Showing posts with label Sam Ruopp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sam Ruopp. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

After suspensions, Rockets drop Winterhawks ... Tigers pull even with Hurricanes ... WJC schedule released


D Craig Schira (Regina, Vancouver, 2003-09) has signed a two-year contract with Rögle Ängelholm (Sweden, SHL). This season, with Luleå (Sweden, SHL), he had six goals and nine assists in 42 games. . . .
F Antonín Honejsek (Moose Jaw, 2009-11) has signed a one-year contract with Zlín (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he was pointless in seven games. On loan to Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had seven goals and 12 assists in 34 games. . . .
F Lukáš Vantuch (Calgary, Lethbridge, 2005-07) has signed a one-year extension with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, in 47 games, he had four goals and six assists.
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The WHL suspended three players on Wednesday, all of whom sat out Game 4 between the Kelowna Rockets and host Portland Winterhawks last night. . . . Unfortunately, the WHL’s aversion to transparency has reared its ugly head again, so fans are left with nothing in the way of explanations from the league and that really is a shame. . . . What we do know is that six players who took part in Game 3 were missing from Game 4. . . . According to the WHL website, two Winterhawks — F Alex Overhardt and F Evan Weinger — and Kelowna D Cal Foote all drew TBD suspensions “under supplemental discipline.” . . . We can assume that Foote was suspended after his late-game elbow to the head took out Portland F Skylar McKenzie, who was scratched last night and is believed to have a concussion. . . . D Braydyn Chizen of the Rockets didn’t finish Game 3, so perhaps he was injured on a play involving Overhardt or Weinger. The Rockets also scratched F Erik Gardiner last night, so perhaps he was injured on a suspendible play on which there wasn’t a penalty called. . . . After searching for info, I think Overhardt was suspended for a slash to one of Chizen’s knees, while Weinger hit Gardiner from behind. Weinger was given a cross-checking penalty. . . . Of course, all of that is pure speculation because the WHL, unlike many other leagues, including the NHL and the OHL, doesn’t offer its followers anything in the way of explanations for these decisions, not through video or even a news release.


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Drew Wilson, the radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, is moving on, all the way to Saskatoon. Wilson has been the Raiders’ play-by-play man on CKBI since October 2004. He also worked as the sprots director for Rawlco Radio in Prince Albert. Now he is joining the sports department of the Saskatoon Media Group, which is headed up by Les Lazaruk, the long-time radio voice of the Saskatoon Blades. . . . In Saskatoon, Wilson will handle morning sportscasts, and also will be involved in coverage of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Saskatoon Hilltops, the various U of Saskatchewan teams and other sporting goings-on in the city.
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Mark Recchi, one of five owners of the Kamloops Blazers, was among the class of 2017 that was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in Vancouver on Wednesday. Recchi played 22 seasons in the NHL, totalled 1,533 points, including 577 goals, and won three Stanley Cups. . . . Recchi played three seasons in the WHL, one (1985-86) with the New Westminster and the next two with the Blazers. . . . Tom Gaglardi, who owns the NHL’s Dallas Stars, is the Blazers’ majority owner, with Recchi, Jarome Iginla, Darryl Sydor and Shane Doan splitting the rest.
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The 2018 World Junior Championship is scheduled to be decided in Buffalo and a schedule has been released. Included in the release, which is right here, are the prices for tournament ticket packages.
Sunaya Sapurji, a veteran observer of the junior hockey wars, was quick to tweet: “The cheapest tournament packages are US$690 (roughly Cdn$916).”
David H Bradley followed with: “That is for ionosphere seats, most jr fans are used to sitting at lower bowl level. They go for US$1,250 to $1,550. That’s a bigly amount.”
Keep in mind that Canada won’t play on New Year’s Eve in this tournament. Instead, it and Team USA will meet outdoors on Dec. 29. It is the only game listed on the schedule that doesn’t yet have a starting time.
In its final round-robin game, Canada will play Denmark on Dec. 30.
Meanwhile, in the world of the NHL, here are a couple of ticket-related tweets:
Darren Rovell, a business reporter with ESPN: “The folks in Edmonton are not joking. $250 is the get-in price for tonight’s first round Oilers playoff game.”
Dean Brown, the play-by-play voice of the Ottawa Senators: “Just checked Stubhub. Lower centre 110, row 25, seats 5-6 for Game #3 of Caps/Leafs in Toronto. With fees they are asking $16,805.”
Brent Gunning, a Toronto sportscaster, checked Stub Hub and found the cheapest ticket in each of the buildings where an NHL game was played last night: Ottawa, $34; Minneapolis, $88; Pittsburgh, $88; Montreal, $89; and Edmonton, $220.
You’re right. The recliner suddenly feels a lot more comfortable.
At the same time, the Oakland A’s are in the process of removing the tarps from the third deck of Oakland Coliseum and they will sell tickets for the uncovered seats for $15 each.
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MORE ON THE MOVE: D Sam Ruopp, who played out his junior eligibility with the Prince George Cougars this season, has joined the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. This season, he had four goals and 20 assists in 55 games. He was a fifth-round pick by the Blue Jackets in the NHL’s 2015 draft. Ruopp is the seventh player off the Cougars’ roster to have moved on to the AHL since their season ended.
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Coaching

 The Marquette, Mich., Mining Journal reported Wednesday that “charges of residential mortgage fraud and forgery of a document affecting real property against former Northern Michigan University hockey coach Walt Kyle have been dropped. Marquette County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Wiese announced his decision to dismiss the charges (Wednesday), stating that additional evidence has been presented after the charges were authorized last month.” . . . Kelsie Thompson’s complete story is right here. . . . Kyle spent two seasons (1992-94) as the head coach of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . He had been NMU’s head coach for 15 seasons when the school announced in March that he wouldn’t be returning.
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WEDNESDAY'S GAMES:


At Portland, F Reid Gardiner scored twice and added two assists to help the Kelowna Rockets to a 7-2 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . The Rockets lead the second-round series, 3-1, and get their first
REID GARDINER
opportunity to wrap it up on Friday in Kelowna. . . . Last night, the Rockets took control with five second-period goals. . . . F Carsen Twarynski (3) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 1:48 of the first period. . . . Gardiner opened the second-period with two PP goals, at 2:07 and 5:49. . . . F Cody Glass gave the Winterhawks a glimmer of hope with his fourth goal, on a PP, at 9:41. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley upped the lead to 4-1 when he scored on a penalty shot at 14:09. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf followed with a pair of goals, at 14:37 and 17:55. . . . D Caleb Jones (2) added a third-period PP goal for Portland, with F Rodney Southam (1) scoring shorthanded for the Rockets. . . . Gardiner now has eight goals and eight assists in 10 playoff games. He joined the Rockets after the trade deadline, and put up 37 points, including 18 goals, in 28 games. . . . Merkley picked up two assists, while Thurkauf earned one. . . .  F Colton Veloso had two assists for Portland, with Jones getting one. . . . Kelowna got 35 saves from G Michael Herringer. . . . Portland starter Cole Kehler was beaten six times on 32 shots. Shane Farkas came on to play the third period, stopping seven of eight shots. . . . Kelowna was 2-2 on the PP; Portland was 2-5. . . . With D Cal Foote (suspended) and F Erik Gardiner and D Braydyn Chizen (both undisclosed injuries) scratched, the Rockets added F Conner Bruggen-Cate, D Kaeden Korczak, 15, and D Konrad Belcourt, 16, to their lineup. . . . The Winterhawks added D Matthew Quigley, F Jake Gricius and F Bronson Sharp to replace F Skyler McKenzie (concussion) and suspended forwards Evan Weinger and Alex Overhardt. . . . Twarynski took a boarding major and game misconduct at 16:12 of the third period, so there may be a suspension in his future. . . . Announced attendance: 4,469. . . . Portland freelancer Scott Sepich covered the game for The Oregonian and his story is right here.
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At Lethbridge, F John Dahlstrom scored at 12:32 of OT to give the Medicine Hat Tigers a 3-2 victory over
JOHN DAHLSTROM
the Hurricanes. . . . The series is tied 2-2, with Game 5 in Medicine Hat on Friday night. . . . They’ll be back in Lethbridge for Game 6 on Sunday. . . . Last night, the Tigers had to erase a 2-0 first-period deficit. . . . F Giorgio Estephan’s eight goal, and sixth in his last three games, gave Lethbridge a 1-0 lead at 10:25. . . . That was the first time in seven games in these playoffs that the Tigers had allowed the opening goal. . . . F Egor Babenko (4) made it 2-0 at 17:22. . . . The Tigers got to within a goal when F Chad Butcher (3) scored at 18:06 of the second period. . . . F Max Gerlach (2) forged a 2-2 tie, on a PP, at 13:28 of the third period. . . . Dahlstrom won it with his fifth goal of these playoffs. . . . The Tigers got two assists from F Mason Shaw, with Gerlach and Dahlstrom each getting one. . . . G Michael Bullion earned the victory with 28 saves. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner turned aside 56 shots. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-3. . . . The Hurricanes had D Calen Addison and F Zak Zborosky back in the lineup, but F Matt Alfaro was scratched again. . . . Lethbridge also scratched F Zane Franklin. Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat Tigers tweeted: “Hearing Franklin broke his hand, likely in the Game 2 fight with (Tigers F) Zach Fischer.” . . . D Brad Forrest played for the Tigers for the first time since the first game of the playoffs. With Forrest in, F Ryan Chyzowski was scratched. . . . Announced attendance: 4,920.
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THURSDAY GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY GAMES (all times local):

Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m. (Seattle leads, 3-0)
Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m. (Swift Current leads, 3-1)
Portland at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 3-1)
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)

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Saturday, November 5, 2016

WHL comes down on Cougars . . . Changes to Team WHL . . . Pats' offence really on fire

