Did Blazers give away goaltender? . . . Another Sutter in the NHL (that's nine!)

The Kamloops Blazers sent (gave?) G Bolton Pouliot, 20, to the Portland Winterhawks on Thursday.
Neither team made mention in news releases of anything going to the Blazers in the exchange. Pouliot wasn’t made available to the WHL’s other teams in Wednesday’s 20-year-old waiver draft, where the claiming fee was $1,000.
It would seem, then, that Kamloops gave Pouliot to Portland for very little, if anything, appearing only to want to clear a spot for an incoming 20-year-old player.
Pouliot, who was acquired by Kamloops from the Red Deer Rebels last season, went 12-32-2 with the Blazers. The Rebels got a sixth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft for Pouliot.
Unless there is another deal in the works, the Blazers will go on with two young goaltenders with little in the way of WHL experience.
Cole Kehler, who turns 17 on Dec. 17, went the distance in a 6-4 loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday night. With Ingram on the bench, Pouliot was a healthy scratch.
In four appearances this season, Kehler, who is from Altona, Man., is 2-1-1/2.99/.906. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
Kehler spent most of last season at Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C., but did get into 11 games with Kamloops, going 1-4-0/5.16/.857.
Connor Ingram, a 17-year-old from Imperial, Sask., has gotten into two games and is 0-1-0/4.40/.884. Ingram, a non-drafted list player, spent last season with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos and helped them win the TELUS Cup. He made 60 saves in the championship game, as the Mintos beat the Grenadiers de Chateauguay, 4-3, in triple OT in Moose Jaw.
Moving Pouliot leaves Kamloops with two 20-year-olds -- F Mike Winther and D Brady Gaudet -- on its active roster, so chances are there will be a roster addition made soon. The Blazers also hold the rights to 20-year-old F Chase Souto, but he is at home in California dealing with post-concussion syndrome and his career may well be over.
The Blazers (6-4-1) meet the Giants in Vancouver tonight.
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The Winterhawks, who open an East Division swing in Moose Jaw tonight, have been riding Brendan Burke, 19, who is in his fourth season in Portland. . . . In seven games this season, Burke is 1-4-2/4.35/.865. Last season, he finished 34-10-4/2,75/.911. . . . Backup Adin Hill, an 18-year-old from Calgary, has gotten into four games, going 0-2-0/4.08/.899. . . . Pouliot’s arrival leaves the Winterhawks with three 20-year-olds as he joins F Miles Koules and D Josh Hanson. . . . Pouliot, from Calgary, is a cousin to former Portland D Derrick Pouliot. In 91 career regular-season games, Bolton is 20-49-6/3.56/.895.
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As a rule, I don’t pay much attention to the naming of rosters for events like the Top Prospects Game or the Subway Super Series.
Why not? Mostly because it’s not worth getting all worked up about these things because those charged with picking these teams can’t win.
A WHL team will play a touring Russian side in Saskatoon on Nov. 10 and in Brandon on Nov. 11. The WHL chose to name most of its roster yesterday -- two goaltenders, seven defencemen and 10 forwards -- but added the provisions that the roster “is subject to change” and “two additional players will be added.”
Not included in those 10 forwards are Cole Sanford of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Cole Ully of the Kamloops Blazers, both of whom are worthy of being on this roster.
On the morning that the roster was revealed, Sanford, a 19-year-old from Vernon, B.C., was leading the WHL in points, with 19 in nine games.
Ully, a 19-year-old from Calgary, has to be the WHL’s most under-rated and unknown player. He has 16 points, including eight goals, in 11 games.
Of the 10 forwards selected, three are injured -- Morgan Klimchuk of the Regina Pats, John Quenneville of the Brandon Wheat Kings and Jake Virtanen of the Calgary Hitmen. Klimchuk (wrist) and Virtanen (shoulder) have yet to play this season.
Virtanen, taken sixth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2014 NHL draft, was cleared for contact yesterday; the Hitmen hope to have him back in their lineup on Oct. 24 when they are scheduled to meet the host Kootenay Ice.
And let’s not forget about F Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice, who is getting fourth-line ice time with the Buffalo Sabres, and F Curtis Lazar of the Edmonton Oil Kings, who remains with the Ottawa Senators. It appears that Reinhart may well end up back in Cranbrook. Lazar, meanwhile, is having a positive impact Ottawa so may be there for the long term.
If either of them is returned to the WHL, you can bet room will be found for them on the Super Series team.
But when players like Sanford and Ully are on the outside looking in when something like this comes along, it makes one wonder if it isn’t time for the WHL to go back to holding an annual all-star game, with the Eastern Conference facing the Western Conference.
It could rotate among the home arenas of the five American franchises. After all, the U.S. Division teams don’t seem to be eligible to play host to the Super Series games, the Top Prospects Game or the Memorial Cup.
So why not give them something of a carrot, and reward some players at the same time?
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Dave Lowry of the Victoria Royals, the reigning WHL coach of the year, has been named head coach of the WHL team in the Super Series.
Lowry, in his third season with the Royals, also will be an assistant coach on the Canadian junior team that will play in the 2015 World Junior Championship.
Kelly McCrimmon, the owner, general manager and head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings, will work as Lowry’s assistant during the two Super Series games.
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The Vancouver Giants got down to two goaltenders on Thursday when they released Ryan Kubic, 16, who will join the NAHL’s Brookings Blizzard. . . . Kubic, from St. Andrews, Man., got into one game with the Giants. He was a second-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . The move leaves the Giants with Payton Lee, 18, and Cody Porter, 17, as their goaltenders.
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Junior hockey lost a team this week. The Fort Vancouver Vipers, who played in the pay-to-play Northern Pacific Junior Hockey League, closed their doors on Tuesday. The Vipers had lost 77 straight games and were running out of players when the end came. . . . Paul Danzer of The Columbian has the story right here.
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Ernie Rucks, who played on the Penticton Vees when they won the 1955 World championship, has died. Rucks was 84 when he died in Redmond, Ore., on Oct. 2. There now are only five surviving members of that Penticton team. Ivan McLelland, the goaltender on that Vees team, has a tribute right here. . . . The Bend, Ore., bulletin has an obituary right here.
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Tim Speltz, the general manager of the Spokane Chiefs, has clarified one thing about that incident from a week ago that involved some of the team’s scratched players making inappropriate comments during the national anthem prior to a game against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . As Chris Derrick wrote in the Spokane Spokesman-Review, Speltz said “the players were shouting encouragement to teammates at an inappropriate time, but he said it was inaccurate that the words were aimed at the (anthem) singer.” . . .
Two KHL teams made coaching changes on Thursday. Amur Khabarovsk dumped Yuri Leonov and Vitali Karamnova and replaced them with Jukka Rautakorpi, a former head coach at Tappara in Finland, and Alexander Barkov . . . As well, Neftekhimik, with a 4-11 record, fired head coach Kari Heikkila. Rafik Yakubov, the general manager, is the new head coach. . . .
F Colton McCarthy, 18, has left the Prince Albert Raiders and returned to his home in Salmon Arm, B.C. He was pointless in eight games with the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert had acquired him from the Moose Jaw Warriors for a sixth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. He had 17 points, eight of them goals, in 102 games over two seasons with the Warriors. . . .
Mark Divver, who covers hockey at the Providence, R.I., Journal, tweeted Thursday: “'97 C Auston Matthews of NTDP tells me he's 50/50 on college vs. WHL. Says he's talking to BC, BU, Denver, Michigan.” . . . The 17-year-old Matthews, from Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-round pick by the Everett Silvertips in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . He is considered a top-end talent and a potential early selection in the NHL‘s 2016 draft. Last season, he split 64 games between the U.S. National Team Development Program in the USHL (20 games), the U.S. U17 team (24) and the U.S. U18 team (20). In all, he had 70 points, including 34 goals. . . .
F Brody Sutter, 23, is the ninth member of the Sutter family to play in the NHL. Brody (Saskatoon, Lethbridge, 2008-12) made his NHL debut with the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. He played 5:50 in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Rangers in New York. Brody is the son of Duane Sutter, who scored twice in his first NHL game with the New York Islanders on Nov. 30, 1979.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that F Ryan Graham, 18, is expected to play his first game of this regular season tonight against the visiting Red Deer Rebels. Graham, who had a strong finish to last season, has been out with mononucleosis. . . . Saskatoon F Brett Stovin, the team captain, is scheduled to play his 200th regular-season game tonight.

