Showing posts with label Nolan Foote. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nolan Foote. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Porter: Seven injuries on one play . . . Rockets close on Cougars . . . T-Birds back on top in wild West


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 F Alex Leavitt (Swift Current, Everett, 2003-05) has announced his retirement. This season, he had 19 goals and 41 assists in 46 games with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). . . .
F Andrew Clark (Brandon, 2005-09) has signed a one-year extension with Innsbruck (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, he had 23 goals and 34 assists in 49 games.
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 Les Lazaruk was busy on Tuesday night, calling the play of the Saskatoon Blades’ game in Red Deer against the Rebels.
But during some down-time earlier in the day, he compiled standings showing the WHL’s 22 teams before the Jan. 10 trade deadline, after the deadline, and going into last night’s games.
Here you go (figures in parentheses are post-deadline) . . . 
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B.C DIVISION
Prince George 28-11-2 (14-9-3) 42-20-5
Kelowna 24-15-3 (16-6-2) 40-21-5
Kamloops 25-15-3 (13-8-3) 38-23-6
Victoria 22-16-4 (15-7-1) 37-23-5
Vancouver 16-23-3 (3-18-3) 19-41-6
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U.S. DIVISION
Everett 25-5-7 (14-9-4) 39-14-11
Seattle 21-14-4 (20-5-2) 41-19-6
Tri-City 24-17-3 (14-8-0) 38-25-3
Portland 21-18-1 (14-8-3) 35-26-4
Spokane 17-17-7 (9-11-3) 26-28-10
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EAST DIVISION
Regina 27-4-7 (18-8-1) 45-12-8
Moose Jaw 25-9-7 (16-8-1) 41-17-8
Swift Current 23-12-7 (11-8-3) 34-20-10
Brandon 20-16-4 (9-11-6) 29-27-10
Saskatoon 15-22-6 (10-9-3) 25-31-9
Prince Albert 8-31-3 (10-10-4) 18-41-7
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CENTRAL DIVISION
Medicine Hat 29-12-1 (17-7-0) 46-19-1
Lethbridge 22-15-5 (20-2-2) 42-17-7
Red Deer 18-17-6 (8-11-5) 26-28-11
Calgary 14-19-5 (11-11-5) 25-30-10
Edmonton 18-20-4 (2-20-1) 20-40-5
Kootenay 10-24-8 (4-17-2) 14-41-10
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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The Calgary Hitmen were playing the Pats in Regina on Jan. 6 when G Cody Porter went down. Oh, did he! . . . “I had seven injuries on the one play,” Porter said in a story posted at hitmenhockey.com. “It was a third-degree separated shoulder, third-degree dislocated shoulder, third-degree broken collarbone, torn labrum, torn AC joint, torn rotator cuff and a torn Bankart lesion. So it was a pretty serious injury off a play that didn’t seem very serious at the time.” . . . After all that, you have to wonder if his nickname isn’t Doc. . . . Anyway, Porter worked amazingly hard at rehab and is back, at least in a backup role, and it’s just in time because G Trevor Martin is out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. . . . Porter’s story is right here.
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When the Kamloops Blazers awoke on Friday morning, they were in Prince George, preparing for a game with the Cougars that evening. At the time, the Blazers were second in the B.C. Division, three points behind Prince George.
When the Blazers boarded their bus late Saturday night and headed for home, having lost both ends of a
doubleheader (8-4, 6-1), they were third in the division, seven points behind the Cougars and one behind the surging Kelowna Rockets.
Tonight, the Blazers open a Wednesday/Friday doubleheader against the visiting Victoria Royals. On Tuesday night, the Royals opened a five-game trek with a 4-3 loss in Kelowna.
The Royals went into that game having won six straight games, but all of those were against non-playoff teams (Kootenay, Vancouver and Spokane). Victoria will play in Kelowna again on Saturday.
A Victoria sweep of the Blazers would move the Royals past the Blazers, knocking Kamloops into fourth place in the division.
Such is life in the B.C. Division where four of the WHL’s most competitive teams reside.
The Blazers will have F Jermaine Loewen back for tonight’s game after he served a one-game suspension incurred after he took a cross-checking major and game misconduct on Friday night.
The Royals remain without D Chaz Reddekopp, who has been out since Feb. 15, and F Ryan Peckford, who hasn’t played since Feb. 7, both of whom remain week-to-week. There is a chance that F Tyler Soy, who last played on Feb. 11, could return Friday in Kamloops.
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Mike Fraser, the writing scout, has been out on the playoff trail of late. Just the other day, he was at a bantam game in Alberta when he glanced at the players’ benches and counted the coaches — one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. . . . In his latest column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal Fraser wonders: What’s up with that? . . . It’s all right here.
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If you haven’t seen it already, former WHL/NHL D Brent Sopel opened up his heart and soul with a piece headlined Lost in My Mind that was posted at The Players’ Tribune on Tuesday. . . . This is a heart-wrenching piece about a man who came to believe he was stupid but now knows that he is learning disabled. . . . Former players like Corey Hirsch, who had a piece there earlier, and Sopel are proving that hockey players are people, too. . . . Sopel’s piece is right here.
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JUST NOTES:

The Kamloops Blazers have a pair of 2016 bantam draft picks — F Connor Zary of Saskatoon and D Quinn Schmiemann of Wilcox, Sask. — practising with them this week. Zary, a second-round selection, had 45 points, including 27 goals, with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts this season. Schmiemann played with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds, who play out of Wilcox. He had 11 goals and 15 assists in 42 games. . . . Both players are scheduled to return to their homes on Sunday. . . . 
F Keyvan Mokhtari of the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies has committed to Colorado College, starting with the 2018-19 season. A native of Burnaby, B.C., he had 36 points, including 19 goals, in 47 games with the Grizzlies this season. . . . Mokhtari, who will turn 19 on May 4, was a seventh-round selection by the Everett Silvertips in the 2013 WHL bantam draft.
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If the WHL playoffs began today . . . 

