Portland goaltender Mac Carruth had the answers as he blanked the Blazers
3-0 in Kamloops on Wednesday night.
(Murray Mitchell /Kamloops Daily News)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Patrick Baum (Swift Current, 1997-98) signed a one-year contract extension with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He had one goal and seven assists in 30 games for the Falken this season. Heilbronn also announced that it won’t offer contracts for next season to 13 players, including G Kevin Nastiuk (Medicine Hat, 2001-05). Nastiuk had a 2.21 GAA in 26 games this season. . . .

F Wacey Rabbit (Saskatoon, Vancouver, 2001-07) signed a two-year contract extension with Lørenskog (Norway, GET-Ligaen). He had 19 goals and 34 assists in 44 games this season. . . .

G Justin Pogge (Prince George, Calgary, 2003-06) signed a one-year contract with Karlskoga (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had a 2.37 GAA and .925 save percentage in 44 games with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A) this season. . . .

F Zdenek Okal (Medicine Hat, 2008-10) and F Ondrej Vesely (Portland, Tri-City, 1996-98) signed one-year contract extensions with Zlin (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Okal had seven goals and four assists in 46 games with Zlin, one goal in a one-game loan to Hradec Kralove (Czech Republic, 1. Liga), and was named Extraliga rookie of the year. . . . Vesely had 10 goals and 31 assists in 52 games with Zlin.
———

If you haven’t seen it by now, right here is what the hockey world will be talking about today. The QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar had quite a brawl following a game last night. . . . They are to meet again on Friday, so the QMJHL is going to have to make some disciplinary decisions in a hurry.
———

“Hockey parents are in shock after learning their kids are not covered for brain injury in a concussion-plagued sport.” . . . So begins a rather interesting piece written by Elaine O’Connor and Frank Luba of the Vancouver Province. . . . The complete story is right here.
———

Former Kamloops Blazers F Chase Schaber played this season with the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns, but has since turned pro and is with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. Chris Langrill of the Idaho Statesman has Schaber’s story right here, including the injury in last season’s playoffs that almost cost him one leg.
———

D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, who played out his junior eligibility with the Vancouver Giants this season, has decided to attend UBC and play for the Thunderbirds next season. Vannieuwenhuizen, the Giants’ captain this season, played four seasons with Vancouver. . . . F Greg Fraser, who played four seasons with the Prince George Cougars (2008-12) before playing this season with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers, also has committed to the Thunderbirds.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
Steve Rohlik is the new head coach at Ohio State. He spent three years as the associate coach under Mark Osiecki, who was fired earlier this month. When Osiecki was dropped, Rohlik was named interim head coach. . . . Rohlik, who is a head coach for the first time, also spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Minnesota-Duluth and three at Nebraska-Omaha.
———

 The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Calgary (3)
(Series tied 2-2; Game 5 on Friday night in Edmonton; all games on Shaw TV, with Dan Russell calling the play.)
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Kamloops (3)
(Portland leads series, 3-1; Game 5 on Friday night at the Rose Garden in Portland.)
———
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored four times in the first 10:15 of the opening period and went on to beat the Hitmen, 7-3. . . . Edmonton F T.J. Foster scored the game’s first two goals, in the opening 2:10, giving him three in the playoffs. . . . Oil Kings F Michael St. Croix finished with a goal and three assists. . . . Edmonton D Martin Gernat had a goal and an assist, and was plus-5. . . . The Oil Kings, who took a 5-1 lead into the second period, have twice enjoyed five-goal periods in this series, while Calgary has done it once. . . . Calgary F Brooks Macek scored on a second-period penalty shot. . . . Calgary F Elliott Peterson, who had four goals in 38 regular-season games, got his fifth in his 14th playoff game. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Griffin Reinhart, who left in the third period of Game 3 with an undisclosed injury, and F Luke Bertolucci, who departed in the second period after absorbing a stiff check by Calgary D Jaynen Rissling. . . . Edmonton inserted F Cole Benson and D Stephen Shmoorkoff into the lineup. . . . Reinhart actually returned to Edmonton in order to be re-evaluated. . . .

In Kamloops, G Mac Carruth stopped 29 shots and F Nic Petan scored twice as the Portland Winterhawks dumped the Blazers, 3-0. . . . Carruth has two shutouts in this series, four in these playoffs and seven in his career. . . . Portland F Nic Petan scored twice, giving him eight this spring, and had an assist. . . . For the second straight game, the Winterhawks got an early 1-0 lead with a 5-on-3 PP goal. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie had three assists, upping his career playoff total to 88 points. He passed former Kamloops F Rob Brown (1983-87) and moved into third on the WHL’s all-time list. Former Kamloops D Greg Hawgood (1983-88) is next on the list, with 100 points. . . . Rattie leads the WHL playoff scoring derby, with 29 points in 14 games. . . . Portland F Keegan Iverson drew a charging major and game misconduct for a third-period hit that knocked Kamloops F Brendan Ranford out of the game. . . . Blazers head coach Guy Charron wasn’t able to provide an update on Ranford’s condition after the game. . . . There’s a video featuring that Iverson hit on Ranford right here.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (20):
D Joel Edmundson, Kamloops

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (6):
None
———






From Cody Nickolet (@WHLFromAbove): “Shaw TV replay shows Griffin Reinhart's skate getting sliced in a collision last night. Ouch. He's not playing tonight in Game 4.”
———
From Jesse Spector (@jessespector): “You hate to see a guy hurt his undisclosed at this time of year.”
———
From Paul Buker (@Pnbuker) of The Oregonian: “Thanks to WHL Live for the video feed. Can my $7.95 go towards the 'FREE MIKE' fund? Is that OK? No?”

