Showing posts with label Carter Hart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carter Hart. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Defending champs near elimination . . . Hitmen can't solve Steel . . . Hart blanks Royals


F Thomas Raffl (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2005-06) has signed a one-year extension with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, he had 26 goals and 24 assists in 43 games. . . .
D Mike Card (Kelowna, 2002-06) has signed a one-year extension with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). In 52 games this season, he had five goals and 22 assists. . . .
F Clarke Breitkreuz (Regina, Prince George, 2008-10) has signed a one-year extension with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, in 52 games, he had 16 goals and 12 assists. . . .
F Brent Raedeke (Edmonton, Brandon, 2007-10) has signed a three-year extension with Adler Mannheim (Germany, DEL). He had 16 goals and 17 assists in 52 games this season. . . .
F Joel Broda (Tri-City, Moose Jaw, Calgary, 2004-10) has signed a one-year extension with Linz (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, in 53 games, he had 28 goals and 20 assists. . . .
F Ondrej Vesely (Portland, Tri-City, 1996-98) has signed a one-year extension with Zlin (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had four goals and nine assists in 45 games this season, while serving as an alternate captain. . . .
F Kevin Sundher (Chilliwack/Victoria, Brandon, 2007-12) has signed a one-year extension with Olomouc (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had one goal and one assist in 10 games there this season. He started the season with the Reading Royals (ECHL), putting up five goals and 12 assists in 32 games. He signed with Olomouc on Feb. 2. . . .
F Thomas Raffl (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2005-06) has signed a one-year extension with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, in 53 games, he had 26 goals and 24 assists. . . .
D Layne Viveiros (Portland, 2011-15) has signed a one-year extension with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had nine goals and 13 assists in 54 games this season.
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The OHL came down on the Windsor Spitfires for comments and actions following their Sunday loss to the host London Knights.
You may have read or seen clips of Rocky Thompson, Windsor’s head coach, ripping into the referees and also accusing the Knights of diving.
From an OHL release that was issued Tuesday:
“It is the position of the league that the post-game media comments made by . . . Rocky Thompson were most inappropriate and detrimental to the welfare of the league.  As a result of his comments, and the Spitfires’ Twitter post including such comments which is not consistent with the league’s social media policy, the Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club is fined $7,500.
“In addition, Windsor Spitfires general manager Warren Rychel has been sanctioned by the league for certain actions including violating league policy concerning interaction with on-ice officials before, during, and after the game. The league reserves finalizing any further disciplinary action against Mr. Rychel and the Spitfires pending a hearing to be held on Friday, March 31.”
Last night, the host Spitfires posted a 3-1 victory over the Knights to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday in Windsor, with Game 5 in London on Friday.
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TUESDAY GAMES:


At Swift Current, F Thomas Foster scored twice to help the Moose Jaw Warriors  to a 4-3 victory over the
THOMAS FOSTER
Broncos. . . . Foster celebrated his 21st birthday by scoring his second and third goals of the series. . . . The Warriors now hold a 2-1 lead, with Game 4 in Swift Current tonight. . . . D Colby Sissons gave the home team a 1-0 lead at 6:49 of the first period. . . . The Warriors took a 2-1 lead on second-period goals by F Brayden Burke (2), at 2:16, and Foster, at 11:18. . . . The Broncos pulled even when F Glenn Gawdin (2) scored at 8:15. . . . F Jayden Halbgewachs (1) got the Warriors back into the lead at 15:34 of the third period, and Foster upped the lead to 4-2 at 18:34. . . . The Warriors got back to within a goal when F Ryley Lindgren scored, on a PP, at 19:31. . . . D Josh Brook and D Matt Sozanski each had two assists for Moose Jaw. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi had two assists for the Broncos, with Gawdin adding one to his goal. . . . Moose Jaw G Zach Sawchenko stopped 32 shots, six fewer than Swift Current’s Jordan Papirny. . . . The Broncos were 1-3 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-2. . . . Announced attendance: 2,890.
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At Dauphin, Man., the Medicine Hat Tigers scored four third-period goals and beat the Brandon Wheat
DAVID QUENNEVILLE
Kings, 6-2. . . . The Tigers lead the series, 3-0, and get their first opportunity to eliminate the WHL’s defending champions tonight in Dauphin’s Credit Union Place. . . . The Wheat Kings had to take their first-round games on the road because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair has taken over the Keystone Centre complex. . . . The Tigers got the only goal of the first period when F Steve Owre scored at 7:13. . . . Brandon F Ben McCartney, a 15-year-old from Macdonald, Man., tied it with his first WHL goal at 3:41 of the second period. He was a second-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . Medicine Hat got that one back at 5:42, with F John Dahlstrom scoring his third goal in as many games. . . . Brandon F Reid Duke (2) pulled his guys even, on a PP, at 6:50. . . . The Tigers went back out front at 4:12 of the third period, with F Mark Rassell getting his fourth goal of the series, on a PP. . . . F Chad Butcher added insurance at 5:49, and F Ryan Jevne and D David Quenneville, into an empty net, closed it out. . . . Quenneville also drew three assists, with Owre and Butcher earning one each. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 27 shots in his third straight playoff complete game for the Tigers. . . . Brandon got 41 saves from G Logan Thompson. . . . Brandon was 1-3 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-6. . . . The Wheat Kings were without injured F Nolan Patrick for a third straight game. . . . Medicine Hat scratched injured D Brad Forrest. . . . Announced attendance: 1,912. The arena has 1,763 seats.
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At Calgary, F Sam Steel, the WHL scoring champion, torched the Hitmen for three goals, leading the
SAM STEEL
Regina Pats to a 5-2 victory. . . . Regina, with a 15-5 edge in goals, leads the series, 3-0, and can end it Thursday night in Calgary. . . . Steel has nine points, four of them goals, in the first three games of this series. He had a goal and four assists in Regina’s 5-1 home-ice victory in Game 2 on Saturday. . . . Steel now leads the playoff scoring race with nine points, one more than D David Quenneville of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Steel gave Regina a 2-0 with first-period goals at 1:02 and 9:31. . . . F Wyatt Sloboshan increased the lead to 3-0, on a PP, at 19:57. . . . F Dawson Leedahl scored his third goal of the series, on a PP, at 16:59 of the second period. . . . Steel completed his hat trick with a shorthanded goal, at 4:16 of the third period. . . . The Hitmen got third-period goals from F Matteo Gennaro (1), on a PP, and F Luke Coleman (1). . . . The Pats got two assists from D Connor Hobbs, with Leedahl adding one to his goal. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown had a solid night, with 41 saves and an assist on what turned out to be the winning goal. . . . The Hitmen got 30 saves from G Kyle Dumba. . . . Calgary held a 16-11 edge in second-period shots, and it was 17-10 in the third. . . . Regina was 2-3 on the PP; Calgary was 1-6. . . . The Pats had F Jeff de Wit back after a one-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . . Announced attendance: 6,736.