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Well technically the fans wanted Pouliot in Portland, so there you go. Can't make everyone happy. I still want Reid Gow!
— Fake Jamie Kompon (@FakeJKompon) October 16, 2014

Lazar, Oil Kings off to final; Dobber back in coaching game

G Chris Mason (Victoria/Prince George, 1993-97) has signed a one-year contract with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). This season with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A), he was 2.18 and .927 in 36 games. He had the best GAA in Serie A as he led his club to the league championship. . . .
F Max Brandl (Prince Albert, Portland, 2007-09) signed a one-year contract with the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Landshut (Germany, DEL2), he had 22 points, including 10 goals, in 42 games.
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1. Four on-ice officials missed what should have been a major penalty in the first period on Thursday night when Montreal Canadiens F Brendan Prust drilled New York Rangers F Derek Stepan. . . . On Friday, Prust was given a two-game suspension. Also on Friday, the Rangers revealed that Stepan, who missed a couple of shifts before returning to finish the game, has a broken jaw and is out indefinitely. . . . Shortly after that hit, with emotions raw, New York F Daniel Carcillo was ejected after he got physical with a linesman during a scrum. On Friday, Carcillo was suspended for 10 games. . . . Thinking out loud: 1. How is it that four on-ice officials miss what should have been an easy call on Prust? 2. If that call is made, does the Carcillo incident happen? 3. Is bumping a linesman really five times as bad as breaking an opponent’s jaw?

2. What does Larry Brooks of the New York Post think of the NHL’s response to Prust’s hit on Stepan? Well, let’s say that he wasn’t impressed. Brooks’ piece is right here.

3. Can anyone explain why there were referees on the ice during the overtime periods in the Memorial Cup game on Friday night? Hey, if they aren’t going to call the obvious penalties, let’s get them off the ice so they aren’t getting in the way.

4. While the two referees didn’t see any penalties, OHL commissioner David Branch saw at least three suspendable offences.

