Hockey weeps and remembers . . . Oil Kings lose a coach . . . Two WHL draft picks opt for NCAA

In a treasured photo from the Hicketts family album, here's the late Pat Quinn
with brothers, Matt, left, and Joe, after the latter, now a defenceman
with the Victoria Royals, had been named Hockey Now's B.C. minor hockey
player of the year for 2010-11.
(Photo courtesy Lee-Gaye Hicketts)

F Curtis Huppe (Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Tri-City, 1995-2000) has been released by the Guildford Flames (England, Premier). He had two goals and an assist in three games.
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What a tough day for hockey!
First came news of the death in Moscow of Soviet/Russian hockey coach Viktor Tikhonov, the man who guided the then-USSR team through the Summit Series in 1972.
Tikhonov, 84, died after a long illness.
That was followed by the news that Pat Quinn, one of the most respected people in all of hockey, had died in Vancouver after an illness. He was 71.
The hockey world also lost Murray Oliver, who died Sunday of a heart attack. Oliver, who lived in Edina, Minn., was 77. Oliver played, and played well, for three of the NHL’s Original Six franchises.
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Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail remembers Pat Quinn right here.
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Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun has his own thoughts on Pat Quinn right here.
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Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun reminisces about the Big Irishman right here.
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Ken Campbell of The Hockey News was a young reporter with the Toronto Star and his beat was the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were coached by Pat Quinn. Campbell remembers that and more right here.
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Most times standing in front of the players’ bench, Viktor Tikhonov coached teams to three Olympic gold medals and eight World championship titles between 1979 and 1992. . . . He also was the Soviet team’s coach during the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. . . . The IIHF’s website has more right here.
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Dmitry Chesnokov, over at Puck Daddy, has a look right here at the life and legacy of Viktor Tikhonov.
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On the ice, Tikhonov’s grandson, Viktor Jr., had two goals and an assist for SKA in a KHL game on Monday. But his SKA side dropped a 5-3 decision to his grandfather’s team, CSKA Moscow. There’s more on the game right here.
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The Minneapolis StarTribune has more on Murray Oliver right here.
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On Monday evening, Dave Hodge of TSN flipped his pencil into the air and tweeted: “Jan. 7, 1980. MIN 7 PHIL 1. Flyers' 35-game unbeaten streak ends. PHIL head coach was Pat Quinn. MIN ass't was Murray Oliver. May both RIP.”
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Have you heard about the 41-year-old Swede who was the only person in the Philadelphia concert hall for a show by Bob Dylan on Sunday afternoon? Check out that story right here.
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Earlier this month, a couple of OHL players were suspended after getting tangled up in a situation on Tinder, one of those social media things. Chris Dilks of sbncollegehockey.com has a story right here that involves NCAA hockey players and Tinder. Privacy on the Internet? Uhh, no!
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The NHL’s Edmonton Oilers fired goaltending coach Frederic Chabot on Monday, replacing him with Dustin Schwartz, who had been the goaltending coach for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Of course, the Oilers own the Oil Kings.
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Dr. Nigel Painter, who is listed in the WHL Guide as the Prince Albert Raiders’ team physician, won’t be practising medicine for at least a year. The College of Physicians and Surgeons has taken away his licence for having sex with a patient. There’s more right here.
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F Colton Kehler, who was a seventh-round pick by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft, has committed to attend Clarkson University and play for the Golden Knights. Kehler, 17, is from Port Coquitlam, B.C. He presently is with the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen.
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F Baron Thompson, a 15-year-old from Lakeville, Minn., has committed to the U of Maine and the Black Bears. A third-round pick of the Victoria Royals in the 2014 bantam draft, he is playing for the Omaha AAA Lancers U16 team this season.
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Thanks everyone for all the prayers and thoughts this weekend. Feeling much better now and hope to be back on the ice soon!
— nikita scherbak (@nikscherbak) November 24, 2014

Odjick facing biggest fight . . . The photo that won't go away

Good day. Today's blog post is brought to you by . . .

