Showing posts with label Greg Meachem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greg Meachem. Show all posts

Monday, March 6, 2017

Three WHLers get NHL deals . . . Rebels dealt cruel blow . . . All hail the Golden Bears


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F Reid Duke of the Brandon Wheat Kings was in the headlines on Monday. On Twitter’s What’s Happening? page, Duke was right there with ‘Trump signs new travel ban’ and ‘President Trump is still
Kelly McCrimmon welcomes Reid Duke to the Vegas
Golden Knights.
(Photo: Brandon Wheat Kings)
taping his tie’ and ‘Chrissy Teigen gets real about postpartum depression.’
So . . . what did Duke do that warranted that kind of publicity?
Duke, who turned 21 on Jan. 28, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights in what was the first player transaction in the NHL expansion franchise’s brief history.
According to capfriendly.com, the deal could have a total value of US$2.775 million. It calls for an NHL salary of $742,500 in each of the first two seasons, and $825,000 in the third. The minor-league salary each season would be $70,000. There are annual signing bonuses of $92,500, and performance bonuses of $182,500 in each of the first two seasons and $100,000 in the third.
“Obviously, there is going to be a little more opportunity there,” Duke told Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun, “but, at the same time, I’m not going in there expecting them to hand me anything. I’m going to put in as much work as I can this summer to give it my best opportunity to play there (next) season. That’s going to be my goal.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to make it a hard decision for them to make me play anywhere else.”
Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner, was the team’s general manager and head coach before joining the Golden Knights as their assistant general manager last summer. So he will be awfully familiar with Duke.
This season, Duke, who is from Calgary, leads the Wheat Kings in goals (35) and points (67), all in 54 games. Last season, he totalled 61 points, 33 of them goals, in 68 games. In the playoffs, he helped Brandon to the WHL championship with 24 points, including eight goals, in 21 games.
Duke began his WHL career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, playing 132 games there before being deal to Brandon early in the 2014-15 season.
In 306 career regular-season games, he has 249 points, including 113 goals.
He was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2014 draft. However, the Wild never signed him so he was able to join Vegas as a free agent.
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NHLThe Los Angeles Kings have signed two WHLers — D Kale Clague of the Brandon Wheat Kings and F Austin Wagner of the Regina Pats — to three-year entry-level deals.
Clague, 18, is from Lloydminster, Alta. The Wheat Kings selected him sixth overall in the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft. Los Angeles took him in the second round, 51st overall, of the NHL’s 2016 draft.
This season, Clague has 38 points, including 33 assists, in 46 games. He missed a few games to open the season after suffering a leg injury while playing for Los Angeles in a rookie game against the Arizona Coyotes. In 139 career regular-season games, he has 94 points, 15 of them goals. He spent part of this season with Canada’s national junior team, earning six assists in seven games at the World Junior Championship.
According to capfriendly.com, the contract could be worth US$2.775 million. The NHL salaries would be $767,500, $792,500 and $817,500, with three signing bonuses of $92,500. There are performance bonuses of $157,500, $132,500 and $107,500. The minor-league salary would be $70,000.
Wagner, one of the WHL’s fastest skaters, has 60 points, including 28 goals, in 58 games this season. In 232 regular-season games, he has 163 points, 77 of them goals.
A 19-year-old from Calgary, he was a fifth-round selection in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. Los Angeles picked him in the fourth round, 99th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
According to capfriendly.com, Wagner also signed a deal that could carry a total value of US$2.775 million. The NHL salary would be $742,500 for each of the first two seasons and $792,500 in the third. There are performance bonuses of $182,500 in each of the first two seasons and $132,500 in the third. Three annual signing bonuses of $92,500 will be paid. The minor league salary in each season would be $70,000.
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When the WHL’s weekly roster report is issued today (Tuesday), F Adam Musil of the Red Deer Rebels is expected to be shown as being out week-to-week.
ADAM MUSIL
Musil, the Rebels’ 19-year-old captain, was injured Sunday in an off-ice incident.
“It was quite a shock to us and a blow to us when we found out he had injured himself away from the rink,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, general manager and head coach, told reporters. “It’s a significant injury.”
Sutter added that Musil has a “lower-body injury” and that there isn’t a timetable for his return.
The Rebels, who have seven games remaining, are third in the Central Division, three points ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. The Rebels next are scheduled to play tonight against the visiting Saskatoon Blades, who trail Red Deer by four points in what could turn into a wild-card chase.
“Here we are,” Sutter added, “seven games left in the regular season, battling for a playoff spot and your captain and arguably your best player is certainly not going to be able to participate in any of these games.”
Musil has career highs in goals (20), assists (31) and points (51) in 56 games this season. In 251 career games, he has 162 points, including 65 goals.
“The timing is terrible,” Sutter said. “It’s unfortunate for his teammates . . . it’s unfortunate for the organization . . . it’s unfortunate for our fans that something like this has to happen when it should never have happened.
“It was something we didn’t expect. It’s things we don’t want our kids doing and that’s the tough part. But it happened and now we just have to deal with it.
“(Sunday), it was just something . . . he obviously wasn’t thinking.”
Greg Meachem of reddeerrebels.com has more right here.
