Good Friday . . .

ADAM TAYLOR

In Victoria, F Adam Taylor scored his third goal of the playoffs 48 seconds into the second overtime period Friday night to give the Salmon Kings a 2-1 victory over the Utah Grizzlies. . . . The Salmon Kings, who are dead things walking, swept the second-round ECHL series and now will meet the Alaska Aces in the Western Conference final. . . . F Simon Ferguson gave Utah a 1-0 lead at 2:44 of the first period on a PP. . . . F Keil McLeod pulled Victoria into a tie at 18:55 of the second period. . . . Victoria G David Shantz stopped 40 shots, 10 fewer than Utah’s Jean-Philippe Lamoureux. . . . Attendance was 6,095. . . . The Salmon Kings went into these playoffs as the Western Conference’s seventh seed. The top-seeded Aces beat the host Idaho Steelheads 4-0 on Friday to sweep that series. . . . The Salmon Kings, of course, are in their final season, at least in Victoria, after the WHL made it official this week that the Chilliwack Bruins are on their way to the B.C. capital.
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Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist started his game story:
“It took seven years, news of their demise and even comparisons to the movie Slap Shot, for the Victoria Salmon Kings to finally capture the imagination of the city.
“A season-high crowd of 6,295, attracted by cheap tickets, a Marty the Marmot mascot bobblehead giveaway, and the playoff success of the Salmon Kings, was electric with excitement during Friday night's tension-laden ECHL playoff game at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. The Salmon Kings won 2-1 in overtime.”
Dheensaw’s story is right here.
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The Nashville Predators beat the host Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in an NHL playoff game Friday night. And you can bet that the winning goal brought a smile to the face of Prince George Cougars head coach Dean Clark. . . . The winner came off the stick of F Jerred Smithson after a nifty pass from F Jordin Tootoo. . . . Smithson was a member of the 1998-99 WHL-champion Calgary Hitmen, with Clark as the head coach. Tootoo played four seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Clark was the head coach for two of those (2001-03).
Clark just happened to be in Anaheim on Friday, too. The WHL is holding its annual California camp and Clark is there as one of the coaches. He did see the winning goal, but it wasn’t live. Rather, he was at the ESPN Zone. . . . The other coaches at the Anaheim camp are Bruno Campese (Prince Albert Raiders), Don Hay (Vancouver Giants) and Derek Laxdal (Edmonton Oil Kings).
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Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., brought a few NCAA Division I coaches to Spruce Grove, Alta., recently. While there, there were presentations to players and their families. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal has the story right here.
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THE COACHING GAME: Paul Baxter has joined the NAHL’s Wichita Falls Wildcats as head coach, general manager of hockey operations and partner. The deal is effective May 1. Baxter had been with the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild from 2008 until he was released midway through this season. That position later was filled by former WHL coach John Becanic, who left his spot as assistant coach with the Vancouver Giants to join the Wild. With the Wildcats, Baxter replaces Mark LeRose whose contract wasn’t renewed. LeRose was an assistant coach with the Everett Silvertips in 2009-10. . . . Rick Brodsky, who owns the Prince George Cougars, is the president/owner of the Wildcats. . . . Nate Leaman is the new head coach of the Providence College Friars. Leaman, who was the head coach at Union College, was named the NCAA Division 1 coach of the year by the American Hockey Coaches Association last week. He replaces Tim Army, who resigned after six seasons with the Friars. Rick Bennett, associate head coach under Leaman, has been named the head coach at Union. . . .
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Capgeek.com reports that Kelowna Rockets F Brett Bulmer, who has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, will get US$67,500 as an AHL salary, with NHL salaries of $740,000, $790,000 and $900,000. His signing bonus is $270,000 over three years. . . . Bulmer has joined the AHL’s Houston Aeros for the duration of the season. . . . The Aeros, meanwhile, signed Kelowna D Colton Jobke to an amateur tryout. . . . Houston swept the Peoria Rivermen from the first round of playoffs and is waiting for the winner of a series between the Milwaukee Admirals and Texas Stars. Milwaukee won 2-1 in overtime on the road Friday and takes a 3-2 series lead back home for Game 6 on Monday.
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An interesting email hit the inbox today, and here it is, in its entirety:
Conspiracy theory — Were the owners of the Calgary Hitmen "encouraged" by the WHL executive to place their AHL farm team within a 30-minute drive of Chilliwack, so that there would be "plausible cause" to move the Bruins to Victoria? I have always wondered why one of the league's members would do such a thing. Remember that the WHL said in February 2009 that it was looking to move an established team into Victoria. Sixteen months later, there is a building in Abbotsford and an AHL team playing in it. . . .”
Hmmm . . .
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FRIDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:





In Medicine Hat, F Cody Eakin scored in OT to give the Kootenay Ice a 6-5 victory over the Tigers. . . . It was the first game of the Eastern Conference final, with Game 2 set for tonight in Medicine Hat. . . . Eakin scored his fourth goal of these playoffs at 5:59. . . . This was a wild one, with the Ice leading 2-0 at 11:01 of the first period and 3-1 after one. . . . The Tigers then scored the next three goals, two of them by F Emerson Etem. . . . Ice F Matt Fraser tied it at 7:13 of the third. . . . Medicine Hat F Wacey Hamilton gave his side a 5-4 lead on the PP at 10:03. . . . Fraser forced OT with a PP goal at 18:05. . . . Fraser now has 12 goals. He had two goals and two assists on this night. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart had a goal, his eighth, and two helpers. . . . The Tigers got two goals and an assist from F Linden Vey. . . . Vey has a WHL-leading 24 points. He and Fraser lead in goals, each with 12. . . . Ice D Brayden McNabb had one assist. He leads the WHL with 13. . . . The Ice now is 8-0 in these playoffs when it scores the game’s first goal. . . . It’s worth noting, too, that Ice F Drew Czerwonka and F Erik Benoit each scored his first goal of these playoffs. . . . Injuries have limited Czerwonka, who had 14 regular-season goals among his 43 points, to six playoff games. Benoit had four goals in 52 regular-season games. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 30 shots, one fewer than Medicine Hat’s Tyler Bunz. . . . The Tigers were 2-for-6 on the PP; the Ice was 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . You can bet that this was one to remember for Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth. It was the third anniversary of the death of his father, former WHL commissioner Ed Chynoweth.
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In Portland, F Levko Koper’s second-period goal stood up as the winner as the Spokane Chiefs opened the Western Conference final with a 2-1 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . The second game will be played Sunday in Portland. . . . Spokane F Brady Brassart, who had eight goals in 65 regular-season games, scored his first of the playoffs at 2:11 of the first period. . . . Brassart scored off a rebound of a shot by F Marek Kalus. Brassart hadn’t played since the first game of the Chiefs’ series against the Tri-City Americans; Kalus last played in Game 5 of a first-round series against the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Koper made it 2-0 at 4:25 of the second on the PP. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen got his side to wthin one at 19:36 of the third period. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 27 shots, 14 fewer than Portland’s Mac Carruth. . . . Spokane was 1-for-4 on the PP; Portland was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 7,642. . . . The Chiefs played without F Tyler Johnson, the WHL’s second-leading regular-season scorer. He sat out a one-game suspension for a kneeing major in Game 6 of their series with the Americans. . . . With Johnston out, Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur also scratched F Mitch Holmberg, and went with Brassart and Kalus.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Tri-City defenceman Zach Yuen (left) and goaltender Chris Driedger
combine to deny Chilliwack centre Kevin Sundher during a
Friday night game in Kennewick, Wash.
