250 “for actions of player” in that game.
———

The Tri-City Americans have added D Brandon Carlo, 16, to their roster for the rest of this season. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Carlo, from Colorado Springs, Colo, played this season with the U-16 Colorado Thunderbirds. He put up 47 points, including 10 goals, in 41 games. Carlo was a 10th-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. According to an Americans’ news release: “Under the USA Hockey/Hockey Canada/CHL agreement, Carlo will be limited to six games played for the remainder of the season, including the 2013 WHL playoffs.” . . .
The Americans also announced that they have added F Fraser Bulbuc, 18, to their roster. He had been with the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders. Bulbuc has played in four games with the Americans this season, scoring one goal.
The Kootenay Ice has added F Hudson Elynuik, 15, to its roster for the last four regular-season games. A third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, Elynuik played for the midget AAA Calgary Flames. . . .
The WHL’s draft lottery will be held on March 20. . . .
The Prince Albert Raiders have added F Matteo Gennaro, 15, and D Brendan Guhle, 15, to their roster. Gennaro, a second-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, had 21 points in 30 games with the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders. He will stay with the Raiders through the weekend’s final regular-season games. Guhle, the third overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft, played with the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. He had five points in nine playoff games and will remain with the Raiders through the playoffs. . . .
F Henrik Samuelsson of the Edmonton Oil Kings has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes. Samuelsson, the son of former NHL D Ulf Samuelsson, was a first-round selection, 27th ovearll, in the 2012 NHL draft. He has 79 points, including 32 goals, in 67 games this season. Last season, the native of Scottsdale, Ariz., had 23 points in 28 regular-season games after joining the Oil Kings following the Christmas break. He added 14 points in WHL playoff games then was named to the Memorial Cup all-star team.
According to capgeek.com, D Joel Edmundson of the Kamloops Blazers will get NHL salaries of $642,500, $717,500 and $867,500 under the terms of the three-year deal he signed with the St. Louis Blues last week. His AHL salary would be $70,000 in each of the three seasons. Edmundson, a second-round selection in the NHL’s 2011 draft while he was with the Moose Jaw Warriors, also got a signing bonus of $277,500, payable in three annual instalments. . . .
The Red Deer Rebels have added F Jordan DePape, 20, to their roster. DePape, who hasn’t played since Nov. 11, left the Kamloops Blazers in order to undergo shoulder surgery. The Rebels acquired him as a free agent on Jan. 10 in the hopes that he would help them in the playoffs. . . . Red Deer has two games remaining, both against the Edmonton Oil Kings.
———
The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
———
MONDAY’S GAMES:
No Games Scheduled.
———






I will let you guess what was on TV last night . . .
———
From Portland Winterhawks F Chase De Leo (@Dels9): “Bachelor season finale tonight, mixed emotions. Excited, but sad it's going to be over. Think with your head Sean, not your hammer. #WifedUp”
———
From Brandon Wheat Kings D Nick Walters (@nickwalters3): “Lindsay Illl love you and treat you right”
———
From former Portland F Brad Ross (@bross1818): “Wow Sean your an idiot can't believe you didn't pick Lindsay. I'm #heartbroken #idmarryyou”
———
And then there was Bachelor fan Mike Fraser (@MikeFraser29), who scouts for the Brandon Wheat Kings but seems to have missed the finale: “Congrats to my alma mater, @ICGaels, for winning the MAAC men's basketball championship tonight and advancing to the NCAA tournament.”
———
From Shawneen Esson (@s_esson): “Seen 2 of the @SCBroncos packing bags at Safeway tonight! Pretty nice to see even if one was tweeting on the job! Lol”

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Two's company in WHL penthouse

Justin Kirsch (12) of the Moose Jaw Warriors slides the puck through
Kamloops Blazers goaltender Cole Cheveldave during a shootout
Saturday night at Interior Savings Centre.
(HUGO YUEN / KAMLOOPS DAILY NEWS)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers have company in the WHL's penthouse for the first time in more than six weeks.
The Blazers, who took sole possession of first place on Oct. 14, dropped a 3-1 decision to the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., on Sunday night. That followed a 3-2 shootout loss to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday in the annual Teddy Bear Game.
When the smoke had cleared, Kamloops (21-7-3) and the Portland Winterhawks (22-4-1), who have won six in row, were tied atop the overall standings, each with 45 points. However, the Winterhawks now hold four games in hand.
The Winterhawks, who beat host Everett 4-1 on Saturday, entertain the Silvertips on Tuesday. Portland, which beat visiting Seattle 5-2 on Friday, is two games into a stretch of 15 straight games against U.S. Division opponents.
The Blazers will play their final two home games before the Christmas break this week. The Swift Current Broncos (12-13-5) are scheduled to play at Interior Savings Centre on Tuesday, with the Prince George Cougars (9-14-4) here on Friday.
Last night, Seattle forward Justin Hickman broke a 1-1 tie at 16:52 of the third period as the Thunderbirds (14-13-1) won for the second time in two nights. They had beaten the visiting Kelowna Rockets 4-2 on Saturday.
Latvian forward Robert Lipsbergs scored twice for Seattle, the last one into an empty net. He has 13 goals in his freshman season.
The Thunderbirds nursed a 1-0 lead well into the third period before winger Joe Kornelsen scored his first goal of the season for Kamloops. He hadn't scored in 18 games with the Calgary Hitmen before being traded to the Blazers. He now has played seven games with Kamloops.
Seattle goaltender Brandon Glover, a one-time teammate of Kornelsen's in Calgary, finished with 30 saves, two more than the Blazers' Taran Kozun.
On Saturday night, defenceman Tyler Bell of the Blazers scored his first goal of the season — and second in 81 regular-season games — with 24.5 seconds left in the first period to launch the Teddy Bears from the stands.
The Warriors came back in the second period with goals from defence partners Morgan Rielly and Travis Brown, the latter shorthanded with 12.3 seconds left in the frame. That was the third shorthanded goal the Blazers have surrendered this season.
The Blazers forged a tie when centre Colin Smith got his 21st goal at 5:46 of the third period, beating goaltender Justin Paulic, who made 29 saves.
The visitors won it on shootout goals by forwards Justin Kirsch and Brayden Point.
“We just aren't getting sustained effort. Not even now, after a week off,” stated Kamloops head coach Guy Charron, whose club had five days without a game last week, a rarity this season. “You can't ask any more from Smitty. But there are others . . . consequently we have to shorten the bench. We have some guys who haven't scored in some time. They have to go the net and create things.”
The Blazers' recent goal-scoring woes continued in Kent.
The Blazers are 5-8-1 in the 14 games since their 14-game winning streak ended with a 3-0 loss in Kelowna on Nov. 1. Kamloops has scored 30 goals in those 14 games, with 11 of them coming in two games - victories over Portland (6-4) and the Prince George Cougars (5-4, shootout). In 11 of those games, the Blazers have scored two or fewer goals.
After playing the Cougars on Friday, the Blazers will head to Vancouver for a Sunday date with the Giants. Then it's into Alberta for four games in five nights before their Christmas break begins.
JUST NOTES: Canada's national junior team is expected to start issuing invitations today to its selection camp. The final list is likely to include at least 38 names, with 14 or 15 of those from the WHL. Linemates JC Lipon and Smith, who are tied for the WHL scoring lead, may be on the list. . . . On Sunday, the Blazers scratched F Dylan WIllick (ankle), F Cole Ully (mononucleosis), D Jordan Thomson (ill) and D Ryan Rehill. . . . Seattle F Tyler Alos, 19, has been shut down with post-concussion syndrome and isn't expected to play again this season. . . . The Blazers arrived in Seattle at 4 a.m. . . . Both teams were playing for the third time in as many nights. . . . The attendance on Saturday was 5,053. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. Brown: Plays in Rielly's shadow but was terrific; 2. Bell: Assertive and a goal; 3. Paulic: More than solid. . . . The Warriors hung out in Kamloops on Sunday and left for Prince George this morning. They will play the Cougars there on Tuesday. . . . The OHL's London Knights are on a 15-game winning streak after beating the host Mississauga Steelheads 4-3 in a game that took a 19-round shootout to decide. That eclipses the Blazers and the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads for the longest winning streak in the CHL this season.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ryan Kinasewich (Medicine Hat, Tri-City, 1998-2004) was released by mutual agreement by Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had four goals and seven assists in 14 games this season. . . .
F Ashton Rome (Moose Jaw, Red Deer, Kamloops, 2002-06) signed a one-year contract with Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL). He was pointless in five games this season with the Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL). Last season, Rome had 11 goals and nine assists in 66 games with the Portland Pirates (AHL). . . .
F Domenic Pittis (Lethbridge, 1991-94) signed a contract through Nov. 30 with Visp (Switzerland, NL B). He had 12 goals and 19 assists in 49 games with the ZSC Lions Zurich (Switzerland, NL A) last season. . . .
F Martin Hanzal (Red Deer, 2006-07) signed a lockout contract with Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had eight goals and 26 assists in 64 games with the Phoenix Coyotes last season.
F Scott Hartnell (Prince Albert, 1997-2000) has agreed to a lockout contract with KalPa Kuopio (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had 37 goals and 30 assists in 82 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season. Hartnell’s contract will become effective on Nov. 15 should the NHL lockout still be in effect. Hartnell is one of the owners of KalPa and would join Nashville F Craig Smith on the team. According to the local Kuopio newspaper Savon Sanomat, the agreements with both players are consistent with all NHL locked-out players currently playing in Finland. The players are drawing no salaries; the clubs are providing only travel expenses, local accommodations, and contract insurance premiums. The paper reports that the insurance premiums for Hartnell are about €40,000 per month (US$51,800) and about €10,000 per month (US$12,950) for Smith. . . .
If people are wondering about wages in normal situations in Europe, Swedish player agent Gunnar Svensson told Edmonton Journal reporter Jim Matheson that the three best-paying hockey leagues, in order, are the NHL, the KHL, and Sweden’s Elitserien. He went on to say that top salaries in Elitserien are around $500,000 US per season and the average is about $110,000 US.
———
No longer will teams be able to go into the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland and try to run the Winterhawks out of the bandbox. Paul Buker of The Oregonian has the story right here about how the Coliseum now has an NHL-sized ice surface. . . . The first game on the new surface is scheduled for Sunday with the Tri-City Americans playing the Winterhawks.
———
The Everett Silvertips have trimmed two 19-year-olds players from their roster. . . . G Cole Holowenko has returned home to await a move, while F Zach McPhee has left the club. . . . According to a news release, McPhee chose to leae “to pursue opportunities outside the major junior level.” . . . Holowenko was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders, but went 0-2-1, 6.41, .808 and was passed on the depth chart by Austin Lotz and Daniel Cotton. . . . McPhee, who came over from the Tri-City Americans in 2010-11, had 10 points in 49 games with Everett. This season, he was pointless in 11 games. . . .
———
Veteran F Drew Czerwonka, 20, has chosen to leave the Kootenay Ice and retire. He had been the team’s captain since the start of last season. . . . In 227 games, Czerwonka, who is from Glenavon, Sask., had 112 points, including 48 goals, and 321 penalty minutes. . . . He was in his fifth season with the Ice, but injuries limited him to 40 games last season. He had four assists in eight games this season. . . . “More or less that he had lost the fire and it's been on his mind for about the past month,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told Jeff Holick, the club’s radio voice. “He gave it a lot of thought. He's a very thorough young man and . . . I respect the decision.” . . . For more, check out Holick’s blog over there on the right.
———
FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Vancouver, the Giants ended a five-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Royals had won the first three games of the season series. . . . The Royals are in Kamloops tonight. . . . The Royals, who had won three in a row, didn’t get even one shot on goal in the first period, the second time this season they have been blanked in one period. It happened in Kamloops in the second period of a 5-2 loss on Oct. 10. . . . F Marek Tvrdon had three goals and an assist for the Giants. . . . Tvrdon, a 31-goal man last season, now has four this time around but he is on a seven-game point streak. . . . F Kale Kessy, 20, played in his first game with Vancouver. He was acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers while in the midst of a 12-game WHL-issued suspension. . . . G Payton Lee, 16, made his second straight start for Vancouver, this time stopping 13 shots. . . . The Giants left on a road trip right after the game and, according to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Lee wasn’t on the bus. He has returned to the junior B Richmond Sockeyes, leaving the Giants with Liam Liston and Tyler Fuhr as their goaltenders. . . . The Giants were without F Cain Franson, who suffered an injury in a 3-2 loss to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday. He may have been hurt on a play on which Brandon D Tyler Yaworski was given a headshot major. Yaworski was hit with a ‘tbd’ suspension on Friday morning. . . . Vancouver lost F Thomas Foster with an apparent shoulder injury in the first period. . . . The Giants play in Edmonton on Sunday. . . .

