Showing posts with label Jake Leschyshyn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jake Leschyshyn. Show all posts

Monday, February 13, 2017

Kehler blanks former team . . . Season over for two skaters . . . Fans paint ice in P.G.

G Michael Garnett (Red Deer, Saskatoon, 1999-2002) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Bern (Switzerland, NL A). This season, with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL), he was 3.15 and .903 in 17 games.
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Cole Kehler says he never doubted his abilities, but admits there were times when he wondered if he would get another opportunity to play in the WHL.
Kehler, a 19-year-old from Altona, Man., was selected by the Kamloops Blazers in the sixth round of the
COLE KEHLER
2012 bantam draft. On Monday afternoon, he recorded his first career shutout, stopping 41 shots to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-0 victory over the host Blazers.
When the 2014-15 WHL season began, Kehler and Connor Ingram were the Blazers goaltenders. When they returned from the Christmas break, Ingram took over the starting job and refused to give it up; in fact, he has played lights out since then.
Kehler, meanwhile, had a poor exhibition season in the autumn of 2015 and ended up going to the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials in order to get some playing time.
“I don’t think I doubted myself,” he said, “but I maybe doubted whether I’d get another opportunity (in the WHL).”
Well, he played well enough in Merritt that the Winterhawks, looking to replace the graduating Adin Hill, who had played in 65 games last season, acquired Kehler from the Blazers for a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft.
Since then, he has played well enough in Portland — “He’s been good for us,” said GM/head coach Mike Johnston — that the Winterhawks were able to deal Michael Bullion to the Medicine Hat Tigers on Jan. 1 for a seventh-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. At that point, Portland brought in Shane Farkas, who turned 18 on Jan. 12, to back up Kehler.
“It was pretty fun,” Kehler said after Monday’s game, adding that the first shutout was special “no matter who it’s against.”
Kehler had played in Kamloops earlier this season, losing 4-3 in a shootout on Jan. 20. He struggled with rebound control that night, something that wasn’t a problem yesterday.
Kehler said he has been working on that part of his game — “There’s always something to work on” is how he put it — and admitted that he had been nervous on Jan. 20. That was his first game against his former team and he said he felt “tighter.”
That certainly wasn’t the case on Monday as he earned Portland’s first shutout this season and the team’s first since Oct. 25, 2015, when Hill turned aside 45 shots in a 5-0 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings.

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F Jake Leschyshyn of the Regina Pats won’t play again this season, thanks to a knee injury suffered during a game against the host Saskatoon Blades on Feb. 3. . . . He is scheduled to undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn ACL. . . . Leschyshyn, 17, had 17 goals and 23 assists in 47 games when he was injured and had played in the Top Prospects Game. . . . He is projected as a possible late first-round selection in the NHL’s 2017 draft. . . . Regina’s acquisition of F Wyatt Sloboshan from the Spokane Chiefs in January now looks rather prescient. Sloboshan, who turned 20 on Jan. 24, had 44 points, including 19 goals, in 66 games with the Blades last season. They dealt him to the Spokane Chiefs in December, but he chose not to return there after the Christmas break. On Jan. 2, the Pats acquired Sloboshan and a third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft from the Chiefs for F Rykr Cole and F Riley Woods. . . . Sloboshan, who had four goals and 12 assists in 30 games with the Blades, has four goals and four assists in 18 games with Regina. In his past four games, he has had a three-point game and a two-pointer. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more on this story right here.
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F Ryan Graham of the Swift Current Broncos has had his WHL career ended by a knee injury. The 20-year-old Graham hasn’t played since Jan. 22. Graham was acquired from the Saskatoon Blades on Nov. 20 for a second-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft and a conditional fourth-rounder in 2018. . . . Graham,  put up 12 goals and 11 assists in 21 games with the Broncos. From Calgary, Graham was a fifth-round pick by the Blades in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . In 269 regular-season games, he had 72 goals and 68 assists. . . . Graham will stay with the Broncos through the end of the season and get his introduction to the coaching game.
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The WHL has suspended two players — they both are TBD — because of incidents during the Kamloops Blazers’ 3-1 victory over the host Victoria Royals on Saturday night. . . . F Jared Dmytriw of the Royals was suspended for a headshot major and game misconduct at 17:19 of the third period. He hit F Deven Sideroff of the Blazers, who is in concussion protocol and was scratched from their game against the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Monday afternoon. . . . Kamloops D Ondrej Vala has been suspended under supplemental discipline. Vala took a cross-checking penalty for a hit on Victoria F Tyler Soy at 16:55 of the first period. Soy didn’t return from the hit.
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Fans in Prince George were invited on to the CN Centre ice surface after the Spokane Chiefs had beaten the Cougars, 4-3, on Monday afternoon. As fans ventured onto the ice, they were given paint brushes and cups of ice, and were then allowed to paint the ice. There were volunteers on the ice to show fans exactly where they would be allowed to paint. For example, stay away from the faceoff circles, goal creases, and the blue and red lines. . . . Andy Beesley, the Cougars’ vice-president of business, told Greg Fry of 250 News in Prince George, that arena staff would be sealing the ice and then building new ice over top of the art work. . . . As part of the painting package, fans taking part were  presented an opportunity to purchase half-price tickets for a game tonight (Tuesday) between the Chiefs and Cougars on the freshly painted ice. “Overall,” Beesley told Fry, “I think the players are going to get a great deal of fun out of playing on something so unique.”
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Coaching

 The SPHL’s Pensacola Ice Flyers have fired head coach Kevin Hasselberg, who was in his first season there. The Ice Flyers were 15-15-5 and in seventh place in the 10-team league when the move was made on Monday. Pensacola is expected to announce a new head coach today (Tuesday). . . . From Brooks, Alta., Hasselberg headed south after spending the previous five seasons as general manager and head coach of the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:


At Kamloops, G Cole Kehler stopped 41 shots as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Blazers, 4-0. . . . The Winterhawks acquired Kehler from the Blazers on July 19, giving up a conditional seventh-round pick
KEEGAN IVERSON
in the 2018 bantam draft in return. . . . Kehler stopped 18 shots in the third period as the Blazers fought to get back into the game. . . . Portland had surrendered 26 shots in its previous games, going 3-1-1 in the process. . . . D Keoni Texeira’s 10th goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 12:07 of the first period. . . . F Keegan Iverson, playing his first game since Jan. 13, scored No. 15, on a PP, at 4:02 of the second period. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld, who also had an assist, added insurance at 18:52. He’s got goals in three straight games. . . . F Evan Weinger put it away with his 17th, into an empty net, at 19:47 of the third period. . . . F Cody Glass and D Henri Jokiharju each had two assists. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 34 shots in suffering his first regulation-time loss since Nov. 25. He had been 9-0-3 since then. . . . The Winterhawks were 1-1 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-2. . . . Kamloops head coach Don Hay turned 63 on Monday, but didn’t have to celebrate about, at least not in terms of his hockey team. . . . The Blazers were without F Deven Sideroff (concussion protocol), a 31-goal man, and D Ondrej Vala (WHL suspension), who has goals in three of his past four games. . . . The Winterhawks welcomed back Iverson, who slid right into the right wing on their top line alongside Glass and Skyler MacKenzie. . . . Iverson, 20, has 47 points, including 32 assists, in 40 games. . . . Portland won the season series, 3-0-1. The Blazers went 1-3-0. . . . The Winterhawks (31-23-3) remain fourth in the U.S. Division, two points behind the Tri-City Americans and eight ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. Portland holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point behind the Victoria Royals. . . . The Blazers (34-19-6) had points in each of their previous five games (3-0-2). They are second in the B.C. Division, four points behind the Prince George Cougars and four ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Announced attendance: 5,605, on Faith, Family and Jermaine Loewen Bobblehead Day.
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At Kelowna, the Rockets overcame a 3-2 deficit with four goals in the second-half of the third period to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 6-3. . . . Kelowna held an 18-9 edge in shots in the decisive third period,
NICK MERKLEY
after being outshot 16-7 in the second. . . . The Thunderbirds, who have been hit by the injury bug were playing their fifth game in seven days. They went 4-1-0 in that stretch. . . . . They will make it six games in eight nights when they entertain the Red Deer Rebels tonight (Tuesday). . . . F Calvin Thurkauf gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead at 2:16 of the first period, with Seattle equalizing as D Ethan Bear scored No. 22 at 12:08. . . . The home side went back out front at 13:35 as F Leif Mattson got his sixth goal. . . . The Thunderbirds moved into a 3-2 lead on goals from F Keegan Kolesar (17), at 15:44 of the first, and F Ryan Gropp (23), at 5:10 of the second period. . . . Gropp has goals in seven straight games and points in 13 in a row. . . . Thurkauf’s 27th goal tied it at 12:04 of the third period and F Reid Gardiner sent the home boys into the lead with his seventh goal, at 12:28. . . . The Rockets got insurance from F Carsen Twarynski (11), at 17:52, and F Nick Merkley (17), at 18:19. . . . Merkley also had two assists, as did D Devante Stephens. Gardiner added one to his goal. . . . Seattle got two assists from each of F Mathew Barzal and Bear, with Gropp getting one. . . . G Michael Herringer turned aside 31 shots to earn the victory over G Matt Berlin, who stopped 26 shots. . . . Seattle was 1-2 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-3. . . . The Thunderbirds signed F Cody Savey on Monday and he made his WHL debut in this one. Savey, 15, is from Campbell River, B.C. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder, a list player, has 26 points, including 12 goals, in 26 games with the West Vancouver Academy elite 15s. . . . The Rockets (33-20-4) have won three straight games. They are third in the B.C. Division, four points ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . The Thunderbirds (35-16-5) had been 11-0-1 in their past 12 games. They lead the U.S. Division by one point over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Announced attendance: 5,563.
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At Prince George, the Spokane Chiefs struck for the game’s last three goals — all via the PP — and beat the Cougars, 4-3. . . . F Hudson Elynuik reached a career high with his 20th goal to get the Chiefs to
KEANU YAMAMOTO
within one, at 3-2, at 5:59 of the second period. He had 19 goals last season. . . . The Chiefs pulled even when F Keanu Yamamoto (22) scored at 1:32 of the third period. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s 31st goal, at 11:20 of the third period, snapped the tie. . . . Yamamoto drew assists on Spokane’s second and fourth goals. He has tied his career single-season high in goals — he had 22 last season — and now has 99 career assists. . . . D Tate Olson (7) had given the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 6:30 of the first period. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto, who also had an assist to reach the 200-point mark for his career, tied it with No. 32 at 11:54. . . . The Cougars took a 3-1 lead on first-period goals from F Radovan Bondra (27), at 14:27, and F Jansen Harkins (17), at 16:56. . . . Anderson-Dolan and Elynuik added an assist each, while Bondra and Harkins had one each for the Cougars. . . . The Chiefs got 39 stops from G Dawson Weatherill. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 28 for the Cougars. . . . Spokane was 3-10 on the PP; Prince George was 0-5. . . . F Brad Morrison was among Prince George’s scratches, as was D Brendan Guhle (ankle), who hasn’t played side Jan. 29. . . . It’s worth noting that the Chiefs played at home on Wednesday, in Portland on Friday and at home on Saturday, then rode the bus to Prince George for Monday’s game. They play there again tonight (Tuesday), their fifth game in seven days. . . . The Chiefs (24-23-9) have points in four straight (3-0-1). They are eight points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Cougars (37-17-4) had points in their previous two games (1-0-1). They remain atop the B.C. Division, four points ahead of Kamloops. . . . Announced attendance: 4,442.
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At Langley, B.C., the Tri-City Americans broke a 2-2 tie with two late second-period goals and went on to beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-3. . . . F Riley Sawchuk gave the Americans a 3-2 lead with his second
RILEY SAWCHUK
goal, at 15:57, and F Parker AuCoin upped it to 4-2 with No. 18, at 18:56. . . . F Owen Hardy pulled the Giants to within a goal with his fourth at 1:24 of the third period. . . . The Americans got insurance from F Jordan Topping, who scored his 17th at 8:48. . . . Tri-City had taken a 1-0 lead on F Morgan Geekie’s 30th goal, on a PP, at 4:18 of the first period. . . . F Jordan Borstmayer (5) tied it at 10:11, snapping Vancouver’s scoring drought at 158:34. . . . The Americans went back out front on D Dylan Coghlan’s 10th goal, at 18:35. . . . Vancouver tied it when F Brendan Semchuk, who also had an assist, got his eighth goal, on a PP, at 19:11. . . . F Tyler Sandhu had two assists for the winners, with Topping and Geekie adding one each. . . . G Rylan Parenteau earned the victory with 18 saves. . . . At the other end, G Ryan Kubic turned aside 35 shots. . . . Tri-City was 1-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-6. . . . Americans F Michael Rasmussen missed his fourth straight game. They hope to have him in the lineup on Wednesday against the visiting Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Americans (32-23-3) snapped a three-game skid. They are third in the U.S. Division, two points ahead of Portland. . . The Giants (18-35-5) have lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,145.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Brandon at Moose Jaw, 8 p.m.
Spokane at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Everett at Regina, 7 p.m.
Red Deer vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.


