Friday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Wacey Rabbit (Saskatoon, Vancouver, 2001-07) signed a one-year contract with Jesenice (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 12 goals and 27 assists in 53 games for Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, Austria Erste Bank Liga) this season.
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A regular visitor to this blog asked if I had any idea how many WHL players who were selected in the NHL’s 2009 draft weren’t signed by the June 1 deadline?
So I scurried over to Small Thoughts At Large and found Alan Caldwell’s list of WHLers who were selected in that draft. After subtracting recent signees, here is what’s left:
Second round:
43. San Jose: D William Wrenn (Portland Winter Hawks)
Third round:
67. Florida: F Josh Birkholz (Everett Silvertips)
81. Philadelphia: G Adam Morrison (Saskatoon Blades)
Fifth round:
141. Calgary: F Spencer Bennett (Vancouver Giants)
Sixth round:
155. Atlanta: F Jimmy Bubnick (Calgary Hitmen)
157. Phoenix: F Evan Bloodoff (Kelowna Rockets)
Seventh round:
185. Atlanta: F Levko Koper (Spokane Chiefs)
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To the best of my knowledge, none of the above seven players signed. However, because Wrenn and Birkholz were drafted out of the U.S. college ranks, they weren’t subject to the June 1 deadline. They don’t have to be signed until their classes are scheduled to graduate.
Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes signed D Tommi Kivisto, whom they took 208th overall after he played a season with the Red Deer Rebels. However, he returned to his native Finland for 2010-11 and played for Jokerit. The contract he signed allows him to return to Jokerit and then come to the NHL in 2012-13, should he choose.
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Matt Coxford of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman had an interesting chat with WHL commissioner Ron Robison. Most of the conversation dealt with the attendance at Kootenay Ice games during the playoffs. Among other things, Robison said:
"The margin for error in these small centres is not there. They have to fill the building, they have to get to a position that we're dealing with 90 per cent capacity attendance. Sixty per cent is just not acceptable. A club can't be expected to operate under those circumstances.
"The reality is, if the Western Hockey League is going to continue to operate in the Kootenays — and we're fully committed to making that happen — we need to increase the season ticket base and we need to increase the attendance in a game-by-game basis."
Coxford’s complete story is right here.
Wasn’t it just a short time ago when the WHL was fully committed to making a go of it in Chilliwack? That’s what I thought.
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F Joey Hishon of the Owen Sound Attack was on the receiving end of that elbow from Kootenay Ice D Brayden McNabb at the Memorial Cup. . . . Mike Savage of the Stratford, Ont., Beacon Herald talks with Hishon about his concussion and the impact it has had on him. That story is right here.
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One of the benefits of living as close to the Left Coast as I do is that I, with a newspaper addiction that needs to be fed every day, have access to four daily newspapers, not counting the one for which I work. Had I the time, I would read all four — The Globe and Mail, the National Post, the Vancouver Province and the Vancouver Sun — every day. Not having the time, I pick and choose, but I always try to read columnist Pete McMartin of the Sun. Having started in this business when some of us really did have a bottle in the bottom desk drawer, and when you couldn’t write without chainsmoking and taking coffee via IV, I can easily picture McMartin in a news room in that era.
Anyway, the Seattle Times asked McMartin to write a column for them on the Stanley Cup final. That column is right here and it’s worth your time.
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Jack Knox of the Victoria Times Colonist is another Left Coaster who can write. There are a lot of news columnist out here who have caught Stanley Cup fever and decided to try their hand at sports writing. Knox is no exception and his piece his right here.
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JUST NOTES: The OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds have filled out their coaching staff with the hiring of three assistants — Nick Warriner, Seamus Kotyk and Mike Oliverio. Warriner is back for a fourth season with the Soo. Kotyk was promoted to fulltime assistant after serving as the goaltending coach last season. Oliverio, who played five seasons as a player with the Soo, spent the last 14 seasons scouting for the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers. They will work under new head coach mike Stapleton. . . . G Robin Lehner stopped 21 shots Friday night as the host Binghamton Senators blanked the Houston Aeros in Game 4 of the AHL’s championship final for the Calder Cup. . . . Attendance was 4,710. . . . The series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 in Binghamton tonight. . . . The series will return to Houston for Game 6 on Tuesday. A seventh game, if needed, will be played in Houston on Thursday. . . . The OHL released its 2011-12 schedule on Friday. . . . More than 48 hours have passed since Game 1 of the NHL final was played and I’m still trying to figure out why Boston head coach Claude Julien assigned D Zdeno Chara to the front of the Vancouver net on the Bruins’ power play. Gotta think Vancouver’s penalty killers much prefer having Chara there, rather than using his 105 mile an hour slapper from the point. It will be interesting to see where Chara finds himself on Boston’s PP in Game 2. Assuming, that is, that the referees choose to call penalties. . . .
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A note from Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post:
“Two and a half months have elapsed since the Regina Pats’ season concluded, but there has yet to be an announcement regarding the status of head coach Curtis Hunt and director of scouting Todd Ripplinger. At this point, we can only presume that both men will be retained, because that is the only fair decision general manager Chad Lang can make after taking so long to assess the organization.”
Of course, the other side of that thought process is that if the Pats were going to have them back, they would have made the announcement well before now.