(Photo by John Allen/AridAcres.com)

The OHL has suspended Marty Williamson, the head coach of the Niagara IceDogs, for five games for actions during and after a Thursday night game. Not enough coaches get into it with the officials and then repeat it for public consumption. A five-game suspension would indicate that the OHL doesn't want its coaches going public.
There’s more right here.
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D Luke Fenske of the Vancouver Giants lost some teeth the other night. On Friday, he took time to show off his new smile and Dan Elliott, the Giants’ director of broadcasting and media relations, was on hand with a camera. That pic is right here.
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The WHL has issued a response to the lawsuit that has been filed by former Everett Silvertips captain Zach Dailey. Check out that response right here.
Somewhere Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., is smiling as he enjoys his morning coffee.
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Kyle Woodlief of of Red Line Report checks in with a look to the NHL’s 2012 draft and which WHL players may be early selections. You can start with Everett Silvertips D Ryan Murray. In fact, Woodlief and his staff wonder if the first five picks from the WHL might be defencemen. . . . Check that out right here.
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Mike Caccioppoli, who covers the Seattle Thunderbirds for mynorthwest.com, has posted a lengthy interview with general manager Russ Farwell. Lots of interesting thoughts on the Thunderbirds right here.
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F Cody Eakin and F Brayden Schenn will renew acquaintances tonight in Cranbrook as Eakin’s Kootenay Ice plays host to Schenn’s Saskatoon Blades. They were teammates with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship and were the biggest fish in the trading pond at the WHL deadline. . . . Patrick King of Sportsnet has more right here.
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If you’re into the late Stieg Larsson’s trilogy (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; The Girl Who Played with Fire; The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest), speculation continues on whether a fourth book may be forthcoming at some point. Eva Gabrielsson, Larsson’s longtime girlfriend, has published a memoir. There’s more right here.
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Should the Regina Pats qualify for the playoffs, they won’t be playing first-round games in the Brandt Centre, which is their home arena. The Ford World men’s curling championship will be decided in Regina, April 2-10. With the necessary setup time needed for the curling event, it’s unlikely that the Pats would get into the building for first-round games. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has that and some interesting stuff on the Pats’ lease negotiations, and it’s all right here.
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This week’s WHL injury report lists 11 players as being out with concussions and four others with head injuries. . . . Craig Hartsburg, the head coach of the Everett Silvertips, will coach his 500th major junior game tonight against the Cougars in Prince George. He also has coached the OHL’s Guelph Storm and Soo Greyhounds. . . . Hartsburg also has coached 491 NHL games. He will get to No. 1,000 combined when the Portland Winterhawks visit Everett on March 12. . . . The Tri-City Americans have recalled F Dylan Fluter, 16, from the midget AAA North Battlefords Stars. An eighth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, the 5-foot-9, 160-pound Fluter has 30 points and 45 penalty minutes in 42 games with the Stars.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, F Scott Glennie scored two goals and set up another as the Wheat Kings dumped the Swift Current Broncos, 10-1. . . . F Hampus Gustafsson, who ended an 18-game drought, had a goal and two assists, as did F Mark Stone and F David Toews. . . . Brandon F Matt MacKay scored 12 seconds into the game. He has goals in six straight games and points in each of his last 13 outings. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 22 shots, losing his shutout bid when F Adam Lowry got his 15th goal at 19:19 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 4,508. . . . The Wheat Kings visit Swift Current tonight. . . . The Wheat Kings have won four straight and eight of 10. They are seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Edmonton and and three in front of Prince Albert. . . . The Broncos, who have lost four straight and nine of 10, are ninth, four points out of a playoff spot. . . . Swift Current was without F Justin Dowling (ankle) and F Dillon Wagner (knee). As well, F Killian Hutt (concussion) remains out. He hasn’t played since Dec. 10. . . .
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In Regina, the Calgary Hitmen scored two shootout goals and beat the Pats, 2-1. . . . The teams will meet again Monday at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium in the first major junior outdoor game to be played in Canada. . . . Regina went into this one with a 9-1 record in shootouts. . . . Calgary got SO goals from F Brooks Macek and F Jimmy Bubnick. . . . Regina F Nils Moser scored his fifth goal at 17:10 of t he second period. . . . Calgary forced OT on F Rob Trzonkowski’s second goal at 12:18 of the third. . . . Attendance was 4,167. . . . The Pats are tied for 10th with Lethbridge, five points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Hitmen, who have won two straight, are last in the conference, but now are just six points behind Lethbridge and Regina. . . . The Pats will play in Medicine Hat tonight. . . .
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In Prince Albert, F Quinton Howden struck for four goals to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 6-3 victory over the Raiders, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary this weekend. . . . Howden has 37 goals. . . . D Nathan Deck gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead at 2:30 of the first. . . . Howden then scored twice to put Moose Jaw out front. . . . Howden added a third goal at 2:40 of the third, giving the Warriors a 3-2 lead. . . . His fourth goal, at 13:50 of the third, came via the PP and gave Moose Jaw a 5-3 lead. . . . F Brett Lyon scored his fifth goal in 20 games since Moose Jaw acquired him from Vancouver. Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald points out that Lyon had three goals in his first 143 regular-season games. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 32 shots, four more than Prince Albert’s Eric Williams. . . . Attendance was 2,442. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Moose Jaw. . . . The Warriors, who are without F Antonin Honejsek (ankle) and F Brayden Cuthbert (concussion) are fifth, seven points behind Medicine Hat and 12 in front of Edmonton. . . . The Raiders are eighth, three points behind Brandon and four ahead of Swift Current. . . .
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In Edmonton, F Thomas Frazee’s second goal of the game, at 2:32 of OT, gave the Kamloops Blazers a 4-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Frazee, who was playing in his 301st regular-season game, has 26 goals. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford was kept off the scoresheet as he played his 200th regular-season game with the Blazers. He is from Edmonton. . . . C Dalibor Bortnak had two assists for Kamloops. . . . F Michael St. Croix had a goal, his 23rd, and two helpers for Edmonton. . . . Oil Kings F Kristians Pelss forged a 3-3 tie with his ninth goal just 17 seconds into the third period. . . . Kamloops G Jeff Bosch stopped 46 shots. . . . Edmonton G Jon Groenheyde, who was acquired from the Blazers on Nov. 4, turned aside 31 shots. . . . Attendance was 5,492. . . . The Blazers moved three points ahead of Chilliwack in the race for the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . Edmonton is sixth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Brandon. . . . Kamloops moves on to Red Deer tonight, while Edmonton is in Lethbridge. . . .
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In Cranbrook, the host Kootenay Ice scored the game’s first four goals and went on to beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-1. . . . Ice D Brayden McNabb scored his 16th goal and added an assist, while D Luke Paulsen, recently returned from a concussion, had two assists, as did F Matt Fraser. . . . The Ice had a 2-0 lead when F Joe Antilla and F Max Reinhart each scored shorthanded goals. . . . Reinhart has 30 goals this season. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 27 shots. He lost his shutout when F Linden Vey, who leads the WHL points race, notched his 39th goal at 8:22 of the third. . . . Attendance was 2,593. . . . The Ice welcomed back F Steele Boomer (ankle) who hadn’t played in more than a month. . . . Ice D Joey Leach (ankle) could be back skating next week. . . . The Tigers had F Tyler Pitlick (concussion) back for this one. . . . The Ice is third in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Tigers. . . . The Ice is at home tonight to Saskatoon, while the Tigers return home to face Regina. . . .
