Hanes takes WHL's best muzzy to BCHL

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
Ryan Hanes is heading into uncharted territory.
Hanes, 20, has decided to move to Duncan to play for the BCHL’s Cowichan Capitals. He made the decision 10 days after his hometown Kamloops Blazers, with whom he had spent three seasons, put him on WHL waivers.

RYAN HANES

 Before now, Hanes’s hockey career had been based solely in Kamloops.
He went through the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association — the Blazers took him in the fifth round, 99th overall, of the 2007 bantam draft. He spent time with the major-midget Thompson Blazers and the KIJHL’s Kamloops Storm before joining the Blazers in 2009-10.
On Sunday, he’ll head to Duncan.
“I’ve only been over there to play in Victoria last season,” Hanes said Thursday, of the Blazers games against the WHL’s Royals. “I don’t know a whole lot about it.”
He does know that the Capitals had his rights, and convinced him to come play.
“They protected my rights . . . I didn’t even know they could do that, but they did,” Hanes said. “The called and asked me to come. It sounded good.”
Hanes played 181 regular-season games for the Blazers, scoring 16 goals and adding 24 assists. He also had 316 penalty minutes as he became a fan favourite for his feisty play.
Last season, as a 19-year-old, Hanes set career highs in goals (8), assists (14) and points (22) in playing 55 games. He was plus-12. He also appeared in 11 playoff games, ending with a goal and an assist, as the Blazers took the Portland Winterhawks to Game 7 in the second round.
But he was one of five 20-year-olds on the Blazers’ roster, so fell victim to the numbers game.
Kamloops still has forwards Jordan DePape, Brendan Ranford and Dylan Willick and defenceman Austin Madaisky to battle for the three 20-year-old spots. Madaisky, a Columbus Blue Jackets prospect, may play with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons this season, but an NHL lockout could affect that.
Hanes said he has talked with Jim Ingram, the Capitals’ general manager and head coach, but doesn’t know much, if anything, about his role on the team.
“I haven’t really had time to think about that,” he said. “It’s all happened so fast.”
The Capitals have been on the ice already, and will open their exhibition season tonight against the Grizzlies in Victoria. Cowichan also will take on the host Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Saturday.
Hanes will arrive Sunday and practice with the Capitals on Monday and Tuesday, before heading to Nanaimo for a Wednesday exhibition game against the Clippers.
It’s a quick turnaround for Hanes, who won’t have the benefit of a training camp.
“I’m not worried,” he said.
JUST NOTES: The Capitals’ leading scorer last season was F Devin Gannon, a Kamloops native who was playing his final junior season. In 59 games, Gannon had 79 points, including 51 assists. . . . F Brandon Mistal, another Kamloops product, had 32 points, 13 of them goals, in 61 games with the Capitals last season. He has since been traded to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, with whom he played from 2009-2011.
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A couple of Thursday tweets:
From former Seattle Thunderbirds G Calvin Pickard (@cpickard1): “@HANESR13 you were always a treat to play against!!! One of the biggest beauties in the league and obviously the best muzz #allthebestbud”
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From Portland Winterhawks F Taylor Peters (@thepistolpete25): “Sorry to see @HANESR13 go. The dub loses one of the great mustaches of our era.”

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The EHC Liwest Black Wings Linz won the Erste Bank Eishockey Ligas championship on Sunday. That would be the Austrian championship. Former WHL coach Rob Daum is in his first season as head coach of the Black Wings. . . . They beat EC-KAC 3-1 to win the best-of-seven final, 4-1.
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The Tri-City Americans may be without F Marcus Messier (concussion) when they open the second round of playoffs at home to the Spokane Chiefs on Friday night. Messier was injured Wednesday in Game 4 against the host Everett Silvertips when he was hit by F Ryan Harrison in the third period. The Americans won the game to sweep the series. Harrison has since been hit with a ’tbd’ suspension by the WHL. . . . The Americans also are without D Drydn Dow (broken arm) and F Jesse Mychan (severed Achilles tendon).
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G Calvin Pickard (Seattle Thunderbirds) picked up a victory in his first professional start on Sunday, as his Lake Erie Monsters beat the host Texas Stars, 8-4. Pickard stopped 25 shots in the victory. . . . One night earlier, Pickard had come on in relief in the third period of a 4-0 loss to the Stars and stopped all eight shots he saw. . . . The Monsters set a single-game franchise record for goals in game in front of Pickard on Sunday.
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The Kamloops Blazers are expected to add D Jordan Thomson to their roster this week. Thomson was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. He played this season with the midget AAA Southwest Cougars, who play out of Souris, Man., The Cougars lost 5-1 to the Saskatoon Contacts in the final of the Telus Cup West Regional qualifier in Virden, Man., on Sunday.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Troy Jutting, the long-time head coach of the Minnesota State Mavericks, won’t be back for a 13th season. The school has said he will be reassigned. His contract goes through next season. . . . Jutting has been with the Mankato, Minn., school for 26 years, including 10 as an assistant coach and 12 as head coach.
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SUNDAY’S GAME:
In Spokane, G Eric Williams continued his stellar play, stopping 26 shots as the Chiefs beat the Vancouver Giants, 3-1, in Sunday’s lone WHL playoff game. . . . It also was the last first-round playoff game. The Chiefs, who lost the first two games, won four in a row to win the series, 4-2. . . . It was the first time all season that the Giants lost four in a row. . . . This was the only one of the eight first-round series to go more than five games. . . . The Chiefs will meet the Tri-City Americans in the second round. That series is likely to open Friday in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Williams started the last four games for the Chiefs — the first time he has made four straight starts this season — and was chosen a star in each one. He has a 1.78 GAA and a .930 save percentage. . . . An 18-year-old from Langley, B.C., Williams was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders on Dec. 28. The Chiefs acquired Williams and F Todd Fiddler, 18, from the Raiders for F Anthony Bardaro, 19, G Luke Lee-Knight, 18, and a 2012 fifth-round bantam draft pick on Dec. 28. . . . While with the Raiders, Williams went the distance in a 4-3 victory over the Giants and was a star that night, too. . . . The Giants got on the board first, with F Cain Franson getting his fifth goal of the series at 1:40 of the first period. . . . The Chiefs tied it at 15:17 of the first when F Mike Aviani scored and took the lead on D Corbin Baldwin’s goal with 3.4 seconds left in the second. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg added insurance with his sixth goal of the series, off a faceoff win by Aviani, at 6:26 of the third. . . . Aviani added two assists to his goal as he was in on all three Spokane goals. . . . The Chiefs were without F Darren Kramer, their captain, who served a one-game suspension. D Brenden Kichton is out with a broken jaw suffered in Game 1. . . . Vancouver played the series without D David Musil (wrist).
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.

