Weekend of partying is over ... Tri-City d-man gets NHL deal ... More changes with Ice

One of these two special girls just turned one; the other is young
at heart (and kidney).

I’m back after a weekend in Burnaby where one of my two favourite girls celebrated her first birthday. Yes, a grand time was had by all.

But the traffic . . . oh my, the traffic! No, not the traffic on the Lower Mainland; the traffic on the Coquihalla Highway. We were heading west on Friday and everyone else seemed to be going east. On Sunday afternoon, things were reversed.

But if that is normal traffic volume for a summer weekend, I don’t like our chances of weaning ourselves off fossil fuels at any point in the next few years, if we don’t burn down between now and then, that is.

Anyway . . . back to hockey . . .

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D Landon Oslanski (Spokane, Lethbridge, Everett, 2009-13) has signed a one-year contract with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). Last season, he had two goals and 15 assists with the Wichita Thunder (ECHL), and two goals and two assists in 12 games with the Toledo Walleye (ECHL). . . .

D Taylor Aronson (Portland, 2009-11) has signed a one-year contract with the Nuremberg Ice Tigers (Germany, DEL). Last season, with Lada Togliatti (Russia, KHL), he had two goals and 13 assists in 41 games. . . .

D Jesse Craige (Lethbridge, Chilliwack, 2004-10) has signed a one-year contract with the Guildford Flames (England, UK Elite). Last season, with Gap (France, Ligue Magnus), he had three goals and 21 assists in 42 games. . . .

D Giffen Nyren (Moose Jaw, Kamloops, Calgary, 2006-10) has signed a one-year contract with Sterling/Vipiteno (Italy, Alps HL). Last season, he was pointless in one game with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL), and had three goals and 12 assists in 19 games with Dijon (France, Ligue Magnus). . . .

G Barry Brust (Spokane, Calgary, 2000-04) has signed a one-year contract with Fribourg-Gottéron (Switzerland, NL A). Last season, in 42 games with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL), he was 19-15-5, 2.42, .918 with three shutouts, two assists and 106 penalty minutes. He finished sixth in the league in penalty minutes. . . . 

F Michal Řepík (Vancouver, 2005-08) was released by Fribourg-Gottéron (Switzerland, NL A) at his request. Řepík wants to play for a team where he will get the "maximum amount of ice time . . . and thus put all the chances on his side for the ultimate goal of playing the next Olympic Games in Pyeongchang with the Czech national team,” according to Fribourg-Gottéron's press release. . . . Řepík then signed a signed one-year contract with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). Last season, he was pointless in two games with Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia, KHL), and had seven goals and nine assists in 22 games with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . .

F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) has signed a one-year contract with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2). Last season, he had 12 goals and 19 assists in 32 games with Herlev (Denmark, Metal Ligaen), and three goals and two assists in four games with Esbjerg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen).

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D Juuso Valimaki of the Tri-City Americans has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Calgary Flames. They selected him in the first round of the NHL’s 2017 draft. . . . From Nokia, Finland, Valimaki had 61 points, including 19 goals, in 60 games with the Americans last season. In 2015-16, his freshman season, he had seven goals and 25 assists in 56 games. . . . Valimaki, who turns 19 on Oct. 6, will have to be returned to the Americans if he doesn’t crack the Flames’ roster out of training camp.

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Nathan Lieuwen has signed on as the Kootenay Ice’s video coach. The former Ice goaltender announced his retirement as a player earlier this year. He was forced out by vision problems that are a direct result of a concussion he suffered in one of seven NHL games he played with the Buffalo Sabres. . . . From Abbotsford, B.C., he played on 14 games last season — two with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage and 12 with the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles. . . . Lieuwen was 85-59-15 in 178 regular-season appearances (2007-12) with the Ice. He backstopped the Ice to the 2011 Ed Chynoweth Cup when he was named the WHL’s playoff MVP. . . . James Patrick, the Ice’s freshman head coach, was an assistant coach in Buffalo when Lieuwen was in the Sabres’ organization.

The Ice also has hired Adam Douglas as its sports performance consultant. According to a news release, he “will he responsible for athlete testing, programming, training schedules and utilizing data to provide feedback to the Ice coaching staff on rest and recovery.”

Douglas also works with Hockey Canada as manager, sports performance for the men’s high performance teams, and he also is involved with strength and conditioning with the women’s teams. He also is the head strength-and-conditioning coach at York U in Toronto. In the past, he has worked in that area with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.

Meanwhile, a source told Taking Note last week that the Ice had dropped “a whole bunch of scouts.”

The Ice, of course, changed hands earlier this off-season, with Winnipeggers Greg Fettes and Matt Cockell purchasing the franchise from the Chynoweth family. Cockell, who serves as the Ice’s president and general manager, hasn’t responded to a request for comment.

The WHL’s 2016-17 Guide, which came out late in the season, listed Carter Sears as scouting consultant with Wayne Dougherty, Peter Dubbeldam, Ward Edwards, Scott Frizzell, Chad Harden, Zenon Herasymiuk, Scott Perry and Tim Schick shown as scouts.

The Ice’s website once included a listing of scouts, but it no longer is there. The website does indicate that Garnet Kaziuk remains the director of scouting, a position he has filled since 2007.

In search of confirmation, I contacted someone familiar with the organization last week. The response: “I am not in a position to comment.”

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Jake Grimes has replaced Todd Harvey on the coaching staff of the OHL’s Guelph Storm. … Harvey, 42, has left the Storm, telling Tony Saxon of guelphtoday.com that he will be scouting for an NHL team in 2017-18. Harvey had been a Storm assistant coach for four seasons. . . . Grimes, 44, will be working alongside George Burnett, the Storms’ general manager and head coach, as associate coach. Grimes was an assistant coach for 11 seasons in Belleville when Burnett was the head coach. Grimes spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Peterborough Petes. . . . Saxon’s story is right here.

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Cougars redo ticketing system ... Peterson has seen it all in Nashville ... Ex-WHL goalie retires

The Prince George Cougars, having lost a big chunk of change over the past three seasons, have moved to a new ticket-pricing system. As Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen writes: “The team has dropped age-based pricing and will instead sell tickets based on where the seats are located in the arena.”

Greg Pocock, the franchise’s president, told Clarke:

"We've lost $2.3 million in three years and we can't continue to provide the players with the experience they're getting, that they've earned and deserve, and lose that kind of money. It's not sustainable.

“Projecting forward, this will put us up in the middle of the league in our pricing structure and it should encourage more people to come out and enjoy Cougars hockey.”

Here’s how Clarke explained the new pricing system:

“The team has set up four tiers of ticket-pricing for season memberships. A premium centre ice red ticket in the two main sections of the arena which starts a few seats shy of each goal line on either side will cost $728. The next most expensive tickets ($576) are in the blue section to the sides and behind the goal in what will be the Cougars' attacking end for the first and third periods.

“Seats in the white section, which will be to the sides and behind the goal the Cougars will defend for two periods, are priced at $420. The cheapest seats ($252 for a full 36-game season) are in the green section and will be in the first four rows in either end. Based on a 36-game schedule, the per-game ticket cost is $20.20 (red), $16 (blue), $11.67 (white) and $7 (green).”

Clarke’s complete story is right here.

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Please read the article about Brent Peterson. Doesn't deserve his lot in life but never gives in and always positive. Amazing man

— Ray Ferraro (@rayferrarotsn) May 27, 2017

Back in the day, Brent Peterson was a player (1974-78) with the Edmonton Oil Kings/Portland Winterhawks and a coach (1991-98) with Portland. He was the Winterhawks’ head coach when they won the 1998 Memorial Cup. . . . These days, he’s getting ready for the Stanley Cup final as a radio analyst on the Nashville Predators’ radio crew. Peterson, 59, has been with the Predators since Day 1, so you know how much this means to him. He was on the coaching staff until Parkinson’s disease made that untenable. . . . Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail has more on Peterson’s story right here.

