A look at the uniforms the U of New Brunswick Varsity Reds will
wear in a two-game series with a Russian team later this month.

The University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds are going to play a touring Russian side on Dec. 30 in Saint John and Dec. 31 in Fredericton.
And get a load of the uniforms the Varsity Reds will be wearing. They are commemorative 1972 Team Canada sweaters.
From a UNB news release:
“While wearing the maple leaf on their chests, the V-Reds also will wear the numbers of players from the 1972 Summit Series Canadian team on their backs, along with the name of the player they're representing.
“V-Reds Captain Chris Culligan, who normally sports No. 57 in his UNB uniform, will wear Phil Esposito's No. 7 for the two games against Team Russia, with Esposito's name on the bottom of the jersey.”
You should know, too, that Esposito is scheduled to attend both games and to be involved in ceremonial faceoffs.
"We wanted to not only honour the team from 1972, but also to honour the players who were a part of that team," said UNB head coach Gardiner MacDougall. "Having a V-Reds player wearing the number of a player from the '72 team along with that player's name will be a pretty neat part of the whole moment."
The Russians are expected to ice a team comprising mostly junior-aged players in the eighth annual Peterbilt New Brunswick Pete Kelly Challenge.
Before playing UNB, the Russians will meed two NCAA teams — the Providence College Friars and the RPI  Red Hawks.
This will be the first time in UNB’s history that the Varsity Reds will have played a Russian side.
———
Forward Charles Inglis, who was released by the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers on Dec. 12, has signed to play for the AJHL’s Whitecourt Wolverines, who made the announcement Thursday.
Inglis, 20, had five assists in 11 games with the Blazers, who had acquired him from the Red Deer Rebels for a conditional draft pick. The Blazers released him following a 5-2 loss to the Oil Kings in Edmonton. The Blazers were his fourth WHL team, as he also played for the Saskatoon Blades and Prince George Cougars.
The Wolverines (19-11-8) are tied for fourth in the AJHL’s North Division, but are only eight points out of first place. Whitecourt resumes play Jan. 4 when it is at home to the Drayton Valley Thunder.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Tri-City Americans D Mitch Topping (@mitchtopping): “So I paid the Rick Tabbaracci and hopped in the Thomas Kaberle back to my Phil Housley!”

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Please take a moment today to think about — or, if you are so inclined, to say a prayer for — the families and friends of Brennan Luffman and Shaun Seghers, two senior hockey players who were killed when their truck hit a semi near Weyburn, Sask., in ugly weather on Tuesday night.
Both men played for the Arcola-Kisbey Combines and were on their way to Arcola for a Big Six Hockey League game against the Oxbow Huskies.
Seghers played in the SJHL with the Weyburn Red Wings a few years ago, while Luffman also had pitched in the Western Major Baseball League with the Weyburn Beavers and Moose Jaw Millers.
———
The Kamloops Blazers announced late Wednesday night that they have released F Charles Inglis, 20.
Shortly after the Blazers had been beaten 5-2 by the Oil Kings in Edmonton, Kamloops issued a news release. Here it is, in its entirety:
“General Manager Craig Bonner announced tonight that the Blazers have parted ways with 20-year-old forward Charles Inglis.
“Inglis came to the Blazers in a trade in late November. Inglis played 11 games with the Blazers and recorded five assists in his short time.”
The Blazers had acquired Inglis from the Red Deer Rebels for a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. Chances are the pick was conditional on his being on the Blazers’ roster on Jan. 10, the trading and roster deadline, so that pick now will remain with Kamloops.
Inglis played in last night’s loss, and got into a scrap with F Mitch Moroz.
In 290 regular-season games, split between the Saskatoon Blades, Prince George Cougars, Red Deer and Kamloops, he has 177 points, including 92 goals, and 440 penalty minutes.
The Blazers’ roster now contains two 20-year-olds — F Brendan Ranford and F Dylan Willick, who won’t play until after Christmas because of a broken ankle.
———
F Filip Vasko, 19, is on the move for the second time in a couple of weeks. Vasko, from Slovakia, was dealt by the Kelowna Rockets to the Red Deer Rebels on Nov. 29. Then, on Wednesday, he was moved by the Rebels, along with F Marc McCoy, 18, and a conditional fifth-round 2015 bantam draft pick for the rights to Czech F Dominik Volek, 18.
McCoy, 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Edmonton, has six points in 28 games with the Rebels. Last season, he had 10 points in 63 games. Vasko has 11 points in 23 games split between Kelowna and Red Deer. He has missed the last couple of Red Deer games with a knee injury but may make his Regina debut this weekend.
Volek had 32 points in 70 games with the Pats last season, but chose not to return this season. Instead, he is playing with Farjestad of Sweden’s Super Elite League for whom he has five points in 13 games. He is the son of former NHLer David Volek and, according to a Red Deer news release, “is expected to join the Rebels after the Christmas break.“
Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner/general manager/interim head coach, played with David Volek with the NHL’s New York Islanders.
“We didn’t make the trade for him because I know the family, although it’s nice to have an idea of what the kid is about and to know what the family is about,” Sutter told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “(David) has talked to me about Dominik as a player in the past.”
According to Meachem, “Volek will be in Red Deer for a Boxing Day practice and will be in the Rebels’ lineup for a Dec. 27 meeting with the Oil Kings in Edmonton.”
———
The Pats also made another deal yesterday, acquiring D Darian Henry, 18, from the Calgary Hitmen for a fifth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft.
Henry, 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, was a seventh-round pick by the Everett Silvertips in the 2009 bantam draft. He had one assist in 16 games with Everett last season. The Silvertips dealt him to Calgary over the summer for F Luke Gordon, 18, who is with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals.
This season, in 30 games with Calgary, Henry had six points and 77 penalty minutes.
———
F Dylan Stewart, a fifth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft, is joining the Prince Albert Raiders for a couple of days. Stewart will return to the midget AAA Edmonton-Canadian Athletic Club Raiders on Saturday. The Raiders are at home to the Kootenay Ice on Friday.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Marlin Murray, the general manager and head coach of the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings, has signed a contract that will take him through the 2015-16 season. Murray,35, is in his 10th season with the Kings.
———
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, the Saskatoon Blades erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and beat the Warriors, 5-2. . . . The Blades have won four in a row. . . . F Josh Nicholls scored his 24th goal of the season for Saskatoon. . . . Moose Jaw F Sam Fioretti didn’t return to the game after taking a high-sticking minor and a misconduct at 14:59 of the second period. “Sam wasn’t feeling good,” Moose Jaw head coach Mike Stothers told Katie Brickman of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. . . .

In Red Deer, the Calgary Hitmen scored two quick third-period goals and beat the Rebels, 2-1. . . . The Hitmen were trailing 1-0 when F Brooks Macek and F Victor Rask scored at 5:46 and 6:12 respectively to put them out front. . . . The Hitmen are 12-1-1 on the road, but just 9-6-3 at home. . . . F Adam Musil, the Rebels’ first-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft, made his WHL debut. He may stay and play in weekend home games against the Victoria Royals and Kelowna Rockets. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Kelowna Rockets scored twice in the first period and went on to beat the Hurricanes, 3-1. . . . The Rockets, who have won four straight, are 9-1-0 in their last 10. . . . F J.T. Barnett’s fourth goal of the season, on a PP at 14:12 of the first, stood up as the winner. . . .

In Edmonton, G Tristan Jarry made 37 saves and F Henrik Samuelsson scored twice as the Oil Kings bounced the Kamloops Blazers, 5-2. . . . The Blazers had won four in a row. . . . F Aaron Macklin got his first WHL goal for Kamloops. . . . Samuelsson has 16 goals this season. . . . Jarry got the start with Laurent Brossoit, the Oil Kings’ No. 1 goaltender, in Calgary at the national junior team’s selection camp. . . . Patrick Dea, a 15-year-old from St. Albert, Alta., backed up Jarry. Dea was the 22nd overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
———
TWEET OF THE DAY:
Former WHLer Stu Grimson (@asgrimson): “@heyojayo, ‘Tomorrows New York Times crossword 66 down: _ _ _ Grimson of the NHL. again’ i got 66 down …. and ONLY 66 down.”
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From Portland D Josh Hanson (@HansoloCup4): “It’s called an ‘acceleration ramp’ for a reason. I’m not 100% sure but I think you’re supposed to accelerate. #GasIsOnTheRight:
The Winerhawks defenceman continues his campaign to get Oregon drivers on the same page.