Eastern Conference
Regina vs. Saskatoon
Medicine Hat vs. Brandon
Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current
Lethbridge vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Seattle vs. Portland
Prince George vs. Victoria
Kelowna vs. Kamloops
Everett vs. Tri-City
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:


At Kelowna, the Rockets built a 4-0 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . F
NOLAN FOOTE
Nolan Foote got the Rockets started with his 17th goal — he’s 16 years of age — at 9:31 of the first period. . . . Kelowna went ahead 2-0 on F Carsen Twarynski’s 16 goal, at 4:33 of the second period. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf scored No. 33 just 22 seconds later. . . . F Leif Mattson (7) upped the lead to 4-0 at 5:19 of the third period. . . . The Royals made things interesting with three goals in the second-half of the third period. . . . F Jack Walker scored his 29th goal at 12:40. F Jared Dmytriw, who now has 15 goals, added scores at 12:58 and 18:45. . . . Walker also had an assist. . . . The Rockets got two assists from D James Hilsendager. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 30 shots to earn the victory. . . . Victoria starter Giffen Outhouse was beaten three times on 22 shots in 24:55. Dylan Myskiw came off the bench to stop 15 of 16 shots in 34:48. . . . Kelowna was 0-2 on the PP; Victoria was 0-4. . . . The Rockets (41-21-5) have won five in a row to close with two points of the B.C. Division-leading Prince George Cougars. . . . The Royals (37-24-5) had points in their previous seven games (6-0-1). They are fourth in the B.C. Division, three points behind the Kamloops Blazers. The Royals play in Kamloops on Wednesday and Friday nights. . . . Announced attendance: 4,507.
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At Medicine Hat, F Chad Butcher scored 36 seconds into OT to give the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Butcher, who has 25 goals, had drawn the primary assist on F John Dahlstrom’s game-
CHAD BUTCHER
tying goal, at 16:11 of the third period. He’s got 28 goals. . . . The Tigers got out to a 2-0 lead on goals from F Mark Rassell (34), who was playing in his 200th regular-season game, at 8:17 of the first period, and D Clayton Kirichenko (12), at 4:47 of the second. . . . The Ice took the lead on three third-period goals. F Brett Davis got his 18th at 1:44. F Colton Kroeker scored No. 17 at 6:40. F Vince Loschiavo, with assists on the first two goals, put the visitors out front with his 25th goal at 8:08. . . . Medicine Hat G Michael Bullion actually made a glove save on Loschiavo’s shot, but it turned out that the glove was over the goal line. . . . D David Quenneville had two assists for Medicine Hat. . . . Kroeker and Davis had one each for the Ice. . . . The Tigers had anticipated starting G Nick Schneider, but he came up ill during the warmup, so Bullion made his fifth straight start. He earned the victory with 24 saves. . . . G Payton Lee blocked 30 shots for Kootenay. . . . The Ice was 0-2 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-3. . . . The Ice went 1-3-1 on a five-game road trip. . . . Medicine Hat (47-19-1) leads the Central Division, by four points over Lethbridge and is second in the overall standings, three points behind Regina. . . . The Ice (14-41-11) has lost four in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 3,030.
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TYLER STEENBERGEN
At Prince Albert, F Tyler Steenbergen broke a 2-2 tie with 57.9 seconds left in the third period as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Raiders, 4-2. . . . Steenbergen has 47 goals, one off the WHL lead that is held by F Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Steenbergen does lead the WHL in game-winners, with 11. . . . The Broncos iced it with an empty-netter from F Ryley Lindgren (23), at 19:42. . . . F Parker Kelly had given the Raiders a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 8:57 of the first period. . . . The Broncos tied it when F Lane Pederson got No. 20 at 13:55. . . . It stayed that way well into the third period when F Kaden Elder put the visitors ahead with his 15th goal, at 10:25. . . . Kelly tied it with his second of the game and 18th of the season at 13:07. He’s got four goals and two assists over his past two games. . . . The Broncos got two assists from D Artyom Minulin. . . . G Jordan Papirny earned the victory with 33 saves. . . . G Ian Scott was beaten three times on 33 shots in 55:15, with G Nic Sanders stopping both shots he faced in 4:16. Sanders came on while Scott had an equipment issue. . . . The Raiders were 1-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-2. . . . Swift Current (35-20-10) has won five in a row, the last three of those on the road, and appears headed to a third-place finish in the East Division. . . . Prince Albert now is 18-42-7. . . . Announced attendance: 1,886. . . . Darren Steinke, the wandering blogger, was in the house and posted this right here.
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At Red Deer, F Jesse Shynkaruk scored with 16.5 seconds left in OT to give the Saskatoon Blades a 2-1
JESSE SHYNKARUK
victory over the Rebels. . . . It was Shynkaruk’s second goal of the game, his fourth OT goal this season and his 10th game-winner of the season. . . . F Deven Sideroff of the Kamloops Blazers has five OT goals this season, tying the WHL record (F Eric Fehr, Brandon Wheat Kings, 2004-05). . . . Shynkaruk, 20, was a walk-on to the Blades’ training camp as he hoped to extend his WHL career. When this season began, Shynkaruk had 23 goals and 25 assists in 196 career regular-season games. This season, he has put up 51 points, including 30 goals, in 52 games. . . . Shynkaruk had opened the scoring, on a PP, at 1:12 of the first period. . . . The Rebels tied it at 12:10 of the second on F Evan Polei’s 29th goal of the season. . . . The Blades got 35 saves from G Logan Flodell. . . . At the other end, Riley Lamb also stopped 35 shots. . . . Saskatoon was 1-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-4. . . . The Calgary Hitmen didn’t want to see this game turn into a three-pointer, but it did. Saskatoon (26-31-9), which plays in Calgary tonight, moved into the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point ahead of the Hitmen. Red Deer (26-28-12) is third in the Central Division, four points ahead of Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 4,029. . . . Greg Meachem of reddeerrebels.com has a game story right here. It’s worth a click to see the photo by Rob Wallator that features Red Deer’s Matt Campese and Saskatoon’s Jackson Caller.