The Everett Silvertips won their fourth straight game, beating the visiting Spokane Chiefs, 6-5. . . . It was Everett’s first home victory of the season. The Silvertips, who entertain the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight, are 1-3-1 at home. . . . F Kohl Bauml had two goals for Everett. . . . D Ben Betker had a goal and an assist, both WHL firsts, for the Silvertips. . . . G Daniel Cotton stopped 29 saves in winning his fourth straight game. . . . The Chiefs trailed 6-2 before scoring the game’s last three goals. . . . According to a Spokane news release, “The Chiefs suffered a further blow when leading scorer Mitch Holmberg took a hit to the head midway through the first period and had to leave the contest.” There were no headshot penalties handed out, according to the online scoresheet. . . . Holmberg has 23 points, including 11 goals, in 14 games. . . .

F Colin Smith had a goal and three assists to help the host Kamloops Blazers to an 8-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Smith ran his season-opening point streak to 14 games as the Blazers ran their record to 13-0-1. . . . F JC Lipon, the WHL’s leading point man, had three assists. . . . Kamloops has won 11 straight games. . . . F Dylan Willick and F Tim Bozon had two goals each. . . . Kamloops D Tyler Hansen had a goal and two assists. He was playing in his 199th regular-season game and this was his first three-point outing. . . . Bozon also had an assist, giving the Blazers’ big line a 10-point night. . . . Kamloops F Jordan DePape scored in his return from a shoulder injury that cost him six games. . . . The Wheat Kings are 2-3-1 on a seven-game road trip that ends tonight against the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Blazers are at home tonight to Victoria. The Royals beat the Blazers 4-3 in a shootout on Sept. 28 and that is the lone blemish on Kamloops’ record. . . .

G Brandon Glover stopped 44 shots to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . Glover stopped 17 shots in the third period when his mates scored twice to break a 1-1 tie. . . . This was the first meeting of the season between the teams. Last season, the Americans lost the first game and then won nine in a row from the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Robert Lipsbergs broke a 1-1 tie with his first WHL goal at 4:12 of the third period. . . . Tri-City had won its last four games in Seattle’s home rink in Kent, Wash. . . . After eight in a row on the road, the Americans are at home to the Spokane Chiefs tonight. . . .

F Colton Sissons scored twice to lead the visiting Kelowna Rockets to a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Sissons recorded his 50th career goal and 100th career point. . . . He’s got eight goals this season. . . . Kelowna F Ryan Olsen came off a three-game suspension to score his club’s other goal. . . . The Rockets play in Edmonton tonight. . . . Red Deer F Wyatt Johnson played his first game of the season. He missed all of the exhibition season and 15 regular-season games with a concussion. . . . The Rebels are at home to the Calgary Hitmen tonight. . . .

F Curtis Valk scored five times and set up another as the Medicine Hat Tigers whipped the host Calgary Hitmen, 10-1. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk had a goal and four assists for the Tigers. . . . Valk, who has a WHL-leading 14 goals, scored three times in the second period as Medicine Hat took a 7-0 lead. . . . The Tigers scored four PP goals in 10 chances. . . .

The Moose Jaw Warriors scored the games last three goals and beat the host Prince Albert Raiders, 3-2. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince Albert. . . . F Dakota Conroy scored his eighth goal since coming to Prince Albert in a swap with the Victoria Royals. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point pulled his side even with two second-period PP goals and F Sam Fioretti got the winner at 13:11 of the third. Fioretti has 12 goals. . . . F Justin Kirsch had three assists for Moose Jaw. . . . The Raiders have lost four of their last five home games. . . . Prince Albert F Tim Vanstone completed a four-game suspension. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes reached the .500 mark with a 6-1 victory over the visiting Regina Pats. . . . The Hurricanes are 7-7-1. . . . G Ty Rimmer, who has started all 15 Lethbridge games, stopped 28 shots. . . . Lethbridge held a 55-29 edge in shots, including 44-13 after two periods. . . . The Swift Current Broncos visit Lethbridge tonight. . . . 

