Flooding misses Dumonts . . . OHL closer to banning fighting . . . Wheaties have new voice

G Tyler Weiman (Tri-City, 2000-04) has signed a one-year contract with the Daemyung Killer Whales Incheon (South Korea, Asia HL). Last season, with Val Pusteria Brunico (Italy, Serie A), he was 1.96 and .948 in three regular-season games. In 15 playoff games, he was 2.30 and .933. . . .

F Darian Dziurzynski (Saskatoon, Brandon, 2007-12) has signed a one-year contract with the Manchester Storm (England, UK Elite). Last season, he had two goals and two assists in nine games with the Tulsa Oilers (ECHL), 12 goals and 11 assists in 35 games with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL), 10 goals and three assists in 17 games with the Missouri Mavericks (ECHL), and one goal in three games with the Binghamton Senators (AHL).

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The state of Louisiana has encountered some horrid weather-related difficulties of late. Louis Dumont, who played four seasons (1990-94) in the WHL with the Regina Pats and Kamloops Blazers, lives in Lafayette. When I asked how he and his family — wife Hayley, daughter Camille and son Jacques — are doing, he replied:

“My wife, daughter and son are well. Our home is in an older neighborhood that drains well, so we

Louis Dumont is the ECHL's all-time leader in assists
and points. (Photo: echl.com)

had no flooding. Everyone around us and in the surrounding towns are in rough shape.

“The water table is already extremely high down here. We received 22 inches of rain in a matter of 24 hours. The weather system rolled in an stayed. Multiple hurricanes have come through this area over the years, but none of them have produced this much flooding.

“The Cajun people are very resilient, and thankfully own a lot of boats.”

Dumont, who won a Memorial Cup with the 1993-94 Blazers, is the general manager of the Louisiana IceGators, a Southern Professional Hockey League franchise that has suspended operations at least for 2016-17 due to its home arena undergoing renovations. BTW, that arena may have the greatest name in all of hockey — the Cajundome.

If you aren’t aware Dumont, who was a real smoothie, is the ECHL’s career assists (566) and points (891) leader, having done it in 771 games during stints over 12 seasons with the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, Wheeling Thunderbirds, Louisiana, Augusta Lynx, Pensacola Ice Pilots, Mississippi Sea Wolves and Utah Grizzlies.

Dumont, now 43, retired after 2010-11. He spent his last five seasons with the CHL’s Mississippi RiverKings. He put up 282 points over 318 games in those final five seasons.

In the WHL, he had 380 points, including 172 goals, in 279 games.

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To its credit, the OHL is closer to eliminating fighting from its games after lowering the suspension threshold from 10 games to three. The league recently concluded its annual meeting and its board of governors has chosen to suspend players who get into a fourth fight. Last season, that number was 10 fights; this season, a fourth fight, and all subsequent scraps, will be subject to a two-game suspension. If an opponent is hit with an instigating penalty that fight won’t count in a player’s total.

From an OHL news release: “Since the adoption of the 10-fight threshold for 2012-13, the league has seen the number of fights decrease by 49.5% and for the last two seasons has not had a single player with more than 10 fights based on the threshold criteria established.” . . . According to a tweet from Adam Gretz (@AGretz): “82 players in the OHL had at least 3 fights last season. 56 went over that number.”

The OHL also has added a rule aimed at eliminating blindside hits. Again, from a news release: “There will be a penalty assessed for those players who check an opponent from the blindside. Based on the discretion of the referee, a minor, major and game misconduct or match penalty may be assessed. Such infraction would also be subject to review and possible supplementary discipline by the league.”

The OHL also has ditched no-touch icing in favour of hybrid icing, as is used by the NHL.

The OHL gets it. It really does. The OHL hands down stiff suspensions for headshots. Now it is doing something about blindside checks. And it continues to work towards the elimination of fighting.

It is all about player safety, something the OHL has been working to improve over the past few seasons. In a season or two, don’t be surprised if the OHL bans fighting altogether.

The QMJHL and WHL would be wise to get in step with the OHL on these matters.

Wouldn't miss fighting if eliminated in WHL. Gone are the days of two players scrapping because they are generally angry with one another.

— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) August 19, 2016

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D Dmitri Zaitsev has arrived in Moose Jaw and has signed a WHL contract with the Warriors.

Zaitsev, 18, is from Togliatti, Russia. The Warriors selected him during the CHL’s 2016 import draft. . . . Last season, with the NAHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, he had 22 points, including seven goals, in 53 games. He was named to the East Division’s all-rookie team. He was selected by the Washington Capitals in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . Zaitsev joins Russian F Nikita Popugaev, who will be 19 on Nov. 20, as the Warriors’ two import players. Popugaev is recovering from offseason surgery to repair a knee injury suffered during last season’s playoffs, but should be ready for the start of camp. He had 47 points, 16 of them goals, in 70 games as a freshman last season.

