Vince Savoia has founded Heroes are Human, an organization that is working to try and understand just what is happening here.
Savoia has told CBC-TV that he calls this the John Wayne Syndrome -- people who spend their professional lives helping others, but won’t ask for help when they need it themselves.
“It’s seen as a sign of weakness, when in fact it should be seen as a sign of strength,” Savoia told CBC.
Brad Symes is No. 16 on that list. Symes was an Edmonton firefighter who played four seasons (1992-96) as a defenceman with the Portland Winterhawks. A native of Edmonton, he played well enough that he was a third-round selection by his hometown Oilers in the NHL’s 1994 draft.
No doubt the Oilers liked the fact that he put up 73 points in 271 regular-season WHL games, along with 529 penalty minutes. As the numbers indicate, he was a tough, honest player.
Symes never did get to the NHL. According to hockeydb.com, he played three professional seasons totalling 141 games. Of that total, five games were with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs; the rest were split between the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers and New Orleans Brass.
Symes retired and later chose to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a firefighter. His father, Stan, had been a district fire chief in Edmonton.
Late last month, Brad Symes died. He was 38 when he committed suicide, leaving behind his wife of seven months and two young sons.
His family now is trying to come to grips with what went wrong.
The CBC story is right here.
“Our son was No. 16,” Char Symes, Brad’s mother, told CBC. “How many more do we really want this to happen to?”
“We don’t want to see or hear about No. 17,” said Stan Symes, Brad’s father. "We want it to stop.”
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Friends and family will gather one day later this week in a Western Canadian community to say goodbye to another young hockey player.
He is at least the fourth teenage hockey player from the west to take his own life in less than a year.
The impact this young man had on people is evident by the outpouring of emotion on a Facebook page that was set up as a memorial. As you read, there are questions and no answers, and there is pain, real pain, coupled with bewilderment.
Of course, this isn’t just a hockey problem; it’s a societal situation. And it could be that hockey had absolutely nothing to do with the deaths of these four young men.
Spend a few minutes on the Internet and the numbers become mind-numbing.
“Suicide is the second-leading cause of death, following more vehicle accidents, among teenagers and young adults.”
“Teen suicide is the third-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24.”
“In Canada, suicide accounts for 24 per cent of all deaths among 15-24-year-olds. Boys die by suicide two to three times more often than girls.”
It just goes on and on, and it seems there aren’t any answers.
But the fact remains that the four young men who chose to take their own lives all were in regular contact with people in the hockey community. We simply have to find a way to help young people who find themselves in this predicament.
We have to . . . there is no way around it.
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Here’s Cathy Schave Kemp of the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club on Facebook:
“This is the 2nd young player that the hockey world has lost in the past week. Soooo sad. I wish these boys knew and understood that there is help out there. There's sooo much support and always a shoulder.”
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Here’s Sean Moloney of World Pro Goaltending on Facebook:
“If you're ever feeling like you're alone or no one cares about you, REMEMBER that there are family and friends around you who love and care about you. REMEMBER that there are people out there who can relate to how you feel. REMEMBER that the way you are feeling is only temporary and things WILL get better in time. Don't you dare give up.”
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The Regina Pats are expected to introduce John Paddock today as senior vice-president of hockey operations and head coach. Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that Paddock has signed a long-term contract. . . . According to Harder, ". . . the Pats will unveil a new structure for the business and hockey sides of the organization. Paddock will have autonomy in hockey operations, reporting directly to president/part owner Todd Lumbard. Chad Lang has been asked to remain with the team as senior vice-president while relinquishing the GM title. His responsibilities will be split between the hockey and business sides, also working under Lumbard." . . . With the Pats also looking to add two assistant coaches, Harder also reports that former Saskatoon Blades head coach Dave Struch may be in the mix. . . . On Tuesday, the Pats announced that they have hired Gordon Pritchard, a lawyer, as their director of corporate affairs. He has been working as an assistant GM with the SJHL's Yorkton Terriers. . . . If you visit, www.leaderpost.com later today, you'll find Harder's complete story.
