Showing posts with label Ryan Hughes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan Hughes. Show all posts

Friday, March 3, 2017

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





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

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

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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

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

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:55 PM
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Friday, December 9, 2016

Guhle returns from NHL . . . Royals add some firepower . . . Pats, Brooks keep rolling


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The NHL’s Buffalo Sabres have returned D Brendan Guhle, 19, to the Prince George Cougars. Guhle
BRENDAN GUHLE
played three games with the Sabres after they recalled him on an emergency basis due to injuries. . . . The Sabres had D Josh Gorges and D Dmitry Kulikov back for a Friday night game with the visiting Washington Capitals, so they had to return Guhle. Kalikow (back) missed 13 games, while Gorges (foot) sat out three games, all of which Guhle played in. . . . Buffalo D Nicolas Deslauriers (knee) is skating but not yet ready to return after already missing 19 games. . . . While with the Sabres, Guhle played a regular shift, averaging 16 minutes 21 seconds of playing time. . . . Guhle, who has three goals in four games with the Cougars since being acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders on Nov. 18, didn’t play against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday night. He could be in the lineup tonight (Saturday) for the second game of the doubleheader.
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F Vladimir Bobylev is expected to rejoin the Victoria Royals next week for the remainder of this WHL season. Bobylev, 19, had 67 points, including 28 goals, in 72 games with the Royals last season. . . . The Toronto Maple Leafs selected him in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL draft. . . . Bobylev, who is from Lipetsk, Russia, signed with Spartak Moscow of the KHL over the summer. He had a goal and two assists in 20 games with Spartak, before being sent down to Voskresensk of the VHL, where he had one goal and one assist in three games. . . . The Royals have room for Bobylev on their roster as they only had one import — Russian D Marsel Ibragimov — on their roster. . . . Bobylev could be in Victoria in time for the Royals’ next home game -- they are scheduled to play host to the Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday night. . . . Last season, Bobylev played a lot with linemates Jack Walker and Tyler Soy. You can look for them to be reunited once Soy returns from an undisclosed injury. Those three combined for 236 points, including 110 goals, last season.
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If you would like to donate to the cause, please visit the bottom of this post and go right ahead.
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JUST NOTES:

Brent Dodginghorse, 38, who played two seasons (1997-99) with the Calgary Hitmen, has been re-elected to a fifth term as a councillor with the Tsuut’ina Nation near Calgary. The election was held last week and had a voter turnout of more than 70 per cent. .
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, F Beck Malenstyn forced OT and then scored in the extra session to give the Hitmen a 3-2
BECK MALENSTYN
victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The visitors took a 1-0 lead when F Michael Spacek scored his 15th goal at 4:40 of the first period. . . . Calgary tied it on a PP score by F Jakob Stukel (7) at 17:58. . . . The Rebels went back in front on F Evan Polei’s 12th goal, at 6:57 of the third period. . . . Malenstyn, who has 11 goals, tied it at 14:41 and won it at 2:02 of OT. . . . The winner came as Red Deer G Lasse Petersen, who once played for the Hitmen, skated out near the blue line after a loose puck. Malenstyn got their first and was able to score into the vacated net. . . . “Lasse wasn’t here for a super-long time last (season),” Malenstyn told Postmedia’s Scott Fisher, “but in the time he was here, we got to know each other pretty well. We were pretty good friends when he was here so maybe I’ll have to thank him for this one after the game.” . . . The Hitmen got 33 saves from G Cody Porter. . . . At the other end, Petersen made 27 saves. . . . Calgary was 1-4 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-4. . . . The Hitmen (11-14-2) have won three in a row. . . . The Rebels (15-12-5) had won their previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 9,631.
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At Edmonton, F Lane Bauer scored twice and added an assist to help the Oil Kings to a 5-1 victory over
LANE BAUER
the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Bauer, who has 21 goals, ran his goal-scoring streak to six games. He’s got eight goals over that time. . . . D Aaron Irving gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead with his 10th goal at 3:25 of the first period. . . . Brandon F Reid Duke (17) tied it on a PP at 7:55. . . . Irving scored again at 10:58 to put his mates out front for good. . . . Bauer made it 3-1 with his 20th goal at 13:31. . . . Edmonton D Brayden Gorda (3) added insurance at 17:02 of the second period, with Bauer getting his second goal at 14:56 of the third. . . . Gorda also had an assist, while F Davis Koch had two of them. . . . Gorda and Koch each finished plus-5. . . . The Oil Kings got 19 saves from G Patrick Dea, while Brandon’s Jordan Papirny, playing in his hometown, blocked 29. . . . Brandon was 1-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-1. . . . Edmonton and Brandon are tied for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card spots, each with 30 points. . . . The Oil Kings improved to 14-14-2. . . . The Wheat Kings (13-13-4) have lost five in a row (0-4-1). They are 1-5-1 on an eight-game trip that ends in Red Deer tonight. . . . Announced attendance: 8,148.
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At Lethbridge, F Giorgio Estephan broke a 2-2 tie at 14:56 of the third period as the Hurricanes beat the
GIORGIO ESTEPHAN
Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . The Hurricanes (16-11-4) have points in 10 straight games (9-0-1). . . . The Tigers (21-10-1) have lost five in a row. . . . D David Quenneville (16) scored both Medicine Hat goals. He gave his guys a 1-0 lead at 13:19 of the first period and pulled them into a 2-2 tie at 10:13 of the third. Both goals came via the PP. . . . Lethbridge F Jordy Bellerive (11) tied the score 1-1 at 10:22 of the second period. . . . D Brennan Riddle scored his first WHL goal at 11:39 of the second to get the Hurricanes into a 2-2 tie. . . . Lethbridge got two assists from each of F Tyler Wong and F Colton Kroeker. . . . F Steve Owre had two assists for the Tigers. . . . G Stuart Skinner stopped 37 shots for Lethbridge. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider turned aside 20 shots as he made his fifth start in search of his 20th victory this season. He leads the WHL with 19. . . . Medicine Hat 2-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 3,854.
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At Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game’s last two goals to beat the Victoria Royals, 5-4, in OT. . . .
RYAN HUGHES
Portland D Henri Jokiharju forced OT when he scored with with 54.6 seconds left in the third period and G Cole Kehler on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . The Winterhawks won it when F Ryan Hughes scored his 13th goal at 4:05 of extra time. . . . D Caleb Jones, who finished with three assists, had the primary assist on each of the last two goals. . . . The Winterhawks held a 3-1 lead early in the second period but watched as Victoria scored three straight goals. . . . F Brett Clayton’s first goal put Portland out front at 2:43 of the first period. . . . Victoria D Chazz Reddekopp (4) tied it at 11:01. . . . The Winterhawks took a 3-1 lead on goals from F Colton Veloso (8), at 18:20 of the first, and F Cody Glass (16), on a PP, 30 seconds into the second period. . . . The Royals got the next three goals, with F Dante Hannoun (12) scoring at 0:53 of the second, F Ryan Peckford (9) counting at 6:06 and F Regan Nagy (9) scoring at 5:52 of the third period. . . . Glass added two assists to his goal, while D Keoni Texeira also had two helpers. . . . The Royals got two assists each from Hannoun and F Matt Phillips. . . . Portland was 1-2 on the PP; Victoria was 1-5. . . . Kehler finished with 33 saves in earning the victory over Griffen Outhouse, who turned aside 46 shots. . . . Portland (17-13-1) had won two in a row. . . . Victoria (16-13-3) has points in its last three outings (2-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 4,231.
