Wheaties, Hitmen, Rockets advance. . . . Winterhawks in control . . . Stoll in hot water

F Zdeněk Okál (Medicine Hat, 2008-10) has signed a one-year extension with Zlín (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, in 47 games, he had 11 goals and nine assists. . . .
F Ondřej Veselý (Portland, Tri-City, 1996-98) has signed a two-year extension with Zlín (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had 10 goals and 10 assists in 51 games.
———

 

FRIDAY’S GAMES:

In Brandon, F Peter Quenneville scored at 6:15 of OT to give the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Brandon won the series, 4-1, and next goes against the Calgary Hitmen in the Eastern Conference final. . . . Brandon was 3-1-0 against Calgary in the regular season. . . . The series will open with games in Brandon on April 24 and 25, before moving to Calgary for games on April 28 and 29. . . . Quenneville’s fourth playoff goal was set up by his brother, John. . . . Peter also had two assists. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick forced OT with his second goal of the game, and fourth of the playoffs, at 13:39 of the third period. . . . Patrick had opened the scoring at 12:52 of the first, while shorthanded. . . . Regina D Jake Leschyshyn tied it with his first goal at 13:41 of the second, and F Taylor Cooper gave the Pats the lead at 18:58, with his fourth goal. . . . Each team was 0-for-5 on the PP. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 25 shots. Regina G Daniel Wapple put on a clinic, turning aside 48 shots. . . . In the third period, Wapple stopped 19 of 20 shots. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk was back in Brandon’s lineup after a six-game absence. He drew one assist. . . . Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk, F Rihards Bukarts and D Colton Waltz sat out for a third straight game. . . . The Pats scratched D Sergey Zborovskiy, D Chase Harrison, D Connor Hobbs, F Rykr Cole and F Sam Steel, meaning they played without three of their top four defencemen. . . . Attendance was 4,333, the smallest crowd of the series.

In Calgary, D Travis Sanheim scored in the second OT period to give the Hitmen a 4-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Calgary won the series, 4-1, and will meet the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Eastern Conference final. . . . Calgary was 1-2-1 against Brandon in the regular season. . . . Sanheim’s fifth goal of these playoffs came at 7:45 of the second OT. . . . The loss means that Wednesday’s game in Medicine Hat, which the Hitmen won 2-1 in OT, was the last game in the Arena. The Tigers will be in the new Regional Event Centre when next season gets here. . . . This was the third game in the series to go to OT; the Hitmen won two of them. In all, Calgary has played in six OT games in these playoffs, winning four of them. . . . F Jake Virtanen scored twice for Calgary, his second goal came with 44.9 seconds left in the third period and forced OT. It came on a PP with G Mack Shields on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Virtanen has four goals in these playoffs. . . . Tigers F Markus Eisenschmid, who was serving a hooking penalty when Virtanen tied it, had given the Tigers a 3-2 lead at 12:03 of the third. . . . F Cole Sanford gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead at 3:22 of the first, but Virtanen tied it at 15:03. . . . The Tigers took a 2-1 lead 59 seconds into the second on F Dryden Hunt’s fifth goal. . . . Calgary D Jake Bean, playing for the first time since March 27, scored his second goal at 17:31 of the second. . . . Bean hadn’t played since Game 1 of the first round. . . . F Adam Tambellini also returned to the Calgary lineup — he had one assist — but F Chase Lang remained out. . . .  Shields stopped 55 shots, four more than Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer. . . . Calgary was 1-for-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 7,290. . . . Laurence Heinen wrote this game story for the Calgary Herald.

In Kelowna, D Josh Morrissey returned to the Rockets lineup with two goals and three assists as they dumped the Victoria Royals, 7-3. . . . The Rockets won the series, 4-1. . . . Morrissey, who sat out the previous two games, scored his first two goals of these playoffs. . . . Kelowna F Leon Draisaitl scored the game’s first goal, his fourth, at 1:24 of the first period. . . . Victoria got the next two goals, from F Jack Walker at 17:54 and F Brandon Fushimi at 18:17. . . . But the Rockets tied it on Morrissey’s first goal at 19:28. . . . The Rockets then pulled away with three second-period goals, from F Rodney Southam, F Tyson Baillie and Morrissey, the latter two scoring on the PP. . . . Baillie’s goal was his seventh; he’s got points in nine straight playoff games. . . . F Rourke Chartier, with his seventh, and F Cole Linaker, with his second, scored for Kelowna in the third, with D Travis Brown getting his second, on a PP, for Victoria. . . . Kelowna D Madison Bowey had three assists, with Draisaitl and F Nick Merkley each getting two. . . . Draisaitl had 11 points in the series, while Morrissey put up eight in two-plus games. . . . Kelowna opened with Jackson Whistle in goal, but head coach Dan Lambert took him out after the first period in an attempt to fire up his team. The game was tied 2-2 with Whistle having allowed two goals on nine shots. . . . Michael Herringer came on in relief and stopped 11 of 12 shots. . . . Victoria starter Justin Paulic gave up five goals on 26 shots, with reliever Coleman Vollrath giving up two on 13. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-4 on the PP; Victoria was 1-for-6. . . . Victoria F Jared Dmytriw took a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on Kelowna D Cole Martin at 11:54 of the second period. The WHL will review the play and Dmytriw, a 16-year-old from Craven, Sask., could open next season under suspension. He had 13 penalty minutes in 49 regular-season games, and was hit with 15 minutes worth last night. . . . Kelowna had F Justin Kirkland back in the lineup after a nine-week absence. Kirkland, who had 51 points in 50 regular-season games, hadn’t played since Feb. 14. . . . Attendance was 5,226.

