Reinhart family bragging rights on the line

There's a new challenger for bragging rights within the Reinhart family.
When it came to playing hockey, Paul Reinhart, the family patriarch, had a gene that not many fathers have.
The Atlanta Flames selected Reinhart with the 12th overall pick in the 1979 NHL draft. Reinhart, a defenceman, played 11 seasons in the NHL, including two (1988-89 and 1989-90) with the Vancouver Canucks prior to retiring.
After not having to deal with the everyday stresses that come with playing the game at that level, whether it was dealing with the media, traveling, or just being away from family, Paul and his wife, Theresa, decided it was time to start a family.
It’s quite apparent that when Theresa and Paul, by then living in West Vancouver, decided to have children, that gene got passed along.
On Feb. 4, 1992, Theresa gave birth to a baby boy -- Max.
Just like his father, Max came to love hockey. Ultimately, he would follow in his father's footsteps.
Max was drafted by Calgary Flames with the 64th overall selection in the 2010 NHL draft. He turned pro prior to the 2012-13 season and has since split time between the Flames and their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, a franchise that is on the move to Glens Falls, N.Y., this offseason.
Theresa and Paul had their second son Griffin two years later, and he continued the family tradition. He would grow up to be a 6-foot-4, 215-pound WHL player who spent three seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings, reaching three championship finals and winning the 2014 Memorial Cup. He was one of the top defencemen eligible for the 2012 NHL draft and the New York Islanders selected him with the fourth-overall pick.
Griffin became the earliest-drafted member of the Reinhart family, an honour that he continues to hold.
But you see, the more children the family raised, the better the kid would become when he was given a stick and puck.
By the time Sam, the youngest of the three Reinhart boys, donned a Kootenay Ice sweater on a regular basis in 2011-12, scouts were of the opinion that he had a world of talent and they already were projecting him as a high pick in the 2014 NHL draft.
Sam finished that first season with 62 points, including 34 assists, in just 67 games and continued to improve the following season, this time finishing with 85 points in 72 games.
Not only were scouts convinced that he was going to be an early pick in his draft class, but many believed he was the favourite to be the first player selected.
However, when the mid-season rankings were released by the NHL Central Scouting on Jan. 13, Reinhart wasn't listed at No. 1.
The player in the No. 1 slot has the first name Sam, but his last name is Bennett, and he is a 17-year-old left-winger who plays for the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs.
Reinhart, on the other hand, was ranked at No. 4.
But those were only the mid-season rankings. There was still a chance that the scouts' opinions would change before they submitted their final rankings.
However, that didn't happen, and Bennett retained his spot.
Reinhart, who had finished with 105 points, including 36 goals, and was a plus-24 in 60 games, did move up to No. 3, though.
To Bennett's credit, he also has an impressive resume. He was the Frontenacs’ finalist for the Red Tilson Trophy, awarded to the OHL’s most outstanding player, after he finished with 91 points, including 55 assists, last season.
Bennett showed he had the right stuff at the NHL Combine, too.
The Combine is an annual event at which team have opportunities to meet with prospects prior to the draft on June 27 and 28.
“He's a two-way player,” Dean Malkoc, an amateur scout for the Boston Bruins, said. “He's a good skater, he competes every shift and doesn't take any nights off. He could be like (Chicago Blackhawks forward) Jonathan Toews at the end of the day, that's how good of a player the kid is. He's a kid with high character. There's really no red flags to the way he plays and the way he interviewed.
He's going to be right there with the top kids.”
That being said, when it came to the fitness portion of the Combine, Bennett failed to do a single pull-up.
“You know what, for a player like that, I'm really not concerned,” Malkoc stated. “I know that there is a lot of concern, but the way he plays on the ice and the way he competes and how effective his game is, it's a little surprising that he wasn't able to do a pull-up. But that only tells me there's room for improvement in his game and the most important thing to watch in a player like that is how he
competes every night and he really plays hard. So it was a little surprising but, at this point, I don't think it's really going to affect him because he's such a good and effective player.”
What is the difference between Reinhart and Bennett?
“Well, Reinhart is a very gifted play-making type of player,” Malkoc explained. “With the skill and hockey sense and the play-making ability that he has, you really can't teach. It's really a special gift. Bennett, on the other hand, is more of a complete player. I would say he is more of a two-way player... he plays hard and gritty. I'm not saying that Reinhart doesn't play hard or that doesn't play a
two-way game because I think his two-way game has come a long way.
“One player could be like a Jonathan Toews and the other might be an Adam Oates. Either way, you're getting a good player in either player.”
“When you get players like (Reinhart and Bennett), you're going to get top-line kids,” Malkoc continued. “They have to rate and rank (all the prospects) in a certain order. It's just the way some of the scouts interpret the game. To me, if either one of them went at (first overall), I wouldn't be surprised. This could be a little bit different of a draft, because there's no set No. 1 player. There's a whole group of players and any one could slip into that slot so it's all about which team is picking where and what their needs are, really.”
In which case who is selected first probably won't be known until draft day.
No matter what happens, though, Sam likely will have the Reinhart family bragging rights.
When all is said and done, it'll be Sam who will be able to say: “Out of my dad, and my two older brothers, I was the highest-drafted Reinhart.”

