THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Ales Cerny (Swift Current, 2000-02) signed a one-year contract extension with Mulhouse (France, Ligue Magnus). He had two goals and 20 assists in 26 games, helping Mulhouse win promotion from Division 1 to Ligue Magnus for next season. . . .
F Milan Kraft (Prince Albert, 1998-2000) signed a two-year contract extension with Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had 23 goals and 33 assists in 50 games as team captain for Chomutov this season, finishing third in 1.Liga scoring as Chomutov won promotion from the Czech 1.Liga to Extraliga. . . .
D Stefan Langweider (Portland, 2006-07) signed a one-year-plus-option contract with Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had two goals and nine assists in 51 games for Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL) this season. . . .
F Ryan Kinasewich (Medicine Hat, Tri-City, 1998-2004) signed a one-year contract with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Kinasewich finished second in Erste Bank Liga scoring this season, getting 25 goals and 29 assists in 49 games for Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia). . . .
D Jaroslav Obsut (Swift Current, Medicine Hat, 1995-97) signed a one-year contract with Donbass Donetsk (Ukraine, KHL). He had five goals and 24 assists in 52 games this season as captain of Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL). . . .
F David Svagrovsky (Seattle, 2002-04) signed a two-year contract with Hradec Kralove (Czech Republic, 1.Liga). He had 15 goals and 18 assists in 52 games for Berounsti Medvedi (Czech Republic, 1.Liga) this season.
———
JUST NOTES: The MacBeth Report adds a note about the IIHF World Championship . . . Two more WHL alumni participating in the World Championship. Brent Reiber, who holds a Swiss passport and works out of Switzerland, and Antti Boman (Kamloops, 1991-92) are working the tournament as referees. . . . The NAHL has announced that the Chicago Hitmen won’t ice a team in 2012-13. According to an NAHL news release, “All tendered and veteran players of the Hitmen are now considered free agents.” . . . Prior to last season there was speculation that Finnish G Jonathan Iilahti might end up with the Vancouver Giants, perhaps because the Vancouver Canucks had selected him in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL draft. Iilahti, who turned 20 on April 27, signed a one-year deal Friday with Sport Vaasa (Finland, Mestis).
———
THE COACHING GAME:
Mario Amantea is the new head coach of the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs. He takes over from David Haas, who was dropped early last month. The Mustangs went 31-22-7 this season before being upset by the Olds Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. Amantea, a native of Kimberley, B.C., is a veteran coach, having coached in the midget AAA ranks and at the EDGE school in Calgary where he spent three seasons. He left EDGE after the 2010-11 season in order to spend more time with family and business interests. He is a partner and general manager at ZGM Collaborative Marketing in Calgary.
———




THE WHL FINAL:
Game 6 . . .
In Portland, F Oliver Gabriel’s second goal of the game, at 17:21 of the third period, gave the Winterhawks a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The series is tied 3-3. . . . Immediately after the game, the teams boarded the same plane – for the fourth time in the series – and headed for Edmonton where Game 7 will be played tonight. . . . By the time this thing ends, the teams will have played the last three games in slightly more than 72 hours. . . . The winner advances to the Memorial Cup tournament that opens Friday in Shawinigan, Que. The host Cataractes, QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs and OHL-champion London Knights await. . . . The WHL champion plays in the tournament’s first game, meeting the host team on Friday. . . . Edmonton got on the board first in Game 6 when F Michael St. Croix scored his sixth goal at 7:53 of the first period. . . . Gabriel, who has five goals in these playoffs, tied the game at 11:07. . . . It’s worth pointing out that Gabriel is from Edmonton. . . . Portland got its first lead at 8:44 of the third period when D Joe Morrow scored his fourth goal. . . . However, the Oil Kings tied it at 11:05 when F Stephane Legault beat Portland G Mac Carruth for his fifth goal. . . . F Cam Reid drew two assists as he was in on both of Gabriel’s goals. . . . Portland won despite the fact that it’s big line of Marcel Noebels between Sven Baertschi and Ty Rattie didn’t get even one point. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 42 shots, including all 18 he faced in the second period. . . . Carruth finished with 30 saves. . . . This was the first game in which Portland had an edge in shots on goal. . . . Portland was 0-3 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-2. . . . Attendance was 10,947 as the Winterhawks drew a sellout crowd for the fourth straight game. . . . Five of the first six games have been decided by one goal, with Edmonton having won three of them. The exception was Portland’s 5-1 victory in Game 2 in Edmonton. . . . The WHL last had a Game 7 in its championship series in 2007 when the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the visiting Vancouver Giants in double OT. F Brennan Bosch got the winner at 7:16 of the second OT period. . . . This will be the 10th time in league history that the championship has been decided in a Game 7. . . . The Winterhawks franchise has twice been to Game 7 in the final, losing to Medicine Hat in 1987 and to Swift Current in 1993.
———
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: Portland 3 at Edmonton 4 (11,077)
Saturday, May 12: Edmonton 2 at Portland 3 (10,947)
Sunday, May 13: at Edmonton, 6 p.m.
———
A tidbit about the Shawinigan Cataractes, from Wikipedia: The name ‘Cataractes’ often confuses English-speaking hockey fans. The name literally translates as ‘Cataracts’ meaning ‘Waterfalls’; the team is named for Shawinigan Falls, a prominent waterfall in the city, even though the Cataractes do not have a waterfall on their uniform.
The Cataractes play out of the 4,112-seat Centre Bionest de Shawinigan. The facility opened on Dec. 18, 2008. Prior to that, the Cataractes played in the Jacques Plante Arena.