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At Kamloops, the Blazers broke a 1-1 tie with two goals 28 seconds apart in the second period as they
JERMAINE LOEWEN
skated to a 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Kelowna holds a 2-1 edge in the series, with Game 4 in Kamloops tonight. . . . There were five WHL playoff games on Tuesday night and Kamloops was the only home team to post a victory. . . . F Lane Bauer opened the scoring for Kamloops at 8:06 of the first period. . . . The Rockets tied it when F Kole Lind scored his first WHL playoff goal at 16:28. He was playing in his 26th career post-season game. . . . The Blazers took advantage of a shoddy Kelowna change to take a 2-1 lead at 12:10, the goal coming from F Jermaine Loewen as he finished off a 3-on-2 break. Loewen, a fan favourite in Kamloops, was the most effective player in this one as he wreaked havoc with his physical play and constantly got under the skin of the visitors. . . . Just 28 seconds later, Blazers F Rudolfs Balcers split the defensive pairing of Cal Foote and Gordie Ballhorn, who put on a hook that resulted in a penalty shot. Balcers beat G Michael Herringer to the glove side for a 3-1 lead. It was Balcers’ first playoff goal. . . . Bauer’s second goal, at 18:07, provided a 4-1 edge. . . . Balcers also added an assist to his goal. . . . The last time Kamloops had a penalty shot goal in a playoff game was on April 14, 2012, when F Tim Bozon scored in a 7-2 victory over the host Portland Winterhawks. . . . G Connor Ingram stopped 37 shots in a solid night for Kamloops. . . . Herringer was good, too, with 34 saves. . . . Kelowna was 0-2 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-5. . . . Things got heated late in the third period, with the two coaching staffs exchanging words. . . . Kamloops F Luc Smith was injured in the second-last game of the regular season and has yet to play in this series. . . . Announced attendance: 3,878. . . . Prior to the game, Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, presented WHL Milestone Awards to Blazers trainer Colin (Toledo) Robinson and Kamloops head coach Don Hay. Robinson worked his 1,500th game as a WHL trainer earlier this season, while Hay recorded his 700th victory as a WHL head coach.
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At Victoria, G Carter Hart stopped 25 shots to help the Everett Silvertips to a 2-0 victory over the Royals. .
CARTER HART
. . Everett took a 2-1 lead in the series with Game 4 scheduled for tonight in Victoria. . . . Hart has two career shutouts, one this season and one a year ago. . . . The Silvertips scored both their goals via the PP. . . . F Patrick Bajkov counted his third goal of the series 22 seconds into the second period. . . . F Eetu Tuulola (1) added the insurance goal at 17:37 of the second. . . . F Dominic Zwerger drew two assists. . . . The Royals got 19 stops from G Griffen Outhouse. . . . Everett was 2-6 on the PP; Victoria was 0-3. . . . The Royals scratched F Jack Walker, who had two goals and two assists through the first two games. They remain without D Scott Walford. . . . Everett continues to be without F Riley Sutter and F Devon Skoleski, both with undisclosed injuries. . . . Announced attendance: 4,790.
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WEDNESDAY GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Red Deer, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)
Seattle vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Seattle leads, 2-0)
Prince George at Portland, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)
Moose Jaw at Swift Current, 7 p.m. (Moose Jaw leads, 2-1)
Medicine Hat vs. Brandon, at Dauphin, Man., 7:30 p.m. (Medicine Hat leads, 3-0)
Kelowna at Kamloops, 7 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 2-1)
Everett at Victoria, 7:05 p.m. (Everett leads, 2-1)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:20 AM
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Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Is there local offer for Ice? . . . Russians coming to Swift Current, Moose Jaw . . . Everett back on top


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As if there was any doubt, we now know — officially — with which side of the Nanaimo arena referendum the WHL is riding.
WHL commissioner Ron Robison was quoted in a statement that was issued Tuesday: “Should (Nanaimo) approve the construction of a new events centre facility (that) meets WHL standards, a WHL franchise will enter into a 20-year lease and begin operating out of the Frank Crane Arena next season.”
That promise is said to be included in a memorandum of understanding agreed to and signed by the City of Nanaimo and the WHL. The league has told the City that a Nanaimo franchise would include ownership “of the highest calibre” and that an ownership group would include a local flavour. However, no specifics were included in the statement.
On Wednesday, a source told Taking Note that “there is an offer, and has been for some time, to keep the Ice in Cranbrook.”
That source claims that a local group has “met the price set by the Chynoweth family, but now has been told by the Chynoweths and the league that the offer won’t be considered until after the results of the referendum are known.”
Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s governor, president and general manager, couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday night.
A referendum will be held in Nanaimo on Saturday, with voters being asked:
“Are you in favour of the City of Nanaimo Council adopting Loan Authorization Bylaw 2017 No. 7237 which will authorize Council to borrow a sum not exceeding $80,000,000, repayable over a period of no more than 20 years, for the development and construction of an event centre that will include an ice arena and other related entertainment, cultural and recreation facilities?”
Taking Note was told a while ago that the WHL is preparing two 2017-18 schedules, one that includes the Ice and one that has a Nanaimo franchise in place of Kootenay.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings were to have played the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Wednesday night, but the game was postponed in the aftermath of what may have been the worst blizzard in that area since 1959. . . . The game was rescheduled for March 15. . . . At the time of the announcement, the Trans-Canada Highway was open from Virden into Saskatchewan, but remained closed from Brandon to Virden. However, there still were an untold number of abandoned big rigs, trucks and cars along the highway, all of which could have interfered with traffic.