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Branden Crowe is the new voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings on radio station 880 CKLQ. Crowe, who is from Boissevain, Man., replaces Bruce Luebke, who had called the play of Wheat Kings’ games for the past 23 seasons. . . . CKLQ and Luebke parted company last month; neither party has made any public comment explaining what happened. . . . Most recently, Crowe was marketing manager and radio voice for the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals. . . . The defending-champion Wheat Kings are heading into their 50th anniversary season; CKLQ is preparing for its 25th year as the team’s radio home. . . . Crowe will make his Wheat Kings play-by-play debut on Sept. 9 when Brandon meets the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors in an exhibition game.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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The CHL is the umbrella under which the three major junior leagues — the OHL, QMJHL and WHL — operate.
You might expect then that they would operate with the same rules and regulations.
And while that is true in some areas — two European players per team, three 20-year-olds, etc. — it turns out that it isn’t when it comes to the area of player benefits.
In fact, you may be as surprised as I was to find out how much difference there can be.
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On Nov. 28, when the WHL disciplined the Portland Winterhawks for spending money on what it called “illegal benefits,” some people involved with QMJHL teams must have gone: “Whoa! What’s the big deal?”
To refresh our memories, the WHL fined the Winterhawks $200,000, suspended GM/head coach Mike Johnston for the remainder of the season, prohibited them from taking part in the first five rounds of the 2013 bantam draft, and took away first-round draft picks in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The WHL was adamant that the sins of the Winterhawks didn’t include any thing to do with the illegal recruitment of players or education packages. There weren’t any payoffs to agents. There weren’t any under-the-table payments to players.
Instead, the Winterhawks were convicted of flying parents in to watch their sons play hockey, paying for some offseason workouts, and providing cell phones for team captains.
According to a source familiar with the situation, the Winterhawks, in committing those sins, spent $23,850 over a five-year.
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Meanwhile, in the QMJHL, it seems that there were some crazy things happening. And it all was perfectly legal and above board.
One agreement that has been making the rounds shows that one team ended up on the hook for potentially far more than $100,000 to one player who no longer is with that team and isn’t likely to play for it in 2013-14.
For starters, the education commitment to this one player works out to more than $100,000.
Here’s how part of the agreement reads:
“After the Player’s QMJHL career the Club will provide Educational Assistance to the Player in the amount of US$23,750 per year for four (4) years while the Player attends an accredited college or university on a full-time basis.
“Upon receiving official notification of the Player’s enrolment as a full-time student at an accredited university or college (the) Club will make payment of US$11,875 to the player. . . . These semi-annual payments by the Club will continue for four consecutive years while the player is a full-time university or college student. Total Educational Assistance will not exceed US$95,000.”
Under terms of the deal, the player has to begin his “full-time university or college studies no later than the year of his 23rd birthday.”
As well, the player forfeits all education assistance “if Player signs a contract with a National Hockey League Club.”
The QMJHL team also agreed to pay any educational costs incurred while the player was with the team.
“Such educational costs . . . shall be in addition to the US$95,000 payment for Post-QMJHL Educational costs stipulated in this Agreement,” the contract reads.
The WHL’s standard player agreement calls for a team to “pay or reimburse or cause to be paid . . . the player’s educational expenses to enroll in and attend a designated publicly funded post-secondary educational institution based on the assessment for a full-time student . . . including tuition fees, compulsory student fees and textbooks directly related to the Player’s course of study . . .”
Those educational expenses are believed to run about $5,000 per year in instances where a player has activated his education policy.
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As well, according to the agreement between the QMJHL team and the player in question, “The Club will provide US$3,000 per season to defray costs of Player’s family to travel to (the team’s city) during the time the Player is with the Club.”
There is nothing in the WHL’s standard player agreement covering such expenses. A player’s travel expenses incurred in reporting to the team and returning home at season’s end, and a return trip at Christmas, will be paid by his WHL team.
The WHL apparently has a set of rules and regulations in which it is stated that paying parental travel expenses is against the rules. However, the WHL has never shown those rules, regulations or bylaws to the media, despite repeated requests, especially from working media in the Portland area. (You may want to read this May 3 piece right here from Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune.)
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The QMJHL club also agreed to “provide to the Player an allowance of US$2,500 per season . . . to be used to defray the costs of the Player’s off-season conditioning.”
Again, there is nothing in the WHL standard player agreement covering off-season workout programs. Again, it apparently states in a different set of WHL rules that such payments aren’t allowed.
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While the agreeement between a QMJHL team and a player referred to earlier was legal and approved by the league office, all of that since has changed.
Three years ago, the QMJHL took a look at the situation regarding player benefits and chose to change whatever rules were in place.
According to QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau, teams now are able to offer a maximum of $10,000 per year in scholarship money.
“We made adjustments,” Courteau said Wednesday, “and since then a team is not allowed to give more than $10,000 per year on a scholarship package. That is what has been adopted.”
As well, a team is able to provide up to $5,000 per season to cover parental travel expenses should the money be needed.
Courteau explained: “We do give them a maximum of $5,000 per season . . . if a kid is playing in the Montreal area and his parents are living in the Montreal area, they won’t get anything. When we’re talking about travel, we’re talking about parents who have to travel a good distance and they have to stay overnight . . . we give them a maximum of $5,000 for travel expenses.”
Also, a QMJHL team now is able to provide a maximum of $1,500 in offseason training money if a player is in need of it.
“It’s not all of them,” Courteau said. “Just if a player needs to have some specific training . . . he can apply for offseason training to the team.”
In the case of the QMJHL, its office, under Courteau’s supervision, monitors all of this.
“Teams have to submit each and every player standard contract plus that special agreement has to be submitted to the league office for commissioner’s approval,” Courteau said.
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Asked about the specific contract that is referred to earlier in this piece, Courteau stated that it was not “a standard” agreement.
“It was a special case,” Courteau said. “It was an American player. For those American players, special scholarship packages were allowed for them.”
That isn’t the case now, though.
“That’s done,” Courteau said. “They have to go through the same rules as what we adopted three years ago.”
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CHL president David Branch, who also is the commissioner of the OHL, chose not to comment, referring questions to Courteau.
Branch, however, did allow that “each of the three leagues has different policies as relates to such matters.“
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One person who covers major junior hockey and whom I had occasion to come in contact with this week, offered this:
“One of my friends who used to be a QMJHL team media relations person asked me what Portland did . . . I can't even remember the particulars now, but basically everything I said (cell phones for players, plane tickets for parents) he said, ‘We did that, too.’
“And they never got busted.”

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And the 2013 Memorial Cup goes to . . .

This is a big day for the WHL as the board of governors will vote on the host team for the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup.
As well, the WHL is expected to join the NHL, OHL, QMJHL and KHL by announcing that it will begin using video to explain the lengthier suspensions that are being handed out this season.
First, the Memorial Cup . . .
The chase began with five teams involved. However, the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Prince George Cougars were eliminated when the list was trimmed to three. That leaves the Kelowna Rockets, Red Deer Rebels and Saskatoon Blades to make final presentations today.
Red Deer has to be the sentimental favourite, if only because the Memorial Cup hasn’t been decided in Alberta since the Regina Pats won it in the Calgary Corral in 1974. The Enmax Centrium, the home of the Rebels, seats 5,735 with standing room for 1,000. But there are plans to expand the facility to 7,000 seats and to add more corporate boxes.
The Centrium will be home to the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Canadian women’s curling championship.
Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner and president who is head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, will be in Calgary today. He will be at the meeting, which means he will miss a Flames’ practice in Montreal.
The Rockets were the host team for the 2004 Memorial Cup, which they won. That tournament was as well run as any that have been held.
The Rockets’ home, Prospera Centre, seats 6,007, with standing room for 500.
The Memorial Cup last was held in Saskatoon in 1989, when the Swift Current Broncos beat the Blades in overtime, on Tim Tisdale’s goal, in the championship game. The Blades’ home, Credit Union Centre, can seat 15,195 fans.
Jack Brodsky, the Blades’ governor and president, is one of the WHL’s longest-serving owners. There has been speculation that Brodsky made be stepping aside, or at least moving into a role in which he will be less involved, after this season. That may well be in the minds of some of his fellow governors as the presentations and voting take place today.
In the end, however, it may come down to money, and wouldn’t that be a surprise. With expenses showing no signs of slowing down and some teams losing fistfuls of money (see: Broncos, Swift Current), it could be that the team that guarantees the biggest profit will be the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup.
The 2012 tournament is scheduled for Shawinigan, Que.
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As for the use of video to explain the lengthier suspensions, it is hard to imagine that the WHL won’t take this step after the QMJHL announced Tuesday that is going down that road. The OHL has been using video for two or three weeks now.
The QMJHL said it will use video presentations to explain suspensions of three games or more. Those videos will be posted on the QMJHL website, with explanations in English and French.
"We want to be more transparent and explain the reasons behind the disciplinary decisions," QMJHL president Gilles Courteau said in a statement. "With video becoming increasingly prominent, we must take the necessary steps to make sure that our process is better understood."
The QMJHL has had to issue only one suspension longer than three games this season. That was a five-game sentence to D Etienne Boutet of the Rimouski Oceanic for a check to the head of F Thomas Flynn of the Moncton Wildcats.
(By the way, the Kontinental Hockey League has announced that it, too, will use video to explain suspensions.)
On Tuesday, Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, who handles discipline told me via email: “When our meetings conclude (Wednesday), we will advise our position on this matter.”
Since the start of the preseason, Doerksen has doled out suspensions totalling 72 games to 21 players. F Joshua Smith of the Prince George Cougars will be suspended this week for a kneeing major and game misconduct he took Monday in Moose Jaw.
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The OHL handed out two 10-game suspensions on Tuesday, hitting D Kyle Hope of the Oshawa Generals and F Josh Shalla of the Saginaw Spirit, both for penalties incurred in games on Friday.
Hope took a charging major and game misconduct, while Shalla took a major and game misconduct for a hit to the head.