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At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds moved back atop the Western Conference standings with a 5-2
KEEGAN KOLESAR
victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Thunderbirds (42-19-6) lead the conference by one point over the Prince George Cougars. Seattle also leads the U.S. Division, by a point over the Everett Silvertips. . . . F Hudson Elynuik (26) gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead at 5:55 of the first period, but the Thunderbirds roared back to score the next five goals. . . . F Alexander True (21) tied it, on a PP, at 9:08, and D Turner Ottenbreit (6) shot Seattle into the lead at 10:45. . . . D Anthony Bishop gave Seattle a 3-1 lead with his second goal of the season at 19:30. . . . F Keegan Kolesar (26) and F Donovan Neuls (14) added third-period goals for the winners. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto scored Spokane’s final goal, his 37th, on a penalty shot at 19:07 of the third period. . . . Seattle got two assists from each of F Mathew Barzal and F Ryan Gropp, with Kolesar adding one. Kolesar is riding a 15-game point streak. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear had an assist in his return to the lineup, running his point streak to 13 games. . . . Seattle got 26 saves from Rylan Toth, who  leads the WHL with 35 victories. . . . Spokane starter Jayden Sittler allowed five goals on 28 shots in 46:28. Donovan Buskey finished up, stopping all five shots he faced in 13:32 in the second appearance of his WHL career. . . . Seattle was 1-2 on the PP; Spokane was 0-3. . . . The Chiefs (26-29-10) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). They are 12 points out of a playoff spot with seven games remaining. . . . Announced attendance: 5,807.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Saskatoon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Portland 7 p.m.
Everett at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Regina at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

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Friday, March 3, 2017

Pats' financial losses not unexpected ... Tigers roar back in Regina ... Seattle back on top in U.S.





When Bill Peters was the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs, I always made a point of stopping for a post-game conversation.
Why?
NHLBecause he never met a question he wouldn’t answer and because he always had questions of his own. He always wanted to know what was happening.
On Friday, Peters, now the head coach of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, was asked about his club’s goaltending and whether Cam Ward and Eddie Lack were involved in any kind of competition for the starter’s role.
“You've gotta push," Peters replied. “The one guy's played 10 games. Eddie's played 10 games and was poor in his last outing, let's not kid ourselves, right?
"There were 16 shots and four went in. Not good enough. You look at his numbers in the league and they're not good enough. So I don't think it's much of a competition. I think we've got a guy who's well ahead of the other guy. That's what I see and the numbers back that up.”
Still, it sounds as though Peters will be giving Lack 2-4-2, 3.33, .873) at least one more opportunity.
"When he gets in again, he better play," Peters said. "You better earn some respect from your teammates. Your teammates are out there working their bag off, you better get some saves. And a timely save at the right time wouldn't hurt.”
That’s gold if you’re a sports journalist, something there is darn little of these days.
NHLThe same holds true for comments from Claude Julien, the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. Asked about defensive zone adjustments his club has made, Julien chose to answer the question with an honest explanation, rather than bafflegab.
“The biggest thing is we call it a bit of a swarm, which all teams do,” Julien explained. “When the puck’s in the corner we’re trying to outnumber teams. If there’s two in there, we’re three, but we’re tight. We’re not giving them an opportunity to make plays.
“I think we’re closing the play a little quicker, so instead of being passive we’re a little bit more aggressive, but we can be more aggressive because we’ve got more people there to give you some second layers and third layers. That’s what we’ve done.
“I think we’ve closed the play a little quicker. Where I think we’ve improved a lot from the start is we were doing it well, but once we got the puck we were having trouble getting our breakouts from that swarm.
“So now we’re getting used to understanding that our wingers are low, we can’t just rim the puck hard to the boards. We either make soft rims or we skate with it until a players’ out there. So both those things, we’re giving less scoring chances because we’re spending probably a little less time (in our zone), and the time we’re spending in there the A-grade (scoring chances) of the other team have really gone down.”
Wonderful. Just wonderful. Here’s hoping coaches everywhere are paying attention.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed F Aidan Barfoot, who was a sixth-round pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. Barfoot, from Richmond, B.C., has 12 goals and 13 assists in 33 games with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. 
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According to the numbers, the Regina Pats have been one of the WHL’s biggest money-losing franchises over the past couple of seasons. As Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports: “According to financial details revealed this week, the Pats recorded the largest deficit in the 22-team WHL during the 2014-15 season ($1.2 million). Their net loss was just under $900,000 in 2015-16, bringing the total deficit to more than $2 million despite back-to-back winning seasons and two straight trips to the second round of the playoffs.” . . . The figures were contained in financial statements that were released as more than 400 former and present CHL players seek certification for a class-action lawsuit that asks that teams pay minimum wage and other benefits. . . . Despite losing money, the Pats’ ownership group, Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group, isn’t concerned. In fact, Anthony Marquardt, the group’s president, explains that buying the franchise was a long-term investment and that the owners new going in that there would be some expenses in the early days. . . . Harder’s story is right here.
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The lawsuit involving the CHL and its teams continues, with things now having shifted to a court in Toronto. As Rick Westhead of TSN reports right here, the focus has turned to the value of franchises, especially those that were sold between 2012 and 2016. . . . Westhead’s latest story is right here.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, F Caiden Daley had the first three-point game of his WHL career in helping the Wheat Kings to a 6-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Daley, a first-round selection in the 2015 WHL bantam draft,
CAIDEN DALEY
has a goal and eight assists in 53 games this season. . . . F Nolan Patrick, F Tyler Coulter and F Reid Duke also had three points each for Brandon. . . . Patrick’s 18th goal got Brandon started at 19:47 of the first period. Patrick, who also had two assists, now has 42 points in 27 games. . . . Patrick’s first assist was the 200th point of his career. It came in his 157th game. . . . Brandon went ahead 2-0 when F Ty Lewis got his 29th goal, at 1:41 of the second period. . . . F Jake Kryski’s 18th goal, on a PP, got Calgary on the scoreboard at 5:01. . . . The Wheat Kings got the game’s last four goals, from F Reid Duke (35), F Tyler Coulter, who scored twice to give him 29, and F Stelio Matheos (24). Two of those came via the PP. . . . Duke and D James Shearer each had two assists, with Mattheos, Lewis and Coulter each getting one. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 36 shots, while Calgary’s Kyle Dumba blocked 27. . . . G Cody Porter was back on Calgary’s bench after not having played since Jan. 1. . . . The Hitmen also had F Lucas Cullen back for the first time since Dec. 10. . . . Brandon was 2-3 on the PP; Calgary was 1-4. . . . The Wheat Kings (29-26-10) had lost their previous six games (0-4-2). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . The Hitmen (24-30-10) have lost three straight. They are tied with Saskatoon for the conference’s second wild-card spot. Each has eight games remaining. . . . The Wheat Kings are celebrating their 50th anniversary and as part of the celebrations are naming the top 50 players. Last night, they introduced a fourth line of Jordin Tootoo, Matt Calvert and Mark Stone. . . . Announced attendance: 4,008.