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Nathan Lieuwen played in the WHL for seasons (2008-12) in the WHL, all of them tending goal for the Kootenay Ice. He’s 25 years of age now and has chosen to retire from hockey. He got into seven NHL games during his career, all of them with the Buffalo Sabres, but he got run over in the last one and ended up with a concussion, one that has had an impact on his vision. . . . Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada has more in his 30 Thoughts and it’s all right here.

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BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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On the eve of Game 3 of the WHL’s championship final, Edmonton Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal has let it be known — ch-ch-ching! — that he has some beefs with the on-ice officials.
Laxdal on officials.
Chris O’Leary of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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Kris Anderson of the Portland Tribune writes that there is no news on the status of Winterhawks F Ty Rattie, who didn’t play in Game 2 of the WHL final. Anderson also takes a look at how F Nic Petan performed in Rattie’s spot alongside Sven Baertschi and Marcel Noebels. Anderson’s story is right here.
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G Nathan Lieuwen, who completed his junior eligibility this season with the Kootenay Ice, has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Lieuwen, who backstopped the Ice to the WHL title a year ago, went 27-20-8, 2.50, .914 this season. . . . Lieuwen was a sixth-round selection by the Sabres in the 2011 NHL draft.
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Jim Matheson’s weekly Hockey World from the pages of the Edmonton Journal leads with news on D Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips, who is excelling with Team Canada at the world championship. Matty's Hockey World is right here.
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Game 3 of the WHL final goes tonight in Portland’s Rose Garden. Early Saturday afternoon, the Winterhawks announced the game had been sold out.
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Here is the schedule for the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup (all times local):
Thursday, May 3: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (7,466)
Friday, May 4: Portland 5 at Edmonton 1 (10,720)
Sunday, May 6: at Portland (Rose Garden), 6 p.m.
Tuesday, May 8: at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 10: at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, May 12: at Portland (Rose Garden), 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, May 13: at Edmonton, 6 p.m.

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JOEL HAMILTON

F Joel Hamilton of the Red Deer Rebels is resting comfortable in Red Deer Regional Hospital after having fractured his L1 and L2 vertebrae during an 8-5 loss to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday. Hamilton was taken to hospital after the game where X-rays discovered the fractures. He is expected to be out at least four weeks.
According to Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate, Hamilton was injured when he absorbed a check in the first period. “Hamilton stayed on the bench for the remainder of the game after it became apparent that he was in too much pain to be helped to the dressing room. Paramedics attended to the rookie forward at the conclusion of the contest and administered morphine intravenously before placing him on a backboard.”
Jesse Wallin, the Rebels’ general manager and head coach, told Meachem: “He’ll be out a minimum of four weeks. The doctors expect him to make a full recovery and he’ll certainly be able to return to play at some point.”
The Rebels, who already had seven players out with injuries, also lost F Cory Millette (foot) after he blocked a shot early in the game. X-rays proved negative and he is listed as day-to-day.
Red Deer went into that game with seven players out with injuries. G Patrik Bartosak and D Justin Weller won’t play again this season. F Adam Kambeitz, D Aaron Borejko and F Colten Mayor are out indefinitely.
With the Scotties Canadian women’s curling championship to start this weekend in their home rink, the Rebels are hitting the road, starting with a four-game swing into the B.C. Division. They’ll begin by playing the Cougars in Prince George on Wednesday.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Ryan Papaioannou has signed a five-year contract extension as general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. . . . That will take him through the 2016-17 season. . . . Papaioannou has been with the Bandits since signing on as an assistant coach in 2008. . . . He took over as interim GM/head coach on Oct. 16, 2009, and was named GM/head coach on Nov. 5, 2009. . . . The Bandits are 101-49-16 under him. . . . This season, the Bandits are 45-7-0-6 and leading the South Division by 29 points.
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The owners of the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild have won their appeal to USA Hockey’s expansion review board and it now appears the road is clear for the franchise to join the BCHL.
There is more right here from juniorhockey.com.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Medicine Hat, F Emerson Etem scored twice, giving him 51 goals in 50 games, as the Tigers doubled the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-2. . . . Etem is the first Medicine Hat skater with 50 goals since F Joffrey Lupul hit for 56 in 2001-02. . . .

EMERSON ETEM

The last WHL player to score 50 in 50 was F Layne Ulmer of the Swift Current Broncos. He notched 50 in 47 games in 2000-01. . . . Earlier in the game, before he got his 50th goal, Etem hit a post and the crossbar. . . . When he scored No. 50, the crowd of 4,006 rewarded him with a standing ovation that losted more than a minute. . . . "It got me excited for playoffs, to be honest," Etem told Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News. "I haven’t heard the fans that loud since last playoffs. . . . The three years I have been here, it is one of the proudest moments." . . . A number of Brandon players, including Stone and D Eric Roy, congratulated Etem. . . . "I think it is really impressive for him to be able to get 50 in 50," Stone told Steinke. "Obviously, we didn’t want it to happen against us. It is something that might never happen again. A congratulations is deserved. We needed to acknowledge that moment." . . . Stone scored his 36th goal and set up the other. That was enough to lift him into the lead in the WHL scoring race, with 90 points. That’s one more than Etem, F Ty Rattie of the Portland Winterhawks and F Jordan Weal of the Regina Pats. . . . The Tigers, who have won five in a row, scratched F Hunter Shinkaruk (undisclosed) and put F Rhyse Dieno in his spot with Etem and F Dylan Bredo. Dieno responded with his fourth goal of the season. . . . Dieno tied the game 2-2 at 17:36 of the first period on a PP after Brandon had taken a 2-0 lead. . . . Etem broke the tie at 6:04 of the third and added an empty-netter at 19:13. . . . Brandon F Paul Ciarelli returned from a three-game absence. . . . Brandon F Mike Ferland had two assists. He wasn’t suspended after being hit with an interference major and game misconduct in a 6-3 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Friday.

In Calgary, G Nathan Lieuwen turned aside 26 shots to help the Kootenay Ice to a 4-0 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Lieuwen has three shutouts this season and nine for his career. . . . D Jagger Dirk got the game’s first goal, his sixth, at 11:14 of the first period on a PP. . . . D Joey Leach had a goal and an assist, while F Drew Czerwonka helped out with two assists. . . . The Hitmen have lost four in a row. . . . Calgary took 93 of the 138 penalty minutes handed out by referees Steve Papp and Colin Watt. . . . There was some ch-ch-ching time, too, as Calgary head coach Mike Williamson did the water bottle-throwing thing and got tossed at 4:34 of the third period. . . . Gotta think that had more to do with four straight losses than anything else. . . .
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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LOOK OUT OGOPOGO:
The Edmonton Oil Kings played two games in Prince George on the weekend, then headed for Kelowna on Sunday. Brian Cheeseman, the team’s athletic therapist, tweeted: “In Kelowna for 4 days, might have to take a look for @theogopogo while I'm here #whl #roadie.”
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NOW THAT’S GRIT:
F Joel Hamilton of the Red Deer Rebels tweeted this from his hospital room on Sunday night:
“Bull rider just gets out of surgery beside me and asks the nurse for a spit cup #cope #beauty.”