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

Sunday . . .

Jim Beseda of The Oregonian profiles F Craig Cunningham, who joined the Portland Winterhawks in a late December deal with the Vancouver Giants. As expected, Cunningham, 20, has become an important piece of the Winterhawks’ puzzle. That story is right here.
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If you were wondering, the Kootenay Ice climbed on its bus after Saturday’s 7-5 victory in Game 2 in Portland and headed for Cranbrook. . . . The Winterhawks, meanwhile, drove as far as Spokane on Sunday and will continue on to Cranbrook today. . . . Game 3 in the WHL final is scheduled for Tuesday in Cranbrook, with Game 4 there on Wednesday. The series is tied 1-1.
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In the OHL on Sunday, the host Owen Sound Attack got a breakaway goal from F Cameron Brace 16 minutes into OT to beat the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors 2-1 in Game 4 of the championship final. . . . The series is 2-2, with Game 5 in Mississauga on Tuesday and Game 6 in Owen Sound on Thursday. . . . Both teams, of course, have qualified for the Memorial Cup, because Mississauga is the host team. . . . If you’re a WHL fan and you watched Sunday’s game on Sportsnet, you may have noticed a familiar face behind the Attack bench. Former Tri-City Americans assistant coach Terry Virtue is on the Owen Sound coaching staff.

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

Sunday . . .

In the OHL, the Windsor Spitfires, who have won the last two Memorial Cup titles, are into the Western Conference final after finishing off the Sarnia Sting on Sunday. The Spitfires won 5-0 to take the series in six games.
With the victory, the Spitfires established an OHL record — it was their 10th straight series victory. They have been tied with the Peterborough Petes, who won nine straight (1978-80).
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According to the gang at capgeek.com, Medicine Hat Tigers F Tyler Pitlick will get NHL salaries of US$865,000, $900,000 and $900,000 under terms of the three-year deal he signed with the Edmonton Oilers. His AHL salary each season would be $67,500. And he got a $270,000 signing bonus, payable over three years. Pitlick, who hasn’t played since early March because of a broken ankle, was a second-round selection in the 2010 NHL draft. He left Minnesota State-Mankato to join the Tigers prior to this season. He had 62 points, including 27 goals, in 56 games when he was injured.
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F Brayden Schenn made his AHL playoff debut with the Manchester Monarchs on Sunday. He had an assist and was plus-3 as the Monarchs scored a 5-4 OT victory over the host Binghamton Senators. The Monarchs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, lead the best-of-seven first-round series, 2-1. Schenn joined the Monarchs after his Saskatoon Blades were eliminated from the WHL playoffs on Wednesday night.
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The WHL now has three teams having moved into conference finals.
The Portland Winterhawks got there Sunday, with a 4-2 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. That gave Portland a 4-2 victory in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal.
The Winterhawks will meet either the Spokane Chiefs or Tri-City Americans in the conference final. The Chiefs beat the host Americans 3-2 in OT on Sunday and will take a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 in Spokane on Tuesday.
The Eastern Conference final will open Friday, with the Kootenay Ice visiting the Medicine Hat Tigers.
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In Kelowna, F Sven Bartschi had a goal and two assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . The Winterhawks took control with goals 51 seconds apart in the first period. F Ty Rattie broke a scoreless tie at 6:44 and Bartschi made it 2-0 at 7:35. . . . F Craig Cunningham made it 3-0 at 3:14 of the second. . . . The Rockets got to within one on goals from F Geordie Wudrick, at 13:03 of the second, and F Brett Bulmer, 54 seconds into the third on a PP, but couldn’t get the equalizer. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow closed out the scoring with an empty-netter. . . . Attendance was 4,821. . . . The Rockets, a team that averaged more than 6,000 fans per game in the regular season, drew crowds of 6,059 and 6,085 for first-round games with the Prince George Cougars. However, crowds were under 5,000 for the three home games against Portland. Strange, no? . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 45 shots, 10 more than Kelowna’s Adam Brown. . . . The Winterhawks last appeared in the Western Conferencee final in 2001. That series is to open Friday in the Rose Garden in Portland. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Blake Gal came out of the penalty box in OT to score the winner as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans, 3-2. . . . The Chiefs lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 in Spokane on Tuesday. . . . The Chiefs led this one 2-0 on goals by D Jared Cowen, hust 27 seconds in, and F Matt Marantz, at 4:32 of the second. . . . The Americans tied it on third-period goals from D Tyler Schmidt, at 3:24, and F Carter Ashton, at 18:59. . . . Gal went off for high-sticking at 2:46 of OT, but the Americans weren’t able to beat G James Reid, who made 33 saves. . . . Six seconds after getting out of stir, Gal put the winner past G Drew Owsley, who stopped 40 shots. . . . Owsley had opened OT with five saves as the Chiefs started extra time on the PP. . . . The goal was Gal’s sixth of these playoffs. . . . Attendance was 4,014. . . . If they need a Game 7, it’ll be played in Spokane on Wednesday. . . . The series winner will open the Western Conference final in Portland on Friday.
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Portland F Craig Cunningham.
Spokane F Darren Kramer.

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

Monday . . .

