Stankowski steals show in Kent ... Papirny, Herringer perfect in goal ... Brooks sparks Pats

The first goal of the WHL playoffs was scored by D Clayton Kirichenko of the Medicine Hat Tigers. Kirichenko scored at 6:46 of the first period in their game against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. A 20-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta., Kirichenko, the Tigers’ captain, has played in 239 regular-season games. This was his first playoff game — it was one to remember as he finished with two goals and an assist. . . . He split the first 130 of those regular-season games between the Saskatoon Blades and Vancouver Giants.

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When the series between the Calgary Hitmen and the Pats got started in Regina, there were two new pennants hanging from the Brandt Centre rafters. Prior to the game, the Pats were presented with the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s regular-season champs. They then raised the East Division and Regular Season championship banners. Presumably, the Eastern Conference championship banner was saved for prior to next season’s home-opener. . . . In Everett, the Silvertips raised their two new banners as U.S. Division and Western Conference champions. . . . These teams wouldn’t lower these banners and do it all over again on opening night next season, would they?

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Raising banners prior to the start of a playoff home-opener may not be a bad idea. It allows all the players to take part, something that wouldn’t be possible prior to the following season, what with graduating 20-year-olds and others who don’t return for one reason or another.

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Of course, F Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins should have drawn a suspension for the slash he put on the hands of Ottawa Senators D Marc Methot on Thursday night. Of course, Crosby wasn’t suspended. Having a superstar do something like that is a hockey disciplinarian’s worst nightmare, because they would rather suspend slugs than aces.

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If you haven’t noticed, Crosby has become quite the nifty swordsman with his hockey stick.

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F Nolan Patrick, who remains the consensus No. 1 selection for the 2017 NHL draft, sat out the Brandon Wheat Kings’ opening playoff game last night in Medicine Hat. After having sports hernia surgery in July, he played only 33 games during the regular season. I don’t know that being scratched last night was related to his previous problems, but sporting teams are starting to realize that recovery time from that kind of surgery is much longer than previously thought.

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The other notable scratches on the opening night of the WHL playoff were F Mathew Barzal and G Rylan Toth, both of the Seattle Thunderbirds. It would seem that Barzal continues to be bothered by the mumps, while Toth, who led WHL goaltenders in victories, has an undisclosed injury. Toth last played on March 11, when he left after the first period of a 6-3 victory over the host Portland Winterhawks. That was said to be a move made for precautionary reasons, but obviously things are more serious than that.

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I’m thinking USA Hockey has bitten off more than it can chew in its dispute with its national women’s team. On Friday, Dunkin’ Donuts, a major USA Hockey sponsor, said it continues to “support the current members of the U.S. team . . .” As well, the NHL and MLB players associations both issued statements of support for the women’s team, which is the defending IIHF world champion. It is scheduled to begin defence of that title in Plymouth, Mich., on March 31. . . . You’ve got to think that USA Hockey will fold its hand before then.

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Three former WHL coaches who now are head coaches in the OHL are a combined 3-0 in the playoffs. . . . Rocky Thompson’s Windsor Spitfires beat the host London Knights, the defending Memorial Cup champions, 4-3 on Friday night. . . . Earlier in the evening, Ryan McGill’s Owen Sound Attack trounced the visiting Kitchener Rangers, 9-1. . . . On Thursday, Kris Knoblauch’s Erie Otters, playing at home, beat the Sarnia Sting, 6-3. . . . Thompson, McGill and Knoblauch all played in the WHL, too.

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In the BCHL, the host Merritt Centennials beat the Penticton Vees, 2-1, in OT last night, forcing a Game 7 in their second-round series. F Tyrell Buckley won it at 10:23 of the first OT. They’ll meet again Monday, this time in Penticton. The Vees held a 52-48 edge in shots.

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F Chad Bassen (Regina, Vancouver, Medicine Hat, Everett, 2000-04) has signed a one-year extension with Iserlohn (Germany, DEL). This season, he had 10 goals and five assists in 50 games. He has dual German-Canadian citizenship. . . .

D James Bettauer (Prince Albert, Medicine Hat, 2010-12) has signed a one-year extension with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had 10 goals and four assists in 48 games this season. Bettauer has dual German-Canadian citizenship. . . .

F Jesse Mychan (Everett, Tri-City, 2011-13) has signed a one-year contract with Innsbruck (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He started the season with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL), scoring 23 goals and adding 14 assists in 34 games. He was pointless in five games while on loan to the San Antonio Rampage (AHL). He signed with the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, DEL2) on Jan. 24, and had four goals and two assists in nine games there.

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F Dillon Dube of the Kelowna Rockets celebrated the start of the WHL playoffs by signing his first NHL contract. Dube signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Calgary Flames, who selected him in the second round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . Dube, who was born in Golden, B.C., had 20 goals and 35 assists in 40 games with the Rockets this season, this third in Kelowna. Dube missed the first seven weeks of the season after returning from the Flames’ training camp with a knee injury. . . . He also played for Team Canada at the 2017 World Junior Championship. . . . According to capfriendly.com, Dube’s NHL salary would be US$742,500, $742,500 and $892,500, with a $70,000 salary in the minors. Their are performance bonuses of $182,500, $182,500 and $32,500, with three annual signing bonuses of $92,500.

