D Collin Bowman, who played out his eligibility with the Calgary Hitmen last season, has signed with the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles. Bowman, who is from Littleton, Colo., played three seasons (2007-10) with the Kelowna Rockets before being dealt to the Moose Jaw Warriors. He captained with the Warriors in 2010-11 and they sent him to Calgary early last season. Bowman had 149 points and 364 penalty minutes in 346 regular-season WHL games. . . . His older brother, Drayson, is with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that the Saskatoon Blades are without four players due to injuries. G Alex Moodie (hamstring) is expected to sit for up to 10 days, while F Shane McColgan (knee) is out for a week or so. They join D Dalton Thrower (groin) and D Ryan Graham (back) on the shelf. Nugent-Bowman’s story is right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades on Tuesday dropped two 18-year-old veterans – D Tommy Stipancik and G Adam Todd. . . . Stipancik was given his release after playing in 46 games over the last two seasons. His development was hampered by concussion problems over the previous two seasons. Stipancik, from Vancouver, was the 60th overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . He is expected to join the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles. . . . Todd, from Courtenay, B.C., has been in 12 games with the Blades over the last two seasons. The 86th selection in the 2009 bantam draft, he is expected to play for the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
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The Regina Pats signed six players on Tuesday — D Rob Fulton, G Patrick Gora, D Griffin Mumby, F Bryar Ortynski, F Austin Wagner and F Rylee Zimmer.
Fulton, a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, picked up 16 points and 57 penalty minutes in 23 games with the bantam AAA Camrose, Alta., Vikings last season. He stands 6-foot-2 and weighs more than170 pounds.
Gora was a ninth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. He played last season for the minor midget AAA St. Albert, Alta., Flyers, going 12-3-5, 2.02, .931. He went home after the Pats’ intrasquad game.
Mumby, a third-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, had 18 points in 31 games with the midget AAA Calgary Flames last season. He remains on the Pats’ roster.
Ortynsky was a second-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. He had 14 points in 33 games with the midget AAA Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club last season. He also remains on the Pats’ roster.
Wagner, a fifth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft, had 27 points and 94 penalty minutes in 32 games with the bantam AAA Calgary Northstar Sabres.
Zimmer, a fifth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, put up 30 points in 35 games with the midget AA Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, Sask., last season. He is from Winnipeg.
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With WHL teams getting closer to their final rosters, there may be an opportunity for a veteran goaltender in the QMJHL. Don Campbell of the Ottawa Citizen reports that Gatineau Olympiques G Robert Steeves, 19, is to have knee surgery in the next few days and will be out for up to seven months. . . . The Olympiques acquired Steeves from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan over the summer. Without Steeves, the Olympiques have two goaltenders, Eric Brassard and Simon Bergeron, neither of whom has any QMJHL experience. . . . The Olympiques open the season on Sept. 20. . . . Campbell’s story is right here.
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F Spencer Main has left the Kelowna Rockets, bringing to a close his WHL career.
Main, 20, missed the final 60 games of last season with post-concussion syndrome and, after getting medical clearance to return to play, the symptoms returned in training camp.
From a Rockets news release: “Main suffered a concussion early in the 2011-12 WHL season and sat out the Rockets final 60 games. In the off-season he was medically cleared to work out and return to the ice but his symptoms returned after participating in games at Rockets training camp.”
A second-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft, Main, from North Vancouver, played 197 games with the Rockets over the last four seasons. However, he got into only 12 games last season.
Veteran F Zach Franko (@Franky_939) tweeted this: “Would like to congratulate spencer main on a great 5 years with the @Kelowna_Rockets. Gonna miss you not only as a teammate but as a friend.”
Prior to the start of last season, the Rockets lost F Max Adolph to post-concussion syndrome. He played 97 games over three seasons with them.
Kelowna also lost F Kyle St. Denis to post-concussion syndrome after 2009-10, although he later played as a 20-year-old with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies.

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Goaltender Ty Rimmer of the Tri-City Americans was a busy man Wednesday
as he posted his WHL-leading fourth shutout of the season.
 (Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Marcel Hossa (Portland, 1998-2001) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL), three days after Russian reports had him signing with Atlant Mytishchi (Russia,
KHL) and five days after his release by Spartak Moscow (Russia, KHL). Hossa had six goals and 11 assists in 35 games for Spartak this season. . . .
F Tyler Redenbach (Prince George, Swift Current, Lethbridge, 2001-05) was released by Olten (Switzerland, NL B). He had six goals and 15 assists in 23 games with Olten this season. Olten loaned Redenbach to Red Bull Salzburg for the final games of the European Trophy competition, where he had one assist in three games for Red Bull. . . .
F Chad Klassen (Spokane, Saskatoon, 2001-06) signed a contract through the 2012-13 season with Alba Volan Szekesfehervar (Hungary, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 13 goals and 22 assists in 29 games with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) this season.
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There was horrible news Wednesday for Jack Jablonski, the Minnesota high schooler who was left paralyzed after taking a check in a game on Friday.
Jablonski underwent spinal fusion surgery yesterday and doctors discovered horrific damage, meaning he won’t walk again.
There is more right here.
Keep him in your thoughts as you walk through your world today.
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D Jesse Pauls of the Victoria Royals has announced his retirement from hockey.
Pauls, a 19-year-old from Chilliwack, played in Victoria’s 9-4 loss to the visiting Calgary Hitmen on Tuesday. The retirement announcement came Wednesday morning.
According to a news release issued by the Royals, Pauls informed Marc Habscheid, the club’s GM and head coach, of his decision Wednesday morning.
“I am very disappointed that I have to retire from hockey at this point in my career,” Pauls is quoted as saying in the news release. “I want to thank my family, the Victoria Royals and the Western Hockey League for the support they have shown me and for allowing me the opportunity to compete at this level.”
Pauls had five assists in 13 games with the Chilliwack Bruins in 2009-10 and then had 14 points in 21 games last season. This season, he had 12 points in 26 games.
Pauls missed a good chunk of last season with a badly broken leg that needed surgery. This season, he missed time with an undisclosed injury.
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THE DEPT. OF DISCIPLINE:
The Kamloops Blazers and visiting Prince George Cougars have been fined for welcoming the new year with a line brawl. They danced on Sunday with one minute left in the third period. It was the Blazers’ first such incident so it cost them $250. The Cougars, having been involved in two line brawls, paid $500. . . . Meanwhile, Rich Preston, the GM/head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, has been fined $500 for getting the old heave-ho from a 3-2 loss to the Tigers in Medicine Hat on Dec. 30. . . . It is interesting that a game misconduct to Preston carries a larger fine than a team’s first line brawl, and is equal to a team’s second line brawl.
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JUST NOTES:
Dale McFee, who among other things is the president of the Prince Albert Raiders’ board of directors, has been named Prince Albert’s 2011 Citizen of the Year. McFee played four seasons with the Raiders (1982-86) and was on their 1986 Memorial Cup-winning team. He is the chief of the Prince Albert Police Service and serves in a number of volunteer positions. . . . He also is chairman of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. . . . "I truly believe that it's not about myself, it's about everybody else," McFee told the Prince Albert Daily Herald. "If we can make the community better, and if I can do some things with the power in the positions I hold, I should do that. It's giving back. The community's done so much for me." . . .
The Red Deer Rebels likely will be moving a 20-year-old this week. With F Josh Cowen and D Aaron Borejko about ready to come off the injury list, the Rebels will be left with four 20-year-olds — G Deven Dubyk and D Justin Weller are the others — and that is one too many. . . . The Rebels are expected to make a move by Friday.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Kennewick, Wash., G Ty Rimmer stoped 42 shots as the Tri-City Americans blanked the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-0. . . . It was Rimmer’s fourth shutout this season and the eighth of his career. . . . Earlier in the day, he was named the WHL’s goaltender of the month for December. . . . These teams have met 37 times and this as the first time either has been blanked. . . . The Americans were 4-for-9 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-for-6. . . . F Jordan Messier and F Brendan Shinnimin each scored twice, while F Patrick Holland four assists. . . . Earlier in the day, the Americans found themselves atop the CHL rankings for the first time in franchise history. . . . The Americans have won six straight meetings with Moose Jaw. . . . Tri-City now has won a franchise-record 11 straight games. It also has won 11 straight at home, three shy of the franchise record from 2006-07. . . . Moose Jaw is 1-2-1 on its U.S. tour. . . .