In Portland, D Blake Heinrich scored at 5:40 of OT to give the Winterhawks a 2-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Winterhawks take a 3-1 lead into Game 5 in Everett on Sunday. . . . Heinrich has three playoff goals. . . . F Chase De Leo got Portland on the board with his third goal at 1:15 of the second period. . . . Everett D Ben Betker tied it with his first goal at 12:54 of the second. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 29 shots, as did G Carter Hart of the Silvertips. . . . Portland was 0-for-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-2. . . . Among Everett’s scratchers were D Noah Juulsen, D Tristen Pfeifer and F Dawson Leedahl. Leedahl, who had missed the previous five games, played two periods in Game 3 on Thursday, but didn’t come out of the dressing room for the third. Last night, Everett F Jake Mykitiuk left in the third period. . . . Attendance was 8,590. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has a game story right here.
———


The story broke in the middle of night No. 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A CBS-TV outlet in Los Angeles reported that F Jarret Stoll of the Los Angeles was arrested in Las Vegas on Friday on suspicion of possession of cocaine and Ecstasy. He is reported to have been at the MGM Grand’s Wet Republic pool.
Stoll, a 32-year-old native of Melville, Sask., played four seasons (1998-2002) with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice. He has spent the past seven seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, helping them win two Stanley Cup titles. His contract expired with the conclusion of this season and he appears headed for unrestricted free agency.
The Kings released this statement: “We are aware of police reports out of Clark County, Nevada, regarding Jarret Stoll. Our organization is concerned and has begun conducting a thorough internal investigation. While we continue to actively gather facts, we are withholding further comment at this time.”
Bill Daly, the NHL’s deputy commissioner, told the Los Angeles Times: “We are aware of the reports tonight, and we obviously will follow up to understand the nature of the allegations that are being made. "We are not in a position at this time to comment further until we have more information.”
——
The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are three nights old and we have seen starting goaltenders from Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Slovakia and Sweden. . . . Unfortunately, we won’t see anything like that in the CHL because it has chosen to ban European goaltenders from its three leagues — the OHL, QMJHL and WHL. . . . Marek Langhamer of the Medicine Hat Tigers had his WHL career come to an end last night. From the Czech Republic, he will go down in history as the WHL’s last European goaltender.
——
The OHL named its coach of the year on Friday, with the award going to Sheldon Keefe, the head coach of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. If you are at all familiar with Keefe’s story — to refresh your memory, he was one of David Frost’s boys — you know just what all of this means. For a good read on Keefe, pick up a copy of Bob McKenzie’s book Hockey Confidential. One chapter, a terrific chapter, tells Keefe’s story, warts and all. . . . In the meantime, Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports has a story right here on Keefe winning the coach-of-the-year award.
———




The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Josh Paterson, the team’s first selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Paterson, a 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Edmonton, was the 25th overall pick in that draft. Last season, Paterson led the Alberta bantam AAA league in scoring when he put up 97 points in 33 games for the South Side Athletic Club. This season, he played for the SSAC midget AAA side, picking up 19 points, including nine goals, in 32 games. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Brett Clayton, 16, a list player who played this season with the B.C. major midget league’s Fraser Valley Thunderbirds. The 6-foot-3, 197-pounder had 34 points, 16 of them goals, in 40 games with the Thunderbirds. The Winterhawks placed him on their list after they liked what they saw of him in training camp in August. . . .
D Shea Theodore (Seattle Thunderbirds) had a goal and an assist last night, helping the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals to a 4-2 victory over the visiting Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In eight AHL games this season, Theodore has nine points, four of them goals. . . . Theodore began the season with the Admirals and had three goals and four assists in five games. He joined Norfolk when Seattle’s season ended, and has a goal and three helpers in three games. . . .
F Cole Ully (Kamloops Blazers) made his pro debut last night, earning one assist as the Texas Stars beat the host San Antonio Rampage 3-2 to clinch an AHL playoff spot. Ully, who has signed with the NHL’s Dallas Stars, drew the primary assist on F Brendan Ranford’s 17th goal of the season. Ranford also played in Kamloops. . . .
F Sam Reinhart (Kootenay Ice) drew two assists and was chosen the second star last night as his Rochester Americans dropped a 3-2 AHL decision to the visiting Utica Comets. Reinhart was selected by the parent Buffalo Sabres with the second pick of the NHL’s 2014 draft. Earlier this season, he played nine games with the Sabres; this was his first game with the Americans. . . .
F Liam Stewart (Spokane Chiefs) scored his first pro goal to help the visiting Quad City Mallards to a 3-2 victory over the Rapid City Rush in an ECHL game. It was Stewart’s first pro game. . . .
The Penticton Vees won the BCHL championship last night when F Dakota Conroy (Brandon, Victoria, Prince Albert, 2010-15) scored at 2:06 of OT to give them a 3-2 victory over the host Nanaimo Clippers. . . . The Vees lost the first two games of the series, then won four in a row. . . . In the AJHL, the Brooks Bandits posted a 6-4 victory over the host Spruce Grove Saints. Spruce Grove takes a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 in Brooks on Sunday.
———

THE COACHING GAME:

Geoff Goodman is the new general manager and head coach of the junior B Princeton Posse of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. Goodman spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with the KIJHL’s Osoyoos Coyotes. . . . Goodman replaces Bill Rotheisler, whose contract wasn’t renewed after two seasons there.
———

It is a crime that Pilon is in and Hobbs is out. Where is the justice! #Gamechangers
— Regina Pats (@WHLpats) April 18, 2015

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

SRO in Brandon . . . Another shutout for Whistle . . . New coach in Prince George

FRIDAY’S GAMES:

pic.twitter.com/4YOHI7OkyD
— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) April 11, 2015

In Brandon, the Wheat Kings, playing before a sold-out crowd, opened with a 5-1 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . They’ll play Game 2 tonight in Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings scored the game’s first two goals, with F Duncan Campbell getting his first at 9:48 of the first and F Tim McGauley getting his fourth at 1:56 of the second. . . . F Taylor Cooper, a former Wheat Kings skater, got Regina’s goal at 9:12 of the second. . . . F John Quenneville got his fourth goal for Brandon at 13:50 of the second. . . . The Wheat Kings put it away with two third-period goals — D Ivan Provorov scored his first at 10:41 and F Jayce Hawryluk got No. 4 at 14:04. . . . F Tyler Coulter had two assists for Brandon. . . . Brandon has scored the first goal in each of its past five games and has won each of those games. . . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny celebrated his 19th birthday by stopping 21 shots, five fewer than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . Regina was 0-for-4 on the PP; Brandon was 0-for-3. . . . F Reid Duke was back in Brandon’s lineup after a 21-game absence with an undisclosed injury. He hadn’t played since Feb. 13. . . . Brandon F Morgan Klimchuk remains sidelined. . . . Attendance was 5,130. . . . A Friday tweet from Phil Andrews, the radio voice of the Pats: “Pats HC John Paddock will be inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in October. Official announcement coming Monday.”