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The Everett Silvertips have signed F Mark Liwiski to a WHL contract. Liwiski, from Dauphin, Man., will turn 16 on Aug. 8. He was a third-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Liwiski played for the midget AAA Parkland Rangers of the Manitoba Midget Hockey League this season, putting up 54 points, including 25 goals, in 37 games. In his draft season, he played for Parkland’s bantam AAA side, totalling 91 points, 39 of them goals, in 35 games.

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Craig Mohr is returning for a fourth season as the general manager and head coach of the junior B Fernie Ghostriders of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. . . . Mohr, from Calgary, has coaching history with the junior B Golden Rockets and Beaver Valley Nitehawks, as well as the midget AAA Calgary Northstars and the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks. . . . This season, the Ghostriders went 26-18-1-2 and finished third in the Eddie Mountain Division. They lost a best-of-seven first-round series in six games to the Kimberley Dynamiters.

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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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QMJHL fines Drakkar GM Steve Ahern $2500 for saying he hopes Charlottetown wins the championship because it's probably their last year there

— Sunaya Sapurji (@sunayas) March 24, 2017

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FRIDAY GAMES (Game 1, best-of-sevens):

JORDAN PAPIRNY

At Moose Jaw, G Jordan Papirny stopped 40 shots to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 2-0 victory over the Warriors. . . . They’ll play Game 2 in Moose Jaw tonight. . . . Papirny was the starting goaltender for Brandon when the Wheat Kings won last season’s Ed Chynoweth Cup. . . . Papirny, 20, stopped 14 shots in each of the first and third periods in posting his second career playoff shutout. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen, a 51-goal man in the regular season, scored the game’s first goal, unassisted, at 11:18 of the second period. . . . F Glenn Gawdin provided insurance with an empty-netter at 19:48 of the third period. . . . There was one minor penalty called, that to Steenbergen for hooking, at 13:03 of the second period. . . . The Warriors got 31 saves from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . Announced attendance: 3,353.

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CLAYTON KIRICHENKO

At Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored four PP goals en route to a 7-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Three of Medicine Hat’s first four goals came via the PP. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko got the Tigers started at 6:46 of the first period. . . . F Matt Bradley and F Mark Rassell followed with PP goals, at 18:57 of the first and 2:19 of the second, respectively. . . . F Stelio Mattheos scored for Brandon at 3:04, but Tigers F Zach Fischer got that one back, on a PP, at 8:55. . . . F Tyler Coulter counted for Brandon, on a PP, at 13:43, to make it 4-2. . . . Kirichenko scored again, at 14:48, with Rassell completing a hat trick with a PP goal at 12:32 and an even-strength score at 19:39. . . . The Tigers got three assists from D David Quenneville and two from Butcher. Kirichenko and Fischer had one apiece. . . . D Kale Clague had two assists for Brandon, with Mattheos getting one. . . . G Michael Bullion earned the victory with 26 saves. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 45 shots. He faced 18 shots in the first period and 19 in the third. . . . The Tigers were 4-9 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 1-6. . . . D Ty Schultz (broken leg) continues to rehab so was scratched by the Tigers. . . . F Nolan Patrick was among Brandon’s scratches. . . . Announced attendance: 3,583.

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At Regina, F Adam Brooks had two goals and an assist in the third period to lead the Pats to a 5-2 victory

ADAM BROOKS

over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Game 2 is in Regina tonight. . . . Brooks finished with two goals and two assists. . . . The Pats won it with a four-goal third period. . . . F Jake Kryski gave the Hitmen a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 10:50 of the second period. . . . Regina scored the next three goals. . . . D Josh Mahura tied it, on a PP, at 16:28. . . . Brooks, who had the primary assist on Mahura’s goal, provided Regina with the lead at 4:25 of the third period, then upped the lead to 3-1 at 6:03. . . . Kryski got Calgary back to within a goal at 9:04. . . . Regina closed it out on goals from F Bryan Lockner, at 14:14, and F Austin Wagner, shorthanded, at 16:59. . . . F Filip Ahl had two assists for Regina. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 20 shots to earn the victory. . . . Calgary G Cody Porter turned aside 27 shots. . . . Regina was 1-2 on the PP; Calgary was 1-3. . . . Regina F Nick Henry served a one-game WHL suspension. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.

