Isn't it time to stop hockey's merry-go-round? ... Everett writer looks at 'Tips and NHL ... Hossa to sit out season

Oji Eagles Tomakomai (Japan, Asia HL) have announced that assistant coach Aaron Keller (Kamloops, 1992-96) has “retired.” Keller played 17 seasons in Japan, five with Sapporo and 12 with Oji. He also was on the Japanese national team for nine years. Keller was an assistant coach for Oji and the national team in 2014-15, took off 2015-16 off, then returned to Oji last season. . . . 

F Edgars Kulda (Edmonton, 2012-15) has signed a one-year extension with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL). Last season, he had three goals and six assists in 39 games. . . .

F Zach Hamill (Everett, 2003-08) has signed a one-year contract with Lørenskog (Norway, GET-Ligaen). Last season, with Björklöven Umeå (Sweden, Allsvenskan), he had seven goals and 11 assists in 29 games. . . . 

F Colton Gillies (Saskatoon, 2004-08) has signed a one-year extension with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL). Last season, in 43 games, he had eight goals and six assists.

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Top #NHLDraft prospect @nolan_patrick19 throwing sauce. pic.twitter.com/BcQTEurNTy

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 21, 2017

In 2015-16, at the age of 17, F Nolan Patrick played in 105 games. That included 21 WHL playoff games. In the last few of those games, he tried to play through an injury that turned out to be a sports hernia.

That 105-game total included three games at a U-18 camp, four at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament, two in the Canada-Russia series and three at the Memorial Cup. Yes, those 105 games included a whole lot of high-intensity hockey.

Think about it for a moment — 105 games at 17 years of age.

In 2016-17, after undergoing surgery in July and missing training camp, he returned in time for opening night, but spent most of the season battling injuries — it turned out he had a second sports hernia — and

NOLAN PATRICK

played in only 33 games, none in the playoffs.

Patrick, now 18, was one of nearly 200 players invited by Hockey Canada on Tuesday to a summer camp. He will be in Plymouth, Mich., late next month at the camp for national junior team prospects where they will play a series of games against Finland, Sweden and the U.S.

Oh yes, let’s not forget that Patrick is expected to be the first or second selection in the first round of the NHL draft on Friday. (He threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Wednesday afternoon.) The team that picks him no doubt will hold a prospects camp of some sort in the next two or three weeks.

He won’t turn 19 until Sept. 19.

Meanwhile, let’s take a look at F Cody Glass of the Portland Winterhawks, another player who will be an early selection on Friday.

Glass, 18, played in 69 regular-season and 11 playoff games in 2016-17, his second WHL season. Those 11 playoff games included six against the Prince George Cougars in a series that was played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, which meant lots and lots and lots of bus travel.

Glass’ WHL season ended on April 14. Almost immediately, he was on a plane to Slovakia where he joined Team Canada in time to play three games at the IIHF U-18 world championship in Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves.

Then it was back to Canada — he’s from Winnipeg — where he had to prepare for the NHL combine that

CODY GLASS

was held in Buffalo, May 28 through June 3. All told, there were 104 players on hand for that event.

After the combine, it was time to get ready for the draft that is scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Chicago.

In the two or three weeks following the draft, many of the NHL teams hold camps for all of their selections.

After that, Glass will head to Plymouth for Hockey Canada’s summer camp that is to run from July 29 through Aug. 5.

Presumably there will be a few days off before it’s time to get to Portland for the start of training camp in late August.

As one fan wrote in a note to Taking Note: “Does anybody else besides me think this is utter and complete madness?”

The fan continued: “When does Glass get to be a kid? . . . When does his body get to recover? . . . You can't tell me that playing and training for hockey nearly all year round is good for you.

“Does anybody care — truly care — about the stress, mentally and physically, that this type of campaign puts on a player like Cody Glass?”

At the same time, the off-season for a bunch of under-18 players ends in late July when they gather in Calgary for a five-day selection camp. The survivors leave on Aug. 2 for the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament that is scheduled to be held in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Bratislava, Slovakia.

