The headline on the Jeff Z. Klein-written piece in The New York Times a week ago reads: In N.H.L., Disclosure of Concussions is Lagging.
Klein writes: “The N.H.L. has earned praise this season for taking measures to reduce concussions, including introducing stronger rules against boarding and checks to the head, and strictly enforcing those rules through fines and suspensions. But questions persist about a league policy that allows teams to be vague about disclosure of injuries, and a recent incident suggested that in-game concussion protocols might be inconsistently applied.”
Klein goes on to write about, among other things, the way the New York Rangers have dealt with updates on the condition of D Marc Staal, who has yet to play this season, and the way in which the Toronto Maple Leafs handled the apparent concussion suffered by G James Reimer, who “has not played since Oct. 22, when he sustained an injury that the Maple Leafs have characterized variously as whiplash, concussion-like symptoms and an upper-body injury.”
The Reimer situation is particularly interesting because it turned into a story with some legs. With the Maple Leafs refusing to clarify the situation, Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star called Reimer’s mother and wrote a piece on the injured goaltender from that angle.
As Marlene Reimer told Feschuk: “That’s the frustrating part for us — not knowing what it is, and why they’re not calling it a concussion when they say ‘concussion-like symptoms.’ ”
The Leafs, of course, weren’t at all pleased with Feschuk’s piece. As Damien Cox of the Toronto Star points out right here, the Leafs are upset because, like so many organizations these days, they want to control the message 24/7 and would rather provide transparency only on their terms.
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Brendan Shanahan, the NHL’s vice-president of player safety, said earlier this week that concussions in the league are down 50 to 60 per cent.
But with the NHL refusing to divulge figures and to be transparent about injuries, can he be believed?
A story written by Steve Keating of Reuters on Tuesday quotes Shanahan as saying: "They are less than half from the same time last year, so it's a significant improvement. We would love get rid of them all, but we know we're not going to do that."
Keating also pointed out: “The NHL did not provide figures but the high number of (suspensions) handed out by Shanahan appear to have gotten the message across that dangerous hits will no longer be tolerated.”
Well, if the NHL doesn’t supply figures, and knowing how the messenger often shapes the messages in this day and age, why should it be believed?
The WHL also refuses to divulge specifics on injuries. In fact, in the injury list that was released this week there are 35 players shown as being out with upper body injuries, while 16 others have lower body injuries.
Which means there could be more than 30 players out with concussions at this point. However, we don’t know that because no one is talking.
For example, the Spokane Chiefs list F Dominik Uher as being out day-to-day with an upper body injury. I’m told he has a concussion, that he will undergo baseline testing on Friday and that he is expected to be out at least two weeks.
The WHL injury list doesn’t include F Colton Stephenson of the Edmonton Oil Kings, who retired earlier this season because of post-concussion syndrome; F Max Adolph of the Kelowna Rockets, who is at home in Saskatoon recovering from multiple concussions; and, F Brayden Cuthbert of the Moose Jaw Warriors, who is at home in Brandon and hoping to come back from concussion woes.
At the end of this season, the WHL is going to tell us how much concussions are down from last season, when players suffered more than 100 such injuries.
But, really, how will we know?
(It will be interesting to see what information is released on the injury suffered Wednesday night by G Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers. He was on the WHL bench during the Subway Series game in Regina against the Russians when he was struck in the head by an errant clearing pass. He was taken to hospital as a precaution and has been told he won't play tonight in the series finale in Moose Jaw. Concussion? He did miss some time in last season's playoffs with a concussion, too.)
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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Taking Note on Twitter
Showing posts with label NHL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NHL. Show all posts
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
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| Brenden Dillon, a defenceman with the Seattle Thunderbirds, has signed a three-year contract with the NHL’s Dallas Stars. (Photo by Kyle Scholzen/Seattle Thunderbirds) |
Here is the press release that was issued Tuesday by the Thunderbirds:Kent, March 1, 2011 - Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Brenden Dillon signed a three-year entry level contract this afternoon with the Dallas Stars of the NHL.
"I have appreciated the attention and interest from NHL teams," said Dillon. "I am excited and looking forward to being a part of the Stars organization."
Dillon, a 20-year-old, is in his fourth season with the T-Birds. He is currently second on the team in scoring with 50 points on six goals and 44 assists. Dillon also has 128 penalty minutes this season. Dillon will remain with the T-Birds until the end of the 2010-11 season.
"We are happy to hear Brenden has finalized his contract with Dallas," said T-Birds general manager Russ Farwell. "He has worked very hard over his junior career to earn his chance and it is great to see him rewarded by signing an NHL contract. He has matured a great deal this year and is ready to move on to pro hockey and the next step in his career."
Dillon has played in 271 games in his four seasons with the T-Birds and has nine goals and 76 assists for 85 points with 365 penalty minutes.
"It was a tough decision for Brenden with so many quality teams interested" said Dillon's agent Jarret Bousquet, of Titan Sports Management. "This was the right decision at the right time for Brenden."
And here is the release that was issued by the Stars:
The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed defenseman Brenden Dillon to a three-year entry level contract, beginning with the 2011-12 season. Dillon will remain with his current club, the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL), for the rest of the 2010-11 season.
Dillon, 21, spent the last four seasons with the Thunderbirds, collecting 85 points (9g, 76a) in 271 games. The Surrey, British Columbia, native has appeared in 63 games this season for Seattle with 50 points (6g, 44a), setting career highs in both goals and assists in a single season. Dillon currently leads the Thunderbirds in assists and is second in overall points.
The 6-3, 209-pound defenseman participated in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2009 training camp. Prior to his four seasons with Seattle, Dillon played with the Hope Icebreakers of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League (PIJHL), a junior league team in British Columbia during the 2006-07 season and scored four goals and 27 assists along with 54 penalty minutes.
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One of the week’s best hockey reads comes from Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada. This week’s offering is right here.
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F Brayden Schenn of the Saskatoon Blades is the WHL’s player of the month for February. Schenn, 19, had 32 points, including 13 goals, in 13 games. . . . As Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix tweeted: “(Schenn) also solved the Caramilk secret.” . . . The WHL’s goaltender of the month is Mac Engel of the Spokane Chiefs. Engel, 17, got his chance to play when James Reid went out with an injury. In February, Engel was 9-2-0, 1.83, .930, and he had two shutouts. . . . The 13th annual Hockey Challenge, which was held last weekend at the ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash., raised $170,000 for Ronald McDonald House charities of Western Washington and Alaska. The Seattle Thunderbirds and RMHC made the announcement Tuesday. The Hockey Challenge has raised more than $4 million over 13 years. . . . In Swift Current, the Prince Albert Raiders, with F Justin Maylan enjoying a five-point night, posted a 6-2 victory over the Broncos, who have lost eight in a
row. . . . Raiders F Jonathan Parker scored twice, giving him 41. . . . The victory lifted the eighth-place Raiders two points ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Broncos now are eight points out with seven games left. . . . Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, reports that F Killian Hutt may return to action next week. Hutt hasn’t played since suffering a concussion during a game in Kamloops on Dec. 10. According to Mullin, Hutt finally is symptom free and has rejoined the Broncos. . . . F Dylan Hood scored three goals to lead the host Moose Jaw Warriors to a victory
over the Regina Pats. The Pats lost G Damien Ketlo in the second period when he took a Spencer Edwards shot off the mask. Ketlo stayed in the game for a few minutes, but then skated to the Pats’ bench and was replaced by Matt Hewitt. . . . The Warriors erased 2-0 and 3-2 deficits. . . . Hood has 28 goals. His 27th broke a 3-3 tie at 11:03 of the third period. . . . Moose Jaw head coach Dave Hunchak (ill) sat this one out, meaning assistant coach Mike Vandenberghe ran the bench. . . . The Warriors clinched a playoff spot with the victory; they are fifth and likely will finish there. . . . Regina, with eight games to play, is five points behind Prince Albert. . . . The Pats will be back in Moose Jaw on March 12 for their final regular-season appearance in the Crushed Can. Perhaps former Pats radio voice Kevin Gallant could put in an appearance wearing that Donald Duck costume. Ahh, the memories from the Crushed Can. . . . .G Tyler Bunz stopped 40 shots as the Medicine Hat Tigers skated out of Red Deer with
a 4-2 victory over the Rebels. It was the Tigers’ 40th victory and lifted them to within four points of the Central Division-leading Rebels. . . . Medicine Hat came out of the first period with a 2-0 lead, despite being outshot 21-9. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey had a goal, his 41st, and an assist. He leads the WHL with 107 points, three more than Spokane Chiefs F Tyler Johnson. . . . Medicine Hat is within four points of the Central Division-leading Rebels. The Tigers have a game in hand. . . The Seattle Thunderbirds got two goals and two assists from F Burke Gallimore, who now has 30, and beat the visiting Vancouver Giants, 4-2. . . . The Thunderbirds move into a tie for ninth with the Chilliwack Bruins, five points out of the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Giants remained two points behind the B.C. Division-leading Kelowna Rockets. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks got four points from each of their
Swiss imports, F Nino Niederreiter and F Sven Bartschi, as they got past the Tri-City Americans, 6-5. . . . The Winterhawks, who top the Western Conference, now are three points ahead of the Spokane Chiefs and 11 up on the Americans. . . . Niederreiter had two goals and two assists; Bartschi was one and three. . . . The Americans dressed 16 skaters as they have F Adam Hughesman (knee), F Mason Wilgosh (knee), F Jordan Messier (shoulder), F Neal Prokop (charley horse) and G Drew Owsley (knee) all listed as being out week-to-week.———
TUESDAY’S CFB COUNT:
One minor:
Regina D Brandon Davidson
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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Taking Note on Twitter
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Some Saturday stuff . . .
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| Brendan Shinnimin (24) and his Americans teammates were in the pink Friday night. And you’ve gotta love the tie on the gentleman just over Shinnimin’s right shoulder. Well done, sir! (Photo by John Allen, AridAcres.com) |
The Americans won the game, 5-2, before 5,673 fans on was the sixth annual Fred Meyer Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
The fans set a record as the fund-raiser raised a total of $22,258.71, a 10.5-percent increase over last year. It also was the sixth straight season that the total has increased. All told, Americans fans have contributed $92,813 over the event’s history.
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The recruiting war involving American players isn’t going away. Robert Mays in the Boston Globe writes that the NCAA’s Division 1 Legislative Council voted down a proposal that would have swung things in the CHL’s favour. Mays’s story is right here.
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The Swift Current Broncos have lost seven in a row and their playoff hopes are
fading. It doesn’t help that F Killian Hutt (concussion) hasn’t played since Dec. 10 and F Justin Dowling (ankle), F Taylor Vause (ankle), F Jordan Evans (concussion) and F Jordan Peddle (two-game suspension) are out. . . . The Broncos lost 4-3 to the visiting Regina Pats on Friday night. That was Regina’s seventh victory in as many games against the Broncos this season. . . . The Broncos have brought back G Derek Tendler, who turned 19 on Jan. 1. Acquired from the Vancouver Giants earlier in the season, he later was assigned to the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints. . . . F Brayden Schenn of the Saskatoon Blades should be prepared to hear his name a lot in NHL trade talks as Monday’s deadline arrives. Here’s the latest, via Twitter, from Sportsnet columnist Mark Spector: “Hemsky-to-LA trade a non-starter w/o Brayden Schenn coming back to Oil. LA not ready to deal Schenn today. This is a Monday deal, if at all.” . . . Spector also columnized on the subject and that piece is right here. . . .
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The NHL’s Nashville Predators’ lineup on Saturday included D Jon Blum, a product of the Vancouver Giants who is from Long Beach, Calif., and F Blake Geoffrion, who is from Nashville. . . . In other words, the NCAA vs. CHL war isn’t going to end soon. . . .
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There was some ownershjip news in the QMJHL on Saturday, as a chunk of the Quebec Remparts changed hands. The Montreal Gazette has more right here. . . . Meanwhile, the Moncton Times and Transcript reports that the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats badly want to hold an outdoor game. That story is right here.———
On the Ice in the QMJHL, the Victoriaville Tigers beat Saint John 2-1, handing the Sea Dogs their first regulation loss in 2011. The Sea Dogs had picked up points in 22 straight games, going 21-0-1. . . .