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.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jamie Lundmark (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 1998-2001) signed a two-year contract extension with Klagenfurt (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had 29 goals and 29 assists in 51 games for Klagenfurt this season. Lundmark led Klagenfurt in scoring this season, one point ahead of John Lammers (Lethbridge, Everett, 2001-06), and finished fifth in the league.
———
Former Tri-City Americans assistant coach Scott Beattie now is the head coach of Olten, a professional team in Switzerland.
One of his players, D Ronny Keller, suffered what is believed to be some permanent paralysis after being checked from behind during a game on Wednesday.
“There’s just absolutely no place in the game for contact from behind,” Beattie said. “Players have got to start to realize that.”
Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post spoke with Beattie on how he and his team are dealing with the situation. That story is right here.
———
Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star takes a look right here at the Wednesday night fight between Frazer McLaren of the Toronto Maple Leafs and David Dziurzynski of the Ottawa Senators.
———
The Saskatoon Blades will be without F Michael Ferland and perhaps D Dalton Thrower tonight when they play host to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Neither Ferland nor Thrower practised Thursday due to undisclosed injuries.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix also reports that the Blades will retire No. 7 tonight in honour of Gerry Pinder, who starred as a forward with the club for two seasons (1965-67). He had 221 points, including 112 goals, in 109 games over the two seasons.
The Blades have retired five other numbers — Brent Ashton (7), Bob Bourne (12), Wendel Clark (22), Bernie Federko (15) and Brian Skrudland (10).

———
The Brandon Wheat Kings have received all necessary paperwork involved in gaining a USA Hockey release for F Jesse Gabrielle, 15, so he is eligible to play tonight against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . However, the Wheat Kings have announced that F John Quenneville won’t play again this season due to an undisclosed injury.
———
The Medicine Hat Tigers have signed D Ty Schultz, who was the 16th overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft. Schultz had 26 points in 36 games with the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians.

———
According to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, the Vancouver Giants have brought in D Jake Kohlhauser for a look-see as time runs out on their season. Kohlhauser, who turned 17 on Jan. 28, should get a look as the Giants go home-and-home with the Victoria Royals tonight and Saturday. . . . Kohlhauser, a second-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft, played for the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders. 
———
Former WHL F Chase Schaber (Calgary, Kamloops (2007-12) has signed with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. Schaber, who turned 22 on Jan. 3, should make his debut tonight or Saturday against the visiting Gwinnett Gladiators. . . . Schaber, who is from Red Deer, played this season with the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns, putting up 18 points in 19 games.

———
The Victoria Royals have been fined $1,500 and hit with nine games in suspensions for their actions during the third period of a 6-0 loss to the host Kamloops Blazers on Tuesday.
Head coach Dave Lowry was suspended for one game, because he is deemed responsible for his club’s conduct. Lowry is eligible to return tonight against the visiting Vancouver Giants after sitting out a 4-3 shootout loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Wednesday.
Lowry watched that game in a Kelowna hotel room.
“It cost me $7.95 to watch it,” Lowry, who thankfully hasn’t lost his sense of humour, told Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist.
Forward Tim Traber drew a six-game suspension for coming onto the ice during a line change and initiating a one-man fight. He will be eligible to return for the Royals’ last regular-season game, in Everett against the Silvertips, on March 16.
Defenceman Keegan Kanzig will sit for two games for his one-man fight. Kanzig sat out Tuesday’s game in Kelowna and won’t play tonight. he will be eligible to return in Vancouver on Saturday.
———
A stick tap to AP for sending me this note yesterday:
“As a follow up to your note about the Alta AAA overtime marathon, (Wednesday) night in Saskatoon, the Saskatoon Blazers and Moose Jaw Generals played four overtime periods. The Blazers won 3-2 on a goal by Jackson Michalenko. The goalies were Evan Weninger and Ryland Pashovitz, who each made more than 50 saves in the game that lasted 127 minutes. With the win the Blazers won the series 3 games to 1. Players of the game were Pashovitz and Michalenko.”
———
F Graham Hood of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has been hit with a ‘tbd’ suspension after taking a boarding major for a hit on Red Deer D Devan Fafard during the visiting Rebels’ 4-0 victory on Wednesday night. . . . Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that Fafard “required facial stitches, was re-examined Thursday and is listed as day-to-day.”
———
The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Medicine Hat (6)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Tri-City (4) vs. Spokane (5)
———
THURSDAY’S GAMES:
No Games Scheduled.
———






From sports reporter Paul Buker of The Oregonian in Portland: “Attn: Jeff Hubert, new WHL media relations guy and 'bleep runs downhill' expert. OK, you've got a 24-hour grace period before we make …”
———
Buker, cont’d: “...fun of you, question your job performance, or complain that you aren't returning calls #mediawhocovermosthatedfranchiseinWHL”
There are those in the Portland media who have had problems contacting folks in the WHL office since late Novemberr. Jeff Hubert has taken over from Cory Flett as the WHL’s director, communications.


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.

