Showing posts with label Glenn Gawdin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glenn Gawdin. Show all posts

Monday, April 24, 2017

Papirny, Gawdin, Kaspick off to AHL ... Three schools get coaches ... Broncos sign prospect


F Taylor Vause (Swift Current, 2007-12) has signed a one-year extension with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, he had 13 goals and 15 assists in 49 games. . . . 
F Jens Meilleur (Brandon, 2010-14) has signed a one-year extension with the Kassel Huskies (Germany, DEL2). This season, he had eight goals and 10 assists in 36 games. He started the season with the Nuremberg Ice Tigers (Germany, DEL), going pointless in four games. He was loaned to Bayreuth (Germany, DEL2), where he had two assists in seven games. On to Blue Devils Weiden (Germany, Oberliga), he was pointless in one game. He signed with Kassel on Nov. 18. Meilleur had played for Kassel each of the previous two seasons.
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 The Swift Current Broncos have signed D Connor Horning to a WHL contract. From Kelowna, Horning was a third-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Horning, who will turn 16 on May 11, had a goal and six assists in 22 games with the Pursuit of Excellent 18U prep team. He also was pointless in four games with the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors.
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G Jordan Papirny of the Swift Current Broncos has signed an ATO with the Toronto Marlies, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. . . . Papirny, who moved to the Broncos from the Brandon Wheat Kings in a January deal, completed his junior eligibility this season. Last season, he backstopped the Wheat Kings to a WHL title. . . . Here’s a note from pensionplanpuppets.com: “There’s no better place to start than the Toronto Marlies, and they may have some practice time opening up for (Papirny). With the Orlando Solar Bears losing their starting goalie Ryan Massa to a head injury after a line brawl, the Marlies could send Kasimir Kaskisuo back to Orlando to help out the Bears as they try to advance through the ECHL playoffs.”
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F Glenn Gawdin, the captain of the Swift Current Broncos, and F Tanner Kaspick of the Brandon Wheat Kings have signed ATOs with the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. . . . Gawdin, who turned 20 on March 25, has played four seasons with the Broncos. This season, he had 26 goals and 33 assists in 52 games. He was a fourth-round selection by the Blues in the NHL’s 2015 draft. If they don’t sign him by June 1, he will be available in the 2017 NHL draft. . . . Kaspick, 19, was selected by the Blues in the fourth round in 2016 draft. This season, Kaspick had 19 goals and 26 assists in 49 games. . . . The Wolves are involved in the first round of the AHL playoffs. They trail the Charlotte Checkers 2-1 in a best-of-five series that continues tonight (Tuesday) in Rosemont, Ill.
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Team USA won the IIHF U-18 World Championship on Sunday, beating Finland, last year’s winner, 4-2 in the final at Poprad, Slovakia. It was Team USA’s third championship in four years and its seven in the past nine years. . . . At this point in 2017, the IIHF has had four world titles decided and the U.S. has won them all -- the World Junior, the World Women’s, the Women’s U-18 and now the Men’s U-18. . . . There’s more right here. . . . Russia won the bronze medal with a 3-0 victory over Sweden in Poprad. Russia’s roster included D Mark Rubinchik of the Saskatoon Blades. It was Russia’s first medal in the competition since it won bronzie in 2011. Rubinchik had two goals and four assists in six games. . . . In Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia, Belarus won the best-of-three relegation series, 2-1, with a 3-1 victory over Latvia. D Vladislav Yeryomenko of the Calgary Hitmen had two goals and two assists in seven games with Belarus.
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Coaching

 Sven Butenschon, a former Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman (1993-96), is expected to be named the fulltime head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver today. . . . Howard Tsumura of varsity letters.ca reported the story on Monday afternoon. . . . Butenschon, 41, moved up from assistant coach after UBC dropped head coach Adam Shell just prior to the start of last season. Under Butenschon, who was the program’s fourth head coach in as many seasons, the Thunderbirds went 12-13-3 and made the Canada West playoffs, where it was swept by the Calgary Dinos in a best-of-three first-round series. Game 1 went to triple OT.
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Mel Pearson has left Houghton-based Michigan Tech to take over as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, who play out of Ann Arbor. At Michigan, he will replace the legendary Red Berenson, 77, who stepped aside following the season. . . . Pearson had spent 23 seasons (1983-2011) with the Wolverines as an assistant/associate coach before leaving to take over the Michigan Tech program. . . . Pearson was 118-92-29 at Michigan Tech, including a 75-34-14 run over the past three seasons. He has twice been named WCHA coach of the year. . . . Pearson’s father, Mel, played with the Flin Flon Bombers (1955-57) when they were in the SJHL — he played for them when they won the 1957 Memorial Cup — and later coached the Bombers for one season (1974-75). The people of Flin Flon haven’t forgotten him, either, as they annually hold the Mel Pearson Memorial Tournament for novice players.
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Jason Lammers is the new head coach of the Niagara U Purple Eagles. He replaces Dave Burkholder, who was dropped on March 13. Lammers is the third head coach in the program’s 21 years. Burkholder had been the head coach since 2001. Lammers will step into his job following the completion of the USHL playoffs. He is the head coach of the Dubuque, Iowa, Fighting Saints, who are involved in the second round of playoffs.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)
Regina at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:05 PM
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Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Has mumps virus found Pats? ... Broncos win in OT. Again ... Winterhawks back in it


