Bob Ridley just keeps on driving and smiling. Yes, here he is — the man, the
myth, the legend — taking the Medicine Hat Tigers out on the playoff trail
one more time. Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News passed along these
photos as the Tigers headed to Edmonton last week to begin a second-round
series. If you aren't aware, Ridley also is the radio voice of the Tigers.
(Darren Steinke / Medicine Hat News)

We are into the second round of the WHL playoffs and things really are starting to heat up.
Of course, there is some friction between the Kamloops Blazers and Kelowna Rockets. As you read here yesteday, the Rockets don’t think that F Tyson Baillie should have been suspended for his hit on Kamloops F Colin Smith.
And now we have the Edmonton Oil Kings and Medicine Hat Tigers talking about whether to use the three-metre board or go straight to the tower.
“They’ve gone down easy all year,” Derek Laxdal, the Oil Kings’ head coach, told Dave (Crash) Cameron of the Edmonton Sun after Game 2 of that series, “and I don’t know if it’s a coaching technique or what. My teams don’t play like that so I’ll worry about myself.
“But at the end of the day, if we’re going to engage with stick position, we can’t get too close to the feet. We’ve got to keep it stick-on-puck or stick-on-stick and have a really good mindset of where we are because they are trying to draw penalties and if that’s what they have to do to try and win a series, that’s what they have to do.”
When asked about that, Shaun Clouston, the Tigers’ GM/head coach, told Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News: ““I didn’t really play much soccer growing up.”
Clouston then caught himself and continued: “I just prefer to take the high road. They are a great team with great players. I think their coaches have done a great job.”
Medicine Hat F Boston Leier told Steinke: “I don’t think we are really a diving team. We just go hard. “I don’t think we really consider ourselves that. I don’t know why we would.
“(Laxdal) can have his own opinion, right. I don’t necessarily agree with it.”
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The Red Deer Rebels were without F Matt Bellerive for last night’s 2-1 OT victory over the visiting Calgary Hitmen. The WHL suspended Bellerive for two games earlier in the day, that for a hit on Calgary F Pavlo Padakin. . . . Padakin (knee), a freshman from Kiev, Ukraine, is expected to be out up to six weeks. . . . The Hitmen also are without D Kenton Helgesen (hand). . . .


The WHL also suspended F Tyson Baillie of the Kelowna Rockets for two games for a hit on F Colin Smith of the Kamloops Blazers in Game 1 of their series. Baillie sat out Game 2 and won’t play tonight in Kamloops. . . . Smith, who has a suspected concussion, didn’t play in Game 3 and isn’t expected to play tonight. . . .


The WHL also finalized the suspension of Seattle Thunderbirds F Justin Hickman at four games. He drew a checking-to-the-head major for a hit on Kelowna Rockets D Jesse Lees in Game 6 of their first-round series. Lees hasn’t played since the hit. . . .
F Ty Rattie of the Portland Winterhawks leads the WHL with nine playoff goals. That leaves him with 39 career playoff goals, good for third spot on the career list. He is two goals behind Reggie Leach (Flin Flon, 1967-70) and eight behind Mark Pederson (Medicine Hat, 1983-88).
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Paul Buker takes a look right here at freshman F Paul Bittner of the Portland Winterhawks. And I have a feeling Bittner may be the only player in the WHL who knows who Frankie Yankovic is. . . . Seriously, this is an interesting story because Bittner’s father, Jon, is a member of the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame. When his son left for the WHL, Jon resigned as chairman of the executive board of the coaches’ association and stepped down as a high school coach. . . . Yes, this is an interesting read.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Mike Aikens won’t be back as general manager/head coach of the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. The team has two games remaining this season and assistant coach Brian Kaufman will run the bench. . . . The Lancers are 34-27-1 and won’t qualify for the playoffs for the first time in 24 seasons. . . . Aikens replaced Bliss Littler on Nov. 30, 2011, and went 63-38-2 as head coach.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
SECOND ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
(Edmonton leads, 2-0; Game 3, tonight, in Medicine Hat)
Calgary (3) vs. Red Deer (4)
(Calgary leads, 2-1; Game 4, tonight, in Red Deer)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
SECOND ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Spokane (4)
(Portland leads 2-0; Game 3, tonight, in Spokane)
Kelowna (2) vs. Kamloops (3)
(Kamloops leads 2-0; Game 3, tonight, in Kamloops; also on Shaw TV)
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MONDAY’S GAME:
In Red Deer, D Mathew Dumba scored in OT as the Rebels beat the Calgary Hitmen, 2-1. . . . Dumba got his second goal of these playoffs at 6:33 of extra time while on the PP. . . . Calgary D Spencer Humphries was off for high-sticking Red Deer F Rhyse Dieno. . . . “I didn’t think it was a great call at all,” Calgary head coach Mike Williamson told Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun. “Their guy was reaching for the puck, so he ended up basically two or three feet off the ice. But he sold it. Regardless, we have to kill it off.” . . . Calgary D Peter Kosterman gave his guys the lead at 7:05 of the first period. . . . Red Deer F Brooks Maxwell tied it with a shorthanded goal at 14:29 of the first. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak stopped 38 shots, four fewer than Calgary’s Chris Driedger.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (15):
D Brady Gaudet, Red Deer
D Spencer Humphries, Calgary

