Showing posts with label Eetu Tuulola. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eetu Tuulola. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Silvertips lose import to HPK ... Ferguson cancels fishing trip ... Royals sign assistant coach


F Josh Nicholls (Saskatoon, 2008-13) has signed a one-year contract with Litvínov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL), he had 11 goals and 21 assists in 30 games. He also had a goal and three assists in six games with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). . . .
G Kevin Nastiuk (Medicine Hat, 2001-05) has signed a one-year contract with the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite). Last season, with Dresden (Germany, DEL2), he was 16-6-0, 1.99, .938 with one shutout in 25 games. He led the league in GAA and save percentage. . . . Nastiuk will attend Coventry University Business School while playing for the Blaze. . . .
F Petr Vala (Seattle, 1997-98) has signed a one-year contract with Zell am See (Austria, Alps HL). Last season, with Lustenau (Austria, Alps HL), he had 17 goals and 25 assists in 38 games. He led his team in goals and points. . . .
D Vladimír Mihalik (Red Deer, Prince George, 2005-07) has signed a one-year extension with Banská Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga). Last season, he had two goals and nine assists in 52 games.
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 The WHL released its 2017-18 regular-season schedule on Tuesday. Check your favourite team’s website for more info.
As usual, there are some quirks . . . 
For example, the Portland Winterhawks will play four straight games against the Kelowna Rockets in a span of eight days (Oct. 14-21). Those are the only times the teams, who are projected as two of the
Western Conference’s top clubs, will play each other during the regular season. . . . They’ll play in Portland on Oct. 14 and 15, before heading for Kelowna and games on Oct. 20 and 21. In between, the Rockets will stop in Kennewick, Wash., for a single with the Tri-City Americans on Oct. 17.
Later, the Winterhawks and Kamloops Blazers will play three of their four games on consecutive nights (Jan. 26-28). They will play in Kamloops on Friday and Saturday nights, then head for Portland and a Sunday game.
That nifty bit of scheduling brought this response from a Portland follower:
“I give up — it is so evident that common sense left the scheduling process years ago. . . . As far as the three-game set against the Blazers . . . does the league know this is hockey and not baseball where three-game series are common? . . . It’s obvious that the league doesn’t care two cents about their customer base . . . and more importantly doesn’t care two cents about the quality of play that those customers are going to be watching.”
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The Regina Pats, the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup, are looking at two eight-game road swings, one from Nov. 18 through Dec. 6 when the Canadian Western Agribition takes over the Brandt Centre in late November, and the other from Feb. 19 through March 8 when the Canadian men’s curling championship is in the house. The Pats will play three games in three days on two occasions, which is nine fewer than the Everett Silvertips.
The Silvertips’ schedule calls for them to play three games in three nights on 11 occasions. That includes three in January, three in February and one in March.
One fan from the Pacific Northwest tells me that Everett will play three games in three nights in three different cities on three occasions, while the Seattle Thunderbirds, the reigning champions, do that four times.
“That produces bad hockey,” the fan wrote. “It’s not good for the players or the fans.”
Keep in mind that three games in three nights actually means three games in fewer than 48 hours.
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The Saskatoon Blades will open the season with four straight home games — in 15 days. Les Lazaruk, the veteran radio voice of the Blades, tweeted that the only other time Saskatoon played its first four games at home was 1972. The Blades will open on Sept. 22 against the Swift Current Broncos, but then won’t play again until Sept. 29 when they entertain the Medicine Hat Tigers.
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F Eetu Tuulola won’t be back for a second season with the Everett Silvertips. Instead, he will be playing for HPK in his native Finland.
Last season, as an 18-year-old freshman, Tuulola had 18 goals and 13 assists in 62 games while on loan
EETU TUULOLA
to the Silvertips from HPK with whom he had signed a three-year contract.
The Calgary Flames selected Tuulola in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. The Flames have yet to sign Tuulola, but because they drafted him out of Europe — and not off a CHL team’s roster — they hold his rights for four seasons.
With two seasons left on that HPK contract, Tuulola will return to Finland and play there. For him to remain in Everett, the Flames would have had to buy out the deal with HPK and then sign him. With Calgary choosing not to do that, HPK has brought him home.
This means that the Silvertips will select two players in today’s CHL import draft. F Dominic Zwerger, their other import last season, has played out his junior eligibility.
The draft is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. PT, with the OHL’s Barrie Colts making the first selection. They are expected to take Russian F Andrei Svechnikov, who is seen by observers as a possible No. 1 selection in the NHL’s 2018 draft.
From Barnaul, Russia, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Svechnikov had 29 goals and 29 assists in 48 games with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks last season.
The Kootenay Ice, the first WHL team on the board, hold the third selection.
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Here are a few more WHL players who are in NHL development camps as undrafted free agents:
D Jonathan Smart, 18, of the Regina Pats has been invited to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ camp, as has F Ethan McIndoe of the Spokane Chiefs. McIndoe will turn 18 on July 22.
D Aaron Irving, who completed his junior eligibility with the Everett Silvertips last season, is with the Vancouver Canucks. He was selected by the Nashville Predators in the sixth round of the 2014 NHL draft but went unsigned.
F Giorgio Estephan of the Lethbridge Hurricanes will skate with the Minnesota Wild. Estephan, 20, was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2015 draft. The Sabres didn’t sign him, then he went undrafted last weekend.
D Nolan Kneen, 18, of the Kamloops Blazers was invited to camp by the Florida Panthers.
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So much for the fishing trip! Instead of going fishing with his family, G Dylan Ferguson of the Kamloops Blazers found himself in Las Vegas on Tuesday. That’s because the NHL’s expansion Las Vegas franchise picked him up from the Dallas Stars in a trade on Monday and now he’s at the Golden Knights’ development camp. . . . There’s more right here.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed G Todd Scott to a WHL contract. Scott, 17, was a 10th-round selection in the WHL’s 2015 bantam draft. From Albertville, Minn., he played last season with the NAHL’s Coulee Region Chill and the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers. He was 3.56, .904 in 15 appearances with the Chill, and 2.51, .903 in seven games with the Musketeers. He also was 2.00, .912 in three games with the U-16 Omaha AAA Lancers. . . . The Giants finished last season with two goaltenders on their roster — Ryan Kubic, now 19, and David Tendeck, who won’t turn 18 until Nov. 25. Also on their depth chart: Trent Miner, 16, of Souris, Man., who was a first-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft; and Jacob Wassermann, 17, of Humboldt, Sask., who was taken in the eighth round of the 2015 bantam draft.
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Trevor Redden is the new play-by-play man for the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Redden had been the business manager and radio voice of the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. . . . Drew Wilson, the team’s radio voice on CKBI, moved to Saskatoon following last season and now is part of the sports department of the Saskatoon Media Group, which is headed up by Les Lazaruk, who does the Saskatoon Blades’ games.
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There was a time when F Kyle Beach may have been the most-despised player in the WHL. Beach played for the Everett Silvertips, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Spokane Chiefs. He could score and scrap and stick and all of that stuff. Oh, he was disliked. The complete package was enough for the Chicago Blackhawks to select him 11th overall in the 2008 NHL draft. Now playing in Austria, Beach has yet to get into even one NHL game. With last weekend’s draft in Chicago, David Haugh spoke with Beach filed this piece right here to the Chicago Tribune.
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A tip of the cap to Bobby Pillote of Awful Announcing for this piece on the silliness of ranking drafts immediately after they are held. . . . He writes: “Draft grades are also almost entirely meaningless; a single set of draft grades is about as likely to predict the future as Stephen A. Smith is likely to correctly pick the winner of the NBA Finals.” . . . He also provides a number of NBA- and NFL-related examples. No, he doesn’t mention the NHL, but the tweet above is self-explanatory.
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I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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Coaching Game


