It was quite a night at the Rose Garden in Portland where the annual Teddy
Bear Toss was accompanied by a marriage ceremony as Linda (Lulu)
Moonwood and Dr. Robert Murakami exchanged vows.
(Photos courtesy Portland Winterhawks)

Let’s be honest!
The big story from Saturday’s WHL action was in Portland where the Winterhawks took the Teddy Bear game to new heights.
There were 10,947 fans — a sellout for hockey — in the Rose Garden when F Ty Rattie scored the Teddy Bear goal at 2:52 of the first period.
And while they were cleaning the stuffed toys off the ice, a marriage ceremony involving Linda (Lulu) Moonwood and Dr. Robert Murakami took place.
I have looked high and low on the Internet but haven’t been able to find the couple’s names. (If someone has them, please email me at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca.)
I am told the groom is a local men’s league goaltender. Judging by his wedding suit, he takes his position in the goaltender’s union rather seriously.
By the way, does the groom resemble Denis Lemieux, or what? Come on! Just a bit?
No matter. Congratulations to the happy couple on what certainly was a wedding to remember. ———
In Regina, F Jordan Weal and F Trent Ouellette each had a goal and two assists to help the Pats to a 5-3 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . F Colton Stephenson scored the Teddy Bear goal at 11:05 of the first period. . . . Weal broke a 3-3 tie at 15:36 of the third period. . . . F Tyler Giebel, who had four goals in 60 games over three seasons with the Everett Silvertips, scored in his first game with Red Deer. Giebel, 18, is from Balgonie, Sask. Regina is a suburb of Balgonie. . . .

In Swift Current, F Cain Franson scored twice for Vancouver as the Giants edged the Broncos, 3-2. . . . Vancouver went 4-1-1 on its trek through the East Division. The only other time the Giants won four games on the trip was in 2005-06. . . . Franson has 11 goals. . . . Vancouver F Jordan Martinook got his 17th goal; he has seven goals in his last eight games. . . . F Anthony Ast drew two assists for the Giants. . . . The Broncos had only 11 shots on goal threw two periods. They were outshot 15-3 in the first. . . . Vancouver G Adam Morrison leads the WHL with 18 victories. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s last two goals and beat the Kootenay Ice, 2-1. . . . The Ice has lost two straight for the first time this season. . . . F Brett Lyon, with his 10th, tied it at 16:55 of the first on the PP. . . . F Quinton Howden broke the tie with his 1with at 18:19 of the first. . . . Moose Jaw G Luke Siemens stopped 26 shots to improve to 15-6-4. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart picked up an assist to run his points streak to nine games. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Spokane Chiefs scored five straight goals and beat the Tigers, 6-3. . . . F Mitch Holmberg had three goals for Spokane, giving him 10. He has two career hat tricks. . . . Spokane is 2-1-1 on its six-game swing. . . . Chiefs F Steve Kuhn, who is from Oyen, Alta., and played for the bantam AAA Medicine Hat Hockey Hounds, had three assists. . . . The Tigers got the game’s first two goals, but the Chiefs scored once in the second period and added four in a row in the first 15 minutes of the third. . . . F Emerson Etem had a goal, his WHL-leading 28th, and two assists for the Tigers. . . . The team’s captains, Darren Kramer of the Chiefs and Cole Grbavac of the Tigers, did battle at 4:38 of the first. . . .

In Lethbridge, G Damien Ketlo stopped 52 shots to lead the Hurricanes to a 6-3 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Hurricanes have won three in a row and six of eight. . . . Lethbridge F Russell Maxwell broke a 2-2 at 10:22 of the second. . . . Lethbridge opened the third with two goals and took it from there. . . . The Blades had won six straight road games. . . . Lethbridge F Reid Duke, 15, picked up an assist.  He was the fifth overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . The Hurricanes also used F Tyler Wong from the midget AAA UFA Bisons. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls scored his 20th goal in his 30th game. Last season, he had 34 goals in 71 games. . . . Nicholls later left the game with an apparent injury after taking a hard check. . . .

In Kamloops, G Cole Cheveldave stopped 29 shots, including a penalty shot, as the Blazers ran their winning streak to six games with a 4-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Cheveldave stopped F Robin Soudek on a first-period penalty shot. . . . The Blazers beat the Rockets for the fourth time in nine nights. All told, Kamloops is 5-0 against the Royals this season, with three games left in the season series. . . . F Ben Walker, who joined the Royals a couple of weeks ago from the Minnesota high school ranks, scored his first goal. . . . Kamloops Ryan Hanes broke a 2-2 tie at 5:08 of the third. It was his fourth goal in 28 games. Last season, he had four in 70 games; in 2009-10, he had four in 51 games. . . . Kamloops last won six in a row in 2006-07. That season, its streak ended at eight victories. . . . The Blazers are 12-2 against B.C. Division opponents. . . . Kamloops also won its 20th game of the season; last season, it won No. 20 on Jan. 7. . . .