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F Pavel Zacha, the first player selected in the CHL's 2014 import draft, has said he will join the OHL's Sarnia Sting. Zacha, 17, is from Czech Republic. Immediately after he was selected by the Sting, one of his agents, Allan Walsh, blasted the Sting, saying the team had wasted a pick. On Tuesday, Walsh tweeted that "Sarnia has done a great job presenting their exemplary program to Pavel and his family."
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Two former WHLers, both of them from B.C., have said they will attend the U of British Columbia and play for the Thunderbirds. . . . G Eric Williams of Langley played with the Prince Albert Raiders and Spokane Chiefs. He completed his eligibility last season with the Chiefs. . . . F Manraj Hayer of Vancouver spent the past four seasons with the Everett Silvertips.
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The Kelowna Rockets have added Travis Crickard to their coaching staff. Crickard, 27, will be responsible for the goaltenders and also will be the video coach under freshman head coach Dan Lambert. . . . Last season, Crickard was on the coaching staff of the OHL's Ottawa 67's. . . . Crickard replaces Kim Dillabaugh who left after 11 seasons and now is a full-time assistant coach/scout with the Stanley Cup-champion Los Angeles Kings.
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Popcorn Bowl 2015 is ours! bring it @WHLGiants ! #newiceage pic.twitter.com/kFcTascGEd
— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) August 5, 2014
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The USHL has approved an expansion franchise that will play out of Bloomington, Ill., as the Thunder. The franchise is owned by CSH International, which also owns, among many other things, the WHL’s Everett Silvertips and the NAHL’s Amarillo Bulls. Bill Yuill, a familiar face in WHL circles, is CEO of CSH International, while Gary Gelinas, the Silvertips’ president and governor, is the president of CSH.
F Graham Black of the Swift Current Broncos has signed an ATO with the Albany Devils, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Black, who played out his junior eligibility this season, was a fifth-round selection by the Devils in the 2012 NHL draft. . . . From Regina, Black had 97 points, 34 of them goals, in 69 games with the Broncos this season.
G Eric Williams of the Spokane Chiefs has signed with the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles. Williams, 20, went 33-19-4, 2.67, .906 with the Chiefs this season, his fourth in the WHL. The Eagles, who have a playoff spot under wraps, began a three-game series with the visiting Alaska Aces last night. . . . The Eagles head coach is Chris Stewart, who did a turn as head coach of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders back in the day.
In Prince Albert, the Victoria Royals scored two late goals and beat the Raiders, 5-4. . . . The Royals, who won their 40th game of the season, have won seven straight away from home. Victoria is 20-6-1 on the road. . . . Royals D Travis Brown tied the game with a PP goal at 9:49 of the third, and F Jack Walker won it at 14:54. Brown has 12 goals; Walker has five. . . . F Brandon Magee had three assists for the Royals, who opened a five-game East Division swing, while D Joe Hicketts and F Axel Blomqvist each had two. The Broncos will play in all East Division cities with the exception of Swift Current. Victoria beat the host Broncos 4-3 in OT on Dec. 12. . . . F Leon Draisaitl and F Collin Valcourt each had three assists for the Raiders, who had taken a 4-3 lead on F Dakota Conroy’s 22nd goal at 5:21 of the third. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 22 shots in earning his 20th victory. . . . The Royals, who are 10-0-2 in their last 12 outings, are thrd in the Western Conference, five points behind the Portland Winterhawks and five ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Raiders (26-28-4) are four points out of the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Regina, F Glenn Gawdin scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Swift Current Broncos a 4-3 victory over the Pats. . . . Regina F Dyson Stevenson forced OT with a PP goal at 5:42 of the third period. He’s got 26 goals. . . . F Colby Cave scored twice -- he’s got 27 -- for the Broncos, at 16:37 of the second and 42 seconds into the third, as they took a 3-2 lead. . . . F Graham Black got his 29th goal for the Broncos. . . . Swift Current G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 46 shots, 16 more than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . The Broncos were 1-for-1 on the PP; the Pats were 1-for-5. . . . The Broncos (29-22-8) got two points for the victory, while Regina (30-22-6) got the loser point. The outcome left the teams tied for first place in the East Division. . . . After the game, Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Broncos, tweeted that Broncos F Nate Burns “left the game hurt at the end of regulation. Hopefully it's not serious.” . . .
