Showing posts with label Mark Rubinchik. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark Rubinchik. Show all posts

Friday, April 7, 2017

Barzal's return sparks T-Birds ... Pats tie series ... Tigers, Rockets win, too



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 Continuing with the report from Finland that started here yesterday . . .
Well, Game 6 went to double OT. Vantaa won 2-1, scoring with three seconds left in the second OT. The TuTo goalie got a major for "abuse of officials" plus a double game misconduct, one for "throwing a stick or object" and the second for "abuse of officials" at the end of the game. The winning goal was a power-play goal, so that may account for the "abuse of officials,” etc. . . . Vantaa wins the series 4-2 and plays SaPKo Savonlinna in the final.
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D Mark Rubinchik of the Saskatoon is on the roster of the team that will represent Russia at the IIHF U-18 World Championship in Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia, next week. Rubinchik played for Russia at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial last summer. With the Blades, he had 23 assists in 63 games. . . . The Blades also will be represented as equipment manager Chad Scharff has been named to that role with Team Canada. . . . Russia opens the IIHF tournament against Sweden on April 13.
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F Jansen Harkins of the Prince George Cougars has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets, who selected him in the second round of the 2015 NHL draft. Harkins has joined the Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ AHL affiliate, and will spend the remainder of the season there. Harkins put up 242 points, including 75 goals, in 275 regular-season games over four seasons with the Cougars. He is Prince George’s all-time leader in assists (167) and points.
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F Reid Duke of the Brandon Wheat Kings has signed a PTO with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and will finish this season with them. Earlier, Duke, 21, signed an NHL contract with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who apparently are working on a deal to purchase an AHL franchise but haven’t yet announced it. This season, Duke had 71 points, 37 of them goals, in 59 games with the Wheat Kings.
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MORE ON THE MOVE: D Ondrej Vala of the Kamloops Blazers has joined the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Vala just completed his second WHL season. Vala, who will turn 19 on April 13, signed a three-year entry-level deal with Dallas in September. From Slovakia, he wasn’t selected in the NHL draft. . . . F Matt Phillips of the Victoria Royals will finish the season with the AHL’s Stockton Heat, which is affiliated with the NHL’s Calgary Flames. The Flames selected him in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . F Michael Spacek of the Red Deer Rebels has signed an ATO with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. The parent Winnipeg Jets selected him in the fourth round of the NHL’s 2015 draft. He has yet to sign an NHL contract.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:





At Everett, F Mathew Barzal scored the game’s first goal and drew an assist on the winner in his first
MATHEW BARZAL
game in a month as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for tonight in Everett. . . . Barzal, the Western Conference’s most outstanding player, last played on March 7. Originally, he was thought to have been out with the mumps, but the Thunderbirds never did release the results of his tests and it all turned into speculation that he had mononucleosis. . . . Barzal opened the scoring on a PP, at 2:07 of the second period, getting his own rebound and beating G Carter Hart. . . . Everett tied it on F Eetu Tuulola’s third goal, at 17:53. . . . Seattle went ahead 2-1 when F Tyler Adams (1) scored at 5:31 of the third period. . . . That set the stage for something of a wild finish. . . . With G Carter Hart on the bench for an extra attacker, Everett D Aaron Irving scored on a point shot through traffic at 18:22. . . . The Thunderbirds broke the tie 39 seconds later as F Donovan Neuls (4) scored on the rebound of a Barzal shot. . . . Seattle got two assists from F Alexander True, with Neuls adding one to his goal. . . . G Carl Stankowski ran his playoff record to 5-0 with 21 saves, nine fewer than Hart. . . . Seattle was 1-2 on the PP; Everett was 0-2. . . . Barzal now has played in 34 WHL playoff games. He has put up 42 points, including 11 goals. . . . Seattle remained without F Ryan Gropp and G Rylan Toth. Gropp was injured in Game 2 of a first-round series with the Tri-City Americans. Toth hasn’t played since March 11. . . . Everett F Devon Skoleski played for the first time since March 19. . . . Announced attendance: 4,588.
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At Kelowna, the Rockets scored three goals in 95 seconds en route to a 4-2 victory over the Portland
CALVIN THURKAUF
Winterhawks. . . . They’ll play Game 2 in Kelowna tonight. . . . Kelowna F Calvin Thurkauf (1) opened the scoring at 3:42 of the second period. . . . F Kole Lind (2) made it 2-0 at 4:32, and F Reid Gardiner’s sixth goal upped that to 3-0 at 5:17. . . . The Rockets completed a four-goal second-period as F Dillon Dube (5) scored on a PP, at 16:08. . . . Portland got on the scoreboard when F Brad Ginnell (2) scored at 10:50 of the third period. . . . F Cody Glass (3) scored Portland’s second goal, on a PP with G Cole Kehler on the bench for an extra attacker, at 17:34. . . . Portland received another PP after that one and came close to scoring, with F Skyler McKenzie being stoned by G Michael Herringer and F Joachim Blichfeld hitting a post. . . . Thurkauf also had two assists, for a three-point outing, with Gardiner and Lind adding an assist each. . . . Herringer finished with 27 saves, while Kehler blocked 50 shots. . . . The Rockets had a 43-12 edge in shots — and that 4-0 lead — after two periods. . . . Kelowna was 1-4 on the PP; Portland was 1-5. . . . The Rockets’ penalty killers have allowed two goals in 37 opportunities in seven playoff games. . . . Announced attendance: 5,002.
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At Regina, the Pats scored the game’s last five goals as they beat the Swift Current Broncos, 6-2. . . .
AUSTIN WAGNER
The series is tied, 1-1, with Game 3 set for Monday in Swift Current. It will be televised by Sportsnet. . . . The Broncos had won the opener, 1-0 in OT, on Thursday night in Regina. . . . In Game 1, the Pats received only one PP opportunity. In Game 2, Regina was 2-10 with the man advantage and the Broncos, who were 2-5, know they can’t win by taking that many trips to the penalty box. . . . D Jonathan Smart (1) gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 9:36 of the first period. . . . The Broncos went ahead 2-1 on first-period PP goals from D Max Lajoie (1), at 12:35, and F Tyler Steenbergen (7), at 16:18. . . . The Pats tied it 43 seconds into the second period as D Connor Hobbs (2) counted on a PP. . . . The home team went ahead at 6:08 as F Nick Henry (2) also scored on the PP. . . . F Austin Wagner (5) added insurance at 14:28. . . . Regina F Robbie Holmes (1) and Wagner (6), into an empty net, added third-period goals. . . . Regina got two assists from F Sam Steel, with Henry and Hobbs adding one each. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi had two assists for the Broncos, with Steenbergen getting one. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 15 shots for the Pats, while the Broncos’ Jordan Papirny turned aside 34. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks, who totalled 250 points in 139 regular-season games over the last two seasons, left in the first period with an apparent left knee injury. He got bumped a couple of times in the neutral zone, went down and was slow leaving the ice. He came on the ice a few minutes later, test it and left for the dressing room. . . . The Pats scratched F Filip Ahl, but it isn't known if he was ill or injured. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.


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At Medicine Hat, G Michael Bullion stopped 16 shots in recording his first playoff shutout as the Tigers
MICHAEL BULLION
beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-0. . . . They’ll play Game 2 in Medicine Hat tonight. . . . Shaw TV is covering this series in its entirety. . . . The Tigers have played five games in these playoffs, and won all of them. Bullion is 5-0, 1.80, .926. . . . F Steve Owre scored a goal, his second of the playoffs, and added two assists. . . . The Tigers went up 1-0 when F John Dahlstrom scored at 15:23 of the first period. . . . Medicine Hat took control with second-period goals from F Chad Butcher (2), at 5:42, and Owre, at 17:25. . . . F Zach Fischer (4) got the game’s last goal, at 15:01 of the third period. . . . Fischer and Butcher each had one assist, too. . . . Lethbridge took the game’s only four minor penalties. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-0 on the PP. . . . The Hurricanes got 33 saves from G Stuart Skinner. . . . D Brad Forrest remains out of the Tigers’ lineup with an undisclosed injury. . . . Announced attendance: 4,580.
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SATURDAY GAMES (all times local):

Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m. (Seattle leads, 1-0)
Portland at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 1-0)
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m. (Medicine Hat leads, 1-0)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:17 PM
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Sunday, February 5, 2017

What a weekend that was in the WHL . . . hits, a line brawl and, yes, a Heidi moment!


Sheesh! A guy takes a night off from blogging — it was Super Bowl Eve and an annual non-football social engagement beckoned — and everything was going on in the WHL.
There were two crumpling checks in a game in Saskatoon. The WHL had its very own Heidi moment in Portland. There was a line brawl in Lethbridge where they were honouring the 1996-97 Hurricanes. And a whole lot more . . . 
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First, let’s take a look at the two hits that occurred in the third period of the Blades’ 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels.
The first occurred at 9:19 when F Cam Hausinger of the Rebels drilled Saskatoon D Jake Kustra into the end boards, which had absolutely no give to them, something that only exacerbated the situation.