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Yesterday, you will recall, I mentioned that there were 32,262 fans in attendance at three hockey games on B.C.’s Lower Mainland on Friday night.
Just to recap, that was 18,890 at an NHL game in Vancouver, 7,044 at an AHL game in Abbotsford and 6,328 at a WHL playoff game in Vancouver.
An emailer has suggested that the total be added to, what with there having been 1,018 fans at a BCHL playoff game in Surrey at the same time.
So make the total 33,280.
Another emailer writes:
“The better bet for a (WHL) team to relocate would be to place a team in Langley . . . great facility and no sour aftertaste . . . too early for the Dub to go back to the ‘Wack. Just a thought . . .”
The 5,500-seat Langley Event Centre is home to the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen.
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Justice never sleeps.
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, has hit F Darren Kramer, the captain of the Spokane Chiefs, with a one-game suspension for shenanigans at the end of Game 5 in Vancouver on Friday night.
The Chiefs won the game, 5-1.
Kramer was given a roughing minor at 18:02 of the third period. At 20:00, he was penalized for roughing and for leaving the penalty box.
He won’t play tonight in Spokane as the teams meet in Game 6. The Chiefs hold a 3-2 lead.
Should Vancouver win, Game 7 will be played Wednesday in Vancouver.
The Tri-City Americans, who have to be hoping for a seventh game, await the winner of the series.
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A Saturday night with nary a WHL game.
What are we to do?
Well, there was ch-ch-ching moment in the QMJHL, where Gilles Courteau, the commissioner, is certain to add to the league’s coffers after some comments made by Leo-Guy Morrissette, the owner of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
There was a time when the Morrissette brothers ruled the QMJHL, or at least tried to, but now Leo-Guy is the only one left. It’s nice that he helps out the media at times by reverting to the old days when owners, GMs and coaches weren’t afraid to speak their minds, even if they were putting feet in mouth at the same time.
In this instance, Morrissette is alleging that some owners are spending too much money, making it impossible for others to compete.
Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports wraps up this story right here.
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Here’s a good ready, nay, a great read for you. It’s been 50 years since Emile Griffith pummelled Benny (The Kid) Paret to death in a boxing match on live television. Dan Klores looks back right here in a story from the pages of The New York Times. It's amazing how some of the best of sports writing involves boxing or horse racing.
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Some interesting numbers from Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Kootenay Ice.
On his blog (jeffhollick.blogspot.com), he points out that the Ice, the WHL’s defending champion, was 19-5-3 on Nov. 30 and was riding a six-game winning streak.
After which the roof fell in.
From that point through the end of the regular season, the Ice was 17-21-7 and never put together more than back-to-back victories.
Of course, the Ice then was swept from the playoffs by the Edmonton Oil Kings, which means Kootenay won only 17 of its final 49 games.
Hollick also points out that the Ice lost 25 games in which it led or was tied in the third period.
It’s apparent that, as things started to slide, the Ice became a very fragile team, something one might think wouldn’t happen to a team that was coming off a championship season.
But it just goes to show the difference between success and failure at this level can be a very fine line, indeed.
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ON THE MOVE:
G Kent Simpson of the Everett Silvertips has signed an ATO with the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Simpson, 20, was a second-round selection by Chicago in the 2010 NHL draft. . . . F Shane McColgan of the Kelowna Rockets will be joining the Connecticut Whale, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers. He was a fifth-round selection by the Rangers in the 2011 NHL draft. . . . If was a no-brainer, but it seems that F Troy Bourke of the Prince George Cougars has been the first player selected to play for Canada at the IIHF U18 World Championship in Brno and Znojmo, Czech Republic, April 12-22. . . . Two graduating members of the Calgary Hitmen have pretty much decided to go to school, F Jimmy Bubnick to the U of Saskatchewan, which is in his hometown of Saskatoon, and D Brock Sutherland to the U of Manitoba. Sutherland is from Brandon. . . .
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IN THE PROS:
G Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds came on in relief and stopped all eight shots he saw as his Lake Erie Monsters dropped a 4-0 decison to the host Texas Stars in an AHL game last night. Pickard came on with 16:59 left in the third period. D Duncan Siemens of the Saskatoon Blades also played for the Monsters. He was minus-1 with one shot on goal and a tripping minor. . . . G Damien Ketlo, who finished up with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, stopped 44 shots as the visiting Colorado Eagles beat the Las Vegas Wranglers 4-3 in an ECHL shootout. Ketlo also stymied four Las Vegas shooters in the circus.
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And, finally, for all the hockey fans out there, right here is Jim Matheson’s Hockey World from the pages of the Edmonton Journal.


