Showing posts with label Matt Berlin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Berlin. Show all posts

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Milestone for Constantine ... Tigers stay on WHL's top rung ... Berlin a wall for Seattle


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With Everett head coach Kevin Constantine on the verge of his 300th WHL regular-season coaching victory, Silvertips owner Bill Yuill was in attendance at Saturday’s game against the visiting Prince George Cougars.
This is of interest for more than one reason.
Yuill may have wanted to be on hand in case Constantine got his 300th victory, which is what happened as the Silvertips blanked the Cougars, 3-0.
It’s also of interest because Constantine’s contract expires after this season. Yuill’s presence, then, makes one wonder if an extension is in the works.
Constantine, who will turn 58 on Dec. 28, is a native of International Falls, Minn. He is in his second stint with the Silvertips, having been their first head coach (2003-07). He left Everett and spent three seasons with the AHL’s Houston Aeros and three in Europe before returning to the Silvertips in 2013. Constantine also has NHL head-coaching experience with the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils.
BTW, an apology to Constantine is in order after I wrongly pointed a finger at him in this space after Friday’s games. It turns out that it wasn’t Constantine who got the ol’ heave-ho from a game on Friday night. Rather, it was assistant coach Mitch Love, who has since been touched up by the WHL to the tune of $500. Ch-ch-ching!
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The Saskatoon Blades visited their past on Friday night, then they went out and beat the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . John Fraser of sasknow.ca reports that the Blades, as they did in 2012-13 when they were the host team for the Memorial Cup, have gone back to a previous policy involving the use of cell phones. Players now will turn in their phones when they arrive for work and then pick them up as they head for home. . . . Going into Friday, Fraser reported, the Blades had allowed the first goal in 17 of 25 outings and had been outscored 35-15 in first periods. It all added up to a 3-12-0 stretch. . . . On Friday, they outscored the Wheat Kings 2-0 in the first period and then won on a late third-period goal by F Braylon Shmyr. . . . Gotta think handing over the phones will become a permanent part of the game plan even though they dropped an 8-2 decision to the high-flying Medicine Hat Tigers in Saskatoon on Saturday night.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Calgary, F Tyler Wong scored three times to lead the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 4-2 victory over the Hitmen in their Teddy Bear Game. . . . D Micheal Zipp, Calgary’s captain, scored the Teddy Bear goal with 13 seconds left in the first period. . . . Wong, who has 16 goals, got the Hurricanes off to a 2-0 lead by scoring at 10:03 of the first period and adding a PP goal at 12:25. . . . F Giorgio Estephan (10) upped Lethbridge’s lead to 3-0 at 15:22, with another PP goal. . . . Zipp, who has three goals, then cut into the lead. . . . Wong completed the hat trick at 11:34 of the second period. . . . Calgary F Beck Malenstyn (6) got the game’s final goal, on a PP, at 2:06. . . . Lethbridge F Colton Kroeker had two assists, while Estephan added one to his goal. . . . The Hitmen got two assists from F Tyler Mrkonjic. . . . G Stuart Skinner stopped 26 shots for Lethbridge, while Calgary’s Cody Porter turned aside 27. . . . Lethbridge was 2-6 on the PP; Calgary was 1-2. . . . The Hitmen are 16-5-1 in Teddy Bear games. They had won four in a row prior to this one, last having lost to the Medicine Hat Tigers, 2-1, in 2011. . . . The Hurricanes (11-11-3) have won four in a row. . . . The Hitmen (8-12-2), who continue to play without D Jake Bean (hand), have lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 17,601.
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At Everett, G Carter Hart recorded the shutout as the Silvertips gave head coach Kevin Constantine his 300th regular-season victory, 3-0 over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Hart blocked 26 shots as he recorded his second consecutive shutout. He has three this season and 13 in his career. Hart blanked the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 3-0 on Wednesday night. . . . D Montana Onyebuchi scored the game’s first goal, his first, at 4:21 of the first period. . . . That lead held up until F Bryce Kindopp (3) made it 2-0 at 3:16 of the third period. . . . F Patrick Bajkov finished the scoring with his 10th goal, into an empty net, at 18:54. . . . Prince George got 18 saves from G Ty Edmonds. . . . Prince George was 0-2 on the PP; Everett was 0-5. . . . The Silvertips (18-3-4) have won three in a row. They now lead the Western Conference standings by two points over the Cougars (18-5-2), who had won their previous four games. . . . The Silvertips got a real scare at 15:57 of the second period when F Dominic Zwerger left after taking a hit from Cougars D Ryan Schoettler. However, Zwerger returned for the third period. . . . Talk about a quick turnaround: The Cougars have a 2 o’clock date with the host Portland Winterhawks on Sunday afternoon. The Winterhawks didn’t play on Saturday. . . . Announced attendance: 4,877.
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At Kelowna, F Kole Lind scored at 3:25 of OT as the Rockets beat the Regina Pats, 3-2. . . . Lind has 13 goals. . . . F Nick Henry (11) gave Regina a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 7:09 of the second period. . . . Kelowna F Tomas Soustal, who also had two assists, tied the score, on a PP, at 11:12 of the second period. He’s got 11 goals. . . . D Devante Stephens (6) shot Kelowna into the lead at 1:04 of the third period. . . . Regina forced OT after F Lane Zablocki scored his eighth goal at 9:31. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks drew two assists, running his point streak to 17 games, the longest in the WHL this season. Brooks, the WHL’s defending scoring champ, has 38 points, two off the league lead. . . . Lind added an assist to his goal. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 30 shots for the Rockets, one fewer than Regina’s Tyler Brown. . . . Kelowna was 1-3 on the PP; Regina was 1-6. . . . The Rockets improved to 14-11-0. . . . The Pats (17-2-4) went 2-2-1 in the B.C. Division. . . . The Pats were without F Sam Steel, the WHL scoring leader, for a second straight game. . . . The Rockets dressed only 16 skaters, 10 of them forwards. . . . Announced attendance: 5,521.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Tyler Steenbergen broke a 3-3 tie with his 20th goal at 7:54 of the third period as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-3. . . . Steenbergen, a sophomore, had 20 goals in 67 games last season; this season, he reached 20 in his 28th game. . . . F Lane Pederson (13) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 1:43 of the first period. . . . Ice F Vince Loschiavo (4) tied it at 6:40. . . . F Kaden Elder (4) put the Broncos back out front at 2:08 of the second period. . . . The Ice tied it when F Jake Elmer (1) scored, on a PP, at 4:58. . . . The Broncos went back out front at 17:44 when F Kole Gable (2) scored. . . . Kootenay tied it again, this time on F Matt Alfaro’s ninth goal, at 3:07 of the third period. . . . Gable and Pederson each had an assist. . . . Alfaro and D Cale Fleury had two assists each for the Ice. . . . G Taz Burman blocked 21 shots to earn the victory. . . . G Jakob Walter of the Ice stopped 29. . . . Kootenay was 1-1 on the PP; Swift Current was 1-3. . . . The Broncos improved to 14-8-6. . . . The Ice (5-15-6) has lost two in a row. . . . Broncos F Ryan Graham was held off the scoresheet for the first time since being acquired from the Saskatoon Blades. He had five goals and four assists in his first three games with Swift Current. . . . The Broncos were playing their fourth game in five nights; they won three of them. . . . Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Broncos, reported that Swift Current F Conner Chaulk didn’t return after he fought with Ice F Tanner Sidaway at 5:05 of the second period. . . . Announced attendance: 1,651.
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At Red Deer, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s last five goals as they beat the Rebels, 5-2. . . . Red Deer got two first-period PP goals, from F Brandon Hagel (13), at 9:45, and D Josh Mahura (9), at 15:12. . . . F Jayden Halbgewachs got Moose Jaw started with a PP goal at 16:44. . . . The Warriors tied it on F Brett Howden’s 11th goal, just 52 seconds later. . . . Warriors D Jett Woo snapped the tie with his third goal, on a PP, at 16:16 of the second period. . . . Halbgewachs added his 19th goal, at 17:21. . . . Moose Jaw F Nikita Popugaev (19) closed out the scoring with another PP goal at 18:13 of the third period. . . . Halbgewachs added two assists, for a four-point night. The 19-year-old from Emerald Park, Sask., went into this season with 19 goals in 133 regular-season games. This seaosn, he has 19 goals in 24 games. . . . Howden had a goal and two assists for the second straight game since returning from a 10-game absence. . . . D Colton Bobyk had two assists for Red Deer, running his point streak to 10 games, with Mahura and Hagel adding one each. . . . Moose Jaw G Zach Sawchenko turned aside 28 shots. . . . Red Deer starter Riley Lamb gave up four goals on 30 shots over two periods. Lasse Petersen came on for the third and stopped 12 of 13. . . . The Warriors were 3-6 on the PP; the Rebels were 2-4. . . . Moose Jaw (15-5-4) has won two straight. . . . The Rebels (12-11-4) had been 2-0-1 in their previous three games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,671.
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At Saskatoon, F Max Gerlach scored three times and F Chad Butcher had four points as the Medicine Hat Tigers dumped the Blades, 8-2. . . . Medicine Hat (20-5-1) has won nine in a row as it became the first of the WHL’s 22 teams to win 20 games this season. The Tigers moved into first place in the overall standings on Friday night and this victory allowed them to remain there. . . . The Blades slipped to 10-16-1. . . . Saskatoon F Braylon Shmyr, who scored the winner in a 3-2 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday, had both Blades’ goals. He gave them a 1-0 lead at 1:56 of the first period and his 11th goal pulled them into a 2-2 tie at 19:06. . . . However, the Tigers scored the game’s last six goals. . . . Gerlach, who has 18 goals, struck for three in a row — at 2:27, 9:31 and 13:07 of the second period. . . . Butcher broke a 2-2 tie 17 seconds into the second period and later added his 11th goal on a PP. He also had two assists. . . . Tigers D David Quenneville scored his 13th goal, on a PP, and added an assist. . . . Medicine Hat got three assists from each of D Clayton Kirichenko and F Steve Owre, with D Ty Schultz and F Mason Shaw adding two apiece. Shaw has 40 points, one shy of F Sam Steel of the Regina Pats, who leads the league. . . . G Nick Schneider stopped 22 shots in recording his WHL-leading 18th victory. . . . Saskatoon starter Logan Flodell gave up four goals on 21 shots in 22:27. Brock Hamm finished up, allowing four on 22 in 37:33. . . . The Tigers were 3-7 on the PP; the Blades were 1-7. . . . Saskatoon F Mason McCarty was spotted on crutches before the game after being injured Friday. He leads the Blades in goals (14) and points (23). Dean Brockman, the Blades’ head coach, later told veteran radio voice Les Lazaruk that McCarty is likely to be out up to 10 weeks. . . . Announced attendance: 3,802.