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Blazers make big move

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
The Kamloops Blazers traded away part of their future for some veteran leadership on Thursday.
The Blazers acquired defenceman Joel Edmundson, 19, from the Moose Jaw Warriors, along with a fourth-round pick in the 2015 WHL bantam draft. Kamloops gave up defenceman Tyler Bell, 18, forward Jayden Halbgewachs, 15, and a first-round pick in 2015.
Edmundson was to fly into Kamloops last night and is expected to play tonight, 7 o’clock, against the Prince George Cougars at Interior Savings Centre.
“He’s a veteran guy, a drafted player,” said Blazers head coach Guy Charron. “We’ve added more experience at the back end.”
At 6-foot-4 and 208 pounds, Edmundson will bring size to a Blazers’ defence corps that already includes 19-year-olds Tyler Hansen, who goes 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds, and the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Sam Grist.
Edmundson is in his third WHL season, and has picked up eight points, six of them assists, and 70 penalty minutes in 29 games. Last season, he played in 56 games, scoring four goals, assisting on 19 others and earning 91 penalty minutes.
After his first season, 2010-11, the St. Louis Blues selected the Brandon native in the second round, 46th overall, of the NHL draft.
And while he isn’t known for his offensive side, Edmundson stands to see some time on the power play, according to Charron.
“He’s got a great shot,” Charron said. “Right now, we’ve experimented with everyone at the top end of the power play, so I’m sure he’ll get an opportunity.”
The trade shows that the Blazers are all-in this season. Kamloops is 22-7-3 and tied for first in the 22-team WHL with the Portland Winterhawks, who hold four games in hand.
But Kamloops gave up a lot to get Edmundson, who, if he signs with the Blues, likely wouldn’t return next season.
Bell, a Regina native, was in his second season with the Blazers, and was taking on a bigger role all the time. Through 29 games, he had a goal and three assists, to go along with 36 penalty minutes. As a rookie in 2011-12, Bell had 12 points, 11 of them assists, and was plus-19 in 54 games.
On top of Bell, Kamloops basically gave up two first-round picks, with Halbgewachs, a native of Emerald Park, Sask., having been its first-round pick, 19th overall, in May’s draft. Halbgewachs is in his first season with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians, and has eight goals and six assists in 19 games.
“Through our evaluation, we feel we have good, young prospects,” Charron said. “But getting a chance to get a veteran player like (Edmundson) will only make us better.”
The WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium will run Dec. 16-26.
———
Forwards Charles Inglis and Chase Souto sat out Thursday’s practice as they recover from a bug that is going through the Kamloops dressing room.
“We’ve got quite a few guys who are sick,” Charron said. “No use being here to spread the germs.”
The coach said he wasn’t sure if either would be available tonight, but seemed optimistic.
“Usually the guys who have been sick have had a 24- or 48-hour thing,” Charron said. “We’re hopeful they’re ready to go (tonight).”
To help fill out the roster, the Blazers had Devin Oakes, a list forward who plays for the junior B Kamloops Storm, at practice. He will be back with the Storm for its game against the host Princeton Posse tonight.
———
Cougars head coach Dean Clark announced that former NHLer Todd Harkins will serve as an assistant coach for a few weeks after Christmas.
Harkins, who coached the Vancouver Northwest Giants to the 2011 B.C. Major Midget League title, will replace Jason Becker temporarily. Becker, the head coach of Team Pacific, will be in Quebec for the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which ends Jan. 4.
Harkins, whose 10-year NHL career included stops with the Calgary Flames and Hartford Whalers, will start his tenure with the Cougars on Dec. 28, when they play the Royals in Victoria.
Harkins’ son, Jansen, was selected in the first round, second overall, by the Cougars in May’s bantam draft. He currently plays for Vancouver Northwest, with which he has 30 points in 17 games.
———
Ryan Hanes, a former Blazers forward, will be making his second appearance in Kamloops with the Cougars, and will be sporting an ‘A’ on his jersey.
Hanes, a 20-year-old Kamloops native, was named an assistant captain Wednesday, after Cougars captain Brock Hirsche retired due to shoulder programs. Hirsche was replaced as captain by defenceman Daniel Gibb, with Hanes taking on the vacant assistant-captain role.
Hanes, who scored in the Cougars’ 5-4 shootout loss in Kamloops on Nov. 17, has four goals in eight games with Prince George.
He started the season with the Blazers, but got caught up in the 20-year-old numbers game and was released. He spent a stretch with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals, before the Cougars picked him up last month.


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Charron goes into juggling act

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
Guy Charron has shuffled the deck.
Charron, the head coach of the Kamloops Blazers, has broken up the highest-scoring line in the WHL, moving left-winger Tim Bozon to a line with centre Charles Inglis and, at this point, right-winger Mitch Friesen.
Brendan Ranford will move up to play beside centre Colin Smith and right-winger JC Lipon.
“It’s an experimental thing,” Charron said Thursday. “We’ll see how it goes.”
The Blazers will open a three-games-in-three-nights stretch today when the Tri-City Americans come to Interior Savings Centre. The Moose Jaw Warriors will visit Saturday, before Kamloops heads to Kent, Wash., to play the Seattle Thunderbirds on Sunday.
Even Charron isn’t certain whether the new lines will last a period, a game or for the entire weekend.
“You never know with me,” he said. “Whatever I see and whatever I feel is fit to do, I’ll do it.”
The line of Bozon, Smith and Lipon has been terrific this season, combining for 143 points. Lipon leads the WHL with 53 points, including a league-high 21 goals, with Smith second with 52 points and a WHL-leading 33 assists. Bozon is tied for fifth in the league with 38 points.
But while Smith and Lipon continue to roll — each has 13 points over the last eight games — Bozon has stalled, with two points in his last four games and seven points over his last 11 games.
“We’ve done this in the past, and it hasn’t necessarily worked,” Charron said. “The chemistry with (Lipon), Smith and Bozon is there, so it’s not a situation where we can’t get back to them (together).”
Ranford, who had 92 points in 69 games last season, has been solid this season, with 31 points in 26 games.
But he has lost both his linemates this month — Dylan Willick broke an ankle and will miss at least a couple more weeks, and Jordan DePape underwent shoulder surgery and has gone home for the season.
Ranford played the last three games alongside Inglis, whom the Blazers acquired from the Red Deer Rebels on Nov. 19, but the pair struggled to find chemistry.
Like Charron said, moving Ranford to play with Smith and Lipon is just an experiment.
“We don’t know if it’s going to work, because (Ranford) is also a passer,” Charron said. “We need some shots, especially in key areas. Maybe he’ll help (Smith and Lipon) shoot more, because he’s a disher.”
———
The Blazers are down to 12 forwards after winger Cole Ully returned to Calgary while he battles mononucleosis.
Ully, 17, is expected to miss four weeks, which would put his return date around Dec. 27, when the Blazers return from an 11-day break for Christmas.
Ully has 14 points in 28 games this season, his second with the Blazers.
Forward Rob Trzonkowski left Thursday’s practice a little early after being hit in a foot with a slap shot. Charron wasn’t sure of his status.
———
The Blazers practised four straight days this week, the first time that has happened since late October and only the second time it has happened this season.
Because of their hectic schedule, Kamloops hasn’t had five days off since Oct. 20-26.
“Maybe it’s a week to re-energize ourselves,” Charron said.
———
The Americans rolled into Interior Savings Centre on Thursday just as the Blazers were wrapping up their practice.
Tri-City hasn’t won on the road since Oct. 20, when it beat the Broncos 2-1 in Swift Current. Since then, the Americans have won seven of nine home games, but have dropped four on the road, including a 3-2 decision in Kelowna on Wednesday.
The Americans are 16-9-1-1 and tied for fourth in the Western Conference.
———
Moose Jaw, meanwhile, is right in the thick of the East Division.
The Warriors (10-11-3-4) are tied for second in the six-team division. But only four points separate the teams in second (Moose Jaw and Swift Current) from the sixth-place Brandon Wheat Kings.
The Warriors are 2-0 on their trip through the B.C. Division, having beaten the Victoria Royals 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday and the Vancouver Giants 2-1 on Wednesday. Moose Jaw plays in Kelowna tonight and against the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday.
———
JUST NOTES: Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. . . . Saturday’s game will include the annual Teddy Bear Toss. . . . Kris Knoblauch was named head coach of the OHL’s Erie Otters on Thursday. Knoblauch was head coach of the Kootenay Ice before being fired over the summer. He takes over from Robbie Ftorek, who was let go. . . . The Rockets have traded F Filip Vasko to the Rebels for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft.

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Inglis blazes way to Kamloops

CHARLES INGLIS
(Red Deer Rebels photo)