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Oil Kings back on winning path; Terriers win big in Vernon

Elliotte Friedman of HNIC posted the latest edition of 30 Thoughts on Sunday. It always is really readable, so click right here for lots on the implosion of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post continues his look at the new owners of the Regina Pats as he profiles the Semples, Gavin and Shaun, right here.
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At the RBC Cup in Vernon, B.C., F Derek Falloon scored his second OT goal of the tournament to give the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers a 4-3 victory over the CCHL’s Carleton Place Canadians in the championship game. . . . The Canadians took a 3-1 lead into the third period and still had a two-goal lead with fewer than three minutes to play. . . . However, Tanner Lischynsky and Dylan Johnston sacored eight seconds apart (17:12 and 17:20) to force OT. . . . Falloon won it at 15:01 of the first extra period. It was his second OT goal of the tournament. . . . Yorkton held a 46-35 edge in shots, including 10-4 in OT. . . . This is Yorkton’s first RBC Cup championship. . . . After the final, RBC Cup (@HC_RBCCup) tweeted: “In 1999, the @VernonVipers won the #RBCCup in #Yorkton. In 2014, the @Terriers_SJHL win the #RBCCup in #Vernon.”
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After Sunday’s game, Los Angeles Kings F Jarret Stoll (@jarretstoll), who once again bought the Terriers their pregame meal, tweeted: “@Terriers_SJHL unbelievable win tonight and season. Pretty nice winning your last game of the year! So proud boys!! #RBC”
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MEMORIAL CUP
(at London, Ont., all times Eastern)
(all games televised by Sportsnet)
Friday: Val-d’Or 1, London 0 (8,863)
Saturday: Guelph 5, Edmonton 2 (8,842)
Sunday: Edmonton 5, London 2 (8,863)
Monday: Guelph vs. Val-d’Or, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Edmonton vs. Val-d’Or, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: London vs. Guelph, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7 p.m.
Friday: Semifinal, 7 p.m.
Saturday: No game scheduled.
Sunday: Final, TBD.
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SUNDAY’S GAME:
The WHL-champion Edmonton Oil Kings got two goals from each of F Edgars Kulda and F Luke Bertolucci as they dropped the host London Knights, 5-2. . . . The Oil Kings, who lost 5-2 to the OHL-champion Guelph Storm on Saturday, are 1-1. . . . The Knights, 1-0 losers to the QMJHL-champion Val-d’Or Foreurs on Friday, are 0-2 and in a deep hole. . . .  The Oil Kings overcame a balky PP to win this one, as they got progressively better 5-on-5 as the game wore on. . . . F Reid Petryk got Edmonton on the board at 9:42 of the first period, beating London G Anthony Stolarz high to the glove side while cutting across the high slot. . . . That goal came 23 seconds after Edmonton was ineffective on two PP opportunities, one of which was 5-on-3. . . . With Edmonton up 1-0, London F Ryan Rupert was awarded a penalty shot, but Oil Kings G Tristan Jarry, who was at his coolest in this one, closed the five-hole and stone him. . . . Rupert drilled a cross-bar three minutes into the second period, and 3:05 later Kulda cut across the slot and beat Stolarz high to the blocker side. . . . London D Alex Basso got his guys on the board with a shot off the left boards that bounced off Jarry’s glove and in at 16:14. . . . Before the crowd of 8,863 could really get into it, though, Kulda, positioned behind the goal line, bounced one off Stolarz and in for a 3-1 lead going into the third. . . . Bertolucci scored twice in the final period, with F Dakota Mermis scoring off a rebound for the Knights. . . . Jarry finished with 38 saves. . . . Stolarz stopped 27 shots over two periods, before Jake Patterson came on to stop 11 of 13 shots in the third. . . . Kulda and Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart were the two best players in this one. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-8 on the PP; London was 0-for-4. . . . Bertolucci’s second goal, at 18:23 of the third, came via the PP. Edmonton is 1-for-13 with the man advantage in its two games. . . . Guelph plays Val-d’Or tonight -- both teams are 1-0 -- with the Foreurs meeting the Oil Kings on Tuesday. London doesn’t play again until Wednesday when it meets Guelph. The Knights, playing in their third straight Memorial Cup tournament, have to win that game or it’s all over for them. . . . If Guelph wins tonight, the Storm will have qualified for Sunday’s championship game. . . . Not only did the Oil Kings win yesterday, and clinch at least a tiebreaker in the process, but WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) reported that they are the first CHL team to reach 25,000 followers on Twitter. . . . Neate Sager of Yahoo! Canada Sports has a good piece right here that pretty much sums up London’s frustrations.
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From Neate Sager (@neatebuzzthenet) of Yahoo! Canada Sports: “Like Monty Python's parrot, the London Knights aren't dead. They're just resting. #MCMemorialCup”
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From Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post: “Saskatchewan is 3-for-3 in national hockey championships. Yorkton (junior A), P.A. (boys midget AAA) and Weyburn (girls midget AAA).”