 The Victoria Royals have signed J.F. Best, 33, as an assistant coach. Last season, the Ottawa native was an assistant coach with the CCHL’s Kanata Lasers and their U-18 AAA affiliate. . . . On the Royals’ staff, he will fill the vacancy created when Dan Price moved up to head coach after Dave Lowry signed on as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. . . . Best has worked in performance analysis with the Danish Ice Hockey Federation since 2015, including at the 2017 World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto, and at the 2017 Worlds in Cologne and Paris. . . . He spent one season (2015-16) as director of performance analysis with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. In 2013-14, he was on staff with the Tri-City Americans as performance analyst and hockey operations assistant.
Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks revealed Tuesday that Ben Cooper, their video assistant coach, no longer is with the team. Cooper is a former Royals assistant coach.
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Rod Aldoff has left the Pensacola Ice Flyers after a second stint as the SPHL team’s head coach. Aldoff, who is from Lethbridge, began last season as the head coach of the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals, but was fired on Nov. 29 after a 2-11-4 start. He was hired to coach the Ice Flyers on Feb. 14 -- there were 20 games left in the regular season -- after Kevin Hasselberg was fired. The Ice Flyers went on to lose out in the second round of the playoffs. . . . Through all of this, Aldoff has been under contract to the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. . . . Earlier in his coaching career, Aldoff guided the Ice Flyers to a pair of SPHL titles.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:14 PM
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Sunday, April 16, 2017

Broncos, Pats set for Game 7 . . . Tigers, 'Canes going to 7, too; PP difference in Game 6