In Brandon, F Jaedon Descheneau scored his 37th goal and added three assists as the Kootenay Ice skated to a 5-2 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart had a goal, his 31st, and an assist as he ran his point streak to 17 games, the second-longest active streak in the WHL. . . . Brandon has lost five in a row. . . . Kootenay had won 3-2 in OT in Brandon on Friday night. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon scored his 100th regular-season goal in his 198th game. It was his 28th of the season and came into an empty net at 19:32 of the third period. . . . Six of the goals were scored in the first period. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock had given his side a 1-0 lead with his 17th goal at 2:43. Pulock has 58 career goals, three shy of Brad McCrimmon’s franchise record for a defenceman. . . . Ice F Luke Philp got his 25th at 4:02 and the Ice went on to get goals from Reinhart, Descheneau and F Austin Vetterl, his 11th (shorthanded), before the period ended. . . . Ice D Landon Peel helped out with two assists. . . . The Wheat Kings were able to dress only 16 skaters as they scratched five injured regulars -- F Rihards Bukarts, F Jayce Hawryluk, D Rene Hunter, F Richard Nejezchleb and F John Quenneville. . . . The Ice (33-22-4) is fifth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-23-8) are two points behind Regina and Swift Current. . . . 
In Lethbridge, F Adam Tambellini scored three times to lead the Calgary Hitmen to an 8-1 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Hitmen have won six in a row. . . . Tambellini has 24 points, including 12 goals, in 18 games since leaving the U of North Dakota and joining the Hitmen. Eight of his goals have come over his last six games. . . . Calgary D Alex Roach scored twice, giving him four goals in his last two games after he had gone 17 games without a goal. He’s got eight on the season. . . . D Travis Sanheim added three assists for Calgary. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart had an assist, giving him a career-high nine-game point streak. . . . With No. 1 G Chris Driedger serving a team-issued suspension, G Mack Shields stopped 29 shots. . . . The Hitmen were 4-for-8 on the PP, and held a 47-30 edge in shots. . . . Lethbridge D Macoy Erkamps took a kneeing major and game misconduct at 6:38 of the third period. . . . The Hitmen were without D Jaynen Rissling, who drew a TBD suspension under supplemental discipline after a game against the visiting Saskatoon Blades on Friday night. . . . Calgary (38-15-6) is tied with the idle Edmonton Oil Kings atop the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. The Oil Kings (40-14-2) hold three games in hand. . . . Lethbridge (12-43-5) is back in the WHL cellar, .004 behind the Kamloops Blazers. . . . 
In Red Deer, the Saskatoon Blades scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Rebels, 4-1. . . . F Conner Bleackley scored his 26th of the season for the Rebels at 6:32 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon F Chase Clayton tied it with his eighth goal at 11:20 and F Ryan Graham gave the Blades the lead at 18:53, via the PP. . . . Graham finished with two goals, giving him nine this season. . . . Saskatoon G Troy Trombley stopped 41 shots. . . . Les Lazaruk, the play-by-play voice of the Blades, called his 1,500th WHL game. . . . The Blades (16-39-5) are 11th in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Rebels (28-27-4) hold down the conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, F Curtis Valk ran his point streak to 18 games as the Tigers beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-1. . . . Valk scored his 34th goal, just 16 seconds into the first period, and later added an assist. . . . F Josh Winquist of the Everett Silvetips had an 18-game point streak earlier in the season. Those are the longest streaks in the WHL this season. . . . The single-season record? F Jeff Nelson of the Prince Albert Raiders had a 56-game streak in 1990-91. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider turned aside 29 shots. He is 3-0 with the Tigers, who acquired him from the Regina Pats in January. . . . Medicine Hat F Trevor Cox scored his 20th goal. . . . The Warriors were without F Scott Cooke, who completed a two-game WHL suspension. . . . The Tigers (36-20-3) have won four straight and are fourth in the Eastern Conference, five points ahead of Kootenay. . . . The Warriors (15-34-8) are 10th. . . . 