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Oil Kings crowned kings of the WHL

F Gilbert Brulé (Vancouver, 2002-06) has signed a one-year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (Russia, KHL). This season, with the Phoenix Coyotes (NHL), he was pointless in three games. In 11 games with the Portland Pirates (AHL), he had 12 points, including 12 goals. . . .

F Roman Horák (Chilliwack, 2009-11) has signed a one-year contract with Vityaz Podolsk (Russia, KHL). This season with the Calgary Flames/Edmonton Oilers, Horák had one goal in three games. With the Abbotsford Heat/Oklahoma City Barons (AHL), he had 55 points, 23 of them goals, in 66 games.
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G Justin Myles’ stint with the Kamloops Blazers is over, and he never did get into a game.
In January, the Blazers sent G Taran Kozun to the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for Myles, D Austin Douglas and a fourth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft.
However, Myles, who is from Calgary, was injured and never did play for the Blazers.
On Monday, the Blazers dealt Myles, 19, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft.
Kamloops also has received a 2016 fourth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft from Seattle as compensation for Myles.
The Blazers are expected to open next season with Bolton Pouliot, 20, as their starter. Cole Kehler, 17, is No. 2 on the depth chart, after getting into 11 games this season. Connor Ingram, 17, of the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos, who won the Telus Cup, and Dylan Ferguson, 16, of the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos also are in the picture.
Myles joins Teagan Sacher, who turns 20 on Dec. 1, Jarrod Schamerhorn, 19, Jonny Hogue, 18, and Stuart Skinner, who will be 16 on Nov. 1, as goaltenders on the Lethbridge roster who have seen action in the WHL.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have acquired F Kolten Olynek, 18, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes for F Miles Warkentine, 18.
Olynek, from Saskatoon, had 12 points, including four goals, in 57 games with the Hurricanes this season. He was a second-round pick, 26th overall, in the 2011 bantam draft.
After an injury-filled freshman season, Warkentine, from Prince Albert, had 12 points, three of them goals, in 65 games with the Warriors this season. Moose Jaw selected him 16th overall in the 2011 bantam draft.
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1. Travis Green, the head coach of the AHL’s Utica Comets, was in the house in Portland on Tuesday night as the Winterhawks lost 4-2 to the Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 7 of the WHL final. Green spent most of last season as the Winterhawks’ head coach, with GM/head coach Mike Johnston suspended. Stu Walters of Shaw-TV reported that Green watched Game 6 of the WHL final in Anaheim, while communicating with Portland assistant GM Matt Bardsley. With the Oil Kings leading 5-2, Green apparently told Bardsley that if the Winterhawks came back and won, he would be in Portland for Game 7. They did and he was.


2. The Memorial Cup field will be rounded out tonight when Game 7 of the QMJHL final is played in Baie-Comeau between the Drakkar and the Val-d’Or Foreurs.

3. The Memorial Cup is to be played in London, Ont., and will open Friday with the host Knights meeting the QMJHL champion. The Edmonton Oil Kings, who won the WHL title last night in Portland, open Saturday against the OHL-champion Guelph Storm. . . . The Oil Kings then meet London on Saturday.

4. Late night tweet from the Guelph Storm (@Storm_City): “Hey @EdmOilKings, we found some ice time in London on Saturday. Are you in?”

5. Response from the Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings): “It's a date!”

6. G Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers drew a $5,000 fine for squirting Sir Sidney Crosby with water during a playoff game on Sunday night. . . . Earlier in these playoffs, F Milan Lucic was fined $5,000 for spearing Detroit Red Wings D Danny DeKeyser in the jewels. . . . Boston F Shawn Thornton was fined $2,820.52 for squirting water in the face of Montreal Canadiens D P.K. Subban. . . . All of these are the maximum allowed under the CBA, which makes one wonder if that part was negotiated near the end of an all-nighter.

7. Remember when the NHL said it was going to crack down on obstruction and that penalties would be called in the playoffs just like they are in the regular season? Did you believe the NHL at the time? If so, do you now feel shame?