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Kamloops goaltender Cam Lanigan makes a save on Portland winger Brad
Ross during the Blazers' 5-4 victory over the Winterhawks on Wednesday night.
(Photo by Murray Mitchell / Kamloops Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
No one told the Kamloops Blazers it was over.
Down 4-0 just 11 minutes into the game and staring at the end of their season, the Blazers roared back to defeat the Portland Winterhawks 5-4 on Wednesday night at Interior Savings Centre.
The Winterhawks still hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven WHL Western Conference semifinal with Game 5 scheduled for the Rose Garden in Portland on Saturday night. A sixth game, if needed, would be played in Kamloops on Monday.
Only once in WHL history has a team rebounded from a 0-3 deficit to win a series. In the spring of 1996, the Spokane Chiefs did it to, yes, the Winterhawks.
Last night, the Blazers could have collapsed like a cardboard suitcase in the rain. They were down 3-0 in games and had given up four goals on only eight shots to a team that was looking for its eighth straight playoff victory. And the reward for victory would be spending today on a bus headed to Portland.
While the Blazers looked down and out, the Winterhawks looked as though they already were looking forward to the next series, the conference final against the Tri-City Americans or Spokane Chiefs.
But a funny thing happened on the road to that series — the Blazers came alive.
But who knew with all that happened that it all would come down to one faceoff in the Portland zone? Slightly more than seven minutes into the third period, with the score at 4-4 and the Blazers on the power play, Kamloops forward Brendan Ranford won the draw from Taylor Peters, moving a fluttering puck to the hash mark in front of Portland goaltender Mac Carruth.
Winterhawks defenceman Troy Rutkowski reached for the puck but had it bounce over his stick, right to Kamloops winger Dylan Willick.
“It was kind of an unlucky bounce,” Rutkowski said. “I have to give credit to their forward who read that well.”
“It was just one of those bouncing pucks . . . it went right to my stick,” Willick said. “I think he went for a swing at the puck to clear it. It hopped over his stick and landed right on mine. It was just one of those freak bounces that finally went our way.
“I knew I had a hole and I put it there.”
Derrick Pouliot, with two, Rutkowski and Cam Reid had given the Winterhawks a 4-0 lead as they scored seemingly at will on goaltender Cam Lanigan in the early going.
“I thought we played well early but I don’t know if we deserved a 4-0 lead,” Mike Johnston, the Winterhawks’ general manager and head coach, said. “I thought the third period was pretty well even . . . they got the bounce over Rutkowski’s stick and Willick made a good shot.”
With the home side trailing 4-0, all eyes were on the Kamloops bench, wondering whether head coach Guy Charron would yank Lanigan and send in rookie Taran Kozun, who played two early-season games with the Blazers before being assigned to the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. Kozun re-joined the Blazers a few weeks back after the Hawks’ season ended and has been on the bench since starter Cole Cheveldave suffered a concussion in Game 1.
Charron, reluctant to throw the 17-year-old Kozun into this situation, stayed with Lanigan. And Lanigan, to his credit, stood tall the rest of the way.
“That was a huge game for us,” Lanigan said. “We obviously realized after the first period that the odds were against us in almost every aspect.”
Lanigan said Charron appealed to the pride of his players in the organization and in themselves.
“That was something to play for,” Lanigan said, adding that he never once wondered if he was going to get yanked.
“You try not to think that . . . you push those thoughts aside,” the 19-year-old said. “You put the best possible situation in your head. You never think about that. It’s early in the game and you want to focus on that next shot.”
Lanigan felt the tide began to turn with the Blazers’ first goal.
“After we got that first one . . . we’re such a momentum team,” he stated. “We come in waves and that’s been our success . . . our momentum and how we can roll lines and gain momentum. Once we got that first one it was that sense of blood.
“And we’ve always known Portland is beatable. We’ve been up on them before in this series and we’ve had close games. As soon as we got that goal, we definitely knew it was within our reach.”
In hindsight, the game may well have swung 12 minutes into the first period — just moments before that first Kamloops goal — when winger J.C. Lipon drilled Portland forward Ty Rattie into the boards at the Winterhawks blue-line. Rattie, who leads the WHL with 13 goals in these playoffs, was in distress as he went to the bench, indicated a problem in his left lower back area and was escorted to the dressing room. He didn’t return.
“I finished my check and then scored a goal right after that,” Lipon said. “I kind of heard him say like, ‘Ow!’ but that’s about it. I hit him pretty hard.”
Johnston said Rattie’s departure was huge because “he plays in so many situations for us — 4-on-4, 5-on-5, he’s on the power play, the penalty kill. Now you’re changing your power play and that’s a big adjustment because we’ve had Rattie, (Sven) Bartschi and (Brad) Ross together the whole year.”
Asked about Rattie’s injury, Johnston said: “I don’t know. He’s being evaluated.”
Johnston also said the Winterhawks may request supplemental discipline from the WHL office for the hit by Lipon and for a third-period check to the head by Kamloops defenceman Austin Madaisky on forward Taylor Leier.
Madaisky, who was suspended for the last two games of the Blazers’ first-round sweep of the Victoria Royals for a head shot, was given a minor penalty.
Johnston said after the game that he was “watching both hits . . . both were bad.”
The Blazers asked for and got supplemental discipline following a Game 1 hit by Portland forward Oliver Gabriel on goaltender Cole Cheveldave. Cheveldave hasn’t played since — he is believed to have a concussion — and Gabriel, who drew a minor penalty on the late-game play, was later hit with a four-game suspension. He will complete that suspension by sitting out Game 5.
Moments after hitting Rattie, Lipon beat Carruth with a short-side shot upstairs and the Blazers had their first breath of life.
“It banked off the behind wall and popped out right to me,” Lipon said.
Still, the deficit was 4-1. But the hill no longer resembled Mount Everest.
The Blazers, who halted their first three-game losing streak of this season with the victory, then got late second-period goals from defenceman Bronson Maschmeyer at 15:06 — Johnston said that goal, a power-play score off the rush, was a turning point — and Brandon Herrod at 18:30 to get within a goal.
Prior to Maschmeyer’s goal, the Winterhawks had a number of opportunities to extend their lead. Brad Ross, who scored four times in a 5-2 Game 3 victory the previous night, had a shot go off a post and end up underneath Lanigan with Portland on the power play.
On the same power play, the Winterhawks, who had scored three shorthanded goals in Game 3, had two 2-on-1 breaks and a 3-on-2 rush. But they weren’t able to beat Lanigan, who suddenly resembled a brick wall.
And when Ranford tied it by depositing a rebound behind Carruth at 6:03 of the third period, the sparse crowd of 3,587 erupted, sounding like 10,000.
It was even louder after Willick scored and again at the final buzzer.
The Winterhawks were presented with two more power-play opportunities late in the third period. But that revamped unit, without Rattie, didn’t have any success. The Blazers got a couple of key blocked shots from Willick and defenceman Tyler Bell and were able to hang on for the victory.
Despite having blown the lead, the Winterhawks didn’t sound too concerned, not with Game 5 in their town.
“It’s playoffs . . . everything is unpredictable,” Rutkowski said. “We just have to tighten up the defence and learn to play with a lead like that.”
As for the possibility of playing without Rattie, he said: “We have enough skill players. He’s a great player . . . but we have enough talented players that we should be able to fill in the gaps.”
Johnston said it’s all about facing adversity.
“It’s playoffs. You’re going to face some adversity sometime,” he said. “Now we have a little bit of adversity. We have to adjust and adapt and get ready for Saturday.”
JUST NOTES: Kamloops was 2-5 on the power play; Portland was 0-5. . . . Lanigan finished with 27 saves, while Carruth stopped 29. . . . The Blazers went with seven defencemen in Game 3, but scratched Landon Cross last night. That allowed F Brayden Gelsinger, 16, to make his WHL debut. He played this season with the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans. Gelsinger, who had 42 points, including 22 goals, in 41 games with Tisdale, signed with the Blazers on March 21. . . . Andy Clovechok, Mr. Hockey in Kamloops, was in the house celebrating his 89th birthday. . . . The Daily News’ Three Stars: 1. Ranford: A goal and two assists; 2. Willick: Typical Willick night; 3. Lipon: Wouldn’t quit.