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In Red Deer, F John Persson scored his 29th goal of the season at 1:58 of OT to give the Rebels a 2-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Red Deer F Adam Kambeitz gave his side a 1-0 lead at 8:58 of the first period. . . . Lethbridge D Daniel Johnston tied it with his seocnd goal at 17:53 of the second on a PP. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots, one fewer than Lethbridge’s Brandon Anderson. . . . Attendance was 4,619. . . . The Rebels closed to within six points of idle Saskatoon, which leads the conference, but the Blades hold two games in hand. . . . Red Deer is at home to Kamloops tonight. . . . The Hurricanes meet the visiting Oil Kings. . . .
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In Prince George, G Kent Simpson stopped 28 shots and F Scott MacDonald scored twice as the Everett Silvertips beat the Cougars, 4-1. . . . D Sena Acolatse gave the home team a 1-0 lead 52 seconds into the first period. . . . Everett F Jari Erricson, who is from Prince George, tied it with his seventh goal at 10:11 of the first. . . . MacDonald, who has seven goals, broke the 1-1 tie at 8:06 of the third period. . . . He later added an empty-netter. . . . Everett D Ryan Murray had two assists. . . . Attendance was 2,003. . . . The Silvertips closed to within two points of sixth-place Prince George in the Western Conference. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince George. . . .
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In Kelowna, the Spokane Chiefs erased a 2-1 deficit and beat the Rockets, 3-2. . . . Spokane F Levko Koper had two goals, giving him 31, and an assist. . . . Koper tied the score 2-2 at 10:19 of the second period and D Brenden Kichton got the winner on a PP just 50 seconds into the third period. . . . Spokane was 2-for-4 on the PP; the Rockets were 0-for-2. . . . D Davis Vandane assisted on each of Spokane’s last two goals. . . . Spokane G Mac Engel stopped 22 shots, 14 fewer than Kelowna’s Adam Brown. . . . Attendance was 6,101. . . . The loss, combined with a Vancouver victory, dropped the Rockets into second in the B.C. Division, while the Chiefs closed to within one point of conference-leading Portland. . . . Vancouver travels to Kelowna tonight, while the Chiefs visit the Tri-City Americans. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans got three goals and an assist from F Justin Feser as they beat the Chilliwack Bruins, 6-2. . . . The Americans, who have won 17 of their last 18 at home, scored the game’s last five goals. . . . Feser, who finished at plus-6, has 22 goals. . . . Americans F Patrick Holland, who missed their last game with the flu, had a goal, his 20th, and three assists. . . . Americans F Connor Rankin had a goal and two assists. . . . Feser, Holland and Rankin are linemates. . . . Americans D Tyler Schmidt was one and one. . . . Holland, Rankin and Schmidt each was plus-5. . . . Chilliwack F Ryan Howse scored the game’s first goal, his 41st. It also was his 16th on the PP, which tied F Oscar Moller’s single-season franchise record. . . . With G Drew Owsley still injured, G Chris Driedger stopped 14 of 16 shots in his third straight start. He made way for Cam Gorchynski with 14:13 to play. Gorchynski, who stopped four shots, will be returning to the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies early next week. . . .The Bruins dressed only 16 skaters, two under the maximum. . . . Attendance was 5,518. . . . The Americans are third in the U.S. Division, two points behind Spokane and three back of Portland. The Americans hold two games in hand on Portland and three on Spokane. . . . Spokane is in Kennewick tonight, while the Bruins are in Portland. . . .
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In Vancouver, F Nathan Burns and F Jordan Martinook each scored twice as the Giants beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 6-2. . . . F Teal Burns drew three assists for Vancouver. . . . Martinook also had an assist. . . . The Giants scored the game’s first three goals and the last three. . . . Attendance was 8,387. . . . The Giants moved back atop the B.C. Division, meaning they again are the Western Conference’s second seed. . . . The Thunderbirds now are six points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Giants are in Kelowna tonight. . . . The Thunderbirds are at home to Chilliwack on Sunday. . . .
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Lethbridge F Austin Fyten
Seattle F Justin Hickman

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Those wacky Kamloops Blazers are at it again.
Yes, they are back in The Globe and Mail, for the second time since the calendar turned to January.
This time it has to do with the political fiasco that came to light Tuesday involving B.C. Liberal Party leadership candidate Kevin Falcon’s campaign.
For more, check out The Globe and Mail’s story right here.
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And if you want more on the Blazers and their political aspirations, you will want to check out this column by Mel Rothenburger, the editor of the Kamloops Daily News.
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The NHL’s Edmonton Oilers selected D Martin Marincin in the second round of the 2010 draft. Now he is with the Prince George Cougars and the NHL club likes the progress he has made. Mario Annicchiarico of the Edmonton Journal has that story right here.
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D Landon Cross, 16, is to join the Kamloops Blazers today and will spend the next 10 days with them.
The Blazers are down to five defencemen, with long-term injuries to Austin Madaisky (neck) and Brandon Underwood (knee).
Cross, who plays for the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings, was a third-round selection in the 2009 bantam draft. He was pointless and minus-2 in a six-game stint with the Blazers after Christmas.
In 38 games with the Wheat Kings, he has 24 points.
Meanwhile, the Blazers said Wednesday that captain Chase Schaber has experienced a setback as he recovers from leg injuries. He will be re-evaluated in 10 days and there is no set timetable for his return.
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There is a story in The New York Times — yes, that New York Times! — on the recruiting war going on between the NCAA and the CHL. Written by Andrew Podnieks, who has produced numerous hockey-related books, the story is pretty straight-forward.
But it is quite evident that this battle is going to heat up in the next few years.
That story is right here.
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Stan Wilson, the pride of Melfort, Sask., worked his 1,500th NHL game on Wednesday night in Dallas.
Stan Wilson? Who is he, you ask?
He is the Phoenix Coyotes’ head equipment manager, a position he has filled for 15 of his 21 seasons with the Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets.
At one time, Wilson worked with the Prince Albert Raiders. In fact, he was with them when they won the 1985 Memorial Cup. He also has worked with Team Canada as it won gold medals at the 2003 and 2007 World championships.
The Coyotes won last night’s game, 3-2 in overtime.
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Veteran offensive lineman Gene Makowsky, one of the most popular of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, has been added to the list of guests for Rider Night, which is set for Saturday at the Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current. The Broncos, who play host to Cody Eakin and the Kootenay Ice that night, will wear special Roughriders jerseys in that game. Slotback Chris Getzlaf, defensive end Brent Hawkins and defensive tackle Marcus (Chunky) Adams also will be in the house. . . . Following its meetings in Las Vegas earlier this week, the WHL’s board of governors announced that it has signed commissioner Ron Robison to a five-year contract extenstion that runs through 2015-16. Robison is in his 11th season as commissioner. . .  . D Keaton Thompson of Devils Lake, N.D., will be joining the USHL’s Fargo Force. Ryan Clark, at the blog Slightly Chilled, reports that Thompson will join the Force once his high school season is done. Thompson, 5-foot-11 and 150 pounds, was selected by the Calgary Hitmen in the eighth round of the 2010 bantam draft. He has 29 points in 18 games with Devils Lake High School. . . . Guy Carbonneau didn’t win his QMJHL coaching debut Wednesday, as his visiting Chicoutimi Sagueneens dropped a 5-2 decision to the Val-d’or Foreurs. Carbonneau was named Chicoutimi’s head coach on Monday. . . .
