Pats lose their man of Steel . . . Sanford gets to 50 . . . T-Birds win in Kelowna

The Regina Pats have lost freshman F Sam Steel, 16, for the remainder of this season. Steel, from Sherwood Park, Alta., was the second overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . According to Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post: “Steel described the injury as a serious high-ankle sprain, noting that — although he didn’t sustain a fracture — the ligament damage was severe enough that it’s expected to keep him off the ice for about eight weeks.” . . . He suffered the injury during the second period of a game in Prince Albert on March 10. That is the game that was to have been played on Feb. 14 but was postponed due to inclement weather and poor road conditions. . . . Steel played 61 games, picking up 54 points, including 17 goals.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes will hold what they are calling an “informational and progress update” on March 30. The Hurricanes are about to finish out of the WHL playoffs for a sixth straight season. This was a season of more turmoil, too, as they fired general manager Brad Robson and head coach Drake Berehowsky, and brought in Peter Anholt as GM/head coach. . . . The Hurricanes are a community-owned team and shareholders are contemplating putting the franchise up for sale. . . . It should be noted, too, that the Hurricanes’ front office lost a key member this month when Esther Madziya, their efficient communications and public relations manager, left to join Hockey Canada as a co-ordinator of media relations.
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The Red Deer Rebels have signed D Ryan Pouliot, who turns 17 on May 26. Pouliot, from Horseshoe Bay, B.C., played this season with the major midget Vancouver-North West Giants. He also got into seven games with the BCHL’s Powell River Kings. . . . Pouliot ws an 11th-round pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2013 bantam draft. . . .
The junior B Kimberley Dynamiters, with what I think is the best nickname in all of hockey, will play for the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League championship for the first time. They will open the best-of-seven final at home against the Kamloops Storm on Saturday night. . . . The Dynamiters are coached by former Kootenay Ice assistant coach Jerry Bancks. . . . Ed Patterson, who has helped at times with the Kamloops Blazers, is the Storm’s head coach. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has more right here. . . .
G Jacob DeSerres (Seattle, Brandon, 2005-10) has signed an ATO (amateur tryout) with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. DeSerres, 25, played the past four seasons with the U of Calgary Dinos. He was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round of the NHL’s 2009 draft.
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When Chris Borland walked away from the San Francisco 49ers earlier this week, he left a whole lot of money on the table. Kenneth Arthur of Rolling Stone takes a look at that aspect of the linebacker’s retirement right here.
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THE WHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:

EAST DIVISION:
1. Brandon (2 games remaining) leads the overall standings by three points over Kelowna (2). The Wheaties last finished first overall in 1995-96. . . . The Wheat Kings will meet Edmonton, which will finish in the conference’s second wild-card spot, in the first round. . . . In Moose Jaw on Friday.
2. Regina (2) will finish second in division. Will meet third-place team in first round. . . . At home to Prince Albert on Friday.
3. Swift Current (2) leads Moose Jaw by two points. . . . In Lethbridge on Friday night.
4. Moose Jaw (2) is two points behind Swift Current. . . . Should the Broncos and Warriors end up tied, there would be a play-in game at the home of the team with the most victories. Swift Current has a 32-31 edge. . . . Moose Jaw entertains Brandon on Friday.
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CENTRAL DIVISION:
1. Calgary (2) won in OT at home last night to maintain a one-point lead over Medicine Hat. . . . Visits Kootenay on Friday.
2. Medicine Hat (2) won on the road last night to stay one point behind Calgary. . . . Each team has 43 victories. . . . In Saskatoon on Friday.
3. Red Deer (2) lost in OT in Calgary last night. . . . Will finish third in the division and meet the second-place team in the first round. . . . In Edmonton on Friday.
4. Kootenay (2) wrapped up the conference’s first wild-card spot with a victory last night. . . . Will meet the division’s first-place team in the first round. . . . At home to Calgary on Friday in what could be a first-round preview.
5. Edmonton (2) will finish in the conference’s second wild-card spot, meaning a first-round date with Brandon. . . . At home to Red Deer on Friday.
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B.C. DIVISION:
1. Kelowna (2) lost at home in OT last night and now trails Brandon by three points in the race for first place in the overall standings. The first tiebreaker is victories and Brandon has the edge (52-51) at the moment. . . . In Vancouver on Friday.
2. Victoria (2) will finish second and meet the division’s third-place team in the first round. . . . At home to Everett on Friday.
3. Prince George (2) is four points ahead of Kamloops. . . . Beat visiting Kamloops last night. . . . The same teams play Friday in Prince George and Saturday in Kamloops. . . . Prince George needs one point to clinch a playoff spot.
4. Kamloops (2) has two playoff options. It is four points behind Prince George in the division and is tied with Tri-City (3) for the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . In Prince George on Friday and at home to the Cougars on Saturday.
5. Vancouver (2) is four points out of the conference’s second wild-card spot but has only two games remaining, both against Kelowna. . . . At home to the Rockets on Friday.
——
U.S. DIVISION:
1. Portland (3) won in Spokane last night to move into a tie with Everett for first place. Portland has the tiebreaker with more victories, 42-41. . . . Will visit the Tri-City Americans on Friday.
2. Everett (3) is tied with Portland. . . . Will play in Victoria on Friday.
3. Seattle (2) won in Kelowna last night and will finish third in the division and will meet the second-place team in the first round. . . . In Spokane on Friday.
4. Spokane (3) is locked into the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . At home to Seattle on Friday.
5. Tri-City (3) is tied with Kamloops for the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . At home to Portland on Friday.
——

IF THE WHL PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:

Eastern Conference
Brandon vs. Edmonton
Calgary vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Medicine Hat vs. Red Deer
——
Western Conference
Kelowna vs. Tri-City/Kamloops
Portland vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Prince George
Everett vs. Seattle
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
———

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Prince Albert, F Curtis Sanford scored his 50th goal of the season to help the Medicine Hat Tigerfs to a 6-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . Sanford, 19, has career highs in goals (50), assists (43) and points (93). Last season, he had 73 points, including 33 goals, in 72 games. . . . He is the second WHLer with 50 goals this season, behind only Portland Winterhawks F Oliver Bjorkstrand, who has 58. . . . The Tigers scored the game’s first three goals and five of the first six as they cruised to victory. . . . Sanford also had an assist. . . . F Steve Owre and F Dryden Hunt each had a goal and an assist for the Tigers. Owre has 19 goals; Hunt has 32. . . . The Raiders saluted Duane Bartley, their veteran trainer and equipment manager, prior to the game. He worked his 1,000th WHL game on Sunday in Medicine Hat. Bartley is in his 14th WHL season. . . . Medicine Hat (43-23-4) is 2-0-1 in its last three games. . . . Prince Albert slid to 29-37-4. . . .

