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F Tomáš Plíhal (Kootenay, 2001-03) has signed a one-year contract with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with Třinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had five goals and 11 assists in 48 games.
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The black cloud is mostly gone.
Sheldon Kennedy and Liam Choo-Foo, the chairman of the Swift Current Broncos’ board of directors, both made reference to that on Wednesday as the WHL team announced it has endorsed the city’s Safe Places Initiative program, a “community-wide initiative designed to support quality
The Broncos are the first of the WHL’s 22 teams to take such a step.
The community-owned franchise’s board of directors passed a motion in support of the program, becoming the first organization to publicly support and commit to it. The partnership was announced Wednesday by Mayor Jerrod Schaefer and Choo-Foo.
Schaefer and Kennedy, a former captain of the Broncos who now advocates against the bullying and abuse of children, started the program.
According to the Broncos, all of their “coaching staff, office staff, scouts and billets will be taking the Respect in Sport online training, get criminal record checks and then become youth certified from the RCMP.”
If you are aware of Kennedy’s history with the Broncos and Swift Current — he was sexually abused by then-general manager/head coach Graham James while playing with the Broncos — you will understand how big this move is to the franchise and the city.
Here’s Schaefer, in conversation with Candace Woodside of the Southwest Booster:
"I know firsthand what it’s like to not want to be linked with Graham James or the stories of abuse that happened in Swift Current in the past, and know full well what it’s like to hope that not talking about it, or acknowledging it, will somehow make it better or make the problems go away.
“I just want to acknowledge the leadership of our very own former Bronco member Sheldon Kennedy. Because of his leadership and courage, he has taught us that this isn’t something that is unique to Swift Current or the Broncos, it’s happening everywhere, and that by talking about it, and getting in front of it, and training ourselves to be better, it really is a great way to stand with victims of abuse, but also makes our communities safer and better for kids.”
Choo-Foo went so far as to tell Woodside that he has noticed a change in the community since the Safe Places Initiative was launched in January. That was on a weekend during which Rogers Hometown Hockey was in town and Kennedy was saluted with an ovation at a Broncos game.
“(The ovation) almost felt like it made it OK to start to talk about this again,” Choo-Foo told Woodside. “It’s almost been like a black cloud or a secret that the community hasn’t known how to deal with . . . and by bringing it up front and allowing people, giving them permission to speak about it, has been very positive. We’ve heard nothing but positive since the Hall of Fame induction, and now, as we move forward with this, I think it’s all in alignment. Hopefully, it does continue to spread beyond our city borders and out into the rest of the country.”
The healing continued in May when Kennedy was inducted into the Broncos’ Hall of Fame.
“ . . . I think it’s been a good year, and I think the black cloud has lifted,” Kennedy said. “I think that this is now about learning from terrible things that have happened and mistakes, and being leaders and continually raising the bar to be the best we can for child protection."
Woodside’s story is right here, and it really is worth your time.
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The Vancouver Giants will honour the memory of the late Gordie Howe when they stage their home-opener on Sept. 23, against the Everett Silvertips, in their new home, the Langley Events Centre. . . . Howe was a part-owner of the Giants franchise. . . . According to a news release: “The Giants will wear special uniforms to pay tribute to Howe while the two teams will also play with a special No. 9 game puck. The Howe family will be on hand for a pre-game ceremony, and every fan who attends the game will receive a commemorative pin.” . . . The Giants also will retire Howe’s No. 9. . . . Majority owner Ron Toigo offered: “Gordie was a big part of the franchise from the start. Along with Pat (Quinn), he gave us instant credibility in the hockey world. He was like family to us. We will never forget what he meant to the Giants, and to be sure no one ever does, we will honour him as we did Pat by retiring No. 9 on opening night with the Howe family. ” . . . The Howe family then will continue on to Saskatoon where the ashes of Gordie and Colleen will be interred at a Howe statue near the SaskTel Centre on Sept. 25. . . . Quinn, who died in 2014, also owned a piece of the Giants. He is to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 14 and the Giants will honour him on Nov. 10 when they play host to the Prince George Cougars. The Giants have already retired No. 3, the number Quinn wore during his NHL playing career.