In Kamloops, F Cole Ully scored in OT to give the Blazers a 4-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Ully’s goal, at 3:27 of extra time, snapped the Blazers’ 11-game losing streak. . . . In regulation time, the Cougars erased 2-0 and 3-1 deficits. . . . F Mitch Friesen scored his first WHL goal for the Blazers. He started the season with them, but has been playing for the junior B Kamloops Storm. . . . Ully’s 27th goal, at 17:50 of the second period, had given Kamloops a 3-1 edge. . . . Kamloops D Edson Harlacher had one assist and was plus-3. . . . F Todd Fiddler, with his 38th goal of the season, shorthanded, got the Cougars to within one and F Troy Bourke, with his 24th, tied it at 4:10. . . . Fiddler also had two assists. . . . The Blazers won’t play at home again until March 12 as the Tim Hortons Brier, the Canadian men’s curling championship, takes over the Interior Savings Centre. The Blazers have 13 games remaining in their regular season and only two of them are at home. . . . Kamloops (12-42-5) now has a .246 winning percentage, just ahead of the cellar-dwelling Lethbridge Hurricanes (.242). . . . The Cougars (24-29-8) are four points out of the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Vancouver, the Portland Winterhawks set a franchise record as they beat the Giants, 7-4. . . . The Winterhawks, who broke open a scoreless game with five second-period goals, now have won 16 straight games, breaking the franchise record that had been shared by the 1979-80 and 1997-98 teams. . . . The Kelowna Rockets also won 16 straight games this season. . . . Portland next plays on Tuesday when it entertains the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Winterhawks’ last regulation loss occurred Jan. 4 when they were beaten 3-2 by the visiting Victoria Royals. Six days later, Portland dropped a 3-2 shootout decision in Victoria. . . . Portland led this one 6-0 when F Nic Petan scored his 32nd goal, on a PP, just 34 seconds into the third period. Petan also had an assist and now leads the WHL, with 100 points, three more than Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg, who had four-point night. . . . Petan also has a 12-game assist streak, tying him with F Leon Draisaitl of the Prince Albert Raiders for the longest this season. Petan has 16 assists in the 12 games, exactly what Draisaitl put up. . . . Portland F Dominic Turgeon had a goal, his 10th, and two assists, while F Alex Schoenborn also had a goal, his 16th, and two helpers. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand helped out with three assists, while F Paul Bittner scored his 20th goal. . . . F Tim Traber scored twice for Vancouver, giving him 12 goals this season. . . . Prior to the game, the Giants inducted F Brendan Gallagher, their all-time leading scorer, into their Ring of Honour. . . . The Winterhawks went 4-0 on a swing into the B.C. Division. They won twice in Prince George and once in Kamloops. . . . Portland (42-12-5) is seven points behind the Kelowna Rockets, who lead the overall standings. . . . Vancouver (27-23-10) has lost five in a row and is tied for sixth with the Everett Silvertips in the Western Conference. . . 
In Everett, the Seattle Thunderbirds scored two third-period goals and beat the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . With the victory, Seattle clinched a Western Conference playoff spot. . . . F Russell Maxwell tied the game at 1:39 of the third and F Adam Henry won it at 9:03. Maxwell has 13 goals; Henry has seven. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist scored his 37th goal on a first-period PP. That was his 200th career point. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 27 shots, including all 11 he faced in the third period. . . . Attendance was 7,579. . . . The Thunderbirds were fined $750 for their role in a line brawl with the visiting Tri-City Americans on Friday night. It was Seattle’s second such incident this season. . . . Seattle (37-17-5) is fourth in the Western Conference, five points behind Victoria and eight ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Everett (28-22-8) is tied with Vancouver for sixth. . . . 
In Spokane, G Eric Williams recorded the shutout and F Mitch Holmberg, who was playing in his 300th regular-season game, had four points as the Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans, 7-0. . . . Williams stopped 16 shots in posting his third shutout this season and the ninth of his career. . . . Holmberg had two goals, giving him a WHL-leading 49, and two assists. He now has 97 points, three behind Portland F Nic Petan, who leads the scoring race. . . . Spokane D Reid Gow had three assists. He has 46 assists in 51 games; he finished last season with a career-high 44 in 64 games. . . . Gow has 51 points this season, equalling his total from last season. . . . Chiefs F Adam Helewka scored his 20th goal. . . . The Chiefs are 7-1-1 against the Americans this season. The teams will meet three more times before season’s end. . . . Tri-City F Jessey Astles was assessed a headshot major and game misconduct at 19:26 of the second period. . . . The Americans drew a $500 fine for their part in a line brawl with the host Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday night. It was Tri-City’s first such incident this season. . . . Spokane (33-20-5) is fifth in the Western Conference, eight points behind Seattle. . . . Tri-City (27-26-6) is eighth, four points ahead of Prince George.
