Showing posts with label Connor Ingram. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Connor Ingram. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Blazers pay for Ingram's diatribe . . . Broncos, Pats ready to go . . . Silvertips get call from Hall of Fame


The WHL has fined the Kamloops Blazers $500 “for comments from player following game versus Kelowna on April 2,” according to the league’s website.
This, of course, alludes to G Connor Ingram and his reaction to a situation that developed Sunday night
CONNOR INGRAM
during the Blazers’ 4-2 season-ending loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets.
If you’re late to this, Kelowna had a 2-0 lead midway through the third period when Kamloops F Deven Sideroff, his stick in the air, deflected a point shot past Kelowna G Michael Herringer. The call on the ice was a goal, but the officials went to video review in an attempt to determine whether Sideroff had made contact with the puck with his stick above the cross-bar.
The replays shown to the crowd on the scoreclock video screens were inconclusive, so there was much consternation in the stands when the goal was disallowed.
Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner, was in the building and entered the video review booth where, according to Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week, “he was seen analyzing the replay and talking with video goal judge Rob Fryer.”
On Monday, Ingram told Hastings:
“When it’s a goal on the ice, you usually have to have pretty conclusive evidence to turn it over. Like I said (Sunday) night, when you play Kelowna, you’re not going to get that call. The commissioner is in the building. He’s up in that room. You know as soon as he goes up there, you’re not going to get it. It’s disappointing, but that’s what happens when you play those guys and, with who runs their team, they’re going to get those calls. That’s just the way it is.”
Bruce Hamilton, the owner, governor, president and general manager of the Rockets, was in the Sandman Centre. He also is the WHL’s chairman of the board and is generally seen as the league’s most powerful individual.
Obviously, the WHL couldn’t allow Ingram’s comments to skate with no reaction, thus the $500 fine to the Blazers.
However, the WHL likely could have saved itself a lot of grief had it had someone explain things to the media both before and after the game.
The game was to have started at 7 p.m. However, there were a couple of terrible accidents, one of them involving a fatality, on the Coquihalla Highway between Kamloops and Vancouver that resulted in it being closed. As a result, three of the scheduled on-ice officials as well as Jeff Bradley, who was to have been the game supervisor, were stuck on the Coquihalla and backup officials were summoned.
With Bradley in limbo, Robison stepped into the role of game supervisor, so was there to support Fryer.
The WHL should have had someone — why not Robison? — address the media before the game and explain all of this, including the fact that the game’s start time had been moved to 8 p.m. Someone should have provided the media with the names of the scheduled officials and their circumstances, along with the names of the replacement officials and from where they were travelling. Someone should have explained that Robison had stepped into the role of game supervisor.
Later, perhaps immediately after the game, someone from the WHL — why not Robison, as the supervisor? — should have met with the media and explained how the decision had been reached to overturn the call on the ice on Sideroff’s non-goal. Was there an angle, or angles, available in the video review booth that wasn’t shown on the big screen? Is the picture quality in the video review booth better than what is on the big screen? What role did Robison play in the process?
On Wednesday, Hastings spoke with Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey. Doerksen explained Robison‘s role:
“The video goal judge makes the call, but he certainly received verification that the call was correct that he was making. . . . the video goal judge made the determination of the decision and he was supported by the commissioner, who was in the booth to take a look at it as well. The WHL supervisor has the final say on any very close call.”
In this case, of course, Robison was acting as the WHL supervisor.
Doerksen refused to question the optics of the situation.
“(Robison) did exactly what was expected of that role,” Doerksen told Hastings. “To go into support and make sure, in conjunction with the video goal judge, that the call being made was correct.”
On Tuesday, Ingram signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, which selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. The contract includes three annual signing bonuses of US$92,500. So chances are Ingram can afford to pay the fine himself, should the Blazers suggest it.
Hastings complete story, including a testy exchange with Doerksen, is right here.