The Regina Pats are awaiting the results of tests on F Filip Ahl to learn whether the mumps virus has found them.
FILIP AHL
Ahl missed his third straight playoff game on Tuesday night — the Pats dropped a 5-4 decision to the Broncos in Swift Current in a game that went to triple OT.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported after Monday’s Game 3 that Ahl is “undergoing tests for the mumps and won’t be available before Friday’s Game 5.”
Ahl, a 19-year-old freshman from Jonkoping, Sweden, was a fourth-round selection by the Ottawa Senators in the 2015 NHL draft. He had 48 points, including 28 goals, in 54 games with the Pats this season.
The Brandon Wheat Kings, Medicine Hat Tigers, Swift Current Broncos, Victoria Royals and Kamloops Blazers all have had players, coaches or others associated with them impacted by the mumps virus.
The Seattle Thunderbirds revealed early in March that F Mathew Barzal was being tested. But they never released the results of those tests. When Barzal ended up being out for a month, speculation arose that he actually had mononucleosis. The Thunderbirds have only said that Barzal, at the time, had an “illness.”
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MORE ON THE MOVE: D Chaz Reddekopp of the Victoria Royals has joined the Ontario Reign, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. A seventh-round pick in the 2015 NHL draft, Reddekopp had 10 goals and 33 assists in 51 games this season. He suffered a broken foot while blocking a shot late in the season and missed a chunk of games. . . . D Josh Anderson of the Prince George Cougars will finish the season with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, which is associated with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. This season, his third in the WHL, Anderson had 11 points, three of them goals, in 69 games. He was a third-round selection by Colorado in the NHL’s 2016 draft.
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The Kamloops Blazers have signed D Sean Strange, who was a 10th-round selection in the 2015 WHL bantam draft. Strange, who turned 17 on Jan. 25, is from Saanich, B.C., and has played the past two seasons with the South Island Royals of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. This season, he had four goals and 12 assists in 39 games.
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F Graham Millar, who completed his junior eligibility this season, will attend UBC in Vancouver and play for the Thunderbirds next season. Millar, from Penticton, split this season between the Everett Silvertips and Edmonton Oil Kings, totalling 30 points, including 12 goals, in 48 games. . . . In 249 regular-season WHL games, he put up 97 points, 47 of them goals.
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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

 Danton Cole is the new head coach of the Michigan State Spartans. Cole, 50, has spent the past seven seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. . . . Cole has been coaching for 18 seasons. . . . A Michigan native, he played at Michigan State before going on to a pro career that included a Stanley Cup championship with the 1994-95 New Jersey Devils. . . . Cole replaces Tom Anastos, who had a 78-122-24 record over six seasons.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:


At Kent, Wash., F Mathew Barzal scored at 1:30 of OT to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 5-4 victory over
MATHEW BARZAL
the Everett Silvertips. . . . Seattle holds a 3-0 lead in the second-round series with Game 4 scheduled for Kent on Friday night. . . . The Thunderbirds swept the Tri-City Americans from a first-round series and now are on the verge of doing the same with the Silvertips. . . . Seattle has done this with Carl Stankowski in goal, after Rylan Toth, who played in 58 regular-season games and led all WHL goaltenders in victories (36), was taken out by an undisclosed injury. . . . Stankowski, a Calgarian who turned 17 on March 9, is 7-0 in the playoffs, after going 3-0-1 in the regular season. . . . The Thunderbirds scored the game’s first three goals, only to have the Silvertips get the next four. . . . Seattle took that 3-0 lead on goals from F Keegan Kolesar (4), at 12:35 of the first period, F Nolan Volcan (3), at 0:32 of the second period and F Alexander True (4), at 3:33. . . . D Aaron Irving (2) got the visitors on the scoreboard at 7:22, with F Eetu Tuulolo getting them to within a goal, on a PP, at 9:41. . . . F Dominic Zwerger (3) tied the score, on a PP, at 13:29, and Tuulolo (6) put Everett out front, at 14:37. . . . Barzal, who finished with two goals and an assist, got Seattle back into a tie at 4:23 of the third period. . . . Zwerger also had two assists for Everett, with Tuulola adding one. . . . Stankowski finished with 14 saves, while Everett’s Carter Hart stopped 28 shots. . . . Everett was 2-3 on the PP; Seattle was 0-2. . . . The Thunderbirds had F Ryan Gropp back in the lineup after he missed the previous four games with what is believed to have been a concussion. Seattle head coach Steve Konowalchuk chose not to reunite one of the WHL’s top lines — Barzal between F Keegan Kolesar and Gropp — but they were together for the OT winner. Gropp picked up the lone assist. . . . Announced attendance: 5,141.
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At Swift Current, F Glenn Gawdin scored on a PP in triple OT to give the Broncos a 5-4 victory over the
GLENN GAWDIN
Regina Pats. . . . This was the third OT game of the series. The Broncos won Game 1, 2-1, in Regina on Thursday and then beat the visiting Pats, 2-1, on Monday night. . . . The Broncos, who finished third in the East Division, lead the series, 3-1, and can eliminate the Pats, who finished atop the WHL’s overall standings, on Friday night in Regina. . . . Last night, Broncos F Ryley Lindgren broke a 3-3 tie with 2:25 left in the third period, but the Pats tied it when F Dawson Leedahl scored his fourth goal of the game at 19:39 with G Tyler Brown on the bench for an extra attacker. . . . Leedahl had given the Pats a 2-0 first-period lead with goals at 9:10, on a PP, and 15:00. . . . The Broncos pulled even on second period goals from Lindgren, at 15:30, and D Artyom Minulin (1), at 19:42. . . . Lindgren also had two assists for a four-point game. . . . Leedahl put the Pats ahead at 4:12 of the third period. . . . Swift Current then took the lead on goals from F Tyler Steenbergen (8), at 6:19, and Lindgren (8). . . . Leedahl forced OT with his eighth goal. . . . Gawdin won it with his fourth goal of the playoffs, the PP score coming at 9:54 of the third extra period. . . . D Colby Sissons, who scored the winner on Monday, had two assists for the Broncos, with Gawdin and Steenbergen adding one each. . . . F Sam Steel and D Josh Mahura each had two assists for the Pats. . . . The Broncos got 65 saves from G Jordan Papirny, including 31 in OT. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 64 shots for Regina, 36 of them in OT. . . . Each team was 1-3 on the PP, with the Broncos getting two of their opportunities in OT. . . . The Pats continue to play without F Jake Leschyshyn (knee), F Adam Brooks (suspected knee injury) and F Filip Ahl (mumps symptoms). . . . Broncos F Mackenzie Wight completed his two-game suspension by sitting out this one. He was suspended under supplemental discipline for an unpenalized hit in Game 2 on which Brooks was injured. . . . Announced attendance: 2,890.
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At Portland, the Winterhawks broke a 1-1 tie with three second-period goals en route to a 4-2 victory over
CALEB JONES
the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Kelowna still holds a 2-1 lead in the series with Game 4 scheduled for tonight in Portland. . . . They’ll be back in Kelowna for Game 5 on Friday. . . . F Evan Weinger (2) gave Portland a 1-0 lead at 4:06 of the first period, with the Rockets tying it on F Calvin Thurkauf’s second goal, on a PP, at 11:23. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld (4) gave Portland the lead at 5:29 of the second period, on a PP, with D Caleb Jones (1) adding a goal at 16:41 and F Skyler McKenzie getting his fourth goal, shorthanded, at 19:03. . . . Thurkauf added another PP goal at 18:33 of the third period. . . . F Ryan Hughes had two assists for the winners, with Jones and Blichfeld adding one each. . . . Kelowna got two assists from F Reid Gardiner. . . . Portland G Cole Kehler blocked 28 shots, two more than Michael Herringer of Kelowna. . . . Kelowna was 2-4 on the PP; Portland was 1-5. . . . The Winterhawks were upset that Kelowna D Cal Foote wasn’t given a major penalty for a hit on McKenzie at 19:20 of the third period. Foote ended up with a minor penalty for what the Winterhawks felt was a high hit. . . . Announced attendance: 4,407.

