Winterhawks into fourth straight Western Conference final

G Dusan Salficky (Tri-City, 1990-91) has announced his retirement to become sports club manager at Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season with Pardubice, Salficky was 2.30 and .926 in 15 games. . . .
F Derek Ryan (Spokane, 2003-07) has signed a two-year contract with Örebro (Sweden, SEL). He played this season with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), putting up 84 points, including 38 goals, in 54 games. Ryan led the league in goals and plus-minus (plus-26), and was second in points. He was named the league’s MVP, winning the Ron Kennedy Trophy. Kennedy is a former WHL player (Estevan/New Westminster, 1970-73) and head coach (Medicine Hat, 1988-1990). Kennedy was head coach of the Austrian national team (1996-2002) for six world championships and two Olympics. . . .
F Jared Aulin (Kamloops, 1997-2002) signed a one-year extension with Örebro (Sweden, SEL). This season, in 50 games, he had 27 points, including seven goals.
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The NHL has been hit by a second concussion-related lawsuit. This one, filed in the United States District Court Southern District of New York, includes the names of ex-players Dan LaCouture, Dan Keczmer, Jack Carlson, Richard Brennan, Brad Maxwell, Michael Peluso, Tom Younghans, Allan Rourke and Scott Bailey. . . . If you are so inclined, the filing is right here.
Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports has more on the lawsuit right here, including the fact that Gordie Howe isn’t dead, as the lawsuit claims.
Jeff Z. Klein and Ken Belson of The New York Times have more on the lawsuit right here.
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Roy Sommer played one game with the Edmonton Oil Kings and two seasons (1975-77) with the Calgary Centennials, back in the early days of the WHL. He also spent a season (1988-89) as an assistant coach with the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Today, he is a veteran of the AHL coaching wars and is with the Worcester Sharks. On Wednesday night, his son, Marley, who has Down syndrome and is autistic, sang the American national anthem prior to a hockey game. You should watch it right here.
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The Tri-City Americans have named D Justin Hamonic, 20, as their captain for the 2014-15 season. Hamonic becomes the 26th captain in the franchise’s history. Hamonic, from Winnipeg, just completed his third WHL season. In 183 regular-season games, he has 27 points, including two goals. . . . He has spent all three seasons with the Americans, who selected him in the fifth round of the WHL’s 2009 bantam draft. . . . Hamonic served as the Americans’ interim captain for the last two months of this season with D Mitch Topping out with an injury.
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The WHL’s Western Conference final will open with games in Kelowna on April 18 and 19. Game 1 is to begin at 7:30 p.m., with Game 2 to start at 7:05. . . . It likely is safe to assume that the 7:30 start time on a Friday night is for the benefit of a potential Sportsnet telecast.
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The CHL announced Thursday that the annual Subway Super Series, featuring CHL all-star teams against a touring Russian side, will begin in the WHL next season and then run through the OHL and then finish up in the QMJHL. . . . The six-game series will be played from Nov. 10 through Nov. 20. . . . The series will begin in Saskatoon on Nov. 10, with the next game scheduled for Nov. 11 in a WHL city yet to be named. . . . The OHL games will be played in Peterborough on Nov. 13, with the next game in Kingston on Nov. 17. . . . Then the series will move on to the QMJHL centres of Acadie-Bathurst (Nov. 18) and Rimouski (Nov. 20). This will be the first time the series has concluded in Quebec. . . . The entire series will be televised by Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
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D Shea Theodore of the Seattle Thunderbirds will finish his season with the Norfolk Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Theodore was a first-round selection by the Ducks in the NHL’s 2013 draft. Theodore, who turns 19 on Aug. 3, just completed his third season with Seattle, which was swept from a second-round series by the Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday night.
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A WHL team that is looking for a general manager should be at least considering a chat with Matt Bardsley, the assistant GM with the Portland Winterhawks. Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune has more on Bardsley right here.
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Paul Lukas of ESPN.com reports that some fans of the Cleveland Indians are “de-Chiefing” -- removing the Chief Wahoo logo from jerseys and caps that they have purchased. It is, writes Lukas, “a form of silent protest by a small but growing number of Indians fans who love their team but are opposed to the Wahoo logo, which they view as an offensive caricature. They say they're not accusing pro-Wahoo fans of being racists or telling them what they should or shouldn't wear. They've simply made a decision not to wear the Chief themselves.” . . . There’s more right here.