 By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers have added the enigmatic Charles Inglis to their roster.
Inglis, 20, was sent home to Saskatoon by Brent Sutter, the owner/general manager/interim head coach of the Red Deer Rebels last week to await a trade.
That trade occurred Monday morning when the Blazers surrendered a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2015 WHL bantam draft.
WHL teams rarely reveal what constitutes such ‘conditions’ but, in this case, it could be that the draft pick changes hands only if Inglis remains on the Blazers’ roster after the WHL trade deadline of Jan. 10.
WHL teams are allowed to have three 20-year-olds on their rosters. Inglis replaces right-winger Jordan DePape, who ended his WHL career on Saturday because of right shoulder problems. DePape has returned to Winnipeg and will have surgery on Nov. 26. Dr. Peter MacDonald, who did reconstructive surgery on DePape’s left shoulder a year ago, will handle this one, too.
Inglis, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound centre, has played with three other WHL teams and been traded three times.
The Saskatoon Blades selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2007 bantam draft. He played two full seasons with the Blades, recording 37 points in 64 games in the second one (2009-10), before he was dealt to the Prince George Cougars for a second-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft.
He had 60 points, including 32 goals, in 69 games with the Cougars in 2010-11. But 16 games into last season – and following a game in Kamloops – Cougars management tired of his off-ice indiscretions and sent him home to await a trade.
Inglis said he was “happy to get out of Prince George,” saying that he felt he wasn’t treated fairly. The Cougars chose not to comment.
Inglis ended up in Red Deer – the Cougars got back forward Daulton Siwak and a 2012 third-round draft pick – and put up 26 points in 36 games. This season, he led the Rebels in goals (11) and points (14) when Sutter sent him home last week.
“I’m more than excited,” Inglis said Monday afternoon. “This is a great opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it.
Asked what happened in Red Deer, he replied: “I’m not too sure. Brent said they were playing younger guys . . . I likely wouldn’t have played Saturday (in a 2-1 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos).
“I was doing my best and I worked hard. In Red Deer, I did everything they asked. I took on a leadership role . . . things just didn‘t work out.”
Sutter appeared on The Pipeline Show on Saturday. When asked about Inglis’s departure from Red Deer, Sutter replied:
“Well I'll put it this way. At this point in time he was the leading goal scorer on the team, he was the leading scorer on the team and when a general manager has to send him home . . . I don't think I need to say any more than that."
Inglis is scheduled to practise with the Blazers today and could be in the lineup Wednesday against the visiting Regina Pats. It is expected that he will play centre with Brendan Ranford on the left side and perhaps Joe Kornelsen opening on right wing.
“That would be good,” Inglis said of playing with Ranford. “He and I could have some good chemistry.”
———
Lost in the departure of DePape on Saturday night was Kornelsen’s debut.
The Blazers acquired Kornelsen on Friday, sending a fifth-round selection in the 2013 WHL bantam draft to the Calgary Hitmen in exchange.
Kornelsen was in the Blazers’ lineup, playing mostly on a line with  Ranford and Matt Needham, for a 5-4 shootout victory over Prince George at Interior Savings Centre on Saturday. He also took a regular turn killing penalties.
“My first period wasn’t very good . . . nerves,” Kornelsen admitted later. “I thought I started playing better in the second and third.”
After that shaky first 20 minutes, the native of Abbotsford settled down and turned in a workmanlike effort. In 188 career regular-season WHL games, he has 62 points, including 24 goals. This season, he has yet to score, with four assists in 19 games.
This was the second trade of Kornelsen’s career. On Oct. 26, 2011, he and defenceman Collin Bowman, along with a 2012 fourth-round bantam draft pick, went to the Hitmen with the Warriors getting forwards Justin Kirsch and Kenton Miller.
“This (trade) is different because the last time I got traded it was with a teammate,” Kornelsen said. “This one, I’m on my own.”
However, he added, “it’s nice knowing” a couple of his new teammates.
Kornelsen and winger Rob Trzonkowski, who was acquired over the summer, were teammates in Calgary, and Kornelsen and centre Colin Smith were roommates with Team Pacific at the U17 World Hockey Challenge three years ago.
Kornelsen also is familiar with Kamloops associate coach Dave Hunchak, who was the head coach in Moose Jaw when he played there. As well, assistant trainer Jan Antons worked with the Hitmen last season.
Kornelsen didn’t dress for his last game with the Hitmen, a 4-0 loss to the visiting Kootenay Ice on Nov. 13. The next day, the Hitmen revealed that forward Victor Rask, 19, a 33-goal man last season, was on his way back from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
“I got scratched the night before he got sent back so I kind of knew something was up,” Kornelsen said.
———
The Blazers unveiled a new look to their power play during Saturday’s victory over the Cougars.
During their 14-game winning streak, the Blazers got a lot of mileage out of a formation that would culminate with someone, usually left-winger Tim Bozon, getting great chances off a play to him at opposing goaltender’s blind side.
But as that winning streak wound down, teams started to take away that play. Which is how the Blazers came to go 1-for-23 in losing five of six games.
In winning their last two games, they went 2-for-8, scoring once with the man advantage in each game.
On Saturday, the Blazers, with the puck in the offensive zone, had a defenceman start the power play on the point and then go to the front of the net. It worked on their third goal — Cole Ully’s second of the game gave them a 3-2 lead early in the third period — when Sam Grist charged from the blue-line to screen Prince George goaltender Mac Engel.
———
The Blazers are expected to start goaltender Cole Cheveldave Wednesday against the Pats, who will be playing their fourth game in six nights — and second in two nights — on this B.C. tour. Regina spent Monday travelling from Victoria to Prince George for a game tonight.
Cheveldave was good in Friday’s 6-4 victory over the visiting Portland Winterhawks, although he felt he had some problems with rebound control.
Against Prince George, head coach Guy Charron said, Cheveldave “didn’t have one of his better games. (He gave up) a couple of goals along the ice and those are the goals that usually aren’t scored against him.”
Cheveldave also got help in the shootout when Zach Pochiro put a shot off the crossbar and Alex Forsberg hit the outside of a post.
In the end, though, Cheveldave, a 19-year-old sophomore, got the victory. He is 8-0-0 against the Cougars.
———
Even though Saturday’s game was in doubt until right-winger JC Lipon won it in the fourth round of the shootout — and Cheveldave stopped forward Jordan Tkatch — the Blazers’ offence showed that it is out of its slump.
In the second period, the Blazers had 16 shots on goal. More importantly, Charron said his side had 15 scoring chances.
“I thought their goaltender played exceptionally well,” Charron said.  “With 15 scoring chances in the second period, what can I say? The puck didn’t go in. We played against a hot goaltender.”
Early in the second period, Engel came across to take an apparent empty net away from Bozon, who didn’t let up as he rifled the puck on what he must have thought would be his 16th goal. Instead, the puck ended up in Engel’s big trapper.
Bozon, gritting his teeth, could only skate into a corner, muttering to himself.
———
JUST NOTES: After Wednesday, the Blazers will be at home to the Saskatoon Blades on Friday and the Vancouver Giants on Saturday. . . . Lipon goes into this week with the WHL lead in goals (21) and points (50). C Colin Smith has the lead in assists (33) and is second in points (49). . . . Bozon is tied for fourth, with 36 points. . . . Smith was named the WHL’s player of the week on Monday, the second time this season he has won the honour. . . . The Blazers have added G Cameron Pateman, 16, to their protected list. From Regina, he is 4-2-2, 1.23, .937 with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. Two other players off that team – F Jayden Halbgewachs and F Mitch Lipon, JC’s younger brother – also are on the Blazers’ list.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jason Chimera (Medicine Hat, Brandon, 1996-99) signed a lockout contract with Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had 20 goals and 19 assists in 82 games with the Washington Capitals last season. The contract is for the rest of this season, should the NHL lockout last that long.
Chomutov has six former WHL players on the roster in addition to Chimera: Radek Duda (Regina, Lethbridge, 1998-2000), Karel Hromas (Everett, 2004-06), David Hruska (Red Deer, 1995-96), team captain Milan Kraft (Prince Albert, 1998-2000), Brett Palin (Kelowna, 2000-05) and Lukas Pulpan (Vancouver, 2003-04). The GM of Chomutov is Leo Gudas, father of current AHL-Syracuse D Radko Gudas (Everett, 2009-10).
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The Red Deer Rebels (10-11-2) woke up Wednesday morning tied for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. They are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and, with 22 points, they are seven points out of first place, tied with the Moose Jaw Warriors for the conference’s last playoff spot. Only 12 points separate first from 11th in the conference.
So Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, president and general manager, did what most observers thought he would do in July or August — he dumped head coach Jesse Wallin and moved behind the bench himself.
Sutter, whose contract wasn’t renewed by the NHL’s Calgary Flames after last season, named himself the interim head coach. (The press release announcing the change was interesting in that it’s very last line reads: “Brent Sutter will be the interim Head Coach.”
Sutter told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate:
“After discussions with Jesse I made the decision to move forward in a new direction with our head-coaching position. Coaching is a tough racket. Jesse is a very good coach, but for whatever reason the message just wasn’t getting through to the players and I really don’t know the exact reasons why that was or has been the case.
“The right thing is to make a change. Sometimes in life it’s never easy to do the right thing, but this is the right thing to do today moving forward. It’s too bad, though. It’s not a day that I’m sitting here feeling good about at all. It’s just not. But I know it’s something that has to be done.”
(Meachem’s complete story is right here.)
Sutter said Wallin will be offered another position in the organization.
“I told Jesse to go home for now and be a dad and a husband and spend time with your family, and then we’ll sit down in a couple of weeks,” Sutter said. “Jesse is a really good person and a good hockey man, but his time here ran its course. That happens in coaching and it’s not his fault, or anyone’s fault.
“You have to move forward and I had to make this decision, which was not an easy one to make.”
Sutter also named Jeff Truitt as associate coach. Truitt, a former head coach of the Kelowna Rockets who also worked in the Moose Jaw Warriors’ front office, spent last season as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Texas Stars. Most recently, he had been working with the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns.
Assistant coach Bryce Thoma remains in place.
Wallin was a defenceman through four seasons (1994-98) with the Rebels and then joined their coaching staff in 1997 after post-concussion syndrome brought an end to his professional playing career.
He was an assistant coach until being named associate coach for 2005-07. He was in his fifth season as head coach and is seen as one of the bright, young coaches in the game today.
The Rebels didn’t make the playoffs last season when they finished 32-34-6. But they were hit with a horrible string of injuries and Wallin received a lot of credit for keeping his club playing hard every night.
He was the head coach of Canada’s Under-18 team that finished third at the 2012 IIHF World U-18 championship last spring in the Czech Republic.
This will be an interesting test for Sutter, whose coaching record over the last few seasons has been a bit spotty.
He missed the playoffs in each of his three seasons with the Flames, although he did win 40 and 41 games in his first two seasons (2009-11) there.
In two seasons (2007-09) with the New Jersey Devils, he won 46 and 51 games but bowed out in the first round of the playoffs each time.
He was the head coach when the Rebels won the 2001 Memorial Cup and lost in the WHL final in 2004. The Rebels lost out in the third round in 2003-04 and were gone in the first round in 2004-05.
It has been a while, then, since Sutter has seen even the second round of a playoff series.
Yes, these will be interesting times in Red Deer.
The Rebels next play Saturday when the Swift Current Broncos pay a visit.
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Sutter’s first player personnel move was to send home F Charles Inglis, 20, who leads the Rebels in goals (11) and points (14).
The Rebels acquired Inglis from the Prince George Cougars on Dec. 29, giving up F Daulton Siwak, who turned 19 on Oct.25, and a 2012 third-round bantam draft pick in the exchange.
At the time, Inglis was at home awaiting a trade, having been sent home by the Cougars. He began his WHL career with the Saskatoon Blades, but wore out his welcome there and was dealt to the Cougars.
“At this point in time he leads our team in goals and points, so the fact we’re sending him home kind of speaks for itself,” Sutter told the Red Deer Advocate. “What more can you say? His time here has run out.
“He’s being sent home (to Saskatoon) to await a trade. If nothing happens he’ll go on waivers next week and if there’s no interest then he’ll play with a junior A team if he wishes.”
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Inglis (@CharlesInglis) let the Twitter world know that he was gone: “Thank you red deer for the past year going to miss a lot of the guys and the city, fans here are second to none love the city #RebelsHockey”
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that the Saskatoon Blades could be without F Jessey Astles, 19, for quite some time.
Astles was injured Friday during a 6-3 victory over the visiting Regina Pats when he suffered a self-inflicted skate cut to a wrist following a fight.
According to Nugent-Bowman, Astles “had surgery Saturday to repair the radial artery and four cut tendons, leaving a large S-shaped scar running halfway down his forearm.”
Lorne Molleken, the Blades’ general manager and head coach, said Astles could miss anywhere from two months to the rest of the season.
The Blades open a B.C. Division tour on Friday in Prince George.
Nugent-Bowman’s story is right here.
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In Wednesday’s Globe and Mail, Hall of Famer Roy MacGregor takes a look at Edge School for Athletes, which is located in Calgary. . . . When it comes to hockey, from the junior level on down, there is a whole lot of symbolism in having an ATM machine mentioned in the essay’s first sentence. . . . That piece is right here.
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F Travis Ewanyk of the Edmonton Oil Kings left Wednesday’s Super Series game in Vancouver with an injury. Prior to the start of the third period, TSN’s Bob McKenzie tweeted that Ewanyk had suffered “an injury (foot or ankle) and not expected to return.”
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From F Jesse Mychan (@jmychan28): “Found out the bomb used in Hiroshima was built in tri! #crazyness #who knew”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Clarke MacArthur (Medicine Hat, 2002-05) signed a lockout contract with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He had 20 goals and 23 assists in 73 games with Toronto Maple Leafs last season. . . .
F Eric Fehr (Brandon, 2000-05) signed a one-year contract with HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had two goals and one assist in 35 games with the Winnipeg Jets last season. Fehr is an unrestricted free agent so he is not technically locked out. However, his contract with HPK does have an NHL opt-out clause should the lockout end and Fehr sign with an NHL team. Fehr was expected to arrive in Finland on Tuesday evening and is to be in HPK's lineup Saturday. . . .
F Gilbert Brulé (Vancouver, 2002-06) was granted his release by the ZSC Lions Zurich (Switzerland, NL A) for reasons the club said were "private and personal". He had six assists in 14 games for the Lions this season.
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G Austin Lotz is back on the ice with the Everett Silvertips, after sitting out seven games with a groin injury. That, of course, makes the Silvertips’ goaltending situation awfully interesting, what with Daniel Cotton and Cole Holowenko also healthy. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has  look at things right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
G Ty Rimmer stopped 31 shots to lead the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 4-0 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . It was Rimmer’s first shutout this season and the 10th of his career. . . . He had four with the Prince George Cougars in 2010-11 and five with the Tri-City Americans in 2011-12. . . . The Hurricanes have won two in a row for the first time this season and are 6-6-1. . . . F Russell Maxwell, who had 15 goals in 72 games last season, got his ninth in 13 games this time around. . . .