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ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Mr. Commissioner, how excited are you that the WHL’s Facebook page is being used to question and debate the move of the Chilliwack Bruins to Victoria?
———
JUST NOTES:
Congrats to former WHLer Roy Sommer, now the head coach of the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. He earned his 500th AHL coaching victory Saturday as the Sharks beat the visiting Hershey Bears, 3-2, in a seven-round shootout. . . . Former Vancouver Giants G Tyson Sexsmith was in goal for the Sharks, who tied it with him on the bench for an extra attacker and then won the shootout. . . . Sommer played two seasons (1975-77) for the Calgary Centennials. . . . He is in his 14th consecutive season as an AHL head coach; this is his sixth season with Worcester. . . . Trivia question: Name the three other AHL coaches with at least 500 victories. . . . Fred (Bun) Cook (636), Frank Mathers (610) and John Paddock (589). . . .
If you were wondering, the BCHL’s Penticton Vees have run their league-record winning streak to 32 games. . . . They scored a 7-5 victory over the visiting Westside Warriors on Saturday night. . . .
The Tri-City Herald has its Best of the West 2012 poll, as compiled by Annie Fowler, right here.
———
SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Swift Current, the Regina Pats scored three times on the PP and beat the Broncos, 4-1. . . . F Lane Scheidl broke a 1-1 tie with two PP goals, the first just 22 seconds into the third and the second at 2:14. . . . Scheidl has 40 points, including 21 goals, in 55 games. Last season, he finished with 30 points, 10 of them goals, in 48 games. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal had three assists and now is tied with Portland Winterhawks F Ty Rattie for the WHL scoring lead. Each has 89 points. . . . Broncos F Taylor Vause scored his 31st goal. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Drew Czerwonka scored two goals to help the host Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Czerwonka, who has 13 goals, hadn’t scored since Dec. 29, although he missed a chunk of time with an injury and was playing his fifth game since his return. . . . Czerwonka’s first goal broke a 2-2 tie at 4:52 of the second period. . . . It was Family Faith Night, something started by Ice G Nathan Lieuwen, and the teams combined for 128 minutes in penalties The Blades took 79 of those. . . . The Ice was 2-for-10 on the PP; the Blades were 1-for-5. . . . Lieuwen stopped 22 shots. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov turned aside 29 shots. . . . Ice F Jonathon Martin shot high and wide on a third-period penalty shot. . . . The Blades had won their last two game, while the Ice had lost two in a row. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Sam Mckechnie scored two goals in the game’s first five minutes and the Hurricanes went on to a 4-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Mckechnie has 11 goals. . . . D Daniel Johnston drew assists on both those goals. . . . Lethbridge G Liam Liston stopped 31 shots. . . . The Hurricanes are 11th in the 12-team Eastern Conference and just one point behind the Swift Current Broncos. . . .

In Red Deer, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored six times in the second period and skated to an 8-5 victory over the Rebels. . . . The Rebels took a 2-0 lead into the second period and actually led 3-1 when D Cody Thiel scored his first goal at 7:05. . . . Moose Jaw took the lead on goals by F Cam Braes, his 32nd at 10:13 on the PP, F James Henry, his 12th at 11:44, and F Torrin White, his ninth, at 15:34. . . . Red Deer F Charles Inglis tied it, with his 16th, at 17:09. . . . Moose Jaw D Kendall McFaull and Red Deer F Turner Elson, with his 20th, exchanged goals before the period ended and F Justi Kirsch then gave the Warriors the lead for good at 19:38. . . . Kirsch added his 19th goal at 18:08 of the third on the PP. . . . The injury-riddled Rebels dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum. . . . Red Deer F Joel Hamilton, who scored his fifth goal of the season and later added an assist, was in great discomfort on the bench in the third period. A Saturday night tweet from the Rebels: “F Joel Hamilton is responsive, being transferred to Red Deer Regional Hospital. No update on what the injury is.” . . . Later, this tweet from the Rebels: “The team will give an update on Joel Hamilton's condition in the coming days. Alert, responsive, and good range of motion.” . . .

In Prince George, G Laurent Brossoit turned aside 24 shots as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Cougars, 5-0. . . . Brossoit has three shutouts this season, two of them agains the Cougars and both by 5-0 counts. . . . He now shares the Oil Kings’ modern day single-season record with Alex Archibald and Torrie Jung, and holds the career record with five. . . . The Cougars have been blanked nine times. . . . F Rhett Rachinski scored the game’s first two goals, both in the first period, and completed the hat trick at 19:21 of the third period with a shorthanded goal. He has 22 on the season. . . . Rachinski is the fourth 20-goal man on the Edmonton roster. F Dylan Wruck and F Kristians Pelss have 19 apiece. . . . Edmonton D Keegan Lowe was pointless and minus-4 in Friday’s 5-4 OT loss to the host Cougars. Last night, he had three assists and was plus-5. . . . F Jordan Peddle also had three assists. . . . Edmonton D Mark Pysyk didn’t get a point but finished plus-4. . . . Edmonton had Pelss back from a suspension and F Curtis Lazar and F Mason Geertsen back from injury. . . .

In Everett, G Kent Simpson stopped 41 shots to backstop the Silvertips to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Everett F Jari Erricson pulled Everett into a 2-2 tie at 9:29 of the second period on a PP. . . . Erricson has five goals. . . . F Reid Petryk got the winner when he scored his 12th goal at 11:31 of the second. . . . F Josh Birkholz got his 25th into an empty net at 19:12 of the third. . . . Everett F Cody Fowlie had a goal, his 10th, and two assists. . . . F Brendan Gallagher had two assists for the Giants. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning scored his seventh goal of the season as he played in his 295th regular-season game, tying the Giants’ franchise record. He shares it with F Craig Cunningham. . . . Manning should set the record Tuesday when the Giants meet the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash. . . .

In Kelowna, F Dylan Willick’s second goal, at 8:20 of the third period, broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Kamloops Blazers a 3-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . The Blazers had beaten the Rockets 5-4 in OT in Kamloops on Friday night. . . . The Blazers got the game’s first two goals, both on the PP, late in the first period. D Bronson Maschmeyer got his 10th at 17:54 and Willick added another at 19:53. . . . Willick has 23 goals in 56 games. Last season, he finished with 24 goals in 72 games. . . . D Myles Bell, with his 11th, got the Rockets to within one at 9:00 of the second and F Carter Rigby, with his 16th, pulled them even at 1:59 of the third. Both Kelowna goals came via the PP. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave, beaten four times on eight shots and hooked after one period on Friday, stopped 35 shots to get the victory in this one. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 34 shots. . . . The Blazers, who lead the Western Conference and the WHL’s overall standings, won their 40th game of the season, the first time the team has reached that plateau since the 2006-07 season. . . . The Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton Oil Kings are scheduled to play in Kamloops on Tuesday. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Cam Reid scored three times and set up another to help the Portland Winterhawks to a 7-2 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Reid, 20, has 19 points, including eight goals, in 14 games since joining the Winterhawks from St. Cloud State at the Christmas break. He had 29 points in 37 games last season at SCS, and had 15 in 22 before leaving this season. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 18 shots for his 34th victory, one shy of the franchise’s single-season record held by Brent Belecki (1997-98). . . . Carruth and Belecki are tied with 79 career victories. The franchise record (105) is held by Darrell May Sr. . . . Portland F Sven Baertschi had a goal and two assists, giving him six points in his last two games. . . . F Oliver Gabriel and F Brendan Leipsic added a goal and two assists each for the Winterhawks. . . . F Burke Gallimore got his 20th goal of the season for Seattle. . . .