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It was open season on the WHL’s referees on two separate occasions not that long ago on a radio station that is headquartered in a city that is home to a WHL franchise.
It all began when the team’s general manager appeared on a postgame show and was, shall we say, a wee bit critical of the officiating.
This GM mostly was concerned about what he repeatedly referred to as “inconsistencies.”
“It gets to a point where enough is enough,” he said following the game. “We certainly will call the league, if they don’t call me first. . . . Enough is enough. When is it going to stop?”
The GM was adamant that team officials want the referees to “call it for both teams . . . up straight and honest.”
“We haven’t bitched and complained all year long,” he continued, “but . . . the noncalls . . . a call (was made) on (one of our players) and seconds earlier the same call could have been made on (one of the other team’s players). All we want to see is consistency. Start from the very first whistle and make sure it happens for 60 minutes.”
Referring to that particular game, the GM said, the referees did a “fantastic job” for the first two periods. “They let us play. All of a sudden . . . (one of our guys) takes a penalty that wasn’t called for 40 minutes.
“It’s frustrating for players and coaches. . . . It certainly has to be messaged out.”
The radio station’s postgame show originates in a lounge with fans in attendance. The GM’s observations were greeted by a rousing ovation.
Three nights later, the GM’s complaints were aired again on the same radio station.
The GM mustn’t have heard from the WHL office because his name has yet to appear on the discipline page on the WHL website.
Which only can mean that the WHL doesn’t have ears everywhere.
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THE MATCHUPS
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Regina (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Brandon (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Saskatoon (5)
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Western Conference
Tri-City (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kamloops (2) vs. Victoria (7)
Portland (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
Vancouver (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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So . . . you’re wondering which first-round series Shaw TV is going to show. . . . I haven’t been able to find a release or anything making that announcement but have been told the first two games of the series between the Kamloops Blazers and Victoria Royals will be shown. . . . Games 1 and 2 are scheduled for Kamloops on Friday and Saturday nights. Game time both nights from the Interior Savings Centre will be 7 o’clock.
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F Taylor Vause, the captain of the Swift Current Broncos, joined the AHL’s Texas Stars in time to play in their game against the visiting Abbotsford Heat last night. Wearing No. 19, he was pointless with one shot on goal as the Stars dropped a 5-2 decision. . . . The Stars are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. . . . Vause, 20, had 83 points in 72 games in his final season with the Broncos.
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DEPT. OF JUSTICE: F Henrik Samuelsson will sit out the Edmonton Oil Kings’ first two playoff games. He drew a two-game suspension for a clipping major and game misconduct he incurred on Saturday in Red Deer. . . . F Campbell Elynuik of the Prince George Cougars was hit with a three-game suspension after taking a cross-checking major and game misconduct in Kamloops on Friday. Elynuik sat out Saturday’s regular-season finale, so won’t be eligible to play again until the third game of next season.
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G Damien Ketlo of the Lethbridge Hurricanes completed his WHL eligibility with the end of the season and now is joining the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles. . . . He went 20-24, 3.60, .902 this season.
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D Cody Carlson, who played out his WHL eligibility with the Prince George Cougars, will be joining the Central league’s Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. He had 39 points in 72 games this season.
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The Edmonton Oilers have signed G Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers to a three-year NHL contract. Bunz, who turned 20 on Feb. 11, was a fifth-round selection in the 2010 NHL draft.
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G Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds will be joining the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters this week. He was a second-round selection by the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL’s 2010 draft. The Monsters are the Avs’ AHL affiliate.
Pickard has a lot of fans in U.S. Division cities and beyond. Here’s a note from a fan who was at Sunday’s game in Portland where the Thunderbirds, with Pickard in net, absorbed an 8-2 loss:
“With around five minutes to go in Portland (on Sunday), losing 8-2, (goaltender Brendan) Burke for Portland at the other end made a series of huge saves.
As play was stopped, Calvin slapped his stick on the ice a couple of times and held it up high towards the opposing goaltender.”
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Those rumours about the OHL’s Erie Otters moving to Hamilton? Forget them. The Otters have signed a two-year lease to stay at Tullio Arena.
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With the Brandon Wheat Kings having to play their first-round home games in Winnipeg, you’re wondering if the WHL would be a good fit there. Kelly McCrimmon, the owner of the Wheat Kings, thinks the answer is yes. Kirk Penton of the Winnipeg Sun has more right here.
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Erik Brady of USA TODAY has a story right here on some goofy parents. It is parents like these who give them all a bad name.
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Joe Fitzgerald of the Boston Herald has more on goofy parents. That column is right here.
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Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes right here about his friend Furman Bisher, a legendary sports columnist who died on the weekend. Bisher knew Ty Cobb and interviewed ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson.
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And if you’re looking for a chuckle, check out this piece right here from Matthew Hansen of the Omaha World-Herald. It’s about an 11-year-old who got in a spot of trouble when he organized an NCAA basketball pool at his school.


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THE MATCHUPS
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Regina (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Brandon (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Saskatoon (5)
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Western Conference
Tri-City (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kamloops (2) vs. Victoria (7)
Portland (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
Vancouver (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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SUNDAY’S GAME:
In Portland, the Winterhawks beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 8-2 in the final game of the WHL’s 2011-12 regular season. . . . The outcome allowed the Everett Silvertips to finish eighth in the Western Conference, meaning a first-round date with the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Thunderbirds needed a victory in order to pull into a tie with Everett. Had that happened, the teams would have played a sudden-death game in Seattle’s home arena in Kent, Wash. . . . Portland will open as the No. 3 seed against the No. 7 Kelowna Rockets. That series starts Friday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland. . . . Portland got three goals from F Oliver Gabriel, his second hat trick this season and the 13th by the Winterhawks. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie had two goals, giving him 57, and an assist. He finished third in goals and third in points (121). . . . The Winterhawks rested starter Mac Carruth, who led the WHL with 42 victories, and started Brendan Burke. Portland also scratched D Joe Morrow, F Brad Ross, F Brendan Leipsic and F Sven Baertschi, who was returned by the NHL’s Calgary Flames on Saturday. . . . Burke stopped 29 shots to earn the victory. . . . Portland had F Keegan Iverson, who signed yesterday (more on this below) in the lineup. . . .
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After the game in Portland, Winterhawks D Troy Rutkowski (@TRutter2) tweeted: “Congrats to @cpickard1 on a great career in the #whl. 3 years with 2000 saves. Anyone who's played against him knows how good he is #theman”
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However, the tweet of the week goes to Everett D Brennan Yadlowski (@BigBadYads) for this one on Sunday: “If Portland beats Seattle I’ll come in their room again . . . except this time to kiss every one of them #ptownforplayoffs”
Of course, Yadlowski served a 10-game suspension earlier in the season after entering the Portland dressing room following an on-ice altercation.
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Dillon Wagner, Seattle.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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A note from a reader of the blog:
Thanks for the tip on Thom Beuning . . . what a refreshing upgrade, even in tough circumstances. Not the greatest scenario to describe tonight, but he is very good, and pleasant to tune to . . . even sounded like he could be a neutral site.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Keegan Iverson, a 15-year-old product of Breck High School in Minneapolis. Iverson had 36 points, including 13 goals, in 23 games with Breck this season. He was the only Grade 9 player on Breck’s varsity team that got to the state semifinals. Iverson has been on Portland’s protected list since last summer and was in its training camp prior to this season. “Keegan was outstanding in training camp for us last summer, and went on to have a terrific season at Breck. Signing him has been a big priority for us this season,” Mike Johnston, Portland’s general manager and head coach, said in a news release. “As a converted defenseman, Keegan combines physical play with tremendous offensive abilities. To thrive as a 15-year-old in Minnesota high school hockey is remarkable.” . . . More from that news release: “Iverson is the latest high-profile American player the Hawks have signed in the last year, joining recent signees Dominic Turgeon (Colorado) and Alex Schoenborn (North Dakota), along with last year’s signings of Brendan Burke (Arizona) and Chase De Leo (California), who are playing for the Winterhawks this season as 16-year-olds.”
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F Brody Sutter, the captain of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, will join the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers early this week. The Checkers are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. They selected Sutter in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL draft. He had 60 points, including 30 goals, in 65 games this season.
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Jesse Wallin, the general manager and head coach of the Red Deer Rebels, has been named head coach of the Canadian U-18 team that will play in the 2012 IIHF World Championship, April 12-22 in Brno and Znojmo, Czech Republic. . . . The assistant coaches will be Gordie Dwyer, the head coach of the QMJHL’s P.E.I. Rocket, and Todd Gill, the head coach of the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs. . . . Ron Tugnutt, Hockey Canada’s goaltending consultant, will serve as goalie coach. . . . Canada’s team will comprise players from CHL teams that missed the playoffs or lose out in the first round. . . . Canada opens April 12 in Brno against Denmark. The Canadians will also face the Czech Republic, Finland and the United States in the preliminary round. . . . As an aside, Wallin told Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate, that he and Gill have some history. “Todd was my defence partner in my first NHL game (with Detroit in 1999-2000), so it’s funny how the world kind of spins,”  Wallin told Meachem.