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Justin Maylan scored once and added four assists as the Raiders bounced the Swift Current Broncos, 6-1. . . . The Raiders opened up a 6-0 lead before F Justin Dowling got his 18th for the Broncos at 19:48 of the second period. . . . F Jonathan Parker had a goal, his 35th, and three assists for Prince Albert, which got two goals from F Igor Revenko, who has 18. . . . G Eric Williams stopped 42 shots for the Raiders, who had Brenden Fiebelkorn backing up. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . Starter Jamie Tucker is out for a couple of weeks with a cut to his right thumb. . . . Attendance was 2,031. . . . Swift Current has dropped nine of 10. . . . The Raiders moved into a tie for seventh with the Broncos in the Eastern Conference. They are one point ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings and two up on the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . .
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In Saskatoon, F Brayden Schenn’s PP goal in overtime gave the Blades a 6-5 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Blades have won nine in a row. . . . Moose Jaw has lost four straight, all on the road. . . . The Warriors trailed 5-3 in the third period when F Spencer Edwards got his second of the game and 23rd of the season at 6:10 and F Quinton Howden got his third of the night and 31st of the season at 17:48 on a PP. . . . F Dylan Hood, playing on a line with Howden and Edwards, drew five assists for Moose Jaw but was off for hooking when the winner was scored. . . . Schenn finished with two goals, giving him nine, and two assists. . . . Linemate Jake Trask had a goal, his 19th, and two helpers. He is riding a five-game goal streak. . . . Saskatoon was 3-for-7 on the PP; the Warriors were 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 3,768. . . . Edwards, the Warriors’ captain, was back after sitting out eight games with a shoulder injury. . . . The Warriors were without D Dylan McIlrath (knee), F Antonin Honejsek (ankle) and F Brayden Cuthbert (concussion). . . . Lorne Molleken, the GM/head coach of the Blades, wasn’t happy that the WHL assigned a single referee (Devin Klein) to work this game, not after he missed a two-handed slash involving Moose Jaw F Cody Beach on Saskatoon D Teigan Zahn. “(Beach) could’ve hurt Zahn seriously in the third period,” Molleken told Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. “Any time you two-hand somebody from behind like that, it’s uncalled for and it just shows what Beach is all about. When you have two teams that compete as hard as these two and you have access to two (referees), I don’t think you put Klein in a very fair position.” . . . The Blades, who are the first team to clinch a playoff spot, lead the Eastern Conference by seventh points over the Red Deer Rebels and still have two games in hand. . . . The Warriors are firmly entrenched in fifth spot. . . .
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In Lethbridge, F Philip Tot had a goal and two assists as the Hurricanes skated to a 6-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The Hurricanes, who had lost six in a row, opened up a 2-0 first-period lead and never looked back. . . . Tot, a 17-year-old from Calgary, now has 20 points in 48 games. He had 10 points in 56 games last season as a freshman. . . . Regina was 1-for-6 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 2,865. . . . Lethbridge D Cason Machacek returned from a five-game suspension, but the Hurricanes are still without injured F Austin Fyten (elbow) . . . . Regina F Jordan Weal had a 10-game point streak snapped. . . . The Hurricanes, 10th in the Eastern Conference, moved two points ahead of the Pats, who now are four points out of a playoff spot. They also have three teams to crawl over before getting to that last spot. . . .
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In Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored the game’s first four goals and went on to beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-2. . . . Medicine Hat won its fourth straight game. . . . F Kale Kessy set up two goals for the Tigers, who got 41 saves from G Tyler Bunz, who posted his 69th career victory. He is tied with Kelly Hrudey for fifth on Medicine’s all-time list of goaltending victories. . . . Tigers F Emerson Etem had one assist to run his point streak to 14 games. . . . According to Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News, Tigers F Tyler Pitlick didn’t return after the first period. “Pitlick has been bothered by a nagging groin injury,” Steinke tweeted during the game. . . . F Wilson Dumais scored his first goal this season for the Cougars. He had one goal in 12 games last season. This was his 45th game this season. . . . Prince George G James Priestner, who was playing in his 100th WHL game and celebrating his 20th birthday, stopped 16 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . The Tigers moved past the idle Kootenay Ice and into third place in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Cougars are sixth in the Western Conference, a point ahead of the Everett Silvertips. . . .
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In Kamloops, the Blazers scored three goals in the game’s first 4:23 and went on to a 6-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Jordan DePape, a right winger who took a handful of shifts on defence for the short-staffed Blazers, set up three goals. . . . Kamloops F Dalibor Bortnak scored twice, giving him nine, and had an assist. . . . Kamloops F JC Lipon scored his second goal, ending a 42-game drought. . . . Kamloops D Josh Caron scored his first goal of the season. He has two career goals in 96 games. . . . Blazers G Jeff Bosch stopped 32 shots in posting his 20th victory. . . . Attendance was 3,754. . . . The Blades are eighth in the Western Conference, now three points ahead of the Chilliwack Bruins and four up on the last-place Thunderbirds. . . .
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In Spokane, the Portland Winterhawks exploded for five goals in a span of 1:59 late in the first period and went on to beat the Chiefs, 10-5. . . . The WHL record for fastest five goals is 76 seconds. It is held by the Saskatoon Blades of 1982-83. . . . F Brad Ross scored three times for Portland, giving him 20, while F Ryan Johansen scored his 27th goal and added four assists. . . . Portland F Craig Cunningham had two goals and an assist, and was plus-4. . . . F Tyler Johnson scored twice for the Chiefs to become the WHL’s first 40-goal scorer this season. He has 41. He also has 88 points and is tied atop the WHL scoring derby with Medicine Hat F Linden Vey. . . . It was the first time since November 2002 that Portland’s offence hit double digits in one game. . . . The Winterhawks, who have won four straight and 10 of 11, beat the visiting Tri-City Americans 8-2 on Saturday, meaning Portland has scored 18 goals in its last two games against U.S. Division challengers. . . . Attendance was 4,519. . . . The Winterhawks now hold a seven-point lead over Spokane and eight over the Americans. The Chiefs hold two games in hand on Portland, while the Americans have played five fewer games than the Winterhawks.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One minor:
Lethbridge F Neil Tarnasky

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Milan Bartovic (Brandon, Tri-City, 1999-2001) signed a contract with Liberec (Czech Republic Extraliga) after requesting and receiving his release from Atlant Moscow Oblast (Russia KHL). He had two goals and four assists in 23 games for Atlant this season. The contract with Liberec is through the 2012-2013 season. . . .
F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) signed a contract for the rest of the season with Kosice (Slovakia Extraliga). He had two goals and four assists in six games with the Hannover Indians (Germany 2.Bundesliga) earlier this season. . . .
F Frantisek Mrazek (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a contract for the rest of this season after a successful tryout with the Landshut Cannibals (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He has six goals and three assists in 14 games for the Cannibals this season.