5. The Brandon Wheat Kings aren’t likely to have any problems recruiting F Stelio Mattheos, the first overall selection in the 2014 WHL bantam draft. “My family and I, we’ve done our homework on the WHL,” Mattheos, a Winnipegger, told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. “We think it’s a great league for development and that’s where I want to play. I want to play for the Wheat Kings one day.” . . . According to Henderson, Mattheos, who is attending Brandon’s prospects camp this weekend, is expected to play next season for the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Jim Dobson (New Westminster, Portland, 1977-80) is going to help coach the Fort Vancouver Vipers of the Northern Pacific Hockey League. Dobson worked as an assistant coach with the Seattle Thunderbirds and also spent one season (1987-88) as their head coach. . . . Paul Danzer of the Vancouver Columbian reports that Dobson, known forever as Dobber, and Mike Dickerman will work together as the Vipers’ co-coaches. Dickerman is coming off his first season as a head coach; the Vipers didn’t win a game. In fact, they have won two of 80 games over the last two seasons. . . . Danzer writes that the eight-team NPHL is “a third-tier USA Hockey-sanctioned junior league for players ages 16-20.”
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MEMORIAL CUP
(at London, Ont., all times Eastern)
(all games televised by Sportsnet)
Friday: Val-d’Or 1, London 0 (8,863)
Saturday: Guelph 5, Edmonton 2 (8,842)
Sunday: Edmonton 5, London 2 (8,863)
Monday: Guelph 6, Val-d’Or 3 (8,796)
Tuesday: Val-d’Or 4, Edmonton 3 (2OT) (8,745)
Wednesday: Guelph 7, London 2 (8,863)
Thursday: No game scheduled.
Friday’s semifinal: Edmonton 4, Val-d’Or 3 (3OT) (8,776)
Saturday: No game scheduled.
Sunday: Guelph vs. Edmonton, 4 p.m.
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FRIDAY’S GAME:
F Curtis Lazar ended the longest game in Memorial Cup tournament history as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Val-d’Or Foreurs 4-3 in the semifinal game. . . . Lazar scored at 2:42 of the third OT period, redirecting a point shot by D Cody Corbett that followed a turnover in the Foreurs’ zone. . . . It was the first time in tournament history that a semifinal game went to double OT. . . . In the end, it was the longest game in Memorial Cup tournament erasing one from 2005. In that one, the Ottawa 67’s beat the Kelowna Rockets 3-2 in 95:31. The 2005 tournament also was played in London. . . . In the round-robin portion, Val-d’Or got past Edmonton, 4-3, in double OT, as well. . . . Between that game and the semifinal, the two teams played 183:57, or more than nine periods. . . . Val-d’Or D Guillaume Gelinas, returning from a knee injury suffered on Monday, forced OT when he drifted a point shot through traffic and past G Tristan Jarry with 36 seconds left in the third period. . . . The QMJHL’s defenceman of the year, Gelinas went out with a knee injury during a 6-3 loss to Guelph on Monday. Obviously not 100 per cent, Gelinas wasn’t his usual explosive self, although he did make some plays in the third period before scoring his first goal of the event. . . . The Foreurs opened the scoring, with D Phil Pietroniro getting his first of the tournament at 1:49 of the first period, but then watched as the Oil Kings scored three in a row. . . . Pietroniro later left with a left shoulder/collarbone injury and didn’t return. . . . F Mads Eller got his first, at 9:00 of the opening period, with Edmonton getting the lead at 6:34 of the second when F Mitch Moroz struck on the PP. That was Moroz’s first goal of the week. . . . Edmonton F Edgars Kulda scored his third goal of the tournament at 9:45 of the second. . . . The Oil Kings seemed in control until Foreurs D Randy Gazzola got his second goal at 17::52 of the second period. . . . Jarry finished with 46 saves, five fewer than Antoine Bibeau of the Foreurs. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-3 on the PP; Val-d’Or was 0-for-4. . . . After handing out six minor penalties in the second period, referees Brett Iverson and Scott Oakman called just two in the game’s final 72:29. . . . The QMJHL had won the previous three tournaments. The WHL hasn’t won since 2008 in Spokane.
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From Neate Sager of Yahoo! Canada Sports: “First time since 1990 the same two #mcmemorialcup teams have played double overtime twice. Other time was the Oshawa-Kitchener classics.” That was in Hamilton, where Oshawa won them both -- 5-4 in the final round-robin game and 4-3 in the championship game.
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From Not Ron Robison (@NotRonRobison: “SportsNet guys said Val d'Or went mini golfing and Edmonton went bowling on their days off. Portland would've been figuring out how to win.”

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It's Winterhawks and Oil Kings . . . again!

1. The more things change, the more they stay the same. That is the case in the WHL where the Edmonton Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks will meet for a third straight spring with the Ed Chynoweth Cup on the line. . . . Only once before in WHL history have the same two teams met in three straight WHL championship finals. The Edmonton Oil Kings and Flin Flon Bombers did it from 1969-71. . . . The Bombers won the best-of-seven final 4-2 to cap the 1968-69 season, the third in league history. . . . The next season, Flin Flon swept the series, 4-0. . . . In the spring of 1971, the Oil Kings won 4-1 with one game tied. . . . Interestingly, the original Edmonton Oil Kings franchise now is the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The new Oil Kings entered the WHL as an expansion franchise for the 2007-08 season.

2. The Oil Kings and Winterhawks will open Saturday in Portland, with all games to be televised by Shaw. . . . Two years ago, the Oil Kings won in seven games. Last spring, the Winterhawks won it in six games. . . . This time, then, the final will last five games. . . . In the only meeting between the teams this season, host Edmonton won 5-4 in a shootout on Dec. 6.

3. You have to think Seattle Thunderbirds F Mathew Barzal will never again cough up the puck when he is the last man back in his zone. That’s what happened Saturday in Finland and the resulting goal by F David Kase gave Czech Republic a 4-3 OT victory over Canada in a semifinal game at the IIHF U-18 world championship. Canada had trailed 3-0 before coming back to force OT. . . . Barzal had a goal and an assist during the game, but chances are that he won't remember either of them. . . . Finland and the U.S. will meet today for the gold medal. Canada will play Sweden for bronze at 5 a.m. Pacific time.

4. In the QMJHL, the Halifax Mooseheads got an OT goal from F Maxime Fortier and beat the visiting Val-d'Or Foreurs 4-3 on Saturday night. . . . The game wasn’t without controversy. After the game, Willy Palov of the Halifax Chronicle-Herald tweeted a quote from Val-d’Or head coach Mario Durocher: “The guys are really pissed because we think it was a hand pass.” . . . The Mooseheads lead the best-of-three conference final 3-2 with Game 6 at Val-d’Or on Monday. . . . The Foreurs once led this series, 2-0. . . . Halifax F Jonathan Drouin had a 13-game point streak ended. He leads the QMJHL playoff scoring race with 37 points in 14 games. Going back to the regular-season, Drouin had been riding a 26-game point streak. He had scored 74 points in those 26 games.

5. If you’re like me, you cringe every time you see Boston Bruins F Milan Lucic go into that chest-thumping routine.

6. Right-hander Brandon Morrow of the Toronto Blue Jays didn’t allow even one hit to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Unfortunately for Blue Jays fans, he walked eight. Oh, and he only lasted 2 2/3 innings. The Blue Jays, who led 3-0 early, ended up losing, 7-6, for their fourth straight loss.