In Spokane, the Tri-City Americans erased a 1-0 deficit with three straight goals and went on to beat the Chiefs, 5-3. . . . The Americans hold a 5-3 edge in the 12-game season series. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser scored shorthanded at 19:51 of the first to forge a 1-1 tie. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin broke the tie with another shorthanded goal, at 12:18 of the second period, and added a PP score at 17:56 of the second. . . . Shinnimin, who also had an assist, has 34 goals. . . . Shinnimin’s three points moved him into sixth on the franchise’s all-time scoring list. He passed F Stu Barnes (285), who owns a piece of the Americans, and F Dylan Gyori (286) last night. . . . Spokane F Liam Stewart got his eighth goal, shorthanded, at 3:25 of the second, but D Sam Grist restored Tri-City’s two-goal lead with his third at 9:12. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer, who appeared to suffered a left-groin injury in a 5-1 loss in Kamloops on Wednesday, stopped 24 shots. He had backed up G Eric Comrie in a 4-2 loss to visiting Portland on Friday night. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 29 shots. . . . Tri-City F Adam Hughesman had two assists, moving him into fourth on the franchise’s career list, ahead of Terry Degner (195). . . .
———
SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Michael Burns, Saskatoon.
F James Henry, Moose Jaw.
F Colton Heffley, Kelowna.
D Myles Bell, Kelowna.
D Damon Severson, Kelowna.
———
SATURDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
———
A Saturday afternoon tweet from Pat Siedlecki (@radiopat258), the play-by-play voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes: “Elton John concert in Lethbridge Apr. 24 sold out in one hour this morning. Fastest-ever sell out for an ENMAX Centre event.”
———
THE WORLD OF TWITTER:
Sometime on the weekend, former WHLer Cody Eakin began following F Ryan Hanes of the Kamloops Blazers on Twitter. Hanes has a well-earned reputation as a chirper on the ice.
Later Saturday, Eakin tweeted this: “WJ Tryouts? Huh? Won't be going if I break your arm. How would you like that? Huh? — my favorite chirp directed at me from hanesr13.”
Meanwhile . . .
F Taylor Peters of the Portland Winterhawks, who had two assists in a 7-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., tweeted this:
“Big shout out to the super fans in the crowd today shouting ‘You suck Peters’ every time I touched the ice. How'd that turn out for you.”
———
I never had the good fortune to meet Trent Frayne, a Canadian who was a sports writing giant, but I felt a connection because we both worked at the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Tribune. . . . Frayne died Saturday at the age of 93.
Frayne was a writer and a story teller. And, in the truest sense of the word, he was a wordsmith. He had an ear for conversation and way of turning what he heard into marvellous columns and stories.
Sandra Martin of The Globe and Mail writes about Frayne right here.
Some writers who knew Frayne remember him right here.


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JUST NOTES:
F Sven Baertschi was back on the ice when the Portland Winterhawks skated earlier Wednesday. He didn't play in last night's 4-2 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets, though. Baertschi, 19, has 54 points in 25 games with the Winterhawks but hasn’t played for them since Dec. 11 after which he joined the Swiss national junior team for the World Junior Championship. But he suffered a concussion during the tournament and has yet to return to game action. . . . Portland freelancer Scott Sepich reported that Baertschi isn’t likely to play against the visiting Rockets on Friday and that he is listed as “possible” for Saturday and “most likely” will play Monday “if there are no setbacks.” . . . The Winterhawks are to play the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., on Saturday and are at home to the Tri-City Americans for a Monday afternoon game. . . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds have added F Dillon Wagner, 20, to their roster after he was dropped Tuesday by the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Wagner began the season with the Swift Current Broncos, who dealt him to Portland. . . . The Winterhawks dropped Wagner after trading for F Cam Reid, 20, who left St. Cloud State to come to the WHL. . . . Wagner had seven points in 17 games with Portland. In 180 career regular-season games, he has 60 points and 193 penalty minutes. . . . F Burke Gallimore and D Cason Machacek are the other 20-year-olds on Seattle’s roster.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, G Alex Moodie turned aside 37 shots as the Saskatoon Blades blanked the Wheat Kings, 3-0. . . . Moodie, 16, is from Winnipeg. He was to have returned earlier in the week to the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild but stayed with the Blades after starter Andrey Makarov was taken out of the lineup with a concussion. . . . F Lukas Sutter’s 16th goal, at 11:50 of the first, stood up as the winner. Sutter, who had four goals in 71 games last season, has 36 points in 41 games. . . . F Kevin Sundher, acquired by Brandon from Victoria on Monday, had his points streak halted at 12 games. . . . Each team was 0-for-6 on the PP. . . .

In Prince Albert, G Matt Hewitt stopped 26 shots as the Pats beat the Prince Albert Raides, 2-0. . . . Hewitt has three shutouts this season. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal got the game’s first goal, his 26th, at 6:47 of the second period. . . . This was Regina’s 24th victory of the season, one more than they put up all of last season when they missed the playoffs. . . . D Martin Marincin, acquired Tuesday from the Prince George Cougars, was in Regina’s lineup. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk was in the lineup. The WHL chose not to suspend Klimchuck who was given a charging major a game misconduct for a hit on Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov. It appeared that Saskatoon D Darren Dietz helped Klimchuk along his way on that particular play. . . .

In Red Deer, F Max Reinhart scored the only shootout goal as the Kootenay Ice edged the Rebels, 2-1. . . . Reinhart was the first shooter of the shootout. . . . D Alex Petrovic scored for Red Deer, his fourth, at 18:14 of the first. . . . Ice F Dylen McKinlay tied it with his eighth at 9:02 of the second. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 34 shots, five more than the Ice’s Nathan Lieuwen. . . .