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At Prince Albert, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s first three goals and went on to a 7-3 victory
JAYDEN HALBGEWACHS
over the Raiders. . . . F Jayden Halbgewachs had two goals and two assists for the Warriors, taking over the WHL goal-scoring with 24, in the process. He scored the first two goals, at 9:41 and 13:09 of the first period as he ran his goal-scoring streak to seven games, the best in the WHL this season. . . . F Tanner Jeannot, who also scored twice, upped the lead to 3-0 at 17:28. . . . F Austin Glover (9) scored the Teddy Bear Goal just 32 seconds into the second period and F Tim Vanstone (5) got the Raiders to within one at 3:38. . . . However, F Noah Gregor, who has 15 goals, scored his first of two at 10:48, on a PP, and Jeannot upped it to 5-2 at 2:25 of the third period. . . . Raiders F Spencer Moe’s first goal got them to within two at 11:02. . . . The Warriors put it away on goals from Gregor, at 15:03, and F Brett Howden (14), at 16:24. . . . Howden and Gregor had an assist each. . . . Halbgewachs went into this season with 19 goals and 31 assists in 133 career regular-season games. This season, he has 24 goals and 17 assists in 28 games. He has tied his career-high with 41 points in 28 games; he finished last season with 41 points in 69 games. . . . Moose Jaw G Zach Sawchenko blocked 41 shots, 16 more than Prince Albert’s Ian Scott. . . . The Warriors were 1-4 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-6. . . . Moose Jaw (17-6-5) has points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . Prince Albert (6-23-1) has lost three straight. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Moose Jaw and it’s another Teddy Bear Game. . . . F Brayden Burke (ill) and D Matt Sozanski (hangnail/shoulder) were among the Warriors’ scratches. . . . Announced attendance: 2,171.
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At Prince George, F Donovan Neuls broke a 2-2 tie at 1:33 of the third period and the Seattle
DONOVAN NEULS
Thunderbirds went on to a 3-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . Neuls has eight goals this season. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle’s 19th goal, shorthanded, got the Cougars on the scoreboard first, at 3:07 of the first period. . . . F Sami Moilanen (8) tied it at 10:23. . . . The Cougars went back out front on F Yan Khomenko’s ninth goal, at 11:29. . . . The Thunderbirds tied it on F Keegan Kolesar’s second goal, at 2:22 of the second period. . . . Neuls and Kolesar also had an assist each. . . . Khomenko has nine goals and six assists in 28 games. Last season, he finished with five goals and three assists in 46 games with Everett. . . . G Rylan Toth stopped 25 shots for Seattle, two more than Prince George’s Ty Edmonds. . . . The Cougars were 0-4 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-5. . . . The Thunderbirds improved to 16-10-3. . . . The Cougars are 21-8-2. . . . The two teams meet again tonight in Prince George. . . . Announced attendance: 2,758.
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At Regina, F Dawson Leedahl scored two goals and drew three assists to lead the Pats to an 8-1 victory
DAWSON LEEDAHL
over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . It was Leedahl’s first five-point game in the WHL. . . . Leedahl, 20, has 12 goals and 25 assists in 28 games this season. Last season, he finished with 12 goals and 15 assists in 48 games with the Everett Silvertips. He already has career single-season highs in assists and points. . . . F Riley Woods scored the Teddy Bear Goal, his fifth goal this season, giving the Pats a 1-0 lead at 11:45 of the first period. . . . F Nick Henry, who scored twice and added two assists, got his13th at 13:57 of the first for a 2-0 lead. . . . F Kaden Elder (7) pulled the Broncos to within a goal at 16:15, but Regina went on to score the next six goals. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs had two goals, giving him 13, and an assist, while F Sam Steel and D Sergey Zborovskiy each had two assists. . . . Zborovskiy has three goals and 13 assists over his past five games during which time he is plus-17. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks ran his point streak to 22 games with one assist. Brooks, who is tied with Steel atop the WHL scoring race (48 points), has at least a point in each game in which he has played this season. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown, making his eighth straight start with backup Jordan Hollett hurt, made 26 saves. . . . Swift Current starter Taz Burman gave up four goals on 16 shots in 23:17. Travis Child came on to allow four goals on 29 shots in 36:43. . . . The Pats were 2-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-4. . . . Regina (21-2-5) is 5-0-2 in its last seven games. It remains tied with Everett (21-3-5) atop the overall standings. . . . Swift Current (15-10-6) has lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 5,128.