CAMERON HAUSINGER
JAKE KUSTRA
Kustra, who missed time earlier this season with a concussion, ended up on a stretcher and was taken to hospital. After taking some stitches to his head, he was released. When I inquired Sunday as to whether Kustra was OK, or as OK as might be expected, a Blades spokesperson responded: “Yes.” Obviously, he has a concussion.
Watching the video, as Kustra gets the puck and turns, he looks up. In that split second, he looks like a deer in the headlights as he realizes Hausinger’s intent, which is to put him into the cheap seats. Kustra stumbles and is almost horizontal when contact is made with his head. Because of the stumble, it would have been all but impossible for Hausinger not to make contact with the head.
Hausinger, who was acquired from the Blades on Nov. 25, was given a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct. I would suggest that a charging major and game misconduct would have been more indicative of what happened.
Still, Hausinger’s body language as he skates hard and directly at Kustra leaves no doubt as to his intent. When I see hits like these, I always wonder why another player has the desire to hit an opponent as hard as is humanly possible. Is it because for his entire hockey career he has been coached to finish his check? Is this what finishing a check looks like? If it is, is this what we want in the game? If the No. 1 objective is to gain possession of the puck, what is wrong with angle/pin, man, puck?


After the game, Brent Sutter, Red Deer’s owner, general manager and head coach, pointed a finger at Kustra.
“You feel terrible if the kid got hurt,” Sutter told Greg Meachem of reddeerrebels.com, “but he put himself in that position to allow himself to be injured. He had control of the puck, went to pass it out and fell forward. Hausinger glided towards him, he never took a stride.
“Those are the types of calls that are frustrating from a coach’s standpoint. A major penalty shouldn’t be called because someone was hurt on the play.”
Sutter referenced a play from the Rebels’ 6-3 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert on Friday. That one involved Rebels D Carson Sass.
“Sass got knocked out of the game with a check that was much, much worse that than and it was a two-minute minor penalty,” Sutter said. “I don’t like seeing anyone get hurt, but how do you blame a player for finishing a check when the other player stumbles.”
Sass was in Red Deer’s lineup on Saturday in Saskatoon.
While I am all for free speech, especially in these times when blandness rules, I’m thinking that had Sutter had more time to distance himself from what obviously was an emotional situation — there was plenty of conversation between the two benches and some vitriol directed towards the on-ice officials — he may have chosen fewer and different words to express himself.


That brings us to Red Deer D Colton Bobyk’s thundering hit on Saskatoon F Braylon Shmyr, who had a goal and an assist in the Blades victory. This hit came with 30 seconds left in the third period of a 4-2 game.


Shmyr, who leads the Blades in goals (27) and assists (22), has the puck as he drives to his right and then cuts towards the centre line. As he looks down to find the puck, Bobyk steps up and drills him. It truly is a Scott Stevens-Eric Lindros type of moment.
Is it a clean check? Does Bobyk’s right elbow come up and make contact with Shmyr’s chin/jaw area? If it is a clean hit, are these the kinds of hits we want in the game, hits that leave an unsuspecting player in a heap on the ice? How much onus is on the puck carrier as he cuts through the neutral zone? This is a debate that will rage on and on.
Bobyk wasn’t penalized for the hit and, as I understand it, the Blades aren’t likely to ask for supplemental discipline.
You have to understand, too, that the Blades just might be a little sensitive to damaging hits.
On Friday, with 1:33 left in a 5-2 loss to the visiting Regina Pats, Saskatoon D Mark Rubinchik was hit from behind by F Jeff de Wit.