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The U of Alberta Golden Bears won another Canada West title on Sunday, beating the host Saskatchewan Huskies, 6-3, in Game 3 of the best-of-three-final. Both teams will play in the national championship tournament. That will be played in Fredericton, N.B., March 16-19. . . . The Golden Bears have won 14 Canada West titles over the past 17 seasons, although the Huskies won it all a year ago. . . . Darren Steinke was at Sunday’s game and blogs about it right here.
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Coaching

The AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons have signed general manager/head coach Dan Keca to a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2019-20 season. Keca has been GM/head coach since June 2015. The Oil Barons who won 10 games last season, won the North Division with 91 points this season and Keca was named the AJHL’s coach of the year. Keca, who was raised in Fort McMurray, played for the Oil Barons before attending the U of Lethbridge. He returned to the Oil Barons as an assistant coach under Gord Thibodeau in 2003.
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Seth Appert is out as head coach of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Engineers, although his contract runs through 2021. RPI won only eight games this season. Appert was 152-221-48 in 11 seasons at RPI. . . . Collegehockeynews.com reports that Appert signed a seven-year extension in 2011 and got another three-year extension added to it in 2013. . . . Appert had been an assistant coach at Denver when he signed at RPI in 2006. RPI won 18 games in 2009-10 and 20 in 2010-11 when it made its only NCAA tournament appearance. This season, RPI finished 11th in the ECAC and was swept from the conference tournament, losing two games to Clarkson.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:

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 9:18 PM
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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Sutter rethinking things after injury ... Blazers, Chiefs make trade ... 'Cane train rolling


F David Turoň (Portland, 2002-03) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Polonia Bytom (Poland, PHL). He had been released by the Fife Flyers (Scotland, UK Elite) on Monday. He had three goals and five assists in 30 games with the Flyers. . . . Turoň told hokej.net: “I wanted to be closer to home because of health problems with my in-laws.” He is from Havirov, Czech Republic. . . .
F Radek Meidl (Seattle, Tri-City, 2006-08) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Orlik Opole (Poland, PHL). He had a goal and three assists in 27 games this season with Frydek-Mistek (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). He had signed with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga) on Dec. 19 but didn’t appear in a game with them.
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 D Alex Alexeyev of the Red Deer Rebels won’t play again this season and Brent Sutter, the team’s owner, general manager and head coach, now is taking an up-close look at everything from what players do in the off-season to how it practises.
“We’ve had some pretty significant injuries to some very important players the last year and a half,” Sutter
ALEX ALEXEYEV
told Greg Meachem of reddeerrebels.com.
“From a general manager’s perspective, I have to look at certain things. We have to look at the demands we put on these players nowadays, with the off-ice conditioning and the way we practise.These kids are still growing into their bodies. They’re still young players whose bodies are filling out.
“It bothers me, it’s something that I’ve been thinking about for quite some time. Some injuries are fluke things. That being said, it still happens, and it’s been happening here more often than it needs to be and you’d like it to be, especially in the last couple of years.”
Sutter was referring to recent injuries to F Grayson Pawlenchuk, F Reese Johnson, F Conner Bleackley, D Josh Mahura, F Adam Musil and G Rylan Toth.
Sutter has long been an outspoken advocate of having teenagers play other sports in the summer, allowing them to use other muscle groups and to get away from the pressures of hockey.
He also has been cognizant of how much rest his players get but now is wondering if there is more that can be done in that area.
“I’d like to think we’ve done a good job with the rest part, but maybe it’s still not enough,” Sutter said. “There are certain things we need to do differently as a coaching staff. I have to take a serious look at it. You can’t just stick your head in the sand and ignore this.”
Alexeyev was injured when he slid into the boards during the third period of a 4-1 loss to the visiting Regina Pats on Saturday. He underwent surgery Tuesday for an undisclosed “lower-body” injury and, according to Meachem, “will need three to five months to recover.”
Alexeyev, who turned 17 on Nov. 15, is from St. Petersburg, Russia. He had four goals and 17 assists in 21 games.
Meachem’s complete story is right here.
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There is some news on the Brevin Gervais front.
You will recall that Gervais, 17, underwent surgery for a brain aneurysm in Kamloops on Friday. A native of Prince George, he had been playing for the junior B 100 Mile House Wranglers of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
Mateo Albinati set up a gofundme page with a goal of $16,000, then shut it down when it raised more than $20,000. On Tuesday, Albinati reopened the page.
“Due to overwhelming support,” he explained, “I have been asked to reopen the go fund me account. Everyone's generosity has already been amazing but every penny still helps. So please continue to spread the word and help the Gervais family.”
That page is right here.
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The Swift Current Broncos have brought back F Brandan Arnold, 19. The Broncos dropped Arnold from their roster on Jan. 11 — he had six points, two of them goals, in 27 games — and he joined the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. He had 12 points, including five goals, in six games with Nipawin. . . . From Dodsland, Sask., he was a seventh-round pick by the Broncos in the 2012 bantam draft.
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The Kamloops Blazers have signed F Kyrell Sopotyk, 15, who was a fifth-round selection in the 2016
bantam draft. From Aberdeen, Sask., the 5-foot-8, 160-pounder has 29 goals and nine assists in 35 games with the Prince Albert Mintos of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. . . . On Tuesday, he scored four times as the host Mintos beat the Saskatoon Blazers, 4-3. . . . The Blazers also made a trade on Tuesday, as they dealt a fourth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft to the Spokane Chiefs for a fifth- and a sixth-round pick in that same draft. The Blazers had two fourth-rounders in that draft — their own and one they acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors for F Jesse Shynkaruk on Nov. 20, 2014. The news release doesn’t specify which pick was sent to Spokane.