When Team Canada arrives back home, it will be almost time for the players to head for their club teams and the opening of training camps.

Seriously, it all has become something of a merry-go-round that never stops. If adults aren’t going to get these teenagers off that crazy ride, who will?

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Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has taken an in-depth look at the Everett Silvertips and their place in the world of developing players. How have they done when stack up against other WHL teams when it comes to developing NHL players? . . . Patterson writes: “The Silvertips are heading into their 15th season of existence, a success story that’s seen the team hang seven banners and turn itself into one of the pillars of the community. But something is missing. For everything Everett has accomplished, the Tips are still waiting to establish a firm foothold in the NHL.” . . . Why is that? Patterson tries to answer that question right here. . . .

In looking at the Silvertips’ situation, Patterson also put together a number of charts through which you are able to see how many NHL players have been developed by each WHL team in recent years. . . . This chart right here deals with ex-WHLers who played in the NHL last season and from where they came. . . .

This chart right here features NHL draft picks from WHL teams since 2006. . . .

This chart right here shows former Everett players who have made it to the NHL.

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F Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks hasn’t announced his retirement, but the NHL team revealed Wednesday that he won’t play in 2017-18. . . . “Over the course of the last few years,” Hossa said in a news release, “under the supervision of the Blackhawks medical staff, I have been privately undergoing treatment for a progressive skin disorder and the side effects of the medications involved to treat the disorder. Due to the severe side effects associated with those medications, playing hockey is not possible for me during the upcoming 2017-18 season. While I am disappointed that I will not be able to play, I have to consider the severity of my condition and how the treatments have impacted my life both on and off the ice.” . . . Ken Campbell of The Hockey News has a good piece right here on what this means to Chicago’s salary cap situation, and whether Hossa, who played one season (1997-98) with the Portland Winterhawks, is a shoo-in as a hall of famer.

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There isn’t an doubt in my mind but that we will be waving farewell to a handful of Western Canadian junior hockey teams over the next few years. There simply are too many teams that are staring into the abyss these days, and something is going to have to give. . . . Stefanie Davis of Yorkton This Week has taken a look at the Yorkton Terriers and a couple of other SJHL teams and the picture isn’t pretty. Davis reports that the Terriers’ season-ticket sales have dropped by 33 per cent, with revenue going from more than $145,000 to $95,000 over the past two seasons. If you ever wondered what it costs to run a junior team, Davis has a lot more figures right here.

Meanwhile, the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers, who were talking relocation not that long ago, have approached city council and asked for a grant to help the team through a rough spot until it is able to access gaming monies. Greg Sakaki of the Nanaimo News Bulletin has more right here.

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If you’re a regular here, and even you aren’t, feel free to contribute to the feeding of the Drinnan family by making a donation to the cause. You are able to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

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David Killip has signed on as an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The Kelowna native had been the director of player development with the Western Michigan Broncos for one season after being an assistant coach there in 2015-16. . . . He played for the Silverbacks for three seasons (2008-11) and was the team captain in his final season. . . . He played four seasons at Western Michigan, which is coached by former Silverbacks owner Andy Murray. . . . With Salmon Arm, Killip replaces Darrell Hay, who left last month after one season in the role.

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.