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THE SECOND ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. BRANDON (7)
(Edmonton leads, 3-1)
Season series: Edmonton, 3-1-0; Brandon, 1-2-1.
Thursday: Brandon 0 at Edmonton 5 (5,899)
Saturday: Brandon 0 at Edmonton 3 (7,115)
Tuesday: Edmonton 5 at Brandon 2 (3,522)
Wednesday: Edmonton 2 at Brandon 5 (3,246)
Friday: Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday: Edmonton at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday: Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: F Brandon Baddock, day-to-day; D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
Brandon: G Curtis Honey, day-to-day.
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MEDICINE HAT (4) vs. KOOTENAY (6)
(Kootenay leads, 3-1)
Season series: Medicine Hat, 3-3-0; Kootenay, 3-3-0.
Saturday: Kootenay 4 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,750)
Sunday: Kootenay 2 at Medicine Hat 5 (3,755)
Wednesday: Medicine Hat 1 at Kootenay 3 (2,461)
Thursday: Medicine Hat 4 at Kootenay 7 (2,578)
Saturday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
x-Monday: Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
(NOTE: Kootenay plays home games in Cranbrook, B.C.)
INJURIES
Medicine Hat: F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
Kootenay: F Tim Bozon, indefinite; F Ryan Chynoweth, indefinite; D Tyler King, day-to-day; D Tanner Faith, 3-5 months.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. SEATTLE (4)
(Kelowna wins, 4-0)
Season series: Kelowna, 2-1-1; Seattle, 2-1-1.
Thursday: Seattle 2 at Kelowna 6 (4,581)
Saturday: Seattle 3 at Kelowna 6 (5,675)
Tuesday: Kelowna 5 at Seattle 4 (5,029)
Wednesday: Kelowna 5 at Seattle 2 (2,219)
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
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PORTLAND (2) vs. VICTORIA (3)
(Portland wins, 4-1)
Season series: Portland, 1-1-2; Victoria, 3-1-0.
Friday: Victoria 2 at Portland 8 (6,152)
Saturday: Victoria 3 at Portland 6 (10,947)
Monday: Portland 1 at Victoria 2 (6,505)
Tuesday: Portland 4 at Victoria 3 (6,745)
Thursday: Victoria 1 at Portland 5 (8,083)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Victoria: None.
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THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
Friday, April 18: Portland at Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 19: Portland at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Remainder of series TBA.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:

 In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice scored the games last goals, five of them in the third period and two of them into an empty net, as it dumped the Medicine Hat Tigers, 7-4. . . . The Ice leads the second-round series 3-1 and gets its first chance to wrap it up when the teams play Game 5 in Medicine Hat on Saturday night. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau got back on track with three goals for the Ice. Descheneau had picked up 17 points in six games in a first-round victory over the Calgary Hitmen, but was pointless in the first three games with the Tigers. . . . He now has 20 points, including a WHL-leading 10 goals, in 10 games. . . . The Ice got a goal and three assists from F Luke Philp, who has 12 points, five of them goals, in 10 games, and three assists from F Sam Reinhart. He leads the WHL in assists (16) and points (22). . . . Descheneau opened the scoring, on a PP, at 2:24 of the first period. . . . The Tigers then rattled off four straight goals, with F Chad Labelle getting it started at 8:11 of the first. . . . D Dylan Bredo, F Myles Koules and F Curtis Valk added second-period goals in a span of 2:59, sending Ice G Mackenzie Skapski to the bench in the process. He surrendered four goals on 18 shots. . . . Wyatt Hoflin came on to stop all 21 shots he faced. . . . Philp got the Ice to within 4-2 at 16:26 of the second. . . . D Rinat Valiev cut it to 4-3 at 12:16 of the third and Descheneau tied it at 15:45, then got the winner at 17:54. . . . Tigers G Marek Langhamer stopped 26 shots. . . . Each team was 1-for-2 on the PP. . . . According to Trevor Crawley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman, there may be a scoring change involving the goal that was credited to Valiev. “Reinhart apparently got his stick on” Valiev’s point shot, according to Crawley. . . . Shaun Clouston, the Tigers’ general manager and head coach, told Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News: "We didn't finish it. I don't know if we got thinking a little bit too far ahead and were thinking about winning the game instead of just the shift in front of us. I sensed that might have happened, where some of the guys were just a little bit out in front of themselves. We just have to play each shift. On the flip side, you have to give them lots of credit."