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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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JUST NOTES:

G Liam Hughes won’t play again this season for the Edmonton Oil Kings. Hughes, who last played on Oct. 29, is shown as having a “season-ending” injury on the WHL’s weekly roster report that was issued Tuesday. A 17-year-old freshman from Kelowna, he got into seven games this season, going 1-4-2, 3.26, .895 before being injured. . . . The Oil Kings have been going with veteran Patrick Dea, 19, and freshman Josh Dechaine, 18, as their goaltenders. . . .
The Vancouver Giants will be without F Taden Rattie for four games. That’s the length of the suspension he drew for becoming involved in a one-man fight during a game against the host Victoria Royals on Sunday. The incident occurred at 15:32 of the second period in a game won by the Royals, 6-3. . . . The Royals had beaten the Giants 3-1 in Langley, B.C., on Friday, and 7-1 in Victoria on Saturday.
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Coaching

 Gordie Dwyer stepped down as head coach of Medvescak Zagreb of the KHL after a Tuesday game and now is head coach of Ambri-Piotta of the Swiss League. Dwyer, 39, was in his second season with Medverscak Zagreg. With Ambri-Piotta, he replaces Hans Kossmann. . . . Dwyer was an assistant coach with Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in December. . . . Medvescak Zagreb hasn’t named a replacement for Dwyer.
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The QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques have added Denny Lambert to their coaching staff. He will work alongside Eric Landry, who took over as head coach on Jan. 23 when Mario Duhamel was fired. Most recently, Lambert, a former NHL player, was an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Allen Americans. Lambert, 47, spent seven seasons (2004-11) with the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, the last four as head coach.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Portland, F Joachim Blichfeld scored at 3:58 of OT to give the Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Winterhawks jumped out front when F Evan Weinger scored his 15th goal at
JOACHIM BLICHFELD
5:24 of the first period. . . . Everett scored two early second-period goals for a 2-1 lead. D Aaron Irvin got his 15th goal, at 3:17, and F Devon Skoleski scored No. 9 just 28 seconds later. . . . F Connor Dewar assisted on both goals. . . . Portland tied it on F Colton Veloso’s 13th goal, on a PP, at 6:02 and took the lead 42 seconds into the third period when F Alex Overhardt got his 10th goal. . . . The Silvertips tied the game, forcing OT, when F Brian King got his second goal of the season at 9:24 of the third period. . . . Blichfeld won it with his 17th goal of the season. . . . On Saturday, Blichfeld scored at 19:56 of the third period as Portland beat the Rockets 5-4 in Kelowna. . . . D Caleb Jones had two assists for Portland, while Blichfeld added one. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 31 shots for the Winterhawks. At the other end, Carter Hart made 42 saves. . . . Portland was 1-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-3. . . . The Silvertips continue to play without D Noah Juulsen, who is out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Winterhawks (26-21-3) have won four in a row. They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, three points behind Kelowna and seven ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Silvertips (30-9-10) have lost five in a row (0-3-2), but they still lead the U.S. Division by six points over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . This game was rescheduled from Jan. 7, when it was postponed due to inclement weather. . . . Announced attendance: 3,406.
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At Lethbridge, G Giorgio Estephan scored the only goal of a shootout to give the Hurricanes a 4-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Lethbridge now is 1-3 in shootouts; Brandon is 5-2. . . . The visitors
GIORGIO ESTEPHAN
held 2-0 and 3-2 leads but couldn’t hang on. . . . F Tanner Kaspick scored his 17th goal, on a PP, at 14:05 of the first period and F Nolan Patrick got his ninth at 17:01 for that 2-0 lead. . . . The Hurricanes tied it on second-period goals from F Egor Babenko (16) and F Matt Alfaro (14), on a PP, at 13:58. . . . F Reid Duke’s 31st goal put Brandon back out front at 16:33. . . . Lethbridge F Tyler Wong’s 36th goal, at 6:25 of the third period, forced OT. . . . F Zak Zborosky had two assists for Lethbridge. . . . D Kade Jensen drew two helpers for Brandon. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 31 shots from the Hurricanes, while Logan Thompson blocked 30 shots for Brandon. . . . Brandon was 1-3 on the PP; Lethbridge was 1-7. . . . Brandon was without D Kale Clague, who sat out a one-game suspension for a charging major and game misconduct he incurred Sunday in Calgary. . . . The Hurricanes (29-15-7) have points in 11 straight games (9-0-2). They are second in the Central Division, six points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Wheat Kings (24-19-6) are 1-0-1 in their last two. They are fourth in the East Division, four points behind the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Announced attendance: 3,410.