First, the Kootenay Ice lost its captain, then it lost a hockey game. F Drew Czerwonka, 20, announced his retirement prior to the Ice dropping a 5-2 decision to the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Ice was able to dress only 17 skaters, one under the limit. They also are down to two 20-year-olds and GM Jeff Chynoweth is actively looking for a third. . . . The Ice scored the game’s first goal, with the Broncos then scoring four in a row.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Elliott Peterson, Calgary (twice)
F Henrik Nyberg, Kelowna
D Tyler Bell, Kamloops
F Alex Gogolev, Victoria
F Connor Honey, Seattle

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
———
TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Kamloops Blazers F Jordan DePape (@papskos17): “Congrats to my ex-roommate Kurtis Mucha on becoming the first goalie in Canada West hockey history to score a goal tonight. #he’scatching me”
Mucha stopped 18 shots as the U of Alberta Golden Bears scored a 7-1 victory over the host Lethbridge Pronghorns. . . . Mucha was credited with the game’s first goal at 12:40 of the first period when he was the last Alberta player to touch the puck before the Pronghorns scored an own goal with a delayed penalty about to be called on Alberta. 

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
Langnau (Switzerland, NL A) signed F Tyler Ennis (Medicine Hat, 2005-09) and D Jared Spurgeon (Spokane, 2005-10) to lockout contracts. Ennis had 15 goals and 19 assists in 48 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season, while Spurgeon had three goals and 20 assists in 70 games with the Minnesota Wild. They are childhood friends and were teammates in minor hockey in Edmonton. . . .
F Stepan Novotny (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extrraliga). He had five goals and six assists in 34 games for Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) last season. . . .
F Shay Stephenson (Red Deer, 2000-04) was released by Karlskrona (Sweden, Allsvenskan) by mutual agreement due to injury. He had no points in three games this season with Karlskrona. . . .
F Jakub Rumpel (Medicine Hat, 2006-07) signed a try-out contract with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, Oberliga). He had one assist in one game with Trnava (Slovakia, 1.Liga) this season. Last season, Rumpel had three assists in two games with Trnava and seven goals and 12 assists in 30 games with Frederikshavn (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga).
———
When the WHL gathered its head coaches for an information session in Calgary last week, there was a lot of talk about dangerous hits, about not hitting players who are in vulnerable positions, about not hitting another player in the numbers, about the respect factor.
Judging by the number of ugly hits in the Kamloops Blazers’ 6-5 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Friday night, there is some work to be done.
Make no mistake about it – this was a nasty game. Not nasty in terms of ample stickwork and a number of fights (there was only one), but nasty because of some really dangerous hits.
It started four minutes into the first period when Kelowna F Colton Heffley hit Kamloops F Aspen Sterzer from behind.
Before the game was done, Kamloops D Tyler Hansen had twice been penalized for hits from behind, while Kelowna F Ryan Olsen also picked up one.
But two of the most egregious checks from behind weren’t called such; in fact, one of them didn’t even draw a penalty.
At 16:43 of the first period, Kelowna F Henrik Nyberg hit Kamloops D Tyler Bell in the back and wasn’t even penalized. Nyberg ended up falling on Bell, who went down awkwardly and appeared to injure his right knee. He returned to the bench for the last two periods but didn’t play again. Nyberg, a freshman from Sweden, ended up in a fight as Kamloops F Dylan Willick went straight to him. The only penalty assessed Nyberg was a fighting major.
At 10:11 of the second period, Kelowna D Myles Bell drilled Kamloops F Matt Needham from behind and was given a boarding minor.
Meanwhile, at 12:08 of the second period, Kelowna F Colton Sissons drove to the Kamloops net off the left wing. He made no attempt to pull up and barrelled into G Cole Cheveldave in the crease. Somehow, Sissons came out of this without a goaltender interference penalty; rather, he was penalized for roughing.
Cheveldave left the game after the second period with an undisclosed injury. Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said he couldn’t yet say whether Cheveldave was injured on that play. Charron wasn’t at all happy to be talking about Cheveldave being injured again. After all, Cheveldave’s last season ended late in Game 1 of a second-round series with Portland when he was run over by Winterhawks F Oliver Gabriel behind the net.
Last night, shortly after Sissons ran into Cheveldave, Kamloops F Jordan DePape had a chance to bury Kelowna G Jordon Cooke on a similar play, put pulled up short and skated past the side of the net.
The messages in all of this: The penalties for checking from behind have to be made stiffer. If that’s what it takes to make players think before they drill an opponent in the numbers, well, that’s what it’s going to take.
And the WHL officials need to work harder to protect the goaltenders. A few charging majors would be a good place to start.
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In seasons past, I have done game-by-game reviews. I’m not going to do that this season; it’s simply too time-consuming and most of the information I provided is available on the game sheets on the WHL website. . . . Instead, I will try to provide some highlights, injuries, tidbits, etc. . . . If you are at a game and see something of interest, email me at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca. . . .
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FRIDAY’S STUFF:
The Portland Winterhawks outshot the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 30-2 in the first period and went on to drop a 5-2 decision. Seattle G Brandon Glover pitched a first-period shutout and finished with 55 saves. . . . Seattle had a 20-11 edge in shots in the second period. . . . The Winterhawks were 11-1-0 against Portland last season. . . . Portland D Seth Jones, whose first name really isn’t Highly Touted, made his WHL debut. “I thought he was good,” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston told Paul Buker of The Oregonian. “I thought he controlled the play. He moved the puck well. He’s a big guy when he jumps up ice. It’s amazing how quick he is with his stick when he heads up ice. He’s got really good offensive skills.” . . . Jones’ father, Popeye, was in the stands. Popeye, an assistant coach with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, played for the Portland Trail Blazers in Memorial Coliseum. . . . “The fans are crazy, and they really support this hockey team,” Jones told Buker. “I’m an old guy. I started coming here in 1993 for basketball. I played in Memorial Coliseum. That’s how old I am.” . . .

LW Tim Bozon scored three goals, the last one in OT, to give the host Kamloops Blazers a 6-5 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . As noted earlier, this was a particularly nasty game. . . . Kamloops lost G Cole Cheveldave (undisclosed) and D Tyler Bell (knee) to injuries, both on aggressive plays by Kelowna players. Neither is expected to play tonight in Kelowna. . . . Rockets LW J.T. Barnett (knee) left during his first shift after throwing a hit deep in Kamloops territory. He won’t play tonight either. The Rockets claimed Barnett off waivers from Everett last week. Last season, Barnett suffered a knee injury while stretching prior to a game in Kamloops. He played that night, but the injury kept him out of action after that until playoffs. . . .

The host Moose Jaw Warriors overcame a 3-0 deficit and beat the Swift Current Broncos 4-3 in OT. The winning goal? F Andrew Johnson scored it on a penalty shot. . . . “I saw there was a gap there (between defenders) and I tried to split it. When the ref pointed for a penalty shot my heart almost stopped,” Johnson told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. . . . Swift Current D Reece Scarlett left the ice on a backboard after a hit from Moose Jaw F Justin Kirsch. Scarlett was on the ice for 10 minutes before being taken off. He gave the crowd the thumbs up as he left. . . . The Warriors successfully killed off two major penalties, the one to Kirsch for the hit on Scarlett and another to D Joel Edmundson who got tossed under the WHL’s new rule for instigating a fight off a faceoff. . . . Scarlett (@reecescarlett7) later tweeted: “Thanks for all the support. I am doing fine. Nothing seriously wrong. Just beyond stiff and sore. #bebacksoon.” . . .


Victoria F Stephen Hodges took a puck to the mouth in the warmup and then scored twice, both via the PP, and set up another as the Royals beat the Giants 6-4 in Vancouver. . . . Victoria D Joe Hicketts, the 12th overall pick in the 2011 draft, had a goal and an assist for the Royals in his first regular-season game. . . . Victoria scored six times on 18 shots. . . . Victoria head coach Dave Lowry, in his first season with the Royals, picked up the victory in the rink where he played his first NHL game with the Vancouver Canucks. They selected him 110th overall in the NHL’s 1983 draft. . . .

In Red Deer, the Rebels dropped a 3-2 decision to the Calgary Hitmen and lost D Mathew Dumba in the first period when he was tossed for a head hit on F Joe Kornelson. . . . Here’s Red Deer Advocate sports editor Greg Meachem: “It was the classic open-ice hit that Dumba has made his calling card, but also one that is being frowned upon by referees and the WHL head office and earned the third-year Rebel a major and game misconduct.” . . .