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Taking Note on Twitter

Sunday . . .

Michael Russo of the Minneapolis StarTribune attended a memorial service for Derek Boogaard on Sunday evening at the Xcel Energy Center. Boogaard’s family was there, as were former teammates, friends, officials from the Minnesota Wild and fans.
Russo’s story is right here, along with a photo gallery.
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Russo, who has done such a terrific job of writing about all that has transpired since Friday, blogged about the memorial service. That piece is right here.
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And there’s more right here from the Hockey Wilderness blog.
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“We shouldn't require reminders. We should know, innately, that death plays no favorites, that not even the strongest escape this planet alive.” . . . That is how Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis StarTribune began his Sunday column.
It’s today’s good read and it’s right here.
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AND IN OTHER NEWS . . .
F Alexandre Beauregard’s first goal was the last one.
Beauregard, a 19-year-old winger, scored his first goal of the QMJHL playoffs at 15:45 of the second OT on Sunday, giving the Saint John Sea Dogs a 3-2 victory over the host Gatineau Olympiques. . . . The Sea Dogs, who went 9-0 in playoff road games, won the QMJHL final 4-2 and have advanced to the Memorial Cup. . . . Former WHL G Jacob DeSerres stopped 36 shots for the Sea Dogs. He will make his second straight trip to the Memorial Cup, having played for the host Brandon Wheat Kings a year ago. . . . The Sea Dogs, who went 58-7-1 in the regular season, forced OT when Jonathan Huberdeau scored his 16th goal of the playoffs with 23.3 seconds left in the third period. . . . Attendance was 4,000.
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Earlier Sunday, the visiting Owen Sound Attack got a goal from F Jarrod Maidens at 3:27 of OT to beat the host Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors 3-2 and win the OHL championship in seven games. . . . Attendance was 5,517 with an estimated 3,000 of those from Owen Sound, which won its first OHL title since the franchise relocated there from Guelph in time for the 1989-90 season. . . . Both teams will play in the Memorial Cup — Owen Sound as OHL champion and Mississauga as the host team. . . . Terry Virtue, a former WHL defenceman who later was an assistant coach with the Tri-City Americans, is on the Owen Sound coaching staff.
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The Memorial Cup opens Friday in Mississauga, with Saint John going up against Mississauga. Owen Sound and the WHL-champion Kootenay Ice get into action on Saturday.
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Matt Coxford of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has written a piece on how much winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup meant to Jeff Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice. That story is right here.
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Jim Matheson, the Edmonton Journal’s Hall of Fame hockey writer, takes a look at Kootenay Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch, who played five seasons with the U of Alberta Golden Bears. It was while playing for Rob Daum with the Golden Bears that Knoblauch first had thoughts of coaching. Matty’s piece is right here.
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If you missed it, Finland won the IIHF world championship on Sunday, beating arch-rival Sweden 6-1 in Kosice, Slovakia. It is Finland’s first world title since 1995. . . . Interestingly, the on-ice officials all were from Canada. The referees were Brent Reiber, a former WHL official who has lived in Switzerland for a number of years now, and OHL veteran Darcy Burchell. The linesmen were Keil Murchison and Chris Carlson, both of whom are WHL officials.
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THE COACHING GAME: Chris Brooks, a native of Stratford, Ont., is the new head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He replaces Wil Nichol, who resigned to accept an NHL front-office position. Brooks was the head coach of the Central league’s Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for the last three seasons.