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At Kent, Wash., G Matt Berlin blocked 19 shots to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-0 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . It was Berlin’s first career WHL shutout. . . . F Mathew Barzal drew three assists as the Thunderbirds grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first period. . . . D Ethan Bear scored his seventh goal, on a PP, at 6:43, with F Ryan Gropp getting his fifth goal at 12:31, and D Jarret Tyszka (2) finding the mark at 14:24. . . . F Sami Moilanen upped it to 4-0 with his seventh goal, at 16:34. . . . Barzal closed out the scoring with his first goal, on a PP, at 1:09. In eight games since returning from the NHL’s New York Islanders, Barzal has 11 points, including 10 assists. . . . Barzal now has 156 career assists, and is tied for fourth on Seattle’s all-time list with F Tyler Metcalfe. They trail F Glen Goodall (290), F Victor Gervais (237) and F Lindsay Vallis (187). . . . Bear and Moilanen each had two assists. . . . G Griffen Outhouse started for the Royals and gave up three goals on 13 shots. Dylan Myskiw finished up with 19 stops on 21 shots over 45:36. . . . Seattle was 2-3 on the PP; Victoria was 0-4. . . . The Thunderbirds (13-9-2) have won two in a row. . . . The Royals (14-11-2) have lost two straight. . . . Announced attendance: 5,245.
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At Spokane, the Edmonton Oil Kings erased a 4-2 deficit with four straight goals and went on beat the Chiefs, 6-5. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (9) gave the Chiefs a 2-1 lead at 16:51 of the first period. . . . Edmonton F Artyom Baltruk tied it with his first WHL goal at 2:20 of the second. . . . Spokane then took a 4-2 lead on goals from F Keanu Yamamoto (8), at 2:51, and F Hudson Elynuik (10), shorthanded, at 11:04. . . . Edmonton got the next four goals. D Aaron Irving (8) got it started at 17:10 and F Tyson Gruninger tied it with his first goal, at 18:48. . . . The Oil Kings took the lead when F Tyler Robertson (8) scored at 5:26 of the third period and F Lane Bauer gave them a 6-4 lead with his 14th goal, at 6:42. . . . Anderson-Dolan got the Chiefs to within one with a PP goal at 10:29. . . . F Adam Berg and F Davis Murray each had two assists for Edmonton, while F Kobe Mohr added one to his fourth goal. . . . Elynuik added two assists to his goal, while D Evan Fiala also had two helpers for the Chiefs. . . . The Oil Kings got 27 saves from G Patrick Dea, one more than Dawson Weatherill made at the other end. . . . Spokane was 1-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-2. . . . The Oil Kings (11-13-2) had lost their previous three games. They are 3-3-0 on a seven-game trip that wraps up this afternoon in Cranbrook, B.C., against the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Chiefs (10-9-5) had won their previous two games. . . . The Chiefs had D Luke Gallagher, a Spokane native, in their lineup for this one. Gallagher, 16, was an eighth-round pick in the 2015 WHL bantam draft. He had four goals and 16 assists in 25 games with the junior B Spokane Braves of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. . . . Spokane lost F Curtis Miske to an undisclosed injury early in the first period. He didn’t return. . . . Announced attendance: 6,258.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Tyler Sandhu scored in the fourth round of a shootout to give the Tri-City Americans a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Giants scored the game’s first two goals, with F Ty Ronning getting his ninth just 21 seconds into the first period and F Tyler Popowich adding his third at 11:17. . . . Sandhu ran his point streak to 12 games with his fifth goal at 14:43 of the second period. . . . D Dylan Coghlan pulled the Americans into a 2-2 tie, on a PP, at 18:22 of the second. He’s got six goals. . . . Tri-City G Rylan Parenteau came up with 26 saves through OT and three more in the shootout. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic made 36 saves. . . . The Americans were 1-7 on the PP; the Giants were 0-4. . . . Tri-City now is 16-9-2. . . . Vancouver (10-16-1), which had been beaten 10-1 in Spokane on Friday night, has lost five in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 3,344.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Edmonton vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 4 p.m.
Prince George at Portland, 2 p.m.

