Winterhawks run at 14; Petan takes over scoring lead

Tieja MacLaughlin is free to return to Canada after agreeing to a plea agreement in a Kennewick, Wash., courtroom on Wednesday afternoon. Wayne Moore of castanet.net has that story right here.
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The Everett Silvertips announced Wednesday that they have signed G Carter Hart, an eighth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. The announcement came a few days after Hart announced on his Twitter account that he had signed. . . . The Silvertips are expected to have Hart on the bench this weekend as they have suspended G Daniel Cotton and F Darcy DeRoose indefinitely for violating team rules. Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald tweeted news of the suspensions yesterday afternoon. . . . According to a Silvertips news release, Hart “will serve as the club’s backup goaltender through a set of three games in three days this weekend.” . . . Hart has been playing for the Sherwood Park Squires of the Alberta minor midget league. From Sherwood Park, he is 13-3-3, 1.92, .937 with the Squires. . . . Everett is at home to the Vancouver Giants on Friday and the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday, before meeting the Chiefs in Spokane on Sunday.
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Former WHL D Nathan Dempsey (Regina, 1991-94) has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Dempsey, 40, is in St. John’s, Nfld., this week to take part in AHL All-Star Game festivities. Robin Short of the St. John’s Telegram has more right here.
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The Kamloops Blazers have added F Mitch Friesen, 17, to their lineup for three weekend games. Friesen, who started the season with the Blazers, has been with the junior B Kamloops Storm of the Kootenay International junior league. . . . While D Connor Clouston is ready to return to the Kamloops lineup, the Blazers will be without F Tyson Ness and F Luke Harrison, both of whom have been shut down for the season, along with G Justin Myles (indefinite), F Chase Souto (1-2 weeks) and F Matt Needham (day-to-day). . . . The Blazers, who have lost 10 in a row, are at home to the Portland Winterhawks on Friday and the Prince George Cougars on Saturday, then visit the Vancouver Giants on Sunday.
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Hockey Winnipeg officials announced Wednesday that beginning next fall all parents of minor hockey players will have to take the Respect in Sport course that was designed by Wayne McNeil and former WHL star Sheldon Kennedy. . . . There’s more right here on the Winnipeg story. . . . Meanwhile, the program has been in place in Calgary for three years now, and the results are quite positive. There’s more on that story right here.
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The BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings have signed head coach Dave Dupas to a two-year contract extension that runs through 2015-16. The contract also includes a club option on 2016-17. . . . The Spruce Kings have qualified for the playoffs in each of his three seasons behind the bench. . . . As well, the Spruce Kings signed assistant coaches Colton Buffie and Jason Garneau to two-year extensions running through 2015-16.
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THURSDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
No games scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Regina, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Saskatoon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Portland at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Tri-City at Seattle, 7:35 p.m.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, G Daniel Wapple stopped 27 shots to help the Pats to a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Ice had won six straight games. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski, who had won his last 10 starts, stopped 28 shots. . . . Regina F Dyson Stevenson gave his side a 3-1 lead with his 25th goal at 4:41 of the second. . . . Ice F Luke Philp got his 24th at 7:33 of the second but that was it for the visitors. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart ran his point streak to 15 games with an assist on his club’s first goal. . . . After that goal, Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, tweeted: “Reinhart ties team record with 8-game assist streak, done 5 times in Ice history, 3 times by Reinhart, 2nd time this season.” . . . The Pats (29-22-5) are tied for sixth with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Eastern Conference, but they are only one point behind the idle Swift Current Broncos, who lead the East Division. . . . The Ice is fifth in the conference, five points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Taylor Cooper scored 20 seconds into OT to give the Lethbridge Hurricanes a 3-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . It was the first meeting between these teams since the Nov. 16 deal in which Brandon landed D Ryan Pilon and F Colt Conrad in exchange for Cooper, D Nick Walters and D Tanner Browne. . . . Pilon, Walters and Cooper all played last night. . . . Cooper also had an assist and was plus-3. . . . The goal was Cooper’s 11th of the season. . . . Brandon F Quintin Lisoway forced OT with his seventh goal of the season at 15:44 of the third period. . . . F Richard Nejezchleb opened the scoring for Brandon, getting his 29th of the season via the PP, at 18:30 of the first. . . . Lethbridge went ahead on third-period goals from F Riley Sheen, his 15th, at 8:40 and F Brady Ramsay, his 13th, at 11:43. . . . Ramsay also had two assists. . . . Brandon was without F Rihards Bukarts (undisclosed injury) for a third straight game. . . . The Wheat Kings finished 0-2-1 on a three-games swing; they are 3-5-2 in their last 10 overall. . . . The Hurricanes (12-41-5) now have 29 points, leaving the Kamloops Blazers (11-41-5) alone in the WHL basement. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-22-7) are tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Red Deer, D Tyler Lewington drew three assists to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 4-1 victory over the Rebels. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 27 shots. . . . Tigers F Curtis Valk needed 2:39 to run his point streak to 16 games, the longest in the WHL today. He drew an assist on F Dylan Bredo’s first-period PP goal. . . . Valk also scored a goal, his 31st. . . . F Anthony Ast also scored for the winners, giving him three in his last two games and five in seven. He‘s got 12 goals this season, seven in 15 games with the Tigers, who acquired him from the Vancouver Giants. . . . Medicine Hat has won five of its last six games. . . . The Tigers (34-20-3) are a comfortable fourth in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Rebels (27-26-4) have lost seven in a row and are eighth in the conference, three points ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders. . . .