F Jakub Klepiš (Portland, 2001-02) has signed a one-year contract with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, SHL). Last season, with Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL), he had 17 points, eight of them goals, in 38 games. He also played in the KHL’s All-Star Game. . . .
F Roman Pšurný (Medicine Hat, 2004-06) has been assigned on loan for the entire season by Litvinov to Karlovy Vary (both Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, with Litvinov, he had a goal and an assist in 32 games. He also played on loan with two Czech Republic, 1. Liga teams. He had five points, including three goals, in three games with Most, and eight points, three of the goals, in 10 games with České Budějovice.
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Like a nagging cough or a bad joke, it keeps showing up.
Such is life in the age of the Internet.
Yes, I’m referring to the photograph that is at the top of this piece.
The picture showed up on Twitter on Thursday afternoon, tweeted by friend Kevin Shaw of Regina.
It also made an appearance on this blog on March 20, 2009. Here’s some of what I wrote then:
“It wasn't an ad campaign. It was a one-shot deal. A gal named Ruth -- it was 20 years ago; sorry, I can't remember her last name -- was in promotions at CKCK Radio in Regina which, at the time, was down the hall from The Leader-Post. “CKRM had had the rights to the Pats' broadcasts for a long time, but CKCK Radio had them now. And Ruth thought it would be a fine idea if Peter Loubardias, who was handling the play-by-play, and his colour analyst (uhh, that would be me) posed for an ad that could be used in print publications like the newspaper and game programs.
“I seem to recall telling her that it was a great idea and would certainly be an attention grabber. Peter? Not so much. (If memory serves, a guy named Roger Millions was whispering in Ruth's ear through all of this, telling her what a great idea it was.)
“Anyway, we did the shot in the shower off the Pats' dressing room. Some of the players helped out. The water was turned on nice and hot to create the steamy background. We donned towels and away we went.
“And, yes, I have to say it is effective even today, some 20 years later (even if my first name is spelled incorrectly).”
If you are wondering the players in the background are Terry Hollinger (left), Jamie Heward and, I think, Cory Paterson.
I must admit that I chuckle every time I see the picture, if only because of the look of exasperation on Peter’s face.
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1. Former NHL enforcer Gino Odjick has been diagnosed with a terrible heart disease and says he may have only months, or even weeks, to live. Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province visited Odjick and filed this column.

2. For the first time this week there doesn’t appear to be any news on the WHL coaching front.

3. Finally, a day without any World Cup soccer on TV. Might be time to mow some grass and pull some weeks.

4. If you’re looking for a good baseball read, you can’t go wrong with Wild Pitches: Rumblings, Grumblings, and Reflections on the Game I Love. It’s a compilation of columns from ESPN baseball writer Jayson Stark, and it’s one of those books you can put down, pick up again and open anywhere. Enjoy!
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A tweet from Benny Walchuk (@BennyGX94Sports) informs all that the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League team that had been the Yorkton Harvest now is the Yorkton Rawtec Maulers. . . . My first weekend with the Regina Leader-Post, in the spring of 1983, I handled a midget AAA rewrite in which I referred to the Yorkton Parkland Maulers, as opposed to the Yorkton Parkland Mallers. At the time, the team was sponsored by the Parkland Mall. . . .
Walchuk also tweeted that the Terriers, who won the RBC Cup as national junior A champions, “loss is around the $35,000 mark” for the 2013-14 season. It would seem the one-time junior A franchise owner was correct when he said the perfect season was to lose Game 7 of the championship final at home. . . . Terriers president Dave Baron told Walchuk: “Any time you’re successful, it’s going to cost you a little bit of money. You have staff around for extra weeks, a few more weeks of broken sticks. Your ultimate goal is obviously to win the title and we did, but it cost us a little money to do that."
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THE COACHING GAME:
Jeff Dubois is the new general manager and head coach of the junior B Creston Valley Thunder Cats of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. He had been the head coach of the Castlegar-based Selkirk College Saints, who won the last two B.C. Intercollegiate League championships. . . . Dubois took over at Selkirk College in April 2012, meaning he won the league title in each of his two seasons there. He also was named the BCIHL’s coach of the year for each season. . . . His combined regular-season and playoff record for the two seasons is 48-6-1. . . . With the Thunder Cats, he takes over from Joshua Hepditch, who resigned in order to take over the Amherst Rambers of the junior A Maritimes Hockey League.
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#Canucks president Trevor Linden spoke today to Doug Lidster about possibly joining coaching staff. Will talk more next week.
— Iain MacIntyre (@imacVanSun) June 27, 2014