In Edmonton, F Michael St. Croix had a goal and two assists to help the Oil Kings to a 6-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Earlier in the day, St. Croix had been named the WHL’s player of the month for December. . . . St. Croix has 65 points in 40 games. He is tied with Brandon Wheat Kings F Mark Stone and Regina Pats F Jordan Weal, four points behind Portland Winterhawks F Ty Rattie, who leads the WHL points derby. . . . The Oil Kings broke open a 2-2 game with four straight goals, three of them in a 10-minute span of the second period. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson, a son of former NHL D Ulf Samuelsson, wasn’t in Edmonton’s lineup. He will join the Oil Kings later this week. . . . Lethbridge F Reid Duke scored his second goal. Duke, a 15-year-old from Calgary, has five points in seven games. He was the fifth overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Lethbridge F Cam Braes had a goal and an assist, giving him 200 points in 318 career games. . . .

In Regina, F Jordan Weal put on another show, scoring one goal and setting up four others as the Pats dropped the Prince Albert Raiders, 8-3. . . . Regina F Matt Marantz scored three times, giving him eight on the season. . . . It was the second time this season Regina has scored eight goals. . . . Weal was in on four of the Pats’ first five goals, scoring his 23rd and drawing three assists as they took a 4-1 lead at 12:20 of the second period. . . . Weal has 65 points, four off the scoring lead. . . . Regina was 4-for-6 on the PP. . . . Prince Albert F Justin Maylan played in his 300th regular-season game. He earned an assist to run his points streak to nine games. . . . Raiders F Mark McNeill had two assists and is on a 10-game points streak. . . . F Logan McVeigh, acquired Saturday from the Kamloops Blazers, had a goal and an assist in his first game with the Raiders. . . . The Raiders have followed a five-game winning streak with two straight losses. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice erased a 1-0 deficit with five goals as they beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-1. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart had two goals, giving him 20, and two assists. He has 47 points in 35 games. . . . On Monday, Reinhart had picked up his 200th career point in a 7-2 loss to the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. . . . F Drew Czerwonka picked up four assists. . . . Kootenay was 3-for-7 on the PP. . . . F Dakota Odgers, 15, made his WHL debut with the Broncos. His brother John, 16, did the same last week with the Prince George Cougars. They are the sons of former WHL/NHL F Jeff Odgers. . . .

In Vancouver, the Calgary Hitmen fell behind 2-0 before the game was five minutes old and then came back to beat the Giants, 6-4. . . . The Hitmen lost 3-1 to the Cougars in Prince George on Dec. 28 but habe since won four in a row — in Kamloops, Kelowna, Victoria and Vancouver. . . . Calgary D Collin Bowman had a goal — an empty-netter — and an assist, and was plus-4. . . . The Giants went 5-4-0 with assistant coach Glen Hanlon running things while head coach Don Hay was with Canada’s national junior team. . . . F Jake Virtanen, 15, the first pick in the 2011 bantam draft, scored his second goal of this swing for the Hitmen. He is from Abbotsford, B.C., so you know he had some fans in the stands for this one. . . .

In Everett, F Josh Birkholz scored three times as the  Silvertips dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-2. . . . It was Birkholz’ second career hat trick. . . . Birkholz has 17 goals. . . . Everett F J.T. Barnett had three assists. . . . Seattle opened the scoring when F Branden Troock scored at 3:11 of the first period. Everett then struck for the next four scores. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 32 shots. . . . Everett D Brennan Yadlowski was given a match penalty for attempt to injure (kicking) as the second period ended. . . . Seattle wasn’t able to score on the ensuing five-minute power play. . . . This was the third time these teams had met over the last nine days. Seattle had won the first two in shootouts. . . .

In Kelowna, F Brett Bulmer scored three straight goals as the Rockets dumped the Spokane Chiefs, 5-2. . . . Bulmer scored three times in a span of 9:16 in the second period. . . . Bulmer has 31 points, including 17 goals, in 22 games. . . . Last season, he finished with 18 goals in 57 games. . . .
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Dakota Odgers, Swift Current.
F Colin Jacobs, Seattle.
D Brenden Kichton, Spokane.