In Medicine Hat, F Chase Lang had a goal and two assists to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . The series now heads for Calgary and games on Sunday and Monday. A fourth game will be played in Medicine Hat on Wednesday. The remainder of the schedule, if necessary, has yet to be announced. . . . Last night, Calgary led 2-1 after two periods, despite being outshot 24-8. . . . With the Tigers leading 6-0 on the shot clock, F Connor Rankin scored his eighth goal of these playoffs on Calgary’s first shot, at 7:57 of the first period. . . . F Jake Virtanen scored his first goal at 16:30 of the first, for a 2-0 lead. . . . The Tigers got their goal from F Dryden Hunt at 19:50 of the first. . . . Lang scored his fourth goal at 6:30 of the third. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields turned aside 33 shots. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 11 shots. . . . The Tigers were 0-for-3 on the PP; the Hitmen were 0-for-1. . . . Calgary continues to play without D Jake Bean, while F Beck Malensytn was back after  a 10-game absence. . . . Attendance was 4,006.

In Kelowna, G Jackson Whistle stopped 20 shots to help the Rockets to a 5-0 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . They’ll play Game 2 in Kelowna tonight. . . . Whistle has put up three shutouts in his first five playoff starts. He opened the first round with 6-0 and 3-0 shutouts over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Rockets are 5-0 in these playoffs. . . . F Tyson Baillie’s third goal, at 5:40 of the first period, stood up as the winner. . . . The Rockets had a 14-1 edge in shots in a scoreless first period. . . . Victoria’s one shot came on a breakaway by F Alex Forsberg, who was stymied by Whistle. . . . D Josh Morrissey, out since Feb. 28, was back in the Kelowna lineup and drew three assists. . . . F Leon Draisaitl had two assists. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 39 shots. . . . The Rockets’ last two goals came via the PP as they went 2-for-5. . . . Victoria was 0-for-4. . . . F Tyrell Goulbourne, who missed two games, returned to the Rockets’ lineup. . . . F Justin Kirkland, F Chance Braid (WHL suspension) and D Devante Stephens were among Kelowna’s scratches. . . . There were at least 21 NHL scouts on hand for this one. . . . Attendance was 5,481. . . . Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier has a game story right here.

In Everett, the Silvertips scored the game’s first three goals and went on to a 5-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The teams will be back at it tonight in Everett. . . . F Kohl Bauml opened the scoring at 5:25 of the first period and F Remi Laurencelle made it 2-0 just 3:04 later. . . . Laurencelle added his second of the game, and second of these playoffs, at 4:42 of the second. . . . Portland F Miles Koules cut the deficit to 3-1 with 22.3 seconds left in the second period. . . . However, Everett F Jake Mykitiuk got that one back with 2.2 seconds left in the period with what likely was the biggest goal of the game. . . . After F Patrick Bajkov gave Everett a 5-1 lead at 7:58 of the third, via a PP, the visitors got goals from F Dominic Turgeon, his fifth, and F Alex Schoenborn. . . . Silvertips D Cole MacDonald had three assists, while F Ivan Nikolishin had two. . . . Portland F Keegan Iverson had two assists. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 27 shots, 11 more than Portland’s Adin Hill. . . . Everett was 1-for-2 on the PP; Portland was 0-for-1. . . . D Noah Juulsen, D Tristen Pfeifer and F Dawson Leedahl were scratched by Everett, each with an undisclosed injury. . . . With two defencemen out, Everett had D Jantzen Leslie, 15, in the lineup for his second playoff game. . . . Attendance was 3,481.

———


An interesting tidbit from the Hodge’s Heroes blog, where Brandon Rivers writes: “D-man Caleb Jones (1996) was ranked No. 115 overall among North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings. Jones, who is playing with the USNTDP, has reportedly signed with Portland, though this has not been announced by the Winterhawks. There could be some reason why this has not been announced as of yet, but I do not know exactly why.” . . . This speculation goes back to a report by Corbett Smith and his High School Sports Blog for The Dallas Morning News. Smith reported on April 2 that Jones, the younger brother of former Winterhawks D Seth Jones, has opted to join the Winterhawks, who selected him in the third round of the 2012 WHL bantam draft. Smith wrote: “According to local youth hockey expert Tanner Wilson, Caleb says he’s 100 percent committed to the Winterhawks for next season; Caleb had been courted by several top NCAA programs, most recently Wisconsin. He also had offers from Boston College, Boston University (currently in the NCAA’s Frozen Four) and Umass.” . . . Caleb Jones, 17, spent the past two seasons in the U.S. National Team Development Program.
——
David Levin, who was born in Tel Aviv, will be selected by the Sudbury Wolves with the No. 1 pick in today’s OHL draft. . . . Levin, now 15, was 12 when he left his parents and brother behind to come to Canada in order to focus on hockey. . . . He played this season with the AAA minor midget Don Mills Flyers. Their head coach is Lindsay Hofford, who once did a stint as head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (2003-06). Hofford also is the director of scouting for the OHL’s London Knights. . . . John Matisz of QMI Agency has more on Levin right here.
——F Sam Reinhart’s debut with the AHL’s Rochester Americans has been delayed. Reinhart suffered an undisclosed injury as his Kootenay Ice dropped a seven-game series to the Calgary Hitmen last week, so the Americans, the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres, have chosen to hold out Reinhart until next weekend. . . . The Americans will conclude their regular season with three games next weekend. The last game, on Sunday, April 19, will be against the host Adirondack Flames, whose roster includes F Max Reinhart, Sam’s older brother.
——
The AHL’s Adirondack Flames have signed G Taran Kozun of the Seattle Thunderbirds to an amateur tryout deal. Kozun, who played out his junior eligibility this season, was in a development camp with the Washington Capitals in 2014. Adirondack is the AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames. This season, Kozun was 33-19-8, .915, 2.41. . . . Former Kelowna Rockets head coach Ryan Huska is in his first season as Adirondack’s head coach. . . . The Flames are at home to Dean Chynoweth and the Lake Erie Monsters on Saturday and Sunday. . . . Seattle D Evan Wardley, who also used up his junior eligibility, has joined the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore, 19, is playing with the Norfolk Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Theodore was selected by the Ducks in the first round of the NHL’s 2013 draft.
——
The BCHL has made a move to get older players onto its teams’ rosters. Here’s a note from Brian Wiebe, over at Brian’s Banter:
“The BCHL has re-introduced the roster rule stating that each team must have a minimum of two players 17-years-old or younger on its active roster in 2015-16. This is a change from this season when teams were required to have a minimum of four rookie players, which was defined as those entering the season with less than 30 games of junior A experience. The 17-years-old-and-under rule was in place for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons after teams were required to carry a minimum of one 16-year-old and one 17-year-old on their rosters during the 2011-12 season.”
———