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F Carter Folk, now of the Victoria Royals, has been hit with a five-game suspension. On Friday, in his final game with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who traded him to Victoria earlier in the week, Folk took a headshot major and game misconduct against the visiting Swift Current Broncos. He didn’t play Saturday in Swift Current, then was dealt to the Royals on Monday. Folk is a repeat offender, having drawn a two-game suspension for a headshot major in a playoff game against the host Regina Pats on March 29. Folk will miss the Royals’ final exhibition game, on Saturday against the host Vancouver Giants, and the first three games of the regular season. . . . At the same time, the WHL suspended F Drew Warkentine of the Prince Albert Raiders for three games after he took a cross-checking major and game misconduct in a game against the Saskatoon Blades in Warman, Sask., on Saturday. He will miss the Raiders’ last two exhibition games and their first regular-season game.
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F Jake Hale announced via Twitter on Wednesday that he has committed to attend the U of Minnesota-Duluth and play hockey for the Bulldogs. Hale, from Minneapolis, turned 15 on May 19. He was a 10th-round selection by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder had 19 points, including 14 goals, in 14 games with Minneapolis High last season. He also had nine points, six of them goals, in eight games with the U-15 DHI Octane Selects. . . . Meanwhile, F Marcus Mitchell, who turns 18 on Oct. 12, has committed to attend Michigan Tech and play for the Huskies. Mitchell, from Kelowna, was a 12-round pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2013 bantam draft. He is into his second season with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Last season, he had 21 points, nine of them goals, in 52 games.
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F Tanner Nagel, 18, apparently was traded by the Portland Winterhawks to the Lethbridge Hurricanes sometime on Wednesday. He announced the move on Twitter: “I’d like to thank the Portland Winterhawks organization, coaching staff, my billets and my teammates. I loved my time in Portland . . . I am very excited to start my next chapter in Lethbridge with the Hurricanes.” . . . Nagel, a 6-foot-0, 190-pounder from Mossbank, Sask., had one goal in 38 games with Portland last season. In this exhibition season, he has a goal and an assist in five games. . . . As of Wednesday night, neither the Winterhawks nor the Hurricanes had announced a transaction involving Nagel, whose name remained on Portland’s online roster.
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D Ryely McKinstry of the Vancouver Giants, who played only 11 games last season, is on the shelf again. He struggled with concussion-related issues last season, and was hurt again Saturday in an exhibition game against the host Victoria Royals. He sat out Sunday’s rematch in Ladner and hasn’t practised this week. . . . McKinstry, 18, was a second-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. He had two goals and two assists in 30 games as a freshman in 2014-15. Last season, he had one goal and one assist in 11 games.
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Four of the WHL’s U.S. Division teams announced TV deals on Wednesday.
The Portland Winterhawks and Spokane Chiefs each will have 10 regular-season games shown, the Seattle Thunderbirds and Tri-City Americans each getting eight games on the air.
Portland’s games will be televised by CW32, with eight of them featuring the Seattle Thunderbirds. The other two will involve Spokane.
From the Winterhawks’ news release: “In the Portland Metro area, Portland’s CW32 is available on Comcast Cable channel 3, and for DirecTV subscribers, channel 32. In all other areas, please contact your local cable operator.
“The eight games with Seattle will be a co-production with the Thunderbirds, to be shown in the Seattle area on This-TV. The two Spokane games will be produced separately in conjunction with the Chiefs.”
The first Portland game to be televised will be the home-opener against Seattle on Sept. 24.
According to a Chiefs’ news release, their games will be shown “live on SWX, sister station to NBC KHQ-6. SWX is available on over-the-air channel 6.2 and Comcast channel 112 (HD), as well as Comcast channel 306 (SD).”
The first Chiefs’ game to be aired will be Oct. 15 against the visiting Portland Winterhawks. Viewers will be treated to six games against the Tri-City Americans, two with Portland and one each with the Kootenay Ice and Kamloops Blazers.
Seattle’s eight televised games will be available over the air locally on This TV, channel 13.2, and on Comcast Cable channel 357. The first telecast will be the season-opener from Portland on Sept. 24. The two teams meet the following night in Kent and that game also will be televised.
Tri-City’s TV schedule with KNDU/SWX features six games with Spokane, one with the Victoria Royals and one with Seattle. The game with Victoria, at the Toyota Center on Dec. 10, is the first game on the telecast schedule.
Visit each team’s website for the TV schedules.