The Prince George Cougars got hit with suspensions totalling 11 games and fines totalling $1,500 for silliness that occurred at the end of a 6-4 loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday night. . . . D Sam Ruopp, the team captain, drew an eight-game suspension for engaging in what was a one-man fight “with an unsuspecting opponent.” That opponent was F Steve Owre of the Tigers. Eight games is believed to be the longest suspension handed out by the WHL since April 11, 2014, when Victoria F Brandon Magee got 12 games after being hit with a match penalty — he twice cross-checked opponents in the head — during a playoff game with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . F Kody McDonald got three games for a slashing major and game misconduct that he took as the game ended. He viciously hacked at Medicine Hat F Chad Butcher at a faceoff. . . . The Cougars were fined $1,000 and head coach Richard Matvichuk got touched for $500 “for actions of players at end of game,” according to the WHL.
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The WHL has scratched F Dillon Dube of the Kelowna Rockets, F Brett Howden of the Moose Jaw Warriors and F Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings from the team that will meet a touring Russian side next week in Prince George (Monday) and Edmonton (Tuesday). . . . All three veterans are out with injuries. . . . Added to Team WHL’s roster were F Brad Morrison (Prince George Cougars), F Lane Pederson (Swift Current Broncos) and F Mason Shaw (Medicine Hat Tigers). . . . For whatever reason, the pooh-bahs have chosen to snub Matt Phillips of the Victoria Royals, who may be the best forward in the WHL. . . . Patrick, the consensus No. 1 selection in the NHL’s 2017 NHL draft, hasn’t played since Oct. 11 and has skated in only six of Brandon’s 16 games. He has sports hernia surgery in July and missed most of training camp.
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F Ethan Leyh of Anmore, B.C., has committed to attend the U of Wisconsin where he will play for the Badgers. Leyh, 15, was an eighth-round selection by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. He is playing for the major midget Vancouver-North East Chiefs. Leynh had 13 points, including eight goals, in six games going into the weekend.
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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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FRIDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, D Kale Clague’s third goal of the season broke a 2-2 tie at 9:57 of the third period and the
KALE CLAGUE
Wheat Kings beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . This was a rematch of last season’s championship final, which the Wheat Kings won in five games. . . . Last night, F Ty Lewis got Brandon on the board with his ninth goal, at 8:51 of the first period. . . . Seattle took the lead with two third-period goals, F Nolan Volcan scoring his sixth just 28 seconds in, and D Turner Ottenbreit getting his second, on a PP, at 1:51. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos, with his seventh, forced OT at 3:48 of the third. Clague drew the primary assist on the goal. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 36 shots, nine more than Rylan Toth of Seattle. . . . Seattle was 1-10 on the PP; Brandon was 0-4. . . . The Wheat Kings (7-6-3) had lost their previous four games (0-4-1). . . . The Thunderbirds (6-7-1) had won two in a row. They are 3-2-0 on their East Division trip. . . . Seattle lost D Ethan Bear with a spearing major and game misconduct at 8:28 of the first period. Chances are that he will be suspended at least for tonight’s game against the Warriors in Moose Jaw. . . . Announced attendance: 3,640.
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At Kamloops, F Deven Sideroff scored once and drew three assists to lead the Blazers to a 5-2 victory
DEVEN SIDEROFF
over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Sideroff has 10 goals and seven assists in 17 games. . . . The Blazers took control of a 0-0 game with two second-period goals and one early in the third. Sideroff got the game’s first score, at 5:54 of the second, with F Collin Shirley making it 2-0 at 9:04. His eighth goal came via the PP. . . . Kamloops D Ondrej Vala’s fourth goal, at 7:03 of the third period, turned out to be the winner. . . . D Dylan MacPherson got his first goal, at 11:49, to get the Tigers to within two, but Kamloops F Rudolfs Balcers put it away with two goals, giving him nine. . . . F Mark Rassell later scored his 11th for the Tigers. . . . Balcers added an assist to his goals, while F Nick Chyzowski and F Garrett Pilon each had two helpers. . . . The line of Pilon between Sideroff and Balcers totalled nine points. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram, who went into the game first in the WHL in save percentage (.936) and second in GAA (2.01) stopped 36 shots. He really was sharp again, this time with Hockey Canada goaltending consultant Fred Brathwaite looking on. . . . The Tigers got 38 saves from G Duncan McGovern. . . . The Blazers (10-8-1) are 2-0-1 in their last three outings. . . . The Tigers (11-5-1) have won their previous three games, all on the road. . . . The Blazers had beaten the Tigers 5-1 in Medicine Hat on Oct. 8. . . . The Tigers were 1-2 on the PP; the Blazers were 1-4. . . . Kamloops was without three injured veteran defencemen — Dawson Davidson, Shaun Dosanjh and Dallas Valentine. . . . The Blazers added D Tylor Ludwar, 17, to their roster for this game — he acquitted himself quite well — and Saturday’s in Prince George. A native of Regina, he has eight points, including five goals, in six games with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. . . . Announced attendance: 3,749, the second-largest crowd this season.
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At Moose Jaw, F Tanner Jeannot broke a 1-1 tie at 4:12 of the third period as the Warriors beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-1. . . . Jeannot has five goals. . . . F Noah Gregor gave the home side a 1-0 lead at 17:10 of the first period, with his sixth goal, on a PP. . . . Edmonton F Davis Koch got his fourth goal, on a PP, at 16:01 of the second period. . . . The Warriors got an insurance goal from F Ryan Bowen, his fifth, at 8:38 of the third. . . . F Nikita Popugaev had two assists for the Warriors. . . . G Zach Sawchenko had another strong game for the Warriors, with 36 saves. . . . The Oil Kings got 22 stops from Patrick Dea. . . . Edmonton was 1-3 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 1-4. . . . The Warriors (11-3-2) have won four straight. . . . Edmonton now is 5-9-2. . . . F Tate Popple, 16, made his WHL debut with the Warriors. From Brandon, Popple has 18 points, including 10 goals, in 11 games with the midget AAA Wheat Kings. . . . Announced attendance: 3,019.
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At Prince Albert, G Ian Scott stopped 22 shots to earn the shutout as the Raiders beat the Kootenay Ice,
IAN SCOTT
6-0. . . . It was Scott’s first shutout this season and the second of his career. . . . The game featured the two teams with the league’s poorest records. As a result of the outcome, the Raiders (5-11-1), who had lost their previous four games, moved a point ahead of the Ice (3-10-4), which has lost two straight. . . . F Tim Vanstone scored the game’s first goal, his fourth, at 9:35 of the first period. . . . F Sean Montgomery, scored twice, giving him five goals, with F Cavin Leth (2), F Cole Fonstad (2) and F Adam Kadlec (2) adding one each. . . . F Simon Stransky had two assists, with Vanstone adding one. . . . Ice G Payton Lee stopped 33 shots. . . . The Raiders were 2-4 on the PP; the Ice was 0-3. . . . The Raiders scratched F Luke Coleman with an undisclosed injury. He has been hot, too, having scored three of the team’s last six goals going into this game. . . . Announced attendance: 2,109.
