Ex-Brandon defenceman dies . . . Wheaties end Edmonton drought . . . Rebels win fourth straight

F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) signed for the rest of this season with Kaufbeuren (Germany, DEL2). Knackstest was released on Monday by mutual agreement by Saryarka Karaganda (Kazakhstan, Vysshaya Liga). This season, with Rubin Tyumen (Russia, Vysshaya Liga), he had two goals and three assists in 17 games. He was traded to Karaganda on Dec. 15 and had one goal in six games. . . .
F Chris St. Jacques (Medicine Hat, 1999-2004) has been released by mutual agreement by the Wedemark Scorpions (Germany, Oberliga). He had eight goals and 15 assists in 12 games. According to Wedemark's Facebook page, St. Jacques is to start practising with Olten (Switzerland, NL B) today. . . .
F Adam Courchaine (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, 2001-05) has been released by the Krefeld Pinguine (Germany, DEL) at his request. He had 23 points, 11 of them goals, in 27 games. . . .
D David Hájek (Spokane, 1998-99) has signed for the rest of this season with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Bad Nauheim (Germany, DEL2), he had two goals and five assists in 12 games. . . .
D Petr Šenkeřík (Kootenay, Prince George, 2009-10) has been assigned on loan by Vítkovice Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga) to Slavia Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. With Vítkovice, he had one goal and six assists in 25 games. In seven games with Havířov (Czech Republic, 1. Liga), he had two goals and seven assists in seven games.
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‘RADVILLE’ ROD AND HIS SEVEN TEAMS:

It began with an email from Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province.
He was wondering if I could recall who might hold the record for having played with the most WHL teams.
Ewen was writing a story on F Zane Jones, 20, who was acquired by the Vancouver Giants from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday. Jones is joining his fifth WHL team; he played for the Chilliwack Bruins and Victoria Royals, and we’re counting that as one team. Jones also played for the Calgary Hitmen and Everett Silvertips.
Anyway . . . I immediately thought of F Rod Williams, aka ‘Radville’ Rod. Yes, he is from Radville, Sask.
Williams, who now lives and works in Regina, played for seven different WHL teams, and he did it when there were only 14 teams in the league. Now that’s impressive!
He played his first WHL game in 1982-83 with the Lethbridge Broncos. He wrapped up his WHL career after playing seven games with the Medicine Hat Tigers in 1987-88. In between, he also played with the Kelowna Wings (71 games), New Westminster Bruins (1), Brandon Wheat Kings (70), Victoria Cougars (29) and Regina Pats (18). He totalled 23 games with the Tigers. In fact, he had two separate stints with Brandon, so you could make a case that he played for eight teams. But for the purposes of this, we are counting it as one team.
Interestingly, he played with three teams in 1985-86 and repeated that feat the following season.
So what made ‘Radville’ Rod so attractive to so many teams?
Well, he was 6-foot-2 and about 200 pounds. He showed up every night, whether at home or on the road. He had a terrific smile and provided a whole lot of sandpaper. The Tigers, under head coach Bryan Maxwell, thought enough of him that they acquired him from Regina late in 1986-87 as they were en route to a second straight Memorial Cup title.
Unfortunately, Williams struggled with injuries during his career. But in 213 regular-season WHL games, he put up 110 points, including 42 goals, and 431 penalty minutes.
He also scored one goal in four Memorial Cup games.
An 11th-round selection by the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL’s 1985 draft, Williams left the game before ever playing a pro game. If memory serves, he had knee and shoulder issues.
Meanwhile, there are at least eight players who played with six teams. They are:
F Grant Chorney (Seattle, Regina, Calgary, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Victoria Cougars, Saskatoon, 1986-90).
G Don Blishen (Calgary Wranglers, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Swift Current, Portland, Tri-City, Brandon, 1986-90).
F Shawn Green (Victoria Cougars, Lethbridge Broncos, New Westminster, Calgary Wranglers, Kamloops, Saskatoon, 1981-85).
F Jeff Jubenville (Seattle, Brandon, Saskatoon, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Tacoma, Kamloops, 1990-95).
D Garth Lamb (Medicine Hat, Moose Jaw, Victoria Cougars, Swift Current, Lethbridge Hurricanes, New Westminster, 1984-88).
F Jamison Orr (Vancouver Giants, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Brandon, Saskatoon, Medicine Hat, Prince George, 2002-06).
D Zak Stebner (Red Deer, Prince Albert, Kamloops, Calgary Hitmen, Tri-City, Kelowna, 2005-11).
F Steve Young (Calgary Wranglers, Lethbridge Hurricanes, New Westminster, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Portland, 1983-90).
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According to the WHL Guide, F Martin Smith also played for six teams (Seattle, Saskatoon, Brandon, Victoria Cougars, Regina, Prince Albert, 1988-90). However, I am unable to find any indication that he did indeed play for the Raiders.
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I stand to be corrected but I would suggest that Jamison and Colton Orr hold the WHL record for most teams played for by brothers. As noted above, Jamison played for six teams. Colton, meanwhile, played for three (Swift Current, Kamloops and Regina).
With nine, the Orr brothers beat out Erin and Kevin Ginnell, who totalled eight teams. Erin played for New Westminster, Calgary Wranglers, Seattle, Regina and Swift Current; Kevin skated with the Lethbridge Broncos Medicine Hat and Calgary Wranglers.
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Former Wheat Kings D dies at 64;

