THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Domenic Pittis (Lethbridge, 1991-94) was loaned by Visp (Switzerland, NL B) to Zug (Switzerland, NL A). He has 11 goals and 35 assists in 30 games for Visp this season. The loan is through the end of this season's NL A playoffs, which start on Saturday. Visp was eliminated from the Swiss NL B playoff quarterfinals on Sunday, losing its series against Lausanne, four games to one. Pittis is under contract with Visp through the 2014-15 season.
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Skate-inflicted cuts have been in the news recently. . . . With that in mind, here are a couple of stories involving such incidents and what might be done to prevent them. . . . This one right here is by Sean Gordon of The Globe and Mail and deals with the way hockey seemingly shrugs its shoulders at such injuries. . . . And this piece right here, written by Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun, deals with just how sharp skates are in this day and age.
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Dave Waddell of the Windsor Star writes:
“For 22-year-old Spencer Jean, the fight during a Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League game six years ago was a life-changing event.
“The Wheatley Sharks' rookie, who was then 16, suffered a blow to the head and the first of 10 to 15 concussions.
In the process he had become a statistic in what many researchers call the silent epidemic of youth concussions.
“A Statistics Canada survey found there are approximately 30,000 concussions or related head injuries reported annually among the 12-to-19-year-old age group. Sixty six per cent of those concussions are related to sports activity.”
Waddell’s complete story is right here.
This story should be mandatory reading for anyone involved in sports at any level. Despite his young age, Jean knows that he is a prime candidate for early-onset dementia. This is scary stuff.
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The Spokane Chiefs have added F Jacob Cardiff, 16, to their roster, while returning D Colton Bobyk, 16, to the midget AAA Red Deer Optimist Chiefs. . . . Cardiff, a seventh-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, had 41 points in 42 games with the SJHL’s Notre Dame Hounds this season. He will say with the Chiefs through three road games this week. . . . Bobyk got into two games with the Chiefs. He will rejoin Red Deer for the AMHL playoffs.
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The Portland Winterhawks take a five-game winning streak into a game tonight in Kennewick, Wash., against the Tri-City Americans. The Winterhawks then will return home to face the Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday. . . . Portland leads the overall standings with 105 points, 13 more than the Kelowna Rockets and 14 ahead of Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings beat the Winterhawks in seven games in last spring’s championship final. . . . From a Winterhawks’ news release: “The ‘Hawks already have fifth-highest point total in team history with nine games still to play, and with a winning percentage of .833, are looking to become the first team to play .800 hockey over a full season since Calgary (.847, 122 points) and Vancouver (.826, 119 points) both did it in 2008-09.” . . . The Winterhawks have a franchise-record 26 road victories this season. They have five road games remaining, meaning the WHL record (28) that is held by the Calgary Hitmen (1999-2000) and Saskatoon Blades (2008-09) is within reach.
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The Kootenay Ice looked as done as Tiger Williams’ dinner when the WHL broke for Christmas. But here the Ice is, having won its last four games and in possession of a playoff spot with 10 regular-season games remaining. In fact, the Ice, which is eighth in the Eastern Conference, is just one point behind the Swift Current Broncos and Kootenay holds a game in hand. The Ice also is five points up on the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The Ice has done this by going 21-6-1 since Christmas. And it has won its last 12 home games, tying the franchise record set in 2006-07.
Ryan McGill as the Eastern Conference’s coach of the year? Why not?
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THE COACHING GAME:
The SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves announced Monday that general manager/head coach Bob Beatty had tendered his resignation and that it had been accepted. Beatty spent  nine seasons with La Ronge, which won the SJHL title in 2010 and 2011. This season, La Ronge finished 20-31-3 and didn’t make the playoffs. . . . There was almost immediate speculation that Beatty would be taking over the BCHL’s Cowichan Capitals, but as of late last night I don’t believe that move had been confirmed. The Capitals changed coached on Jan. 29, with assistant coach Aaron Plumb replacing Jim Ingram.
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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Medicine Hat (6)
Red Deer (4) vs. Prince Albert (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Tri-City (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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MONDAY’S GAMES:
No Games Scheduled.
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From former Kelowna Rockets D Mitch Chapman (@chapstar5): “Surgery tomorrow!”
An ankle injury kept Chapman, 20, from playing even one game this season.
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From Red Deer Rebels F Turner Elson (@turnermeatelson): “I’m done I will never watch bachelor again #whatajoke @seansaloser”
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From Portland Winterhawks D Troy Rutkowski (@TRutter2): “Repeatedly losing respect for some teammates every Monday night #BachelorTweets #keepittoyourself”
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And if you weren’t witness to it live, you may want to hunt up the exchange that took place Monday on Twitter between Dan Russell (@DanRussellCKNW) of Vancouver radio station CKNW and Jason Botchford (@botchford) of the Vancouver Province.