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Winterhawks win championship final opener

1. The Vancouver Giants are in the market for a head coach and I am told that management held “serious discussions” with former NHL coach Marc Crawford, but that things didn’t work out. Crawford, who last coached major junior from 1989-91 with the OHL’s Cornwall Royals, and his family have a home in North Vancouver. . . . I am told that Giants majority owner Ron Toigo spoke with Crawford but that Crawford, 53, has no desire at this time to go back to riding the bus. . . . Crawford, who spent 15 seasons as an NHL head coach with the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings, has spent the last two seasons in Zurich as head coach of the ZSC Lions of the Switzerland’s National League A. The Lions won the league championship last month, sweeping the Kloten Flyers in the best-of-seven final. . . . During this season, Crawford agreed to a two-year extension that runs through 2015-16.

2. When Todd Lumbard was tending goal for the Brandon Wheat Kings and I was writing for the Brandon Sun, he was a favourite go-to guy. Why? Because he was thoughtful, soft-spoken and respectful, and always quick with a greeting and a smile. Today, he’s the president and part-owner of the Regina Pats. . . . There’s more right here from Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post.

3. After 10 years in Vancouver with the Giants, Don Hay is back in Kamloops as head coach of the Blazers. Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun talked with Hay and the resulting column is right here.

4. If you are a hockey junkie, this is for you. Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier has a website (larry-fisher.com) on which you will find a list that contains the names of every ex-NHLer who played overseas in 2013-14. . . . The numbers will blow you away. . . . For example, there were 183 in the KHL alone. . . . The list was compiled by Jesse Gill, who obviously has a love for hockey. . . . Check it out right here.