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At Regina, the Pats scored six first-period goals, including two shorthanded scores on the same penalty kill, en route to a 9-6 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Regina (12-0-3) has won eight in a row, the franchise’s longest winning streak since it won nine straight in 2001-02. . . . The Pats, the WHL’s highest-scoring team, were coming off a 10-goal game, having beaten the visiting Kootenay Ice, 10-2, on Wednesday. . . . The Blades (7-9-1) have lost two in a row. . . . The Pats came out of the first period with a 6-2 lead, with F Sam Steel in on three of those goals. He had two goals, giving him 14, and a league-high 28 points. . . . The Blades got to within two, at 6-4, on second-period goals from F Michael Farren (3) and F Gage Ramsey (2). . . . Regina F Filip Ahl’s 10th goal, on a PP at 15:57, gave his guys a three-goal lead. . . . F Logan Christensen (4) scored for Saskatoon, on a PP, at 17:52. . . . Regina put it away with third-period goals from Ahl, on a PP, at 4:15, and F Adam Brooks (6) at 7:29. . . . Saskatoon F Caleb Fantillo closed out the scoring with his first goal at 16:22. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn scored his ninth goal and had three assists for Regina, with D Chase Harrison scoring his third goal and adding one assist and F Austin Wagner getting No. 3 and an assist. . . . Ahl ended up with the winner, his WHL-leading fifth, while Wagner now has a league-leading four shorthanded goals. . . . Brooks added three assists to his goal, with D Connor Hobbs also getting three assists. . . . Fantillo also had an assist, while D Nolan Reid had two of them. . . . G Tyler Brown turned aside 34 shots for Regina. . . . Saskatoon starter Brock Hamm gave up six goals on 17 shots in the first period. Logan Flodell played the last two periods, stopping 27 of 30 shots. . . . Regina was 4-8 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-6. . . . Regina took 78 of the game’s 155 penalty minutes. Ch-ch-ching! There was a line brawl at 17:11 of the third period that resulted in 107 penalty minutes. . . . The teams don’t play each other again until Dec. 10 in Regina. . . . Announced attendance: 5,658.
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At Spokane, F Michael Spacek’s 10th goal, on a PP at 4:31 of OT, gave the Red Deer Rebels a 4-3 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Red Deer held 2-0 and 3-2 leads before Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto forced extra time with his 11th goal at 16:32 of the third period. . . . Two Rebels — F Jordan Roy and D Ethan Sakowich — scored their first goals to give the visitors a 2-0 lead after one period. . . . Spokane tied it on goals from F Hudson Elynuik (5) and F Keanu Yamamoto (4), the former at 4:32 of the second and the latter 57 seconds into the third period. . . . D Austin Pratt gave Red Deer a 3-2 lead, with his sixth goal, at 7:59. . . . Spacek also had two assists. . . . The Chiefs got two assists from F Curtis Miske. . . . G Riley Lamb stopped 29 shots for the Rebels, with Jayden Sittler stopping 26 for the Chiefs. . . . The Rebels were 1-3 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-5. . . . Red Deer (9-7-2) had lost four in a row. . . . The Chiefs (6-6-4) are 3-0-2 in their last five games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,603.
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At Swift Current, F Tyler Steenbergen scored at 3:53 of OT to give the Broncos a 3-2 victory over the
TYLER STEENBERGEN
Calgary Hitmen. . . . Steenbergen, who has 13 goals, including three in OT, also scored in OT on Saturday as the Broncos beat the visiting Spokane Chiefs, 3-2. . . . Steenbergen has four goals and two assists over his last three games. . . . F Carsen Twarynski, who has six goals, scored twice for Calgary, giving it a 1-0 lead 50 seconds into the game tying the game 2-2 at 19:33 of the third period. The second one came with G Cody Porter on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Broncos F Aleksi Heponiemi’s fifth goal pulled the Broncos into a 1-1 tie at 1:15 of the first period. . . . Broncos D Max Lajoie got his second goal, on a PP, at 15:44 of the second period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro and F Jordy Stallard each had two assists for Calgary. . . . G Travis Child earned the victory with 25 saves, three more than Porter. . . . The Broncos were 1-4 on the PP; the Hitmen were 0-3. . . . Swift Current (10-5-3) has points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . The Hitmen (5-5-2) had won their previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 1,858.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Michael Rasmussen scored twice and added an assist to help the Tri-City
MICHAEL RASMUSSEN
Americans to a 5-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Rasmussen, who has 14 goals, opened the scoring at 1:11 of the first period. . . . Portland F Ryan Hughes got his fifth goal at 4:15. . . . The Americans took control with the next three goals in a span of 5:04. F Morgan Geekie (7) scored on a PP at 11:21, Rasmussen counted at 13:34 — he’s got eight goals in four games against Portland — and F Parker AuCoin (6) got a shorthanded score at 16:25. . . . The Winterhawks got to within a goal when D Carter Czaikowski got his first goal at 12:39 of the second period and F Keegan Iverson (7) scored at 17:36. . . . Geekie got the empty-netter at 19:49. . . . G Rylan Parenteau blocked 31 shots for the Americans. . . . Tri-City D Juuso Valimaki had two assists. . . . Portland starter Cole Kehler was beaten three times on five shots in 13:34. Michael Bullion finished up with 25 saves on 26 shots in 44:51. . . . Tri-City was 1-7 on the PP; Portland was 0-5. . . . The Americans (10-6-1) have won two straight. . . . The Winterhawks (8-9-0) have lost six in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 3,909.
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At Langley, B.C., F Nick Merkley had two goals and an assist to help the Kelowna Rockets to a 6-4
NICK MERKLEY
victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Rockets enjoyed 2-1 and 4-2 leads but it was a goal by F Kole Lind, his seventh, that broke a 4-4 tie at 16:50 of the third period. . . . F Alec Baer, who had two goals and an assist, gave the Giants a 1-0 lead at 6:56 of the first period. . . . Kelowna took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Calvin Thurkauf (7) and Merkley, at 10:09 and 12:46 of the first. . . . Vancouver D Darian Skeoch tied it with his first goal, at 17:15. . . . The Rockets took a 4-2 lead when F Tomas Soustal (7) and D Braydyn Chizen (1) struck for shorthanded goals just three seconds apart — yes, three seconds — at 14:15 and 14:18 of the second period. . . . Baer’s second goal, and second of the season, at 15:49 of the second cut the deficit to one, and F Johnny Wesley’s fourth goal, at 8:42 of the third period, tied it. . . . Merkley got the empty-netter at 18:44. . . . The WHL record for quickest two goals is two seconds. F Pavel Brendl and F Brad Moran set that record with the Calgary Hitmen on Oct. 3, 1998. Brendl’s goal came into an empty net as the Hitmen beat the Red Deer Rebels, 6-4. . . . Soustal and Thurkauf each had two assists. . . . F James Malm had two assists for Vancouver. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 30 shots for the victory. . . . The Giants got 31 stops from Ryan Kubic. . . . Kelowna was 2-4 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-5. . . . The Rockets improved to 10-8-0, while the Giants are 7-11-0. . . . Announced attendance: 4,286. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that Curtis Hunt, the Prince Albert Raiders’ general manager, was in the building.
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At Victoria, F Kaid Oliver’s goal ended an 11-round shootout and gave the Royals a 3-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker scored two goals, at 1:39 and 18:46 of the first period. He’s got 10 goals. . . . Lethbridge got two goals from F Jesse Zaharichuk, who has eight, at 13:55 of the second period and 16:27 of the third. . . . The Royals scored four times in the shootout, with the Hurricanes getting three. . . . Kaid, a 16-year-old from White Rock, B.C., has one goal and one assist in 19 games. . . . Victoria G Griffen Outhouse stopped 36 shots. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner turned aside 25 shots. That included stopping Victoria F Matt Phillips on a penalty shot at 1:23 of OT. . . . The Royals were 1-3 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 0-1. . . . Victoria (10-7-2) is 2-0-2 in its last four games. . . . Lethbridge (7-7-3) had won its previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,494.
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LEADERS