8. If you were wondering, Brett Iverson will be the WHL referee to work Memorial Cup games in London.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Jason Williamson, the general manager and head coach of the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, got a new two-year contract last week. Williamson, 33, who is coaching the host team for the RBC Cup this week, was in the final year of a three-year contract. . . . Associate coach Kris Mallette also will return to the Vipers next season, as will assistant coach Dave Robinson.
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Bob Prier has resigned after three seasons as head coach of the Princeton U Tigers, who were 6-26-0 this season. Prier, who resigned Monday, had a 25-58-12 record at Princeton.
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The junior B Grand Forks Border Bruins of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League have signed Brad Snyder as their general manager and head coach. Snyder, from Flin Flon, Man., replaces Kevin Flather, who had been hired Nov. 7 to replace Nick Deschenes, who left early in the season to join the staff of the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters.
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)(Edmonton wins, 4-3)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton 2 at Portland 5 (10,947)
Sunday: Edmonton 1 at Portland 3 (10,645)
Tuesday: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (6,799)
Wednesday: Portland 0 at Edmonton 2 (7,859)
Friday: Edmonton 3 at Portland 2 (10,947)
Sunday: Portland 6 at Edmonton 5 (OT) (11,902)
Monday: Edmonton 4 at Portland 2 (10,095)
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MONDAY’S GAME:
In Portland, the Edmonton Oil Kings erased a 1-0 deficit with four goals in the second period and went on to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup with a 4-2 victory over the defending-champion Winterhawks. . . . The Oil Kings, who won four of the last five games in the series, took the best-of-seven series 4-3. . . . The Memorial Cup opens Friday in London, Ont., with the host Knights playing the QMJHL champion, which will be decided tonight. . . . The Oil Kings open Saturday against the OHL-champion Guelph Storm. . . . In 10 previous WHL championship Game 7s, the home team was 10-0. . . . This was the third time in as many years that the same teams met in the WHL final. Edmonton won two years ago; the Winterhawks won last season. In the three finals, each team won 10 times. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand opened the scoring at 4:42 of the first period, going coast-to-coast and beating G Tristan Jarry off the right wing, high to the long side, moments after G Brendan Burke had come up big on Edmonton F Mitch Moroz. . . . The Oil Kings came close to tying it a short time later while on the game’s first PP, but F Curtis Lazar was ruled to have kicked the puck into the net with his left foot. . . . Edmonton tied it when F Mitch Moroz waltzed from the right wing across the slot and beat Burke at 3:50 of the second. . . . With the Winterhawks on the PP but looking the more tired of the two teams, Lazar scored shorthanded at 9:02 for a 2-1 lead. . . . Just 40 seconds later, F Reid Petryk drove to the net and got the puck through Burke for a 3-1 lead. . . . Edmonton finished off the period with F Mads Eller scoring on a 3-on-1 break at 17:17. . . . Portland didn’t score again until F Brendan Leipsic beat Jarry on a PP at 16:38 of the third period. . . . Portland was 1-for-5 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-2. . . . Jarry finished with 32 saves, three more than Burke. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart was selected as the MVP of the playoffs. Reinhart was injured last season and didn’t play in the championship series. . . . Bjorkstrand and Leipsic tied for the playoff scoring lead, each with 33 points. Bjorkstrand led the playoffs in goals (16) and Portland D Derrick Pouliot was tops in assists (27).
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From Edmonton Journal sports columnist John MacKinnon (@rjmackinnon), after the post-game trophy presentations: “#WHL pres. Ron Robison gets the boos in Portland. Fans don't forgive or forget, apparently. Yikes.”

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Oil Kings, Winterhawks in control; WHL Popcorn Poll is here