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At Everett, F Nolan Foote scored the only goal of a six-round shootout as the Kelowna Rockets beat the
NOLAN FOOTE
Silvertips, 3-2. . . . F Reid Gardiner scored twice for Kelowna, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead at 1:22 of the first period and putting them ahead 2-1 at 19:11 of the second. . . . Everett D Jake Christiansen (6) tied the game 1-1 at 7:50 of the second. . . . F Patrick Bajkov’s 26th goal, at 11:40 of the third period, pulled Everett into a 2-2 draw. . . . D Kevin Davis had two assists for Everett, with Bajkov and Christiansen adding one each. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 34 shots for the Rockets through OT, then was perfect in the shootout. . . . Everett got 23 saves from G Carter Hart. . . . Kelowna was 0-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-4. . . . F Tomas Soustal was among Kelowna’s scratches. . . . Mitch Love, Everett’s veteran assistant coach, had a $500 hole in his wallet. That’s how much he was fined by the WHL after getting tossed from a Wednesday game against the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Rockets (39-21-5) have won three in a row. They have moved into second place in the B.C. Division, one point ahead of Kamloops. . . . The Silvertips (38-14-11) have lost three straight (0-2-1). They slipped to second in the U.S. Division, one point behind Seattle. Everett holds two games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 4,811.
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At Portland, F Ryan Hughes scored at 1:44 of OT to give the Winterhawks a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Hughes won it with his 26th goal of the season. . . . This was Game 2 of a
RYAN HUGHES
tripleheader. The Winterhawks had beaten the Giants, 5-1, in Langley, B.C., on Wednesday night. They’ll play again in Portland tonight. . . . Last night, the Giants forced OT with two late third-period goals. . . . D Jordan Wharrie scored his fourth goal at 18:40 and F Jordan Borstmayer tied it with his sixth goal, with just 42.8 seconds showing on the clock. . . . F Keegan Iverson (21) had given Portland a 1-0 lead 47 seconds into the second period. . . . The Giants took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Ty Ronning (24) at 7:41, and F Jack Flaman (14), at 8:32. . . . The Winterhawks scored the next three goals, with F Skyler McKenzie getting No. 37, on a PP, at 10:50; F Brad Ginnell (6) scoring at 15:33; and F Matt Revel getting his ninth goal, and second in three games with Portland, at 16:37 of the third period. . . . F Cody Glass had two assists for the winners, with Iverson and McKenzie getting one each. . . . Flaman and Ronning had an assist each for the Giants. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 27 shots for Portland, 10 fewer than Vancouver’s Ryan Kubic. . . . Portland was 1-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Giants had F Tyler Ho, a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft, and D Bowen Byram, the third-overall selection in the 2016 draft, in their lineup. . . . Portland (34-26-4) has won two in a row. They are in possession of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Giants (19-40-6) have lost five straight (0-4-1). . . . Announced attendance: 5,469.
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At Prince Albert, F Matt Alfaro scored twice and added an assist to help the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 5-
MATT ALFARO
2 victory over the Raiders. . . . The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead on first-period PP goals from Alfaro, at 8:44, and F Zak Zborosky, at 12:31. . . . F Simon Stransky got the Raiders close with his 18th goal at 7:58 of the second period. . . . The Hurricane regained their two-goal lead when F Egor Babenko (21) scored at 16:14. . . . Prince Albert D Max Martin (7) narrowed the lead at 17:30. . . . Lethbridge put it away on third-period goals from F Tyler Wong, who leads the WHL with 48 goals, at 7:30, and Alfaro, his 25th, on a PP, at 13:47. . . . The Hurricanes got two assists from each of Wong, D Brennan Menell and F Giorgio Estephan. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 38 shots for Lethbridge, while the Raiders got 36 stops from G Nic Sanders. . . . Lethbridge was 3-6 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-6. . . . The Hurricanes (41-17-7) have won five in a row. They are second in the Central Division, four points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Raiders (17-41-7) had points in their previous two games (1-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 2,026.