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Some of what appears today is left over from Tuesday night, when there were issues. . . . Ahh, I did some compiling at work and then forgot to email it to my laptop. . . .
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If you are interested in an eBook version of Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos, the links are further down on this page.
I also heard yesterday from a friend who ordered the book from Amazon. He had received notification that his copy had shipped.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Byron Ritchie (Lethbridge, 1993-97) signed a two-year contract extension with Bern (Switzerland, NL A). He has 11 goals and 17 assists in 24 games with Bern this season, which puts him in sixth place in league scoring. The contract extension keeps Ritchie with Bern through the 2014-15 season. . . .
F Jason Chimera (Medicine Hat, Brandon, 1996-99) was granted his release from Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga) for personal reasons. He had one goal in five games with Chomutov this season. Chimera's family did not accompany him to Chomutov and he decided it was best to return home. Chomutov GM Leo Gudas says that should the NHL season be cancelled, Chimera could return to Chomutov with his family and finish out the season with the club. . . .
F Domenic Pittis (Lethbridge, 1991-94) signed a two-year contract extension with Visp (Switzerland, NL B). He has one goal and 13 assists in eight games this season. Pittis is now under contract with Visp through the end of the 2014-2015 season. . . .
F Tyler Redenbach (Prince George, Swift Current, Lethbridge, 2001-05) was released by HIFK Helsinki (Finland, SM-Liiga) to make room for Washington Capitals F Mathieu Perreault, who was signed to a lockout contract. Redenbach had three goals and nine assists in 23 games with HIFK this season. . . .
F Jesse Schultz (Tri-City, Prince Albert, Kelowna, 1999-2003) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). Schultz started the season with Milan Rossoblu (Italy, Serie A), registering two goals and two assists in eight games before his release in mid-October. . . .
F Marek Ivan (Lethbridge, Moose Jaw, 1996-98) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Karvina (Czech Republic, 2. Liga), just four days after his release by Novy Jicin (Czech Republic, 2. Liga). He had seven goals and eight assists in 10 games with Novy Jicin this season. Ivan played for Karvina last season, getting 19 goals and 25 assists in 39 games for them.
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Sophomore D Spencer Wand, 17, has left the Kootenay Ice and returned to his home in Saskatoon. Wand suffered a concussion on Nov. 16 against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. The Ice thought Wand was making a good recovery, but he told head coach Ryan McGill on Monday that he had lost the desire to play and that he was quitting hockey. . . . Wand was a fourth-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . He had one assist and 37 penalty minutes in 15 games this season. . . . Wand’s departure leaves the Ice with six defencemen on its roster.
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The injury-riddled Regina Pats have added F Connor Gay, 17, to their roster. He had been with the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers, for whom he had 17 points, including seven goals, in 20 games.
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It would appear that the Kelowna Rockets have dealt Slovakian F Filip Vasko, 19, to the Red Deer Rebels. Vasko, who has 10 points, including three goals, in 19 games this season, didn’t play for the Rockets in last night’s 3-2 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans. (Attendance in Kelowna was 4,769, and what's with that?)
After the game, Kelowna D Jesse Lees (@LeeserBeam2) tweeted: “Gonna miss @filvask great guy, good luck in red deer”
Kelowna D Madison Bowey (@m_bows4) tweeted: “Always sad to see a teammate go. Gonna miss ya @filvask #loveha #eurobeaut”
Vasko’s handle on Twitter is @filvask.
Last season, he had 12 assists in 51 games.
With F Carter Rigby and F J.T. Barnett returning from injuries, the Rockets had 16 forwards on their roster.
The Rebels have been playing with just one import — Czech G Patrik Bartosak.
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D Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips will have shoulder surgery sometime next month and isn’t likely to play again this season. Murray, who also would have played for Canada’s national junior team, was injured on Nov. 16 in a game against the Royals in Victoria. He was diagnosed with a small tear in the labrum, a diagnosis that was confirmed by the medical staff of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. They selected him with the second pick of the 2012 NHL draft.
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THE COACHING GAME:
After starting the season 1-9-1, the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Augusta RiverHawks have fired head coach Rob Miller, who was in his first season there. Mark Richards, the team president, has stepped in as interim head coach while the search goes on for a replacement. . . . Miller took over the RiverHawks from Brad Ralph, who now is the head coach of the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. . . .
Ben Johnson, who played 31 games with the Spokane Chiefs (1997-99), is the new head coach of the Duluth Clydesdales of the Superior International Junior League. They won just once in their first 20 games. Johnson had been the club’s director of player development. He replaces Aaron Haupert, who was in his first season as head coach.
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The departures are soon to start.
The Prince Albert Raiders are to lose F Jonas Knutsen and F Leon Draisaitl to tournament play.
Knutsen will play for Norway at the IIHF Division I U-20 tournament that opens in Amiens, France, on Dec. 9. Knutsen, who is to leave Dec. 5, is expected to miss five WHL games.
Draisaitl will play for Germany in the World Junior Championship that opens Dec. 26 in Ufa, Russia. He is the WHL’s top-scoring freshman, with 23 points. Draisaitl is to leave Dec. 10 and will miss as many as eight WHL games.