In Calgary, F Connor Rankin scored at 3:59 of OT to give the Hitmen a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Rankin, who also had an assist, has 32 goals. . . . Red Deer D Colton Bobyk opened the scoring with his fifth goal at 14:19 of the second period. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini tied it with his 47th at 8:06 of third. . . . D Travis Sanheim gave the Hitmen a 2-1 lead with No. 14 at 11:24. . . . Red Deer F Riley Sheen forced OT with his 22nd goal at 17:02. . . . Sanheim and Tambellini each had an assist. . . . Red Deer was 0-for-6 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-3. . . . The Hitmen (43-22-5) have won three straight. . . . The Rebels (37-22-11) lead the WHL in loser points. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Kootenay Ice erased a 1-0 deficit with five straight goals and went on to beat the Hurricanes, 6-3. . . . F Jamal Watson gave the home side a 1-0 lead with his 25th goal at 4:06 of the first period. . . . Ice F Zak Zborosky, who had two goals and two assists, tied it at 8:38 of the first and F Jaedon Descheneau gave the Ice the lead with his 33rd goal at 7:37 of the second, via a PP. . . . Zborosky, who had gone 15 games without a goal, now has 18 goals. . . . Descheneau later scored his 34th goal and he also had an assist. . . . D Tyler King had two assists for the Ice. . . . D Brady Reagan scored his second goal and added an assist for Lethbridge. . . . Kootenay G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 18 shots in his 65th appearance this season. That ties the franchise record set by Mackenzie Skapski in 2012-13. . . . The Ice (37-29-4) has won four straight. . . . The Hurricanes (20-42-8) have lost six straight. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story right here. . . .

In Prince George, the Cougars built up a 3-0 lead and then withstood a furious Kamloops rally to beat the Blazers, 4-2. . . . F Zach Pochiro, with his 19th, and F Colby McAuley, with his fourth, gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead before the game was four minutes old. . . . F Brad Morrison scored his 23rd at 15:15 of the second for a 3-0 lead. . . . Kamloops F Logan McVeigh got his guys on the board with his ninth goal at 1:11 of the third period. . . . D Ryan Rehill scored his seventh at 8:36 to get Kamloops to within one. . . . Cougars F Chase Witala iced it with his 38th, into an empty net, at 19:42. . . . Witala and Pochiro also had an assist apiece. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 40 shots, 12 more than Prince George’s Ty Edmonds. . . . The Cougars were 0-for-2 on the PP; the Blazers’ PP unit didn’t get off the bench. . . . Prince George (30-35-5) has won two in a row. . . . The Blazers (27-36-7) have lost two straight. . . .

In Kelowna, F Lane Pederson’s goal at 3:08 of OT gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . Pederson has eight goals. . . . D Evan Wardley gave Seattle a 1-0 lead with his sixth goal at 18:06 of the first period. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier scored his 48th goal at 1:27 of the second. . . . Seattle regained the lead at 14:32 of the second, on a PP, as F Cory Millette scored his 22nd goal. . . . The Rockets forced the extra period when F Dillon Dube scored his 17th goal, via the PP, at 7:20 of the third. . . . Seattle (36-25-9) has won its last two games. . . . Kelowna (51-13-6) has lost two in a row (1-0-1). . . .

In Spokane, D Adam Henry had three goals and an assist to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 7-4 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Henry has 11 goals after his first career hat trick. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and three assists. He lead the WHL in goals (58) and points (112), all in 56 games. . . . F Nic Petan scored his 14th goal and added two assists for Portland, while F Chase De Leo and F Keegan Iverson each had a goal and an assist. De Leo has 38 goals; Iverson has 14. . . . Portland F Evan Weinger had two assists. . . . F Calder Brooks scored his 23rd goal and added an assist for Spokane, which got two assists from F Liam Stewart. . . . Portland took a 3-2 lead into the second period, after F Riley Whittingham’s 18th goal got Spokane to within one, and then scored the next three goals, two of them late in the second period. . . . F Adam Helewka scored his 41st goal for the Chiefs. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 43 shots, 14 more than Spokane’s Garret Hughson. . . . Portland was 2-for-5 on the PP; Spokane was 2-for-4. . . . Portland (42-21-6) is 7-1-2 in its last 10. . . . Spokane (34-31-4) has lost two in a row.
——

THURSDAY’S GAMES

No Games Scheduled.
——

FRIDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Red Deer at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Regina, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Calgary vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Everett at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
——

SATURDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Lethbridge at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Spokane vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
——

SUNDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Kootenay at Calgary, 2 p.m.
Tri-City at Portland, 5 p.m.
Everett at Spokane 5:05 p.m.
END OF REGULAR SEASON

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Molleken to Giants? No . . . Interesting times in the QMJHL . . . Hunt, Gay torch Blazers

D Bretton Stamler (Seattle, Edmonton, Swift Current, 2003-08) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL). This season, with the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL), he had three assists in five games, and he was pointless in seven games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). . . .
F Jeff Smith (Red Deer, 1998-2002) has signed a "short-term" contract with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). Smith had signed with Eindhoven Kemphanen (Netherlands, Eredivisie) but didn’t play due to the club's financial difficulties. Last season, he captained the Hull Stingrays (England, UK Elite) and had 15 points, including five goals,in 57 games. He also played for the Melbourne Ice (Australia, AIHL), putting up 12 points, including seven goals, in 26 games. . . .
F Luca Leone (Vancouver, Swift Current, 2012-this season) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Milano Rossoblu (Italy, Serie A). Leone was pointless in seven games with Swift Current this season. He holds dual Canadian-Italian citizenship. . . .
F Sean Ringrose (Medicine Hat, 2007-09) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Dundee Stars (Scotland, UK Elite). This season, with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had two goals and four assists in 16 games. . . .
F Marek Čurilla (Kootenay, Medicine Hat, 2005-06) signed a contract for the rest of the season with the Milton Keynes Lightning (England, Premier). This season, with Csíkszereda Miercurea Ciuc (Romania, MOL Liga, he had five goals and four assists in 17 games.
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THE COACHING GAME:

While much of the west is wrapped in the early throes of winter, veteran WHL coach Lorne Molleken is enjoying life at a condo in Mexico. But he has coaching on his mind. . . . Molleken has told Daniel Nugent-Bowman that he and the Vancouver Giants talked about the team’s coaching vacancy but weren’t able to cut a deal. . . . That story is right here.
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The Giants, of course, fired head coach Troy Ward on Wednesday, just 25 games into a three-year contract. Assistant coach Matt Erhart was named interim head coach of a team that was 6-19 at the time. . . . The Giants have since lost twice more. . . . A source has told Taking Note that Malcolm Cameron, who was the Regina Pats’ head coach last season, may be in Vancouver for an interview on Monday.. Cameron was dropped over the summer as the Pats went through an ownership change. He has been coaching at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C.
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OK, see if you can follow all of this. . . . On Thursday, the QMJHL announced that Quebecor had purchased the Quebec Remparts. Quebecor already owned a chunk of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, so on Friday the QMJHL announced that it was declaring a moratorium on any dealings between the teams due to the ownership situation. . . . Also on Friday, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens fired general manager Marc Fortier and head coach Patrice Bosch. Assistant GM Daniel Langlois resigned in what apparently was a show of solidarity. The Sagueneens then signed Yanick Jean as GM and head coach; he quit the Victoriaville Tigres in order to move to the Sagueneens. Jean had been with the Tigres since 2007-08. . . . The Journal de Quebec reported that Jean had an out-clause in his contract with the Tigres that allowed him to leave only if he was going to the Sagueneens with whom he played from 1992-96. He also was an assistant coach there from 2002-04. . . . Only in the QMJHL, you say. Pity!
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There is some interesting information at the blog Tbird Tidbits where a nifty comparison of season-ticket prices within the WHL has been put together. It’s right here.
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The Adirondack Flames' AHL winning streak ended at nine games on Friday when they dropped a 2-1 decision to the host Utica Comets. . . . Travis Green, a former assistant GM and assistant coach with the Portland Winterhawks, is in his second season as Utica's head coach. . . . Former Kelowna Rockets head coach Ryan Huska is in his first season as Adirondack's head coach. . . . Meanwhile, former Kamloops Blazers head coach Ken Hitchcock got NHL victory No. 672 on Friday night as the St. Louis Blues beat the visiting Edmonton Oilers, 4-3, in OT. That moved Hitchcock in sixth place on the NHL’s all-time list of coaching victories.
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The Russian national junior team released the names on its 38-player preliminary roster for the 2015 World Junior Championship. While it includes Kootenay Ice D Rinat Valiev and Brandon Wheat Kings D Ivan Provorov, it doesn’t include F Nikita Scherbak of the Everett Silvertips. Scherback was a first-round selection by the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL’s 2014 draft. . . .
F Jari Erricson of the Prince George Cougars will sit for two games after being suspended by the WHL. He took a cross-checking major and game misconduct during a 5-2 loss to the visiting Regina Pats on Wednesday night. . . .
In Canada West play on Friday night, former WHL G Jacob DeSerres of the Calgary Dinos was facing a 2-on-0 break by the UBC Thunderbirds when he decided to push the net off its moorings. Why did he do that? Because he must have thought it would be easier to face the resulting penalty shot than the 2-on-0. He made a glove save on F Anthony Bardaro on the penalty shot and the No. 4 Dinos went on to a 4-3 OT victory on a goal by Chris Collins. . . . "It happened so quickly. It was a clear cut play, I thought about it quickly and had to make a decision," said DeSerres on the Canada West website.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