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At Prince George, D Brendan Guhle returned from a 12-game absence to score one goal and draw three assists as the Cougars beat the Kamloops Blazers, 8-4. . . . Guhle, who was out with an ankle injury, had
BRENDAN GUHLE
last played on Jan. 29. He had 24 points, 11 of them goals, in 26 games with the Cougars, who acquired him from the Prince Albert Raiders in November. . . . F Kody McDonald gave the hosts a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 2:05 of the first period. . . . Kamloops tied it on F Luc Smith’s 12th goal, at 7:30. . . . McDonald, who has 15 goals, put his guys back out front at 10:02. . . . The Cougars then took control with four second-period goals in a span of 10:06. . . . F Colby McAuley (23) scored at 1:50, with F Nikita Popugaev (27) scoring at 4:05, Guhle gett his 13th goal at 9:33, and F Radovan Bondra putting in No. 31, at 11:56. . . . The Blazers got to within 6-3 on goals from F Travis Walton (5), at 15:10, and F Quinn Benjafield (13), on a PP, at 17:52. . . . The Cougars put it away on a pair of goals from F Jared Bethune, at 19:31 of the second and 3:24 of the third. . . . F Collin Shirley finished the scoring with No. 26, shorthanded, at 14:26. . . . The Cougars got two assists from each of D Sam Ruopp, F Josh Curtis and F Jesse Gabrielle, with Bethune, Bondra, McDonald and McAuley adding one apiece. . . . F Lane Bauer had two assists for Kamloops, and Shirley had one. . . . G Ty Edmonds earned the victory with 27 saves. . . . Kamloops starter Connor Ingram stopped 27 of 32 shots in 31:07, with Dylan Ferguson coming on in relief to allow three goals on 18 shots in 28:53. . . . Prince George was 1-2 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-4. . . . It was the second time in a week that Kamloops allowed eight goals — they were beaten 8-2 by the visiting Kelowna Rockets — after not having done so since Jan. 22, 2016. In that one, the Blazers lost 9-4 in Prince George. . . . The Cougars continue to play without F Brad Morrison (undisclosed injury). . . . Kamloops lost F Jermaine Loewen to a cross-checking major and game misconduct at 11:24 of the third period. . . . Prince George (41-20-5) now leads the B.C. Division by four points over Kelowna. . . . Kamloops (38-22-6) is third, one point behind Kelowna. . . . The two teams are scheduled to meet again tonight in Prince George. . . . The Cougars went into Friday's game having gone 0-7-2 in their previous nine games against teams in possession of playoff spots. They hadn’t beaten a team with a winning record since Jan. 18 when they scored a 6-5 shootout victory over the visiting Portland Winterhawks. . . . Announced attendance: 4,273.
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At Regina, D Jordan Henderson had a goal and two assists to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 6-4 victory over the Pats. . . . The Tigers came all the way back from a 3-0 deficit in a battle of the WHL’s top
JORDAN HENDERSON
two teams — at least according to the overall standings. . . . Regina led 3-0 early in the second period on goals from F Austin Wagner (28), at 4:48 of the first period, F Nick Henry (32), at 1:37 of the second period, and D Josh Mahura (15), at 2:32. . . . Henderson’s sixth goal, at 11:43, cut into the lead and F Mark Rassell’s 33rd goal got the visitors to within one at 17:10. . . . F Sam Steel’s 45th goal, shorthanded, at 18:46 seemed to put the Pats back in control. . . . However, the Tigers stormed back with four third-period goals. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko got No. 11 at 1:58 and F Chad Butcher (24) tied it at 13:49. . . . F Steve Owre broke the tie with his 24th goal, at 15:50, and F Zach Fischer got the empty-netter at 19:19. He’s got 30 goals. . . . Henderson has 18 points, five of them goals, in 19 games with the Tigers, who acquired him from the Saskatoon Blades. He had started the season with the Spokane Chiefs. Prior to joining the Tigers, Henderson had two goals and 15 assists in 132 games. . . . Owre, Butcher, Rassell and Fischer each had an assist. . . . The Pats got two assists from F Adam Brooks, with Steel adding one. . . . G Michael Bullion, in his third straight start for the Tigers, made 33 saves. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 34 shots for Regina. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-3 on the PP; Regina was 0-4. . . . The Tigers (46-18-1) have won four in a row to close within three points of the Pats, who lead the overall standings. . . . Regina (44-11-8) has lost three in a row (0-2-1) for the first time this season. . . . Announced attendance: 5,759.
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LOGAN FLODELL
At Saskatoon, G Logan Flodell blocked 20 shots to lead the Blades to a 4-0 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Flodell, who turned 20 on Feb. 10, has three shutouts this season and six in his career. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk gave the Blades a 1-0 lead with his 28th goal just 54 seconds into the game. . . . Saskatoon went ahead 2-0 on a PP goal by F Mason McCarty, his 18th, at 17:41. . . . F Kirby Dach added insurance with his fourth goal, at 4:29 of the second period, and F Markson Bechtold put it away with his eighth goal just 15 seconds later. . . . F Michael Farren had three assists, with McCarty, Bechtold and Dach adding one apiece. . . . The Ice got 24 saves from G Jakob Walter. . . . The Blades (25-31-8) had lost their previous two games. They now are tied with Calgary for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Ice slipped to 14-39-10. . . . Announced attendance: 3,783.
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At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds built a 3-0 lead and held on for a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth stopped 27 shots in recording his WHL-leading 34th victory. . . .
RYLAN TOTH
Seattle F Mathew Barzal, playing in his 200th regular-season game, scored his 10th goal for a 1-0 lead 57 seconds into the first period. Barzal also had an assist on Seattle’s third goal. . . . F Sami Moilanen scored Seattle’s other two goals, giving him 20. He counted at 11:17 of the first period and again at 13:38 of the second. . . . D Dylan Coghlan (13) cut into Tri-City’s deficit at 8:27 of the third period, and F Kyle Olson’s 18th goal made it a one-goal game at 11:05. . . . F Nolan Volcan had two assists for Seattle. . . . Coghlan added an assist to his goal. . . . The Americans got 20 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . There was only one minor penalty called in the game. . . . Tri-City was 0-1 on the PP; Seattle’s unit never got on the ice. . . . Seattle F Mathew Wedman was back in the lineup after missing 25 games with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Thunderbirds remain without three top-end players — D Ethan Bear, D Jarret Tyszka and F Scott Eansor. . . . D Tyson Terretta, who turned 17 on Feb. 22, made his WHL debut with Seattle. From High River, Alta., he was a sixth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. He had a goal and nine assists in 34 games with the midget AAA Foothills CFR Chemical Bisons of Strathmore, Alta. . . . The Thunderbirds (41-18-6) have points in four straight (3-0-1). They now lead the U.S. Division by a point over Everett. . . . The Americans (38-24-3) had won their previous seven games. They are third in the U.S. Division, eight points behind Everett and seven in front of Portland. . . . Announced attendance: 5,066.