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The second round of the WHL playoffs get rolling tonight with one game — the Swift Current Broncos and the Pats will get it going in Regina.
The Pats (52-12-8) finished atop the overall standings, 24 points ahead of the third-place Broncos (39-23-10).
Regina swept the Calgary Hitmen from a first-round series, while the Broncos went seven games in eliminating the Moose Jaw Warriors. Swift Current won Game 7 in Moose Jaw — the home team was 2-5 in that series — so playing on the road won’t be an issue.
The Pats went 7-0-1 in the season series; the Broncos were 1-7-0.
Of course, the Broncos are playing the underdog card.
“There’s a reason they’re ranked No. 1 in the country,” Manny Viveiros, the Broncos’ director of player personnel and head coach, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “They’re deep, they’re well coached and they’re a real good hockey team. We’re very honoured to have an opportunity to play these guys. There’s no question they’re the favourites and we’re the underdogs but we’re OK with that. It’s a challenge we look forward to.”
Sportsnet will show Game 2 of the series from Regina on Friday night and Game 3 from Swift Current on Monday night.
Meanwhile, Shaw TV will televise the second-round series between the Medicine Hat Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes. That series opens with games in Medicine Hat on Friday and Saturday nights.
The Tigers (51-20-1), who finished atop the Central Division, eight points ahead of the Hurricanes (44-21-7), were 4-3-0 in the season series. The Tigers scored at least five goals in five of those games, including games of seven, eight and nine scores.
The two Western Conference series will open on Friday, with the Everett Silvertips playing host to the Seattle Thunderbirds, and the Portland Winterhawks in Kelowna against the Rockets.
The Silvertips (44-16-12) won the U.S. Division pennant, finishing two points ahead of the Thunderbirds (46-20-6). Everett was 4-4-2 in the season series with Seattle, while the Thunderbirds went 6-4-0. In the 10 games, the winning team scored one, two or three goals on six occasions.
The Rockets (45-22-5) wound up second in the B.C. Division, while the Winterhawks (40-28-4) were fourth in the U.S. Division and are in the playoffs as the conference’s first wild-card entry. Kelowna was 3-1-0 against the Winterhawks this season. Kelowna won twice in Portland, 3-2 and 5-3, on Oct. 29 and 30. The Winterhawks won the most recent meeting, 5-4, in Kelowna on Jan. 28.
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The 2018 CHL Top Prospects Game will be played in Guelph‘s Sleeman Centre, home of the OHL’s Storm, on Jan. 25. Next year’s game will be the 23rd annual Top Prospects contest, an event that features 40 of the top NHL draft-eligible players from the OHL, QMJHL and WHL. This will be the first time the game will have been played in Guelph.
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Two more WHLers — D Josh Brook of the Moose Jaw Warriors and F Kyle Olson of the Tri-City Americans — have been added to the roster of the Canadian team that left Wednesday for Slovakia and the IIHF U-18 World Championship tournament  that is to be played in Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves, from April 13-23. . . . As well, Moose Jaw D Jett Woo is with the team as an underage player, allowing him to gain international experience. . . . Canada will play exhibition games against Russia in Bratislava on April 9 and Switzerland in Piestany on April 10. . . . Canada opens tournament play on April 13 against Latvia. . . . On April 4, Hockey Canada named F Jaret Anderson-Dolan of the Spokane Chiefs, F Stelio Mattheos of the Brandon Wheat Kings and G Ian Scott of the Prince Albert Raiders to the team, and added Spokane D Ty Smith as an underage player.
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D Brendan Guhle of the Prince George Cougars has left to join the Rochester Americans, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Guhle, 19, played three games for the Sabres in December. . . . Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen reports that Cougars F Radovan Bondra, 19, will join the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs, who are affiliated with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, while F Jesse Gabrielle, 19, is off to the AHL’s Providence Bruins, who are hooked up with the NHL’s Boston Bruins.
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F Evan Polei of the Red Deer Rebels is off to join the Bakersfield Condors, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. Polei, who played four seasons in Red Deer, turned 21 on Feb. 19 so has used up his junior eligibility. This season, he had 33 goals and 29 assists in 69 games, then added three goals and six assists in six playoff games. However, he sat out the Game 7 loss to the host Lethbridge Hurricanes on Tuesday night as he served a one-game WHL suspension for a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct he incurred in Game 6.
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F Brett Howden of the Moose Jaw Warriors will finish his season with the Syracuse Crunch, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. Howden, 19, was taken by the Lightning with the 27th selection of the 2016 NHL draft. This season, he had 38 goals and 43 assists in 58 regular-season games. He added two goals and an assist in a seven-game first-round loss to the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Howden signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Lightning on Dec. 28.
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The Detroit Red Wings have signed D Dennis Cholowski, 19, to a three-year entry-level contract. The Red Wings selected him with the 20th overall pick of the NHL’s 2016 draft. Cholowski, from Langley, B.C., played two seasons with the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs, then spent this season at St. Cloud State, recording one goal and 11 assists in 36 games. . . . Cholowski’s WHL rights are held by the Prince George Cougars, who selected him in the 10th round of the 2013 bantam draft.
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Coaching

 Mike Gabinet, 35, is the new head coach of the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. Gabinet had been the team’s associate coach. He played four seasons with the Mavericks. He later worked at NAIT in his hometown of Edmonton as an assistant coach with the Ooks, taking over as head coach for 2015-16. A year ago, the Mavericks hired him as associate coach. Gabinet takes over as head coach from Dean Blais, who resigned last month after eight seasons behind the bench. Gabinet now is the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I hockey. . . . Eric Olson of The Associated Press reported that Gabinet will get US$250,000 per year on a five-year deal, along with a country club membership and a car. There is a $20,000 bonus for a regular-season title, $50,000 for a berth in the Frozen Four, and $75,000 for a national championship.
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The Everett Silvertips received a request from the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, so equipment guru James Stucky got right to work. The stick that F Cal Babych used in ending the longest game in CHL history on Sunday is on its way to the hall. The Silvertips beat the host Victoria Royals, 3-2, with Babych scoring in the fifth OT period.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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THURSDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m. (Game 1)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:54 PM
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Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Hurricanes blow past Rebels; Vandervlis sparks Game 7 victory . . . Ingram gets NHL deal