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At Spokane, F Markson Bechtold’s fifth goal, at 18:52 of the third period, broke a 3-3 tie as the Chiefs
MARKSON BECHTOLD
beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-3. . . . F Keanu Yamamoto scored the Teddy Bear Goal, giving his guys a 1-0 lead at 4:01 of the first period. . . . Ice F Barrett Sheen (6) tied it at 9:03. . . . The Chiefs took a 3-1 lead on second-period goals from F Kailer Yamamoto (18), on a PP, at 1:02, and F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (14), at 14:22. . . . Kootenay tied it with a pair of PP goals. F Zak Zborosky scored No. 23 at 18:18 of the second period and F Vince Loschiavo got his ninth at 3:50 of the third period. . . . The Yamamoto brothers each had an assist, as did Anderson-Dolan. . . . The Ice got two assists from D Cale Fleury, with Loschiavo and Zborosky adding one each. . . . G Dawson Weatherill got the victory with 27 saves, four more than the Ice’s Jakob Walter. . . . Kootenay was 2-6 on the PP; Spokane was 1-5. . . . The Chiefs (12-11-6) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Ice (6-18-8) had points in its previous three games (1-0-2). . . . The Ice had F Kaeden Taphorn back after an 18-game absence. Taphorn was injured on Oct. 7 on a hit by Regina Pats F Austin Wagner, came back for two games on Oct. 21 and 26, and didn’t play again until last night. . . . Announced attendance: 8,322.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Kole Lind struck in OT as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Tri-City Americans, 3-2.
KOLE LIND
. . . Lind scored his 16th goal at 3:17 of extra time. . . . F Nolan Foote’s fifth goal, on a PP, gave the Rockets a 1-0 lead at 18:54 of the first period. . . . The Americans scored the next two goals, both via the PP. . . . F Michael Rasmussen got No. 22 at 2:12 of the second period. . . . D Juuso Valimaki, who spent the early part of the week at home in Finland where he took part in Independence Day celebrations (for more, see blog entry from Tuesday night of this week), gave the home side a 2-1 lead with his 12th goal, at 6:02. . . . The Rockets forged a 2-2 tie when F Calvin Thurkauf got his 13th goal at 8:44 of the second. . . . The Americans got two assists from each of F Tyler Sandhu and F Vladislav Lukin. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 19 shots for the victory. . . . G Evan Sarthou of the Americans blocked 41 shots. . . . Tri-City was 2-4 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-3. . . . The Rockets (18-11-1) are 5-0-1 in their past six games. . . . The Americans (18-11-3) are 2-0-1 in their last three. . . . Announced attendance: 2,609.
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At Langley, B.C., F Eetu Tuulola’s shootout goal gave the Everett Silvertips a 5-4 victory over the
EETU TUULOLA
Vancouver Giants. . . . F Thomas Foster (7) gave the Giants a 1-0 lead at 8:25 of the first period and the teams alternated goals the rest of the way, meaning that the Silvertips didn’t hold a lead until game’s end. . . . Everett F Sean Richards (5) tied it at 3:14 of the second period. . . . Vancouver F Radovan Bondra, who missed a week with a leg injury, put the Giants back out front with his 18th goal, just 25 seconds later. . . . Tuulola tied it with his seventh goal, just eight seconds after Bondra had scored. . . . Yes, the teams scored three times in 33 seconds. . . . Vancouver took the lead again when F Jack Flaman (9) scored at 14:45. . . . Everett D Noah Juulsen’s ninth goal tied it again, at 2:52 of the third period. . . . Vancouver went back out front at 9:05 as F Tyler Benson notched No. 9. . . . The Silvertips forced OT with F Dominic Zwerger’s 11th goal, at 9:57. . . . Everett got two assists from each of F Patrick Bajkov and Jake Christiansen. . . . Juulsen tied his single-season for goals, matching the nine he scored in 68 games in 2014-15. He had seven last season and has nine in 25 games this season. . . . F Alec Baer had two assists for Vancouver, with Foster and Benson adding one each. . . . G Carter Hart stopped 17 shots for Everett, while Vancouver’s Ryan Kubic blocked 48. . . . The Silvertips set a franchise record by recording 27 shots on goal in the second period. The previous record of 26 came at Seattle on Sept. 18, 2009. . . . Everett was 0-3 on the PP; Vancouver’s PP unit never got off the bench. . . . The Silvertips (21-3-5) have points in seven straight (6-0-1) and are tied with Regina (21-2-5) atop the overall standings. . . . The Giants (11-17-3) have lost two in a row (0-1-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,015.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