Who knew that Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were hockey fans?
Furthermore, who knew that they were fans of the BCHL's Vernon Vipers?
Hey, there they were on Friday night, watching the Vipers and Victoria Grizzlies go at it in the Wesbild Centre in Vernon.
Apparently, the happy couple was enjoying some skiing time at Silver Star, a resort near Vernon, when they decided to drop in on the hockey game.
Kidman and Urban left the game just prior to the end of the second period, which is even earlier than when NHL scouts bow out.
Sheesh, had Mark Ferner known such celebrities would drop by, he may have decided to stay with the Vipers, rather than leave for the WHL's Everett Silvertips. In fact, maybe the Aussie stars left because Ferner wasn't there!
For more, including a photo, click right here.
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WHL TRADE TRACKER (trades made since Dec. 27):
Trades made: 7
Players: 15
Draft picks: 6
Deadline: Tuesday, 3 p.m. MT
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The Red Deer Rebels have lost D Justin Weller for at least six weeks with a broken wrist. Weller, 20, underwent surgery on Sunday. He was injured during a 3-2 overtime loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday. Ironically, it was just last week when the Rebels found themselves carrying four 20-year-olds and were forced into dropping F Josh Cowen, who immediately was added to the coaching staff. . . . With the trade deadline approaching Tuesday, Jesse Wallin, the Rebels' GM and head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate that he isn't sure what he will do. “I don't know that a whole lot is going to happen,” Wallin said of the approaching trade deadline and how it is impacted by the Weller injury. “Nothing is imminent at this time. “t's tough to comment. We have a decision to make over the next couple of days.”
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The Saskatoon Blades have had to change their plans regarding their goaltending situation. They had planned on returning Alex Moodie, 16, to the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild. However, Andrey Makarov will be out at least a week after suffering a concussion in Saturday's 4-3 victory over the visiting Regina Pats. Makarov was injured in the first period when he was run over by Regina F Morgan Klimchuk, who was given a charging major and game misconduct. It seems, however, that Klimchuk may have received some help from Blades D Darren Dietz. . . . The Blades now will keep Moodie and go with him and Adam Todd until Makarov comes back. . . . There is, of course, another option. Perhaps they will trade for a goaltender prior to Tuesday afternoon's deadline. . . . The Blades next are scheduled to play Wednesday in Brandon.
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SUNDAY'S GAMES:
In Calgary, the Hitmen overcame an early 3-0 deficit and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-3. . . . Calgary has won five in a row. . . . F Brady Brassart had two goals and assist, while F Brooks Macek added a goal and two helpers for Calgary. . . . The Hitmen trailed 3-0 with three minutes left in the second period. They scored twice before the period ended and added four more in the third. . . . F Phil Tot scored his sixth goal for Lethbridge. This season, in 33 games, he has six goals and 15 assists. Last season, in 58 games, he had six goals and 15 assists. . . .

In Cranbrook, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 31 shots and F Max Reinhart drew two assists as the Kootenay Ice got past the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-1. . . . Lieuwen's evening included stopping Medicine Hat F Hunter Shinkaruk on a penalty shot at 7:41 of the third period with his club leading 2-1. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart scored his 12th goal to run his point streak to four games. . . . Tigers F Emerson Etem scored his 34th goal of the season. . . . Tigers G Tyler Bunz left the game in the first period to have a skate problem  fixed. Kenny Cameron came on and played 2:58 before Bunz re-entered. . . .

In Edmonton, F Colten Mayor, the 10th shooter, scored to give the Red Deer Rebels a 4-3 shootout victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Edmonton F Kristians Pelss forced OT with his 15th goal, at 12:07 of the third period. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 37 shots through OT. He was beaten by F Tyler Maxwell, Edmonton's first shootout shooter, but then closed the door on the next four. . . . Red Deer took 61 of the 114 penalty minutes handed out. . . .

In Everett, F Todd Fiddler ran his goal streak to three games to help the Spokane Chiefs to a 5-3 victory over the Silvertips. . . . This was the Chiefs' third victory in as many nights in three different cities. They beat the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors 5-2 on Friday and then doubled the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-2 in Kent, Wash., on Saturday. . . . The Chiefs erased a 2-1 deficit when F Mike Aviani and F Mitch Holmberg scored 26 seconds apart in the first period. . . . Aviani's goal came 42 seconds after F Kohl Bauml had given Everett a 2-1 lead with his sixth goal of the season, via the PP. . . . Fiddler, who was acquired last month from the Prince Albert Raiders, has eight goals, four of them in six games with Spokane. Fiddler has six points over his last three games. . . . G Eric Williams, who also came west in that deal, stopped 27 shots. . . . Everett F Trent Lofthouse, the son of former WHLer Mark Lofthouse, scored his second goal of the season. . . . Everett was playing its fourth game in five nights. . . . The teams will meet again Wednesday in Spokane and then go at it again Friday in Everett.
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SUNDAY'S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Jaimen Yakubowski, Lethbridge.
D Albin Blomqvist, Lethbridge.
D Mathew Dumba, Red Deer.
F Jordan Peddle, Edmonton.
F Jarid Hauptman, Spokane
F Collin Valcourt, Spokane (double minor)
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David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail suggests some areas that should be under consideration if the NHL is serious about ridding itself of what is an obvious problem with concussions. That piece is right here.
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For today's good read, we visit the Toronto Star where Rick Westhead provides an intriguing look at the Kontinental Hockey League. It is right here.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-2005) signed a contract through Dec. 24 with La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland, NL B). He was released after a tryout with Biel (Switzerland, NL A) on Thursday. The contract begins Monday.
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JUST NOTES: F Sebastian Svendsen, 20, wasn’t in the Moose Jaw Warriors’ lineup Friday night as they beat the host Brandon Wheat Kings, 7-6. James Gallo, the radio voice of the Warriors on CHAB, reported via Twitter than Svendsen has left the club and returned home to Denmark. He missed the early portion of the season with a knee injury and has four points in 11 games. . . . Moose Jaw F Justin Kirsch left in the first period and didn’t return. That followed a hit from Brandon F Darian Dziurzynski. . . . Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden had four assists. He has 22 points in 13 games. . . . The Warriors erased a 6-4 deficit with three third-period goals. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had a goal and two assists, giving him a WHL-leading 58 points in 27 games. Stone has goals in each of his last eight games. . . .
F Mark McNeill’s ninth goal, at 3:04 of OT, gave the Prince Albert Raiders a 4-3 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . The Raiders had lost six in a row. . . . F Kellan Tochkin of the Raiders tied the score with 8.4 seconds left in the third period. . . . F Justin Maylan, 20, drew three assists for the Raiders. He has 32 points in 27 games and just may have some market value between now and the Jan. 10 trade deadline. . . . In Saskatoon, the Calgary Hitmen dumped the Blades 6-2. That ended Saskatoon’s eight-game winning streak and franchise record-tying 10-game home-ice winning streak. . . . The Hitmen are 3-0 on a four-game East Division swing that ends tonight in Prince Albert. . . . Calgary got two goals from F Jimmy Bubnick, who is from Saskatoon. . . .
In Edmonton, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 27 shots to lead the Oil Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. It was Brossoit’s first shutout this season and the third of his career. . . . He is 13-7-2, 2.43, .914. . . . F Tyler Maxwell, acquired Thursday from the Everett Silvertips, had one assist in his Edmonton debut. He played on a line with Michael St. Croix and Dylan Wruck. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Mark Pysyk (undisclosed). . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes went into Red Deer and beat the Rebels 5-1 in a game that featured 12 fighting majors. The Hurricanes took 76 of the game’s 118 penalty minutes. . . .
In Kelowna, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 35 shots in leading the Kootenay Ice to a 4-0 victory over the Rockets. . . . At this point, Lieuwen has to be one of the leading candidates for the player of the year award. He is 13-4-3, 1.78, .938. This was his first shutout of the season and eighth of his career. . . . Backstopped by Lieuwen, the Ice is 18-5-3 and leading the overall standings. . . . The Ice played five B.C. Division teams in seven nights and ran the table. . . . The Ice scored its last three goals on the PP. . . . F Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist, giving him four goals and 10 assists over the five-game swing. His older brother, Max, had three assists and finished the B.C. part of what will be a nine-game trip with four goals and six helpers. . . . Ice F Brock Montgomery, who scored one goal in 54 games last season, had two last night, giving him seven in 26 games this season. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-1, in a game that featured 142 penalty minutes, 71 to each team. . . . The teams took 74 of those minutes for a dustup at 17:48 of the third period. . . . In Everett, F Jordan Weal had two goals and an assist, the 200th of this career, to help the Regina Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Silvertips. Regina is 1-2-1 on its U.S. Division tour that ends in Kennewick tonight. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Charles Inglis tied the game at 19:21 of the third period and scored the only goal of the shootout as the Prince George Cougars edged the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Prince George G Drew Owsley stopped 32 shots. Seattle F Burke Gallimore wasn’t able to beat Owsley on a first-period penalty shot. . . . G Mac Carruth stopped 46 shots as the host Portland Winterhawks beat the Spokane Chiefs, 5-3. . . . Spokane is 0-7 on the road this season and that includes three losses in Portland.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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The AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons have recalled F Milan Kytnar (Kelowna, Saskatoon, Vancouver, 2007-10), while also signing D Dylan Yeo (Prince George, Calgary, 2003-2007) to a free-agent tryout deal. . . .
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A Friday night tweet from Katie Strang of ESPN, who covers the New York hockey scene: “Asked (Islanders) GM Garth Snow if he is contemplating sending Nino Niederreiter back to junior team Portland Winterhawks of WHL; he said ‘No’.”
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A second tweet from Strang: “Also, Isles spokesperson said Niederreiter is indeed healthy. 19-year-old Swiss winger was scratched for 3rd straight game tonight.”
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Later, Strang wrote about this on her blog right here.
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Josh Cooper of The Tennessean has the latest on Brent Peterson right here. Peterson, a former player and coach with the Portland Winterhawks is living with Parkinson’s disease and preparing for surgery that he and his family hope will provide some relief.
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Andrew King, a former junior hockey player, tells his concussion-plagued story right here, from the pages of the Montreal Gazette.