In Portland, F Oliver Bjorsktrand scored twice to help the Winterhawks to a 5-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Bjorkstrand, a 19-year-old from Herning, Denmark, has 17 goals in 23 games this season. In his two-plus seasons, he has 204 points, including 98 goals, in 157 regular-season games. He scored 50 goals in 69 games last season. . . . Portland G Adin Hill turned aside 43 shots, 21 more than the Ice's Wyatt Hoflin. Hill improved his record to 8-2-0. . . . F Nic Petan added a goal, his fifth of the season and No. 100 on his career, and an assist for Portland, while F Tim Bozon scored his seventh goal and added an assist for the Ice. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart scored his fifth goal, but was minus-3. . . . F Paul Bittner returned to the Winterhawks’ lineup after suffering a leg injury a week earlier in Kelowna. . . . Ice D Tanner Faith was back after a nine-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Winterhawks (13-12-3), who visit the Tri-City Americans tonight, have won four straight. . . . The Ice (11-15-0) had a three-game winning streak end. Kootenay travels to Kent, Wash., to face the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Brandon Wheat Kings tied the game with 5.6 seconds left in the third period and won it 30 seconds into overtime as they beat the Blades, 4-3. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pilon forced OT when he scored his fifth goal with 5.6 seconds left in the third period. . . . F Tim McGauley won it with his 14th goal just 37 seconds into OT. Each of his last three goals has been a winner. . . . F Jayce Hawryluk assisted on both goals, while McGauley had an assist on Pilon's goal. . . . Hawryluk finished with three assists. . . . McGauley also scored the game's first goal. He has six goals and four assists over his last four games. . . . F Ryan Graham scored twice for Saskatoon. He's got nine goals. . . . Graham's second goal, at 13:14 of the second on a PP, gave the Blades a 3-1 lead. . . . Brandon D Eric Roy got his second goal of the season, at 14:07 of the second, to get his side to within one. . . . Brandon played without F Rihards Bukarts, who apparently suffered an undisclosed injury during a late-week practice. . . . Saskatoon G Trevor Martin stopped 39 shots, 13 more than Brandon's Jordan Papirny. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story right here. . . . The Wheat Kings (20-5-2), who meet the Raiders in Prince Albert tonight, are 3-0-1 in their last four. . . . The Blades (7-17-2) have lost their last two. Saskatoon meets the Warriors in Moose Jaw tonight. . . .

In Calgary, F Connor Rankin scored twice and drew two assists as the Hitmen got past the Swift Current Broncos, 6-4. . . . Rankin has eight goals this season. . . . Broncos D Brett Lernout gave the visitors a 4-3 lead at 1:48 of the third period with his seventh goal. . . . Calgary D Travis Sanheim tied it with his 10th goal -- he's the first defenceman in the league to 10 goals this season -- at 4:21. That was a shorthanded score. . . . Calgary F Chase Lang got his second of the game, and 11th of the season, at 11:17 and Rankin added an empty-netter at 19:06. . . . Sanheim also had two assists. . . . Broncos G Landon Bow stopped 40 shots, 15 more than Calgary's Mack Shields. . . . The Hitmen, who are at home to the Vancouver Giants tonight, are 14-10-3, while the Broncos slipped to 14-11-4 with their second straight loss. . . . The Broncos will visit Red Deer tonight. . . .

In Edmonton, G Tristan Jarry stopped 35 shots to lead the Oil Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Jarry, who had sat out three straight games due to illness, has two shutouts this season and 16 in his career. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner scored the game's first goal, his career-high ninth of the season. It came 22 seconds into the first period. . . . Sautner is on a nine-game point streak, the longest by a defenceman in the modern history of the franchise. . . . Edmonton F Brandon Baddock had a goal, his sixth, and an assist, both on the PP. He has goals in three straight games and in four of his past five. . . . Edmonton F Andrew Koep had two assists. . . . Vancouver G Cody Porter stopped 26 shots. . . . Vancouver has been outscored 13-1 in losing the first three games of a swing through Alberta. . . . The Oil Kings (14-10-4) have won two in a row. . . . Vancouver (9-18-0) has lost six in a row. . . . The Oil Kings travel to Medicine Hat tonight, while the Giants are in Calgary. . . .

In Medicine Hat, D Tyler Lewington scored at 4:19 of OT to give the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Medicine Hat F Zach Fischer forced extra time with his first goal at 9:23 of the third period. . . . Red Deer F Scott Feser had given his side a 3-2 lead with a shorthanded goal at 17:07 of the second. It was his third shortie of the season the Rebels' eighth. Only Kelowna, with nine, has more. . . . Feser has nine goals this season. . . . F Anthony Ast, who underwent wrist surgery, was in Medicine Hat's lineup for the first time this season and scored the game's first goal, at 9:56 of the first. . . . F Cole Sanford scored his 17th goal for the Tigers, who lead the season series 3-2 with one game remaining. . . . The Tigers were 0-for-3 on the PP; the Rebels never got an opportunity. . . . When asked by the Red Deer Advocate if it was proper that the Tigers weren't assessed even one minor penalty, Brent Sutter, the Rebels' GM and head coach, replied in Belichickian fashion: "Nope." . . . The Tigers (18-6-2) have won two in a row. . . . The Rebels (13-10-4) have lost two straight. . . . The Tigers play host to Edmonton tonight, while the Rebels entertain Swift Current. . . .