In Kamloops, D Tyler Hansen’s goal at 17:37 of the third period turned into the winner as the Blazers edged the Tri-City Americans, 3-2. . . . It was Hansen’s first goal of the season and ended a 93-game drought. . . . F Colin Smith scored twice for Kamloops. . . . The Americans had won their last 13 games. They hadn’t been beaten since dropping a 6-2 decision to the Rockets in Kelowna on Nov. 30. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 32 shots in winning his 21st game. . . . Tri-City F Jesse Mychan scored his fourth goal of the season in his first game since coming over in a trade from the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Blazers now are three points behind the Western Conference-leading Americans. They next play each other on Jan. 21 in Kennewick, Wash. . . . This was Kamloops’ 29th victory, which is as many games as it won all of last season when it missed the playoffs. . . . This was a game with zip and pace and speed and great transition games. It didn't have the intensity of a playoff game when emotion has had time to build, but it still was pretty darn good. . . . The Americans spent the night in Kamloops and will travel into Vancouver today for a Friday night date with the Giants. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks scored two power-play and two while shorthanded in beating the Kelowna Rockets, 4-2. . . . The Winterhawks have won 15 straight home games, one short of the franchise record (1993-94). . . . F Cam Reid, who left St. Cloud State to join the Winterhawks, scored a PP goal at 8:58 of the first period in his first WHL game. . . . F Ty Rattie broke a 1-1 tie with his WHL-leading 38th goal and the Winterhawks got away to a 4-1 lead. . . . Rattie also had two assists and now has a WHL-leading 76 points, six more than F Jordan Weal of the Regina Pats. . . . Portland F Brad Ross wasn’t able to beat G Adam Brown on a second-period penalty shot with the Winterhawks leading 4-1. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 33 shots in winning his 25th game of the season. . . . Portland F Oliver Gabriel scored his second goal of the season. He was playing his first game since suffering a shoulder injury on Dec. 30. . . . F Brett Lyon scored his first goal for Kelowna — it was his 12th of the season — since being acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors on Tuesday. . . .

In Spokane, the Chiefs gave head coach Don Nachbaur his 500th WHL victory as they beat the Everett Silvertips, 6-1. . . . Spokane has won four straight games. . . . D Brenden Kichton led the Chiefs with a goal and two assists. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg scored once, giving him goals in four straight games. . . . Nachbaur is the sixth coach in WHL history to get to 500 victories. He trails Ken Hodge (742), Ernie McLean (548), Pat Ginnell (518), Lorne Molleken (544) and Don Hay (542). . . . Nachbaur, in his second season with the Chiefs, won 202 games as head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds and 229 with the Tri-City Americans. He has 69 victories with Spokane. . . . Jess Brown of the Spokane Spokesman-Review asked Nachbaur about the approaching milestone, and he jokingly replied: “I’d rather have 500 NHL goals as a player.” . . . We should point out that Nachbaur scored 23 goals in 223 NHL regular-season games. He also had 46 assists and 465 penalty minutes.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Colin Smith, Kamloops.
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After the night’s games were done, Adam Hughesman of the Tri-City Americans tweeted: “Congrats to one of the best coaches in @TheWHL Don Nachbaur on win 500. Pretty special company to be apart of that club #WellDeserved”
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There also was a funny exchange on Twitter between two Moose Jaw Warriors defencemen — Dylan McIlrath and Morgan Rielly. The latter is out after having had knee surgery, but still was rated No. 5 when NHL Central Scouting released its midseason rankings on Wednesday.
McIlrath started it with: “@mriles4 sitting on a couch for 2 months and still ranked 5th ovy #mustbenice”
Rielly replied with: “that was a sympathy ranking and we all no it. But thanks for rubbing it in #10thov #guttless”
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And then there was this one, from Calgary Hitmen G Chris Driedger: “Took me 40 some games to get my first shutty then @AlexMoodie goes and gets her done in 7. Might he be the next @cpickard1? #whoknows #peg”
Driedger, Moodie and Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds all are from Winnipeg.
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Scott Sepich, who on occasion writes about the WHL for Yahoo! Sports, has a piece right here in which Mike Johnston, the GM/head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, explains the thought process behind his giving up two first-round bantam draft selections to get F Marcel Nelbels from the Seattle Thunderbirds.