Keeping Score

It must be spring break in Alberta. How else do you explain all the hockey fans in Phoenix these days? . . . Headline in the Buffalo News after a late-season game: Sabres are lemons in front of Lalime. . . . After his one-punch kayo of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke last week, it is doubtful that Atlanta Thrashers forward Evander Kane will ever have to pay for another meal while in the company of NHL players. . . . Defenceman Brendon Nash of Kamloops wrapped up his college hockey career with the Cornell Big Red by being named a Reebok Division I All-American. Nash, a second-teamer last season as a junior, was named to the ECAC Hockey first all-star team. Nash, who graduates next month with a degree in applied economics and management, signed with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens when his season ended and now is with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. . . . Hamilton is taking on the Manitoba Moose in a first-round playoff series. . . .
After a TMZ report that Tiger Woods paid Rachel Uchitel (aka Mistress No. 1) a cool US$10 million to keep quiet, Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post noted: “In golf terms, Uchitel now has a lot of green to work with.” . . . After Italy’s Matteo Manassero, 16, became the youngest player in Masters history, Greg Connors of the Buffalo News wrote: “That means there are only two golfers in the field whose families check to see they’re in bed by 11: Matteo and Tiger.” . . . What’s this? Tiger was heard cursing during the Masters? And you thought Billy Payne and his good ol’ boys could change the stripes on a tiger. . . . John Garrity, at SI.com: “The Phil people are delirious. The Tiger people are devastated. The good guy, a green jacket draped comfortably over his open-collared polo, addresses an adoring crowd at sunset. The bad boy, who was last seen walking past the clubhouse in his no-longer-bulletproof red victory shirt, heads for home (wherever that is) to the yawns of a surfeited tabloid press.”
Jay Mariotti, at FanHouse: “We thank the gods for intervening and back-burnering our long National (Enquirer) nightmare, replacing it with a historic sequence of golf shots from a man who deserves your love. Enough with Tiger Woods, his potty mouth and his revealing return to earth, a third-round wobble accompanied by bursts of needless profanity that violated his proper-decorum oath and confirmed he’s still a fraud.” . . .
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald didn’t have a good weekend. “Sad news,” he reported. “Heat Dancers were eliminated by the Charlotte Lady Cats in the semifinals in their bid for a fifth NBA dance-team championship. Analysts said the Miami women excelled in gyration and augmentation but disappointed on the pelvic thrust.” . . . Janice Hough, the Left Coast Sports Babe, wonders: “Which black leader now has a bigger mess to try to clean up in Washington — Barack Obama or Donovan McNabb?” . . . When the Chicago White Sox staged their home opener last week, they had four Chicago Blackhawks skaters — American Patrick Kane and Canadians Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews — on hand to throw out ceremonial first pitches. Later, the Chicago Sun-Times asked who fared the best, with Seabrook replying: “It’s rough throwing a ball when you have a gold medal around your neck.” . . .
One would hope that Fred Pittendreigh and the KIJHL executives feel at least some embarrassment for the manner in which they stiffed the fine folks of Chase. According to league president Bill Ohlhausen, Pittendreigh told the KIJHL sometime prior to Nov. 1 that he intended to move the Chiefs. That means the league and its governors sat on the news for months, while the Chase fans purchased tickets, billeted players and bought advertising. . . . As one KIJHL exec told me this week: “It’s an absolute travesty the way everything happened. It just stinks and reeks of under-the-carpet stuff that I have never seen before. It’s a Mickey Mouse league when things like that are allowed to happen. You’ve got the people of Chase sitting there wondering, ‘What just happened?’ It’s an absolute joke.” . . . Yes, it is. . . . After USA Today reported that the highest payrolls in Major League Baseball belong to the New York Yankees (US$206.3 million), Boston Red Sox ($162.4 million) and Chicago Cubs ($146.6 million), Reggie Hayes of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel noted: “Spending obviously works. All three of those teams have won championships in the last 102 years.” . . .
Let’s be honest here. Loose change only serves to wear holes in your pockets or get lost in the bottom of your purse. So what a great idea to have people placed throughout our city who want only to relieve you of that loose change. They’re in parking lots, they’re standing outside of stores, they’re on various medians. Hey, is this a great city, or what? . . . Non-premium seats for Chicago Cubs’ games at Wrigley Field now carry an average price tag of US$52.56, the most expensive in Major League Baseball. . . . The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette headlined the story: Cubs win! . . . The Vancouver Sun went with: One is born each minute, and they have Cubs tickets. . . .
Mark Recchi, who owns a chunk of the Kamloops Blazers, is the Boston Bruins’ nominee for the Masterton Trophy, the NHL award that honours the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” Recchi, 42, is wrapping up his 21st season as an NHL player. Don’t be surprised if he hangs around for yet another season. . . . Look for former Blazers goaltender Justin Leclerc to end up going to McGill U in Montreal. Folks from McGill were in attendance at two 1-0 overtime games as Leclerc’s Saints were swept from the MJHL final by the Dauphin Kings. Leclerc is in Montreal this weekend. . . . The fine for talking on a cellphone while driving is $167. Don’t you wish the RCMP would allow you to write tickets and keep, say, 50 per cent of the proceeds?

Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. Email him at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, or visit his blog at gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.

Friday . . .

There is a reason why I so enjoy covering and writing about major junior hockey and its players.
It was never more in evidence that on Friday night after the Prince George Cougars’ 5-1 victory over the host Kamloops Blazers on Friday night.
D Garrett Thiessen, a 20-year-old playing the second-last game of his WHL career, scored the game’s last goal. It was the second goal of his career and ended a rather long drought.
Here’s is part of the conversation I had with him:
GREGG: When is the last time you scored?
GARRETT: When I was 17.
GREGG: Against?
GARRETT: Spokane.
GREGG: Where?
GARRETT: P.G.
GREGG: Score?
GARRETT: Uhh, 5-3 for Spokane.
GREGG: 4-3 in overtime for Spokane. . . . How many games in between goals?
GARRETT: 219.
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Thiessen, who is from Prince George, hadn’t scored a goal in more than three years. Not only did he know when he scored and against whom — OK, because he has only two goals, maybe that was easy — but he knew precisely how many games he had gone without scoring.
And when he said “219” he had a huge smile on his face.
That’s what is so great about being around WHL players.
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A Memorial Cup-related press release that was issued Friday by the Brandon Wheat Kings, the host team for the 2010 tournament:
“The Memorial Cup — originally donated to the Canadian Hockey League by the Ontario Hockey Association in 1919 in remembrance of the young Canadian men and women who died in service of their country in the First World War — will be officially rededicated to all fallen soldiers as part of the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup festivities in Brandon in May.
Considering the Wheat City’s strong ties to CFB Shilo, the gesture will be a truly fitting legacy of Brandon’s hosting opportunity, says the host committee’s event manager, Lois MacDonald.
“We have a deployment that will be coming home (from Afghanistan) right before the Cup, so we saw this as a great opportunity . . . to make it relevant to people of today,” MacDonald said. “Those sacrifices were made so that we, as Canadians, have freedom to do all the things we do. One of those things is enjoying the great sport of hockey.”
The cup’s official arrival in Westman will occur at CFB Shilo on the afternoon of May 13.
Its rededication will be the pinnacle of a full week of co-operative festivities between the base and the Memorial Cup tournament, says Marc George, director of the base’s Royal Canadian Artillery museum.
“It’s very appropriate that the cup is arriving (at CFB Shilo) because . . . Brandon is on the home front of the war in Afghanistan,” George said. “The First World War gets a little bit further away every year. So, this means that every year, as more Canadian troops sacrifice themselves, it stands for them.”
A brand new museum gallery dedicated to Manitoba’s historical military involvement is set to open that morning, wi th free entry into the museum for the duration of the championship.
Plans for the cup’s rededication ceremony also include an official fly-by from the Canadian Snowbirds demonstration team and a number of helicopter demonstrations.
Following the rededication, the cup will be delivered to Brandon by an armoured vehicle convoy to officially kick off the 10-day event in the Wheat City.
An interactive military display will also be set up within the Memorial Cup Village at the Keystone Centre for the duration of the championship.
And though it’s not being directly billed as a Memorial Cup event, there will be another distinctly military event in the city during the cup’s visit.
On May 22, CFB Shilo, in co-operation with Brandon University, Assiniboine Community College and the Brandon Salutes organization, is hosting a gala dinner to raise money for Project Hero — a national program that provides scholarship money to the children of fallen Canadian soldiers.”