In Kamloops, the Regina Pats scored four times in the first period and went on to beat the Blazers, 7-3. . . . F Dryden Hunt had five assists for the Pats, while F Connor Gay scored three times, giving him 13, and added an assist. It was Gay's second hat trick of the season. . . . Hunt, who turned 19 on Monday, has had at least two points in five of his past seven games. On the season, he's got 31 points, including 19 assists, in 24 games. Last season, he finished with 19 assists in 62 games. . . . Regina D Kyle Burroughs had a goal, his fourth, and an assist, and finished plus-4. . . . The Blazers struggled against Regina’s forecheck through most of this game and, as a result, the home side committed about a month’s worth of turnovers in one night. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram started his sixth straight game but left trailing 3-0 after facing five shots at 5:50 of the first. . . . Regina has won nine of its past 11 games and Cody Nickolet (@DubFromAbove) points out that its top nine forwards have been identical for eight straight games. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown stopped 34 shots in improving his record to 2-1-0. . . . Regina F Austin Wagner was ejected at 2:29 of the second period for a headshot on Kamloops F Cole Ully, who wasn't injured. . . . The Pats (15-10-1) have won two in a row as they go into Kelowna to face the Rockets tonight. . . . The Blazers (11-2-5) are 0-2-1 in their last three and are at home to the Victoria Royals tonight. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans outshot Lethbridge 41-15 en route to a 4-1 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . F Ty Comrie, with his second goal of the season, got the home side started at 16:53 of the first period. . . . F Lucas Nickles, F Vladislav Lukin and F Brian Williams each had a goal and an assist for the Americans. . . . There was a two-fight situation at 12:32 of the third period. . . . The Americans (15-11-0) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Hurricanes now are 6-16-4. . . . The Americans are scheduled to be at home to Portland tonight, while the Hurricanes play the Chiefs in Spokane. . . .

In Everett, D Scott Allan’s first WHL goal broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Allan, an 18-year-old from Thornton, Colo, scored in his 49th career game and his 15th of this season. He played the first three games of this season with Medicine Hat; this was his 12th game with the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Donovan Neuls had a goal, his second, and an assist, and was plus-3. . . . Everett was 2-for-6 on the PP; Seattle was 0-for-1. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 20 shots, six fewer than Everett’s Austin Lotz. . . . The Silvertips were without D Tristen Pfeifer (undisclosed injury), F Nikita Scherbak (leg), F Remi Laurencelle (ankle) and F Dawson Leedahl (knee). . . . F Bryce Kindopp, a 15-year-old from Lloydminster, Alta., made his WHL debut with the Silvertips. Kindopp, who plays for the midget AAA Lloydminster Bobcats, was a third-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . With F Mathew Barzal (fractured kneecap), F Lane Pederson (undisclosed) and F Kaden Elder (undisclosed) out, veteran D Evan Wardley was moved to the forward ranks. . . . The Thunderbirds (10-11-4), who had been 0-3-1 in their last four, are at home to Kootenay tonight, while the Silvertips (16-5-3) enjoy a Saturday night off.
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Shockingly, Everett and Seattle radio have opposite reactions to Brayden Low going down late in the 2nd. No call.
— Scott Sepich (@SSepich) November 29, 2014

This situation in Chicoutimi is crazy even by QMJHL standards ... and that's really saying something.
— Sunaya Sapurji (@sunayas) November 29, 2014

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) signed a one-year contract with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) after a successful tryout. He had two goals nad four assists in six games with the Hannover Indians (Germany 2.Bundesliga) and one goal and 10 assists n 16 games with Kosice and Dukla Trencin (both Slovakia, Extraliga) last season.
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JUST NOTES: G Brendan Jensen of the Vancouver Giants will attend rookie camp with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Jensen, an 18-year-old from El Granada, Calif., will go into Giants’ camp as the favourite to emerge as the club’s starter. . . . The Giants have been hoping to have Finnish G Jonathan Iilahti as their starter. However, Iilahti, a sixth-round draft pick by the Canucks in 2010, will play in Finland again this season. . . .  Mark Segal, who split time with Jensen last season with the Giants, won’t be back for his 20-year-old season. He plans on attending McGill U in Montreal and playing for the Redmen. . . . The Swift Current Broncos have signed D Brycen Martin, the second overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft. From Calgary, Martin played for the Calgary Bisons of the Alberta major bantam league last season, putting up 42 points in 31 games. The Broncos have signed their first four selections from the 2011 draft. . . . The Regina Pats have signed their first two selections from the 2011 bantam draft. F Adam Brooks of Winnipeg was taken 25th overall, while F Dane Schioler, also from Winnipeg, was taken with the 36th pick. Brooks had 111 points in 40 games with the bantam AAA Winnipeg Hawks. Schioler, whose father Dave played for the Winnipeg Monarchs (1976-77), played on a line with Brooks and put up 77 points. . . .
Cory Cameron is the Kootenay Ice’s new athletic therapist. Cameron, from Revelstoke, B.C., has spent six years as a rehabilitation consultant with Crash Conditioning in Calgary. He has WHL experience with the Vancouver Giants (trainer, 2006-09) and Calgary Hitmen (assistant trainer, 2004-06). . . . Don Clark is the new president of the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ board of directors. Clark was elected Tuesday as the new board held its first meeting. He replaces Brian MmcNaughton, who wasn’t re-elected at last week’s annual general meeting. Also on the new board are Brian Wichers (vice-president), Adele Barrington, Herb Beswick, Rick Braden, Brad Cook, Auke Elzinga, Dick Gibson, Randy Joevenazzo, John Koliaska, George McCrea, Dave Olson, Duane Ptycia, Kelly Shigehiro, Pat Shimbashi and Jim Whittaker. . . . The U of Calgary Dinos announced Wednesday that they have received commitments from three former WHL players. G Jacob DeSerres (Seattle, Brandon, 2007-10) is from Calgary. He played last season for the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, who won the Memorial Cup. He will compete for playing time with two other ex-WHLers, Dustin Butler and Kris Lazaruk. Also attending the U of Calgary will be F Dylan Hood (Kelowna, Moose Jaw, 2006-11), who had 83 points in 71 games with Moose Jaw last season, and F Thomas Frazee (Portland, Medicine Hat, Moose Jaw, Regina, Kamloops), who had 71 points in 70 games split between Regina and Kamloops.
Sophomore F Brayden Cuthbert is in camp with the Moose Jaw Warriors and will skate but won’t take part in scrimmages. He hasn’t yet received medical clearance as he recovers from a concussion suffered on Jan. 22. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald also reports that the Warriors are looking at F Markus McCrea, 19, who played the last three seasons with the Everett Silvertips and F Sean Aschim, 19, who played with the Prince Albert Raiders and Kelowna Rockets in 2009-10 and with the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs last season. . . . Slovakian D Filip Vasko has arrived in Kelowna and will be in camp with the Rockets. Vasko, 17, was selected by the Rockets in the 2011 CHL import draft. He will be one of 160 players in the Rockets’ rookie camp. . . . Stu Ballantyne, who resigned earlier this month as the Vancouver Giants’ chief operating officer, now is the chief executive officer of the 2015 Canada Winter Games, which are to be held in Prince George. The Games are scheduled for Feb. 12 through March 1. . . . The Everett Silvertips have their two new imports — Slovakian F Vladimir Dolnik and German D Dominik Bittner — are in town and ready for camp. . . . The Red Deer Rebels have welcomed Czech G Patrik Bartosak to town. He was picked in the 2011 import draft. It turns out he is a nephew of former NHLer Radek Bonk.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Former NHL D Mark Hardy, 52, has joined the ECHL’s Ontario Reign as an assistant coach. He’ll work with head coach Jason Christie, who left the Central league’s Bloomington Blaze earlier in the week to sign with the Reign.
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Jane Sims of the London Free Press was in court on Wednesday where she witnessed the sentencing of a former hockey player with a long history of mental illness. Her story is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Sunday . . .

 Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun thinks the time is right for the WHL to move a franchise into Winnipeg.
“Now that the NHL is safe and sound back in Winnipeg, the WHL is staring at a great opportunity,” he writes.
That piece is right here.
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Only eight Russian players were among the 210 selected in the NHL draft, and three of those went to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Perhaps the existence of the Kontinental Hockey League has something to do with the dearth of Russian draft picks.
Here's a piece from The Globe and Mail.
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You’ve been touring the Internet and you still haven’t had enough of the NHL draft. Check out this notebook from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.
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JUST NOTES: Apologies to Jeff Paterson of Vancouver radio station Team 1040. After the NHL draft, Paterson, a former radio voice of the Kamloops Blazers, tweeted: “Not right or wrong, just strange: 652 players taken in NHL drafts since Canucks last drafted a WHLer (7th rd 2008).” . . . I misremembered or something and got it all wrong. He was correct. That last pick was G Morgan Clark, then with the Red Deer Rebels. . . . John MacNeil of the Brandon Sun reports that G Jacob DeSerres, who backstopped the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs to the Memorial Cup title, “has earned an invitation to the Phoenix Coyotes’ prospects development camp next month.” DeSerres told MacNeil that he “probably attend.” DeSerres, who completed his junior eligibility last season, is keeping his options open, though, and admits that he still might end up going to school, perhaps at the U of Manitoba. DeSerres was a third-round pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2008 NHL draft but was never signed. . . . The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the NHL’s Nashville Predators will hold a new conference today at noon to introduce Kirk Muller as the head coach of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Muller has spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens. The Admirals lost their head coach, Lane Lambert, to the parent Nashville Predators. . . . Two former WHL players, Ian Herbers and Brad Lauer, were assistants with Milwaukee last season and were in the running for the head-coaching job.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Segal moving on

MARK SEGAL

G Mark Segal won’t be returning for his 20-year-old season with the Vancouver Giants.
Segal has informed the Giants that he is leaving to attend McGill University in Montreal, where he will play for the Redmen.
Segal, a Vancouverite who turns 20 on Aug. 31, played in 91 regular-season and 20 playoff games with the Giants over the last two seasons. This season, he went 27-18-4, 3.07, .891 in 55 games.
Brendan Jensen, an 18-year-old from El Granada, Calif., played in 30 games with the Giants, going 8-13-1 in support of Segal.
The Giants’ website shows three goaltenders on their list who are eligible to play in 2011-12 — Jackson Whistle, who turns 16 on June 9, of Kelowna; Scott legault, who will be 17 on Sept. 25; and, Stephen Heslop, who turns 16 on Sept. 15, of Victoria.
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Today’s good read comes from Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News.
It’s almost a week old, but I just discovered it Sunday morning.
Yes, it is about pro hockey and the impact of concussions.
Gleason leads with the difficulties faced by former NHL tough guy Matthew Barnaby, who now wonders how badly he damaged his brain during this playing career and whether that is the reason for the changes he has noticed in his personality.
It isn’t all about Barnaby, though. At one point, Dr. Robert Cantu is quoted on the subject of former Buffalo Bills great O.J. Simpson:
"There's a brain I would love to study. I don't know, but I really wonder. With his inability to handle frustrating circumstances, violence and all that stuff, it could be.
"It's hard to know. I'm not suggesting I know the answer, but if and when the time comes I would give anything for him to be on our registry."
Dr. Cantu is a clinical professor neurosurgery at Boston University School of Medicine, which is home to Sports Legacy Institute, where a lot of the research into CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is taking place.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee and sit down for today’s good read. It’s long and worthwhile. And it’s right here.
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THE COACHING GAME: Wanting experience as a head coach, former WHLer Brad McCrimmon, 52, has signed on with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League. McCrimmon, an all-star defenceman with the Brandon Wheat Kings (1976-79) and the head coach of the Saskatoon Blades (1998-2000), was an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings for the last three seasons. . . . Cole Zahn has signed on as assistant coach with the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins. Keith Cassidy, the Bruins’ new GM/head coach, worked together on the coaching staff of the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers and got that squad to the RBC Cup in 2007. Zahn will continue to scout for the Vancouver Giants. . . . Ron Holloway, the head coach of the junior B Ochapowace Thunder of the Prairie Junior league, has signed on as an assistant coach with the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves. He will work alongside head man Bob Beatty as the Ice Wolves chase a third straight SJHL championship.
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F Byron Froese, who turned 20 on March 12, has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Capgeek.com reports that his salaries will be US$67,500 in the AHL and $590,000 in the NHL. . . . He got a $195,000 signing bonus over three years. . . . Froese was selected in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL draft off the Everett Silvertips’ roster. They traded him to the Red Deer Rebels last summer for F Landon Ferraro.
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Michael Traikos of the National Post writes about the week that was at the Memorial Cup. The headline sums it up: Memorial Cup a flop everywhere but the box office. . . . Of course, the CHL knew that would happen when it awarded the tournament to Mississauga, which makes one ask: Why did they award it to Mississauga? . . . That piece is right here.
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You have to feel good for G Jacob DeSerres, who backstopped the QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs to a 3-1 victory over the host Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the final game of the Memorial Cup on Sunday evening. . . . DeSerres, who played in the Memorial Cup with the host Brandon Wheat Kings a year ago and then was waived through the WHL, stopped 34 shots in what was his final game of major junior hockey. . . . He wasn’t named to the tournament all-star team, nor was he selected as the tournament’s top goaltender. No matter, though. He got the ring. . . . The Sea Dogs, the CHL’s top-ranked team through much of the regular season, are the first team from the Maritimes to win major junior hockey’s top prize.
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By the way, a fan of the Portland Winterhawks has a request: Would members of the media please stop referring to the Memorial Cup as a national championship. . . . There are eight Americans teams in the CHL so, as this fan points out, it is more than a national championship. . . . The fan asks: “Had Portland somehow advanced and won the Cup this year, would the Winterhawks have been national champions of Canada . . . or the U.S.?”
Joe Fan has a point, eh? 
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Dave Cameron, Mississauga’s head coach, and Majors’ captain Casey Cizikas have suffered three heart-breaking losses in a five-month period. . . . Both were on Canada’s national junior team when it surrendered a 3-0 lead and lost 5-3 to Russia in the championship game at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo in January. . . . The Majors lost the OHL championship series in seven games to the Owen Sound Attack. Mississauga held 2-0 and 3-2 leads in that series, then lost Game 7 in OT. "They say losing toughens you," Cameron said Sunday night. "Well, right now, I feel like a 10-cent steak, to tell you the truth.” . . . Cameron is almost certain to land on the coaching staff of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. Eugene Melnyk, who owns the Senators, also owns the St. Michael’s Majors.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Sunday . . .