F Charles Inglis scored twice, giving him 11, as the host Red Deer Rebels got past the Regina Pats, 3-2. . . . Inglis scored 10 goals in 36 games after Red Deer acquired him from the Prince George Cougars last season; he has 11 goals in 16 games this season. . . . Regina was without F Chandler Stephenson (ankle), who will be out for up to six weeks. He was injured late in a 6-3 loss to the visiting Tri-City Americans on Friday. . . . Regina, which plays tonight in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice, is in a stretch of four games in five nights and had six players scratched with illness/injuries — Stephenson, F Patrick D’Amico (foot), D Kyle Burroughs (illness), F Braden Christoffer (foot), D Tye Hand (leg) and F Dryden Hunt (concussion). . . .

D Brenden Kichton drew three assists as the Spokane Chiefs scored five third-period goals and beat the host Prince George Cougars, 6-1. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s last six goals. . . . F Mitch Holmberg scored his 11th goal and drew two assists for Spokane. . . . These teams are in a stretch of playing each other in three straight games. The Chiefs won at home 3-2 on Saturday night and they’ll play again tonight in P.G. . . . G Mac Engel, acquired last week from the Chiefs, stopped 17 shots for the Cougars. . . . The announced attendance was 1,382. . . .

F Alex Gogolev put up three points, including the OT winner, as the Victoria Royals got past the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . Gogolev scored his second goal of the game, and seventh of the season, on a PP at 1:58 of OT. Brandon D Tyler Yaworski had been penalized for a headshot just 27 seconds into OT. . . . Victoria was 3-for-9 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 1-for-6. . . . The Royals have won nine games this season and have come from behind in six of them. . . . F Alessio Bertaggia scored his ninth goal of the season on a penalty shot at 2:02 of the second period. . . . Brandon later held a 2-0 lead, but trailed 3-2 in the third period. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley forced OT with his fourth goal at 14:16 of the third. . . . The Wheat Kings hadn’t played in Victoria since 1993. . . . D Tyler Stahl, named the Royals’ captain earlier in the week, sat out with an undisclosed injury. . . . Brandon F Jack Palmer is the son of former Victoria Cougars sniper Brad Palmer. Brad had 214 points, including 97 goals, in 185 games with the Cougars (1978-81). He was selected by the Minnesota North Stars with the 16th overall pick of the NHL’s 1980 draft.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Reid Duke, Lethbridge
F Collin Valcourt, Spokane
D Keegan Kanzig, Victoria