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The Portland Winterhawks say they expect D William Wrenn, 19, to sign with them now that he has left the U of Denver. Wrenn, a 19-year-old from Anchorage, was a second-round pick by the San Jose Sharks in the NHL’s 2009 draft. Portland listed him after the 2006 WHL bantam draft. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Wrenn has one assist in 18 games this season. Last season, as a freshman, he had seven assists in 23 games. . . . Before heading to Denver, Wrenn spent two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. . . . Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston said he first saw Wrenn at the 2009 IIHF U-18 world championship and “was very impressed with his overall game.” Johnston continued in a press release: “He is a big, mobile defenseman who plays with an edge. I liked how responsible he was defensively.”
There is a bit more from the Denver Post right here.
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The Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans will meet Feb. 21 in Kennewick, Wash., in a game rescheduled from Dec. 31. The teams actually began that game and got into the second period before it was postponed due to unsafe ice conditions. The game will be played in its entirety, meaning all statistics from the period and a bit that was played have been erased. . . . The Americans are at home to the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight.
For an update on the hole that caused so many problems — yes, it resurfaced on Monday — check out this right here.
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F Austin Fyten of the Lethbridge Hurricanes is the WHL’s player of the week after he put up 10 points in four games. . . . James Priestner of the Prince George Cougars is the WHL’s nominee as the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He went 2-0-0 with a shutout during the week. . . . D Austin Bourhis of the Prince Albert Raiders drew a one-game suspension for the charging major and game misconduct he incurred Jan. 1 in a game against the Pats in Regina. That same night, F Josh Cowen of the Red Deer Rebels got tossed from a game against the Blades in Saskatoon and has been suspended indefinitely for his actions. . . . The Kamloops Blazers lost F JC Lipon with an ankle injury during a 5-1 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Sunday. They are bringing in F Aspen Sterzer, 16, to play tonight against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. Sterzer, who is pointless in seven games with the Blazers this season, will return to the Calgary-based midget AAA EDGE academy team after the game. . . . For those who have asked, the WHL trade deadline arrives Monday at 3 p.m. Calgary time. . . . The SJHL’s Estevan Bruins have fired GM/head coach Karry Biette (Regina, 1990-94). Rick Oakes, the Bruins’ director of player personnel, is the interim GM, while assistant coach Chad Leslie is the new head coach. The Bruins (18-16-4) are fourth in the Sherwood Division, just three points out of second.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter

WHL coach gets three-year extension

THE MacBETH REPORT: F Justin Keller (Kelowna, 2003-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Linz Black Wings (Austria Erste Bank liga) after a successful four-week tryout. He had five goals and four assists in nine games during his trial period with the Black Wings.
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Kelly McCrimmon, the owner, general manager and head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings, informs that Mike Vandenberghe will remain in the team’s employ.
“He will be staying on in an undetermined role that will include advance scouting and consulting, along with other responsibilities,” McCrimmon wrote in an email.
Vandenberghe signed on with the Wheat Kings after assistant coach Kevin Gylywoychuk suffered a broken neck over the summer. Gylywoychuk has returned to the bench, so Vandenberghe has returned to his family’s home in Regina Beach, Sask.
“Mike was offered the opportunity to stay on with the club in his assistant coaching capacity,” McCrimmon added, “but was unable to make it work due to family commitments.”
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The Wheat Kings, of course, got some good news Thursday when the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings returned C Brayden Schenn to them.
Schenn, the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NHL draft. began this season in the NHL but played only eight games there, the last one on Oct. 30.
A 99-point man last season, Schenn joins 89-point man Scott Glennie, who went to the Dallas Stars with the eighth overall selection in 2009, to provide Kelly McCrimmon with a few options.
For starters, he could keep both of them and hope they are able to help the Wheat Kings get into the playoffs and then make a run into the second or third round.
Right now, Brandon, which has lost seven straight games, is tied for eighth in the 12-team Eastern Conference.
McCrimmon will have to decide whether the presence of Schenn and Glennie is enough to make his club competitive with the Saskatoon Blades, Kootenay Ice, Red Deer Rebels and Medicine Hat Tigers, the four teams at the head of this conference’s class.
Or he could decide to be a seller between now and the Jan. 10 trade deadline.
This always is an interesting time of the season because of the impending arrival of that deadline.
Were you a WHL general manager, you would have to look at the trade deadline something like this: Although the deadline is more than a month away, the window really is much smaller. Today is Dec. 3. Trading isn’t allowed from Dec. 15 through Dec. 27. You might have players away at one or more of the various Christmas tournaments that are on the schedule, and those players will start leaving any day now. That being the case, you may not have what now is your roster together for more than a game or two between, say, Dec. 10 and Jan. 10.
If you’re McCrimmon and you have Schenn back in time to play at some point this weekend, you may only have him for two or three games before he leaves for the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp. That camp opens Dec. 11 in Toronto.
If we assume Schenn will make the Canadian team, he will be gone until after Jan. 5. That means he would miss as many as eight games, and it could be nine or 10 should he be given three or four days off after the World Junior Championship.
So McCrimmon has to try and figure out where in the standings his Wheat Kings might be by Jan. 10?
And that isn’t an easy task.
(As of late last night, Schenn’s travel plans weren’t known. What is known is that he won’t play tonight in Edmonton against the Oil Kings. The Wheat Kings meet the Rebels in Red Deer on Saturday and then return home to face the Everett Silvertips on Wednesday.
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The Kelowna Rockets have signed head coach Ryan Huska to a three-year extension that runs through 2013-14. Huska is in his fourth season as the team’s head coach. He started with the team as an assistant coach in 2002-03. . . . Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath (knee) is to return from a six-game absence tonight as the Warriors meet the Pats in Regina. The Warriors won four of six games without McIlrath, who was selected 10^th overall by the New York Rangers in the NHL’s 2010 draft. . . . He was injured Nov. 13 and the Rangers flew him to New York for an MRI where he was found to have a Grade 1 sprain of the medial collateral ligament. . . . F Richard Vanderhoek, 19, has left the Vancouver Giants and returned to the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles. He played in one game with the Giants after joining them two weeks ago. "Over the last week it became apparent that it wasn't a good fit for either party," Giants' general manager Scott Bonner told Marc Weber of the Vancouver Province. "He was having a great year in Surrey and I never really felt he was comfortable with this situation." Vanderhoek has 43 points in 25 with the Eagles. . . .
The Regina Pats have brought back D Tyler Borstmayer, 17, from the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs. Borstmayer played in 39 games with the Pats last season and got into two this season before being re-assigned. He had two assists in 14 games with Melfort. . . . Kevin Allen of USA TODAY has done up a piece showing that “the NHL, once resistant to having an abundance of former college hockey players, could soon reach the point where one of three players has an NCAA background.” That story is right here. . . . And right here is a rather interesting Toronto Star story by Kate Allen about a minor hockey coach who took his team off the ice when one of his players was the target of a racial slur. That coach now is serving an indefinite suspension. Give it a read. You may not believe it. But, then, it's minor hockey so you might.
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And, finally, a note from an interested observer regarding the posting a couple of days ago from Murray in Saskatoon:
“The club seating and knowledge of this price change was common knowledge to the season-ticket holders for well over two years and possibly three. It was not implemented because last season Jack Brodsky and CUC knew the season-ticket holders would also be paying for World Junior tickets and wanted to defer the cost until after that event.