On Saturday, the WHL handed de Wit one of those TBD suspensions. Fortunately, Rubinchik wasn’t injured — in fact, he had two assists in Saturday’s loss — so I wouldn’t expect de Wit to get a lengthy suspension. But, sooner or later, the WHL is going to have stop handing out charitable suspensions because hits like these really are creeping back into the game.
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Perhaps lost in all of this is the impact these injuries could have on the Blades drive to make the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2013.
It’s safe to assume that D Jake Kustra and F Braylon Shmyr both are concussed, with no timetable set for their returns.
F Lukus MacKenzie was injured during a second-period fight with Red Deer F Evan Polei. MacKenzie won’t be back anytime soon.
F Cam Hebig, a 69-point man last season, has yet to play this season.
F Mason McCarty, who has 23 points, including 14 goals, in 26 games, has been out for 11 weeks.
F Markson Bechtold, who was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs in December, was injured in his third game with the Blades and hasn’t played since.
Hebig, McCarty and Bechtold all are listed as being out week-to-week. There are only six weeks left in the WHL’s regular season.
The Blades (21-26-6) have 19 games left in their regular season. They are in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, but are just one point ahead of the Calgary Hitmen.
The Blades next are scheduled to play Friday when they entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors with the Brandon Wheat Kings coming to town on Saturday.
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Darren Steinke, who now lives in Saskatoon after covering the Tigers for the Medicine Hat News for a few winters, was at the game between the Red Deer Rebels and Blades. Later, he blogged about it. His piece is right here.
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That brings us to the WHL’s very own Heidi moment.
On Nov 17, 1968, the host Oakland Raiders were up against the New York Jets in an NFL game. The Raiders struck for a pair of touchdowns in the last minute of the fourth quarter to escape with a 43-32 victory.
However, NBC-TV ended its coverage on the East Coast, choosing to show the movie Heidi, instead. That meant a large portion of its audience didn’t see the comeback.
On Saturday, the WHL game that had the Seattle Thunderbirds in Portland to play the Winterhawks was shown on TV in both markets.
One viewer emailed with this explanation:
“The game goes into OT and two minutes into OT the announcer says ‘we have to be off the air at 10 p.m., and the telecast just drops off . . . goes to the scheduled programming at 10 p.m., leaving fans like myself to rush to the computer to listen to the end of the game.
“Yes . . . this really did happen in the year 2017 . . . LOL!”
Jess Rubenstein, the prospect editor for Blueshirt Bulletin, was working the game and posted this on Facebook:
“Congrats to the CW 32 for having hockey's version of the Heidi Bowl tonight. They left the broadcast of the Winterhawks game at 10 PM while the GAME WAS STILL GOING ON.
“Don't they have engineers watching their broadcasts to avoid screw ups like this? One of the most exciting games the Winterhawks played this season and their viewers missed out on the ending.
“They owe their viewers a major apology.”
Oh well, at least the TV station didn’t go to Heidi. Instead, it was time for the news.
BTW, the Winterhawks won the game when F Alex Overhardt scored the only goal of a seven-round shootout. Portland has won seven in a row; Seattle had a seven-game winning streak end.
In fairness to the TV station involved, the game was 15 minutes late in starting, due to a glass problem. There also was a promotion involving mascots that ran long. In the end, the game didn’t end until 10:14 p.m.
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes spent the weekend honouring the team that won the WHL championship in the spring of 1997.
The Hurricanes put a cap on the celebration with a 3-0 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday. F Tyler Wong gave the home boys a 1-0 lead with his 38th goal at 10:02 of the first period. The Hurricanes, with G Stuart Skinner making 31 stops, nursed that until wrapping it up with two empty-net goals.
The Warriors took 52 of the game’s 92 penalty minutes, with 74 of those coming in the last 19 seconds of the third period. Referees Clayton Hall and Derek Zalaski doled out 10 fighting majors at 19:41, then added two more when Moose Jaw D Jett Wood and Lethbridge F Jordy Bellerive scrapped at the final buzzer. 
Even if there aren’t any suspensions out of this mess, you can bet there will be some ch-ch-ching going into the WHL’s coffers.
Lost in all the commotion is that the Hurricanes have points in 13 straight games (11-0-2).
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A FEW OTHER WEEKEND NOTES: 