Shane Doiron coaches an atom team in Shediac, N.B. I don’t know the won-loss record of his team of nine- and 10-year-olds . . . not that it matters. Because he is my coach of the year for all of Canada.
Why? Because he is a hockey coach who gets it.
Check it out right here.
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The San Jose Sharks were playing in Chicago on Monday night when play-by-play man Mike (Doc) Emrick made reference to Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews and the fact that his brother, David, plays for the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Which is when analyst Pierre McGuire informed that Kelly McCrimmon runs the Wheat Kings.
And someone mentioned that McCrimmon’s brother, Brad, is on the coaching staff of the Detroit Red Wings. If you weren’t aware, Brad’s nickname is The Beast. (Although at one time he was Sarge.)
To which Emrick intoned: “If Brad is The Beast, is Kelly . . . Beauty?”
No doubt Kelly has been called a lot of things, both during his career as a player and as an owner/general manager/coach. I have a feeling Beauty isn’t one of them.
Or maybe he has been. It could be that at some point in the past, someone perhaps has referred to McCrimmon as a “real beauty.” Don’t you think?
By the way, I’m thinking McCrimmon has to be given some consideration as the Eastern Conference’s executive of the year and also as coach of the year.
When you consider the Wheat Kings’ horrid start, the number of injuries they dealt with, the fact that they are riding two 17-year-ol goaltenders, and the fact that McCrimmon traded away F Brayden Schenn, well, who would have thought that Brandon would be a hard-charging sixth with a week left in the regular season?
McCrimmon may not win either award, but he has to be in the conversation with the likes of Lorne Molleken of the Saskatoon Blades and Jesse Wallin of the Red Deer Rebels.
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Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, appears to have cleared his plate of all but one case.
Doerksen, who is the WHL’s disciplinarian, suspended F Garrett Mitchell of the Regina Pats for one game for a third instigator penalty, hit F Max Ross of the Lethbridge Hurricanes with two games for a boarding major, and sat F Jonathan Parker of the Prince Albert Raiders for a game for an elbowing major.
All that leaves on Doerksen’s plate, at least for now, is the case of F Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers, who was tossed from a Friday night game with the visiting Kelowna Rockets after he cross-checked linesman Kris Hartley while being escorted to the penalty box.
The Blazers have two games left in the regular season — they go home-and-home with the Prince George Cougars on Friday and Saturday — and you have to think Ranford, who already has sat out one game, won’t play in either of those games.
The Blazers are two points out of a playoff spot, and the only question may be whether the suspension runs into the playoffs or into the 2011-12 season.
The WHL rule book doesn’t appear to be on the league’s website, which is strange if only because the OHL and QMJHL both make their rule books available.
Anyway, the OHL book has two rules (41.3 and 41.4) involving automatic suspensions, either of which would seem to apply to the Ranford situation.
Rule 41 — Physical Abuse of Officials
Rule 41.1 Game Misconduct
Any player or goalkeeper who deliberately applies physical force to an official solely for the purpose of getting free of such an official during or immediately following an altercation shall receive a game misconduct penalty. In addition the following (41.2, 41.3, 41.4) disciplinary penalties shall apply:
41.2 Automatic Suspension — Category 1
Any player who deliberately strikes an official and causes injury or who deliberately applies physical force in any manner against an official with intent to injure or who in any manner attempts to injure an official shall be automatically suspended for not less than 20 games. (For the purpose of the rule, “intent to injure” shall mean any physical force which a player knew or should have known could reasonably be expected to cause injury.)
41.3 Automatic suspension — Category 2
Any player who deliberately applies physical force to an official in any manner (excluding actions set out in Category 1) in which physical force is applied without intent to injury shall be automatically suspended for not less than 10 games.
41.4 Automatic Suspension — Category 3
Any player or goalkeeper who, by his actions, physically demeans an official or physically threatens an official by (but not limited to) throwing a stick or any other piece of equipment or object at or in the general direction of an official, shooting the puck at or in the general direction of an official, spitting at or in the general direction of an official, or who deliberately applies physical force to an official solely for the purpose of getting free of such an official during or immediately following an altercation shall be suspended for not less than three games.
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So depending on how Doerksen interprets Ranford’s actions, and depending on how closely the WHL’s rules are to the OHL’s, Ranford could be looking at a three-game suspension or one that runs at least 10 games.
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Arenas around the WHL were quiet on Monday night; there are three games on tap tonight.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes will visit the Oil Kings in Edmonton. Lethbridge is two points out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot, while the Oil Kings are seventh, three points behind the Brandon Wheat Kings.
The Kootenay Ice will meet the Tigers in Medicine Hat. The Ice, which has three games left, is fourth in the conference, five points behind the Tigers. An Ice loss, then, will mean it finishes fourth and will meet the Moose Jaw Warriors in the first round. . . . A Tigers victory moves them to within two points of the Red Deer Rebels, who, as Central Division leaders, are the conference’s No. 2 seed. The Tigers will use up their game in hand tonight.
And, finally, the Regina Pats are to visit the Broncos in Swift Current. The Broncos, who won’t be in the playoffs, can play spoiler tonight because a victory will finish the Pats. Regina has three games left and is six points behind the Prince Albert Raiders, who hold down the conference’s last spot.
Despite what you may have read or heard, the Pats have not been eliminated. They still can tie for that last spot. And a tie for the final playoff berth would necessitate a sudden-death game.
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JUST NOTES: F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels is the WHL’s player of the week. He had 12 points, including five goals, in four games last week. . . . Adam Brown of the Kelowna Rockets is the WHL’s nominee as the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 3-0-0, 0.65, .979 last week. . . . The Vancouver Giants have lost six in a row and won’t have F Brendan Gallagher back Wednesday when the meet the Winterhawks in Portland. He is expected to play Friday when the Kelowna Rockets visit Vancouver. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun also reports that Giants head coach Don Hay is likely to be one of the applicants for the position of head coach of Canada’s national junior team. The deadline to apply is today. . . . “I think I'd like to help Canada win a gold medal,” Hay told Pap. “I think it's always a good challenge for coaches to get involved with that program.” . . . The 2012 tournament will be held in Calgary and Edmonton. . . . According to Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, the Warriors had F Antonin Honejsek (broken ankle) back on the ice Monday. He has missed 15 games. . . . However, the Warriors were missing F Cody Beach (leg), who was injured Saturday. Head coach Dave Hunchak said Beach is week-to-week. . . . Gourlie also reports that the Warriors are bringing in F Torrin White, the 21st overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft. He had 49 points in 33 games with the midget AAA UFA Bisons in Alberta. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi has 83 points, the most by a Winterhawks’ freshman since Richard Zednik put up 86 in 1994-95. The franchise record is held by Jiri Beranek (94, 1991-92). . . . Yes, Bartschi is the WHL’s highest-scoring freshman, by 19 points. . . . The Winterhawks had G Mac Carruth (concussion, groin) back at practice Monday and are hoping to get him into at least one game by week’s end. Keith Hamilton has played well in Carruth’s absence, going 7-2 since the starter was first injured on Feb. 22.

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

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

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

According to the Prince Albert Herald, G Jamie Tucker of the Prince Albert Raiders will be out for “at least two weeks” after he suffered a cut to his right thumb during a 5-4 loss to the Pats in Regina on Saturday night.
Tucker was injured in a collision with Regina F Garrett Mitchell. Tucker left the game in the first period and didn’t return.
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Super Bowl Sunday wasn’t so super for Dave MacQueen.
MacQueen was fired Sunday as the general manager and head coach of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting. The Sting (18-26-6) is fourth in the Western Conference’s West Division, 19 points behind the Windsor Spitfires and three ahead of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
Assistant coach Trevor Letowski, a former NHLer, is the new interim head coaches. The general manager’s duties will be split up among front office staff.
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According to reports, including from RDS, former NHLer Guy Carbonneau will take over as head coach of the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens today.
Carbonneau, who played and coached in the NHL, is part of Chicoutimi’s ownership group, and serves as president and governor.
The Sagueneens fired head coach Richard Martel last week. Marc-Etienne Hubert has been serving as the interim head coach.
The Sagueneens have won all three games they have played since Martel was released.

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



Goaltender Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans, sporting his
Nuclear Night jersey, makes a save Friday while Portland Winterhawks
forward Sven Bartschi watches. (Photo by Doug Love/Tri-City Americans)

 THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Andrew Schneider (Seattle, Swift Current, 1988-93) signed a contract for the rest of the season with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany 2.Bundesliga) after his release by Klagenfurt (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had one goal and 11 assists in 25 games with Klagenfurt this season. This is Schneider's second tour of duty with Schwenningen, having played for the Wild Wings from 1997 to 2000. . . .
D Mike Siklenka (Seattle, 1997-99) signed a contract for the rest of this season and the next three seasons with Klagenfurt (Austria Erste Bank Liga). The conract runs through the end of 2013-14. Siklenka had three goals and 10 assists in 36 games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) this season. . . .
F Codey Burki (Brandon, 2002-07) has been recalled from loan to Thurgau (Switzerland NL B) by Lugano (Switzerland NL A) and loaned out to Lagenthal (Switzerland NL B) for the rest of this season. He had six goals and five assists in 12 games during his assignment to Thurgau.
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Mike Johnston, the general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, is a finalist for the Slats Gill Award as Oregon‘s sportsperson of the year. The award goes annually to the outstanding coach, administrator or organization from an Oregon-based team at any level of competition. It will be awarded Sunday at the Oregon Sports Awards. . . . According to a Winterhawks release, the other nominees are Linfield College baseball coach Scott Brosius, Aloha High School football coach Chris Casey, University of Oregon football coach Chip Kelly and University of Oregon cross-country/track and field coach Vin Lananna. . . . The awards will be presented in the Tiger Woods Center at Nike’s headquarters. Former NFL player Ahmad Rashad will play host to the event, which will be televised later on Comcast Sports Northwest.
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The most recent eight-game suspension to a CHL player wasn’t for a positive drug test, a doping infraction as it is oftentimes called.
No. This one was for a flying elbow and it went to Kingston Frontenacs D Erik Gudbranson, who played for Canada at the World Junior Championship. Yes, this is the same fellow who was selected by the Florida Panthers with the third overall pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft.
Gudbranson was suspended for drilling Oshawa F J.P. Labardo, who ended up with a five-game suspension for his headshot on the Kingston goaltender.
Earlier this season, Gudbranson sat out a five-game sentence for a headshot on Cosimo Fontana of the Ottawa 67’s. Fontana remains sidelined with a concussion.
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George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press reports that F Landon Ferraro of the Everett Silvertips was to have hernia surgery on Friday. According to Sipple, who spoke with Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill, Ferraro was to have the surgery and should be on his way home Monday to begin rehab. He is expected to be out for up to two months. Ferraro has signed with the Detroit Red Wings, who selected him in the second round of the 2009 NHL draft.
Sipple’s story is right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Kootenay Ice has added D Mike Simpson, a sixth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, to its roster while D Luke Paulsen recovers from a concussion. Paulsen tried to play earlier in the week but wasn’t able to finish. . . . The 6-foot-4 Simpson plays for the junior B Port Moody, B.C., Black Panthers. . . . Matt Coxford of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman reports that G Mackenzie Skapski will make his first WHL start tonight against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. Skapski is a great story. He was selected by the Ice in the third round of the 2009 bantam draft and needed facial surgery after being injured when the major midget Fraser Valley Bruins’ bus went off the road during a trip to Prince George last season. Skapski plays for the junior B Ridge Meadow, B.C., Flames. . . . F Bretton Cameron and G Tyson Sexsmith both are back with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. Cameron (Medicine Hat, 2005-10) had been up with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale. He picked up one assist in two games. Sexsmith (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, 2004-09) was with the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. Sexsmith has been injured and hasn’t played since Nov. 7. . . .
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, F Mark Stone broke a 3-3 tie at 11:11 of the third period to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 4-3 victory over the Hitmen. . . . He’s got 25 goals. . . . The Wheat Kings won for the fourth time in five games and moved into sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. . . . F Shayne Wiebe got his 27^th goal for Brandon. . . . D Alex Roach of Calgary and D Rene Hunter of Brandon each scored his second goal of the season. It was the second WHL goal for each player, as well. . . . F Matt MacKay had a goal and two assists for Brandon. . . . F Misha Fisenko had two assists for Calgary. . . . Attendance was 10,156. . . . The Wheat Kings are in Medicine Hat tonight, while the Hitmen travel to Red Deer.
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In Moose Jaw, the Crushed Can was hopping as the Warriors scored twice in the second half of the third period to beat the Regina Pats, 4-3. . . . Moose Jaw moved into a tie for fourth with the idle Medicine Hat Tigers in the Eastern Conference. They are one point behind the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Dylan Hood got his 23^rd to forge a 3-3 tie on a PP at 10:51. F Sam Fioretti got the winner, his seventh goal of the season, at 12:31. . . . Hood finished with two goals and an assist. . . . Moose Jaw F Antonin Honejsek had a goal and two helpers, while F Quinton Howden drew two assists. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-for-7 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-3. . . . Due to illness, the Pats only dressed 18 players and one or two of those saw limited playing time. . . . F Cody Beach didn’t dress for the Warriors. Head coach Dave Hunchak told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald that Beach was out for “failing to meet team standards.” . . . Attendance was 2,883. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Regina, and Beach is expected to play. . . . The Pats now are 11^th in the conference. They are only three points out of a playoff spot, but need to climb over three teams to get there. . . .
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In Saskatoon, F Chris Collins scored twice and set up another as the Blades beat the Swift Current Broncos, 6-3. . . . Saskatoon F Marek Viedensky and F Josh Nicholls each had a goal and two assists. . . . The Blades, who have won four in a row, scored the game’s first five goals. . . . D Dalton Reum scored his first goal of the season for the Broncos, who have lost five in a row. It also was his first WHL goal. The 18-year-old from Camrose, Atla., played 37 games last season and has gotten into 13 games this season. . . . The Broncos haven’t won since Jan. 15, when they won 3-2 to end Saskatoon’s 11-game home-ice winning streak. . . . The Saskatoon unit that features Brayden Schenn, Curtis Hamilton and Jake Trask was held pointless. . . . Attendance was 4,908. . . . There were four incidents of fisticuffs. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Swift Current. . . .