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 A couple of years ago, Dean (Scooter) Vrooman, who would be one of the first inductees into a WHL Hall of Fame if their was such an animal, did the research into the WHL and seven- and nine-game playoff series.
I have updated it to include the first round of this season’s playoffs.
From 2012 through April 4, the road team is 3-10 in Game 7s. (The three victories? The Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Portland Winterhawks, 4-2, in Game 7 of the 2014 championship final; the Kelowna Rockets scored a 3-2 OT victory over the Victoria Royals in Game 7 of the B.C. Division final in 2016; and on Monday night the Swift Current Broncos went into Moose Jaw and beat the Warriors, 3-2.)
From 2004 through 2011, the road team was 10-10 in Game 7s.
From 1986 through 2003, the road team was 3-29 in Game 7s (or Game 9s).
From the beginning of the WHL in 1966-67 through 1984, the road team was 5-10 in Game 7s or Game 9s.
Overall, in 80 deciding games in series that went the distance (7 or 9 games) in league history, the home team is 59-21.
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Meanwhile, Hartley Miller, who worked on the Prince George Cougars’ radio crew this season, provided some information now that the first round of the WHL playoffs is over.
He points out that the first round featured 44 games with the home-road split right down the middle — 22-22. There were two Game 7s, with the home team going 1-1.
In six of the eight series, the home team went .500.
The exceptions? In the series between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Red Deer Rebels, the home team was 5-2; in the matchup between the Moose Jaw Warriors and Swift Current Broncos, the home team was 2-5.
Bring on the second round!
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NHLG Connor Ingram of the Kamloops Blazers has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, which selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. Ingram is on his way to join the Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate. . . . Ingram was 2-4, 2.18, .946 in a just-completed first-round series against the Kelowna Rockets. Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman was in Kamloops for Game 4. That night, Ingram stopped 48 shots in a 1-0 loss to the Rockets. . . . In three seasons with the Blazers, Ingram is 81-50-18, 2.68, .918. . . . He turned 20 on March 31, so next season will be eligible to play in anywhere in Tampa Bay’s organization or in the WHL as a 20-year-old.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Ryan Miley, who is from Brookings, S.D. He played this season with the Sioux Falls Stampede U16 AAA team, putting up 39 points, including 14 goals, in 50 games. Miley, who will turn 17 on July 12, is an undrafted list player, who was in Portland’s training camp prior to this season.
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F Tyler Robertson, who played three-plus seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings, has committed to attend NAIT and play for the Ooks next season. Robertson, from Sherwood Park, Alta., was part of the 2014 Memorial Cup-championship Oil Kings team. . . . Robertson, who will turn 21 on Oct. 1, had 87 points, including 40 goals, in 235 regular-season games with the Oil Kings.
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With the Regina Pats and Swift Current Broncos preparing to begin a second-round WHL playoff series on Thursday, Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post takes a look at the franchise that really is a miracle on the Saskatchewan prairie. That piece is right here. 
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Mike Fraser, the wandering and writing scout, is back with another solid piece. This week, he takes a look at a terrific underdog story from the Alberta Midget Hockey League, and also bemoans the fact that there won’t be a Pacific regional midget AAA series this month. That piece, from the Westman Journal, is right here.
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USHLThe Sioux City Musketeers wrapped up the Anderson Cup as the USHL’s regular-season champions on Sunday with a 4-1 victory over the visiting Tri-City Storm. With three games remaining, the Musketeers, who also won the Western Conference title, were at 40-10-7 and had won seven in a row. Jay Varady, the Musketeers’ head coach, spent seven seasons (2003-10) in the WHL on the coaching staff of the Everett Silvertips. He is in his fourth season with the Musketeers. Mark LeRose, in his third season as Sioux City’s general manager, was an assistant in Everett for three seasons (2007-09, 2013-14). . . . The USHL playoffs begin next week.
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In the OHL on Tuesday night, the host London Knights beat the Windsor Spitfires, 3-2, in Game 7 of that first-round series. The Knights are the defending Memorial Cup champions, while the Spitfires are in this year’s tournament as the host team. . . . In another OHL Game 7, the host Kingston Frontenacs scored a 3-2 OT victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs. . . . In the OHL’s second round, the Knights face the Erie Otters, the Frontenacs go against the Peterborough Petes, the Owen Sound Attack plays the Soo Greyhounds, and the Oshawa Generals meet the Mississauga Steelheads.
There was one Game 7 in the QMJHL’s first round, with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles scoring a 5-4 OT victory over the Gatineau Olympiques on Tuesday night. . . . In the second round, the Screaming Eagles will face the Charlottetown Islanders, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan go against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, the Val-d’Or Foreurs play the Saint John Sea Dogs, and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens face the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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TUESDAY’S GAME:

At Lethbridge, the Hurricanes scored four PP goals en route to a 6-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels in Game 7 of their first-round series. . . . Lethbridge won the series by winning each of the last three games. . . . The Hurricanes, who finished second in the Central Division, advance to meet the first-place Medicine
RYAN VANDERVLIS
Hat Tigers in a second-round series. They will open with games in Medicine Hat on Friday and Saturday nights. . . . The Hurricanes and Tigers haven’t met in the playoffs since 1991. Back then, the 14-team WHL featured two divisions and the Hurricanes beat the Tigers in seven games in the division final. The Spokane Chiefs then swept the Hurricanes from the championship final. . . . Last night, the Hurricanes, who hadn’t won a series since 2009, opened a 2-0 lead on first-period PP goals just 1:03 apart. . . . D Brennan Menell scored at 7:21, the first of two goals the home team would score with a 5-on-3 advantage. . . . F Giorgio Estephan (2) made it 2-0 at 8:24. . . . F Lane Zablocki (6) scored for Red Deer at 19:08, but Lethbridge got that one back just 22 seconds later when F Ryan Vandervlis counted. . . . Vandervlis enjoyed a four-point outing. . . . The Hurricanes got some insurance from F Jordy Bellerive (2), who scored while shorthanded at 9:29 of the second period. . . . F Brandon Hagel (7) got the Rebels to within two goals at 2:31 of third period, but the Hurricanes put it away with two more PP goals. . . . Vandervlis scored his fourth goal of the series at 8:18 and Menell got his third goal at 10:33. . . . The Hurricanes got two assists from each of F Tyler Wong, F Zak Zborosky, Vandervlis and Estephan, with Bellerive and Menell each getting one. . . . Vandervlis, an 18-year-old from Red Deer, finished the series with four goals and three assists. In the regular season, he had 25 points, including eight goals, in 60 games. . . . G Stuart Skinner recorded the victory with 31 saves. . . . Red Deer starter Riley Lamb gave up four goals on 19 shots in 29:29. Lasse Petersen came on to finish up, allowing two goals on 12 shots in 30:31. . . . Lethbridge was 4-6 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-3. . . . The Rebels were without F Evan Polei, who had nine points, including three goals, in the first six games. He was serving a WHL suspension after taking a headshot major and game misconduct in Game 6. . . . Lethbridge F Tanner Nagel, the subject of that hit, didn’t finish Game 6. But he was cleared to play and was in the lineup for Game 7. . . . Announced attendance: 5,244.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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THURSDAY GAMES (all times local):

Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m. (Game 1)

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.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:11 PM
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Monday, April 3, 2017

Ingram: That's just the way it is . . . Broncos take out Warriors . . . Winterhawks sideline Cougars


Let’s go back to Sunday night in Kamloops.
CONNOR INGRAM
It was 10 minutes into the third period and the hometown Blazers were trailing the Kelowna Rockets 2-0 in a game that Kamloops needed to win if it was to stay alive in these playoffs.
F Deven Sideroff of the Blazers parked himself in front of Kelowna G Michael Herringer, then got his raised stick on a point shot and deflected it into the net.
The call on the ice was a goal, so when it went to video review conclusive evidence showing Sideroff’s stick above the cross-bar when contact with the puck was made would have been needed to overturn it.
The replays shown on the big screen on the scoreclock certainly were inconclusive, so we have to assume that the video review official had a better quality picture or a different angle because the goal was disallowed. The Rockets went on to end the series, thanks to a 4-2 victory.