had brief role in Slap Shot

Terry Marshall, who played four seasons (1967-71) as a defenceman with the Brandon Wheat Kings, has died. Marshall, who lived in Rapid City, Man., was 64.
Marshall, who was born in Brandon and raised in Virden, was a seventh-round selection (92nd overall) by the St. Louis Blues in the NHL’s 1970 draft. He was the Wheat Kings’ MVP for 1970-71.
Marshall went on to play five seasons of pro hockey, but never made it to the NHL.
He spent two of those seasons in the Eastern Hockey League, playing with the Charlotte Checkers, Jersey Devils and Long Island Ducks. He finished up by playing three seasons with the Syracuse Blazers of the North American Hockey League, which also included the Johnstown Jets.
Marshall was a familiar face on the rodeo circuit in southwestern Manitoba. He was the Manitoba Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Pick-up Man of the Year in 1995. Yes, his nickname was Cowboy.
If you watch closely in the movie Slap Shot, you will catch a glimpse of Marshall.
Bill Redekop, who has long written about rural Manitoba for the Winnipeg Free Press, recounted in his book Made in Manitoba how Marshall got into Slap Shot.
“Marshall is the guy in the movie with the big black beard,” Redekop told Roger Newman of the Interlake Enterprise in October 2011. “He is in one early hockey scene and appears later holding open a door while Paul Newman jaws with fictional hockey goon Dr. Hook.”
As Roger Newman wrote: “(Marshall) got into Slap Shot because he fought regularly with Ned Dowd of the Johnstown Jets whose sister, Nancy Dowd, wrote the Slap Shot screenplay. Ned helped his sister by providing her with material and rounding up 30 Eastern league tough guys to play on-ice extras.”
Slap Shot was filmed in 1976, after Marshall had played his final season. According to hockeydraftcentral.com, Marshall was paid $1,800 for six full days of filming.
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There was quite a shocker out of the OHL on Tuesday afternoon when the Guelph Storm announced that Scott Walker had stepped down as head coach, effective immediately. . . . Assistant coaches Bill Stewart and Todd Harvey are expected to handle things through the end of this season. Stewart and Harvey have been coaching the team since Nov. 24. That‘s when Walker, 41, came down with the mumps. Shortly after, he joined Canada’s national junior team . . . In a news release, Walker, who also owns a piece of the Sorm, was quoted as saying: "I want to spend more time with my family as life has been incredibly hectic since I retired as an NHL player several years ago.” . . . Walker was an assistant coach with the Canadian team that won the WJC. . . . Tony Saxon of the Guelph Mercury has more right here.
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Still with the OHL, the sale of the Plymouth Whalers is expected to be announced this morning, with the franchise relocating to Flint, Mich., following the season. Bob Duff of the Windsor Star has more right here.
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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet opens this week’s 30 Thoughts with thoughts on the Los Angeles Kings. But, as usual, there’s a lot more than that right here. Enjoy!
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F Tyson Predinchuk, 19, who left the Portland Winterhawks last week in search of more playing time, has joined the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. Predinchuk is from Regina. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have signed D Ryan Jones, 16, who is with the junior B Richmond Sockeyes of the Pacific Junior Hockey League. From Delta, B.C., Jones has 20 points, including two goals, in 27 games with the Sockeyes. . . .
The Victoria Royals have given D Joe Hicketts a few days off, so he’s at home in Kamloops with the gold medal he won with Canada at the WJC. He will be in attendance tonight as the Blazers entertain the Portland Winterhawks, and will be honoured in a pre-game ceremony. He also will be signing autographs in the first intermission. . . .
The St. Louis Blues beat the visiting Edmonton Oilers 4-2 last night. That was NHL coaching victory No. 684 for Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock, moving him into a tie with the late Pat Quinn for fifth on the all-time list. . . . Next up? Dick Irvin Sr., 692.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