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

Ice freezes out Blazers

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Perhaps the Kamloops Blazers should have put Colton Canuel in the starting lineup.
Canuel, 6, was part of the pregame show Wednesday night at Interior Savings Centre. He was the Tim Hortons Timbits player chosen to skate with the Blazers and stand at the blue-line with the starting lineup during the singing of O Canada.
He drew quite an ovation, too, as he chose to drag out his appearance as long as he could. As it turned out, that was the evening’s highlight for Blazers fans as their favourites then went out and absorbed a 7-3 licking at the hands of the defending WHL-champion Kootenay Ice.
The Ice, playing its fourth game in five nights, scored six second-period goals on eight shots on two goaltenders in a span of 14 minutes 25 seconds to bury the Blazers, who had been off since Saturday.
This also was the Ice’s fourth straight victory, following triumphs in Victoria, Vancouver and Prince George. The Ice completes its rampage through the B.C. Division Friday in Kelowna.
Things went wrong for Kamloops right from the get-go as it lost defenceman Josh Caron at 1:16 of the first period. He was ejected for a check — a firmly placed elbow — to the head of Kootenay centre Max Reinhart.
Still, the Blazers gave up just one goal on the ensuing five-minute power play and, when left-winger Tim Bozon scored later, the home boys were able to escape the first period in a 1-1 draw.
But the visitors are the defending champions for a reason — let them see your jugular and they’ll bite you — and two early second-period power-play goals stretched the lead to 3-1 and, for all intents and purposes, all that was left was the 50-50 draw.
The fourth Ice goal kind of summed up the Blazers’ night. With a faceoff in the neutral zone, the Blazers moved defenceman Austin Madaisky to right wing, with right-winger J.C. Lipon moving back. Kootenay’s Jesse Ismond won the faceoff forward and Dylen McKinlay broke in alone, going through the space where Madaisky might have been, and scored.
Following that goal, Kamloops head coach Guy Charron yanked goaltender Cole Cheveldave, who was making his third straight start, and sent in Cam Lanigan. However, Lanigan gave up three goals on four shots and Cheveldave re-entered the fray.
In the end, the two combined for 15 saves, while Kootenay’s Nathan Lieuwen turned aside 25 shots in a steady showing.
Drew Czerwonka, Ismond, Max Reinhart, Sam Reinhart, Brock Montgomery and Joe Antilla scored for the Ice (17-5-3), which is tied for the WHL’s overall lead with the idle Saskatoon Blades.
Brendan Ranford and Bronson Maschmeyer added third-period goals for Kamloops (14-7-1), which remains fourth in the Western Conference.
The Blazers get a chance to get back on track with home games on Friday (Victoria Royals) and Saturday (Seattle Thunderbirds).
JUST NOTES: Attendance was 3,895. . . . The Ice was 3-for-4 on the PP; the Blazers were 2-for-4, with both goals coming in the third period long after the issue had been settled. . . . The Reinhart brothers, Max and Sam, don’t have their first initials on their Ice jerseys. General manager Jeff Chynoweth says he ordered them but the brothers told him they don’t want them. . . . The Daily News’ Three Stars: 1. F Sam Reinhart: A goal and three assists; he turned 16 on Nov. 6; 2. Ismond: Was in the middle of everything; 3. Ice D John Neibrandt: Steady back there.