On Monday, the day after the night before, Blazers G Connor Ingram pretty much mirrored the feelings of the team and its fans when he told Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week:
“When it’s a goal on the ice, you usually have to have pretty conclusive evidence to (overturn) it. Like I said (Sunday) night, when you play Kelowna, you’re not going to get that call.
“The commissioner is in the building. He’s up in that room. You know as soon as he goes up there, you’re not going to get it.
“It’s disappointing, but that’s what happens when you play those guys and, with who runs their team, they’re going to get those calls. That’s just the way it is.”
Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner, was in the building and, apparently, visited the video review booth at the time of the Sideroff non-goal.
Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ owner, governor, president and general manager who is the WHL’s chairman of the board, also was in the house.
No, he didn’t visit the video review booth.
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The B.C. Division had four teams in the playoffs when the first round started. The Kelowna Rockets are the only one left standing. . . . Last night, the Portland Winterhawks eliminated the Prince George Cougars, who had finished atop the division, winning the franchise’s first pennant since it relocated from Victoria over the summer of 1994. . . . The second-place Rockets, of course, knocked the third-place Blazers from the post-season on Sunday. . . . Also on Sunday, the Everett Silvertips took out the fourth-place Victoria Royals, although it took five OT periods in what was the longest game in CHL history. The Royals had qualified for the playoffs in the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot.
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F Garrett Pilon of the Kamloops Blazers will be joining the Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals. The Capitals selected Pilon in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft and signed him to a three-year entry-level contract last week. Pilon, whose Blazers were eliminated from the WHL playoffs on Sunday night, had 65 points, 20 of them goals, in 67 games this season. . . . Pilon will turn 19 on April 13, so will have to play next season with the Capitals or the Blazers; he isn’t eligible to start next season in Hershey.
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D Jake Bean of the Calgary Hitmen has joined the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina selected Bean with the 13th overall pick of the 2016 NHL draft. . . . Bean had 45 points, including 37 assists, in 43 regular-season games this season. He missed a good chunk of the early part of the season with a hand injury, returning in time to play for Canada at the World Junior Championship. . . . Next season, Bean will be 19 and will have to play with the Hurricanes or be returned to the Hitmen.
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Three WHLers were among the first players added to the Canadian team that will play in the IIHF U-18 World Championship in Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia, April 13-23. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan of the Spokane Chiefs, F Stelio Mattheos of the Brandon Whet Kings and G Ian Scott of the Prince Albert Raiders are in Etobicoke, Ont., this week for a brief training camp before the team leaves for Slovakia on Wednesday, where it will play a pair of exhibition games. . . . As well, D Ty Smith of the Chiefs was invited to the training camp as an under-aged player in order to allow him to gain more international experience. . . . Canada will play Russia on Sunday in Bratislava and Switzerland on Monday in Piestany before opening the tournament against Latvia on April 13. . . . Steve Hamilton, the head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings, is an assistant coach with Canada.
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Neate Sager, who freelances junior hockey pieces for Sportsnet, takes a look right here at Sunday’s marathon between the Everett Silvertips and host Victoria Royals, and he does it by the numbers. He also takes a look at some other CHL goings-on.
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F Calvin Spencer of the Vancouver Giants has signed with the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers. He split this season between the Swift Current Broncos and the Giants, putting up 29 points, including 16 goals, in 66 games. Spencer, who turned 21 on Feb. 29, played four seasons in the WHL, the first two with the Seattle Thunderbirds. In 230 regular-season games, the native of Brooklyn Park, Minn., had 66 points, including 32 goals.
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The Red Deer Rebels will be without F Evan Polei for Game 7 against the host Lethbridge Hurricanes tonight (Tuesday). Polei has been given a TBD suspension after he incurred a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Lethbridge F Tanner Nagel in Game 5 on Sunday. . . . Meanwhile, Red Deer D Alex Alexeyev skated Monday for the first time since having knee surgery in early February. He won’t play tonight but you can bet his presence gave his teammates a lift. . . . After a 4-1 loss to the visiting Hurricanes on Sunday, Brent Sutter, Red Deer’s owner, GM and head coach, told reporters: “You guys thought the Lethbridge Hurricanes were going to beat the Red Deer Rebels 4-0, because they had 20-some more points in the standings. “Our kids have played hard in this series. At the start of the series, if you’d have said we got to play to Game 7 against this team in their home building, we would take it.” . . . The conclusion of Game 7 will signal the end of the first round.
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BCHLThe BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers are staying put and, in fact, the future looks good with a move underway to turn the team into a community-owned franchise. At a news conference on Monday, it was revealed that the process has begun to form the Nanaimo Clippers Hockey Society. . . . Greg Sakaki of the Nanaimo News-Bulletin writes: “Keeping the Clippers in the Harbour City involved a group of individuals contributing at least $50,000 each to allow the society to purchase a portion of the hockey club. There was sufficient commitment to satisfy the current ownership group.” . . . Sakaki’s story is right here.
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The OHL’s Niagara IceDogs have signed head coach Dave Bell to a three-year extension. Bell just completed his first season as head coach, after spending three seasons on staff as an assistant coach. The IceDogs finished 23-35-10 this season, good for eighth spot in the 10-team Eastern Conference. They were swept from a first-round series by the Peterborough Petes.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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MONDAY GAMES:


At Portland, the Winterhawks, the Western Conference’s first wild-card team, beat the Prince George Cougars, 4-2, to advance to the second round of the WHL playoffs. . . . The Winterhawks won the
COLE KEHLER
series, 4-2. They had finished fourth in the U.S. Division, at 40-28-4. The Cougars won the B.C. Division pennant, at 45-21-6. . . . The Winterhawks next will face the Kelowna Rockets, who eliminated the Kamloops Blazers, 4-2, on Sunday night. This will be the fifth playoff meeting between these teams since 2011. . . . The Winterhawks and Rockets will get started in Kelowna on Friday night. . . . Last night, the Winterhawks scored the game’s first three goals, all in the second period. . . . F Colton Veloso (2) made it 1-0 at 5:35, with F Ryan Hughes (2) counting at 7:18 and F Alex Overhardt (1) upping the lead to 3-0, on a PP, at 11:58. . . . The Cougars got on the scoreboard when F Kody McDonald (2) scored at 6:38 of the third period, seven seconds after the expiration of a PP. . . . The Winterhawks got that one back just 1:07 later as F Keegan Iverson got his third goal of the series. . . . F Colby McAuley (4) added a late PP goal for the Cougars, at 18:59. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 35 shots for the Winterhawks and was saluted as the game’s first star. . . . The Cougars got 38 stops from G Ty Edmonds. . . . Prince George was 1-2 on the PP; Portland was 1-5. . . . Prince George had F Tanner Wishnowski back after he served a one-game suspension for becoming involved with a fan during Game 4 in Portland on Thursday. . . . The Cougars again were without F Brad Morrison, a 20-goal scorer who was unable to recover sufficiently from ankle woes to contribute. Morrison, who missed the last three games of the series, was injured in a fight on Feb. 24 and played in only two games after that. . . . Announced attendance: 4,211.
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At Moose Jaw, G Jordan Papirny stopped 39 shots to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 3-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Broncos, who won three times in Moose Jaw, took the first-round series, 4-
JORDAN PAPIRNY
3, and will open the second round in Regina against the Pats on Thursday. . . . The Warriors had finished second in the East Division, five points ahead of the Broncos, who were 24 points behind the first-place Pats. . . . Last season, Papirny, now 20, backstopped the Brandon Wheat Kings to the Ed Chynoweth Cup. Last night, he stopped 14 shots in the first period, 11 in the second and 14 in the third. . . . Papirny, who will turn 21 on Monday, went 2.02 and .947 in the seven games. He now has played in 56 playoff games, going 37-19, 2.77, .916. A year ago with Brandon, he went 16-5, 2.93, .897. . . . Last night, The Broncos took a 2-0 lead on goals from D Colby Sissons (2), at 4:30 of the first period, and F Tyler Steenbergen (6), on a PP, at 1:47 of the second. . . . F Justin Almeida (2) got the Warriors to within a goal at 7:49. . . . F Glenn Gawdin (3) restored Swift Current’s two-goal lead at 3:17 of the third period. . . . D Josh Brook (2) made things interesting when he scored for Moose Jaw at 14:59. . . . The Broncos got two assists from D Max Lajoie, with Steenbergen adding one to his goal. . . . Brook had an assist for the Warriors. You can bet he’ll be added to the Canadian U-18 team that will leave on Wednesday for the IIHF World Championship in Slovakia. . . . The Warriors got 27 saves from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . The Broncos were 1-4 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-5. . . . Announced attendance: 4,585.
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TUESDAY GAME (all times local):

Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 3-3)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:27 PM
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Friday, March 31, 2017

Carl is king with T-Birds ... Broncos, Silvertips take leads ... Blazers take Rockets to Game 6


F Kevin Undershute (Medicine Hat, Portland, 2004-08) has signed a one-year extension with Caen (France, Div 1). This season, in 24 games, he had four goals and a team-leading 16 assists.
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Shots fired!
The Global TV outlet based in Kelowna chose to do a story this week on attendance at Kamloops Blazers’ home games.
The story followed two home playoff games. In  those games, the Blazers played host to the Kelowna Rockets, with 3,878 fans in the Sandman Centre on Tuesday night and 4,297 there on Wednesday.
This season, the Blazers’ average attendance for 36 regular-season home games was 3,782. The Global piece was slugged: Where are the hockey fans in Kamloops?
Interestingly, the only hockey person to try to answer that question was Bruce Hamilton, the governor, president and general manager of the Rockets, who also is the WHL’s chairman of the board.
There wasn’t a comment from Stu MacGregor, the Blazers’ general manager who was at both home playoff games, nor was their a comment from Tom Gaglardi, the Blazers’ majority owner who attended Game 4.
It was interesting, too, that Hamilton wasn’t asked: Where are the hockey fans in Kelowna?
The Rockets averaged 6,082 fans per game in 2011-12, slipped to 5,358 in 2012-13, and haven’t been close to 6,000 since then. This season, they averaged 5,162 fans, down 80 from the previous season.
The Global piece is right here.
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Mike McKenzie has been named general manager of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, effective immediately. He takes over from Murray Hiebert, who wanted a lighter workload and now is the director of hockey operations. . . . McKenzie, the son of TSN’s Bob McKenzie, has been with the Rangers since 2012. He was an assistant coach for three seasons, before adding assistant general manager to his job description in 2015. . . . The Rangers had their season end Friday night, with a 6-2 loss to the host Owen Sound Attack, which won the series, 4-1. Ryan McGill, a former WHL player and coach, is the Attack’s head coach. . . . In another OHL series, the host London Knights beat the Windsor Spitfires, 2-1. Windsor still leads that series, 3-2, and is going home for Game 6 on Sunday afternoon.
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Coaching

 The junior B Richmond Sockeyes of the Pacific Junior Hockey League have signed Steve Robinson as their new head coach. He replaces Judd Lambert, who stepped down earlier in the week after being head coach for nine of the past 10 seasons. . . . The Sockeyes finished their in their division this season, at 22-13-3-5. . . . This season, Robinson coached the midget A1 team in the Seafair Minor Hockey Association, which is in Richmond.
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FRIDAY GAMES:


At Kennewick, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds advanced to the second round with a 5-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans, who never held a lead as they were swept. . . . The Thunderbirds now await the
CARL STANKOWSKI
winner of a series between the Everett Silvertips and Victoria Royals. If it’s the Silvertips, they’ll start in Everett on April 7 and 8. If it’s Victoria, the series would begin in Kent, Wash., with games on April 8 and 9. . . . Tri-City has lost 10 straight playoff games, going back to 2014. . . . If you’re looking for a series MVP, how about Seattle G Carl Stankowski. He got into seven regular-season games, but stepped up with G Rylan Toth unable to answer the playoff bell. Toth led all WHL goaltenders with 36 regular-season victories. . . . Stankowski, who stopped 28 saves last night, went 4-0, 2.00, .932 in the series. . . . F Alexander True (2) gave the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 3:01 of the first period. . . . The Americans got even when F Kyle Olson (1) scored at 6:19. . . . F Nolan Volcan (2) put Seattle back out front at 19:59. . . . F Nolan Yaremko (1) got Tri-City even again, at 3:58. . . . Seattle F Donovan Neuls (3) broke the tie at 16:56. . . . Seattle got insurance from F Sami Moilanen (1) at 19:20 of the second. . . . True added an empty-netter at 18:33. . . . Seattle got two assists apiece from D Austin Strand, D Ethan Bear and F Keegan Kolesar, with Moilanen adding one. . . . Kolesar now leads the WHL’s playoff scoring race, with 11 points. . . . G Rylan Parenteau stopped 27 shots for the Americans. . . . Seattle was 1-3 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-3. . . . The Thunderbirds continue to be without F Mathew Barzal and G Rylan Toth, neither of whom has played since early March. As well, F Ryan Gropp missed his second straight game after taking a high hit from Tri-City D Dalton Yorke in Game 2. . . . Yorke sat out the second game of a two-game suspension last night. . . . Announced attendance: 3,020.
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At Moose Jaw, F Lane Pederson scored twice to help the Swift Current Broncos to a 2-1 victory over the
LANE PEDERSON
Warriors. . . . The Broncos lead the series, 3-2, and get their first chance to wrap it up tonight in Swift Current. A seventh game, if needed, would be played Monday in Moose Jaw. . . . The Broncos also got a huge night from G Jordan Papirny, who finished with 34 saves. The Warriors had a 16-9 edge in second-period shots and it was 10-1 in the third. . . . Pederson scored his first two goals of the series in the second period, at 3:25 and 14:03. . . . Moose Jaw got its goal from F Brett Howden (2), on a PP, at 17:22 of the second period. . . . G Zach Sawchenko stopped 20 shots for Moose Jaw. . . . The Warriors were 1-6 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-2. . . . The Warriors had F Jayden Halbgewachs and F Noah Gregor in the lineup, both of them surfacing after head coach Tim Hunter threw them under the bus following Game 4. Hunter had threatened to scratch both players from the lineup, but didn’t. Perhaps their combined 161 points, including 77 goals, in the regular season had something to do with it. . . . Halbgewachs has a goal and two assists in this series, while Gregor is pointless. . . . The Broncos had D Noah King, 17, in the lineup for the first time since Nov. 4. They scratched D Dom Schmiemann. . . . Announced attendance: 4,465.
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At Kelowna, the Kamloops Blazers got 32 saves from G Connor Ingram as they stayed alive with a 4-1 victory over the Rockets. . . . Kelowna holds a 3-2 lead in the series. They’ll return to Kamloops for Game
CONNOR INGRAM
6 on Sunday. A seventh game, if needed, would be played in Kelowna on Tuesday. . . . The Blazers won Game 3, 4-1, at home on Tuesday, then dropped a 1-0 decision on Wednesday. . . . After five games, Ingram is 2-3, 2.01, .951. . . . Ingram, who turned 20 on Friday, has played in 12 playoff games, all against the Rockets. He is 5-7, 2.98, .944. . . . F Reid Gardner (2) gave the Rockets a 1-0 lead at 11:05 of the first period, meaning this was the first time in the series that the team scoring first didn’t win. . . . F Garrett Pilon, who signed a three-year entry level contract with the NHL’s Washington Capitals on Thursday, pulled the Blazers even with his first goal at 17:46. . . . Pilon also drew an assist on a goal from F Quinn Benjafield (2) at 1:22 of the second period that gave Kamloops the lead. . . . The visitors put it away with third-period goals from F Rudolfs Balcers (2), at 5:32, and F Collin Shirley (1), shorthanded, at 12:22. . . . Kelowna had been the only one of the CHL’s 60 teams not have allowed a shorthanded goal this season. . . . Benjafield added an assist to his goal. . . . The Blazers got 15 saves from Ingram in the second period and 10 more in the third. . . . The Rockets were 0-4 on the PP. . . . The Blazers were 0-8 on the PP; they now are 1-28 in the series. . . . The Blazers had F Luc Smith in their lineup for the first time in this series and he picked up an assist. Smith had suffered an undisclosed injury late in the regular season. . . . Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Blazers, didn’t make the trip, so missed his second straight game after showing symptoms of mumps. He isn’t expected to return for Sunday’s game, but hopes to be back if there is a Game 7. . . . The Rockets chose not to make head coach Jason Smith or players available for post-game interviews, according to Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier, “due to fear of the mumps.” Post-game quotes from head coach Jason Smith were made available via Kevin Bain, Kelowna’s media relations manager. . . . Announced attendance: 5,547.
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At Everett, F Eetu Tuulola scored at 7:02 of the first OT to give the Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the
EETU TUULOLA
Victoria Royals. . . . The Silvertips lead the series, 3-2, with Game 6 in Victoria on Sunday afternoon. . . . Everett got the game’s first goal with F Matt Fonteyne (2) scoring at 5:14 of the second period. . . . Victoria tied it 48 seconds later when F Carter Folk scored his first goal. . . . The Silvertips went back out front when F Patrick Bajkov got his fifth goal, on a PP, at 19:59. . . . Victoria F Jared Dmytriw (1) forced OT with a goal at 14:20 of the third period. . . . Tuulola won it with his second goal of the series. . . . The Silvertips got two assists from each of D Kevin Davis and F Dominic Zwerger, with Bajkov and Fonteyne adding one each. . . . Bajkov and Zwerger, who has eight assists, now have 10 points apiece, one point off the playoff scoring lead. . . . G Carter Hart stopped 17 shots for the Silvertips. . . . At the other end, Griffen Outhouse blocked 33 shots. . . . Everett was 1-3 on the PP; Victoria was 0-1. . . . The Silvertips welcomed F Riley Sutter back to their lineup, but they remain without F Devon Skoleski. . . . The Royals continue to be without F Jack Walker and D Scott Walford. . . . Announced attendance: 3,833.
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SATURDAY GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. (Red Deer leads, 3-1)
Portland at Prince George, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)
Moose Jaw at Swift Current, 7 p.m. (Swift Current leads, 3-2)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:16 PM
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Bestwick: WHL team guaranteed if vote is YES ... Red-hot Ingram blanks Oil Kings ... Rebels end drought