F Ned Lukacevic (Spokane, Swift Current, 2001-06) has signed with the Fife Flyers (England, UK Elite). This season, he has played with three teams — he had seven points, including two goals, in 10 games with the Tohoku Free Blades Hachinohe (Japan, Asia HL); he was pointless in one game with the Bakersfield Condors; and he had two goals in nine games with the Reading Royals (ECHL).
In Calgary, D Kenton Helgesen had a goal and two assists to lead the Hitmen to a 5-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Helgesen, who has been playing as a forward for a few weeks, was back on defence with Jaynen Rissling out with an undisclosed injury. . . . Calgary is 8-0-1 in its last nine games, while the Broncos have lost four in a row. . . . Calgary D Travis Sanheim, a 17-year-old from Elkhorn, Man., scored his first WHL goal in his 28th game of this season. . . . Calgary F Calder Brooks had two assists. He’s got six points over his last three games. . . . Calgary has won all four games with the Broncos this season. . . . The Hitmen stayed even with the Edmonton Oil Kings atop the Eastern Conference, each with 47 points. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, F Brayden Point had two goals and an assist to help the Warriors to a 5-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Point has 13 goals. . . . The Warriors, who had lost seven in a row, led 3-0 in the second period. . . . The Blazers had a three-game winning streak ended. . . . D Ryan Rehill drew two assists for the Blazers. . . . Moose Jaw is 2-6-2 in its last 10 and is 12 points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Blazers are 3-2-0 on an East Division swing that ends Tuesday in Swift Current. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a game story 
In Lethbridge, the Victoria Royals scored the game’s first three goals and went on to a 6-1 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . D Brett Cote and D Chaz Redekopp each had two assists for the Royals. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 30 shots, losing his shutut bid at 7:20 of the second when F Tyler Wong got his 14th goal on a PP. . . . Victoria D Ryan Gagnon scored his first goal of the season on a first period PP. It also was the first goal of the sophomore’s career; he has played 85 regular-season games. . . . The Hurricanes have lost four straight. . . . Victoria, with points in three straight (2-0-1), is tied with the Everett Silvertips for third in the Western Conference. . . . 
In Edmonton, G Tristan Jarry turned aside 27 shots as the Oil Kings dropped the Saskatoon Blades, 4-0. . . . Jarry has four shutouts this season and 10 in his career. . . . The Oil Kings held a 21-2 edge in shots in the first period. . . . Edmonton F Luke Bertolucci opened the scoring with his first goal of the season at 2:11 of the first period. It came in his 30th game this season. . . . Bertolucci also had an assist. . . . D Chance Patterson, 16, and F Davis Koch, 15, both made their WHL debut with the Oil Kings. Patterson was taken in the fifth round of the 2012 bantam draft; Koch was a second-round selection in 2013. . . . The Oil Kings have won nine in a row and are atop the Eastern Conference, tied with the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Blades have lost 10 straight. . . . 
In Everett, G Eric Williams kicked out 29 shots to spark the Spokane Chiefs to a 2-0 victory over the Silvertips. . . . He’s got two shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . Spokane D Tyler King got the game’s opening goal, his first in 35 games this season, at 9:22 of the first period. . . . This was Everett’s fourth straight loss. . . . Spokane has won three straight and is tied with the Seattle Thunderbirds for fifth in the Western Conference, just two points behind Everett and Victoria. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, D Tommy Vannelli scored the only goal of the shootout as the Tigers beat the Regina Pats, 4-3. . . . Regina held 2-0 and 3-2 leads in this one. . . . F Trevor Cox forced OT with his 10th goal at 1:30 of the third. . . . Regina got its first two goals from F Austin Wagner and F Dane Schioler, both of whom scored their first WHL goals. . . . Wagner, a 16-year-old from Calgary, was playing in his 21st game this season; Schioler, a 17-year-old from Winnipeg, was playing in his second game. . . . Regina G Nick Schneider stopped 39 shots through OT, 13 more than Medicine Hat’s Daniel Wapple. . . . The Tigers have won their last two to stay within two points of Edmonton and Calgary. . . . Regina has points in six straight (3-0-3) and is fifth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the Tigers. . . . Prior to the game, Dave Dawson of Shaw TV Sports tweeted: “Defenceman Spenser Jensen has reportedly left the @tigershockey to pursue schooling. #whl” . . . Jensen, an 18-year-old from Airdrie, Alta., had three assists in 28 games. He was in his third season with the Tigers.. . . 