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15 shots... the fewest on goal the Blazers have had in a game this season. Rockets won most of everything including compete level. 4-0 F

— Jon Keen (@JonKeenNLSports) March 25, 2017

At Kelowna, F Carsen Twarynski scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Rockets to a 4-0

CARSEN TWARYNSKI

victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Rockets got three of their goals from players acquired at the trade deadline. Twarynski came over from the Calgary Hitmen, while F Reid Gardiner’s rights were acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders. He was with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the time of the trade. . . . Twarynski opened the scoring at 17:20 of the first period. . . . F Tomas Soustal, who had missed the previous eight games with an injury, upped it to 2-0 just 28 seconds later. . . . Gardiner scored on a PP at 12:40 of the second period. . . . Twarynski added his second goal, on a PP, at 8:47 of the third period. . . . Soustal also had an assist. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer wasn’t particularly busy, stopping 15 shots to earn his third career playoff shutout. . . . The Rockets held a 15-3 edge on shots in the first period. It was 17-3 in the third. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 44 shots. . . . Kelowna was 2-4 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-3. . . . The Blazers scratched F Luc Smith, who was injured in Game 71 of the regular season. . . . Announced attendance: 5,512.

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Let's go @WHLsilvertips! 

A deep playoff run begins tonight up in Everett.  #LetsGoTips pic.twitter.com/XTnkI99m0a

— Mariners (@Mariners) March 24, 2017

At Everett, the Silvertips scored the game’s first four goals, two of them on the PP, and went on to a 4-2

DOMINIC ZWERGER

victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . They’ll play Game 2 tonight in Everett. . . . D Kevin Davis gave the home guys a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 8:11 of the first period. . . . The Silvertips took a 4-0 lead with three goals in 4:20 late in the second period. . . . F Patrick Bajkov upped it to 2-0 at 12:04. . . . F Dominic Zwerger then scored twice, at 14:27 and 16:24, the second one coming via the PP. . . . F Jack Walker scored a PP goal for Victoria, at 19:03 of the second period. . . . Victoria F Dante Hannoun got the Royals’ other goal, on a PP, at 14:58 of the third. . . . Bajkov also had two assists, with Davis and Zwerger getting one each. . . . Walker added an assist to his goal. . . . Walker has tied the Royals’ record for career playoff goals (13), assists (16) and points (29). He shares all three with Brandon Magee (2011-15). . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 30 shots, nine more than Victoria’s Griffen Outhouse. . . . The Royals were 2-4 on the PP; the Silvertips were 2-5. . . . D Chaz Reddekopp and F Ryan Peckford both returned to Victoria’s lineup after being out with injuries. . . . Announced attendance: 3,241.

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A big night for playoff hockey in the Northwest.

Good luck to @SeattleTbirds, the defending WHL Western Conference Champs! #WinTheCup pic.twitter.com/OKj52XclZz

— Mariners (@Mariners) March 24, 2017

At Kent, Wash., G Carl Stankowski stopped 33 shots to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-2 victory

CARL STANKOWSKI

over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Stankowski was starting in place of the injury Rylan Toth. . . . Stankowski, who turned 17 on March 9, was making only his eighth WHL appearance. In the regular season, he was 3-0-1, 2.18, .910. . . . He stopped 18 of 19 shots in the third period. That included a save on a penalty shot by F Morgan Geekie at 9:39 of the third period with Seattle leading, 3-2. Moments later, he beat F Parker AuCoin on a shorthanded breakaway. . . . The Thunderbirds got two goals from F Keegan Kolesar, including the game’s first score at 5:37 of the first period. . . . F Ryan Gropp made it 2-0, on a PP, at 8:50, with Kolesar earning the primary assist. . . . Tri-City F Jordan Topping cut into the deficit at 10:10. . . . D Austin Strand restored Seattle’s two-goal lead at 4:50 of the third period. . . . F Austyn Playfair pulled the Americans to within a goal when he scored shorthanded, at 7:26. . . . Kolesar put it away with his second goal, at 17:46. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear had two assists. . . . Tri-City G Rylan Parenteau stopped 27 shots. . . . Seattle was 1-6 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-7. . . . The game was delayed for a couple of minutes in the second period after Seattle D Turner Ottenbreit’s clearing attempt struck referee Kevin Bennett in the head. He went down briefly, but didn’t miss a shift. . . . The Thunderbirds scratches also included F Mathew Barzal (mumps). . . . Announced attendance: 3,359.

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I'm not surprised that @pdxwinterhawks beat PG at home tonight. From Jan. 24 on, Portland is now 20-6-1. Prince George is 11-10-2. #WHL

— Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) March 25, 2017

At Prince George, the Portland Winterhawks scored a pair of PP goals as they beat the Cougars, 4-2. . .