F Petr Vala (Seattle, 1997-98) has signed a one-year extension with Zell am See (Austria, Inter-National-League). This season, he finished second in the league’s scoring race, with 72 points, including 27 goals, in 34 games. . . .
G Kevin Nastiuk (Medicine Hat, 2001-05) has signed a one-year extension with Dresdner Eislöwen (Germany, DEL2). In 52 games with Dresden this season, he had a 2.67 GAA. . . .
F Clinton Pettapiece (Tri-City, Medicine Hat, 2003-06) has signed a one-year contract with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan). This season, with the Dordrecht Lions (Netherlands, Eredivisie), he had 61 points, including 22 goals, in 36 games. . . .
F Yegor Mikhailov (Spokane, 1996-97) has signed a one-year contract with Visp (Switzerland, NL B). The contract includes an out clause should Mikhailov sign with a KHL team. This season, with Red Ice Martigny (Switzerland, NL B), he had 43 points, 23 of them goals, in 45 games.
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The WHL’s board of governors will meet in Calgary on April 30 to, according to the league, “review applications to transfer the ownership of the Prince George Cougars and Regina Pats.”
The meeting will be held at the Deerfoot Inn, prior to the WHL awards luncheon.
From a WHL news release:
“The owner of the Prince George Cougars, Rick Brodsky has entered into an agreement with Mr. Greg Pocock of EDGEPRO Sports & Entertainment Ltd., to purchase the Prince George WHL franchise. Mr. Pocock is the head of a group consisting of local Prince George businessmen and former WHL players who formed EDGEPRO to purchase the Cougars franchise.
“It was also announced (Wednesday) the ownership of the Regina Pats franchise, Russ and Diane Parker, has agreed to sell the franchise to a group of Regina businessmen headed by Anthony Marquart. Mr. Marquart has formed Queen City Sports & Entertainment Group Ltd., to acquire the Pats franchise.
“Both franchise purchases are subject to the approval of the WHL Board of Governors. In order for the transfers of ownership to be approved, a two-thirds majority vote is required from the WHL Board of Governors at the April 30 meeting.
“Should the transfer of ownership applications be approved by the WHL Board of Governors, the sale transactions will close later in May, at which time the new ownership will be in position to take control of the franchises.”
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The results of the 2013-14 WHL Popcorn Poll arrived via email on Wednesday and the Vancouver Giants are on top, once again.
The Corn Panelists, all from the Everett Silvertips, are medical trainer Marc Paquet, assistant coach Marc LeRose and equipment manager James Stucky.
While the panelists didn’t supply numbers, they did tell me that each arena’s popcorn “was graded on a 0-5 scale (5 being best) by each participant in the areas of flavor, texture and aroma/freshness." The Silvertips didn’t visit the East Division this season, so those arenas will be graded next season.
The panelists reported: “Vancouver keeps its title and is once again king of the popcorn hill for the WHL. The Giants were graded as having the best ‘Corn’ in the league in 2008-09 when we did our first popcorn poll. This time around, their ‘Corn’ was the only one to receive a perfect grade.”
In order, the results of the poll are:
1. Vancouver; 2. Prince George; 3 Medicine Hat; 4. Calgary; 5. Kamloops; 6. Edmonton; 7. Red Deer; 8. Kelowna; 9. Kootenay; 10. Portland (Memorial Coliseum); 11. Tri-City; 12. Spokane; 13. Portland (Moda Center); 14. Victoria; 15. Lethbridge; 16. Everett; 17. Seattle.
As an aside, the Corn Panelists noted that they “were appalled when testing the ‘Corn’ in Kent (Seattle). They continue to serve popcorn from their concession stands in plastic, tubular, air-sealed bags. The Showare Center completely takes the tradition and true enjoyment out of a good tub or paper bag filled with fresh popcorn.”
What? You thought a survey conducted by an Everett team wouldn’t include editorial comment involving their nearest rival?
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1. Can’t anyone hold a two-goal lead in these Stanley Cup playoffs?

2. Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels hit the 500th home run of his career on Tuesday, and he did it with little fanfare. I was wondering where all the hype had gone, when I found this column right here by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.

3. A tweet from former NHL referee Paul Stewart (@PaulStewart22): “I get emotional about those sorts of plays and players. I stand by that I would have given Cooke 50 games. Let the NHLPA gripe.” . . . That was after the NHL announced that Minnesota Wild F Matt Cooke had been given a seven-game suspension for that knee-on-knee hit on Colorado Avalance D Tyson Barrie.

4. If the NHL wanted to get stuff like knee-on-knee hits out of its games, it would hire OHL commissioner David Branch as its Minister of Justice.

5. Wondering why we’re paying so much for a litre of gasoline these days? . . . Well, we know we’re not being gouged, so it must by the situation in Ukraine and, according to one analyst, there’s an out-of-service pipeline in Iraq that is figuring into things, too.

6. Starter Michael Pineda of the New York Yankees was ejected from Wednesday night’s game in Fenway Park after Boston manager John Farrell asked the umpires to check for a foreign substance. Pineda had pine tar on his neck; in an earlier start, he appeared to have some on one hand. . . . The rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox just amped up a notch, if that’s possible.

7. Hitters are allowed to use pine tar (hello, there, George Brett), so why can’t pitchers use it, too?

8. Are young players over-coached? Do adults need to get out of the way and let them play? Of course, they do. Here’s Will Leitch of sportsonearth.com, with his take on a great quote from Jurgen Klinsmann, the head coach of the U.S. men’s soccer team.

9. While the Portland Winterhawks were beating the visiting Rockets on Wednesday night, the Portland Trail Blazers were beating the Rockets 112-105 in Houston to take a 2-0 lead in a first-round NBA playoff series. They’ll play Games 3 and 4 in Portland on Friday and Sunday. . . . Late in the game, TNT analyst Chris Webber said: “There’s some crazy people in Portland and I mean that as a compliment.” Sounds like he has been to a Winterhawks game or two.