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Troy Bourke of the Prince George Cougars, here getting tight coverage
from Patrick Holland (41) of the Tri-City Cougars, beat goaltender
Ty Rimmer twice on Tuesday night.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) signed a one-year contract with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had 20 goals and 26 assists in 47 games this season with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga).
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The NHL in Saskatoon? Why not?
Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun spent 10 days in Saskatoon covering the Tim Hortons Brier (aka the Canadian men’s curling championship) and takes an extensive look at Toontown and the NHL right here.
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A note from a WHL fan who lives in Sudbury, Ont.:

JESSE WALLIN

“Is there any precedent in the WHL in giving coach of the year honours to someone whose team never made the playoffs?
“Because I think Jesse Wallin really deserves it.
“I can't think of any coach who's managed to keep his team together with all the injuries he's had to endure.
“The Rebels have won road games in tough buildings on a regular basis with 14 or 15 skaters.
“I don't know if coaches or media vote on this, but it would make a
real statement about the integrity of this league if he got the plaque.”
Can’t argue with that!
And as if to empasize the point, the Rebels, who won’t make the playoffs, went into Medicine Hat and beat the Tigers 4-2 last night.
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F Dylan Wruck of the Edmonton Oil Kings, who suffered a shoulder injury in a 7-4 victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels, won’t play until at least the start of playoffs. Head coach Derek Laxdal has told Chris O’Leary of the Edmonton Journal: “He’s doing OK. . . . We’re hoping to have him back for Game 1 of the playoffs, but it’s a wait-and-see approach right now.” . . . The Oil Kings, who will finish atop the Eastern Conference, have three games remaining and are a point behind the Tri-City Americans, who lead the overall standings. Should the Oil Kings win out, they will finish first overall. The Oil Kings are on the road against the Kootenay Ice tonight, the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday and Red Deer on Saturday.
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The Kelowna Rockets expect to have F Colton Sissons, their captain, back in their lineup on Friday night as they open a season-ending home-and-home series with the Vancouver Giants. They’ll play in Vancouver on Friday and in Kelowna on Saturday. . . . Sissons, who has been out with a concussion since Feb. 11, skated with contact on Tuesday. . . . Meanwhile, F Spencer Main, who also has been concussed, has skated, albeit without contact, and will see a doctor this week. Main hasn’t played since Oct. 23. . . . Neither will play tonight against the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier reports that D Mitchell Chapman is likely to miss the Rockets’ last three regular-season games with an undisclosed injury. He should be ready to go when the playoffs open.
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If you think there’s a war going on with Brian Burke, the man who runs the Toronto Maple Leafs, and anyone in the media, well, forget it. It’s nothing. Howard Berger, who has been around the Leafs for a long time, has a piece right here that is all about the way it used to be . . . when Harold Ballard was around.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The QMJHL’s Baie Comeau Drakkar have fired head coach Mario Pouliot. The axe fell with three games left in the regular season and the Drakkar 2-7-1 in its last 10 games and tumbling from ninth to 14th place. Pouliot spent 114 games as the head coach, winning just 37. . . . General manager Steve Ahern has taken over as head coach.
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F Sven Baertschi of the Portland Winterhawks scored his second goal in three games with the NHL’s Calgary Flames last night. He got the game’s second goal in the Flames’ 3-2 victory over the visiting San Jose Sharks. . . . Former Chilliwack Bruins F Roman Horak drew an assist on Baertschi’s goal. . . . Interestingly, the Flames returned F Krys Kolanos to the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat after the game, while keeping Baertschi on emergency recall. Kolanos was a healthy scratch last night. . . . Baertschi played 20 shifts, including two in OT, totaling 14:06. . . . Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald has the details of Baertschi’s latest game right here.
In Tampa Bay, G Dustin Tokarski, a product of the Spokane Chiefs (2006-09), stopped 33 shots as the Lightning beat the Stanley Cup-champion Boston Bruins, 6-1. That was Tokarski’s first NHL victory. He was named the game’s second star. . . . This was his fifth appearance with Tampa Bay, three of which have come this season. This season, he is 1-1-0, 2.64, .906. . . .
I got a phone call on Tuesday from a fan of the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?), pointing out that I missed D Brandon Manning’s NHL debut with the Philadelphia Flyers last week. Manning played three games, finishing plus-2. He played 14:59, 14:01 and 13:57 against visiting Florida, in Toronto and in New Jersey, respectively. . . . With D Kimmo Timonen returning from injury and playing in last night’s 3-0 victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils, Manning was a healthy scratch. But he took part in the morning skate and is still with the Flyers, at least as of last night.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, F Matej Stransky had a goal and four assists as the Blades beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 11-5. . . . The game was televised by Shaw and featured a third-period line brawl. . . . Prince Albert D Josh Morrissey tied the game 5-5 on a PP just 37 seconds into the third period. . . . The Blades then scored six straight goals. . . . Stransky, 18, has 77 points, including 37 goals, in 68 games. Last season, he finished with 26 points, 14 of them goals, in 71 games. . . . Saskatoon got two goals from each of F Ryan Olsen, who has 15, Jake Trask, who has 22, and Travis McEvoy, who has six. . . . Prince Albert F Joey Santucci scored his first WHL goal while killing a penalty. Santucci, 17, is from Coquitlam, B.C. He was playing in his eighth game. . . . Saskatoon was 4-6 on the PP. . . . Referees Adam Byblow and Reagan Vetter gave the Raiders 86 of the game’s 165 penalty minutes. Ch-ch-ching! They handed out 85 minutes from a line dance at 14:37 of the third period. . . . Because of injuries, the Blades dressed only four defencemen. . . . The victory lifted the Blades one point ahead of Kootenay and Regina, into fifth in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Medicine Hat, D Alex Petrovic scored twice to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Tigers. . . . Petrovic broke a 1-1 tie 39 seconds into the third period with PP goal. . . . F Tyson Ness upped the visitors’ lead to 3-1 with his 20th goal at 10:00. . . . Petrovic has 12 goals. . . . Medicine Hat D James Bettauer scored his 21st goal of the season. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 28 shots. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz turned aside 31 shots but was unable to pick up his 40th victory of the season. . . . The Tigers had six players out with injuries; the Rebels, who had lost four in a row, scratched nine injured players. . . . Jesse Wallin, the Rebels’ general manager and head coach, watched the game from the press box. “I wanted to take in the game from a little different perspective,” Wallin told Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate. “You kind of remove the emotion a bit when you’re sitting up top, it’s a different point of evaluation.” . . . The Tigers remained third in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Calgary. . . .