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (5):
None

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Brad Moran (Calgary, 1995-2000) signed a contract for the rest of this season with SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, SM-Liiga) after his release by Växjö (Sweden, Elitserien). He had five goals and three assists in 37 games with Växjö this season. Moran was released after Växjö signed American F Ryan Lasch, which put the club over the Swedish limit of two non-European Union citizens per team — ex-NHL/AHL D Noah Welch is the other non-EU player on Växjö. Lasch, who was playing in the Anaheim Ducks farm system this season, led SM-Liiga in scoring last season with 24 goals and 38 points in 59 games for Pelicans Lahti.
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It was a ch-ch-ching kind of day in the WHL office on Tuesday as $2,250 in fines were handed out. Toss in another $1,500 from the previous few days, and the coffers are swollen these days.
Rich Preston, the GM/head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, paid $500 for getting tossed from a 7-1 loss to the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Sunday.
It’s interesting to note that Preston was seething after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Rebels in Red Deer on Saturday night. The Hurricanes went ahead 2-1 at 16:28 of the third period, only to have the Rebels tie it at 18:28.
Preston felt his club got the short end of the stick in that one.
Preston told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate that he felt the Rebels should have penalized right before the tying goal.
“It was a tripping call. They (referees Adam Bylbow and Reagan Vetter) put their whistles away and it ends up in our net,” Preston told Meachem. “Our guy has the puck, he gets tripped, they (Rebels) get it and it’s in the net. But that happens.
“We blew two one-goal leads and that was the difference. At least one of those should have been the winner. But we gained a big point and now we have to move on. That’s all you can do.”
After that, you know that Preston likely wasn’t happy to show up in Edmonton, look out at the referees and see — you guessed it — Byblow and Vetter.
Meanwhile, Lethbridge also was fined $750 because the line brawl in Edmonton was its second of the season. The Oil Kings got touched for $500 for their part in the donnybrook.
As well, each team was fined $250 because the goaltenders — Laurent Brossoit of the Oil Kings and Ty Rimmer of the Hurricanes — also fought.
On Monday, the WHL fined the Moose Jaw Warriors and Swift Current Broncos each $500 for a line brawl in Swift Current on Saturday. As well, Calgary Hitmen GM Kelly Kisio paid $500 for postgame comments to officials after a 4-2 loss in Lethbridge on Friday.
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James Shewaga, the sports editor of the Brandon Sun, tweeted Tuesday that “sources confirm Dauphin of the MJHL fined $2,500 after being accused of contacting PG Cougars' Daulton Siwak without authorization.”
Later, Shewaga reported that the WHL had filed a complaint “on the behalf” of the Cougars. . . . Siwak, 19, left the Cougars on Jan. 6 and is under suspension until Feb. 10, after which he is expected to join Dauphin. . . . Shewaga reports: “Siwak has not yet played a game for the Kings, who were fined after an investigation by a joint committee of members of Hockey Manitoba, the WHL and the MJHL who operate under a recruiting agreement.”
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THE COACHING GAME:
The BCHL’s Cowichan Capitals have made a coaching change, with assistant coach Aaron Plumb taking over as head coach from Jim Ingram.
According to a statement on the team’s website, the move was made “after much discussion between management, ownership and coaching staff” and it was made by “mutual agreement.”
“In what has been a year with some difficult challenges,” the statement continued, “it was felt that the best interest of the team, moving forward, would be best served by a coaching change.”
Plumb will be helped by assistant coach Darren Rodney.
The Capitals are 10-26-1-3 and in fifth place in the five-team Island Division.They are 18 points out of fourth but do hold six games in hand on the Power River Kings.
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The Spokane Chiefs have added F Markson Bechtold to their roster for a pair of road games. They’ll play in Kamloops on Friday and in Portland on Saturday.
Bechtold, 16, was a third-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. From Strathmore, Alta., he is playing for the midget AAA UFA Bisons. He has 28 points and 64 penalty minutes in 30 games.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings will be without G Corbin Boes (knee) indefinitely after he was injured in Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer. . . . The means Curtis Honey, 18, is Brandon’s starter for the foreseeable future. He will start tonight against the visiting Saskatoon Blades. . . . G Jordan Papirny, who plays for the midget AAA Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club Athletics, has joined the Wheat Kings for now. He was a first-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Medicine Hat, F Pavlo Padakin broke a 2-2 tie at 4:40 of the third period as the Calgary Hitmen scored a 3-2 victory over the Tigers. . . . Padakin, an 18-year-old from Kiev, Ukraine, has 15 goals. . . . The Hitmen trailed 2-0 late in the second period. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk scored twice for the Tigers, giving him 30 in 47 games. . . . Tigers G Cam Lanigan stopped 45 shots, including a first-period penalty shot attempt by F Cody Sylvester, wo later got his 26th goal to tie the score at 19:58 of the second. . . .