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At Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored the game’s last three goals to beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-3. . . . F Brett Davis gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 4:43 of the first period. . . . F Mason Shaw, playing with a full visor
JOHN DAHLSTROM
because of a facial laceration from a skate, tied it with his 19th goal, on a PP, at 16:49. . . . Kootenay took the lead with two second-period PP goals. . . . F Jake Elmer (5) scored at 3:57 and Davis added his 14th goal at 5:13 for a 3-1 lead. . . . Medicine Hat D Clayton Kirichenko’s eighth goal, at 6:58, got the Tigers back to within a goal. . . . F Mark Rassell’s 22nd goal, on a PP, tied it at 11:25. . . . F John Dahlstrom broke that tie with his 23rd goal, at 1:42 of the third period. . . . Shaw also had an assist. . . . F Vince Loschiavo had two assists for Kootenay. . . . Medicine Hat started G Nick Schneider, who was beaten three times on 20 shots in 25:13. Michael Bullion came on to finish up and get the victory, stopping all nine shots he faced in 34:46. . . . G Payton Lee blocked 42 shots for the Ice. . . . Kootenay was 2-3 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 2-4. . . . The Tigers (35-15-1) have won four in a row. They are third in the overall standings, four points behind the Regina Pats and Prince George Cougars, who are tied for top spot. . . . The Ice (12-32-8) has lost two straight. . . . These teams will play again tonight, this time in Cranbrook, B.C. . . . Announced attendance: 2,904, the smallest crowd in the history of the Canalta Centre, which is in its second season.
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KEEGAN KOLESAR
At Kent, Wash., F Keegan Kolesar scored on a breakaway at 1:07 of OT to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The teams combined for three goals in the final 4:09 of the third period in what was a frantic finish. . . . F Deven Sideroff had given the visitors a 1-0 lead at 11:10 of the first period. . . . Seattle tied it on D Ethan Bear’s 18th goal, at 3:43 of the third period. Originally, the goal was disallowed on the ice, but that call was overturned after video review. . . . Seattle’s first goal came on its 44th shot of the game. . . . F Lane Bauer gave the Blazers a 2-1 lead, on a PP, at 8:42. . . . Kolesar pulled Seattle even at 15:51 and F Sami Moilanen (15) sent the home team out front at 17:05. . . . However, Bauer’s 31st goal of the season tied it at 18:23. . . . Kolesar won it with his 12th goal. . . . Seattle got three assists from D Turner Ottenbreit, with Bear adding one. . . . Sideroff added two assist to his goal. . . . G Rylan Toth earned the victory with 22 saves. . . . The Blazers got a 57-save effort from G Connor Ingram, who was named the game’s first star. . . . Seattle held a 16-0 edge in shots with 9:37 left in the first period. . . . Kamloops was 1-3 on the PP; Seattle was 0-4. . . . The Thunderbirds (30-15-4) have won six straight and moved into second in the U.S. Division, six points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . . Kamloops (31-17-4) is 2-0-1 in its past three outings. It is second in the B.C. Division, three points ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . The Blazers and Thunderbirds will meet again in Kent on Friday, after Kamloops plays the Winterhawks in Portland on Wednesday. . . . Announced attendance: 4,407.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Calgary at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Portland, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Regina, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Everett vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:18 PM
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Friday, October 14, 2016

Blades open trek with win in Kelowna . . . Pratt, Benson, Phillips, Henry fill hats . . . Silvertips win again


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G Lasse Petersen, acquired by the Red Deer Rebels from the Everett Silvertips on Thursday, ran into weather problems so wasn’t able to travel in time to join his new teammates on Friday. . . . The right here.
Rebels entertained the Moose Jaw Warriors last night. . . . Brent Sutter, the owner, general manager and head coach in Red Deer, acquired Petersen because G Tyson Verhelst, 19, who was picked up from the Spokane Chiefs, looks to be out on a long-term basis. . . . “It’s an unfortunate situation with Tyson and we don’t know what his future is going to bring,” Sutter told Greg Meachem of reddeerrebels.com. “He’s back home now and will be evaluated on a regular basis. We couldn’t be left in a position where we’re hoping he might be back in two or three weeks, a month, whatever. It’s such an unknown thing.“It’s unfortunate for Tyson, but we needed to move forward and add someone to the group and we were fortunate enough to acquire a goalie who has some experience in the league.” . . . Meachem’s complete story is
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F Lane Pederson’s three-year entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes carries NHL salaries of US$610,000, $685,000 and $685,000, according to generalfanager.com. . . . Pederson, who plays for the Swift Current Broncos, agreed to the deal on Thursday. . . . The AHL salary in each of the three years is $70,000. . . . There also is a $105,000 signing bonus, payable in three annual installments.
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F Landon Quinney, 18, has signed with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. He was released earlier this season by the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Last season, the Las Vegas native had 16 points, including three goals, in 69 games with the Warriors. . . . Last night, in his first game, he picked up on assist and won four of five faceoffs in a 4-2 victory over the host Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. . . . His father, Ken, and brother, Gage, both are former WHLers. . . . 
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Brennan Tutt, who had a brief stint with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2009-10, is one of three men in custody after what, according to the St. George, Utah, News, “is believed to be the biggest meth bust in Utah history.” . . . Tutt, 24, is from Airdrie. . . . The three were pulled over near Provo after police officers, with the help of a dog, found 236 pounds of methamphetamine, some steroids and $66,000. . . . According to The News, the meth had “an estimated wholesale value of $1.5 million and a street value of between $7 million and $15 million.” . . . Tutt was pointless during his stint with the Thunderbirds. . . . The News story is right here.
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The Tri-City Americans have dropped D Landon Fuller from their roster. He now is with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Fuller, 17, is from 100 Mile House, B.C. He was pointless in one game this season. He got into two games last season and also was pointless. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Fuller was a fifth-round selection in the 2014 WHL bantam draft.