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At Lethbridge, the Hurricanes scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-2. . .
BRENNAN MENELL
. The Hurricanes hold a 2-1 lead in the series, with Game 4 scheduled for tonight in Lethbridge. . . . Medicine Hat grabbed a 2-0 lead on goals from F James Hamblin (2), at 12:27 of the first period, and F Mark Rassell (5), at 8:39 of the second. . . . Lethbridge got to within a goal when F Jordy Bellerive (3) scored at 12:13 of the second period and F Giorgio Estephan tied it, on a PP, just 1:04 later. . . . F Tyler Wong’s seventh goal, on a PP, gave the Hurricanes the lead, at 4:04 of the third period. . . . Estephan provided insurance with his seventh goal at 11:28, and D Brennan Menell (4) got the empty-netter at 18:58. . . . Estephan also had an assist for a three-point night. He has seven points, including five goals, in his past two games. . . . Menell had two assists and Wong one for Lethbridge. . . . Hamblin had an assist for the Tigers. . . . G Stuart Skinner blocked 36 shots for Lethbridge, 10 more than Medicine Hat’s Michael Bullion. . . . The Hurricanes were 2-4 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-1. . . . Medicine Hat took 50 of the game’s 84 penalty minutes, 76 of which were handed out at 19:40 of the third period. . . . D Calen Addison, F Matt Alfaro and F Zak Zborosky were among Lethbridge’s scratches. . . . Announced attendance: 4,563.
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WEDNESDAY GAMES (all times local):

Kelowna at Portland, 7 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 2-1)
Medicine Hat at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. (Lethbridge leads, 2-1)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:18 PM
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Sunday, March 5, 2017

Broncos streaking . . . Pats end four-game skid, but lose veteran . . . Warriors romp past Ice

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“The Prince George Cougars’ $5,950 donation to the BC Liberals was the biggest in the party’s unaudited report for Feb. 17-22,” writes Bob Mackin of theBreaker.news. “The Cougars donated almost exactly a year after Prince George-Valemount Liberal MLA (and notable Cougars’ fan) Shirley Bond signed a cabinet order excusing B.C.’s six Western Hockey League team owners from paying the scholarship-eligible players $10.85-an-hour.” . . . Mackin has more, including a look at how the WHL worked to get that exclusion, and it’s all right here.  
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The Brandon Wheat Kings, celebrating their 50th anniversary season, added five more players to their Dream Team on Sunday. . . . They announced that the third line comprises Marty Murray (1991-95), Eric Fehr (2000-05) and Ray Ferraro (1983-84), while the first defence pairing revealed features Keith Aulie (2005-09) and Kevin Cheveldayoff (1986-90). . . . Earlier, the Wheat Kings announced a fourth line of Matt Calvert, Mark Stone and Jordin Tootoo. . . . When completed, the team will comprise two goaltenders, six defencemen and 12 forwards.
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The BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors, the defending national junior A champions, aren’t going anywhere. They announced Friday night that ownership has been restructured, something that means they won’t be moving to North Delta, B.C. . . . The Warriors, playing at home, lost the opening two games of their first-round playoff series to the Merritt Centennials, 6-5 on Friday night and 5-4 in triple OT on Saturday night. The series resumes Monday in Merritt.
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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 Edmonton, the Swift Current Broncos erased a 2-1 deficit with three straight goals, then hung on for a
GLENN GAWDIN
4-3 victor over the Oil Kings. . . . F Davis Murray (3) gave the home team a 1-0 lead at 1:47 of the first period. . . . The Broncos tied it at 10:17 on F Glenn Gawdin’s 24th goal. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky put Edmonton in front with his 22nd goal, at 12:11. . . . The visitors pulled even again as F Kaden Elder (14) scored at 6:37 of the second period. . . . F Conner Chaulk’s seventh goal gave the Broncos their first lead, at 11:28. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi scored No 26, on a PP, at 4:20 of the third period to give Swift Current a 4-2 lead. . . . The Oil Kings cut that to one when F Graham Millar (11) scored at 12:15. . . . Gawdin also had an assist, as did Fix-Wolansky. . . . G Jordan Papirny turned aside 34 shots to earn the victory over Josh Dechaine, who made 25 saves. . . . Swift Current was 1-3 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-2. . . . The Broncos (34-20-10) have won four in a row. They will finish third in the East Division. . . . The Oil Kings (20-40-5) have lost eight straight (0-7-1). Edmonton, in its 10th WHL season, has lost 40 games for the second time. The other was in 2009-10) when it dropped 43. . . . Announced attendance: 11,041.
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At Brandon, F Sam Steel snapped a 2-2 tie at 2:24 of the second period and the Regina Pats went on to a 4-2 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . The Pats, who were playing their third game in fewer than 48
SAM STEEL
hours, had lost their previous four games (0-3-1). . . . After losing 6-3 to the visiting Calgary Hitmen on Saturday night, Pats GM/head coach John Paddock told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post: “If I wasn’t concerned I probably wouldn’t be doing my job. I’m not making any excuses. It’s just fact. We badly need rest. Every team has gone through it — a heavy schedule. We hit ours at the end of the year.” . . . The Pats are off now until Wednesday when they visit Swift Current. . . . On Sunday, F Adam Brooks got the Pats started with his 36th goal, shorthanded, at 15:12 of the first period. . . . That was Regina’s WHL-leading 20th shorthanded goal this season. . . . Brandon tied it when F Stelio Mattheos got No. 25, on a PP, at 1:07 of the second period. . . . D Connor Hobbs (28) put the Pats back out front, on a PP, at 15:06. . . . The Wheat Kings tied it again, this time on F Tyler Coulter’s 30th goal, at 16:29. . . . Steel, who leads the WHL with 119 points, including 46 goals, broke the tie and F Wyatt Sloboshan (9) added insurance with an empty-netter at 18:55. . . . Brooks, Hobbs and Steel each had an assist, as did Mattheos. . . . G Tyler Brown earned the victory with 36 saves. . . . Brandon got 53 saves from G Logan Thompson, who wasn’t beaten by F Austin Wagner on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Each team was 1-5 on the PP. . . . The Pats (45-12-8) lead the overall standings by five points over Medicine Hat. . . . Brandon (29-17-10) is likely to finish in the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,851. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that Pats F Duncan Pierce will miss up to six weeks with a hairline fracture in his right fibula. He was injured on Saturday night. . . . On Sunday, the Pats lost F Dawson Leedahl in the second period after he absorbed a check from Brandon D Dmitry Osipov.
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At Moose Jaw, F Jayden Halbgewachs scored a goal and added three assists as the Warriors dumped the Kootenay Ice, 11-2. . . . The Ice was playing its third game in Saskatchewan in fewer than 48 hours. It
JAYDEN HALBGEWACHS
was outscored 23-2 in those games, having also lost 8-0 in Prince Albert and 4-0 in Saskatoon. . . . Moose Jaw led 3-1 and 7-1 at the period breaks. . . . The Warriors stretched that 3-1 lead to 5-1 with two goals in 44 seconds early in the second period. . . . Halbgewachs has 46 goals, two off the WHL lead that is held by F Tyler Wong of Lethbridge. . . . F Thomas Foster helped Moose Jaw his 21st goal and two assists. . . . F Noah Gregor scored twice for the Warriors, giving him 24, with singles from F Brayden Burke (18), F Branden Klatt (7), F Luka Burzan (14), D Dmitri Zaitsev (1), F Tanner Jeannot (19), F Justin Almeida (10) and F Brecon Wood (1). . . . Zaitsev, a Russian freshman, scored his first WHL goal in his 64th game. He also has 17 assists. . . . Wood, a 16-year-old freshman from Edmonton, has a goal and one assist in 55 games. . . . D Colin Paradis, D Josh Thrower and F Brett Howden each had three assists. Almeida and Burke had one each. . . . The Ice got goals from F Noah Philp (8) and F Barrett Sheen (8). . . . Moose Jaw G Brody Willms stopped 33 shots. . . . Kootenay starter Jakob Walter allowed five goals on 16 shots in 22:57. Payton Lee finished up, stopping 23 of 29 shots in 37:03. . . . The Ice was 1-2 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-1. . . . Moose Jaw (41-17-8) has won nine in a row. . . . Kootenay (14-41-19) has lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 3,476.
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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Victoria at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Spokane vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 8:07 PM
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Tuesday, February 28, 2017