In Portland, the Winterhawks advanced to their fourth straight Western Conference final with a 5-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Winterhawks won the second-round series, 4-1, and will open the conference final against the Rockets in Kelowna on April 18. . . . The Rockets are the conference’s No. 1 seed; the defending-champion Winterhawks are No. 2. . . . Kelowna won all four regular-season meetings, outscoring Portland 28-10 I the process. Kelowna won 9-3 and 7-2 in Portland on Dec. 31 and Jan. 2, after posting 6-2 and 6-3 victories at home on Oct. 4 and 5. . . . The Winterhawks took control last night with the only two goals of the first period, F Taylor Leier scoring on a PP at 13:46 and F Adam de Champlain scoring at 19:26. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand, celebrating his 19th birthday, got his ninth goal at 10:31 of the second for a 3-0 edge. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges scored at 15:11 of the second, on a PP. . . . The Winterhawks got that one back at 12:22 of the third when F Chase De Leo counted. . . . De Leo scored again, his fifth of the playoffs, at 17:57, on a PP. . . . Bjorkstrand also had three assists, leaving him with 19 points in nine playoff games. Including the regular-season, he has 128 points, 59 of them goals, in 78 games. . . . The Winterhawks outscored the Royals 9-1 in third periods and 25-11 in total. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic had one assist, running his point streak to 16 games, going back to the regular season. He’s got 30 points, including 13 goals, in those 16 games. He had 10 points in the series. . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot earned two assists, giving him at least one assist in nine straight games. . . . This game had some nastiness in it with a melee at the end of the second period that resulted in game misconducts to Pouliot, along with Victoria D Joe Hicketts and Hodges. . . . At 15:10 of the third period, Portland F Nic Petan ended up down on the ice after a hit from Victoria F Brandon Magee, who was assessed a match penalty for attempt to injure. Should Magee return for his 20-year-old season, you have to think he’ll miss the start with a suspension of some sort. . . . Petan ended up taking an instigating penalty and a game misconduct for a scrap with Victoria D Ryan Gagnon. . . . The Royals ended up with 88 of 151 penalty minutes. . . . According to Portland freelancer Scott Sepich: “Petan was coherent and talking with (Winterhawks GM/head coach Mike) Johnston and teammates in the locker-room.” . . . A tweet from Mike Walker (@MikeWalkerCHEK) of Victoria TV station CHEK: “That was a malicious crosscheck to the head from Magee on Petan. The series is over. No need to go out on that note.” . . . And one from Kelley Robinett (@kdrobinett), the Winterhawks’ senior vice-president, operations and marketing: “Embarrassing display by Victoria late with the game out of reach.” . . . The story that Sepich filed for The Oregonian is right here.
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From Bruce Luebke (@wheatkingsvoice), the play-by-play voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings: “Oilers play tonight so today’s practice would be decided in a shootout if it goes beyond the three regulation drills and two OT drills.”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Josh Bonar (Kamloops, Vancouver, Regina) signed a one-year contract with Corona Brasov (Romania, Interliga). He had 20 goals and 17 assists in 30 games with Miskolci Jegesmedve (Hungary, Interliga) this season. . . .
F Pavel Brendl (Calgary, 1998-2001) signed a two-year contract and G Dusan Salficky (Tri-City, 1990-91) signed a one-year contract with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . . Brendl had five goals and three assists in six games to start the season with Pardubice, then had two goals and three assists in 17 games for Rapperswil (Switzerland, NL A). . . . Salficky saw action with three teams this season, all on loan from Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had a 3.52 GAA and a .897 save percentage in 12 games with Litomerice (Czech Republic, 1.Liga); 2.72 GAA and .916 save percentage in 24 games with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga); and, a 3.14 GAA and a .906 save percentage in four games with Pardubice.
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The Kontinental Hockey League has completed its five-round entry draft during which 166 players were selected.
It was held in Chelyabinski and drew about 3,000 fans.
The complete draft is right here.
D Martin Gernat of the Edmonton Oil Kings was the first WHL player selected, going 19th overall to Salavat Yulaev.
F Sven Baertschi of the Portland Winterhawks was selected by Severstal in the third round.
D Spencer Humphries of the Calgary Hitmen was taken by Traktor Chelyabinsk in the fifth round. He was the fourth-last player selected.
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Here’s the lead to a story by Kevin Oklobzija of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:
“To his Rochester Americans teammates, Sean McMorrow was the guy who never complained, the guy whose job it was to fight his own on-ice battles — and sometimes everyone else’s.