In Edmonton, D Ryan Pilon broke a 1-1 tie at 17:42 of the second period and the Brandon Wheat Kings held on for a 2-1 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings had lost 14 straight games (regular season and playoffs) in Edmonton. . . . On Sunday, when they beat the Hitmen 5-4, Brandon snapped an 11-game regular-season skid in Calgary. . . . Pilon has seven goals. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny, who is from Edmonton, stopped 25 shots. . . . Brandon F John Quenneville, who also is from Edmonton, got Brandon’s first goal, at 16:55 of the first, on a PP. He’s got 15 goals. . . . That was the first time in six games that the Wheat Kings opened the scoring. . . . F Brett Pollock scored his 19th goal for Edmonton, at 10:56 of the second. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry made 19 saves. . . . The Wheat Kings (31-9-4), who took three of four from the Oil Kings, have won two in a row. . . . Edmonton slipped to 21-18-5. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Red Deer Rebels outscored their hosts 4-2 in the third period en route to a 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . D Haydn Fleury came out of the penalty box and scored his second goal of the season on a breakaway, snapping a 1-1 tie at 2:08 of third period and the Rebels were never caught. . . . Fleury also had two assists. . . . Red Deer F Conner Bleackley scored twice, given him 21. . . . F Riley Sheen had two assists for Red Deer. . . . D Kord Pankewicz drew three assists for Lethbridge. . . . F Johnny Wesley, in his first game since being acquired from the Vancouver Giants and making the move from the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles, scored for the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge was 1-for-2 on the PP; the Rebels’ PP never got off the bench. . . . The Rebels (24-14-5), who play in Calgary tonight, have won four in a row. . . . The Hurricanes (10-26-6) have lost two straight. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Keegan Kolesar scored the only goal of a five-round shootout to give the host Seattle Thunderbirds a 5-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Kolesar scored his 14th goal of the season on a first-period PP. . . . Seattle F Nolan Volcan forced OT with his sixth goal at 5:30 of the third. . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka had given his side a 4-3 lead with his 25th goal at 16:46 of the second. He ran his goal-scoring streak to eight straight games, one shy of the franchise record. . . . Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto had one assist, and now is riding an 11-game point streak. . . . D Shea Theodore and D Ethan Bear each had two assists for Seattle. . . . F Ryan Gropp, in his second game since returning from an undisclosed injury, scored his 16th goal for Seattle. . . . Chiefs F Liam Stewart scored his 16th goal. In his fourth season, he has career highs in goals and points (30), all in 42 games. . . . The Thunderbirds (21-16-5) are 2-0-1 in their last three. . . . The Chiefs are 23-16-3.
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Small town #KIJHL hockey in #KimberleyBC the zamboni driver tonight is the @nitroshockey GM's daughter #ShesDoingMyDreamJob
— Josh Lockhart (@joshuaklockhart) January 14, 2015