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The Vancouver Giants have added D Eric Walker, 18, to their roster. Walker, who was listed by the Giants after the 2008 bantm draft, spent the last two seasons with the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters and was to play this season with the Northern Michigan Wildcats. However, after not getting into one of NMU’s first 12 games, he opted to leave and join the Giants. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Walker is from Castlegar, B.C. He could be in the Giants’ lineup tonight (Sunday) against the visiting Kootenay Ice. Interestingly, in each of his two seasons with Trail, he had four goals and seven assists in 59 games. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reported: “Walker (was) in his freshman season at Northern Michigan but is yet to play a game with the squad, who were 4-6-3 as of Friday. He was also one five Northern Michigan players charged in connection with thefts of bikes from the school’s campus. According to the Mining Journal of Marquette, Mich., each of the players faces trial on the misdemeanour charges Dec. 6 in Marquette County District Court.” . . . Walker is a nephew of former NHLer Steve Bozek. . . . Former Seattle Thunderbirds head coach Walt Kyle is the head coach at NMU. . . . F Dylan Walchuk, 19, of McBride, B.C., whose WHL rights belong to the Spokane Chiefs, also was charged in the bicycle thefts. He was charged with receiving and concealing stolen property.
The Marquette Mining Journal has more on that story right here.
The North Wind, NMU’s student newspaper, has more on the story right here, includig a link to the police report.
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In Moose Jaw, the Warriors broke a 1-1 third-period tie with two PP goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . F Kenton Miller gave Moose Jaw a 2-1 lead at 2:51 and F Justin Kirsch upped it to 3-1 at 8:28. . . . Kirsch has seven goals, including three winners, in nine games since coming to Moose Jaw from the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Tigers again had Kenny Cameron in goal, with Dawson MacAuley of the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers backing him up. G Tyler Bunz, who took a puck to the head while on the WHL team’s bench in a Subway Super Series game in Regina on Wednesday, is expected to miss at least a week. . . . F Emerson Etem and F Hunter Shinkaruk, the Tigers’ two snipers, both were kept off the scoreboard. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald notes that the Warriors have won eight in a row at home, five by 3-2 counts. . . .

In Swift Current, the Broncos erased a 4-0 deficit and stunned the Wheat Kings, 5-4. . . . Swift Current F Daniel Dale, an 18-year-old from Grande Prairie, Alta., scored his first two WHL goals in his 19th game. . . . Brandon had won four in a row; the Broncos, who now head into the U.S. Division, have won three straight. . . . Dale broke a 4-4 tie at 11:31 of the third period. . . . F Mark Stone had a goal and two assists as the Wheat Kings took a 4-0 lead before the game was 24 minutes old. He leads the WHL with 50 points in 24 games. . . . Swift Current F Christian Magnus also had a goal and two helpers. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun points out: “Brandon had been 12-0-1-0 when leading after two periods this season, while Swift Current had been 0-11-1-1 when trailing after two.” . . .

In Calgary, D Collin Bowman scored his first three goals with the Hitmen, leading them to a 7-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Bowman, who enjoyed his first career hat trick, had scored four goals when he was acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . He scored the game’s first two goals and the last one. . . . Bowman has 27 goals in 295 career games. . . . Calgary F Jimmy Bubnick picked up his 100th career regular-season assist on a second-period goal by F Trevor Cheek. . . . The victory left the Hitmen, who have won three of four, at 10-9-2, the first time they’ve been above .500 this season. . . . Nine of the Eastern Conference’s 12 teams are at .500 or better. Five of the Western Conference’s teams are at .500, with three other teams within one, three and four points. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Brady Ramsay scored three times and added an assist, leading the Hurricanes to their second victory in as many nights, 5-2 over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Ramsay, an 18-year-old sophomore from Calgary, has 10 goals in 24 games. He scored one in 57 games last season. . . . The Oil Kings, already without D Mark Pysyk and D Griffin Reinhart with undisclosed injuries, lost F T.J. Foster to an undisclosed injury in the first period. . . . Lethbridge F Cam Braes played in his 300th regular-season game, all with the Hurricanes. He scored his club’s second goal, his seventh this season and the 82nd of his career. . . .

In Red Deer, the Saskatoon Blades won the latest clash of the titans, beating the Rebels, 2-1. . . . All three goals came in the second period. . . . F Colton Mayor put Red Deer on the board at 2:06. . . . The Blades got goals from D Dalton Thrower, on the PP, at 14:42 and F Lukas Sutter at 18:31. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov, fresh of playing in two games for Russia in the Subway Super Series, stopped 43 shots. . . . The victory lifted the Blades into first place overall, one point ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings and Tri-City Americans. . . . Red Deer D Matt Dumba took a slashing major and game misconduct at the game’s final buzzer. Just a few seconds before that, Red Deer head coach Jesse Wallin was given the old heave-ho. . . .

In Victoria, F Elgin Pearce had his first career three-goal game and added an assist as the defending-champion Kootenay Ice whipped the Royals, 8-3. . . . It was the second lop-sided loss in two nights for the Royals, who were trounced 11-3 on Friday by the Giants in Vancouver. . . . F Jesse Ismond had two goals and three assists for the Ice. . . . Pearce, Ismond and D Luke Paulsen, who had a goal and an assist, each was plus-4. . . . Paulsen’s goal was his first of the season and fourth in 118 career games. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 25 shots. That included a third-period penalty shot attempt by F Austin Carroll. . . .

In Everett, the Vancouver Giants got two shootout goals and bet the Silvertips, 2-1. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher and F James Henry each scored in the shootout. . . . F Joshua Winquist counted for the home team in the shootout. . . . The Giants have won six in a row. They are at home to the Kootenay Ice tonight as the defending champions begin a nine-game road trip. . . . D Evan Morden got Everett on the board, shorthanded, at 10:32 of the second. . . . It was the third shorthanded goal allowed by Vancouver over its last four games. . . . F Taylor Makin tied it at 4:52 of the third. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 47 shots through OT. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reported before the game that Silvertips D Ryan Murray (ankle) was running stairs. . . . That is great news for the Silvertips and for the Canadian national junior team. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds broke a 2-2 tie with four straight second-period goals and beat the Portland Winterhawks, 6-3. . . . Seattle struck for the four goals in a span of 5:53, two of them coming eight seconds apart. . . . F Burke Gallimore had two goals for the winners, with F Luke Lockhart adding a goal and two assists. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie and F Sven Bartschi, both of whom have been burning it up of late, were pointless and minus-5 and minus-4, respectively. . . . Bartschi came up short on a second-period penalty shot with Seattle leading 6-2. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 47 shots in what was his fourth start in four nights. He went the distance in the WHL’s two Subway Super Series games with the Russians on Wednesday and Thursday in Regina and Moose Jaw. On Friday, he stopped 47 shots in beating the visiting Tri-City Americans, 3-0. Yes, he’s in the conversation as the WHL’s player of the year, and it isn’t even December. . . . Portland had won six in a row. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Justin Feser scored at 1:25 of OT to give the Tri-City Americans a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The winner was scored with the teams playing three skaters aside. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham had forced OT with his fourth goal of the season, at 13:28 of the third. . . . The Americans led 2-0 going into the third period. . . . Feser’s goal was his ninth of the season. It also was the second OT goal of his career. . . . Tom Gaglardi, the Blazers’ majority owner, wasn’t at the game. Rather, he was in Dallas where the Stars, the team he officially purchased on Friday, was losing 4-1 to the San Jose Sharks, their fifth straight setback. Gaglardi will be introduced as the Stars’ owner on Monday in Dallas and will take part in a ceremonial faceoff later that evening prior to a game against the Edmonton Oilers. . . .