KEEGAN IVERSON

They’ll play Game 2 in Prince George on Sunday. . . . The visitors took a 1-0 lead when F Brendan De Jong scored, on a PP, at 4:34 of the first period. . . . The Cougars tied it at 17:49 when F Jared Bethune scored a PP goal. . . . The Winterhawks scored the game’s next two goals, with F Skyler McKenzie counting at 18:39 and F Keegan Iverson adding a PP goal at 3:06 of the second period. . . . F Jansen Harkins got the Cougars to within a goal at 2:43 of the third. . . . Portland put it away with an empty-netter from F Colton Veloso at 19:22. . . . D Caleb Jones had two assists for Portland. . . . The Cougars got two assists from F Colby McAuley. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 23 shots for Portland, while Prince George’s Ty Edmonds blocked 31. . . . Including the regular season, Kehler has posted nine straight victories. . . . Portland was 2-5 on the PP; Prince George was 1-3. . . . F Cody Glass, who missed the last five periods of Portland’s regular season, was in the lineup and drew one assist. . . . The Cougars again were without F Brad Morrison. He took the pregame warmup before being scratched. . . . Mike Johnston earned his 50th career victory as Portland’s head coach, the 18th man in WHL history to reach that milestone. Don Hay of the Kamloops Blazers is No. 1, at 106. . . . Announced attendance: 5,418.

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SATURDAY GAMES (all times local):

(All series best-of-seven)

Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. (Game 1)

Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m. (Swift Current leads, 1-0)

Brandon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m. (Medicine Hat leads, 1-0)

Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m. (Regina leads, 1-0)

Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 1-0)

Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m. (Everett leads, 1-0)

Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Seattle leads, 1-0)

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SUNDAY GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Lethbridge, 6 p.m. (Game 2)

Portland at Prince George, 5 p.m. (Portland leads, 1-0)

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Rockets, Hitmen swap forwards . . . Warriors, Giants cut deal . . . Death of a landmark

WHL trades since Dec. 27:

Trades: 20.

Players: 33.

Bantam draft picks: 24.

Conditional bantam draft picks: 6.

(WHL trade deadline is Jan. 10).

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The Kelowna have dealt F Jake Kryski, 18, to the Calgary Hitmen for F Carsen Twarynski, 19, and a conditional third-round WHL bantam draft pick.

The Rockets had acquired Kryski from the Kamloops Blazers over the summer, sending brothers Dan and Joe Gatenby, both defencemen, and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2019 bantam draft the other way.

JAKE KRYSKI

CARSEN TWARYNSKI

The Prince Albert Raiders selected Kryski in the first round of the 2013 bantam draft. He went to the Blazers on July 10, 2013, in a deal that had G Cole Cheveldave go the other way.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Kryski, from Vancouver, had 29 points, including 13 goals, in 37 games with the Rockets this season, but never really seemed to fit in there. The Hitmen are hoping that he can add some spark to their offence over the next couple of seasons.

In 173 career games, Kryski has 36 goals and 58 assists.

Kryski is expected to be in Calgary’s lineup on Tuesday when they meet the Blades in Saskatoon.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Twarynski, from Calgary, had 10 goals and 11 assists in 36 games with the Hitmen this season. In 161 career games, all with the Hitmen, he has 36 goals and 52 assists.

Twarynski adds some size to the Rockets’ forward ranks, something that will be needed in what is shaping up as a four-team battle for playoff positioning in the B.C. Division.

The Philadelphia Flyers selected Twarynski in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. If he doesn’t return to the Rockets for his 20-year-old season Kelowna will get a third-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft.

Twarynski is expected to make his Kelowna debut on Wednesday against the host Victoria Royals.

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The Moose Jaw Warriors have acquired F Thomas Foster, 20, and two bantam draft picks — an

BRAYDEN WATTS

eight-

THOMAS FOSTER

rounder in 2017 and a fifth-rounder in 2018 — from the Vancouver Giants for F Brayden Watts, 17, a fifth-round pick in 2017 and a second-rounder in 2018.

Having added Foster to their roster, the Warriors were one over the 20-year-old limit, so they placed F Dakota Odgers on waivers.

Foster joins D Matt Sozanski and D Josh Thrower as Moose Jaw’s 20-year-olds.

The 6-foot-0, 185-pound Foster was a first-round pick by Vancouver in the 2011 bantam draft. In his fifth season with the Giants, he has 42 goals and 84 assists in 259 games. This season, the native of Slave Lake, Alta., has 10 goals and 18 assists in 38 games.

Foster was a late scratch on Sunday afternoon, prior to the Giants’ game in Cranbrook, B.C., against the Kootenay Ice. The trade was announced shortly after the game’s completion.

Watts is from Bakersfield, Calif., and was in his second season with the Warriors. The 6-foot-0, 165-pounder had four goals in 40 games with the Warriors this season, after putting up three goals and two assists in 57 games as a freshman last season. He was a third-round pick by the Warriors in the 2014 bantam draft.

Vancouver now has two 20-year-olds on its roster — D Dmitry Osipov and D Jeff Rayman.

Odgers, the son of former NHL/WHL F Jeff Odgers, is from Spy Hill, Sask. He was a second-round pick by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2011 bantam draft. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Odgers has 16 goals and 20 assists in 237 games split between the Broncos, Giants and Warriors. This season, he had two goals and six assists in 42 games with Moose Jaw.