In Edmonton, the Prince Albert Raiders built up a 4-1 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Raiders G Cole Cheveldave stopped 39 shots, 21 more than Edmonton‘s Tristan Jarry. . . . Edmonton had won its previous 11 games. . . . F Collin Valcourt, playing in his 250th regular-season WHL game, scored twice for the Raiders, giving him 19. He also had an assist. . . . Raiders F Leon Draisaitl gave his guys a 4-1 lead with his 23rd goal, via the PP, at 3:56 of the third. . . . The Oil Kings made it close with two goals from F Henrik Samuelsson, who has 26 goals. Both goals came via the PP. . . . Prince Albert F Dakota Conroy scored his 21st goal and added two assist. . . . The Raiders were 3-for-5 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 2-for-4. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Griffin Reinhart, who was ill. . . . The Raiders (26-27-3) are three points behind Red Deer, which holds down the conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Oil Kings (40-14-1) lead the Eastern Conference by three points over the Calgary Hitmen. Edmonton holds two games in hand. . . .

In Victoria, D Jordan Fransoo scored at 2:26 of OT to give the Royals a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Fransoo has four goals this season. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges had forced OT with his 17th goal, on the PP, at 2:42 of the third. . . . That goal came just 1:23 after F Parker Bowles had given the visitors the lead, on the PP, with his fifth goal. . . . Tri-City, which got two assists from F Beau McCue, was 2-for-5 on the PP. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 37 shots, 12 more than Tri-City’s Eric Comrie. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka was backing up Vollrath after missing five games with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Royals ran an Olympic-themed promotion for this one. Because Canada had won 10 medals in Sochi, if you wore red to the game you could get $10 off a ticket. . . . Attendance was announced at 4,501. . . . The Royals (39-16-4) clinched a playoff spot with the victory. They are third in the Western Conference, three points behind the Portland Winterhawks. Victoria has won four in a row and is 9-0-2 in its last 11 games. . . . The Royals, who have won six in a row on the road, leave Thursday on an East Division swing. . . . Tri-City (27-24-6) is eighth in the conference, five points ahead of the Prince George Cougars. . . .

In Prince George, Portland F Nic Petan took over the lead in the WHL scoring race as the Winterhawks skated to a 6-4 victory over the Cougars. . . . Portland, which clinched a playoff spot with the victory, has won 14 straight games. It can tie the franchise’s single-season record with a victory in Kamloops on Friday. . . . Petan had a goal, his 30th, and two assists, giving him 95 points, two more than Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg. . . . Petan, who now has 251 points in 183 career regular-season games, also leads the WHL in assists, with 65. . . . As well, Petan has at least one assist in 10 straight games. . . . Petan shared last season’s WHL scoring title with teammate Brendan Leipsic, each with 120 points. . . . F Keegan Iverson added two goals for Portland, giving him 18. . . . F Troy Bourke scored twice and added an assist for the Cougars. He’s got 23 goals. . . . The Cougars took a 2-1 lead into the second period, only to have the Winterhawks scored three times to take control. Petan scored shorthanded just 33 seconds into the period. . . . The Winterhawks were without G Brendan Burke, who is ill. In his absence, Corbin Boes stopped 20 shots. . . . The Cougars scratched F Jari Erricson, F Alex Forsberg, D Peter Kosterman, F Brett Roulston, F David Soltes, F Chase Witala and G Brett Zarowny. . . . The Winter hawks (40-12-5), with points in each of their last 16 games, have won at least 40 games in five straight seasons now. They are second in the Western Conference, nine points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Cougars (24-28-7) are five points out of a playoff spot. . . .

In Spokane, F Cole Linaker scored his eighth goal of the season at 19:33 of the third period to give the Kelowna Rockets a 2-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The Rockets nursed a 1-0 lead into the third period, thanks to a goal by F Myles Bell, his 38th, via the PP, at 14:47 of the first. . . . Spokane D Reid Gow tied it with his fifth goal at 1:02 of the third. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 29 shots, while Eric Williams of the Chiefs turned aside 32. . . . The Rockets (45-8-4) lead the overall standings by nine points over Portland. . . . The Chiefs (32-20-5) are fifth in the Western Conference, six points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds and six ahead of the Vancouver Giants.