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The 2017 CIBC Canada-Russia Series will stop in Swift Current and Moose Jaw this time around. The six-game series is to run from Nov. 6 through Nov. 16, starting in Moose Jaw on Nov. 6 and Swift Current on Nov. 7. . . . The OHL’s games are scheduled for Owen Sound on Nov. 9 and Sudbury on Nov. 13. The QMJHL stops will be in Charlottetown on Nov. 14 and Moncton on Nov. 16. . . . This will be the 15th annual series, with CHL teams holding a 58-19-7 edge. The Russians have sent better teams as the series has gone on and have won three series since 2010. The CHL won the 2016 series, 13-5. . . . Of the players who played in 2016, 15 were with Team Canada at the 2017 World Junior Championship, while 14 were on the Russian team. Canada won silver, with Russia taking the bronze medal.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have added F Nikita Krivokrasov, 16, to their roster for the remainder of this season. Krivokrasov was in training camp with the Raiders prior to this season and signed with them at that time. He had 14 goals and 18 assists in 22 games with the U-16 Rocky Mountain Roughriders this season. He is the son of former NHLer Sergei Krivokrasov. Nikita was born in Moscow, Russia, but played some minor hockey in North America so isn’t classified as an import player.
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Hockey Canada broke with tradition on Wednesday and has returned the 2017 national junior team coaching staff for another go-round. Dominique Ducharme, the head coach of the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs, is the head coach, with  Tim Hunter of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors and Kris Knoblauch of the OHL’s Erie Otters back as assistant coaches. . . . The trio was behind Canada’s bench in January when it won a silver medal, losing the gold to Team USA. . . . “This is a unique opportunity to return an entire coaching staff that came within a shot of winning gold last year,” Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of hockey operations and national teams, said in a news release. “The Program of Excellence Policy Committee unanimously agreed that it was in the best interest of the program to keep this coaching staff together and that their experience will provide us the best opportunity of winning gold in 2018.” . . . The 2018 tournament is scheduled to be held in Buffalo, N.Y.
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If the WHL playoffs began today . . . 
Eastern Conference
Regina vs. Saskatoon
Medicine Hat vs. Brandon
Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current
Lethbridge vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Everett vs. Portland
Prince George vs. Victoria
Kelowna vs. Kamloops
Seattle vs. Tri-City
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:


At Calgary, the Saskatoon Blades took control of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, at least for now, with a convincing 6-2 victory over the Hitmen. . . . The Blades (27-31-9) have points in four straight (3-0-1) and now lead the Hitmen (25-31-10) by three points as they scrap over the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Saskatoon scored the game’s first six goals, two of them shorthanded, as they skated to victory. . . . F Kirby Dach (6) opened the scoring at 5:08 of the first period. . . . The Blades took control with three second-period goals, from F Gage Ramsay (8), F Mason McCarty (19) and F Josh Paterson (15), the latter shorthanded. . . . F Chase Wouters (6), shorthanded, and D Bryton Sayers (7) also scored for Saskatoon. . . . Calgary got late goals from F Mark Kastelic (11) and F Matteo Gennaro (40). . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk had two assists for Saskatoon, with Paterson adding one. . . . Kastelic also had an assist for Calgary. . . . It is interesting that the Blades got their goals from six players from six different age groups — Dach, born in 2001; Wouters, 2000; Paterson, 1999; Ramsay, 1998; McCarty, 1997; Sayers, 1996. . . . G Logan Flodell stopped 16 shots for Saskatoon. . . . Calgary starter Cody Porter allowed four goals on 13 shots in 32:27. Kyle Dumba finished up by stopping 11 of 13 shots in 27:33. . . . Calgary was 0-2 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-5. . . . Announced attendance: 7,607.
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At Kamloops, the Blazers snapped a 2-2 tie with three goals in the first half of the third period en route to a 5-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The victory lifted the Blazers (39-23-6), who are
JOE GATENBY
third in the B.C. Division, five points ahead of the fourth-place Royals (37-25-5). Kamloops is three points behind the second-place Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Royals and Blazers will meet again Friday in Kamloops. . . . Victoria took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F Matt Phillips, his 47th, at 1:37, and F Ethan Price (7), at 14:43. . . . Phillips now holds the Royals’ record for goals in a single season. He had shared the record with F Tyler Soy, who scored 46 times last season. The franchise record is held by Ryan Howse, who scored 51 times for the Chilliwack Bruins in 2010-11. . . . Kamloops scored the next five goals. . . . D Joe Gatenby halved the deficit with his seventh goal, at 14:59. . . . F Rudolfs Balcers tied it at 16:33 of the second period. . . . F Collin Shirley (27) broke the tie at 1:03 of the third period. . . . The Blazers then broke it open with two goals 22 seconds apart, from F Quinn Benjafield (14), on a PP, at 8:35, and Balcers, his 37th, at 8:57. . . . Gatenby, who also had an assist, was the best player on the ice. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 27 shots, while
MATT PHILLIPS
Victoria’s Griffen Outhouse, in his 60th appearance of the season, blocked 45. . . . Kamloops was 1-4 on the PP; Victoria was 0-2, including a five-minute PP early in the first period. . . . This one featured a fight six seconds into the game between F Jared Dmytriw of the Royals and Kamloops F Deven Sideroff. Both players received fighting majors and game misconducts. Flash back to Feb. 11. Dmytriw was given a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Sideroff. Sideroff missed one game; Dmytriw drew a three-game suspension. . . . Don Hay, the Blazers’ head coach, said that he “forgot about that situation” and that had he remembered he likely wouldn’t have had Sideroff in the starting lineup. . . . Just 1:28 later, Kamloops D Andrej Vala was handed a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Victoria F Vladimir Bobylev, who needed help getting off the ice but returned to the game. . . . There’s history there, too, as Vala was given a two-game suspension, under supplemental discipline, for a hit on Victoria F Tyler Soy in that Feb. 11 game. Soy has yet to return to the Royals’ lineup. . . . Hay said he didn’t think Vala’s hit was worth a major, “especially with (Bobylev) coming back, but the ref has to make the call right then.” . . . Jon Keen, who calls the play-by-play of Blazers games on Radio NL, worked his 1,000th game — 499 with the Swift Current Broncos and 501 with Kamloops. . . . Announced attendance: 3,896.