In Kelowna, F Alex Forsberg broke a 2-2 tie just 34 seconds into the third period and the Prince George Cougars beat the Rockets, 3-2. . . . Forsberg has six goals. . . . The Rockets mustered only 18 shots, including three in the first period and four in the third. . . . D Martin Marincin had two assists for the Cougars, who are 7-10-1 on the road but just 2-8-1 at home. . . . Prince George F Charles Inglis, 19, was a healthy scratch. . . .

In Portland, F Ty Rattie scored once and set up three others as the Winterhawks bounced the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-1. . . . Rattie’s goal, at 2:52 of the first period, was the Teddy Bear goal. . . . The Winterhawks have won nine in a row at home and four straight overall. . . . Portland, which was 4-for-8 on the PP, fired 60 shots on goal, including 29 in the first period. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard made 39 stops through two periods. Daniel Cotton stopped 14 shots in the third. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi? He had three assists. . . . The Winterhawks will play the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . F Nino Niederreiter of the NHL’s New York Islanders, whose WHL rights belong to the Winterhawks, suffered a concussion in an NHL game on Saturday. Niederreiter, 19, is to be re-evaluated today. . . . Niederreiter had the boom lowered on him by Dallas Stars D Marc Fistric, a product of the Vancouver Giants. The hit is right here. . . . Discuss among yourselves how many games Sheriff Shanahan will give Fistric, who wasn’t penalized for the hit.
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Adam Hughesman scored the only goal of the shootout and the Tri-City Americans beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-3. . . . F Jordan Messier scored the Teddy Bear goal at 11:58 of the first period after Everett had taken a 2-0 lead. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin forced OT with a PP goal at 11:50 of the third. . . . Everett is 1-5 in shootouts. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 24 shots and three in the shootout as he improved to 9-3-0. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 46 shots. . . . The Silvertips have lost six straight.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Colton Jobke, Regina
F Mike Forsyth, Victoria
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Josh Cooper of The Tennessean writes on on former WHL D Ian Herbers, who took over this week as head coach of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. That piece is right here.
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If you have been following the saga involving the scrap between Joe Kapp and Angelo Mosca that took place in Vancouver two days before the Grey Cup game, here’s an interesting bit from Greg Douglas, who writes a weekly column for the Vancouver Sun:
“What wasn't caught on camera for YouTube and other Internet coverage was Kapp's hurried exit from the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel after the scrap. He tripped over a set of luggage on the sidewalk on West Hastings and hit the pavement like he'd been sacked, landing on a knee that instantly swelled up to the size of a grapefruit. He scrambled to his feet, looked around hoping nobody would recognize him and limped off into the late afternoon downtown mist.”
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Steve Simmons, in the Toronto Sun:
“If you’ve been around junior hockey at all, you’ll know the name Jim Cressman. The old umpire and longtime reporter is packing it in with The London Free Press. The industry will be one heavyweight lighter without him.”
All the best, Jim!
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Today's good read is right here.
The New York Times has started a three-part series examining the life and death, and everything in between, of the late Derek Boogaard. Part 1 of the series written by John Branch is tremendous. You won't want to miss it.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Robert Schnabel (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Fassa (Italy, Serie A). He had one assist in nine games with Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga) earlier this season. . . .
F Tyler Bouck (Prince George, 1995-2000) and D Chris Heid (Spokane, 1998-2003) each signed a contract extension with Ingolstadt (Germany, DEL). . . . Bouck signed a two-year extension through the 2013-14 season, while Heid signed a one-year extension through 2012-2013. . . . Bouck, who also is the team captain, has eight goals and 10 assists in 22 games this season. Heid has two assists in 13 games. . . . Ingolstadt's head coach is Rich Chernomaz (Saskatoon, Victoria Cougars, 1979-83); the assistant coach is Rick Nasheim (Spokane, Regina, 1980-83). This is Chernomaz's 13th season as a head coach in the DEL.
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F Branden Troock of the Seattle Thunderbirds will miss up to four weeks with an injury suffered early in the first period of Saturday’s 8-2 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops.
Troock was taken off the ice on a stretcher at 1:50 of the first period. He was taken to