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Needham hoping to play for Canada

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Forward Matt Needham of the Kamloops Blazers is one of 13 WHL players to have been invited by Hockey Canada to attend its summer under-18 selection camp.
All told, 40 players, all of them from the CHL and born in 1995 and ’96, have been invited to the camp in Toronto, Aug. 3-6. Afterwards, a 22-player roster will be named to compete in the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament that is scheduled for Piestany, Slovakia, and Breclav, Czech Republic, Aug. 13-18.
“It was exciting to hear,” Needham said Thursday afternoon from his family’s home in Penticton. He also admitted that getting to this camp and making the team “was definitely in the back of my mind.”
Needham, who has never been to Europe, is not a stranger to Hockey Canada and its Program of Excellence, having won gold with Team B.C. at the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax and then placing fifth with Team Pacific at the U17 World Hockey Challenge in Windsor, Ont., last season.
Needham is one of 24 forwards on the roster, along with four goaltenders and 12 defencemen. The OHL is represented by 17 players, with 13 from the QMJHL. The roster was selected by Kevin Prendergrast, Hockey Canada’s head scout, along with the coaching staff. Todd Gill of the OHL’s Kingston Canadians is the head coach, with Yanick Jean (QMJHL-Victoriaville Tigres) and Scott Walker (OHL-Guelph Storm) are the assistants.
Needham, who was selected eighth overall by the Blazers in the WHL’s 2010 bantam draft, had 34 points, including 12 goals, in 61 games last season. He added seven points in 11 playoff games.
He really appeared to come into his own in the regular-season’s last six weeks.
“I had a few good games in a row and I kept building off it,” he said. It was then, he added, that he realized he was capable of “putting up numbers” at this level. It dawned on him that, indeed, he could be a “point-per-game kind of guy” and “I started doing that towards the end.”
The coaching staff also began giving him consistent time on the penalty-killing unit, a move that further defined his role.
Needham said he took a break after the Blazers’ season ended with seven-game loss to the Portland Winterhawks in the second round.
“I took a couple of weeks off to let my body relax and get all the bumps and bruises out,” he said. “It was pretty strenuous and it was nice to take a little break.”
Needham also admitted he’ll be a long-time forgetting the series with Portland, a series in which the Blazers lost the first three games. They came back to force a Game 7, only to lose 2-0 in Portland.
“It was a good learning experience for me and everyone else,” he said. “It was our first crack at it and to push a team that good to seven games, especially down 3-0 . . . it’s prett impressive looking back at it.
“It’s tough to lose but . . .”
Now, with last season in his rearview mirror, he is starting to get back into training and will step it up even more once school ends later this month.
“Once I can free up some more time,” he said, “I’ll be able to start getting into it a bit more.”
His father, Mike, works at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, which is where Matt played before joining the Blazers. Getting ice time won’t be a problem then, and he’ll be on the ice more and more as August nears.
The U-18 selection camp will be a new experience for Needham, because he has never attended one like this. Prior to making Team B.C. and Team Pacific, he attended summer camps, with team rosters named later in the season.
“You can’t take any days off,” Needham said, looking forward to the four-day camp in August.