In Prince Albert, the Kelowna Rockets scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Raiders, 5-3. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley tied the score 3-3, with his ninth goal at 2:17 of the third. . . . Rockets F Tyson Baillie gave his side its first lead with his 14th goal at 9:44. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 28 shots. He faced two penalty shots, with F Tim Vanstone unable to score in the first period and F Shane Danyluk coming up empty in the second. . . . Kelowna has won 11 in a row (20 of its last 21) and is 5-0-0 on its East Division swing. The Rockets wrap up the trip on Tuesday in Saskatoon. . . . The Rockets also tied a franchise record with their 12th straight road victory. Gord McGarva, the analyst on Rockets' broadcasts, reports that the 2003-04 team also won 12 in a row on the road. . . . The Raiders now have lost six in a row. They hold down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot, two points ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Dave Leaderhouse of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has a game story 
In Vancouver, G Ty Edmonds turned aside 41 shots to lead the Prince George Cougars to a 3-1 victory over the Giants. . . . F Carter Popoff opened the scoring for Vancouver, getting his 10th goal at 7:02 of the first. . . . F Jordan Tkatch pulled the Cougars even, with his ninth goal, at 3:38 of the second. F Zach Pochiro, with his 11th, gave the visitors the lead just 25 seconds later. . . . Vancouver lost D Dalton Thrower to a headshot major and game misconduct 48 seconds into the third. . . . F Tyler Benson, the first pick in the 2013 bantam draft, played his second game of the season with the Giants. . . . The Cougars closed to within four points of the Tri-City Americans, who hold down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. 
Les MacPherson, a veteran columnist with the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, thinks that he knows what is wrong with the Saskatoon Blades. It all has to do with the star theory. . . . Check it out 
The AHL’s Texas Stars have signed F Brock Montgomery to a PTO. Montgomery completed his junior eligibility with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice on Thursday night. A native of Moose Jaw, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Montgomery had 48 points, including 31 goals, in 58 games this season. Montgomery was never selected in the NHL draft.
F Mike Hellyer, the Central League’s rookie of the year, has had his season ended by a knee injury. Terry Ruskowski, the head coach of the Quad City Mallards, said Hellyer may need surgery. Hellyer (Prince Albert, 2003-07), had 61 points in 63 regular-season games. . . . Hellyer was injured in the first five minutes of a series-opening playoff game with the Fort Worth Brahmas on Friday. . . . The Mallards trail the best-of-seven series 2-0 with the next three games at home. . . . Ruskowski, on a post-game radio show after Game 2, said of Hellyer’s injury: "It's real bad. He may have to have surgery. The fact there are no repercussions possible for the other team really sits sour with me.'' . . . Ruskowski also said he is working to add a forward from the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings for the remainder of his club’s playoffs.
In Portland, G Austin Lotz stopped 43 shots and the Everett Silvertips surprised the Winterhawks, 3-2. . . . Lotz was pitching a shutout until the third period when Portland scored two PP goals. . . . F Josh Winquist, with his sixth goal of the series, F Logan Aasman, with his first, and F Reid Petryk, with his second, had Everett out front 3-0 by 13:26 of the second. . . . D Troy Rutkowski had two assists for Portland, while D Derrick Pouliot had a goal and an assist. . . . Everett D Ayrton Nikkel and Portland F Keegan Iverson, both of whom were in the middle of some late shenanigans in Portland’s 11-4 road victory on Friday, both were scratched from this one. . . . 
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