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Taking Note on Twitter

Wednesday . . .

Fans of the Chilliwack Bruins gather outside Prospera Centre for a Keep the Bruins in Chilliwack Rally on Wednesday evening. There are more photos available at www.facebook.com/pages/Keep-the-Bruins-in-Chilliwack/147454271983957.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Chad Bassen (Regina, Vancouver, Medicine Hat, Everett, 2000-04) signed a one-year contract with the Augsburger Panther (Germany DEL). He had five goals and four assists in 52 games for the Hamburg Freezers (Germany DEL) this season.
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The WHL has six players on the Canadian team that will play at the under-18 IIHF World Championship in Germany later this month.
Those WHLers are defencemen Morgan Reilly (Moose Jaw Warriors), Ryan Murray (Everett Silvertips) and Reece Scarlett (Swift Current Broncos) and forwards Travis Ewanyk (Edmonton Oil Kings), Mark McNeill (Prince Albert Raiders) and Colin Smith (Kamloops Blazers).
The head coach is Mike Williamson of the Calgary Hitmen, while the assistants are Mark Lamb of Swift Current and Dale Hawerchuk of the OHL’s Barrie Colts.
The Canadian team leaves today for Germany.
Canada will play three exhibition games, against the U.S. on Saturday in Dresden, against Sweden on Monday in Crimmitschau and against Germany on Tuesday in Dresden.
The tournament runs April 14-24 in Dresden and Crimmitschau. Canada is in a Dresden-based pool with Czech Republic, Finland, Norway and Sweden, and will play its first round-robin game on April 15 against Czech Republic.
The other pool features Germany, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland and the U.S.
The round-robin concludes on April 19, with the playoff round to start on April 21 and end on April 24.
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There was interesting news out of B.C. on Wednesday when a former hockey player who at 13 years of age had been sexually assaulted by his coach was awarded $605,000  by a B.C. Supreme Court Judge Dev Dley.
The Victoria Times Colonist has the story right here.
There is reaction from Theo Fleury in this Canadian Press story right here.
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The Tri-City Americans will announce today that they have signed G Eric Comrie, who was the 15th overall selection in the 2010 bantam draft. Comrie, the son of Bill Comrie, who owns The Brick and once was involved at the ownership level in the CFL, is the younger brother of NHLer Mike Comrie and Paul Comrie, whose career was ended by post-concussion syndrome. He was 24 at the time. . . . Eric Comrie, who played this season for the L.A. Selects, had at least considered going the NCAA route, as he visited Denver University in January. His brother, Paul, was a star with the Pioneers (1996-99). . . . The Americans also are expected to announce the signing of F Brian Williams, who was an eighth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. That signing should be announced on Monday. Williams, from Claremont, Calif., also plays in the L.A. Selects program.
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Matt Coxford of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman reports that the Kootenay Ice should get two injured players back at some point during a second-round series with the Saskatoon Blades. D Luke Paulsen (separated shoulder) is questionable for Games 1 and 2 in Saskatoon on Friday and Saturday, but should play in Game 3 in Cranbrook on Tuesday. Paulsen missed almost a month with a concussion suffered Jan. 15, then injured his shoulder Feb. 22 and hasn’t played since then. F Drew Czerwinski (upper body) was hurt in Game 3 of the six-game series with the Moose Jaw Warriors. He is possible for the first two games against Saskatoon, but if he doesn’t play then should be ready for Game 3. . . . The Ice also is without F Brock Montgomery (mononucleosis) but has added F Sam Reinhart, 15, for the weekend. Reinhart will be rejoining his major midget team, the Vancouver-North West Giants, for the Telus Cup that opens April 18 in St. John’s Nfld.