The Red Deer Rebels have signed F Austin Pratt, a native of Lakeville, Minn., who was a fourth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Pratt, who attended a Rebels’ prospect camp last summer and was in their training camp prior to this season, played the past two seasons at Shattuck St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn. This season, with the school’s U-16 team, he had 52 points, 20 of them goals, in 55 games. . . . Pratt may be the only 16-year-old on the Rebels’ roster next season as it prepares to play host to the 2016 Memorial Cup. . . .
It is expected that F Connor McDavid of the OHL’s Erie Otters or F Jack Eichel of Boston U will be first pick in June’s NHL draft. On Friday afternoon, Eichel was named winner of the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top player; later in the day, McDavid became the first Erie player to score five goals in a regular-season or playoff game as the Otters dropped the visiting London Knights 7-3 in a second-round game. . . . The Otters lead the series, 2-0. . . . Erie D Kurtis MacDermid has been suspended for eight games for a headshot that has taken London F Max Domi out of the series. . . . Erie F Mason Marchment has been hit with an indefinite suspension for a hit on London F Mitch Marner. . . .
G Eric Comrie of the Tri-City Americans started for the AHL’s St. John’s Ice Caps last night. He made 28 saves in a 3-2 loss to the visiting Hershey Bears. . . . F Brayden Point of the Moose Jaw Warriors scored his first AHL goal last night, as he and the host Syracuse Crunch beat the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 4-3, in OT. Point forced OT with a PP goal at 3:43 of the third period.
———

THE COACHING GAME:

Chad van Diemen is the new head coach of the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. Van Diemen, 33, spent the past six seasons with the BCHL’s Powell River Kings, as assistant GM and associate head coach. . . . Van Diemen, who signed a two-year contract, replaces Dave Dupas, who resigned following the season. Dupas, who is from Kelowna, cited family reasons in resigning. . . . Van Diemen is from Kamloops. He played four seasons (1998-2002)in the BCHL, with the Nanaimo Clippers, Powell River and Quesnel Millionaires before going on to play four seasons of NCAA hockey -- one at Iona and three at Manhattanville. . . . His father, Case, was the president of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers for a while when the franchise was community-owned.
——
The Hamilton Bulldogs, who will begin play in the OHL next season, have signed George Burnett as their first general manager/head coach. Burnett, a 26-year veteran of the coaching wars, spent the past 11 seasons as the GM/head coach of the Belleville Bulls. That franchise is relocating to Hamilton. Burnett, 53, is a long-time OHL coach, having also worked with the Oshawa Generals, Niagara Falls Thunder, Oshawa Generals and Belleville. He also has coached in the NHL and AHL. He has 611 OHL coaching victories, ranking him second among active coaches and leaving him fifth on the all-time list.
———

Victoria Cougars vs New Westminster Bruins, #WHL playoff game April 7, 1979 at the Victoria Memorial Arena. pic.twitter.com/3R6UISrkNV
— Victoria Cougars (@victoriacougars) April 10, 2015

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

No suspension for Rockets star . . . Bjorkstrand guns for 50-in-50 . . . Chase ends shootout

The NHL’s trade deadline passed us by on Monday afternoon. The day’s best story involved a young girl and the letter she wrote. If you haven’t read all about D Jordan Leopold and his daughter, Jordyn, check it out right here.
———



F Leon Draisaitl of the Kelowna Rockets won’t be suspended for the major penalty and game misconduct he incurred against the visiting Calgary Hitmen on Saturday night. Draisaitl was penalized after running into Calgary G Brendan Burke. . . . Draisaitl should be in the Rockets’ lineup tonight when they meet the Silvertips in Everett. . . . The Silvertips will get D Ben Betker back, after he served a one-game suspension, and D Kevin Davis may return from an undisclosed injury. . . .
Kelowna is likely to have Jackson Whistle in goal for a second straight game since his return from an early February appendectomy. It is quite possible that the Rockets will be without D Josh Morrissey after he suffered an injury to his left leg on Saturday. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks are 18-3-2 in 2015, which has moved them to within two points of the U.S. Division-leading Everett Silvertips. Portland holds one game in hand. . . . The Winterhawks and Silvertips are to meet once more this season. . . .
Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand has 48 goals in 49 games this season, meaning he will be gunning for the magical 50 in 50 on Friday against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. He also has goals in 11 straight games, which tied a franchise record that was set by F Tony Currie in 1976-77, the team’s first season in Portland. . . .
The Saskatoon Blades are adding D Jake Kustra to their roster for the remainder of this season. Kustra, the 34th overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft, played this season with the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos. He played two games with the Blades last month, picking up one assist. . . .
The owners of the Prince George Cougars have purchased $25,000 in 50/50 tickets for Saturday’s game against the Victoria Royals. Why? Because ownership wants to guarantee fans that someone “will win the biggest 50/50 jackpot in Prince George Cougars history.” . . . The owners aren’t going to sit on those tickets, either. They will be distributed “free of charge to all adults with valid tickets attending the game. Season-ticket holders can receive a strip of 10 tickets . . . and all other adults can receive one ticket.” . . . The other half of the jackpot will be donated to the Shelly L. Mrkonjic ALS Research Fund. That fund was created by the Mrkonjic family in memory of wife and mother Shelly, who died in 2006. Her son, Tyler, is a forward with the Cougars.
———