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At Lethbridge, D Brady Poteau scored at 3:50 of OT to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 victory over the
BRADY POTEAU
Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Poteau’s first goal of the season came in his 45th game. He started the season with the Regina Pats, recording two assists in 18 games. He now has a goal and nine assists in 27 games with Lethbridge. . . . F Tyler Wong had given the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead with his WHL-leading 49th goal at 18:33 of the second period. . . . Wong is riding an 11-game point streak. He has 10 goals and 16 assists over that stretch. . . . D Conner McDonald (8) pulled Edmonton even at 11:02 of the third period. . . . F Egor Babenko drew assists on both Lethbridge goals. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist turned aside 26 shots for the winners. . . . The Oil Kings got 27 stops from G Josh Dechaine. . . . Edmonton was 0-3 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-4. . . . F Brian Harris, 18, has joined the Oil Kings, although he didn’t play in this one. He had been with the MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders. He had 15 goals and 11 assists in 60 games with the Stampeders. The Oil Kings selected Harris in the 11th round of the 2014 WHL bantam draft. . . . Lethbridge (43-17-7) has won seven in a row. . . . The Oil Kings (20-41-5) have lost nine straight (0-8-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,471.
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At Portland, F Cody Glass scored twice and added two assists, leading the Winterhawks to a 5-4 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Glass, who will be a first-round pick in the NHL’s 2017
CODY GLASS
draft, has 89 points in 64 games. . . . With the victory, the Winterhawks clinched a playoff spot. They presently hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, three points behind the Victoria Royals. . . . The Winterhawks (36-26-4) have won four in a row and are three points ahead of the third-place Tri-City Americans in the U.S. Division. . . . The Cougars (42-21-5) had won their previous two games. They lead the B.C. Division by two points over the Kelowna Rockets, who hold a game in hand. . . . Glass, who has 29 goals, gave Portland a 1-0 lead at 5:36 of the first period, and F Skyler McKenzie (38) made it 2-0 at 8:53. . . . The Cougars stormed back to take a 3-2 lead, thanks to goals from F Aaron Boyd (9), on a PP, at 13:08, D Brendan Guhle (14), at 18:48, and F Jesse Gabrielle (31), on another PP, just 56 seconds into the second period. . . . Portland took control with the next three goals, from F Keegan Iverson (22), at 10:56 of the second period, Glass, at 3:43 of the third, and F Joachim Blichfeld (28), at 8:09. . . . F Colby McAuley got the Cougars back to within one, at 8:44. He’s got 26 goals. . . . Iverson added an assist to his goal, giving him four straight two-point games. . . . Portland got two assists from each of D Caleb Jones and D Henri Jokiharju. . . . F Radovan Bondra drew three assists for the visitors, with Gabrielle and Guhle each getting one. . . . Portland G Cole Kehler blocked 29 shots, four fewer than Ty Edmonds of the Cougars. . . . Prince George was 2-5 on the PP; Portland was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 7,024.
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At Spokane, G Carter Hart stopped 17 shots in recording his ninth shutout of the season as the Everett Silvertips beat the Chiefs, 4-0. . . . Hart now has 19 shutouts in his career. The WHL record for career
CARTER HART
shutouts (26) is held by Tyson Sexsmith (Vancouver Giants, 2005-09). With 19, Hart is tied for sixth in WHL history. . . . F Cal Babych gave the Silvertips a 1-0 lead with his first goal of the season, at 5:48 of the first period. Babych, who turned 20 on Jan. 18, spent most of this season with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. He was playing in his fifth game with the Silvertips. . . . F Devon Skoleski (14) made it 2-0 at 8:16. . . . The Silvertips got their other goals from F Dominic Zwerger (25), at 4:53 of the second period, and D Aaron Irving (7), at 5:57. . . . F Sean Richards drew two assists. . . . The Chiefs got 32 saves from G Jayden Sittler. . . . Each team was 0-6 on the PP. . . . The Silvertips (40-14-11) moved back into first place in both the Western Conference and U.S. Division, one point ahead of the idle Seattle Thunderbirds. Everett still holds two games in hand. . . . The Chiefs (26-30-10) have lost four in a row (0-3-1) and now have been eliminated from the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2006. . . . Announced attendance: 3,721.
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At Swift Current, F Riley Krane’s first WHL goal stood up as the winner as the Regina Pats beat the Broncos, 4-2. . . . Krane, who turned 17 on Jan. 24, is from Dawson Creek, B.C. An eighth-round
RILEY KRANE
pick in the 2015 bantam draft, he scored his first goal in his fourth game. He played this season with the major midget Cariboo Cougars, who play out of Prince George. . . . F Bryan Lockner gave the Pats a 1-0 lead at 1:38 of the first period. He’s got four goals. . . . The Broncos pulled even on F Lane Pederson’s 21st goal, at 14:51. . . . Regina went back out front on F Dawson Leedahl’s 33rd goal, at 4:49 of the second period. . . . Krane scored at 8:05. . . . Pederson added his second goal of the game, on a PP, at 16:06 of the third period. . . . Regina F Wyatt Sloboshan provided the insurance with an empty-netter at 19:29. He’s got 10 goals. . . . Regina got three assists from F Adam Brooks, with Sloboshan and Leedahl adding one apiece. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown stopped 31 shots. . . . The Broncos got 34 stops from G Taz Burman. . . . Swift Current was 1-5 on the PP; Regina was 0-2. . . . The Broncos lost F Owen Blocker to a kneeing major and game misconduct at 9:29 of the first period. . . . F Austin Wagner (ill) was among Regina’s scratches. . . . The Pats are 4-0-0 in Swift Current this season. . . . Regina (46-12-8) has won two in a row. . . . Swift Current (35-21-10) had a five-game winning streak snapped. . . . Announced attendance: 2,209.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Red Deer vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Brandon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Regina, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Portland at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Prince George vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 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.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:58 PM
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Sunday, March 5, 2017

Saturday night in the WHL . . .

What follows is a quick look at Saturday’s happenings on the ice in the WHL.
As I posted here in the wee hours of Sunday morning, I was at the Kamloops stop for Tom Cochrane’s Mad Mad World Tour on Saturday night.
Yes, it was louder than at any Blazers’ game this season.
The show’s highlight? Well, we were in the third row from the front. A woman seated directly in front of us got up to dance during the show’s second half and somehow ended up on the stage. She and her male companion were last seen being escorted from the building.
Seriously, it was quite a show. Cochrane proved that he really is Canada’s Bruce Springsteen. At the age of 63, Cochrane still brings it.