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Tuesday’s moves in the Western Hockey League:
EVERETT SILVERTIPS—Released F Vladimir Dolnik, 18. Reassigned F Matt Grant, 18, to BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. Reassigned D Darian Henry, 17, to AJHL’s Drumheller Dragaons.
KELOWNA ROCKETS—Released D Kevin Smith, 20.
KOOTENAY ICE—Traded F Brendan Hurley, 18, to Medicine Hat Tigers for a 2012 third-round bantam draft pick.
MEDICINE HAT TIGERS—Traded F Reid Petryk, 18, to Everett Silvertips for F Miles Koules, 17.
MOOSE JAW WARRIORS—Traded F Brett Lyon, 20, to Kelowna Rockets for a 2013 seventh-round bantam draft pick and a 2014 fifth-round pick.
PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS—Assigned D Mathew Berry-Lamontagna, 18, to BCHL’s Westside Warriors.
PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS—Traded D Martin Marincin, 19, 2012 fourth- and seventh-round bantam draft picks and a 2013 fourth-round bantam draft pick to Regina Pats for D Ricard Blidstrand, 19, 2012 first- and second-round bantam draft picks and a 2013 fifth-round pick. Assigned D Josh Smith, 17, to undisclosed AJHL team. Added F John Odgers, 18, to roster.
SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS—Traded F Marcel Noebels, 19, to Portland for F Seth Swenson, 18, and first-round bantam draft picks in 2012 and 2013.
SPOKANE CHIEFS—Added F Dylan Walchuk, 19, to roster.
TRI-CITY AMERICANS—Acquired WHL rights to F Brett Connolly, 19, from Prince George Cougars for 2013 fifth-round bantam draft pick, conditional 2013 first-round draft pick and conditional 2014 second-round draft pick.
VANCOUVER GIANTS—Traded F James Henry, 20, to Moose Jaw Warriors for 2012 second-round bantam draft pick and 2014 third-round pick. Traded G Brendan Jensen, 18, to Portland for a 2013 sixth-round bantam draft pick. Traded D Eric Walker, 18, to Swift Current for a 2012 eighth-round bantam draft pick.
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DRAFT TRACKER (since Dec. 27):
Trades made: 22
Players: 35
Bantam draft picks: 29
Import draft picks: 0
(Does not include conditional draft picks)
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While everyone waited to see if the Regina Pats would trade away veteran C Jordan Weal, general manager Chad Lang performed an end-around.
Instead of selling, the Pats turned into buyers as the WHL deadline came and went on Tuesday.
Lang stunned a lot of people when he landed Slovakian D Martin Marincin, 19, early Tuesday in a deal with the Prince George Cougars that ended up totalling two players and six bantam draft picks.
Marincin, a second-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL draft, was one of the big fish in the WHL lake as the trade deadline approached. In exchange for him, the Cougars got Swedish D Ricard Blidstrand, 19, first- and second-round picks in 2012 and a fifth-rounder in 2013.
Along with Marincin, Regina also got fourth- and seventh-round selections in 2012 and a fourth-rounder in 2013.
Marincin, a big, rangy defender who excels on the PP, has 17 points in 30 games this season. Last season, he had 56 points in 67 games. He is expected to be in the Pats’ lineup tonight against the host Prince Albert Raiders.
Blidstrand, a seventh-round selection by the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL’s 2010 draft, had 17 points in 70 games last season. This season, he has 13 points in 30 games.
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The Prince George Cougars sent the WHL rights to F Brett Connolly to the Tri-City Americans for one bantam draft pick and two conditional picks. The Cougars get a 2013 fifth-round selection from the Americans, along with a conditional first-round pick in 2013 and a conditional second-round selection in 2014. As I understand it, if Connolly reports and if the Americans were to win the Western Conference, that 2014 pick would become a first-rounder. . . . Connolly, the sixth overall pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft, has been with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season, except for four weeks with Canada’s national junior team. He has eight points with the Lightning. . . . Connolly played 8:33 last night in a 5-4 shootout loss to the visiting Vancouver Canucks. He had 13 shifts, all at even strength. . . . Hello, Steve, this is Bob Tory calling. . . .
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The Portland Winterhawks surprised more than a few people by surrendering two first-round bantam draft picks and F Seth Swenson, 18, to acquire F Marcel Noebels, 19, from the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The Winterhawks gave up first-round picks in the 2012 and 2013 bantam drafts.
“We just could not pass up the offer that was made,” Russ Farwell, the general manager of the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), said in a news release. “We add a younger player and two high draft picks.”
Noebels, from Germany, has 24 points in 31 games this season. He also is a minus-22. He was the 10th overall selection by Seattle in the 2010 CHL import draft. The Philadelphia Flyers own his NHL rights, having taken him in the fourth round of the 2011 draft.
Swenson, from Parker, Colo., had seven points in 33 games with Portland. This is his third WHL season. He has 21 points and 64 penalty minutes in 132 games.
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The Portland Winterhawks also acquired G Brendan Jensen, 18, from the Vancouver Giants for a 2013 sixth-round bantam draft pick.
Jensen, from El Granada, Calif., is with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. With the Saints, Jensen is 12-0-3, 2.14, .917.
And, to make room for F Cam Reid, 20, the Winterhawks released F Dillon Wagner, 20. Wagner, who was acquired earlier this season from the Swift Current Broncos, had seven points and 25 penalty minutes in 17 games with Portland.
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A note about the deal between Portland and Edmonton on Monday in which the rights to F Cam Reid, 20, went from the Oil Kings to the Winterhawks.
The deal was announced as being for a 2012 eighth-round bantam draft pick. Actually, that is the price Portland paid just to talk with Reid. Under conditions of the deal, that pick has been upgraded to a 2013 second-round selection as Reid has left St. Cloud State and reported to Portland.
Any doubt about whether Reid would report was erased when I received a message from an interested observer:
“At MSP airport last night, there was a SCSU hockey bag with a bag tag for PDX sitting there . . . just saying!”
That would be Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) and St. Cloud State University (SCSU) and Portland (PDX).
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On Monday, the Moose Jaw Warriors acquired F Cam Braes, 20, who had been the captain of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
On Tuesday, the Warriors went out and got F James Henry, 20, who was the Vancouver Giants’ captain.
In exchange for Henry, the Warriors gave up a second-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft and a third-round pick in the 2014 draft.
Henry, a ninth-round pick by Vancouver in the 2006 draft, was second on the Giants’ all-time list for games played (281). This season, he has 41 points, including 35 assists, in 41 games. He has 184 points in those 281 regular-season games.
Henry, who is from Winnipeg, and Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath are old friends from their childhood days in the Manitoba capital.
“He was a heck of a player when we were younger,” McIlrath told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “It’s going to be fun to play with him.”
Immediately following the trade, the Giants named F Brendan Gallagher as team captain.
That deal also left the Warriors with four 20-year-olds, one over the maximum. The other two were F Brett Lyon and F Kenton Miller.
The Warriors promptly traded Lyon, who is having a career offensive season, to the Kelowna Rockets for a 2013 seventh-round bantam draft pick and a 2014 fifth-round pick.
Lyon has 28 points, including 11 goals, and 95 penalty minutes in 41 games. In 199 career games, Lyon has 54 points and 537 penalty minutes.
One of the WHL’s toughest players, his previous career highs were five goals and five assists. From Grand Forks, B.C., he also has played with the Kamloops Blazers and Vancouver.
That left the Rockets with four 20-year-olds – the others being F Cody Chikie, D Kevin Smith and G Adam Brown – so the dominoes continued to fall.
In order to get down to three, the Rockets released Smith.
Late last night it was reported that Smith had signed with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies.
However, let’s not forget that Vancouver has room for a 20-year-old. Vancouver’s brass was meeting after the Giants’ 3-0 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars last night. Should the Giants choose to add a 20-year-old, their options could include Smith or F Dillon Wagner, who was dropped by Portland.