More numbers, but not much info . . . 'Canes inch closer to Tigers . . . Broncos bury Wheaties







Rick Westhead, a senior reporter with TSN, tweeted some more information involving CHL teams and the situation in which they find themselves with more than 400 former and present players seeking certification for a class-action suit that calls for teams to provide a minimum wage and other benefits.
Those tweets are posted above.
Westhead also updated a story that he had posted on Monday. That story now includes a chart that
shows revenues and profit/loss reported by WHL teams. That chart is at the end of this story. The numbers for 20 of the teams are for their 2016 fiscal year (June 1, 2015 through May 31, 2016). The Victoria Royals’ numbers are for 2015. The Portland Winterhawks didn’t file statements with the court.
A few observations from those numbers, keeping in mind that they raise a whole lot of questions because they don’t include any specifics as to where the money goes . . . 
If you were wondering what a WHL championship is worth, the defending-champion Brandon Wheat Kings reported a profit of $779,948.
The Seattle Thunderbirds reported higher revenue than any of the other teams — their US$5.6 million converting to more than Cdn$7.3 million. They claimed a profit of US$937,442, or about Cdn$1.2 million.
The Edmonton Oil Kings were next, reporting revenues of $6.6 million and a $1.4-million profit.
With NHL teams owning the Oil Kings and the Calgary Hitmen, you are wondering about the latter. They reported $4.3 million in revenues and a loss of $387,333.
In their first season in the new Canalta Centre, the Medicine Hat Tigers reported revenues of $3.2 million and a profit of $205,236.
Perhaps the most interesting figures involved the WHL’s four community-owned teams — the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos.
The Broncos led that quartet with revenues of $3.2 million, followed by Lethbridge and Moose Jaw, both at $3.1 million, and Prince Albert at $2.2 million. It was the Raiders, though, who reported the highest profit — $249,471. The Hurricanes claimed a profit of $197,253, with the Broncos claiming a $144,644 profit. The Warriors, meanwhile, reported a loss of $36,800.
An observer must be cautioned, however, not to read too much into any of these numbers, simply because nothing in the way of specifics has been provided.
The Red Deer Rebels, for example, claimed revenues of $4.5 million and a loss of $1,245. The Rebels’ numbers prove the inanity of trying to reach any kind of conclusion by studying them, because they paid out $1,490,000 in managements fees while reporting that loss. To this point, we have no way of knowing exactly where, or to whom, those management fees went.
The part of the lawsuit involving the WHL is expected to be back in a Calgary courtroom on April 18.
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Unfortunately, the Moose Jaw Warriors and Lethbridge Hurricanes won’t meet again this season, unless it’s in the playoffs.
So . . . let’s hope that happens.
Looking for juicy, rivalry-fuelling quotes in today’s WHL is kind of like walking down to a South Thompson River boat launch and panning for gold — the chances of finding a nugget aren’t great.
But, hey, every once in a while there is something shiny at the bottom of the pan.
The Warriors, under head coach Tim Hunter, went into Lethbridge and beat the Hurricanes, 3-1, on Feb. 22. On Feb. 4, the host Hurricanes had beaten the Warriors, 3-0, in a game that featured 147 penalty minutes. The Feb. 22 game included only 32 penalty minutes, but apparently there was more to this one than that.
After that game, Brent Kisio, the Hurricanes’ head coach, told Dale Woodard of the Lethbridge Herald:
“It was a physical game. There was some animosity. They have a classless coach over there that is probably the most classless guy in our league. It’s unfortunate it happens, but I thought our guys played hard.”
Shots fired!
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The WHL suspended three players, each for one game, on Tuesday. . . . D Sahvan Khaira of the Swift Current Broncos didn’t play Tuesday night against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings after behind suspended for a charging major and game misconduct during a game against the host Regina Pats on Sunday. . . . F Michael Spacek of the Red Deer Rebels will sit out a game. The reason? According to the WHL website, it is “for game misconduct at Calgary” on Sunday. . . . F Noah Gregor of the Moose Jaw Warriors also got one game, this after he took a kneeing major and game misconduct in a game against the host Saskatoon Blades on Sunday. . . . As well, the Everett Silvertips were touched up for $250 for a warm-up violation prior to a game against the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., on Sunday.
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D Max Gildon, who is from Plano, Texas, has committed to the U of New Hampshire. Gildon, who will turn 18 on May 17, was a third-round selection by the Vancouver Giants in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. . . . . Gildon has spent two seasons in the U.S. National Team Development Program, this season with the U-18 team. . . . Originally, he had committed to attend Wisconsin, but he later changed his mind.
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Five days after the ECHL’s Anchorage-based Alaska Aces announced that they won’t operate next season, the NAHL’s Kenai River Brown Bears announced that they also are closing their doors. Nate Kiel, the Brown Bears’ general manager, told Joey Klecka of the Peninsula Clarion that “it boils down to finances, and we were running in the red.” . . . The Brown Bears have been a part of the NAHL for 10 years. . . . Klecka has an all-encompassing story right here.
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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.
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Coaching
The ECHL’s Reading Royals will have a new head coach in place when another season rolls around. Larry Courville is leaving after seven complete seasons behind the bench. Jason Guarente of the Reading Eagle reports that “contract negotiations between Courville and the front office began in December, and the two side were unable to agree on an extension.” . . . Instead, Courville is moving on as hockey director at Lancaster Ice Rink. . . . Courville’s contract expires on June 30. . . . He went 336-207-53 as Reading’s head coach, qualifying for the playoffs in each of his seven complete seasons. . . . Guarente’s story is right here.
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The junior B Sicamous Eagles, who play in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, made a coaching change once their season ended. Matt Stang is out as head coach and Rob Fitzpatrick, who had been coaching a midget team in Salmon Arm, will take over. . . . Stang had replaced Ty Davidson after the Eagles opened this season with eight straight losses. . . . Fitzpatrick has coached in the KIJHL with the Revelstoke Grizzlies and North Okanagan Knights. . . . The Eagles, who have missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons, finished 10-36-1 this season, leaving them last in the five-team Doug Birks Division.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:


At Regina, F Tyler Wong took over the WHL goal-scoring lead with Nos. 46 and 47 as he led the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 4-1 victory over the Pats. . . . The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead as F Matt Alfaro
TYLER WONG
(23) scored at 3:56 of the first period, with Wong getting and assist. . . . Wong scored the game’s next two goals, finding the range while shorthanded at 15:57 of the first period and adding a PP score 48 seconds into the second period. . . . F Dawson Leedahl (32) got Regina on the scoreboard at 16:21 of the second period. . . . Lethbridge F Jordy Bellerive put it away with his 25th goal, at 19:02 of the third period. Yes, it was an empty-netter. . . . F Zak Zborosky had two assists for Lethbridge. . . . G Stuart Skinner stopped 42 shots for the Hurricanes. . . . The Pats got 23 saves from G Tyler Brown. . . . Lethbridge was 1-4 on the PP; Regina was 0-3. . . . F Riley Krane made his WHL debut with the Pats. Krane, who turned 17 on Jan. 24, was an eighth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. From Dawson Creek, B.C., he has 18 points, eight of them goals, in 27 games with the major midget Cariboo Cougars, who play out of Prince George. . . . The Hurricanes (39-17-7) have won three in a row. They are second in the Central Division, four points behind Medicine Hat. Each team has nine games remaining. . . . The Pats (44-10-8) had points in each of their previous four games (3-0-1). They lead the overall standings by seven points over Medicine Hat, with a game in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 4,594.
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JORDAN PAPIRNY
At Swift Current, F Ryley Lindgren scored three times as the Broncos dumped the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-2. . . . F Glenn Gawdin finished with a goal and two assists, while F Tyler Steenbergen drew three assists. . . . Lindgren opened the scoring with his 20th goal, at 16:43 of the first period. . . . Brandon D Kade Jensen (4) tied it 47 seconds into the second period. . . . Lindgren put the Broncos out front as he scored, on a PP, at 12:03. . . . Gawdin, who missed one game with an illness, stretched the lead at 16:46. He’s got 23 goals. He also had two assists. . . . F Tyler Coulter got Brandon to within a goal when he scored his 26th goal 47 seconds into the third period. . . . The Broncos put it away on goals from F Kaden Elder (13), at 12:32, and Lindgren, at 15:32. . . . The Broncos got two assists from D Artyom Minulin. . . . F Stelio Mattheos had two assists for Brandon. . . . G Jordan Papirny stopped 25 shots in posting the victory over his former team. Papirny is 6-7-2 with the Broncos, after starting the season 13-11-1 with the Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon got 27 saves from G Logan Thompson. . . . Swift Current was 1-5 on the PP; Brandon was 0-2. . . . The Wheat Kings scratched D Garrett Sambrook (ill), F Ty Lewis, F Tanner Kaspick, F Connor Gutenberg and F Baron Thompson (ill), leaving them with six defencemen and 10 forwards. . . . D Shaven Khaira was among the Broncos’ scratches as he served a one-game suspension. . . . The Broncos (32-20-10) have won two straight games. They are third in the East Division, nine points ahead of Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-26-9) have lost five in a row (0-4-1). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 2,056.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Seattle at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Calgary at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Portland vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:03 PM
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Thursday, October 27, 2016

WHL commish talking to Nanaimo? . . . Ex-WHLers move to BCHL . . . Silvertips win 10th game