The tour, which also features Red Rider, is in Prince George on Monday night.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

At Everett, the Silvertips scored three times in the game’s first eight minutes en route to a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Everett scored three times on its first six shots, forcing Seattle to replace starting G Rylan Toth, who is having a banner season, with Carl Stankowski, who stopped 33 of 34 shots in 51:25. . . . G Carter Hart blocked 15 shots for Everett. . . . Seattle remains with D Ethan Bear, F Scott Eansor and D Jarret Tyszka. . . . Everett D Kevin Davis had two assists, the first of which was his 100th career point. He is quietly having a giant offensive season, with six goals and 45 assists in 64 games. Previously, he had three goals in each of the past two seasons. In 2014-15, he had career highs in assists (22) and points (25). . . . The victory allowed Everett (39-14-11) to move back into first place in the U.S. Division, one point ahead of Seattle (41-19-6). . . . Everett has eight games remaining, two more than Seattle. . . . Announced attendance: 8,249.
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At Kelowna, the Rockets erased a 2-0 first-period deficit and beat the Tri-City Americans, 4-2. . . . F Dillon Dube scored twice for Kelowna, giving him 15, while F Reid Gardiner scored his 14th goal as he ran his point streak to 12 games. Since joining the Rockets, he has 30 points in 22 games. . . . Cal Foote of the Rockets and Tri-City’s Juuso Valimaki, two of the WHL’s top defencemen, each had two assists. . . . The Rockets (40-21-5) have won four in a row and now are second in the B.C. Division, four points behind Prince George and three ahead of Kamloops. . . . Kelowna has six games remaining, one more than those two teams. . . . The Americans (38-25-3) are third in the U.S. Division, five points ahead of Portland, which has a game in hand. . . .  Announced attendance: 5,521.
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At Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s last three goals, all in the second-half of the third period, and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-3. . . . F John Dahlstrom, who has 27 goals, gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead with a goal at 10:34 of the second period. . . . The Warriors, who had led 2-0, won it on goals from F Noah Gregor (22), F Tanner Jeannot (18) and F Thomas Foster (20), who scored twice. . . . F Brayden Burke had two assists for the winners. . . . Moose Jaw (40-17-8) is comfortably in second place in the East Division. It has won eight straight games and is six points behind Regina and 12 ahead of Swift Current. . . . The Tigers (46-19-1) had won their previous four games. They are second in the overall standings, three points behind Regina, which holds two games in hand. Medicine Hat leads the Central Division by two points over Lethbridge, with each team having six games remaining. . . . Announced attendance: 3,458.
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At Portland, G Cole Kehler stopped 12 shots to record the shutout as the Winterhawks beat the Vancouver Giants, 3-0, to sweep their tripleheader. . . . Kehler has two shutouts this season, the first two of his career. . . . Vancouver was outshot 11-1 in the first period and 12-3 in the third. . . . The Giants went 0-6 in its two tripleheaders, losing three to the Victoria Royals before dropping three straight with Portland. . . . F Keegan Iverson had two assists, and has four goals and four assists over his past five games. . . . Each of the Winterhawks’ scorers — F Cody Glass, F Joachim Blichfeld and F Ryan Hughes — now has 27 goals. . . . Portland (35-26-4) holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, five points behind Victoria, and is fourth in the U.S. Division, five points behind Tri-City. . . . Vancouver (19-41-6) will miss the playoffs. . . . Announced attendance: 5,903.
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At Prince Albert, F Parker Kelly and F Cavin Leth each had four points and G Ian Scott earned the shutout as the Raiders beat the Kootenay Ice, 8-0. . . . The Ice had lost 4-0 in Saskatoon on Friday night. . . . Kelly scored twice, the second one on a penalty shot, and added two assists. He’s got 16 goals. . . . Leth had a goal, shorthanded, and two assists. He has 22 goals. . . . Scott stopped 25 shots in putting up his second shutout of the season and third of his career. . . . Neither of these teams will be in the playoffs. . . . The Raiders (18-41-7) are 21st in the overall standings, five points ahead of the Ice (14-40-10). . . . Announced attendance: 2,177.
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At Prince George, F Jansen Harkins became the franchise’s all-time scoring leader in a 6-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Harkins had a goal and three assists, as he ran his career points total to 240 in 270 regular-season games. That broke the record that had been held by F Chase Witala (2011-16), who had 239 points in 302 games. Harkins tied the record with his 20th goal of the season and broke it with an assist on a third-period PP. . . . Prince George got big nights from the McTwins, too, with F Colby McAuley scoring twice and adding two assists, while F Kody McDonald had a goal and two helpers. . . . Cougars F Jesse Gabrielle scored his 30th goal, the second season in a row that he has reached that mark. . . . The Cougars had a season-high 57 shots on goal just one night after unleashing 50 shots in an 8-4 victory over the visiting Blazers. The home side scored five second-period goals in each game. . . . Prince George put 11 pucks behind Blazers G Connor Ingram in 91:07 over the two nights. . . . Kamloops (38-23-6) went into the weekend in second place in the B.C. Division, three points behind the Cougars (42-20-5). The Blazers headed home in third place, seven points behind Prince George and three behind the second-place Kelowna Rockets. . . .  Announced attendance: 3,969.
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At Red Deer, the Swift Current Broncos clinched a playoff spot with a 2-1 OT victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Swift Current won the season series, 4-0, with three of the victories coming in extra time. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi’s 25th goal pulled the Broncos into a tie at 17:18 of the third period. The Finnish freshman then drew the primary assist on F Tyler Steenbergen’s 46th goal, the winner, 52 seconds into OT. . . . The Broncos (33-20-10) are headed to a third-place finish and a first-round clash with Moose Jaw in the East Division. . . . The Rebels (26-28-11) are third in the Central Division, only three points ahead of Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 4,926.