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The Vancouver Giants sent D Eric Walker, 18, to the Swift Current Broncos for a 2012 eighth-round bantam draft pick.
Walker left Northern Michigan University to join the Giants on Nov. 19. With Vancouver, Walker had two assists and 18 penalty minutes in 16 games.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers dealt F Reid Petryk, 18, to the Everett Silvertips for the rights to F Miles Koules, 17. . . . Petryk, a fourth-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, had 19 points and 56 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Tigers. . . . Should Koules report to the Tigers, Everett also will get a fourth-round bantam pick. . . . Koules is in the U.S. National Team Development Program. He plays for the U-18 team that is based in Ann Arbor, Mich., and has committed to attend the U of North Dakota. . . . Koules is the son of former WHLer Oren Koules (Portland, Great Falls, Medicine Hat, Spokane, Calgary, Brandon, 1979-82), who did a stint as owner of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning a couple of seasons ago. Among other things, Koules, if you weren’t aware, is a movie producer. Go ahead. Google him. . . . Miles Koules has 13 points in 32 games with the U-18 team. Two seasons ago, he played at Shattock-St. Marys. . . . Pre-trade deadline speculation had Koules ending up with the Portland Winterhawks, something Oren Koules had heard.
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The Kootenay Ice sent F Brendan Hurley, 18, to the Medicine Hat Tigers for a 2012 third-round bantam draft pick. Hurley, from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., had six points and 29 penalty minutes in 26 games with the Ice. He was in his third season with the Ice, and was a member of last season’s Memorial Cup championship team.
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The Spokane Chiefs have added F Dylan Walchuk, 19, to their roster. Walchuk, who has been on the Chiefs’ list since December 2008, has played at Northern Michigan University and with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers this season. A native of McBride, B.C., Walchuk played the last two seasons with the Vipers, who won one Canadian junior A championship and reached the final last year. This season, Walchuk had eight points in 19 games at NMU. He then left NMU and returned to the Vipers, putting up six points in six games with Vernon.
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ALSO ON THE MOVE:
The Everett Silvertips reassigned F Vladimir Dolnik, F Matt Grant and D Darian Henry. . . . Dolnik, 18, was selected in the 2011 CHL import draft and is returning to Slovakia. He had five helpers in 27 games with the Silvertips. . . . Grant, with no points in four games, is returning to the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. Grant, 18, was acquired earlier in the season from Moose Jaw in a deal that had G Luke Siemens go to the Warriors. . . . Henry, 17, will join the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons. He had one assist in 16 games with Everett. . . . The Prince George Cougars have assigned D Josh Smith, 17, to an undisclosed AJHL team. Smith In his second full season with the Cougars, had six points and 77 penalty minutes in 31 games. . . . The Cougars also revealed that they will be keeping F John Odgers, 18, for the remainder of the season. The son of former WHL/NHL F Jeff Odgers, John has one goal in four games. . . . The Prince Albert Raiders have assigned D Mathew Berry-Lamontagna, 18, to the BCHL’s Westside Warriors. He had one assist and 10 penalty minutes in 17 games with the Raiders.
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Here’s how things work these days, thanks to Twitter, as folks watch the WHL trade deadline approach:
To set the stage . . . the Moose Jaw Warriors had just traded F Brett Lyon, 20, to the Kelowna Rockets. That deal left the Rockets with four 20-year-olds, the others being G Adam Brown, D Kevin Smith and F Cody Chikie.
At the same time, there had been ample speculation that the Brandon Wheat Kings were in the market for a goaltender. Never mind that they already have three on their roster.
So . . .
Early Tuesday afternoon, Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the  Wheat Kings, tweeted: “Take it for what it's worth, but Daniel Asham and Dylan Kuczek among those missing from #bdnwheatkings practice today.”
WEHP scout then responded with: “Could Asham/Kuczek be heading to Kelowna for Adam Brown? I feel things are winding down now.”
Cody Nickolet, the analyst on Saskatoon Blades’ broadcasts, followed that with: “It must be Brown on the way to Brandon now as the Rockets have too many 20's.”
Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Rockets, ended the suspense with: “To make room for Lyon, @Kelowna_Rockets release 20 year old d-man Kevin Smith.”
But what of Asham and Kuczek?
A few minutes later, Luebke tweeted: “Apparently, Kuczek and Asham both missing practice today with illness. Don't know if it's upper body illness or lower body illness.”
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While we’re at it, let’s not forget about the toll that the lead-up to the trade deadline takes on the players. Here are a few tweets from Tuesday:
D Derrick Pouliot, Portland Winterhawks: “WHL trade deadline #nerveracking tension in the dressing room #fornow”
F James Henry, after being traded from Vancouver to Moose Jaw: “Want to say thank u to everyone in vancouver the fans players coaches management owners scouts n billets thank u for everything”
F Justin Kirsch of the Moose Jaw Warriors: “These are the most nerve racking days of a young mans career #tradedeadline”
F Andrew Johnson of the Warriors: “Sad day for the boys. Gonna miss ya @BLyon9 best of luck out there and keep in touch. Will always remember the self proclaimed 'big cheese' ”
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Former WHL G Jeff Bosch, now at Lakehead U in Thunder Bay: “for the 1st time in 5 yrs i dont have 2 worry about being dealt 2 a new team, different city #unilife #thanksciszler4nothavingtrades”
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And there was this tweet from Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender Calvin Pickard: “@bconnolly8 don't even think about it..........”
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And one from Portland F Sven Baertschi: “well i guess im not the only euro anymore....@MarcelNoebels !!!”
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THE COACHING GAME:
The NHL’s Anaheim Ducks have restructured the coach staff of their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Trent Yawney, who had been a pro scout with the Ducks, was moved in as associate head coach, Mark Holick, a former Kootenay Ice head coach, was moved from head coach to associate coach. . . . Marty Wilford stays on as assistant coach. . . . Yawney, from Hudson Bay, Sask., had been an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks from 2008-11. . . . Yawney was an assistant coach under Marc Crawford with the Canadian team at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, late last month. . . . The Crunch is 15-15-4, good for fourth place in the five team East Division.
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JUST NOTES: F Henrik Samuelsson practised with the Edmonton Oil Kings on Tuesday. He was skating alongside T.J. Foster and Kristians Pelss. . . . Samuelsson, the son of former NHL D Ulf Samuelsson, is eligible for the NHL’s 2012 draft. He had been playing in Sweden but, because he was born in Sweden, he isn’t classified as an import player. . . . F Stefan Matteau, the U.S. U-18 team’s leading scorer, has decided not to go to the U of North Dakota. He announced via Twitter that he will play for the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada next season. He is the son of former NHL F Stephane Matteau, who is an assistant coach with the Armada. “My decision is final,” the younger Matteau tweeted. . . . The OHL has suspended Kingston Frontenacs D Alex Gudbranson, 18, for 10 games for a hit to the head of Peterborough Petes F Matt Puempel. Gudbranson is the younger brother of Florida Panthers D Erik Gudbranson.
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ON THE ICE:
In Vancouver, G Jackson Whistle earned his first WHL victory and his first shutout as the Giants dumped the Prince George Cougars, 3-0. . . . Whistle, a 16-year-old from Kelowna, is 1-5-0, 3.42, .873. . . . It was the first time Vancouver has blanked an opponent this season. . . . The Cougars have been shut out a WHL-leading seven times. . . . The Cougars have been shut out in three of their last four games, during which time they have scored one goal. . . . F Brendan Gallagher had a goal, his 28th, and an assist for the Giants. . . . F Dalton Sward got the game’s first goal. It was his 10th, equalling his total from last season. He also ended a 13-game drought by scoring on his 18th birthday. . . . The Giants won the season series, 7-1. . . . The Cougars have lost five in a row. 