News 1130 Sports out of Vancouver tweeted on Wednesday morning:
“Been told WHL commissioner Ron Robison was in Nanaimo on Monday to talk with city officials about a new arena.”
The WHL in Nanaimo, home of the BCHL’s Clippers?
Of course, the WHL would love to have a franchise in Nanaimo, something that would allow teams from the mainland to visit Vancouver Island and play games against more than one team. However, there simply isn't an arena on the island, other than the one that is home to the Victoria Royals, that meets the league’s standards.
Furthermore, the City of Nanaimo has flat-out refused to get involved in the construction process.
I have been told by someone who is involved with a group that apparently kicked the tires on the Kootenay Ice that there “never” will be an arena in Nanaimo that would be capable of housing a WHL team.
News 1130 Sports also tweeted:
“Nanaimo and Chilliwack are 2 cities the WHL is keeping an eye on for the future.”
Of course, the WHL used to be in Chilliwack — you may remember the Bruins and the messy situation that led to them becoming the Royals. Has enough water gone under the bridge that the good hockey fans of Chilliwack would forgive and forget?
What you really have to wonder, though, is: Why would anyone be interested in getting involved in the ownership of a WHL franchise at this point in time?
After all, the CHL, its three leagues (OHL, QMJHL and WHL) and 60 teams are all but pleading poverty as a proposed class-action lawsuit that asks that players — and, retroactively, former players — be paid minimum wage makes its way through the courts.
This has gotten some headlines in B.C. of late after the Vancouver Sun reported that the governing Liberals made a quiet move in February to exempt the province’s six WHL teams from minimum-wage laws.
Five of the six franchise owners apparently have made donations to the B.C. Liberals, who were lobbied by the WHL for the change. (This all brings back memories of an incident in February 2011 when the names of 20 players on the Kamloops Blazers roster were found on a B.C. Liberal membership list during a leadership race. Tom Gaglardi, the Blazers majority owner, was a supporter of leadership candidate Kevin Falcon. The names were removed but no one ever explained how the names came to be on the list.)
“Recent reports have grossly overstated WHL club revenues and franchise values,” Robison wrote in a statement that appeared in some newspapers this week. “The majority of WHL Clubs either break even or lose money on an annual basis and we commend our WHL Clubs for their commitment to preserving the benefits provided to our players despite the challenges they face. Any change to the status of our players as amateur athletes would result in our clubs having to adjust the benefits currently offered to players.
“For instance, if our WHL Clubs were required to provide minimum wage in addition to the benefits the players currently receive, the majority of our teams would not be in a position to continue operating.”
B.C. joined Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Washington state in exempting WHL teams from minimum-wage legislation. All four jurisdictions did it without requesting that WHL teams open their books.
The province of Quebec, home to 13 CHL teams, is said to be next in line.
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A couple of WHLers who lost out in the 20-year-old game have joined BCHL teams. . . . F Duncan Campbell, who was waived by his hometown Brandon Wheat Kings, now is with the Penticton Vees, while G Trevor Martin, who was dropped by the Red Deer Rebels, has joined the defending-champion West Kelowna Warriors. . . . Campbell was pointless in six games with Brandon this season, after putting up 10 goals and 12 assists in 72 games last season. . . . Martin, from Saskatoon, was 18-8-2, 2.63, .911 in 38 games with the Rebels last season. This season, he got into three games, going 0-1-1, 4.14, .888.
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The Kootenay Ice has dropped G Declan Hobbs from its roster. Hobbs, 18, is from Saskatoon and was a third-round pick by the Ice in the 2013 WHL bantam draft. This season, he was 0-3-0, 7.16, .800 in 142 minutes over three appearances. Last season, in 24 appearances, he was 2-14-3, 4.66, .873. He is the younger brother of Regina Pats D Connor Hobbs. . . . The move leaves the Ice with two goaltenders — veteran Payton Lee, 20, who is playing his final junior season in his hometown, and freshman Jakob Walter, 17, from Langley, B.C. He was a second-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft.
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The TV show Gunsmoke had a long run that ended in 1975. Of course, it’s still available in reruns and, as it turns out, it has more than a few viewers. How many? “More than four decades later,” writes Neil Best of Newsday, “the fabled western drama has not lost its swagger, regularly winning ratings shootouts with much of what modern media has to offer in reruns at 3 p.m. on TV Land.” . . . Best’s complete story is right here and, yes, it’s most interesting. I guarantee that you will be shocked to find out how many people still tune in Gunsmoke.
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JUST NOTES:

F Glenn Gawdin, 19, was named captain of the Swift Current Broncos on Thursday. Gawdin, from Richmond, B.C., is in his fourth season with the Broncos. . . . 
F Mathew Barzal didn’t play for the New York Islanders on Thursday in a 4-2 loss to the host Pittsburgh Penguins. Barzal, 19, is pointless while playing in two of the Islanders’ first eight games. He is eligible to be returned to the Seattle Thunderbirds, a move some observers feel is imminent.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:

At Everett, F Eetu Tuulola scored twice to help Silvertips to a 4-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . .
EETU TUULOLA
Tuulola, a Finnish freshman in his second game since suffering a shoulder injury on Oct. 2, has three goals. He broke a 1-1 tie at 7:21 of the second period and upped the lead to 4-1 at 3:46 of the third. . . . F Spencer Garth had given Everett a 1-0 lead, with his first goal, at 2:32 of the opening period. . . . Tri-City F Morgan Geekie’s fifth goal tied it at 10:53. . . . F Riley Sutter’s seventh goal put the home side in front 3-1 at 15:01 of the second period. . . . Tri-City F Nolan Yaremko added a PP goal, his second goal this season, at 15:06 of the third. . . . F Kyle Olson had two assists for the Americans. . . . G Carter Hart blocked 21 shots to earn the victory over Beck Warm, who made 24 saves. . . . The Americans were 1-3 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-1. . . . Everett (10-2-2) has points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . The Americans (8-6-1) had been 2-0-1 in their previous three games. They wrapped up a stretch of six straight road games (3-2-1). . . . F Sasha Mutala, the sixth-overall pick in the 2016 bantam draft, made his debut with the Americans. From Vancouver, he plays for the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians. . . . Announced attendance: 2,988.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Calgary at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Brandon vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C.
Prince George at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Victoria vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:04 PM
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Friday, September 30, 2016

Lethbridge d-man quits hockey . . . Chiefs move out goaltender . . . Cougars win fifth straight