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Keegan Kanzig, Victoria
D Tyler Yaworski, Brandon
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From F Graham Black (@GrahamBlack9) of the Swift Current Broncos: “Vicks vapor rub is not meant for some parts of your body . . . Can someone please help me”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jamie Benn (Kelowna, 2007-09) signed a lockout contract with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL). He had 26 goals and 37 assists in 71 games with Dallas Stars last season. Benn will meet with the German media today in Hamburg. . . .
D Kris Russell (Medicine Hat, 2003-07) has returned to North America after suffering an undisclosed injury while playing for TPS Turku (Finland, SM-Liiga) in Sunday's game against the Espoo Blues. He was injured on the first shift of Sunday's game. Video highlights show that Russell blocked a shot with the inside of his right foot and did not return. Russell played his first game in Finland on Saturday, a 4-3 TPS victory in overtime against HIFK Helsinki. He had a goal and an assist, both on the power play, in just under 25 minutes of action.
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If you haven’t seen the TSN feature on Brandon Wheat Kings D Ryan Pulock that ran Tuesday night, you will find it right here, and it’s well worth five minutes of your time. . . . The reporter is Leah Hextall, who works for CTV out of Winnipeg. Yes, she is part of hockey’s Hextall family. She is the daughter of Randy Hextall, who won the Centennial Cup with the MJHL’s Portage Terriers in 1973.
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CH-CH-CHING!
The WHL’s coffers sweeled for the first time this season as the Kootenay Ice and Lethbridge Hurricanes were dinged for a “multiple-fight situation” in Cranbrook on Saturday.
In the end, the tally was $1,750. (Yes, the Christmas shopping season is almost upon us.)
Each team was fined $500 for the fights, with the Hurricanes being hit up for an extra $500 and the Ice for $250 for “actions of player” during the situation.
There also were a couple of notable suspensions out of that game.
Lethbridge F Brady Ramsay, a 19-yer-old from Calgary, was hit with a five-game suspension, while Kootenay F Jon Martin, a 17-year-old from Winnipeg, got three games.
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, noted on the WHL website that Ramsay “entered the ice during a stoppage and initiated an altercation with an opponent.”
During the game, which Lethbridge won 4-2, Martin picked up 11 minutes in penalties — two roughing minors, a charging minor and one of the six fighting majors that were handed out at 18:49 of the third period.
Ramsay wasn’t penalized at any point in the game.
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The Swift Current Broncos have trimmed their roster by two as they have moved out D Eric Walker, 19, and G Steven Myland, 18. . . . Walker is expected to join the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Walker, from Castlegar, B.C., had been acquired from the Vancouver Giants in January for an eighth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. He was pointless, with five penalty minutes, in three games this season. . . . Myland is off to the junior B North Delta Devils of the Pacific International Junior League. The Broncos acquired Myland from the Kootenay Ice as part of the January 2011 deal in which F Cody Eakin went the other way. From Cloverdale, B.C., he got into three exhibition games with the Broncos. His departure leaves the Broncos with two freshman goaltenders — Eetu Laurikainen, 19, of Jyvaskyla, Finland, and Landon Bow, 17, from St. Albert, Alta. . . . The Broncos’ roster is at 23 players, including 14 forwards and seven defencemen.
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The Prince Albert Raiders are down to 24 players after assigning F Spencer Meyer, 16, to the junior B Grandview Steelers of the Pacific International Junior League. . . . Meyer was a fourth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . He got into regular-season game with the Raiders this season. . . . The Raiders’ roster now includes nine defencemen and 13 forwards.
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Things have been somewhat interesting in Saskatoon where D Duncan Siemens, last season’s captain, is neither the captain nor an alternate this season. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix gives his thoughts on that situation right here.
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JUST NOTES:
F Ryan Graham, 16, of the Saskatoon Blades has received medical clearance and took part in a full practice Tuesday. He has been out with back problems and now is day-to-day. . . . The  Blades are at home tonight to the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Saskatoon is 2-2-0 but has yet to win in regulation time. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix also points out that the Blades “have led for just 16 seconds so far this season.” . . . Regina Pats head coach Pat Conacher is expected back behind his club’s bench tonight for a game against the host Moose Jaw Warriors. Conacher has missed three games while tending to a family situation in Calgary. Conacher missed three road games, with the Pats going 1-2-0. . . .
The week’s hot ticket may be Friday night’s game in Brandon between the Wheat Kings and Portland Winterhawks. For sure, Westman Place will contain a whole lot of NHL scouts, there to see two defencemen — Ryan Pulock of the Wheat Kings and Seth Jones of the Winterhawks. “I’ve talked to a number of people (from NHLteams) that are coming to the game Friday and it’s a great opportunity to see two of the top defencemen in this year’s draft play on the same sheet of ice,” Brandon /owner/GM Kelly McCrimmon told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. “So from a comparative standpoint, I think that’s valuable for scouts and as well it’s Portland’s only trip to the Prairies this season, so it’s a good opportunity for the scouts that are based in Manitoba and Saskatchewan to get in and watch their team play as well.” . . .
Brenden Kichton, the new captain in Spokane, has broken the Chiefs’ career scoring record for defencemen. He now has 185 points, including 140 assists, in 265 regular-season games. That is one more point than Bryan McCabe put up in 152 games during the live-puck era. McCabe played with the Chiefs from early in 1992-93 to late in 1994-95. He started with the Medicine Hat Tigers and finished with the Brandon Wheat Kings. In 254 regular-season games, he finished with 243 points. . . .
F Ryan Harrison of the Everett Silvertips has served a four-game suspension left over from last season and is eligible to play tonight against the visiting Tri-City Americans. Harrison, 20, took a charging major in Everett’s last playoff game in the spring and was later hit with a four-game suspension. A bout of mononucleosis kept him out of the club’s exhibition games.
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During my time covering the WHL and its teams, I don’t know that I have come across any one player who was as mature as Chris Phillips. A defenceman with the Prince Albert Raiders who finished up his WHL days with the Lethbridge Hurricanes (1995-97), he really was mature beyond his years . . . well beyond. . . . Don Brennan of the Ottawa Citizen has more right here on Phillips and his father, Garth, who died on the weekend.
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TUESDAY’S GAME:
There was one game, with the host Prince Albert Raiders beating the Red Deer Rebels, 5-4, in a shootout. . . . F Mark McNeill, the Raiders’ captain, scored the only goal of the shootout, after scoring his first two goals of the season in regulation time. . . . McNeill is 2-for-2 in the circus this season, having also scored against the Saskatoon Blades. . . . McNeill had a Gordie Howe hat trick in the second period. He had a goal, an assist and a scrap, the latter with D Mathew Dumba. Both were first-round NHL draft picks — McNeill by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011, Dumba by the Minnesota Wild in 2012. . . . Red Deer F Charles Inglis scored the game’s first goal on a PP with 7.7 seconds left in the first period. . . . That was Inglis’s fifth goal this season, all of them coming in the last  three games. . . . Inglis later added a second goal, giving him three straight two-goal outings. . . . He also has five PP goals on Red Deer’s last eight opportunities. . . . The Raiders scratched F Mike Winther with the dreaded lower-body injury. . . . Prince Albert F Anthony Bardaro, 20, scored a goal in his 200th regular-season game. . . . Prince Albert D Evan Morden drew an assist on Bardaro’s goal, his fourth assist in three games. Last season, Morden had three assists in 58 games with the Everett Silvertips. . . . Former Raiders player and coach Bob Lowes was in the Art Hauser Centre for the game. He now scouts for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. . . . Must have been some stories told at this one, what with Lowes joined there by Lorne Molleken and Daryl Lubiniecki of the Saskatoon Blades, Peter Anholt, who now scouts for the Seattle Thunderbirds, and longtime NHL scout Darwin Bennett.
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A tweet from WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): 6 — In his last 6 games vs. Red Deer, @PARaidersHockey Marc McNeill (@McNeill9) has scored 4 Goals, 9 Assists, & is a +6.
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CHECKING FROM BEHIND COUNT:
F Adam Kambeitz, Red Deer.
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CHECKING TO THE HEAD COUNT:
None.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From George Bowditch (@55golfman): “Sask. Hockey Hall of Fame now open 1-5 p.m. Tues-Sat. Broncos game days 1-4 p.m. and 6-7 p.m. Check out heroes of yesterday.”
The Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame is located in the iPlex in Swift Current.

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The Kootenay Ice has traded F Elgin Pearce, 20, to the Medicine Hat Tigers for a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Pearce, from Port Coquitlam, B.C., was in his fourth season with the Ice. . . . Pearce had 35 points, including 21 goals, in 69 games last season. . . . The move leaves the Ice with three 20-year-olds – D Joey Leach, F Brock Montgomery and F Drew Czerwonka, the latter not having played this season due to an undisclosed injury. . . . In Medicine Hat, the Tigers now have four 20-year-olds on their roster, with Pearce joining F Kale Kessy, D Alex Theriau and D Derek Ryckman. Kessy is serving a 12-game suspension, while Theriau continues to recover from offseason hip surgery. . . . Theriau is on the injured list and won’t return until after the mid-October 20-year-old deadline. When he does return, the Tigers will have two weeks to get down to three.
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It is never too soon to point out the silliness of the loser point.
Look, this season isn’t even 10 days old and if you can’t laugh at this, there’s something wrong.
The Swift Current Broncos have played five games.
They have one victory. They have four losses, each of which has been worth a loser point.
That means they are on pace for 14.4 victories and 86.4 points.
Last season, 86 points would have left them in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
In their first five games this season, the Broncos have one victory, three overtime losses and a shootout loss.
On Saturday night, they lost 2-1 in OT to the visiting Saskatoon Blades.
Despite having won just one game, the Broncos have six points. They are tied for third in the Eastern Conference, just two points out of top spot.
They may have lost four times but they are one of seven teams not to have tasted defeat in regulation time.
Seriously!
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BTW, the other 21 teams have earned a total of six loser points.
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SATURDAY NIGHT:
The Red Deer Rebels won for the first time in four games, and they did it by beating the Hitmen 3-2 in OT in Calgary. . . . That was Calgary’s first loss in four games, although it wasn’t a regulation-time setback. . . . The Hitmen led 2-0 on a pair of first-period PP goals. . . . F Charles Inglis, one of four 20-year-olds on Red Deer’s roster, had two goals, including the winner. He has four goals over his last two games. . . . The winner came via the PP, after Calgary F Zack Jones was called for goaltender interference. . . . Prior to that goal, the Hitmen had killed off 16 straight opposition power-play chances. . . . Red Deer D Mathew Dumba returned from a two-game suspension but didn’t get a warm welcome in his hometown. Here’s Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun: “Hitmen fans were still steamed over Dumba’s high hit against winger Joe Kornelsen in the season-opener last week and booed the Rebels blueliner whenever he had the puck.” . . .
The Lethbridge Hurricanes went into Cranbrook and doubled the Kootenay Ice, 4-2. . . . F Russell Maxwell was in on all four Lethbridge goals, scoring twice. . . . Maxwell was ejected with a fighting major and game misconduct in what would appear to be a multi-fight incident at 18:49 of the third period. . . . This was the first four-point game of Maxwell’s WHL career, which is in its third season. He scored three goals in the final game of the 2011-12 regular season. . . . He went into last night’s game pointless in three games. . . .
F Sam Fioretti enjoyed his first WHL hat trick and four-point night in leading the host Moose Jaw Warriors to a 6-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . That was Brandon’s first regulation-time loss this season. The Wheaties now are 4-1-0. . . . Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk played his first game after missing the exhibition season and four regular-season games with a concussion. . . .
F Josh Nicholls scored at 2:28 of OT as the Saskatoon Blades beat the Broncos 2-1 in Swift Current. . . . Saskatoon F Matej Stransky forged a 1-1 tie with a PP goal at 17:57 of the third period. The Broncos, who have had trouble staying out of the box in the early going, were one man short at the time, but had just been two men down for 1:21. . . . Swift Current G Landon Bow stopped 42 shots in his first WHL start. . . .
F Hunter Shinkaruk had a goal and three assists as the host Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Regina Pats, 5-1. . . . The Tigers were 3-for-9 on the PP. . . . The Tigers, having won three in a row, now head into the B.C. Division for three games, starting Wednesday in Victoria against the Royals. . . . F Elgin Pearce, acquired Saturday from the Kootenay Ice, is expected to join the Tigers before Wednesday’s game. . . .
F Zach Franko broke a 3-3 tie at 19:01 of the third period to give the Kelowna Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Winterhawks in Portland. . . . Kelowna had lost its last nine regular-season games in Portland. . . . The Rockets, another team that has had discipline issues early in the season, took 43 of the 72 penalty minutes. Portland was 2-8 on the PP; the Rockets were 0-1. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 43 shots. . . . The Rockets, now 1-2-1, had lost three straight one-goal games prior to this one, with one of those losses coming in OT. . . . Myles Bell, normally a defenceman, played up front for the Rockets and had two goals and an assist. He also got into a couple of scraps. . . . Portland came back with G Brendan Burke, despite Cam Lanigan having posted the first shutout of his career on Friday. Burke stopped 20 shots. . . . The Winterhawks now head into the East Division as they open a six-game swing in Brandon on Friday. Portland doesn’t appear at home again until Oct. 20. . . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds tied the game late and then scored in OT to beat the Cougars 2-1 in Prince George. . . . Seattle F Seth Swenson batted a loose puck out of the air and into the net to tie the game 1-1 at 19:51 of the third period with G Brandon Glover on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . F Shea Theodore won it at 2:00 of OT. . . . Prince George’s home-opener on Friday drew 4,238 fans. Last night, attendance was announced at 1,971. . . . The Cougars, at 3-0-1, have yet to lose in regulation time. They lead the Western Conference and the B.C. Division by a point. . . .
F Mitch Holmberg scored three times in Spokane as the Chiefs opened their home schedule with a 5-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . It was the second three-goal game of Holmberg’s career. . . . The Chiefs are 2-0-0 this season and Holmberg already has six points, four of them goals. . . . Both games have been against the Americans, who lost their home-opener 5-2 to the Chiefs a week earlier. . . . Tri-City F Jesse Mychan left with an undisclosed injury after going heavily into the boards late in the first period.
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CHECKING FROM BEHIND COUNT:
D Jan Bittner, Red Deer
F Jaedon Descheneau, Kootenay
F Ty McLean, Regina (twice in same game)
F Austin Ferguson, Kelowna
D Troy Rutkowski, Portland
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CHECKING TO THE HEAD COUNT:
D Joey Leach, Kootenay
D Spencer Galbraith, Lethbridge
F Matej Stransky, Saskatoon