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Kim MacDougall, who played for the Regina Pats when they won the 1974 Memorial Cup, is 62 years of age now. “The one thing I’ve learned as you get older is that nothing lasts forever — you, me, the buildings, everything,” MacDougall told Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post. “They have their time and their place. At some point, they outlive their time and their place and you move on.” . . . MacDougall and Vanstone were touring Regina’s venerable Exhibition Stadium, once the entertainment centrepiece of Saskatchewan’s capital city but a building that now is slated for demolition. . . . The Pats last played there on March 23, 1990, when they beat the Swift Current Broncos, 4-3 in OT, on a goal by Troy Mick. . . . Vanstone has more on the building’s history right here.

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@EdmOilKings prospect @atkinsonscott1 makes history with 6 goal game, 3 goals in 23secs. #GVCpride @BCHockey_MML pic.twitter.com/BVtYwFJfsv

— GV Canadians (@GVCanadians) January 8, 2017

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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

At Edmonton, F Zach Fischer scored twice to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the Oil

ZACH FISCHER

Kings. . . . The Tigers took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals by F John Dahlstrom (19), at 5:58, and Fischer, at 14:47. . . . Edmonton F Trey Fix-Wolansky cut into the lead with his 11th goal, on a PP, at 15:42. . . . Second-period goals from F Matt Bradley (18), shorthanded, at 5:30, and Fischer, at 8:05, put the Tigers back in control. . . . Fischer has 22 goals. . . . F Adam Berg’s fourth goal got Edmonton to within two goals, at 1:44 of the third period, but F James Hamblin iced it for Medicine Hat with his 10th goal, at 6:22. . . . The Tigers got three assists from D Brad Forrest and two from F Mason Shaw. . . . G Nick Schneider stopped 28 shots to earn his WHL-leading 26th victory. . . . Edmonton got 40 saves from G Patrick Dea. . . . Edmonton was 1-5 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 0-4. . . . The Tigers (29-12-1) have won two in a row. They are second in the overall standings, two points behind the Regina Pats, who have four games in hand. . . . The Oil Kings (18-20-4) have lost three straight. They are in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 7,885.

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At Cranbrook, B.C., the Kootenay Ice erased a 1-0 deficit as they skated to a 3-2 victory over the

PAYTON LEE

Vancouver Giants. . . . F Tyler Popowich gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 7:11 of the first period. . . . Ice D Cale Fleury tied it with his seventh goal, at 8:36. . . . F Barrett Sheen (7) gave the home team a 2-1 lead at 19:03 of the second period and F Austin Wellsby (4) stretched that to 3-1 at 3:17 of the third. . . . Popowich’s second goal of the game, and fifth of the season, got the Giants to within a PP goal at 9:52. . . . D Matt Barberis had two assists for the Giants. . . . Sheen added an assist to his goal. . . . G Payton Lee, who played three-plus seasons with the Giants, stopped 32 shots. A Cranbrook native, Lee went from the Giants to the Edmonton Oil Kings to the Ice. . . . Vancouver got 26 stops from G David Tendeck. . . . The Giants were 2-4 on the PP; the Ice was 0-3. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson missed his fourth straight game with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Giants scratched F Thomas Foster, 20, just prior to game time and after the game announced that he had been traded to the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . With the trade deadline arriving on Tuesday, the Ice scratched F Zak Zborosky and F Matt Alfaro, two of their top forwards. . . . The Ice (10-24-8) has won two in a row, but is 12 points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Giants (16-23-3) have lost three in a row and are eight points shy of the playoffs. . . . Announced attendance: 1,645.

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At Spokane, F Ryan Gropp scored at 15:39 of the third period to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 2-1

RYAN GROPP

victory over the Chiefs. . . . Gropp, who has 10 goals, redirected a point shot by D Ethan Bear, who assisted on both Seattle goals. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored his 11th goal, on a PP, at 15:42 of the second period, to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. . . . The Thunderbirds tied it at 6:21 of the third period when F Keegan Kolesar scored his sixth goal. . . . G Rylan Toth stopped 27 shots for the Thunderbirds, while the Chiefs got 36 stops from G Dawson Weatherill. . . . Interestingly, Toth and Weatherill are both former Red Deer Rebels goaltenders. . . . Spokane was 1-3 on the PP; Seattle was 0-3. . . . F Scott Eansor was back in Seattle’s lineup after a one-game absence, but F Mathew Barzal has yet to play since skating for Canada at the World Junior Championship. . . . Barzal is expected to play in Seattle’s next game against the host Everett Silvertips on Saturday. . . . Seattle F Sami Moilanen left in the second period with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Thunderbirds (21-14-4) have won three in a row. They are third in the U.S. Division, three points ahead of the idle Portland Winterhawks who had two weekend games postponed by weather conditions. . . . The Chiefs (17-17-7) had points in each of their previous three games (2-0-1). They are two points out of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 4,125.

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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.

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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Tri-City at Moose Jaw 7 p.m.

Prince George at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

Calgary at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.

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

Judge wants to see financials, tax returns . . . Did NCAA err on Gelsinger? . . . Ice dumps Wheaties

D Keaton Ellerby (Kamloops, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) has signed a one-year contract with Lukko Rauma (Finland, Liiga). Last season, he had two goals and seven assists in 42 games with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL), and a goal and five assists in 13 games with Fribourg-Gottéron (Switzerland, NL A). . . .