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

TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:

Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).
Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.
Dec. 9: F Austin Glover, 0:32 2nd period, Moose Jaw 7 at Prince Albert 3. 
Dec. 9: F Riley Woods, 11:45 1st period, Swift Current 1 at Regina 8.
Dec. 9: F Keanu Yamamoto, 4:01 1st period, Kootenay 3 at Spokane 4.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Prince Albert at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Kamloops at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Kelowna at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Calgary at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Everett at Portland, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Seattle at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: Victoria vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 16: Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 16: Portland vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 21: Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Saturday, November 19, 2016

Memorial Cup contender in P.G.? . . . Ex-WHLer hospitalized after collapsing . . . Pats' streak meets Royal end

F Bud Holloway (Seattle, 2003-08) has been released by CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL). He had three goals and six assists in 12 games.
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So . . . did D Brendan Guhle win a game or lose one on Friday night in Prince George?
Moments after the host Cougars had beaten Guhle and the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-2, the veteran was informed that he had been traded to Prince George.
In fact, once the Raiders had been informed of the trade — the Cougars gave up D Max Martin, 18, F Kolby Johnson, 17, a 2017 first-round bantam draft pick and a 2019 third-round pick — Guhle walked into the Cougars’ dressing room and met his new teammates.
“Obviously I’m excited,” Guhle, who was selected as the game’s third star, told Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen. “It was mixed emotions at first when I found out, but they’re obviously a great team, looking at their record they’re 17-4 and I’m excited to join a team that’s already very good.”
Talk about going from the outhouse to the penthouse.
The Raiders have the WHL’s poorest record; the Cougars, after Friday’s victory, were alone atop the 22-team league’s overall standings.
“I was obviously a little upset at first,” Guhle continued. “I got drafted by Prince Albert and have been there 4½ years and it was tough. They were great to me and the coaching staff is awesome.
“But I’m excited to hopefully win a championship here in Prince George. My No. 1 goal coming back from Buffalo this year was to win a championship. It didn’t happen in Prince Albert and they were generous enough to let me go to a place where they felt I could win and put me in a good position here and I’m excited about that.”
The Raiders selected Guhle with the third-overall pick in the 2011 WHL bantam draft. The Buffalo Sabres picked him in the second round of the NHL’s 2015 draft and has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with them.
While Guhle didn’t find out about the trade until after the game, the other two players involved — D Max Martin, 18, and F Kolby Johnson, 17 — were told before the game that they had been dealt to Prince Albert. Neither played in the game.
“It was a weird situation,” Johnson told Clarke, “because I came to the rink and my old team was battling my new team and I was just wondering who to cheer for.
“It’s hard because every year since I was 14 I’ve been coming to this camp and I’ve been putting on that jersey for a few years now. These are the only guys I know and we’re so close together. It’s such a unique experience here because we travel so much and we’re always together.”
This is a huge deal for the Cougars, who have erased any doubts anyone may have had about their intentions this season. Their roster features 26 players, including nine defencemen and 15 forwards. The oldest team in the WHL, they are carrying 10 1997-born players and three 20-year-olds.
Before leaving Prince George, Martin took time to mention the MC. Yes, he did.
Guhle, Martin said, is “the real-deal defenceman and he’ll just put this team over the top. They’re a Memorial Cup contender if not one of the favourites . . . he’ll just really boost them that much.”
Guhle is expected to be in the Cougars’ lineup on Tuesday when they play host to the red-hot Regina Pats.
The Raiders, who went 0-5-0 on their B.C. Division tour, next play Wednesday when they entertain the Swift Current Broncos.
When you are a community-owned team and play in a smaller arena as do the Raiders, it never is easy for management to make the decision to trade a player like Guhle in an attempt to solidify the future. It will be interesting to see the impact of the decision on the Raiders’ attendance.
To this point, through nine home games, they are averaging an announced attendance of 2,140 fans. Last season, their final figure was 2,369, which was down from 2,431 in 2014-15.
Clarke’s complete trade story is right here.
www.princegeorgecitizen.com/sports/hockey/cougars-get-guhle-in-trade-from-prince-albert-1.2943570
——
The Saskatoon Blades have released F Luke Gingras, 18, while signing F Dryden Michaud, 18, and adding him to their roster. . . . Gingras, from Langley, B.C., was a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He had two goals and an assist in 15 games this season. He was in his third WHL season. In 109 games, he put up 13 points, six of them goals. . . . Michaud has been skating with the Blades for two weeks and made his debut in a 6-3 loss to the host Brandon Wheat Kings on Saturday night. From Maple Ridge, B.C., he started this season with the junior B Abbotsford Pilots, scoring four goals and adding four assists in five games. Last season, he had 40 points, 18 of them goals, in 43 games with the Pilots.
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Former WHL F Craig Cunningham, the captain of the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, is in hospital today after collapsing on the ice prior to a game against the visiting Manitoba Moose on Saturday night.
Cunningham received medical attention, including CPR, on the ice before being removed and taken to hospital.
The game subsequently was postponed.
Later Saturday, John Chayka, the general manager of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, released this statement:
“Craig Cunningham suffered a medical emergency on the ice prior to the start of tonight’s game . . . at the Tucson Convention Center. Cunningham was taken to a local hospital where he is receiving medical treatment. Our thoughts and prayers are with Craig and his family. We will provide a medical update once we receive more information.”
Cunningham went into Saturday’s game with 13 points, including four goals, in 11 games.
Cunningham, 26, is from Trail, B.C. He played five seasons in the WHL, four-plus with the Vancouver Giants and 35 games with the Portland Winterhawks. In 330 regular-season games, he had 264 points, including 103 goals. He added 63 points, 25 of them goals, in 79 playoff games.