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ASK THE BLOGGER:
Who covered for Bob Ridley when he missed that game in 1973?
---
Here is Bob Ridley’s answer: “It was my colourman Larry Plante. He was with me for 25 years.”
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JUST NOTES:
F Marek Trvrdon of the Vancouver Giants drew a three-game suspension for the match penalty he took for spearing in a 2-1 victory over the host Spokane Chiefs on Wednesday. . . .
The injury bug is taking a chunk out of the Tri-City Americans. F Mason Wilgosh, F Malte Stromwall, F Tyson Dallman (knee), F Marcus Messier and F Jesse Mychan (thumb) all are injured. Mychan, who was hurt on Tuesday, is to have surgery on Monday to repair a broken thumb. Dallman was injured during a 5-1 loss in Kamloops on Feb. 8 and could miss up to six weeks. . . . You wonder if the Americans aren’t into survivor mode, where they are more concerned about getting healthy than they are about where they finish in the standings. . . . At the same time, Tri-City GM Bob Tory has told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald that there isn’t anything knew on the Brett Connolly front. The Lightning acquired Connolly’s rights from the Prince George Cougars on Jan. 10, but he continues to be with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. "I've been in conversation with (Lightning GM) Steve Yzerman,” Tory told Fowler, “but they have until the 27th to make their decision. We'll see at that point.” . . . The NHL trade deadline Feb. 27. NHL teams are able to return major junior-eligible players until that date. . . . Fowler also reports that F Parker Bowles, 16, will join the Americans on Monday from the major midget Okanagan Rockets, who are based in Kelowna. He goes into the weekend with 63 points, including 30 goals, in 34 games. The plan is for Bowles to play one game, agianst the Everett Silvertips on Tuesday, and then return to the Rockets. . . .
There are reports that F Cam Cunning (Kamloops, Vancouver, 2002-05) has retired. A Friday tweet from @dcmahiban: “Former #NHLFlames prospect and #AHLHeat forward Cam Cunning has retired to become a firefighter.” . . .
In the BCHL, the host Penticton Vees erased a 4-2 third-period deficity and beat the Vernon Vipers 6-4 for their league-record 33rd straight victory. . . .
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, D Darren Dietz scored four times in the game’s first two periods as the Blades beat the Swift Current Broncos, 7-3. . . . Dietz, who now has 14 goals, later hit a goal post while killing a penalty as he came that close to a five-goal night. . . .The Blades, who had lost three in a row, were leading 4-3 when Dietz scored his third and fourth goals 29 seconds apart in the last minute of the second period. . . . The Blades were 3-5 on the PP. . . . Saskatoon is 4-0 against the Broncos this season. . . . F Coda Gordon scored twice for the Broncos, giving him 25. . . . Dietz is one of eight defencemen to score four goals in a game in WHL history. How did he find out he had tied a WHL record? He took a penalty late in the game and the officials in the penalty box informed him. . . .

In Moose Jaw, G Luke Siemens stopped 22 shots as the Warriors dropped the Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-0. . . . Siemens, who is 29-10-4, has four shutouts this season and six in his career. . . . Moose Jaw has won six in a row. . . . F Quinton Howden scored twice for the Warriors, who were 5-8 on the PP. He has 27 goals. . . . F Cam Braes added a goal, his 34th, and two assists. . . . The Tigers took 72 of 140 penalty minutes. . . . The Tigers were without G Hunter Shinkaruk, F Curtis Valk, D Kale Kessy, F Gavin Broadhead and G Tyler Bunz, all of whom are injured. F Brendan Hurley sat out Game 5 of a six-game suspension. . . . Those six all are expected to miss tonight’s rematch in Medicind Hat. . . . The Tigers also lost F Riley Sheen, who left in the second period after a fight with F Jordan Wyton. . . . Tigers F Emerson Etem had his point streak snapped at 19 games. . . . Moose Jaw F James Henry drew two assists, giving him 201 career points. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that the head coaches, Shaun Clouston of Medicine Hat and Moose Jaw’s Mike Stothers, “leaned over the bench to yell at each other.” That came after there were five fights in a span of 2:10 in the third period. . . . “I don’t know what they were thinking,” Stothers told Gourlie. “How many guys do you have to get beat up? And then they kept sending more guys out.” . . .

In Brandon, F Mark Stone had a goal and four assists to help the Wheat Kings to a 6-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Stone, who has 38 goals, leads the WHL scoring race, with 99 points. He is on an 11-game point streak. . . . Brandon F Michael Ferland had two goals, giving him 36, and a helper. . . . B Brenden Walker, the third member of that line, had a goal and two assists. . . . F Bruno Mraz, a Slovakian freshman, scored his first WHL goal for Brandon, which counted the game’s first six goals. . . . Mraz, 18, also has 13 assists in 53 games. . . . Brandon dressed 17 skaters, with F Kevin Sundher, F Tyrel Seaman and F Alessio Bertaggio all sitting this one out. . . . Brandon has won three in a row and six of seven. . . . Prince Albert D Tyler Yaworski left in the first period with an apparent shoulder injury after being checked into a stanchion. . . . The same two teams will play again tonight in Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings are mourning the loss of former player Mac Beaton, who died Tuesday. He was 83. Beaton was a member of the team that played in the 1948-49 Memorial Cup final. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice scored four of the game’s first five goals and went on to a 4-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . F Joe Antilla had a goal, his 11th, and two assists for the Ice, as did F Max Reinhart. He has 22 goals. D Jonathon Martin’s sixth goal gave the Ice a 4-1 lead at 12:42 of the second. . . . F Dominick Uher scored twice for the Chiefs, at 16:45 of the second and 11:17 of the third. . . . Uher has 24 goals. . . . Ice F Drew Czerwonka, who scored his 14th goal in the first, left in the second with an undisclosed injury. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 25 shots. . . . The Chiefs have lost three straight. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Brody Sutter and F Jaimen Yakubowski scored goals 43 seconds apart in the last minute of the second period and the Hurricanes went on to beat the Regina Pats, 6-4. . . . Sutter had tied the game 3-3 on a PP at 17:36 of the second. He then scored on another PP at 19:11 . . . Sutter has 28 goals. . . . Yakubowski got his 12th at 19:54 for a 5-3 lead. . . . F Brady Ramsay and F Phil Tot each had a goal and two helpers for Lethbridge. . . . F Dyson Stevenson had two goals for Regina, with D Martin Marincin helping out with a goal and two assists. . . . Lethbridge was 4-7 on the PP. . . . The Pats lost D Luke Fenske to a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct at 6:23 of the second. . . .

In Kamloops, F Charles Inglis broke a 2-2 tie at 17:37 of the third period and G Bolton Pouliot got his first WHL victory as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Blazers, 3-2. . . . Pouliot was making his seventh start of the season but his first since Dec. 9. . . . He stopped 37 shots, including a tremendous glove save on D Austin Madaisky who wired a one-timer off a back-door pass from F Colin Smith. . . . After the game, Madaisky tweeted: “Gunna have nightmares about that one #backdoor #glovesave #2minsleft.” . . . The Blazers held a 16-3 edge in shots in the third period. Pouliot stopped all 16. . . . Kamloops F Chase Schaber, the team captain, wasn’t on the bench for the third period. He has an undisclosed injury and is questionable for tonight’s game with the visiting Calgary Hitmen. . . . Red Deer had three midget AAA players in their lineup. D Kevin Pochuk (Winnipeg Wild) scored his first WHL goal. F Scott Feser (Red Deer Optimist Rebels) drew an assist on Pochuk’s goal. F Dexter Bricker (Swift Current Legionnaires) played with some spunk. . . . Red Deer D Alex Petrovic had a goal and an assist and was plus-2 in a monster game. . . . Inglis now has scored two game-winners for two different teams in Kamloops this season. He scored for the Prince George Cougars when they beat the Blazers 1-0 in the season-opener for both teams. . . . The Rebels are eight points out of a playoff spot but hold three games in hand on Brandon. . . .