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Chase Deleo, their ninth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Deleo spent this season with the Los Angeles Selects U-16 team, putting up 39 points in 35 games. . . . Capgeek.com reports that Everett Silvertips D Rasmus Rissanen, who has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, draws an AHL salary of $55,000 in each of the season with NHL salaries of $575,000 each season. He got a $150,000 signing bonus, payable over three years. . . . D Dylan McIlrath of the Moose Jaw Warriors will finish his season with the Connecticut Whale, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers. McIlrath was the 10th overall pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft and signed a three-year deal with the Rangers last month. . . . F Quinton Howden of the Warriors has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Florida Panthers, who selected him 25th overall in the 2010 NHL draft. . . . Eric Lavigne has resigned as head coach of the QMJHL’s PEI Rocket. Lavigne, who had a year left on his contract, cited personal reasons and a desire to spend more time with his family as reasons for his leaving.
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Three Robservations from longtime WHL (R)observer Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post . . .
1. The future of Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Dave Hunchak is certain after the team's first-round ouster from the WHL playoffs. Although the playoffs were disappointing, it should be remembered that Hunchak is only the third head coach to extract 40 wins from the Warriors since the team moved from Winnipeg to Moose Jaw in 1984.
2. It could be said that a 40-win season in Moose Jaw is surprisingly unexpected. With that in mind, Hunchak should receive a contract extension -- a move which would be a welcome departure from tradition. Over the years, the Warriors have allowed too many first-rate coaches to get away (see: Lorne Molleken, Curtis Hunt, Mike Babcock). All three of those gentlemen coached in the NHL after leaving Moose Jaw.
3. Defenceman Ryan Murray, who is from White City, was named captain of the WHL's Everett Silvertips earlier this week. Thanks to the WHL's ridiculous partial interlocking schedule, Murray won't have an opportunity to play near his hometown until the 2012-13 season. Next season's only matchup between the Silvertips and Regina Pats will be in Everett, Wash. What kind of league is this? Every team should play in every arena every season. This should be fundamental. The players deserve this. The fans deserve this. Alas, it'll never happen.
(What Vanstone doesn’t mention is that Murray could be playing in the NHL come the 2012-13 season, which would mean he wouldn’t get to play in Regina. He has a late-1993 birth date (Sept. 27), already has played two WHL seasons and is being projected as an early selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft. He very well might be the WHL’s top defenceman next season. That being the case, it very well might depend on which NHL team selects him as to whether he is back in the WHL or moves on to the NHL in the fall of 2012. . . . By the way, White City is on the eastern outskirts of Regina.)

