Farewell to a friend

Roy Antal, the Regina Leader-Post photographer who took the above photo on Nov. 18, 1994, has died. He passed away Saturday in Regina after a bout with cancer. He would have turned 67 in November.
Antal, who retired in 2010 after working at The Leader-Post for 41 years, was one of the good guys, quick to laugh and with an infectious smile. He had something of a unique golf swing, too; at least, I doubt that there is another one like it anywhere out there.
During my 17 years at The Leader-Post, we shared some breakfasts and more than a few Chinese food buffets. Mostly, though, we shared a lot of stories and more than our share of laughter.
That's Norm Johnston, then of the Regina Pats, on the left in the above photo, and Al Tuer, then with the Moose Jaw Warriors, bringing a bit of WWE to the WHL, which, it seems, was a lot more fun back in the day. That is Antal’s left hand in the bottom right corner of the photo. We can only imagine Antal's surprise when the two coaches brought their act right to him as he stood, camera in hand, between the team's benches in what was then the Regina Agridome.
If you would like to see some of Antal's best work, click right here.
(The flash bounce in the above photo is all mine. It happened when I attempted to make a copy of the photo that I have in my home.)

2. There is controversy brewing on the campus of the U of British Columbia and among the school's many alumni, many of whom donate money to the athletic department. . . . Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun has a terrific piece right here, as he delves into what has all the signs of turning into something really messy in the not-too-distant future.

3. If you've been following the mess that is the saga involving Senator Mike Duffy and haven't seen the story that appeared in Maclean's in September, well, you should pour a cuppa and click right here. Jonathon Gatehouse does a great job of explaining Duffy's past and present situations.

JUST NOTES:
The BCHL's Penticton Vees have signed former WHL D Clint Filbrandt. An 18-year-old from Calgary, Filbrandt was released earlier by the Kootenay Ice, who had acquired him from the Tri-City Americans over the summer. The Americans had selected him in the 10th round of the 2010 bantam draft. He was to make his debut with the Vees last night. . . . The OHL's Erie Otters ran their winning streak to 10 on Saturday, beating the visiting Peterborough Petes, 4-0. Kris Knoblauch, Erie's head coach, is a former WHL player and coach.

SATURDAY NIGHT:
In Medicine Hat, F Curtis Valk had two goals and an assist to help the Tigers to a 6-4 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Medicine Hat snapped a three-game losing skid. . . . Among the Tigers' scratches was veteran F Hunter Shinkaruk (hip). . . . Saskatoon F Collin Valcourt played, and drew two assists, despite taking a charging major for running into Rebels G Patrik Bartosak in Red Deer on Friday night. Valcourt actually scored on the play and the Blades went on to a 4-3 victory. . . .

In Swift Current, the Broncos beat Edmonton 3-1, snapping the Oil Kings' winning streak at three. . . . F Connor Sanvido had an empty-net goal and two assists for the Broncos. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar didn't finish, as he left the game with an undisclosed injury. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Raiders got 27 saves from G Cole Cheveldave as they got past the Regina Pats, 3-1. . . . Raiders F Tim Vanstone, 17, scored his first WHL goal in his 55th game, 15 of which are from this season. . . . Veteran F Shane Danyluk scored his first goal of the season, in game No. 15, for the Raiders. . . . Regina G Dawson MacAuley, who is from Prince Albert, started in his hometown for the first time. . . . The Raiders have won three of four, while the Pats have lost three in a row. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Jaedon Descheneau scored twice as the Kootenay Ice beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-4. . . . The Ice had Mike Dyck helping its coaching staff on the weekend. The former WHL defenceman who has coaching experience with Lethbridge and Vancouver, will help assistant Jay Henderson when head coach Ryan McGill joins Canada's national junior team in December. . . . Among the Moose Jaw scratches was F Brandon Potomak, who injured a shoulder during Thursday's 4-3 OT victory over the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. . . .

In Prince George, F Pavel Padakin got the shootout winner as the Hitmen got past the Cougars, 4-3. . . . The Hitmen are 7-0-3 in their last 10 games and hold a four-point lead atop the Eastern Conference. . . . F Greg Chase had his first WHL hat trick to give the Hitmen a 3-1 lead in the first period. He's got 13 goals this season. . . . F David Soltes, a Czech freshman, missed 12 games with a leg injury. He returned Friday night and scored the shootout winner and added his second career goal last night. . . . F Chase Witala forced OT with his ninth goal at 12:21 of the third. . . .