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F Shayne Wiebe scored twice last night, and the first one was the 100th of his WHL
career, as his Brandon Wheat Kings went on to beat the visiting Regina Pats, 9-3. The Wheat Kings have won nine in a row on home ice. Overall, they have won seven of eight and 13 of 17. . . . Brandon F Matt MacKay had an assist to run his point streak to 17 games. He has 35 points, including 13 goals, over that stretch. Only Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin (21 games) has had a longer streak this season. . . . The Wheat Kings have scored at least seven goals in five of their last 10 games. . . .———
Barring a playoff meeting, the Saskatoon Blades made their final visit to the
Crushed Can in Moose Jaw last night. You can bet it was a fun place to be, what with 2,869 fans in the pews. . . . The Blades won 2-1 on F Curtis Hamilton’s shootout goal. . . . Gotta think Blades GM/head coach Lorne Molleken took a long look around before he exited. He has a long history as a player, coach and GM in that building. . . . Actually thought he might toss a water bottle or a stick or something, you know, just for old time’s sake. . . .———
Edmonton D Adrian Van de Mosselaer played in his 209th regular-season game last
night and had his first two-goal game in a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. He has 15 career goals, seven of them this season. . . . Attendance in Edmonton was a season-high 8,361. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Mark Pysyk, their captain, after he left Friday’s 6-3 loss in Lethbridge in the second period with an upper body injury. . . . F Tyler Pitlick had his first three-goal game as the host Medicine Hat Tigers dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 7-3. Pitlick, a draft pick of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, has 62 points in 55 games. . . . The Tigers got two goals from F Emerson Etem, who now has 38 goals in 56 games, and that is one more than he scored in 72 games last season as a freshman. . . . The Tigers welcomed back D Patrik Parkkonen (shoulder) last night. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey drew three assists and now leads the WHL with 105 points, two more than Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . .———
F Geordie Wudrick scored the game’s last two goals as the Kelowna Rockets skated to a 4-3 OT victory over the Hitmen in Calgary. Wudrick, who has 36 goals, tied it at 16:33 of the third and won it 59 seconds into OT. . . . Kelowna F Colton Sissons, a 17-year-old from North Vancouver, is turning into a force with which to be reckoned. He had a goal and two assists in Calgary, and now has 35 points in 57 games. He has 12 points over his last seven games. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter had two
goals, including the winner with 33.9 seconds left in the third, as the Winterhawks beat the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), 4-3, in Kent, Wash. . . . The victory was the 100th in the WHL for Winterhawks GM/head coach Mike Johnston. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton stopped 28 shots in his second straight start in the absence of Mac Carruth. He hasn’t played since being hit by Prince George F Spencer Asuchak on Tuesday. Asuchak, who was given a major and game misconduct, is serving a three-game suspension. . . . Last night, Portland F Ty Rattie left in the third period and didn’t return. . . .———
After a run of five straight OT games, the Kamloops Blazers finally won in
regulation, beating the host Kootenay Ice 8-5 in Cranbrook. . . . The Blazers went 4-0-1 on a swing through the Central Division. . . . Kamloops RW Jordan DePape, who is playing on the back end with three defenceman out, had a goal and two assists, and was plus-4. . . . This was the Ice’s first home game since Jeff Chynoweth, the franchise’s president, governor and GM, admitted frustration at attendance figures. On this night, the attendance was 2,514, which is 24 above the season average. . . . ———
When Vancouver beat the host Chilliwack Bruins 5-1 last night, it was victory No. 518 for Giants head coach Don Hay. That ties him with the late Pat Ginnell for third on the WHL’s all-time list. . . . Vancouver G Brendan Jensen stopped 16 shots in his first start since Jan. 15. . . . The Spokane Chiefs have beaten Tr-City four straight times after a 3-1 victory over the visiting Americans last night. The Chiefs lead the season series, 6-4-0, with two games remaining. . . . The Americans can clinch a playoff spot with a victory in Vancouver tonight. Tri-City has beaten Vancouver six straight times, including twice this season.
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And now there are five Eastern Conference teams assured playoff spots, with the Edmonton Oil Kings and Brandon Wheat Kings looking like they’ll finish sixth and seventh, or seventh and sixth. That leaves the Prince Albert Raiders and Lethbridge Hurricanes to scrap over the last spot. They’re tied right now, with the Regina Pats three points back. Each of those three teams has nine gmes remaining. . . .
In the Western Conference, the Chilliwack Bruins and Seattle Thunderbirds have some catching up to do. The Bruins are six points behind the eighth-place Prince George Cougars. Yes, Chilliwack has three games in hand but those aren’t worth anything if you don’t win them. . . . The Thunderbirds are eight points shy of that last spot. . . . And how about those Kamloops Blazers. Two weeks ago, they were struggling to hang on to that eighth spot and looking at a five-game trip in the Central Division, that included stops in Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Kootenay, where the Eastern Conference’s Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds live. . . . The Blazers lost in OT in Red Deer, won in OT in Medicine Hat and beat the Ice in regulation. Kamloops now is seventh, just a point behind Everett and one up on Prince George.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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Taking Note on Twitter
Saturday, January 29, 2011
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| Goaltender Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans, sporting his Nuclear Night jersey, makes a save Friday while Portland Winterhawks forward Sven Bartschi watches. (Photo by Doug Love/Tri-City Americans) |
F Andrew Schneider (Seattle, Swift Current, 1988-93) signed a contract for the rest of the season with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany 2.Bundesliga) after his release by Klagenfurt (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had one goal and 11 assists in 25 games with Klagenfurt this season. This is Schneider's second tour of duty with Schwenningen, having played for the Wild Wings from 1997 to 2000. . . .
D Mike Siklenka (Seattle, 1997-99) signed a contract for the rest of this season and the next three seasons with Klagenfurt (Austria Erste Bank Liga). The conract runs through the end of 2013-14. Siklenka had three goals and 10 assists in 36 games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) this season. . . .
F Codey Burki (Brandon, 2002-07) has been recalled from loan to Thurgau (Switzerland NL B) by Lugano (Switzerland NL A) and loaned out to Lagenthal (Switzerland NL B) for the rest of this season. He had six goals and five assists in 12 games during his assignment to Thurgau.
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Mike Johnston, the general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, is a finalist for the Slats Gill Award as Oregon‘s sportsperson of the year. The award goes annually to the outstanding coach, administrator or organization from an Oregon-based team at any level of competition. It will be awarded Sunday at the Oregon Sports Awards. . . . According to a Winterhawks release, the other nominees are Linfield College baseball coach Scott Brosius, Aloha High School football coach Chris Casey, University of Oregon football coach Chip Kelly and University of Oregon cross-country/track and field coach Vin Lananna. . . . The awards will be presented in the Tiger Woods Center at Nike’s headquarters. Former NFL player Ahmad Rashad will play host to the event, which will be televised later on Comcast Sports Northwest.
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The most recent eight-game suspension to a CHL player wasn’t for a positive drug test, a doping infraction as it is oftentimes called.
No. This one was for a flying elbow and it went to Kingston Frontenacs D Erik Gudbranson, who played for Canada at the World Junior Championship. Yes, this is the same fellow who was selected by the Florida Panthers with the third overall pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft.
Gudbranson was suspended for drilling Oshawa F J.P. Labardo, who ended up with a five-game suspension for his headshot on the Kingston goaltender.
Earlier this season, Gudbranson sat out a five-game sentence for a headshot on Cosimo Fontana of the Ottawa 67’s. Fontana remains sidelined with a concussion.
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George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press reports that F Landon Ferraro of the Everett Silvertips was to have hernia surgery on Friday. According to Sipple, who spoke with Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill, Ferraro was to have the surgery and should be on his way home Monday to begin rehab. He is expected to be out for up to two months. Ferraro has signed with the Detroit Red Wings, who selected him in the second round of the 2009 NHL draft.
Sipple’s story is right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Kootenay Ice has added D Mike Simpson, a sixth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, to its roster while D Luke Paulsen recovers from a concussion. Paulsen tried to play earlier in the week but wasn’t able to finish. . . . The 6-foot-4 Simpson plays for the junior B Port Moody, B.C., Black Panthers. . . . Matt Coxford of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman reports that G Mackenzie Skapski will make his first WHL start tonight against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. Skapski is a great story. He was selected by the Ice in the third round of the 2009 bantam draft and needed facial surgery after being injured when the major midget Fraser Valley Bruins’ bus went off the road during a trip to Prince George last season. Skapski plays for the junior B Ridge Meadow, B.C., Flames. . . . F Bretton Cameron and G Tyson Sexsmith both are back with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. Cameron (Medicine Hat, 2005-10) had been up with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale. He picked up one assist in two games. Sexsmith (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, 2004-09) was with the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. Sexsmith has been injured and hasn’t played since Nov. 7. . . .
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, F Mark Stone broke a 3-3 tie at 11:11 of the third period to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 4-3 victory over the Hitmen. . . . He’s got 25 goals. . . . The Wheat Kings won for the fourth time in five games and moved into sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. . . . F Shayne Wiebe got his 27th goal for Brandon. . . . D Alex Roach of Calgary and D Rene Hunter of Brandon each scored his second goal of the season. It was the second WHL goal for each player, as well. . . . F Matt MacKay had a goal and two assists for Brandon. . . . F Misha Fisenko had two assists for Calgary. . . . Attendance was 10,156. . . . The Wheat Kings are in Medicine Hat tonight, while the Hitmen travel to Red Deer.
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In Moose Jaw, the Crushed Can was hopping as the Warriors scored twice in the second half of the third period to beat the Regina Pats, 4-3. . . . Moose Jaw moved into a tie for fourth with the idle Medicine Hat Tigers in the Eastern Conference. They are one point behind the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Dylan Hood got his 23rd to forge a 3-3 tie on a PP at 10:51. F Sam Fioretti got the winner, his seventh goal of the season, at 12:31. . . . Hood finished with two goals and an assist. . . . Moose Jaw F Antonin Honejsek had a goal and two helpers, while F Quinton Howden drew two assists. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-for-7 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-3. . . . Due to illness, the Pats only dressed 18 players and one or two of those saw limited playing time. . . . F Cody Beach didn’t dress for the Warriors. Head coach Dave Hunchak told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald that Beach was out for “failing to meet team standards.” . . . Attendance was 2,883. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Regina, and Beach is expected to play. . . . The Pats now are 11th in the conference. They are only three points out of a playoff spot, but need to climb over three teams to get there. . . .
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In Saskatoon, F Chris Collins scored twice and set up another as the Blades beat the Swift Current Broncos, 6-3. . . . Saskatoon F Marek Viedensky and F Josh Nicholls each had a goal and two assists. . . . The Blades, who have won four in a row, scored the game’s first five goals. . . . D Dalton Reum scored his first goal of the season for the Broncos, who have lost five in a row. It also was his first WHL goal. The 18-year-old from Camrose, Atla., played 37 games last season and has gotten into 13 games this season. . . . The Broncos haven’t won since Jan. 15, when they won 3-2 to end Saskatoon’s 11-game home-ice winning streak. . . . The Saskatoon unit that features Brayden Schenn, Curtis Hamilton and Jake Trask was held pointless. . . . Attendance was 4,908. . . . There were four incidents of fisticuffs. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Swift Current. . . .
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In Lethbridge, the Kootenay Ice erased a 3-2 third-period deficit and beat the Hurricanes, 6-3. . . . D Daniel Johnston’s first goal of the season, in his 45th game, gave the home team a 4-3 lead on a PP at 2:50 of the third period. . . . Ice F Kevin King tied it, with his 22nd, at 5:09, on a PP, and D Hayden Rintoul’s first of the season, at 10:06, gave the visitors the lead. . . . Rintoul was playing in his 29th game of the season. . . . F Elgin Pearce got his ninth on a PP at 14:28 and D Brayden McNabb got the empty-netter, at 19:02. . . . McNabb, who has 13 goals, also had two assists, while F Max Reinhart had three helpers. . . . F Austin Fyten pulled Lethbridge into a 2-2 tie with his 20th and 21st goals in the latter half of the second period. . . . Attendance was 3,229. . . . The Ice is third in the conference, one point ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Ice and Hurricanes meet tonight in Cranbrook. . . .