F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) has been released by the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite) at his request. He had five goals and 10 assists in 13 games.

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The judge’s order today in the CHL lawsuit. Sets stage for the 1st unvarnished peak behind the curtain of WHL, OHL team finances. pic.twitter.com/j0cm42Nv4m

— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) October 29, 2016

The potential class-action lawsuit faced by the CHL, WHL and OHL and the 42 teams in the OHL and WHL got a lot more interesting on Friday when Justice R.J. Hall of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in Calgary ordered the CHL and those teams, according to TSN’s Rick Westhead, “to hand over their tax returns and financial statements dating back to 2011 to establish whether those franchises are profitable or lose money.” . . . Justice Hall also wants to see all CHL contracts “that funnel revenue to teams” in the WHL and OHL, Westhead reports. . . . The QMJHL and its 18 teams? They weren’t named as defendants in the lawsuit, so aren’t part of the court order. . . . This is part of a potential class-action lawsuit that asks that teams be forced to pay players at least minimum wage. . . . Governments in B.C., Saskatchewan, Washington state and Nova Scotia have exempted teams in those jurisdictions from minimum-wage legislation. Those governments did so without seeing any financial statements from the teams involved. . . . Westhead’s complete story is right here.

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According to Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks, N.D., Herald, F Brayden Gelsinger should have had to sit out one complete season and 12 games of another before being allowed to play for the Lake Superior State U Lakers, an NCAA Division I team.

Gelsinger, who has four goals and three assists in the 4-0-0 Lakers’ first four games, played 12 regular-season games with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers in 2012-13.

“Normally,” Schlossman writes, “that would mean he would have to sit out one year (for signing in WHL) and 12 games the following year (for playing 12 WHL games) before having his eligibility re-instated.”

According to Schlossman, “The NCAA just missed it.”

“When his paperwork was sent into the NCAA, they missed that Gelsinger had played in the WHL and ruled him eligible immediately,” Schlossman writes. “Upon learning about their mistake, the NCAA decided to own it and not punish the kid or the team for their mistake.

“So, the NCAA’s stance hasn’t changed or softened on ruling those who play in the CHL ineligible. In this extremely rare case, the NCAA just missed it.”

As bizarre as it sounds, it seems that’s exactly what happened.

Chris Dilks, a long-time observer of the U.S. college hockey scene and the managing editor of SBN College Hockey (sbncollegehockey.com), later tweeted: “The Gelsinger story still seems crazy to a me, but I've heard the same story as Brad's from a couple different sources now.”

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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have acquired D Ty Prefontaine, 17, from the Calgary Hitmen for a seventh-round selection in the 2017 WHL bantam draft. . . . Prefontaine, from Saskatoon, was a fifth-round pick by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2014 bantam draft. He played three games with the Raiders and eight with Calgary. This season, he had one assist in seven games with the Hitmen. . . . The Hitmen acquired Prefontaine and F Matteo Gennaro in January for F Layne Bensmiller and D Loch Morrison.

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JUST NOTES:

The Calgary Hitmen have signed D Jameson Murray, 17, who was placed on their protected list a year ago. From Kelowna, he is playing with the Okanagan Rockets of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. He has three assists in six games. . . . Having dealt D Ty Prefontaine, 17, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier in the day, the Hitmen added Murray to their roster on Friday. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes have suspended D Brady Reagan, 19, “for violating team rules.” According to the team, the length of the suspension has yet to be decided. Reagan is into his second full season with the Hurricanes, who acquired him from the Regina Pats midway through the 2014-15 season. This season, he has a goal and two assists in 12 games.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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The SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs have signed general manager/head coach Trevor Blevins to a three-year extension. Blevins, who is from Melfort, played for the Mustangs and has been the head coach since December 2013. He was working on a three-year deal that was to expire after this season. . . . Melfort went into Friday’s games with a 5-9-2 record, good for third place in the four-team Sherwood Division.

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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

"I thought we saw our PK far too often tonight." #OilKings HC, Steve Hamilton on tonight's 5-2 loss to Calgary.

— Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings) October 29, 2016

At Edmonton, F Carsen Twarynski’s two goals helped the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-2 victory over the Oil

CARSEN TWARYNSKI

Kings. . . . The visitors took a 2-0 first-period lead and never trailed. F Lucas Cullen’s first goal, on a PP, gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 1:47, with F Jordy Stallard’s second goal upping it to 2-0 at 8:53. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer’s sixth goal cut into the lead, on a PP, at 9:30 of the second. . . . Twarynski’s first goal of the night, at 12:33, restored the two-goal lead. . . . The Oil Kings got back to within one when F Nicholas Bowman got his first goal, at 6:24 of the third period. . . . However, Calgary F Taylor Sanheim got that one back 26 seconds later. He’s got two goals. . . . Twarynski got the empty-netter at 19:31. . . . Calgary got two assists from each of D Micheal Zipp, F Andrei Grishakov and F Matteo Gennaro, while Sanheim added one to his goal. . . . G Cody Porter stopped 38 shots for the Hitmen, with Patrick Dea making 26 stops at the other end. . . . Calgary was 2-7 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-2. . . . The Hitmen (4-5-1) had lost their previous five games (0-4-1). . . . The Oil Kings (4-7-2) have lost two in a row. . . . D Jakob LaPointe was back in Calgary’s lineup after missing nine games with an undisclosed injury. . . . Announced attendance: 7,774.