“His name is Carson Barry and he is 12 years old,” begins a terrific story at sportscapp.com. “Carson has been researching concussions for over two years since his brother, who suffered several hockey concussions, committed suicide.” . . . The complete story is right here.
———

THE WHL'S PLAYOFF PICTURE:

EAST DIVISION: Brandon (9 games remaining) will finish atop the Eastern Conference standings and now trails Kelowna by one point in the race for first place overall. . . . Regina (9) will finish second in the division. . . . Swift Current (9) is third, eight points ahead of Moose Jaw (9), which lost in Regina and now is seven points behind Edmonton (9), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth.
CENTRAL DIVISION: Calgary (9) is atop the division, two points ahead of Medicine Hat (9). . . . Red Deer (10) is third, seven points behind Medicine Hat and five ahead of Kootenay (8), which is in possession of the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Edmonton (9) is five points behind Kootenay.
B.C. DIVISION: Kelowna (9) has clinched first place in the Western Conference and holds a one-point lead over Brandon atop the overall standings. . . . Victoria (9) will finish second. . . . Prince George (9) has won three straight and moved back into third place, one point ahead of Vancouver (10) and two up on Kamloops (9). . . . Vancouver is two points behind Tri-City (9), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth.
U.S. DIVISION: Everett (9) sits atop the division, but is only two points ahead of Portland (10). . . . Seattle (9) is third, eight points behind Portland and seven ahead of Spokane (11). . . . Spokane holds the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Spokane is seven points ahead of Tri-City (9), which is 2-8-0 in its last 10 and clinging to that second wild-card spot.
———

IF THE 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
Everett vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Prince George
Portland vs. Seattle
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
———

MONDAY’S GAME:

In Victoria, F Greg Chase scored the only goal of a three-round shootout as the Royals beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Seattle G Logan Flodell stopped 20 shots through OT, but was replaced by Taran Kozun for the shootout. Flodell had appeared in a shootout in Kamloops on Feb. 13, when he was 0-for-2. TBird Tidbits tweeted that, including this game, Kozun has allowed five goals on 31 shootout attempts. . . . The Royals took a 2-0 lead on goals from D Joe Hicketts, his 10th, at 8:53 of the first period and F Jack Walker, his 17th, at 2:59 of the second. . . . D Jerret Smith got Seattle on the board with his ninth goal, at 5:16 of the second, and F Keegan Kolesar tied it with his 19th at 10:57. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 25 shots. . . . Seattle was 0-for-3 on the PP; Victoria was 0-for-2. . . . The Royals (34-25-4) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Thunderbirds (31-23-9) are 0-2-2 in their last four games. . . . They'll play again tonight in Victoria.
———

TUESDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Edmonton at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
———

Single-sport specialization amongst youth today is troubling. Let kids be kids. They'll become better all-around athletes & have more fun.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) March 2, 2015

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

Buying or selling? . . . Anholt, in conversation with Kingsmith . . . Rebels' Bleackley finds scoring touch

The trade announced late Wednesday between the Kelowna Rockets and Prince Albert Raiders signaled the beginning of the run up to the WHL trading deadline.
That deadline arrives on Jan. 10 at noon MT. But don’t forget that there is a Christmas trade moratorium that runs from Dec. 15 through Dec. 26.
On Wednesday, if you missed it, the Rockets acquired D Josh Morrissey, 19, and F Gage Quinney, 19, from the Raiders for F Austin Glover, 18, D Jesse Lees, 19, and a pair of bantam draft picks -- a second-round selection in 2016 and a third-rounder in 2017.
If Morrissey isn’t the best defenceman in the WHL, he’s in the conversation. So this was a big ‘get’ by the Rockets.
(Morrissey is in the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp. In Thursday’s first workout, he was paired with new teammate Madison Bowey, with whom he no doubt will get ample playing time with the Rockets.)
It’s interesting, too, that it Kelowna landed Morrissey without surrendering a first-round bantam draft pick. Which makes one wonder if that has set the tone as the deadline nears. Will those teams that see themselves as contenders not have to include first-round bantam picks when attempting to acquire front-line players?
Going into this weekend’s games, there appear to be four championship contenders, a couple of pretenders and a whole lot of also-rans.
At the same time, though, I have long felt that the WHL season doesn’t really start until about 10 days after the trade deadline. It isn’t until then that the uncertainty that comes with the trade deadline has dissipated, players have returned from the World Junior Championship, and teams know who will be on their rosters.
From that point on, it’s full speed ahead.
At the moment, the Kelowna Rockets, Brandon Wheat Kings, Medicine Hat Tigers and Everett Silvertips are the WHL’s top four teams.
Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner, general manager and head coach, has clearly been targeting next season as he built his present roster. It would seem more likely, then, that he would keep his roster intact and take his chances on winning this season, rather than give up a couple of young assets and risk damaging next season’s game plan.
Kelowna, Medicine Hat and Everett, you have to think, would be open to adding another big gun or two. Don’t forget, too, that the Rockets have room to add one 20-year-old and they certainly will do that before Jan. 10.
Meanwhile, there are only two teams, the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Saskatoon Blades, who are clearly out of the playoff picture.
If you go by winning percentage, 16 of the WHL’s 22 teams, eight in each conference, are at .500 or above. If you go by wins and losses, that number is 11 -- five in the Eastern Conference and six in the Western Conference.
Call it parity or parody, but there will be a number of those teams feeling that they might be a player or two from breaking into that elite group. That is the thought process that turns potential sellers into buyers.
The Regina Pats are one of the teams on the rung below the elite four. John Paddock, the Pats’ senior vice-president of hockey operations and head coach, recently told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post that he saw his organization as sellers. That, of course, may have put all-star F Morgan Klimchuk, for one, in play.
However, the Pats had a tremendous western road trip that included a victory in Kelowna. After returning to Regina, the Pats swept a home-and-home from the Wheat Kings.
All of which has Paddock hedging his bets.
As Harder wrote in Thursday’s Leader-Post:
“(Paddock) doesn't seem eager to dismantle a group that has worked so hard to exceed expectations. What kind of message would that send to the players? The hard part is to find the right balance between targeting long-range goals without completely disregarding the present.”
A couple of years ago, in an interview with Sportsnet 590 The FAN, a Toronto radio station, Brian Burke, then the general manager of a mediocre Maple Leafs team, summed it up this way”
“I’m not interested in making the playoffs and getting our asses kicked in the first round. I’ve done that. It’s not much fun. I’m interested in getting in with a realistic, reasonable chance to win or bloody somebody’s nose doing it and use that round or two rounds -- or whatever we can do -- as a building block for a championship team.”
You can bet such thoughts are going through the minds of more than one WHL general manager as Jan. 10 approaches.
---
Peter Anholt, the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ new general manager and head coach, is into his second day as the man in charge.
On Thursday, he talked with Paul Kingsmith of Global TV in Lethbridge. Kingsmith (@paulkingsmith) tweeted some of the highlights . . .
Anholt, on his recent coaching career: “I haven't coached since ’07 in our league. Basically threw all my coaching material away. I had no inkling I was going to coach.”