The St. Francis-Xavier X-Men made it official Monday — they will have G Drew Owsley, D Bronson Maschmeyer, F Chase Schaber, F Steven Kuhn and F Cole Grbavac in the lineup next season. All are products of the WHL. . . . Owsley finished his career with the Prince George Cougars. . . . Maschmeyer and Schaber were with the Kamloops Blazers, while Kuhn was with the Spokane Chiefs and Grbavac the Medicine Hat Tigers.
———
The Brandon Wheat Kings announced Monday that F Bruno Mraz, who had 18 points in 63 games last season, won’t be returning for a second season. Mraz, 19, has signed to play professionally in his native Slovakia. . . . Brandon has the 35th pick in Wednesday’s CHL import draft and will use it. . . . The Wheat Kings’ lone import at the moment is F Alessio Bertaggia, 19, who is from Switzerland and had 50 points in 64 games as a freshman last season.
———
Alan Caldwell, over there on the right at Small Thoughts At Large, takes a team-by-team look at WHL teams as the import draft approaches. Check it out.
———
More undrafted WHL players heading to NHL development camps. . . . G Andrey Makarov of the Saskatoon Blades will join the Florida Panthers. . . . F Miles Koules, who is to play for the Medicine Hat Tigers, has accepted an offer from the Phoenix Coyotes, as has Victoria Royals F Austin Carroll. . . . F Cain Franson of the Vancouver Giants and D Corbin Baldwin of the Spokane Chiefs are to go to camp with the Vancouver Canucks.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
Jeff Blashill, an assistant coach with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, has been named head coach of the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. . . . They are the AHL affiliate of the Red Wings. . . . Blashill, 38, joined Detroit’s coaching staff a year ago after two seasons as head coach at Western Michigan.

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.

Madaisky sets sights on Columbus roster

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Austin Madaisky already is preparing for the 2012-13 hockey season.
With an NHL contract in his hip pocket, the Kamloops Blazers defenceman is doing it with a lot less weight on his shoulders.
“It definitely (was a relief),” Madaisky said Friday after signing a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. “It’s nice to not have to worry about that any more.”
It was only a year ago when Madaisky, who turned 20 on Jan. 30, was trying to rehab a broken neck. He suffered a fractured cervical vertebrae — a C-7 fracture — in a game against the visiting Chilliwack Bruins on Feb. 4, 2011. He was fitted with an Aspen Cervical Collar that he wore for a number of weeks, but was well enough to attend a Columbus development camp in May 2011.
He definitely showed no ill effects during the just-completed WHL season as he was the Blazers’ best defenceman and was named to the Western Conference’s second all-star team.
“It seems so long ago,” Madaisky said of his injury. “So much has happened in that time. . . . so much success personally and with the team that it’s kind of like that almost didn’t even happen.”
The Blazers, of course, won the B.C. Division this season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1999. They were eliminated by the Portland Winterhawks, who used home-ice advantage to their benefit and beat the Blazers 2-0 in Game 7 of a conference semfinal.
“This was the best season of my life. Absolutely,” he said. “You won’t find a dressing room like that one anywhere . . . brotherhood.”
Madaisky set personal highs in goals (13), assists (37), points (50) and plus-minus (20). The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder also continued to develop into a hard-hitting, physical shutdown defender.
He feels that he improved “quite a lot.”
“I set personal bests in offensive numbers,” he added, “but I thought I made the most significant strides in the defensive part of my game. The game really started to slow down and I thought I really matured as a player this season.”
Like so many players on the most-recent edition of the Blazers, Madaisky is quick to thank one individual in particular.
“A lot of that is credited to Dave Hunchak,” Madasiky said of the team’s associate coach. “He came in and taught us a lot this season.”
After the season ended, Madaisky said he took off about two weeks. But now he’s back in the gym and also starting to return to the ice.
“By next week,” he said, “it’s going to be full-blown training . . . all day, every day. You make it this far, this is where the really hard work starts.”
And with having signed an NHL contract, he admitted that his focus has changed.
“I’m preparing this summer like I’m trying to come into camp and make the Blue Jackets,” he said. “That’s the way I’m looking at it. After that, whatever happens, happens.”
If he doesn’t play in the NHL, he most likely would be assigned to the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield, Mass., Falcons. However, he is eligible to return to the Blazers for one more season.
Would he be disappointed to end up back here?
“I wouldn’t call it disappointing,” he said. “I love the city . . . it’s my second home. My team is great, billets are great. It would still be a good situation.
“But I would definitely like to turn pro next season and I think it would be a lot better for my development to start playing against those guys right away.”
Madaisky’s contract, a standard entry-level deal, calls for an NHL salary of US$595,000, $620,000 and $650,000 in each of the next three seasons. His AHL salary would be $60,000 in each season. He also received a $210,000 signing bonus, payable in three installments over three years, although the first cash hasn’t year arrived in his bank account.
“I actually haven’t got it yet,” he said, before laughing and adding: “Which might be better. Maybe it’s better if they hang on to it for a bit.”
When the first installment does arrive, Madaisky said he doesn’t really have any plans for it.
“I’m going to try to save most of it,” he said. “I might buy a couple of gifts for family members, that sort of thing. But I’m def not looking at buying anything like a new car, nothing like that. Maybe next contract . . .”
The Blue Jackets selected Madaisky in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2010 entry draft. They had until June 1 to sign him, or he would have gone back into the next draft, which is scheduled for Pittsburgh, June 22-23.
Left-winger Brendan Ranford of the Blazers was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the seventh round of the 2010 draft. He has yet to sign and, if he doesn’t, will be available in next month’s draft.
JUST NOTES: F Chase Schaber, the Blazers captain for the last two seasons, has decided to attend St. Francis Xavier U in Antigonish, N.S., and play for the X-Men. Schaber, 21, had his WHL career ended by a skate cut to his left leg during Game 3 of a first-round playoff series against the Royals in Victoria. He later underwent surgery at Royal Inland Hospital. “I just started walking on my leg (Thursday),” Schaber said in a news release issued by the Blazers. “I’ve been rehabbing three days a week and have started strength training on it. I am willing to do whatever is needed to get back to what I love doing and making my way to pro hockey through the CIS.” . . . D Bronson Maschmeyer, who completed his eligibility with the Blazers this season, also has committed to the X-Men, as has G Drew Owsley, who finished up his career with the Prince George Cougars.