In Spokane, the Chiefs beat the Regina Pats 6-5 after a nine-round shootout. . . . With Spokane shooting first, F Mike Aviani opened the ninth round with a goal and the Pats weren’t able to equalize. . . . Regina D Brandon Underwood gave his side a 5-4 lead at 4:09 of the third period. . . . Spokane F Steve Kuhn tied it at 18:59. . . . Underwood went into this season with two goals and 15 assists in 149 career regular-season games with the Kamloops Blazers. He had three goals and nine assists in 22 games with Regina. . . . F Jordan Weal had a goal and three assists for Regina. He has 33 points in 21 games this season. For his career, he has 302 points, including 198 assists, in 233 regular-season games. . . . The Chiefs are 4-0 against East Divison teams, with the Swift Current Broncos coming to town Wednesday. . . .

In Prince George, the Kelowna Rockets erased a 2-0 first-period deficit and beat the Cougars, 4-2. . . . The Rockets swept the doubleheader, having won 3-2 on Friday night. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie broke a 2-2 tie at 2:06 of the third period on the PP. . . .
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Rhett Rachinski, Edmonton
D Kayle Doetzel, Red Deer
D Daniel Gibb, Prince George
D Tyler Bell, Kamloops
D Austin Madaisky, Kamloops
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Two good reads today, both from the pages of The Globe and Mail. The first, which is right here, is by former Regina Leader-Post writer Darrell Davis, who chronicles the return to work of NHL referee Mike Hasenfratz. . . . The other, from the keyboard of Roy MacGregor, is right here. He’s writing about “slippage” as he wonders if the NHL’s crackdown on headshots isn’t fading away.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s decision to keep F Brett Connolly on its roster is one that may reverberate through the WHL for more than just this season.
Connolly, 19, was the sixth overall selection in the NHL’s 2010 draft. Steve Yzerman was running his first draft as the Lightning’s general manager, meaning Connolly is his original first-round selection.
The Lightning signed Connolly a while back, but, as a 19-year-old, he either had to play in the NHL or with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.
Connolly has had a great start to his NHL career and has been playing on a line with veteran stars Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis.
All of which is great for Connolly and not so great for the Cougars.
It is no secret that the Cougars have struggled, on the ice and at the gate, for the last while. This, however, was going to be the season when things started to turn around.
They acquired Drew Owsley, a front-line goaltender, from the Tri-City Americans over the summer. The Edmonton Oilers returned D Martin Marincin for a second season. Other defenders, like Daniel Gibb and Jesse Forsberg, were coming into their own.
Up front, Troy Bourke was proving to be a brilliant young forward, while the enigmatic Charles Inglis had proven last season that he can score. There are other good, young forwards, like Alex Forsberg  and Chase Witala.
The glue, however, was going to be Connolly. Not every junior hockey team can boast a superstar who is playing in his hometown. It should be instant box office.
That dream, however, is dead. Yzerman told Connolly on Tuesday night that he would be staying in the NHL.
The Cougars have lost seven straight games now. They are struggling to score goals, having been twice blanked 1-0 by the visiting Tri-City Americans on the weekend.
The second game drew an announced crowd of 1,663.
Connolly was going to be at least part of the solution to both of those problems. He would score and would put some fans in the seats.
But that was before Lightning hit the Cougars' outhouse.
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The Calgary Hitmen dealt F Kenton Miller, 20, and F Justin Kirsch, 19, to the Moose Jaw Warriors for D Collin Bowman, 20, F Joey Kornelsen, 18, and a fourth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
The Hitmen acquired Miller, who is from Redvers, Sask., off waivers from the Spokane Chiefs during the offseason. He was a seventh-round draft pick by the Regina Pats in 2007. He had 28 points in 28 games with the Chiefs last season. This season, he had three goals in 11 games with the Hitmen.
Kirsch had 42 points in 66 games with Calgary last season. He had five points in 10 games this season.
The Warriors have been hit hard by injuries and just came off a road trip during which they lost three games in a row, each by one goal.
The Hitmen are coming off a 7-1 loss to the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Tuesday.
Bowman, who began his career with the Kelowna Rockets, is the younger brother of former Spokane Chiefs sniper Drayson Bowman, who now is in the Carolina Hurricanes organization.
The Hitmen are hoping that Bowman will be the puck-moving defencemen they feel they have been missing. He had 49 points, including 38 assists, with the Warriors last season. He has five points, four of them goals, in seven games this season.
Kornelsen had 37 points in 118 regular-season games with the Warriors. He brings the Hitmen another young forward.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have dealt D Erik Fleming, 19, to the Swift Current Broncos for a 10th-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . In 156 games with Seattle over the last three seasons, Fleming, from Calgary, had 15 points and 72 penalty minutes. Fleming has played just one game this season to due an undisclosed injury. . . . He was the 16th overall selection in the 2007 bantam draft. . . . The Thunderbirds also assigned D Austin Frank, 18, to the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs. . . . Seattle is in Victoria for a doubleheader with the Royals on Friday and Saturday nights.
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The Swift Current Broncos sent F Dillon Wagner, 20, to the Portland Winterhawks for F Adam Smith, 17, who is with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. . . . The 125th overall pick in the 2006 bantam draft, Wagner was in his fourth season with the Broncos. He had 53 points in 163 regular-season games. . . . This week’s WHL injury report shows Wagner as being out for three weeks with an undisclosed injury. . . . Wagner joins F Charles Wells and D William Wrenn as Portland’s 20-year-old players. . . . The Broncos are left with F Taylor Vause, F Brad Hoban and G Jon Groenheyde as their three 20s. . . . Smith, selected by Portland with the 178th pick of the 2009 bantam draft, is from Nanaimo. He has one assist and 13 penalty minutes in six games with the Clippers, after finishing with three points and 15 PMs in 30 games with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals last season. . . . A gritty forward, Smith played two games with the Winterhawks last season, going pointless with five penalty minutes. . . .
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F Connor Redmond, who has had nothing but shoulder problems for a couple of years now, has left the Vancouver Giants and joined the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. Redmond, 19, has seven points and 60 penalty minutes in 51 regular-season games with the Giants over the last two seasons. . . . Redmond was selected 11th overall by the Red Deer Rebels in the 2007 bantam draft. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has that story right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Medicine Hat Tigers have assigned D Kyle Becker, 17, to the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. A native of Langley, B.C., he had offseason surgery on a broken scaphoid and has just recently been cleared to return to action. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . The Vancouver Giants and Prince George Cougars have been fined $250 apiece for a line brawl that took place Tuesday in Vancouver. . . . Prince George D Martin Marincin drew a ‘tbd’ suspension for an interference major he incurred in that game.