Peter Anholt, the general manager and head coach
of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

On the departed Brad Robson and Drake Berehowsky: “It didn't work out. And it shows this can be a very cold business at times.”
On his outlook: “We have an obligation to our kids to give them a Western Hockey League-level organization. And that's what we need to do. . . . I'll make some mistakes here and there but it won't be through lack of effort."
On his team: “We've won 18 games out of the last hundred. I think that says it right there. . . . I think we have some half-decent players. Our 96s are a group of really good guys; we can lean on them to be good citizens. . . . There are some blocks there to build upon but we have lots of heavy lifting to do over the next while. It is a lot of hard work.”
On the overall organization: “This organization has lost respect in the league. So, what can we do to bring it back? We have to go above and beyond.”
On his immediate approach: “We'll lay some things out that are non-negotiables in our dressing room and I've laid out in our coaching staff certain roles.” . . . I think we've got some good kids in there. We've got to find a way to put a plan in place (that) will give them some success.”
On his dual role: “It's different. When you're wearing your GM's cap you're thinking of the future. When I walk downstairs, it's for today.”
On the city, arena, travel as far as players are concerned: “We have so many good things that it's ridiculous to me that players don't want to play here. . . . That's on us. So let's develop an atmosphere where people want to play here. And that won't happen overnight."
On what’s ahead after this season: “I've committed to come for this (season). We'll see when this (season) is done whether they want me or I want them. I'm focused on the now."
Anholt will make his first appearance behind the Hurricanes’ bench on Sunday when the Kamloops Blazers pay a visit.
---




F Wyatt Sloboshan (broken jaw) and D Jordan Thomson (concussion) of the Saskatoon Blades were cleared to return to full practice on Thursday. . . . Sloboshan, who has eight points in 12 games, hasn’t played since Oct. 24. . . . Thomson, with six points in 17 games, last played on Nov. 4. . . . The Blades are at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight. . . . Kevin Mitchell, the sports editor of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here. . . .
The Swift Current Broncos have recalled D Colby Sissons, 16, from the Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club’s midget AAA team. He has 11 points, including three goals, in 20 games with SSAC. . . . The Broncos will travel to Brandon today to meet the Wheat Kings tonight. . . .
The Regina Pats have recalled F Jacob Elmer, 15, and D Ryan Krushen, 16. . . . Elmer, a sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, plays for the EDGE School in Calgary. He’s got 24 points, including 13 goals, in 15 games. In his previous three games, he put up 12 points, eight of them goals. Elmer won‘t turn 16 until Dec. 31, so he becomes the youngest player on a WHL roster. . . . Krushen plays for the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. He was pointless in two earlier games with the Pats this season. . . . Krushen’s recall comes after D James Hilsendager suffered an undisclosed injury in Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Broncos in Swift Current. John Paddock, the Pats’ head coach, has said Hilsendager will out for “quite a while.” . . . Regina already was without D Colby Williams (wrist), who has missed four games. . . . The Pats are scheduled to visit the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday. . . . The Blades are at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight. . . .
F Rihards Bukarts of the Brandon Wheat Kings was back at practice on Thursday. He hasn’t played since Nov. 25 after suffering an undisclosed injury in practice. Bukarts has 29 points, 11 of them goals, in 24 games. . . . The Latvian was off to a prolific start before slowing in November, when he had two goals and three assists in nine games. . . . F Tyler Coulter, F Jayce Hawryluk, F Tim McGauley and D Colton Waltz weren’t on the ice with the Wheat Kings on Thursday. Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that Wheat Kings GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon refused “to say why they were absent.” . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Swift Current Broncos tonight. . . .
F Jackson Houck didn’t skate with the Vancouver Giants on Thursday after suffering an apparent leg or knee injury in a 3-0 victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday night. . . . Houck is riding a four-game goal streak. . . . The Giants visit the Victoria Royals for a Teddy Bear toss game tonight. On Saturday, the Royals are in Vancouver for Ugly Christmas Sweater Night. . . .
---

THURSDAY’S GAME:

In Red Deer, D Brett Cote scored 16 seconds into the game and the Rebels went on to a 6-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Cote has six goals this season. . . . F Conner Bleackley, who seems to have found some chemistry with recent acquisition Riley Sheen, had two goals, giving him 12. . . . Sheen had assists on both of them. . . . It was Bleackley’s second straight two-goal game on home ice. . . . Red Deer F Preston Kopeck drew three assists and F Brooks Maxwell had two. . . . F Cole Ully scored his 14th goal for Kamloops, which got two assists from D Josh Connolly. . . . The Rebels (17-11-4) have won three in a row and have points in 17 of their last 21 games (14-4-3). . . . The Blazers (12-17-5) have lost four in a row.
---

Royals' Assistant Coach Enio Sacilotto speaking to the media about taking over Head Coaching duties with Dave away! pic.twitter.com/3F7W8NXRw5
— Victoria Royals (@victoriaroyals) December 11, 2014

Hurricane blows through Lethbridge . . . Rockets, Raiders in blockbuster . . . Big night for DeBrusk

It turns out that the Lethbridge Hurricanes fired general manager Brad Robson on Tuesday. The board of directors just chose not to announce it until Wednesday.
Head coach Drake Berehowsky was fired on Tuesday, but the only communication from the team was a terse three-paragraph news release. No one from the organization provided any other communication.
Why?
Because it seems that Robson fired Berehowsky without input from the board.