5. Matt Dunigan was forced to end his professional football career because of concussions. That was in 1996. Today, he still feels the pain as he takes his message to others. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.
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G Curtis Honey, 20, won’t be back with the Brandon Wheat Kings, who will run with Jordan Papirny as their starter. “I think he’s a good goalie,” Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner/GM/head coach, told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun of Honey, “and we went back and forth and decided that Jordan was the way to go at the end . . . We won’t carry a 20-year-old goaltender next (season). We’ll look to get him an opportunity elsewhere.” . . . Honey, from Edmonton, battled injury problems as he went 12-14-2, 4.07, .888. Over three seasons with Brandon, he was 23-33-6, 3.98, .890. . . . Honey’s twin brother, Connor, is a forward with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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D Dalton Thrower, who played out his eligibility with the Vancouver Giants this season, is to have surgery on his left ankle on Tuesday, reports Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. . . . Thrower has ligament damage in the ankle and last played on Jan. 24. . . . Thrower was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the NHL’s 2012 draft while with the Saskatoon Blades, but has yet to sign with the Habs. . . . Saskatoon dealt him to the Giants in May 2013. . . . With the Giants, he had 38 points, including 12 goals, in 42 games.
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THE QMJHL FINAL:
In Baie-Comeau, the Val-d’Or Foreurs got a PP goal from D Guillaume Gelinas at 7:24 of OT and beat the Drakkar, 4-3. . . . The goal was Gelinas’ second of the game and ninth of the playoffs. . . . The Foreurs forced OT when F Pierre-Maxime Poudrier got his fourth playoff goal at 18:27 of the third period. . . . The series is tied 1-1, the Drakkar having won 3-0 on Friday night. . . . Game 3 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Val-d’Or.
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THE OHL FINAL:
Like the QMJHL, the OHL final is tied 1-1 and resumes Tuesday with the Guelph Storm travelling to North Bay to play the Battalion. . . . The Battalion is in its first season in North Bay after having moved there from Brampton last summer.
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised by Root Sports -- Game 2 live, others on delayed basis)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
(Portland leads, 1-0)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton 2 at Portland 5 (10,947)
Sunday: Edmonton at Portland, 5 p.m. (Moda Center)
Tuesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
x-Sunday, May 11: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday, May 12: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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SATURDAY’S GAME:
In Portland, the Winterhawks got four goals from three American-born forwards and beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-2. . . . This was Game 1 of a best-of-seven series for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. Game 2 is scheduled for today, 5 p.m., at the Moda Center in Portland. . . . The defending-champion Winterhawks built a 3-0 first-period lead on the strength of single goals from F Keegan Iverson of St. Louis Park, Minn., F Paul Bittner of Crookston, Minn., and F Chase De Leo of La Mirada, Calif. . . . The latter two scored in the last two minutes of the period, at 18:07 and 19:04. . . . Iverson has three goals; De Leo now has eight. . . . The Oil Kings got two early second-period goals -- F Brett Pollock scored his 11th of these playoffs 20 seconds in and F Henrik Samuelsson got his third at 2:20. . . . But the Winterhawks, as they had done in the first period, scored late in the second, with D Mathew Dumba counting on a PP at 19:23 to restore the two-goal lead. . . . He’s got four goals in these playoffs. . . . Bittner added his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs at 3:41. . . . F Nic Petan drew three assists for Portland, while D Derrick Pouliot had two. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand had one assist; he leads the playoff scoring race 29 points, one more than Pouliot, who has a WHL-high 24 helpers. . . . Each goaltender, Corbin Boes of Portland and Tristan Jarry of Edmonton -- stopped 31 shots. . . . Portland was 1-for-5 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-4. . . . A post-game tweet from Sunaya Sapurji (@sunayas) of Yahoo! Sports: “I'm not going to go down that road with some of those calls." Edmonton Oil Kings coach Derek Laxdal on some of the penalties tonight. #WHL. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic, who has 27 points in 14 games, sat out the opener as he served a one-game WHL suspension left over from the Western Conference final. He was given a spearing major and game misconduct late in Game 5 against the host Kelowna Rockets. Leipsic is eligible to return for Game 2 tonight. . . . Samuelsson was hit with a double minor for spearing at the end of the third period last night. . . . Some observers felt that Samuelsson came after a play that was offside at the Portland line. Columnist Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun tweeted: “Replay shows linesman blew an offside call on Samuelsson goal.” . . . Edmonton F Mitch Moroz left in the second period, seemingly favouring his right leg, but was back to start the third. . . . The Winterhawks are 41-3 since Jan. 11, including a 29-1 run over the last two months. . . . Portland is 13-2 in the playoffs, including 8-0 at home. Edmonton now is 12-3. . . . These teams are meeting in the final for a third consecutive season. Edmonton won two years ago; Portland won last spring. . . .
Jones writes in the Sun that Jarry struggled in Game 1, but that Laxdal isn’t concerned. That column is right here.
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From Kootenay Ice F Tim Bozon (@timbozon94): “Thank you everyone at the cap Breton #cers made lots improvement and met really nice people...#lifeisgood #shapeisback”
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From Roy MacGregor (@RoyMacG) of The Globe and Mail: “Maybe we can't abolish the Senate -- but how about a Canadian law to ban afternoon playoff games?”
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From the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers): “Aaaand the @pdxwinterhawks take Game 1 of the WHL Finals … is there something in the PDX water?”


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ryan Menei (Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). He had 34 goals and 48 assists in 66 games with the Tulsa Oilers (CHL) this season. Menei led the Oilers in scoring and finished fifth in league scoring. . . .