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Sunday, November 6, 2016

Blades for sale? GM says 'zero' truth to report . . . Petit big for Silvertips . . . Butcher cuts up Rockets

F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) has signed a one-year contract with Frederikshavn (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Mosienko was released at his request by the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite) on Oct. 28 after putting up five goals and 10 assists in 13 games. . . . 
F Tomáš Kopecký (Lethbridge, 2000-02) has signed a one-year contract with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). Kopecký had signed with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga) on Oct. 18 and recorded two assists in five games. . . . 
D Filip Novák (Regina, 1999-2002) has signed a one-year contract with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). This season, he had a goal and two assists in nine games with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . . 
F David Vrbata (Calgary, 2000-01) was released by Neumarkt/Egna (Italy, Alps HL) by mutual agreement. He had five goals and six assists in 12 games.
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Colin Priestner has spent his weekend trying to pour water on a fire that he had nothing to do with starting.
Priestner, the general manager of the Saskatoon Blades, is adamant that the WHL franchise isn’t for sale.
Priestner’s father, Mike, purchased the Blades from the Brodsky family prior to the 2013-14 season. At
that point, the Blades were pretty much tapped out, having spent a lot in young players and bantam draft picks in an attempt to load up as the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup tournament.
Since then, the Priestners have been fighting what to now has been an uphill battle for success on the ice and to get fans back into their home arena.
And then came Friday. . . .
What started all of this was a tweet, at 7:13 a.m., from Regina broadcaster Rod Pedersen: “Friday morning rumour from a solid Saskatoon hockey and business source: The Blades are for sale. @Chasenpucks39”
The latter part of the tweet, which goes unexplained, is the Twitter handle for former Blades forward Kelly Chase, who went on to an NHL career and now is part of the St. Louis Blues broadcast crew. Originally, Chase, who is a highly popular part of Blades history, was from Porcupine Plain, Sask.
In response to Pedersen, a former radio voice of the Regina Pats who now is perhaps best known as the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ play-by-play voice and chief sympathizer, Chase later tweeted: “To clear this up I have no idea what’s going on in Saskatoon. If you are trying to contact me, save a call. No interest in this rumor.”
On Saturday, an exasperated Colin Priestner told Taking Note:
“It’s silly we would even have to respond to such an absurd rumour. Obviously, there is zero truth to it . . . we would never sell the Blades and we are all working tirelessly to bring a championship to Saskatoon.
“It was really disappointing to read something like that . . . we all live here, our wives and families live here, and we couldn’t be more proud to be part of the Blades and the community and what we are building.”
Priestner said Friday started out like any other game day — the Blades played in Regina that night — until the tweet showed up.
“When we saw the tweet in the office,” he said, “we all kind of looked at each other and laughed. . . . But once it was out it got a life of its own, and parents and media are calling to see if it is true. Such is life in the 21st century!”
On Saturday, at 10:59 a.m., Pedersen tweeted: “The word from Saskatoon Blades ownership regarding the rumour the club is for sale: ‘It’s totally false.’ ”
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It may have been Saturday but that didn’t keep the WHL court from being in session. . . . D Ethan Bear of the Seattle Thunderbirds was suspended for one game after taking a spearing major and game misconduct during the first period of a 3-2 loss to the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday night. Bear served that on Saturday night as the Thunderbirds completed an East Division swing against the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The WHL also has fined the Saskatoon Blades and Regina Pats each $500 for a “multiple-fight situation” (aka a line brawl) in Regina on Friday night. Ch-ch-ching! Just in time for some early Christmas shopping.
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JUST NOTES:

Former Brandon Wheat Kings F Duncan Campbell made an immediate impact with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees on Friday night. Campbell, who lost his spot on Brandon’s roster when the Wheaties cut down to the maximum three 20-year-olds, scored twice in the first period of his first game with the Vees, helping them to a 4-1 victory over the Silverbacks in Salmon Arm. . . . On Saturday, Campbell had another goal and was the game’s first star as the Vees beat the visiting Prince George Spruce Kings, 3-2.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, the Edmonton Oil Kings erased a 3-0 deficit en route to a 6-3 victory over the Brandon
Wheat Kings. . . . Two goals from F Reid Duke, who has eight, and one from F Tyler Coulter, who has six, gave Brandon a 3-0 lead early in the second period. . . . The Oil Kings got rolling as two players — F Davis Murray and F Ty Gerla — scored their first goals 59 seconds apart, shortly after Coulter had scored. . . . D Aaron Irving pulled the visitors even with his fourth goal, at 14:28 of the second period — he also had two assists — and they put it away with three goals in the third period. . . . F Colton Kehler’s fourth goal, on a PP at 16:37, stood up as the winner. . . . F Davis Koch, who also had two assists, added insurance with his fifth goal, at 17:19, and F Lane Bauer’s ninth goal, into an empty net, iced it at 18:48. . . . Coulter also had an assist. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 24 shots, one fewer than Brandon’s Logan Thompson. . . . Edmonton was 1-7 on the PP; Brandon was 0-6. . . . The Oil Kings improved to 6-9-2, while Brandon slipped to 7-7-3. . . . Announced attendance: 3,645.
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At Calgary, the Hitmen got two goals 30 seconds apart early in the third period to beat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-2. . . . F Jakob Stukel’s fourth goal got Calgary into a 2-2 tie at 2:07, with F Andrei Grishakov’s second goal, at 2:37, snapping the deadlock. . . . F Lane Pederson gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead with his sixth goal at 13:02 of the first period. . . . Calgary F Tyler Mrkonjic’s third goal, at 18:06, tied the score. . . . Swift Current F Tyler Steenbergen’s 14th goal, on a PP at 17:29 of the second period, put his guys back in front. . . . Steenbergen added an assist to his goal. . . . Swift Current was 1-7 on the PP; Calgary was 0-3. . . . G Kyle Dumba stopped 20 shots to earn the victory over Taz Burman, who turned aside 30. . . . On Friday, the Broncos had beaten the visiting Hitmen, 3-2, in OT. . . . The Hitmen (6-5-2) have points in four straight games (3-0-1). . . . The Broncos (10-6-3) were 2-0-1 in their previous three games. . . . The Hitmen open a six-game road trip in Seattle on Friday. . . . Announced attendance: 9,580.
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At Everett, G Mario Petit stopped 41 shots to lead the Silvertips to a 5-2 victory over the Portland
MARIO PETIT
Winterhawks. . . . Petit, who normally backs up Carter Hart, is 3-0-1, 2.57, .915 this season. . . . Portland got on the board first when F Skyler McKenzie notched his 11th goal at 10:27 of the first period. . . . However, Everett scored the next three goals, the first two via the PP. . . . D Kevin Davis (2) tied the game at 15:58 and D Noah Juulsen (6) gave the home side the lead at 16:55. . . . F Patrick Bajkov’s seventh goal, at 9:41 of the second period, would prove to be the winner. . . . F Keegan Iverson got Portland back to within a goal, with his eighth, at 6:51 of the third period. . . . Everett put it away with empty-netters from F Dominic Zwerger (7) and F Riley Sutter (8) in the game’s last minute. . . . Bajkov, Sutter and Zwerger each added an assist. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 24 shots for Portland. . . . Everett was 2-7 on the PP; Portland was 1-4. . . . The Silvertips (13-2-2) have points in six straight (5-0-1). . . . The Winterhawks (8-10-0) have lost seven in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 6,743.
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At Kelowna, F Chad Butcher scored twice and added an assist to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 6-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . Butcher scored his sixth goal just 56 seconds into the game. . . . Tigers F Max Gerlach made it 2-0 with his 11th at 10:13. . . . Kelowna halved the deficit at 15:37 when F Kole Lind scored his eighth goal. . . . Medicine Hat F Zach Fischer got that one back just 2:03 later. He’s got 11. . . . The Rockets again closed to within one on F Kyle Topping’s fourth goal, at 17:23 of the second period. . . . The visitors put it away with three third-period goals, the first two coming 28 seconds apart. D David Quenneville got No. 10 at 12:23 and F John Dahlstrom scored his eighth at 12:51. . . . Butcher finished the scoring on a PP at 15:31. . . . F Steve Owre drew two assists for the Tigers, as did F Mark Rassell. Quenneville, and Fischer had one each. . . . Lind added an assist to his goal. . . . The Tigers got 23 stops from G Nick Schneider, while Michael Herringer of the Rockets blocked 34. . . . Medicine Hat was 2-5 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-2. . . . The Tigers (12-5-1) went 4-1-0 on a five-game jaunt that included three games (2-1-0) in the B.C. Division. . . . The Rockets are 10-9-0. . . . Announced attendance: 5,509.
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At Moose Jaw, F Scott Eansor scored three times to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-1 victory over
MATT BERLIN