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In Medicine Hat, the Tigers doubled up on the Portland Winterhawks 4-2 last night in front of their 300th straight regular-season sellout (4,006). . . . That news paled beside the announcement that the venerable Bob Ridley, the long-time radio voice of the Tigers, has opened a Twitter account. Seriously! . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk scored for the Tigers. He has 11 goals and two assists. . . . The Tigers also got a goal from F Emerson Etem. He has a WHL-leading 17 goals, to go with nine helpers. . . . The game featured the Leier cousins — F Boston Leier, 18, skates for the Tigers, while F Taylor Leier, 17, is with the Winterhawks. Both are from Saskatoon. . . . Portland is 1-3 on its 17-day, nine-game trek. . . .
In Edmonton, G Tristan Jarry, 16, made his first start and helped the Oil Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Jarry stopped 20 shots. He was a third-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . F Curtis Lazar, the second overall pick in that draft, scored his fourth goal of the season for Edmonton. . . . Oil Kings D Mark Pysyk played his 200th regular-season game. . . . Edmonton has won three in a row. . . .
In Saskatoon, F Josh Nicholls had two goals and F Brent Benson had three assists, as the Blades dumped the Regina Pats, 5-3. . . . Saskatoon D Darren Dietz didn’t pick up even one point, but he was plus-4. . . .
In Spokane, the Chiefs ran their home record to 8-0-0 with a 6-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Chiefs closed out a seven-game homestand by completing the sweep. . . . Victoria G Jared Rathjen made his first WHL star but trailed 2-0 before the game was four minutes old. . . . Spokane held a 33-13 edge in shots. . . .
In Moose Jaw, F Quinton Howden had a goal and an assist on the first two shifts of his first game of the season to help the Warriors to a 5-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Howden returned to Moose Jaw from the camp of the NHL’s Florida Panthers with a concussion. . . . D Joel Edmundson, who returned from the NHL’s St. Louis Blues with an ankle injury, also was back in Moose Jaw’s lineup. . . . Moose Jaw was without D Kendall McFaull (hip) and D Dylan McIlrath (undisclosed), while F Sebastian Svendsen (knee) won’t play for another couple of weeks. . . .
In Kelowna, G Adam Brown stopped 28 shots as the Rockets beat the Prince George Cougars, 2-1. . . . The Cougars have lost seven in a row. . . . The Cougars, already without D Martin Marincin (suspended) and F Brett Connolly (NHL), lost F Troy Bourke just 22 seconds into the game with a boarding major and game misconduct. . . . Prince George did have F Charles Inglis back in the lineup after he completed serving a 10-game suspension. . . .
In Cranbrook, the defending-champion Kootenay Ice scored the game’s first three goals and beat the Red Deer Rebels, 3-2. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 29 shots. . . . The Ice now is 10-3-2 and has won three in a row.
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CBC News has reported details of the hazing incident involving players on the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives. According to CBC, one of the hazed player’s parents says their 15-year-old son “was forced to parade around the dressing room with water bottles tied to his genitals.”
That story is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Björn Svensson (Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, 2003-06) signed a one-month contract with Sierre (Switzerland, NL B) and had one goal and two assists in his first game with the club on Saturday, a 6-3 victory over Lausanne. He went pointless in six exhibition games during a one month tryout with Eisbären Berlin (Germany, DEL) in August. Last season, Svensson has four goals and 14 assists in 55 games for Timrå (Sweden, Elitserien).
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A couple of thoughts after watching the Medicine Hat Tigers score a 5-4 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops on Monday:
1. If you have the opportunity to watch the Tigers, get to the game. Right-winger Emerson Etem of the Tigers is worth it. Period. Etem, who is from Long Beach, Calif., has 12 goals in seven games and, with his combination of size and speed, has an opportunity to have one of those magical seasons.
2. Have you ever been punched directly on a temple? If so, you know it can stun you. In the third period, Kamloops D Josh Caron punched Medicine Hat F Kellan Tochkin on the right temple following a bit of a skirmish at the Tigers’ blue line. Tochkin went down in a hurry. Caron was hit with a double roughing minor. One of the two referees signalled for Tochkin to get up and go to the penalty box. However, Tochkin appeared a bit woozy, so trainer Mikki Lanuk came out, helped him up and took him to the hallway behind the bench, if not to the dressing room. While the announcement was a roughing penalty to Tochkin — for what, I can’t imagine — the online scoresheet showed him with an embellishment minor. That, folks, is a pretty tough embellishment call! (I attempted on numerous occasions to get on the WHL website after midnight, in order to see if that call was changed, but it would appear that the site was experiencing server problems.)
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SOME MONDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
In  Moose Jaw, G Luke Siemens stopped 21 shots to lead the Warriors to a 6-0 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . It was his first shutout this season and the third of his career. . . . D Collin Bowman and F Torrin White each scored twice for Moose Jaw. . . . D Joshua Smith of the Cougars picked up a kneeing major early in the second period and can count on hearing from the WHL office. . . . The Warriors lost F Sebastian Svendsen on that play and Moose Jaw head coach Mike Stothers told Katie Brickman of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald that Svendsen “could be out for a while.” Svendsen, a 20-year-old from Denmark, will be re-evaluated today.
In Vancouver, F Brendan Gallagher scored his 100th WHL goal in the game’s first minute and the Giants went on to beat the Victoria Royals, 5-1. . . . Gallagher finished the first period with a goal and two assists, and finished the game with three goals and two helpers. . . . He has seven goals in four games. . . . Gallagher also is closing in on some Giants’ career marks. He now has 102 goals, third on the all-time list, behind Mitch Bartley (107) and Adam Courchaine (126). Gallagher also has 110 assists — 45 shy of Jon Blum’s franchise record. Gallagher’s 212 points is 61 behind Courchaine’s record. . . . James Henry and Marek Tvrdon, Gallagher’s linemates, each had a goal ad two assists. . . . The Giants continue to play without D Neil Manning (back) and he is expected to miss at least another week.
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JUST NOTES: The WHL’s board of governors will convene in Calgary this week and on Wednesday will announce the host city for the 2013 Memorial Cup. It’s down to Kelowna, Red Deer and Saskatoon. . . . The Spokane Chiefs have returned G Zach Rakochy, 18, to the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. He got into one game with the Chiefs. The move leaves the Chiefs with two goaltenders — Mac Engel and Luke Lee-Knight, who was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders last month. . . . F Brett Connolly picked up his first NHL point, an assist, on Monday as his Tampa Bay Lightning dropped a 6-5 shootout decision to the host Washington Capitals. Connolly drew the secondary assist on F Dominic Moore’s goal 56 seconds into the second period. All told, Connolly, who has to be returned to the Prince George Cougars if the doesn’t stay with Tampa Bay, played 17 shifts for 12 minutes 46 seconds. That included a 57-second shift on a third-period penalty. . . . Meanwhile, in Columbus, the Blue Jackets made F Ryan Johansen of the Portland Winterhawks a healthy scratch for the second straight game.
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The always readable Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail takes a look at Kevin Cheveldayoff, the general manager of the Winnipeg Jets, and how he got to where he is today.
That piece is right here.
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For today’s good read, we go to grantland.com and Michael Weinreb, who writes about quarterback Anthony Cavillo of the Montreal Alouettes, who has passed for more yards than any quarterback in the history of pro football.
That story is right here. 