In Kamloops, F Josh Winquist scored in overtime as the Everett Silvertips beat the Blazers, 7-6. . . . Winquist got his ninth goal on the PP at 3:32 of extra time. . . . Everett was 4-9 on the PP. . . . Winquist also had three assists for the second straight game. . . . Remember when Everett head coach Kevin Constantine was a defensive guru? Well, his Silvertips have given up 13 goals in their last two games and won them both. . . . Blazers F Cole Ully forced OT when he scored with 6.9 seconds left in the third period. . . . The Blazers led 2-0, 3-1, 4-2 and 5-4, before trailing 6-5 in the third period. . . . The Blazers took the game's last seven minor penalties. . . . Three of the four on-ice officials were from Kamloops. . . . The Silvertips (10-2-2) have won four in a row and are just a point back of the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks. . . . Everett goaltender Austin Lotz made his 11th straight start. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Seth Swenson scored twice, the second into an empty net, as the host Thunderbirds beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-3. . . . F Jaimen Yakubowski, acquired this week from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, made his Seattle debut. F Sam Mckechnie, who also came over in that swap, didn't play. . . . Seattle F Branden Troock, who has an injury-filled WHL career, needed help off the ice in the second period with an undisclosed injury. . . .

In Spokane, Portland ran its winning streak to eight games with a 4-3 victory over the Chiefs. The Winterhawks went 5-0 on a road trip that ended last night. . . . Portland (11-3-1) also moved into top spot in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Chiefs (11-4-0). . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic scored his 100th regular-season goal and also had two assists. Leipsic has 226 points in 211 career games. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg had two assists. He leads the WHL with 37 points. He holds a seven-point lead on Portland forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand and Nic Petan. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the host Tri-City Americans dumped the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-1. . . . The Americans, who have won three in a row, won four of five games on the homestand. . . . The Wheat Kings are 0-2 in the U.S. Division and have been outscored 11-2. . . .

In Victoria, F Myles Bell scored in the shootout to give the Kelowna Rockets a 2-1 victory over the Royals. . . . Kelowna had opened the weekend doubleheader with a 4-1 victory on Friday. . . . The Royals went into the weekend leading the B.C. Division by two points over the Rockets. . . . Kelowna (9-2-2) now holds a one-point edge on Victoria (9-7-1).