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JUST NOTES: The Saskatoon Blades dropped F Matt Mosher, 16, from their roster on Wednesday. He had one goal and one assist in three exhibition games. He is exploring his options and is expected to return to the Delta Hockey Academy and play in the Canada Sport School Hockey League or join the major midget Valley West Hawks. Mosher was a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. The Blades are carrying 27 players, including three goaltenders and 16 forwards. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes have released F Drayton Thunder Chief, 18. He is expected to join the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers. He had two assists in four games with the Hurricanes last season. Thunder Chief spent most of the season with the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes, putting up two goals and three assists in 24 games.
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I must confess that I have yet to watch even one second of World Cup of Hockey exhibition play. Why? Because this is the best part of the Major League Baseball season. If you happened to catch Tuesday night’s game between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, you know exactly what I mean. If you didn’t, here’s Michael Powell of The New York Times with a terrific read on how that game turned into yet another Giants disaster.
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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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WEDNESDAY’S GAME:
The Brandon Wheat Kings skated to a 10-3 victory over the Regina Pats in an exhibition game played in the Chief Denton George Memorial Multiplex on the Ochapowace First Nation. The game was played using a 3-on-3 format in two 20-minute periods. . . . The Wheat Kings got two goals from Duncan Campbell and singles from Jaeger White, Ty Lewis, Stelio Mattheos, James Shearer, Garrett Sambrook, Ivan Provorov, Daniel Bukac and Caiden Daly, with Jake Leschyshyn, Braydon Buziak and Chase harrison replying for the Pats. . . . There was a whole lot more to this game than hockey, though, and Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post was there. His story is right here.
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Proud of our team today @hcpustertal #supercoppa2016 pic.twitter.com/aV3qitQQfh— Mark Holick (@coachholly68) September 11, 2016
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.
In Prince Albert, F Austin Glover scored two goals to lead the Raiders to a 5-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . On Feb. 20, the Raiders beat the Wheat Kings, 6-4. These are Brandon’s only two regulation-time losses in its last 23 games. . . . The Raiders took control with three goals in the first period, with F Sean Montgomery getting his sixth goal at 6:34 and Glover, who has 15 goals, scoring at 11:13 and 14:39. . . . F Reid Gardner and F Simon Stransky each had two assists for the Raiders, who got a goal and an assist from each of F Craig Leverton and F Jordan Tkatch. Leverton has 18 goals; Tkatch has nine. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored his 39th goal and added an assist as he ran his point streak to 21 games. He’s got 44 points, including 14 goals, during that run, the longest in the WHL this season. . . . With 94 points, McGauley is five off the pace being set by Medicine Hat Tigers F Trevor Cox. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk had two assists for Brandon, with F Peter Quenneville scoring his 24th goal and adding an assist. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride stopped 22 shots, six fewer than Brandon’s Jordan Papirny, who was looking for his 40th victory. . . . The Raiders (26-35-3) have won two in a row. . . . Brandon (47-11-7) had points in its previous five games (4-0-1). . . .
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s first three goals and went on to beat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-2. . . . The Broncos were without GM/head coach Mark Lamb, who spent the night in hospital in Swift Current. In his absence, associate coach Josh Dixon ran things. . . . F Brayden Point got the home side on the scoreboard with his 31st goal at 10:15 of the first period. . . . F Blake Bargar made it 2-0 with his first career WHL goal at 2:21 of the second. . . . F Brett Howden stretched it to 3-0 with No. 17 at 9:00 of the second, on a PP. . . . The Broncos got back in it on goals by F Carter Rigby, his 17th, at 14:59 of the second and F Colby Cave, his 29th, at 18:51 of the third. . . . Point also had an assist, while F Jack Rodewald had two. . . . Rigby added an assist, too. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko turned aside 37 shots, while Swift Current’s Landon Bow stopped 25. . . . The Warriors were 1-for-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-for-2. . . . Moose Jaw D Tyler Brown was back after sitting out three games with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Warriors (28-32-5) have won two straight. . . . The Broncos (30-30-5) have lost five in a row. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a game story 