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

The story involving hockey, concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has taken another turn.
Researchers in Boston have revealed that the brain of Richard Martin, who was a member of the famed French Connection with the Buffalo Sabres, contained CTE.
Martin, who died of a heart attack in March at the age of 59, played 11 NHL seasons, mostly without a helmet. He is the third former NHLer — but the first who wasn’t a fighter — whose brain has been found to have had CTE. The other two were Reggie Fleming and Bob Probert.
Robert Stern, a professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Boston University and co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at the university’s school of medicine, told James Christie of The Globe and Mail that Martin’s “CTE was definitely there and likely caused by repetitive blows to the head, received in hockey over the years.”
It is interesting that Martin, despite the presence of CTE, hadn’t shown any of the symptoms of the chronic brain disease that so many other diagnosed athletes had shown. That only goes to show how this research really is in its infancy and how much researchers continue to learn about the brain.
Dr. Ann McKee, who has done so much work in this area, examined Martin’s brain.
“Someone who wasn’t a fighter, by playing the game of hockey for the number of years that (Martin) did . . . it put him at risk for developing this disease,” Stern told Christie.
“We can speculate symptoms would have gotten worse. The message is that we need to take brain trauma in hockey and in all sports much more seriously than we have before.”
Researchers also are examining the brain of Derek Boogaard, who died earlier this summer. Results of that examination have yet to be released.
Christie’s complete story is right here.
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“The WHL's decision to modify its injury report is hardly a life-or death issue,” writes Greg Harder in the Regina Leader-Post. “Perhaps no one outside the media even noticed. However, it does point to a larger issue of credibility, raising legitimate questions about what the WHL is trying to hide.”
Harder’s complete column is right here.
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Things weren’t very pretty in Swift Current on Wednesday as the Broncos held their annual general meeting.
According to a team-issued news release: “The Broncos announced a financial loss of $197,226. The loss on the Hockey Operations side was $882,587, but additional revenues in Corporate Sponsorship, Corporate Suites and Fundraising closed the gap partially.”
A year ago, the Broncos announced a loss of $58,927 for 2009-10.
Jordan Wall, the Broncos’ director of business operations, told Steven Mah of the Southwest Booster after Wednesday night’s meeting: “It is very startling. I mean, it is not completely unexpected. We understood there were certain factors that led to it and we understood that we were probably going down that road this season, especially with a rough second half. But it is not a number you want to see and it is very scary for the long-term viability of the franchise.”
Think about the last part of that quote for a moment . . . “It is very scary for the long-term viability of the franchise.”
And thinks don’t look any better for this season, not with season-ticket sales somewhere south of 1,500. The Broncos have played two home games this season, drawing 2,023 fans to their home-opener (a 4-2 loss to the Regina Pats) and 1,812 (a 6-5 loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings).
Mah reported: “Ticket sales, per game attendance, and season-ticket sales all decreased during (2010-11). Per game attendance dropped for the second straight season, from 2,197 to 2,135.”
Mah’s complete story is right here.
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JUST NOTES: The host Saskatoon Blades won the Brodsky Bowl on Wednesday night, beating the visiting Prince George Cougars, 6-1. Jack Brodsky is the governor and president of the Blades; his brother Rick owns the Cougars. . . . The Cougars had six 16-year-old players, five of them forwards, in their lineup. . . . F Brett Connolly, who played the last three seasons with the Prince George Cougars, will open the season with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. In the preseason, Connolly, the sixth overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft, skated on a line with NHL stars Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis. When the Lightning opens against the host Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, Connolly likely will be on the third line, alongside Dominic Moore and Ryan Shannon. . . .
The Medicine Hat Tigers are the first Central Division team to visit the Victoria Royals. They’ll play there tonight and Friday. Before leaving Medicine Hat, the Tigers assigned G Dawson MacAuley, 17, to the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos and D Ryan Aasman to the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. MacAuley’s departure leaves Kenny Cameron, 18, to back up starter Tyler Bunz. Aasman, who from Medicine Hat, was selected by the Prince Albert Raiders with the eighth overall pick in the 2007 bantam draft. . . . G Luke Siemens, acquired Tuesday from the Everett Silvertips, stopped 19 shots on Wednesday night to help the host Moose Jaw Warriors to their fourth straight victory, a 3-2 triumph over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . D Collin Bowman, 20, has returned to the Warriors from the camp of the AHL’s Connecticut Whale. He is expected to be in the Warriors’ lineup Friday against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . .
In Edmonton, the Reinhart brothers staged something of a family reunion, although Griffin, a defenceman with the Oil Kings, wasn’t around for the finish against the Kootenay Ice. He took a kneeing major and game misconduct in the third period, so missed the end of what was a 2-1 shootout victory for the Oil Kings. . . . Kootenay F Brandon Hurley, who took the knee from Reinhart, is believed to have suffered a charleyhorse. . . . The Ice’s roster includes F Max Reinhart and F Sam Reinhart, both of whom came up empty in the shootout. All three are sons of former NHL D Paul Reinhart. . . .
In Vancouver, newly acquired G Adam Morrison stopped 25 shots through OT as the Giants scored a 3-2 shootout victory over the Spokane Chiefs. Vancouver F James Henry scored the only goal of the shootout to make a winner out of Morrison, who was acquired Tuesday in a four-player deal with the Saskatoon Blades. F Levi Bews, who also came to Vancouver in that deal, scored the Giants’ first goal. . . . The Red Deer Rebels have traded D Brad Deagle, 19, to the Seattle Thunderbirds for a conditional seventh round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. A third-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft, Deagle had 12 points, all of them assists, in 62 games last season. Deagle’s departure leaves the Rebels with nine defencemen still on their roster. . . .
The host Kelowna Rockets ran their winning streak to nine games with a 4-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. The Rockets, who went 6-0 in the exhbition season, have won their first three regular-season games. They will meet again Friday, this time in Kennewick, Wash., at the Toyota Center. . . . Pat Siedlecki, the radio voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, reported on his blog yesterday that F Austin Fyten, 20, is scheduled to have knee surgery later this month and likely won’t play again for six months. Fyten was injured on his final shift of an exhibition game in Taber, Alta.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Wednesday's stuff . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL) announced that it won’t re-sign D Tomas Mojzis (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 2000-03) for next season. He had two goals and seven assists in 49 games in helping Minsk to a second-place finish in the Western Conference of the KHL. However, it was upset by seventh-place Dynamo Riga 4-2 in the Western Conference quarterfinals.