In Kent, Wash., G Calvin Pickard kicked out 41 shots to lead the host Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-1 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Pickard stopped Spokane F Steve Kuhn on a first-period penalty shot with the game still scoreless. . . . F Connor Honey scored twice, giving him eight this season, and F Seth Swenson ran his goal streak to three games with his 10th. Swenson also drew two assists. . . . F Brendan Rouse also had two assists for Seattle. . . . All three Seattle goals came via the PP as it went 3-4 with the man advantage. . . . The Chiefs’ PP was 0-6. . . . A note from @WHLFacts: “It's now been 150 games since someone not named Calvin Pickard has won a @SeattleTbirds game.” . . . The Thunderbirds are ninth in the Western Conference but now are just one point behind the Victoria Royals. Seattle has three games remaining, while Victoria has two to play. . . . The Chiefs are fifth, two points behind Vancouver. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., D Jesse Forsberg scored at 1:02 of OT to give the Prince George Cougars a 5-4 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The goal was Forsberg’s fifth this season. . . . F Troy Bourke scored twice for the Cougars, giving him 18, while F Spencer Asuchak, who began his WHL career with the Americans, had his 16th goal and an assist. . . . Prince George also got two assists from F Caleb Belter. . . . The Cougars erased a 3-1 deficit and took a 4-3 lead on Bourke’s second goal at 12:42 of the second. . . . Tri-City F Adam Hughesman forced OT with his 48th goal at 3:52 of the third. . . . Cougars G Drew Owsley stopped 31 shots, 12 more than Tri-City’s Ty Rimmer. . . . Owsley has 98 career victories, 76 of them with the Americans, who dealt him to the Cougars for Rimmer over the summer. . . . Hughesman scored twice, giving him nine goals in his last five games, and added an assist. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin scored his 58th goal and added an assist. The WHL’s leading scorer ran his point streak to 21 games and is the first WHLer to 130 points since F Pavel Brendl put up 134 with the Calgary Hitmen in 1998-99. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland had two assists, meaning he has at least one assist in 18 straight games. . . . Holland also finished minus-4. . . . The Cougars kept their playoff hopes alive. With two games remaining, they are three points behind eighth-place Victoria. . . . The Americans lead the overall standings by one point over Edmonton and are two points ahead of Portland atop the Western Conference. . . . Edmonton has three games left, while Tri-City has two to play. So if the Oil Kings run the table they would finish first overall.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Jesse Forsberg, Prince George.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Brandon (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Regina (7)
Medicine Hat (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Calgary (4) vs. Saskatoon (5)
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Western Conference
Tri-City (1) vs. Victoria (8)
Kamloops (2) vs. Everett (7)
Portland (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
Vancouver (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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TODAY’S GAMES
Moose Jaw at Brandon
Lethbridge at Calgary
Edmonton at Kootenay
Prince Albert at Regina
Everett at Kelowna
Kamloops at Spokane
Portland at Victoria

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THE COACHING GAME:
Former WHLer Victor Gervais is stepping down as general manager/assistant coach of the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. Gervais spent five seasons with the Grizzles who are owned by Len Barrie. Barrie also is the head coach, although he hasn’t been behind the bench for a couple of months. The Victoria Times Colonist reports that Barrie is expected to promote assistant coach Rob Doyle to GM and head coach.
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Marlin Murray, the GM/head coach of the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings, drew a 12-game suspension for his epic rant and stick-throwing episode from Thursday night’s playoff game against the Winnipeg Saints at the St. James Civic Centre. . . . The Kings also were fined an undisclosed amount. . . . If you haven’t seen Murray in action, the video is right here. He did get his 12 game’s worth.
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Bob Young of the Seattle Times takes a look right here at the ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash., and its financial situation. The ShoWare Centre is home to the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
(If you’re on Twitter, you should be following @WHLFacts)

In Brandon, G Corbin Boes made 34 saves to help the Wheat Kings to a 2-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Wheat Kings clinched a playoff spot for the 12th straight season and the 19th time in the last 20 years. . . . D Eric Roy, with his 10th, at 16:56 of the first period and F Michael Ferland, with his 45th, at 0:55 of the second, gave Brandon a 2-0 lead. . . . Both Brandon goals came via the PP and F Brenden Walker assisted on both. . . . F Lukas Sutter got his 28th for the Blades at 5:19 of the second. Sutter had four goals all of last season. . . . The Blades won the season series, 5-3-0. . . . Lorne Molleken, the Blades’ GM/head coach, tells Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that D Dalton Thrower and F Michael Burns are week-to-week. Both were injured in a 2-0 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert on Wednesday. . . . Saskatoon D Matt Pufahl (broken ankle) hasn’t played since Jan. 28 but may return Friday against Swift Current. . . . The Stanley Cup was in the house and country music start Paul Brandt paid his respects. Brandt is to perform in Brandon tonight. . . . Brandon F Tyrel Seaman (concussion) returned after missing 40 of the team’s last 41 games. . . . The Wheat Kings closed to within a point of the Blades, who are seventh in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Blades, in turn, are one point behind Regina and Kootenay, who are tied for fifth. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Justin Kirsch scored at 2:31 of OT to give the Warriors a 3-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Kirsch has 20 goals on the season. . . . Moose Jaw F Cody Beach forged a 2-2 tie at 5:50 of the third period. . . . Beach also assisted on F Cam Braes’s 39th goal. . . . Regina, having clinched a playoff spot one night earlier, chose to make healthy scratches out of F Jordan Weal, their leading scorer, along with F Lane Scheidl and D Martin Marincin. . . . The Warriors have won 15 in a row at home and have at least a point in each of their last 20 games at Mosaic Place. . . . Regina G Adam Beukeboom stopped 38 shots, 20 more than Moose Jaw’s Luke Siemens. . . . The Warriors will be the Eastern Conference’s second seed when the playoffs begin. . . . Regina is tied for fifth with Kootenay. . . .

In Swift Current, F Graham Black scored twice, including once on a penalty shot, as the Broncos beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 6-3. . . . The Broncos erased a 3-1 deficit with Black’s penalty shot goal, at 15:57 of the second, and three goals in 5:06 early in the third. . . . Black also had an assist and was plus-4. . . . Prince Albert F Mark McNeill scored his 30th goal. . . . Raiders F Justin Maylan had a goal, his 25th, and an assist. . . . Broncos freshman F Coda Gordon scored his 29th goal into an empty net. . . . Swift Current G Jon Groenheyde stopped 34 shots, four more than Prince Albert’s Luke Lee-Knight. . . . Neither of these teams will be in the playoffs. . . .