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings are preparing for the loss of Alessio Bertaggia, their second-leading scorer. Bertaggia will attend Switzerland’s training camp in mid-December. He played for Switzerland in last season’s tournament, so is expected to make the roster again this time.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ryan Kinasewich (Medicine Hat, Tri-City, 1998-2004) was released by mutual agreement by Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had four goals and seven assists in 14 games this season. . . .
F Ashton Rome (Moose Jaw, Red Deer, Kamloops, 2002-06) signed a one-year contract with Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL). He was pointless in five games this season with the Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL). Last season, Rome had 11 goals and nine assists in 66 games with the Portland Pirates (AHL). . . .
F Domenic Pittis (Lethbridge, 1991-94) signed a contract through Nov. 30 with Visp (Switzerland, NL B). He had 12 goals and 19 assists in 49 games with the ZSC Lions Zurich (Switzerland, NL A) last season. . . .
F Martin Hanzal (Red Deer, 2006-07) signed a lockout contract with Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had eight goals and 26 assists in 64 games with the Phoenix Coyotes last season.
F Scott Hartnell (Prince Albert, 1997-2000) has agreed to a lockout contract with KalPa Kuopio (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had 37 goals and 30 assists in 82 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season. Hartnell’s contract will become effective on Nov. 15 should the NHL lockout still be in effect. Hartnell is one of the owners of KalPa and would join Nashville F Craig Smith on the team. According to the local Kuopio newspaper Savon Sanomat, the agreements with both players are consistent with all NHL locked-out players currently playing in Finland. The players are drawing no salaries; the clubs are providing only travel expenses, local accommodations, and contract insurance premiums. The paper reports that the insurance premiums for Hartnell are about €40,000 per month (US$51,800) and about €10,000 per month (US$12,950) for Smith. . . .
If people are wondering about wages in normal situations in Europe, Swedish player agent Gunnar Svensson told Edmonton Journal reporter Jim Matheson that the three best-paying hockey leagues, in order, are the NHL, the KHL, and Sweden’s Elitserien. He went on to say that top salaries in Elitserien are around $500,000 US per season and the average is about $110,000 US.
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No longer will teams be able to go into the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland and try to run the Winterhawks out of the bandbox. Paul Buker of The Oregonian has the story right here about how the Coliseum now has an NHL-sized ice surface. . . . The first game on the new surface is scheduled for Sunday with the Tri-City Americans playing the Winterhawks.
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The Everett Silvertips have trimmed two 19-year-olds players from their roster. . . . G Cole Holowenko has returned home to await a move, while F Zach McPhee has left the club. . . . According to a news release, McPhee chose to leae “to pursue opportunities outside the major junior level.” . . . Holowenko was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders, but went 0-2-1, 6.41, .808 and was passed on the depth chart by Austin Lotz and Daniel Cotton. . . . McPhee, who came over from the Tri-City Americans in 2010-11, had 10 points in 49 games with Everett. This season, he was pointless in 11 games. . . .
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Veteran F Drew Czerwonka, 20, has chosen to leave the Kootenay Ice and retire. He had been the team’s captain since the start of last season. . . . In 227 games, Czerwonka, who is from Glenavon, Sask., had 112 points, including 48 goals, and 321 penalty minutes. . . . He was in his fifth season with the Ice, but injuries limited him to 40 games last season. He had four assists in eight games this season. . . . “More or less that he had lost the fire and it's been on his mind for about the past month,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told Jeff Holick, the club’s radio voice. “He gave it a lot of thought. He's a very thorough young man and . . . I respect the decision.” . . . For more, check out Holick’s blog over there on the right.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Vancouver, the Giants ended a five-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Royals had won the first three games of the season series. . . . The Royals are in Kamloops tonight. . . . The Royals, who had won three in a row, didn’t get even one shot on goal in the first period, the second time this season they have been blanked in one period. It happened in Kamloops in the second period of a 5-2 loss on Oct. 10. . . . F Marek Tvrdon had three goals and an assist for the Giants. . . . Tvrdon, a 31-goal man last season, now has four this time around but he is on a seven-game point streak. . . . F Kale Kessy, 20, played in his first game with Vancouver. He was acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers while in the midst of a 12-game WHL-issued suspension. . . . G Payton Lee, 16, made his second straight start for Vancouver, this time stopping 13 shots. . . . The Giants left on a road trip right after the game and, according to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Lee wasn’t on the bus. He has returned to the junior B Richmond Sockeyes, leaving the Giants with Liam Liston and Tyler Fuhr as their goaltenders. . . . The Giants were without F Cain Franson, who suffered an injury in a 3-2 loss to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday. He may have been hurt on a play on which Brandon D Tyler Yaworski was given a headshot major. Yaworski was hit with a ‘tbd’ suspension on Friday morning. . . . Vancouver lost F Thomas Foster with an apparent shoulder injury in the first period. . . . The Giants play in Edmonton on Sunday. . . .