F Petr Nedved (Seattle, 1989-90) signed a one-year contract extension with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had 20 goals and 33 assists in 48 games as captain of Liberec this season.
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So it has come to this in the NHL.
All signs point to the Vancouver Canucks hiring John Tortorella as their new head coach. The New York Rangers have hired a smiling Alain Vigneault as their new head coach.
Tortorella was fired by the Rangers last month. Vigneault was fired by the Canucks last month.
Is this a case of two teams, each thinking it is smarter than the other?
This is absolutely bizarre, but it might make the next NHL season worth watching.
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Iain MacIntyre, a sports columnist with the Vancouver Sun, was among the reporters who staked out the airport in Vancouver once word came via social media that John Tortorella had boarded a plane in Denver and was headed for the home of the Canucks. MacIntyre’s column is right here and it would seem that he, like so many others, is trying to figure out how the ex-Rangers coach might be a good fit for the Canucks.
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Meanwhile, at the Vancouver Province, columnist Ed Willes was likening the expected hiring of John Tortorella to “the kind of knee-jerk decision that other organizations make, not the Canucks.” That piece is right here.
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And how did it get to this point with John Tortorella? Right here is Dave Lozo on what it was like covering the New York Rangers for four years under John Tortorella.
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F Carter Rigby of the Kelowna Rockets, limited by injuries to just 34 regular-season games this season, has had both shoulders operated on already this offseason. According to AM1150, the radio voice of the Rockets, Rigby, 19, had surgery on his right shoulder last month and was to have surgery on his left shoulder on Wednesday in London, Ont.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Kris Mallette has signed on with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers as their associate coach. He will work alongside general manager/head coach Jason Williamson. Mallette (Kelowna, Moose Jaw, 1996-2000) had been the head coach of the junior B North Okanagan Knights of the Kootenay International Junior League. The Knights went 69-30-2-3 in two seasons under Mallette. . . . The Vipers, whose staff also includes assistant coach Dave Robinson, will be the host team for the 2014 RBC Cup.
The ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors have hired Troy Mann as their head coach. Mann, 43, has been an assistant coach with the AHL’s Hershey Bears for the last four seasons. . . . Mann replaces Matt O’Dette with the Condors and is the first head-coaching hire by new general manager John Olver, who took over on April 11.


The QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders have extended the contract of head coach Gordie Dwyer for two seasons. He now is signed through 2015-16. . . . The Islanders are 60-66-0-10 in two seasons under Dwyer, who is a native of Dalhousie, N.B.

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The latest poll has closed and the Portland Winterhawks appear to be heavy favourites to finish atop the Western Conference.
Asked “which team will finish atop” the conference, 282 of you took the time to vote. Of that total, 189, or 67 per cent, selected the Winterhawks.
The Kamloops Blazers got 51 votes, or 18 per cent, with the Kelowna Rockets next at 29 votes, or 10 per cent. The Tri-City Americans got eight votes and the Spokane Chiefs got five.
Coming out of the weekend, Kamloops and Portland are tied atop the WHL’s overall standings, but the Winterhawks hold four games in hand.
There is a new poll up already. Feel free to vote.
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Bob Duff of the Windsor Star, who once covered the Saskatoon Blades for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, offers up some thoughts on the WHL-Portland situation right here.
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Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun tops a Monday column with a look at the WHL and the Winterhawks right here.
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There was a Dan Russell special in Mississauga, Ont., Sunday as the Steelheads and London Knights went 19 rounds in a shootout before the visitors recorded a 4-3 victory. . . . That was London’s 15th straight victory, a CHL high for this regular season. . . . London's Seth Griffith scored twice in the circus, including the winner.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, F Greg Chase had two PP goals as the Hitmen beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-1. . . . Chase broke open a 2-1 game with PP goals at 1:28 and 10:01 of the third period. . . . Calgary F Pavlo Padakin, a freshman from Ukraine, had the Teddy Bear goal. He’s got seven goals this season. . . . The 16,912 fans in attendance threw 21,453 stuffed toys onto the ice surface. . . . "Before the game, all the guys talk about who's going to score the goal," Padakin, 18, told Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun. "Everybody wants to score this goal. I was thinking ‘Oh yeah, I will score.' But I didn't believe it. They can't believe a Ukrainian guy who plays first year in Dub scored this goal." . . . F Brock Montgomery returned from a five-game absence to score the Ice’s goal. . . . The Ice has lost two straight and five of seven. . . .