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.

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
The Kamloops Blazers came a long way and turned a lot of heads this season.
Somewhere down the road - maybe in a week or two - that might be of some comfort to the WHL club's players and fans.
But Thursday was a day of mixed emotions for the 26 players who were at Interior Savings Centre to clean out the lockers and pack up the equipment.
"The team had such a successful season and turned this organization around," said winger Jordan DePape, who missed 58 games with a shoulder injury. "It was upsetting to lose . . . but we know we still had a great season."
The Blazers lost 2-0 to the host Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday in Game 7 of a Western Conference semifinal series. After falling behind 3-0 in the series, Kamloops battled back to force Game 7, a comeback that captured the imagination of sports fans around the country.
But it also brought something to Kamloops that hadn't been seen in years — a certain excitement for a team that had struggled for more than a decade.
"I think we reset the fire," said winger Brendan Ranford, who just wrapped up his fourth season here. "We kind of rekindled the fire in the community and we wrote our own little story."
The Blazers' season ended almost in the same fashion in which it started — with a shutout loss.
But, in the 81 games between a 1-0 loss to the visiting Prince George Cougars on Sept. 24 and Wednesday's defeat, Kamloops was excellent, enjoying its best season since 1998-99.
The Blazers went 47-20-2-3 to win the B.C. Division for the first time since 2000-01, and also rattled off winning streaks of nine and eight games. They finished with the league's fourth best record, behind the Edmonton Oil Kings (50-15-3-4), Tri-City Americans (50-18-2-2) and Portland (49-19-3-1).
All this, after missing the playoffs in 2010-11.
"The biggest thing . . . from the players' perspective is that they wanted to change, they wanted to do something themselves," said Guy Charron, head coach of the Blazers. "They were willing to make the sacrifices and the commitment to be a successful team."
The playoffs started well for Kamloops, which swept the Victoria Royals in the first round. The Blazers' Game 1 victory in that series — 4-1 at home on March 23 - was the club's first playoff victory since March 29, 2005, while the series victory was its first since 1999.
"I wish I was still 16 or 17, with this experience," Ranford said. "I said to Cole Ully a few days ago - 'We just won our first playoff game together.' He's 16, I'm 19 and when I thought about it, I was just . . . 'Wow.' "
And the city is still buzzing over the Portland series.
The Winterhawks won the first two games in Portland — 5-3 on April 6, and 4-1 the next night — before winning 5-2 at ISC in Game 3 on April 10.
Then, something special happened.
Kamloops, down 4-0 less than 11 minutes into Game 4 on April 11, roared back to win 5-4, then went into Portland and won 7-2 on Saturday.
The Blazers won Monday's Game 6, 7-6, coming back from a 5-2 deficit in the third period and winning it with 20 seconds remaining. The fans, and there were 5,080 of them at ISC on that night, gave the players an ovation no one will soon forget, and the hometown heroes came out for a curtain call.
"Words can't even describe it," DePape said. "That was the best feeling I've ever had in hockey."
"It was probably one of the most memorable moments of my career," added defenceman Austin Madaisky.
But the comeback ended Wednesday, with Portland scoring 61 seconds into Game 7 and sealing the victory with a third-period goal.
The Blazers rode the bus overnight, arriving home Thursday at about 6:30 a.m.
"You kind of come to the realization . . . you're sitting on the bus, and nobody can even move," Madaisky said. "When you look around and see guys like that — we literally left it all out there.
"You can't be too upset if you look at the guy next to you and he can't even eat his food because he's so tired."
Riding that bus all night gave the players the opportunity to see that, yes, the sun did come up yesterday morning, as it will today.
And there is optimism on the horizon for the Blazers, who will return a good chunk of their roster next season. Kamloops will lose three of its six 1992-born players, along with its three 20-year-old players — defenceman Bronson Maschmeyer and forwards Chase Schaber and Brandon Herrod.
"All those guys (made) big contributions," Charron said, "and for Chase and Bronson, who have been here from the beginning of the year, they believed in what we were trying to accomplish - to create an identity and start some successful seasons for the Blazers.
"They're part of it, and that's what they should be proud of."
And although the future appears bright, it might be difficult to replicate the closeness of this year's team.
"We're a family," Ranford said. "There are no divides in the room, and everybody hangs out with everybody.
"It felt like we were brothers, and it was a fun time just to come to the rink."
JUST NOTES: Schaber, the Blazers' captain, had his season end when his left leg was cut by a skate blade in Game 3 of the Victoria series. . . . G Cole Cheveldave missed the last six games of the Portland series after suffering a concussion in Game 1. He dressed for Game 7 and backed up G Cam Lanigan. . . . Those were the only major injuries for the Blazers, although C Colin Smith played with an injured shoulder on Wednesday and C Matt Needham hurt a leg after blocking a shot.