In Cranbrook, F Brooks Maxwell and F Riley Sheen scored in a shootout to give the Red Deer Rebels a 2-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Maxwell had scored his 21st goal at 4:19 of the first period. . . . The Ice tied it on F Levi Cable’s 27th goal at 15:57 of the third. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau scored to open the shootout and Maxwell then tied it. . . . After Ice F Tim Bozon failed to score, Sheen gave the Rebels a 2-0 lead. When Ice F Sam Reinhart missed, it was over. . . . This was Kootenay’s fourth shootout in five games. They went 2-2. . . . Red Deer G Rylan Toth stopped 30 shots, nine more than the Ice’s Wyatt Hoflin. . . . Red Deer (34-21-10) has won two straight. . . . The Ice (33-28-4) has lost two in a row. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story 
In Edmonton, D Colby Williams and F Taylor Cooper each had a goal and two assists to help the Regina Pats to a 6-4 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Williams opened the scoring with his eighth goal, via the PP, at 1:36 of the first period. . . . F Sam Steel gave the Pats a 2-0 lead with his 17th goal, shorthanded, at 6:14. . . . The Oil Kings tied it before the end of the period as F Cole Benson got his 10th at 12:26 and F Brandon Baddock got his 17th at 14:03. . . . The Pats took control by scoring the next three goals, two in the second period and one in the third. . . . F Adam Brooks got No. 27 and Cooper got his 25th. . . . Pats F Braden Christoffer added his 22nd at 15:19 of the third, on a PP, to make it 5-2. . . . Christoffer later got the empty-netter. . . . F Edgars Kulda, with his 11th, and F Brett Pollock, with his 31st, made it interesting as they got the Oil Kings to within one with goals at 16:20 and 16:48. . . . D Aaron Irving had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Regina was 2-for-8 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-3. . . . Regina (35-20-9) is 2-0-1 in its last three. . . . Edmonton (30-29-7) have points in its previous four games (3-0-1). . . .
In Prince George, the Cougars erased a 2-1 deficit with three third-period goals and beat the Victoria Royals, 4-3. . . . F Jari Erricson of the Cougars tied the score 2-2 at 5:08 of the third with his 22nd goal. . . . F Brad Morrison put the home side ahead with his 21st goal at 8:35 and F Kody McDonald added insurance with his seventh goal at 15:22. . . . Victoria F Greg Chase scored his 20th goal, on a PP, at 16:03. . . . Erricson also had one assist. . . . D Jack Walker drew two assists for the Royals, while Chase had an assist. F Alex Forsberg scored No. 25 and also had an assist. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 34 shots, one more than Justin Paulic of the Royals. . . . Victoria was 3-for-6 on the PP; Prince George was 1-for-4. . . . The Cougars (28-33-4) have won five in a row. . . . The Royals (34-27-4) have lost two straight. . . . 
In Portland, F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored four times to lead the Winterhawks to a 7-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Bjorkstrand, who has a WHL-leading 52 goals, also finished plus-5. . . . On top of everything else, he set a franchise record by scoring at least once in a 12th straight game. The record had been held by F Tony Currie, who did it in 1975-76, the Winterhawks’ first season in Portland. Currie finished that season with 73 goals in 72 games. . . . It was the third four-goal game of Bjorkstrand’s career. Bjorkstrand, from Herning, Denmark, has 267 points, including 133 goals, in 184 regular-season games. His NHL rights belong to the Columbus Blue Jackets. . . . This season, Bjorkstrand has 95 points, four behind Medicine Hat Tigers F Trevor Cox, who leads the scoring race. . . . Portland F Nic Petan had four assists, giving him 17 helpers over his last five games. He has 63 assists in 45 games. . . . Seattle F Cory Millette scored his 20th goal, at 3:08 of the third period. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 24 shots. . . . The Winterhawks (38-20-5) are 7-0-2 in their last nine outings. . . . Seattle (32-24-9) is 1-1-1 in its last three. . . . 