7. How long before we file the Blue Jays with the Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners?

8. Donald Sterling, who owns the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, would appear to be a serial racist. His latest faux pas has lots of folks, including those on TNT’s NBA panel, screaming for disciplinary action from the league. Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated has more right here. . . . While the likes of Earvin (Magic) Johnson, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant spoke out against Sterling, Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan, through a team spokesman, declined to comment.
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According to the Prince George Citizen, Andy Beesley, the city’s associate director of recreation and cultural services, is joining the Prince George Cougars as the WHL team’s business manager. Beesley has handed in his resignation, effective Friday. . . . Beesley has some hockey history with Prince George businessman Greg Pocock, who heads up a group that is in the process of purchasing the franchise from Rick Brodsky. . . . The Citizen’s story is right here. . . . There is speculation that former Cougars head coach Ed Dempsey will work with the new ownership group as an advisor. Dempsey spent two seasons (1995-97) as head coach of the Kamloops Blazers, before moving on to the Cougars. He was their head coach for six full seasons before being fired on Oct. 6, 2003. . . . Vancouver Canucks D Dan Hamhuis, who is part of the new ownership group, played four seasons for Dempsey with the Cougars. D Eric Brewer of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who also is part of the Cougars ownership group, played one season under Dempsey.
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Lake Superior State has signed Damon Whitten as the head coach of its hockey team, the Lakers. He replaces Jim Roque, who was fired in March. . . . Whitten has been an assistant coach for the last four years, working under head coaches Jamie Russell and then Mel Pearson at Michigan Tech. . . . The Lakers finished ninth in the WCHA this season and didn’t qualify for the playoffs.
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THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. MEDICINE HAT (4)
(Edmonton wins, 4-1)
Season series: Edmonton, 5-0-1; Medicine Hat, 1-5-0.
Friday: Medicine Hat 3 at Edmonton 8 (7,694)
Sunday: Medicine Hat 1 at Edmonton 3 (5,763)
Tuesday: Edmonton 1 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,189)
Wednesday: Edmonton 4 at Medicine Hat 1 (3,832)
Saturday: Medicine Hat 3 at Edmonton 4 (8,408)
INJURIES
Edmonton: None.
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, day-to-day; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
(Portland wins, 4-1)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-0-0; Portland, 0-4-0.
Friday: Portland 4 at Kelowna 5 (6,218)
Saturday: Portland 5 at Kelowna 3 (6,341)
Tuesday: Kelowna 3 at Portland 4 (OT) (9,259)
Wednesday: Kelowna 1 at Portland 5 (9,744)
Friday: Portland 7 at Kelowna 3 (6,331)
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(all games televised by Shaw)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
Sunday, May 4: Edmonton at Portland, 5 p.m. (Moda Center)
Tuesday, May 6: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, May 9: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (TBA)
x-Sunday, May 11: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday, May 12: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (TBA)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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SATURDAY’S GAME:
In Edmonton, F Brett Pollock broke a 3-3 tie late in the third period and the Oil Kings went on to beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-3. . . . The Oil won the Eastern Conference final, 4-1, and advanced to their third straight WHL championship final, each of them against the Portland Winterhawks. . . . This year’s final will open Saturday in Portland, with all games televised by Shaw. . . . Pollock scored twice in the game, giving him 10 goals in these playoffs, and also had an assist. . . . His second goal, the winner, came at 14:22 of the third period. . . . Pollock had seven points in the series, including five goals, three of which were winners. . . . “It was tough to see out there because his cape was flapping around on the ice,” Edmonton F Curtis Lazar said of Pollock in a story posted on the team’s website. Lazar was named the series’ MVP. “He’s had a great playoffs for us, and just to see the strides he’s taken this season – it’s awesome.” . . . The Tigers led twice, first when F Jacob Doty got his first goal at 8:49 of the first period. That was the first time in the series that Medicine Hat scored first. . . . Edmonton F Edgars Kulda tied it with his sixth goal, on a PP, at 4:18 of the second. . . . Tigers F Cole Sanford put his guys out front again, with his 10th goal, at 10:03 of the second. . . . The Oil Kings then scored twice, with Pollock finding the range at 14:03 and F Mads Eller getting his second goal of these playoffs, shorthanded, at 17:14. . . . Sanford pulled the Tigers even again at 1:57 of the third, setting the stage for Pollock’s winner. . . . Lazar, who drew an assist on the winner, was named the series’ MVP. He had six points, including four goals, in the five games. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 16 shots. He wasn’t nearly as busy as Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer who was outstanding, with 48 saves. . . . The Oil Kings were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-for-3. . . . Medicine Hat F Trevor Cox, who had 23 points in 17 playoff games, was scratched after suffering an undisclosed injury in Game 4. . . . The Tigers moved F Miles Koules into Cox’s spot alongside Curtis Valk and Sanford. . . . Edmonton F Henrik Samuelsson and Lazar each finished with one assist, leaving them tied for the franchise record for most career playoff points. Samuelsson has 48 points, including 17 goals, in 53 games; Lazar, who has 25 goals, has played in 60 games. . . . Edmonton D Blake Orban had one assist as he played for the first time since March 8. . . . The 50/50 winner went home with $27,744, assuming it was claimed.
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “.828 - Over the past 3 years, the @EdmOilKings and @pdxwinterhawks are a combined 72-15 in the first 3 playoff rounds.”
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From Seattle Thunderbirds G Danny Mumaugh (@DannyMumaugh): “Don't worry, I still love you, @Barzal_97”


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Lazar key as Oil Kings go up 2-0