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
Chase Schaber had no idea he was bleeding, and he certainly had no idea his WHL career was over.
Schaber, the Kamloops Blazers’ captain for the past two seasons, won’t be with the team when it opens the second round of the WHL playoffs later this week. The Blazers will head to Portland late Wednesday to open a best-of-seven series with the Winterhawks on Friday night, with Game 2 scheduled for Saturday.
Schaber’s junior career is over after the back of his left leg was cut during Game 3 of the Blazers’ opening-round series sweep over the Victoria Royals.
The injury happened during an innocuous play in the first period of the March 27 game, when Schaber and Victoria’s Zane Jones bumped near the boards. One of Jones’s skates happened to flip up and catch Schaber right behind his left knee.
Doctors performed exploratory surgery at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops on Thursday, and determined that there was damage to the hamstring and a tendon.
“I didn’t know I was cut — it felt like someone punched me in the back of the leg,” Schaber said Monday. “Then it got warm and tingly, and I was like, ‘What the hell?’ ”
Schaber returned to the Blazers’ bench, where trainer Colin (Toledo) Robinson was waiting.
“Toledo asked, ‘What’s wrong?’ ” Schaber said. “I’m standing there, and blood starts to spill out of my hockey sock.”
Training staff at Victoria’s Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre contained the bleeding, and Schaber was taken to hospital. He flew back to Kamloops prior to Wednesday’s 4-1 victory in Game 4.
The cut itself wasn’t particularly long, measuring about two inches, according to Schaber, but it was deep, and it did some damage.
Schaber isn’t sure as to how many stitches he has in the back of the knee — “the doctor lost count . . . it took an hour to sew me back up” — but he knows it’s going to take a long time for him to get back on his feet.
Since the surgery, Schaber has been stapled to a couch, his left leg in a brace. The only time he gets up is to use the washroom.
He figures he’ll be off his feet for at least three weeks, and will be in the brace for at least three weeks following that. After those six weeks, he should be able to start to walk again, and hopes to start physiotherapy in three months.
It sounds awful, but Schaber is glad there’s even an opportunity for recovery.
“I was a little upset when I learned, but I’m also happy and thankful nothing worse came out of it,” said Schaber, a 21-year-old Red Deer native. “It was a couple of millimetres from nicking an artery, so it could have been much worse.”
The loss is a huge blow to the Blazers, on and off the ice.
Schaber spent much of the past two seasons centring the team’s top line — in 2010-11, he was between Brendan Ranford and Jordan DePape on a productive line, and skated alongside Ranford and a variety of other wingers this season while DePape missed nearly five months with a shoulder injury.
And although Schaber missed 11 games due to injury, he had 52 points, including 23 goals, and 71 penalty minutes in 61 games. He started the playoffs on a line with Dylan Willick and Matt Needham, and had two goals and two assists in the first two games of the Blazers’ series against Victoria.
He’s also defensively responsible, and an emotional leader. That last part is where Schaber’s injury might hurt the Blazers most.
He misses being at practice with his teammates, but they’re never too far away.
“They come over every day, a good pack of them anyway,” he said. “They’re always texting . . . and most of them came and visited me in the hospital.
“This is the best group of guys I’ve ever played with.”
———
The Blazers announced Monday that they have added 15-year-old defenceman Jordan Thomson and 16-year-old forward Brayden Gelsinger for the remainder of the playoffs.
Thomson, the Blazers’ first selection (fourth overall) in the 2011 WHL bantam draft, had 29 points, including 23 assists, in 35 games with the midget AAA Southwest Cougars of Souris, Man. The Cougars’ season ended Sunday with a 5-1 loss to the Saskatoon Contacts in the final of a Telus Cup West Regional qualifier.
Gelsinger spent the season with the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans. The list player had 22 goals and 20 assists in 41 games.
———
The Blazers are to leave late Wednesday night for Portland, where the first two games will be played at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which has the ability to hold 10,407 people.
If Game 5 is needed, it will be played April 14 at the Rose Garden, which the NBA’s Trail Blazers call home. The Rose Garden can hold as many as 17,544 people for hockey events. Game 7 would be back at Memorial Coliseum.
Games 3 and 4 — are scheduled for April 10 and 11 at Interior Savings Centre.

Schaber's WHL career gets cut short

Dylan Willick of the Kamloops Blazers knows how defenceman
Tyler Wotherspoon, goaltender Mac Carruth and the Portland Winterhawks
play the game of hockey.
(Photo by Murray Mitchell / Kamloops Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

The Kamloops Blazers’ excitement at having reached the second round of the WHL playoffs has been tempered by the loss of captain Chase Schaber.
Schaber, a 21-year-old from Red Deer, is in Royal Inland Hospital after undergoing exploratory surgery on his left leg Thursday during