In Edmonton, D Cody Corbett scored twice as the Oil Kings skated to a 7-4 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Edmonton erased a 2-0 deficit with three goals in 2:26 midway through the second period. . . . Edmonton F T.J. Foster broke a 3-3 tie with his 29th goal at 2:51 of the third period. . . . Corbett has six goals this season. . . . Edmonton D Mark Pysyk picked up one assist but it was a big one — the 100th of this career. He was playing in his 240th regular-season game. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix reached the 100-point plateau with his 42nd goal and an assist. . . . Red Deer D Mathew Dumba had a goal, his 20th, and two assists. . . . Edmonton has won eight in a row. . . . Red Deer took 89 of 156 minutes in penalties handed out by referees Adam Byblow and Fraser Lawrence. . . . Although the online scoresheet doesn’t reflect it, a story right here refers to “a flurry of fights” at 12:33 of the third period. . . . Edmonton F Dylan Wruck left the game at that point with an apparent shoulder injury. . . . Edmonton is scheduled to play in Red Deer on Saturday. . . . “I didn’t like some of the stuff that went on after the whistles,” Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal told Chris O’Leary of edmontonjournal.com. “It was very cheap and very unprofessional. We picked up an injury from it and that’s going to hurt us down the stretch here. But we’ve got guys we can put in the lineup. We have to go in (to Red Deer) next Saturday night. What comes around, goes around.” . . . Edmonton was 3-9 on the PP; Red Deer was 1-7. . . . Attendance was 16,651. . . . The Oil Kings moved past the idle Tri-City Americans and into first place in the overall standings. Edmonton is a point ahead of Portland and two up on the Americans. . . . The Rebels were eliminated from the playoffs earlier in the evening, when Brandon won. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Emerson Etem scored twice, getting his 60th into an empty net, as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Hurricanes, 3-1. . . . Etem is the first WHLer to 60 since F Layne Ulmer did it with the Swift Current Broncos in 2000-01. . . . The Tigers have won five in a row on the road. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 27 shots. . . . Bob Ridley, the legendary voice of the Tigers, called his 3,000th regular-season game. @WHLFacts points out that Ridley will call his 4,000th game when the Tigers play their 61st game in the 2025-26 season. . . . The Tigers are third in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of Calgary. Medicine Hat can finish no higher than third. . . .

In Kamloops, the Vancouver Giants scored three third-period goals and beat the Blazers, 3-2. . . . F Marek Tvrdon scored twice for the Giants, giving him 27. . . . Vancouver F Nathan Burns broke a 2-2 tie at 12:35 of the third. He has 12 goals, six of them in eight games against the Blazers. . . . Kamloops was 0-4 on the PP, including a 5-on-3 that lasted 1:39. . . . Vancouver was without F Cain Franson, a 26-goal scorer, who is expected to play today against the visiting Victoria Royals. . . . The Giants remain tied for fourth with Spokane in the Western Conference. They will meet in the playoffs but have yet to decide home-ice advantage. . . .The Blazers are three points behind Portland and two in back of Tri-City in the chase for top spot in the Western Conference. . . .

In Everett, G Kent Simpson stopped 26 shots to lead the Silvertips to a 3-0 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Simpson has two shutouts this season and six in his career. . . . F Cody Fowlie scored twice for Everett, giving him 12. He opened the scoring at 3:19 of the first and closed it at 5:05 of the third, the latter on the PP. . . . In between, F Josh Winquist got his 18th while killing a penalty at 1:23 of the third. . . . The victory allowed the Silvertips to move past the Royals into seventh place in the Western Conference. Everett is a point ahead of Victoria, with the Royals four points ahead of Seattle and Prince George. . . .

In Kelowna, F Troy Bourke scored twice and added an assist as the Prince George Cougars edged the Rockets, 3-2. . . . Bourke, who has 16 goals, gave his side a 2-0 lead on the PP at 15:42 of the third and then added an empty-netter. . . . F Spencer Asuchak and F Caleb Belter each had two assists for the Cougars. . . . Prince George G Drew Owsley, who went over 10,000 minutes player for his career, stopped 19 shots. . . . He lost his shutout when D Myles Bell scored his 15th at 16:01 of the third. . . . The Rockets will finish sixth in the Western Conference. . . . The Cougars, with four games left, are four points out of a playoff spot. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks scored three times in the game’s first 2:52 and went on to an 11-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Portland F Nic Petan picked up four goals for his first WHL hat trick. He’s got 13 goals this season. . . . Portland F Brad Ross added three goals, giving him 42, and an assist. . . . Portland players have enjoyed 12 hat tricks this season. . . . Portland also got four assists from F Ty Rattie, two goals and two assists from F Cam Reid and a goal and two assists from F Brendan Leipsic, who was plus-5. . . . Seattle’s Calvin Pickard, who gave up 10 goals on 52 shots, broke the WHL record for career minutes played by a goaltender. . . . Pickard has played 13,721 minutes over 236 games. The record had been held by Kurtis Mucha, who played 13,708 minutes with Portland and Kamloops (2005-10). . . . The Winterhawks moved into first in the Western Conference, a point ahead of idle Tri-City and three ahead of Kamloops. Portland is second in the overall standings, a point behind Edmonton. . . .

In Spokane, F Colin Valcourt’s 16th goal of the season broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Darren Kramer scored his 21st goal at 13:38 of the third period to forge a 2-2 tie. . . . Valcourt scored at 14:07. . . . Spokane D Brendan Kitchton had two assists, giving him 135 in his career. He moved passed Jared Spurgeon and into fourth on the Chiefs’ career list among defencemen. . . . The Chiefs have four games left and remain tied with Vancouver for fourth in the Western Conference. Vancouver has three games to play. . . . Should they end up tied, the first tiebreaker is victories, and the Giants hold a 38-36 edge at the moment.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Darren Dietz, Saskatoon.
F Brody Sutter, Lethbridge.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES
Red Deer at Calgary
Victoria at Vancouver
Everett at Seattle
Prince George at Tri-City
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In the BCHL on Saturday, the Penticton Vees completed their regular season with a 5-2 loss to the Spruce Kings in Prince George. The loss snapped Penticton’s 42-game winning streak.