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At Regina, the Calgary Hitmen added to the league-leading Pats’ woes by hanging a 6-3 loss on them. . . . F Beck Malenstyn and F Luke Coleman each had a goal and two assists for Calgary, which took a 4-1 lead into the second period. . . . Calgary held a 16-9 edge in shots in the first period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro scored his 39th goal, shorthanded, for Calgary. . . . Malenstyn has 25 goals; Coleman has 14. . . . Regina got two goals from Adam Brooks, who has 35. . . . Calgary G Kyle Dumba was terrific, with 32 saves, 14 of them in the third period. . . . Regina had F Filip Ahl and D Jonathan Smart back from injuries, but F Duncan Pierce (ankle) left in the second period. . . . The Hitmen (25-20-10), who had lost three straight, hold the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point ahead of Saskatoon. . . . The Pats (44-12-8) have lost four in a row (0-3-1) for the first time this season. They lead the overall standings by three points over Medicine Hat with two games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 5,546.
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At Saskatoon, the Lethbridge Hurricanes erased a 4-2 deficit to beat the Blades, 5-4 in OT. . . . D Brennan Menell’s 12th goal, at 0:54 of OT, won it. . . . F Giorgio Estephan, who had the lone assist on the winner, was in on the last three goals. He had the primary assist on F Zak Zborosky’s 41st goal, at 1:47 of the third period, then tied the score with No. 30, at 11:13. . . . Earlier, Estephan had scored his 29th goal. . . . Lethbridge F Tyler Wong had three assists, becoming the WHL’s third 100-point man this season. He's now at 101. . . . The Blades got three goals from F Braylon Shmyr, who has 32. . . . The Hurricanes (42-17-7) have won six straight and now are two points behind Central Division-leading Medicine Hat. . . . The Blades (25-31-9) have points in two straight (1-0-1) and are one point out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 4,413.
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At Victoria, the Royals clinched a playoff spot with a 4-3 OT victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . F Matt Phillips scored the winner at 2:42 of extra time. . . . He had two goals, giving him 46, and an assist. Phillips tied the Royals’ single-season record for goals that had been set last season by F Tyler Soy, who remains sidelined with an undisclosed injury. The franchise record (51) is held by F Ryan Howse (Chilliwack Bruins, 2010-11). . . . F Hudson Elynuik scored two PP goals for Spokane. He’s got 25 goals. . . . The Royals (37-23-5) have points in seven straight (6-0-1). They are fourth in the B.C. Division, three points behind Kamloops. Victoria plays its next five games on the road, including two in Kamloops and two in Kelowna. . . . The Chiefs (26-29-9) are 12 points away from a playoff spot with eight games to play. . . . Announced attendance: 6,059.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Swift Current at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Regina at Brandon, 4 p.m.
Kootenay at Moose Jaw, 4 p.m.

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Friday, February 17, 2017

Second WHL team hit by mumps ... Cougars "being subsidized by ownership group" ... Goalie scores in AJHL


A second WHL team has been hit by the mumps. Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News reported via Twitter on Friday afternoon that the Medicine Hat Tigers had two players “diagnosed with mumps, while another two have been tested and quarantined.” . . . Apparently, one coach also has been impacted. . . . McCracken later reported that the two players who had been diagnosed were F John Dahlstrom and D Jordan Henderson, neither of whom played against the host Swift Current Broncos on Friday night. The Tigers also scratched F Zach Fischer and F Ryan Chyzowski. . . . Earlier this month, the Brandon Wheat Kings also had mumps in their dressing room. Their stricken players returned to the lineup earlier this week. . . . If you're wondering, Brandon played in Medicine Hat on Jan. 28. . . . The Tigers also remain without D David Quenneville and D Ty Schultz, both of whom are recovering from broken legs suffered while blocking shots. Quenneville, however, is nearing a return. He was injured on Jan. 3 and now has been cleared for full-contact at practices.
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The Prince George Cougars have added Nick Drazenovic to their front office as director of player development. Drazenovic, who is from Prince George, played 281 games with the Cougars, putting up 214 points, including 77 goals. . . . He went on to a professional career that included 12 games in the NHL and more than 500 in the AHL. . . . “Nick will be responsible for developing our current roster players,” general manager Todd Harkins said in a news release, “while also spending one-on-one time with our prospects. He will monitor their progress year-round to ensure that when their time comes to join our team full-time that they are ready to make an impact.”
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There isn’t anything new to report regarding the Kootenay Ice and where they will play next season.
One thing is for certain, though. “We can't continue,” Jeff Chynoweth, the team’s president and general manager, told Jaimie Kehler of CBC News. “We are bleeding bad right now, averaging under 1,700 people a night. That just doesn't work in today's economics of the Western Hockey League.” . . . For now, there aren’t likely to be any developments before March 11 when the citizens of Nanaimo vote in a referendum that could allow the city to borrow $80 million for an events centre that would include an arena large enough for a WHL franchise. . . . Taking Note reported last month that the WHL is preparing two schedules for the 2017-18 season — one that includes Kootenay, and one that includes Nanaimo but not Kootenay. . . . Kehler’s story is right here. . . . The Ice stage Pink the Rink night on Friday and drew 2,690 fans to a 3-2 OT victory over the Saskatoon Blades.
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In Prince George, meanwhile, the EDGEPRO Sports and Entertainment group in its third season owning the Cougars. That group features Greg Pocock, Eric Brewer, Ray Fortier, Dan Hamhuis,
Ernest Ouellet and John Pateman. As the franchise’s president and governor, Pocock has morphed into the group’s public face.
The Cougars’ average announced attendance in 2013-14, the final season under owner Rick Brodsky, was 1,693. That number has reached 3,467 this season, but Pocock said that’s not enough.
“We are happy to see the continued growth of the attendance in our building,” he told play-by-play man Dan O’Connor and Hartley Miller, the analyst on home games, during a 4-3 loss to the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Monday afternoon. “It seems to be sustainable growth. It’s not people jumping on a bandwagon that are going to be here today and gone tomorrow.
“Having said that, this team is not making money. This team is being subsidized by the ownership group and that is not a circumstance that is going to continue indefinitely. We are behind in projections as far as numbers go. Although we are happy to see where we are it, we’re not satisfied where we are at either.”
There’s more from Pocock right here in a story that was posted by Miller.