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D Ryan Stanton of the Moose Jaw Warriors has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Stanton, from St. Alberta, Alta., is in his fourth season with the Warriors. He was never selected in the NHL draft. Stanton went into Friday with career highs in goals (10), assists (30) and points (40).
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THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — division leaders, who are seeded one-two; y — clinched division championship; x — clinched playoff spot):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
y-Calgary (1) 51-17-1-2-105
y-Brandon (1) 49-18-1-3-102
x-Saskatoon (1) 46-18-3-4-99
x-Kootenay (1) 42-24-3-2-89
x-Medicine Hat (1) 40-23-3-5-88
x-Red Deer (1) 39-27-0-5-83
x-Moose Jaw (2) 33-27-4-6-76
x-Swift Current (2) 35-30-1-4-75
Friday: Brandon 9 at Regina 3; Prince Albert 1 at Saskatoon 4; Edmonton 2 at Calgary 7; Medicine 5 at Lethbridge 4; Kootenay 4 at Red Deer 2.
Saturday: Saskatoon at Prince Albert; Regina at Brandon; Moose Jaw at Swift Current; Edmonton at Kootenay; Lethbridge at Medicine Hat.
Sunday: Red Deer at Calgary; Swift Current at Moose Jaw.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (1) 47-21-1-2-97
y-Vancouver (2) 40-23-2-3-85
x-Everett (2) 45-20-3-2-95
x-Spokane (2) 43-22-3-2-91
x-Portland (1) 43-25-2-1-89
x-Kelowna (1) 34-31-2-4-74
x-Chilliwack (1) 32-32-2-5-71
x-Kamloops (1) 32-33-2-4-70
Friday: Portland 4 at Chilliwack 3 (OT); Prince George 5 at Kamloops 1; Tri-City 4 at Spokane 3; Kelowna 4 at Vancouver 3; Seattle 1 at Everett 3.
Saturday: Prince George at Kelowna; Kamloops at Vancouver; Chilliwack at Everett; Portland at Seattle; Spokane at Tri-City.
Sunday: Vancouver at Seattle; Everett at Spokane.
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FRIDAY:
What happened:
In the East, the Calgary Hitmen won to clinch first-place overall — and home-ice advantage through the playoffs — and the Eastern Conference pennant. . . . The Brandon Wheat Kings won to wrap up the East Division title. . . . Calgary and Brandon will play the Moose Jaw Warriors or Swift Current Broncos in the first round. The Warriors and Broncos were idle Friday, but will play home-and-home tonight and Sunday. . . . The Saskatoon Blades won and will meet the Red Deer Rebels, who lost, in the first round. . . . The Kootenay Ice and Medicine Hat Tigers both won. They will be first-round combatants but home-ice advantage won’t be decided until Saturday or Sunday. The Ice needs one point to wrap up fourth place.
In the West, the Tri-City Americans won and now need a victory Saturday at home against the Spokane Chiefs to clinch top spot. . . . The Everett Silvertips won and can still catch the Americans, but in order to finish first they need to gain three points from their last two games while the Americans lose in Spokane. . . . The Chiefs lost and the Portland Winterhawks won, meaning Spokane needs one point from its last two games to clinch fourth place and home-ice advantage against the Winterhawks in the first round. . . . The Kelowna Rockets won to wrap up sixth place. . . . The Chilliwack Bruins picked up a loser point and moved into seventh, a point ahead of the Kamloops Blazers, who lost.
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In Vancouver, G Geordie Wudrick broke a 3-3 tie with the lone goal of the third period as the Kelowna Rockets edged the Giants, 4-3. . . . It was Vancouver’s first game in the Pacific Coliseum since Jan. 3. It had to vacate the premises for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. . . . Wudrick, who scored twice and now has 27, scored the winner at 14:53. . . . F Shane McColgan, with his 25th, Wudrick and F Brandon McMillan, with his 21st, gave the visitors a 3-0 before the game was seven minutes old. . . . McMillan has six goals in his last seven games. . . . Vancouver tied it on PP goals by F Milan Kytnar, his 13th, late in the first period and D Neil Manning, his 16th, at 10:02 of the second, and F Brendan Gallagher’s 40th goal at 12:24 of the second. . . . Vancouver G Adam Brown stopped 29 shots, while Vancouver’s Mark Segal turned aside 25. . . . Vancouver was 2-for-4 on the PP; the Rockets were 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 12,106.
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In Calgary, F Brandon Kozun had a goal and two assists to help the Hitmen to a 7-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Kozun has 103 points, two