“To the children who attended area schools, who played at community recreation centers, read at public libraries and got well at local hospitals, he was a pro athlete with a big smile and an even bigger heart.
“But to the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office, McMorrow was a drug smuggler and drug trafficker, a guy who toted marijuana and money tainted with the smell of pot to and/or from his offseason home in Toronto.”
The complete story, and it’s a good one, is right here.
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Former WHL D Pat Pylypuik (Calgary, Lethbridge, 1986-91) is the commissioner of the Midwest Junior Hockey League, a junior A Tier III circuit that hopes to have 14 teams when it opens its first season in the fall.
James Cook of the Traverse City Record Eagle has that story right here.
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JUST NOTES:
F John Persson of the Red Deer Rebels has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s New York Islanders. They selected him in the fifth round of the 2011 draft. . . . Persson, a 20-year-old Swede, played three seasons with the Rebels, picking up 130 points, including 63 goals, in 200 games. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have signed F Ty Ronning and F Jesse Roach. . . . Ronning, from Burnaby, B.C., was a first-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. He is the son of former NHLer Cliff Ronning. . . . Roach, a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, is from Quesnel, B.C., and is the brother of Calgary Hitmen D Alex Roach. . . .
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The incomparable Roy MacGregor writes right here about the difference between coaching defence and coaching offence, which explains why the game of hockey is going in a defensive direction right now. He also mentions micromanaging and over-coaching. Gee, you think?
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THE COACHING GAME:
Kelly Guard is the Prince Albert Raiders’ new goaltending coach. Guard, who is from Prince Albert, played two seasons with the Kelowna Rockets, helping them to a WHL title in 2003 and the Memorial Cup championship in 2004. He takes over from Evan Lindsay with the Raiders.

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Patrick Holland of the Tri-City Americans fights through traffic in an attempt to get a shot off on Saskatoon Blades
goaltender Andrey Makarov on Wednesday night in Kennewick, Wash.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Derek LeBlanc (Brandon, Calgary, 2003-07) requested and was granted his release by the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite) for personal reasons. He had four goals and nine assists in 12 games for the Giants this season. . . .
G Dusan Salficky (Tri-City, 1990-91) has been loaned by Litomerice (Czech Republic, 1.Liga) to Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga) for at least one game. Salficky has yet to appear in a game this season. Last season, he had a 3.88 GAA and a .885 save percentage in 12 games with Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga), a 2.73 GAA and a .927 save percentage in nine games with Litomerice, and a 1.14 GAA and a .963 save percentage in six games with Slovan Ustecti Lvi (Czech Republic, 1.Liga).
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F Austin Connor, who was acquired by the Vancouver Giants from the Prince Albert Raiders on Monday, has chosen to retire. The Raiders, instead, have sent the Giants a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. The Raiders got F Teal Burns and F Tyler Hart in the deal, with D Arvin Atwal going to Vancouver.
Connor, who is from Beechy, Sask., has decided he would rather farm than play hockey.
Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has that story right here.
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Rob Vanstone, in the Regina Leader-Post: “The WHL is transmitting mixed messages. While vowing to crack down on headshots, with the laudable goal of reducing concussions, the league refuses to provide specific injury information on its website. Instead, the site typically refers to upper- and lower-body injuries. In this case, the WHL’s collective big brains should give their heads a shake.”
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Vanstone, continued: “Let’s amend that: They should give their upper bodies a shake.”
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I am told that D Matt Benning of the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints has been offered a scholarship to Minnesota-Duluth, starting with the 2013-14 season. Benning is the son of Brian Benning, a defenceman with the Portland Winterhawks and Kamloops Blazers for parts of two seasons (1983-85). The younger Benning was a second-round bantam draft pick by the Kootenay Ice in 2009. His rights were dealt this summer to the Tri-City Americans, but he chose not to report as he wanted to keep his NCAA options open. It would seem that the NCAA option now has materialized.