——
Before going on to a life loaded with small arenas, minor hockey games and penalty of Starbucks product, Mike Fraser was an ink-stained wretch. Well, perhaps he wasn’t ink-stained, newspapers having been taken over by computers by the time he started writing in Brandon. . . . These days, between scouting assignments and his day job, Fraser writes a highly readable column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal. . . . His last two columns have involved anecdotes from the scouting trail. The latest one is right here and the first one also is available on the paper’s website. . . . Enjoy, and try not to snicker or raise your eyebrows, especially while reading Part 2.
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JUST NOTES:

G Shannon Szabados, who once was in camp with the Tri-City Americans, has signed with the Fort Saskatchewan Chiefs of the Chinook Hockey League. The Chiefs are a senior AAA team that competes for the Allan Cup. Szabados was released by the SPHL’s Peoria Rivermen last month. Szabados, 30, played the previous two seasons with the SPHL’s Columbus Cottonmouths.
———

SATURDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, F Ty Lewis scored twice and added an assist as the Wheat Kings skated to a 6-3 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . One night earlier, the Wheat Kings scored five PP goals in beating the visiting Blades, 8-1. . . . Brandon (12-7-3) has won five in a row. . . . The Blades (9-14-1) have lost three straight. . . . This time, Brandon was 0-3 on the PP; the Blades were 1-6. . . . The Wheat Kings led 3-0 before the game was seven minutes old, with F Rylan Bettens (1) scoring at 2:10, Lewis getting No. 13 at 3:46 and F Tyler Coulter (9) counting at 6:53. . . . The Blades got to within one when F Braylon Shmyr (7) scored at 10:26 of the first and D Bryton Sayers (3) added another at 9:09 of the second period. . . . However, Lewis stretched the lead to two at 16:15. . . . F Lukus MacKenzie (1) pulled the visitors close again, at 18:34. . . . Brandon put it away with third-period goals from F Reid Duke (13) at 3:53 and F Tanner Kaspick (10) at 5:37. . . . Brandon got two assists from F Stelio Mattheos, while Kaspick added one to his goal. . . . G Jordan Papirny earned the victory with 30 saves, two more than Saskatoon’s Logan Flodell. . . . The Wheat Kings continue to play without F Nolan Patrick. . . . Announced attendance: 3,742.
——