off the pace being set by Regina Pats F Jordan Eberle. . . . The Hitmen have won eight in a row. . . . F Tyler Shattock and F Tyler Fiddler both scored their 30th goals of the season for Calgary, while D Michael Stone got his 20th. . . . Calgary scored the game’s first four goals. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones made 19 saves. . . . The Hitmen, who went 6-0 against Edmonton, were 3-for-4 on the PP; the Oil Kings, who have lost seven in a row, were 1-for-3. . . . Attendance was 12,107, or exactly one more than in Vancouver.
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In Spokane, F Jordan Messier broke a 3-3 tie with his 23rd goal of the season to give the Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Messier scored at 12:23 of the third period. . . . The Chiefs had tied it at 5:33 of the third on a PP goal, his 34th, by F Tyler Johnson. . . . The Americans opened the scoring when D Brett Plouffe got his sixth, on the PP, at 5:28 of the first period. . . . The teams simply exchanged goals after that. . . . F Blake Gal scored his 11th on the PP for the Chiefs; F Justin Feser got his 35th, shorthanded for the Americans; D Brett Bartman scored his second for Spokane; F Kruise Reddick got his 19th on the PP for the Americans. . . . Followed by Johnson and then Messier. . . . G Alex Pechurskiy stopped 29 shots for the Americans, who are still without G Drew Owsley (concussion). . . . G James Reid turned aside 33 shots for the Chiefs. . . . The Americans were 2-for-4 on the PP; the Chiefs were 2-for-5. . . . Attendance was a sellout — 10,528. . . . The teams play Saturday night in Kennewick, Wash., with the host Americans needing two points to clinch top spot in the Western Conference.
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In Chilliwack, F Ryan Johansen scored on the PP in overtime to give the Portland Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Bruins. . . . Johansen scored his 24th goal of the season with Chilliwack F Kevin Sundher off for tripping. . . . The goal was Johansen’s second of the game. . . . The Bruins forced OT with two third-period goals. F Roman Horak scored his 21st, shorthanded, at 2:42 and F Ryan Howse got his 47th at 13:56. . . . The Bruins had won their previous two games, both in Prince George. The loser point lifted the Bruins into sole possession of seventh place in the Western Conference, which may well put them into a first-round series against the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Winterhawks now have won three straight. They also have put up 22 road victories, and 21 at home. . . . Attendance was 3,769.
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In Everett, the Silvertips scored the game’s last two goals to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), 3-1. . . . F Kellan Tochkin got the eventual winner, on the PP, at 11:35 of the second period. He has 27. . . . F Scott MacDonald added insurance, with his ninth, at 13:22 of the third. . . . F Charles Wells got his 20th of the season, on the PP, for the Thunderbirds earlier in the second period. . . . Everett’s Marcus McCrea had opened the scoring with his fifth at 4:01 of the first period. . . . Everett F Dan Iwanski had two assists. . . . Attendance was 8,613, breaking the franchise record of 8,606 that was set during the 2004 WHL championship final series against Medicine Hat. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 26 shots, while Thunderbirds G Michael Salmon stopped 36. . . . The Silvertips had D Radko Gudas in the lineup, after he left Tuesday’s 3-0 loss in Portland and didn’t return. But D Alex Theriau, who also was injured Tuesday, didn’t play in this one. However, D Curtis Kulchar (knee) was back for the first time since Feb. 19. . . . With three defencemen hurt, the Thunderbirds had forwards Lindsay Nielsen and Prab Rai playing on the back end.