10. I have saved the best for last, although it is closing in on 9 million views at youtube.com, so perhaps you already have seen it. It’s Darcy Oake, an illusionist, appearing on the British TV show Got Talent, and it is amazing. It is right here. . . . As an aside, he is the son of broadcaster Scott Oake.
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JUST NOTES:
D Mitch Topping, who played five seasons in the WHL, has committed to attending the U of Alberta and playing for the CIS-champion Golden Bears. . . . Topping, who turned 21 on Feb. 19, spent the last three seasons with the Tri-City Americans. The Red Deer native played his first two seasons with the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . In 317 career regular-season games, Topping had 113 points, including 33 goals. He was the Americans’ captain.
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THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. MEDICINE HAT (4)
(Edmonton leads, 3-1)
Season series: Edmonton, 5-0-1; Medicine Hat, 1-5-0.
(All games on Shaw TV)
Friday: Medicine Hat 3 at Edmonton 8 (7,694)
Sunday: Medicine Hat 1 at Edmonton 3 (5,763)
Tuesday: Edmonton 1 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,189)
Wednesday: Edmonton 4 at Medicine Hat 1 (3,832)
Saturday: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, day-to-day; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
(Portland leads, 3-1)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-0-0; Portland, 0-4-0.
Friday: Portland 4 at Kelowna 5 (6,218)
Saturday: Portland 5 at Kelowna 3 (6,341)
Tuesday: Kelowna 3 at Portland 4 (OT) (9,259)
Wednesday: Kelowna 1 at Portland 5 (9,744)
Friday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Kelowna at Portland, 2 p.m.
x-Tuesday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
Portland: None.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Medicine Hat, the Edmonton Oil Kings opened the scoring for a fourth straight game and went on to beat the Tigers, 4-1. . . . Edmonton leads the Eastern Conference final 3-1 and has its first chance to wrap it up on Saturday in Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings are looking to play in their third straight WHL championship final. . . . D Griffin Reinhart scored the game’s first goal, his third, at 7:16 of the second period. It came with the teams playing 4-on-4. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock scored perhaps the game’s biggest goal, because it came on a 5-on-3 PP with just 7.2 seconds left in the second period. . . . Pollock, who also had an assist, closed out the game’s scoring with his eighth of these playoffs. . . . Edmonton F Riley Kieser got his side’s third goal, his fourth, at 6:52 of the third period. (On the Oil Kings’ website, they are giving the goal to F Luke Bertolucci so perhaps a change is on the way.) . . . The Tigers got their goal from F Cole Sanford, his ninth, at 18:42 of the third on a PP. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry turned aside 22 shots, four fewer than Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-for-6. . . . F Trevor Cox, who leads the Tigers with 23 points in 17 playoff games, left in the second period after a collision with Edmonton F Edgars Kulda. Cox didn’t return.


In Portland, F Nic Petan scored three PP goals to help the Winterhawks to a 5-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Winterhawks lead the Western Conference final 3-1 with Game 5 scheduled for Kelowna on Friday night. . . . Going back to the regular season, the Winterhawks have won 39 of their last 42 games. . . . The Winterhawks were 3-for-8 on the PP, while the Rockets went 0-for-5. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley scored the game’s first goal, at 13:28 of the opening period. . . . Petan tied it at 18:48, then gave his side the lead at 10:15 of the second period. . . . F Oliver Bjorkstrand made it 3-1 with a shorthanded goal just 1:14 later. . . . Bjorkstrand leads the playoffs in goals (15) and is tied for the lead in points (25), with teammate F Brendan Leipsic. . . . Petan added insurance at 16:53 with his seventh goal of the playoffs. He tied a franchise record for PP goals in one game. F Dave McLay did it in a 9-6 victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs on March 28, 1986. . . . Portland F Paul Bittner ended the scoring with his second goal of the playoffs, an empty-netter, at 17:48. . . . Leipsic and D Derrick Pouliot each had three assists as they ran their playoff point streaks to 13 games. . . . Pouliot has 24 points, 20 of them assists, in that streak. . . . Portland G Corbin Boes turned aside 31 shots, as did Kelowna’s Jordon Cooke.
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “13 - Getting a helper, @pdxwinterhawks Derrick Pouliot now has the WHL's longest playoff assist streak in at least 19 years (13 games).”
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From Matthew Gourlie (@MattGourlie) of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, after a Wednesday game at the Telus Cup national midget AAA championship: “PA-Okanagan finishes 1-1. Bad blood at the buzzer. Teams told not to shake hands by officials. They stand at blue lines and chirp b4 leaving.”


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Winterhawks, Ice's Reinhart keep streaks alive