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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:06 PM
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Saturday, November 5, 2016

WHL comes down on Cougars . . . Changes to Team WHL . . . Pats' offence really on fire

The Prince George Cougars got hit with suspensions totalling 11 games and fines totalling $1,500 for silliness that occurred at the end of a 6-4 loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday night. . . . D Sam Ruopp, the team captain, drew an eight-game suspension for engaging in what was a one-man fight “with an unsuspecting opponent.” That opponent was F Steve Owre of the Tigers. Eight games is believed to be the longest suspension handed out by the WHL since April 11, 2014, when Victoria F Brandon Magee got 12 games after being hit with a match penalty — he twice cross-checked opponents in the head — during a playoff game with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . F Kody McDonald got three games for a slashing major and game misconduct that he took as the game ended. He viciously hacked at Medicine Hat F Chad Butcher at a faceoff. . . . The Cougars were fined $1,000 and head coach Richard Matvichuk got touched for $500 “for actions of players at end of game,” according to the WHL.
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The WHL has scratched F Dillon Dube of the Kelowna Rockets, F Brett Howden of the Moose Jaw Warriors and F Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings from the team that will meet a touring Russian side next week in Prince George (Monday) and Edmonton (Tuesday). . . . All three veterans are out with injuries. . . . Added to Team WHL’s roster were F Brad Morrison (Prince George Cougars), F Lane Pederson (Swift Current Broncos) and F Mason Shaw (Medicine Hat Tigers). . . . For whatever reason, the pooh-bahs have chosen to snub Matt Phillips of the Victoria Royals, who may be the best forward in the WHL. . . . Patrick, the consensus No. 1 selection in the NHL’s 2017 NHL draft, hasn’t played since Oct. 11 and has skated in only six of Brandon’s 16 games. He has sports hernia surgery in July and missed most of training camp.
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F Ethan Leyh of Anmore, B.C., has committed to attend the U of Wisconsin where he will play for the Badgers. Leyh, 15, was an eighth-round selection by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. He is playing for the major midget Vancouver-North East Chiefs. Leynh had 13 points, including eight goals, in six games going into the weekend.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, D Kale Clague’s third goal of the season broke a 2-2 tie at 9:57 of the third period and the
KALE CLAGUE
Wheat Kings beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . This was a rematch of last season’s championship final, which the Wheat Kings won in five games. . . . Last night, F Ty Lewis got Brandon on the board with his ninth goal, at 8:51 of the first period. . . . Seattle took the lead with two third-period goals, F Nolan Volcan scoring his sixth just 28 seconds in, and D Turner Ottenbreit getting his second, on a PP, at 1:51. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos, with his seventh, forced OT at 3:48 of the third. Clague drew the primary assist on the goal. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 36 shots, nine more than Rylan Toth of Seattle. . . . Seattle was 1-10 on the PP; Brandon was 0-4. . . . The Wheat Kings (7-6-3) had lost their previous four games (0-4-1). . . . The Thunderbirds (6-7-1) had won two in a row. They are 3-2-0 on their East Division trip. . . . Seattle lost D Ethan Bear with a spearing major and game misconduct at 8:28 of the first period. Chances are that he will be suspended at least for tonight’s game against the Warriors in Moose Jaw. . . . Announced attendance: 3,640.
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At Kamloops, F Deven Sideroff scored once and drew three assists to lead the Blazers to a 5-2 victory
DEVEN SIDEROFF
over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Sideroff has 10 goals and seven assists in 17 games. . . . The Blazers took control of a 0-0 game with two second-period goals and one early in the third. Sideroff got the game’s first score, at 5:54 of the second, with F Collin Shirley making it 2-0 at 9:04. His eighth goal came via the PP. . . . Kamloops D Ondrej Vala’s fourth goal, at 7:03 of the third period, turned out to be the winner. . . . D Dylan MacPherson got his first goal, at 11:49, to get the Tigers to within two, but Kamloops F Rudolfs Balcers put it away with two goals, giving him nine. . . . F Mark Rassell later scored his 11th for the Tigers. . . . Balcers added an assist to his goals, while F Nick Chyzowski and F Garrett Pilon each had two helpers. . . . The line of Pilon between Sideroff and Balcers totalled nine points. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram, who went into the game first in the WHL in save percentage (.936) and second in GAA (2.01) stopped 36 shots. He really was sharp again, this time with Hockey Canada goaltending consultant Fred Brathwaite looking on. . . . The Tigers got 38 saves from G Duncan McGovern. . . . The Blazers (10-8-1) are 2-0-1 in their last three outings. . . . The Tigers (11-5-1) have won their previous three games, all on the road. . . . The Blazers had beaten the Tigers 5-1 in Medicine Hat on Oct. 8. . . . The Tigers were 1-2 on the PP; the Blazers were 1-4. . . . Kamloops was without three injured veteran defencemen — Dawson Davidson, Shaun Dosanjh and Dallas Valentine. . . . The Blazers added D Tylor Ludwar, 17, to their roster for this game — he acquitted himself quite well — and Saturday’s in Prince George. A native of Regina, he has eight points, including five goals, in six games with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. . . . Announced attendance: 3,749, the second-largest crowd this season.
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At Moose Jaw, F Tanner Jeannot broke a 1-1 tie at 4:12 of the third period as the Warriors beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-1. . . . Jeannot has five goals. . . . F Noah Gregor gave the home side a 1-0 lead at 17:10 of the first period, with his sixth goal, on a PP. . . . Edmonton F Davis Koch got his fourth goal, on a PP, at 16:01 of the second period. . . . The Warriors got an insurance goal from F Ryan Bowen, his fifth, at 8:38 of the third. . . . F Nikita Popugaev had two assists for the Warriors. . . . G Zach Sawchenko had another strong game for the Warriors, with 36 saves. . . . The Oil Kings got 22 stops from Patrick Dea. . . . Edmonton was 1-3 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 1-4. . . . The Warriors (11-3-2) have won four straight. . . . Edmonton now is 5-9-2. . . . F Tate Popple, 16, made his WHL debut with the Warriors. From Brandon, Popple has 18 points, including 10 goals, in 11 games with the midget AAA Wheat Kings. . . . Announced attendance: 3,019.
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At Prince Albert, G Ian Scott stopped 22 shots to earn the shutout as the Raiders beat the Kootenay Ice,
IAN SCOTT
6-0. . . . It was Scott’s first shutout this season and the second of his career. . . . The game featured the two teams with the league’s poorest records. As a result of the outcome, the Raiders (5-11-1), who had lost their previous four games, moved a point ahead of the Ice (3-10-4), which has lost two straight. . . . F Tim Vanstone scored the game’s first goal, his fourth, at 9:35 of the first period. . . . F Sean Montgomery, scored twice, giving him five goals, with F Cavin Leth (2), F Cole Fonstad (2) and F Adam Kadlec (2) adding one each. . . . F Simon Stransky had two assists, with Vanstone adding one. . . . Ice G Payton Lee stopped 33 shots. . . . The Raiders were 2-4 on the PP; the Ice was 0-3. . . . The Raiders scratched F Luke Coleman with an undisclosed injury. He has been hot, too, having scored three of the team’s last six goals going into this game. . . . Announced attendance: 2,109.