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In Red Deer, it was another perfect night for G Darcy Kuemper as the Rebels blanked the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-0. . . . Kuemper stopped 31 shots, including 11 in each of the first two periods, as he earned his CHL-leading 10th shutout. It also was the 16th of his career. He set franchise single-season and career shutouts earlier this season. . . . Red Deer has won 10 in a row and is 10-0-1 in its last 11. . . . The Rebels are three points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Saskatoon Blades, who hold two games in hand. . . . The Rebels got two goals from F Brett Ferguson, who has 17, and one from D Aaron Borejko, who has one. He got it in his 51st game of the season. In his career, he now has three goals in 158 games -- two in 97 games with Red Deer, one in 61 games with the Kelowna Rockets. . . . F Ryan Nugent Hopkins and F Andrej Kudrna each had a goal and an assist. . . . D Colin Archer and D Alex Petrovic each had two assists. . . . The Oil Kings, who are 0-5-1 in their last six, have been blanked three times this season. . . . Attendance was 4,588. . . . Edmonton is at home to the Prince Albert Raiders tonight (it’s Michael Jackson Night, although the King of Pop isn’t likely to be in attendance), while the Rebels are at home to the Calgary Hitmen. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Cody Chikie had a goal and three assists to lead the Rockets to a 7-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Rockets led this one 2-0 before the game was two minutes old as F Colton Sissons, with his ninth, and F Shane McColgan, with his 18th, both scored. F Geordie Wudrick made it 3-0 with his 26th at 6:09. . . . The Cougars got to within 3-1 and 4-2 but that was it. . . . Chikie, a 19-year-old from St. Albert, Alta., had one three-point game to his credit before this one. . . . He’s got 10 goals this season. . . . Despite there being just one scrap, the teams combined for 112 penalty minutes, with the Rockets taking 59 of those. . . . Kelowna was 0-for-10 on the PP; the Cougars were 1-for-8. . . . Attendance was 6,088. . . . The Rockets meet the visiting Vancouver Giants tonight. Kelowna is second in the B.C. Division, a point behind the Giants. . . .
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In Vancouver, the Giants outshot Kamloops 38-17 as they beat the Blazers, 3-1. . . . Vancouver has won five straight games and 10 of 12. . . . F Spencer Bennett scored twice for the Giants, giving him 24. He broke a 1-1 tie at 4:42 of the second period and added insurance at 4:57 of the third on a PP. . . . Bennett has 21 points, including 12 goals, in 13 games with Vancouver since coming over from the Portland Winterhawks. He had 21 points, 12 of them goals, in 37 games with the Winterhawks. . . . The Giants have given up only eight goals in winning five in a row. . . . Vancouver G Brendan Rowinski had two assists. . . . G Mark Segal stopped 16 shots in winning his ninth straight start. . . . Kamloops has lost five in a row and nine of 10. . . . Attendance was 10,378. . . . The Blazers meet the Bruins in Chilliwack tonight, while the Giants visit Kelowna. Vancouver leads the B.C. Division by one point over the Rockets.
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In Spokane, the Chiefs scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Chilliwack Bruins, 5-3. . . . F Darren Kramer forged a 3-3 tie at 5:32 of the second and F Matt Marantz put the Chiefs out front at 7:00. . . . Kramer has five goals; Marantz has 15. . . . F Tyler Johnson, who leads the WHL with 37 goals, iced it at 9:13 of the third. Johnson also had an assist and pulled into a tie for the lead in the WHL scoring race. He and F Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who didn’t play Friday, are tied at 82 points. Johnson also is riding a 16-game point streak. . . . F Stephen Kuhn had a goal, his 14th, and two assists for the Chiefs. . . . F Kevin Sundher had two assists for the Bruins. . . . Chiefs G Mac Engel stopped 18 shots, 20 fewer than Chilliwack’s Lucas Gore. . . . Spokane was 2-for-8 on the PP; the Bruins were 1-for-4. . . . Attendance was 7,521. . . . The Chiefs pulled to within one point of the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks. Spokane is at home to the Tri-City Americans tonight. . . .
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In Everett, G Kent Simpson stopped 35 shots to help the Silvertips blank the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-0. . . . The shutout was Simpson’s first of the season and third of his career. . . . The Silvertips have put up three shutouts this season, with Luke Siemens getting the other two. . . . Seattle has been blanked three times. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 20 of 26 shots before being relieved by Michael Salmon with 15:40 left in the third. . . . F Tyler Maxwell scored twice, giving him 31. . . . F Cody Fowlie had two goals and an assist. He went into the game with eight points, three of them goals, in 46 games. . . . Attendance was 8,045. . . . The Silvertips, Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers are tied for last in the Western Conference, one point behind the eighth-place Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Everett, Seattle and Kamloops are a combined 5-20-5 over each of their last 10 games. . . . The Prince George Cougars are in Everett tonight, while the Thunderbirds meet the visiting Portland Winterhawks. It’s Teddy Bear Toss Night at the game in Kent, Wash. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Kruise Reddick scored three goals and G Drew Owsley stopped 35 shots to lead the host Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks, who had won six in a row. . . . Tri-City is 4-1-1 against Portland this season. . . . Reddick, who now has three WHL hat tricks, scored the game’s first two goals, the opener at 3:06 of the first period on a PP, and the second at 10:31 of the first. . . . He completed his hat trick at 19:10 of the second, giving the home team a 4-0 lead on another PP. . . . The Americans, who have won 14 of 15 at home, were 2-for-7 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 2-for-8. . . . Reddick has 12 goals this season. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin had two assists for the Americans. . . . Portland D William Wrenn was even. He went into the game at plus-16 in 10 games. . . . Attendance was 6,032, the seventh largest in franchise history, on the second annual Nuclear Night. . . . One year ago, F Johnny Lazo had three goals as the Americans beat visiting Portland 6-2 on Nuclear Night. . . . The Americans are in Spokane tonight, while the Winterhawks meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Nine minors:
Regina F Garrett Mitchell (double minor)
Edmonton F Mark Reners
Prince George F James Dobrowolski
Prince George F Jaroslav Vlach
Prince George F Troy Bourke
Portland F Sven Bartschi
Tri-City F David Conrad (double minor)
Saturday, January 22, 2011
By now, you may be aware that the San Jose Sharks had former WHL G Jordan White (Prince George, Portland, 2006-08) on their bench during a 2-1 shootout victory over the Canucks in Vancouver on Thursday night. White, who attends UBC and plays for the Thunderbirds, signed a one-game amateur tryout and backed up Antti Niemi after Antero Niittymaki suffered a groin injury. Matthew Sekeres of The Globe and Mail has a good piece right here on White and how his day went. . . . Note that the the Sharks have signed JP Anderson, 18, of the OHL’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors and he’ll backup Niemi tonight against the visiting Minnesota Wild.———
SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Tyler Fiddler scored two goals to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 6-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . Fiddler, who is from Prince Albert, was named the game’s first star. He has nine goals. . . . F Igor Revenko gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead in the first period, but the Hitmen scored the next six goals. . . . That included D Ben Wilson get his third of the season on a second-period penalty shot. . . . F Jonathan Parker scored his 28th of the season for the Raiders. . . . D Jaynen Rissling scored his fourth goal and was plus-4 for Calgary. . . . Attendance was 2,442. . . . ———
In Swift Current, G Damien Ketlo stopped 47 shots to lead the Regina Pats to a 4-0 victory over the Broncos. . . . The Pats have 17 victories this season; they are 6-0-0 against the Broncos. The teams will meet two more times, both in Swift Current. . . . Ketlo has two shutouts this season and two in his career. He is 5-0-0 with two shutouts against Swift Current. . . . F Jordan Weal had a goal, his 21st, and two assists. . . . F Lyndon Martell notched his fifth goal in 10 games and was plus-3. . . . Attendance was 2,509. . . . ———
In Brandon, F Matt MacKay scored one goal and set up three others as the Wheat Kings dropped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-4. . . . MacKay, whose father Mark was born in Brandon, was acquired from the Vancouver Giants on Jan. 5. This was his first goal with the Wheat Kings. . . . F Scott Glennie and F Mark Stone each had a goal and two assists for Brandon, while F Michael Ferland scored twice. . . . The Wheat Kings scored the game’s last three goals, with MacKay pulling them into a 4-4 tie just 19 seconds into the third period. . . . Stone got his 23rd on the PP at 7:58 and Ferland got the empty-netter. . . . F Brody Sutter had two goals and an assist for the Hurricanes, while F Cam Braes had a goal and two helpers and F Austin Fyten had two assists. . . . Lethbridge F Ryan Moser scored his first goal of the season in his 31st game. He now has seven in 96 career games. . . . Attendance was 3,683. . . . ———
In Edmonton, F Antonin Honejsek scored twice and set up two others to help the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 6-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Honejsek has 20 goals this season. . . . Moose Jaw D Collin Bowman got the game’s first two goals, in the first period, giving him 10. . . . The Warriors took control with two PP goals in the first, by Bowman at 17:38 and F Joey Kornelsen, at 18:57. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 32 shots. . . . Attendance was 6,930. . . . ———
In Medicine Hat, F Daulton Siwak broke a 3-3 tie at 8:00 of the third period and the Red Deer Rebels went on to beat the Tigers, 5-3. . . . Red Deer F Brett Ferguson added insurance at 15:02. . . . Red Deer D Matt Dumba had two assists. . . . The Rebels, who won their 30th game, got a shorthanded goal from F Turner Elson, who was plus-3. . . . F Emerson Etem scored twice for the Tigers. He has 27. . . . The Rebels led 3-1 going into the third when Etem scored at 1:46 and F Wacey Hamilto got his 13th at 2:49. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Josh Aldrich of the Red Deer Advocate reports that the Rebels last won in Medicine Hat on Nov. 18, 2006. Red Deer had been 0-12-1 in The Hat since then. . . .———
In Kamloops, D Brandon Manning scored his 14th goal of the season on a PP in overtime to give the Chilliwack Bruins a 3-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . Manning loaded up from the middle point and fired a high shot past G Jeff Bosch just 21 seconds into extra time. . . . The Bruins forced OT on F Curt Gogol’s goal at 16:15 of the third period. . . . Chilliwack F Ryan Howse had a goal and an assist, and now holds the Bruins’ franchise record for career points. He has 184 career points, one more than Mark Santorelli (2006-08). . . . Attendance was 4,367. . . .———
In Spokane, the Chiefs broke a 3-3 tie with three third-period goals and beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-2. . . . F Dominik Uher broke a 2-2 tie with his second goal of the game and 14th of the season on the PP at 6:57 of the third. . . . F Tyler Johnson added his WHL-leading 35th at 16:20, on another PP, and F Steve Kuhn iced it with a shorthanded empty-netter at 19:00. . . . The game was played indoors at Veterans Memorial Arena. Attendance was 5,523. . . . Johnson also had two assists, while Uher had one. . . . The Chiefs have won four in a row, including two straight over the Ice. The season series now is 2-2. . . . F Cody Eakin, acquired from the Swift Current Broncos for three players and five draft picks on Jan. 9, made his debut with the Ice and scored his 19th goal of the season. He had been out with a hand injury since the end of the World Junior Championship on Jan. 5. . . . The Chiefs are at home to the Kelowna Rockets tonight and it’s Jon Klemm Bobblehead Night. Klemm, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, is an assistant coach with the Chiefs. . . . ———
In Vancouver, D Darren Bestland got the winner and G Mark Segal the shutout as the Giants beat the Prince George Cougars, 3-0. . . . Bestland, who was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Jan. 5, scored his sixth goal of the season at 3:35 of the second period on the PP. . . . Bestland has five points, including two goals, in seven games with the Giants. . . . Vancouver G Spencer Bennett had an assist to run his point streak to 10 games. He has 15 points in that stretch. . . . Segal stopped 30 shots for his fourth shutout this season and the eighth of his career. He also had four last season. . . . The Giants have won seven of 10 and now lead the B.C. Division by a point over the Kelowna Rockets and four over Prince George. . . . Attendance was 7,116. . . . ———
In Everett, F Riley Boychuk’s goal at 4:11 of overtime gave the Portland Winterhawks a 3-2 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Boychuk has 11 goals this season. . . . The Winterhawks, who won their 30th game, led 2-0 midway through the second period on goals by F Taylor Peters, his fourth, and D William Wrenn, his first. . . . Everett countered with second-period goals by Jari Erricson, his fifth, and F Clayton Cumiskey, his fifth. Cumiskey scored shorthanded at 18:17. . . . F Ty Rattie had two assists for Portland. . . . Attendance was 5,962. . . . Everett was without F Landon Ferraro, who has a sports hernia and is likely to have surgery. . . . With Ferraro gone, D Ryan Murray will serve as Everett’s captain. . . . If you’re in Portland, don’t forget that today’s game against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds begins at 2 p.m. . . .———
In Kent, Wash., the Kelowna Rockets scored two shorthanded empty-net goals to seal a 6-3 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . F Zach Franko broke a 2-2 tie with his second goal, and 11th of the season, at 8:59 of the second on the PP and F Evan Bloodoff made it 4-2 with his 11th at 19:19. . . . Seattle F Colin Jacobs cut the deficit to one, with his 17th, at 14:28 of the third on the PP, but Kelowna D Tyson Barrie netted two empty-netters to ice it. . . . Barrie has eight goals this season. . . . Franko, 17, is riding a nine-game point streak. He has 11 points, including five goals, over that stretch. . . . On the season, he’s got 35 points, 11 of them goals, in 45 games. . . . Attendance was 4,730.———
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
TWO MINORS:
Swift Current D Kyle Verdino
Edmonton F Cameron Abney
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Bad break doesn't stop Shinkaruk
BY GREGG DRINNAN
“He’s been great,” Medicine Hat head coach Shaun Clouston says. “He’s a really excellent young man. He’s very smart. He’s very dedicated.”