In Everett, the Portland Winterhawks put up their third straight shutout as they beat the Silvertips, 6-0. . . . The Winterhawks (40-7-3) became the first team to 40 victories this season and also are the first to clinch a playoff spot. . . . G Brendan Burke stopped 17 shots to post his second straight shutout and his fourth of the season. . . . The Winterhawks have recorded a team-record 10 shutouts this season. . . . F Nic Petan, the WHL scoring leader, had a goal and two assists, while F Ty Rattie scored twice. . . . Rattie is riding a 14-game point streak. . . . Petan has 34 goals, one behind F Todd Fiddler of Spokane, who leads the WHL. . . . Portland is 8-0-0 against Everett this season. . . . G Daniel Cotton went the distance for Everett. He made 35 saves while being backed up by Bryce Fink, a 19-year-old from Gig Harbor, Wash., who plays for the Seattle Totems of the Western States Hockey League. He filled in for Austin Lotz (foot). . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that the Silvertips are likely to bring in G Nik Amundrud for the weekend. Amundrud, a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, plays for the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans. . . . The Winterhawks started a strech of four games in five nights with this one. They are at home to the Kamloops Blazers tonight. . . . The Winterhawks remain without D Derrick Pouliot (high ankle sprain). . . . Everett F Josh Winquist departed with an injury in the second period. . . . By game’s end, the Silvertips were without Lotz, Winquist, D Ryan Murray (shoulder), F Ryan Harrison (concussion), D Austin Adam (concussion), D Ayrton Nikkel (finger) and F Lucas Grayson (undisclosed). . . .

In Victoria, F Leon Draisaitl scored the only goal of the circus and the Prince Albert Raiders got past the Royals, 6-5. . . . The Raiders forced OT when F Mark McNeill scored with 0.1 seconds left in the third period. Draisaitl drew the lone assist on McNeill’s 19th goal. . . . D Davis Vandane had a goal, his seventh, and two assist for the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert got shorthanded goals from Vandane and F Shane Danyluk. Vandane gave the Raiders a 3-2 lead at 19:02 of the first period as the visitors erased a 2-0 deficit. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . D Shea Theodore scored twice for Seattle, which got 29 saves from G Brandon Glover. . . . F Alex Delnov had three assists. . . . Seattle D Griffin Fould scored his first WHL goal. It came in his 26th game this season and the 40th of his career. . . . The Thunderbirds hold down the Western Conference’s eight and last playoff spot. They are three points behind Everett and sixahead of Prince George. . . . There was a two-fight situation at 19:38 of the third period. Although the goaltenders — Glover and Prince George’s Mac Engel — didn’t scrap, they got tossed for at least making motions as though there were going to square off.


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The latest poll has closed and the Portland Winterhawks appear to be heavy favourites to finish atop the Western Conference.
Asked “which team will finish atop” the conference, 282 of you took the time to vote. Of that total, 189, or 67 per cent, selected the Winterhawks.
The Kamloops Blazers got 51 votes, or 18 per cent, with the Kelowna Rockets next at 29 votes, or 10 per cent. The Tri-City Americans got eight votes and the Spokane Chiefs got five.
Coming out of the weekend, Kamloops and Portland are tied atop the WHL’s overall standings, but the Winterhawks hold four games in hand.
There is a new poll up already. Feel free to vote.
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Bob Duff of the Windsor Star, who once covered the Saskatoon Blades for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, offers up some thoughts on the WHL-Portland situation right here.
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Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun tops a Monday column with a look at the WHL and the Winterhawks right here.
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There was a Dan Russell special in Mississauga, Ont., Sunday as the Steelheads and London Knights went 19 rounds in a shootout before the visitors recorded a 4-3 victory. . . . That was London’s 15th straight victory, a CHL high for this regular season. . . . London's Seth Griffith scored twice in the circus, including the winner.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, F Greg Chase had two PP goals as the Hitmen beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-1. . . . Chase broke open a 2-1 game with PP goals at 1:28 and 10:01 of the third period. . . . Calgary F Pavlo Padakin, a freshman from Ukraine, had the Teddy Bear goal. He’s got seven goals this season. . . . The 16,912 fans in attendance threw 21,453 stuffed toys onto the ice surface. . . . "Before the game, all the guys talk about who's going to score the goal," Padakin, 18, told Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun. "Everybody wants to score this goal. I was thinking ‘Oh yeah, I will score.' But I didn't believe it. They can't believe a Ukrainian guy who plays first year in Dub scored this goal." . . . F Brock Montgomery returned from a five-game absence to score the Ice’s goal. . . . The Ice has lost two straight and five of seven. . . .