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THE COACHING GAME:
The OHL’s Guelph Storm has extended head coach Scott Walker's contract through 2013-14. Walker took over as head coach a year ago; the team is 30-22-6 under him. He will serve as an assistant coach under Don Hay with Canada’s national junior team later this month. . . .
Bob Woods (Brandon, 1987-89) now is an assistant coach under Bruce Boudreau with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Woods started the season with Boudreau and the Washington Capitals. When Boudreau was fired earlier this week, Woods was on the bench for new head coach Dale Hunter’s first game, but was let go after that game as the Caps brought in Jim Johnston to work with their defence. . . .
With head coach Dale Hunter having moved up to the NHL, the OHL’s London Knights have had to shuffle their coaching deck. Mark Hunter now is the head coach and former NHL D Rob Ramage has moved from his eye-in-the-sky role to the bench. That move has caused some controversy in London. Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports takes a look at the situation right here.
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JUST NOTES: F Matej Stransky of the Saskatoon Blades isn’t one of the 23 forwards on the Czech Republic’s preliminary roster for the World Junior Championship. The 18-year-old, who had 26 points in 71 games last season, has put up 28 points in his first 27 games this season. That, apparently, did impress anyone in his homeland. . . .
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In Prince Albert, the Raiders scored four third-period goals and beat the Kootenay Ice, 7-5. . . . The Ice led this one 4-1 at 10:02 of the second and 5-3 going into the third. . . . F Mark McNeill scored three times for the Raiders. He tied it 5-5 at 2:25 of the third while shorthanded and got the winner at 12:11. He has 12 goals this season. . . . McNeill also had two assists and was plus-4. . . . F Justin Maylan scored the Teddy Bear goal, at 10:10 of the first period. . . .

In Regina, the Vancouver Giants broke a 1-1 tie with three third-period goals and beat the Pats, 4-1. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher scored his 23rd of the season into an empty net. . . . Vancouver is 3-1-1 on its East Division swing. . . .

In Calgary, F Victor Rask scored twice, including the OT winner, as the Hitmen got past the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Spokane F Darren Kramer forced OT with his 11th goal at 3:35 of the third. . . . Rask got the winner at 2:26 of extra time. He has a team-high 15 goals. . . . F Alex Gogolev scored Calgary’s other goal, his 11th. . . . Calgary has 25 goals from its two import players. . . . The Chiefs are 1-1-1 on their Central Division tour. . . . Spokane G Luke Lee-Knight, playing in his hometown, stopped 27 shots. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Josh Nicholls scored a PP goal in overtime to give the Saskatoon Blades a 2-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . The Blades had lost their previous three games, all at home. They’ve now won six in a row on the road. . . . Nicholls got his 19th goal at 1:06 of OT. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk, with his 26th, gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead just 2:55 into the first. . . . Nicholls tied it at 19:21 of the second. . . . Shinkaruk is one off the WHL’s goal-scoring lead, that is shared by Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem and Portland F Ty Rattie. . . .

In Brandon, F Darian Dziurzynski scored three times to lead the Wheat Kings to a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . It was the third three-goal game of his career and the second since being acquired from the Saskatoon Blades earlier in the season. He’s got 18 goals this season, 15 in 19 games with Brandon. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock had a goal and two assists. His score was the Teddy Bear goal, at 1:24 of the second period. . . . Red Deer D Matt Dumba took a puck in the mouth in the first period and left the game, but returned early in the second period. . . . The Rebels, who now have lost eight in a row, played without six regulars — D Alex Petrovic and F Turner Elson are serving WHL suspensions, while D Aaron Borejko, F Josh Cowen, F Daulton Siwak and F Adam Kambeitz are injured. . . . Red Deer had F Dexter Bricker, 16 of the midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires and D Kevin Pochuk, 16, of the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild in the lineup. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone, the WHL scoring leader, was held to one assist. He has 61 points and an eight-point lead over Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem. . . .

In Portland, F Oliver Gabriel did the Gordie Howe hat trick in his first game back with Portland as the Winterhawks beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-1. . . . Gabriel, 20, returned to the Winterhawks this week from the Springfield Falcons, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. . . . Gabriel scored the game’s first goal, just four minutes into the first period. He later added an assist and got into a scrap. . . . Portland has won eight in a row at home. . . . F Josh Birkholz scored for Everett to extend his points streak to a season-high nine games. . . . Everett has lost five in a row. . . . In the NHL, F Nino Niederreiter, a 19-year-old whose rights belong to Portland, scored his first goal of the season for the New York Islanders. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Silvertips D Ryan Murray, who has been out with a high ankle sprain since Oct. 19, “suffered a small setback during the week and will be given a few extra days to recover.” The Silvertips had hoped he would play this weekend. . . . Also according to Patterson, Everett F Zach McPhee had arthroscopic surgery on a knee on Thursday and won’t play again until the new year. . . .