the Warriors. . . . It was Eansor’s second career hat trick. . . . The Thunderbirds (7-7-1) went 4-2-0 on their East Division swing. . . . The Warriors (11-4-2) had a four-game winning streak end. . . . Eansor, who has six goals, opened the scoring at 7:37 of the first period, scored again at 2:20 of the second for a 2-0 lead, and got the game’s last goal, at 17:43 of the third. . . . D Reece Harsch had his first goal and added an assist for Seattle. . . . F Zack Andrusiak, a native of Yorkton, Sask., scored his second goal of the season, but first since being acquired by Seattle from the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Seattle D Matthew Wedman had two assists. . . . G Matt Berlin, in his Seattle debut, stopped 29 shots. He lost his shutout bid when F Brayden Watts (3) scored at 12:07 of the third period. . . . Berlin was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs on Oct. 7. . . . Moose Jaw G Brody Willms stopped 24 shots. . . . The Thunderbirds were 1-3 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-7. . . . The Warriors lost F Jayden Halbgewachs with a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct at 19:43 of the first period. . . . The Thunderbirds were without D Ethan Bear, who served his one-game suspension. . . . Announced attendance: 3,204.
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At Prince George, the Cougars scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Kamloops Blazers, 4-2. . . . This was the first of eight meetings between these teams this season. . . . D Max Martin (3) put the Cougars in front 1-0 at 4:40 of the second period. . . . The Blazers took the lead on goals from F Rudolfs Balcers (10) at 5:50 and F Collin Shirley (9), shorthanded, at 16:01. . . . F Bartek Bison’s PP goal, at 17:35, forged a 2-2 tie. . . . Cougars F Jesse Gabrielle (8) scored shorthanded, at 1:45 of the third period, to give the home side a 3-2 lead and Bartek added insurance, with his fifth goal, at 15:25. . . . G Ty Edmonds earned the victory with 37 saves, three more than Dylan Ferguson of the Blazers. . . . The Cougars were 1-7 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-4. . . . The Cougars were without D Sam Ruopp, who served Game 1 of an eight-game suspension, F Kody McDonald (Game 1 of a three-game suspension) and F Colby McCauley (undisclosed injury). . . . Prince George (14-3-2) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Blazers (10-9-1) had been 2-0-1 in their previous three games. . . . Announced attendance: 3,870.
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At Saskatoon, F Braylon Shmyr’s second goal of the game, a PP score 35 seconds into OT, gave the
BRAYLON SHMYR
Blades a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Shmyr has five goals. . . . Four of the game’s five goals came via the PP. . . . Shmyr got the game’s first goal, at 4:49 of the first period, on the PP. . . . The Ice tied it when F Vince Loschiavo scored at 4:10 of the second period. . . . The Blades went back out front on F Mason McCarty’s 11th goal, via a PP, at 8:54. . . . Kootenay pulled even at 18:11 on F Zak Zborosky’s 13th goal, also on the PP. . . . F Wyatt Sloboshan drew three assists for Saskatoon, while McCarty added one to his goal. . . . The Ice got two assists from F Matt Alfaro. . . . G Logan Flodell turned aside 36 saves for Saskatoon, two more than the Ice’s Jokob Walter. . . . The Blades were 3-7 on the PP; the Ice was 1-5. . . . The Blades have beaten the Ice in each of their last 10 meetings — five at home and five on the road. . . . The Blades (8-9-1) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Ice (3-10-5) has lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 5,172.
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At Spokane, D Juuso Valimaki scored 55 seconds into OT to give the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory
JUUSO VALIMAKI
over the Chiefs. . . . It was the third game in a row in which Spokane lost in OT. . . . Valimaki, who has three goals, also had two assists. . . . Spokane had erased a 3-1 deficit with three goals from the Yamamoto brothers in the third period, only to have Tri-City F Vladislav Lukin force OT with his ninth goal, at 19:54. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto pulled the Chiefs even with goals at 2:49 and 4:07 — he’s got 13 goals — and F Keanu Yamamoto, who also had an assist, put the home guys out front with his fifth goal, at 13:58. . . . The game’s first four goals all came via special teams. . . . Tri-City F Morgan Geekie (9) got a PP snipe at 16:18 of the first period. . . . Spokane F Taylor Ross’ first goal came while shorthanded, at 7:00 of the second period. . . . The Americans took the 3-1 lead with PP goals from F Michael Rasmussen (15) at 7:23 and D Dylan Coghlan (3) at 10:58. . . . G Evan Sarthou returned to Tri-City’s lineup for the first time this season and came up with 36 stops. He suffered an undisclosed injury while in a summer camp with the U.S. national junior team. . . . Spokane G Dawson Weatherill stopped 20 shots. . . . Tri-City F Kyle Olson, who had two assists, came up short on a first-period penalty shot. . . . F Tyler Sandhu and Geekie also had two assists each for the Ams. . . . The Americans were 3-5 on the PP; the Americans were 0-4. . . . Tri-City (11-6-1) has won three in a row. . . . Spokane (6-6-5) has points in six straight (3-0-3). . . . Announced attendance: 8,278.
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At Langley, B.C., F Radovan Bondra and F Ty Ronning scored two goals each as the Vancouver Giants dumped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 7-3. . . . Bondra, who has 11 goals, snapped a 2-2 tie at 15:14 of the second period and Ronning provided insurance with his sixth and seventh goals at 18:59 of the second and 3:45 of the third. . . . Bondra opened the third period with a PP goal at 5:13. . . . Lethbridge got goals from F Giorgio Estephan (8), F Brayden Burke (5) and D Brennan Menell (3), who asked out of Vancouver and was dealt to the Hurricanes last month. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson picked up his eighth goal and added two assists. . . . F Jack Flaman also got his eighth goal for Vancouver. . . . The Giants got two assists from each of D Dylan Plouffe, F Brendan Semchuk and F James Malm. . . . F Egor Babenko and F Jesse Zaharichuk had two assists each for Lethbridge. . . . G David Tendeck blocked 19 shots for the winners. . . . Lethbridge got 25 stops from Ryan Gilchrist. . . . Vancouver was 2-3 on the PP; Lethbridge was 2-6. . . . The Giants improved to 8-11-0. . . . The Hurricanes (7-8-3) had been 2-0-1 in their previous three outings. . . . Announced attendance: 4,137.
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LEADERS