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D Nick Watson of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has left the team and has decided to “stop playing hockey,” according to a news release. . . . “I’ve been struggling with this for the past three or four
weeks,” Watson said in the news release, “ but I tried to tough it out because hockey has been my life the whole way through. But, at the end of the day, I had to make a decision that makes me happy. Hockey is hockey, it’s a sport, but if you’re not happy playing it then there no reason to play it.” . . . From Delta, B.C., Watson was a second-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Last season, as a freshman, he had one assist in 33 games. He was pointless in one game this season. . . . “First of all,” said Peter Anholt, the Hurricanes’ general manager, “this is bigger than the game of hockey, it’s a life decision for Nick, not anything to do with hockey other than he’s lost his passion to play the game. It puts it in perspective of how hard this game is to play for the guys that do stick it out. It’s not easy to lose a quality 17-year-old defenceman, but we will have to do our best to back fill in any way we possibly can.” . . . Watson agreed that he has lost his passion for the game. “I don’t think it’s fair to my team or to my coaches that if I go out there and I’m not enjoying it and giving it half effort, I just don’t think it’s fair to the team,” he said. “My plan is to go back to school back home and improve my marks and hopefully get into post-secondary and pursue my dream of entering into the sports medicine field. I need to set myself up for the future and see what happens.”
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Former WHL player and coach Bob Lowes, 53, has left the Ottawa Senators for the NHL’s Las Vegas franchise, where he will be the assistant director of player personnel. . . . Lowes, who played for the Prince Albert Raiders and Regina Pats (1982-84) and was head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings (1992-2001) and Pats (2001-04) and Brandon Wheat Kings, had been with the Senators since 2006-07. He had been Ottawa’s chief amateur scout for the past two seasons. . . . As the coach in Brandon, he worked under Kelly McCrimmon, who now is the assistant GM in Las Vegas.
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The three-year entry-level contract that D Ondrej Vala of the Kamloops Blazers signed with the NHL’s Dallas Stars has a maximum value of US$2,040,000, according to generalfanager.com. . . . The contract carries NHL-level salaries of $630,000 in 2016-17, $705,000, and $705,000, with an AHL salary of $60,000 each season. . . . There is a $165,000 signing bonus payable in three instalments. . . . Vala, 18, is from Czech Republic. He signed with the Stars as a free agent. He is into his second season with the Blazers.
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The Spokane Chiefs are down to 26 players, including two goaltenders, after dropping G Matt Berlin, 18, from their roster on Friday. Berlin is expected to join the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder. . . . Berlin, from Edmonton, got into six games with the Chiefs last season, going 1-1-2, 4.38, .851. . . . The move leaves the Chiefs with two goaltenders — Jayden Sittler, 20, and Dawson Weatherill, 17 — both of whom are from Red Deer. Sittler was acquired over the summer from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Weatherill came over from the Red Deer Rebels earlier this week. . . . The Chiefs also are carrying nine defencemen and 15 forwards.
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Fred Marsh died Wednesday in Kamloops at the age of 81. You may never have heard of him but his handiwork is in evidence almost every time a hockey game is played on a regulation or Olympic-size ice surface. Marsh invented the Marsh Flexible Goal Peg system. . . . Adam Williams of Kamloops This Week has more on Marsh right here.
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JUST NOTES:

The Lethbridge Hurricanes have signed F Hayden Clayton, 16, to a WHL contract. From Red Deer, Clayton is an undrafted list player who earned a contract with his performance in this season’s training camp. Last sason, with the minor midget Red Deer Northstar Chiefs, he had 24 points, including 16 goals, in 34 games. . . . The 6-foot-2, 170-pounder is expected to play this season with the midget AAA Red Deer Optimist Chiefs. . . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds have dropped F Garan Magnes, 19, from their roster. He is expected to join the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. He had two assists in 12 games with Seattle last season after being acquired from the Edmonton Oil Kings. In 61 games with Edmonton over three seasons, he had two goals and five assists. . . . Seattle gave up a seventh-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft for Magnes. . . . 
F Nolan Patrick, 18, who is into his third WHL season, has been named the 59th captain in the Brandon Wheat Kings’ franchise history. . . . F Tyler Sandhu, 20, has been named captain of the Tri-City Americans. He is into his fifth WHL season, having also played with the Everett Silvertips and Red Deer Rebels. He played his 100th regular-season game with the Americans on Sunday. . . . F Keegan Iverson, 20, is the 19th captain in the history of the Portland Winterhawks. The native of St. Louis Park, Minn., was given the ‘C’ on Friday as he prepared to start his fifth WHL season.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Lethbridge, F Ryley Lindgren broke a 4-4 tie at 18:47 of the third period as the Hurricanes got past the Kootenay Ice, 5-4. . . . The Hurricanes (2-1-0) actually led this one 3-0 when F Jesse Zaharichuk, an off-season acquisition from the Ice, scored at 17:13 of the first period. . . . However, the Ice scored three times in the second period, tying it on a goal by F Zak Zborosky at 5:54. The three goals came in a span of 1:26, with F Kaeden Taphorn and F Barrett Sheen, who went the other way in the Zaharichuk deal, scoring the other two. . . . D Brennen Menell put the home side out front again at 6:43 of the third period, but Sheen tied it again at 12:16. . . . Zaharichuk added three assists to his goal, while Lindgren, F Colton Kroeker and F Brayden Burke had two assists apiece, and F Egor Babenko had a goal and an assist. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner made 25 saves, while Payton Lee stopped 41 shots for the Ice (1-1-2). . . . The Hurricanes were 1-4 on the PP; the Ice was 0-1. . . . Announced attendance: 2,986.
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At Medicine Hat, the Tigers unleashed a 45-shot attack en route to a 5-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Medicine Hat F Ryan Chyzowski broke a 1-1 tie with his first WHL goal at 9:50 of the second period. . . . F Matt Bradley and F Ryan Jevne each had a goal and an assist for the Tigers (2-1-0), while F Caleb Fantillo had two assists. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider stopped 23 shots. The Blades (1-2-0) got 40 saves from Logan Flodell. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-1 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-3. . . . Announced attendance: 4,014.
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At Moose Jaw, F Evan Polei’s goal at 1:09 of OT gave the Red Deer Rebels a 4-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . It was the third time in as many games that the Rebels (1-0-2) couldn't settle things in regulation time. . . . After F Jeff de Wit gave Red Deer a 1-0 lead at 8:12 of the first period, the Warriors (1-1-0) scored three straight goals. F Noah Gregor tied it at 19:49, with F Brett Howden making it 2-1 at 4:19 of the second period and D Jett Woo upping the lead to two at 7:09. . . . Red Deer D Josh Mahura scored a PP goal at 5:06 of the third period and F D-Jay Jerome tied it, at 12:30, with his third goal of the season. . . . Red Deer G Riley Lamb stopped 33 shots, while Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko turned aside 17. . . . Moose Jaw held a 31-12 edge in shots through two periods. . . . The Rebels were 1-2 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 3,087.
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At Prince George, F Brad Morrison’s two goals led the Cougars to their fifth straight victory, 4-1 over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Cougars are 5-0-0 for the first time in franchise history. . . . Their first four victories came on the road, so this one was their home-opener. . . . F Colby McAuley and F Brogan O’Brien each had two assists for the home boys, with F Yan Khomenko scoring once and adding an assist. . . . Khomenko, an 18-year-old Russian, had five goals and three assists in 46 games with Everett last season. He’s got two goals and two assists in five games with the Cougars. . . . F Jake Kryski gave the Rockets (1-3-0) a 1-0 lead at 2:45 of the first period, marking the first time the Cougars have trailed this season. . . . Morrison tied it at 17:21 and got the eventual winner, on a PP, at 2:34 of the second period. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 15 shots for the victory, while Kelowna’s Michael Herringer made 40 saves. . . . The Cougars were 3-10 on the PP; the Rockets were 0-3. . . . Announced attendance: 5,282.
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At Portland, F Graham Millar’s goal with 13.2 seconds left in the second period broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Everett Silvertips on to a 3-1 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . F Patrick Bajkov gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 11:48 of the first period. . . . Portland F Alex Overhardt tied it, shorthanded, four minutes later. . . . F Matt Fonteyne provided the visitors with insurance at 3:09 of the third period. . . . Everett G Carter Hart blocked 31 shots, one more than Michael Bullion of Portland. . . . Everett (3-0-0) was 1-5 on the PP; Portland (2-1-0) was 0-3. . . . D Mackenzie Dwyer, 19, was in Everett’s lineup for the first time since Jan. 18. . . . Announced attendance: 4,151.
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At Prince Albert, F Glenn Gawdin broke a 2-2 at 17:33 of the second period and the Swift Current Broncos went on to beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 5-2. . . . The game marked the return of Emanuel Viveiros, the Broncos’ first-year head coach, to the Art Hauser Memorial Centre. Viveiros starred with the Raiders for four seasons (1982-86) and was an integral part of the team that won the 1985 Memorial Cup. He played for three seasons with Raiders associate coach Dave Manson and two seasons with Curtis Hunt, now Prince Albert’s general manager. . . . Broncos F Arthur Miller added insurance at 16:22 of the third period and F Lane Pederson, who had two assists, got the empty-netter, at 19:59. . . . Gawdin also had an assist. . . . G Austin Glover and F Simon Stransky each had a goal and an assist for the Raiders (1-2-0). . . . G Travis Child stopped 21 shots for the Broncos (2-1-0), while Ian Scott turned aside 30 at the other end. . . . The Broncos were 0-4 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-3. . . . Raiders D Cody Paivarinta, an 18-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., played only his second game since Jan. 5. An undisclosed injury limited him to one game after Jan. 5 last season. . . . Announced attendance: 2,173. . . . The Broncos are at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers tonight (Saturday). Jamie LeBlanc, the Broncos’ trainer, will work his 1,000th CHL game.
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At Regina, F Sam Steel, in his first game after returning from the camp of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, scored twice to help the Pats to a 6-3 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Steel’s first goal, just 14 seconds into the second period, gave the Pats (2-0-1) a 3-1 lead. . . . The Oil Kings tied it on goals from F Trey Fix-Wolansky, at 1:12, and F Lane Bauer, shorthanded, at 9:43. . . . Regina F Filip Ahl broke the tie at 11:18 and F Luc Smith added insurance at 12:08 of the third period. . . . Steel got his second goal at 15:22. . . . F Riley Woods and Ahl each had a goal and an assist for Regina, with F Nick Henry and F Rykr Cole each earning two assists. . . . F Tyler Robertson had two assists for Edmonton (2-1-0). . . . G Jordan Hollett stopped 34 shots for Regina, two fewer than Edmonton’s Patrick Dea. . . . Hollett stopped Edmonton F Davis Koch on a second-period penalty shot. The Pats were leading 3-2 at the time. . . . Regina was 2-for-5 on the PP; Edmonton was 1-for-3. . . . Announced attendance: 3,749.
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At Langley, B.C., F Matthew Wedman scored two goals to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . F Radovan Bondra, who scored both Vancouver goals, opened the scoring at 4:56 of the first period. . . . Wedman tied it at 12:58 and F Alexander True gave the visitors the lead at 1:09 of the second period. . . . Wedman got what turned out to be the winner at 13:50. . . . D Anthony Bishop had two assists for Seattle. . . . The Thunderbirds improved to 1-1-0, while the Giants fell to 0-4-0. . . . Seattle G Carl Stankowski stopped 15 shots as he won in his WHL debut. . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck turned aside 17 shots. . . . The Thunderbirds were 0-3 on the PP; the Giants were 0-1. . . . The Giants had F Thomas Foster and F Alex Baer back from injuries, while F Ty Ronning, who had been in camp with the NHL’s New York Rangers, also played. . . . Announced attendance: 3,483.
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At Victoria, F Matt Phillips scored the game’s only goal as the Royals beat the Kamloops Blazers, 1-0. . . . Phillips, freshly returned from the camp of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, struck on a breakaway, at 10:20 of the third period. . . . G Griffen Outhouse of the Royals (1-2-0) stopped 34 shots for his first shutout this season and the fifth of his career, which is into its second season. . . . G Connor Ingram, in his first start since returning from the camp of the Tampa Bay Lightning, blocked 23 shots for the Blazers (1-2-0). . . . Each team was 0-6 on the PP. . . . Announced attendance: 3,980.
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SATURDAY GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Saskatoon vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Calgary at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

SUNDAY GAMES (all times local):

Swift Current at Brandon, 4 p.m.
Edmonton at Prince Albert, 4 p.m.
Red Deer at Regina, 4 p.m.
Everett vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 5:05 p.m.

Kamloops vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 4 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:19 PM
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