With apologies to Elliotte Friedman, here are 10 thoughts . . .
1. If he doesn’t already, G Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens is going to own that city before these playoffs are over.
2. If you are following the series between the Canadiens and Tampa Bay, you’ll be aware that Lightning head coach Jon Cooper is in the process of striking up a two-way love affair with the media. (If there were any doubts as to whether the Forums ghosts made the trek to the Bell Centre in Montreal, they may have been allayed on Sunday.)
3. The series between Boston and Detroit turned when Bruins F David Krejci drilled Red Wings D Brendan Smith on Sunday afternoon and there wasn’t a boarding penalty called. If the Winged Wheelers are to be competitive in that series, they need those calls to be made and to score on the ensuing power plays. . . . At least, Boston F Brad Marchand hasn’t speed-bagged one of the Wings yet.
4. The NHL must be into the playoffs because the on-ice officials are getting it from all directions. How were the voices of the fans heard before the arrival of social media?
5. Will anyone test the Edmonton Oil Kings before they reach the WHL’s championship final? They’re up 2-0 on the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Eastern Conference final, meaning they are 10-1 in these playoffs.
6. The San Jose Sharks are whuppin’ the Los Angeles Kings 6-2 late in the third period and have Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau out there on the power play. Now it’s a 5-on-3 and the Sharks have their big guns out there -- Thornton, Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Dan Boyle and Logan Couture. . . . And now it‘s 7-2. . . . Do you think maybe these teams don’t like each other?
7. Is the MLB season already over for fans of the Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners?
8. I am hearing that a news conference could be held at the CN Centre in Prince George on May 12 to make official the sale of the Cougars.
9. F Vincent Lecavalier, who turns 34 years of age today (Monday), is on the Philadelphia Flyers’ fourth line? Who saw that coming?
10. Does Portland Winterhawks GM/head coach Mike Johnston start Brendan Burke or Corbin Boes in goal on Tuesday night in Game 3 against the visiting Kelowna Rockets? The Western Conference championship is 1-1. . . . Burke has started five games against Kelowna this season and he has been hooked from three of those, including Saturday’s 5-4 victory in Kelowna. . . . The betting here is that Burke starts on Tuesday, if only because Johnston is more comfortable with Boes coming off the bench if needed.
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The Portland Winterhawks blew a 3-0 lead and lost 5-4 to the host Kelowna Rockets in Game 1 of the WHL’s Western Conference final on Friday night.
One night later, the Winterhawks erased a 2-0 first-period deficit and beat the Rockets, 5-3.
What was the difference?
At least part of it, according to Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnstone, may have had something to do with Game 1 being televised nationally in Canada by Sportsnet.
Your average WHL game has one timeout per period. Having Sportsnet in the house meant there were three of those.
“That was tough for us because we like to play with speed,” Johnston told Portland freelance journalist Scott Sepich. “I don’t really like it, I like to play the games the way it was tonight.”
Portland F Nic Petan, who had a goal and two assists in Game 2, added: “We’re not on TV much so we’re not used to (the timeouts).”
In Game 2, Petan said, “We were able to keep our momentum when we had it.”
None of the remaining games in this series are scheduled to be televised. Shaw-TV is showing all games in the Eastern Conference final between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Medicine Hat Tigers.
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Does this stuff really happen in today’s world? . . . Some parents in the Ottawa area created an online forum that they used to bully kids, according to the newspaper Metro.
Trevor Greenway writes: “Metro came across several threads on Network54.com written by Ottawa hockey parents that were criticizing kids behind their backs, insulting their skills, attitude and the way parents ‘pumped her head up so much that she can barely get a helmet on.’ ”
Greenway’s story is right here.
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F Ryan Bowen, a fifth-round selection by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2013 bantam draft, has committed to playing for the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs in 2014-15. Bowen, who is from Chilliwack, has signed with the Warriors. . . . He played this season with the Okanagan Hockey Academy U18 midget prep team, putting up 32 points, 12 of them goals, in 41 games.
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The Anaheim Ducks have signed D Kenton Helgesen, who turned 20 on March 19, to a three-year, entry-level NHL contract. Helgesen has played three seasons with the Calgary Hitmen. From Fairview, Alta., he had 51 points, including 10 goals, in 71 games this season. . . . The Ducks selected him in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2012 draft.
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Outfielder Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals didn’t run out a ground ball on Saturday and ended up on the bench. Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post has a terrific column right here, dealing with Harper and how manager Matt Williams is handling him.
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THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. MEDICINE HAT (4)
(Edmonton leads, 2-0)
Season series: Edmonton, 5-0-1; Medicine Hat, 1-5-0.
(All games on Shaw TV)
Friday: Medicine Hat 3 at Edmonton 8 (7,694)
Sunday: Medicine Hat 1 at Edmonton 3 (5,763)
Tuesday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 28: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 29: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, day-to-day; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
(Series tied, 1-1)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-0-0; Portland, 0-4-0.
Friday: Portland 4 at Kelowna 5 (6,218)
Saturday: Portland 5 at Kelowna 3 (6,341)
Tuesday: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
Friday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Kelowna at Portland, 2 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 29: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
Portland: None.
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SUNDAY’S GAME:
In Edmonton, F Curtis Lazar broke a scoreless tie with two second-period goals and the Oil Kings went on to a 3-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Oil Kings lead the Western Conference final 2-0 as the teams head to Medicine Hat for games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Lazar, who has six goals in these playoffs, struck on the PP just 34 seconds into the second and then added a shorthanded tally at 10:47. . . . F Chad Butcher got the Tigers to within one on a PP at 12:14 of the second. . . . Edmonton F Edgars Kulda scored an empty-netter at 19:21 of the third period. . . . Butcher and Kulda each has five goals. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry turned aside 32 shots, 11 fewer than Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer. . . . The Oil Kings were 1-for-6 on the PP; the Tigers were 1-for-5. . . . Lazar now has 46 career playoff points, and shares the Oil Kings’ franchise record with F Michael St. Croix, who now is with the ECHL’s Greenville Road Warriors. . . . Medicine Hat D Tyler Lewington said his guys aren’t done. "It is definitely going to be a challenge coming back,” he told Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News, “but I think that we got a little momentum with this game. We played a good team game. I think we did a lot of good things that we feel help us coming into Tuesday night."
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From the Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings): “Tonight's 50/50 Jackpot of $7,337 went unclaimed. Ticket #: 124331C has 2 business days to claim.”