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The sporting fraternity in Saskatchewan is mourning the loss of Bill Johnston, a long-time organizer who passed away in Moose Jaw on Thursday after a short illness. He was 76.
Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more right here.
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The Memorial Cup hasn’t been decided in an American city since 1998, when the Portland Winterhawks won the championship in Spokane.
There are some people within WHL circles who wonder when one of the WHL’s five U.S. teams will get another chance to play host to the championship tournament.
Well, you fans in Everett, Kent, Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, Portland, Seattle and Spokane shouldn’t hold your breath.
“We’ll never see a cup down here again,” someone who is with a U.S. team told me. “Once again, too lazy to make it work across the border.
“To me, it’s just arrogance on the Canadian side, telling us we don’t deserve the sport. . . .”
The WHL next will play host to the Memorial Cup tournament in 2013 when it will be in Saskatoon. Next up will be 2016 and there already is speculation that the Vancouver Giants are interested in putting in a bid to play host to that one.
Of course, the hangup with taking the tournament south seems to be sponsorships.
“The league marketing deals just frost all of us here,” the person said. “Baseball, NHL and the NBA can cross the border on deals . . . but us? And don’t even get me started on the TV deals with Shaw and ROOT.”
The CHL may have taken at least one step towards holding a Memorial Cup in the U.S. this week when it signed a deal with Aaron’s, Inc., a home furniture and electronics operation that is based in Atlanta and has more than 1,940 outlets in 48 states and Canada.
Aaron’s has huge involvement with NASCAR — if you are watching today’s Daytona 500, you will see its logo on Mark Martin’s No. 55 Toyota. Aaron’s is signed as a sponsor with Michael Waltrip Racing through the 2013 Sprint Cup season.
Aaron’s also was involved in sponsoring the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers, before the franchise flew north to Winnipeg.
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The Concussion Report is working hard to keep track of the number of concussions in the NHL this season. On Friday, TCR reported: “As of today there is a 40 per cent increase in concussions versus last (season). The total number of 98 is the exact total of the entire regular season last (season).” . . .
TCR’s report also includes this:
“Speaking of (upper-body injuries) and undisclosed, I know I am beating a dead horse, but why the need to hide the injury? Why misinform the public and even the players about injuries that are inherent to hockey? Haven’t we learned from Chris Pronger, Colby Armstrong, even Sidney Crosby? I am not good enough to write an open letter or even where to send it, but Mr. Bettman there are some very small changes you can make before you should eliminate all head contact and take on the fighting issue in hockey: Do not allow your teams to hide the concussion/brain injury. You want to know what the real problem is, (then) stop placing your head in the sand, start there!”
If there is a 40 per cent increase in the number of concussions in the NHL this season over last, should we assume that the WHL, which also is hiding its injuries in the vast majority of instances, will report the same kind of increase?
The WHL’s latest weekly injury report lists 44 players as being out with upper-body injuries.
TCR’s report is right here.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes, who are to play the Oil Kings in Edmonton today, were living the life on Saturday.
Here’s an afternoon tweet from Pat Siedlecki, the radio voice of the Hurricanes:
“Well, still waiting to leave Lethbridge for Edmonton. The @WHLHurricanes bus broke down before it got to the rink to load up.” . . .
Later, F Nick Buonassisi tweeted:
“Our bus departs from lethbridge to edm 6 hours later then scheduled then finally get a bus that works and the tranny hits the ground #classic”
And then it was G Liam Liston’s turn:
“We had our bus replaced by one with a vhs player, no AC, smaller than normal number of seats, an awful transmission and a door that won’t close.”
One more from Buonassisi:
“Broken bus update: the door has just flew off. whats next? Place your bets.”
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F Brett Connolly played 15:21 on Saturday as his Tampa Bay Lightning lost 8-1 to the Penguins in Pittsburgh. He played 12:25 at even-strength and 2:56 on the power play. . . . Connolly had four shots on goal, took one minor penalty and was minus-1. . . . The Lightning has until Monday, the NHL’s trade deadline, to make a decision on whether to assign Connolly to the WHL’s Tri-City Americans.
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In the BCHL, the Penticton Vees ran their winning streak to 36 games by beating the Centennials 2-1 in OT in Merritt. . . . The Vees got the winner from F Travis St. Denis with 45 seconds left in the second OT period, which is played 3-on-3. . . . The Vees, who have seven regular-season games remaining, are at home to the Prince George Spruce Kings this afternoon.
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It isn’t the WHL but Nanaimo appears about to land another hockey team. Already the home to the BCHL’s Clippers, the Vancouver Island city is about to become home to a junior B team that will play out of the Nanaimo Ice Centre. Phil And Brenda Levesque are negotiating for ice with the city. The team will play in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.
Tamara Cunningham of the Nanaimo Daily News has that story right here.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
(With a tip of the hat to @WHLFacts for some of the info that follows. If you are on Twitter and aren’t following, you should be.)
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-2. . . . Warriors D Travis Brown tied the game 2-2 at 18:32 of the second and F James Henry, with his 13th, both the tie just 25 seconds later. . . . F Kenton Miller scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him 30 this season. He has 11 goals in February; last season he finished with 10 goals in 55 games with the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Henry added two assists to his goal. He has 21 points, including seven goals, in 20 games with Moose Jaw since coming over from the Vancouver Giants at the trade deadline. . . . Swift Current G Jon Groenheyde stopped 43 shots, 26 more than Moose Jaw’s Luke Siemens. . . . The Warriors had lost three straight. . . . Moose Jaw is four points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton Oil Kings. Each team has 10 games remaining. . . .

In Prince Albert, F Sam Reinhart’s 26th goal of the game, 19 seconds into OT, gave the Kootenay Ice a 5-4 victory over the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert took a 3-1 lead into the second period but couldn’t hold it. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart tied the game 4-4 when he scored his 26th goal on a penalty shot at 14:46 of the third. He finished with two goals and two assists. He drew the lone assist on his younger brother’s winner. . . . F Mark McNeill, who had a goal and two assists, had given the Raiders the lead with his 28th goal at 8:21 of the third. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 25 shots in setting the franchise record for career victories (83). The previous record was held by Taylor Dakers (2003-06). . . . The Ice is fourth in the Eastern Conference, a point ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. . . .

In Saskatoon, D Alex Petrovic scored the only goal of the shootout as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Blades, 4-3. . . . With the Blades shooting first, Petrovic was the circus’s final shooter. . . . Red Deer F John Persson forced OT with his 21st goal at 18:45 of the third. . . . Persson finished with two goals and an assist. . . . F Jake Trask gave the Blades a 3-2 lead with his 18th goal, via the PP, at 2:45 of the third. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov stopped 44 shots, 12 more than Red Deer’s Deven Dubyk. . . . The Blades are 2-5-1 in their last eight. . . . This was the Blades’ last home game until March 13 as their home rink will be home to the Tim Hortons Brier — the Canadian men’s curling championship — from March 3-11. . . . The Blades are sixth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Calgary. . . . The Rebels are 10 points out of a playoff spot with 11 games left. . . .