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 The WHL’s Eastern Conference second round is down to a pair of Game 7s.
The first goes tonight (Monday) in Regina between the Pats and Swift Current Broncos. On Tuesday, in Medicine Hat, the Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes will settle things.
In Regina, fans began lining up at the Brandt Centre box office Sunday at 10 a.m., in order to get tickets to tonight’s Game 7 between the Pats and Swift Current Broncos. The box office opened at noon and the game was SRO in a hurry.
There even was a report late Sunday that at least one online scalper was trying to get $100 apiece for four tickets. The Pats went so far as to tweet this warning: “Please be advised do not try and purchase tickets to Game 7 from a secondary ticket website. We only support Ticketmaster.”
The Broncos won three of the series’ first four games, each victory coming in OT, to take a 3-1 lead. On Saturday, leading the series 3-2, they held a 3-1 edge early in the second period, only to have the Pats come back for a series-tying 5-3 victory.
“It’s going to be a war,” Regina F Austin Wagner told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “We're expecting a hard performance out of them (in Game 7). We have to be ready to play because we know they’re going to be.”
Wagner, of course, took a kneeing major and game misconduct in Game 5, but the WHL chose not to suspend him for Game 6. He responded with two goals and an assist, and was named the game’s first star.
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, handles discipline and was in Regina for Game 5 so witnessed Wagner’s hit on Broncos F Ryley Lindgren.
“I had a pretty good sleep (Friday night) . . . surprisingly,” Wagner told Harder. “Getting a major wasn’t ideal but I got the nod (Saturday) morning when I came to the rink. As far as I knew I was in the lineup until I was told I’m not. I was ready to go.”
A year ago, the Pats had their season come to an end in a second-round Game 7 when they dropped a 2-1 decision to the host Red Deer Rebels.
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F Eetu Tuulola of the Everett Silvertips may need surgery to repair an injury suffered during the playoffs.
EETU TUULOLA
Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald reports that Tuulola suffered a broken right hand in the series against the Seattle Thunderbirds, “but played through the injury in Friday’s game.” . . . Tuulola is expected to see a specialist this week. . . . The Thunderbirds posted a ?? victory on Friday to sweep the Silvertips from the second-round series. . . . Tuulola, a Finnish freshman, had 31 points, including 18 goals, in 62 games during the regular season. He added seven points, six of them goals, in 10 playoff games. . . . He was a sixth-round selection by the Calgary Flames in the NHL’s 2016 draft, but the hand injury likely will keep him from joining their AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat.
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 In the OHL, the Owen Sound Attack eliminated the Soo Greyhounds on Sunday to reach the Western Conference final. The Attack, whose head coach is former WHL player/coach Ryan McGill, won 1-0 yesterday. That was its fourth straight victory as it won the series, 4-2. . . . The Attack will meet either the Erie Otters or London Knights in the conference final. The Knights posted a 2-1 OT victory yesterday to tie that series, 3-3. They’ll play Game 7 in Erie on Tuesday. Kris Knoblauch, another former WHL player/coach, is the Otters’ head coach. . . . The OHL’s Eastern Conference final will feature the Mississauga Steelheads and Peterborough Petes.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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SUNDAY’S GAME:


At Lethbridge, the Medicine Hat Tigers scored three PP goals and beat the Hurricanes, 5-2. . . . The
MASON SHAW
second-round series is tied, 3-3. They’ll decide it with Game 7 in Medicine Hat on Tuesday night. . . . Medicine Hat F Steve Owre (3) broke a 2-2 tie, with his side’s third PP goal, at 4:20 of the third period. . . . F Matt Bradley (3) added insurance at 11:55, and F John Dahlstrom (6) got the empty-netter, at 18:11. . . . Medicine Hat had taken a 1-0 lead when F Max Gerlach (5) scored at 5:13 of the first period. . . . The Hurricanes pulled even when F Egor Babenko scored at 9:48. . . . Bradley put Medicine Hat back out front at 13:00, only to have Babenko tie it with his sixth playoff goal, at 15:03. . . . The Tigers got three assists from F Mason Shaw and two each from Dahlstrom and D David Quenneville. Bradley added one to his goal. . . . F Tyler Wong had two assists for Lethbridge. . . . The Tigers got 24 saves from G Michael Bullion, while Stuart Skinner turned aside 32 shots at the other end. . . . The Tigers were 3-6 on the PP; The Hurricanes were 1-3. . . . The Hurricanes were somewhat shorthanded as they scratched D Calen Addison, F Matt Alfaro, F Zane Franklin, F Ryan Vandervlis and F Zak Zborosky. . . . Announced attendance: 5,034.
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MONDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 3-3)
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TUESDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 3-3)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:17 PM
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Friday, March 31, 2017

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


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

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


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

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

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:16 PM
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Sunday, February 19, 2017

Hitmen tied for last playoff spot ... Blazers applying heat to Cougars ... Thunderbirds stun Winterhawks