The Everett Silvertips won their fourth straight game, beating the visiting Spokane Chiefs, 6-5. . . . It was Everett’s first home victory of the season. The Silvertips, who entertain the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight, are 1-3-1 at home. . . . F Kohl Bauml had two goals for Everett. . . . D Ben Betker had a goal and an assist, both WHL firsts, for the Silvertips. . . . G Daniel Cotton stopped 29 saves in winning his fourth straight game. . . . The Chiefs trailed 6-2 before scoring the game’s last three goals. . . . According to a Spokane news release, “The Chiefs suffered a further blow when leading scorer Mitch Holmberg took a hit to the head midway through the first period and had to leave the contest.” There were no headshot penalties handed out, according to the online scoresheet. . . . Holmberg has 23 points, including 11 goals, in 14 games. . . .

F Colin Smith had a goal and three assists to help the host Kamloops Blazers to an 8-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Smith ran his season-opening point streak to 14 games as the Blazers ran their record to 13-0-1. . . . F JC Lipon, the WHL’s leading point man, had three assists. . . . Kamloops has won 11 straight games. . . . F Dylan Willick and F Tim Bozon had two goals each. . . . Kamloops D Tyler Hansen had a goal and two assists. He was playing in his 199th regular-season game and this was his first three-point outing. . . . Bozon also had an assist, giving the Blazers’ big line a 10-point night. . . . Kamloops F Jordan DePape scored in his return from a shoulder injury that cost him six games. . . . The Wheat Kings are 2-3-1 on a seven-game road trip that ends tonight against the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Blazers are at home tonight to Victoria. The Royals beat the Blazers 4-3 in a shootout on Sept. 28 and that is the lone blemish on Kamloops’ record. . . .