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Taking Note on Twitter

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced Tuesday that they will keep F Ryan Johansen, 19, rather than return him to the Portland Winterhawks. As a 19-year-old, he either has to play in the NHL with Columbus, or with the Winterhawks, who hold his WHL rights.
When it comes to keeping or returning junior-aged players, keep in mind that NHL teams are faced with two deadlines.
One involves 10 NHL games. Once a player dresses for his 10th game of a season, his NHL contract kicks in. So a player on a three-year contract uses up the first year with game No. 10.
There also is a 40-game mark of which you should be aware. Once a player suits up for a 40th game in one season, he is one year closer to unrestricted free agency.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have dealt F Carter Proft, 17, to the Spokane Chiefs for a fifth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. Proft, from Spruce Grove, Alta., was a fifth-round pick by Brandon in the 2009 draft. He had one goal and 10 penalty minutes in 13 games with Brandon this season. "Carter was in a situation where we weren't going to be able to get him adequate ice time to keep him happy", Brandon GM Kelly McCrimmon said in a news release. "When Jens Meilleur and Dominick Favreau return to our line-up we would have 14 forwards. When this opportunity presented itself, we felt it was the right move for all involved."
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JUST NOTES: F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the WHL’s player of the month for October. He had 31 points, including 21 goals, in 15 games. . . . Nathan Lieuwen of the Kootenay Ice is the WHL’s goaltender of the month. He was 9-2-0 with a 1.45 GAA and a .948 save percentage. . . . A couple of WHL grads scored their first NHL goals on Tuesday night. F Brett Connolly (Prince George) had the Tampa Bay Lightning’s second goal in what was a 4-2 loss to the host Carolina Hurricanes. D Jared Cowen (Spokane) scored his first in a 5-3 loss to the host Boston Bruins. Cowen tied the game 3-3 in the third period, only to have the Bruins come back with two quick ones. The first of those came off the stick of Boston D Johnny Boychuk, also a former WHLer. . . . Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0, 1.00, .966 last week.
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With the Canadian Finals Rodeo making its annual stop in Edmonton, the NHL’s Oilers, including C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, are heading out on a six-game road trip that will take them to Los Angeles, Phoenix, Montreal, Boston, Detroit and Chicago.
"I got $80 every two weeks when I played in Red Deer,” Nugent-Hopkins told Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. “I think per diem in the NHL is $98 a day. I don't think I've touched much of that yet.”
And, yes, the Oilers will be flying, something the kid didn’t do with the Red Deer Rebels.
"The bus in Red Deer was a nice-looking bus, but it's sometimes eight hours on the road and you have to play the next day," Nugent-Hopkins continued. "A plane is still, uh, better than a bus."
One other thing . . .
"I've noticed the hotels are probably a little nicer in the NHL than junior," he said with a laugh.
Matheson’s complete story is right here.
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In Medicine Hat, F Emerson Etem continued to burn up the WHL, scoring one goal and setting up four others — getting all five points in the third period — as the Tigers bounced the Everett Silvertips, 10-2. . . . Etem leads the WHL in goals (22) and points (36), all compiled in 16 games. . . . Tigers F Hunter Shinkaruk had a six-point night, including three goals. He has 14 goals in 17 games. . . F Dylan Bredo, the third member of that line, had a goal and three helpers. They combined for 15 points and finished plus-12. . . . The Silvertips tied a single-game franchise record for goals allowed and set a franchise record for goals against in a period when the Tigers struck six times in the third. . . . The Tigers, who also had two goals disallowed, held a 52-25 edge in shots. . . .
In Regina, the Pats built up a 2-0 lead and hung on to beat the Saskatoon Blades, 2-1. . . . The Pats are 11-6-0 and two points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Kootenay Ice (11-3-2). . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 26 shots, one fewer than Saskatoon’s Andrey Makarov. . . . Regina D Artem Bidlevskii was back after missing three games with a concussion. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Brendan Gallagher scored three goals and drew an assist as the Vancouver Giants doubled the Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-2. . . . Gallagher has 14 goals in 13 games. . . . His first goal was the 226th point of his career. The Vancouver franchise record for career points (273) is held by F Adam Courchaine. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 46 shots. . . .
In Prince Albert, F Jimmy Bubnick struck for three goals as the Calgary Hitmen came from behind to beat the Raiders, 5-2. . . . It was the second three-goal game of Bubnick’s career, and came in his 276th regular-season game. Bubnick, who is from Saskatoon, had three goals in a 4-3 loss to the Cougars in Prince George on Dec. 1. . . . Calgary scored four third-period goals to erase a 2-1 deficit. . . . The Hitmen got a shorthanded score from F Calder Brooks. That was his first WHL goal. . . . It was the ninth shorthanded goal allowed by the Raiders this season. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart took a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct for a late second-period hit on Prince Albert D Antoine Corbin. . . .
In Swift Current, F Michael Ferland scored three times and set up another, leading the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 7-3 victory over the Broncos. . . . It was Ferland’s second hat trick of the season. . . . He has 14 goals. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had a goal, running his season-opening point streak to 16 games. . . . Brandon F Darian Dziurzynski took a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on F Andy Blanke at 19:16 of the third period. . . . Things got silly late in the game and that included Broncos G Jon Groenheyde getting tossed at 19:51 after he tried to entice Brandon G Corbin Boes into a bout. . . . In the end, the Broncos took 65 of the 123 penalty minutes handed out. . . . The Broncos sold tickets for $2 apiece and drew 2,187 fans.
One interesting note from last night’s games. . . . Brandon F Michael Ferland, Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher and Medicine Hat F Hunter Shinkaruk each scored three goals. . . . Each of them has 14 goals, tied for second behind Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem, who has 22. . . . If you were wondering, F Tyler Toffoli of the Ottawa 67’s leads the OHL with 13 goals in 12 games. In the QMJHL, F Zach O’Brien of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan has the lead, with 18 goals in 20 games.

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Taking Note on Twitter

The Moose Jaw Warriors’ search for a goaltender took another turn Monday when they acquired Luke Siemens from the Everett Silvertips.In exchange for Siemens, who will turn 19 on Nov. 6, the Warriors gave up F Matt Grant, 17, and third-round bantam draft picks in 2012 and 2013.
It would seem this deal has been in the works for a while. Earlier Monday, I was chatting with Drew Wilson, the radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, and he mentioned that he had heard some time ago that the Warriors were on the verge of landing Siemens. It didn’t happen then, however, and Wilson figured the deal had fallen through.
It may have . . . until yesterday.
As training camp wound down, it looked as though the Warriors would open the season with Brandon Stone, 18, and Spencer Tremblay, 17, as their goaltenders. But just before they opened the regular season, they claimed Deven Dubyk, 20, off waivers from the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Warriors go into the week at 3-1-0.
Dubyk has played three games, going 2-1-0 with a 4.00 GAA and .900 save percentage. Chances are that he will rejoin the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos, which is where he went after being dropped by Medicine Hat. That also would free up a 20-year-old spot for the Warriors, who have F Brett Lyon and F Sebastian Svendsen on their active roster and F Collin Bowman still with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale.
Siemens, from Delta, B.C., is 7-14-3, 3.01, .916 in 25 regular-season games, one with the Prince George Cougars and 24 with Everett. Last season, he was 7-13-2, 3.03, .917 in 23 games.
The Warriors also dropped Stone yesterday, so will go, at least for now, with Siemens and Tremblay.
Grant, from Ladysmith, B.C., wasn’t selected in the WHL bantam draft. He had nine points in 58 games with Moose Jaw last season. However, he wasn’t with the Warriors and had been assigned to the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals before this season started.
The Silvertips are left with Kent Simpson, 19, and freshman Austin Lotz, 16, as their goaltenders.
Last season, the Silvertips dealt G Thomas Heemskerk, then 20, to the Warriors for D Chad Suer.
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Jon Rosen spent the last four seasons as the radio voice of the Everett Silvertips. He also served as the team’s public relations director. He left after last season to explore other avenues.
So what is he doing in Hamburg, Germany?
Find out right here.
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Jason Hills of the Edmonton Sun starts a story like this:
“Jesse Pearson, Jesse Wallin and Ryan Cuthbert never played against each other during their hockey careers, but all three Western Hockey League coaches share one common bond.
“They had their dreams of long NHL careers crushed with the worst word and hottest topic in hockey circles these days — concussions.”
The complete story is right here.
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F Liam Stewart of the Spokane Chiefs has been cleared to play for Great Britain’s U-18 team, which is slotted in the IIHF world championship in Heerenveen, Netherlands, March 31 through April 6. Also competing will be teams from Korea, Romania, Netherlands, Croatia and Lithuania. . . . Stewart, the son of actress Rachel Hunter and rocker Rod Stewart, was born in London. He played hockey last season in Los Angeles. The Daily Mirror quoted Liam as saying: “I'm very proud to be cleared to play for the country I was born in. I know my dad would be especially proud so it was exciting to hear it was approved.”
Stewart left the Chiefs’ 7-2 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans on Saturday after being checked from behind. Stewart is questionable for the three games the Chiefs are scheduled to play this week.
The Chiefs also lost D Tanner Mort in that game and he, too, is questionable.
As a result, the Chiefs have added F Jarid Hauptman, 17, to their roster. Hauptman, a fifth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, is scheduled to play in Vancouver on Wednesday, Kamloops on Friday and at home against Kelowna on Saturday. He is playing with the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder and has seven points in 10 games.
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JUST NOTES: The Regina Pats have assigned D Tyler Bortsmayer to the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings. He was pointless in two games with the Pats this season. A second-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, he got into 42 games with Regina last season and 39 in 2009-10. That move gets the Pats down to 24 players, including 14 forwards and eight defencemen. . . . F Mark Stone of the Brandon Wheat Kings is the WHL’s player of the week. He had nine points, including four goals, in three games. . . . Nathan Lieuwen of the Kootenay Ice is the WHL nominee as the CHL’s goaltnder of the week. He went 1-1-0 with a 1.51 GAA and .940 save percentage last week. . . .
The Pittsburgh Penguins have returned D Joe Morrow to the Portland Winterhawks. Morrow got into four preseason games with Pittsburgh, scoring once and adding three assists. . . . The Winterhawks remain without F Ryan Johansen, who will open the season with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, and F Nino Niederreiter, who has been placed on the New York Islanders’ injured list with a groin problem. . . . On Monday afternoon, Portland-based freelancer Scott Sepich tweeted: “Riley Boychuk may be back in Portland soon. Rochester coach says Boychuk lacks consistency, and Sabres still haven't signed him.” . . .
While the WHL has updated the transactions part of its website, it has yet to include the deal from last week in which the Seattle Thunderbirds acquired D Braeden (Bunny) Laroque, 19, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for an undisclosed bantam draft pick. Neither team has released specifics on the selection. . . .
The Tri-City Americans have assigned F Olli Dickson, 18, to the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. He was pointless in one game with the Americans. . . . The Vancouver Giants have said they will reassign F Logan Harland, 16, although they have yet to announce a destination. He had one goal in three games with the Giants.
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And now for something completely different . . .
This is our good read for today and it comes from David Whitley, a columnist at AOL FanHouse.
He writes about Kevin Kelley, a football coach at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Ark., who has, shall we say, a somewhat unconventional outlook on the game of football.
For example, he doesn’t have a punter on his roster.
Anyway, give this right here a read. You won’t be sorry.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Saturday . . .