G Carter Hart put up his WHL-leading seventh shutout in a 1-0 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants.
TURNER OTTENBREIT
That is a single-season high for Hart, who now has 17 career shutouts. Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald pointed out that Silvertips F Connor Dewar missed the first game of his WHL career. He had played in 132 straight regular-season and playoff games. . . . In Portland, D Turner Ottenbreit of the Seattle Thunderbirds played in his 200th regular-season game. Ottenbreit was selected by the Saskatoon Blades with the second-last player selected in the 2012 bantam draft; in fact, he was the last 1997-born player taken in that draft. . . . The Winterhawks took D Blake Heinrich, a 1995-born player, with the draft’s final selection. He played 132 games with Portland over two seasons. . . . The host Winterhawks beat the Thunderbirds, 4-3 in a shootout. That was Portland’s fourth game in five nights — the Winterhawks won them all. . . . Portland F Alex Overhardt, who scored the shootout winner on Saturday, was taken five selections before Ottenbreit. Overhardt was playing in his 184th game. . . .   
The Kelowna Rockets beat the host Prince George Cougars, 5-1, giving them a weekend sweep. The Rockets had won, 3-2, on Friday. The Rockets are healthy for about the first time this season. They got two goals from each of Nick Merkley and Reid Gardiner, as they proved that they definitely are a contender for at least a B.C. Division title. . . . Gardiner has 12 points, including six goals, in nine games since joining the Rockets from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. . . . In Regina, the Pats ran their winning streak to eight games with a 7-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. The visitors may have known they were in for a tough night when F Colton Kehler took an unsportsmanlike conduct minor before the game started. Yes, the Pats scored on the PP. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers escaped from Spokane with a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. Kamloops G Connor
CONNOR INGRAM
Ingram made 30 saves as the Blazers went 3-2-2 in a stretch of seven straight away from home. Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto wasn’t able to score on a penalty shot at 15:39 of the third period with his guys down a goal. . . . At game’s end, Kamloops head coach Don Hay had 710 regular-season victories, with Spokane’s Don Nachbaur at 686. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen of the Swift Current Broncos continued his terrific season with two goals in a 4-1 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. He’s got 39 goals, one off the league lead held by Moose Jaw F Jayden Halbgewachs. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., F Matt Bradley had two goals and two assists as the Medicine Hat Tigers snuck past the Tri-City Americans, 6-5. Bradley’s 25th goal gave the visitors a 6-4 lead at 19:29 of the third period. That goal turned into the winner when Tri-City F Vladislav Lukin got No. 24 at 19:56. . . . On their way home from the Spokane, the Tigers had to stop in Cranbrook and wait for the Crowsnest Pass to open after it, like a lot of B.C. and southern Alberta, was hit by a huge snowfall. The Tigers are hoping to leave Cranbrook today (Monday) around noon. . . . The host Victoria Royals beat the Calgary Hitmen, 4-1, as G Griffen Outhouse stopped 30 shots in winning for a WHL-leading 29th time. Outhouse is 47-19-7 in 75 appearances over two seasons. The Royals have won four in a row.
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Back in the day, when I was in my second go-round at the Brandon Sun and covering the Wheat Kings, one of the players I most enjoyed watching and chatting with was Kelly Glowa, who once enjoyed a 10-point game. . . . These days, he’s a husband with three beautiful daughters. He’s 53 and still playing hockey, now with the Boissevain Border Kings of the Tigers Hills Hockey League. . . . Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun has more on Glowa right here.
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Duncan Krier was living a life of virtual anonymity as an account manager with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks until his name surfaced at the Super Bowl in Houston. When Atlanta Falcons centre Alex Mack, who is a great offensive lineman, was asked to name the greatest high school football player he has seen, he came up with “Duncan Krier.” . . . Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times then came up with this piece right here. Yes, it’s well worth your time.
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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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Meanwhile, in Victoria, the WHL team there changed head coaches for the FOURTH time this season. Oh wait! That was in 1990.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Vancouver at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 8:52 PM
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Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Silvertips move into penthouse ... Koch in record book ... Ferguson rolling ... Outhouse slams door