Greg Gatto (Brandon, Spokane, Prince Albert, Regina, Portland, 1990-92) is the new head coach of the NAHL’s Odessa Jackalopes, at least for the final 10 games of this season. Gatto, who was fired earlier this month as the head coach of the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns, replcaes Matt Cressman, who was dismissed Thursday. Cressman had been in his first sesaon as head coach, but his 13th with the Jackalopes. . . . Gatto was an assistant coach with the Jackalopes in 2003-04. He also played for the Jackalopes in 2002-03 when he and Cressman were teammates.
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D Griffin Reinhart, the captain of the Edmonton Oil Kings, hopes to play this afternoon against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. Reinhart missed six games in February because of the flu, but he’s hoping he’s well enough to play today. . . . The Oil Kings and Hitmen are tied for first place in the Eastern Conference, each with 91 points. The Oil Kings have 10 games remaining; the Hitmen have eight to play.
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The Regina Pats have added F Sam Steel to their roster for the remainder of this season. Steel, the second overall selection in the 2013 WHL bantam draft, spent the season with the midget AAA Sherwood Park, Alta., J. Ennis Kings. Their season ended earlier this week, freeing him up to join the Pats. . . . The Pats will use Steel, too, as they have been hit by injuries and illness. He played last night as the Pats beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos 4-3 in a shootout. . . . Regina was again without F Boston Leier and F Dryden Hunt, both of whom have concussions. F Morgan Klimchuk and D Dmitry Sinitsyn, both of whom missed a game this week due to illness, were back.
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File this under the best laid plans. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald had hoped to get video of a post-game celebration between G Austin Lotz and D Ben Betker of the Everett Silvertips, and then post it on his blog. Well, the stars were aligned the other night, except that a bear got in the way. . . . Read all about it right here.
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F Tanner MacMaster of the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks had signed a letter of intent to attend Boston College and play for the Eagles. However, it seems he has changed his mind and now has committed to Quinnipiac, which is in Hamden, Conn., where he will play for the Bobcats. . . . The Spokane Chiefs selected MacMaster with the 19th overall pick of the 2011 bantam draft. This season, with the Kodiaks, MacMaster, who turned 18 on Jan. 8, has 40 points, including 11 goals, in 47 games. Last season, he finished with 48 points, 24 of them goals, in 56 games. . . . Tanner is the younger brother of Nathan MacMaster (Moose Jaw, Calgary, Tri-City, 2007-12).
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Red Deer (8)
Regina (2) vs. Brandon (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Kootenay (5)
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Western Conference
Kelowna (1) vs. Tri-City (8)
Portland (2) vs. Vancouver (7)
Victoria (3) vs. Everett (6)
Seattle (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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SATURDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Calgary at Edmonton, 2 p.m.
Kootenay at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Regina at Moose Jaw, 7:30 p.m.
Kamloops at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Victoria at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Portland at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES):
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored three first-period goals and went on to a 5-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . F Colton McCarthy had a goal, his sixth, and an assist for the Warriors, while F Jack Rodewald got his 22nd goal and also had an assist. . . . Lethbridge F Taylor Cooper scored his 12th goal, seven of which have come against the Warriors. . . . The Hurricanes have lost eight in a row. . . . Neither the Warriors (17-38-9) nor Hurricanes (12-49-5) will appear in the playoffs. . . .

In Regina, F Connor Gay’s second goal of the game, at 4:13 of OT, gave the Pats a 4-3 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Gay has 15 goals this season. . . . The Broncos scored twice in the first period and took a 2-0 lead into the second period. . . . Gay tied the score at 3:29 of the third, with F Patrick D’Amico giving the Pats their first lead, with his sixth goal, at 6:03. . . . Broncos F Coda Gordon forced OT with his 24th goal at 12:24. . . . The Pats, who went 10-2-1 in February, are 36-23-6 and atop the East Division, seven points ahead of the Broncos (31-24-9). . . .

In Saskatoon, the Kootenay Ice scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Blades, 4-2. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart had one assist, running his point streak to a franchise-record 22 games and his assist streak to 15 games, which already was a franchise record. Former Ice F Mike Comrie had set the previous points record of 21 games in 2000-01. . . . Saskatoon F Cameron Hebig, assigned the task of checking Reinhart, scored his 12th goal. . . . The Ice is 9-2-0 in its last 11. . . . The Blades have lost four in a row; they also have lost seven straight on home ice. . . . Ice F Luke Philp tied the score 2-2 with his 27th goal at 4:06 of the second period. . . . Kootenay D Landon Peel scored his fourth goal at 8:36 of the third to give his side its first lead. . . . Ice D Landon Cross iced it with a shorthanded empty-netter, his second goal this season, at 18:42. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 31 shots. . . . It was Critters Pucks and Paws Night. There were 158 dogs in the audience, along with 4,517 folks. . . . Blades F Nikita Scherbak had his 10-game point streak snapped. . . . D Jordan Thomson made his debut with the Blades. Thomson, the fourth overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers in January. He will play two more games with the Blades this weekend and then return to the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings. . . . The Ice (37-23-4) is fifth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Blades (16-43-5) won’t be in the playoffs. . . .

In Calgary, F Brady Brassart scored twice and added an assist to help the Hitmen to a 5-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Brassart, who has 33 goals, ran his point streak to 14 games. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini opened the scoring with his 16th goal just 31 seconds into the second period. He has goals in three straight games. . . . Calgary F Pavel Padakin scored his 25th goal on a third-period penalty shot. . . . The Hitmen are 10-0-1 in their last 11. . . . The Blazers have lost three in a row. . . . Kamloops had veteran F Chase Souto back in the lineup. He hadn’t played since Feb. 8. . . . The Hitmen (42-15-7) are tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings atop the Central Division. . . . The Blazers (13-47-5) are 10th in the 10-team Western Conference. . . .