“The reason for the increase was to help pay for the new seats which are light years from the old ones in terms of comfort.
“Lost in there as well is the fact that Blades season-ticket holders no longer get advance-purchase privileges on every CUC event. The season-ticket holder who has a club seat, though, does get that seat for a concert and gets advance-purchase privileges. Back when it was a free-for-all for season-ticket holders to have advance-purchase privileges there were people who would buy children's tickets, never attend a game and use the tickets for advance-purchase privileges.”

D Garrett Leedahl, 19, is leaving the Spokane Chiefs due to what the team says is “medical reasons.”
Leedahl, a sixth-round pick in the 2006 bantam draft, hasn’t played since Nov. 2 when he suffered a head injury in his hometown of Saskatoon.
Plagued by concussions, he has played in only 31 games over the last two seasons.
"It was hard to come up with my decision," Leedahl said in a news release. "My family, the team and I came to this point after talking to the doctors and neurologists. We realized it will be best for my future to retire from hockey.
"It is a really tough decision. It was one of the toughest decisions I've ever had to make. It’s going to be tough leaving all the guys behind and everything here, but it is something that it is going to be better for my future.”
Leedahl plans on return to Saskatoon and entering the U of Saskatchewan next year.
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Perhaps you can file this one under: If you can’t beat them, join them. . . . The NCAA doesn’t hold a draft, but that hasn’t stopped Paul Kelly, the head of College Hockey Inc., from criticizing the CHL because its three leagues do. Of course, the NCAA feels that drafting players as young as 14 years of age gives the major junior leagues a leg up on the competition when it comes to the recruiting wars. . . . So why not fight fire with fire? . . . According to Chris Heisenberg, the U of North Dakota has received a verbal commitment from D Charlie Pelnik, a 15-year-old from Cary, N.C., who plays for the midget AAA Carolina Junior Hurricanes. Despite his age, Pelnik apparently stands 6-foot-4. . . . Steve Sabo, a former U of Wisconsin defenceman, is Pelnik’s coach with the Hurricanes.
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So . . . the Los Angeles Kings open the season with F Brayden Schenn on their roster. Schenn, at 19, must play in the NHL or be returned to the Brandon Wheat Kings, where he spent the previous three seasons. . . . Schenn played in eight games with the Kings -- he had two assists -- and was a healthy scratch from a bunch of others. . . . The Kings then assigned him to the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs on one of those conditioning stints and he put up seven points in as many games. . . . Schenn is back with the Kings now, and is expected to be a healthy scratch tonight when L.A. plays the Florida Panthers. . . . So much for the conditioning stint being anything but a stalling tactic as the Kings buy time before deciding what to do with Schenn. . . . I would bet that he stays with the Kings for a few more days and then will be assigned to Canada’s national junior team, reporting to their camp in Toronto on Dec. 11. That allows the Kings to buy even more time because, assuming Schenn makes the Canadian team, they wouldn’t have to concern themselves with his immediate future until Jan. 5. In the meantime, you have to wonder what this is doing for Schenn’s state of mind.
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Meanwhile, there are a lot of people speculating that the Boston Bruins are going to assign F Tyler Seguin, the second pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft, to Canada’s national junior team. Why? Because if they do that, Seguin’s contract comes off the books while he’s playing for Canada. And the Bruins, with Marc Savard about to be cleared to play, are badly in need of cap space.
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With assistant coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk having returned to the bench, interim assistant coach Mike Vandenberghe has left the Brandon Wheat Kings and returned to his home at Regina Beach, Sask. Gylywoychuk suffered a broken neck when he slipped and fell in the Keystone Centre over the summer. Vandenberghe came on board on an interim basis with the understanding that his stint would end with Gylywoychuk’s return. . . . D Erik Gudbranson of the Kingston Frontenacs has been suspended for five games by the OHL after he incurred a major penalty for a check to the head in a game on Sunday. Gudbranson is on the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp roster and is to report to camp Dec. 11, a day before his suspension is to end. . . .
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Some highlights from Wednesday’s WHL games:
In Swift Current, F Justin Dowling scored a PP goal at 1:14 of OT to give the Broncos a 3-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Dowling had two goals and an assist. He has 36 points, including 11 goals, on the season. . . . The Broncos were on the PP because Lethbridge F Neil Tarnasky was given a major penalty for checking from behind at 18:07 . . . Tarnasky had tied the game 2-2 at 15:50 of the third period. . . . F Adam Lowry also scored for the Broncos, running his goal-scoring streak to four games. . . . F Cody Eakin had two assists for the winners. . . . The Broncos have won four in a row; the Hurricanes have lost six of seven. . . . In a goofy bit of scheduling, this was the third straight game between the teams. The Broncos won all three, two in regulation and one in OT. . . . Attendance was 2,240. . . .
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In Edmonton, F Mark McNeill was the only shootout scorer and that goal gave the Prince Albert Raiders a 5-4 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Prince Albert G Jamie Tucker stopped 42 shots. . . . The Oil Kings led this one 2-0 in the first period but found themselves trailing 4-2 in the third. . . . Edmonton forced OT on goals by F Josh Lazowski, his ninth, at 10:02 on the PP and F Stephane Legault, his third, at 14:55. . . . Edmonton D Mark Pysyk and F Michael St. Croix each had two assists. . . . Raiders D Ryan Button picked up two helpers. . . . Attendance was 2,794. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Connor Rankin broked a 1-1 tie at 15:20 of the second period and the Tri-City Americans went on to a 4-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Tigers had an eight-game winning streak snapped. They had won in Everett, Portland and Seattle. . . . The Americans have won four in a row. . . . Rankin has seven goals. . . . F Marcus Messier scored his first goal for the Americans. The 16-year-old from Canmore, Alta., scored in his 14th game. . . . Attendance was 3,922. . . .
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In Prince George, F Charles Inglis broke a 3-3 tie at 9:53 of the third period to give the Cougars a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Inglis had opened the scoring at 6:45 of the first period. He has 12 goals this season. . . . After F Brett Connolly gave the home team a 3-0 lead with his 21st goal just 52 seconds into the second period, F Jimmy Bubnick scored three straight goals for the Hitmen, evening the score at 3 at 4:11 of the third. . . . F Misha Fisenko drew three assists for Calgary. . . . Attendance was 1,755. . . . The Cougars now are alone atop the B.C. Division, two points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets and Vancouver Giants. . . . The Hitmen, the WHL’s defending champions, became the first team this season to hit 20 losses. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Zach Franko had a goal and an assist to lead the Rockets to a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Rockets, who began the season 4-10, now are 15-11-0. In other words, they have won 11 of their last 12 outings. . . . D Brenden Dillon, 20, a free agent who is drawing NHL interest, had a goal and an assist for Seattle. . . . Attendance was 6,021. . . .
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In Chilliwack, F Josh Nicholls scored twice to help the Saskatoon Blades to a 7-3 victory over the Bruins. . . . The Blades now are 2-0 on their B.C. Division swing. They are to play the Blazers in Kamloops on Friday. . . . Saskatoon F Lukas Sutter scored his third goal in a week. He has three goals on the season. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 36 shots. . . . The Bruins were 1-for-7 on the PP, while the Blades were 0-for-1. . . . F Chris Collins, who was acquired from Chilliwack, had a goal and an assist. . . . F Curt Gogol, who went the other way in that deal, had a goal for the Bruins. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore played 28:12 minutes — he was lifted after giving up four goals, three in the second period — and moved into first place on the franchise’s list for minutes played, at 5,339. Mark Friesen had held the record, at 5,328 minutes. . . . Attendance was 2,637. . . .