POINTS: F Sam Steel, Regina, F Mason Shaw, Medicine Hat, each 28; F Kailer Yamamoto, Spokane, 26; F Chad Butcher, Medicine Hat, 25; F Nikita Popugaev, Moose Jaw, F Cody Glass, Portland, each 24.
GOALS: F Michael Rasmussen, Tri-City, 15; Steel, F Tyler Steenbergen, Swift Current, each 14; Yamamoto, F Zak Zborosky, Kootenay, each 13.
ASSISTS: Shaw, 23; F Brayden Burke, Lethbridge, Butcher, each 18; Glass, 17; D Chase Harrison, Regina, F Steve Owre, Medicine Hat, F Aleksi Heponiemi, Swift Current, each 16.
VICTORIES: Nick Schneider, Medicine Hat, 11; Ty Edmonds, Prince George, Griffen Outhouse, Victoria, each 10; Carter Hart, Everett, Michael Herringer, Kelowna, each 9.
GAA: Hart, 1.89; Connor Ingram, Kamloops, 2.01; Ty Edmonds, Prince George, 2.29; Logan Flodell, Saskatoon, 2.34; Cody Porter, Calgary, 2.46.
SAVE %: Ingram, .937; Flodell, .932; Hart, .926; Edmonds, .921; Outhouse, Porter, Ian Scott, Prince Albert, each .920.
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SUNDAY’S GAME (all times local):


Tri-City at Portland, 5 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:46 AM
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Saturday, October 8, 2016

WHL suspends two veterans . . . Cougars run victory skein to eight . . . Blazers stop Tigers' win streak