Michael Russo of the Minneapolis StarTribune attended a memorial service for Derek Boogaard on Sunday evening at the Xcel Energy Center. Boogaard’s family was there, as were former teammates, friends, officials from the Minnesota Wild and fans.
Russo’s story is right here, along with a photo gallery.
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Russo, who has done such a terrific job of writing about all that has transpired since Friday, blogged about the memorial service. That piece is right here.
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And there’s more right here from the Hockey Wilderness blog.
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“We shouldn't require reminders. We should know, innately, that death plays no favorites, that not even the strongest escape this planet alive.” . . . That is how Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis StarTribune began his Sunday column.
It’s today’s good read and it’s right here.
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AND IN OTHER NEWS . . .
F Alexandre Beauregard’s first goal was the last one.
Beauregard, a 19-year-old winger, scored his first goal of the QMJHL playoffs at 15:45 of the second OT on Sunday, giving the Saint John Sea Dogs a 3-2 victory over the host Gatineau Olympiques. . . . The Sea Dogs, who went 9-0 in playoff road games, won the QMJHL final 4-2 and have advanced to the Memorial Cup. . . . Former WHL G Jacob DeSerres stopped 36 shots for the Sea Dogs. He will make his second straight trip to the Memorial Cup, having played for the host Brandon Wheat Kings a year ago. . . . The Sea Dogs, who went 58-7-1 in the regular season, forced OT when Jonathan Huberdeau scored his 16th goal of the playoffs with 23.3 seconds left in the third period. . . . Attendance was 4,000.
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Earlier Sunday, the visiting Owen Sound Attack got a goal from F Jarrod Maidens at 3:27 of OT to beat the host Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors 3-2 and win the OHL championship in seven games. . . . Attendance was 5,517 with an estimated 3,000 of those from Owen Sound, which won its first OHL title since the franchise relocated there from Guelph in time for the 1989-90 season. . . . Both teams will play in the Memorial Cup — Owen Sound as OHL champion and Mississauga as the host team. . . . Terry Virtue, a former WHL defenceman who later was an assistant coach with the Tri-City Americans, is on the Owen Sound coaching staff.
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The Memorial Cup opens Friday in Mississauga, with Saint John going up against Mississauga. Owen Sound and the WHL-champion Kootenay Ice get into action on Saturday.
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Matt Coxford of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has written a piece on how much winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup meant to Jeff Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice. That story is right here.
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Jim Matheson, the Edmonton Journal’s Hall of Fame hockey writer, takes a look at Kootenay Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch, who played five seasons with the U of Alberta Golden Bears. It was while playing for Rob Daum with the Golden Bears that Knoblauch first had thoughts of coaching. Matty’s piece is right here.
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If you missed it, Finland won the IIHF world championship on Sunday, beating arch-rival Sweden 6-1 in Kosice, Slovakia. It is Finland’s first world title since 1995. . . . Interestingly, the on-ice officials all were from Canada. The referees were Brent Reiber, a former WHL official who has lived in Switzerland for a number of years now, and OHL veteran Darcy Burchell. The linesmen were Keil Murchison and Chris Carlson, both of whom are WHL officials.
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THE COACHING GAME: Chris Brooks, a native of Stratford, Ont., is the new head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He replaces Wil Nichol, who resigned to accept an NHL front-office position. Brooks was the head coach of the Central league’s Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for the last three seasons.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Monday . . .