CHASE SCHABER

which he was found to have damage to his hamstring and a tendon. He suffered a deep skate cut early in the first period of the Blazers’ 7-5 victory over the host Victoria Royals on Tuesday night.
“It’s tough to take,” offered veteran winger Dylan Willick on Thursday evening, after the team had returned from Victoria where it completed a first-round sweep of the Royals on Wednesday night. “His last season in the league and we have a good opportunity here.
“He’ll still be a big part of it and he’s got the leadership capabilities to speak up and be there for us.”
Willick added that “it’s adversity obviously,” but he pointed out the club played most of this season without veteran winger Jordan DePape, who underwent shoulder surgery in November and only returned to the club earlier this month. The Blazers also played 22 games last season without Schaber, who was battling leg and groin issues. And he missed 11 games with injuries this season, including the last six of the regular season.
“We had Jordan DePape out for (almost) the whole season and he’s a leader, too,” Willick said. “But we’re missing our captain now. That’s a huge leadership chunk.
“But he’ll still be around supporting us the same way he has been.”
Schaber was injured when he and Victoria forward Zane Jones came together along the boards.
“That’s the most unfortunate thing I’ve probably seen in my day . . . just terrible luck,” Willick said. “(Jones) turned and the skate got (Schaber) in just the right spot. You don’t ever want to see that.”
Willick and his teammates hope to have the opportunity to visit Schaber in hospital today.
And then they will begin to think about their second-round opponent, the Portland Winterhawks, who completed a sweep of the Kelowna Rockets last night.
The Blazers were 2-2-0 against Portland this season, including a 5-4 overtime victory in the Rose City on Oct. 14 and a 5-1 victory at home on March 7.
“They have a lot of offence,” Willick said of the Winterhawks, who finished with 102 points, three more than the Blazers. “They have a lot of guys who can score goals. It’s going to be a defensive mentality for us.”
The Royals swept a late-season doubleheader from visiting Portland, so Willick asked Victoria forward Tim Traber, a friend from their hometown of Prince George, how it happened.
“He said, ‘We just took it to them physically and eventually their D-men shied away,’ ” Willick recounted. “If we can learn from that and take that kind of game to them, that’ll be the game plan.
“We have to take the body on them.”
In that March 7 game, the Blazers erased a 1-0 deficit with five third-period goals in what may have been their best 20 minutes of the season.
“We know that they’re beatable,” Willick said. “We know we can do it. We’ve done it twice this season.”
The series is expected to begin with games in Portland on April 6 and 7. Tentative dates for Games 3 and 4 in Kamloops are April 10 and 11. Although dates had yet to be finalized last night, tickets are available at the Interior Savings Centre box office.
Willick, for one, can hardly wait to get started.
After all, the 28-goal man had a series-leading five goals against Victoria, scoring once in each of the first three games and then getting two in Game 4. His hot streak followed a six-game season-ending drought.
“There are little slumps here and there in the season,” he said, explaining that he wasn’t too concerned. “Obviously, I wanted to hit the 30-goal mark, but I knew if I just kept doing what I was doing the puck was going to go in eventually.”
Which is just what has happened.
“I’m just playing the game,” he added. “Every now and then the bounces go your way.”
As he pointed out, he scored two goals against Victoria with shots going in off a goal post.
“In Game 3, off the post, off a skate and it turned into the net somehow,” Willick said with a chuckle. “That’s a bounce I’ll take.”
The bounces have been especially sweet, too, because Willick was a freshman with the Blazers two years ago when they were swept from the first round by the Vancouver Giants. And he was part of the team that didn’t even make last season’s playoffs.
“It’s unbelieveable,” Willick said of the feeling that comes with the team having won a playoff round for the first time since 1999. “And after the last two seasons . . . to be on the opposite end of a series sweep is an unreal feeling.
“You don’t want to be a part of that other side ever. It’s awful.”
JUST NOTES: Kamloops went 10-1-1 against Victoria this season, outscoring the Royals 61-32 in the process. . . . The Kamloops power play went 5-for-19 in the four games, while its penalty killers were an exceptional 15-for-16. . . . The Blazers and Portland last met in the playoffs in the spring of 1995. They both advanced out of a round-robin series — Kamloops beat visiting Portland 6-0; the Winterhawks won 4-3 in OT at home — before the Blazers took a best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal, 4-1. Kamloops lost the opener and then won four in a row. . . . The Blazers, of course, would go on to win the 1995 Memorial Cup.



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.

Blazers move on to second round

Finally . . . the albatross is gone!
The Kamloops Blazers, a franchise that last won a WHL playoff series in 1999, defeated the host Victoria Royals 4-1 on Wednesday night to win the best-of-seven first-round series, 4-0.
Ironically, Marc Habscheid was the Blazers' head coach when they took out the Tri-City Americans 13 years ago. He now is the general manager and head coach of the Royals.
With the first round of WHL playoffs behind them, the Blazers can start looking ahead.
Their second-round opponent most likely will be the Portland Winterhawks, who hold a 3-0 series lead over the Kelowna Rockets going into Game 4 tonight in the Little Apple.
As B.C. Division champions, the Blazers, who totaled 99 points in the regular season, were the Western Conference's No. 2 seed when the playoffs began; the U.S. Division-champion Tri-City Americans, who finished with 104 points, were the No. 1 seed, with the Winterhawks and their 102 points at No. 3.
But the WHL reseeds by points for the second round, so the Winterhawks would move to No. 2, with the Blazers sliding to No. 3.
That means the Winterhawks, should they take out the Rockets, will have home-ice advantage for the second round. That series most likely would open with games in Portland on April 6 and 7. Tentatively, Games 3 and 4 would be played in Kamloops on April 10 and 11.
Last night, Blazers winger Brendan Ranford, a 40-goal man in the regular season, broke a 1-1 tie at 4:27 of the second period with his first goal of the series. At 13:07, Kamloops winger Dylan Willick notched his fourth goal in as many games; he later added an empty-netter.
Willick, a 28-goal scorer, went scoreless over the regular-season's last six games, then scored at least once in each game against Victoria.
Victoria had taken a 1-0 lead on forward Ben Walker's first goal of the series at 1:40 of the first period. Matt Needham tied it for the Blazers with his second goal in as many nights at 12:13.
That set the stage for Ranford and Willick to score in the second period. The Blazers outscored the Royals 22-11 in the series, including 16-3 in second periods.
Kamloops goaltender Cole Cheveldave stopped 30 shots, 10 more than Keith Hamilton of the Royals.
The Blazers won it without forward Chase Schaber, the team captain. He suffered a skate cut to a leg early in Game 3 on Tuesday night and returned to Kamloops for medical attention yesterday.
“He's off limits (to the media) right now,” Tim O'Donovan, the Blazers' media and communications co-ordinator, wrote in a text. “(He's in the) hands of the medical staff right now.”
JUST NOTES: Attendance was 5,277. . . . Kamloops was 0-for-2 on the PP; the Royals were 0-for-3. . . . The Blazers scratched Schaber (leg), D Austin Madaisky (suspension), G Taran Kozun and F Brock Balson. Madaisky completed a two-game suspension that he incurred following the second game of the series. . . . The Royals scratched D Zach Habscheid (ankle), F Brandon Magee (foot), F Lukas Kralik and D Kade Pilton. . . . The Blazers swept the Tri-City Americans in 1999, winning the fourth game 4-3 in Kennewick, Wash., on April 22. The Blazers, who lost the 1999 championship final in five games to the Calgary Hitmen, would win only five of their next 49 playoff games going into this season. They were swept seven times, lost in five games twice and were beaten once in six games. They missed the playoffs in two seasons.