As Shinkaruk was laying on the ice after that hit, he says he “knew something was wrong, for sure.”
Two weeks earlier, he had been named to the Alberta U-16 team that was to play in the inaugural Western Canada Challenge Cup in Blackfalds, Alta.
“I was very excited about that,” he says.
So what was the first thing he thought about when he was laying on the ice that day in Fort Saskatchewan?
He laughs and says: “That was the first thing that popped into my brain — I probably won’t be able to play in that tournament. While I was laying on the ice . . . that was the first thing that set in.”
It wasn’t long, though, before he came to realize how much work was ahead of him.
He says he especially is indebted to Kent Kobelka, a native of Revelstoke, B.C., who works with Hockey Canada and was the therapist for the 2010 Canadian Olympic men’s hockey team.
“I had a great physiotherapist,” Shinkaruk says “He was huge in getting me back on the ice.
“You look at things and try to make positives out of them. We worked hard to get my leg stronger and get my whole body stronger so I’d be ready to make the jump into this league.”
Clouston agrees that Shinkaruk dedicated himself to getting stronger and rehabbing the leg over the summer.
“He worked very, very hard in the summer,” Clouston says. “He went to some different camps. He is just an exceptional young player.”
Shinkaruk spent some time in Toronto, where he skated and worked with NHLers like Mike Cammalleri and Andrew Cogliano. Shinkaruk also skated in Calgary with pros like Mason Raymond.
The one thing he learned from being around those NHLers is that “they work a lot harder than some people and that’s one of the things you try to bring to your game.
“When you’re with them, you realize how close but also how far away you are (to being at their level). So you keep on working and hopefully one day we’ll be skating with them in The Show.”
Shinkaruk also learned that those NHL players are people, too.
“They’re great guys,” he says. “They work so hard but at the same time they like to have fun. I can’t say enough good things about them.
“They taught me a lot over the summer. They’re a big reason why I’m having the season here this year.”
In his first 32 games, he earned 22 points, including nine goals. For the most part, he has been playing on a line with captain Wacey Hamilton, 20, and Tyler Pitlick, 19, a 2010 draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers who left Minnesota State-Mankato to join the Tigers.
“They’re two great linemates,” Shinkaruk says, adding that his game plan is simple.
“I just try to come to the rink every day and learn new things and work really hard because that’s something a lot of players need to do to make the next level.”
Shinkaruk, who was an all-star as he helped Team Pacific to a bronze medal at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg after Christmas, doesn’t even sound surprised that he stuck with the Tigers even though he hardly played last season. He has always had confidence in his game and the broken leg didn’t cost him any of that.
“The confidence in my game stuck with me, which I’m thankful for,” he says. “I knew my leg was strong and I knew I just had to keep playing the way I can play. I was lucky I had a good training camp; I’m lucky with how everything has worked out so far.”
Editor, Taking Note
Hunter Shinkaruk is penning quite a story with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.
After all, when is the last time a player missed virtually all of his midget AAA season and returned at the WHL level?
In fact, not only has Shinkaruk gotten back into the game at the WHL level, he is a major contributor to the success the Tigers are enjoying this season.  |
| HUNTER SHINKARUK |
He must be.
Shinkaruk, 16, was born and raised in Calgary. In fact, his father, Roger, is the team dentist for the Calgary Hitmen. Hunter played bantam AAA with the Calgary Royals — he missed four weeks with a hip injury — and was selected by the Tigers with the 14th overall pick in the 2009 bantam draft.
He moved up to the midget AAA Royals for 2009-10 but disaster struck early in the season.
“It was the third game of the season,” Shinkaruk recalls. “We were in Fort Saskatchewan. I got hit and I kind of fell awkwardly on my leg.”
He broke the tibia and fibula in his right leg. He didn’t play again that season, thanks primarily to the hip-to-toe cast.“Some people might say it was dirty, but that’s hockey. You get hurt,” he says.As Shinkaruk was laying on the ice after that hit, he says he “knew something was wrong, for sure.”
Two weeks earlier, he had been named to the Alberta U-16 team that was to play in the inaugural Western Canada Challenge Cup in Blackfalds, Alta.
“I was very excited about that,” he says.
So what was the first thing he thought about when he was laying on the ice that day in Fort Saskatchewan?
He laughs and says: “That was the first thing that popped into my brain — I probably won’t be able to play in that tournament. While I was laying on the ice . . . that was the first thing that set in.”
It wasn’t long, though, before he came to realize how much work was ahead of him.
He says he especially is indebted to Kent Kobelka, a native of Revelstoke, B.C., who works with Hockey Canada and was the therapist for the 2010 Canadian Olympic men’s hockey team.
“I had a great physiotherapist,” Shinkaruk says “He was huge in getting me back on the ice.
“You look at things and try to make positives out of them. We worked hard to get my leg stronger and get my whole body stronger so I’d be ready to make the jump into this league.”
Clouston agrees that Shinkaruk dedicated himself to getting stronger and rehabbing the leg over the summer.
“He worked very, very hard in the summer,” Clouston says. “He went to some different camps. He is just an exceptional young player.”
Shinkaruk spent some time in Toronto, where he skated and worked with NHLers like Mike Cammalleri and Andrew Cogliano. Shinkaruk also skated in Calgary with pros like Mason Raymond.
The one thing he learned from being around those NHLers is that “they work a lot harder than some people and that’s one of the things you try to bring to your game.
“When you’re with them, you realize how close but also how far away you are (to being at their level). So you keep on working and hopefully one day we’ll be skating with them in The Show.”
Shinkaruk also learned that those NHL players are people, too.
“They’re great guys,” he says. “They work so hard but at the same time they like to have fun. I can’t say enough good things about them.
“They taught me a lot over the summer. They’re a big reason why I’m having the season here this year.”
In his first 32 games, he earned 22 points, including nine goals. For the most part, he has been playing on a line with captain Wacey Hamilton, 20, and Tyler Pitlick, 19, a 2010 draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers who left Minnesota State-Mankato to join the Tigers.
“They’re two great linemates,” Shinkaruk says, adding that his game plan is simple.
“I just try to come to the rink every day and learn new things and work really hard because that’s something a lot of players need to do to make the next level.”
Shinkaruk, who was an all-star as he helped Team Pacific to a bronze medal at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg after Christmas, doesn’t even sound surprised that he stuck with the Tigers even though he hardly played last season. He has always had confidence in his game and the broken leg didn’t cost him any of that.
“The confidence in my game stuck with me, which I’m thankful for,” he says. “I knew my leg was strong and I knew I just had to keep playing the way I can play. I was lucky I had a good training camp; I’m lucky with how everything has worked out so far.”
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Playing some catchup -- as opposed to ketchup or catsup -- after coasting through then end of 2010 . . . ---
SOME NOTES FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
The Portland Winterhawks got three goals from newly acquired F Craig Cunningham but were beaten 4-3 by the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Luke Lockhart broke a 3-3 tie at 16:27 of the third period. . . . Attendance in the Rose Garden was 10,511. . . . Cunningham was acquired Tuesday from the Vancouver Giants. . . . Portland was missing seven regulars -- F Sven Bartschi and Nino Niederreiter are withi Switzerland at the World Junior Championship; F Ryan Johansen is with Canada at the WJC; F Brendan Leipsic and D Derrick Pouliot are playing in the U1-7 World Hockey Challenge; and, F Riley Boychuk and F Adam Smith were serving WHL-issued suspensions. . . . The Winterhawks will have most, if not all, of those players back before they next play, which will be Jan. 8 when they again meet the visiting Thunderbirds. . . . You can bet the fans in Kennewick, Wash., went home in a non-celebratory move after the Tri-City Americans’ New Year’s Eve date with the Spokane Chiefs was called off early in the second period because of poor ice conditions in the Toyota Center. The teams were tied 1-1 at 2:35 of the second period when the game was halted. The WHL is expected to reschedule the game early next week. . . . Ch-ch-ching! The old year ended with a few bangs in Everett as the Vancouver Giants beat the Silvertips 6-1 in a game that featured 262 minutes in penalties. The visitors took 262 of those and now are the WHL’s most-penalized team. The Giants have taken 944 minutes in 39 games, with the Kamloops Blazers next at 910 in 38 games. . . . Want some positive news? Head coach Craig Hartsburg, who underwent open-heart surgery on Oct. 20 to repair an ascending aortic aneurysm, has last been behind the bench on Oct. 16. The Silvertips were 11-14-3 with associate coach Jay Varady and assistant Chris Hartsburg, who is Craig’s son, running things. . . . The Silvertips are at home to the Americans tonight (Jan. 1), so the WHL is likely to announce at least some disciplinary action before that game. The Giants are in Chilliwack to face the Bruins on Sunday. . . . Keep in mind that the Giants were fined $750 after the stuff hit the fan during a 9-1 loss in Kennewick on Dec. 17. . . . In Chilliwack, the Moose Jaw Warriors doubled the Bruins 4-2 with F Dylan Hood icing it with his 20th goal of the season, into an empty net, late in the third period. The road Warriors are 3-0 on this trip, including a 2-0 start to a B.C. Division tour that continues Sunday in Prince George and Tuesday in Kamloops, before wrapping up Thursday in Kelowna. . . . In Edmonton, the Oil Kings got two goals from F Dylan Wruck and 26 saves from G Jon Groenheyde in beating the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-2. Edmonton has won three straight and eight of 10 to move into sixth place in the Eastern Conference. . . . In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice dropped the Swift Current Broncos 5-3 in front of 2,822 fans, the second crowd in a row about 2,800 in the RecPlex. F Max Reinhart had a goal and two assists for the Ice. The Broncos, who have lost five straight on the road, were outshot 48-14, including 17-1 in the third period. Swift Current is 3-6-1 since last playing at home on Dec. 3. The Broncos finish up the 11-game run of road games tonight in Lethbridge before turning home to face Saskatoon on Sunday.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Moose Jaw F Cody Beach
Chilliwack F T.C. Cratsenberg
Kootenay D Joey Leach
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The NHL’s Ottawa Senators have recalled C Jim O’Brien (Seattle, 2007-09) from the AHL’s Binghamton Senators. O’Brien was the 29th overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft. This is his first stint in the NHL. He had 25 points in 33 games in Binghamton this season. Last season, as a freshman pro, he had 17 points in 76 games. . . . F Tristan King (Portland, Medicine Hat, 2006-10) has moved from the AHL’s Texas Stars to the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, who are coached by former Spokane head coach Hardy Sauter. King, 20, played in six games with Idaho early in the season. He had four points with Idaho and four in 11 games with Texas.
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F Derek Hulak (Regina, Saskatoon, 2005-10) returned to Saskatoon and joined the U of Saskatchewan Huskies on Dec. 29. Hulak is a former Saskatoon Blades captain who graduated from the WHL after last season. Hulak, now 21, had been with the Central league’s Tulsa Oilers with whom he had 14 points in 21 games. . . . He is eligible to play for the Huskies immediately. By returning from the pro ranks prior to Jan. 1, he protected his CIS eligibility.