In Brandon, head coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk picked up his first victory as the Wheat Kings edge the Regina Pats, 3-2. . . . Gylywoychuk, a veteran assistant coach in Brandon, was named head coach of the Wheat Kings over the summer. . . . Gylywoychuk also played with the Wheat Kings. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades began their march to the 2013 Memorial Cup by beating the host Prince Albert Raiders 2-1 in a shootout. . . . Last season, the Raiders lost 19 games by one goal, which contributed mightily to their missing the playoffs. . . . The Raiders got their goal on the PP after Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls was given a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on D Zach Hodder. The Vancouver Giants selected Hodder with the 20th overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. He had a short stay in Saskatoon last season and was making has Prince Albert debut in this one.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Madie Gylywoychuk (@Madietaylor99): “Congrats on the first win of the season @bdnwheatkings! Way to go Dad! @millchew.”
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IN OTHER NEWS:
The Regina Pats have acquired F Adam Rossignol, 19, from the Swift Current Broncos for a 2013 bantam draft pick. The Broncos announced that pick as being conditional; according to the Pats, it’s a 12-rounder. . . . Rossignol, who was acquired by the Broncos form Kootenay Ice in January, had 21 points in 71 games last season. He was released by the Broncos earlier this week. . . . Rossignol played for Regina last night. . . .
The Broncos also announced Friday that they have released F Christian Magnus, 20. He came over from the Kootenay Ice on Jan. 9, 2011, as part of the  monster deal in which F Cody Eakin moved to the Ice. . . . Magnus, the ninth overall pick in the 2007 bantam draft, actually started with the Broncos, but was dealt to the Ice with D James Martin in exchange for F Michael Stickland and D John Negrin. There also were some draft picks in that deal. . . . Last season, Magnus had 24 points in 62 games with the Broncos. The announcement of his release came three days after Broncos F Graham Black (@GrahamBlack9) said farewell to Magnus via Twitter: “Going to miss my best friend on the swift current broncos @mr_mangus big beauty, unreal friend, and amazing line mate! We love you mags!!!” . . . The Broncos are left with F Chance Lund, F Ryon Moser and D Dalton Reum as their 20-year-olds. . . .
The Tri-City Americans have assigned F Brendan Persley, 19, to the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals, who acquired his rights last week from the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. . . . The Americans now are carrying 26 players, including two goaltenders and 15 forwards. . . .
F Brock Balson, 19, who was released this week by his hometown Kamloops Blazers, is back with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks. Balson was released by the Prince Albert Raiders prior to the start of last season. He joined the SilverBacks and put up 19 points in 20 games. He then moved to the Blazers, for whom he had six points in 42 games. . . .
F Justin Maylan (Moose Jaw, Prince George, Prince Albert, 2007-12) has signed with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. Maylan, 21, had 89 points, including 63 assists, with Prince Albert last season.
The Medicine Hat Tigers have assigned G Kenny Cameron, 19, to the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. Last season, Cameron backed up Tyler Bunz with the Tigers. His departure leaves the Tigers with Dawson MacAuley, 18, and Marek Langhamer, an 18-year-old Czech freshman, as the goaltenders. . . . Langhamer stopped 18 shots in last night’s 4-2 loss to the host Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . .
Brian Wiebe, who covers the BCHL like a glove, reports that the Surrey Eagles have added D Tommy Stipancik, 18, who was released by the Saskatoon Blades. Stipancik had three points in 34 games with the Blades last season. . . . Wiebe also has F Brayden Low, 18, joining the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials after being dropped by the Seattle Thunderbirds. Low, who played four games with the Portland Winterhawks in 2010-11, had 16 points in 44 games with the Centennials last season.
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The OHL and the Windsor Spitfires have come to an agreement on disciplinary measures brought on by a violation of the league’s player recruitment policy. Originally, the Spitfires were fined $400,000 and had five draft picks taken from them. . . . The Spitfires appealed and recently met with OHL commissioner David Branch. . . . According to an OHL news release, “During the meeting . . . the Windsor Spitfires accepted that there were certain violations of the league’s recruitment policy.” . . . When all was said and done, the earlier decision was changed. The Spitfires have agreed to pay a fine of $250,000 and lose four draft picks – first-rounders in 2013 and 2016, and second-rounders in 2015 and 2017. . . . As a result of this agreement, the Spitfires won’t appeal the decision. . . . And here is the last line of the OHL news release: “Neither the League nor the Windsor Spitfires will be making any further comment in relation to this matter.” . . . So that takes care of that.
Bob Duff of the Windsor Star writes right here about how this means the Spitfires have “dropped their innocent act.”
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The QMJHL’s P.E.I. Rocket franchise will change its name to P.E.I. Islanders effective next season. The team held a rename-your-team contest and Islanders got 49 per cent of the votes. Also considered were Riptide and Confederation. . . . The change can’t take place yet because Reebok is just now working on changing logos and colours.