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Björn Svensson (Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, 2003-06) was released from his tryout contract by Eisbären Berlin. He was pointless in six exhibition games for Eisbären during the tryout. . . .
F Justin Taylor (Red Deer, 2003-04) signed a two-month tryout contract with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 10 goals and 19 assists in 51 games with the Idaho Steelheads and Ontario Reign (both ECHL) last season.
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On a day when Peter Chiarelli, the general manager of the Boston Bruins, said forward Marc Savard’s career may be over because of post-concussion syndrome, the OHL announced that all of its players will wear soft cap shoulder and elbow pads this season.
According to the OHL, its board of governors is adamant that stiffer penalties will be handed out to repeat offenders when it comes to checks to the head.
This all is most admirable and a definite step forward in the drive to cut down on concussions — and it is a move the WHL announced it was making on June 15.
However, as one Twitterer tweeted: “What about fists to the face/head? Where's that crackdown?”
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The Kootenay Ice will have eight players off its roster attending NHL camps. That includes six drafted players — D Brayden McNabb and G Nathan Lieuwen (Buffalo), F Drew Czerwonka (Edmonton), F Cody Eakin (Washington), and F Max Reinhart and D Joey Leach (Calgary). As well, D James Martin (Calgary) and F Joe Antilla (San Jose) have accepted training camp invitations. . . . The Ice, the WHL’s reigning champion, opened training camp on Wednesday. Their annual Blue-White game ends camp on Sunday at noon.
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D Ben Fanelli is returning to the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers after not playing at all last season. The Rangers will hold a news conference today with Fanelli in attendance. Fanelli, 18, hasn’t played since Oct. 31, 2009, when he suffered a fractured skull and various facial fractures after being hit from behind by D Mike Lambas of the Erie Otters.
Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports has a good look at what Fanelli has been through — and the good things he has accomplished of late — right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Tri-City Americans have signed D Clint Filbrandt, 16, who was a 10th-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Hehad 29 points and 86 penalty minutes with the CNHA Blazers of the Alberta Minor Midget league last season. Filbrandt attended the Americans’ rookie camp and now is in main camp. “Clint had an excellent rookie camp and continued his strong play into main camp,” Americans GM Bob Tory said in a news release. “He will participate in both the Everett and Tri-City tournaments and then return home to Calgary to play this season with his AAA Midget club.” . . . The Prince George Cougars have signed D Marc McNulty of Medicine Hat. The 6-foot-5, 181-pounder was a 10th-round bantam draft pick in 2010. He played last season with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Alberta Midget league. “He might be the most improved player in our entire camp,” Wade Klippenstein, the Cougars’ assistant general manager, said in a news release. “Initially, he was a 10th-round draft-pick. If the bantam draft was held again tomorrow, I guarantee you he wouldn’t be a 10th round pick.” McNulty will be in the Cougars’ lineup for games in St. Albert, Alta., this weekend. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers have signed F Devin Oakes, 16, and D Tyler Bell, 17, both of whom are listed players. Oakes, from Prince Rupert, B.C., played last season for the midget AAA Pursuit of Excellence prep team in Kelowna, putting up 24 points, including 10 goals, in 41 games. Bell, who is from Regina, is another listed player. Bell has played two seasons with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. He had 22 points, including five goals, and 58 penalty minutes in 44 games last season. . . . G Jamie Tucker, who played last season with the Prince Albert Raiders, has cleared WHL waivers and will play this season with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. Tucker, now 20, is from Victoria. . . .
TSN made it official on Wednesday. Dennis Beyak, a former radio voice of the Flin Flon Bombers, Saskatoon Blades, Victoria Cougars and Seattle Thunderbirds, will call the play of Winnipeg Jets games on TSN Jets and on Sports Radio 1290 in Winnipeg. . . . Beyak also did a turn as GM of the Tri-City Americans and the Thunderbirds. . . . Brian Munz, a former radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders on CKBI, will call Jets games on Sports Radio 1290 when Beyak is providing the TV call. . . . Shane Hnidy (Swift Current, Prince Albert, 1991-96) has retired from playing and joined the Jets broadcast crew as an analyst. . . . The Victoria Royals drew a crowd of 1,756 fans to their intrasquad game Wednesday night at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed Dusty Imoo as their goaltending coach. Imoo played in the WHL (New Westminster, Lethbridge, Regina, 1987-91) before moving on to play in the IHL, ECHL and Japan for a total of 15 seasons. He also played for Japan in the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano. Imoo takes over from Paul Fricker in Seattle. . . .
The Victoria Times Colonist is reporting that owner Len Barrie is expected to name himself head coach of the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies on Friday. Barrie stepped behind the bench late last season, with then-head coach coach Vic Gervais stepping down to assistant coach, a position he continues to hold.
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Here’s a note from a story written by Sean Rooney of the Medicine Hat News:
“Though the Tigers don't release their training camp rosters publicly, they did cut a dozen or so players between Monday and Tuesday night and had 46 players between the two teams that played Tuesday. Most of the cuts were 15- and 16-year-olds.”
The Tigers don’t release their training camp rosters publicly? And the WHL office allows this to happen?
Hey, WHL, this is 2011. Isn’t it time all of your teams started to treat their fans with the respect that most businesses give to paying customers?
The Tigers don’t release their training camp rosters publicly? Do they have something to hide? You wouldn’t suppose one of your teams would have an undrafted European practising with it, do you? Nah, that would never happen.
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F Trevor Moore, whose WHL rights are held by the Tri-City Americans, has committed to attend Denver U and play for the Pioneers beginning with the 2013-14 season. The 5-foot-6, 165-pound Moore will play this season for former WHL player/coach Drew Schoneck with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. The Storm selected Moore with the eighth overall pick in the USHL’s 2011 futures draft. Moore, who was listed by the Americans, is from Thousand Oaks, Calif. He had 41 points in 35 games with the L.A. Selects last season.
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Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star has a call for action following Wednesday’s startling death of former WHLer/NHLer Wade Belak. That piece is right here.
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F Matt Kassian hopes to crack the lineup of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild this season. He is an enforcer who played with the Vancouver Giants and Kamloops Blazers. He also is highly intelligent and great conversationalist. And, despite recent happenings, he isn’t about to change his game, nor does he feel there is a need to. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal has that story right here.
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Today’s good read comes from Tim Panaccio of csnphilly.com. He writes about former WHLer Todd Fedoruk and the demons he battles on a daily basis. Fedoruk, an NHL enforcer, didn’t play at all last season as he worked to regain his health. He will attend the Vancouver Canucks’ camp as a free agent. Panaccio’s story is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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