There was an error on the online scoresheet involving the winning goal in the Everett Silvertips’ 3-2 OT victory over the host Swift Current Broncos on Saturday night. . . . According to the scoresheet, the winning goal came from D Lucas Skrumeda. It turns out that it actually was scored by F Eetu Tuulola, his 15th of the season. Tuulola, who will turn 19 on March 17, is from Finland and is in his freshman season. That was his second game-winning goal.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, the Hitmen erased a 1-0 deficit with three straight goals and went on to a 3-2 victory over the
MARK KASTELIC
Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Hitmen (22-26-10) are 3-0-1 in their past four games. They now are tied with Saskatoon for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. The Hitmen, fourth in the Central Division, also are just two points behind the third-place Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Blades (23-28-8) have lost four in a row (0-2-2). . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his 27th goal, on a PP, at 2:00 of the first period. . . . F Andrew Fyten (6) tied the score at 15:10. . . . The Hitmen took a 2-1 lead when D Vladislav Yeryomenko notched his fifth goal, at 8:42 of the second period. . . . F Mark Kastelic’s 10th goal upped that to 3-1 at 12:49. . . . F Mason McCarty got the Blades to within a goal with No. 17, on a PP, at 6:38 of the third period. . . . Shynkaruk also had an assist. . . . G Trevor Martin stopped 16 shots for Calgary. . . . At the other end, G Logan Flodell blocked 34. . . . Saskatoon was 2-3 on the PP; Calgary was 0-4. . . . The Blades were playing their third game in three different cities in fewer than 48 hours. They went 0-2-1. . . . Saskatoon was without F Cole Johnson, who served a one-game suspension after taking a major and game misconduct for goaltending interference on Saturday in Lethbridge. . . . Announced attendance: 6,254.
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At Kamloops, G Connor Ingram stopped 28 shots to lead the Blazers to a 3-0 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Blazers (36-19-6) have won two in a row. They are second in the B.C. Division
CONNOR INGRAM
and have closed to within two points of the Cougars (38-19-4). These two teams will meet four more times this season. . . . Kamloops is 2-2-0 in the season series; Prince George is 2-1-1. . . . Ingram has four shutouts this season and 11 in his career. He leads the WHL with a .934 save percentage and is second in GAA (2.14). Carter Hart of the Everett Silvertips leads at 1.95. . . . F Collin Shirley gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead at 19:16 of the first period. . . . F Rudolfs Balcers (34) added insurance at 13:46 of the second period. . . . F Garrett Pilon’s 16th goal sealed the victory at 1:32 of the third period. . . . The Cougars got 39 saves from G Ty Edmonds. . . . Prince George was 0-2 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-4. . . . Prince George had lost 5-2 to the Rockets in Kelowna on Saturday night. The Rockets are third in the B.C. Division, five points behind Kamloops with two games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 3,727. . . . After the loss in Kelowna, Prince George head coach Richard Matvichuk told Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier that the game in Kamloops “is a must two points for us, but if we’re not willing to put the work in and willing to win the little puck battles, you’re not going to beat any team in this league. We have to get back to working first and our skill will follow up after. It’s crazy, you talk to anybody in the Canadian Hockey League and they say this is the toughest division in the country. You look at the four teams and, unfortunately, someone gets bounced out in the first round.”
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At Portland, the Seattle Thunderbirds overcame a 4-2 third-period deficit to beat the Winterhawks, 5-4, in a shootout. . . . F Mathew Barzal scored for Seattle in the first round of the shootout, with Portland F
SAMI MOILANEN
Keegan Iverson equalizing in the second round. F Sami Moilanen won the game as he scored to finish the third round. . . . F Tyler Adams had given Seattle a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 6:58 of the first period. . . . Portland tied it at 14:22 when F Evan Weinger (18) scored on a PP. . . . F Alexander True’s 20th goal gave the Thunderbirds a 2-1 lead at 2:19 of the second period. . . . The Winterhawks responded with the next three goals. . . . D Caleb Jones (7) scored a shorthanded beauty at 6:19 to tie the score. . . . F Skyler McKenzie gave Portland a 3-2 lead at 13:42. . . . D Keoni Texeira upped that to 4-2 with his 11th goal at 8:50 of the third period. . . . Seattle closed to within a goal at 11:33 as F Donovan Neuls got No. 19. . . . The Thunderbirds forced OT as Moilanen got his 18th goal at 19:14 with G Matt Berlin on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Seattle got two assists from D Jarret Tyszka. . . . McKenzie and Texeira had an assist each for Portland. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp was held off the scoresheet, ending his point streak at 16 games. . . . Portland F Evan Weinger wasn’t able to score on a penalty shot at 16:42 of the third period with his side leading, 4-3. . . . Berlin finished the game with 29 saves, while Portland’s Cole Kehler stopped 45 shots. . . . Portland was 1-2 on the PP; Seattle was 1-6. . . . The Thunderbirds, who dressed only 16 skaters, apparently have added F Keegan Kolesar to their injury list. He was a last-minute scratch. . . . Each team was playing for the third time in fewer than 48 hours. . . . Seattle was beaten, 4-2, by the host Tri-City Americans on Friday, then beat Portland 5-3 in Kent, Wash., on Saturday night. . . . The Winterhawks had beaten the visiting Red Deer Rebels 4-3 on Friday. . . . The Thunderbirds (38-17-5) have won two in a row. They are second in the U.S. Division, one point behind Everett with the Silvertips holding two games in hand. . . . The Winterhawks (32-24-4) have lost two straight (0-1-1). They are fourth in the U.S. Division, five points behind Tri-City. Portland does hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point behind the Victoria Royals. . . . In the season series, Seattle is 5-3-2, while Portland is 5-4-1. Yes, the loser point has to go!. . . . The Thunderbirds and Winterhawks will meet twice more this season, too. . . . Announced attendance: 9,233.
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MONDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina at Prince Albert, 4 p.m.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Edmonton at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Prince George, 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:23 PM
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Saturday, February 18, 2017