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Taking Note on Twitter

Thursday . . .

The WHL playoffs are here.
They officially arrived courtesy of a quote from Kootenay Ice F Matt Fraser, 20, who told Matt Coxford of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman:
"We've all been frantically trying to dye our hair (black) the past couple of days to get everything in place, and we've told all our girlfriends that we're not going to be talking to them for a while because we've got business to take care of.”
When hockey players tell their girlfriends to take a timeout, you know things are serious!
It will be interesting to watch goings-on with the Ice in these playoffs, too.
General manager Jeff Chynoweth made the big deal on Jan. 9 to land F Cody Eakin. It will be interesting to see now how the Ice and its fan respond with the playoffs here.
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Some numbers, courtesy of capgeek.com:
F Garrett Mitchell of the Regina Pats signed a three-year deal with the Washington Capitals, who selected him in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2009 draft. He gets a US$67,500 salary in the AHL, an NHL salary of $575,000 each season, and a $150,000 signing bonus, payable over three years.
G Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds has signed a three-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche, which grabbed him in the second round of the 2010 draft. His AHL salary each season is locked in at $67,500, with NHL salaries of $790,000, $840,000 and $900,000. His signing bonus totals $270,000 over three season.
D Dylan McIlrath of the Moose Jaw Warriors, the 10th overall pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft, signed a three-year deal with the New York Rangers. His AHL salary would be $67,500 each season, with NHL salaries of $650,000, $650,000 and $900,000. Like Pickard, he got a $270,000 signing bonus, payable over three years.
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With Portland having finished atop the Western Conference and about to open a first-round series with the Everett Silvertips, Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune take a look at how far the Winterhawks have come since ‘those’days. . . . And it is quite interesting to read about the plans the Winterhawks have for Memorial Coliseum.
That piece is right here.
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D Mike Reddington of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has joined the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. Reddington, 20, signed a tryout agreement after putting up 23 points and 99 penalty minutes in 68 games with the Hurricanes this season. . . . D Antoine Corbin of the Prince Albert Raiders will sit out Saturday’s opener of their series with the Saskatoon Blades. That’s the second game of a two-game suspension he incurred for a kneeing major last weekend. He plans on being back for Game 2 in Saskatoon on Sunday. . . . F Justin Dowling of the Swift Current Broncos has signed an amateur tryout contract with the Abbotsford Heat, the AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames. Dowling, 20, had 67 points in 63 games with the Broncos this season. . . .
Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that the Warriors may not have F Cody Beach (knee) or F Jordan Wyton (undisclosed) for tonight’s opener in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice. Also missing will be F Brayden Cuthbert (concussion) and F Brett Lyon (WHL suspension). . . . The Ice is without D Luke Paulsen (shoulder), but F Brock Montgomery (hip) is back after missing 11 games. Montgomery will be anxious for this serious because he is from Moose Jaw. . . . Dale Saip, the Vancouver Giants’ vice-president of business development, won’t be running for the federal Conservatives in Delta-Richmond, after all. After a story broke on the Lower Mainland detailing past financial difficulties, the Conservatives revoked Saip’s nomination. Martin van den Hemel of the Richmond Review has that story right here.
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Today’s good read comes from Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who has noticed that some game officials are so empowered that they can even create time.
Check it out right here.