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In Lethbridge, the Kootenay Ice erased a 3-2 third-period deficit and beat the Hurricanes, 6-3. . . . D Daniel Johnston’s first goal of the season, in his 45^th game, gave the home team a 4-3 lead on a PP at 2:50 of the third period. . . . Ice F Kevin King tied it, with his 22^nd, at 5:09, on a PP, and D Hayden Rintoul’s first of the season, at 10:06, gave the visitors the lead. . . . Rintoul was playing in his 29^th game of the season. . . . F Elgin Pearce got his ninth on a PP at 14:28 and D Brayden McNabb got the empty-netter, at 19:02. . . . McNabb, who has 13 goals, also had two assists, while F Max Reinhart had three helpers. . . . F Austin Fyten pulled Lethbridge into a 2-2 tie with his 20^th and 21^st goals in the latter half of the second period. . . . Attendance was 3,229. . . . The Ice is third in the conference, one point ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Ice and Hurricanes meet tonight in Cranbrook. . . .
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In Red Deer, it was another perfect night for G Darcy Kuemper as the Rebels blanked the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-0. . . . Kuemper stopped 31 shots, including 11 in each of the first two periods, as he earned his CHL-leading 10^th shutout. It also was the 16^th of his career. He set franchise single-season and career shutouts earlier this season. . . . Red Deer has won 10 in a row and is 10-0-1 in its last 11. . . . The Rebels are three points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Saskatoon Blades, who hold two games in hand. . . . The Rebels got two goals from F Brett Ferguson, who has 17, and one from D Aaron Borejko, who has one. He got it in his 51^st game of the season. In his career, he now has three goals in 158 games -- two in 97 games with Red Deer, one in 61 games with the Kelowna Rockets. . . . F Ryan Nugent Hopkins and F Andrej Kudrna each had a goal and an assist. . . . D Colin Archer and D Alex Petrovic each had two assists. . . . The Oil Kings, who are 0-5-1 in their last six, have been blanked three times this season. . . . Attendance was 4,588. . . . Edmonton is at home to the Prince Albert Raiders tonight (it’s Michael Jackson Night, although the King of Pop isn’t likely to be in attendance), while the Rebels are at home to the Calgary Hitmen. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Cody Chikie had a goal and three assists to lead the Rockets to a 7-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Rockets led this one 2-0 before the game was two minutes old as F Colton Sissons, with his ninth, and F Shane McColgan, with his 18^th, both scored. F Geordie Wudrick made it 3-0 with his 26^th at 6:09. . . . The Cougars got to within 3-1 and 4-2 but that was it. . . . Chikie, a 19-year-old from St. Albert, Alta., had one three-point game to his credit before this one. . . . He’s got 10 goals this season. . . . Despite there being just one scrap, the teams combined for 112 penalty minutes, with the Rockets taking 59 of those. . . . Kelowna was 0-for-10 on the PP; the Cougars were 1-for-8. . . . Attendance was 6,088. . . . The Rockets meet the visiting Vancouver Giants tonight. Kelowna is second in the B.C. Division, a point behind the Giants. . . .
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In Vancouver, the Giants outshot Kamloops 38-17 as they beat the Blazers, 3-1. . . . Vancouver has won five straight games and 10 of 12. . . . F Spencer Bennett scored twice for the Giants, giving him 24. He broke a 1-1 tie at 4:42 of the second period and added insurance at 4:57 of the third on a PP. . . . Bennett has 21 points, including 12 goals, in 13 games with Vancouver since coming over from the Portland Winterhawks. He had 21 points, 12 of them goals, in 37 games with the Winterhawks. . . . The Giants have given up only eight goals in winning five in a row. . . . Vancouver G Brendan Rowinski had two assists. . . . G Mark Segal stopped 16 shots in winning his ninth straight start. . . . Kamloops has lost five in a row and nine of 10. . . . Attendance was 10,378. . . . The Blazers meet the Bruins in Chilliwack tonight, while the Giants visit Kelowna. Vancouver leads the B.C. Division by one point over the Rockets.
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In Spokane, the Chiefs scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Chilliwack Bruins, 5-3. . . . F Darren Kramer forged a 3-3 tie at 5:32 of the second and F Matt Marantz put the Chiefs out front at 7:00. . . . Kramer has five goals; Marantz has 15. . . . F Tyler Johnson, who leads the WHL with 37 goals, iced it at 9:13 of the third. Johnson also had an assist and pulled into a tie for the lead in the WHL scoring race. He and F Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who didn’t play Friday, are tied at 82 points. Johnson also is riding a 16-game point streak. . . . F Stephen Kuhn had a goal, his 14^th, and two assists for the Chiefs. . . . F Kevin Sundher had two assists for the Bruins. . . . Chiefs G Mac Engel stopped 18 shots, 20 fewer than Chilliwack’s Lucas Gore. . . . Spokane was 2-for-8 on the PP; the Bruins were 1-for-4. . . . Attendance was 7,521. . . . The Chiefs pulled to within one point of the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks. Spokane is at home to the Tri-City Americans tonight. . . .
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In Everett, G Kent Simpson stopped 35 shots to help the Silvertips blank the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-0. . . . The shutout was Simpson’s first of the season and third of his career. . . . The Silvertips have put up three shutouts this season, with Luke Siemens getting the other two. . . . Seattle has been blanked three times. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 20 of 26 shots before being relieved by Michael Salmon with 15:40 left in the third. . . . F Tyler Maxwell scored twice, giving him 31. . . . F Cody Fowlie had two goals and an assist. He went into the game with eight points, three of them goals, in 46 games. . . . Attendance was 8,045. . . . The Silvertips, Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers are tied for last in the Western Conference, one point behind the eighth-place Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Everett, Seattle and Kamloops are a combined 5-20-5 over each of their last 10 games. . . . The Prince George Cougars are in Everett tonight, while the Thunderbirds meet the visiting Portland Winterhawks. It’s Teddy Bear Toss Night at the game in Kent, Wash. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Kruise Reddick scored three goals and G Drew Owsley stopped 35 shots to lead the host Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks, who had won six in a row. . . . Tri-City is 4-1-1 against Portland this season. . . . Reddick, who now has three WHL hat tricks, scored the game’s first two goals, the opener at 3:06 of the first period on a PP, and the second at 10:31 of the first. . . . He completed his hat trick at 19:10 of the second, giving the home team a 4-0 lead on another PP. . . . The Americans, who have won 14 of 15 at home, were 2-for-7 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 2-for-8. . . . Reddick has 12 goals this season. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin had two assists for the Americans. . . . Portland D William Wrenn was even. He went into the game at plus-16 in 10 games. . . . Attendance was 6,032, the seventh largest in franchise history, on the second annual Nuclear Night. . . . One year ago, F Johnny Lazo had three goals as the Americans beat visiting Portland 6-2 on Nuclear Night. . . . The Americans are in Spokane tonight, while the Winterhawks meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Nine minors:
Regina F Garrett Mitchell (double minor)
Edmonton F Mark Reners
Prince George F James Dobrowolski
Prince George F Jaroslav Vlach
Prince George F Troy Bourke
Portland F Sven Bartschi
Tri-City F David Conrad (double minor)