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, F Tyler Coulter scored the only goal of a shootout as the Wheat Kings beat the Regina Pats,
LOGAN THOMPSON
2-1. . . . Regina took a 1-0 lead when F Nick Henry scored his 15th goal, on a PP, at 12:32 of the first period. . . . Brandon tied it at 17:02 as F Ty Lewis scored No. 18. . . . With Regina shooting first in the circus, Brandon G Logan Thompson denied F Sam Steel, Henry and F Adam Brooks. . . . Brandon F Reid Duke didn’t score on the home side’s first attempt, with Coulter scoring as the second Wheat Kings shooter. . . . Regina had what it thought was a goal disallowed late i the second period when Brooks was ruled to have scored off a pass that had been gloved to him. . . . The Pats also hit two posts on a third-period PP. . . . Thompson stopped 39 shots through OT, five more than Regina’s Tyler Brown. . . . In his WHL career, Thompson is 5-0 in shootouts and a perfect 14-for-14 versus the shooters. . . . The Pats were 1-7 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 0-4. . . . Brandon improved to 16-15-4. . . . The Pats (23-3-7) had won their previous two games. . . . The Pats beat the visiting Wheat Kings 7-4 on Tuesday. . . . Announced attendance: 4,339.
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At Calgary, G Nick Schneider stopped 40 shots to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the
NICK SCHNEIDER
Hitmen. . . . One night earlier, in Medicine Hat, the Tigers beat the Hitmen, 5-4, in a shootout. . . . Last night, the Tigers scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Gary Haden (3) got it started at 8:28 of the first period, with F Zach Fischer (19) making it 2-0 at 10:01. . . . D David Quenneville scored his 20th goal of the season at 3:57 of the second period, for a 3-0 edge. . . . The Hitmen made it interesting on third-period goals from F Beck Malenstyn (13), at 10:47 of the third period, and F Jordy Stallard (7), at 14:01. . . . Quenneville has 20 goals in 36 games this season; he went into the season with 20 goals in 132 regular-season games. . . . Schneider leads the WHL with 24 victories. . . . Calgary starter Cody Porter surrendered three goals on 12 shots in 23:57. Kyle Dumba came on in relief to stop all 23 shots he faced in 35:31. . . . Each team was 0-4 on the PP. . . . The Tigers (27-10-1) have won six in a row. . . . The Hitmen (13-17-3) had points in their previous two games (1-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 9,048.
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At Edmonton, D Davis Koch recorded four assists to help the Oil Kings to a 7-2 victory over the Red Deer
DAVIS KOCH
Rebels. . . . On Tuesday, the host Rebels blanked the Oil Kings, 3-0. . . . Last night, the Oil Kings’ offence had its best night of this season. The home boys scored the game’s first five goals and led 5-0 halfway through the second period. . . . D Anatolii Elizarov (5) scored shorthanded at 10:58 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. . . . F Branden Klatt (4) upped that to 2-0 at 12:10. . . . F Colton Kehler (9) struck on a PP at 3:49 of the second period, followed by D Will Warm (4), at 7:31, and F Lane Bauer (23), at 9:28. . . . Red Deer cut into the deficit on goals from F Cameron Hausinger (4) and F Dawson Martin (6), at 11:38 and 13:28. . . . Bauer’s 24th goal and one from D Aaron Irving (13) finished the scoring at 14:33 of the second period and 16:58 of the third. . . . Warm added two assists to his goal, while Irving also had two assists, as did D Brayden Gorda. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea blocked 17 shots. . . . Red Deer starter Riley Lamb, who posted the shutout on Tuesday, was beaten four times on 21 shots in 27:31. . . . Byron Fancy came on in relief to make his WHL debut. He allowed three goals on 18 shots in 32:29. Fancy, who will turn 16 on Sunday, was a second-round pick by Red Deer in the 2016 bantam draft. He plays for the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes, but is with the Rebels while Lasse Petersen is with the Danish national junior team. . . . There were only seven PPs in the game despite the teams combining for 156 penalty minutes. . . . Edmonton was 1-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 1-4. . . . The Oil Kings (17-16-4) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Rebels slid to 17-15-6. . . . Announced attendance: 12,689.
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At Everett, the Silvertips scored the game’s first three goals and went on to beat the Vancouver Giants, 4-
PATRICK BAJKOV
1. . . . The Giants beat the visiting Silvertips 5-4 in OT on Tuesday night. . . . Last night, F Patrick Pajkov got the home side started with his 18th goal, at 5:34 of the first period. . . . F Graham Millar (9) made it 2-0 at 14:12. . . . F Eetu Tuulola (10) gave Everett a 3-0 lead, on a PP, at 3:18 of the second period. . . . D Jeff Rayman, with his third goal of the season, and third in four games, scored for Vancouver at 7:27 of the second. . . . The Silvertips iced it when F Dominic Zwerger scored his 16th goal into an empty net, at 17:40 of the third. . . . Zwerger, Bakkov and Millar added an assist each. . . . Everett D Kevin Davis picked up an assist to run his point streak to 10 games. . . . G Mario Petit stopped 22 shots for the winners. . . . Vancouver’s Ryan Kubic turned back 31 shots. . . . Everett was 1-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Silvertips (25-4-6) are 4-0-1 in their last five games and hold down first place in the overall standings. . . . Announced attendance: 4,602.