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Ahh, you have to love social media.
Before the Portland Winterhawks were able to announce a deal with the Everett Silvertips for D Seth Jones, the names of two players included in the swap had surfaced on Twitter.
D Ben Betker, one of four players the Winterhawks gave up in the exchange, changed his twitter profile to read “Product of Cranbrook BC, Canada. Everett Silvertips of the #WHL. #LivingTheDream.”
F Mitch Skapski also had changed his Twitter profile to reflect the trade.
As it turns out, the Winterhawks also sent along F Tyler Sandhu and D Reece Willcox in the deal.
It all was made official in a late afternoon news conference in Portland.
Betker, a defenceman who turns 18 on Sept. 29, had 18 points for the BCHL’s Westside Warriors this season. Undrafted, he was placed on Portland’s protected list in June. He had signed with the Winterhawks.
Skapski, the younger brother of Kootenay Ice G Mackenzie Skapski, was a fourth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. Mitch, who is from Abbotsford, B.C., had 49 points in 40 games with the major midget Fraser Valley Bruins.
Sandhu, a second-round pick by Portland in the 2011 bantam draft, is 16 and also signed with the Winterhawks. From Surrey, B.C., he had 45 points in 38 games with the major midget Vancouver Canadians this season.
Willcox, who also is from Surrey, had 23 points in 52 games with the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials. Now 18, Willcox was a third-round selection in the 2009 bantam draft. He has committed to attend Cornell U and play for the Big Red.
The Silvertips, then, acquired the rights to four players in exchange for Jones, who is projected as an early pick in the NHL’s 2013 draft.
All indications are that the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Jones, 17, may well be one of those once-in-a-lifetime players. But he wasn’t going to report to Everett, so the Silvertips had no choice but to trade his rights. They also got an undisclosed bantam pick from Portland just for the right to speak with Jones and his family.
Right now this looks like win-win for both teams, but don’t forget the adage about the team getting the best player winning the trade.
Garry Davidson, the Silvertips’ general manager, spent almost four full seasons as the Winterhawks’ director of player personnel. So he certainly is familiar with the players he acquired from Portland, having drafted three of them and listed the other.
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ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
From a WHL fan, via email:
“When did the WHL start webcasting the signing of players? And why not do it for everyone?”
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Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail weighed in Tuesday with his view of the Stanley Cup playoffs vs. the world championship.
“The Stanley Cup playoffs, for some years now, has been a tournament run largely in reverse,” he writes, “with the climax and greatest interest in Round 1 followed by a sliding war of attrition that culminates in June with exhausted players and weary fans just wishing it would get over with so summer could start. It does not help in Canada when they schedule Sunday afternoon games when cabin-fevered Canadians are thinking far more of bikes and canoes than of skates and pucks.
“The Stanley Cup playoffs are also so overly coached that, inevitably, defence rules. Far easier to teach trapping and shot-blocking than knocking the goalie’s water bottle off the top of the net with a high wrister.”
He’s right, you know, and his complete column is right here.
You know that there is a problem when the play-by-play voices and the analysts talk more about blocking shots than scoring goals and when they make reference to the team having blocked the most shots having won the most games.
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In a column that appeared Tuesday, Gregg Doyel, a national columnist at CBSSports.com, tries to answer this question: “Knowing what awaits NFL players after retirement, is it ethically defensible to watch it – and enjoy it – as they do this to each other?” . . . That column is right here and it’s food for thought.
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JUST NOTES: The 2013 U-17 World Hockey Challenge will be held in the Quebec communities of Victoriaville and Drummondville, running from Dec. 28 through Jan. 4, 2013. . . . The 10-team tournament always features five teams from Canada (Atlantic, Ontario, Pacific, Quebec, West) and five international teams. . . . G Matt Tomkins, who played this season with the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders, has committed to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes starting with the 2013-14 season. You will recall that the Vancouver Giants at one point were taking a long, hard look at Tomkins. . . . F Jordan DePape of the Kamloops Blazers lives with Type 1 diabetes and is preparing to head out on the Diabetes Heroes Tour for a second straight year. Last year, the tour made three stops; this time, it’ll stop in five cities – St John’s (May 14), Barrie (May 15), Winnipeg (May 16), Edmonton (May 17) and Prince George (May 18). The tour also includes country singer George Canyon. DePape appeared on the morning show at CTV Winnipeg on Tuesday. There’s more information on the tour, including how to get tickets, right here. . . .
In the spring of 1991, the Oshawa Generals, coached by Rick Cornacchia, and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, under Ted Nolan, met in the OHL’s championship final. On Tuesday, the two men went head-to-head one more time, this time at the world championship in Stockholm. Cornacchia is Italy’s head coach, while Nolan fills the same role with Latvia. . . . The Greyhounds won the OHL title in 1991; on Tuesday, Latvia won, 5-0. . . . The video that was shot and put together by Chris Rumble at Seattle Children’s Hospital really has gone viral. On Tuesday afternoon, Kelly Clarkson sent this tweet to her 1,344,307 followers: “Oh my goodness y'all have to see this! It's beautiful! I can't wait to visit these kids and nurses! It's Seattle Children's Hospital, I believe. God Bless y'all!” That video, if you haven’t seen it, is right here. As of the wee hours this morning, it was closing in on 177,000 views.
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It would seem that 20-year-old goaltenders are in demand in the WHL.
On Tuesday, the Seattle Thunderbirds dealt a 2013 third-round bantam draft pick to the Calgary Hitmen for G Brandon Glover, who turns 20 on Aug. 21.
The Thunderbirds, of course, are in the market for a goaltender as they don’t expect to get Calvin Pickard back for his 20-year-old season. Pickard is likely to play somewhere in the Colorado Avalanche’s system.
Glover went 20-12-0, 3.11, .885 with the Hitmen last season. They acquired him from the Moose Jaw Warriors prior to the 2010-11 season. A native of Victoria, he was selected by the Warriors in the sixth round of the 2007 bantam draft.
With Glover gone, Chris Driedger, 18, is No. 1 on the Calgary depth chart.
The Thunderbirds, who didn’t qualify for the playoffs this season, now show 11 20-year-olds on their roster – Glover, G Michael Salmon, Pickard, D Dave Sutter, D Braeden Laroque, D Brad Deagle, D Mitch Spooner, F Chance Lund, F Luke Lockhart, F Brendan Rouse and F Sean Aschim — but only six or seven of those are serious contenders for the three spots.
Each team is allowed to dress a maximum of three 20-year-olds per game. In fact, teams must each declare a maximum of three 20-year-olds at a cutdown date in mid-October.
On Thursday, during the bantam draft in Calgary, the Lethbridge Hurricanes acquired G Ty Rimmer, 20, from the Tri-City Americans, while the Prince Albert Raiders got G Luke Siemens, 20, from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Kurt Kleinendorst won’t be back as head coach of the Binghamton Senators, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. Kleinendorst’s two-year contract is up in June but he made the decision not to return. "I've thought long and hard about it," Kleinendorst told Joy Lindsay of the Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin. "I have nothing but good things to say about (general manager) Bryan Murray and the organization, and the same is true for Binghamton. It's been one of my nicer stops along the way. The people here are wonderful. The players that I've experienced for two years have been wonderful." . . . Binghamton put up a 71-70-8-7 regular-season record under Kleinendorst and went 16-7 in the playoffs, including winning the AHL championship a year ago. . . .
Kevin Hartzell won’t be back as GM and head coach of the USHL’s Sioux Falls, S.D.,  Stampede. Hartzell just completed his seventh season with the Stampede, going 224-152-44. The Stampede recently underwent a change in ownership. A new coach is expected to be in place may May 22, which is when the USHL holds its entry draft. . . . Ryan Clark of the Fargo Forum has more on the Hartzell situation right here.
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THE WHL FINAL:
Game 4 . . .
In Portland, F Rhett Rachinski scored twice, including once in OT, to give the Edmonton Oil Kings a 4-3 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . The championship final now is tied 2-2 with the teams returning via shared charter flight to Edmonton for Game 5 on Thursday. They flew out of Portland right after last night’s game. . . . A sixth game is scheduled for Portland’s Rose Garden on Saturday. . . . The Rose Garden was home to a concert by The Black Keys on Monday night and ice conditions worsened as the game progressed. . . . Rachinski was able to corral a loose puck after Portland F Oliver Gabriel wasn’t able to handle a pass from D William Wrenn. Rachinski, 20, then scored his sixth goal of these playoffs at 9:07 of OT. . . . The Oil Kings were in OT for the first time in these playoffs; Portland now is 2-1 in extra time. . . . The Oil Kings had taken a 3-1 lead into the third period only to have Portland F Sven Baertschi scored twice, at 3:49 and 9:06. . . . He now has 13 playoff goals and is tied with linemate Ty Rattie for the postseason points lead, each with 32. . . . Baertschi has goals in five straight playoff games. . . . F Marcel Noebels opened the scoring for Portland at 1:21 of the first period, with Rachinski pulling his side even at 15:50. . . . F Tyler Maxwell gave the Oil Kings the lead at 8:17 of the second with his first goal of the final. Interestingly, Maxwell is one of the veterans whom Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal said prior to Game 4 had to be better. . . . Edmonton F Stephane Legault scored for a 3-1 lead with 56 seconds left in the second. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 39 shots, one more than Portland’s Mac Carruth. . . . Each team was 0-2 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 10,947.
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Here is the schedule for the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup (all times local):
Thursday, May 3: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (7,466)
Friday, May 4: Portland 5 at Edmonton 1 (10,720)
Sunday, May 6: Edmonton 3 at Portland 4 (10,947)
Tuesday, May 8: Edmonton 4 at Portland 3 (OT) (10,947)
Thursday, May 10: at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 12: at Portland (Rose Garden), 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, May 13: at Edmonton, 6 p.m.

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THE PRO GAME:
F Matej Stransky of the Saskatoon Blades has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Dallas Stars. He was a sixth-round selection in the NHL’s 2011 draft. Stransky, who is from Ostraa, Czech Republic, had 81 points, including 39 goals, this season, his second in the WHL.
F Marek Tvrdon of the Vancouver Giants is joining the Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. Tvrdon, from Nitra, Slovakia, was a fourth-round pick by the Red Wings in the 2011 NHL draft. He led all WHL freshmen in points (74) this season.
F Jordan Weal of the Regina Pats is off to the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs, while D Colton Jobke will finish up with the AHL’s Houston Aeros and D Martin Marincin with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Blazers. . . . Weal was a third-round selection by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2010 NHL draft. . . . Jobke has signed a free-agent deal with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. . . . The Edmonton Oilers took Marincin in the second round of the 2010 NHL draft.
F Taylor Vause, who had such a wonderful season with the Swift Current Broncos, has had his season ended by a broken foot. Vause, 20, signed an ATO with the AHL’s Texas Stars and was playing with them when he broke a foot. He finished with one goal in four games with the Stars.
F Max Reinhart and D Joey Leach of the Kootenay Ice have joined the Abbotsford Heat, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. . . . Both were third-round selections by the Flames in the 2010 NHL draft.
D Matthew Konan of the Medicine Hat Tigers has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. Konan, 20, is from Tustin, Calif., and is finishing up his fifth season with the Tigers. This season, he had 54 points, 45 of them assists, and 73 penalty minutes in 72 games. He was an NHL free agent.
G Brandon Glover of the Calgary Hitmen has joined the Abbotsford Heat, the AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames. Glover, 19, is an undrafted free agent.
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The Kamloops Blazers have added D Jordan Thomson, 15, and F Brayden Gelsinger, 16, to their roster through the end of the playoffs. . . . Thomson, the fourth overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, had 29 points in 35 games with the midget AAA Southwest Cougars, who are based in Souris, Man. . . . Gelsinger, a list player, had 42 points, 22 of them goals, in 41 games with the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Will Verner has resigned as general manager and head coach of the junior B Fernie Ghostriders of the Kootenay International junior league. Verner spent the last five seasons in the position.
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More than a year has gone by since the NHL mandated that a player suspected of having a concussion be taken from the bench area and spend at least 15 minutes being evaluated away from the noise of the game. So, Mark Spector of Sportsnet wonders: What happened to The Quiet Room? That piece is right here.
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The Canadian women’ water polo team would appear to have an excellent opportunity to win a medal at the Olympic Games in London this summer. Except for one problem – concussions. Randy Starkman of the Toronto Star has that story right here.
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Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail writes right here about a discussion that took place in Peterborough, Ont., last week. It had to do with concussions in hockey and there are some interesting stories here, most of which involve overzealous parents.
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Anne McIlroy of The Globe and Mail has a story right here on the impact of concussions on one particular minor hockey team. There are 17 players on the roster. Guess how many ended up concussed?
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If you’re looking for a good read, check out Elliotte Friedman’s weekly column. It’s right here.