Surely, this isn’t what the Canadian Hockey League had in mind when it entered into an agreement with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport that involved random drug testing of its athletes.

Surely, the CHL was looking for something more than what has been dropped in its lap.

In the last couple of weeks, the CCES has announced positive tests for three CHL players, each of whom was suspended for eight games, which is the penalty for a first-time offender.

SPENCER ASUCHAK

No matter the crime. No matter the intent. Test positive and you’re gone for eight games. A press release is issued and you are branded for life. You are a cheat . . . a user of stimulants . . . a user of PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs) . . . a Ben Johnson on skates. Googler you name and you’ll come up positive.

And that is really, really too bad.

Each of the three players tested positive for the same thing, a stimulant known as methylhexaneamine. Each, it seems, ingested it in the same fashion, through a supplement purchased over the counter. Of this there doesn’t seem to be any doubt.

In the case of forward Spencer Asuchak of the Prince George Cougars, whose suspension was announced Monday, he purchases his supplements in his hometown of Kamloops.

Asuchak, a 19-year-old forward, told the Prince George Citizen that he used Jack3d over the summer and Razor 8 in December. According to Jason Peters of the Citizen, Asuchak “mixed them with water prior to workout sessions to give himself an energy boost.“

Asuchak told Peters that he is “pretty upset.”
“I’ll get through it,” Asuchak said. “It happens -- you make mistakes and learn from them.”
Asuchak has 24 points, including 15 goals, in 42 games with the Cougars this season. He will be eligible to play again on Feb. 8 when the Cougars are scheduled to meet the Oil Kings in Edmonton.
But, sheesh, there are MISTAKES and then there are mistakes. And this was a molehill of a mistake.
Asuchak is a bit of a fitness/workout guy. He takes great pride in his workouts and his physique. Yes, he has heard the whispers, that he must be on something steroidish. But when he was selected for testing on Dec. 17 he wasn’t at all concerned. Why not? Because he knew that the four or five different pre-workout supplements he was using were fine. They all had checked out against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances.
Unfortunately, the WADA list that Asuchak was using was issued on Jan. 1, 2009. What he didn’t know was that methylhexaneamine didn’t appear on the WADA list until Jan. 1, 2010.
But, earlier this month, WADA again changed the status of methylhexaneamine. WADA issues an updated list on Jan. 1 of each year. The 2011 list has methylhexaneamine moved from its non-specified list, where it first appeared on Jan. 1, 2010, to its specified list.
This explanation appears on WADA’s website:
"During the course of 2010, the anti-doping community noticed evidence that (methylhexaneamine) had reappeared in a number of nutritional supplements and was therefore subject to potential inadvertent use by athletes.
"While athletes are responsible for everything they use under the strict liability principle applied in the fight against doping, international experts forming the agency's scientific committees took this reality into account to reclassify methylhexaneamine into the 'specified stimulants' category of the 2011 list.
"Generally speaking, 'specified substances' are substances that are more susceptible to a credible, non-doping explanation.
"If the athlete can prove that he or she did not intend to enhance performance by using them to the satisfaction of the results management authority, the sanction under the world anti-doping code can go from a two-year ban to a warning."
There already have been instances of athletes receiving lighter sentences after testing positive for methylhexaneamine. For example, positives tests during the Commonwealth Games last year resulted in 11 athletes being disciplined, but all of those suspensions since have been overturned.
As well, there are a couple of South African rugby players in the process of appealing bans. That story is right here.
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In the meantime, Asuchak didn’t even know what methylhexaneamine was or what its use is. Rather, I’m told, he was using supplements for creatine, caffeine, beta alinine and arginine -- creatine for building muscle, arginine for the pump, and caffeine for the energy.
Asuchak knew what was coming when he heard on Jan. 14 that two OHL players -- Alexander Aleardi of the Plymouth Whalers and Ryan O’Connor of the Saginaw Spirit -- had tested positive after using Jack3d and had been suspended. Asuchak knew immediately that his test would be positive.
(As it turned out, the teams were given advance notice. Aleardi, for example, served his entire suspension prior to it even being announced. Observers were under the impression that he was out with the dreaded upper body injury. When Asuchak’s suspension was announced Monday, he already had served three games because the Cougars had been informed of the positive test on Wednesday.)
It used to be caffeine. I remember covering the Regina Pats when one of their players would make half-a-dozen pregame visits to the scout/media room for coffee. He would drink at least six cups before going out for the pregame warmup. Then came the Sudafed era.
And now we’re into PEDs. Hey, I’m all for drug testing for PEDs. And I’m all for athletes being responsible for what goes into their bodies, and all of that stuff. But these are junior hockey players we’re talking about here. Yes, WHL teams work constantly to educate their players on PEDs and supplements and all of that, but there has to be some kind of warning system in place.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner and CHL vice-president, is quoted thusly: “In reviewing this matter, we are completely satisfied that the player used a supplement which had been purchased over the counter at a retail outlet and had no knowledge that it contained a prohibited stimulant under our national CHL Anti-Doping Policy.”
In a Jan. 14 statement announcing that the two OHL players had tested positive, CHL president David Branch, who also is the OHL commissioner, was quoted as saying: “We are completely satisfied that the players used a supplement which they had purchased over the counter at a local retail outlet and had no knowledge that it contained a stimulant.”
Never mind that both statements are virtually the same. It is most evident that there was no intent to cheat. There was no intent to gain a competitive advantage. These would appear to be clear-cut cases of inadvertent use.
That being the case, it behooves the adults who are responsible to change this policy before more damage is done. It is time to consider the intent in these situations and to turn potential eight-game suspensions into warnings.

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
With two OHL players having been suspended for eight games each after testing positive for methylhexaneamine, trainer Colin Robinson says players with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers have been told more than once to be careful with so-called energy drinks and other supplements.
“It’s a huge concern, for sure,” Robinson said Saturday afternoon before his club entertained the Portland Winterhawks at Interior Savings Centre.
Robinson, who has worked in the WHL since 1995, added that he constantly works on educating the players about these things.
“The players are made very aware that these energy drinks are not safe and not recommended,” he explained. “We don’t supply them to the players. If the players get them they get them on their own, knowing that the responsibility is theirs.”
The CHL, which oversees the OHL, QMJHL and WHL, entered into an agreement with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport during 2006-07. The CCEC handles testing for the three leagues.
When the CHL cut its deal with CCES, it immediately agreed to live by the World Anti-Doping Association’s list of banned drugs. Methylhexaneamine was added to the WADA list in 2010.
Following the news Friday that Alex Aleardi, a forward with the Plymouth Whalers, and Ryan O’Connor, a defenceman with the Saginaw Spirit, had drawn eight-game suspensions, the WHL sent an alert via email to each of its 22 teams.
It is generally agreed that Aleardi and O’Connor, who were tested in November, made an honest mistake, purchasing an over-the-counter product named Jack3d, while not aware of what it contained.
The Blazers were in Kennewick, Wash., and Robinson convened a brief meeting prior their game against the Tri-City Americans.
“The players,” he said, “were made aware that this had happened. I wanted to make sure, again, that they understand the consequences.”
Robinson said the “first thing out of their mouths” was that the OHL players “just bought it over the counter.”
Robinson said he told the players: “You all know when you take the test — they have to do an online test every year — it says you’re responsible. You bought it, you put it in your body . . . that makes it your responsibility.”
The Portland Winterhawks were in Kelowna for a game with the Rockets when the email went out from the WHL office.
As soon as he saw it, Rich Campbell, the Winterhawks’ athletic therapist and strength/conditioning coach, said he “walked right back and talked to players. I asked if they were familiar with the specific product and let them know that it was illegal.”
Campbell said this “is very important to us because players hear about these supplements through other athletes and a lot of times there’s stuff in there that we don’t know is in there.
“I’m familiar with (methylhexaneamine). It’s in a lot of those pump-you-up supplements. The trick is to educate the guys and let them know what’s legal and what isn’t legal as far as the substances.”
Campbell said players sometimes approach him with supplement-related questions, and he also monitors the situation.
“Mostly I just look in the (dressing room) and see what’s there,” he said.
Robinson said that with the Blazers, Dev Mitra, the strength and conditioning coach, “handles all the supplement and protein powders and that.”
Robinson added: “We make sure it’s all sanctioned. If it doesn have NSC on it -- which means it’s gone through the testing -- then we don’t recommend or ask the guys to take that type of powder. Anything they’re on they let us know beforehand and Dev and I check over the WADA list to make sure it’s all good.”
The Blazers have been visited twice this season, once in Portland and again in Prince George. In each instance, one player was tested and, as Robinson said, “Both times it’s been good.”
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It turns out that methylhexaneamine raised its ugly head in baseball a few months ago.
Mike Lemaire of Baseball America reported in August:
“Prior to July 28, no players had violated minor league baseball’s drug program by testing positive for the stimulant methylhexaneamine.
“Little more than two weeks later, eight minor leaguers from four levels of the minors had tested positive for the drug and received 50-game suspensions. A pre-workout supplement that baseball recently banned contained stimulants that proved to be the culprit.” gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Two OHL players banned after positive tests

A press release issued Friday by the CHL and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport:

(Ottawa, Ontario - January 14, 2011) - The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) announced today that two junior hockey players were each assessed an eight-game suspension for anti-doping rule violations. The violations resulted from urine samples collected during in-competition doping control in November 2010 which revealed the presence of methylhexaneamine, a prohibited stimulant.

Under the rules of the CHL Anti-Doping Policy, Plymouth Whalers' player Alexander Aleardi and Saginaw Spirit player Ryan O'Connor were each assessed an eight game suspension for a first violation for using a prohibited substance.

"These players and the teams concerned were extremely cooperative throughout the process. We are completely satisfied that the players used a supplement which they had purchased over the counter at a local retail outlet and had no knowledge that it contained a stimulant," said CHL President David Branch.