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At Kamloops, G Dylan Ferguson continued his strong play as he stopped 46 shots to lead the Blazers to
DYLAN FERGUSON
a 5-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Rockets had beaten the visiting Blazers 3-2 on Tuesday night. . . . Last night, F Garrett Pilon scored twice for the Blazers, giving him eight this season. . . . Pilon gave the home side a 1-0 lead at 5:21 of the first period. . . . Kelowna pulled even when F Nolan Foote (9) scored, on a PP, at 3:03 of the second period . . . Pilon snapped the tie at 8:58. . . . Blazers F Jermaine Loewen (4) added insurance at 2:17 of the third period. . . . The Blazers put it away when F Deven Sideroff (23) scored, on a PP, at 11:12 and F Travis Walton (3) counted at 19:13. . . . F Nic Holowko, who is playing alongside Pilon and Sideroff with Rudolfs Balcers at the World Junior Championship with Latvia, had two assists. . . . With G Connor Ingram at the WJC with Canada, Ferguson made his eighth straight start. He is 5-2-1 and has allowed two or fewer goals in six of those games. . . . Kelowna got 20 saves from G Brodan Salmond. . . . Each team was 1-6 on the PP. . . . F Luc Smith, acquired Tuesday from the Regina Pats, made his Kamloops debut, playing between Loewen and F Quinn Benjafield. . . . The Rockets revealed that F Erik Gardiner, 17, will remain with them for the remainder of the season. He had been with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos when Kelowna acquired his rights from the Regina Pats in a deal that had D Jonathan Smart head east. Gardiner, the younger brother of former Prince Albert Raiders F Reid Gardiner, had an assist last night. He has a goal and five assists in six games since joining the Rockets. . . . Kamloops (22-14-2) is third in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Rockets (23-13-2), who had been 4-0-1 in their previous five games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,456.
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BRETT DAVIS
At Lethbridge, F Jordy Bellerive broke a 1-1 tie at 12:01 of the second period and the Hurricanes went on to a 4-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . On Tuesday night, the Ice got past the visiting Hurricanes, 6-4. . . . Last night, F Brett Davis gave the hosts a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal, at 4:36 of the first period. . . . Ice F Matt Alfaro (11) tied it at 5:56. . . . Bellerive scored his 14th goal, on a PP, at 12:01 of the second period, with Davis sniping again, on a PP, at 16:16. . . . F Tanner Nagel iced it with his seventh goal, at 5:37 of the third period. . . . The Hurricanes got 29 stops from G Stuart Skinner, while the Ice’s Payton Lee turned aside 33 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 2-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-4. . . . The Hurricanes (19-13-5) has lost their previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The Ice now is 7-23-8. . . . Announced attendance: 4,028.
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At Moose Jaw, F Brayden Burke scored once and added two assists to help the Warriors to a 4-1 victory
BRAYDEN BURKE
over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . A night previous the host Broncos beat the Warriors, 6-1. . . . Burke has three goals and 19 assists in 15 games with the Warriors since being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He had put up four goals and 19 assists in 15 games with Lethbridge at the time of the trade. . . . Burke’s seventh goal of the season got things going at 11:33 of the first period. . . . Burke drew the secondary assist on F Brett Howden’s 17th goal, at 6:24 of the second. . . . Broncos F Tyler Steenbergen got his 26th, at 8:16 of the second, to get his guys to within one. . . . Moose Jaw F Tanner Jeannot added insurance with his 11th, at 9:55. . . . F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Warriors became the season’s first 30-goal man when he scored at 5:58 of the third period. He is the WHL’s top sniper. . . . Howden also had an assist. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko earned the victory with 29 saves. . . . At the other end, Taz Burman stopped 22 shots. . . . Swift Current was 0-3 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . The Warriors (21-9-5) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Broncos (19-11-7) have points in their previous five games (4-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,016.
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At Portland, D Henri Jokiharju had a goal and two assists as the Winterhawks skated past the Tri-City
HENRI JOKIHARJU