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Jake Morrissey, a former WHL goaltender, scored a goal for the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders on Friday night. Morrissey, who made 32 saves, scored an empty-net goal at 19:59 of the third period to put the cap on a 3-1 victory over the visiting Camrose Kodiaks. . . . Morrissey, a 19-year-old from Saskatoon, made WHL stops with the Kelowna Rockets, Vancouver Giants, Saskatoon Blades and Medicine Hat Tigers.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, G Logan Thompson blocked 45 shots to lead the Wheat Kings to a 5-3 victory over the
Regina Pats. . . . Thompson stopped 21 of 23 shots in the third period as the Wheat Kings snapped a three-game losing skid (0-2-1). . . . Brandon scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Baron Thompson (3) opened the scoring at 1:42 of the first period. . . . F Nolan Patrick added his 14th at 3:54. . . . F Ty Lewis upped the lead to 3-0 with his 27th goal, on a PP, at 15:47 of the second period. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs got his guys started, on a PP, at 16:20. He leads all WHL defencemen with 26 goals. . . . Brandon D Schael Higson (4) got that one back, on a PP, at 18:58. . . . Regina made it interesting with two third-period goals. . . . F Austin Wagner got his 26th, at 1:34, and F Adam Brooks scored No. 32, on a PP, at 8:11. . . . The Wheat Kings hung on until F Stelio Mattheos got an empty-netter at 18:30. He’s got 23 goals. . . . Brandon got two assists from F Connor Gutenberg, with Matheos adding one to his goal. . . . Hobbs and Brooks each had two assists for Regina. . . . G Jordan Hollett stopped 24 shots for Regina as he lost for the first time in regulation this season. He now is 12-1-1. . . . The Wheat Kings were 2-3 on the PP; the Pats were 2-5. . . . Brandon (28-22-8) holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Regina (41-8-7) remains atop the overall standings, six points ahead of Medicine Hat with three games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 4,433.
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At Calgary, F Jakob Stukel scored at 1:52 of OT to give the Hitmen a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . This was Calgary’s 20th trip to OT this season. The Hitmen are 7-8 in OT and 3-2 in shootouts. . . . The Hitmen had the only three shots of the extra time and won it on Stukel’s 18th goal of the season. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky’s 17th goal gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 9:20 of the first period. . . . Calgary tied it on F Andrei Grishakov’s sixth goal, at 7:58 of the second period. . . . Calgary D Jake Bean had two assists. . . . The Hitmen got 23 saves from G Trevor Martin. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea turned aside 33 shots. . . . Edmonton was 1-5 on the PP; Calgary was 0-2. . . . The Hitmen (21-26-10) have points in three straight (2-0-1). They are two points out of a wild-card spot, but also trail third-place Red Deer by only three points in the Central Division. . . . The Oil Kings (20-33-5) have points in three in a row (2-0-1) after losing 16 in a row. They are nine points out of a playoff spot with 14 games remaining. . . . Announced attendance: 6,945.
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At Kelowna, F Kailer Yamamoto scored at 1:01 of OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 5-4 victory over the Rockets. . . . Spokane G Jayden Sittler, who had an outstanding game, stopped Kelowna F Nick Merkley at one end and the Chiefs broke out 2-on-1 with Yamamoto scoring off a pass from Hudson Elynuik. . . . The Chiefs are 3-0-0 against Kelowna this season, winning three times in OT. . . Spokane scored the game’s first three goals, then surrendered three in a row. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s 33rd goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 8:47 of the first period, with F Ethan McIndoe (16) making it 2-0 at 12:24. . . . Elynuik’s 21st goal made it 3-0 at 1:30 of the second period. . . . The Rockets roared back to tie it with Merkley’s 18th goal starting the comeback at 6:39. . . . D Nolan Foote’s 15th goal cut the deficit to one at 17:12. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf tied it at 3:55 of the third period. . . . The Chiefs went back in front at 6:18 when F Hayden Ostir got No. 7. . . . Thurkauf tied it, scoring his second of the game and 29th of the season at 18:55, on a PP. . . . Yamamoto won it with his 33rd goal of the season. . . . Sittler, who also had an assist, finished with 45 saves. . . . The Rockets started G Michael Herringer, who gave up three goals on nine shots in 21:30. Brodan Salmond came on to stop 10 of 12 shots in 39:17. . . . Kelowna was 1-6 on the PP; Spokane was 0-1. . . . Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur was stitched up at the arena after being struck in the head by a puck off Foote’s stick in the second period. Nachbaur was back for the third period and no one who saw him during his playing days was surprised. . . . Spokane (25-24-9) is eight points out of a wild-card spot. . . . Kelowna (33-20-5) had won three straight. It is third in the B.C. Division, five points behind Kamloops. . . . Announced attendance: 4,836.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Vince Loschiavo’s goal at 2:16 of OT gave the Kootenay Ice a 3-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Loschiavo scored his 23rd goal of the season on Kootenay’s second shot of OT. . . . F Markson Bechtold had given Saskatoon a 1-0 lead with his seventh goal just 15 seconds into the game. . . . The Ice tied it when F Brett Davis got No. 16 at 13:10 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon went back out front at 5:00 of the third period as F Mason McCarty got his 16th goal. . . . The Ice tied it as F Noah Philp (7) scored at 14:45. . . . Kootenay G Jakob Walter earned the victory with a 28-save performance. . . . The Blades got 28 saves from Logan Flodell. . . . Saskatoon was 0-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-5. . . . Kootenay (13-35-10) had lost its previous seven games (0-5-2). It now has one more victory than it managed all of last season. . . . The Blades (23-26-8) have points in five straight (3-0-2). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points ahead of Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 2,690.
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At Lethbridge, F Tyler Wong scored the only goal of a three-round shootout to give the Hurricanes a 5-4 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Royals had taken a 1-0 lead on F Blake Bargar’s fourth goal, at 10:03 of the first period. . . . Wong tied it with his 41st goal at 11:51. . . . Victoria went back out front when F Matt Phillips got his 41st, at 19:59. . . . The home side took a 3-2 lead on second-period goals from F Alec Baer (12), at 2:38, and F Egor Babenko (20), at 7:53. . . . The Royals tied it when F Regan Nagy counted at 11:24, only to have Lethbridge go back ahead on F Zak Zborosky’s 37th at 14:53. . . . Victoria forced OT when Nagy got his second of the game, and 15th of the season, at 18:29 of the third period. . . . Wong added an assist to his goal. . . . G Stuart Skinner blocked 35 shots for the winners. . . . Victoria got 36 saves from Griffen Outhouse. . . . Lethbridge was 0-1 on the PP; Victoria was 0-4. . . . The Hurricanes (35-16-7) have won two in a row. They are second in the Central Division, six points behind Medicine Hat with a game in hand. . . . The Royals (31-23-5) have lost three straight (0-2-1). They are tied with Portland for the Western Conference’s wild-card spots. Victoria also is fourth in the B.C. Division, four points behind Kelowna. . . . Announced attendance: 4,653.