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If you aren’t familiar with Joe Pelletier’s Greatest Hockey Legends.com, you should be. It’s a great place to drop by and visit whenever you get the urge to look into the game’s past. Pelletier also keeps tabs on hockey-related books as they come available and oftentimes offers up his thoughts on them. Right here, he takes a look at The Hockey Scribbler, which was written by George Bowering, a native of Penticton, B.C., who is a prolific writer.
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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 Brandon, F Austin Glover scored 45 seconds into OT to give the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Glover has five goals this season. . . . F Luke Coleman gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 3:08 of the first period, only to have Brandon F Ty Lewis tie it at 14:24. . . . F Nic Holowko put the Raiders back out in front at 15:02 of the second period. . . . The Wheat Kings forced OT when F Ty Kaspick scored his sixth goal, on a PP, at 12:58 of the third period. . . . F Simon Stransky had two assist for the Raiders. . . . Kaspick and Lewis had an assist each. . . . G Ian Scott turned aside 32 shots for the Raiders, two fewer than Brandon’s Logan Thompson. . . . The Wheat Kings were 2-5 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-2. . . . Prince Albert (3-5-0) snapped a three-game losing skid. . . . Brandon (2-3-2) has lost three in a row. . . . The Wheat Kings scratched F Nolan Patrick, giving him what is believed to be his second maintenance day of the young season. He missed most of training camp after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia in July. . . . Announced attendance: 3,518.
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At Edmonton, F Matt Phillips scored three times and added two assists to lead the Victoria Royals to
MATT PHILLIPS
a 6-1 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Phillips, who has six goals, opened the scoring at 8:38 of the first period. He made it 3-0 at 8:18 of the second, on a PP, and got his third goal, on another PP, at 9:54. . . . It was his second career hat trick, the other coming last season. . . . Phillips added an assist on F Tyler Soy’s goal, his fifth, on a PP at 12:03 of the first period. . . . Soy also had two assists. . . . The Royals were 3-7 on the PP, scoring three straight to take a 4-0 lead. . . . The Oil Kings were 1-4 on the PP. . . . F Jack Walker had a goal and an assist for the winners. . . . The Royals (5-5-0) got 39 saves from G Griffen Outhouse, while G Patrick Dea stopped 36 for Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings (3-5-1) have lost the first two games of a seven-game homestand. . . . Announced attendance: 7,176.
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At Kelowna, G Logan Flodell stopped 36 shots and F Jesse Zaharichuk and F Mason McCarty each scored twice to lead the Saskatoon Blades to a 4-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . This was the first
LOGAN FLODELL
game of a B.C. Division swing for the Blades, who were 0-3 in their last three visits to Kelowna. . . . Saskatoon (5-2-1) is 4-0-1 in its last five starts. . . . Kelowna (3-6-0) has lost two in a row. . . . Shynkaruk, who basically walked into Saskatoon’s camp and asked for a tryout, has five goals this season. He opened the scoring on a PP at 10:20 of the first period. . . . F Kole Lind, who had both Kelowna goals, tied it at 13:14. . . . McCarty gave the visitors the lead with his fourth goal, on a PP, at 19:00. . . . Shynkaruk upped the lead to 3-1 at 3:50 of the third period. . . . Lind got the Rockets to within a goal at 18:36, but McCarty got the empty-netter at 19:15. . . . Flodell was sharp as the Rockets held a 30-11 edge in shots over the last two periods. . . . G Brodan Salmond stopped 13 shots for Kelowna. . . . The Blades were 2-5 on the PP; the Rockets were 0-2. . . . F Kaleb Fantillo, acquired by the Blades from the Medicine Hat Tigers on Thursday, didn’t play. . . . F Jake Kryski (ill) was among Kelowna’s scratches. . . . F Leif Mattson, acquired earlier in the month from the Brandon Wheat Kings, was in the Rockets’ lineup for the first time. . . . Announced attendance: 4,678.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., D Connor Hobbs scored at 1:26 of OT to give the Regina Pats a 5-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Nick Henry, who has four goals, scored three times and added an assist for
CONNOR HOBBS
the Pats. His third goal, at 13:32 of the third period, forced OT. . . . Henry’s second goal, on a PP at 7:14 of the second period, gave Regina a 3-1 lead. . . . The Ice came back to take a 4-3 lead as F Matt Alfaro scored shorthanded at 11:39, F Vince Loschiavo scored at 17:31 and F Zak Zborosky, who is from Regina, scored his second goal of the game, on a PP, at 5:44 of the third period. . . . Zborosky has nine goals, second in the WHL to Tri-City F Michael Rasmussen, who has 10. . . . F Sam Steel had three assists for Regina, while F Dawson Leedahl and Hobbs each had a goal and an assist. . . . Alfaro added an assist to his goal. . . . Regina G Jordan Hollett blocked 19 shots, while the Ice’s Payton Lee turned aside 52. . . . Kootenay was 1-6 on the PP; Regina was 1-7. . . . The Pats (5-0-3) are the only one of the WHL’s 22 teams not have lost in regulation time. . . . The Ice (1-5-3) has lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 1,668.