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At Victoria, the Royals scored the game’s last three goals to beat the Spokane Chiefs, 4-3. . . . Trailing 3-1, the Royals got two PP goals from F Dante Hannoun, the second with 0.2 seconds left in the second
DANTE HANNOUN
period. . . . Hannoun, who has 23 goals, also scored at 16:43 of the second to cut the deficit to one. . . . F Matt Phillips snapped the tie with his 44th goal, at 13:54 of the third period. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan had given Spokane a 1-0 lead with his 35th goal, at 4:54 of the first period. . . . The Royals tied it on a PP as F Jack Walker got his 28th goal, at 18:27. . . . The Chiefs went up 3-1 on second-period goals from F Ondrej Najman (5), at 1:51, and F Ethan McIndoe (17), at 14:46. . . . Phillips and F Vladimir Bobylev had two assists each for the Royals, with Walker adding one. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 26 shots in earning his franchise-record 33rd victory of the season. G Coleman Vollrath had set the previous record last season. . . . The Chiefs got 28 saves from G Jayden Sittler. . . . The Royals were 3-3 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-2. . . . Victoria (36-23-5) has points in six straight games (5-0-1). It holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot and is fourth in the B.C. Division, five points behind Kamloops. . . . The Chiefs slipped to 26-28-9. They have nine games remaining and are 11 points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,148.

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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Portland, 6 p.m.
Kootenay at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Friday, February 10, 2017

Thunderbirds fly into U.S. lead . . . Pats' streak now at 10 . . . 'Cane train rolls past Raiders


The Prince Albert Raiders revealed on Thursday that F Jordy Stallard, 19, won’t play again this season after undergoing shoulder surgery on Monday. On Friday, the Raiders said that F Carson Miller also has had shoulder surgery and his season is over. As well, F Drew Warkentine is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury that “will likely keep him out for the remainder of the season.” . . . Warkentine, from Prince Albert, was injured during a 3-2 loss to the host Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday. He had two goals and four assists in 32 games and had only recently returned from another injury. . . . Miller, from Yorkton, Sask., turned 17 on Friday. He had seven goals and 12 assists in 46 games as a freshman. He was a first-round selection in the 2015 WHL bantam draft.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, G Logan Thompson stopped 34 shots, 18 of them in the first period, as the Wheat Kings beat the Everett Silvertips, 2-1. . . . The Wheat Kings took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F Rylan
LOGAN THOMPSON
Bettens (4), at 2:06, and F Tyler Coulter (24), on a PP, at 19:24. . . . The Silvertips got to within a goal when F Eetu Tuulola (12) scored at 4:31 of the third period. . . . Everett G Mario Petit stopped 27 shots. . . . Brandon was 1-2 on the PP; Everett was 1-5. . . . This was Game 1 of Everett’s six-game East Division swing. To prepare, they visited Souris, the hometown of general manager Garry Davidson, on Thursday where they curled and walked the famous Swinging Bridge. . . . The Wheat Kings, who issued a news release earlier in the week saying they had been hit by the mumps, dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum. F Caiden Daley, F Reid Duke and F Cole Reinhardt are ill, while F Tanner Kaspick and F Linden McCorrister have undisclosed injuries. . . . D Noah Juulsen and D Lucas Skrumeda both returned to Everett’s lineup. . . . The Silvertips have seven Manitobans on their roster; five of them were in the lineup. . . . The Wheat Kings (27-20-7) have points in three straight (2-0-1). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot and are five points behind the third-place Swift Current Broncos in the East Division. . . . The Silvertips (31-12-10) slipped to second in the U.S. Division, a point behind the Seattle Thunderbirds. Everett holds one game in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 4,866.
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At Calgary, F Mark Rassell scored three times to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 7-2 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Rassell, who is from Calgary, has 26 goals, including his first WHL hat trick. . . . The Hitmen
MARK RASSELL
actually led this one 2-0 before the game was three minutes old. . . . D Jaydan Gordon scored his first goal of the season at 1:45. It was his second career goal and came in his 154th game. . . . F Tristen Nielsen added his second goal of the season at 2:51. . . . The Tigers tied it on a pair of PP goals from Rassell, at 6:16 and 13:48, then took the lead when D Jordan Henderson scored his fifth goal at 5:53 of the second period. . . . F Zach Fischer added insurance with No. 28 at 10:19. . . . Rassell completed his hat trick at 6:03 of the third period. . . . F Matt Bradley (26) and D Clayton Kirichenko (9) also scored for the Tigers, who got three assists from F Max Gerlach. . . . F Steve Owre and F Chad Butcher each added two assists for the winners, with Kirichenko and Henderson getting one apiece. . . . The Tigers got 19 saves from G Nick Schneider. . . . Calgary starter Trevor Martin allowed three goals on 16 shots in 25:53. Kyle Dumba finished up, stopping 10 of 14 shots in 34:07. . . . Medicine Hat was 3-5 on the PP; Calgary was 0-1. . . . The Tigers (39-16-1) have won three in a row. They lead the Central Division by six points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Hitmen (19-26-9) have lost three straight and are three points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,560.
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At Edmonton, G Jordan Hollett stopped 23 shots as the Regina Pats skated to a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . With the victory, the Pats became the first WHL team this season to clinch a
JORDAN HOLLETT
playoff spot. . . . Hollett, who made his 12th start of the season, usually backs up Tyler Brown. Hollett improved his record to 11-0-1. . . . F Nicholas Bowman (7) gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 6:07 of the first period. . . . The Pats then scored the next three goals. . . . F Wyatt Sloboshan (8) tied it at 12:43, with F Filip Ahl getting his 23rd at 14:29. D Dawson Davidson made it 3-1 at 6:29 of the second period. . . . Edmonton D Conner McDonald’s fifth goal got Edmonton back to within a goal at 17:55. . . . Davidson and McDonald both started this season with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Regina F Nick Henry ran his goal streak to five games with No. 26 at 7:19. . . . D Connor Hobbs completed the scoring with his 24th goal — he leads WHL defencemen in goals — at 17:00. . . . Hobbs also had an assist. . . . Regina F Sam Steel, the WHL’s scoring leader, picked up one assist, giving him 97 points. Regina F Adam Brooks, who is second to Steel with 91 points, also had an assist. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 34 shots. . . . Regina was 1-2 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-4. . . . Edmonton D Will Warm didn’t play after being hit with a three-game suspension after he took a charging major and game misconduct against the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Wednesday. Swift Current F Lane Pederson, who was on the receiving end of that hit, was scratched by the Broncos last night in Red Deer. . . . F Jeff de Wit was back in Regina’s lineup after serving a two-game suspension. . . . Prior to the game, the Oil Kings added a pair of defencemen to their roster — Matthew Robertson and Jayden Platz. . . . Robertson, a first-round selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, is the younger brother of Oil Kings F Tyler Robertson. Matthew had five goals and 11 assists in 26 games with the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . Platz had seven assists in seven games with the Northern Alberta X-Treme prep team. He was a second-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . Robertson played against Regina, while Platz didn’t. . . . Regina swept the season series, 4-0-0. . . . The Pats (39-6-7) have won 10 straight games. They lead the overall standings by six points over the Medicine Hat Tigers. Regina also has four games in hand. . . . The Oil Kings (18-32-4) have lost 16 in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 11,833.