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In Portland, F Kevin King scored twice, the last one into an empty net, as the Kootenay Ice dropped the Winterhawks, 5-3. . . . King has 14 goals. . . . Ice D Brayden McNabb and F Matt Fraser each had two assists. . . . Attenance was 1,698. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 24 shots, including a second-period penalty shot by F Oliver Gabriel. . . . The Winterhawks have lost four in a row. . . . The Ice has won three in a row and is one point behind the Eastern Conference-leading Saskatoon Blades.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One major:
Lethbridge F Neil Tarnasky

http://twitter.com/gdrinnan

Moon continues to shine

The PBR Canadian Cup National Finals presented by Wrangler are scheduled for Saskatoon, in Credit Union Centre, Nov. 19 and 20.
The CUC, of course, is home to the Saskatoon Blades.
So the Blades have cut a promotional deal with PBR Canada and Wrangler that includes the use of a third jersey.
Yes, that is the third jersey in the photo above.
The Blades plan on wearing these jerseys on Nov. 12 against the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
One look at those jerseys raises a question: They practically scream WRANGLER, even through there is no label in evidence. So how long before we see advertising patches on WHL team jerseys?
When you see a jersey like this one it makes you think it won’t be long until there are Husky/Mohawk patches on the front and KalTire strips across the back.
Or maybe it’ll have Drake Hotel across the back in place of the name bar.
(PBR? That would be Professional Bull Riders.)
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jared Aulin (Kamloops, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with Leksand (Sweden Allsvenskan). He had 16 goals and 21 assists in 64 games for the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) last season. The contract contains a one-month tryout clause, then rolls into a contract for the rest of the season. . . .
F Roman Tvrdon (Spokane, 1999-2001) signed a one-year plus option contract with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia Extraliga). He had six goals and four assists in an 11 game try-out with Skalica (Slovakia Extraliga) this season.
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Congrats to old friend Cam Moon, the long-serving radio voice of the Red Deer Rebels. He worked his 1,001st consecutive game Friday night as the Rebels beat the visiting Vancouver Giants, 5-2.
If you haven’t listened to Moon call a game, you should. He’s personable and easy to listen to, and he and analyst Mike Moller clearly enjoy bringing the games to their listening audience.
Moon will be back at it tonight as the Saskatoon Blades visit Red Deer. Moon once played goal for the Blades — he also played for the Prince Albert Raiders and Medicine Hat Tigers — and has some great stories to tell, most of which are fit only for private conversations.
He will have a tougher time calling tonight’s game than he did last night. You can bet on that. . . . Why? . . . Because he is one of the biggest baseball fans around. So you know he’ll have Game 3 of the World Series up on his laptop tonight. Yes, he is talented enough to keep one eye on Texas and San Francisco, while talking about Saskatoon and Red Deer.
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Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate, has a story right here on the Seattle Thunderbirds’ backup goaltender. Michael Salmon hasn’t had a whole lot to do this season because he’s the caddy for Calvin Pickard, perhaps the WHL’s best goaltender. Salmon, however, is working hard and trying to be a good teammate.
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Former WHL scoring champion Erik Christensen continues to be his own worst enemy. Christensen has all the tools to be a superb offensive player -- he won the 2002-03 WHL scoring title with 108 points while with the Kamloops Blazers -- has always struggled to deal with the pressure he puts on himself to perform. That is the problem again, this time as he struggles to find his place with the New York Rangers. Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes about it right here.
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haven’t seen all of Hockey Canada’s officiating assignments for IIHF events, but at least four WHL officials have been selected to work on the international stage. . . . Matt Kirk and Pat Smith will work at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. . . . Kiel Murchison will be at the the IIHF World Championship in Bratislava and Kosice, Slovakia, April 29 though May 5. . . . Trent Knorr gets the U-18 World Championship (Division 3, Group B) in Mexico City, March 14-19.
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There was an interesting goaltending battle in Canada West hockey on Friday night as the visiting Alberta Golden Bears scored a 5-4 shootout victory over the Calgary Dinos. . . . Kurtis Mucha of the Golden Bears stopped 18 shots through OT and then turned aside five shooters in a shootout. At the other end, Dustin Butler turned aside 29 shots and stopped the first four shootout shooters he faced before F Sean Ringrose scored to win it. . . . Calgary F Matt Isbister had given his side a 4-3 lead at 18:56 of the third, only to have Alberta F Chad Klassen tie it at 19:42.
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It was one year ago tonight when Ben Fanelli of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers was crushed by Mike Liambis of the Erie Otters. Liambis now is playing for the UBC Thunderbirds, who play in the CIS’s Canada West conference. But waht of Fanelli? It turns out he has yet to receive medical clearance to return to game action. Jeff Hicks of the Kitchener-Waterloo Record has that story right here.
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John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that U.S. college hockey officials will meet with NHL people on Nov. 9 in Toronto. The college hockey people, including Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., are concerned about losing young players to NHL teams. Shipley’s story is right here.
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Haven’t seen one like this in a while. In the Central league last night, the host Missouri Mavericks scored a 5-2 victory over the Mississippi RiverKings. The teams combined for 300 penalty minutes. Check out the scoresheet right here. Gotta love the fact that each team ended up with 150 minutes.
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FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
CHILLIWACK 7 at CALGARY 2: F Roman Horak had two goals and an assist and F Ryan Howse drew three assists for the Bruins (8-4-0), who won their fourth straight game. . . . D Brandon Manning helped out with a goal and three helpers. . . . The Hitmen (4-9-0) have lost five in a row and have scored six goals in those games. . . . The Bruins scored the game’s first two goals — F Brandon Magee getting his first WHL goal and Horak getting his eighth — before the Hitmen roared back to tie it before the first period ended. . . . F Justin Krisch and F Trevor Cheek, with his first WHL score, counted for Calgary. . . . The Bruins, however, got goals from F Robin Soudek, his sixth, and F Chris Collins, his first, before the first period ended. Soudek scored at 17:53, with Collins scoring shorthanded at 19:46. . . . Manning, with his fifth, gave Chilliwack a 5-2 lead in the second. . . . Horak, with his ninth, and F Kevin Sundher, with his second, finished the scoring in the third. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 30 shots. . . . Calgary opened with Juraj Holly. He gave up two goals on five shots and left at 4:39 of the first. Michael Snider came on to stop 20 of 25. . . . The Bruins were 2-for-6 on the PP and now are 23-for-75 (30.7 per cent) on the season. . . . Attendance was 7,813. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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BRANDON 4 at KOOTENAY 5 (SO): The Ice scored three shootout goals to win this one. . . . F Matt Fraser, F Jesse Ismond and F Max Reinhart beat Brandon G Liam (Sonny) Liston, who stopped 37shots through OT. It was the first shootout of Liston’s WHL career. . . . Ice G Brett Teskey stopped 13 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings (6-9-1) were playing the seventh game of an eight-game swing that ends tonight in Lethbridge. . . . The Ice now is 11-3-1 and has won seven in a row. . . . The Wheat Kings led this one 3-0 at 12:18 of the first period on goals by F Brenden Walker, his seventh, D Brodie Melnychuk (3) and F Mark Stone (9). . . . The Ice came back to take a 4-3 lead, with F Drew Czerwonka counting at 11:38 of the third period for that lead. . . . Brandon F Hampus Gustafsson forced OT at 12:34 of the third. . . . F Scott Glennie and F Paul Ciarelli each had two assists for Brandon. . . . F Christian Magnus, D Joey Leach and Czerwonka each had a goal and an assist for the Ice, while F Elgin Pearce had two assists. . . . Brandon was 0-for-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 2,478. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . The Ice was without two defencemen — Hayden Rintoul (collarbone) and James Martin (nose). They lost D John Neibrandt after a second-period scrap with F Michael Ferland.