A Canadian has never won an Olympic shot put medal. Dylan Armstrong of Kamloops is planning on becoming the first as he has his sights set on London and the 2012 Olympic Summer Games. This season, he already has had a six-meet victory string and he’s ranked No. 1 on the Diamond League and No. 3 in the world.
Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail has that story right here.
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Later Saturday, Armstrong broke his own Canadian senior shot put record with a throw of 22.21 metres. That also is the best throw in the world this season. . . . Prior to Saturday, his most-recent Canadian record throw was 21.72m at a meet in San Diego on April 23. Armstrong surpassed that mark four times in Calgary on Saturday.
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Clayton Stoner remembers looking at his cell phone and having a "bad feeling."
That’s how Michael Russo of the Minneapolis StarTribune began a story on the Minnesota Wild defenceman who played in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans.
Stoner’s brother, Luke, had been killed in a logging accident on B.C. Island.
The complete story is right here.
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SOME NHL DRAFT NOTES: The first round took almost four hours. Rounds 2-7 were completed in less than that. . . . The Edmonton Oilers selected F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels with the draft’s first pick. He is the first WHL player to be selected first overall since Prince Albert D Chris Phillips was taken by the Ottawa Senators in 1996. . . . D Keegan Lowe of the Edmonton Oil Kings had asked the Edmonton Oilers not to select him. He was taken by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round. His father, Kevin, is the Oilers’ president, hockey operations. . . . Laurent Brossoit of the Oil Kings was the first WHL goaltender selected when he was taken by the Calgary Flames in the sixth round. Interestingly, former Oil Kings head coach Steve Pleau scouts for the Flames. Brossoit played three games for Pleau, one in 2008-09 and two in 2009-10. . . . G Nathan Lieuwen of the Kootenay Ice, who was the WHL’s playoff MVP, was taken by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round. . . . Brossoit was taken 164th overall; Lieuwen was No. 167. . . . The Oilers took Vancouver D David Musil with the first pick of the second round. His father, Frank, is a former NHLer who now scouts for the Oilers. . . . The Anaheim Ducks used a sixth-round pick on D Josh Manson of the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks. He is the son of Dave Manson, a former Prince Albert defenceman and coach. . . . The Carolina Hurricanes grabbed the last WHL player selected when they took F Brody Sutter of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the seventh round, 193rd overall. He is the son of former NHLer Duane Sutter, who now is the Calgary Flames’ director of player personnel. . . .
The St. Louis selected F Demitrij Jaskin in the second round. He is from Omsk, Russia, but has played internationally for the Czech Republic's U-18 side. He was taken by the Calgary Hitmen in the 2010 CHL import draft. Sibir Novosibirsk selected him with the first pick of the KHL's 2010 draft. If he comes over here, chances are he'll end up with the AHL's Peoria Rivermen. . . . According to the USHL, “A total of 28 players who skated in the USHL during the 2010-11 season had their names called by NHL clubs.” . . . According to Skip Berry, the director of broadcasting and media relations for the Tri-City Storm, “The impact of the USHL overall on the draft is around 41 players, drafted out of the USHL/played in the USHL, just five players behind the OHL.” . . . The WHL had 33 players selected, with 22 taken from the QMJHL. . . . A year ago, there were 43 WHL players taken in the draft. . . .
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WHL teams and the number of 2011 draft picks:
4 — Edmonton, Portland, Saskatoon.
3 — Spokane, Swift Current.
2 — Prince Albert, Red Deer, Seattle, Vancouver.
1 — Brandon, Kelowna, Kootenay, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Moose Jaw, Tri-City.
0 — Calgary, Everett, Kamloops, Prince George, Regina, Victoria.
By division:
East — 11
U.S. — 10
Central — 9
B.C. — 3
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Best tweet from the draft came from F Rocco Grimaldi:”I have decided to take my talents to South Beach and join the Florida Panthers. haha.”
Grimaldi, who is listed at 5-foot-6, was taken 33rd overall by Florida. He is out of the U.S. National Team Development Program; his WHL rights belong to the Portland Winterhawks.
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THE COACHING GAME: Michael Russo of the Minneapolis StarTribune reported Saturday afternoon that the Houston Aeros, the AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, were down to a shortlist of four in a search for a new head coach. According to Russo, that list included Gary Agnew, Ryan McGill, Kirk Muller and Trent Yawney. . . . An hour later, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet reported that Muller is expected to be named head coach of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, who are hooked up with the Nashville Predators. . . . The Aeros are looking to replace Mike Yeo, now the head coach of the Wild. . . . The Admirals need to replace Lane Lambert, now an assistant coach with the Predators. . . . While all this was going on, both Vancouver papers are reporting that Muller is in the running — and perhaps the leading candidate — for the position of head coach of the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate, which it seems will be the Chicago Wolves. . . . The AHL’s Abbotsford Heat also is in need of a head coach, although I’m told assistant Troy Ward has the inside track there. The Heat is looking for a replacement for Jim Playfair, who now is on the Phoenix Coyotes’ staff. . . . The AHL’s Providence Bruins have signed Bruce Cassidy as their head coach. The Boston Bruins affiliate made the announcement Saturday. Cassidy, 46, is the 10th head coach in Providence history. He has been an assistant coach there through three seasons and replaces Rob Murray. . . . Kevin Dineen, the new head coach of the NHL’s Florida Panthers, has said that assistant coach Gord Murphy and goaltender coach Robb Tallas will return. Dineen told George Richards of the Miami Herald that he will hire one more assistant.
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Today’s good read comes from Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal. It involves the Boston Bruins, a Stanley Cup celebration and a $100,000 bottle of champagne.
It’s right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

ICE . . . ICE . . . BABY!

ON THE ICE FRIDAY:
It’s over.
The Kootenay Ice scored a 4-1 victory over the Winterhawks in Portland on Friday night to win the WHL’s best-of-seven championship, 4-1.

JEFF CHYNOWETH

You can bet that this was an extra-special victory for the Ice, which was presented with the Ed Chynoweth Cup after the game. The late Ed Chynoweth was the Ice’s owner and governor at the time of his death on April 22, 2008.
Jeff Chynoweth, one of Ed’s two sons, is the Ice’s president, governor and general manager. After the game, in a moment for the ages, the Ice players stepped aside as D Brayden McNabb Jeff to be the first member of the organization to hoist the trophy.
The Ice began life in Edmonton but moved to Cranbrook after two seasons. In 13 seasons in Cranbrook, the Ice has won three WHL titles, this one joining the ones from 1999-2000 and 2001-02. The Ice also won the Memorial Cup in the spring of 2002.
Kootenay went 16-3 in these playoffs, meaning that the Ice has a postseason record of 87-59 over those 13 springs. That is a .596 winning percentage at the time when games are toughest to win.