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Oil Kings, Rockets draw first blood

D Michal Plutnar (Tri-City, 2011-14) has signed three-year contract with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had 12 points, three of them goals, in 51 games with the Americans.
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If the WHL’s Western Conference final between the Kelowna Rockets and Portland Winterhawks needs a Game 6, it will be played in the Rose City on Sunday, April 27, at 2 p.m. Originally, the game had been scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. . . . The time change should make things easier on fans as an NBA playoff game between the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers is to start at 6:30 p.m., at the Moda Center. . . . The hockey game would be played at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
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The finalists for the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL's player of the year are F Mitch Holmberg of the Spokane Chiefs and F Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice, as voted on by, according to the WHL, “general managers, coaches, broadcast and media representatives of all WHL member clubs.”
Reinhart, 18, who represents the Eastern Conference, had 105 points, including 36 goals.
Holmberg, 20, represents the Western Conference. He won the WHL scoring title with 118 points, including a WHL-leading 62 goals.
The WHL’s awards luncheon is scheduled for April 30 in Calgary.
The WHL, for whatever reason, chose to release this news on Good Friday, the same day that both of its conference finals began.
Everyone knows that governments release bad news on Friday afternoons. The WHL chooses to release good news on the afternoon of a holiday Friday. Why not hold on to the release until Monday and do it when both of its conference finals are enjoying a day of rest?
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THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. MEDICINE HAT (4)
(Edmonton leads, 1-0)
Season series: Edmonton, 5-0-1; Medicine Hat, 1-5-0.
(All games on Shaw TV)
Friday: Medicine Hat 3 at Edmonton 8 (7,694)
Sunday: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Tuesday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 26: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 28: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 29: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, day-to-day; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
(Kelowna leads, 1-0)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-0-0; Portland, 0-4-0.
Friday: Portland 4 at Kelowna 5 (6,218)
Saturday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 27: Kelowna at Portland, 2 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 29: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
Portland: None.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored twice in the game’s first 66 seconds and went on to an 8-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final is scheduled for Sunday in Edmonton. . . . Oil Kings F Curtis Lazar scored his fourth goal of these playoffs just 32 seconds into the game and D Cody Corbett, with his fifth, made it 2-0 at 1:06. . . . The first two goals came with the teams playing 4-on-4. . . . Edmonton built a 7-0 lead before the game was half over. . . . Corbett scored twice, while teammates F Henrik Samuelsson, F Reid Petryk, F Mads Eller and F Edgars Kulda each had two assists. . . . According to a tweet by Edmonton radio voice Corey Graham, Lazar has 22 career playoff goals, the “most in modern Oil Kings history.” . . . Medicine Hat F Curtis Valk scored twice, giving him a playoff-leading 12 goals. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 28 shots. . . . The Tigers started Marek Langhamer, switched to Nick Schneider and later brought Langhamer back. Langhamer gave up five goals on 22 shots; Schneider was beaten three times on eight shots. . . . The Tigers were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-for-2. . . .


In Kelowna, the Rockets erased a 3-0 first-period deficit and went on to beat the Portland Winterhawks, 5-4. . . . Game 2 in the Western Conference final is to be played tonight in Kelowna. . . . After the Rockets cut the deficit to 3-2, the Winterhawks were a split second away from a 4-2 lead as F Oliver Bjorkstrand was that close to his third goal as the first period ended. Replay showed that time expired with the front edge of the puck just starting to cross the top of the goal line. . . . Portland D Keoni Texeira gave his side a 4-2 lead at 15:43 of the second period. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier, perhaps the best forward on the ice, cut that to 4-3 at 16:26 of the second period. . . . Kelowna F Justin Kirkland tied it at 4:17 of the third, via the PP, and D Jesse Lees gave the home side its first lead with his first goal at 5:59. . . . The Rockets outshot the visitors 14-4 and outscored them 2-0 in the third. . . . Bjorkstrand scored 33 seconds into the game and added his 11th of the playoffs, on the PP, at 5:49. . . . Portland F Chase De Leo made it 3-0 on another PP, at 12:19. . . . The Rockets got on the board when F Tyson Baillie scored at 13:08 of the first. . . . Kelowna D Madison Bowey may have scored his side’s biggest goal when he got a shorthanded tally off a 2-on-1 break at 19:33. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 22 shots, nine fewer than Brendan Burke of Portland. . . . The Winterhawks were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Rockets were 1-for-4. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic and D Derrick Pouliot each had an assist as they ran point streaks to 10 games. They now share the franchise record for longest playoff point streak. . . . Pouliot’s assist was his 46th career playoff helper, breaking the franchise record that he had shared with F Ty Rattie, who is finishing up his freshman season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves . . . . The Rockets continue to be without F Myles Bell (leg), a 42-goal man in the regular season.
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From Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks): “As we count down to Game 1, consider that Hawks and Rockets are two of just 18 teams to win 54 or more games in a season in WHL history.”


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Playoff picture coming into focus

TIM BOZON

Marc Antoine Godin of La Presse takes an extensive look at the life and career of F Tim Bozon of the Kootenay Ice right here. Bozon remains in the ICU ward at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, two weeks after he was admitted and diagnosed with Neisseria Meningitis. . . . Godin’s story is in French, so you may have to run it through Google’s translator.
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 Curtis Hunt, a former WHL player and coach, is an assistant coach with the Canadian team that won a bronze medal in sledge hockey in the Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia, on Saturday. . . .
G Shannon Szabados stopped 27 shots Saturday night as her Columbus, Ga., Cottonmouths dropped a 4-3 decision to the visiting Knoxville Ice Bears. The 27-year-old Szabados, the starting goaltender for the Canadian women’s Olympic team, became the first woman to play in the Southern Pro Hockey League. . . . Attendance was 4,295.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Regina (2) vs. Brandon (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
(WHAT’S LEFT TO DECIDE: Only eighth place. The Prince Albert Raiders are eighth, two points ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. The Raiders are out of games; the Rebels will play in Edmonton today. A Red Deer victory will necessitate a tiebreaker game with Prince Albert.)
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Western Conference
Kelowna (1) vs. Tri-City (8)
Portland (2) vs. Vancouver (7)
Victoria (3) vs. Spokane (6)
Everett (4) vs. Seattle (5)
(WHAT’S LEFT TO DECIDE: Home-ice advantage in the series between the Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds. Everett plays the Winterhawks in Portland this evening, while the Thunderbirds are in Kennewick, Wash., to finish up against the Tri-City Americans.)
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SUNDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Medicine Hat at Lethbridge, 4 p.m. (rescheduled from Friday)
Red Deer at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Everett at Portland, 5 p.m.
Seattle at Tri-City, 5:05 p.m.
END OF REGULAR SEASON
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, F Peter Quenneville scored three times to lead the Wheat Kings to a playoff spot with a 6-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Quenneville enjoyed his first WHL hat trick in his second game back after missing 10 with an undisclosed injury. One night earlier, he scored twice and added two assists in a 4-3 OT victory in Regina. . . . Quenneville, a seventh-round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2013 NHL draft, has 21 goals, making him Brandon’s seventh 20-goal man. Only the Portland Winterhawks have as many. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick, the fourth overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft, scored his first WHL goal, tipping in a shot from the point. It came in his third game and gave his side a 3-2 lead. . . . Nolan’s father, Steve, scored 80 goals in 157 games with the Wheat Kings (1978-81). . . . Regina led this game 2-0 at 4:11 of the first period, but then gave up the next five goals. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock had a goal, his 23rd, and two assists, while F Tim McGauley had three assists as he ran his point streak to eight games. . . . F Jayce Hawryluk, Brandon’s leading scorer, completed his four-game WHL suspension. . . . Kelly McCrimmon, Brandon’s owner/general manager and head coach, earned his 364th career coaching victory to move past Bob Lowes into top spot on the franchise’s list. . . . The Pats (39-26-7) go into the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed, thanks to winning the East Division. The Wheat Kings (34-29-9) are the No. 7 seed. The series opens Saturday night in Regina. . . .