Two veteran players sat out Saturday night WHL games with suspensions that were handed out by the WHL office following incidents on Friday night.
The Moose Jaw Warriors, playing at home against the Kootenay Ice, were without D Josh Thrower, who drew a one-game suspension for instigating a fight in the last five minutes of Friday’s 5-2 loss to the visiting Portland Winterhawks. Thrower instigated a fight with F Rodrigo Abols of the Winterhawks at 15:28 of the third period.
The Warriors also were fined $500.
Meanwhile, F Austin Wagner of the Regina Pats missed last night’s game against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. He drew a TBD suspension after taking a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct for a hit on F Kaeden Taphorn of the visiting Kootenay Ice at 9:50 of the first period on Friday.
Taphorn left the game, which the Ice won, 4-3, in OT, and didn’t return. According to Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post, Taphorn “was bloodied by the hit and sporting a large bandage on his swollen forehead after the game.”
Taphorn was scratched from Saturday’s nights game in Moose Jaw.
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The Spokane Chiefs and Seattle Thunderbirds announced a deal involving G Matt Berlin late on Friday night.
In that deal, Berlin, 18, moved from the Chiefs to the Thunderbirds for what both teams said was a conditional selection in the WHL’s 2018 bantam draft.
For those of you keeping track, it turns out to be a conditional ninth-round selection.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Medicine Hat, the Kamloops Blazers scored two shorthanded goals in the second period en route to a 5-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . The Blazers (3-5-0) snapped a three-game skid. They ended a seven-game road trip at 2-5. . . . The Tigers (5-2-0) had a five-game winning streak snapped. . . . The home side led 1-0 on a goal by F James Hamblin at 18:11 of the first period. . . . Kamloops F Quinn Benjafield tied it, on a PP, at 12:13 of the second period. . . . F Garrett Pilon, who left Friday’s 2-1 loss to the host Calgary Hitmen after taking a hard check in the second period, gave the Blazers a 2-1 lead with a shorthanded goal at 12:13 and F Matt Revel added another shorthanded snipe at 19:07. . . . Revel later added his fifth goal into an empty net. . . . Pilon added an assist to his goal, with D Ondrej Vala picking up two assists. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram was strong, with 39 saves. . . . The Tigers got 21 saves from G Duncan McGovern. . . . Kamloops was 1-7 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 0-5. . . . The Blazers were without D Dallas Valentine (undisclosed injury). . . . The game featured a brother act as F Nick Chyzowski of the Blazers, who is in his third season, and freshman F Ryan Chyzowski of the Tigers faced each other for the second time in their WHL careers. Nick had a goal and an assist; Ryan was blanked. . . . Announced attendance: 4,028.
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At Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored four goals in the second period and went on to a 6-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Brett Howden, who had a goal and three assists, gave the Warriors a 2-1 lead at 1:34 of the second period with his sixth goal and they were off to the races. . . . F Nikita Popugaev scored his fourth goal and also had three assists for Moose Jaw, while F Jayden Halbgewachs scored twice, giving him six, and added an assist. . . . Warriors D Josh Brook had a goal and an assist, and D Dmitri Zaitsev had two assists. . . . F Zak Zborosky had a goal, his seventh, and an assist for the Ice (1-4-2). . . . The Warriors (4-1-2) got 20 saves from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . Ice starter Declan Hobbs was beaten six times on 24 shots in 41:39, with reliever Payton Lee stopping all 14 shots he saw. . . . The Warriors were 3-7 on the PP; the Ice was 1-2. . . . Announced attendance: 3,223.
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At Prince George, F Brad Morrison scored the game’s last two goals to give the Cougars a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants and their eight straight victory. . . . F Bartek Bison and F Kody McDonald gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead before the game was six minutes old. . . . However, the Giants took a 3-2 lead by scoring three times in a span of 50 seconds — F Radovan Bondra (6:21), F Ty Ronning (7:00) and F Jack Flaman (7:11) getting the goals. . . . Prince George pulled even when F Jesse Gabrielle scored at 12:00 of the first, only to have F Johnny Wesley give the Giants the lead again, at 18:51. . . . Morrison, who has four goals this season, tied it at 18:51 of the second and won it at 7:26 of the third. . . . While the Cougars improved to 8-0-0, the Giants fell to 1-7-0. . . . Prince George got two assists from F Jansen Harkins, while McDonald added two assists to his goal. Gabrielle also had an assist. . . . G Nick McBride stopped 22 shots for the winners, with David Tendeck turning aside 19 for the Giants. . . . Prince George was 2-4 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-2. . . . The Cougars next put their season-opening eight-game winning streak on the line on Tuesday and Wednesday against the visiting Everett Silvertips (4-1-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,320.
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At Red Deer, freshman G Riley Lamb stopped 38 shots to post his first WHL shutout as the Rebels beat the Kelowna Rockets, 5-0. . . . Lamb, who turned 18 on Sept. 28, is from Rivers, Man. The blank job came in his sixth appearance this season. . . . The Rebels (3-3-2), who had lost six of their last seven games with the Rockets, took control with two second-period goals, F Michael Spacek scoring at 6:20 and F Dawson Martin at 19:02. . . . Spacek and Martin each scored twice, while D Colton Bobyk had a goal and two assists, and D Austin Strand and F Akash Baines each had two assists. D Josh Mahura had one assist, running his point streak to six games. . . . The Rockets (3-5-0) have been blanked twice this season. They had won their previous two games. . . . Kelowna G Brodan Salmond, who turned 18 on Saturday, stopped 24 shots. . . . Red Deer was 1-4 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-5. . . . Announced attendance: 4,515.
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At Regina, F Sam Steel had a goal and two assists to lead the Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Regina (4-0-2) has yet to lose in regulation time. . . . The Wheat Kings are 2-2-1. . . . The Wheat Kings scratched F Nolan Patrick, the team captain, who forced OT with a late goal on Friday and then scored the shootout winner in a 4-3 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos. Brandon head coach David Anning told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post that Patrick was scratched due to illness. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn scored his fourth goal, at 12:06 of the first period, giving Regina a 2-1 lead. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs made it 3-1 at 1:48 of the second period. . . . F Ty Lewis got Brandon to within one at 16:36 but that was it for the visitors. . . . Steel added insurance at 3:00 of the third period and set up F Braydon Buziak for the empty-netter at 18:54. . . . Steel and Buziak each has five goals. . . . Leschyshyn and Hobbs each added an assist, while F Dawson Leedahl had two helpers. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown stopped 18 shots, while Brandon’s Jordan Papirny turned aside 30. . . . Brandon was 2-6 on the PP; Regina was 2-8. . . . Announced attendance: 4,131.
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Goaltender Logan Flodell backstopped the Saskatoon
Blades to a victory on Saturday night.(Photo: Darren Steinke)
Cody Glass of the Portland Winterhawks, who leads the
WHL points derby, was held off the board Saturday night.(Photo: Darren Steinke)
At Saskatoon, G Logan Flodell turned aside 34 shots to help the Blades to a 3-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Blades (4-2-0) have won three straight. . . . The Winterhawks (5-3-0) had won their previous two games. They are 2-2-0 on a six-game East Division tour. . . . F Braylon Shmyr broke a 1-1 tie at 17:16 of the second period and the Blades nursed the lead until F Josh Paterson got the empty-netter at 18:56 of the third. . . . F Jake Gricius, a Colorado Springs native who turns 17 on Oct. 13, had his first WHL goal for Portland. . . . The Winterhawks got 20 saves from G Cole Kehler, who lost for the first time in five decisions this season. . . . The Blades were 0-3 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 0-5. . . . The Winterhawks scratched Latvian F Rodrigo Abols, 20, for the fourth time in five games. . . . Announced attendance: 3,016.
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At Spokane, F Tyler Soy scored twice to help the Victoria Royals to a 4-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . F Jared Dmytriw and Soy gave the Royals a 2-0 lead, the former scoring at 18:12 of the first period and the latter at 4:12 of the second. . . . Spokane F Ty Smith got his first WHL goal at 6:22 of the third. . . . Victoria F Matt Phillips stretched the lead at 14:44 and Soy got the empty-netter at 19:26, his third goal of the season. . . . D Ryan Gagnon had two assists for the Royals (3-4-0), who got 34 saves from G Griffen Outhouse. . . . The Chiefs (1-3-0) got 31 saves from Dawson Weatherill. . . . Each team was 0-3 on the PP. . . . Announced attendance: 4,918.
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At Swift Current, the Broncos scored the game’s last two goals and beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-3. . . . F Arthur Miller continued to write quite a first act to his career with the Broncos as he opened the scoring with his third goal of the season, at 2:42 of the first period. He’s got three goals. . . . The Raiders went in front when F Tim Vanstone scored at 17:26. . . . D Max Lajoie pulled the Broncos even at 6:38 of the second period. . . . F Luke Coleman, at 8:23 of the second, and F Austin Glover, on a PP, at 4:15 of the third, put the Raiders back out front. . . . The Broncos tied it when F Riley Stotts scored his fourth goal, on a PP, at 6:27 of the third and won it on F Calvin Spencer’s third goal at 16:36. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi had three assists for the Broncos (5-2-1), who are 3-0-1 in their last four games. . . . The Raiders (2-5-0) have lost three in a row. . . . G Tax Burman made 29 saves for the Broncos. . . . Raiders G Ian Scott stopped 35 shots, 19 of them in the first period. . . . Announced attendance: 1,994.
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At Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans scored three times in a four-round shootout and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-5. . . . Lethbridge’s first two shooters, F Giorgio Estephan and F Tyler Wong, both scored, but the Americans responded with goals from F Morgan Geekie, F Michael Rasmussen and F Parker AuCoin. . . . Tri-City F Nolan Yaremko forced OT with his first goal of the season, on a PP, at 18:03 of the third period. . . . Wong had given Lethbridge a 5-4 lead, on a PP, at 13:36 of the third. . . . The Hurricanes held leads of 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-2 and 5-4. . . . Max James had two goals and an assist for the Americans. The 19-year-old James had 10 points, including three goals, in 64 games last season. He had five goals and five assists in 58 games as a freshman in 2014-15. This season, he has four goals and an assist in five games. . . . D Parker Wotherspoon had a goal and four assists for the winners, with D Dylan Coghlan adding two assists and AuCoin picking up a goal and an assist. . . . F Jesse Zaharichuk scored three goals and added an assist for Lethbridge. It was his first WHL hat trick. He went into the game with 16 goals in 113 regular-season games, including a pair of two-goal games. . . . Lethbridge got two assists from each of F Brayden burke and D Kord Pankewicz. . . . Tri-City starter Beck Warm gave up three goals on 10 shots in 24:20, with Nic Sanders coming on to stop 13 of 15. . . . Lethbridge G Ryan Gilchrist, in his first career start, stopped 31 shots. . . . Tri-City (4-3-0) was 3-7 on the PP; Lethbridge (4-2-1) was 2-7. . . . Announced attendance: 3,103.
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SUNDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Edmonton at Saskatoon, 2:05 p.m.
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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Vancouver at Calgary, 4 p.m.