In Edmonton, F Curtis Lazar had two goals and an assist to help the Oil Kings to a 4-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Oil Kings led 3-0 in the second period before the visitors came back to tie it. . . . Lazar, who went all of November without scoring, broke the 3-3 tie at 16:26 of the second period. He spent 14 games stuck at eight goals. His slump actually lasted 14 games — the last two of October and 12 in November. Still, he’s got 20 points, including 10 goals, in the first 28 games of his sophomore season. . . . F Jaimen Yakubowski scored twice for the Lethbridge, the second one on a shorthanded penalty shot. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Keegan Lowe (ankle) for a second game. . . . Edmonton F Travis Ewanyk (knee) may play Wednesday. He was injured in the Subway Super Series. . . .

In Regina, D Josh Morrissey scored twice and set up another as the Prince Albert Raiders dropped the short-staffed Pats, 8-2. . . . The victory was the Raiders’ 20th of the season. They won 21 all of last season. . . . The Pats were missing eight regulars due to injuries or illness. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk didn’t get a point, ending his point streak at 11 games. . . . The Raiders had a 54-24 edge in shots. . . . “I’m not surprised by it,” Regina head coach Pat Conacher told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “Let’s face it, the dam was going to burst. You know what? No one feels sorry for you. It was a good lesson for our kids. You can’t ever go ‘woe is me.’ (The Raiders) were pounding us over there and the coach kept throwing out their No. 1 power play against us. Maybe I’m from a different school of thought or maybe a different era but I just said to them, ‘Remember that! Put that in your memory bank for the next time.’ They want to rub your face in it. No one should like it.” . . . The teams next meet Dec. 13 in Regina. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Tigers got goals in the circus from F Hunter Shinkaruk and F Curtis Valk and beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 2-1. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 38 shots. He faced three skaters in the shootout and was beaten only by F Alessio Bertaggia. . . . Brandon D Eric Roy forced OT with a goal at 19:08 of  the third period and G Corbin Boes on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Brandon has lost six in a row and 10 of 11. . . . Brandon F Nick Buonassisi played his 300th regular-season game. The 20-year-old from Coquitlam played the first 211 of those with the Prince George Cougars. He also played 59 games with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who dealt him to Brandon prior to this season.

In Kent, Wash., F Justin Hickman broke a 1-1 tie at 16:52 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Kamloops Blazers, 3-1. . . . Kamloops F Joe Kornelsen had tied the score at 13:29 of the third period with his first goal this season. He was scoreless in 18 games when he joined Kamloops from the Calgary Hitmen; this was his seventh game with the Blazers. . . . Latvian F Robert Lipsbergs scored twice for Seattle, the second one into an empty net. He has 25 points, including 13 goals, in 28 games in his freshman season. . . . The Blazers (21-7-3) and Portland Winterhawks (22-4-1) are tied atop the WHL’s overall standings. However, Portland has four games in hand. The Winterhawks are at home to Everett on Tuesday, while the Blazers entertain Swift Current.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D David Musil, Edmonton

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Griffin Reinhart, Edmonton
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From Columbus Blue Jackets F Brandon Dubinsky, who played in the WHL for Portland (@BDubi17): “Sanctions against the Portland Winterhawks are a joke! @thewhl should encourage teams to fly families out for the kids.”
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More from Dubinsky: “Maybe even think about paying the WHL kids more then $200 a month to give up their NCAA eligibility at 15 years old... @thewhl”
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From Edmonton Oil Kings F Henrik Samuelsson (@Hsamuelsson1994): “Saw Santa driving a 1976 ford. Thought he drove a sled #dreamcrushed”
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From Prince Albert G Luke Siemens (@siems31), as the Raiders made their way home from Regina last night: “for the second time tonight and 3rd time in the last two road trips the boys are changing buses due to technical difficulties #woohoo”

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