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Wednesday's stuff . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL) announced that it won’t re-sign D Tomas Mojzis (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 2000-03) for next season. He had two goals and seven assists in 49 games in helping Minsk to a second-place finish in the Western Conference of the KHL. However, it was upset by seventh-place Dynamo Riga 4-2 in the Western Conference quarterfinals.
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The Edmonton sporting scene and, indeed, the entire WHL is poorer today following the death of Vic Mah. Mah, who was 91, died on Friday. . . . A giant on the Edmonton sporting and restaurant scene, Mah longed to bring a WHL franchise to Edmonton. . . . Mah was on the Oil Kings’ board of directors when it was a dominant junior franchise in the 1960s. . . . He was part of the group that purchased the Flin Flon Bombers and moved them to Edmonton in time for the 1978-79 season. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a one-season stand. . . . Few people were aware of it, but Mah even was a shareholder in the Kamloops Blazers when the franchise was community-owned.
Cam Tait of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades clinched the fourth regular-season championship in franchise history on Wednesday, beating the Wheat Kings 5-3 in Brandon. . . . The Blades are 52-13-2 and have tied the franchise record for victories in one season that was set in 1982-83. . . . The Blades last finished first overall in 1987-88 when they went 41-22-3 and wound up three points ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers. Saskatoon later was swept from a second-round series by the Tigers. . . . The Blades also won the regular-season points title in 1982-83 (52-19-1) and 1972-73 (46-11-11). . . . F Marek Viedensky scored twice for the Blades last night as they ran their winning streak to five games and ended Brandon’s home-ice win streak at 11. . . . Viedensky leads the Blades with 33 goals. . . . Saskatoon will play in Brandon again on Friday. . . .
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G Brandon Glover stopped 24 shots last night to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-0 victory over the host Swift Current Broncos. . . . It was Glover’s first WHL shutout. . . . F Spencer Humphries scored twice for the Hitmen, breaking a scoreless tie in the third period and adding an empty-netter. . . . The Broncos have been blanked eight times this season, tying them with the Everett Silvertips for the WHL lead in a dubious category. . . . While the Hitmen have been eliminated from the playoff chase, the Broncos are on the verge. They are eight points out with five games remaining. . . .
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The Prince Albert Raiders are back in sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Raiders, with F Jonathan Parker scoring three first-period goals, beat the visiting Regina Pats 8-5, while the host Lethbridge Hurricanes lost 5-3 to the Moose Jaw Warriors, who got three assists from D Collin Bowman. . . . Parker has 44 goals this season. . . . The Raiders hold a two-point lead over Lethbridge with each team having five games remaining. . . . The Pats are 10^th, five points behind Prince Albert with five games left. . . .
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The Chilliwack Bruins ran their franchise-record winning streak to six games, blanking the Giants 2-0 in Vancouver. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore, the reigning CHL goaltender of the week, stopped 36 shots in earning his fourth shutout this season. . . . Vancouver has been shut out three times. . . . F Robin Soudek had a goal and an assist. . . . The Bruins, having won seven of eight, now are alone in sixth place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Everett Silvertips and just four behind the fifth-place Giants. . . . Vancouver lost F Michael Burns in the second period after he was checked by Chilliwack D Tyler Stahl. Burns stayed down and was taken from the ice on a stretcher. . . . Later, Chilliwack F Curt Gogol took a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct for a hit on Vancouver D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen. . . . The teams combined for 134 penalty minutes, with the Bruins taking 78 of those. . . . Vancouver has lost four in a row. . . . The Giants are to visit Chilliwack on Saturday. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has the game story right here.
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The Kelowna Rockets moved eight points ahead of Vancouver by beating the visiting Tri-City Americans, 3-1. . . . The Rockets are atop the B.C. Division, which brings with it the second seed in the Western Conference. . . . The Americans appear headed to a fourth-place finish. . . . Kelowna F Colton Heffley picked up a charging major and game misconduct so is likely to hear from the WHL office.
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Congrats to Nella Rounsville and Lorne Frey, the latest recipients of the WHL’s Distinguished Service Award. . . . Rounsville is the Kootenay Ice’s education advisor, a role she has filled since 1998-99. She also is chairperson of the Ice’s annual golf tournament. . . . Frey is the assistant general manager, head scout and director of player personnel for the Kelowna Rockets. He is arguably the best purveyor of talent in the WHL today and has two Memorial Cup rings to show for it (Swift Current, 1989; Kelowna, 2004) . . . Frey has been with the Rockets since they set up shop in Tacoma in 1991. . . . Hockey really is in his blood. F Travis Moen (Kelowna, 1998-02) of the Montreal Canadiens is Frey’s son-in-law. As well, Frey and the late Louise (Fanner) Kruger were siblings, meaning Frey is an uncle to Darren, Trevor and the late Scott Kruger, all of whom played in the WHL.
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Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, reports that it looks like F Killian Hutt’s season is over. Hutt hasn’t played since suffering a concussion during a game against the Blazers in Kamloops on Dec. 10.
“He was optimistic when we chatted last week that he’d be able to get back into the line-up in the final two weeks of the season,” Mullin wrote on his blog (link over there on the right). “However, as he started working harder in practice some post-concussion symptoms came back. It looks like he’ll be shut down for the year as a result.”
Mark Lamb, the Broncos’ GM and head coach, told Mullin:
“It was coming along well. He sartged getting headaches again. It looks like we’re going to have to shut him down for the year. That’s too bad for him. . . . I feel bad for him. It’s been a tough year for him. He’s a 19-year-old player who needs to get back in the lineup for his career. But you can’t do anything when you have those head injuries.”
Mullin also reports that F Graham Black, who won the Saskatchewan midget AAA league scoring championship with the Regina Pat Canadians, has joined the Broncos. They acquired his rights from the Edmonton Oil Kings in December. . . . With F Jarrett Dowling (ankle) out of the lineup, Black likely will see ample playing time in the Broncos’ remaining games.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings will play their first-round playoff games at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair will have taken over the Keystone Centre. Games 1 and 2 will be played there on March 28 and 31, with a sixth game, if necessary, there on April 4. . . . Brandon last played postseason games in Winnipeg in 2006 when they lost a first-round series in six games to the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . While the Wheat Kings haven’t yet clinched what would be their 11th straight playoff berth, they are getting close. They are seventh, one point out of sixth and seven out of eighth.
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JUST NOTES: F Nino Niederreiter of the Portland Winterhawks is the CHL player of the week. He had nine points, including seven goals, in four games last week. He is the first Portland skater to earn the honour this season. . . . Lucas Gore of the Chilliwack Bruins is the CHL’s goaltender of the week after going 4-0-0, 1.00, .968. . . .
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The QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs have a 53-6-3 record, in no small part because of the play of G Jacob DeSerres (Seattle, Brandon, 2005-10). DeSerres, 20, is profiled right here by Scott Briggs of the Saint John Telegraph-Journal.

Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail is the best essayist/sports columnist in Canada today.
His column in Saturday’s paper carries this headline: How to break Neanderthals’ grip on hockey?
It starts with this sentence:
“If hockey is truly ‘a man’s game,’ then why are the games brought to us by Cialis and Viagra?”
As he writes later in the piece: “It is a great game, but it surely needs some work.”
This is your must-read piece for today and it is right here.
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Interestingly, MacGregor wrote and filed his column before the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders staged that embarrassing exhibition on Friday evening.The NHL had quite a week, didn’t it?
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While enjoying some time off this week, I heard someone -- it may have been Bob McCown on The Fan 590 out of Toronto -- mention that there were, at that particular time, 43 NHL players out with concussions.
I don’t know where that number came from, but I went on TSN’s website late Friday night and started counting. I found 23 players listed as being out with a concussion, concussion symptoms or a head injury. There are a bunch of players on the list with undisclosed injuries, so perhaps there is another list out there somewhere that showed 43 concussed NHLers.
Regardless, it got me to wondering: How many WHL players have suffered concussions this season?
So I spent some time perusing the WHL injury/transaction update that is posted on the league’s website early each week.
Interestingly, six of the WHL’s 22 teams have reported a number of head injuries but not even one concussion. On the other hand, 10 teams have reported concussions but no head injuries.
Including the injury report of Feb. 8, WHL teams have listed a total of 78 players as having suffered head injuries or concussions. Of those, 43 have suffered concussions and 35 are listed as having had head injuries.
(Another five players are shown to have incurred neck injuries.)
Of course, there is nothing here to indicate how these injuries happened. For example, there are goaltenders on the list who were concussed when struck on the mask by a shot or a stick.
But there also are two players on the list who suffered season-ending concussions and one other who hasn’t played since Dec. 10.
As of the Feb. 8 list, there were 13 players out with concussions or head injuries.
No matter how you look at it, there are far too many head injuries, certainly at this level of hockey and in the NHL.
The message, whatever it is, isn’t getting through.
Consider, too, that Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier is reporting: “Last season, the WHL handed out 110 games in suspensions; this season, it’s already at 135.”
That doesn’t include an impending suspension to Kelowna Rockets F Colton Jobke. He was hit with an interference major on Friday night for a hit that ended the season of Chilliwack Bruins F Tim Traber, who suffered a broken leg.
Here’s what Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska, speaking after the game, told Potenteau: “I didn’t think it was a good hit. Traber didn’t have the puck, and, from what I saw originally — and I haven’t looked at since — I thought it wasn’t a very good hit. Even though he’s our player, it’s one of the hits where I wouldn’t want to see one of our guys get hit that way.”
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A look at WHL teams and the number of concussion and head injuries each has reported through Feb. 8 (first number is concussions; second number is head injuries):
Brandon 0-0
Calgary 0-6
Chilliwack 5-0
Edmonton 2-4
Everett 8-0
Kamloops 5-0
Kelowna 0-5
Kootenay 1-2
Lethbridge 0-4
Medicine Hat 3-0
Moose Jaw 2-1
Portland 0-0
Prince Albert 0-3
Prince George 1-0
Red Deer 3-0
Regina 3-0
Saskatoon 5-0
Seattle 2-0
Spokane 0-4
Swift Current 2-1
Tri-City 3-0
Vancouver 3-0
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Whitehorse, F Brendan Gallagher scored twice to help the Vancouver Giants to a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The game was played in a soldout Takhini Arena, which has 1,535 seats. . . . This was the first WHL regular-season game to be played in the Yukon, although the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Kootenay Ice played two exhibition games in Yellowknife, North West Territories, in 2005. . . . The arena didn’t include glass that meets WHL standards so both teams agreed to have the officials ignore what would have been delay-of-game penalties in WHL arenas. . . . The victory was No. 516 in the WHL for Vancouver head coach Don Hay, who is fourth on the all-time list. Pat Ginnell is No. 3, at 518. . . . The Giants have won 14 of their last 18 games. . . . Gallagher broke a 2-2 tie when he tipped a shot by F Spencer Bennett past G Jeff Bosch. . . . Gallagher has 38 goals. . . . Bennett set up both of Gallagher’s goals. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 26 shots, two fewer than Bosch. . . . Vancouver remains atop the B.C. Division, meaning it is the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed. It now is four points ahead of Kelowna. . . . The Blazers slipped into ninth, one point behind Chilliwack. . . .
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In Chilliwack, the Bruins, without three veteran defencemen, beat the Kelowna Rockets, 4-1. . . . F Ryan Howse scored twice, giving him 39 goals, and added an assist. . . . F Max Adolph gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead with his second goal of the season in the first period. . . . F Brandon Magee tied it for the Bruins at 3:25 of the second and F Kevin Sundher, with his 18th, gave them the lead at 17:20. . . . Howse added two third-period goals. . . . The Bruins were without veteran defencemen Brandon Manning, who is serving a seven-game suspension, and the injured Jeff Einhorn and Zach Habscheid. . . . F Curt Gogol dropped back to the blue line and Turner Popoff, 16, was brought in from the junior B Richmond Sockeyes and made his WHL debut. . . . The Bruins also were without F Tim Traber, who will miss the rest of this season with a broken right leg suffered in Friday’s 5-4 shootout victory in Kelowna. Rockets F Colton Jobke was hit with an interference major on the play in which Traber was injured. Jobke has been suspended, although the length of that suspension isn’t yet known. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 26 shots. . . . The Rockets were 0-for-2 on the PP; the Bruins were 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 2,909. . . . The victory lifted the Bruins into eighth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Kamloops. Chilliwack holds four games in hand on Kamloops. . . . The Bruins are at home to Tri-City tonight. . . . The Rockets travel to Everett to face the Silvertips tonight. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., F Ryan Johansen had his first WHL three-goal game, leading the Portland Winterhawks to an 8-2 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Winterhawks, who lead the Western Conference, are one victory away from clinching a playoff spot. . . . Portland scored its first five goals on the PP as it went 6-for-7 with the man advantage. . . . Johansen has 30 goals. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow had a goal and three assists. . . . Seattle had a 17-5 edge in first-period shots but went into the second period trailing 1-0. . . . The Winterhawks outshot Seattle 20-7 in the second and emerged with a 5-1 lead. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton stopped 35 shots. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard was beaten seven times on 35 shots before Michael Salmon came on. He was beaten once on two shots. . . . Attendance was 4,771. . . . The Winterhawks lead the Western Conference and hold a five-point lead over Spokane in the U.S. Division. . . . Seattle, with one victory in 10 games, is 10th in the conference and now is five points out of a playoff spot. . . . Spokane visits the Thunderbirds tonight. . . .
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In Brandon, F Matt MacKay scored three times to lead the Wheat Kings to a 6-4 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . MacKay’s third goal, his 21st of the season, came into an empty net with 11.6 seconds left in the third period. . . . F T.J. Foster scored three times for Edmonton, while F Dylan Wruck earned four assists and set the franchise’s modern day record for points (64) in a season. . . . Brandon has won six straight home games. . . . Foster has 23 goals. . . . D Ryan Pulock and F Brenden Walker each had two assists for Brandon. . . . Pulock, a 16-year-old from Grandview, Man., has 27 points in 49 games and certainly is in the conversation when the discussion is about the Eastern Conference’s top rookie. . . . Attendance was 4,120. . . . Brandon is back in action Tuesday when the Saskatoon Blades and F Brayden Schenn come calling. The Wheat Kings dealt Schenn to Saskatoon on Jan. 10. . . . The Wheat Kings, seventh in the Eastern Conference, closed to within three points of the sixth-place Oil Kings. Edmonton has one game in hand. . . . The Oil Kings move on to Swift Current tonight. . . .
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In Moose Jaw, F Marek Viedensky and F Jake Trask each scored twice for Saskatoon as the Blades beat the Warriors, 5-3. . . . The Blades have won 11 in a row. . . . Viedensky has 27 goals. . . . Trask, whose second goal was into an empty net, now has 21 goals. . . . F Cody Beach had a goal and two assists for the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 43 shots. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 26 shots and now is 32-3-0. I’m thinking he has the Cy Young Award locked up. . . . After Beach gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead, the Blades scored three times, twice on the PP, to take a 3-1 lead into the second. . . . The Warriors tied it before Viedensky broke the 3-3 deadlock at 18:22 of the third. . . . Referees Derek Zalaski and Cole Hamm handed out nine roughing minors and six for unsportsmanlike conduct. There were only two scraps, though. . . . Attendance was 2,730. . . . The Blades lead the WHL in victories (44), points (90) and winning percentage (.804). In fact, only one other team (Red Deer, .716) is over .700. . . .The Warriors are fifth and appear likely to finish there. . . .
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In Regina, the Pats got two shootout goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . The Pats led 2-0 in the second period, on goals by D Brandon Davidson and F Lane Scheidl, only to have the Tigers come back and tie it. D Jace Coyle scored at 13:40 of the second and F Kellan Tochkin tied it at 6:52 of the third. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey had two assists and now has 92 points. He is tied for the scoring lead with Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . . F Shayne Neigum and Scheidl scored for Regina in the SO, while only F Wacey Hamilton was able to beat G Matt Hewitt for the Tigers. . . . Hewitt stopped 32 shots through OT and three more in the SO. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz made 34 saves. Regina D Myles Bell was unable to beat him on a second period penalty shot. . . . Attendance was 3,996. . . . The Pats are tied for 10th with Lethbridge, just two points behind Prince Albert and Swift Current, who are tied for eighth. . . . Medicine Hat is fourth, one point behind Kootenay. . . .
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In Swift Current, F Max Reinhart scored two goals 34 seconds apart as the Kootenay Ice beat the Broncos, 6-4. . . . The Ice, which has clinched a playoff spot, led 3-0 after one period and 4-1 late in the second, only to have the Broncos tie it 4-4 on F Andy Blanke’s fifth goal of the season at 6:59 of the third. . . . F Joe Antilla got the winner at 14:42 and D James Martin nailed the empty-netter at 19:44. . . . F Cody Eakin, traded to the Ice by the Broncos on Jan. 9 for five players and three draft picks, had one assist in his return to Swift Current. . . . F Drew Czerwonka had three assists for the Ice. . . . Reinhart, who scored the game’s first two goals, has 29 this season. . . . Attendance was 2,525. . . . The Ice is third in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Red Deer and one up on Medicine Hat. . . . The Broncos, with one victory in 10 games, are tied with Prince Albert for the conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Broncos are at home again tonight, this time to Edmonton. . . .
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In Calgary, G Brandon Glover stopped 32 shots to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 4-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Hitmen scored three times in the first period, with F Justin Kirsch getting his 22nd at 4:12. . . . F Kris Foucault, with his 17th, and F Misha Fisenko, with his seventh, also scored in that first period. . . . F Brett Connolly got his 33rd on the PP at 7:44 of the second. . . . Foucault later added his 18th into an empty net. He also had an assist. . . . Calgary F Brendan Santini had two helpers. . . . Cougars G Ty Rimmer stopped 18 shots. . . . Attendance was 9,385. . . . The Hitmen are 12th in the Eastern Conference and, barring a miracle, won’t make the playoffs. . . . The Cougars are sixth in the Western Conference, four points behind Kelowna and three ahead of Everett. . . . The Cougars have a game in Red Deer tonight. . . .
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In Lethbridge, G Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Hurricanes, 3-0. . . . Kuemper, a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, leads all of the CHL with 11 shutouts. He has 17 in his career. . . . He had three in each of his previous two seasons. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his 20th goal, while F Byron Froese had a goal, his 34th, and an assist, and F Andrej Kudrna got his 25th goal. . . . With Red Deer short on the back end, Froese dropped back and played a lot on defence. . . . Lethbridge G Brandon Anderson stopped 39 shots. . . . Red Deer F Brett Ferguson had an assist to run his point streak to 13 games, the longest active streak in the league today. He has 21 points over that stretch. . . . Attendance was 3,790. . . . Lethbridge is tied with Regina for 10th in the Eastern Conference, two points out of a playoff spot. . . . Red Deer leads the Central Division and is seven points behind conference-leading Saskatoon. . . . Red Deer is at home to Prince George tonight. . . .
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In Spokane, F Levko Koper drew four assists as the Chiefs dumped the Tri-City Americans, 7-2. . . . The Chiefs were 4-for-7 on the PP, while the Americans were 0-for-6. . . . F Tyler Johnson had two goals and an assist for the Chiefs. He leads the WHL with 43 goals and his 92 points have on the top rung alongside Medicine Hat F Linden Vey. . . . Spokane D Brenden Kichton had a goal and two assists. . . . Spokane G Mac Engel stopped 22 shots. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley left early in the second period with an apparent knee injury. . . . Attendance was 10,475. . . . The Chiefs are second in the U.S. Division, five points behind Portland with two games in hand. . . . The Americans are three points in back of Spokane. Tri-City holds three games in hand on Spokane and five on Portland. . . . The Americans play in Chilliwack tonight, while the Chiefs are in Kent, Wash., to face Seattle.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy
Kelowna F Evan Bloodoff
Tri-City D Sam Grist