In Red Deer, F Miles Koules and F Cole Sanford scored in the shootout to give the Medicine Hat Tigers a 3-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . Koules scored his 24th goal of the season at 16:47 of the first period. . . . The Rebels came back with second-period goals form F Wyatt Johnson, his 10th, and F Scott Feser, his 12th. . . . Medicine Hat F Curtis Valk forced OT with his 38th goal, via the PP, at 4:54 of the third. . . . In a battle of Czech goaltenders, Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer stopped 25 shots through OT, while Red Deer’s Patrik Bartosak turned aside 38. . . . The Tigers (40-22-3) are fourth in the Eastern Conference, five points ahead of Kootenay. . . . Red Deer (30-30-5) holds down the conference’s last playoff spot, two points ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders. . . .

In Prince George, D Travis Brown scored at 15:09 of the third period to break a 3-3 tie and help the Victoria Royals a 5-3 victory over the Cougars. . . . Brown, who came over from the Moose Jaw Warriors in January, has 13 goals this season. . . . The Royals led 2-0 in the second period and 3-1 in the third, only to have the Cougars tie it on goals 13 seconds apart from F Zach Pochiro, his 27th, and F Todd Fiddler, his 44th. . . . Fiddler, who scored twice, now is riding a 17-game point streak. . . . The Royals are 9-1-1 in their last 11. . . . The Cougars had F Brett Roulston back in the lineup after he missed eight games with a concussion. Earlier in the season, he missed 13 games with a broken foot. . . . The Royals and Cougars play again tonight in P.G. . . . Victoria is 6-1-0 against Prince George this season. . . . The Royals (44-17-4) are third in the Western Conference and likely to finish there. . . . The Cougars (26-33-8) are two points out of the conference’s last playoff spot but have only five games left. . . .

In Kelowna, G Jordon Cooke stopped 31 shots to lead the Rockets to a 6-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . They’ll play again tonight in Vancouver. In fact, four of the Giants’ final eight games are scheduled to be against the Rockets. . . . Cooke has three shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . F Nick Merkley, a 16-year-old from Calgary, scored twice, giving him 20 goals. He’s got 49 points in 58 games. . . . D Damon Severson drew three assists,. . . . The Rockets scored four times in the third period. . . . Kelowna (51-9-4) leads the overall standings. . . . The Giants (30-25-10) are seventh in the Western Conference, three points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . .

In Spokane, G Corbin Boes stopped 30 shots and the Portland Winterhawks ran their winning streak to 21 games as they beat the Chiefs, 2-0. . . . This was Boes’ first shutout of the season and the third of his career. It was his first blank job since Oct. 1, 2011, when he was with the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . With Brendan Burke recovering from mononucleosis, Boes made his eighth straight start. Boes is 12-0-1 since being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in January. . . . The Winterhawks have a chance to tie the WHL record for consecutive victories in one season when they meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., tonight. That record is held by the 1967-68 Estevan Bruins. . . . The Winterhawks have eight games remaining, four of them against Seattle. . . . Portland is 22-0-1 in its last 23 games. . . . The Winterhawks swept the Chiefs 8-0-0 this season, shutting them out in each of the last three meetings; in fact, Portland has won 16 straight games, regular-season and playoffs, from the Chiefs. . . . The Winterhawks scored the game’s first goal, as they now have done in each of the last 21 games these teams have played against each other. . . . F Alex Schoenborn opened the scoring with his 17th goal at 1:40 of the first period. . . . F Chase De Leo, with his 35th, added insurance at 1:51 of the second. . . . The game featured the WHL’s top three scorers, but neither Spokane F Mitch Holmberg (107 points) nor Portland’s Nic Petan (106) or Oliver Bookstand (96) picked up a point. . . . Portland (47-12-5) is seven points behind Kelowna with each team having eight games to play. . . . Spokane (36-22-6) is fifth in the Western Conference, four points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . .

In Everett, the Silvertips took a 3-0 lead and then hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Silvertips clinched a playoff spot for the 11th consecutive season. This is their 11th season in the WHL. . . . F Carson Stadnyk, with his 18th, and F Jujhar Khaira, with his 15th, gave the Silvertips a 2-0 first-period lead. . . . Everett had a 16-3 edge in shots in the first period. . . . F Manraj Hayer, with his 14th, upped that to 3-0 at 1:19 of the third. . . . The Americans got back in it on goals from F Lucas Nickles, at 10:51, and F Parker Powles, his 10th, at 17:53. . . . F Kohn Bauml had two assists for Everett. . . . F Brian Williams had two assists for Tri-City. . . . Americans G Eric Comrie stopped 32 shots, seven more than Everett’s Austin Lotz. . . . The Silvertips are 4-0-1 in their last five. . . . The Americans are 0-5-3 in their last eight. . . . Everett (32-23-9) is sixth in the Western Conference, three points ahead of Vancouver. . . . The Americans (27-29-8) are eighth in the conference, two points ahead of Prince George.
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From Regina Pats G Daniel Wapple (@Wapps35): “Gotta love when your parents come down for the weekend even tho it's minus 60 outside #dedication #loveit”
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From Portland freelancer Scott Sepich (@SSepich): “What a difference 6 years make: In March '08, Spokane beat Portland to extend the Winterhawks' losing streak to 21 games.”


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