President Doug Paisley says GM Brad Robson chose to fire coach Drake Berehowsky. Team then fired Robson. #whl #yql
— Paul Kingsmith (@paulkingsmith) December 10, 2014

Rather than provide any comment on Berehowsky's firing, the board met on Tuesday evening and decided to pull the plug on Robson. He was informed of the move sometime Tuesday night.
Robson, whose son Blake is the Hurricanes’ head scout, spent four seasons as Lethbridge’s assistant GM, as well as director of player personnel and scouting, before replacing Rich Preston as GM after the 2012-13 season.
Under Robson, the Hurricanes went 12-55-5 last season. This season, they were 6-19-4 when the axe fell. His tenure was marked by the defections of a number of players and two trades in which the Brandon Wheat Kings landed defencemen Ryan Pilon and Macoy Erkamps, along with forward Reid Duke. Pilon and Duke had been the third and five overall selections in the 2011 bantam draft.
Robson's contract isn't due to expire until after next season.
At a Wednesday news conference, Doug Paisley, who stepped in as president of the board a couple of months ago, announced that Peter Anholt is the new general manager and head coach. Anholt was in transit from Prince Albert yesterday, so wasn't in attendance at the news conference.
Anholt joined the Lethbridge organization as assistant general manager in June. Prior to that, he had been the general manager of the Waskesiu Golf Club, which is located in Prince Albert National Park. He also was doing some scouting for the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Anholt has ample WHL coaching experience, having worked as the head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders, Seattle, Red Deer Rebels and Kelowna Rockets. His 450 coaching victories have him 10th on the WHL's all-time list, while he is sixth in games coached (973).
Anholt last coached in the WHL in 2006-07 when he was the head coach of the Raiders after which he was replaced by Bruno Campese, who now is Prince Albert’s general manager.
Anholt doesn’t have any experience as a WHL general manager.
When Anholt’s promotion was discussed at Wednesday’s news conference in Lethbridge, the word 'interim' wasn't mentioned.
"Pete's our guy for now," Paisley told reporters, adding that the Hurricanes would "bump up" Anholt's salary.
Assistant coaches Bryan Maxwell and Mike Craig ran the bench last night as the Hurricanes dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the visiting Kelowna Rockets.
It would appear that promoting Anholt was the board’s only move, especially from a financial standpoint. In recent times, the Hurricanes have chosen to fire Preston and assistant coach Brad Lukowich, both of whom had time remaining on contracts. The Lukowich situation resulted in his filing a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the Hurricanes. It was settled out of court.
And now the organization is on the financial hook with Robson and Berehowsky.
Making the move it made with Anholt, then, was the prudent thing to do.
The Hurricanes, who have one victory in their last 15 games, aren’t going to make the playoffs this season. In the last couple of months, they have changed board presidents and brought in six new directors. Now they have a new general manager and head coach.
You have to wonder, though, if the winds of change will continue to blow in Hurricane country.
---
The Prince Albert Raiders and Kelowna Rockets tied a bow on a blockbuster late Wednesday night.
The Rockets acquired D Josh Morrissey, 19, and F Gage Quinney, 19, from the Rockets in exchange for D Jesse Lees, 19, F Austin Glover, 18, and two bantam draft picks -- a second-rounder in 2016 and a third in 2017.
Morrissey, the sixth overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft, is the best player in this exchange. A first-round selection by the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL’s 2013 draft, he finished last season with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps, earning nine points in 20 playoff games.
In 228 regular-season games, Morrissey had 179 points, including 60 goals. This season, the Calgarian has 21 points, seven of them goals, in 26 games. He heads for Toronto today for the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp and could very well be the team’s captain.
In Kelowna, Morrissey will join his 17-year-old brother, Jake, who is one of three goaltenders on the Rockets’ roster.

I asked Raiders GM Bruno Campese on Monday if he was considering trading Morrissey. He said no
— Jeff D'Andrea (@jeff_dandrea) December 11, 2014

Quinney, from Las Vegas, has 15 points, including six goals, in 32 games with the Raiders this season. In 91 career games, he has 31 points, 14 of them goals.
Lees, from Calgary, was the ninth overall selection in the 2010 bantam draft. He was in his fourth season in Kelowna, having earned 78 points, including 25 goals, in 180 games. Of late, he had seen considerable playing time up front as the Rockets went through a stretch where a number of forwards were injured.
This season, Lees has 20 points, six of them goals, in 28 games.
Glover, from Clavet, Sask., was a second-round selection by the Rockets in the 2011 bantam draft. In 73 career games, he has 28 points, nine of them goals. This season, he has 16 points, including six goals, in 18 games this season. Glover returned to the Rockets’ lineup last night in Lethbridge after being out since early November with an undisclosed injury.
You can bet that Rockets head coach Dan Lambert, a run-and-gunner in his playing days, is salivating at the thought of having Morrissey and Madison Bowey keying their transition game.
Yes, the WHL’s top team to this point just got a whole lot better.
Lees and two assists and Glover was pointless as the Rockets (25-4-3) beat Lethbridge 4-3 in a shootout last night. Kelowna is atop the 10-team Western Conference with a 13-point lead over the Everett Silvertips, who hold three games in hand.
Morrissey and Quinney were pointless last night as the Raiders (15-17-0) dropped a 3-0 decision to the Giants in Vancouver. Prince Albert has been blanked in three straight games. The Raiders are tied with the Kootenay Ice for ninth in the 12-team Eastern Conference.