KRIS KNOBLAUCH

And here’s another note from the last 13 seasons — the Ice has had playoff runs of 21, 11, 22, 11, 16, 10 and now 19 games.
The Ice also won the WHL title with head coach Kris Knoblauch in his first season in that position.
And there can be no doubt but that the Ice is the champion; after all, it took out three of the WHL’s top five regular-season teams — Portland, the Saskatoon Blades and Medicine Hat Tigers — over the last three rounds, losing one game in the process. And that loss, in Game 1 to Portland, was in OT.
Ice, Ice, baby. Ice, Ice!
———

NATHAN LIEUWEN

Portland D Tyler Wotherspoon sent his guys out front at 2:26 of the first period but the Winterhawks wouldn’t beat G Nathan Lieuwen again. . . . Lieuwen, with 16 playoff victories, was named the playoff MVP. . . . That lead lasted until 15:47 of the first period when F Steele Boomer pulled the Ice even. . . . Ice F Matt Fraser scored the game’s next two goals, at 19:16 of the second period, on a PP, and at 14:15 of the third. . . . Fraser finished with a WHL-leading 17 playoff goals. He and teammate Max Reinhart, who had 15 goals, had 27 points, one shy of Porlland F Ryan Johansen, who led the league. Also at 27 points were Ice F Cody Eakin, Ice D Brayden McNabb and Portland Fs Sven Bartschi and Nino Niederreiter. . . Ice F Jesse Ismond, who had four points in Game 5, closed it out with an empty-netter. Ismond also had an assist, giving him six games over the last two games. . . . McNabb had two assists, giving him a WHL-leading 24. . . . Eakin, who was acquired by Chynoweth from the Swift Current Broncos in a blockbuster deal on Jan. 9, put up 27 points, including 11 goals, in 19 playoff games. In 45 total games with the Ice, he had 71 points, 29 of them goals, and was plus-25. In the five-game final, he had nine points, including three goals. . . . Lieuwen finished with 26 saves, 10 fewer than Portland’s Mac Carruth. . . . Referees were Pat Smith and Nathan Wieler. . . . The Ice was 1-for-2 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 10,947 as the Rose Garden, in its hockey configuration, was sold out for a second straight game.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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Jim Beseda of the Oregonian covered Game 5 of the WHL final series. His story is right here.
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Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune was there, too, and his story is right here.
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Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston has agreed to a four-year contract extension. Travis Green, the assistant GM/assistant coach, and assistant coach Kyle Gustafson also have agreed to four-year extensions.
Kerry Eggers, the Tribune’s veteran sports columnist, has that and more right here.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Duncan Milroy (Swift Current, Kootenay, 1998-2003) signed a one-year contract extension with the Krefeld Pinguine (Germany, DEL). He had three goals and 12 assists in 32 games for Krefeld after starting the season with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga), where he had three goals and three assists in 20 games. . . .
F Justin Kelly (Spokane, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with the DEG Metro Stars Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL). He had 11 goals and 18 assists in 52 games with the Krefeld Pinguinie (Germany, DEL) this season.
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Steve Ewen is one of the good guys and not just in sports . . . one of the good guys. Period.
And it has finally happened — he is going back home. To live. Yes, he is finally using that Get Out of Jail Free card that he got for Christmas.
Ewen, who has covered the Vancouver Giants and the WHL for the Vancouver Province, has been in hospital and rehab since late November when he was diagnosed with a kind of cancer that only he knows how to spell. He also has gone — as he must have written in his previous life — “under the knife” on eight separate occasions.
Anyway . . . for the latest on his saga check out Crush The Tumour With Humour’s latest entries right here and right here.
And once you’ve read that stop whining about the officiating.
———
In the QMJHL’s final, the visiting Gatineau Olympiques scored a 3-2 victory over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday, to take the series to a sixth game. . . . The Sea Dogs, with a 3-2 lead, have another chance to wrap it up when they play in Gatineau on Sunday. . . . Gatineau G Maxime Clermont stopped 25 shots, five more than Saint John’s Jacob DeSerres. . . . Attendance was 6,488.
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F Reed Linaker of the AJHL’s St. Albert Steel has committed to play for the Penn State Nittany Lions, who will begin play in the fall of 2012. Linaker, who will turn 20 on Nov. 4, was a 10th round pick by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL’s 2006 bantam draft.
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OLD STUFF:
If you are a regular visitor here, you may have noticed that Blogger was having some technical problems. Anyway, this is stuff that didn’t show up due to those problems. . . .
In the OHL on Thursday night, the host Owen Sound Attack got 41 saves from G Jordan Binnington as it beat the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors 3-2 to tie the championship final at 3-3. . . . Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Mississauga. . . . Of course, Mississauga is the host team for the Memorial Cup, so both teams already have berths in the four-team tournament.
———
D Martin Marincin of the Prince George Cougars signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers earlier this month. Capgeek.com reports that his annual AHL salary will be US$67,500, with NHL salaries of $690,000, $690,000 and $900,000. He got a $270,000 signing bonus over three years. . . . Marincin was selected by the Oilers in the second round of the NHL’s 2010 draft.
———
Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press says the OHL draft is letting down the weaker teams and suggests that it’s time to stop the games being played by players, parents, agents, err, advisers and hockey executives.
That piece is right here.

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Taking Note on Twitter

Wednesday . . .