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Paul Deniset (Kamloops, Swift Current, Vancouver, Prince Albert, 1989-2002) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). He had 18 goals and 20 assists in 21 games for Amiens (France, Ligue Magnus) last season.
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Monday in the Western Hockey League:
EDMONTON OIL KINGS—Traded F Cam Reid, 20, to Portland Winterhawks for 2012 eight-round bantam draft pick.
LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES–Traded F Cam Braes, 20, to Moose Jaw Warriors for a 2012 first-round bantam draft pick and a 2013 second-round bantam draft pick.
MOOSE JAW WARRIORS–Traded D Tyler Vanscourt, 19, to Vancouver Giants for a 2012 fifth-round bantam draft pick.
TRI-CITY AMERICANS–Traded D Riley Guenther, 17, to Prince Albert Raiders for a 2013 fifth-round bantam draft pick.
VANCOUVER GIANTS–Traded F Levi Bews, 17, to Swift Current for a 2012 sixth-round bantam draft pick.
VICTORIA ROYALS—Traded F Kevin Sundher, 19, to Brandon Wheat Kings for D Jordan Fransoo, 18, F Dakota Conroy, 17, and a 2012 first-round bantam draft pick.
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DRAFT TRACKER (since Dec. 27):
Trades made: 13
Players: 23
Bantam draft picks: 13
Deadline: Tuesday, Jan. 10, 3 p.m. MT
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The Brandon Wheat Kings added F Kevin Sundher, 19, from the Victoria Royals but it cost them a 2012 first-round bantam draft pick, as well as D Jordan Fransoo, 18, and F Dakota Conroy, 17. . . . Sundher, a third-round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2010 NHL draft, has 64 points in 40 games this season, leaving him seventh in the WHL scoring race. . . . From Surrey, B.C., Sundher was the seventh overall pick in the 2007 bantam draft, taken by the Chilliwack Bruins. He goes to Brandon with 240 points in 254 career regular-season games. He is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and is second in games played. . . . “It’s been a crazy day,” Sundher said in a Wheat Kings news release. “The (Royals were) just heading out for the prairies and I was pulled off the bus and told about the trade. I play to win and I'm looking forward to joining a team that has a chance to go far." . . . Fransoo, a seventh-round pick by the Ottawa Senators in the 2011 NHL draft, is in his sophomore season. From North Battleford, Sask., he has 11 points in 41 games this season. A good skater with a big shot, he was a fifth-round bantam pick by Brandon in 2008. . . . Conroy, a third-round bantam draft pick in 2009, Conroy has eight points in 37 games this season. He is from Edmonton and is projected as a top-six forward in time. . . . The Wheat Kings hope to have Sundher in their lineup Wednesday against the visiting Saskatoon Blades. . . . Interestingly, the Royals are scheduled to play in Brandon on Saturday.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors picked up a top-six forward with the acquisition of F Cam Braes, who turns 21 on Thursday, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. But it cost them a first-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft and a second-rounder in 2013. That may seem like a steep price to pay for a player who is in his final season of eligibility. But obviously the Warriors felt they needed at least one more forward — a first-line centre — in order to keep up with the Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Braes, from Shawnigan Lake, B.C., was the Hurricanes’ captain. He has 203 points, including 99 goals, in 320 regular-season games with Lethbridge. This season, he has 45 points, 24 of them goals, in 44 games. . . . He was a third-round selection in the 2006 bantam draft. . . . Only Shane Peacock (336) played more games in a Hurricanes’ uniform than Braes.
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The Prince Albert Raiders acquired D Riley Guenther, 17, from the Tri-City Americans for a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Guenther, from Calgary, had one assist and six penalty minutes in 10 games with the Americans. He played last season with the midget AAA Calgary Northstars. . . . The Americans selected him in the third round of the 2009 bantam draft.
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The Vancouver Giants acquired D Tyler Vanscourt, 19, from the Moose Jaw Warriors for a 2012 fifth-round bantam draft pick that originally belonged to the Prince George Cougars. He had a goal and three assists in 14 games with Moose Jaw after being acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders. All told, he has 21 points in 40 games this season. . . . Vanscourt is from Corona, Calif., and was a seventh-round selection of the Kootenay Ice in the 2007 bantam draft.
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The Swift Current Broncos acquired F Levi Bews, 17, from the Vancouver Giants for a 2012 sixth-round bantam draft pick. . . . Earlier this season, Bews went from the Saskatoon Blades to the Giants in a four-player deal. . . . He was a second-round pick, 42nd overall, by the Blades in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . The Giants had assigned him last week to the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers. . . . In 38 WHL games this season, he has nine points, three of them goals. . . . Bews is from Longview, Alta.
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The Portland Winterhawks have dealt a 2012 eighth-round bantam draft pick to the Edmonton Oil Kings for the rights to F Cam Reid, 20, who is with the St. Cloud State Huskies. . . . A sophomore, Reid has 15 points, including six goals, in 22 games this season. Last season, in 37 games, he had 29 points, eight of them goals, in 37 games. . . . The Nashville Predators selected Reid, who is from Delta, B.C., in the seventh round of the 2009 NHL draft. . . . Before heading to St. Cloud State, Reid played 167 BCHL games with the Victoria Grizzlies and Westside Warriors, putting up 138 points. . . . Reid’s WHL rights originally belonged to the Vancouver Giants, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2006 bantam draft. The Giants sent him to Edmonton in lieu of the Oil Kings selecting a player off their roster in the expansion draft prior to the 2007-08 season. . . . Reid’s arrival in Portland — and he is leaving school — will leave Portland with four 20-year-olds, meaning one of D William Wrenn, F Oliver Gabriel or F Dillon Wagner will have to go. Or it could be that Gabriel, who suffered a shoulder injury on Dec. 30 and hasn’t play since then, could be headed to the long-term injury list.
Reid told Mick Hatten of the St. Cloud, Minn., Times that he got a call from Portland on Sunday night, telling him he had 24 hours to make a decision to stay or join the Winterhawks.
“They offered to have me play center on the first line with their top two players,” Reid said. “I talked it over with my parents, and it was something I couldn’t pass up or say no to.”
That being the case, Reid will join Ty Rattie, the WHL’s scoring leader, and Sven Bartschi on Portland’s top line.
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JUST NOTES:
Regina Pats D Brandon Underwood, who hasn’t played since Dec. 4 when he broke a bone in a foot while blocking a shot, has been cleared to skate again. He still is a week or two from getting back in the lineup. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Alex Schoenborn, 16, who is from Minot, N.D. He is expected to finish the season with the Omaha Jr. Lancers, an under-16 AAA team that plays in the North American Prospects league. He has 27 points in 13 games with the Lancers. . . . The Lancers are coached by David Wilkie (Seattle, Kamloops, Regina, 1999-94). . . .
Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress has spoken with D Jesse Pauls, 19, who retired from the Victoria Royals last week. That story is right here. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks will play host to the Kelowna Rockets twice this week, on Wednesday and Friday. The Winterhawks go into the series having won their last 14 home games, two shy of the franchise record that was set in 1993-94. . . .
Don Nachbaur, the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs, is on the verge of becoming the sixth coach in WHL history to win 500 games. Nachbaur is at 499 going into two straight games with the Everett Silvertips. They’ll play in Spokane on Wednesday and in Everett on Friday. . . . Ken Hodge (742), Ernie McLean (548), Pat Ginnell (518), Lorne Molleken (543) and Don Hay (541) also have more than 500 victories. . . . Nachbaur also has served as head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds (202 victories) and Tri-City Americans (229). He has three times been named winner of the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as coach of the year, once with each team.
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An interesting observation from columnist Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun, following the move by Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins to submarine Canucks defenceman Sami Salo in a game on Saturday:
“It’s a curious thing, but a current listing of NHL villains will turn up several members of Canada’s world junior squads over the past 15 years or so, which may reveal an unflattering pattern to the way Hockey Canada carefully constructs its rosters. Though some confined their borderline sociopathic behaviour primarily to their junior days, these Team Canada alumni/incendiary devices include Matt Cooke (1998), Raffi Torres (2001), Jordin Tootoo (2003), Steve Downie (2006-07), Brad Marchand (2007-08) — how’s that for a start to the all-cheap-shot-team? — and, more recently, Patrice Cormier (2009-10) and Zack Kassian (2011).
“Cooke, mind you, has renounced his evil ways and joined the choirboys, and Cormier and Kassian haven’t really got their pro careers properly warmed up yet.”
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Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., was in Winnipeg on the weekend and Arctic Ice Hockey was able to get an interview. Perhaps the battle between College Hockey Inc. and the CHL is heating up again. That complete interview is right here.


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