It’s game night in the WHL, with Game 3 of the championship final scheduled for Cranbrook.
The series is tied 1-1, with the Portland Winterhawks having opened with a 4-3 OT victory on home ice. The visiting Kootenay Ice won the second game, 7-5, after opening up a 6-1 lead.
The Winterhawks, of course, ran into some penalty problems in that game and now will be without two veteran forwards tonight.
F Tayler Jordan has been suspended for one game after taking a checking-from-behind major for a hit on Ice F Steele Boomer in Game 2.
F Brad Ross drew one of those ‘tbd’ suspensions under supplemental discipline, following a collision with Ice F Matt Fraser. Fraser needed help getting off the ice and was unable to put any weight on his left leg.
If you haven’t seen them already, the Jordan-Boomer hit is right here, with the Ross-Fraser collision right there.
It seems the league has decided not to suspend Portland F Riley Boychuk, who drew an elbowing major and game misconduct for a hit on Ice D Hayden Rintoul. That check is right here.
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Condolences to the family of former WHL D Clayton Stoner (Tri-City, 2002-05), whose brother Luke, 30, was killed Friday morning in a logging accident near Mahatta River on Vancouver Island. . . . According to a press release issued by the Port Alice RCMP, the death is being attributed to a workplace incident. . . . The Stoners are from Port McNeill. . . . Teresa Bird of the North Island Gazette has more right here. . . . Clayton Stoner, 26, spent this season with the NHL's Minnesota Wild.
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D Jared Cowen left the Spokane Chiefs when their season ended and joined the Binghamton Senators, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. . . . He played for Binghamton on Friday night and earned an assist on the first shift of his professional career. Binghamton went on to beat the Portland, Me., Pirates, 3-0, to win a playoff series 4-2. . . . Binghamton will meet the Charlotte Checkers in the Eastern Conference final. . . . Former Seattle Thunderbirds C Jim O’Brien scored one of the Senators’ goals in that victory.
In an AHL game on Monday night, F Dustin Boyd (Moose Jaw, 2002-06) scored six seconds into the third OT period to give the host Hamilton Bulldogs a 2-1 victory over the Manitoba Moose. It was Game 7 of a Western Conference semifinal. Boyd won the period-opening faceoff, dumped the puck off the end boards, beat a defender to it and whacked it past G Eddie Lack for the winner. Hamilton F Nigel Dawes (Kootenay, 2001-05) forced the OT with a goal at 6:24 of the third period. . . . Boyd and Dawes both are from Winnipeg.
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F Sven Bartschi of the Portland Winterhawks is the WHL’s player of the week. He had seven points, including five goals, in three games last week. . . . All signs point to the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires being sold and on the move to Chilliwack where they will be rebranded as the Chiefs. Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times has that story right here.
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Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun has an interesting piece right here on the OHL draft that was held on Saturday.
“The changing face of hockey in this province made startling history on Saturday,” Simmons writes, “when three of the first six selections — four of the first 12 players picked — in the Ontario Hockey League priority draft were players of colour.”
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In the QMJHL final, G Jacob DeSerres stopped 17 shots to help the visiting Saint John Sea Dogs to a 5-0 victory over the Gatineau Olympiques in front of 4,000 fans. . . . Saint John, which has won eight straight road games in these playoffs, leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 in Gatineau on Wednesday night. . . . DeSerres (Seattle, Brandon, 2005-10) is 10-2 in the playoffs.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Wednesday's stuff . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL) announced that it won’t re-sign D Tomas Mojzis (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 2000-03) for next season. He had two goals and seven assists in 49 games in helping Minsk to a second-place finish in the Western Conference of the KHL. However, it was upset by seventh-place Dynamo Riga 4-2 in the Western Conference quarterfinals.
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The Edmonton sporting scene and, indeed, the entire WHL is poorer today following the death of Vic Mah. Mah, who was 91, died on Friday. . . . A giant on the Edmonton sporting and restaurant scene, Mah longed to bring a WHL franchise to Edmonton. . . . Mah was on the Oil Kings’ board of directors when it was a dominant junior franchise in the 1960s. . . . He was part of the group that purchased the Flin Flon Bombers and moved them to Edmonton in time for the 1978-79 season. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a one-season stand. . . . Few people were aware of it, but Mah even was a shareholder in the Kamloops Blazers when the franchise was community-owned.
Cam Tait of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades clinched the fourth regular-season championship in franchise history on Wednesday, beating the Wheat Kings 5-3 in Brandon. . . . The Blades are 52-13-2 and have tied the franchise record for victories in one season that was set in 1982-83. . . . The Blades last finished first overall in 1987-88 when they went 41-22-3 and wound up three points ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers. Saskatoon later was swept from a second-round series by the Tigers. . . . The Blades also won the regular-season points title in 1982-83 (52-19-1) and 1972-73 (46-11-11). . . . F Marek Viedensky scored twice for the Blades last night as they ran their winning streak to five games and ended Brandon’s home-ice win streak at 11. . . . Viedensky leads the Blades with 33 goals. . . . Saskatoon will play in Brandon again on Friday. . . .
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G Brandon Glover stopped 24 shots last night to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-0 victory over the host Swift Current Broncos. . . . It was Glover’s first WHL shutout. . . . F Spencer Humphries scored twice for the Hitmen, breaking a scoreless tie in the third period and adding an empty-netter. . . . The Broncos have been blanked eight times this season, tying them with the Everett Silvertips for the WHL lead in a dubious category. . . . While the Hitmen have been eliminated from the playoff chase, the Broncos are on the verge. They are eight points out with five games remaining. . . .
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The Prince Albert Raiders are back in sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Raiders, with F Jonathan Parker scoring three first-period goals, beat the visiting Regina Pats 8-5, while the host Lethbridge Hurricanes lost 5-3 to the Moose Jaw Warriors, who got three assists from D Collin Bowman. . . . Parker has 44 goals this season. . . . The Raiders hold a two-point lead over Lethbridge with each team having five games remaining. . . . The Pats are 10^th, five points behind Prince Albert with five games left. . . .
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The Chilliwack Bruins ran their franchise-record winning streak to six games, blanking the Giants 2-0 in Vancouver. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore, the reigning CHL goaltender of the week, stopped 36 shots in earning his fourth shutout this season. . . . Vancouver has been shut out three times. . . . F Robin Soudek had a goal and an assist. . . . The Bruins, having won seven of eight, now are alone in sixth place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Everett Silvertips and just four behind the fifth-place Giants. . . . Vancouver lost F Michael Burns in the second period after he was checked by Chilliwack D Tyler Stahl. Burns stayed down and was taken from the ice on a stretcher. . . . Later, Chilliwack F Curt Gogol took a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct for a hit on Vancouver D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen. . . . The teams combined for 134 penalty minutes, with the Bruins taking 78 of those. . . . Vancouver has lost four in a row. . . . The Giants are to visit Chilliwack on Saturday. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has the game story right here.
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The Kelowna Rockets moved eight points ahead of Vancouver by beating the visiting Tri-City Americans, 3-1. . . . The Rockets are atop the B.C. Division, which brings with it the second seed in the Western Conference. . . . The Americans appear headed to a fourth-place finish. . . . Kelowna F Colton Heffley picked up a charging major and game misconduct so is likely to hear from the WHL office.
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Congrats to Nella Rounsville and Lorne Frey, the latest recipients of the WHL’s Distinguished Service Award. . . . Rounsville is the Kootenay Ice’s education advisor, a role she has filled since 1998-99. She also is chairperson of the Ice’s annual golf tournament. . . . Frey is the assistant general manager, head scout and director of player personnel for the Kelowna Rockets. He is arguably the best purveyor of talent in the WHL today and has two Memorial Cup rings to show for it (Swift Current, 1989; Kelowna, 2004) . . . Frey has been with the Rockets since they set up shop in Tacoma in 1991. . . . Hockey really is in his blood. F Travis Moen (Kelowna, 1998-02) of the Montreal Canadiens is Frey’s son-in-law. As well, Frey and the late Louise (Fanner) Kruger were siblings, meaning Frey is an uncle to Darren, Trevor and the late Scott Kruger, all of whom played in the WHL.
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Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, reports that it looks like F Killian Hutt’s season is over. Hutt hasn’t played since suffering a concussion during a game against the Blazers in Kamloops on Dec. 10.
“He was optimistic when we chatted last week that he’d be able to get back into the line-up in the final two weeks of the season,” Mullin wrote on his blog (link over there on the right). “However, as he started working harder in practice some post-concussion symptoms came back. It looks like he’ll be shut down for the year as a result.”
Mark Lamb, the Broncos’ GM and head coach, told Mullin:
“It was coming along well. He sartged getting headaches again. It looks like we’re going to have to shut him down for the year. That’s too bad for him. . . . I feel bad for him. It’s been a tough year for him. He’s a 19-year-old player who needs to get back in the lineup for his career. But you can’t do anything when you have those head injuries.”
Mullin also reports that F Graham Black, who won the Saskatchewan midget AAA league scoring championship with the Regina Pat Canadians, has joined the Broncos. They acquired his rights from the Edmonton Oil Kings in December. . . . With F Jarrett Dowling (ankle) out of the lineup, Black likely will see ample playing time in the Broncos’ remaining games.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings will play their first-round playoff games at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair will have taken over the Keystone Centre. Games 1 and 2 will be played there on March 28 and 31, with a sixth game, if necessary, there on April 4. . . . Brandon last played postseason games in Winnipeg in 2006 when they lost a first-round series in six games to the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . While the Wheat Kings haven’t yet clinched what would be their 11th straight playoff berth, they are getting close. They are seventh, one point out of sixth and seven out of eighth.
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JUST NOTES: F Nino Niederreiter of the Portland Winterhawks is the CHL player of the week. He had nine points, including seven goals, in four games last week. He is the first Portland skater to earn the honour this season. . . . Lucas Gore of the Chilliwack Bruins is the CHL’s goaltender of the week after going 4-0-0, 1.00, .968. . . .
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The QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs have a 53-6-3 record, in no small part because of the play of G Jacob DeSerres (Seattle, Brandon, 2005-10). DeSerres, 20, is profiled right here by Scott Briggs of the Saint John Telegraph-Journal.