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At Lethbridge, F Tyler Benson scored three times, including the OT winner, as the Vancouver Giants got past the Hurricanes, 4-3. . . . Benson’s fifth goal, on a PP, won it just 39 seconds into extra time. It
TYLER BENSON
also gave him his first WHL hat trick. . . . F Jesse Zaharichuk gave Lethbridge a 1-0 lead at 11:42 of the first period. . . . Benson tied it at 13:22. . . . F Ryley Lindgren put the home side ahead 2-1 with his sixth goal, on a PP, at 16:32. . . . Benson tied it 58 seconds into the second period. . . . F Brayden Burke, who also had two assists, gave Lethbridge a 3-2 lead at 14:01. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Semchuk forced OT with his fourth goal, on a PP, at 7:29 of the third period. . . . In 2015-16, a freshman season short-circuited by injury, Semchuk had a goal and an assist in 28 games. He has four goals and an assist in 11 games this season. . . . If you’re a WHL follower, you are aware of Benson’s injury woes. This season, he has five goals and four assists in six games. . . . F Thomas Foster had two assists for Vancouver. . . . The Giants got 25 saves from G Ryan Kubic, two fewer than Ryan Gilchrist of Lethbridge. . . . Vancouver was 2-4 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 1-5. . . . D Darian Skeoch had an assist for Vancouver; D Brennan Menell had an assist for Lethbridge. The two were involved in a trade earlier in the season. . . . The Giants (4-7-0) have won three in a row in Alberta. . . . The Hurricanes (5-2-2) have points in four straight (2-0-2). . . . Vancouver F Johnny Wesley was tossed with a headshot major and game misconduct at 3:21 of the second period. . . . Announced attendance: 3,267.
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At Medicine Hat, F Chad Butcher and F Mason Shaw each scored two goals and added an assist to help the Tigers to a 7-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . After F Jakob Stukel gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 1:50 of the first period, the Tigers erupted for five straight goals. . . . The Tigers got two assists from each of F Zach Fischer, F Steve Owre and F John Dahlstrom, with D David Quenneville and F Matt Bradley each adding a goal and an assist. . . . F Matteo Gennaro had a goal and an assist for Calgary. . . . The Tigers got 22 saves from G Nick Schneider. Calgary starter Cody Porter stopped 19 of 21 shots before leaving at 1:58 of the second period with an undisclosed injury. Kyle Dumba came on and allowed five goals on 18 shots. . . . Medicine Hat was 3-9 on the PP; Calgary was 1-7. . . . The Tigers (6-3-0) snapped a two-game losing skid. . . . The Hitmen (3-3-0) have lost two straight. . . . Announced attendance: 3,731.
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At Red Deer, F Austin Pratt scored three times to lead the Rebels to a 6-4 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Pratt gave the Rebels a 2-0 lead at 4:43 of the second period and tied the score 3-3 at
AUSTIN PRATT
17:14. He completed his first WHL hat trick at 12:43 of the third period, giving the Rebels a 5-4 lead in the process. . . . A 17-year-old from Lakeville, Minn., Pratt has eight points, including five goals, in nine games. Last season, as a freshman, he had eight goals and four assists in 56 games. . . . After Pratt tied the game at 3-3, Red Deer F Adam Musil gave his guys the lead at 18:23 of the second. . . . Moose Jaw F Luka Burzan’s second goal of the game, on a PP, tied it at 1:25 of the third. . . . Red Deer F Brandon Hagel had three assists, with D Colton Bobyk and F Michael Spacek each getting a goal and an assist. . . . The Warriors got two goals and an assist from F Jayden Halbgewachs, and two assists from each of F Nikita Popugaev and D Matt Sozanski. . . . Red Deer G Riley Lamb made 23 saves, six fewer than the Warriors’ Brody Willms. . . . Moose Jaw was 3-8 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-2. . . . The Rebels (4-3-2) have won two straight. . . . The Warriors are 4-2-2. . . . F Grayson Pawlenchuk played in his 200th regular-season game with the Rebels. . . . The Warriors lost F Tanner Jeannot with a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on Red Deer D Alexander Alexeyev at 14:08 of the first period. . . . Announced attendance: 4,389.
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At Kent, Wash., F Kody McDonald scored in the fourth round of a shootout to give the Prince George Cougars a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Cougars (9-2-0) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Thunderbirds (2-3-1) have lost two straight. . . . Seattle led this one 2-0 on goals by F Nolan Volcan, at 8:32 of the first period, and F Sami Moilanen, 20 seconds into the second, on a PP. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle’s fourth goal got the Cougars to within one at 8:47 of the second period and F Jansen Harkins’ first goal tied it at 12:15. . . . F Brad Morrison had two assists for the Cougars, while Gabrielle also had an assist. . . . Prince George was 2-4 on the PP; Seattle was 1-5. . . . G Ty Edmonds, 20, stopped 23 shots for the Cougars, one more than Carl Stankowski, 16, of the Thunderbirds. . . . According to TBird Tidbits, the Cougars were “10-2-0 in their last 12 regular-season visits to Kent” prior to last night. . . . With four 20-year-olds on their roster, following the return of F Ryan Gropp, the Thunderbirds have to scratch one each game. Last night, G Rylan Toth drew the short straw. . . . Announced attendance: 3,068.