F J.T. Barnett (Vancouver, Kamloops, Everett, Kelowna, 2008-13) has been released by mutual agreement by Timrå (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He was pointless in two games there. Earlier this season, he was pointless in one game with CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL), had seven goals and three assists in 24 games with CSKA farm team Zvezda Chekhov (Russia, Vysshaya Liga); and was pointless in three games with Amur Khabarovsk (Russia, KHL). . . .
G Ville Kolppanen (Lethbridge, 2009-10) has been released by Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (Russia, KHL). In 30 games, he was 2.18 and .917 SP. Kolppanen had one year left on his contract with Nizhnekamsk and was one of 10 Nizhnekamsk players released Tuesday. . . . The KHL regular season ended Sunday and Nizhnekamsk finished out of the playoffs.
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 Bill Bestwick, a Nanaimo city councillor, has told a local newspaper that the Vancouver Island city will have a WHL franchise if taxpayers vote YES for a new arena in a March 11 referendum.
According to Greg Sakaki of the Nanaimo News Bulletin, Bestwick told the newspaper that the arrival of a WHL franchise is a “100 per cent” certainty if the vote is yes.
Here is the question that is being asked via the referendum:
“Are you in favour of the City of Nanaimo Council adopting Loan Authorization Bylaw 2017 No. 7237 which will authorize Council to borrow a sum not exceeding $80,000,000, repayable over a period of no more than 20 years, for the development and construction of an event centre that will include an ice arena and other related entertainment, cultural and recreation facilities?”
Sakaki writes:
“Coun. Bill Bestwick told the News Bulletin last week that it’s a ‘100 per cent’ certainty that the WHL will be coming to town if the referendum passes. Hockey hasn’t been a major talking point, however, because the municipality can’t reveal details of the league’s dealings with a privately owned club, reportedly the Cranbrook-based Kootenay Ice. Kim Fowler, Nanaimo’s chief sustainability officer, said that the WHL was leading those negotiations and that the city was working on a memorandum of understanding with the league.”
Bestwick is a longtime former BCHL coach who spent 12 seasons (1999-2012) as GM/head coach of the Nanaimo Clippers. These days, he is a part-time amateur scout for the NHL’s St. Louis Blues.
When Sakaki asked for a response from the WHL, he got a prepared statement from commissioner Ron Robison, stating that “should the City of Nanaimo approve the construction of a new facility which meets WHL standards, the WHL will seek the necessary approvals to deliver a WHL team either through relocation of an existing franchise or expansion.”
It has been common knowledge for a while now that the Ice will end up playing out of the Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo next season should the referendum pass. A WHL team likely would spend three seasons in the 3,000-seat facility, with a new building expected to be ready for 2019-20.
Taking Note was told last month that the WHL is preparing two schedules for 2016-17 — one of those features 22 teams, including Nanaimo; the other features the same 22 cities that are in the league today.
The arrival of a WHL franchise would result in the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers relocating. The Clippers play out of the Frank Crane Arena.
Sakaki’s complete story is right here.
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The Kamloops Blazers had all of their coaches on hand Tuesday night as they skated to a 7-0 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings.
By the start of the third period, only goaltending coach Dan De Palma wasn’t behind the Kamloops
bench.
The Blazers start home games with head coach Don Hay and lead assistant Mike Needham at the bench. Terry Bangen, a veteran coach, joins them to start the second period.
Chris Murray, who played with the Blazers before going on to skate in the NHL, is a local firefighter who also is on the Kamloops coaching staff. When he isn’t at work, he joins the others behind the bench for the third period.
When Murray isn’t available, De Palma frequently spends the third period at the bench.
Which leads us to this question: Is there another team in junior hockey that sometimes has four coaches at the bench?
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D Luke Gallagher has been added to the Spokane Chiefs’ roster for the remainder of this season. Gallagher, 16, is from Mead, Wash., and had been playing for the junior B Spokane Braves of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. He had 37 points, including 13 goals, in 45 games with the Braves. . . Prior to that, he spent two seasons at the EDGE school in Calgary. . . . He was selected by the Chiefs in the eighth round of the 2015 WHL bantam draft. . . . The Chiefs now are carrying three 2000-born defencemen, with Gallagher joining Ty Smith, a first-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft, and Matt Leduc, who was selected in the second round.
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The WHL has suspended F Kolby Johnson of the Prince Albert Raiders for three games after he took a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on F Orrin Centazzo of the visiting Everett Silvertips on Friday night. Everett won the game, 3-1. . . . Centazzo didn’t play in a 3-2 OT victory over the Broncos in Swift Current on Saturday. He is listed as having an upper-body injury and being out month-to-month on the WHL roster report that was released Tuesday. . . . Johnson has served two games of that suspension and will miss Friday’s game against the host Saskatoon Blades. He will be eligible to return for the rematch on Saturday in Prince Albert. . . . The Raiders also were fined $500 “for inadequate security at officials’ exit” during that game against Everett. You are left to speculate which member, or members, of the Raiders organization stopped to say “Howdy” to the officials after the game.
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The Saskatoon Blades have returned F Tyler Lees to the midget AAA Regina Pats Canadians. Lees, 16, has one goal in seven games with the Blades this season. He played four games with the Blades last week, scoring his first WHL goal on Saturday in a 6-2 loss to the host Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Lees was a fifth-round selection by the Blades in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . The Blades also have brought in Payton McIsaac, 16, to serve as their seventh defenceman for now. He had been playing for the midget AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers, whose season has ended. From Fort Saskatchewan, he was a second-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:


At Kamloops, the Blazers scored three first-period goals in a span of 3:07 en route to a 7-0 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . G Connor Ingram was rarely tested in a 23-save shutout. He has posted
LANE BAUER
back-to-back shutouts — he has been beaten once in his last three starts — and now has five blank jobs this season. The franchise single-season record is seven (Dustin Butler, 2006-07). . . . Ingram has 12 career shutouts, three off Devan Dubnyk’s franchise record. . . . Ingram’s GAA this season now is at 2.10. The franchise record (2.31) was set by Kenric Exner, who made 51 appearances in 1998-99. . . . With the Kelowna Rockets in Kamloops on Friday, Ingram is riding a shutout streak of 178:07. . . . F Lane Bauer, who was acquired from the Oil Kings, along with a seventh-round pick in the 2017 WHL bantam draft, for D Conner McDonald, burned his former team for two goals. . . . Bauer opened the scoring at 4:46, with F Deven Sideroff counting at 5:27 and F Collin Shirley getting No. 25 at 7:53. . . . The Blazers added three more goals in the second period, as D Ondrej Vala got his 10th, F Rudolfs Balcers scoed his 35th and Bauer got No. 35. . . . Sideroff, playing in his 200th game with Kamloops, got his second of the game, and 33rd of the season, at 6:39 of the third. . . . Shirley, Balcers and Sideroff had an assist apiece. . . . Edmonton started G Patrick Dea, who surrendered six goals on 26 shots over two periods. Josh Dechaine came on for the third period and stopped six of seven shots. . . . Ingram also picked up his second career assist. He got the first one on Feb. 8 in a 6-0 victory over the visiting Rockets. That was his 146th regular-season game; last night was No. 151. . . . Each team was 0-4 on the PP. . . . The Blazers (37-19-6) have won three in a row. They are second in the B.C. Division, one point behind Prince George. . . . The Oil Kings (20-35-5) have lost three straight (0-2-1). They are nine points out of a playoff spot with 12 games remaining. . . . Announced attendance: 3,474.
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At Medicine Hat, F Brett Howden scored three times and added an assist to help the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 6-3 victory over the Tigers. . . . The game was tied eight minutes into the second period when the
BRETT HOWDEN
Warriors erupted for three straight goals. . . . F John Dahlstrom (24) have the hosts a 1-0 lead at 9:08 of the first period, only to have F Thomas Foster (16) tied it, on a PP, at 11:26. . . . Howden put the visitors out front at 3:10 of the second period, with F Mason Shaw (23) getting the Tigers into a tie, on a PP, at 7:19. . . . The Warriors went out front when F Branden Klatt scored his sixth goal, at 9:17, and took a 4-2 lead on F Justin Almeida’s eighth goal, at 13:59. . . . Howden scored 12 seconds into the third period, stretching the lead to 5-2. . . . F Josh Williams scored his first WHL goal at 3:28 to get the Tigers to within two. . . . Williams, who turns 16 on March 8, was playing his fourth game. From Langley, B.C., he was the fifth overall pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. . . . Howden completed his second career hat trick with his 33rd goal of the season at 15:22. . . . Moose Jaw got two assists from each of F Tanner Jeannot, F Jayden Halbgewachs and F Yan Khomenko, with Klatt adding one to his goal. . . . F Matt Bradley had two assists for the Tigers. . . . G Zach Sawchenko stopped 19 shots for Moose Jaw, while G Michael Bullion blocked 31 at the other end. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-1 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 1-3. . . . Medicine Hat dressed only 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . The Tigers, who have been fighting an outbreak of mumps, got back Dahlstrom and F Zach Fischer, but had to scratch F James Hamblin. Still out are D Kristians Rubins, D Jordan Henderson and F Ryan Chyzowski. As well, D David Quenneville and D Ty Schultz continue to rehab broken legs. Quenneville, who has been practising, may return when the Tigers meet the host Calgary Hitmen on Friday. . . . The Warriors continue to play without F Noah Gregor and F Brayden Burke. . . . The Warriors (35-17-8) have won three in a row. They are second in the East Division, eight points ahead of Swift Current. The Broncos hold two games in hand. . . . The Tigers (42-18-1) lead the Central Division by six points over Lethbridge, with the Hurricanes having two games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 3,354.
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At Prince George, F Brandon Hagel scored the only goal of a shootout to give the Red Deer Rebels a 3-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . Hagel was the first skater to shoot and his goal stood up as the winner. . . .
BRANDON HAGEL
The Cougars took a 1-0 lead when F Radovan Bondra scored his 28th goal, at 7:56 of the first period. . . . Red Deer tied it on D Jared Freadrich’s sixth goal, on a PP, at 7:04 of the second period. . . . The Cougars went back out front on F Kody McDonald’s 13th goal, at 17:16. . . . Red Deer forced OT when F Lane Zablocki (21) scored at 3:26 of the third period. . . . Freadrich and Hagel added an assist each. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 36 shots through OT and was perfect in the shootout. . . . The Cougars got 22 saves from Ty Edmonds. . . . Red Deer was 1-6 on the PP; Prince George was 0-4. . . . D Cole Moberg, 16, played his fourth game of the season with the Cougars. He plays for the major midget Vancouver Northwest Giants. . . . F Michael Spacek (ill) was among Red Deer’s scratches. . . . The Rebels went 1-3-1 on a five-game swing that involved three stops in the U.S. Division, along with games in Langley, B.C., and Prince George. . . . Red Deer (24-27-10) had lost its previous eight games (0-6-2). It is third in the Central Division, four points up on Calgary. The Hitmen have three games in hand. . . . The Rebels and Hitmen will play Saturday in Red Deer and Sunday in Calgary. . . . Prince George has lost three in a row (0-2-1). The loser point from this one kept it atop the B.C. Division, by a single point over Kamloops. Each has played 62 games. . . . Announced attendance: 2,580.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Brandon at Calgary, 11 a.m. (BE BRAVE anti-bullying game)
Edmonton at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Regina at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:33 PM
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