Semisportmed.com

Royal Inland Hospital for X-rays and a CT scan, where he was found to have a non-displaced fracture of his first rib. He returned to Seattle on the team bus after the game and was re-examined by team doctors on Monday.
Here is part of the Thunderbirds’ press release:
“Kamloops forward Brendan Ranford attempted to make a check on Troock as he was moving the puck up the ice from the Seattle zone. In the process of the check, the momentum of Ranford's stick swung and hit Troock from behind in the neck. The blow struck Troock along the full vertical length of his neck.
“Troock fell to the ice upon the impact of Ranford's stick hitting him. He attempted to get up and skate off the ice, but was unable . . .
“Because of the graphic nature of this injury to Troock and the many fans who have inquired, the T-Birds feel it is important to let fans and media know the extent of his injury. . . . it has been confirmed that Troock suffered a fracture of the first rib from the force of the blow.
“It is estimated that Troock will miss about four weeks as the rib heals.”
A note from Wikipedia on the first rib:
“The first rib is the most curved and usually the shortest of all the ribs; it is broad and flat, its surfaces looking upward and downward, and its borders inward and outward.”
There is more right here.
The Thunderbirds are to be commended for the way in which they have handled this situation. Trainer Phil Varney was patient in providing an explanation during a trying situation after Saturday’s game. The statement issued by the team late Monday afternoon lets people know exactly what happened.And that certainly beats leaving it until Tuesday and listing Troock as being out for a month with an upper-body injury.
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You won’t read a whole lot here about Canada’s national junior team as there are plenty of other places that have lots of information.
But there were two noteable omissions from the selection camp roster that was announced Monday.
Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds is the WHL’s best goaltender and deserves a spot on that roster.
And you really have to wonder what F Jordan Weal of the Regina Pats has to do in order to get an invitation? His omission is especially glaring.
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Later in the day, Pickard tweeted:
“Congrats to all the invitees to team Canada!! Lots of buddies got invited! Go for gold!”
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Rob Vanstone, in the Regina Leader-Post:
“What does Jordan Weal have to do to suitably impress the Hockey Canada brass? The Regina Pats star has been turning heads ever since entering the WHL as a 16-year-old. He routinely makes amazing plays at high speed and, as such, should have been a mortal lock for inclusion on Canada’s world junior team. Yet, he wasn’t among the 41 invitees to the selection camp. Granted, the CHL is loaded with elite talent, but it is preposterous to suggest that Weal is not among the top 41 major-junior players in the country.”
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JUST NOTES: Don’t look now but this season is starting to shape up a lot like the last one for the Kootenay Ice. The Ice is 18-5-3. Last season, after 26 games, it was 17-7-2. And we all know what happened last season, don’t we? . . . By the way, when the Ice went 5-0 in its trip through the B.C. Division last week, it was the first time in franchise history it had done that. . . . The Ice has won six in a row on the road, tying a franchise record (Dec. 18, 2009, to Jan. 22, 2010; Nov. 11, 1999, to Nov. 26, 1999). . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen has played in 141 games played, two shy of the franchise record held by Jeff Glass (2002-05). . . .
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation revealed the preliminary roster for its national junior team on Monday. However, it didn’t include any major junior players. Those players, including perhaps Saskatoon Blades G Andrey Makarov, will be added later in December. . . .
With two NHL teams, the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, changing coaches on Monday, former WHL D Ian Herbers (Kelowna, Spokane, Lethbridge, Swift Current, 1984-88) became a head coach. He had been an assistant coach under Kirk Muller with the Milwaukee Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators. With Muller moving up to Carolina, Herbers, 44, is the Admirals’ new head coach. . . . Herbers’ first game as head coach comes tonight against the visiting Abbotsford Heat. . . . Muller’s AHL head-coaching career lasted 17 games. He took over from former WHL player/coach Lane Lambert, who moved up to the Predators as an assistant coach. . . . Dave Boehler of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the last time Milwaukee went through a mid-season coaching change “was in 1984-85, when Jim Pappin took over for Cliff Koroll.” . . . Boehler also reported: “Martin Gelinas, the current director of player development with Nashville, will help Herbers until a new assistant coach is hired.”
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If you haven’t yet seen it, the Joe Kapp-Angelo Mosca dustup has more than gone viral. It happened Friday at a Grey Cup lunchon in Vancouver. The two, both of whom are only three or four months from turning 74, have had a thing going since the 1963 Grey Cup game.
Anyway, their clip got play prior to ESPN’s Monday Night Football and also got on CNN. Kapp, of course, is a name in the U.S., if only because he is the only quarterback to have played in the Rose Bowl, Super Bowl and Grey Cup.
And, on Monday, there also was this right here in The New York Times. If you haven’t seen it, the video is here, too.
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gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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