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At Regina, the Pats scored six first-period goals, including two shorthanded scores on the same penalty kill, en route to a 9-6 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Regina (12-0-3) has won eight in a row, the franchise’s longest winning streak since it won nine straight in 2001-02. . . . The Pats, the WHL’s highest-scoring team, were coming off a 10-goal game, having beaten the visiting Kootenay Ice, 10-2, on Wednesday. . . . The Blades (7-9-1) have lost two in a row. . . . The Pats came out of the first period with a 6-2 lead, with F Sam Steel in on three of those goals. He had two goals, giving him 14, and a league-high 28 points. . . . The Blades got to within two, at 6-4, on second-period goals from F Michael Farren (3) and F Gage Ramsey (2). . . . Regina F Filip Ahl’s 10th goal, on a PP at 15:57, gave his guys a three-goal lead. . . . F Logan Christensen (4) scored for Saskatoon, on a PP, at 17:52. . . . Regina put it away with third-period goals from Ahl, on a PP, at 4:15, and F Adam Brooks (6) at 7:29. . . . Saskatoon F Caleb Fantillo closed out the scoring with his first goal at 16:22. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn scored his ninth goal and had three assists for Regina, with D Chase Harrison scoring his third goal and adding one assist and F Austin Wagner getting No. 3 and an assist. . . . Ahl ended up with the winner, his WHL-leading fifth, while Wagner now has a league-leading four shorthanded goals. . . . Brooks added three assists to his goal, with D Connor Hobbs also getting three assists. . . . Fantillo also had an assist, while D Nolan Reid had two of them. . . . G Tyler Brown turned aside 34 shots for Regina. . . . Saskatoon starter Brock Hamm gave up six goals on 17 shots in the first period. Logan Flodell played the last two periods, stopping 27 of 30 shots. . . . Regina was 4-8 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-6. . . . Regina took 78 of the game’s 155 penalty minutes. Ch-ch-ching! There was a line brawl at 17:11 of the third period that resulted in 107 penalty minutes. . . . The teams don’t play each other again until Dec. 10 in Regina. . . . Announced attendance: 5,658.
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At Spokane, F Michael Spacek’s 10th goal, on a PP at 4:31 of OT, gave the Red Deer Rebels a 4-3 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Red Deer held 2-0 and 3-2 leads before Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto forced extra time with his 11th goal at 16:32 of the third period. . . . Two Rebels — F Jordan Roy and D Ethan Sakowich — scored their first goals to give the visitors a 2-0 lead after one period. . . . Spokane tied it on goals from F Hudson Elynuik (5) and F Keanu Yamamoto (4), the former at 4:32 of the second and the latter 57 seconds into the third period. . . . D Austin Pratt gave Red Deer a 3-2 lead, with his sixth goal, at 7:59. . . . Spacek also had two assists. . . . The Chiefs got two assists from F Curtis Miske. . . . G Riley Lamb stopped 29 shots for the Rebels, with Jayden Sittler stopping 26 for the Chiefs. . . . The Rebels were 1-3 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-5. . . . Red Deer (9-7-2) had lost four in a row. . . . The Chiefs (6-6-4) are 3-0-2 in their last five games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,603.
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At Swift Current, F Tyler Steenbergen scored at 3:53 of OT to give the Broncos a 3-2 victory over the
TYLER STEENBERGEN
Calgary Hitmen. . . . Steenbergen, who has 13 goals, including three in OT, also scored in OT on Saturday as the Broncos beat the visiting Spokane Chiefs, 3-2. . . . Steenbergen has four goals and two assists over his last three games. . . . F Carsen Twarynski, who has six goals, scored twice for Calgary, giving it a 1-0 lead 50 seconds into the game tying the game 2-2 at 19:33 of the third period. The second one came with G Cody Porter on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Broncos F Aleksi Heponiemi’s fifth goal pulled the Broncos into a 1-1 tie at 1:15 of the first period. . . . Broncos D Max Lajoie got his second goal, on a PP, at 15:44 of the second period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro and F Jordy Stallard each had two assists for Calgary. . . . G Travis Child earned the victory with 25 saves, three more than Porter. . . . The Broncos were 1-4 on the PP; the Hitmen were 0-3. . . . Swift Current (10-5-3) has points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . The Hitmen (5-5-2) had won their previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 1,858.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Michael Rasmussen scored twice and added an assist to help the Tri-City
MICHAEL RASMUSSEN
Americans to a 5-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Rasmussen, who has 14 goals, opened the scoring at 1:11 of the first period. . . . Portland F Ryan Hughes got his fifth goal at 4:15. . . . The Americans took control with the next three goals in a span of 5:04. F Morgan Geekie (7) scored on a PP at 11:21, Rasmussen counted at 13:34 — he’s got eight goals in four games against Portland — and F Parker AuCoin (6) got a shorthanded score at 16:25. . . . The Winterhawks got to within a goal when D Carter Czaikowski got his first goal at 12:39 of the second period and F Keegan Iverson (7) scored at 17:36. . . . Geekie got the empty-netter at 19:49. . . . G Rylan Parenteau blocked 31 shots for the Americans. . . . Tri-City D Juuso Valimaki had two assists. . . . Portland starter Cole Kehler was beaten three times on five shots in 13:34. Michael Bullion finished up with 25 saves on 26 shots in 44:51. . . . Tri-City was 1-7 on the PP; Portland was 0-5. . . . The Americans (10-6-1) have won two straight. . . . The Winterhawks (8-9-0) have lost six in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 3,909.
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At Langley, B.C., F Nick Merkley had two goals and an assist to help the Kelowna Rockets to a 6-4
NICK MERKLEY
victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Rockets enjoyed 2-1 and 4-2 leads but it was a goal by F Kole Lind, his seventh, that broke a 4-4 tie at 16:50 of the third period. . . . F Alec Baer, who had two goals and an assist, gave the Giants a 1-0 lead at 6:56 of the first period. . . . Kelowna took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Calvin Thurkauf (7) and Merkley, at 10:09 and 12:46 of the first. . . . Vancouver D Darian Skeoch tied it with his first goal, at 17:15. . . . The Rockets took a 4-2 lead when F Tomas Soustal (7) and D Braydyn Chizen (1) struck for shorthanded goals just three seconds apart — yes, three seconds — at 14:15 and 14:18 of the second period. . . . Baer’s second goal, and second of the season, at 15:49 of the second cut the deficit to one, and F Johnny Wesley’s fourth goal, at 8:42 of the third period, tied it. . . . Merkley got the empty-netter at 18:44. . . . The WHL record for quickest two goals is two seconds. F Pavel Brendl and F Brad Moran set that record with the Calgary Hitmen on Oct. 3, 1998. Brendl’s goal came into an empty net as the Hitmen beat the Red Deer Rebels, 6-4. . . . Soustal and Thurkauf each had two assists. . . . F James Malm had two assists for Vancouver. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 30 shots for the victory. . . . The Giants got 31 stops from Ryan Kubic. . . . Kelowna was 2-4 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-5. . . . The Rockets improved to 10-8-0, while the Giants are 7-11-0. . . . Announced attendance: 4,286. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that Curtis Hunt, the Prince Albert Raiders’ general manager, was in the building.
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At Victoria, F Kaid Oliver’s goal ended an 11-round shootout and gave the Royals a 3-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker scored two goals, at 1:39 and 18:46 of the first period. He’s got 10 goals. . . . Lethbridge got two goals from F Jesse Zaharichuk, who has eight, at 13:55 of the second period and 16:27 of the third. . . . The Royals scored four times in the shootout, with the Hurricanes getting three. . . . Kaid, a 16-year-old from White Rock, B.C., has one goal and one assist in 19 games. . . . Victoria G Griffen Outhouse stopped 36 shots. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner turned aside 25 shots. That included stopping Victoria F Matt Phillips on a penalty shot at 1:23 of OT. . . . The Royals were 1-3 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 0-1. . . . Victoria (10-7-2) is 2-0-2 in its last four games. . . . Lethbridge (7-7-3) had won its previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,494.
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LEADERS