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The Edmonton sporting scene and, indeed, the entire WHL is poorer today following the death of Vic Mah. Mah, who was 91, died on Friday. . . . A giant on the Edmonton sporting and restaurant scene, Mah longed to bring a WHL franchise to Edmonton. . . . Mah was on the Oil Kings’ board of directors when it was a dominant junior franchise in the 1960s. . . . He was part of the group that purchased the Flin Flon Bombers and moved them to Edmonton in time for the 1978-79 season. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a one-season stand. . . . Few people were aware of it, but Mah even was a shareholder in the Kamloops Blazers when the franchise was community-owned.
Cam Tait of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades clinched the fourth regular-season championship in franchise history on Wednesday, beating the Wheat Kings 5-3 in Brandon. . . . The Blades are 52-13-2 and have tied the franchise record for victories in one season that was set in 1982-83. . . . The Blades last finished first overall in 1987-88 when they went 41-22-3 and wound up three points ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers. Saskatoon later was swept from a second-round series by the Tigers. . . . The Blades also won the regular-season points title in 1982-83 (52-19-1) and 1972-73 (46-11-11). . . . F Marek Viedensky scored twice for the Blades last night as they ran their winning streak to five games and ended Brandon’s home-ice win streak at 11. . . . Viedensky leads the Blades with 33 goals. . . . Saskatoon will play in Brandon again on Friday. . . .
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G Brandon Glover stopped 24 shots last night to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-0 victory over the host Swift Current Broncos. . . . It was Glover’s first WHL shutout. . . . F Spencer Humphries scored twice for the Hitmen, breaking a scoreless tie in the third period and adding an empty-netter. . . . The Broncos have been blanked eight times this season, tying them with the Everett Silvertips for the WHL lead in a dubious category. . . . While the Hitmen have been eliminated from the playoff chase, the Broncos are on the verge. They are eight points out with five games remaining. . . .
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The Prince Albert Raiders are back in sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Raiders, with F Jonathan Parker scoring three first-period goals, beat the visiting Regina Pats 8-5, while the host Lethbridge Hurricanes lost 5-3 to the Moose Jaw Warriors, who got three assists from D Collin Bowman. . . . Parker has 44 goals this season. . . . The Raiders hold a two-point lead over Lethbridge with each team having five games remaining. . . . The Pats are 10^th, five points behind Prince Albert with five games left. . . .
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The Chilliwack Bruins ran their franchise-record winning streak to six games, blanking the Giants 2-0 in Vancouver. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore, the reigning CHL goaltender of the week, stopped 36 shots in earning his fourth shutout this season. . . . Vancouver has been shut out three times. . . . F Robin Soudek had a goal and an assist. . . . The Bruins, having won seven of eight, now are alone in sixth place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Everett Silvertips and just four behind the fifth-place Giants. . . . Vancouver lost F Michael Burns in the second period after he was checked by Chilliwack D Tyler Stahl. Burns stayed down and was taken from the ice on a stretcher. . . . Later, Chilliwack F Curt Gogol took a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct for a hit on Vancouver D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen. . . . The teams combined for 134 penalty minutes, with the Bruins taking 78 of those. . . . Vancouver has lost four in a row. . . . The Giants are to visit Chilliwack on Saturday. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has the game story right here.
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The Kelowna Rockets moved eight points ahead of Vancouver by beating the visiting Tri-City Americans, 3-1. . . . The Rockets are atop the B.C. Division, which brings with it the second seed in the Western Conference. . . . The Americans appear headed to a fourth-place finish. . . . Kelowna F Colton Heffley picked up a charging major and game misconduct so is likely to hear from the WHL office.
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Congrats to Nella Rounsville and Lorne Frey, the latest recipients of the WHL’s Distinguished Service Award. . . . Rounsville is the Kootenay Ice’s education advisor, a role she has filled since 1998-99. She also is chairperson of the Ice’s annual golf tournament. . . . Frey is the assistant general manager, head scout and director of player personnel for the Kelowna Rockets. He is arguably the best purveyor of talent in the WHL today and has two Memorial Cup rings to show for it (Swift Current, 1989; Kelowna, 2004) . . . Frey has been with the Rockets since they set up shop in Tacoma in 1991. . . . Hockey really is in his blood. F Travis Moen (Kelowna, 1998-02) of the Montreal Canadiens is Frey’s son-in-law. As well, Frey and the late Louise (Fanner) Kruger were siblings, meaning Frey is an uncle to Darren, Trevor and the late Scott Kruger, all of whom played in the WHL.
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Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, reports that it looks like F Killian Hutt’s season is over. Hutt hasn’t played since suffering a concussion during a game against the Blazers in Kamloops on Dec. 10.
“He was optimistic when we chatted last week that he’d be able to get back into the line-up in the final two weeks of the season,” Mullin wrote on his blog (link over there on the right). “However, as he started working harder in practice some post-concussion symptoms came back. It looks like he’ll be shut down for the year as a result.”
Mark Lamb, the Broncos’ GM and head coach, told Mullin:
“It was coming along well. He sartged getting headaches again. It looks like we’re going to have to shut him down for the year. That’s too bad for him. . . . I feel bad for him. It’s been a tough year for him. He’s a 19-year-old player who needs to get back in the lineup for his career. But you can’t do anything when you have those head injuries.”
Mullin also reports that F Graham Black, who won the Saskatchewan midget AAA league scoring championship with the Regina Pat Canadians, has joined the Broncos. They acquired his rights from the Edmonton Oil Kings in December. . . . With F Jarrett Dowling (ankle) out of the lineup, Black likely will see ample playing time in the Broncos’ remaining games.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings will play their first-round playoff games at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair will have taken over the Keystone Centre. Games 1 and 2 will be played there on March 28 and 31, with a sixth game, if necessary, there on April 4. . . . Brandon last played postseason games in Winnipeg in 2006 when they lost a first-round series in six games to the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . While the Wheat Kings haven’t yet clinched what would be their 11th straight playoff berth, they are getting close. They are seventh, one point out of sixth and seven out of eighth.
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JUST NOTES: F Nino Niederreiter of the Portland Winterhawks is the CHL player of the week. He had nine points, including seven goals, in four games last week. He is the first Portland skater to earn the honour this season. . . . Lucas Gore of the Chilliwack Bruins is the CHL’s goaltender of the week after going 4-0-0, 1.00, .968. . . .
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The QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs have a 53-6-3 record, in no small part because of the play of G Jacob DeSerres (Seattle, Brandon, 2005-10). DeSerres, 20, is profiled right here by Scott Briggs of the Saint John Telegraph-Journal.