POINTS: F Sam Steel, Regina, 28; F Mason Shaw, Medicine Hat, 27; F Kailer Yamamoto, Spokane, F Nikita Popugaev, Moose Jaw, F Cody Glass, Portland, each 24.
GOALS: Steel, F Michael Rasmussen, Tri-City, each 14; F Tyler Steenbergen, Swift Current, 13; F Zak Zborosky, Kootenay, 12; Yamamoto, 11.
ASSISTS: Shaw, 22; F Brayden Burke, Lethbridge, 18; F Chad Butcher, Medicine Hat, Glass, each 17; D Chase Harrison, Regina, 16.
VICTORIES: Nick Schneider, Medicine Hat, Griffen Outhouse, Victoria, each 10; Carter Hart, Everett, Ty Edmonds, Prince George, Michael Herringer, Kelowna, each 9.
GAA: Hart, 1.89; Connor Ingram, Kamloops, 2.01; Ty Edmonds, Prince George, 2.31; Logan Flodell, Saskatoon, 2.38; Cody Porter, Calgary, 2.46.
SAVE %: Ingram, .937; Flodell, .931; Hart, .926; Logan Thompson, Brandon, .922; Outhouse, .920.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Edmonton at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Swift Current at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Seattle at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Lethbridge vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:23 AM
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Thursday, November 3, 2016