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In Kamloops, C Alex Rodgers set up four goals to lead the Prince George Cougars to a 5-1 victory over the Blazers. . . . Rodgers has two four-point games in his career, both this season and both against the Blazers. . . . Kamloops had won two in a row and four of five. . . . The Cougars had lost 15 in a row. This was only their fourth road victory of the season. . . . As mentioned up top, D Garrett Thiessen scored his second career goal for the Cougars. It was his 248th regular-season game. . . . Both Rodgers and Thiessen began their careers with Kamloops. . . . Prince George F Brett Connolly scored twice. . . . Attendance was 4,633.
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In Lethbridge, the Tigers scored four third-period goals and beat the Hurricanes 5-4 in a game that featured a line brawl that included battling goaltenders. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz and Lethbridge G Linden Rowat were among the combatants at 17:13 of the second period. . . . Unlike the ghost line brawl between Vancouver and Kamloops from a week ago, this one looks to be the real deal. . . . Cha-ching!!!! . . . Medicine Hat F Matt MacKay broke a 4-4 tie at 15:40 of the third period, just 2:03 after Lethbridge F Brody Sutter had given the home side the lead. . . . MacKay has 23 goals, while Sutter has five. . . . F Bretton Cameron scored twice for the Tigers, giving him 38. . . . The Tigers have won five in a row. . . . Attendance was 4,000. . . . Medicine Hat was without D Mark Isherwood (ill).
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In Red Deer, the Kootenay Ice scored two first-period goals and never looked back as they beat the Rebels, 4-2. . . . F Jesse Ismond and F Max Reinhart each scored his 21st goal in the first period. . . . F Matt Fraser drew assists on both of them. . . . D Alex Petrovic got Red Deer on the board with his eighth at 11”44 of the third, but Ice D James Martin got that one back, his seventh, less than a minute later. . . . Red Deer F Turner Elson pulled his side closer with a shorthanded score, his ninth, at 15:41. . . . Kootenay D Ryan Molle iced it with an empty-netter, his third. . . . Ice G Todd Mathews stopped 38 shots, 13 more than Red Deer’s Darcy Kuemper. . . . Attendance was 4,987. . . . The Ice had won two of their previous seven games, including a 5-1 victory over the Rebels in Cranbrook on Wednesday. . . . Red Deer now has lost four in a row.
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In Regina, the Brandon Wheat Kings scored four times in the game’s first 12 minutes and went on to beat the Pats, 9-3. . . . F Matt Calvert led Brandon, which has won seven in a row, with three goals — he has 47 — and two assists, while linemates Brayden Schenn and Scott Glennie each had a goal and three assists. . . . That line has 28 points in its last two games. . . . Schenn has 17 points, including eight goals, in his last seven games. . . . D Colby Robak had two assists and was plus-5 for Brandon, while D Travis Hamonic had one helper and was plus-5. . . . F Jordan Eberle scored his 49th goal of the season for Regina. He leads the WHL with 105 points. . . . F Jordan Weal had two assists for Regina and now has 102 points, second only to Eberle. Weal is the first 17-year-old WHLer to get to 100 points since Pavel Brendl of the Calgary Hitmen won the 1998-99 scoring title with 134 points. . . . Eberle will report to the AHL’s Springfield Falcons once the Pats’ season is over this weekend. . . . Brandon G Jacob DeSerres stopped 28 shots. . . . Regina G Damien Ketlo started but left at 2:56 of the first period, after Schenn’s goal, with a shoulder injury. He and Dawson Guhle combined for 29 saves. . . . Brandon, which is 19-2-1-0 in its last 22 games, was 1-for-7 on the PP, while Regina was 3-for-5. . . . Attendance was 6,450. . . . The teams play again Saturday night in Brandon.
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In Saskatoon, G Steven Stanford stopped 35 shots to help the Blades to a 4-1 victory over his former team, the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Saskatoon F Marek Viedensky broke a 1-1 tie with his 19th goal at 4:23 of the third period. . . . Six minutes later, Viedensky drew an assist on F Josh Nicholls’ 18th goal. . . . F Brent Benson finished the scoring with his eighth goal a minute later. . . . F Dustin Cameron got his 29th goal for the Raiders, who will miss the playoffs for a third straight season. . . . Prince Albert G Jamie Tucker stopped 29 shots. . . . Attendance was 6,795.