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.

Kudos to the WHL for putting a link from its website to DubNation, the online magazine that is loaded with WHL-related information. . . . It’s produced by Doyle Potenteau of Kelowna, a veteran hockey writer who follows the Rockets for the Daily Courier. . . . If you haven’t checked out the March edition, get on over to whl.ca and give it a look.
———
D Cody Carlson of the Prince George Cougars has signed an ATO with the Central league’s Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. The team announced the signing Tuesday morning. Carlson had 39 points in 72 in his final season of junior eligibility. . . . G Damien Ketlo, who played out his WHL eligibility with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, stopped 27 shots to record his first pro shutout and was the game’s first star last night as the ECHL’s Colorago Eagles, who play out of Loveland, beat the visiting Ontario Reign, 3-0. . . . F Spencer Asuchak of the Cougars made his pro debut in that game. Asuchak, 20, had two shots on goal.
———
The Spokane Chiefs confirmed Tuesday morning that D Brenden Kichton has had surgery to repair a broken jaw suffered Friday in Game 1 of their series with the Vancouver Giants. Kitchton was struck in the face by puck early in the third period. He has undergone surgery and is awaiting medical clearance to travel to his family’s home in Spruce Grove, Alta. . . . Kitchton is a first team Western Conference all-star and the conference’s defenceman of the year.
———
Another hockey career has come to a sudden end because of concussions. Matt Eagles, the captain of the St. Thomas University Tommies men’s hockey team, has had to walk away from the game. That story is right here. St. Thomas U is in Fredericton, N.B.
———
Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail has written an interesting piece about the impact that concussions may have on the NHL playoffs.
“More and more,” he writes, “you get the sense that the 2012 NHL playoffs may well be The Concussion Games, a two-month marathon that could twist and turn on how many times players in (Daniel) Sedin’s category get clocked in the head and are forced out of a team’s lineup.”
That complete column is right here.
———
If you read anything today, make it this piece right here. It’s columnist Dave Kindred remembering the legendary Furman Bisher, who left us earlier this month.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
The USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers fired head coach Regg Simon on Tuesday. He promptly told Mark Emmert of t he Des Moines Register that it was “one of the happiest days of my life, and I’m glad it happened now rather than later.” . . . Simon is the fourth coach to be fired in the 16-team USHL this season. . . . The Buccaneers are 20-27-4 and in danger of missing the playoffs. . . . A replacement should be named today.
———
TUESDAY’S WHL GAMES:
(If you want WHL facts and stats, get on Twitter and follow @WHLFacts)
———
Let’s get this out of the way early. . . . The Spokane Chiefs came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Portland Winter Hawks in the spring of 1996. That is the only time in WHL history a team has done that. . . . There are six playoff games scheduled for tonight and the Saskatoon Blades, Everett Silvertips and Victoria Royals all are down 3-0. . . .
———
In Winnipeg, F Mark Stone had a goal and an assist to lead the Wheat Kings to a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Wheat Kings, the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed, hold a 3-1 series lead over the No. 3 Hitmen and can wrap up the series in Winnipeg on Thursday night. . . . Game 6, if needed, would be played in Calgary on Sunday. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock also had a goal and an assist. . . . The Wheat Kings are playing their first-round home games at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair has taken over Westman Place in Brandon. . . . F Cody Sylvester, Calgary’s captain, returned after missing the first two games with an undisclosed injury. The Hitmen remain without F Victor Rask (leg). . . . Calgary G Brandon Glover came in for Chris Driedger with the Wheat Kings leading 3-0 at 1:53 of the second. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 32 shots. . . . Attendance was 3,563, 15 fewer than attended Game 3. . . .

In Saskatoon, Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem scored all of his club’s goals as the Tigers beat the Blades 3-2 in overtime. . . . This was the first overtime game of this season’s playoffs and it ended at 9:42 as Etem scored his sixth goal of the series. . . . Etem has scored or assisted on the Tigers’ last 10 goals. He leads all playoff scorers, with 10 points, and is tied with Portland F Ty Rattie, each with six goals. . . . The Tigers hold a 3-0 edge and can wrap it up tonight in Saskatoon. . . . Blades F Matej Stransky forced OT with his first goal at 16:52 of the third. . . . F Michael Burns scored Saskatoon’s first goal. He was playing his first game after missing seven with a concussion. . . . Tigers F Dylan Bredo drew two assists. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 32 goals, one fewer than Saskatoon’s Andrej Makarov. . . .