Ex-OHLer: "For years I lived a life full of lies" . . . Sarthou on verge of return . . . WHL suspends three


The day’s most important hockey-related story appeared at Yahoo! Sports.
“For years I lived a life full of lies,” writes Brock McGillis, a former goaltender who played for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. “Growing up in a culture of hockey — minor hockey, the Ontario Hockey League, university hockey, and semi-pro in Europe — I felt I would never be accepted. 
“For years I lived a life of denial, because I am gay. 
“Hockey has always been very homophobic. I can’t count the amount of times I heard phrases like: That’s gay or what a homo in the dressing room over the course of my hockey career. Words like fag, p---y, and b---h are part of the daily banter. Those words are used to belittle players, to weaken and feminize them, because hockey is hyper-masculine, meant for the manliest of men.”
Why did he feel he had to write what he did?
“Cliches like ‘Boys being boys’ and ‘Locker room talk’ were never valid defences – this is why I’m telling my story,” he explains. “I’m telling my story to start a dialogue. If you are gay, lesbian or trans and playing hockey, know that you are not alone. Know that you are not the only one. 
“Know that I am here for you, the way Brendan Burke was there for me, because it gives me an immense sense of pride carrying on his legacy by saying: ‘I can’t wait until the day that you’re out like I am.’ ” His story is right here.  
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G Evan Sarthou, 19, is expected to return to the Tri-City Americans’ lineup this weekend for the first time this season. From Black Diamond, Wash., Sarthou is into his fourth WHL season. He suffered an undisclosed season while with the U.S.’s national junior team during the summer and hasn’t played in a game since then. Last season, he got into 60 games with Tri-City, going 26-28-2, 3.46, .888. . . . The Americans are at home to the Portland Winterhawks tonight (Friday) and then visit the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday. Sarthou is expected to start in Spokane. . . . His return will leave the Americans with three goaltenders on their roster, the others being Rylan Parenteau, 20, who was acquired last month from the Prince Albert Raiders, and freshman Beck Warm, 17. . . . The Americans are expected to keep three goaltenders for a while, if only because Sarthou still may be invited to Team USA’s selection camp.
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The WHL’s office handed out three suspensions on Thursday, two of them to members of the Prince George Cougars. . . . D Sam Ruopp of the Cougars drew a TBD suspension after being involved in what the WHL calls a “one-man fight” in a 6-4 loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday night. F Kody McDonald of the Cougars also drew a TBD suspension after he took a slashing major and game misconduct against the Tigers. . . . Meanwhile, F Leif Mattson of the Kelowna Rockets will sit for four games after taking a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct during a 5-1 loss to the visiting Kamloops Blazers on Tuesday night. Mattson hit D Shaun Dosanjh, who didn’t dress for a 2-1 OT loss to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday and may not play this weekend. The Blazers are at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers tonight (Friday) and then visit Dosanjh’s previous team, the Prince George Cougars, on Saturday.
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The Spokane Chiefs have dropped D Trent Huitema, 18, from their roster. Huitema, from Chilliwack, B.C., has been on the Chiefs’ protected list for three years and will stay there. He had one goal in six games with Spokane this season. Huitema is expected to end up playing in the BCHL.
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The Saskatoon Blades have released F Chasetan Braid, 19, who was pointless in eight games. He is expected to join the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. Braid also has played for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.
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The Kamloops Blazers have brought in F Brodi Stuart, 16, for the weekend. According to a news release, Stuart is to practice with the Blazers “and may suit up for the weekend.” . . . Stuart, from Langley, B.C., has 10 points, including five goals, in eight games with the major midget Fraser Valley Thunderbirds. . . . He was a fourth-round pick in the 2014 WHL bantam draft. 
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The SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves, who fired general manager/head coach Shawn Martin on Oct. 23, continued their reorganization on Thursday. No, they haven’t yet hired a new GM/head coach; assistant coach Eric Bell is the acting head coach. Rather, they have fired head scout Sean Phaneuf. They also added Patrick Lacelle as assistant general manager and head scout. Lacelle had been scouting for the Ice Wolves in eastern Canada and the U.S.
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It’s Friday. It’s been a trying week. You need a good laugh. Right? . . . That being the case, you should click right here. Christopher Spata of the Tampa Bay Times tracked down Florida Man — actually, 11 of them — and asked one question: Clinton or Trump? . . . Florida Man? As Spata writes: “Florida Man has made some bad decisions. He has punched swans in Orlando, woken up in garbage trucks in Tampa and called 911 from St. Augustine to brag about his muscles.” . . . It’s all right here and it’s hilarious.
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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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THURSDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

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

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:12 PM
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Saturday, October 15, 2016

WHL suspends four players . . . Silvertips win fourth in five nights . . . Broncos open B.C. trek with win