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CONNOR INGRAM

At Kamloops, G Connor Ingram stopped 30 shots for his first shutout this season, leading the Blazers to a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . It was Ingram’s eighth career shutout. He is a candidate for Canada's national junior team and has been playing like it. . . . F Nick Chyzowski’s sixth goal, at 6:33 of the first period, stood up as the winner. . . . F Garrett Pilon’s second goal, on a PP, at 10:54 of the third period added insurance. . . . F Rudolfs Balcers got his sixth goal into an empty net at 18:57. . . . Pilon also had an assist. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic also was terrific. He finished with 40 saves. . . . Kamloops was 1-2 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-4. . . . The Blazers improved to 8-7-0. . . . The Giants (6-10-0) have lost two in a row. . . . The teams meet again tonight (Saturday) in Langley, B.C. . . . Announced attendance: 3,208.

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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Zak Zborosky broke a 1-1 tie at 10:07 of the third period and the Kootenay Ice went

ZAK ZBOROSKY

on to a 2-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Zborosky has 11 goals in 14 games this season. He is one goal behind Tri-City F Michael Rasmussen, who leads the WHL. . . . Brandon took a 1-0 lead on a PP goal by F Stelio Mattheos at 6:02 of the second period. He’s got six goals. . . . The Ice tied it at 5:512 of the third when F Vince Loschiavo scored his second goal. Zborosky drew the secondary assist. . . . G Payton Lee blocked 32 shots for the victory. . . . Brandon’s Jordan Papirny turned aside 29 shots. . . . The Ice was 1-2 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 1-3. . . . The Ice (2-8-4) had lost seven in a row (0-5-2). . . . Brandon (6-5-2) has lost two straight. . . . F Reid Duke returned to Brandon's lineup after missing two games while tending to a personal matter. However, the Wheat Kings continue to play without injured F Nolan Patrick. . . . The Wheat Kings will play in Cranbrook again on Sunday afternoon. . . . Announced attendance: 1,736.

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At Lethbridge, F Bartek Bison broke a 1-1 tie at 18:23 of the first period as the Prince George Cougars beat the Hurricanes, 2-1. . . . F Jansen Harkins’ fourth goal, at 3:51, gave the visitors the lead. . . . The Hurricanes tied it on a PP goal from F Giorgio Estephan at 9:21. He’s got four goals. . . . Bison’s third goal of the season stood up as the winner. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 28 shots for the Cougars, two more than Lethbridge’s Stuart Skinner. . . . Lethbridge was 1-8 on the PP; Prince George was 0-4. . . . The Cougars (13-2-1) have points in six straight (5-0-1). . . . The Hurricanes (5-7-2) have dropped six in a row (0-5-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,694.

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True Warrior jerseys in honour of cancer fighters #BreastCancerAwareness #ProstateCancer #mjwarriors #unfinishedbusiness pic.twitter.com/kanjBiLlBS

— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) October 29, 2016

At Moose Jaw, F Noah Gregor scored twice to help the Warriors to a 4-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . F Dakota Odgers, with his first goal, at 6:35 of the first period, and Gregor, with his fourth, at 13:46 gave the home side a 2-0 edge. . . . F Mason McCarty’s ninth goal, on a PP at 6:50 of the second period, cut the lead in half. . . . Gregor got that one back at 4:46 of the third period. . . . F Luke Gingras got Saskatoon back to within one at 14:21 of the third. . . . Moose Jaw F Tanner Jeannot put it away at 19:58. . . . F Nikita Popugaev had two assists for the Warriors, with Odgers getting one. . . . Moose Jaw got 32 saves from G Brody Willms, while Saskatoon’s Logan Flodell stopped 35 shots. . . . Saskatoon was 1-2 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . The Warriors now are 8-3-2. . . . The Blades (6-7-1) have lost four in a row. . . . The Blades have lost eight straight games in Moose Jaw. . . . F Brett Howden (undisclosed injury) was among Moose Jaw’s scratches. . . . Announced attendance: 3,162.