In Edmonton, F Curtis Lazar had two goals and an assist to help the Oil Kings to a 4-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Oil Kings led 3-0 in the second period before the visitors came back to tie it. . . . Lazar, who went all of November without scoring, broke the 3-3 tie at 16:26 of the second period. He spent 14 games stuck at eight goals. His slump actually lasted 14 games — the last two of October and 12 in November. Still, he’s got 20 points, including 10 goals, in the first 28 games of his sophomore season. . . . F Jaimen Yakubowski scored twice for the Lethbridge, the second one on a shorthanded penalty shot. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Keegan Lowe (ankle) for a second game. . . . Edmonton F Travis Ewanyk (knee) may play Wednesday. He was injured in the Subway Super Series. . . .

In Regina, D Josh Morrissey scored twice and set up another as the Prince Albert Raiders dropped the short-staffed Pats, 8-2. . . . The victory was the Raiders’ 20th of the season. They won 21 all of last season. . . . The Pats were missing eight regulars due to injuries or illness. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk didn’t get a point, ending his point streak at 11 games. . . . The Raiders had a 54-24 edge in shots. . . . “I’m not surprised by it,” Regina head coach Pat Conacher told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “Let’s face it, the dam was going to burst. You know what? No one feels sorry for you. It was a good lesson for our kids. You can’t ever go ‘woe is me.’ (The Raiders) were pounding us over there and the coach kept throwing out their No. 1 power play against us. Maybe I’m from a different school of thought or maybe a different era but I just said to them, ‘Remember that! Put that in your memory bank for the next time.’ They want to rub your face in it. No one should like it.” . . . The teams next meet Dec. 13 in Regina. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Tigers got goals in the circus from F Hunter Shinkaruk and F Curtis Valk and beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 2-1. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 38 shots. He faced three skaters in the shootout and was beaten only by F Alessio Bertaggia. . . . Brandon D Eric Roy forced OT with a goal at 19:08 of  the third period and G Corbin Boes on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Brandon has lost six in a row and 10 of 11. . . . Brandon F Nick Buonassisi played his 300th regular-season game. The 20-year-old from Coquitlam played the first 211 of those with the Prince George Cougars. He also played 59 games with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who dealt him to Brandon prior to this season.

In Kent, Wash., F Justin Hickman broke a 1-1 tie at 16:52 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Kamloops Blazers, 3-1. . . . Kamloops F Joe Kornelsen had tied the score at 13:29 of the third period with his first goal this season. He was scoreless in 18 games when he joined Kamloops from the Calgary Hitmen; this was his seventh game with the Blazers. . . . Latvian F Robert Lipsbergs scored twice for Seattle, the second one into an empty net. He has 25 points, including 13 goals, in 28 games in his freshman season. . . . The Blazers (21-7-3) and Portland Winterhawks (22-4-1) are tied atop the WHL’s overall standings. However, Portland has four games in hand. The Winterhawks are at home to Everett on Tuesday, while the Blazers entertain Swift Current.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D David Musil, Edmonton

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Griffin Reinhart, Edmonton
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From Columbus Blue Jackets F Brandon Dubinsky, who played in the WHL for Portland (@BDubi17): “Sanctions against the Portland Winterhawks are a joke! @thewhl should encourage teams to fly families out for the kids.”
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More from Dubinsky: “Maybe even think about paying the WHL kids more then $200 a month to give up their NCAA eligibility at 15 years old... @thewhl”
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From Edmonton Oil Kings F Henrik Samuelsson (@Hsamuelsson1994): “Saw Santa driving a 1976 ford. Thought he drove a sled #dreamcrushed”
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From Prince Albert G Luke Siemens (@siems31), as the Raiders made their way home from Regina last night: “for the second time tonight and 3rd time in the last two road trips the boys are changing buses due to technical difficulties #woohoo”

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.