In Regina, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored five first-period goals and went on to a 5-3 victory over the Pats. . . . The Warriors take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 tonight in Regina. . . . Moose Jaw D Joel Edmundson scored 23 seconds into the first period and F Quinton Howden made it 2-0 just 27 seconds later. . . . Howden also had two assists. . . . F James Henry had two assists for the Warriors. . . . F Lane Scheidl got his first two goals of the series for Regina. . . . Moose Jaw F Cody Beach served a one-game suspension for making derogatory comments to the Regina bench in Game 2. . . . Moose Jaw D Travis Brown sat out with an undisclosed injury. . . . Regina F Andrew Rieder left during his first shift with an apparent shoulder injury. He missed the last 16 games of the regular season with a shoulder problem. . . .

In Kelowna, F Sven Baertschi and F Ty Rattie each had two goals and two assists as the Winterhawks doubled the Rockets, 6-3. . . . Portland leads 3-0 and can finish it in Kelowna on Thursday. . . . Rattie and Baertschi have nine points apiece in the series. Rattie is tied for the WHL lead in goals, with six, while Baertschi and teammate Marcel Noebels are tied for the WHL lead, with seven assists. . . . Noebels had three assists last night. . . . Rattie and Baertschi each was plus-4. . . . Portland ended it with two empty-netters. . . . Rattie broke a 2-2 tie at 19:19 of the second period and Baertschi gave the visitors a 4-2 lead at 3:55 of the third. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 38 shots, two fewer than Kelowna’s Adam Brown. . . . D Damon Severson had two goals for Kelowna, but finished minus-5. . . . The last time Kelowna has been swept? That hasn’t happened since 1994 when the franchise was in Tacoma, Wash., and lost four straight to Portland. . . . The Winterhawks had F Brendan Leipsic back in their lineup after he missed the first two games with an undisclosed injury. . . . Portland D William Wrenn, who was kneed by Kelowna F Brett Bulmer in Game 2, also played. Bulmer, who was given a kneeing major on that play, served the first game of a ‘tbd’ suspension. . . .

In Spokane, D Corbin Baldwin gave the Chiefs a 3-1 lead at 15:56 of the third period and they hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Giants lead the series 2-1 going into Game 4 tonight in Spokane. . . . The Chiefs got first-period goals from D Reid Gow and F Blake Gal. . . . Vancouver F Cain Franson cut into that lead with his fourth goal of the series at 3:48 of the second. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher got his team’s second goal at 17:30 of the third. . . . The Chiefs turned to Eric Willians in goal after going with Mac Engel in the first two games. Williams made 26 saves, one more than Vancouver’s Adam Morrison. . . . Giants F Jordan Martinook wasn’t able to beat Williams on a penalty shot with 5:48 left in the third period and the Chiefs leading 2-1. . . . Vancouver added F Anthony Ast to its lineup and scratched F Alex Kuvaev. . . . The Chiefs were without D Brenden Kichton (broken jaw). . . .

In Everett, G Ty Rimmer stopped 23 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-0 victory over the Silvertips. . . . The Americans hold a 3-0 series lead and can end it tonight in Everett. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin, the WHL scoring champ, scored his first two goals of the series as he ran his point streak to 26 games. . . . He scored the game’s first goal at 1:41 of the second period. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland, who led the WHL in assists during the regular season, took a clipping major and game misconduct at 13:28 of the first period. . . . There was only one minor penalty called in the game, that an elbowing infraction by Everett F J.T. Barnett. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 27 shots. . . . The Silvertips were without F Ryan Harrison and F Manraj Hayer, both of whom were serving suspensions. Harrison is eligible to return tonight; Hayer’s suspenskon was ‘tbd’ . . . The Americans were without D Drydn Dow (broken arm), who was hurt on the check by Hayer. . . . Tri-City F Jesse Mychan left in the second period with a leg injury. . . .

In Victoria, the Kamloops Blazers scored six second-period goals and went on to a 7-5 victory over the Royals. . . . Kamloops holds a 3-0 lead and can win the series tonight in Victoria. . . . The Blazers haven’t won a playoff series since the spring of 1999 when they beat the Tri-City Americans in the Western Conference final. . . . The Royals got three goals from F Jamie Crooks, the first playoff hat trick in Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria franchise history. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham broke a 4-4 tie with his first playoff goal, a shorthanded effort, at 17:26 of the second period. . . . Blazers F J.C. Lipon stretched the lead to 6-4 with a PP goal at 18:48 of the second. Lipon also had two assists, his third straight game with two helpers. . . . Kamloops F Colin Smith had a goal and three assists. . . . Kamloops has scored 18 goals in this series, 14 of them in second periods. . . . The Blazers were 3-6 on the PP and also scored two shorthanded goals. . . . Victoria was 0-4 on the PP. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 18 shots, while the Victoria duo of Jared Rathjen and Keith Hamilton combined for 26 saves. Rathjen started and left after Needham’s goal. . . . Kamloops F Chase Schaber, the team captain, suffered a skate cut to one of his legs and spent the night in hospital. He is to be re-examined and re-evaluated today but isn’t expected to play tonight. . . . According to Mike Walker of CHEK-TV, the teams also combined to hit seven goalposts.
———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Tyler Vanscourt, Vancouver.
———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Kiefer McNaughton, Vancouver.

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.