Methylhexaneamine is banned in-competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List, which is recognized by the CHL. In Canada, methylhexaneamine is not an ingredient in medications licensed by Health Canada but can be found in supplements. "Athletes who choose to use supplements must be very careful about the source and purpose of their products," said Paul Melia, President and CEO of the CCES. "Under CHL anti-doping rules, athletes are strictly liable for any substance found in their doping control sample, regardless of how it got there."

"The Ontario Hockey League is committed to the ongoing education of all of our players relative to drug-free sport, and looks forward to continuing to work with the CCES to support the health and welfare of all players," stated Mr. Branch.

The CCES is an independent, national, non-profit organization. Our mission, to foster ethical sport for all Canadians, is carried out through research, promotion, education, detection and deterrence, as well as through programs and partnerships with other organizations.

Mel Rothenburger, the editor of the Kamloops Daily News, makes a couple of points on the resolution of things that have gone on in these parts over the last three weeks. He does it right here on his blog.
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Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, who covers the Saskatoon Blades on a daily basis, weighs in on the situation right here.
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post, who covers the Regina Pats for that newspaper, offers up his opinion right here.
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And, finally, I think my 15 minutes is pretty much up after an appearance on CBC Radio’s As It Happens. . . . That happened on Wednesday and it’s right here. I am told that it’s somewhere near the end of Part Two.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Adrian Foster (Saskatoon, Brandon, 1999-2002) was released by Örebro (Sweden Allsvenskan) at the end of his one-month tryout contract. He was pointless in seven games. . . .
G Scott Reid (Tri-City, Seattle, Kamloops, Saskatoon, 1994-97) and D Evan Schafer (Prince Albert, 2002-06) were granted their releases from Edinburgh Capitals (UK Elite). Reid has a 5.26 GAA and a .867 save percentage in 34 games. Schafer has three goals and seven assists in 34 games for the Capitals this season. The Capitals are in financial difficulties and have seen their coach and eight of their 11 import players leave the team. . . .
F Tim Konsorada (Brandon, 1999-2005) signed a contract for the rest of the season with Selb (Germany Oberliga) after obtaining his release from Merano (Italy Serie A2). He had 10 goals and 14 assists in 24 games for Merano this season.
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JUST NOTES: The OHL’s Soo Greyhounds fired head coach Denny Lambert on Tuesday, with general manager Dave Torrie stepping in on an interim basis. The Greyhounds are 14-21-5 and last in the Western Conference. Lambert, a former NHL player, took over from Craig Hartsburg for 2008-09. Lambert was an assistant under Hartsburg for four seasons. Hartsburg now is in his second season as head coach of the Everett Silvertips. . . . Ice F Matt Fraser had a goal and two assists. . . .
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:   
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings played one of those day games aimed at the youngsters and drew 7,066 fans as they dropped a 5-2 decision to the Kootenay Ice. . . . Ice F Drew Czerwonka had a goal and two assists. He was a sixth-round draft choice of the Edmonton Oilers in 2010. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart got bragging rights, at least for now, with two goals and two assists. He was plus-4. His brother, Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart, was pointless and minus-3. . . . The teams were on their best behaviour with nary a scrap in front of all the school children. . . .
In Moose Jaw, G Darcy Kuemper stopped 32 shots as the Red Deer Rebels dumped the Warriors, 4-0. . . . Kuemper leads the WHL with seven shutouts, and he has 13 in his career — both franchise records. He had three shutouts in each of his last two seasons. . . . F Brett Ferguson had a goal and two assists for the Rebels. . . .
In Prince Albert, F Jonathan Parker continued with the best season of his WHL career, scoring three times and adding two helpers in an 8-4 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Parker, a 19-year-old from Solana Beach, Calif., has 27 goals. He is in his third WHL season — in his first two, he had 17 and then 15 goals. Parker has 53 points in 45 games. He had 39 in his first season (2008-09) with the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Parker has two career hat tricks — one with the Raiders and one with Seattle. . . . Raiders D Tyler Yaworski, who had missed the previous seven games with mononucleosis, had a goal and two assists, and was plus-5. . . . Raiders F Brandon Herrod also had a goal and two assists, while F Mark McNeill got his 20th goal of the season. . . . The Raiders have beaten Brandon three times in nine days. Those are tough losses for the Wheat Kings because the Raiders, who hold down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot, are five points ahead of Brandon. . . . John MacNeil of the Brandon Sun notes: “Wheat Kings D Brodie Melnychuk, who suffered a leg injury while blocking a shot in Tuesday’s 5-4 shootout loss at Saskatoon, sat out Wednesday, snapping a 208-game ironman streak for the Balgonie, Sask., native.” . . .
In Regina, G Matt Hewitt stopped 59 shots through overtime and the Pats went on to beat the Saskatoon Blades, 4-3, in a shootout. . . . Hewitt stopped 22 shots in the first period, 17 in the second and 16 in the third. He then was perfect in OT as the Blades outshot Regina, 4-0. . . . The Pats outscored the Blades 3-2 in the shootout. . . . F Jordan Weal had two assists for the Pats. . . .
In Lethbridge, the Calgary Hitmen forced OT at 19:02 of the third period and beat the Hurricanes, 4-3, in a shootout. . . . Calgary D Kyle Schmidt scored his second goal of the season late in the third period. . . . Lethbridge had taken a 3-1 lead into the third period. Caglary F Justin Kirsch got Calgary to within one with his 20th, at 5:52. . . . Calgary scored the only two goals of the shootout, one of them coming from F Brooks Macek, who was acquired Monday from the Tri-City Americans. . . .
In Chilliwack, D Jesse Zgraggen got his first goal of the season to help the Bruins to a 5-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Zgraggen, a 17-year-old from Lethbridge, had been pointless in his first 33 games. . . . Prince George D Cody Carlson finished at minus-5, while D Daniel Gibb was minus-4. . . . Chilliwack also got a goal each from three of its top guns — Kevin Sundher (15), Roman Horak (16) and Ryan Howse (27). . . . The Bruins will head north and meet the Cougars in Prince George on Friday and Saturday. . . .
In Kamloops, Medicine Hat F Linden Vey moved into the WHL scoring lead as the Tigers got past the Blazers, 4-1. . . . Vey scored one goal and set up another, giving him 67 points. That’s one more than Kamloops F Brendan Ranford, who went pointless. . . . Vey was playing on a line with Emerson Etem, who scored his 23rd goal of the season, and Kellan Tochkin, who was acquired from the Everett Silvertips on Monday. . . . Tochkin had one assist. . . . The Tigers had only one two-minute PP — their other one lasted 11 seconds — but head coach Shaun Clouston started it with five forwards, the first time he has done that this season. The five were Vey, Tochkin, Etem, Wacey Hamilton and Tyler Pitlick. . . . Emerson’s goal was the Tigers’ WHL-leading 12th shorthanded score of the season. . . .
In Portland, the Spokane Chiefs built up a 4-1 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . Portland got third-period goals from F Riley Boychuk, at 12:33, and F Sven Bartschi, his 23rd, at 13:04, but couldn’t get the equalizer. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 29 shots. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson took over the WHL goal-scoring lead with his 31st. He has one more than Kamloops F Brendan Ranford. . . . The Chiefs now are two points behind the Western Conference-leading Winterhawks and Spokane holds three games in hand. . . . Spokane has lost three fewer games than Portland.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
D Connor Cox, Saskatoon.
F Shayn Neigum, Regina (double minor)

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