In Kelowna, F Robin Soudek scored twice as the Victoria Royals got past the Rockets, 2-1. . . . Soudek got his 15th at 8:02 of the second and scored again, on the PP, at 8:12 of the third. . . . In between, F Colton Sissons got his 15th, via the PP, for Kelowna. . . . The game included eight fighting majors, four of them in the game’s first five minutes. . . . As well, Kelowna F Jessey Astles took a major and game misconduct for a check to the head. . . . The Royals went into this one winless in six. They now go into Kamloops for their fourth meeting in nine nights with the Blazers. Kamloops won the first three games in this series and is 4-0 against Victoria this season. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Justin Feser had a goal and two assists to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Americans improved to 20-7-0, as they became the first team to 20 victories this season. . . . F Adam Hughesman got his 20th goal and set up another for the Americans.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Harrison Ruopp, Prince Albert
F Trevor Cheek, Calgary
F Mason Wilgosh, Tri-City
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Bill Burke, who owns the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, has told the city of St. Catharines, to build it or we will leave. With that in mind, Sunaya Sapurji over at Yahoo! Sports takes a look at the OHL and the possibility of moving franchises. That piece is right here.
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Today’s good read comes from Gregg Doyel, the national columnist at CBSSports.com. Every coach who has to deal with the media would be well-served to pay attention to this . . . and it’s right here.
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gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Connor Rankin (27) of the Tri-City Americans and Zach Franko (9) of the
Kelowna Rockets battle for position Friday night in Kennewick, Wash.
(Photo courtesy John Allen/Tri-City Americans)