There's a Beach in Moose Jaw

So there I was, sitting in the seats at Interior Savings Centre and watching Team WHL go through its practice paces when I got an email. Mr. Anonymous had posted this message to my blog: “Gregg, any truth to the rumor of Beach and Sylvester coming to Kamloops? I hear it’s as good as done.”
I ran that past a member of the Blazers’ hierarchy, who pretty much scoffed at the idea.
And it wasn’t but a few minutes later that word broke that F Cody Beach had been traded, but not to the Blazers.
Beach was part of a five-player deal between the Moose Jaw Warriors and Calgary Hitmen. Each of the five players involved is 18 years of age.
The Hitmen dealt Beach and F Mackenzie Royer to the Warriors for G Brandon Glover, F Nathan MacMaster and F Danny Gayle.
Beach is from Kelowna and Royer is from Spruce Grove, Alta. MacMaster and Gayle both are from Calgary, while Glover is from North Saanich, B.C.
The Hitmen are the WHL’s defending champions, but right now are riding a 12-game losing streak and have the league’s poorest record.
The Hitmen obviously are looking for a fresh infusion of energy and enthusiasm.
They get Gayle, a sophomore who has 10 points in 18 games, which equals his 34-game output of last season, and MacMaster, who has 13 points, including five goals, and 21 penalty minutes in 22 games. In two previous season, he totaled 19 points in 113 games.
Glover left the Warriors early in the season, apparently feeling he deserved more playing time. Last season, he went 9-8-6 with a 3.40 GAA and .890 save percentage while backing up Jeff Bosch. Glover had been with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals.
His arrival in Calgary will leave the Hitmen with three goaltenders, the other two being Michael Snider, who is 3-10-1, 3.60, .870, and Juraj Holly, who is 1-5-0, 3.92, .872. Snider, 19, backed up Martin Jones each of the last two seasons. Holly, 19, is Slovakian and was selected in the 2010 CHL import draft.
"We'll have to figure that out," GM Kelly Kisio told John Down of the Calgary Herald, in reference to the goaltending situation. "Are we done dealing? If something comes along, maybe there's more but right now we'll let things play out and see how they end up."
Beach is the younger brother of former WHL protagonist Kyle Beach, and the Warriors are hoping he will bring some of that edgy play to their roster.
Beach, a fifth-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in the NHL’s 2010 draft, has 15 points and 73 penalty minutes in 17 games. Last season, Beach had 14 points and 157 penalty minutes in 51 regular-season games.
“From our end we’ve been able to add what we believe is a proven top-six power forward in Cody Beach,” Alan Millar, the Warriors’ director of hockey operations, told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “We feel that he brings the presence and the scoring . . . we needed in our offence, coupled with the fact that he’s 18 years old and fits in with where we think our team can be this season and beyond.”
Royer has two points in 16 games this season. Over the previous two seasons, he had 16 points and 79 penalty minutes in 82 games.
Interestingly, the Hitmen are scheduled to play in Moose Jaw on Sunday night.
Also interesting is the fact that the Warriors didn’t acquire a defenceman in the deal. With Dylan McIlrath winging his way to New York in order to have an MRI under the watchful eyes of the Rangers’ medical staff, the Warriors are down to five defencemen.
Gourlie reports that the Warriors are going to bring in Travis Brown, a fourth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, from the midget AAA Winnipeg Monarchs for the weekend. They will play in Brandon on Saturday before scurrying home to face the Hitmen.
McIlrath, the 10th overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft, suffered a knee injury last weekend, the extent of which isn’t yet known.
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The roster for Team West has been announced. Team West, which represents Manitoba and Saskatchewan, is one of the teams that will compete at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge that is to be played in Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie, Man., starting on Dec. 29. I could put all the names here, but won’t do that because Alan Caldwell has the roster with WHL affiliations over at Small Thoughts at Large.
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Meanwhile, on the ice, the Portland Winterhawks improved to 19-3-1 on Tuesday with a 4-2 victory over the Wheat Kings in Brandon. . . . Portland has won 13 of its last 14 games. It finished its East Division tour at 5-1-0. . . . F Ryan Johansen and F Nino Niederreiter had a goal and an assist each for Portland. . . . Portland F Oliver Gabriel had two assists. . . . The Wheat Kings, who were only 1-for-8 on the PP, including 0-for-4 in the last half of the third period, fell back to 11-12-1, meaning there now are 16 of the 22 teams at .500 or better. . . . Brandon had won three in a row overall and four straight at home. . . . The Wheat Kings lost D Rene Hunter in the second period with an apparent leg injury. . . . Portland F Brad Ross returned after serving a two-game suspension. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie had one assist, giving him 39 points. He is one behind F Craig Cunningham of the Vancouver Giants, who leads the scoring race. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi was held off the scoresheet. The freshman Swiss sensation had his point streak halted at 16 games. That ties Vancouver Brendan Gallagher for the longest point streak of the season. Gallagher put up 28 points in his streak, which ran from Sept. 24 to Oct. 27. Bartschi had 27 points in his streak.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Zero.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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