In Calgary, F Greg Chase scored two goals and drew two assists as the Hitmen doubled the Kootenay Ice 6-3 in what was a first-round playoff preview. . . . Chase, who finished plus-5, has 35 goals. . . . The Hitmen go into the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed, while the loss, combined with a victory by the Swift Current Broncos, knocked the Ice from fifth to sixth. . . . The Hitmen have won four in a row, while the Ice has lost four straight. . . . The Ice went 4-2-2 in the season series, which means the Hitmen were 4-4-0. . . . The Ice again went with 16 skaters, two under the maximum, and again scratched D Landon Cross and D Landon Peel. . . . Calgary F Jake Virtanen scored his 45th goal in the second period and later got into a scrap with Ice D Rinat Valiev. . . . The Hitmen got a goal and two assists from each of F Mike Winther, who has seven goals, and F Pavel Padakin, who has 27. . . . F Sam Reinhart had two assists for the Ice, while F Jaedon Descheneau scored his 44th goal and added an assist. F Luke Philp also had a goal, his 31st, and an assist. . . . The Hitmen (48-17-7) and Ice (39-28-5) will open Thursday in Calgary. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Swift Current Broncos clinched fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-1 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Broncos, who have won four straight, swept a weekend series from Moose Jaw. . . . The victory lifted the Broncos past the Kootenay Ice and into fifth. . . . F Jay Merkley, with his 34th, and F Coda Gordon, with his 26th, gave the Broncos a 2-0 first-period lead. . . . Moose Jaw F Jack Rodewald, who scored seven goals in 56 games for the Regina Pats last season, got his 28th in his 58th game with the Warriors at 19:42 of the first. . . . Broncos F Nathan Burns added insurance with his 27th goal at 17:46 of the third. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 29 shots. . . . According to a tweet from Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, Warriors D Jesse Forsberg “is going to join the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles for the end of their season.” . . . The Broncos (38-25-9) will meet the No. 4 Medicine Hat Tigers (43-24-4) in the first round. They’ll open Friday in Medicine Hat. . . . The Warriors (21-42-9) finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs for a second straight season. . . .

In Red Deer, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored a 7-4 victory over the Rebels to wrap up first place in the Central Division and the Eastern Conference for a third straight season. . . . The victory was Edmonton’s 50th of the season and tied a WHL record for consecutive 50-victory seasons (Kamloops, 1989-92). . . . The Oil Kings have won three in a row. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson and F Curtis Lazar each had two goals and two assists. Lazar has 41 goals; Samuelsson has 35. . . . Edmonton D Cody Corbett had a goal, his 17th, and three assists, while D Dysin Mayo had three helpers and F Edgars Kulda got his 30th goal. . . . The Oil Kings were 5-for-8 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-for-5. . . . Red Deer F Aspen Sterzer scored his 28th goal and added an assist. . . . The Oil Kings (50-18-3) will begin the first round at home against Prince Albert or Red Deer on Saturday night. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Prince Albert Raiders erased a 4-3 deficit with three third-period goals and beat the Blades, 6-4. . . . The victory lifted the Raiders (35-32-5) into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. The Raiders are out of games; the Rebels play in Edmonton today and need a victory to force a one-game playoff for the conference’s final playoff spot. . . . Raiders F Jayden Hart scored twice, giving him 14, while F Collin Valcourt got his 28th goal and added two assists. . . . Raiders F Dakota Conroy tied the game with his 30th goal at 1:12 of the third, via the PP. . . . Hart gave the Raiders their first lead at 17:41. . . . Prince Albert F Leon Draisaitl scored his 38th goal and added an assist. . . . The Blades got two goals from F Chase Clayton, who finished with 12, and three assists from F Cory Millette. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherback, the WHL’s highest-scoring freshman, got his 28th goal to end a nine-game drought. . . . The Blades (16-51-5) finished the season on a 12-game losing streak. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored the games first six goals and went on to a 6-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . F Curtis Valk scored twice, giving him 46, and added two assists for the Tigers. Last season, Valk finished with 91 points, including 46 goals, in 71 games. He duplicated that feat this season. . . . F Cole Sanford added his 32nd goal and three assists, while F Trevor Cox had two goals, giving him 25, and an assist. . . . Medicine Hat D Dylan Bredo, playing in his 289th consecutive game, had two helpers. . . . The Tigers (43-24-4) will finish fourth in the Eastern Conference and open a first-round series at home against the Swift Current Broncos on Friday night. . . . The Hurricanes (12-54-5) have lost 13 in a row. . . . The teams meet today in Lethbridge in a game that was postponed from Friday due to water-related issues in the city. . . .