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The Swift Current Broncos and Vancouver Giants swapped defencemen on Dec. 30. The Broncos got Dalton Reum, 18, while Joel Rogers, 19, went to the Giants. . . . The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Reum, from Camrose, Alta., had six assists in 37 games with the Giants. This is his first WHL season. . . . Rogers, from Abbotsford, B.C., was in his fourth season with the Broncos. This season, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder had three assists in 28 games.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
SOME NOTES FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
The Portland Winterhawks got three goals from newly acquired F Craig Cunningham but were beaten 4-3 by the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Luke Lockhart broke a 3-3 tie at 16:27 of the third period. . . . Attendance in the Rose Garden was 10,511. . . . Cunningham was acquired Tuesday from the Vancouver Giants. . . . Portland was missing seven regulars -- F Sven Bartschi and Nino Niederreiter are withi Switzerland at the World Junior Championship; F Ryan Johansen is with Canada at the WJC; F Brendan Leipsic and D Derrick Pouliot are playing in the U1-7 World Hockey Challenge; and, F Riley Boychuk and F Adam Smith were serving WHL-issued suspensions. . . . The Winterhawks will have most, if not all, of those players back before they next play, which will be Jan. 8 when they again meet the visiting Thunderbirds. . . . You can bet the fans in Kennewick, Wash., went home in a non-celebratory move after the Tri-City Americans’ New Year’s Eve date with the Spokane Chiefs was called off early in the second period because of poor ice conditions in the Toyota Center. The teams were tied 1-1 at 2:35 of the second period when the game was halted. The WHL is expected to reschedule the game early next week. . . . Ch-ch-ching! The old year ended with a few bangs in Everett as the Vancouver Giants beat the Silvertips 6-1 in a game that featured 262 minutes in penalties. The visitors took 262 of those and now are the WHL’s most-penalized team. The Giants have taken 944 minutes in 39 games, with the Kamloops Blazers next at 910 in 38 games. . . . Want some positive news? Head coach Craig Hartsburg, who underwent open-heart surgery on Oct. 20 to repair an ascending aortic aneurysm, has last been behind the bench on Oct. 16. The Silvertips were 11-14-3 with associate coach Jay Varady and assistant Chris Hartsburg, who is Craig’s son, running things. . . . The Silvertips are at home to the Americans tonight (Jan. 1), so the WHL is likely to announce at least some disciplinary action before that game. The Giants are in Chilliwack to face the Bruins on Sunday. . . . Keep in mind that the Giants were fined $750 after the stuff hit the fan during a 9-1 loss in Kennewick on Dec. 17. . . . In Chilliwack, the Moose Jaw Warriors doubled the Bruins 4-2 with F Dylan Hood icing it with his 20th goal of the season, into an empty net, late in the third period. The road Warriors are 3-0 on this trip, including a 2-0 start to a B.C. Division tour that continues Sunday in Prince George and Tuesday in Kamloops, before wrapping up Thursday in Kelowna. . . . In Edmonton, the Oil Kings got two goals from F Dylan Wruck and 26 saves from G Jon Groenheyde in beating the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-2. Edmonton has won three straight and eight of 10 to move into sixth place in the Eastern Conference. . . . In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice dropped the Swift Current Broncos 5-3 in front of 2,822 fans, the second crowd in a row about 2,800 in the RecPlex. F Max Reinhart had a goal and two assists for the Ice. The Broncos, who have lost five straight on the road, were outshot 48-14, including 17-1 in the third period. Swift Current is 3-6-1 since last playing at home on Dec. 3. The Broncos finish up the 11-game run of road games tonight in Lethbridge before turning home to face Saskatoon on Sunday.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Moose Jaw F Cody Beach
Chilliwack F T.C. Cratsenberg
Kootenay D Joey Leach
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The NHL’s Ottawa Senators have recalled C Jim O’Brien (Seattle, 2007-09) from the AHL’s Binghamton Senators. O’Brien was the 29th overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft. This is his first stint in the NHL. He had 25 points in 33 games in Binghamton this season. Last season, as a freshman pro, he had 17 points in 76 games. . . . F Tristan King (Portland, Medicine Hat, 2006-10) has moved from the AHL’s Texas Stars to the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, who are coached by former Spokane head coach Hardy Sauter. King, 20, played in six games with Idaho early in the season. He had four points with Idaho and four in 11 games with Texas.
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F Derek Hulak (Regina, Saskatoon, 2005-10) returned to Saskatoon and joined the U of Saskatchewan Huskies on Dec. 29. Hulak is a former Saskatoon Blades captain who graduated from the WHL after last season. Hulak, now 21, had been with the Central league’s Tulsa Oilers with whom he had 14 points in 21 games. . . . He is eligible to play for the Huskies immediately. By returning from the pro ranks prior to Jan. 1, he protected his CIS eligibility.
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The Swift Current Broncos and Vancouver Giants swapped defencemen on Dec. 30. The Broncos got Dalton Reum, 18, while Joel Rogers, 19, went to the Giants. . . . The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Reum, from Camrose, Alta., had six assists in 37 games with the Giants. This is his first WHL season. . . . Rogers, from Abbotsford, B.C., was in his fourth season with the Broncos. This season, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder had three assists in 28 games.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Monday, December 27, 2010
D Taylor Aronson, who was playing midget hockey with the Los Angeles Jr. Kings just two years ago, has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Aronson turns 19 on Thursday. . . . Aronson, now in his second season with the Portland Winterhawks, was selected by Nashville in the third round of the 2010 NHL draft. . . . According to CapGeek.com, Aronson’s contract calls for AHL salaries of US$60,000, $62,500 and $65,000, with the NHL salary at $600,000 each season. The signing bonus is $225,000, payable in three $75,000 segments. . . . Aronson was one of eight Winterhawks selected in the NHL’s 2010 draft.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have added Mike Vandenberghe to their coaching staff. Vandenberghe, who with his wife lives in Regina Beach, Sask., started this season as an interim assistant coach with the Brandon Wheat Kings, filling in for the injured Dwayne Gylywoychuk. A defenceman through a four-season WHL career with the Wheat Kings and Medicine Hat Tigers (he also played three games with the Warriors), Vandenberghe joins head coach Dave Hunchak and assistant Trevor Weisgerber with the Warriors. . . . Vandenberghe was with the Wheat Kings when they made their B.C. Division tour earlier this season. And guess what? Yes, the Warriors open a B.C. Division tour on Thursday against the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Warriors actually open the road trip tonight in Calgary against the Hitmen; this is the first of seven games in 12 days.
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Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that the Moose Jaw Warriors have added D Matthew Franczyk, 17, to their roster. Franczyk, from Winnipeg, was a fifth-round pick by Moose Jaw in the 2008 bantam draft, but was dealt to the Swift Current Broncos for F Preston Amundson, 17, over the summer. Franczyk got into just one game with the Broncos before returning to Winnipeg and the MJHL’s Winnipeg South Blues. The Broncos dropped him from their list and the Warriors added him. . . . The Warriors are missing four players who are at Christmas tournaments -- F Quinton Howden (Canada) and F Antonin Honejsek (Czech Republic) are at the World Junior Championship; F Brayden Cuthbert and D Morgan Rielly are at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge -- so will add D Spencer Morse and F Brandon Potomak for games on their road trip. Both were second-round selections in the 2010 draft. Morse is playing with the minor midget AAA Calgary Blackhawks, while Potomak, from Aldergrove, B.C., plays at the Pursuit of Excellence academy in Kelowna.
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F Lyndon Martell, 17, has joined the Regina Pats. He had been with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. The Pats acquired Martell, F Shayne Neigum and a 2011 third-round bantam pick from the Kamloops Blazers for F Thomas Frazee, 20, on Dec. 14. . . . In 17 games with the Spruce Kings, Martell had 14 points, including five goals.
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The Portland Winterhawks have three players at the World Junior Championsip -- F Ryan Johansen (Canada) and F Nino Niederreiter and F Sven Bartschi (both Switzerland -- and two (F Brendan Leipsic and D Darrick Pouliot) at the U1-7 World Hockey Challenge. . . . Portland has added F Brayden Low and F Adam Smith, a pair of 2009 bantam picks, to help fill out the roster. Low has 18 points in 27 games with the junior B Richmond, B.C., Sockeyes, while Smith had one point in 10 games with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals.
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Hey, remember Craig Hartsburg, the head coach of the Everett Silvertips? If you do, you’ll recall that he had some heart surgery in November and has yet to return to the team’s bench. Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Hartsburg is progressing nicely and should be back early in January. . . . Patterson also reports that Everett will be without D Chad Suer (broken jaw) indefinitely. He was injured just before the Christmas break. . . . Also missing from Everett’s roster are D Rasmus Rissanen (Finland, World Junior Championship), D Nick Walters and F Jari Erricson (U-17 World Hockey Challenge), and F Campbell Elynuik (shoulder). . . . The Silvertips have added D Gabe Minville, 18, from the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos and D Kieran Friesen, 18, from the junior B Princeton, B.C., Posse. . . . The Silvertips also have F Ryan Chynoweth, their top pick in the 2010 bantam draft (24th overall), and he may get into a game or two. The son of Kootenay Ice president/GM Jeff Chynoweth, Ryan plays for the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes.
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And, finally, a few words from Medicine Hat Tigers F Emerson Etem, who is with the U.S. team at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo. Sometime on Monday, Etem took time to tweet this:
“much needed day off, buffalo is a ghost town!! the worst city ever, it makes medicine hat look like paradise, never thought ide say that”
Buffalo TV station WGRZ posted a three-paragraph story on its website that included that tweet. And the comments took off from there. You’ll find them right here and some of them are hilarious.
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Aronson turns 19 on Thursday. . . . Aronson, now in his second season with the Portland Winterhawks, was selected by Nashville in the third round of the 2010 NHL draft. . . . According to CapGeek.com, Aronson’s contract calls for AHL salaries of US$60,000, $62,500 and $65,000, with the NHL salary at $600,000 each season. The signing bonus is $225,000, payable in three $75,000 segments. . . . Aronson was one of eight Winterhawks selected in the NHL’s 2010 draft.---
The Moose Jaw Warriors have added Mike Vandenberghe to their coaching staff. Vandenberghe, who with his wife lives in Regina Beach, Sask., started this season as an interim assistant coach with the Brandon Wheat Kings, filling in for the injured Dwayne Gylywoychuk. A defenceman through a four-season WHL career with the Wheat Kings and Medicine Hat Tigers (he also played three games with the Warriors), Vandenberghe joins head coach Dave Hunchak and assistant Trevor Weisgerber with the Warriors. . . . Vandenberghe was with the Wheat Kings when they made their B.C. Division tour earlier this season. And guess what? Yes, the Warriors open a B.C. Division tour on Thursday against the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Warriors actually open the road trip tonight in Calgary against the Hitmen; this is the first of seven games in 12 days.---
Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that the Moose Jaw Warriors have added D Matthew Franczyk, 17, to their roster. Franczyk, from Winnipeg, was a fifth-round pick by Moose Jaw in the 2008 bantam draft, but was dealt to the Swift Current Broncos for F Preston Amundson, 17, over the summer. Franczyk got into just one game with the Broncos before returning to Winnipeg and the MJHL’s Winnipeg South Blues. The Broncos dropped him from their list and the Warriors added him. . . . The Warriors are missing four players who are at Christmas tournaments -- F Quinton Howden (Canada) and F Antonin Honejsek (Czech Republic) are at the World Junior Championship; F Brayden Cuthbert and D Morgan Rielly are at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge -- so will add D Spencer Morse and F Brandon Potomak for games on their road trip. Both were second-round selections in the 2010 draft. Morse is playing with the minor midget AAA Calgary Blackhawks, while Potomak, from Aldergrove, B.C., plays at the Pursuit of Excellence academy in Kelowna.
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F Lyndon Martell, 17, has joined the Regina Pats. He had been with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. The Pats acquired Martell, F Shayne Neigum and a 2011 third-round bantam pick from the Kamloops Blazers for F Thomas Frazee, 20, on Dec. 14. . . . In 17 games with the Spruce Kings, Martell had 14 points, including five goals.---
The Portland Winterhawks have three players at the World Junior Championsip -- F Ryan Johansen (Canada) and F Nino Niederreiter and F Sven Bartschi (both Switzerland -- and two (F Brendan Leipsic and D Darrick Pouliot) at the U1-7 World Hockey Challenge. . . . Portland has added F Brayden Low and F Adam Smith, a pair of 2009 bantam picks, to help fill out the roster. Low has 18 points in 27 games with the junior B Richmond, B.C., Sockeyes, while Smith had one point in 10 games with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals.---
Hey, remember Craig Hartsburg, the head coach of the Everett Silvertips? If you do, you’ll recall that he had some heart surgery in November and has yet to return to the team’s bench. Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Hartsburg is progressing nicely and should be back early in January. . . . Patterson also reports that Everett will be without D Chad Suer (broken jaw) indefinitely. He was injured just before the Christmas break. . . . Also missing from Everett’s roster are D Rasmus Rissanen (Finland, World Junior Championship), D Nick Walters and F Jari Erricson (U-17 World Hockey Challenge), and F Campbell Elynuik (shoulder). . . . The Silvertips have added D Gabe Minville, 18, from the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos and D Kieran Friesen, 18, from the junior B Princeton, B.C., Posse. . . . The Silvertips also have F Ryan Chynoweth, their top pick in the 2010 bantam draft (24th overall), and he may get into a game or two. The son of Kootenay Ice president/GM Jeff Chynoweth, Ryan plays for the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes.---
And, finally, a few words from Medicine Hat Tigers F Emerson Etem, who is with the U.S. team at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo. Sometime on Monday, Etem took time to tweet this:
“much needed day off, buffalo is a ghost town!! the worst city ever, it makes medicine hat look like paradise, never thought ide say that”
Buffalo TV station WGRZ posted a three-paragraph story on its website that included that tweet. And the comments took off from there. You’ll find them right here and some of them are hilarious.