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At Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game’s first two goals and never trailed en route to a 4-3
victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld got it started with his 25th goal just 59 seconds into the first period. . . . F Ryan Hughes scored his 24th goal at 1:16 of the second period, with Blichfeld getting the lone assist. . . . F Adam Musil (19) got Red Deer on the scoreboard, on a PP, at 2:47. . . . Portland got that one back as F Keegan Iverson got No. 16 at 12:24. . . . F Michael Spacek, who also had an assist, pulled the Rebels back to within a goal with his 25th, at 13:03. . . . F Jake Gricius restored Portland’s two-goal lead with No. 7 at 14:37. . . . D Jared Freadrich (6) added Red Deer’s third goal, at 14:12 of the third period. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 30 shots for Portland and also picked up an assist. . . . The Rebels got 40 stops from G Lasse Petersen. . . . Red Deer was 2-6 on the PP; Portland was 0-5. . . . The Rebels went 0-3-0 on a three-game U.S. Division swing on which they were outscored 16-8. . . . The Winterhawks (32-23-3) have won two in a row. They are fourth in the U.S. Division, four points behind Tri-City. . . . The Rebels (23-27-9) have lost seven straight (0-6-1). They are third in the Central Division, three points ahead of Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 4,724.
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At Prince Albert, the Everett Silvertips scored three second-period goals, two of them via the PP, and went on to beat the Raiders, 3-1. . . . F Eetu Tuulola (14) opened the scoring at 5:14 and F Riley Sutter (16) made it 2-0, on a PP, just 45 seconds later. . . . When F Patrick Bajkov scored his 23rd goal on another PP, at 12:44, it was 3-0. . . . The Raiders got their goal from F Curtis Miske, on a PP, at 18:11 of the third period. . . . G Carter Hart stopped 26 shots for Everett. . . . The Raiders got 33 saves from G Nic Sanders. . . . The Silvertips were 2-4 on the PP; the Raiders were 1-5. . . . The Raiders lost F Kolby Johnson to a charging major and game misconduct 16:14 of the second period after an open-ice hit on F Orrin Centazzo in the neutral zone. . . . The Silvertips are 4-1-0 and have outscored opponents 12-6 on a six-game East Division swing that ends tonight (Saturday) in Swift Current. . . . Everett (35-12-10) has won four in a row and leads the U.S. Division by three points over Seattle. . . . Prince Albert (15-39-5) had won its previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 2,014.
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At Swift Current, G Jordan Papirny made 42 saves to lead the Broncos to a 3-1 victory over the
Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Papirny turned aside all 15 shots he faced in the first period and 14 of 15 in the second. He is 5-5-2, 2.97, .911 since coming over from the Brandon Wheat Kings in January. . . .   The Broncos got a pair of first-period goals from F Aleksi Heponiemi, at 15:18 and 18:08, the latter via the PP. He’s got 23 goals in his freshman season. . . . F Riley Stotts made it 3-0 with his seventh goal, at 8:48 of the second period. . . . The Tigers got their goal from F Mark Rassell (27), on a PP, at 18:52 of the second. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 31 shots for the Tigers. . . . Swift Current was 1-3 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-4. . . . The Tigers were able to dress only 16 skaters as they scratched four players with illness and two with broken legs. . . . Swift Current (30-18-9) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). It is third in the East Division, five points behind Moose Jaw with a game in hand. . . . Medicine Hat (41-17-1) had a five-game winning streak come to an end. It leads the Central Division by six points over Lethbridge. . . . Announced attendance: 2,244.
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At Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and went
on to a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle took a 1-0 lead on D Ethan Bear’s 23rd goal, on a PP, at 2:56 of the first period. . . . The Americans responded by taking a 4-1 lead. . . . F Morgan Geekie’s 32nd goal, on a PP, at 6:48, tied it. . . . D Dakota Krebs scored his second goal of the season, at 9:26, to give the home side the lead. . . . F Tyler Sandhu increased the lead to 3-1 with his 16th goal, at 17:04 of the second period. . . . D Dylan Coghlan’s 12th goal, on a PP, at 19:19, provided more insurance. . . . F Keegan Kolesar (19) got Seattle to within two goals 17 seconds into the third period. . . . Sandhu and Geekie each added an assist for Tri-City. . . . F Mathew Barzal and F Ryan Gropp each had two assists for Seattle. Gropp had his goal streak end at eight games, but is on a 15-game point streak. . . . G Rylan Parenteau earned the victory with 25 saves. . . . Seattle also got 25 saves from G Rylan Toth. . . . Each team was 2-5 on the PP. . . . The Americans (34-23-3) have won three in a row. They are third in the U.S. Division, six points behind Seattle. . . . The Thunderbirds (36-17-5) are second in the U.S. Division, three points behind Everett. . . . Announced attendance: 3,408.
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At Langley, B.C., the Kamloops Blazers broke a 1-1 tie with four second-period goals in a span of
6:06 and went on to beat the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. . . . F Calvin Spencer sent the Giants out to a 1-0 lead with his 12th goal at 1:53 of the first period. . . . The visitors tied it when F Quinn Benjafield scored No. 12 at 10:25. . . . Kamloops blew it open with the four second-period scores. . . . F Rudolfs Balcers scored two of them, at 7:29, on a PP, and 13:06. He’s got 33 goals. . . . F Lane Bauer’s 33rd goal made is 3-1 at 9:19. . . . F Garrett Pilon (15) upped it to 5-1 at 13:35. . . . The Blazers got their final goal from F Nick Chyzowski (15) at 1:38 of the third period. . . . The Blazers got two assists from each of F Deven Sideroff and F Collin Shirley, with Chyzowski and Bauer adding one each. . . . The Blazers got 24 saves from G Connor Ingram. . . . G Ryan Kubic stopped 33 for the Giants. . . . Kamloops was 1-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Blazers (35-19-6) are second in the B.C. Division, four points behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Giants (18-36-5) have lost four in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 4,321.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Prince Albert at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Prince George at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Regina at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 6:05 p.m.
Everett at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Spokane vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Red Deer vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:49 PM
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