G Brandon Glover stopped 44 shots to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . Glover stopped 17 shots in the third period when his mates scored twice to break a 1-1 tie. . . . This was the first meeting of the season between the teams. Last season, the Americans lost the first game and then won nine in a row from the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Robert Lipsbergs broke a 1-1 tie with his first WHL goal at 4:12 of the third period. . . . Tri-City had won its last four games in Seattle’s home rink in Kent, Wash. . . . After eight in a row on the road, the Americans are at home to the Spokane Chiefs tonight. . . .

F Colton Sissons scored twice to lead the visiting Kelowna Rockets to a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Sissons recorded his 50th career goal and 100th career point. . . . He’s got eight goals this season. . . . Kelowna F Ryan Olsen came off a three-game suspension to score his club’s other goal. . . . The Rockets play in Edmonton tonight. . . . Red Deer F Wyatt Johnson played his first game of the season. He missed all of the exhibition season and 15 regular-season games with a concussion. . . . The Rebels are at home to the Calgary Hitmen tonight. . . .

F Curtis Valk scored five times and set up another as the Medicine Hat Tigers whipped the host Calgary Hitmen, 10-1. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk had a goal and four assists for the Tigers. . . . Valk, who has a WHL-leading 14 goals, scored three times in the second period as Medicine Hat took a 7-0 lead. . . . The Tigers scored four PP goals in 10 chances. . . .

The Moose Jaw Warriors scored the games last three goals and beat the host Prince Albert Raiders, 3-2. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince Albert. . . . F Dakota Conroy scored his eighth goal since coming to Prince Albert in a swap with the Victoria Royals. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point pulled his side even with two second-period PP goals and F Sam Fioretti got the winner at 13:11 of the third. Fioretti has 12 goals. . . . F Justin Kirsch had three assists for Moose Jaw. . . . The Raiders have lost four of their last five home games. . . . Prince Albert F Tim Vanstone completed a four-game suspension. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes reached the .500 mark with a 6-1 victory over the visiting Regina Pats. . . . The Hurricanes are 7-7-1. . . . G Ty Rimmer, who has started all 15 Lethbridge games, stopped 28 shots. . . . Lethbridge held a 55-29 edge in shots, including 44-13 after two periods. . . . The Swift Current Broncos visit Lethbridge tonight. . . . 

First, the Kootenay Ice lost its captain, then it lost a hockey game. F Drew Czerwonka, 20, announced his retirement prior to the Ice dropping a 5-2 decision to the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Ice was able to dress only 17 skaters, one under the limit. They also are down to two 20-year-olds and GM Jeff Chynoweth is actively looking for a third. . . . The Ice scored the game’s first goal, with the Broncos then scoring four in a row.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Elliott Peterson, Calgary (twice)
F Henrik Nyberg, Kelowna
D Tyler Bell, Kamloops
F Alex Gogolev, Victoria
F Connor Honey, Seattle

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Kamloops Blazers F Jordan DePape (@papskos17): “Congrats to my ex-roommate Kurtis Mucha on becoming the first goalie in Canada West hockey history to score a goal tonight. #he’scatching me”
Mucha stopped 18 shots as the U of Alberta Golden Bears scored a 7-1 victory over the host Lethbridge Pronghorns. . . . Mucha was credited with the game’s first goal at 12:40 of the first period when he was the last Alberta player to touch the puck before the Pronghorns scored an own goal with a delayed penalty about to be called on Alberta. 

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