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JAYDEN SITTLER

At Prince Albert, the Spokane Chiefs ran their winning streak to three games as they beat the Raiders, 4-2. . . . The Chiefs (6-6-2) are 3-2-0 on their six-game East Division swing. They won three times in the past four nights, outscoring the opposition, 16-6, in the process. . . . The Raiders are 4-8-1. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s first three goals, with F Ethan McIndoe getting his third goal at 3:06 of the second period, D Jeff Faith scoring his second at 5:25, and F Jaret Anderson-Dolan getting his fifth, at 10:34. . . . F Cavin Leth got his first goal for the Raiders at 11:08 of the third period, but Spokane F Hudson Elynuik got it back just 14 seconds later. . . . D Brendan Guhle scored for the Raiders at 19:46 of the third, on a PP. That was the first goal this season by a Prince Albert defenceman. . . . G Jayden Sittler stopped 22 shots for the Chiefs. . . . Raiders starter Ian Scott gave up three goals on 19 shots. Nick Sanders came on in relief to stop 10 of 11 shots in 29:26. . . . The Raiders were 2-4 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-4. . . . Spokane wraps up its East Division swing tonight in Swift Current. . . . Announced attendance: 2,114.

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For the first time ever... @Rebelshockey wearing white helmets with their black jerseys. Bold move by Radar Horning. #WHL pic.twitter.com/xAVXmyI5uA

— Troy Gillard (@Troy_Gillard) October 29, 2016

At Red Deer, the Medicine Hat Tigers scored three times in the game’s first nine minutes en route to a 5-

MASON SHAW

2 victory over the Rebels. . . . F Max Gerlach got the visitors rolling with his seventh goal, on a PP, at 5:57. . . . F Mark Rassell scored his 10th goal at 8:32, and D David Quenneville’s seventh, at 8:52, made it a three-goal difference. . . . Red Deer F Michael Spacek stretch his point streak to 10 games with his eighth goal at 12:55. . . . Tigers F Mason Shaw, the WHL’s leading scorer, made it 4-1 with a shorthanded goal at 7:49 of the second period. He leads the WHL, with 24 points. . . . D Josh Mahura’s fifth goal, at 8:07, cut the deficit in half, but the Tigers iced it with F Max Gerlach getting No. 8, on a PP, at 18:33. . . . Spacek, who also had an assist, has eight goals and nine assists over his past 10 games. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider stopped 38 shots. . . . Red Deer starter Lasse Petersen allowed three goals on 12 shots in 8:52. Riley Lamb played the final 51:08, stopped 25 of 27 shots. . . . The Tigers were 2-4 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-7. . . . Medicine Hat improved to 9-4-1. . . . The Rebels (8-4-2) had a six-game winning streak end. . . . Announced attendance: 4,581.

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Apparently no direct relation to @Rtoth96 but if you're looking for a home in Swift Current.... pic.twitter.com/pgbxQJnLYS

— Thom Beuning (@ThomBeuning) October 28, 2016

At Swift Current, D Ethan Bear’s PP goal at 3:39 of the third period stood up as the winner as the Seattle 

ETHAN BEAR

Thunderbirds opened an East Division swing with a 2-1 victory over the Broncos. . . . Bear has two goals this season. . . . F Calvin Spencer gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead, with his sixth goal, at 8:05 of the first period. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp’s first goal, with Bear getting the primary assist, tied it at 11:38 of the first. . . . Gropp was back in the Thunderbirds’ lineup after not playing since Oct. 15 because of an undisclosed injury. He has a goal and an assist in four games since returning from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. . . .  The two goaltenders — Seattle’s Rylan Toth and Swift Current’s Taz Burman — were teammates with the Red Deer Rebels at one time. Both were traded by Red Deer to Seattle. . . . Toth finished with 29 saves, three more than Burman. . . . Seattle was 1-3 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-5. . . . The Thunderbirds improved to 4-5-1. . . . The Broncos (8-5-2) have lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . Announced attendance: 1,988.

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At Kennewick, Wash., F Kyle Olson’s second goal of the game, at 2:12 of OT, gave the Tri-City

KYLE OLSON

Americans a 5-4 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Olson has five goals. . . . F Tyler Soy scored three times for the Royals, his third career hat trick giving him eight goals this season. . . . Soy gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 14:17 of the second period. . . . The Americans then took a 2-1 lead on goals 33 seconds apart by F Parker AuCoin, shorthanded, at 17:09, and Olson. . . . The Royals started the third period by moving back out front on goals from F Dante Hannoun, his seventh, at 1:06, and Soy, shorthanded, at 3:15. . . . The Americans went back in front on PP goals from F Michael Rasmussen, his WHL-leading 12th, at 4:03, and F Morgan Geekie, his sixth, at 6:24. . . . Soy forced OT with a PP goal at 18:55. . . . D Juuso Valimaki and Rasmussen each had two assists, while Geekie added one to his goal. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker had three helpers, with D Chaz Reddekopp earning two. . . . G Rylan Parenteau turned aside 24 shots for the Americans, as did Dylan Myskiw of the Americans. . . . Tri-City (9-6-1) was 2-7 on the PP; the Royals (8-7-1) were 1-8. . . . Announced attendance: 3,435.

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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Prince George at Calgary, 7 p.m.

Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.

Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.

Kelowna at Portland, 7 p.m.

Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.

Spokane at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

Kamloops vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.

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