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The NHL’s Calgary Flames signed F Ryan Howse of the Chilliwack Bruins to a three-year deal on Tuesday. Capgeek.com reports that the contract calls for NHL salaries of US$615,000, $615,000 and $690,000, with AHL salaries of $65,000, $67,500 and $67,500. The signing bonus is three annual payments of $90,000. . . . Howse was a third-round pick in the 2009 NHL draft.
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Mike Boyle, the radio voice of the Spokane Chiefs, will be the new radio voice of baseball’s Spokane Indians. He replaces Bob Robertson, a legend in the Pacific Northwest who handled the job for 12 years but has left in order to spend more time with his family. Boyle is in his ninth season of calling Chiefs’ games. For the last four baseball seasons, Boyle has done play-by-play of Tri-City Dust Devils games. . . . The Indians are a Class A short-season affiliate of the Texas Rangers.
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When the break is over, Edmonton and Swift Current will announce a deal that will have the rights to F Graham Black, 17, move from the Oil Kings to the Broncos. Black, who is from Regina, is playing for the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. He leads the Saskatchewan midget AAA league in goals (32) and points (51), in 27 games. . . . The Broncos would like to add Black to their roster this season but are prepared to wait until next season. . . . For a neat look at the multi-talented Black, check out this story right here from the Regina Leader-Post. . . .
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Mandi Schwartz, the native of Wilcox, Sask., who has been battling acute myeloid leukemia, continues the battle. Tim Switzer of the Regina Leader-Post has the latest right here.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
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Mike Boyle, the radio voice of the Spokane Chiefs, will be the new radio voice of baseball’s Spokane Indians. He replaces Bob Robertson, a legend in the Pacific Northwest who handled the job for 12 years but has left in order to spend more time with his family. Boyle is in his ninth season of calling Chiefs’ games. For the last four baseball seasons, Boyle has done play-by-play of Tri-City Dust Devils games. . . . The Indians are a Class A short-season affiliate of the Texas Rangers.
———
When the break is over, Edmonton and Swift Current will announce a deal that will have the rights to F Graham Black, 17, move from the Oil Kings to the Broncos. Black, who is from Regina, is playing for the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. He leads the Saskatchewan midget AAA league in goals (32) and points (51), in 27 games. . . . The Broncos would like to add Black to their roster this season but are prepared to wait until next season. . . . For a neat look at the multi-talented Black, check out this story right here from the Regina Leader-Post. . . .
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Mandi Schwartz, the native of Wilcox, Sask., who has been battling acute myeloid leukemia, continues the battle. Tim Switzer of the Regina Leader-Post has the latest right here.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Prince Albert Raiders will add four ex-players to their Wall of Honour on Feb. 18 as they play host to the Moose Jaw Warriors. Peter Anholt, James Patrick, Ken Baumgartner and Mike Modano will be added to the wall as the Raiders continue to celebrate their 40th anniversary season.
No one deserves this more than Anholt, a defenceman who played on three
Centennial Cup (now RBC Cup) champions and later returned as an assistant coach and later worked as the club’s head coach.
Patrick, also a defenceman, played one season with the Raiders (1980-81), helping the team win its third Centennial Cup. He was named junior A player of the year and also was the Centennial Cup MVP and an all-star.
Baumgartner, also a defenceman, was a physical presence of mythical proportions from 1983-86, including the Memorial Cup-championship season of 1984-85. Legend has it that Baumgartner often would skate into post-whistle scrums with the words: “Daddy’s home.” . . . He was the Raiders’ Scholastic player of the year in 1985 and 1986. Fans seated near the penalty box in Medicine Hat would bring text books to games and pretend to be reading them whenever Baumgartner was sent off, which happened quite frequently.
Modano, a centre, put up 294 points in 176 games with the Raiders (1986-89). His third season was cut short when he suffered a broken scaphoid during the WHL all-star game in Brandon. One of the best players ever to play in the WHL, Modano was taken first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the NHL‘s 1988 draft.
The Raiders also will add four builders to the Wall of Honour -- the Booster Club, which was formed in 1975; Steve Peneff, a former trainer (1972-84) and volunteer; John Holash, a long-time fan and supporter who was instrumental in bringing some international games to Prince Albert in the early 1990s, which benefited the Raiders financially; and, the Bring Back the Magic Campaign committee that worked so hard on raising money so that the Comuniplex could be renovated in order to meet WHL requirements. Included on that committee were Ab Pellegrini, Vic Lemieux, Gary Anderson, Craig Mitchell, Joe Barczai and Bob Twyver.
(Thanks to Craig Mitchell for pointing out this announcement.)
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Sometimes common sense does prevail. . . . The Ontario Minor Hockey Association has lifted the suspension of Peterborough coach Greg Walsh. He is the coach who took his team off the ice after one of his players was the object of a racial slur. The Toronto Sun story is right here.
Veteran hockey writer Terry Doyle examines the situation right here.
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F Nino Niederreiter of the Portland Winterhawks is looking forward to playing for Swizterland at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo. KatieStrang of Newsday has more on her blog right here.
After Switzerland’s performance last season, Neiderreiter and Co. may have been thinking a medal would be within reach this time around. However, the Swiss won’t be sneaking up on anyone this time around. Last night, they lost 8-0 to Canada in an exhibition game.
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The NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers have signed Joe Paterson as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms. John Paddock had been serving as head coach since Nov. 8, when Greg Gilbert was fired. At that time, Paterson joined the Phantoms as an assistant coach. He was scoouting for the Atlanta Thrashers before getting back into coaching. Paddock now returns to his duties as the Flyers’ assistant GM. . . . How small is the hockey world? Paterson last coached in 2008-09 with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, whose head coach was Greg Gilbert. . . . The Spokane Chiefs should sleep well over the Christmas break. They are 11-2-4 in their last 17 games, which followed an 8-8-1 start. . . . Lost in the rush for Christmas was Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur’s 450th career victory. He is tied with Peter Anholt for eighth on the all-time list. . . . Nachbaur would never admit it, but you can bet that the fact No. 450 came against the Vancouver Giants -- the host Chiefs put up a 4-0 victory on Saturday -- and Don Hay, who won his 500th game earlier in the season. . . . G James Reid earned that victory, his 69th with the Chiefs, second only to Dustin Tokarski’s 77. . . . It was Reid’s 11th shutout, leaving him four back of Tokarski’s franchise record. . . . Figure out this one: Spokane F Dominik Iher, who turns 18 on Dec. 31, had one point in his first nine games this season. In his next 18 games, he put up 21 points. He goes into the break with seven goals over his last five games. Gotta think he wanted to keep playing. . . . F Jonathan Parker of the Prince Albert Raiders is the WHL’s player of the week. He had nine points, including four goals, in three games last week. . . . Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the WHL’s nominee as the CHL goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0 with a 0.50 GAA and a .984 save percentage. . . .
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Latvia and Denmark have earned promotion to the IIHF World Junior Championship that is scheduled for Calgary and Edmonton next year. . . . Latvia won the Division 1 Group A tournament in Belarus. Latvia beat Belarus 3-1 in a final round-robin game that featured two teams that had been 4-0. . . . This is the group that is one level below the big boys, who will open their tournament on Sunday in Buffalo. Latvia’s roster included F Kristians Pelss of the Edmonton Oil Kings. He had two goals and two assists in five games. One of those assists came on the game-winner against Belarus. His NHL rights are owned by the Edmonton Oilers, who took him in the seventh round of the 2010 draft. . . . Denmark won the Division 1 Group B tournament in Slovenia, with a 4-1 record. Denmark‘s roster included Brandon Wheat Kings F Mark Mieritz. He had three points, two of them goals, in five games. . . . F Gal Koren of the Kelowna Rockets played for host Slovenia in that tournament, putting up eight points, including three goals, in five games. He also was plus-8. F Gasper Kopitar, who began the season with the Portland Winterhawks had four points, including two goals, for Slovenia. The Slovenia’s also had a 4-1 record, but they lost 2-1 to Denmark. . . . The highlight for Slovenia was a 3-2 victory over highly favoured Austria, with Koren and Kopitar both scoring.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
No one deserves this more than Anholt, a defenceman who played on three
Centennial Cup (now RBC Cup) champions and later returned as an assistant coach and later worked as the club’s head coach.Patrick, also a defenceman, played one season with the Raiders (1980-81), helping the team win its third Centennial Cup. He was named junior A player of the year and also was the Centennial Cup MVP and an all-star.
Baumgartner, also a defenceman, was a physical presence of mythical proportions from 1983-86, including the Memorial Cup-championship season of 1984-85. Legend has it that Baumgartner often would skate into post-whistle scrums with the words: “Daddy’s home.” . . . He was the Raiders’ Scholastic player of the year in 1985 and 1986. Fans seated near the penalty box in Medicine Hat would bring text books to games and pretend to be reading them whenever Baumgartner was sent off, which happened quite frequently.
Modano, a centre, put up 294 points in 176 games with the Raiders (1986-89). His third season was cut short when he suffered a broken scaphoid during the WHL all-star game in Brandon. One of the best players ever to play in the WHL, Modano was taken first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the NHL‘s 1988 draft.
The Raiders also will add four builders to the Wall of Honour -- the Booster Club, which was formed in 1975; Steve Peneff, a former trainer (1972-84) and volunteer; John Holash, a long-time fan and supporter who was instrumental in bringing some international games to Prince Albert in the early 1990s, which benefited the Raiders financially; and, the Bring Back the Magic Campaign committee that worked so hard on raising money so that the Comuniplex could be renovated in order to meet WHL requirements. Included on that committee were Ab Pellegrini, Vic Lemieux, Gary Anderson, Craig Mitchell, Joe Barczai and Bob Twyver.
(Thanks to Craig Mitchell for pointing out this announcement.)
---
Sometimes common sense does prevail. . . . The Ontario Minor Hockey Association has lifted the suspension of Peterborough coach Greg Walsh. He is the coach who took his team off the ice after one of his players was the object of a racial slur. The Toronto Sun story is right here.
Veteran hockey writer Terry Doyle examines the situation right here.
---
F Nino Niederreiter of the Portland Winterhawks is looking forward to playing for Swizterland at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo. Katie
Strang of Newsday has more on her blog right here.After Switzerland’s performance last season, Neiderreiter and Co. may have been thinking a medal would be within reach this time around. However, the Swiss won’t be sneaking up on anyone this time around. Last night, they lost 8-0 to Canada in an exhibition game.
---
The NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers have signed Joe Paterson as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms. John Paddock had been serving as head coach since Nov. 8, when Greg Gilbert was fired. At that time, Paterson joined the Phantoms as an assistant coach. He was scoouting for the Atlanta Thrashers before getting back into coaching. Paddock now returns to his duties as the Flyers’ assistant GM. . . . How small is the hockey world? Paterson last coached in 2008-09 with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, whose head coach was Greg Gilbert. . . . The Spokane Chiefs should sleep well over the Christmas break. They are 11-2-4 in their last 17 games, which followed an 8-8-1 start. . . . Lost in the rush for Christmas was Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur’s 450th career victory. He is tied with Peter Anholt for eighth on the all-time list. . . . Nachbaur would never admit it, but you can bet that the fact No. 450 came against the Vancouver Giants -- the host Chiefs put up a 4-0 victory on Saturday -- and Don Hay, who won his 500th game earlier in the season. . . . G James Reid earned that victory, his 69th with the Chiefs, second only to Dustin Tokarski’s 77. . . . It was Reid’s 11th shutout, leaving him four back of Tokarski’s franchise record. . . . Figure out this one: Spokane F Dominik Iher, who turns 18 on Dec. 31, had one point in his first nine games this season. In his next 18 games, he put up 21 points. He goes into the break with seven goals over his last five games. Gotta think he wanted to keep playing. . . . F Jonathan Parker of the Prince Albert Raiders is the WHL’s player of the week. He had nine points, including four goals, in three games last week. . . . Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the WHL’s nominee as the CHL goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0 with a 0.50 GAA and a .984 save percentage. . . . ---
Latvia and Denmark have earned promotion to the IIHF World Junior Championship that is scheduled for Calgary and Edmonton next year. . . . Latvia won the Division 1 Group A tournament in Belarus. Latvia beat Belarus 3-1 in a final round-robin game that featured two teams that had been 4-0. . . . This is the group that is one level below the big boys, who will open their tournament on Sunday in Buffalo. Latvia’s roster included F Kristians Pelss of the Edmonton Oil Kings. He had two goals and two assists in five games. One of those assists came on the game-winner against Belarus. His NHL rights are owned by the Edmonton Oilers, who took him in the seventh round of the 2010 draft. . . . Denmark won the Division 1 Group B tournament in Slovenia, with a 4-1 record. Denmark‘s roster included Brandon Wheat Kings F Mark Mieritz. He had three points, two of them goals, in five games. . . . F Gal Koren of the Kelowna Rockets played for host Slovenia in that tournament, putting up eight points, including three goals, in five games. He also was plus-8. F Gasper Kopitar, who began the season with the Portland Winterhawks had four points, including two goals, for Slovenia. The Slovenia’s also had a 4-1 record, but they lost 2-1 to Denmark. . . . The highlight for Slovenia was a 3-2 victory over highly favoured Austria, with Koren and Kopitar both scoring.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Sunday, December 19, 2010
 | ||
| MIKE SILLINGER (REGINA PATS PHOTO) |
“It's truly an honor to have my jersey hanging up in a place where I have had some of my greatest memories,” Sillinger said in a news release. “I was lucky to play my entire junior career here with the Pats and was always so proud to represent a great organization. As a hometown boy, wearing that Pats jersey was a dream come true and I will cherish those days forever.”