Regina home to 2018 Memorial Cup party . . . Royals lose key defenceman . . . Raiders unhappy with Johnson call




The 100th anniversary of the Memorial Cup will be celebrated in Regina with the Pats as the host team for the annual four-team tournament. The announcement was made Saturday afternoon.
The Pats also will celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2017-18, so this obviously seems to be a match made in hockey heaven.
As Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post writes right here:
“The circumstances were aligned in the Pats’ favour, especially when the team’s long-standing military connection was factored into the equation. The Memorial Cup is dedicated to all Canadian military personnel who have lost their lives during combat.
“Consider, too, that Regina is expected to ice another top-flight team during the 2017-18 season.
“Simply put, there was a check mark beside every box when the Pats’ proposal was submitted. There wasn’t any choice but to select Regina.”
The other finalists both were from the OHL — the Hamilton Bulldogs and Oshawa Generals.
If you are wanting to book your vacation, the 2018 Memorial Cup is to be held May 17-27.
The news release issued by the Pats is right here.
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The injury bug continues to nibble away at the Victoria Royals.
Already without F Tyler Soy (week-to-week) and F Ryan Peckford (six to seven weeks) with undisclosed injuries, the Royals now have lost D Chaz Reddekopp.
“Chaz will be out for the rest of the regular season, but you never know how these things heal,” Cam Hope, the Royals’ general manager, told Cleve Cheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist.
Reddekopp suffered a broken foot while blocking a shot in Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the Tigers in Medicine Hat and didn’t play in Friday’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. 
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Reddekopp was a seventh-round selection by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2015 NHL draft.
“Obviously, he’s a big piece of our blue-line,” Reddekopp said. “But injuries happen. That’s why we have the depth we do. The other guys stepped up (Friday in Lethbridge).”
The Royals completed a three-game swing into the Central Division with a 4-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook on Saturday night. Victoria went 1-1-1 on the trip.
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The Prince Albert Raiders were without F Kolby Johnson on Saturday night after he was hit with a TBD suspension after incurring a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on F Orrin Centazzo of the Everett Silvertips in a Friday game.
Centazzo was scratched from Everett’s lineup as it completed an East Division swing in Swift Current against the Broncos last night. Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald tweeted Saturday that Centazzo will miss “some time.”