Necklaces in play at the Crushed Can

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Martin Hohenberger (Victoria/Prince George, Lethbridge, 1993-97) has come out of retirement to sign a one-year contract with ATSE Graz (Austria Nationalliga). Hohenberger also is the assistant coach for ATSE. . . . Hohenberger was the first overall pick in the WHL's 1993 draft, taken by the Vicoria Cougars. . . .
F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) signed a four-game tryout contract with the Hannover Indians (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had seven goals and eight assists in 50 games for Liberec (Czech Republic Extraliga) last season.
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CH-CH-CHING: The host Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos engaged in some fisticuffs on Friday night. The Broncos won the game, 5-1, but the late-game line brawl cost each team in the pocketbook. The Raiders got touched for $500 because it was their second such incident this season. It was the first line brawl for the Broncos so only cost them $250.
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THE WHL AND JEWELLERY: Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald posted his on his blog after the Warriors had beaten the visiting Regina Pats on Saturday night . . .
“Call it the game within the game . . . with 2:58 left in a 5-3 game, the Warriors iced the puck. (Moose Jaw head coach Dave) Hunchak had already used his timeout and had no way of changing his tired skaters. The Pats put out their top line of Jordan Weal, Carter Ashton and Garrett Mitchell. However, Hunchak had taken note of the fact that Ashton and Weal were both wearing chains around their necks. That goes against WHL rules. Hunchak called over referee Devin Klein, pointed out the jewellery and as a result, two-thirds of the Pats top line had to leave the ice for a crucial offensive zone faceoff.
“That shift ended with the three-fight altercation that put the Warriors on the power play and effectively ended the game.”
By the way, that blog is right here.
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JUST NOTES: G Jacob DeSerres stopped 13 of 15 shots over two periods Friday as the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs scored a 7-2 victory over the visiting Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. DeSerres left after the second period with a groin pull. You’ll recall that DeSerres lost out in the 20-year-old game as the Brandon Wheat Kings released him. He cleared WHL waivers and joined the Sea Dogs in mid-October. Yes, he is still wearing his Wheat Kings-coloured goal pads. . . . (It actually was a reunion of sorts. G Andrew Hayes, another 20-year-old who was waived by Brandon, is with the Screaming Eagles but he backed up in this one.) . . . That victory left the Sea Dogs at 16-3-1, including 9-0-0 at home. It also put them in first place overall, a point ahead of the Quebec Remparts. . . . DeSerres was on the bench Saturday as the Sea Dogs were beaten at home, 4-3 in a shootout, by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. . . . The Remparts lost 3-2 to the visiting Montreal Juniors on Saturday, so the Sea Dogs were left in first place. . . .
The WHL’s player of the week is F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan of the Kelowna Rockets. Actually, the WHL won’t made a decision until Monday. However, Callahan put up 12 points as the Rockets went 4-0-0, winning four straight games from B.C. Division opponents. On Saturday, Callahan had a goal and two assists as the host Rockets dumped the Chilliwack Bruins, 9-3. Kelowna D Tyson Barrie helped out with a goal and three assists, while G Geordie Wudrick scored three times in the 296th regular-season game of his career. . . . The Bruins tied a franchise record for most goals-against in a regular-season game. . . . Brandon D Darren Bestland and D Ryley Miller each was plus-3 as the Wheat Kings beat the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. This was Seattle’s first game on an East Division swing. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 37 shots. . . .
The Calgary Hitmen, the WHL’s defending champions, saw their losing streak reach nine games as they dropped a 5-2 decision to the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. . . . Kootenay lost F Drew Czerwonka (right shoulder) in the first period. He is questionable for the rematch in Calgary on Thursday. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen already had shut out the Hitmen twice this season. . . . D Collin Bowman had three assists to lead the host Moose Jaw Warriors to a 5-3 victory over the Regina Pats, who blew a 3-0 first-period lead by giving up four goals before the frame ended. The Warriors had won 3-1 in Regina on Friday night. . . . The Crushed Can also was home to a third-period line brawl. There were six fighting majors handed out. . . . Ch-ch-ching!!! . . . There were 2,830 fans in the 2,705-seat Crushed Can. . . . The Warriors also got two goals and an assist from F Brendan Rowinski, 20, who was playing his first game since having offseason knee surgery. The Warriors now have two weeks to declare their three 20-year-olds. They also are carrying G Thomas Heemskerk, F Dylan Hood and F Spencer Edwards. Hood was the odd-man out in this one. . . .
The Lethbridge Hurricanes scored three goals in a 4:13 stretch of the third period to erase a 4-2 deficit and beat the visiting Kamloops Blazers, 5-4. The first two of those goals came via the PP. The Blazers, who had a six-game road winning streak snapped, got three goals from F Brendan Ranford. He has 17 goals but has yet to be named to the WHL team that will a touring Russian side in Kamloops on Nov. 17. . . . Kamloops F Jordan DePape had a four-game goal-scoring streak snapped but did get three assists. . . . In Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game’s last two goals in a 4-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. F Brad Ross broke a 2-2 tie at 16:38 of the third period and F Ryan Johansen added an empty-netter. Portland forwards Ty Rattie and Sven Bartschi both extended their point streaks to 10 games. . . . Portland has won eight in a row, the franchise’s longest run of success it won 15 in a row in 1997-98. . . . The Winterhawks open a six-game East Division swing in Swift Current on Tuesday. . . .
G Jon Groenheyde stopped 32 shots in his first with Edmonton and the Oil Kings stopped a nine-game losing skid with a 7-3 victory over the Cougars 7-3 in Prince George. F Jordan Hickmott had two goals for the Oil Kings, who lost 6-3 to the Cougars on Friday. . . . The Spokane Chiefs unleashed a 50-shot barrage at Swift Current G Adam Smith and beat the host Broncos, 3-1. The Chiefs went 3-2-1 on their East Division swing. . . . In Richland, Wash., F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice and set up another while F Byron Froese was one and two, leading the Red Deer Rebels to a 5-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. F Kruise Reddick, the Americans’ captain, returned after being out since Oct. 9 with a concussion.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT FOR SATURDAY:
Minors:
Calgary F Trevor Cheek
Calgary F Rob Trzonkowski

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