Sillinger, who is from Regina, played with the Pats from 1987-91. He is third on the franchise list in goals (178), third in assists (241) and second in points (419).
The 1990-91 season was a fantastic cap to his WHL career as that winter, he put on the Red and White of Team Canada and helped the squad to a gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Saskatoon, later that season, he was named a WHL Eastern Conference all-star.
Sillinger was selected by the Detroit Red Wings with the 11th pick of the NHL’s 1989 draft and went to a 16-year professional career during which he played for 12 teams.
Sillinger will become the eighth Pats player to have had his number retired, following Ed Staniowski (1), Brad Hornung (8), Clark Gillies (9), Doug Wickenheiser (12) and Dennis Sobchuk (14), Dale Derkatch (16) and Bill Hicke (17). Builders to have been honoured by the Pats are Lorne Davis, Al Ritchie, Gord Staseson, Graham Tuer, Bob Turner and Del Wilson.
———
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Codey Burki (Brandon, 2002-07) has been assigned on loan from Lugano (Switzerland NLA) to Thurgau (Switzerland NL B). Burki has not played in a game yet with Lugano but played one game on loan to Sierre (Switzerland NLB) earlier this season. He was pointless in that game. . . .
D Tomas Slovak (Kelowna, 2001-03) was released by Avtomobilist Ekaterinberg (Russia KHL). He had three assists and was -6 in 21 games this season for Avtomobilist.
———
D Bruin McDonald, 18, who started this season with the Spokane Chiefs, has been released by the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques. In five games with the Olympiques, McDonald didn’t have a point, but was plus-1 with nine penalty minutes.
The Olympiques had signed McDonald to a contract that covered this season and next, but, of course, those contracts don’t guarantee roster spots.As someone familiar with the situation put it, “Obviously, what (the family) was told and promised was not worth the air they were spoken with. But that is the business . . .”
So, at least for now, McDonald has decided to get on with his life and is sounding as though he won’t play hockey again this season.
The Chiefs had acquired McDonald’s rights from the Prince George Cougars. However, Spokane released him upon having D Jared Cowen reassigned by the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. McDonald then joined the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies, who dealt him to the Vernon Vipers. It was right after that trade occurred that the Olympiques came calling.
———
For the record, the WHL’s trade moratorium runs through Dec. 27. The WHL office will begin accepting trades on Tuesday, Dec. 28, at 12:01 a.m. MT. . . . That moratorium began Dec. 15. . . . WHL goaltenders are on schedule to put up 76 shutouts this season, which would be 12 fewer than last season. That also would be the lowest total since some time before 2003-04. (I don’t have season breakdowns prior to 2003-04.) The single-season record (141) was set in 2004-05. . . . ———
Bruce Eakin (Saskatoon, 1980-82) and his family are heading from Florida to the Buffalo area to watch nephew Cody play for Team Canada in the World Junior Championship. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun has that story right here. Cody, of course, is the captain of the Swift Current Broncos.———
After giving it a whole lot of thought, I have shut off the comments area of this blog.
I don’t mind a little give and take, but when a gutless stalker, obviously made bigger and braver by the mask of anonymity afforded by the Internet, continually makes unfounded accusations it’s time to say enough is enough and pull the plug.
So . . . as much as I enjoy the readers’ participation, I have had to cut it off. For that I apologize.
Still, those of you wishing to make an intelligent comment, point out errors or take part in reasonable discourse may continue to reach me at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Sunday, December 12, 2010
A couple of Robservations from Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post:
“If you are a member of a junior hockey team, how much fun can it possibly be to play a robotic, chip-and-chase, dump-it-in style of game? Too many coaches, at all levels of junior hockey, are seemingly determined to extract the fun and creativity from what should be a free-flowing game.
“Something is wrong with the WHL when a premier player like Everett Silvertips defenceman Ryan Murray — the pride of White City — visits his home province once every two years. The league's partial interlocking schedule is ridiculous. Every team should play in every building every season. Period.”
---
D Bruin McDonald made his QMJHL debut on Friday night as his Gatineau Olympiques dropped a 4-3 decision to the visiting Victoriaville Tigres. McDonald, who started his season with the Spokane Chiefs, was pointless and plus-1. The teams were 3-3 after one period, with the Tigres getting the winner on a third-period PP. . . . The Olympiques are home to the Rimouski Oceanic today.
---
The Saskatoon Blades have traded D Tyler Kizuik, 18, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a sixth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . The Hurricanes held two sixth-round picks, their own and Seattle’s. Even after this trade, Lethbridge still holds four selections in the first four two rounds of the 2011 draft. . . . The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Kizuik, who is from Indian Head, Sask., was a third-round pick of the Prince George Cougars in the 2009 bantam draft. He had nine points in 48 games last season. . . . Kizuik should be in the Hurricanes’ lineup tonight when they play host to the Medicine Hat Tigers.
---
A note from Kevin Paul Dupont in today’s Boston Globe:
A league source with direct knowledge of the negotiations reports that thesale of the Dallas Stars would have been concluded a month ago to Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi, but for commissioner Gary Bettman insisting the selling price ($175 million?) was too low. Gaglardi, majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, subsequently bowed out of the process. Another serious Canadian bidder, Bill Gallacher, also walked. Gaglardi, with partner Ryan Beedie, once tried to buy the Canucks. He’s serious about hockey and a serious businessman, traits that often have been lacking among the Lords of the Boards. As of Feb. 4, the Stars will have been up for sale for one year.
---
Some highlights from Saturday’s WHL games . . .
In Prince Albert, the Raiders scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-1. . . . F Brandon Herrod scored twice for the Raiders. He has 14 on the season. . . . F Mark McNeill had a goal, his 15th, and an assist for Prince Albert, which spent the night celebrating its 40th anniversary season. . . . The game was tied 1-1 until Herrod scored at 15:35 of the second period and McNeill got his goal at 19:23. . . . Everett G Luke Siemens was credited with 47 saves. . . . F Jonathan Parker got his 17th goal for the Raiders. He had 15 last season -- 13 with the Seattle Thunderbirds and two with P.A. -- and 17 as a freshman with Seattle in 2008-09. . . . G Eric Williams stopped 28 shots for the Raiders. . . . Attendance was 2,418. . . . Raiders D Jordan Rowley was plus-4, while D Ryan Button had one assist and also was plus-4. . . . Everett finished its East Division tour at 3-3-0 after a 3-1-0 start. . . .
---
In Brandon, the Kootenay Ice scored twice in the shootout and beat the Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . That was Brandon’s 11th straight loss. . . . The Ice led 2-0 on first-period goals by F Elgin Pearce, his sixth on the season and fourth in two games, and F Max Reinhart, his 16th. . . . The Wheat Kings tied it on second-period PP goals from F Shayne Wiebe, his 16th, and F Mark Stone, his 18th. . . . F Matt Fraser and Reinhart scored in the shootout for the Ice, while Brandon F Scott Glennie and F Michael Ferland were foiled. . . . D Joey Leach had two assists for the Ice. . . . Attendance was 4,343. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 34 shots, two more than Brandon’s Corbin Boes. . . . Kootenay was without D Brayden McNabb, who is in camp with the Canadian national junior team, and F Kevin King (infected elbow), who is its leading scorer. . . . Brandon was without F Brayden Schenn, who also is in camp with the Canadian team. . . .
---
In Edmonton, F T.J. Foster broke a 1-1 tie at 5:27 of the third period as the Oil Kings beat the Kelowna Rockets, 2-1. . . . The Oil Kings are 7-1-1 in their last nine games. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan scored for Kelowna, his 15th, on a PP, at 1:01 of the second. . . . F Mike Piluso, with his sixth, pulled Edmonton even at 15:25 of the second. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix had one assist. . . . Attendance was 4,502. . . . Foster, who has 10 goals, also had an assist. . . . Edmonton G Jon Groenheyde stopped 28 shots, five fewer than Kelowna’s Adam Brown. . . .
---
In Medicine Hat, F Kevin Sundher scored twice to lead the Chilliwack Bruins to a 4-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . F Jamie Crooks added two assists for the Bruins. . . . Sundher has 11 goals this season. . . . The Bruins took control by breaking a scoreless draw with three second-period goals, started by Sundher’s shorthanded score at 8:08. . . . F Emerson Etem got his 19th of the season for the Tigers. That was their Teddy Bear goal. . . . Bruins G Braden Gamble stopped 31 shots, 11 more than Medicine Hat’s Tyler Bunz. . . .
---
In Red Deer, the Regina Pats outscored the Rebels 3-2 in the shootout and posted a 3-2 victory. . . . F Jordan Weal, F Colin Reddin and F Thomas Frazee all scored for Regina in the circus, with F Daulton Siwak and F Brett Ferguson counting for the Rebels. . . . The teams exchanged goals in regulation, with F Josh Cowen getting Red Deer on the board with his second goal, on the PP, at 13:07 of the second period. . . . Regina F Andrew Rieder, with his fifth, equalized at 12:27 of the third. . . . F Byron Froese got his 12th to give Red Deer the lead at 17:49 of the third. . . . F Garrett Mitchell pulled Regina into a tie at 19:41 with his 10th. . . . Attendance was 4,074. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 35 shots. Red Deer’s Dawson Guhle, who was acquired earlier in the season from the Pats, turned aside 26. . . .
---
In Spokane, F Tyler Johnson had a career-high six points, including four assists, to lead the Chiefs to a 10-5 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . In the Blazers’ last visit to Spokane, on Nov. 24, they were beaten 10-1. . . . The Chiefs, who fired 64 shots on two Blazers goaltenders, have won five straight games. . . . F Dominik Uher had three goals for the Chiefs. . . . Last season, Uher had four goals in 53 games. He went into last night with one goal in 24 games this season. . . . Spokane was 4-for-7 on the PP. . . . Uher also had an assist, while F Levko Koper had a goal and three assists. . . . Spokane D Tyler Vanscourt, D Brendon Kichton and F Brady Brassart each had two assists. . . . D Brady Gaudet scored three times for Kamloops. It was his first WHL hat trick and came in his 22nd game of the season. He now has four goals this season. . . . Kamloops LW Brendan Ranford had one assist and moved into the WHL scoring lead with 50 points, one more than Medicine Hat Tigers F Linden Vey, who is in camp with the Canadian national junior team. . . . Ranford also leads the WHL in goals, with 26. . . . Kamloops F Shayne Neigum got his first goal of the season and also had two assists. . . . Kamloops ended up without both of Ranford’s linemates. RW Jordan DePape has been suspended after a Friday night hit on F Killian Hutt of the Swift Current Broncos. C Chase Schaber was given a game misconduct following a first-period fight with D Brenden Kitchton. Schaber was given the game misconduct for making an inappropriate gesture and is likely looking at a suspension. It was his sixth game back after serving a three-game suspension for making physical contact with an official. . . . The Chiefs have scored 10 goals on three occasions this season. . . . Attendance was 5,460. . . .
---
In Vancouver, the Swift Current Broncos scored the game’s first four goals and went onto a 4-1 victory over the Giants. . . . The Broncos, who lost 3-2 in Kamloops on Friday night, were without three of their top forwards, with Cody Eakin having left for the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp and Killian Hutt and Stepan Novotny both injured. . . . The Broncos scored three times in the last half of the first period, with F Brad Hoban getting his 13th, D Kyle Verdino his second and F Dillon Wagner his third in nine games since returning from offseason knee surgery. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal, the first star in each the last three games, was lifted after that first period. . . . F Adam Lowry had two assists for the Broncos. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped 26 shots, losing his shutout bid to F James Henry at 13:24 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 6,391. . . .