The Raiders weren’t happy with the penalty to Johnson, who apparently first was given a minor penalty.
According to Jeff D’Andrea of pa.NOW, referees Jonathan Spurgeon and Cody Rude “didn’t give the major penalty right away. . . . A minor was up on the clock for at least three real-time minutes while the officials talked to the Raiders’ bench first, and then the Silvertips' bench. After talking to both head coaches, Spurgeon and Rude then conferred in front of the scorer’s table and changed the call from a minor to a major.”
Marc Habscheid, the Raiders’ head coach, wasn’t impressed.
“You know what?” D’Andrea quoted Habscheid as saying. “I’ve been in this game a long time. (Associate coach) Dave Manson’s been in the game, and (skills coach) Mark Odnokon and (assistant coach) Brandin Cote, and not one of us has seen that before. It’s one thing to make a call, but I’ve never seen a call made, then go to the bench with a foul, and then go back and change the call. I’ve never seen that. I’ve never seen that in my life.”
Johnson, who was acquired from the Prince George Cougars as part of a Nov. 18 deal that sent D Brendan Guhle the other way, is a repeat offender. Johnson served a four-game suspension in December after taking a headshot major.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, G Ian Scott turned aside 33 shots to help the Prince Albert Raiders to a 4-1 victory over the
AUSTIN CROSSLEY
Wheat Kings. . . . He was especially sharp in the third period when Brandon held a 15-3 edge in shots but only was able to score once, that from F Reid Duke (33), on a PP, at 10:27. . . . D Austin Crossley had given the Raiders a 1-0 lead with his first goal, at 5:53 of the first period. Crossley, a 17-year-old freshman from Fort St. John, B.C., scored his first WHL goal in his 21st game this season. . . . F Cavin Leth gave the visitors a 2-0 lead at 11:22. . . . The Raiders went up 3-0 when F D-Jay Jerome counted No. 7 at 16:15 of the second period. . . . Prince Albert’s final goal came from F Parker Kelly (13), on a PP, at 15:42 of the third period. . . . G Travis Child stopped 23 shots for Brandon. . . . Brandon was 1-4 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-7. . . . The Wheat Kings played without F Tanner Kaspick and D Kale Clague. . . . The Raiders lead the season series, 4-0-1; Brandon is 1-3-1. . . . Prince Albert (16-39-5) has won six of its last eight road games to move out of the WHL cellar. It is one point ahead of Kootenay. . . . Brandon (28-23-8) looks like it will finish in the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 4,480.
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At Kelowna, the Rockets erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals en route to a 5-2 victory over the
JAMES HILSENDAGER
Prince George Cougars. . . . F Colby McAuley, who had both Prince George goals, gave his guys a 1-0 lead at 9:59 of the first period. . . . The Rockets get even on F Tomas Soustal’s 16th goal, on a PP, at 18:37. . . . D Devante Stephens gave the home boys the lead with his 10th goal at 6:06 of the second period. . . . D James Hilsendager (4) made it 3-1 at 11:53 and F Nick Merkley (19) scored, shorthanded, at 13:57. . . . McAuley’s 22nd goal pulled the Cougars to within two 41 seconds into the third period. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf’s 30th goal of the season iced the victory for Kelowna at 18:39. . . . Soustal and Merkley each added an assist. . . . F Brad Morrison had two helpers for the Cougars. . . . The Rockets got 25 stops from G Michael Herringer, while Nick McBride stopped 38 at the other end. . . . Kelowna was 1-4 on the PP; Prince George was 0-5. . . . The Rockets (34-20-5) have points in five straight (4-0-1). They are third in the B.C. Division, four points ahead of Victoria and three behind Kamloops . . . The Cougars (38-18-4) continue to lead the B.C. Division by four points over Kamloops. The Cougars are scheduled to visit the Blazers today (Sunday). . . . Announced attendance: 5,761.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Jack Walker broke a 1-1 tie at 8:03 of the second period and the Victoria Royals
JACK WALKER
went on to a 4-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Regan Nagy gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 3:58 of the first period. . . . The Ice got that one back at 11:46, as F Jake Elmer (6) scored on a PP. . . . Walker’s 25th goal gave Victoria a 2-1 lead. . . . F Matt Phillips counted No. 42 at 8:03 of the third period for some insurance. . . . F Carter Folk sealed the victory with his seventh goal, an empty-netter, at 18:42. . . . Phillips also had an assist. . . . G Dylan Myskiw stopped 26 shots in earning the victory. . . . The Ice got 34 saves from Payton Lee. . . . Kootenay was 1-4 on the PP; Victoria was 1-5. . . . Victoria F Jared Dmytriw completed a three-game suspension by missing this one. He was suspended after taking a headshot major and game misconduct for hit on F Deven Sideroff of the Kamloops Blazers on Feb. 11 in Victoria. Sideroff missed one game before returning for Saturday’s 6-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C. . . . Victoria (32-23-5) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). It holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, two points ahead of Portland. . . . Kootenay (13-36-10) had points in its previous two games (1-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 2,424.
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At Lethbridge, F Matt Alfaro scored three goals and added an assist to lead the Hurricanes to a 6-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Alfaro, who has 18 goals, gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 5:08
MATT ALFARO