Kootenay at Swift Current, 2 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:32 PM
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Friday, October 7, 2016

WHL's Berlin Wall on move . . . Patrick bails out Wheaties . . . Cougars keep on rolling


It seems that G Matt Berlin is on the move. According to his Twitter account, he is joining the Seattle Thunderbirds after having been dropped by the Spokane Chiefs.
Late Friday night, the Chiefs tweeted that they have traded Berlin to Seattle for an undisclosed conditional selection in the 2018 WHL bantam draft.
Berlin got into six games with the Chiefs last season, going 1-1-2, 4.38, .851.
He started this season with them, too, but played just 10 minutes before being dropped from the roster. He apparently was going to join the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder.
Now, however, it seems he will be with the Thunderbirds.
Berlin, 18, from Edmonton, was a seventh-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2013 WHL bantam draft.
In Seattle, Berlin will join two other goaltenders — Rylan Toth, 20, who was acquired from the Red Deer Rebels on Sept. 16, and Carl Stankowski, 16, who was a second-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft.
Toth went the distance on Friday night in a 3-1 victory over the visiting Victoria Royals.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, F Nolan Patrick forced OT and then scored the lone goal of a shootout as the Wheat Kings beat the Swift Current Broncos, 4-3. . . . Patrick tied the game 3-3 with his third goal of the season, at 19:13 of the third period. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi had given the Broncos a 3-2 lead at 9:15 of the third. . . . F Riley Stottls scored twice for the Broncos, giving him three goals. From Winnipeg, he was the 10th overall pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . F Tanner Kaspick had a goal and an assist for Brandon (2-1-1), while F Ty Lewis had two assists. . . . The Broncos (4-2-1), who had won two straight, got two assists from D Sahvan Khaira. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 21 shots, 10 fewer than Travis Child of the Broncos. . . . The Wheaties were 1-2 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-5. . . . Announced attendance: 3,650.
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At Calgary, the Hitmen scored two third-period PP goals and beat the Kamloops Blazers, 2-1. . . . F Quinn Benjafield had given the visitors a 1-0 lead at 17:57 of the first period. . . . F Carsen Twarynski tied the score 27 seconds into the third period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro got the winner at 14:14. . . . The Calgary PP unit had been 0-19 before Twarynski’s goal. . . . Calgary G Cody Porter blocked 27 shots, while Connor Ingram of the Blazers turned aside 34. . . . Calgary (3-1-0) was 2-6 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-4. . . . The Blazers (2-5-0) have lost three in a row. After opening the season at home, with a 9-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets, they are nearing the end of a seven-game road swing that wraps up Saturday night in Medicine Hat. . . . Calgary had its full lineup in place for the first time as all eight of its NHL campers are back and played. D Jake Bean, who was with the Carolina Hurricanes for three weeks, drew one assist. . . . The Blazers had G Max Palaga of the major midget Thompson Blazers backing up Ingram. Dylan Ferguson hasn’t played since suffering an ankle injury in the first period of Game 2. Carter Phair took a shot to the head during practice on Thursday and was unavailable. . . . Kamloops lost F Garrett Pilon after he took a hard hit from Gennaro late in the second period. Pilon went to the dressing room and never returned. . . . Announced attendance: 5,745.
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At Edmonton, G Michael Herringer earned the shutout and F Calvin Thurkauf scored the goal as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Oil Kings, 1-0. . . . Herringer, 20, stopped 38 shots in putting up his first shutout of this season and the fourth of his career. . . . Thurkauf broke the scoreless tie at 11:18 of the third period. He’s got three goals this season. . . . Edmonton G Liam Hughes turned aside 33 shots. . . . Kelowna (3-4-0), which has won two in a row, was 0-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-5. . . . The Oil Kings (2-3-1) have lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . Announced attendance: 12,781.
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At Everett, F Michael Rasmussen scored twice to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-1 victory over the Silvertips. . . . This was the third straight game between the teams; the Americans won two of them. . . . F Dominic Zwerger gave the hosts a 1-0 lead 30 seconds into the game. . . . Tri-City pulled even at 1:18 on F Dakota Krebs’ first WHL goal. . . . Rasmussen, who has a WHL-leading eight goals, broke the tie at 13:31. . . . F Max James provided insurance with a shorthanded goal at 4:27 of the third. . . . Rasmussen added a PP goal at 15:00. . . . F Morgan Geekie had three assists for the Americans (3-3-0). . . . G Nic Sanders stopped 29 shots for the victory. . . . The Silvertips (4-1-1) got 23 stops from Carter Hart. . . . The Americans were 2-3 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-6. . . . Announced attendance: 3,908.
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At Moose Jaw, the Portland Winterhawks scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Warriors, 5-2. . . . The Warriors led 2-0 on first-period goals by F Brett Howden, at 10:48, and F Ryan Bowen, on a PP, at 13:20. . . . F Lane Gilliss got Portland on the board at 13:49 and F Skyler McKenzie, on a PP, pulled the visitors even at 17:03. . . . McKenzie’s seventh goal of the season, at 4:13 of the second period, proved to be the winner. . . . F Cody Glass, who leads the WHL scoring derby, had Portland’s last two goals. He also had an assist. . . . Glass has 15 points in seven games, two more than F Chad Butcher of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who has played six games. . . . F Ryan Hughes had two assists for Portland (5-2-0), which is 2-1-0 on its East Division tour. . . . Hughes, 17, has 10 points in seven games. Last season, as a freshman, he put up 13 points in 71 games. . . . The Warriors (3-1-2) lost for the first time in regulation. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 20 shots for Moose Jaw, while Brody Willms blocked 37 at the other end. . . . The Winterhawks held a 19-1 edge in shots in the second period. . . . Portland was 1-3 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 1-4. . . . The Winterhawks had Latvian F Rodrigo Abols, 20, in the lineup after a three-game absence. He had one assist. . . . Portland didn’t dress Danish F Joachim Blichfeld. . . . Announced attendance: 3,204.
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At Prince George, the Cougars ran their season-opening winning streak to seven games as they beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-2. . . . The Cougars (7-0-0) are the CHL’s top-ranked team. . . . The Giants jumped to a quick 2-0 lead but weren’t able to score again. F Thomas Foster made it 1-0 just 57 seconds into the game and F Jack Flaman scored his fourth goal for a 2-0 lead at 2:53. . . . Cougars F Jesse Gabrielle, just back from the camp of the Boston Bruins, then figured in three quick goals as the home side took control. He drew the primary assist on a PP goal from F Kody McDonald at 11:17. Gabrielle then scored a PP goal at 12:31 and his shorthanded score at 14:00 gave the Cougars their first lead. . . . F Janson Harkins added two assists for the Cougars, while F Josh Curtis and F Yan Khomenko each had a goal and an assist. . . . Prince George G Ty Edmonds stopped 24 shots. The Giants (1-6-0) got 30 saves from Ryan Kubic. . . . The Cougars were 2-4 on the PP; the Giants were 0-3. . . . Announced attendance: 3,014.
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At Red Deer, D David Quenneville scored three times to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 6-3 victory over the Rebels. . . . The Tigers overcame a 3-2 deficit with four third-period goals, two of them from Quenneville, who has four goals this season. . . . Last season, Quenneville had 14 goals — including two two-goal games — in 64 games. As a freshman, in 2014-15, he scored six times in 66 games. . . . Red Deer F Michael Spacek scored twice to give his guys a 2-1 lead early in the second period. . . . Tigers F Mark Rassell tied it at 10:39, only to have Red Deer F Evan Polei put the home side out front again, at 12:27. . . . The Tigers then scored three straight PP goals to take control. F Chad Butcher counted at 3:54 of the third period and Quenneville completed his hat trick with goals at 4:08 and 14:07. . . . Butcher added three assists to his goal, while F Steve Owre also had three helpers. Medicine Hat got a goal and two assists from F Mason Shaw. . . . Red Deer F Austin Pratt had two assists. . . . G Nick Schneider stopped 37 shots for the Tigers, 10 more than Red Deer’s Riley Lamb. . . . While the Tigers went 4-7 on the PP, the Rebels were 0-7. . . . The Tigers (5-1-0) have won five straight games. . . . The Rebels are 2-3-2. . . . F Adam Musil played his 200th regular-season game, all with Red Deer. . . . Announced attendance: 4,329.
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At Regina, F Keenan Taphorn scored at 4:06 of OT to give the Kootenay Ice a 4-3 victory over the Pats. . . . Taphorn, a 16-year-old freshman from Yorkton, Sask., has two goals this season. . . . The Ice jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead on two goals from F Zak Zborosky, who is from Regina, and one from F Matt Alfaro. . . . Zborosky has six goals. . . . F Lane Zablocki got Regina’s first goal, at 1:10 of the second period and D Sergey Zborovskiy pulled the Pats to within a goal at 4:28. . . . This is believed to be the first game in WHL history in which players whose last names begin with ‘Z’ scored four of first five goals. . . . F Dawson Leedahl forced OT when he scored a PP goal at 2:43 of the third period. . . . F Vince Loschiavo had two assists for the Ice (1-3-2). . . . F Jake Leschyshyn had three helpers for Regina (3-0-2), while Zablock added one to his goal. . . . Each team was 1-5 on the PP. . . . Regina F Austin Wagner was ejected at 9:50 of the first period as he incurred a checking-from-behind major. . . . Announced attendance: 3,958.
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At Kent, Wash., F Alexander True scored the game’s first two goals early in the second period and the Seattle Thunderbirds went on to a 3-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . True, who has four goals, scored at 1:33 and 5:36 and the Thunderbirds (2-2-0) took it from there. . . . F Sami Moilanen and F Cavin Leth drew the assists on both True goals, the second of which came via the PP. . . . F Nolan Volcan gave Seattle a 3-0 lead at 3:09 of the third period. . . . Victoria D Chaz Reddekopp scored a PP goal at 12:14. . . . G Rylan Toth stopped 28 shots for Seattle. . . . The Royals (2-4-0) got 24 stops from Dylan Myskiw. . . . The Thunderbirds were 1-4 on the PP; the Royals were 1-6. . . . Announced attendance: 4,346.
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At Spokane, the Lethbridge Hurricanes struck for three first-period PP goals en re route to a 5-3 victory over the Chiefs. . . . F Tyler Wong scored PP goals at 2:59 and 17:01 of the first period and F Ryley Lindgren added another at 17:34. . . . Wong drew an assist on Lindgren’s goal, while F Giorgio Estephan had assists on two of the first three goals. . . . F Pavel Kousal got Spokane on the board at 19:44 of the first. . . . Lethbridge F Egor Babenko scored what proved to be the winner at 1:31 of the second period. . . . F Keanu Yamamoto had a goal and an assist for Spokane, while his brother, Kailer, had two assists. . . . Lethbridge (4-2-0) was 3-6 on the PP; Spokane (1-2-0) was 2-5. . . . G Stuart Skinner stopped 30 shots for the winners. Jayden Sittler, whom the Chiefs acquired from Lethbridge over the summer, gave up five goals on 13 shots. Dawson Weatherill made his Spokane debut in relief and stopped all five shots he saw. . . . Announced attendance: 4,610.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kamloops at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Kootenay at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
Portland at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Prince Albert at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

Lethbridge vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:42 PM
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