At Everett, F Tyler Wong’s breakaway goal broke a 1-1 tie as the Lethbridge Hurricanes got past the Silvertips, 2-1. . . . Wong scored his 11th goal of the season, off a pass from D Brennan Menell, at 11:35 of the third period. . . . F Ryan Vandervlis (1) gave Lethbridge a 1-0 lead at 19:17 of the first period. . . . D Lucas Skrumeda (1) pulled Everett into a tie at 3:52 of the second period. . . . G Stuart Skinner stopped 30 shots for the visitors, with Carter Hart making 22 saves for Everett. . . . The Silvertips were 0-1 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 0-2. . . . The Hurricanes (8-11-3) had lost their previous five games (0-4-1). . . . Everett (15-3-4) had been 7-0-3 in its last 10. . . . Announced attendance: 5,322.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Beck Malenstyn scored twice as the Calgary Hitmen snapped a four-game losing skid with a 4-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Malenstyn, who has five goals, opened the scoring at 11:00 of the first period. . . . The Hitmen, who have won 12 straight games from the Ice, went up 3-0 on goals from F Lucas Cullen (2) at 14:39 of the first period and F Mark Kastelic (3), on a PP, at 2:31 of the second. . . . F Matt Alfaro’s seventh goal got the Ice on the board at 5:19. . . . Malenstyn got that one back at 14:04. . . . F Zak Zborosky scored his 18th goal for the Ice, on a PP, at 12:58 of the third period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro had two assists for Calgary. . . . Alfaro added an assist to his goal. . . . Calgary got 29 saves from G Cody Porter. . . . Ice starter Jakob Walter blocked eight of 10 shots in the first period. Payton Lee finished up, giving up two goals on 17 shots. . . . Each team was 1-4 on the PP. . . . F Bryce Bader, a second-round pick in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, made his WHL debut with Calgary. From Sherwood Park, Alta., he plays for the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . The Hitmen, who were playing their fourth road game in five nights, improved to 8-9-2. All told, it was a six-game road trip; Calgary went 2-4-0. . . . The Ice slipped to 4-13-6. . . . Announced attendance: 1,809.
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At Medicine Hat, F Matt Bradley scored in the shootout to give the Tigers a 5-4 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Max Gerlach also scored for the home side in the circus, with F Aleksi Heponiemi scoring for the visitors. . . . F James Hamblin had two goals and an assist for the Tigers, his second goal, and sixth of the season, providing them with a 4-2 lead at 2:20 of the third period. . . . Broncos D Max Lajoie (3) trimmed the lead at 3:14 and Heponiemi forced OT with his sixth goal at 12:38. . . . F Max Gerlach had a goal (13) and an assist for the Tigers. . . . The Broncos got two assists from F Tyler Steenbergen. . . . G Nick Schneider stopped 21 shots for the Tigers, while the Broncos got 44 saves from Travis Child. . . . Each team was 0-2 on the PP. . . .The Broncos are 0-4 in shootouts this season. . . . The Tigers (16-5-1) have won five in a row. . . . The Broncos (11-7-6) have lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 4,015.
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At Portland, F Ryan Hughes scored twice, his second goal coming in OT and giving the Winterhawks a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Hughes, who has nine goals, won it at 2:17 of extra time. . . . F Colton Veloso (5) and Hughes gave Portland a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals at 14:41 and 19:50. . . . Seattle roared back and took a 3-2 lead in the second period, with F Scott Eansor (10) scoring, on a PP, at 3:53; D Turner Ottenbreit getting his third at 10:25; and F Nolan Volcan (9) counting on another PP, this one at 15:55. . . . Porlland F Joachim Blichfeld (7) tied it at 19:30. . . . F Alexander True (10) put Seattle back out front at 5:16 of the third period, only to have Portland F Keegan Iverson (10) tie it, on a PP, at 7:00. . . . F Cody Glass had two assists for Portland, with Hughes, Iverson, Blichfeld and Veloso each getting one. . . . Seattle got two assists from F Sami Moilanen, while True, Ottenbreit and Volcan each had one. . . . G Cole Kehler came up with 42 saves for Portland, while Seattle got 23 from Rylan Toth. . . . Seattle was 2-5 on the PP; Portland was 2-7. . . . The Winterhawks (10-12-0) have won two in a row. They had been 1-9-0 in their past 10. . . . The Thunderbirds (10-8-2) had won three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 5,457.
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At Spokane, F Garrett Pilon had a goal and two assists to lead the Kamloops Blazers to a 6-4 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Spokane scored the game’s first two goals, but the Blazers took control with the