of the first period, on a PP. Later, he increased their lead to 3-1 at 15:34 of the second period. He completed the hat trick with a shorthanded goal at 8:08 of the third period. . . . Alfaro has 12 points, five of them goals, in 12 games with Lethbridge after being acquired from the Kootenay Ice. He had 39 points, including 13 goals, in 41 games with the Ice. . . . Saskatoon F Logan Christensen (10) tied it 1-1, on a PP, at 19:27 of the first period. . . . Lethbridge F Tyler Wong broke the tie at 9:33 of the second period and Alfaro made it 3-1 six minutes later. . . . F Tyler Lees scored his first goal at 5:26 of the third period, getting Saskatoon to within a goal, but Lethbridge put it away with the last three goals. . . . Lees, 16, scored in his sixth game. From Regina, he was a fifth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . D Brady Poteau (1) and F Zak Zborosky (38), on a PP, also scored for the winners. . . . Poteau has one goal in 19 games with Lethbridge, after going without a goal in 18 games with the Regina Pats. . . . Wong and Zborosky each added three assists, while F Giorgio Estephan had two. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 22 shots to earn the victory. . . . Saskatoon’s Brock Hamm turned aside 28 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 2-6 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-7. . . . The Blades lost F Cole Johnson to a goaltender interference major and game misconduct after a collision with Gilchrist at 4:20 of the first period. . . . Lethbridge (36-16-7) has won three in a row. It is second in the Central Division, six points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Blades (23-27-8) had points in each of their previous five games (3-0-2). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points ahead of Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 3,709.
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At Medicine Hat, the Tigers broke a 2-2 tie with three goals in 2:22 late in the second period en route to a 7-4 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Medicine Hat took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F
TREY FIX-WOLANSKY
Mark Rassell, at 9:32, and F Matt Bradley, at 10:49. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky scored three times for the visitors, giving him 20 goals in his freshman season. . . . He tied the score with goals at 14:36 of the first period and 1:00 of the second. The latter goal came via the PP. . . . The Tigers broke it open as F Chad Butcher scored his 23rd goal, shorthanded, at 17:33 of the second. Bradley (29) made it 4-2 at 19:24 and Rassell added his 29th just 31 seconds later. . . . F James Hamblin increased the lead to 6-2 at 2:53 of the third period. . . . Fix-Wolansky completed his first WHL hat trick at 4:42. . . . Medicine Hat F Max Gerlach (31) scored on a PP at 11:42. . . . The game’s last goal came from Edmonton F Davis Koch (18) at 12:54. . . . Hamblin added two assists his goal, with D Brad Forrest, F Mason Shaw and F Tyler Preziuso also getting two helpers apiece. . . . Rassell and Butcher added one each. . . . Koch had an assist for Edmonton. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider stopped 14 of 17 shots in 44:42, leaving after Fix-Wolanky’s third goal cut Edmonton’s deficit to 6-3. Michael Bullion finished up, allowing a goal on six shots in 15:17. Still, Schneider picked up his 30th victory. . . . At the other end, Josh Dechaine stopped 40 shots. . . . Medicine Hat was 2-2 on the PP; Edmonton was 1-3. . . . The Tigers, with the mumps in their dressing room, dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum. They scratched seven players, including five who are ill. The latest to join that bunch is D Kristians Rubins. On Friday, Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News reported that F John Dahlstrom and D Jordan Henderson had been diagnosed with the mumps, while F Zach Fischer and F Ryan Chyzowski are awaiting test results. . . . D David Quenneville and D Ty Schultz remain sidelined, both having suffered broken legs while blocking shots. . . . Medicine Hat did have F Josh Williams play his second game, this time making his home-ice debut. Williams, who will turn 16 on March 8, is from Langley, B.C. He was the fifth overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . Edmonton had D Jordan Dawson in the lineup for the first time since Dec. 27. . . . Medicine Hat (42-17-1) is four points behind Regina, which leads the overall standings, but the Pats have three games in hand. . . . Edmonton (20-34-5) had points in each of its previous three games (2-0-1). It is nine points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,754.
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At Moose Jaw, G Zach Sawchenko stopped 37 shots to lead the Warriors to a 4-0 victory over the Regina
ZACH SAWCHENKO
Pats. . . . It was the first time this season that the Pats have been blanked. . . . Sawchenko, who has two shutouts this season, stopped 13 shots in the first period and 14 in the second. . . . He has eight career shutouts. . . . D Josh Brook gave the home team a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 17:39 of the first period. . . . F Jayden Halbgewachs made it 2-0 with his WHL-leading 44th goal at 15:11 of the third period. . . . F Brett Howden scored his 30th into an empty net at 18:46. . . . F Branden Klatt got his fifth goal, on a PP, at 19:52. . . . Howden and Brook also had an assist apiece. . . . The Pats got 24 saves from G Tyler Brown. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-5 on the PP; Regina was 0-1. . . . Regina’s Connor Hobbs didn’t finish the game. He was hit with a headshot major and game misconduct at 18:46 of the third period. . . . Hobbs, who leads all WHL defencemen in goals and points, was in the starting lineup — at right wing alongside Austin Wagner and Adam Brooks. . . . Moose Jaw (34-17-8) has won two in a row. It is second in the East Division, six points ahead of Swift Current. . . . Regina (41-9-7) has lost two straight. It leads the East Division by 13 points over Moose Haw. . . . The Warriors are 3-2-1 in the season series; the Pats are 3-3-0. . . . Announced attendance: 4,715.
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At Kent, Wash., D Ethan Bear had two goals and two assists to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Seattle won with three third-period goals as it overcame a 3-2
ETHAN BEAR