---
In Portland, the Winterhawks broke a 3-3 tie with four third-period goals and beat the Prince George Cougars, 7-4. . . . Attendance on Teddy Bear Night in the Rose Garden was 10,558. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie got the Teddy Bear goal at 12:44 of the first period, and fans tossed 12,178 stuffed toys onto the ice. . . . Rattie has 16 goals. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 44 shots as the Cougars held a 48-26 edge in shots. . . . Rattie and D Joe Morrow each had a goal and two assists. . . . Portland F Riley Boychuk broke a 3-3 tie with his ninth goal at 2:36 of third on a PP. . . . F Taylor Peters added insurance with his third of the season at 7:30. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi had two assists, as did countryman Nino Niederreiter. . . . F Jaroslav Vlach, in his third game since returning from a broken thumb suffered in October, got his first goal of the season for the Cougars. . . . The Winterhawks had beaten the visiting Cougars 4-1 on Friday. . . .
---
In Kent, Wash., the visiting Tri-City Americans scored the game’s first five goals and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-1. . . . Tri-City has won seven of its last nine games. . . . F Jordan Messier led the Americans with two goals, giving him 18. . . . F Brooks Macek, F Brendan Shinnimin and F Neal Prokop each had two assists for the Americans. . . . With G Calvin Pickard in camp with Canada’s national junior team, Seattle gave Michael Salmon his second start of the season. He made 28 saves. . . . Attendance was 3,577. . . . The Americans had beaten the visiting Thunderbirds 4-1 on Friday and now are 5-0 against Seattle this season. . . . The Americans were late arriving in Kent because of tough travel conditions in the mountain passes.
---
SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (yes, there were 11 -- count 'em, 11 -- checking-from-behind calls made last night; do you think there might be a problem here, or was there a full moon?):
One major:
Red Deer F John Persson
Ten minors:
Edmonton D Adrian Van de Mosselaer
Medicine Hat F Dylan Bredo
Regina F Colin Reddin
Red Deer F Daulton Siwak
Red Deer F Adam Kambeitz
Vancouver F Brett Lyon
Vancouver D Tyler Hart
Seattle D Dave Sutter
Portland D Brett Ponich
Kamloops D Brandon Underwood
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
“If you are a member of a junior hockey team, how much fun can it possibly be to play a robotic, chip-and-chase, dump-it-in style of game? Too many coaches, at all levels of junior hockey, are seemingly determined to extract the fun and creativity from what should be a free-flowing game.
“Something is wrong with the WHL when a premier player like Everett Silvertips defenceman Ryan Murray — the pride of White City — visits his home province once every two years. The league's partial interlocking schedule is ridiculous. Every team should play in every building every season. Period.”
---
D Bruin McDonald made his QMJHL debut on Friday night as his Gatineau Olympiques dropped a 4-3 decision to the visiting Victoriaville Tigres. McDonald, who started his season with the Spokane Chiefs, was pointless and plus-1. The teams were 3-3 after one period, with the Tigres getting the winner on a third-period PP. . . . The Olympiques are home to the Rimouski Oceanic today.---
The Saskatoon Blades have traded D Tyler Kizuik, 18, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a sixth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . The Hurricanes held two sixth-round picks, their own and Seattle’s. Even after this trade, Lethbridge still holds four selections in the first four two rounds of the 2011 draft. . . . The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Kizuik, who is from Indian Head, Sask., was a third-round pick of the Prince George Cougars in the 2009 bantam draft. He had nine points in 48 games last season. . . . Kizuik should be in the Hurricanes’ lineup tonight when they play host to the Medicine Hat Tigers.---
A note from Kevin Paul Dupont in today’s Boston Globe:
A league source with direct knowledge of the negotiations reports that the
sale of the Dallas Stars would have been concluded a month ago to Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi, but for commissioner Gary Bettman insisting the selling price ($175 million?) was too low. Gaglardi, majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, subsequently bowed out of the process. Another serious Canadian bidder, Bill Gallacher, also walked. Gaglardi, with partner Ryan Beedie, once tried to buy the Canucks. He’s serious about hockey and a serious businessman, traits that often have been lacking among the Lords of the Boards. As of Feb. 4, the Stars will have been up for sale for one year.---
Some highlights from Saturday’s WHL games . . .
In Prince Albert, the Raiders scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-1. . . . F Brandon Herrod scored twice for the Raiders. He has 14 on the season. . . . F Mark McNeill had a goal, his 15th, and an assist for Prince Albert, which spent the night celebrating its 40th anniversary season. . . . The game was tied 1-1 until Herrod scored at 15:35 of the second period and McNeill got his goal at 19:23. . . . Everett G Luke Siemens was credited with 47 saves. . . . F Jonathan Parker got his 17th goal for the Raiders. He had 15 last season -- 13 with the Seattle Thunderbirds and two with P.A. -- and 17 as a freshman with Seattle in 2008-09. . . . G Eric Williams stopped 28 shots for the Raiders. . . . Attendance was 2,418. . . . Raiders D Jordan Rowley was plus-4, while D Ryan Button had one assist and also was plus-4. . . . Everett finished its East Division tour at 3-3-0 after a 3-1-0 start. . . .---
In Brandon, the Kootenay Ice scored twice in the shootout and beat the Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . That was Brandon’s 11th straight loss. . . . The Ice led 2-0 on first-period goals by F Elgin Pearce, his sixth on the season and fourth in two games, and F Max Reinhart, his 16th. . . . The Wheat Kings tied it on second-period PP goals from F Shayne Wiebe, his 16th, and F Mark Stone, his 18th. . . . F Matt Fraser and Reinhart scored in the shootout for the Ice, while Brandon F Scott Glennie and F Michael Ferland were foiled. . . . D Joey Leach had two assists for the Ice. . . . Attendance was 4,343. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 34 shots, two more than Brandon’s Corbin Boes. . . . Kootenay was without D Brayden McNabb, who is in camp with the Canadian national junior team, and F Kevin King (infected elbow), who is its leading scorer. . . . Brandon was without F Brayden Schenn, who also is in camp with the Canadian team. . . .---
In Edmonton, F T.J. Foster broke a 1-1 tie at 5:27 of the third period as the Oil Kings beat the Kelowna Rockets, 2-1. . . . The Oil Kings are 7-1-1 in their last nine games. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan scored for Kelowna, his 15th, on a PP, at 1:01 of the second. . . . F Mike Piluso, with his sixth, pulled Edmonton even at 15:25 of the second. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix had one assist. . . . Attendance was 4,502. . . . Foster, who has 10 goals, also had an assist. . . . Edmonton G Jon Groenheyde stopped 28 shots, five fewer than Kelowna’s Adam Brown. . . . ---
In Medicine Hat, F Kevin Sundher scored twice to lead the Chilliwack Bruins to a 4-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . F Jamie Crooks added two assists for the Bruins. . . . Sundher has 11 goals this season. . . . The Bruins took control by breaking a scoreless draw with three second-period goals, started by Sundher’s shorthanded score at 8:08. . . . F Emerson Etem got his 19th of the season for the Tigers. That was their Teddy Bear goal. . . . Bruins G Braden Gamble stopped 31 shots, 11 more than Medicine Hat’s Tyler Bunz. . . . ---
In Red Deer, the Regina Pats outscored the Rebels 3-2 in the shootout and posted a 3-2 victory. . . . F Jordan Weal, F Colin Reddin and F Thomas Frazee all scored for Regina in the circus, with F Daulton Siwak and F Brett Ferguson counting for the Rebels. . . . The teams exchanged goals in regulation, with F Josh Cowen getting Red Deer on the board with his second goal, on the PP, at 13:07 of the second period. . . . Regina F Andrew Rieder, with his fifth, equalized at 12:27 of the third. . . . F Byron Froese got his 12th to give Red Deer the lead at 17:49 of the third. . . . F Garrett Mitchell pulled Regina into a tie at 19:41 with his 10th. . . . Attendance was 4,074. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 35 shots. Red Deer’s Dawson Guhle, who was acquired earlier in the season from the Pats, turned aside 26. . . . ---
In Spokane, F Tyler Johnson had a career-high six points, including four assists, to lead the Chiefs to a 10-5 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . In the Blazers’ last visit to Spokane, on Nov. 24, they were beaten 10-1. . . . The Chiefs, who fired 64 shots on two Blazers goaltenders, have won five straight games. . . . F Dominik Uher had three goals for the Chiefs. . . . Last season, Uher had four goals in 53 games. He went into last night with one goal in 24 games this season. . . . Spokane was 4-for-7 on the PP. . . . Uher also had an assist, while F Levko Koper had a goal and three assists. . . . Spokane D Tyler Vanscourt, D Brendon Kichton and F Brady Brassart each had two assists. . . . D Brady Gaudet scored three times for Kamloops. It was his first WHL hat trick and came in his 22nd game of the season. He now has four goals this season. . . . Kamloops LW Brendan Ranford had one assist and moved into the WHL scoring lead with 50 points, one more than Medicine Hat Tigers F Linden Vey, who is in camp with the Canadian national junior team. . . . Ranford also leads the WHL in goals, with 26. . . . Kamloops F Shayne Neigum got his first goal of the season and also had two assists. . . . Kamloops ended up without both of Ranford’s linemates. RW Jordan DePape has been suspended after a Friday night hit on F Killian Hutt of the Swift Current Broncos. C Chase Schaber was given a game misconduct following a first-period fight with D Brenden Kitchton. Schaber was given the game misconduct for making an inappropriate gesture and is likely looking at a suspension. It was his sixth game back after serving a three-game suspension for making physical contact with an official. . . . The Chiefs have scored 10 goals on three occasions this season. . . . Attendance was 5,460. . . . ---
In Vancouver, the Swift Current Broncos scored the game’s first four goals and went onto a 4-1 victory over the Giants. . . . The Broncos, who lost 3-2 in Kamloops on Friday night, were without three of their top forwards, with Cody Eakin having left for the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp and Killian Hutt and Stepan Novotny both injured. . . . The Broncos scored three times in the last half of the first period, with F Brad Hoban getting his 13th, D Kyle Verdino his second and F Dillon Wagner his third in nine games since returning from offseason knee surgery. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal, the first star in each the last three games, was lifted after that first period. . . . F Adam Lowry had two assists for the Broncos. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped 26 shots, losing his shutout bid to F James Henry at 13:24 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 6,391. . . .---
In Portland, the Winterhawks broke a 3-3 tie with four third-period goals and beat the Prince George Cougars, 7-4. . . . Attendance on Teddy Bear Night in the Rose Garden was 10,558. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie got the Teddy Bear goal at 12:44 of the first period, and fans tossed 12,178 stuffed toys onto the ice. . . . Rattie has 16 goals. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 44 shots as the Cougars held a 48-26 edge in shots. . . . Rattie and D Joe Morrow each had a goal and two assists. . . . Portland F Riley Boychuk broke a 3-3 tie with his ninth goal at 2:36 of third on a PP. . . . F Taylor Peters added insurance with his third of the season at 7:30. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi had two assists, as did countryman Nino Niederreiter. . . . F Jaroslav Vlach, in his third game since returning from a broken thumb suffered in October, got his first goal of the season for the Cougars. . . . The Winterhawks had beaten the visiting Cougars 4-1 on Friday. . . .---
In Kent, Wash., the visiting Tri-City Americans scored the game’s first five goals and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-1. . . . Tri-City has won seven of its last nine games. . . . F Jordan Messier led the Americans with two goals, giving him 18. . . . F Brooks Macek, F Brendan Shinnimin and F Neal Prokop each had two assists for the Americans. . . . With G Calvin Pickard in camp with Canada’s national junior team, Seattle gave Michael Salmon his second start of the season. He made 28 saves. . . . Attendance was 3,577. . . . The Americans had beaten the visiting Thunderbirds 4-1 on Friday and now are 5-0 against Seattle this season. . . . The Americans were late arriving in Kent because of tough travel conditions in the mountain passes.---
SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (yes, there were 11 -- count 'em, 11 -- checking-from-behind calls made last night; do you think there might be a problem here, or was there a full moon?):
One major:
Red Deer F John Persson
Ten minors:
Edmonton D Adrian Van de Mosselaer
Medicine Hat F Dylan Bredo
Regina F Colin Reddin
Red Deer F Daulton Siwak
Red Deer F Adam Kambeitz
Vancouver F Brett Lyon
Vancouver D Tyler Hart
Seattle D Dave Sutter
Portland D Brett Ponich
Kamloops D Brandon Underwood
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
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