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JUST NOTES: The Tri-City Americans have assigned F Justin Gutierrez to the NAHL’s Wichita Falls Wildcats. Gutierrez, who turns 16 on Dec. 22, was pointless in one game with the Americans. He is the younger brother of former WHLer Moises Gutierrez. . . . Rick Brodsky, who owns the Prince George Cougars, is a co-owner of the Wichita Falls franchise. . . . Head coach Don Hay of the Vancouver Giants will be the head coach of the WHL team that will meet a touring Russian side in the annual Subway Super Series. He will be assisted by Ryan Huska of the Kelowna Rockets and Lorne Molleken of the Saskatooon Blades. Of course, Hay also is head coach of Canada’s national junior team, and Huska is one of his assistants. . . . The WHL team will meet the Russians in Regina on Nov. 16 and in Moose Jaw on Nov. 17. . . . Greg Mayer of the Regina Pats, Curtis Amiot of the Moose Jaw Warriors and Jamie LeBlanc of the Swift Current Broncos will serve as the WHL team’s training staff.
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Some Wednesday highlights:
In Edmonton, D Griffin Reinhart scored his first two goals to lift the Oil Kings to a 2-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Reinhart forged a 1-1 tie at 13:20 of the second period, while on the PP, then got the winner at 18:28 of the third. . . . F Michael St. Croix assisted on both Edmonton goals. . . . Moose Jaw took 50 of 82 penalty minutes. . . . Edmonton held a 42-18 edge in shots. . . .
In Red Deer, the Rebels scored the game’s last three goals, the final one into an empty net, and beat the Kamloops Blazers, 4-2. . . . All three goals were unassisted efforts, with F Tyson Ness and F Chad Robinson erasing a 2-1 deficit with goals 24 seconds apart early in the third period. . . . F Turner Elson got the empty-netter at 19:41. . . . Red Deer’s Patrik Bartosak, the CHL’s goaltender of the week, stopped 30 shots. . . .
In Everett, the Brandon Wheat Kings got two goals and an assist from each of F Darian Dziurzynski and F Paul Ciarelli and beat the Silvertips, 8-2. . . . There have been reports that Dziurzynski scored three goals, but the online scoresheet shows him with two. . . . F Brenden Walker and F Michael Ferland each had a goal and two helpers. . . . Brandon G Brandon Anderson stopped 30 shots. He’s 2-0 since being acquired Sunday from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Dziurynski has three (or four) goals in two games since being acquired from the Saskatoon Blades, also on Sunday. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had a goal as he ran his season-opening point streak to 11 games. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Bruno Mraz, who left Tuesday’s game against the Seattle Thunderbirds after hitting his head on the boards. . . . The Silvertips had three players leave with injuries — D Ryan Murray, F Josh Birkholz and F Ryan Harrison. . . . Murray, one of the WHL’s top defencemen, left in the first period after taking a hit from Stone. Murray was on crutches after the game. . . . The Wheat Kings next play Friday in Medicine Hat against the Tigers. That game will mark the second time the Clouston brothers have clashed as head coaches. Cory is in his first season as Brandon’s head coach; Shaun is the Tigers’ second-year head coach. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun notes that the two met on Jan. 3, 2003, when the Kootenay Ice, with Cory running things, beat the Tri-City Americans, with Shaun as head coach, 4-1, in Kennewick, Wash. . . . It’s believed that the only other brothers to have opposed each other in the WHL was the Sauters, Doug with the Calgary Wranglers and Mike with the Lethbridge Broncos, in 1979-80. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Justin Feser scored twice and set up another as the Tri-City Americans got past the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . Feser’s second goal, at 18:00 of the third, gave the Americans a 4-2 lead and F Brendan Shinnimin iced it with an empty-netter 38 seconds later. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 33 shots, three fewer than Saskatoon’s Andrey Makarov. . . . The Blades have lost three in a row in the U.S. Division after opening the swing with a victory in Everett. . . . The Americans will spend the weekend in Prince George. Tri-City won last season’s series 2-1-0-1, but the Americans hold a 20-3-0-1 edge since 2005-06.
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Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News has been following the impending sale of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Tom Gaglardi, the majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers, is hoping to purchase the Stars out of bankruptcy and there is an important deadline arriving on Saturday.
Heika’s latest piece is right here.
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A report in the Estevan Mercury indicates that the four western Canadian junior A leagues are seriously considering abandoning the RBC Cup and starting up their own championship.
Why?
“According to the document,” the newspaper reports, “a major reason for the change is to get away from Hockey Canada’s overbearing rules for hosting tournaments, which restrict profit for the host community by forcing them to change most or all of their advertising to Hockey Canada sponsors.
“The document cites ‘Hockey Canada exclusivities’ and ‘administrative fees for event management’ among the reasons for taking this initiative.”
The Mercury’s complete story is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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