In Kelowna, the Calgary Hitmen scored three PP goals and beat the Rockets, 7-1. . . . Calgary went 3-5 on the PP. . . . The Hitmen are 2-0 on a B.C. swing, having beaten the Victoria Royals 5-3 on Wednesday. The Hitmen also are 2-0 since head coach Mike Williamson tossed water bottles during a 4-0 loss to the visiting Kootenay Ice on Sunday. . . . F Danny Gayle scored twice for Calgary, giving him 14. . . . F Brady Brassart, who is from Vernon, B.C., got the game’s first goal, his 20th, and drew an assist on the second. . . . F Alex Gogolev helped out with a goal, his 23rd, and two assists. . . . F Victor Rask got his 25th goal and was plus-3 for Calgary. . . . G Chris Driedger lost his shutout bid with 36 seconds to play when Kelowna D Madison Bowey scored a shorthanded goal. . . . Rockets F Brett Lyon returned after serving a six-game suspension. . . .

In Victoria, the Royals erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and went on to a 4-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee scored his 20th goal to tie the game on a PP at 5:00 of the second. . . . F Steven Hodges, with his 18th, gave Victoria the lead at 12:22. . . . The Cougars took 55 of 104 penalty minutes. . . . Prince George was 0-7 on the PP, while the Royals were 2-5. . . . The Royals pulled into a tie with Seattle for seventh in the Western Conference. They are three points ahead of Everett and four up on Prince George. . . .

In Vancouver, F Cain Franson had a goal and an assist and was the game’s first star as the Giants beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 6-2. . . . It was only fitting that Franson have a good night because his older brother, D Cody Franson of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, was inducted into the Giants’ Ring of Honour last night. . . . Vancouver D Brett Kulak had two assists and was plus-5. . . . Giants D David Musil had one assist and was plus-4. . . . Vancouver F Jordan Martinook continued his break-out season with two goals, giving him 32. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher got the game’s first goal, his 35th. . . . The Oil Kings, down 2-0, tied it with PP goals from F Tyler Maxwell, his 35th, and F Rhett Rachinski, his 24th, in the second period. . . . F Matt Bellerive broke the tie at 16:45 and Martinook provided insurance at 11:05 of the third. . . . Rachinski has eight goals in his last seven games. . . . The Giants now are four points ahead of fifth-place Spokane in the Western Conference. . . . Vancouver G Adam Morrison stopped 26 shots in winning his 31st game. . . . Edmonton went 3-2-1 on a road swing that included five games (2-2-1) in the B.C. Division. . . . The Giants went 3-0-0 against Edmonton this season, holding a 13-5 edge in goals. . . .

In Everett, G Mac Carruth stopped 26 shots for his WHL-leading 36 victory of the season as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Silvertips, 4-1. . . . Carruth set the Winterhawks’ single-season record for victories. The previous record was held by Brent Belecki. . . . F Oliver Gabriel, F Taylor Leier and F Sven Baertschi each had a goal and an assist for Portland. . . . In his last eight games, Baertschi has 18 points, including nine goals. He has scored in each of his club’s last five games. . . . On the season, he has 75 points in 38 games. Might he end up averaging at least two points per game? . . . Portland F Ty Rattie picked up his 45th goal. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 43 shots. . . . I am told the Portland play-by-play voice Todd Vrooman had some minor health problems and was subbed for to start the second period. Who took over? None other than his father, Dean (Scooter) Vrooman, the former long-time voice of the Winterhawks. . . . “Hawk fans got a treat,” one fan told me. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin and F Connor Rankin each had two goals to help the Americans to a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Shinnimin, who has 39 goals, also had an assist. . . . In eight February games, Shinnimin has 20 points, including 10 goals. . . . Due to injuries, the Americans were able to dress only 10 forwards. . . . Seattle got two goals from F Connor Honey, giving him six. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 36 shots, 12 fewer than Seattle’s Calvin Pickard. . . . The Thunderbirds have lost eight of 10.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Richard Nedomlel, Swift Current.
D Tanner Muth, Kootenay.
D Luke Fenske, Regina (minor, major).
D Zach Yuen, Tri-City.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Dylan McIlrath, Moose Jaw.
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Do you love watching your child play hockey or baseball or any other sport? Do you tell your child that you loved watching him or her play?
Did you know:
“Nearly 75 percent of kids who play organized sports quit by age 13. Some find that their skill level hits a plateau and the game is no longer fun. Others simply discover other interests. But too many promising young athletes turn away from sports because their parents become insufferable.”
For more, check this out right here.


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Pouliot backstops Rebels past Blazers

Tim Bozon of the Kamloops Blazers beat Red Deer goaltender Bolton
Pouliot here, but the Rebels had the last laugh with a 3-2 victory
on Friday night.
(Photo by Murray Mitchell / Kamloops Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

It happens.
Every once in a while man bites dog, David beats Goliath, Buster Douglas takes out Mike Tyson.
On Friday night, it happened at the Interior Savings Centre as the Red Deer Rebels, with seven regulars out of the lineup and their starting goaltender on the limp, scored a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers.
The Blazers, who lead the WHL’s overall standings at 41-13-4, had won nine in a row — and 15 of 16 — at home. They last lost at home on Dec. 30 when the Calgary Hitmen, who are here tonight, posted a 6-3 victory.
The Rebels, now 26-26-5, came in having lost two in a row. They are eight points out of the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot.
On top of that, Jesse Wallin, the Rebels’ general manager and head coach, was forced into using starting a goaltender who had yet to win in this league.
“I didn’t know I was playing until five minutes left in warmup,” offered Bolton Pouliot, a 17-year-old freshman from Calgary who got the start because Deven Dubyk, 20, is fighting a sore back and the flu. “Jesse said you’re going to go in. I took the opportunity . . . it was pretty exciting.”
(Dubyk actually is the Rebels’ second No. 1 goaltender this season. Patrik Bartosak, a Czech freshman, was having a terrific season when his season was ended by shoulder surgery. Dubyk was then brought in from the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos.)
Pouliot was making his third appearance of 2012 — he came on in relief on Jan. 6 and Feb. 4 — and his first start since Dec. 9, when the Rebels dropped a 5-3 decision to the Brandon Wheat Kings. He actually played more minutes last night (60) than he did in his previous three appearances combined (36).
Pouliot, who now is 1-4-2, didn’t face a whole lot of pressure from a Kamloops team that was clearly out of sync, but he held the fort in the third period when his guy were outshot, 16-3.
“That was to be expected, especially with the quality of team they have,” Pouliot said of the third-period onslaught.
His best stop came at 18:26, when he took what appeared to be a sure-fire score away from defenceman Austin Madaisky, who had taken a back-door pass from Colin Smith and thought he was looking at an open net. Pouliot, however, was able to get his glove on the shot.
Asked if any one save stood out, Pouliot shook his head.
“Just solid,” he said, after making 37 saves. “Just stop the puck.”
Pouliot did admit that there was a personal touch to this game as he dates Sierra Sterzer, a sister to Kamloops forward Aspen Sterzer, who was scratched last night.
“All summer we go at each other, chirping back and forth,” Pouliot said with a laugh.
While the Blazers didn’t have anything to laugh about after this one, they were in it right to the end.
The score was 2-2 late in the third period when centre Charles Inglis, whom the Rebels acquired from the Prince George Cougars on Dec. 29, beat forward Brandon Herrod off the right boards in the Kamloops zone.
“I was just trying to rag the puck . . . looking for guys coming in,” Inglis said, “because I saw our guys were changing. I was hoping for a trailer. I shoulder-checked and I had a lot more room than I thought. So I walked to the middle, threw it on net and luckily she went in.”
Just prior to the goal, which came at 17:37, Inglis said he and Kamloops winger Brendan Ranford were chirping at each other from their benches.
“He told me he was going to score next shift,” said Inglis, who has 17 goals. “I said, ‘Nah, I’m going to score.’ ”
Inglis now has scored two game-winners for two different teams at the ISC this season. He had the game’s only goal on Sept. 24 when the Cougars beat the Blazers 1-0 in Kamloops’ home-opener.
Ranford had scored his 33rd goal of the season to forge a 2-2 tie at 17:02 of the second.
“We didn’t rise to the challenge for 40 minutes,” Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said. “In the third period, they had one scoring chance. They scored. They only had three shots on goal. For the first 40 minutes, 5-on-5, they outplayed us.
“As well as (Pouliot) played, if we could have sustained the pressure that we did in the third period for 60 minutes, maybe we would have had a chance to make him collapse.”
Pouliot was quick to compliment Kamloops goaltender Cole Cheveldave, who finished with 31 saves, including two when he was down and out but still had pucks hit outstretched legs.
“Cheveldave was unbelievable in the second period,” Pouliot said “He deserved a better fate. He played incredibly well.”
Tim Bozon had the Blazers’ other goal, opening the scoring in the first period with his 28th of the season. The Rebels took the lead on goals by defencemen — Kevin Pochuk, in from the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild, got his first WHL goal three minutes after Bozon scored and Alex Petrovic, who always plays like he owns the building here, got his ninth midway through the second.
The Blazers, who lead the overall standings by three points over the Edmonton Oil Kings and hold a five-point lead over the Tri-City Americans and Portland Winterhawks in the Western Conference, could have their hands full again tonight. The Hitmen, who beat the Royals 5-3 in Victoria on Wednesday night, whipped the Rockets 7-1 in Kelowna last night.
“We are faced with another team that has had success against us and they’re playing well,” Charron said. “If we get the same kind of effort, we’ll probably face the same result.”
JUST NOTES: Attendance was 4,077. . . . Kamloops F Chase Schaber, the team captain, is questionable tonight with what the team says is a lower-body injury. He wasn’t on the bench for the third period. . . . The Rebels went 3-0 against Kamloops this season. . . . Kamloops G Cam Lanigan was ill and didn’t dress. G Ty Hamer-Jackson of the midget Tier 1 North Kamloops Lions was on the bench. . . . The Daily News’ Three Stars: 1. Pouliot: Full marks for first victory; 2. Petrovic: Big, physical and moves well; 3. Cheveldave: Gave his guys a chance to pull one out. 