GARRETT PILON
next five. . . . F Spencer Bast (3) got the visitors into a 2-2 tie at 18:42 of the first period and F Collin Shirley’s 11th goal, on a PP, broke the tie at 19:55. . . . D Joe Gatenby (3) and Pilon (4) upped that lead to 5-3 with goals at 6:11 and 7:25 of the second. . . . The Chiefs got to within one on two goals from F Keanu Yamamoto (7), at 15:51 of the second and 2:01 of the third. . . . Blazers F Rudolfs Balcers iced it with his 14th goal at 6:22. . . . Kamloops continues to be led by Pilon’s line, which has Balcers and Deven Sideroff on the wings. Sideroff had two assists and Balcers had one. . . . Kamloops also got a goal and an assist from F Nick Chyzowski, who has nine goals. . . . F Hudson Elynuik had two assists for the Chiefs. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram was sharp, with 42 saves. . . . Spokane starter Dawson Weatherill gave up four goals on nine shots in 26:11. Jayden Sittler finished up, allowed two goals on 13 shots. . . . Kamloops was 3-9 on the PP; Spokane was 1-4. . . . Spokane received the game’s first two and last two PP opportunities. In between, the Blazers had nine in a row. . . . The Blazers (14-10-1) have won three in a row, all against U.S. Division opponents. . . . The Chiefs (8-8-5), who are scheduled to play in Kamloops on Wednesday, have lost seven straight to the Blazers. . . . The Chiefs lost F Kailer Yamamoto and F Ethan McIndoe to undisclosed injuries in the first period. Neither returned to the game. . . . Announced attendance: 5,336.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Kobe Mohr scored two goals, including the OT winner, as the Edmonton Oil Kings got past the Tri-City Americans, 5-4. . . . Edmonton took a 4-2 lead into the last half of the third period, only to watch it disappear. . . . D Juuso Valimaki (6) cut the home team’s deficit to one at 12:59 and F Michael Rasmussen tied it with his WHL-leading 20th goal, at 16:28. . . . Rasmussen, who is in his draft season, has 20 goals in 24 games. Last season, he finished with 18 goals in 63 games. . . . F Adam Berg had a goal and an assist for Edmonton, which got three assists from F Lane Bauer and two from F Trey Fix-Wolansky. . . . Valimaki finished with two goals and an assist, while F Tyler Sandhu had two assists and Rasmussen had one. . . . G Patrick Dea stopped 27 shots for the Oil Kings, with Evan Sarthou blocking 36 at the other end. . . . Each team was 1-5 on the PP. . . . The Oil Kings (10-10-2) have won two in a row. . . . The Americans (14-8-2) have lost two straight. . . . Announced attendance: 3,754.
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At Victoria, it took 19 games but the Regina Pats finally lost in regulation time as they dropped a 5-3 decision to the Royals. . . . The Pats (15-1-3) had won their previous 10 games. . . . The Royals (13-8-2) have won two in a row. . . . Victoria F Tyler Soy opened the scoring with his 12th goal, on a penalty shot, at 6:16 of the first period. That gave him the Royals’ career goal record, with 102, breaking the mark he had shared with F Brandon Magee. Soy got there in 234 games, while Magee played in 252. The franchise record, which incorporates the Royals and Chilliwack Bruins, is held by F Ryan Howse, who put up 140 goals in 262 games, all with the Bruins. . . . F Dante Hannoun upped Victoria’s lead to 2-0 with his ninth goal, on a PP, at 19:01 of the first. . . . D Connor Hobbs scored a PP goal at 10:39 of the second period to get Regina started. . . . Victoria D Chaz Reddekopp (3) restored the Royals’ two-goal lead at 12:45. . . . The Pats got back to within one when D Chase Harrison, who also had an assist, got his sixth goal at 19:46. That ran his point streak to 14 games, the longest in the WHL this season. . . . Victoria F Carter Folk, with his first goal of the season, gave the Royals a 4-2 edge at 17:06 of the third period. . . . Hobbs got his ninth goal at 17:36. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker (12) iced it with the empty-netter at 19:56. . . . Walker and Hannoun each had an assist. . . . The Pats got two assists from F Adam Brooks, who has at least a point in each of the 13 games he has played this season. . . . G Griffen Outhouse sparked the Royals with 43 saves, while Tyler Brown made 20 saves for Regina. . . . Victoria was 1-4 on the PP; Regina was 1-5. . . . Announced attendance: 6,619.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Portland, 5 p.m.
Regina vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 4 p.m.
Kelowna at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:57 PM
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