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At Kelowna, F Nolan Foote scored three times and G Brodan Salmon recorded the shutout as the Rockets dumped the Vancouver Giants, 6-0. . . . Foote, whose father, Adam, is a former NHL
NOLAN FOOTE
defenceman, has 14 goals in his freshman season. His brother, Cal, a defenceman, is a teammate in Kelowna. . . . Nolan, who won’t turn 17 until Nov. 29, won’t be eligible for the NHL draft until 2019. . . . F Erik Gardiner opened the scoring with his third goal, on a PP, at 5:23 of the first period. His brother, Reid, drew the secondary assist on the goal. . . . Foote scored the next two goals, both on the PP, at 7:21 of the first and 4:17 of the second. . . . F Leif Mattson scored twice for Kelowna, giving him five goals, with Foote completing the hat trick at 2:36 of the third. . . . The Rockets got two assists form F Kole Lind. . . . Salmond stopped 22 shots in record his second shutout this season and the second of his career. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic stopped 50 shots. . . . The Rockets were 3-7 on the PP; the Giants were 0-6. . . . The Rockets have won 22 straight from the Giants in Kelowna, dating to March 19, 2011. . . . F Bartek Bison made his debut with the Giants after being acquired from the Prince George Cougars a month ago. An 18-year-old from Amsterdam, Netherlands, he had been sidelined with a brain injury since Dec. 3. . . . Kelowna (31-20-4) is tied with the Victoria Royals for third in the B.C. Division, six points behind the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Giants (18-33-5) are 1-7-2 in their past 10 games. . . . Announced attendance: 5,163.
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At Lethbridge, F Alec Baer scored twice as the Hurricanes got past the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-2. . . .
ALEC BAER
Baer, a 19-year-old from St. Louis Park, Minn., has 11 goals in 52 games this season. He has eight goals in 13 games with Lethbridge after being acquired from the Vancouver Giants. . . . Baer opened the scoring at 14:30 of the first period. . . . Prince Albert tied it when F Tim Vanstone (9) scored, shorthanded, at 5:30 of the second period. . . . F Matt Alfaro gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead with his 15th goal, at 4:50 of the third period, and F Zak Zborosky, who also had an assist, made it 3-1 with No. 34, on a PP, at 14:42. . . . The Raiders cut the deficit to one when F Curtis Miske scored his 12th goal, at 18:36. . . . Baer put it away with an empty-netter at 19:18. . . . G Stuart Skinner earned the victory with 37 stops. . . . At the other end, Ian Scott turned aside 30 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 1-3 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-5. . . . F Tyler Wong, the Hurricanes’ captain, picked up one assist in his 300th regular-season game. . . . The Hurricanes were without G Ryan Gilchrist (flu), so had Adam Swan from the midget AAA Interlake Lightning backing up Skinner. From Ashern, Man., Swan was an 11th-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . The Hurricanes (33-15-7) have won nine in a row and have points in 15 straight games (13-0-2). They are second in the Central Division, six points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Raiders (13-38-5) have lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 4,177.
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At Portland, F Joachim Blichfeld erased a 4-2 third-period deficit and then scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Winterhawks a 5-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Portland erased 3-1 and 4-2
JOACHIM BLICHFELD
deficits to get it to OT. . . . The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead on F Hudson Elynuik’s 19th goal, at 5:12 of the first period. . . . F Cody Glass (25) tied it, shorthanded, at 15:06. . . . Spokane went ahead 3-1 as F Taylor Ross got his fifth goal at 15:50 of the first and F Keanu Yamamoto (20) counted on the PP at 3:34 of the second. . . . The Winterhawks cut the deficit to one on D Henri Jokiharju’s seventh goal, at 5:04. . . . But the Chiefs got that one back when F Jared Anderson-Dolan ran his goal-scoring streak to six games with No. 30, at 12:02. . . . Blichfeld, who now has 21 goals, scored at 7:51 and 15:31 of the third period to force OT. . . . Jokiharju assisted on both of those goals. . . . Blichfeld was the first to go in the shootout and scored the only goal. He has four game-winners in Portland’s past seven games. . . . Portland F Alex Overhardt also had two assists. . . . The Chiefs got two assists from F Kailer Yamamoto and one each from Keanu Yamamoto and Elynuik. . . . G Cole Kehler earned the victory, coming on in relief to stop all 17 shots he faced in 32:58. Starter Shane Farkas was beaten four times on 17 shots in 32:02. . . . The Chiefs got 46 saves from Dawson Weatherill. . . . Spokane was 1-4 on the PP; Portland was 0-2. . . . The Winterhawks (30-22-3) hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, 10 points ahead of Spokane. . . . Portland also is two points behind the Tri-City Americans, who are third in the U.S. Division. . . . The Chiefs (22-23-9) have points in two straight (1-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 8,388.