POINTS: F Sam Steel, Regina, 28; F Mason Shaw, Medicine Hat, 27; F Kailer Yamamoto, Spokane, F Nikita Popugaev, Moose Jaw, F Cody Glass, Portland, each 24.
GOALS: Steel, F Michael Rasmussen, Tri-City, each 14; F Tyler Steenbergen, Swift Current, 13; F Zak Zborosky, Kootenay, 12; Yamamoto, 11.
ASSISTS: Shaw, 22; F Brayden Burke, Lethbridge, 18; F Chad Butcher, Medicine Hat, Glass, each 17; D Chase Harrison, Regina, 16.
VICTORIES: Nick Schneider, Medicine Hat, Griffen Outhouse, Victoria, each 10; Carter Hart, Everett, Ty Edmonds, Prince George, Michael Herringer, Kelowna, each 9.
GAA: Hart, 1.89; Connor Ingram, Kamloops, 2.01; Ty Edmonds, Prince George, 2.31; Logan Flodell, Saskatoon, 2.38; Cody Porter, Calgary, 2.46.
SAVE %: Ingram, .937; Flodell, .931; Hart, .926; Logan Thompson, Brandon, .922; Outhouse, .920.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Edmonton at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Swift Current at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Seattle at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Lethbridge vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:23 AM
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Saturday, September 24, 2016

Game fogged out in Brandon . . . Two six-point nights in WHL . . . Tri-City sniper scores four times



Prior to the start of this season, the WHL brought in a rule involving pucks that go into nets off skates. According to the WHL, “Unless the puck is in the goal crease, a puck that enters the net off a player's skate shall be ruled a goal. This will eliminate the need for a decision by the referee and/or video goal judge as to whether it was a distinct kicking motion or not.”
The new rule came into play on Friday in Calgary during a game between the Hitmen and Kootenay Ice.
The Ice led 2-1 when Calgary F Tyler Mrkonjic scored at 1:18 of the third period. Eventually, the game went into OT. Calgary F Mark Kastelic thought he had won the game with 29.3 seconds left in OT.
From the WHL web site:
“In the overtime period, the Hitmen were able to jam a puck past Ice goaltender Payton Lee during a goal-mouth scramble. Igniting the red light, Calgary emptied from its bench, celebrating what appeared to be a victory. Meanwhile, Lee protested and his teammates headed down the hallway to the dressing room.
“Across the ice at the timekeeper’s box, on-ice officials were on the phone with video review and quickly overturned the goal, bringing both teams back to the ice.”
So . . . what happened?
According to a tweet from Brad Curle, the radio voice of the Hitmen, “Video review showed the puck was kicked in. New rule only allows a kick outside the blue crease. He was in the crease.”
Eventually, F Taylor Sanheim’s shootout goal gave Calgary a 3-2 victory.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers are into their second season in the Canalta Centre, but they still aren’t in what is supposed to be a $1.5-million dressing room. In fact, construction on that dressing room hasn’t even started. . . . Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News has more right here.
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As part of their 50th anniversary celebrations, the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Brandon Sun are asking fans to help pick the franchise’s Dream Team — the top 20 players in franchise history.
The online project allows fans to select two goaltenders, six defencemen and 12 forwards from a list
of 50 that is provided. Voting is to begin on Monday at wheatkings.com.
The names on the ballot:
Goalies — Glen Hanlon, Ron Hextall, Trevor Kidd, Tyler Plante.
Defencemen — Keith Aulie, Daryl Boyle, Kevin Cheveldayoff, Don Dietrich, Burke Henry, Dean Kennedy, Justin Kurtz, Brad McCrimmon, Cam Plante, Dwayne Pentland, Ivan Provorov, Ryan Pulock, Wayne Ramsey, Wade Redden, Colby Robak.
Forwards — Ray Allison, Rick Blight, Dan Bonar, Laurie Boschman, Matt Calvert, Dave Chartier, Ron Chipperfield, Ryan Craig, Cory Cyrenne, Bill Derlago, Chris Dingman, Eric Fehr, Ray Ferraro, Scott Glennie, Kelly Glowa, Jayce Hawryluk, Bobby House, Mike Leclerc, Byron Lomow, Dale McMullin, Marty Murray, Robbie Neale, Steve Patrick, Brian Propp, Darren Ritchie, Peter Schaefer, Brayden Schenn, Mark Stone, Ryan Stone, Jordin Tootoo, Terry Yake.
Results of the voting will be revealed in January.
The Wheat Kings, who won the Ed Chynoweth Cup last season, dropped the puck on the 50th anniversary party at home on Saturday night. On hand to help things get started were some familiar names, like former team captains Bob Ash, Bill Fairbairn and Ted Taylor. Also there were Bruce Bonk Jack Borotsik, Ray Brownlee, Bob Clyne, Roy McLachlan and Ted Temple, all of whom played on Brandon’s first WCHL team in 1967-68.
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JUST NOTES:

F Keegan Kolesar of the Seattle Thunderbirds has suffered an undisclosed injury while in the training camp of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. On Saturday afternoon, Aaron Portzline, who covers the Blue Jackets for the Columbus Dispatch, tweeted: “Add LW Keegan Kolesar to the (Columbus) injured list. Club not saying what the injury is.” . . . Kolesar, 19, had 61 points, including 30 goals, in 64 games with Seattle last season, his third in the WHL. The Blue Jackets selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2015 draft. . . . 
When Everett scored seven goals in beating the host Vancouver Giants, 7-3, on Friday night, the Silvertips matched their single-game goal-scoring high from last season. They counted seven times in a 7-4 victory over the Chiefs in Spokane on Dec. 16. . . . 
The Kamloops Blazers opened with a 9-2 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Friday. It marked the third time in franchise history that the Blazers had scored nine times in a home-opener against Kelowna. Kamloops won 9-5 on Sept. 29, 1982, and on Oct. 2, 1983. . . . The Blazers’ most lopsided home-opening victory came on Sept. 23, 1994 when they beat the Portland Winterhawks, 11-1. 
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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SATURDAY GAMES:


At Brandon, the Moose Jaw Warriors held a 2-1 lead over the Wheat Kings when the game was suspended due to a persistent problem with fog on the ice. . . . Humidity in Brandon was as high as 100 per cent on Saturday. . . . Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner, was in the building and a decision was made at 14:23 of the second period to suspend the game. The Wheat Kings later released this statement: “Due to the safety of the players, the WHL has postponed the conclusion of tonight’s game. The balance of this game will be played at a date to be determined.” . . . Later, the decision was made to finish the game on Nov. 2 when the Warriors next are scheduled to visit Brandon. Players who now are in NHL camps will be back by then so both teams will have rosters different from what was on display last night. . . . F Brayden Watts gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead at 11:23 of the first period. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos tied it 31 seconds into the second period. . . . The Warriors took a 2-1 lead when F Nikita Popugaev scored at 14:23 of the second period, at which point the game was halted. . . . The Warriors had beaten the visiting Wheat Kings 3-2 in OT on Friday night. . . . Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun reported that Wheat Kings G Jordan Papirny was watching the video screen whenever the puck was in the Moose Jaw zone because he couldn’t see it through the fog. . . . In Brandon, the player benches are across the ice from each other. Brandon head coach David Anning told Bergson that the fog was so thick at ice level he could hardly see the Warriors’ bench. . . . Announced attendance: Unavailable.
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At Edmonton, F Lane Bauer’s shootout goal gave the Oil Kings a 4-3 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . This was the first hockey game to be played at Rogers Place, the new arena that will be home to the Oil Kings and the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. It was 90 minutes later in starting after a hydraulic lift broke down on the ice surface prior to the pregame warmups. . . . Bauer had been in camp with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, but was returned in time to play in the season-opening doubleheader. D Aaron Irving was returned with Bauer and scored the OT winner on Friday when the Oil Kings won 3-2 in Red Deer. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky of the Oil Kings scored the first goal in the new facility, 22 seconds into the second period, on a PP, as he snapped home a shot from the top of the right circle. . . . Later, the Oil Kings thought Fix-Wolansky had scored in OT but officials waived it off. . . . F Evan Polei and F D-Jay Jerome gave Red Deer a 2-1 lead early in the second period, only to have Bauer tie it at 12:16. . . . Jerome’s second goal of the game put Red Deer out front at 13:50. . . . Edmonton F Tyler Robertson tied it again, at 18:40 of the second. . . . Irving had two assists, while Fix-Wolansky, Bauer and Robertson each added an assist to their goals. . . . F Jordan Roy had two assists for the Rebels, with Jerome also getting an assist. . . . G Patrick Dea stopped 24 shots for Edmonton, with Trevor Martin blocking 41 for the Rebels. . . . Edmonton was 3-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-2. . . . Announced attendance: 18,102.
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At Everett, F Matt Fonteyne broke a 1-1 tie at 18:13 of the second period and the Silvertips went on to a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Silvertips swept the weekend doubleheader, having won 7-3 in Langley, B.C., on Friday night. . . . F Graham Millar, with his third goal in two games, got Everett going at 3:30 of the first period. . . . F Jack Flaman pulled the Giants even at 16:53 of the second. . . . F Brett Kemp added some Everett insurance at 4:15 of the third. . . . F Patrick Bajkov and D Kevin Davis each had two assists for Everett. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 12 shots for Everett, while Vancouver’s Ryan Kubic turned aside 28. . . . Everett was 1-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-4. . . . The Giants, already without injured forwards Tyler Benson and Thomas Foster and D Ryely McKinstry (concussion), lost D Matt Barberis and D Marcus Kichton on Friday. They brought in D Alex Kannok-Leipert of Regina to help out last night. Kannok-Leipert, 16, was a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . F Taden Rattie, whose acquisition from the Red Deer Rebels was announced late Friday, was in Vancouver’s lineup. . . . Announced attendance: 5,308.
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At Kelowna, Riley Stadel, a defenceman turned forward, scored twice to help the Rockets to a 5-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Stadel scored twice in 56 games last season. . . . The Blazers had beaten the visiting Rockets 9-2 on Friday night. . . . The Rockets dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum. That included freshman F Nolan Foote, who had been out with mononucleosis. . . . D Cal Foote, Nolan’s older brother, had three assists for Kelowna, with F Rod Southam getting two. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer blocked 25 shots, losing his shutout bid at 11:23 of the third period when F Rudolfs Balcers scored on a PP. . . . Kamloops starter Dylan Ferguson was beaten twice on 14 shots in the first period. Carter Phair played the last two periods, stopping 16 of 19 shots. . . . Kelowna was 2-5 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-5. . . . Announced attendance: 5,348.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., D Micheal Zipp scored with 42 seconds left in OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 2-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . It was the second night in a row that the two teams went to extra time. On Friday, in Calgary, the Hitmen won 3-2 in the shootout. . . . Calgary F Andrew Fyten opened the scoring at 7:22 of the first period. . . . The Ice tied it when D Cale Fleury scored at 3:26 of the second. . . . The Hitmen got 31 stops from G Kyle Dumba, while Payton Lee turned aside 34 for the Ice. . . . Calgary was 0-5 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 1,997.
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At Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored four PP goals en route to a 9-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . One night earlier, the host Hurricanes had posted a 4-2 victory. . . . A third-period donnybrook resulted in 142 penalty minutes and no doubt will result in — ch-ch-ching! — fines and suspensions. . . . F Chad Butcher had a goal and five assists for the Tigers, with F Zach Fischer scoring three times and D Clayton Kirichenko earning three assists. F Mark Rassell had two goals and an assist, F Matt Bradley scored once and added an assist, and F Mason Shaw had two assists. . . . Fischer, a 19-year-old from Lloydminster, Alta., had eight goals in 35 games last season after scoring four times in 54 games as a freshman in 2014-15. . . . Freshman D Calen Addison had two assists for Lethbridge, giving him four points in two games, and F Zane Franklin had a goal and an assist. . . . Tigers G Duncan McGovern stopped 15 of 17 shots, with Jake Morrissey playing the last 12:11 and allowing one goal on three shots. . . . Lethbridge starter Stuart Skinner was beaten six times on 34 shots, with reliever Ryan Gilchrist stopping 11 of 14. . . . The  Tigers were 4-8 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 2-10. . . . Referees Chris Crich and Adam Bloski doled out 190 minutes in penalties, including a game misconduct to Lethbridge head coach Brent Kisio. . . . Announced attendance: 4,178.
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At Portland, F Ryan Hughes had a goal and two assists, while F Evan Weinger had three assists, as the Winterhawks opened with a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The teams exchanged goals and were 3-3 early in the third period when the Winterhawks exploded for four goals. . . . Seattle F Donovan Neuls pulled his mates into a 3-3 tie 31 seconds into the third period. . . . Portland F Cody Glass broke the tie at 12:19 and F Brendan De Jong added insurance, on a PP, at 14:53. . . . The game’s last goal, at 19:40, went to Portland F Brad Ginnell, a grandson to the late Pat Ginnell, who was a legendary WHL coach and executive. . . . Glass also had an assist, while D Keoni Texeira had a goal and an assist. . . . The game marked a successful return to the Portland bench for GM/head coach Mike Johnston after a two-year absence. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 27 shots for Portland, one fewer than Seattle’s Rylan Toth. . . . The Winterhawks were 2-4 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-1. . . . Announced attendance: 8,705.
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At Prince Albert, F Jake Leschyshyn scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Regina Pats to a 4-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . That allowed the Pats to split the weekend series, the Raiders having won 4-3 in OT in Regina on Friday. . . . F Kolten Olynek gave the Raiders a 2-1 lead with a PP goal at 7:23 of the second period. . . . F Lane Zablocki’s PP goal pulled Regina into a tie at 9:48. . . . F Braydon Buziak got what proved to the winner at 17:01. . . . Leschyshyn, who had scored the game’s first goal, got the empty-netter at 17:57 of the third. . . . Zablocki added an assist to his goal. . . . The Raiders got two assists from F Simon Stransky, giving him five points in two games. . . . F Austin Glover had a goal and an assist for for the Raiders. . . . Regina G Jordan Hollett stopped 28 shots, 13 fewer than Prince Albert’s Ian Scott. . . . Regina was 1-3 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-7. . . . The Raiders were without D Loch Morrison and D Cody Paivarinta, so had D Adam Herold, 15, in their lineup. From Montmartre, Sask., he was a second-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . The Raiders also got back F Drew Warkentine after he finished serving a three-game suspension. . . . Announced attendance: 2,719.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Michael Rasmussen and F Vladislav Lukin combined for seven goals as the Tri-City Americans beat the Spokane Chiefs, 8-3. . . . Rasmussen, seen as a likely early first-round selection in the 2017 NHL draft, scored the game’s first three goals, completing the hat trick at 16:22 of the first period. He got his fourth goal at 19:00 of the second. . . . It was the first four-goal game for a Tri-City player since F Brendan Shinnimin did it on Feb. 26, 2012, in a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash. . . . Rasmussen, 18, from Surrey, B.C., had 18 goals — including one two-goal game — in 63 games as a freshman last season. He was the seventh-overall pick in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . Lukin, a Russian in his third season, scored two second-period goals and then got the game’s final goal, at 17:20 of the third period. He also had three assists, giving him a six-point night. . . . Lukin had 48 points, including 21 goals, last season, after putting up 12 points, seven of them goals, in 52 games in 2014-15. This was his first WHL hat trick. . . . F Morgan Geeie had a goal and two assists for Tri-City. F Tyler Sandhu and F Parker AuCoin each had three assists for the winners, with D Juuso Valimaki getting two. . . . The Chiefs got a goal and two assists from each of the Yamamoto brothers, Keanu, who was playing in his 200th regular-season game, and Kailer. D Ty Smith added two assists. . . . G Warm Beck blocked 23 shots for the Americans. Spokane starter Jayden Sittler surrendered four goals on 25 shots, with Matt Berlin coming on to stop six of seven. . . . Announced attendance: 4,352.
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At Victoria, F Kody McDonald scored twice as the Prince George Cougars skated to a 5-1 victory over the Royals. . . . The Cougars swept the two games on Vancouver Island as they had won 3-1 on Friday night. . . . On Saturday, they took control with goals 10 seconds apart early in the first period. F Justin Almeida opened the scoring at 6:10 and McDonald added another at 6:20. . . . F Brad Morrison and F Jared Bethune each had four assists for the Cougars, while F Colby McAuley scored his third goal in two games. . . . G Nick McBride stopped 36 shots for the Cougars. Victoria starter Griffen Outhouse allowed three goals on six shots in 9:09. Dylan Myskiw came on to finish up and stopped 20 of 22. . . . Each team was 0-5 on the PP. . . . Announced attendance: 3,795.
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SUNDAY GAMES (all times local):