In Kamloops, F Cole Ully scored twice to lead the Blazers to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Ully, who has 32 goals, scored at 12:03 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. . . . Kamloops F Collin Shirley got his 23rd at 16:54. . . . After Kamloops F Jake Kryski scored his ninth at 2:26 of the second, the Chiefs were never able to get into this one. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham had two assists. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 36 shots, 10 more than Garret Hughson of the Chiefs. . . . The game featured the WHL’s second- and third-winningest head coaches. Don Hay of the Blazers now has 634 victories, while Spokane’s Don Nachbaur has 629. . . . The Blazers (25-33-7) have points in four straight (3-0-1). . . . The Chiefs (31-28-4) had a four-game winning streak snapped. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., G Carter Hart stopped 21 shots as the Everett Silvertips beat the Tri-City Americans, 1-0. . . . It was Hart’s fourth shutout in his freshman season. . . . F Remi Laurencelle scored the game’s only goal, his 19th, at 15:02 of the first period. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie returned from the injury list to make 30 saves. It was his first appearance since Feb. 20 when the Americans beat Everett 2-1 in a shootout. . . . Everett had a 17-5 edge in second-period shots. . . . The Silvertips were 0-for-3 on the PP; the Americans were 0-for-1. . . . Everett F Carson Stadnyk went to the dressing room with an apparent injury to his right shoulder. . . . The Silvertips (39-19-7) have won two in a row. . . . The Americans are 28-34-3. . . . 
In Vancouver, F Tyrell Goulborne scored three times and added an assist as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Giants, 5-2. . . . All of the goals were scored in the third period. . . . Goulbourne, who has 20 goals, signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers earlier in the week. . . . He opened the scoring at 2:57 of the first, got his second, shorthanded, at 9:056 of the third and closed the scoring with an empty-netter at 19:50. . . . It was Goulbourne’s second third-goal game this season. . . . Vancouver F Thomas Foster tied it with his 11th goal, shorthanded, at 4:36. . . . Vancouver F Zane Jones was given a boarding major and game misconduct at 4:01 of the third period for a hit on Kelowna D Devante Stephens. Stephens needed help getting back to the Kelowna bench. He did return to action. . . . The game was 1-1 at that point. The Rockets then took control with two PP goals. . . . D Riley Stadel broke the tie with his 10th goal, via a PP, at 6:05. . . . F Leon Draisaitl made it 3-1 as he ran his goal streak to seven games — and his point streak to 10 games — with his 16th goal at 8:40. . . . F Jackson Houck scored his 21st goal and added an assist for the Giants. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer stopped 25 shots. . . . Vancouver F Jakob Stukel failed on a first-period penalty shot. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier was expected back in the lineup — his name appears on the online scoresheet — but he was a late scratch. He hasn’t played since Feb. 21. . . . Kelowna F Gage Quinney left in the first period after absorbing a hit from Vancouver D Dmitry Osipov. Quinney didn’t return. . . . The Rockets (49-11-5) are 1-1-1 in their last three. . . . The Giants (26-36-3), who had been blanked in each of their last two games, have lost five in a row. . . . Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier has a game story 
In Brandon, F Brett Stovin scored at 1:35 of OT to give the Saskatoon Blades a 5-4 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Stovin, who was foiled by G Jordan Papirny on a first-period penalty shot, has four goals this season. . . . The Blades took a 4-2 third-period lead on goals by F Nikita Soshnin, his second, at 13:52, and D Ryan Coghlan, his first, at 15:38. . . . The Blades traded F Cory Millette to the Prince Albert Raiders last week at least in part to free up playing time for Soshnin, who has goals in two straight games. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauled forced OT with his 12th goal at 19:50. . . Brandon F Reid Duke had a goal, his seventh, and two assists. . . . Saskatoon G Trevor Martin stopped 40 shots, while Nik Amundrud was dressed as the backup. . . . Brandon was 1-for-2 on the PP; the Blades' PP unit didn't get even one opportunity. . . . The Wheat Kings (19-5-2) had won their previous two games, while the Blades (7-16-1) came in 0-3-1 in their previous four. . . . The teams will meet again Friday, this time in Saskatoon. . . . Before then, though, the Blades will entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored three times on the PP and twice while shorthanded as they stung the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. . . . The Giants' Alberta road swing got off to an inauspicious start when Tigers D Kyle Becker scored shorthanded at 2:22 of the first period. . . . Becker added a second shorthanded goal at 18:01 of the first period. . . . He's got six goals this season. . . . The home side was 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . Tigers F Matt Bradley scored his sixth goal and added three assists, while D Tyler Lewington also had three assists. . . . Vancouver starter Payton Lee surrendered three goals before leaving at 7:25 of the first period. . . . The Tigers (17-6-2) had lost their past two games. . . . The Giants (9-16-0) have lost four straight. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer turned aside 24 shots in posting his 50th career regular-season victory. . . . F Matt Bellerive scored Vancouver's goal, his 10th, at 18:33 of the third period. . . . Prior to the game, the Tigers honoured the memory of the late Pat Quinn, who was one of the Giants' owners, with a moment of silence. “That was a touch of class,” Giants head coach Troy Ward told Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News. “I wouldn’t expect anything less out of this organization. I think the whole hockey world has a touch of class. It’s a wonderful business to be in at a very sad time 
In Cranbrook, defenceman-turned-forward Kenton Helgesen and F Greg Chase each scored twice as the Calgary Hitmen rattled the Kootenay Ice, 9-2. . . . Calgary held period leads of 2-0 and 5-1 as it outshot its hosts, 42-21. . . . The Hitmen broke open a 2-1 game with three goals in 2:07 late in the second period. . . . Calgary D Colby Harmsworth and F Terrell Draude each was plus-5. . . . Calgary had 13 skaters with at least one point. . . . Two of the WHL’s top offensive players returned to action for the first time this season. Calgary F Jake Virtanen had yet to play because of off-season shoulder surgery; Kootenay F Tim Bozon, who went through that battle with Neisseria meningitis in March, was out with an undisclosed injury. . . . Virtanen and Bozon each had one assist. . . . The Ice also had D Renat Valiev back in the lineup. He came back from the camp of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs with an injury and had yet to play. . . .