In Portland, G Brendan Burke earned the shutout and F Oliver Bjorkstrand reached the 50-goal plateau as the Winterhawks beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-0. . . . Burke stopped 28 shots in recording his fourth shutout this season and the eighth of his career. . . . Bjorkstrand struck for three goals, getting No. 50 on the PP at 15:24 of the third period. It was his fourth hat trick this season. . . . The sophomore from Herning, Denmark, had 63 points, including 31 goals, last season. This season, he has 109 points in 68 games. . . . WHL Facts tweeted that Bjorkstrand scored 13 of his goals this season against Seattle. . . . Portland D Mathew Dumba scored his eighth goal and added three assists. . . . The Winterhawks were 3-for-7 on the PP as Seattle took 58 of the game’s 102 penalty minutes. . . . The Thunderbirds were without F Branden Troock, who drew a one-game suspension for a charging major he incurred on Friday night. . . . Portland (53-13-5) has won six in a row, while Seattle (40-25-6) has dropped three straight. . . . Portland, the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed, will open against the No. 7 Vancouver Giants in the Oregon city on Friday. . . . The Thunderbirds will go up against the Everett Silvertips in the first round with home-ice to be decided today. . . .

In Prince George, F Todd Fiddler scored four times and F Troy Bourke had a goal and three assists as the Cougars beat the Kamloops Blazers, 8-3, in the final game of the season for two non-playoff teams. . . . Fiddler finished with 50 goals, just the second player to do that since the franchise relocated from Victoria over the summer of 1994. . . . F Quinn Hancock scored 54 times in 1997-98. . . . Bourke, who turns 20 on March 30, finished the game with 236 career points, a record for the franchise since its move to Prince George. That broke the mark of 233 that had been held by F Eric Hunter (2002-07). . . . Bourke finished this season with 85 points, including 29 goals, in 69 games. . . . Cougars F Zach Pochiro had three assists, while D Sam Ruopp scored his fifth goal and added two assists. . . . F Cole Ully had two assists for Kamloops, which got 43 saves from G Bolton Pouliot. . . . Kamloops F Deven Sideroff scored his second goal of the season 42 seconds into the third period to get his guys to within 4-3. The Cougars, who snapped a six-game losing streak, then scored four straight goals, with Fiddler getting No. 49 shorthanded and adding No. 50 at 15:50. After scoring two goals in 14 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Fiddler struck 48 times in 42 games with the Cougars. . . . He finished the season with 98 points. . . . This may well have been the Cougars’ final game under the ownership of Rick Brodsky, who has owned the franchise since purchasing the Victoria Cougars in 1994. He is negotiating the sale of the club with a local group. While a deal isn’t yet complete, it is believed to be inching forward. . . . The Cougars (27-37-8) finished ninth in the Western Conference. . . . The Blazers (14-53-5) wrapped up the poorest season in Kamloops franchise history. They went 4-24-1 after Guy Charron replaced Dave Hunchak as head coach. . . .

In Everett, F Carson Stadnyk scored his 23rd goal at 18:32 of the third period to give the Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Victoria F Tyler Soy had tied the score with his 15th goal at 16:29 of the third. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 22 shots, as did Victoria G Coleman Vollrath. . . . F Manraj Hayer had two assists for the Silvertips, who had won 5-3 in Victoria on Friday night. . . . The Silvertips (39-23-9) moved into fourth in the Western Conference and for the first time in their 11 WHL seasons will meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in the playoffs. Home-ice advantage for that series will be decided today. . . . The Royals (48-20-4) will open a first-round series against the Spokane Chiefs at home on Saturday night. . . .

In Kelowna, F Nick Merkley had a goal and two assists to help the Rockets to a 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Merkley tied the club record for single-season goals by a 16-year-old as he got his 25th. F Shane McColgan, now with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, scored 25 as a 16-year-old in 2009-10. . . . Merkley, from Calgary, finished with 58 points in 66 games. He was the ninth overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . The Rockets had beaten the Giants 6-5 in Vancouver on Friday night. . . . F Carter Rigby had two goals for Kelowna, giving him 18. . . . F Jackson Houck scored twice, giving him 34, and added an assist for the Giants. . . . Vancouver G Payton Lee, who was shaken up and left Friday’s game in the first period, stopped 35 shots. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 29 shots in running his record to 39-7-4. . . . The Rockets (57-11-4) are the Western Conference’s top seed and will open at home against the Tri-City Americans on Friday night. . . . The Giants (32-29-11) finished seventh and will meet the Portland Winterhawks. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., G Eric Comrie turned aside 18 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 3-0 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Comrie, 18, has four shutouts this season and nine in his career. . . . F Jesse Astles scored the game’s first goal, his 11th, at 14:24 of the first period. Four of those 11 goals came against the Chiefs. . . . Tri-City’s other two goals came via the PP, as F Parker Bowles got his 15th and Beau McCue added his 20th. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg was held pointless. He leads the WHL with 118 points, seven more than Portland F Nic Petan, who has one game remaining. . . . The Americans had lost five in a row (0-3-2) and went in 1-5-4 in their last 10. . . . Tri-City (29-32-10) finished eighth in the Western Conference, meaning it has a first-round date with the Kelowna Rockets. They open Saturday in Kelowna. . . . Spokane’s loss, combined with an Everett victory, left the Chiefs (40-26-6), who are out of games, in sixth spot in the conference. They open at Victoria on Saturday night.
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From Kelowna Rockets D Madison Bowey (@m_bows4): “Just want too thank the @WHLGiants doctors for handling the situation so well and getting me stitched up so quickly. Much appreciated!”
Bowey suffered a skate cut to an arm in the first period of Kelowna’s 6-5 victory over host Vancouver on Friday night. He came back to score two goals.
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From Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) of The Los Angeles Times: “(Darryl) Sutter on availability of ailing Quick and Brown (Saturday) tonight: ‘we'll see.’ Backup if Quick can't go? ‘Ranford,’ the goalie coach. A joke there.”
If Ranford couldn’t go, presumably next up would be the other goalie coach. That would be Kim Dillabaugh, who also works with the Kelowna Rockets.
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From the Kootenay Ice (@WHLKootenayICE): “Big Thank You to Bill & Daisy Pang from Bill's Peking House in Calgary for the donation for #TB20! #gracious!”

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