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At Spokane, F Patrik Bajkov’s second goal of the game, 24 seconds into OT, gave the Everett Silvertips a 4-3 victory over the Chiefs. . . . F Brian King gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 3:14 of the second period. . . . The Chiefs took a 2-1 lead on two goals from F Kailer Yamamoto, who has six goals. He scored on a PP at 16:02 of the second and added his other goal at 9:30 of the third. . . . Bajkov, who has four goals, tied it at 13:59 and D Noah Juulsen gave the visitors the lead, on a PP, 10 seconds later. . . . The Chiefs forced OT when F Markson Bechtold scored a shorthanded goal at 18:52. . . . F Dominic Zwerger, who was acquired by Everett from Spokane as the Chiefs got down to three 20-year-olds, had two assists, while Juulsen added one to his goal. . . . D Ty Smith had two assists for Spokane, while Yamamoto and Bechtold had one each. . . . G Mario Petit stopped 27 shots for Everett, 10 more than Spokane’s Jayden Sittler. . . . Everett was 2-5 on the PP; Spokane was 1-1. . . . The Silvertips (7-1-1) have won three in a row. . . . The Chiefs (2-4-1) have lost two straight. . . . Chiefs F Hunter Elynuik left with a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on F Devon Skoleski at 13:06 of the third period. . . . Announced attendance: 4,423.
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At Kennewick, Wash., G Rylan Parenteau made 28 saves to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Parenteau, 20, got the start after being acquired from the
MICHAEL RASMUSSEN
Prince Albert Raiders on Thursday. He joined his new team that night. . . . The Americans got two goals from F Michael Rasmussen, who leads the WHL with 10 scores. . . . He opened the scoring at 10:13 of the first period, on a PP, then set up a PP goal by D Parker Wotherspoon, at 17:05. . . . F Nick Chyzowski got Kamloops on the board at 12;16 of the second, but Rasmussen got that one back at 16:53. . . . F Travis Walton, with his first WHL goal, got the Blazers to within one at 8:03 of the third. . . . The Americans put it away when F Parker AuCoin scored at 19:02. . . . Rasmussen has 10 goals in eight games. Last season, he scored 18 times in 63 games. . . . G Connor Ingram turned aside 33 shots for the Blazers. . . . The Americans were 2-4 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-3. . . . The Americans (5-3-0) have won three in a row and are 4-0-0 at home. . . . The Blazers (4-6-0) had won their previous two games. . . . Tri-City head coach Mike Williamson now has 498 regular-season coaching victories. . . . Announced attendance: 2,758.

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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Swift Current at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Red Deer vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Regina at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Brandon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Portland at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Prince George vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
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SUNDAY’S GAME (all times local):


Moose Jaw at Calgary, 2 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:30 PM
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Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Silvertips end Cougars' run . . . Portland powers past Wheaties . . . Giants blank Oil Kings

F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) has signed a one-year contract with Herlev (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Last season, he had 12 goals and 19 assists in 45 games with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL), and three goals and 10 assists in 18 games with the Quad City Mallards (ECHL).
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The NHL’s Buffalo Sabres returned D Brendan Guhle, 19, to the Prince Albert Raiders on Tuesday. Guhle was a second-round selection by the Sabres in the NHL’s 2015 draft. He has signed with the Sabres. Last season, he had 28 points, including 18 assists, in 63 games. He finished the season with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, recording a goal and three assists in six games. . . . The Raiders visit Brandon on Friday and then play host to the Wheat Kings on Saturday night.
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The Red Deer Rebels will be without G Tyson Verhelst, 19, and F Reese Johnson, 18, for a while. . . . Greg Meachem of reddeerrebels.com reports that Verhelst has an undisclosed injury. Verhelst, who suffered at least two concussions last season, hasn’t played for the Rebels since being acquired from the Spokane Chiefs on Sept. 29. . . . Johnson, who has been plagued by injuries, had shoulder surgery last season and that allowed him to play only 36 games. He injured his other shoulder during an exhibition game and is scheduled for more surgery this month. “He’s had a tough go,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ GM and head coach, told Meachem. “He has to have his other shoulder done now and hopefully once he gets it done he’ll be a new man and won’t have to worry about shoulder problems anymore. He’s out until the end of March, for sure.” . . . Meachem’s story is right here.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have released D Riley Shamray, 18, from their roster. He is expected to play for the MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines. . . . Shamray is from Oak River, Man. The Hurricanes acquired him from the Calgary Hitmen over the summer, giving up a seventh-round 2017 bantam draft pick in the exchange. . . . He was pointless in five regular-season games with Lethbridge. . . . The Hurricanes now have 23 players on their roster, including two goaltender and seven defencemen.