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The Kamloops Blazers assigned F Brock Balson, 19, to an undisclosed junior A team on Monday. Balson was a third-round selection by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2008 bantam draft. He joined the Blazers last season from the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks and had six points in 42 games with the Blazers. . . .
With the move, Kamloops is down to 25 players. That doesn’t include D Austin Madaisky, 20, who has been assigned by the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets to the AHL’s Springfield Falcons. That leaves Kamloops with three 20-year-olds — F Brendan Ranford, F Dylan Willick and F Jordan DePape, who finished the exhibition season playing on the same line. . . .
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The Saskatoon Blades are down to 23 players after assigning D Kyle Schmidt, 19, to the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars and G Patrick Johnson, 19, to the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs. Schmidt, from Waldheim, Sask., was acquired last season from the Calgary Hitmen and had 12 points in 61 games with the Blades. Johnson, from Saskatoon, got into one game with the Blades last season. . . .
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have assigned F Darcy DeRoose, 17, to the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins and F Brayden Cuthbert, 18, to the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. Cuthbert is awaiting medical clearance after not having played since suffering a concussion on Jan. 22, 2011. . . .
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The Spokane Chiefs assigned F Markson Bechtold, 16, to the midget UFA Bisons, who play out of Strathmore, Alta. Bechtold was a third-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . .

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The Brandon Wheat Kings have trimmed G Jordan Papirny, 16, from their roster which means they will open the season with Corbin Boes, 19, and Curtis Honey, 18, as their goaltenders. . . . Papirny was a first-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Brandon also released F Dominic Favreau, 20, leaving it with three 20s – F Nick Buonassisi, D Ryley Miller and D Tyler Yaworski. . . . Favreau spent two seasons in Brandon after being acquired from the Regina Pats for D Mark Schneider. Last season, Favreau had 18 points in 42 games with Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings got down to 26 players by also assigning F Kailum Gervais, F Kyler Hehn, 17, and F Hunter Smith, 17. . . .
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The Vancouver Giants, with one victory in six exhibition games, made some significant moves on Monday, especially considering that they came four days before the start of the regular season.
Vancouver acquired F Tanner Moar, 18, and F Stewart Coyle, 17, from the Kelowna Rockets for a fourth-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft and a sixth-round pick in 2015.
The Giants also picked up F Tristan Sieben, 18, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a sixth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Sieben, from Edmonton, played 34 games with the Oil Kings last season, picking up 14 points.
Moar, from Canwood, Sask., had eight points in 65 games with Kelowna last season. At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, he brings some size to the Giants’ forward ranks, something that has been lacking of late.
Coyle, 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, played last season with the junior B Sicamous Eagles of the Kootenay International league. He had five points in 22 games with the Eagles. In four exhibition game with the Rockets, he had three points. Coyle is from Sicamous.
The Giants now have 29 players on their roster, including injured F Arvin Atwal, so more moves are imminent.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have traded G Cole Holowenko, 19, to the Everett Silvertips for G Andy Desautels, 18, and D Evan Morden, 19.
Desautels, from White City, Sask., played last season with the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers, going 3.64, .899 in 25 games. His arrival leaves the Raiders still with three goaltenders, the other two being Luke Siemens, 20, who was acquired over the summer from the Moose Jaw Warriors, and Rylan Parenteau, a 16-year-old from Saskatoon.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Morden, from Swan River, Man., is prepping for his third WHL season. He had 13 points and 92 penalty minutes in 114 games over the last two seasons.
Holowenko, from Penticton, B.C., was 13-26-2, 3.98, .890 in 47 games as a freshman with the Raiders last season.
The Silvertips then got down to two goaltenders by assigning 6-foot-7 Troy Trombley, 18, to the SHL’s Melville Millionaires. That leaves Holowenko and sophomore Austin Lotz, 17, to mind the twine in Everett.
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The Tri-City Americans got down to 27 players by dropping G Luke Lee-Knight, 19, F Dallin Wolf, 18, and F Dylan Schellenberg, 19. . . . Lee-Knight, from Calgary, played 22 games in the WHL last season, splitting them with the Spokane Chiefs and Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Lee-Knight’s departure means that freshman Brenden Fiebelkorn, 17, of Winnipeg will back up sophomore G Eric Comrie. . . . Wolf has been returned to the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters of the Kootenay International league. He had 14 points and 135 penalty minutes in 39 games there last season. . . . Schellenberg, from Drumheller, split last season between the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons and Camrose Kodiaks. . . . The Americans are carrying two goaltenders, nine defencemen and 16 forwards.
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It would seem that the Seattle Thunderbirds are down to three 20-year-olds — G Brandon Glover, F Luke Lockhart and F Brendan Rouse.
Deagle (@BraDeagle92) tweeted this on Monday: “Was fortunate to meet a lot of great people in Seattle made many new friends and a lot of new brothers! Going to miss it #thunderbeauties.”
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G Keith Hamilton, who has WHL experience with the Portland Winterhawks and Victoria Royals, has signed with the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar. . . . Hamilton, a 20-year-old from Kelowna, was 20-31-5, 4.10, .880 with Victoria last season. He was released by the Royals last week as they worked to get down to the maximum three 20-year-olds. . . . The signing of Hamilton was first reported by Parlons junior, a Quebec-based website.

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