The WHL’s department of justice slapped four players following Friday night games.
F Tanner Jeannot of the Moose Jaw Warriors drew a one-game suspension for a boarding major and game misconduct he took in a 6-4 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer. . . . D Alexander Alexeyev, who was hit on the play, wasn’t injured.
F Hudson Elynuik of the Spokane Chiefs, F Johnny Wesley of the Vancouver Giants and F Chad Butcher of the Medicine Hat Tigers all drew TBD suspensions.
Elynuik was hit with a charging major and game misconduct during a 4-3 OT loss to the visiting Everett Silvertips. That was for a hit on Everett F Devon Skoleski in the third period. Skoleski didn’t play last night against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds.
Wesley was given a headshot major and game misconduct during Vancouver’s 4-3 OT victory over the Hurricanes in Lethbridge.
The WHL chose to suspend Butcher for something that happened in a 7-2 victory over the visiting Calgary Hitmen. That suspension comes under supplemental decision, meaning that the Hitmen must have filed video and asked the WHL to take a look at whatever happened.
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D Connor Clouston, 20, has joined the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. He made his debut on Saturday night in a 7-2 loss to the host Chilliwack Chiefs. . . . Clouston was waived last week by the Medicine Hat Tigers as they got down to three 20-year-olds. . . . A native of Medicine Hat, he was a third-round pick by the Kamloops Blazers in the 2011 bantam draft. He split 158 regular-season WHL games between the Blazers, Moose Jaw Warriors and the Tigers. He had three goals and eight assists. 
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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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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Everett, the Silvertips scored the game’s first three goals and hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Everett (8-1-1) has won four in a row. The Silvertips played four games in
five nights, winning them all and outscoring the opposition, 16-9. . . . Seattle (2-4-1) has lost three straight (0-2-1). . . . F Bryce Kindopp opened the scoring at 4:14 of the first period as Everett scored first for the ninth time in 10 games. . . . F Riley Sutter scored Everett’s other two goals, both via the PP, at 10:00 and 11:55 of the first period. . . . Sutter, who had one goal and three assists in 31 games last season, has four goals and three assists in 10 games this season. . . . F Sami Moilanen, at 14:09 of the first, and D Turner Ottenbreit, at 18:26 of the third, scored for Seattle. . . . Ottenbreit also had an assist. . . . G Carter Hart blocked 23 shots for the winners, while Rylan Toth turned aside 20 for Seattle. . . . Everett was 2-5 on the PP; Seattle was 1-8. . . . With Seattle having four 20-year-olds on its roster, one must be scratched every game. This time, it was F Cavin Leth. The Thunderbirds have two weeks from the return of F Ryan Gropp to get down to three 20s. . . . The Silvertips were without F Matt Fonteyne and D Lucas Skrumeda for a third straight game. . . . F Mathew Barzal, 19, who is eligible to return to Seattle, made his NHL debut with the New York Islanders last night. He played 10 minutes 10 seconds (16 shifts), including 1:02 on the PP. He was pointless, but took three minor penalties and won two of four faceoffs in a 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. One of the minors was for playing the puck while in the penalty box. It came as his first minor penalty was expiring. . . . Announced attendance: 7,678.
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At Kelowna, the Swift Current Broncos scored three PP goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Rockets. . . . This was the opener of a B.C. Division swing for the Broncos (7-2-1). They are 5-0-1 in
their last six games. . . . The Rockets slid to 3-7-0, including three straight losses. The visiting Saskatoon Blades beat them 4-2 on Friday nigiht. . . . The Broncos took over this game with three goals in the first 12:17 of the second period. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi got his third goal 13 seconds into the period, with D Colby Sissons scoring on a PP at 7:44 and F Tyler Steenbergen getting his sixth goal, on another PP, at 12:17. . . . Steenbergen later added an empty-netter. . . . F Lane Pederson had two assists for the visitors, with Sissons, F Glenn Gawdin and Heponiemi each getting a goal and an assist. . . . Broncos G Taz Burman stopped 25 shots, losing his shutout bid to F Tomas Soustal at 18:57 of the second period. . . . Kelowna got 25 saves from G Michael Herringer. . . . Swift Current was 3-4 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-3. . . . The Rockets were without F Jake Kryski (ill) for a second game, while F Dillon Dube (knee) has yet to play this season. . . . Announced attendance: 4,768.
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COLTON BOBYK
At Cranbrook, B.C., D Colton Bobyk’s third goal of the season, at 4:43 of OT, gave the Red Deer Rebels a 2-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Rebels (5-3-2) have won three in a row. . . . The Ice (1-5-4) has lost four in a row (0-2-2). . . . F Evan Polei’s sixth goal, on a PP, gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 5:50 of the second period. . . . F Keenan Taphorn pulled the Ice even at 9:58 of the second. . . . Polei also had an assist on the winner. . . . G Riley Lamb blocked 20 shots for the Rebels, 15 fewer than the Ice’s Payton Lee. . . . Red Deer was 1-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-6. . . . G Lasse Petersen, acquired Thursday by the Rebels from the Everett Silvertips, wasn’t in uniform for the Rebels. . . . Announced attendance: 1,768.
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At Lethbridge, F Adam Brooks had a goal and three assists to lead the Regina Pats to a 7-2 victory
ADAM BROOKS
over the Hurricanes. . . . The Pats (6-0-3) remain the only one of the CHL’s 60 teams not to have suffered a regulation-time loss. . . . The Hurricanes (5-3-2) had been 2-0-2 in their previous four games. . . . Brooks, the WHL’s reigning scoring champion, has three goals and four assists in three games since returning from the camp of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. . . . The Hurricanes actually led this one 2-0 in the second period, with the Pats then scoring seven straight goals. . . . Regina got a goal and two assists from each of F Filip Ahl and D Chase Harrison, while F Jake Leschyshyn and F Sam Steel each had a goal and an assist. . . . Steel moved into the WHL scoring lead with 17 points, including seven goals, for a brief period. Portland F Cody Glass later scored a goal that moved  him into a tie with Steel. . . . F Ryley Lindgren had a goal, his seventh, and an assist for the Hurricanes. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 33 shots for Regina. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner gave up six goals on 43 shots in 50:46, with reliever Ryan Gilchrist stopping five of six shots. . . . Regina was 1-3 on the PP; Lethbridge was 1-8. . . . Regina has won 7-2 in two straight visits to Lethbridge. It won 7-2 in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series last spring. . . . Announced attendance: 3,463.
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At Medicine Hat, F Radovan Bondra’s goal at 1:49 of OT gave the Vancouver Giants a 2-1 victory
RADOVAN BONDRA
over the Tigers. . . . Bondra has seven goals this season. . . . The Giants (5-7-0) went 4-2-0 on a six-game road swing. They have won four in a row. Keeping in mind that they opened the season with a 1-7-0 stretch. . . . The Tigers are 6-3-1. . . . D Dave Quenneville gave the home side a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 4:48 of the first period. . . . F Ty Ronning tied it for Vancouver at 4:52 of the second period. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic was terrific, with 36 saves. . . . The Tigers got 19 saves from G Nick Schneider. . . . The Tigers were 1-6 on the PP; the Giants were 0-5. . . . The Giants lost D Darian Skeoch with a headshot major and game misconduct at 16:05 of the second period. Medicine Hat D Cameron MacPhee took a cross-checking major and game misconduct at the same time. . . . Announced attendance: 4,003.
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At Prince Albert, F Ty Lewis scored at 2:00 of OT to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 4-3 victory over the Raiders. . . . It was the second night in a row that the two teams needed extra time to settle
TY LEWIS
things. The Raiders posted a 3-2 OT victory in Brandon on Friday night. . . . The Wheat Kings (3-3-2) had lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . . The Raiders, who led 2-1 and 3-2, are 3-5-1. . . . F Reid Duke gave Brandon a 1-0 lead at 18:03 of the first period. . . . The Raiders took the lead on goals from F Nic Holowko, at 19:23 of the first, and F Simon Stransky, shorthanded, at 6:12 of the second. . . . D Garrett Sambrook, who also had an assist, pulled Brandon even at 7:48. . . . Stransky’s second goal of the game, and sixth of the season, put the Raiders back oiut front at 10:44 of the third period. . . . The Wheat Kings forced OT when F Tanner Kaspick scored his seventh goal, on a PP, at 18:51. . . . Holowko and Stansky each had an assist, too. . . . G Jordan Papirny stopped 35 shots as he became the first goaltender in Brandon franchise history with 100 regular-season victories. . . . G Ian Scott of the Raiders blocked 25 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings were 1-5 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-5. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Nolan Patrick for a second straight game, while D Kale Clague has yet to play after returning from the camp of the Los Angeles Kings with an injury. . . . Brandon is carrying four 20-year-olds and F Duncan Campbell sat for the third straight game. The Wheat Kings have two from when Duke returned from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack to get down to three 20s. . . . Announced attendance: 2,212.
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At Spokane, D Caleb Jones scored the only goal of a three-round shootout to give the Portland
CALEB JONES
Winterhawks a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The Winterhawks (8-3-0) have won three in a row. Portland was playing the last game of an eight-game road trip, its longest of this season. It finished 6-2-0. . . . The Chiefs (2-4-2) have lost three in a row (0-1-2). . . . F Koby Morrisseau’s first goal gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead at 17:44 of the first period. . . . F Ryan Hughes pulled Portland even at 5:21 of the second period. . . . F Curtis Miske put Spokane back in front at 7:25 of the third period. . . . Portland F Cody Glass notched his sixth goal, at 16:55 of the third period, to force OT. . . . The Winterhawks got 29 saves from G Cole Kehler. . . . G Dawson Weatherill turned aside 28 for the Chiefs. . . . Portland was 0-3 on the PP; Spokane was 0-4. . . . Chiefs trainer Todd Daniels was struck in the face by an errant puck late in the first period. Apparently, he got stitched up in the intermission and was back for the start of the second period. Of course, he was. He’s a hockey guy. . . . Announced attendance: 7,008.
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At Kennewick, Wash., D Sam Ruopp drew three assists to help the Prince George Cougars to a 5-2
SAM RUOPP
victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Cougars (10-2-0) opened the season with eight straight victories, then lost two in a row, and now have won two straight. . . . The Americans (5-4-0) had their three-game winning streak end. They also had been 4-0-0 at home. . . . F Bartek Bison got the Cougars’ first goal, at 7:45 of the first period. . . . Tri-City F Vladislav Lukin tied the score at 11:59. . . . The Cougars took control with the game’s next two goals, from F Yan Khomenko, at 12:18, and F Brogan O’Brien at 18:52. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle and O’Brien each had a goal and an assist. . . . It was a battle of 20-year-old goaltenders. Ty Edmonds stopped 21 shots for the Cougars, while the Americans’ Rylan Parenteau turned aside 32. Parenteau made his second straight start since being acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders on Thursday. . . . Each team was 0-3 on the PP. . . . Announced attendance: 3,705.
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SUNDAY’S GAME (all times local):