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SPOKANE 2 at MOOSE JAW 3: D Connor Cox scored at 15:40 of the third period to break a 2-2 tie. It was his third goal of the season. . . . The Warriors (6-8-1) got the game’s first goal, from F Dylan Hood at 6:39 of the first, and the teams alternated goals after that. . . . Chiefs F Levko Koper forged a 2-2 tie at 5:54 of the third on the PP. . . . The Chiefs (5-7-0), who had won three of four, were playing Game 1 of an eight-game road trip. . . . Moose Jaw F Danny Gayle had a goal and an assist. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk kicked out 21 shots, while Spokane’s James Reid turned aside 40. . . . The Chiefs were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-for-4. . . . Attendance was 2,556. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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SWIFT CURRENT 4 at PRINCE ALBERT 3 (OT): F Stepan Novotny’s 11th goal of the season, at 2:04 of OT, won it for the Broncos (9-8-0). . . . The Raiders (5-7-4) have lost six in a row. . . . Prince Albert’s Sebastian Svendsen scored twice, giving him 10. He opened the scoring at 15:52 of the first period and the teams alternated scoring after that. . . . Swift Current F Cody Eakin, returning from a hip injury, tied the score 3-3 with his ninth goal at 7:43 of the third on the PP. . . . F Mark McNeill and F Jonathan Parker each had two assists for P.A. . . . The Broncos got two assists from F Taylor Vause, while F Justin Dowling, playing with a sore right shoulder, had a goal and an assist. . . . The Broncos were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Raideers were 1-for-5. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped 37 shots, 12 more than Prince Albert’s Eric Williams. . . . Attendance was 2,073. . . . The Raiders played again without three defencemen — Jordan Rowley (wrist), Nathan Deck (knee) and Emerson Hrynyk (shoulder). . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . Of the 13 minor penalties handed out, four were for goaltender interference. Each team took two of those penalties.
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VANCOUVER 2 at RED DEER 5: F Andrej Kudrna had a goal and two assists for the Rebels (10-5-0). They acquired Kudrna, who has nine goals, from the Giants last season. . . . F Byron Froese added two goals for the Rebels. He has eight on the season. . . . D Alex Petrovic and F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had two helpers for the home team. . . . The Giants (9-6-2), who had won four in a row, scored the game’s first and last goals. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher had his 16-game point streak snapped. Gallagher, with 15 goals and 13 assists, had at least one point in each of his team’s 16 games going into this one. . . . Giants F Craig Cunningha, who leads the WHL with 34 points, also was held pointless. He had been riding a 10-game streak. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots. Vancouver opened with Mark Segal, who gave up four goals on 22 shots. Brendan Jensen came on late in the second period and stopped nine of 10. . . . The Giants were 1-for-7 on the PP; the Rebels were 3-for-7. . . . Vancouver took 50 of the game’s 90 penalty minutes. . . . Attendance was 4,408. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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PRINCE GEORGE 2 at SEATTLE 0: G Ty Rimmer stopped 36 shots for his first WHL shutout. Rimmer, who was acquired by Prince George from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Oct. 16 for a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, was making his first start for the Cougars (8-6-1). . . . This was the first shutout by a Prince George goaltender since March 6, 2009, when Kevin Armstrong stopped 31 shots in a 2-0 victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . Last night, the teams were scoreless well into the third period. . . . F Nick Buonassisi broke the scoreless tie with his sixth of the season, on the PP, at 13:59. . . . F Taylor Stefishen added insurancee at 16:24. It was his second of the season. . . . Tefishen, Buonassisi and D Martin Marincin each had two points. . . . G Calvin Pickard stopped 30 shots for Seattle (5-3-3). . . . The Thunderbirds have lost four in a row, with the first three of those losses coming in OT or a shootout. This, in fact, was their first loss in regulation in seven games. . . . The Cougars were 1-for-8 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-for-7. . . . Attendance was 3,033. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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TRI-CITY 3 at EVERETT 2 (SO): The Americans (11-4-1) got two shootout goals, while both Everett (5-4-4) shooters were blanked. . . . F Adam Hughesman and F Patrick Holland both scored in the shootout. . . . The Silvertips have lost five in a row and have scored seven goals in those games. . . . The Americans have won four of five. . . . F Parker Stanfield scored his third goal at 2:30 of the second period to give the Silvertips a 2-1 lead. . . . F Brooks Macek got his third at 9:21 of the second to tie the score at 2-2. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley turned aside 38 shots, seven more than Everett’s Kent Simpson. . . . This was victory No. 48 for Owsley, moving him into seventh on the franchise’s all-time list, one ahead of Olaf Kolzig, who now is one of the team’s owners. . . . The Americans were 1-for-3 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 6,422. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . The Silvertips announced after the game that their Pink in the Rink auction raised US$38,807.77, with proceeds benefiting the Providence General Foundation. Among other things, they auctioned off special game jerseys. The highest price paid for a jersey was $1,500, for D Ryan Murray’s. . . . And a special tip of the cap to Denny Spencer, a season-ticket holder in Everett. He donated $5,000 in memory of his wife, who recently lost her battle with breast cancer. You, sir, are someone special.
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KELOWNA 2 at PORTLAND 4: The Winterhawks (11-2-1) broke a 1-1 tie with three straight goals as they welcomed F Nino Niederreiter back into their lineup. . . . Niederreiter, the fifth pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft, was sent back by the New York Islanders on Thursday. He had one assist last night. . . . Niederreiter had a goal and an assist in nine games with the Isles. According to CapGeek.com, he was paid US$101,613 while in the NHL. . . . The Winterhawks have won five in a row. . . . D Joe Morrow scored for Portland, on the PP, at 8:45 of the first, with Kelowna F Cody Chikie, who scored both Kelowna goals, tying it at 9:04 with his first of the season. . . . F Riley Boychuk broke the 1-1 tie at 16:55 of the first. . . . After a scoreless second period, the Winterhawks got third-period goals from F Brad Ross, his seventh, at 15:32, and F Sven Bartschi, his 10th, at 15:59. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie had two assists. . . . Rattie and Bartschi are on eight-game point streaks. . . . The Rockets, who have lost four of five, are 4-9-0. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 33 shots, while Kelowna’s Adam Brown turned aside 32. . . . Kelowna wsa 0-for-9 on the PP; Portland was 1-for-8. . . . Attendance was 2,448. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . However, the teams, who play again tonight in Portland, combined for 114 penalty minutes, with the Winterhawks taking 58 of those.
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Congratulations to all of the players who were in action on Friday night. Eight games and not one checking-from-behind penalty. In Regina, Brad Hornung is smiling.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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