Necklaces in play at the Crushed Can

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Martin Hohenberger (Victoria/Prince George, Lethbridge, 1993-97) has come out of retirement to sign a one-year contract with ATSE Graz (Austria Nationalliga). Hohenberger also is the assistant coach for ATSE. . . . Hohenberger was the first overall pick in the WHL's 1993 draft, taken by the Vicoria Cougars. . . .
F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) signed a four-game tryout contract with the Hannover Indians (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had seven goals and eight assists in 50 games for Liberec (Czech Republic Extraliga) last season.
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CH-CH-CHING: The host Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos engaged in some fisticuffs on Friday night. The Broncos won the game, 5-1, but the late-game line brawl cost each team in the pocketbook. The Raiders got touched for $500 because it was their second such incident this season. It was the first line brawl for the Broncos so only cost them $250.
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THE WHL AND JEWELLERY: Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald posted his on his blog after the Warriors had beaten the visiting Regina Pats on Saturday night . . .
“Call it the game within the game . . . with 2:58 left in a 5-3 game, the Warriors iced the puck. (Moose Jaw head coach Dave) Hunchak had already used his timeout and had no way of changing his tired skaters. The Pats put out their top line of Jordan Weal, Carter Ashton and Garrett Mitchell. However, Hunchak had taken note of the fact that Ashton and Weal were both wearing chains around their necks. That goes against WHL rules. Hunchak called over referee Devin Klein, pointed out the jewellery and as a result, two-thirds of the Pats top line had to leave the ice for a crucial offensive zone faceoff.
“That shift ended with the three-fight altercation that put the Warriors on the power play and effectively ended the game.”
By the way, that blog is right here.
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JUST NOTES: G Jacob DeSerres stopped 13 of 15 shots over two periods Friday as the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs scored a 7-2 victory over the visiting Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. DeSerres left after the second period with a groin pull. You’ll recall that DeSerres lost out in the 20-year-old game as the Brandon Wheat Kings released him. He cleared WHL waivers and joined the Sea Dogs in mid-October. Yes, he is still wearing his Wheat Kings-coloured goal pads. . . . (It actually was a reunion of sorts. G Andrew Hayes, another 20-year-old who was waived by Brandon, is with the Screaming Eagles but he backed up in this one.) . . . That victory left the Sea Dogs at 16-3-1, including 9-0-0 at home. It also put them in first place overall, a point ahead of the Quebec Remparts. . . . DeSerres was on the bench Saturday as the Sea Dogs were beaten at home, 4-3 in a shootout, by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. . . . The Remparts lost 3-2 to the visiting Montreal Juniors on Saturday, so the Sea Dogs were left in first place. . . .
The WHL’s player of the week is F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan of the Kelowna Rockets. Actually, the WHL won’t made a decision until Monday. However, Callahan put up 12 points as the Rockets went 4-0-0, winning four straight games from B.C. Division opponents. On Saturday, Callahan had a goal and two assists as the host Rockets dumped the Chilliwack Bruins, 9-3. Kelowna D Tyson Barrie helped out with a goal and three assists, while G Geordie Wudrick scored three times in the 296th regular-season game of his career. . . . The Bruins tied a franchise record for most goals-against in a regular-season game. . . . Brandon D Darren Bestland and D Ryley Miller each was plus-3 as the Wheat Kings beat the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. This was Seattle’s first game on an East Division swing. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 37 shots. . . .
The Calgary Hitmen, the WHL’s defending champions, saw their losing streak reach nine games as they dropped a 5-2 decision to the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. . . . Kootenay lost F Drew Czerwonka (right shoulder) in the first period. He is questionable for the rematch in Calgary on Thursday. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen already had shut out the Hitmen twice this season. . . . D Collin Bowman had three assists to lead the host Moose Jaw Warriors to a 5-3 victory over the Regina Pats, who blew a 3-0 first-period lead by giving up four goals before the frame ended. The Warriors had won 3-1 in Regina on Friday night. . . . The Crushed Can also was home to a third-period line brawl. There were six fighting majors handed out. . . . Ch-ch-ching!!! . . . There were 2,830 fans in the 2,705-seat Crushed Can. . . . The Warriors also got two goals and an assist from F Brendan Rowinski, 20, who was playing his first game since having offseason knee surgery. The Warriors now have two weeks to declare their three 20-year-olds. They also are carrying G Thomas Heemskerk, F Dylan Hood and F Spencer Edwards. Hood was the odd-man out in this one. . . .
The Lethbridge Hurricanes scored three goals in a 4:13 stretch of the third period to erase a 4-2 deficit and beat the visiting Kamloops Blazers, 5-4. The first two of those goals came via the PP. The Blazers, who had a six-game road winning streak snapped, got three goals from F Brendan Ranford. He has 17 goals but has yet to be named to the WHL team that will a touring Russian side in Kamloops on Nov. 17. . . . Kamloops F Jordan DePape had a four-game goal-scoring streak snapped but did get three assists. . . . In Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game’s last two goals in a 4-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. F Brad Ross broke a 2-2 tie at 16:38 of the third period and F Ryan Johansen added an empty-netter. Portland forwards Ty Rattie and Sven Bartschi both extended their point streaks to 10 games. . . . Portland has won eight in a row, the franchise’s longest run of success it won 15 in a row in 1997-98. . . . The Winterhawks open a six-game East Division swing in Swift Current on Tuesday. . . .
G Jon Groenheyde stopped 32 shots in his first with Edmonton and the Oil Kings stopped a nine-game losing skid with a 7-3 victory over the Cougars 7-3 in Prince George. F Jordan Hickmott had two goals for the Oil Kings, who lost 6-3 to the Cougars on Friday. . . . The Spokane Chiefs unleashed a 50-shot barrage at Swift Current G Adam Smith and beat the host Broncos, 3-1. The Chiefs went 3-2-1 on their East Division swing. . . . In Richland, Wash., F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice and set up another while F Byron Froese was one and two, leading the Red Deer Rebels to a 5-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. F Kruise Reddick, the Americans’ captain, returned after being out since Oct. 9 with a concussion.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT FOR SATURDAY:
Minors:
Calgary F Trevor Cheek
Calgary F Rob Trzonkowski

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter

Dirty Harry stars in Everett

The Brandon Wheat Kings made two moves Sunday and got down to the 20-year-old maximum of three players. . . . The started by trading D Mark Schneider, 20, to the Regina Pats for F Dominick Favreau, 18. Schneider, from Brandon, is the son of former Wheat Kings captain Ken Schneider, who now coaches the midget AAA Wheat Kings. Mark began his WHL career with the Kamloops Blazers. He had 21 points in 60 games with the Wheat Kings last season, but was pointless in three games this season. . . . Regina selected Favreau with the 13th pick of the 2007 bantam draft. The native of Martensiville, Sask., he had three points in 57 games with the Pats last season. . . . The Wheat Kings also announced that G Jacob DeSerres, 20, cleared WHL waivers and is joining the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. DeSerres, from Calgary, was acquired by Brandon last season from the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . All of this leaves Brandon with D Darren Bestland, F David Toews and F Shayne Wiebe as its 20-year-olds. Toews is sidelined with a high ankle sprain. . . . The deals leaves Regina with its three 20-year-olds, in Schneider, F Thomas Frazee and F Colin Reddin.
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The Winklers Flyers and OCN Blizzard went through 26 shooters before a shootout winner was decided in an MJHL Showcase Weekend game in Winnipeg on Saturday night. The Flyers ended up with a 3-2 victory. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes have lost F Austin Fyten for a while after he suffered a broken foot during Friday’s 4-1 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars. He was off to a great start, with six goals and two assists in five games. . . . On Saturday, the Kootenay Ice lost D Brayden McNabb in the second period of a 6-3 victory in Lethbridge. “He is day-to-day with an upper body injury,” writes blogger Jeff Bromley. “Cripes, it's only October and we're into upper- and lower-body injuries?” . . . Dave Shoalts of The Globe and Mail checks in with the latest on the Dallas Stars, Tom Gaglardi and Bill Gallacher. That piece is right here.
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SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
KELOWNA 4 at EVERETT 3 (SO): The Rockets erased a 3-0 third-period deficit and won for the second night in a row. . . . Kelowna (2-4-0-0) had beaten the visiting Prince Albert Raiders 3-2 in OT on Saturday night. . . . F Geordie Wudrick and F Shane McColgan scored for Kelowna in the shootout, while Everett shooters Tyler Maxwell and Linden Ferraro were blanked. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 35 shots in his WHL debut. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan scored the Rockets’ first two goals, at 4:46 on a PP, and again at 13:50. They were Callahan’s first goals this season. . . . Callahan also drew an assist on F Zach Franko’s tying goal, at 18:55. . . . Maxwell scored two shorthanded goals for Everett (4-1-0-1) which has two games left on an eight-game season-opening homestand. Maxwell has eight goals this season. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 20 shots. . . . Kelowna was 1-for-4 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 4,678. . . . The Rockets were without D Tyson Barrie (hamstring). . . . Checking from behind count: Zero.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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Taking Note on Twitter