SOME FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
F Emerson Etem scored four times but it wasn’t enough as his Medicine Hat Tigers dropped a 5-4 decision to the Royals in Victoria. The Tigers, who are to play the Giants in Vancouver tonight, had beaten the host Royals 4-2 on Thursday. . . . On Friday, Victoria D Hayden Rintoul, the team captain, broke a 4-4 tie with 24 seconds left in the third period. Rintoul, who was acquired from the Kootenay Ice over the summer, had two goals and two assists, while F Kevin Sundher, healthy after fighting off a flu bug, had four assists. . . . The Tigers have scored 22 goals in six games; Etem has 11 of those scores in just five games. Etem could have had five goals but came up short on a second-period penalty shot on G Keith Hamilton. . . . With 11 goals and no assists (11-0), Etem is an early favourite for the Cy Young Award. . . . Etem has had two four-goal games in his career, the other coming in his freshman season. . . . Medicine Hat was without F Cole Grbavac, its captain, on Friday. He apparently has a minor injury of some kind. . . . The Royals, already without D Tyler Stahl (concussion), now are without D Zach Habscheid, who is believed to have a concussion after being hit from behind by Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy on Wednesday night. Kessy, who was given a double minor, now is under one of those TBD suspensions. . . .
In Kent, Wash., the Prince Albert Raiders got three goals from D Tyler Vanscourt as they beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-0. The Thunderbirds slipped to 0-3-0 with the loss. . . . Raiders G Eric Williams stopped 36 shots for his first shutout this season and the second of his career. . . . Vanscourt, who was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs last month, scored his first three goals of the season. He went into the game with five goals in 90 regular-season games. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Kelowna Rockets lost for the first time i four games this season as they dropped a 5-2 decision to the Tri-City Americans. . . .  Tri-City got two goals from F Adam Hughesman and 27 saves from freshman G Eric Comrie. . . . The Rockets were the last of the WHL’s 22 teams to taste defeat this season. . . .
F Michael Ferland had three goals as the host Brandon Wheat Kings dumped the Prince George Cougars, 6-3. . . . It was the second three-goal regular-season game of Ferland’s career. He also has two playoff hat tricks. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had three assists. He leads the WHL scoring race with 16 points in six games. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock, who is in his second season but isn’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2013, had a goal and two assists. . . . The Wheat Kings now are headed out on a 13-day swing during which time they will play seven games. They open Wednesday in Spokane against the Chiefs. . . .
Mark Ferner picked up his first victory as head coach of the Everett Silvertips as they beat the visiting Portland Winterhawk, 4-2, behind 40 saves from G Kent Simpson. . . . The Silvertips now are 1-1-2. . . . Portland had D Joe Morrow and D Tyler Wotherspoon in its lineup for the first time this season. Morrow had been with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins; Wotherspoon is had offseason shoulder surgery. . . .
In Moose Jaw, F Martin Gernat scored twice to help the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 3-1 victory over the Warriors. Gernat, in his first season, has 10 points, including five goals, in six games. . . . D Collin Bowman was in the Warriors’ lineup for the first time this season, having returned from the AHL’s Connecticut Whale. . . . The Oil Kings are without D Griffin Reinhart, who is under a TBD suspension for a kneeing major in a game against the visiting Kootenay Ice on Wednesday. . . .
In Regina, the Pats beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-4 in a shootout. . . . The Hurricanes tied the game 4-4 when F Brody Sutter scored on a penalty shot at 18:24 of the third period.
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JUST NOTES: Hockey Canada has added Scott Walker, who is in his first season as the head coach of the OHL’s Guelph Storm, to the coaching staff of the national junior team. Walker replaces Pascal Vincent, who now is an assistant coach with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Don Hay of the Vancouver Giants is the national junior team’s head coach, while the other assistants are George Burnett of the OHL’s Belleville Bulls and Ryan Huska of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . F Logan Harland, who was reassigned earlier in the week by the Vancouver Giants, now is with the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs. . . .
The Saskatoon Blades have F Darian Dziurzynski back after he was returned by the AHL’s Portland Pirates. Dziurzynski, 20, had 57 points, including 35 goals, and 125 penalty minutes in 72 games last season. . . . His return leaves the Blades with four 20-year-olds, the others being F Michael Burns, F Jesse Paradis and F Jake Trask. . . . The WHL’s 20-year-old declaration day is Oct. 13, but the Blades will have 14 days after Dziurzynski’s return to make their decision because he is coming back from a professional team.
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Jim Thomson, a former NHL enforcer, found himself in Don Cherry’s crosshairs on Thursday night. Thomson then came out Friday and blasted fighting in hockey. He also can’t understand why major junior hockey is working to elminate headshots but still allows fighting.
As he told Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports:
“How does it make sense that we’re taking these headshots out but I’m still allowed to drop my gloves and land three bombs on your melon – hit you square in the skull with three punches – but we’re taking head shots out?”
Sapurji’s complete story is right here.
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Today’s good read comes from John Blanchette, a columnist with the Spokane Spokesman-Review.
Blanchette writes about Joe Tofflemire, who went from Post Falls, Idaho, which is near Spokane, to an NFL career as an offensive lineman.
He was buried Monday, dead at 46, another former NFLer who left this world far too soon.
Blanchette’s piece is right here.

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

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Marek Svatos (Kootenay, 2000-02) was released by mutual agreement by Avangard Omsk (Russia KHL). He had three goals and five assists in 19 games for Avangard this season. . . .
F Petr Vala (Seattle, 1997-98) signed a contract with Zilina (Slovakia Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had four goals in 17 games for Dukla Trencin (Slovakia Extraliga) this season before being granted his release for personal reasons. Vala played for Zilina the previous two seasons.
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As mentioned here Wednesday, the Swift Current Broncos have acquired F Graham Black, 17, from the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Broncos announced Thursday that they gave up a conditional draft pick in the deal. According to the WHL website, it was an eighth-rounder in 2011. Black, who was never selected in the WHL draft, plays for the Regina Pats Canadians and leads the Saskatchewan midget AAA league in goals (32) and points (51).
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Former NHLer Scott Walker has taken over as head coach of the OHL’s Guelph Storm. Walker replaces Jason Brooks who was fired Dec. 13 with the Storm at 13-13-5 this season. . . . Walker had been working with the Storm on a volunteer basis.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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