deficit. . . . Bear, who has 25 goals, gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 19:20 of the first period. . . . Portland tied it when D Henri Jokiharju (8) scored, on a PP, at 1:08 of the second period. . . . Bear got that one back at 3:36. . . . The Winterhawks took a 3-2 lead on goals from D Caleb Jones (6), at 8:29 of the second, and F Keegan Iverson (17), at 3:20 of the third. . . . D Donovan Neuls scored his 12th goal, on a PP, at 9:50 of the third period to get Seattle into a tie. Initially, some fans thought Bear had scored to complete a hat trick and, yes, some caps hit the ice. . . . F Tyler Adams’ third goal broke the tie at 13:13 and F Ryan Gropp’s 25th goal provided insurance at 14:42. . . . Gropp also had an assist in running his point streak to 16 games. He has 21 points, including 14 goals, in that stretch. . . . F Mathew Barzal and F Keegan Kolesar each had two assists for Seattle, with Neuls getting one. . . . Iverson had two helpers for Portland, with Jones adding one. . . . G Rylan Toth stopped 25 shots for Seattle in earning his WHL-leading 31st victory. . . . Portland got 27 saves from Shane Farkas. . . . Portland was 1-3 on the PP; Seattle was 1-6. . . . Seattle (37-17-5) is second in the U.S. Division, three points behind Everett. . . . Portland (32-24-3) had won its previous two games. It holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot and is third in the U.S. Division, six points behind Tri-City. . . . Announced attendance: 5,702.
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At Swift Current, F Eetu Tuulola scored at 2:53 of OT to give the Everett Silvertips a 3-2 victory
EETU TUULOLA
over the Broncos. . . . The Silvertips went 5-1-0 on their East Division trip. . . . Tuulola won it with his 15th goal of the season. . . . F Glenn Gawdin, who has 21 goals, scored twice for the Broncos. He gave them a 1-0 lead at 1:53 of the first period and forced OT at 18:27 of the third. . . . D Noah Juulsen’s 11th goal, on a PP, pulled Everett into a 1-1 tie at 13:54 of the second period. . . . The Silvertips took a 2-1 lead when F Devon Skoleski scored his 12th goal at 12:15 of the third period. . . . Skoleski also had two assists. . . . G Carter Hart stopped 27 shots to earn his 25th victory this season. He has won each of his last six starts, allowing only six goals. . . . The Broncos got 30 saves from G Taz Burman. . . . Everett was 1-3 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-4. . . . Everett (36-12-10) has won five in a row. It remains atop the U.S. Division, three points ahead of Seattle. . . . Swift Current (30-18-10) has points in two straight (1-0-1). It is third in the East Division, six points behind Moose Jaw with a game in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 2,367.
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At Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans scored the game’s last three goals, all via the PP, and beat
EVAN SARTHOU
the Spokane Chiefs, 5-1. . . . F Parker AuCoin gave the home side a 1-0 with his 20th goal at 15:55 of the first period. . . . F Nolan Yaremko (7) made it 2-0 with a shorthanded score at 15:46 of the second period. . . . The Chiefs halved the deficit when F Kailer Yamamoto got No. 34 at 4:22 of the third period. . . . D Juuso Välimäki’s 18th goal, at 9:24, provided insurance. . . . F Tyler Sandhu added his 17th, at 18:26, and F Brett Leason got his sixth at 19:12. . . . D Dylan Coghlan and F Morgan Geekie had two assists each for Tri-City, with Välimäki and Sandhu adding one each. . . . Tri-City G Evan Sarthou stopped 38 shots and picked up an assist on the game’s last goal. . . . The Chiefs got 23 saves from G Dawson Weatherill. . . . Tri-City was 3-5 on the PP; Spokane was 0-3. . . . Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur, who was struck in the head by a puck during the second period of Friday’s game in Kelowna, was behind the Chiefs’ bench. One night earlier, he left for stitches and returned for the third period. . . . The Americans (35-23-3) have won four straight. They are third in the U.S. Division, six points behind Seattle. . . . The Chiefs (25-25-9) are eight points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,562.
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At Langley, B.C., F Ty Ronning and F Jack Flaman scored shootout goals to give the Vancouver Giants a
RYAN KUBIC
4-3 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . F Owen Hardy had given the Giants a 1-0 lead 56 seconds into the first period. . . . The Rebels then scored two quick ones to take a 2-1 lead. F Lane Zablocki counted, on a PP, at 2:45, with F Akash Bains getting No. 8 at 4:13. . . . Ronning tied it with his 22nd goal, at 19:54 of the second period. . . . Zablocki put the visitors back out front with his 20th goal, at 5:06 of the third period. . . . The Giants forced OT when F Tyler Popowich scored his seventh goal, at 13:05. . . . Ronning drew the lone assist on Popowich’s goal. . . . F James Malm had two assists for Vancouver. . . . Vancouver started G David Tendeck, but he was gone after allowing two goals on as many shots in 4:13. Ryan Kubic earned the victory by stopping 35 of 36 shots in 60:47. . . . The Rebels got 19 saves from Riley Lamb. . . . Red Deer was 1-2 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-1. . . . The game was delayed at 15:14 of the third period with the score 3-3 as arena staff had to replace a pane of broken glass. . . . D Bowen Byram, a first-round pick in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, played in his sixth game with the Giants. Earlier in the day, he played for his club team, Yale Academy, in a 6-5 OT victory over Delta Academy. . . . The Giants (19-36-5) had lost their previous four games. . . . The Rebels (23-27-10) have lost eight in a row (0-7-1). They are third in the Central Division, four points ahead of Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 3,959.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Saskatoon at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 5 p.m.
Seattle at Portland, 5 p.m.

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