Morrissey for Lees+Glover+2nd'16+ 3rd'17. Winterhawks were frozen out since they didn't have any 1st rd WHL picks to deal …wait…what…wtf?
— Fake Mike Johnston (@FakeMikeJ) December 11, 2014

D Sam Ruopp of the Prince George Cougars has been suspended for two games after taking a kneeing major and game misconduct in a 4-3 victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades on Tuesday night. Saskatoon F Nick Zajac needed help getting to the dressing room after the hit, but he later returned to the game. . . . Ruopp will miss Friday's game in Everett against the Silvertips and Saturday's game in Spokane with the Chiefs. . . .
The junior B Port Moody Panthers of the Pacific Junior Hockey League will be host team for the 2015 PJHL Top Prospects Game. It is to be played at Port Moody Arena on Jan. 26. Rosters for the game will be announced in early January. They comprise the league’s top first-year players, with at last one player from each team selected. . . . According to a news release: “Of the 40 players who participated in last year's edition of the PJHL Prospects Game, half of them have moved on to play at least one game at the junior A, Western Hockey League, or collegiate level this season, including Port Moody's Jordan Wharrie, who is a regular on the blueline of the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Tom Shaw Conference won last season's contest 4-1, with Richmond's John Wesley scoring twice in the victory. Wesley is now the third-leading scorer on the BCHL's Surrey Eagles and was also called up to play one game with the Vancouver Giants.”
---

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Swift Current, F Jake DeBrusk scored three times and added two assists to lead the Broncos to a 6-4 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . DeBrusk completed his hat trick into an empty net at 19:59 of the third period. He's got 16 goals in 34 games. Last season, as a freshman, he finished with 15 goals in 72 games. . . . The Broncos erased a 2-0 first-period deficit with four second-period goals. They took a 5-2 lead just 58 seconds into the third period on D Brycen Martin's second goal of the season. . . . The Broncos improved to 16-13-4. . . . The Pats (18-11-1) had a five-game winning streak snapped. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Tanner Eberle scored the only goal of a four-round shootout as the Warriors beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-4. . . . F Nolan Patrick scored twice and added an assist for the Wheat Kings, giving him 12 goals in his freshman season and eight goals in his last nine games. His second goal, at 15:30 of the third period, tied the score at 4. . . . F Jack Rodewald scored his 18th goal and added two assists for the Warriors, while F Tanner Eberle scored twice, giving him 17. . . . Brandon led 3-1 after the first period, with the Warriors equalizing on Rodewald's PP goal at 11:29 of the second. . . . Eberle gave the host team the lead at 5:54 of the third. . . . G Alex Moodie made his first start for the Wheat Kings since being acquired from the Saskatoon Blades on Nov. 26. He made 27 stops, one more than Moose Jaw's Zach Sawchenko. . . . The Warriors dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. They lost F Tanner Jeannot in the second period after he took a hit from Brandon D Macoy Erkamps, who was penalized for charging. . . . The Warriors improved to 14-14-3. . . . Brandon is 22-7-3 and tied with the Medicine Hat Tigers for top spot in the Eastern Conference. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a game story right here. . . .

In Edmonton, D Ben Carroll broke a 1-1 tie at 17:08 of the second period and the Oil Kings went on to a 4-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Carroll, who scored the goal via the PP, has four goals. . . . The Blazers were playing their first game of a six-game road trip. They'll play six games in eight nights. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner had his point streak snapped at 12 games. He now shares the franchise record with F Michael St. Croix and F Dylan Wruck. . . . Kamloops F Deven Sideroff was back in the lineup after missing four games with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Oil Kings (15-12-5) had lost their previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The Blazers (12-16-5) have lost three straight. . . . The Blazers meet the Rebels in Red Deer in tonight’s lone game. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Nick Merkley's shootout goal gave the Kelowna Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . F Jamal Watson gave the home side a 1-0 shootout lead, but Kelowna F Justin Kirkland tied it in the third round and Merkley won it in the fourth. . . . The Hurricanes erased a 3-1 deficit with two third-period goals. F Taylor Cooper got his ninth at 14:27 and D Nick Walters scored his first, on the PP, at 18:35. . . . F Dillon Dube, playing his fifth game since returning from an undisclosed injury, scored twice for the Rockets. Dube has four goals in seven games this season. In fact, he has four goals in his last five games. . . . Kelowna F Rodney Southam broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal just 10 seconds into the third period. . . . This was the Hurricanes' first game since the firing of general manager Brad Robson and head coach Drake Berehowsky. Assistant coaches Mike Craig and Bryan Maxwell ran the bench in this one, even though the online scoresheet listed Berehowsky as the head coach. . . . Kelowna had F Austin Glover and D Dalton Yorke back in the lineup. Both had been out since early November. . . . The Rockets (25-4-3) have won two in a row. . . . The Hurricanes (6-19-5) have lost five straight. . . .

In Vancouver, G Payton Lee stopped 29 shots to lead the Giants to a 3-0 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Lee has two shutouts this season and four in his career. . . . Vancouver F Jackson Houck got the game’s first goal, his 12th, at 10:31 of the second period. . . . Houck, who has five goals over his last four games, left late in the third period while favouring one leg. After the game, head coach Claude Noel said that Houck is day-to-day. . . . F Matt Bellerive had two assists for Vancouver. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride stopped 35 shots. . . . The Giants (13-18-0) have won four in a row and now are three points behind the ninth-place Kamloops Blazers in the Western Conference. Vancouver is 3-0-0 under Noel. . . . The Raiders (15-17-0) have lost three in a row.
---

Canes President Doug Paisley confirms Robson out as GM. Peter Anholt new GM & Head Coach going forward. pic.twitter.com/YDRWuIEBo1
— Pat Siedlecki (@radiopat258) December 10, 2014