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Taking Note on Twitter

This blog will be silent for a few days.
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Chances are that Greg Pankewicz woke up Sunday morning and thought: “What have I done?”
And by the time he sat down in front of a computer, exactly what it is that he did may well have at least started to sink in.
Because when you do what he did, well, in this Internet-ruled world there isn’t any hiding.
Pankewicz (Prince Albert, Regina, 1989-91) is an assistant coach with the Central league’s Colorado Eagles. He got a bit irate during an on-ice altercation on Saturday night and divested himself of a few items of clothing, including jacket, shirt and undershirt, all of which ended up on the ice.
If you haven’t seen it already, it’s right here.
Pankewicz isn’t the first coach to protest in this unusual fashion.
On Oct. 30, 1990, with his Swift Current Broncos having blown a 7-3 lead and now trailing the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers, 9-8, Graham James, according to the Regina Leader-Post, “ran on to the ice and screamed at referee Kevin Muench. He charged the referee relentlessly and had to be restrained by Broncos players and both linesmen.
“He returned to the bench and threw sticks and water bottles on the ice. James then removed his jacket, tie, shirt and a shoe before his players escorted him back to the dressing room.”
Later, James was fined $2,000 and suspended for six games.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors held their annual skills competition on Sunday. Results are right here. . . . Hardest shot? F Joel Edmundson, who twice hit 98 miles per hour.
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I found a great quote in a story by Matt Coxford of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman.
The Saskatoon Blades went into Cranbrook and beat the Kootenay Ice 5-3 on Saturday night. The Blades were presented with seven PP opportunities, while the Ice received three.
Following the game, Coxford wrote:
“Asked if he was willing to absorb a fine from the WHL by talking about the refereeing, (Ice head coach Kris) Knoblauch graciously declined.”
Well, Knoblauch didn’t really decline.
Here’s what he told Coxford: "I can comment if the officiating is good, and I can't comment on the officiating when it's bad, so I won't comment.”
I think the message got delivered.
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JUST NOTES: F Mark Stone of the Brandon Wheat Kings is the WHL’s player of the week. He had 13 points and was plus-6 in three games, all of which Brandon won. . . . Michael Snider of the Calgary Hitmen is the WHL’s nominee as the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0, 0.96, .971 last week, with both victories coming on the road. . . .
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Some notes of interest from the Kootenay Ice’s weekly release:
The Ice will finish 2010-11 with an above-.500 record for the 12th consecutive season, which is the longest active streak in the WHL.
Kootenay has clinched a playoff spot for the 13th consecutive season and has tied Calgary for the longest active streak in the WHL.
Kootenay, which leads the League in shorthanded goals with 17, set a franchise single-season record for most shorthanded goals on Saturday against visiting Saskatoon. The previous record (16) was set in 2000-01 and tied in 2002-03.
Ice F Kevin King is tied for the WHL in shorthanded goals, with five. F Cody Eakin has four, all in just 13 games with the Ice.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM MONDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, F Chandler Stephenson broke a 2-2 tie with 36.5 second left in the third period as the Regina Pats beat the Hitmen 3-2 in front of 20,888 fans. . . .  Stephenson, a 16-year-old from Saskatoon, has six goals. . . . The Hitmen had beaten the Pats 2-1 in a shootout in Regina on Friday. . . . The attendance set a CHL record, breaking the previous mark of 20,081 set on Dec. 20, 2004, at an OHL game between the Kingston Frontenacs and Ottawa 67’s at what was then known as the Corel Centre. . . . It was the second outdoor game in WHL history. On Jan. 15, in Spokane, the Chiefs beat the Kootenay Ice 11-2 before 7,075 fans at Avista Stadium. . . . Calgary F Kris Foucault tied the game 2-2 with his 20th goal at 8:46 of the third. . . . The Pats, who had lost three in a row, moved to within five points of the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. They have 11 games remaining. . . . The Hitmen are 13 points out with 12 games remaining. . . .
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In Lethbridge, F Brody Sutter’s goal at 1:09 of OT gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The teams were scoreless into the third period. . . . F Colten Mayor scored for Red Deer at 5:45 of the third. . . . F Russell Maxwell tied it on a PP at 12:57. . . .. Sutter won it with his 10th of the season. . . . Lethbridge G Brandon Anderson stopped 30 shots, 10 more than Red Deer’s Darcy Kuemper. . . . Attendancee was 3,746. . . . The Rebels were in extra time for a fourth straight game. All four games ended in OT, with Red Deer winning twice. . . . The victory kept Lethbridge ninth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the Prince Albert Raiders. The Hurricanes have a game in hand. . . . The Rebels were without F Josh Cowen (hand), F John Persson and D Matthew Dumba (knee). Cowen and Persson were injured in a 4-3 OT victory over the visiting Kamloops Blazers on Saturday. . . . Cowen had surgery Sunday after suffering a broken hand when he was hit from behind by Kamloops D Josh Caron. The Red Deer Advocate reports that Cowen had a titanium plate and some screws put in the hand, and that he will be out at least three weeks. . . . Caron was hit with a three-game suspension. . . . Persson is said to be nursing bumps and bruises and should play later this week. . . . Dumba has been out for 10 days.
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In Kennewick, Wash., the Spokane Chiefs scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Tri-City Americans 5-1, moving to the top of the Western Conference standings in the process. . . . F Darren Kramer, who leads the WHL with 39 fighting majors, scored his sixth goal of the season at 15:44 of the first period to break a 1-1 tie. . . . Spokane G Mac Engel stopped 28 shots. . . . Spokane F Brady Brassart wasn’t able to score on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Attendance was 5,691. . . . The Chiefs moved one point ahead of the idle Portland Winterhawks, who hold two games in hand. . . .. The Americans, who have lost two in a row, are five points behind Portland with one game in hand. The Americans have three games in hand on the Chiefs.
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MONDAY’S CFB COUNT:
Two minors:
Calgary F Jimmy Bubnick
Spokane F Kenton Miller
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Taking Note on Twitter