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THE MacBETH REPORT:
The international transfer deadline passed as the month changed from January to February, thus the flurry of activity over the last couple of days. There was one other move that apparently was made right before the deadline . . .
F Brad Schell (Spokane, 1999-2004), released earlier Tuesday by Dornbirn (Austria, Nationalliga), signed a contract for the rest of this season with Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga).
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ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
What are the actual payable education amounts? Along with the 'fine print' — could the WHL publish a standard education contract online for transparency? And could the WHL provide online a FAQ for parents/players?
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Fans of the Swift Current Broncos are going to have an opportunity to hear about the direction the organization has charted and also to say their piece at the inaugural Community Interaction meeting set for Thursday, 7 p.m., in the auditorium at the Credit Union iPlex. Liam Choo-Foo, the chairman of the Broncos’ board of directors, will present the organization’s “strategic framework.” He then will be joined by GM/head coach Mark Lamb and others for a question-and-answer session.
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The Tri-City Americans have extended the contract of Barclay Parneta, the prospect development coach and head scout. The Americans didn’t announce any details, not even length. . . . Parneta joined the Americans in August 2010 after spending seven seasons as an NHL scout.
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The Regina Pats are in need of a radio play-by-play voice, and they need one in a hurry. The Pats announced Tuesday that Dan Plaster, their co-ordinator of broadcasting and communications, will be leaving in a couple of weeks to join the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders’ front office. Plaster will work in community relations with the football team. . . . Pats president Brent Parker isn’t happy with the CFL team, and Greg Harder’s story should be on the Regina Leader-Post’s website at some point today.
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After the 1993-94 season, Rick Brodsky picked up the Victoria Cougars and moved the franchise to Prince George. The Cougars are back in Victoria this week for the first time since the move, as they play a Tuesday-Wednesday doubleheader with the Royals, who, let us not forget, used to be the Chlliwack Bruins. . . . Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist spoke with Brodsky about then and now. . . . That piece is right here.
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F Brett Connolly of Tampa Bay played six shifts as the host Lightning scored a 5-4 OT victory over the Washington Capitals last night. . . . Connolly, whose WHL rights belong to the Tri-City Americans, played three shifts in the first period (he also served a too-many-men penalty), two in the second and one in the third. . . . He ended up playing a career-low 5:08. . . . Hello, Steve, this is Bob Tory calling. . . .
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F Nino Niederreiter played 9:00 over 14 shifts as his New York Islanders beat the host Carolina Hurricanes, 5-2. Niederreiter played five shifts in each of the first two periods and four in the third. . . . That included 2:05 in PP time. . . . His WHL rights belong to the Portland Winterhawks. . . .
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THE COACHING GAME:
There would appear to be something of a mess in Thunder Bay, Ont., where Lonny Bohonos (Moose Jaw, Seattle, Portland, 1991-94) has replaced Todd Howarth has head coach of the junior A Superior International league’s Thunder Bay North Stars. According to a news release issued by the team, Bohonos was named interim head coach after Howarth stepped down for personal reasons. Uhh, not so fast. Reuben Villagracia of the Thunder Bay Chronicle quotes Howarth as saying he has been fired. “My teams never quit,” Howarth told Villagracia. “Ever. And I didn’t either. Let’s be honest here.” . . . That complete story is right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, F Matej Stransky scored two goals to help the Blades to a 3-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Stransky has 28 goals; last season, he finished with 26 points. . . . Yes, points!. . . Late in the third period, Stransky missed the empty Swift Current net and the Broncos broke back on a 3-on-1 break but weren’t able to score. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls then ended it with an empty-netter. . . . Nicholls had assisted on the Blades’ first two goals. . . .  The Blades are 8-2-0 in their last 10 and have moved into fifth in the Eastern Conference, a point ahead of the idle Kootenay Ice. . . . The Broncos have lost two in a row. . . . This was Saskatoon GM/head coach Lorne Molleken’s 550th WHL coaching victory. He had moved into second place on the WHL’s all-time list on Saturday with an 8-1 victory over the visiting Regina Pats. Molleken had been tied with Ernie (Punch) McLean (548). Molleken now trails only Ken Hodge (742). . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Charles Inglis broke a 2-2 tie with two second-period goals as the Red Deer Rebels doubled the Tigers, 6-3. . . . Inglis scored at 12:46 and 18:52 of the second. He’s got 13 goals. . . . The victory lifted the Rebels to within two points of the idle Brandon Wheat Kings for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot. . . . F Tyson Ness also scored twice for Red Deer. He’s got 14. . . . F Emerson Etem scored all three Medicine Hat goals, including his WHL-leading 10th shorthanded score. . . . Etem has a WHL-leading 47 goals in 45 games. He has 81 points and is third in the scoring race, behind Portland F Ty Rattie (86) and Regina F Jordan Weal (83). . . . Etem actually leads the entire CHL in goals and shorthanded goals. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 24 shots. . . .

In Victoria, F Daulton Siwak broke a 2-2 tie at 15:16 of the second period and the Prince George Cougars went on to a 4-2 victory over the Royals. . . . Cougars F Greg Fraser had tied the game at 7:24 of the second with his 13th goal. . . . Siwak got the winner, his ninth goal of the season. . . . F Troy Bourke, who somehow wasn’t selected for the Top Prospects Game, had three assists for the Cougars. . . . The victory was the 500th for the Cougars since the franchise left Victoria for Prince George after the 1993-94 season. . . . The Cougars are three points behind the Royals, who hold down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . They meet again tonight in Victoria. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Dominik Uher scored four goals to lead the Spokane Chiefs to a 5-3 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . This was Uher’s first four-goal game in the WHL. . . . Uher’s third goal, at 18:48 of the third period, broke a 3-3 tie. He added an empty-netter, for his 20th of the season, at 19:51. . . . Uher, from the Czech Republic, has 45 points in 40 games. He put up 23 points in 14 games in January, after returning from the World Junior Championship. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 35 shots. . . . Mitch Elliott, normally a forward, played on the back end for Seattle. He had been a healthy scratch for the last two games. It was his first time on defence since playing there once in the exhibition season.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Cory Millette, Red Deer.
F Brendan Hurley, Medicine Hat.
D Corbin Baldwin, Spokane.
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Rick Westhead of the Toronto Star reports that insurance companies may be getting antsy when it comes to covering the contracts of NHL players in these days when concussions are so prevalent. That story is right here.
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Dave Hakstol, the head coach of the University of North Dakota hockey team, is not a happy man these days. He feels that NCAA hockey coaches are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to recruiting against CHL teams. And he is thinking that the time have arrived for NCAA coaches to campaign for a rule change or two.
Roman Augustoviz of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has more right here.
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Congrats to old friend Jim Hughson of Hockey Night in Canada and the other four gents who will be inducted into the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame in Penticton this summer. Hughson will be joined by Scott Niedermayer, Rod Brind’Amour, Bob Hindmarch and Scott Harper when the hall doors swing open on July 27. . . . Ever since Hughson covered the Brandon Wheat Kings for radio station CKLQ in 1978-79, my wife has him as the best play-by-play man in the history of sports. Period. And he didn’t even call the play that season, because CKX was the rights holder.
Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has more right here.
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Reading the latest stories about Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby and the newest diagnosis of his injury/problem, I couldn’t help but think back to a story that freelancer Jim Riley wrote for the Seattle Times earlier this season. It dealt with F Branden Troock of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
“Troock went to the Seattle Sports Concussion Program at Harborview Medical Center and then was evaluated by a headache specialist at the University of Washington,” Riley wrote. “He was eventually diagnosed with a neck injury. Although the concussion had healed, a nerve that travels from his neck to his eyes was causing his migraines.”
Seattle trainer Phil Varney told Riley that “the neck injury was mimicking concussion symptoms, and that made it very difficult. He'd get dizzy when he did activity."
Troock ended up being treated by an acupuncturist.
Riley’s story is right here.
———
Robert MacLeod of The Globe and Mail wonders if it’s time for Sidney Crosby to consider retirement and sliding into a role as an ambassador for the game. That piece, which was written a couple of hours before the news conference in Pittsburgh, is right here.


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