Swift Current at Saskatoon, 2:05 p.m.

Tri-City at Portland, 5 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:41 PM
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Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Child OK after puck to head . . . Tigers' d-man signs with Caps . . . Wheaties clinch conference title



Stetson Zacharias is going to be just fine, despite suffering a small fracture to his skull after being hit by a puck during a WHL game in Swift Current on Saturday.
Stetson is six months old.
"My little guy was sleeping on my lap and a puck came over the glass and hit him in the head," Stetson’s mother, Brianna, told Adriana Christianson of CJME. "It was very scary but the paramedics were there immediately and they kind of took over and took very good care of him."
There’s more on this story right here.
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Player agents, including Pat Brisson of CAA and Don Meehan of Newport Sports, are openly encouraging the CHL to change a policy that restricts the length of time players have to take advantage of their education packages. Brisson and Meehan are two of the most-prominent agents in the hockey world. Rick Westhead of TSN has more right here.
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D Ty Lewington of the Medicine Hat Tigers has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Washington Capitals. Lewington, the Tigers’ captain, was a seventh-round selection in the 2013 NHL draft. From Sherwood Park, Alta., he has 38 points, including 30 assists, in 60 games this season. . . . Last season, he finished with 38 points, including 31 assists, in 68 games. . . .
F Jake Leschyshyn, the sixth overall pick in the 2014 bantam draft, has been added to the Regina Pats’ roster. The Pats acquired Leschyshyn from the Red Deer Rebels in January. Earlier, he played three games with Regina. . . . The son of former NHL/WHL D Curtis Leschyshyn, Jake played this season with the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers. . . . The Pats next play Friday when they meet the Oil Kings in Edmonton. . . .
Ch-ch-ching! Alan Millar, the general manager of the Moose Jaw Warriors, has been fined $500 “for comments to officials” after a 6-2 loss to the Pats in Regina on Sunday. . . .
Barry Sawchuk has left the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. He had been director of player personnel since coming to the Bobcats with head coach Garry VanHereweghe in 2012. . . .
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THE WHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:

EAST DIVISION: Brandon (8 games remaining) won at home last night and clinched first place in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 1995-96. The Wheat Kings are tied with Kelowna (8) in the race for first place overall. . . . Regina (9) will finish second in the division. . . . Swift Current (8) lost at home ad remains third, but now is just six points ahead of Moose Jaw (8), which won at home. . . . The Warriors also are eight points behind Edmonton (7), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth. . . . Prince Albert (9) is six points behind Moose Jaw and 12 points out of a playoff spot.
CENTRAL DIVISION: Calgary (7) lost on the road but remains atop the division, two points ahead of Medicine Hat (7), which also lost on the road. . . . Red Deer (8) won on the road and is third, seven points behind Medicine Hat and seven ahead of Kootenay (8), which holds the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Edmonton (7) won on the road and now is two points behind Kootenay.
B.C. DIVISION: Kelowna (8) has clinched first place in the Western Conference. . . . Victoria (8) will finish second. . . . Prince George (8) won at home and is third, three points ahead of Vancouver (8), which lost on the road, and Kamloops (8). . . . Vancouver and Kamloops are four points behind Tri-City (8), which won at home and holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth.
U.S. DIVISION: Everett (8) sits atop the division, four points ahead of Portland (10). . . . Seattle (8) is third, six points behind Portland and seven ahead of Spokane (10). . . . Spokane holds the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Spokane is seven points ahead of Tri-City (8), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card spot.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:

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

In Brandon, F Peter Quenneville broke a 1-1 tie with goals 1:25 apart and the Wheat Kings went on to a 7-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Quenneville finished with three goals, giving him 23, and an assist. He  scored at 3:13 and 4:38, the latter on a PP, of the second period as the Wheat Kings broke the 1-1 tie and took control. . . . Brandon scored six times in the second period when it had a 26-5 edge in shots. . . . Wheat Kings F Tim McGauley ran his points streak to 20 games with his 38th goal and two assists. McGauley has 42 points, including 13 goals, in the 20 games. It’s the longest point streak in the WHL this season. . . . Brandon D Eric Roy had three assists, while F Morgan Klimchuk had two. Brandon forwards Tyler Coulter, Braylon Shmyr and Duncan Campbell each had a goal and an assist. Coulter has 15 goals, Shmyr has 16 and Campbell has 11. . . . F Brayden Burke scored twice and added an assist for Lethbridge, giving him eight goals, while F Tyler Wong got his 24th goal and also had an assist. . . . Brandon G Alex Moodie made his first start since Jan. 30 and stopped 24 shots. While he recovered from a suspected concussion, G Jordan Papirny made 13 straight starts. . . . Brandon F Quintin Lisoway left in the first period with an apparent leg injury. According to Bruce Luebke, the Wheat Kings’ radio voice: “Early indications are a knee injury that could sideline Lisoway for a while.” . . . The Wheat Kings (47-10-7) are 4-0-1 in their last five games. They also have gone over 100 points. . . . The Hurricanes (19-36-8) are 1-1-1 in their last three outings. . . .

In Swift Current, F Brooks Maxwell had a goal and three assists as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Broncos, 6-2. . . . Red Deer, which was 4-for-4 on the PP, took a 2-1 lead into the second period where it scored four times. . . . Maxwell has 20 goals. . . . Rebels F Riley Sheen broke a 1-1 tie with his 19th goal at 17:17 of the first period. . . . F Wyatt Johnson got his 24th goal, shorthanded, at 3:15 of the second to give the Rebels a 3-1 lead. F Preston Kopeck then scored twice on the PP for a 5-1 lead. He’s got 19 goals. . . . Sheen also had two assists, as did Johnson. . . . Red Deer F Scott Feser scored his 13th goal and added an assist. . . . F Coda Gordon scored twice for the Broncos, giving him 23 goals. . . . Rebels G Taz Burman stopped 24 shots. . . . The Broncos were 2-for-6 on the PP. . . . The Rebels (33-21-10) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Broncos (30-29-5) have dropped four in a row. . . . The Red Deer Advocate has a game story right here. . . .

In Moose Jaw, G Zach Sawchenko turned aside 33 shots to lead the Warriors to a 3-0 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Sawchenko, 17, has four career shutouts, all of them this season. . . . F Jayden Halbgewachs’ third goal of the season, at 2:53 of the first period, stood up as the winner. . . . F Brayden Point scored his 30th goal at 19:28 of the first period and added an assist. . . . The Warriors welcomed back F Axel Blomqvist (groin) from a three-game absence and he scored his 23rd goal. . . . Moose again was without D Tyler Brown, F Jaimen Yakubowski and F Tanner Eberle. . . . The Warriors improved to (27-32-5). . . . The Tigers (40-22-3) had won their previous three games. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s first two goals en route to a 5-2 victory over the Blades. . . . Edmonton F Brandon Baddock scored his 16th goal, on a PP, at 5:56 of the first period and F Mads Eller got No. 6 at 11:08. . . . The Blades got into it in the second period and trailed 3-2 going to the third. . . . F Mason McCarty, with his sixth, and D Kolton Dixon, with his third, sandwiched Edmonton F Brayden Brown’s fourth goal. . . . Oil Kings F Lane Bauer scored his 22nd goal at 9:24 of the third and D Ben Carroll got an empty-netter at 18:50. He’s got seven goals. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 21 shots, 10 fewer than Saskatoon’s Nik Amundrud. . . . F Andrew Koep had two assists for Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings (30-28-7) have points in four straight (4-0-1). . . . The Blades are 19-41-4. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story right here. . . .

In Prince George, F Cal Babych broke a 2-2 tie 20 seconds into the third period as the Cougars got past the Calgary Hitmen, 3-2. . . . Babych has five goals. . . . Calgary F Jake Virtanen scored his 20th goal, on a PP, at 16:18 of the first. . . . The Cougars took a 2-1 lead in the second period, on goals from F Jansen Harkins, his 20th, at 5:55 and F Aaron Macklin, his fifth, at 7:15. . . . F Radel Fazleev pulled Calgary into a tie with his 18th goal, shorthanded, at 9:15 of the second. . . . D Tomas Andrik had two assists for the Cougars. . . . Babych also had an assist. . . . Prince George G Ty Edmonds stopped 34 shots, nine more than Calgary’s Mack Shields. . . . Calgary was 1-for-4 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-for-2. . . . Prince George (27-33-4) has won four in a row. . . . The Hitmen (40-20-5) had won their previous two games. They are 6-2-0 on an 11-game road trip. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., G Evan Sarthou came off the injury list to stop 33 shots and lead the Americans to a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Sarthou hadn’t played since Jan. 25 and was shown as being out week-to-week on Tuesday’s WHL injury report. He now has seven shutouts this season, with five of them coming in his last seven starts. . . . He is tied for the WHL lead in shutouts, with Landon Bow of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Lucas Nickles’ 22nd goal, coming at 2:02 of the third period on a PP, was the winner. . . . F Tyler Sandhu got his 14th goal and added an assist, and F Richard Nejezchleb scored No. 17 in to an empty net. . . . G Beck Warm, 15, who had started Tri-City’s previous game was on the bench in support of Sarthou. . . . Giants G Payton Lee stopped 27 shots. . . . Tri-City was 1-for-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-for-5. . . . Vancouver D Shaun Dosanjh, who had been out since Dec. 30, played in his second game in as many nights. . . . The Giants have been blanked in two straight games. . . . On Wednesday morning, after the Giants were beaten 7-0 by the Chiefs in Spokane the previous night, Vancouver GM Scott Bonner told News 1130 Sports: “We were out-worked, out-classed, out-everything . . . no push back, it’s unacceptable.” . . . The Americans (28-33-3) snapped a four-game losing skid. . . . The Giants (26-35-3) have lost four straight.
———

THURSDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
No Games Scheduled.
———

FRIDAY’S GAMES

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

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:29 PM
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