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The Kelowna Rockets have released F Tate Coughlin, 19, who was into his third season with the WHL team. He had four goals and nine assists in 112 regular-season games. . . . Coughlin, from Victoria, had two goals and two assists in 49 games last 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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TUESDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, the Portland Winterhawks scored five PP goals and beat the Wheat Kings, 7-6. . . . Goals by D Jordan Wharrie, his first with the Wheat Kings, and F Ty Lewis gave the home side a 2-0 lead before the first period was 13 minutes old. . . . The Winterhawks went back in front with three goals in the first half of the second period, from F Lane Gilliss, F Joachim Blichfeld and D Keoni Texeira, the latter two coming via the PP. . . . Brandon F Tanner Kaspick tied it at 11:44, only to have F Alex Overhardt put Portland out front on another PP, at 14:52. . . . Kaspick, who has five goals, tied it again at 16:14. . . . F Keegan Iverson restored Portland’s lead, on a PP, just 29 seconds into the third period. . . . F Reid Duke, in his first game since returning from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, scored shorthanded at 1:15 and it was tied again. . . . Portland F Cody Glass got the eventual game winner on, yes, another PP, at 2:26. . . . The Winterhawks got insurance when F Evan Weinger scored into an empty net, at 18:52. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick completed the scoring at 19:56. . . . Blichfeld added two assists to his goal, while F Skyler McKenzie had three assists and D Caleb Jones had two. Weinger and Texeira each added assists to their goals. . . . Duke added two assists to his goal and Patrick had one. . . . Portland G Cole Kehler made 40 saves, 11 more than Brandon’s Jordan Papirny. . . . The Winterhawks (6-3-0) finished 5-9 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 2-9. . . . Portland has scored 15 PP goals in nine games. . . . The Winterhawks are 3-2-0 on their East Division trip. . . . Brandon (2-3-1) has lost two in a row. . . . With Duke back, the Wheat Kings have four 20-year-olds on their roster. Able to dress only three per game, they scratched F Duncan Campbell last night. . . . The Winterhawks placed F Rodrigo Abols on waivers as they got down to the maximum of two import players. Abols, 20, is available to each of the other 21 teams. If he clears WHL waivers, he will be made available to OHL and QMJHL teams. . . . Announced attendance: 3,420.
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At Edmonton, G Ryan Kubic stopped 28 shots to help the Vancouver Giants to a 2-0 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . F Radovan Bondra ended a scoreless game in the third period. . . . The Giants were outshot 13-2 in the first period and 20-9 through 40 minutes. . . . Bondra scored his sixth goal at 9:02 of the third period. . . . F Tyler Benson added an empty-netter, while on a PP, at 19:52. . . . The Giants (3-7-0) have won two in a row. They had beaten the Hitmen 5-3 in Calgary on Monday afternoon. . . . The Oil Kings are 3-4-1. . . . Kubic has one shutout this season and five in his career. . . . Edmonton G Liam Hughes blocked 18 shots. . . . The Giants were 1-3 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-3. . . . This was Game 1 in a seven-game homestand for Edmonton. . . . Announced attendance:  5,000.
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At Medicine Hat, G Griffen Outhouse turned aside 40 shots to lead the Victoria Royals to a 5-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . F Dante Hannoun’s first goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 11:22 of the first period. . . . F Blake Bargar’s second goal upped that to 2-0 at 6:00 of the second period. . . . F Max Gerlach’s PP goal got the Tigers on the board at 16:23. He’s got four goals. . . . The Royals put it away with three third-period goals, from F Matt Phillips (3), F Tyler Soy (4) and F Jared Dmytriw (2), the latter into an empty net. . . . Soy also added an assist to his goal. . . . Tigers G Nick Schneider stopped 36 shots. . . . The Royals improved to 4-4-0 with their second straight victory. . . . The Tigers (5-3-0) have lost two in a row, both by 5-1 counts at home. . . . The Royals were 1-4 on the PP; the Tigers were 1-6. . . . Announced attendance: 3,532.
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At Prince George, the Everett Silvertips broke open a scoreless game with three second-period goals and went on to beat the Cougars, 4-0. . . . Prince George (8-1-0) went into the game riding an eight-game season-opening winning streak. . . . The Silvertips now are 5-1-1. . . . The teams meet again Wednesday night in Prince George. . . . G Carter Hart blocked 19 shots to record his first shutout of the season and 11th of his career in his 100th regular-season appearance. . . . F Devon Skoleski scored the game’s first goal at 1:03 of the second period. . . . F Sean Richards, who also had an assist, made it 2-0 at 5:55 and F Dominic Zwerger upped it to 3-0 with his third goal in as many games, at 9:51. . . . F  Brett Kemp completed the scoring at 19:22 of the third period. . . . G Nick McBride blocked 23 shots for the Cougars. . . . Everett was 0-6 on the PP; Prince George was 0-2. . . . F Orrin Centazzo, 16, made his WHL debut with the Silvertips. From Marwayne, Alta., he was a fifth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . Announced attendance:  2,625.
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At Kent, Wash., F Kailer Yamamoto broke a 1-1 tie 40 seconds into the third period and the Spokane Chiefs skated to a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . F Pavel Kousal’s second goal gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead at 6:00 of the second period. . . . Seattle F Scott Eansor pulled his guys even at 16:33. . . . Spokane F Curtis Miske got the empty-netter, at 19:46 of the third. . . . The Chiefs got a big game from G Dawson Weatherill, who made 44 saves. . . . Seattle got 19 saves from G Rylan Toth. . . . The Chiefs (2-3-0) had lost their previous two games. They play in Kamloops on Wednesday night. . . . The Thunderbirds are 2-3-0. . . . The Chiefs were 0-2 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-4. . . . F Ryan Gropp was pointless in his return to Seattle’s lineup from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. . . . According to TBird Tidbits (@TBirdTidbits), Seattle went into last night’s game have won six in a row at home over the Chiefs, outscoring the visitors 21-9 in the process. Spokane was held to one goal in five of those six games. . . . The game featured the Hamaliuk brothers — Dalton, a defenceman with the Chiefs, and Dillon, a forward with the Thunderbirds. . . . The Thunderbirds learned earlier in the day that F Mathew Barzal, 19, had made the roster of the NHL’s New York Islanders. . . . Announced attendance: 4,019.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Spokane at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Everett at Prince George, 7 p.m.

Portland at Regina, 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:57 PM
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