In Brandon, F Mark Stone scored the only goal of the circus as the Wheat Kings beat the Regina Pats, 2-1. . . . Brandon’s victory officially eliminated the Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes from the playoff race. . . . The Broncos are out for just the third time in 26 seasons. . . . This was the third straight game in which Brandon went to OT. . . . Brandon has won nine of 11. . . . Stone, who had his 14-game point streak come to an end, was the first shooter of the circus. . . . F Jack Rodewald scored his sixth goal for Regina, at 1:51 of the first. . . . F Paul Ciarelli got the equalizer at 15:40 of the first. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 23 shots, seven fewer than Regina’s Matt Hewitt. . . . The Wheat Kings had gone two years without a shootout victory when they beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos 3-2 on Friday. . . . Brandon holds down eighth place in the Eastern Conference but is just one point behind Regina and four points out of fourth. . . .

In Kent, Wash., G Calvin Pickard stopped 29 shots as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Everett Silvertips, 3-0. . . . Pickard has five shutouts this season and 12 in his career. . . . Pickard and Ty Rimmer of the Tri-City Americans are the WHL leaders, each with five. . . . WHLFacts points out that Seattle’s last 50 victories have been credited to Pickard. That’s right. It’s been more than two years since a goaltender other than Pickard has won a game for the Thunderbirds. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 42 shots. . . . Seattle F Dillon Wagner got his fifth goal, at 14:14 of the first, and it stood up as the winner. . . . D Brad Deagle drew two assists. . . . Seattle also got goals from F Connor Honey, his sixth, and F Jacob Doty, his second. . . . Everett has lost three in a row and now is three points behind Seattle, which holds down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Hunter Shinkaruk and F Curtis Valk scored in the circus to give the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Shinkaruk was returning after missing six games with an undisclosed injury. . . . Shinkaruk drew two assists. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem scored his WHL-leading 53rd goal. . . . F Brett Bulmer scored twice for Kelowna, giving him 28 goals. . . . Bulmer, who also had an assist, has 50 points in 44 games. Last season, he finished with 49 in 57. . . . Kelowna took a 3-2 lead into the second period. . . . Tigers F Trevor Cox tied it with his 10th goal at 8:00 of the second. . . . The Tigers were missing F Cole Grbavac, their captain, with an undisclosed injury, while G Tyler Bunz also wasn’t dressed. . . . Medicine Hat G Kenny Cameron stopped 35 shots. Dawson MacAuley of the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers backed him up. . . . After the game, Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News tweeted: “#Medhat Tigers lose import D Patrik Parkkonen, who was hit from behind by Kel. #Rockets LW Jessey Astles in second per. No pen. call.” . . . The Tigers are third in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of Kootenay. . . .

In Kamloops, the Vancouver Giants erased a 3-1 first-period deficit and beat the Blazers, 5-3. . . . A victory in regulation would have allowed the Blazers to clinch the B.C. Division’s regular-season pennant. . . . The Giants had lost their last three, including a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the visiting Blazers on Friday. . . . F Marek Tvrdon broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 19:23 of the third period, just 20 seconds after Kamloops D Austin Madaisky was penalized for hooking Giants F Brendan Gallagher. . . . F Riley Kieser had three assists for Vancouver. . . . F Brendan Ranford had two goals, giving him 36, and an assist for Kamloops. He ran his point streak to 13 games. . . . F Chase Schaber had a goal and two assists for Kamloops. . . . The Blazers lead the overall standings, by a point over the Tri-City Americans and Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Giants now are five points ahead of the fifth-place Spokane Chiefs, who hold two games in hand. . . .
Gallagher had two goals, the second one into an empty net. The second one gave him 274 career points, one more than the franchise record that had been held by Adam Courchaine (2001-05). . . . Gallagher also holds the franchise record for career goals. . . . He has 141 assists and needs 14 to equal D Jon Blum’s franchise assist record. . . . “It’s pretty special to me,” Gallagher said of the franchise record for career points. “A lot of people have helped me. It’s not invidividual even though my name is on it. Starting with (head coach) Don (Hay). When you’re 16 and you come here you don’t really understand the game. He’s a really good teacher and you learn every time you come to the rink. Every player I’ve played with . . . I’ve had a lot of good veteran players when I was young to learn from and see how they act. I was put in a really good situation and I’m thankful for that.” . . .

In Prince George, the Victoria Royals completed a weekend doubleheader sweep with a 5-3 victory over the Cougars. . . . The Royals had won 4-2 on Friday night. . . . In this one, F Robin Soudek, who had two goals, broke a 1-1 tie at 5:40 of the second period. . . . The Royals went on to take a 4-1 on goals by F Brandon Magee, at 17:47 of the second, and Soudek, at 3:16 of the third. . . . The Cougars got third-period goals from F Daulton Siwak, shorthanded, and F Chase Witala, at 8:30, but weren’t able to equalize. . . . Royals G Jared Rathjen, a Prince George native, stopped 30 shots for his second career victory. He had earned his first one on Friday. . . . Cougars G Drew Owsley made 37 saves. . . . Each team was 0-6 on the PP. . . . The Royals are seventh in the Western Conference, two points ahead of Seattle. . . . The Cougars are four points out of eighth with 11 games left. . . .

In Spokane, F Brendan Shinnimin continued his amazing run with four points as the Tri-City Americans beat the Chiefs, 7-3. . . . Shinnimin, who was coming off back-to-back three-goal games, had a goal and three assists in this one. He has 14 points in his last three games. So let’s just announce the WHL and CHL player of the week right now. . . . He ran his goal-scoring streak to nine games. . . . Shinnimin now has 110 points and leads the WHL scoring derby by five points over F Mark Stone of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland had two goals and two assists, giving him 92 points. He has three straight four-point games. Holland is on a nine-game point streak — he has 22 points, 19 of them assists, in that stretch. . . . F Adam Hughesman, the third member of that line, had a goal and an assist, giving him 96 points. . . . Holland broke a 2-2 tie at 11:11 of the second. . . . Americans F Justin Feser, with his second of the game and 31st of the season, made it 4-2 at 14:32. . . . Spokane F Blake Gal got his guys to within one at 9:46 of the third, but the Americans put it away with the last three goals. . . . F Dominik Uher had a goal and two assists for Spokane. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 36 shots in earning his 25th victory. . . . The Americans have won five in a row. . . . The Chiefs have lost six of seven. . . . The Americans moved back into a tie with Portland atop the U.S. Division.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Tanner Muth, Kootenay.
F Tyrell Goulbourne, Kelowna.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Jagger Dirk, Kootenay.
D Jared Hauf, Seattle.
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The incomparable Roy MacGregor takes a look at Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin and what may be ailing him, and it’s right here.


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