Moose Jaw at Calgary, 2 p.m.


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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:44 PM
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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Paper questions Tigers' attendance figures . . . Rebels, Chiefs swap goalies . . . Cougars dynamite on road

The Canalta Centre, the second-year home of the Medicine Hat Tigers, lost $440,000 — that’s $80,000 more than expected — in its first year of operation, reports Collin Gallant of the Medicine Hat News. . . . There are a couple of interesting notes in his story. . . . For starters, Jeff Dunham, a comedian and ventriloquist, drew the centre’s only sellout during its first year when a crowd of 6,124 showed up on March 18. . . . Gallant also reported that while figures compiled by the WHL indicate that the Tigers’ average attendance for 36 regular-season home games was 4,247, “a study by the News suggests that number was closer to 3,100 — about half the capacity of the one-year-old $75-million arena and one-quarter less than the number of seats in the Medicine Hat Arena.” . . . According to a report presented to a city committee, the total attendance including major events during the facility’s first 12 months of operation was 165,400. According to the report, 16 non-hockey events drew about 51,300 folks. Do the math and it shows that 114,100 fans attended Tigers’ games, an average of 3,083 per game. The WHL’s figures have the Tigers’ regular-season attendance total at 152,912. . . . Gallant’s complete story is right here.
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The WHL is working towards digitizing statistics from the first 30 years of its existence. At the moment, you can only find on-line information from games played after 1996.
“There has been so much change in technology and just managing the new
website and the social media platforms,” Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner, told Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun. “There are
reasons why we haven’t got to it, but we will get to it. We have to get
it completed and get it completed soon.”
Bergson dug up some numbers showing that when the QMJHL did it in 2005 “it took 24 people more than 12,000 hours over three years to
snap pictures of 10,000 scoresheets and then input the data.”
According to Bergson, one of the challenges faces by the WHL “is locating all of the scoresheets, which are scattered across Western Canada and the northwestern U.S. after 50 years.”
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The Red Deer Rebels and Spokane Chiefs were involved in an exchange of goaltenders on Wednesday. The Rebels acquired Tyson Verhelst, 19, and a third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft for G Dawson Weatherill, 17, and a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft. . . . Verhelst played two seasons with Spokane but the Chiefs revealed prior to training camp that he had chosen to quit hockey. As a result, the Chiefs acquired G Jayden Sittler, 20, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . It came out last week that Verhelst, who is from Kemnay, Man., was on the Chiefs’ suspended list and that they were trying to trade him. . . . In 81 games with the Chiefs, he was 34-33-5, 3.31, .889. Last season, he was 23-22-5, 3.16, .892. . . . Verhelst was a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . Earlier, the Rebels dealt G Rylan Toth, 20, to the Seattle Thunderbirds, indicating at that point that were prepared to go with Trevor Martin, 20, and Riley Lamb, 18, as their goaltenders. . . . The Rebels play this weekend in Moose Jaw, Brandon and Regina. Verhelst will skate in Red Deer over the weekend and then practise with his new teammates next week before seeing game action. . . . Weatherill, from Red Deer, was a second-round selection in 2014. He was 1-1-0, 3.69, .881 in five appearances with the Rebels last season, but hadn’t seen any action this season. . . . In Spokane, he will join Sittler, who also is from Red Deer, and Matt Berlin, an 18-year-old from Edmonton.
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Among the WHL players returned by NHL teams on Wednesday:
Everett Silvertips — F Eetu Tuulola, Calgary Flames.
Kamloops Blazers — G Connor Ingram, Tampa Bay Lightning; F Deven Sideroff, Anaheim Ducks.
Kelowna Rockets — F Dillon Dube, Calgary Flames; F Calvin Thurkauf, Columbus Blue Jackets.
Moose Jaw Warriors — F Brett Howden, Tampa Bay Lightning.
Prince Albert Raiders — G Rylan Parenteau, Vancouver Canucks.
Prince George Cougars — D Sam Ruopp, Columbus Blue Jackets.
Red Deer Rebels — D Josh Mahura, Anaheim Ducks; F Adam Musil, St. Louis Blues.
Saskatoon Blades — D Libor Hajek, Tampa Bay Lightning.
Swift Current Broncos — Max Lajoie, Ottawa Senators; F Lane Pederson, Arizona Coyotes.
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With G Rylan Parenteau, who is to turn 20 on Nov. 16, on his way back from the camp of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, the Prince Albert Raiders’ roster now includes four 20-year-old players. Parenteau joins F Austin Glover, F Tim Vanstone and F Kolten Olynek. That number will swell to five if F Reid Gardiner is returned by the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. . . . Parenteau is one of three goaltenders on the roster, joining sophomore Ian Scott, 17, and newcomer Curtis Meger, 18.
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The Prince George Cougars learned Wednesday that D Sam Ruopp, 20, is on his way back from the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. His arrival will leave Prince George with four 20-year-olds, the others being F Colby McAuley, D Shaun Dosanjh and G Ty Edmonds. . . . Edmonds also is one of three goaltenders on the roster, along with Nick McBride, 19, and Tavin Grant, 18.
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The Calgary Hitmen, meanwhile, placed D Scott Allan on waivers earlier in the week. The 6-foot-6, 235-pounder from Denver cleared and now will rejoin the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors. Allan has played in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Seattle Thunderbirds and Medicine Hat Tigers. In 93 games, he has a goal and three assists. . . . The Hitmen are left with three 20s — F Tyler Mrkonjic, F Taylor Sanheim and D Micheal Zipp.
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The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning have returned G Connor Ingram, 19, to the Kamloops Blazers. He will join his teammates in Victoria where the Blazers will play the Royals in a Friday-Saturday doubleheader. . . . Ingram was 34-15-9, 2.61, .922 with the Blazers last season and now is in the running to be on the roster of Canada’s national junior team. . . . The Blazers have been going with Dylan Ferguson, who backed up Ingram last season, and Carter Phair, who was acquiredfrom the Edmonton Oil Kings on Sept. 6. Ferguson has been nursing a tender ankle left over from the first period of a 5-1 loss to the host Kelowna Rockets on Saturday.
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JUST NOTES:

F Keegan Kolesar of the Seattle Thunderbirds will be out for at least six weeks. Aaron Portzline, who covers the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets for the Columbus Dispatch, tweeted Wednesday that Kolesar has had “surgery for a supraumbilical hernia. . . . That is a hernia in the area of the navel. . . . Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen told Aportzline that the hernia didn’t have anything to do with hockey, that it developed on its own. . . . Last season, Kolesar, a 19-year-old Winnipegger, had 30 goals and 31 assists in 64 games with Seattle last season. At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, he also brings size to the Thunderbirds’ forward ranks. . . .
G Brandon Kegler, 19, is back with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The native of Leduc, Alta., was released earlier by the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Kegler was 3.09, .910 in 22 games with Salmon Arm last season. . . . To make room for Kegler, the Silverbacks dealt G Mike Botiz to the Surrey Eagles for future considerations. . . . 
F Andrew Shaw of the Montreal Canadiens will be on the phone with the NHL’s department of safety today (Thursday) after he drilled D Connor Hobbs of the Washington Capitals into the end boards from behind in a Tuesday exhibition game. Hobbs, who is likely to be returned to the Regina Pats at some point this week, was left face down on the ice. However, he apparently wasn’t injured and returned to the game. . . . 
The Portland Winterhawks are without a director of player personnel with the news that Eric Doyle has left for a scouting position with the NHL’s New York Rangers. Doyle had been Portland’s director of player personnel since 2014. He is a former WHL defenceman, having played five seasons with the Everett Silvertips, Swift Current Broncos and Portland. He moved to Portland as a 20-year-old in 2009-10. . . . 
An interesting note from Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald, from the Silvertips’ Tuesday practice: “Everett practised a new drill for the first time. It involved kicking pucks toward the net (from outside the crease). A new WHL rule states that any goal that deflects off a skate from outside the (crease) is a goal — regardless of whether or not there was a ‘kicking motion.’ No surprise that Kevin Constantine’s squad is looking to use any rule change to its advantage.” . . . 
F Owen Hardy of the Vancouver Giants suffered an undisclosed injury during Tuesday’s 7-6 loss to the visiting Prince George Cougars and apparently won’t play in weekend games. Hardy, 17, was a second-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. He had five goals and four assists in 45 games last season. This season, he is pointless in three games.
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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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WEDNESDAY'S GAME:




At Kelowna, G Ty Edmonds stopped 32 shots to lead the Prince George Cougars to a 2-1 victory over the Rockets. . . . The Cougars have opened the season with four straight victories, all on the road. . . . The two head coaches — Richard Matvichuk of the Cougars and Jason Smith of the Rockets — are in their first WHL seasons after combining to play in 1,804 regular-season and 191 playoff games in the NHL. . . . F Jared Bethune gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal of the season just 56 seconds into the game. . . . Kelowna F Tomas Soustal tied it at 13:53 of the second period, while shorthanded. . . . F Yan Khomenko’s first goal broke the tie at 18:14 of the second period. Bethune picked up the lone assist. . . . G Michael Herringer turned aside 24 shots for the Rockets (1-2-0). . . . The Cougars were 0-5 on the PP; the Rockets were 0-3. . . . The teams now head north for a Friday-Saturday doubleheader in Prince George. . . . Announced attendance: 4,341.
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THURSDAY'S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:59 PM
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