MAX REINHART

ON THE ICE TUESDAY NIGHT:
In Cranbrook, Kootenay F Max Reinhart scored the game’s first three goals, all in the first period, en route to a record-tying five-goal night and the Ice went on to beat the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers, 7-2. . . . The Ice, which now has won 11 straight playoff games, swept the Tigers from the Eastern Conference final. . . . The WHL record for consecutive playoff victories is 12. It has been done five times, most recently by the Calgary Hitmen in 2009. . . . Reinhart, who has a WHL-high 14 goals, scored his first three in a span of 6:42 in the first period. . . . The record for fastest three goals in a playoff game by one player is 2:39 (Doug Saunders, Kamloops Jr. Oilers, April 14, 1984). . . . Reinhart got to five with two shorthanded goals, at 9:15 of the second and 4:50 of the third. . . . Others to have scored five times in one playoff game are Dave Chartier (Brandon, March 27, 1981), Don Nachbaur (Billings Bighorns, April 20, 1978) and Dave Kryskow (Edmonton Oil Kings, March 25, 1971). . . . Nachbaur, of course, now is the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Reinhart now has 22 points, including 14 goals, in 14 playoff games. He had seven goals and two assists in the four games against the Tigers. . . . Reinhart is second in the WHL scoring race, three behind Medicine Hat F Linden Vey. . . . Ice F Cody Eakin, named the Eastern Conference playoff MVP, added his side’s other two goals, giving him eight. He had five goals and four assists in the series, and has at least one goal in each of his last five games. . . . Ice F Matt Fraser drew three assists. . . . Ice D Brayden McNabb had two assists. He tied a franchise record with a nine-game point streak and has set franchise records for assists and points in a playoff season by a defenceman. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen made 21 saves. . . . Ice D Hayden Rintoul had one assist and was plus-5. . . . Attendance was 3,474. . . . The Ice was without F Drew Czerwonka, who was stretchered off the ice and taken to hospital after a nasty spill into the boards during Tuesday’s Game 2. Other than being a bit sore, he is OK. In fact, he had the OK to play but was held out. . . . The Tigers were without D Sebastian Owuya, due to an undisclosed injury.
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In Spokane, F Brendan Leipsic scored at 7:44 of OT to give the Portland Winterhawks a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Portland leads the Western Conference final, 2-1. . . . They’ll meet again Friday in Spokane before returning to Portland for Game 5 on Saturday. . . . Portland is 6-0 on the road in these playoffs. . . . Leipsic won it by finishing off a 2-on-1 break with F Taylor Peters. . . . Spokane D Jared Cowen opened the scoring at 15:07 of the first period. . . . Peters tied it with a shorthanded goal at 16:13. . . . After a scoreless second period, The Chiefs took a 2-1 lead at 8:40 of the third on a goal by F Levko Koper. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen forced OT with his ninth goal at 17:46 of the third. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth made 43 saves. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 29 shots. His night’s work included stopping Portland F Sven Bartschi on a second-period penalty shot with the score at 1-1. . . . Spokane was 0-for-9 on the PP, while Portland was 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 5,542.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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THE COACHING GAME: The Regina Pats have decided not to renew the contracts of assistant coach Shaun Sutter or goaltender coach Ryan Cyr.
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JUST NOTES: Mac Carruth of the Portland Winterhawks is the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 1-1, 1.51, .962 last week. . . . The OHL’s Owen Sound Attack took out the Windsor Spitfires, who won the last two Memorial Cups, in five games and have advanced to the 2011 MC tournament. The Attack, which won 10-4 at home on Wednesday, will be the OHL representative. The Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors, the host team, and the Attack first will compete in the OHL championship series. The final will open Tuesday or Thursday in Mississauga. . . . Victoria WHL fans will pay $576 for one adult season ticket in standard bowl seating, while a senior/student ticket will sell for $396. The Victoria franchise, formerly the Chilliwack Bruins, announced its pricing plan Wednesday. There are upgrades available to Club seats ($856) and King club seats ($1,136). Check the team’s website for more details. . . . G Jeff Bosch, who completed his WHL eligibility with the Kamloops Blazers this season, has committed to attend Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., and play for the Thunderwolves. Kyle Moir, another former WHLer, graduated after this season, leaving the Thunderwolves needing a goaltender. . . . D Riley McIntosh (Kelowna, Tri-City, 2006-10) also will attend Lakehead U and play for the Thunderwolves. McIntosh played this season with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express.

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Tuesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
G Marek Schwarz (Vancouver, 2004-05) signed a one-year contract with TPS Turku (Finland SM-Liiga). He had a 2.84 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 44 games for Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic Extraliga) this season. Schwarz is currently the only goaltender under contract to TPS for next season. . . .
F Mark Derlago (Brandon, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract with Lausitzer Fusche Weisswasser (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had 45 goals and 36 assists in 67 games for the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) and one assist in eight games with the Texas Stars (AHL) this season. . . .
F Dustin Johner (Seattle, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract with TIngsryd (Sweden Allsvenskan). He had 13 goals and 23 assists in 47 games for Växjö Lakers (Sweden Allsvenskan) this season. Tingsryd GM Anders Gustavsson: "Dustin is one of our four centres and we know him well after seeing him last season. He has the character that we want in the team, and we know that he is a good skater and a good scorer." . . .
F Dalibor Bortnak (Kamloops, 2008-11) and F Jaroslav Vlach (Prince George, 2009-11) signed tryout contracts with Liberec (Czech Republic Extraliga). Bortnak had 13 goals and 31 assists in 57 games for the Blazers and Vlach had four goals and eight assists in 55 games with the Cougars this season. Liberec GM Ctibor Jech: "Dalibor and Jaroslav in the past were key players in our youth teams. Now back with the club after playing overseas, they have brought back the experience of the elements typical of hockey overseas."
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ON THE ICE TUESDAY NIGHT:
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice got a goal and two assists from F Cody Eakin as they beat the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers 3-1 to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final. . . . The Ice, which has won 10 straight playoff games this spring, gets its first chance to wrap up the series tonight at home. . . . F Max Reinhart opened the scoring for the Ice on a 5-on-3 PP at 6:33 of the first period. It was his ninth goal of these playoffs. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem, with his 10th, tied it at 1:13 of the second on a PP. . . . Eakin, with his sixth, broke the tie at 14:08 of the second. . . . Ice F Jesse Ismond, with his second, iced it at 3:35 of the third. . . . Eakin has 16 points in 13 playoff games with the Ice. He has three goals, each one a game-winner, and four assists in this series, including two goals and four helpers over the last two games. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 22 shots, 10 fewer than Medicine Hat’s Tyler Bunz. . . . Lieuwen, 19 and undrafted, is 11-2, 1.96, .930 in the playoffs. . . . Ice F Drew Czerwonka took a nasty fall into the boards in the second period. He was placed on a backboard, stretchered off the ice and taken to hospital via ambulance. X-rays were negative and he apparently walked out of hospital. It’s not know if he will play in Game 4. . . . Attendance was 2,972. Perhaps a lot of people stayed home to watch the game on Shaw and then switch over to for Game 7 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks. . . . Medicine Hat F Cole Grbavac ended up with a two-game suspension for that hit on Ice F Steele Boomer in Game 1. Grbavac didn’t play last night as he completed the suspension. . . . Boomer is believed to have a concussion and may miss another game or two. . . .
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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The Portland Winterhawks will meet the Chiefs in Spokane tonight with the Western Conference final tied 1-1. The teams exchanged 2-1 victories in Portland, with Spokane winning on Friday and the Winterhawks on Sunday. . . . It turns out the Chiefs spent one more night in Portland than they originally had planned. When they got on their bus after Sunday’s loss, they discovered that there were mechanical problems. So after an hour with no resolution, the Chiefs checked back into their hotel and spent the night.
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In the OHL, the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors defeated the Niagara IceDogs 4-1 on Tuesday, to win the Eastern Conference final, 4-1. The Majors are the host team for the Memorial Cup, which means whichever team wins the Western Conference title is automatically in, as well. At present, the Owen Sound Attack holds a 3-1 lead over the Windsor Spitfires, who have won the last two Memorial Cup titles. Game 5 is Wednesday in Owen Sound.
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JUST NOTES: F Cameron Abney of the Edmonton Oil Kings signed last week with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. A third-round pick in the 2009 NHL draft, Abney got a US$165,000 signing bonus over three years. His AHL salary will be $50,000, $55,000 and $55,000, with an NHL salary of $580,000 each season. . . . F Mike Krgovich (Red Deer, Chilliwack, 2006-09) has commited to attend Simon Fraser University and play for the SFU team in the B.C. Intercollegiate League. He also played for the BCHL’s Surrey Eaglesa nd Coquitlam Express. . . .
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THE COACHING GAME: The NHL’s Calgary Flames have dumped assistant coach Ryan McGill, who is a former WHL player and coach. The Flames have decided not to pick up the option on McGill’s contract. He is the third member of the coaching staff to be sent down the road since the regular season ended. Earlier, the team chose not to pick up the options for goaltender coach Jamie McLennan, a former WHLer, and assistant coach Rob Cookson. . . . The OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs are shuffling the deck, having moved former NHL star Doug Gilmour from head coach to general manager, while former NHL D Todd Gill is the new head coach. Gill owns the CJHL’s Brockville Braves, a junior A team he also serves as GM. Larry Mavety, the Frontenacs’ longtime GM, stepped aside but remains as a special advisor. . . .
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Today’s good read comes courtesy of the Sports Guy. That would be Bill Simmons of espn.com. He pontificates mostly on the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, explaining why they might move and why they won’t at least for now, with a side trip to the sad saga of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His essay includes this line: “When a commissioner keeps siding with owners over fans, he becomes nothing but a puppet with strings trickling out of his back.”
The complete read is right here. It’s a long one, but well worth it.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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