Americans, 4-3. . . . The Americans had beaten the visiting Winterhawks, 6-2, the previous night. . . . Last night, the Winterhawks erased a 2-1 deficit with three straight goals. . . . D Keoni Texeira gave Portland a 1-0 lead with his eighth goal at 1:33 of the first period, on a PP. . . . Tri-City F Morgan Geekie (20) tied it just 43 seconds later. . . . F Parker AuCoin (12) gave the Amerians the lead at 5:01 with his third goal in two games. . . . F Brendan De Jong (6) pulled Portland into a 2-2 tie at 1:38 of the second and the Winterhawks took the lead when Jokijarju (6) scored, on a PP, at 17:17. . . . Portland F Colton Veloso provided insurance with his ninth goal, at 16:55 of the third period. . . . Americans F Tyler Sandhu’s 10th goal, at 19:30, made it interesting at the end. . . . The Winterhawks got 33 saves from G Michael Bullion. . . . Tri-City starter Evan Sarthou stopped 38 shots, with Rylan Parenteau coming on for a five-second appearance late in the third period. . . . Portland was 2-5 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-7. . . . The Winterhawks (20-17-1) snapped a three-game losing skid. . . . The Americans now are 20-16-3. . . . Announced attendance: 6,148.
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At Saskatoon, D Mark Rubinchik scored once and added an assist as the Blades beat the Prince Albert
MARK RUBINCHIK
Raiders, 3-2. . . . Rubinchik, a freshman from Russia, scored his first goal in his 29th game. He also has eight assists. . . .  F Braylon Shmyr, who scored twice in a 5-3 loss in Prince Albert on Tuesday night, gave the Blades a 1-0 lead with 4.7 seconds left in the first period. . . . Rubinchik made it 2-0, on a PP, at 9:32 of the second period. . . . F Carson Miller pulled the Raiders to within a goal at 14:12 of the third period, but Saskatoon F Josh Paterson (8) got that one back, on a PP, at 16:32. . . . Miller made it close with his second goal, and fourth of the season, at 17:15. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk had two assists for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon got 24 saves from G Brock Hamm, while Ian Scott blocked 39 for Prince Albert. . . . Saskatoon was 2-5 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-5. . . . The Blades (14-20-4) had lost their previous four games (0-2-2). . . . The Raiders slipped to 8-27-2. . . . Announced attendance: 3,673.
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At Spokane, D Ty Smith’s goal at 1:12 of OT gave the Chiefs, who had a 52-20 edge in shots, a 5-4
TY SMITH
victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto had a goal and three assists for the Chiefs. . . . The Thunderbirds had beaten the Chiefs 3-2 in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday night. . . . Last night, the Thunderbirds overcame 3-1 and 4-3 deficits before losing in extra time. . . . The visitors took a 1-0 lead when F Keegan Kolesar (5) scored at 7:10 of the first period. . . . Spokane then scored three in a row — D Tyson Helgesen (5) tied it at 9:12 before F Hudson Elynuik (14) scored twice, shorthanded at 1:05 of the second period and again at 4:53. . . . Seattle tied it on goals from F Nolan Volcan (13), at 7:41, and F Zack Andrusiak (3), at 10:14. . . . Yamamoto (21) put Spokane back out front, at 11:20 of the third period. . . . Seattle tied it, again, when D Jarret Tyszka (4) scored at 14:13. . . . Smith’s second goal of the season won it, off assists from Yamamoto and Elynuik. . . . Yamamoto, who came up short on a first-period penalty shot, has four goals and 13 assists over his past eight games. He has 21 goals and 27 assists in 29 games. . . . Seattle got two assists from each of F Ryan Gropp and F Donovan Neuls. . . . Spokane G Jayden Sittler stopped 16 shots. . . . Seattle got 47 saves from G Matt Berlin. . . . Spokane was 0-2 on the PP; Seattle was 0-4. . . . The Chiefs (15-14-6) had lost their previous two games. . . . Seattle (18-13-4) is 2-0-1 in its past three games. . . . The Thunderbirds were without their top three centres. Scott Eansor was scratched after suffering an undisclosed injury on Tuesday. Mathew Barzal (Canada) and Alexander True (Denmark) are at the World Junior Championship. . . . Announced attendance: 4,809.
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At Victoria, G Griffen Outhouse turned aside 40 shots to lead the Royals to a 3-0 victory over the Prince
GRIFFEN OUTHOUSE
George Cougars. . . . On Tuesday night, the Royals got past the visiting Cougars, 5-1. . . . F Jack Walker (9) got the Royals rolling at 8:42 of the first period. . . . F Vladimir Bobylev made it 2-0 at 10:03 of the second period, with his first goal since rejoining the Royals from his native Russia prior to Christmas. . . . D Chaz Reddekopp (7) completed the scoring at 4:19 of the third period. . . . That was Outhouse’s first shutout this season and the fifth of his career. . . . G Nick McBride stopped 21 shots for the Cougars. . . . G Riley Mathieson, who signed with the Royals this week, backed up Outhouse. Mathieson plays for the junior B Saanich Braves. . . . Victoria was 0-6 on the PP; Prince George was 0-5. . . . Victoria F Matt Phillips had a 10-game point streak snapped. He put up 19 points, including nine goals, during that stretch. . . . The Royals (19-15-4) have points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . The Cougars (26-10-2) have lost two in a row and have fallen off the top rung of the overall standings. . . . Announced attendance: 5,833.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
—— 

FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Edmonton at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Victoria at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Saskatoon at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.

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