In Swift Current, the Broncos scored two power-play goals and beat the Regina Pats, 3-1. . . . F Carter Rigby snapped a 1-1 tie with his eighth goal, via the PP, at 1:37 of the second period and F Coda Gordon added another PP goal, his seventh goal this season, at 17:29. . . . Swift Current G Landon Bow stopped 32 shots. . . . The Broncos were 2-for-5 on the PP. . . . F Sam Steel got his third goal for the Pats. . . . Regina has recalled D Ryan Krushen, 16, from the minor midget Sherwood Park, Alta., Kings and he was in the lineup for this one. Krushen played in three exhibition games with the Pats before being released from their roster. . . .
In Victoria, the Royals scored two PP goals and beat the Vancouver Giants, 2-1. . . . The Royals have won three straight. . . . D Travis Brown, at 12:52 of the first period, and F Brandon Magee, at 4:32 of the second, gave the home side a 2-0 lead. . . . F Carter Popoff scored for the Giants, at 3:02 of the third. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 28 shots, one more than Vancouver’s Payton Lee. . . . The teams meet in Victoria again tonight. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Justin Hickman scored twice and added two assists as the host Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Spokane Chiefs, 5-3. . . . D Jason Fram gave the Chiefs a 1-0 first period lead, but Seattle scored three times in 4:46 in the second period, with two of those coming via the PP. . . . Hickman’s goals were his first of the season. . . . His second goal, 29 seconds into the third period, proved to be the winner. . . . F Mathew Barzal had a goal, his sixth, and two assists for Seattle. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear returned from a three-game absence. He sat out after suffering a nasty cut during a fight. . . . 
In Kamloops, F John Quenneville returned from injury to score a goal and add three assists as the Brandon Wheat Kings dumped the Blazers, 8-5. . . . The Wheat Kings have won four straight games, scoring, in order, 8, 10, 7 and 8 goals. . . . Quenneville took part in his first full practice on Thursday in Kamloops after missing six games with an undisclosed injury. . . . F Jayce Hawryluk got his 10th goal and three assists for the Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon got a goal and two assists from F Rihards Bukarts, giving him 23 points in 13 games, while D Ryan Pilon and F Jayce Hawryluk each had three assists. . . . Pilon was plus-5, as was his partner, Russian freshman Ivan Provorov, who ran his goal-scoring streak to four games with his seventh goal. . . . Bukarts has goals in five straight games and points in nine straight. . . . F Cole Ully drew four assists for the Blazers, leaving him with 26 points, tops in the WHL. . . . Ully came out of the game atop the scoring race, three points ahead of Bukarts. . . . F Deven Sideroff, who plays on a line with Ully, scored three times, while F Matt Needham, the centre on the line, had three assists. . . . Sideroff, a freshman from Summerland, B.C., has eight goals. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 29 shots in his second start of the season. You can bet that Brandon will go back to starter Jordan Papirny tonight in Kelowna against the Rockets. . . . The Blazers, meanwhile, rode the bus all night to Kennewick, Wash., where they will play the Tri-City Americans tonight. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a gamer 
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