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At Red Deer, F Tyler Steenbergen scored three goals to take over the WHL goal-scoring lead as the Swift
TYLER STEENBERGEN
Current Broncos beat the Rebels, 4-1. . . . Steenbergen, from Sylvan Lake, Alta., which is next door to Red Deer, has 43 goals, one more than F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Broncos took a 2-0 lead on goals from Steenbergen, at 1:17 of the first period, and F Glenn Gawdin (19), at 11:14 of the second. . . . The Rebels got to within one as F Lane Zablocki (18) scored, on a PP, at 9:26 of the third period. . . . Steenbergen got that one back 27 seconds later and completed his hat trick into an empty net at 19:34. . . . F Riley Stotts has two assists for the Broncos. . . . G Taz Burman earned the victory with 26 saves. . . . The Rebels got 28 stops from G Lasse Petersen. . . . Red Deer was 1-3 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-6. . . . The Rebels were without F Adam Musil, who was serving a one-game suspension for instigating a fight in the final five minutes of Wednesday’s 7-3 loss to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. The Rebels also were fined $500 for Musil’s indiscretion. . . . The Broncos (29-17-8) have won four straight. They are third in the East Division, six points behind the Moose Jw Warriors with two games in hand. . . . The Rebels (23-24-8) have lost three in a row and are third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 4,665.
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At Saskatoon, F Kirby Dach scored his first two WHL goals to help the Blades to a 4-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Dach, who turns 16 on Jan. 21, was the second-overall selection in the 2016
KIRBY DACH
WHL bantam draft. He is from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., and was added to the Blades’ roster earlier in the week. This was his fifth game this season with Saskatoon. . . . F Josh Paterson (12) gave Saskatoon a 1-0 lead with a PP goal at 12:13 of the first period. . . . Dach made it 2-0 at 14:29 of the second period. . . . The Warriors tied it on goals from F Thomas Foster (15), shorthanded, at 15:33 of the second and D Josh Brook (2) just 32 seconds into the third. . . . Dach snapped the tie at 6:18, with F Mason McCarty adding insurance with the empty-netter, at 19:39. . . . Saskatoon G Logan Flodell stopped 22 shots on his 20th birthday. . . . The Warriors got 29 saves from G Brody Willms. . . . Saskatoon was 1-6 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . McCarty was back in Saskatoon’s lineup after missing 27 games with a knee injury. . . . Saskatoon scratched six players with “upper-body” injuries, while the Warriors scratched four with “lower-body” injuries. . . . Saskatoon was without D Jake Kustra and F Braylon Shmyr, both out with brain injuries, along with F Cam Hebig, F Markson Bechtold, F Lukus Mackenzie and F Caleb Fantillo. Fantillo was injured in practice on Thursday. . . . Moose Jaw was missing D Colin Paradis, F Jaxan Kaluski, F Brayden Burke and F Noah Gregor. . . . The Blades (22-26-6) have won two in a row. They hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, three points ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Warriors (32-16-8) had been 1-0-1 in their previous two games. They are second in the East Division, 13 points behind the Regina Pats. . . . Announced attendance: 3,182.
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At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds moved into first place in the U.S. Division with a 6-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Seattle (34-15-5) won its 10th straight game — it is 10-0-1 in its past 11
KEEGAN KOLESAR
games — and now leads the Everett Silvertips by one point. Everett opened a six-game East Division trip with a 2-1 loss in Brandon. . . . F Jordan Topping (16) gave the Americans a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 9:55 of the first period. . . . Seattle responded with the next four goals. . . . F Donovan Neuls (11) tied it, on a PP, at 12:38 and F Keegan Kolesar (15) gave the Thunderbirds the lead at 15:13, also on a PP. . . . There were 15 PPs in this one. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear’s 20th goal, on a PP, made it 3-1 at 12:15 of the second period and F Sami Moilanen added his 17th just nine seconds later. . . . Parker Wotherspoon scored his ninth goal, on a PP, at 16:24, and set the Americans’ franchise record for career points by a defenceman. Wotherspoon has played in 263 games (2012-17). He had shared the record with Tyler Schmidt, who put up 165 points in 320 games (2006-11). . . . The Thunderbirds got third-period insurance from F Ryan Gropp (20), at 3:23, and F Alexander True (17), at 15:44. . . . Gropp has goals in five straight game and points in 11 in a row. . . . The Thunderbirds got three assists from each of Kolesar and F Mathew Barzal, while Bear and Gropp added one apiece. . . . The Thunderbirds got 18 saves from G Rylan Toth. . . . Tri-City starter Evan Sarthou was beaten six times on 40 shots in 55:44. Rylan Parenteau finished up with three saves in 4:16. . . . Seattle was 3-8 on the PP; Tri-City was 2-7. . . . D Jarret Tyszka was back in Seattle’s lineup, but the Thunderbirds had two players — D Turner Ottenbreit and Moilanen — not finish the game, both apparently the victims of high hits. . . . Tri-City was without injured F Michael Rasmussen, a 32-goal man. . . . The Americans (31-22-3) have lost two in a row. They are third in the U.S. Division, seven points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . . Announced attendance: 5,308.
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At Victoria, F Jack Walker and F Tyler Soy scored shootout goals to give the Royals a 2-1 victory over the
GRIFFEN OUTHOUSE
Kamloops Blazers. . . . This one featured two of the WHL’s top goaltenders. . . . Griffen Outhouse turned aside 41 shots for the Royals, earning his WHL-leading 30th victory this season. He is in his second season and has a combined 48-21-7 record. . . . The Blazers got 20 saves from Connor Ingram. . . . F Matt Phillips gave the Royals a 1-0 lead with his 39th goal, at 7:21 of the first period. . . . The Blazers tied it when D Ondrej Vala struck for his ninth goal, on a PP, at 11:09. . . . Vala has goals in three straight games. . . . Kamloops was 1-3 on the PP; Victoria was 0-5. . . . The Royals (31-21-4) had lost their previous two games. They are tied with the Kelowna Rockets for third in the B.C. Division, six points behind Kamloops. . . . The Blazers (33-18-6) have points in their past four games (2-0-2). . . . The same two teams will meet again tonight in Victoria. . . . Announced attendance: 4,466.

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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Swift Current at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Everett at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Regina at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:01 PM
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