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| TIM BOZON |
According to a news release issued by the Saskatoon Health Region at the request of his family, Bozon, who has been hospitalized since March 1 with Neisseria meningitis, has been moved out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and onto one of the hospital’s wards.
“Last week,” according to the news released, “Tim Bozon’s condition was changed to critical but stable and improving. Over the weekend, his condition continued to improve and he was moved out of (ICU) and into one of the hospital wards. His physicians have listed his condition as stable.”
According to Helene and Philippe Bozon, Tim’s parents, “Tim is awake, moving around in his bed, trying to feed himself and trying to speak.”
Bozon, a third-year WHLer, was acquired by the Ice from the Kamloops Blazers early this season. He was in Saskatoon with the Ice when he took ill. He was diagnosed with meningitis and placed in a medically induced coma as doctors worked to slow the meningitis.
His parents arrived from their home in Switzerland and have been with their son throughout his ordeal.
“Since arriving in Saskatoon,” the news release reads, “the family has received a lot of support from the hockey community, friends and even strangers. Anonymous gifts from restaurant vouchers (and) fruit baskets to a box containing blankets and other bedding has been brought to the hospital. The Bozons are once again asking the media to share their thanks for these gifts.”
With their son facing a long period of recovery, the Bozon family is facing extensive medical- and rehabilitation-related expenses. With that in mind, a trust fund (the Tim Bozon Trust) has been established to assist them.
You are able to make a donation at any BMO Bank of Montreal branch in Western Canada.
Should you live outside of that area, please mail donations to:
Western Hockey League
c/o Tim Bozon
Father David Bauer Arena
2424 University Drive NW
Calgary AB
T2N 3Y9
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jaroslav Vlach (Prince George, 2009-11) had his club option picked up by Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga) for next season. This season, Vlach had seven points, four of them goals, in 36 games with Liberec. While on loan to Benatky nad Jizerou (Czech Republic, 1. Liga), he had six points, including three goals, in nine games.
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On May 3, 2012, the Brandon Wheat Kings dealt F Brenden Walker and a conditional second-round pick in the WHL’s 2013 bantam
draft to the Saskatoon Blades for second-round picks in 2012 and 2013 and a third-rounder in 2014.The Wheat Kings also obtained the right to swap first-round picks with Saskatoon in the 2014 draft.
Well, guess what happened on Wednesday?
Yes, the WHL held its draft lottery at its Calgary office and the Wheat Kings, who are a playoff team so weren’t eligible to take part, emerged as the big winners.
Each of the six non-playoff teams took part, with no team allowed to move up more than two spots. Except that the Wheat Kings moved up from 10th as they now own the first overall selection.
Saskatoon won the lottery, thus moving from third to first. The Wheat Kings, of course, will swap picks with the Blades, giving Brandon the first overall pick for the first time in franchise history.
A year ago, Brandon picked fourth and sixth in the first round, taking F Nolan Patrick and D Kale Clague, both of whom are projected as solider WHLers.
In the 2014 draft, the Lethbridge Hurricanes will pick second, followed, in order, by the Kamloops Blazers, Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince George Cougars and Red Deer Rebels.
The draft is scheduled for Calgary on May 1.
As for Brenden Walker, he captained the Blades last season when they were the host team for the Memorial Cup. In 72 games, the native of St. Anne, Man., put up 76 points, including 33 goals.
This season, Walker, now 21, is with the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators.
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Brandon used the 2012 second-round selection it acquired from Saskatoon to take D Tanner Browne, who was included in the package that was sent to the Lethbridge Hurricanes this season for D Ryan Pilon. Browne, from Kelowna, played this season with the major midget Okanagan Rockets.
The Wheat Kings used the second-round selection in the 2013 draft to take F Tanner Kaspick, a Brandon native who played for the midget AAA Wheat Kings.
The conditional second-round pick that went to Saskatoon would go to the Blades only if Walker wasn’t back in the WHL as a 20-year-old. He was, meaning the Blades didn’t get that selection.
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For some reason, the WHL chose to ignore the Wheat Kings during Wednesday’s bantam draft lottery.
The Wheat Kings own the Saskatoon Blades’ first-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft, but the WHL didn’t make any mention of it.The WHL’s post-lottery news release read: “A Saskatoon Blades ball was drawn, meaning Saskatoon moves up two spots in the first round of the draft, and will select first overall.”
Further down in that news release, there is a list showing the order of selection in the first round. That list shows Saskatoon with the No. 1 pick.
During the videocast, Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, held up the winning ball and said: ”As you can see, a ball from the Saskatoon Blades has been drawn. Saskatoon has the first pick in the 2014 WHL bantam draft.”
That, of course, isn’t the case. Brandon has the first pick.
In this day and age of instant communication, the hockey world immediately was atwitter with the fact that the Wheat Kings would be picking first in the May 1 draft. It really is unfortunate that the WHL didn’t add a few minutes to its videocast and explain that Brandon does, indeed, hold the first selection and also explain how that came to pass.
And, at the same time, why not extend the videocast by a few minutes and have someone, or even a panel, there to talk about some of the prospects and what fans might look for in the buildup to draft day?
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While the Wheat Kings have never picked first overall, they have held the second selection on three occasions. In fact, they picked second in three consecutive drafts, taking F Colin Cloutier (1991), D Wade Redden (1992) and F Darren Van Oene (1993).
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And don’t think for a moment that the Blades will pick 10th with the selection they got in the flip with Brandon.
No.
The Blades traded a 2014 first-round selection to the Vancouver Giants for F Nathan Burns. Thus, the Giants will be selecting 10th in the first round.
In that Nov. 2, 2012, exchange, the Giants gave up Burns for F Travis McEvoy, a third-round pick in 2013 and a first-round selection in 2014.
Burns, 20, now is with the Swift Current Broncos, having been involved in a trade on Jan. 1, 2014. That deal didn’t include a first-round pick.
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Red Deer F Aspen Sterzer suffered a separated shoulder during the Rebels’ 5-3 loss to the visiting Prince Albert Raiders in Tuesday’s tiebreaker. Had the Rebels won that game and advanced into the playoffs, Sterzer wouldn’t have been able to play. . . .
F Anthony Ast of the Medicine Hat Tigers underwent an appendectomy on Monday and isn’t expected to play in any first-round games against the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News has more right here. . . .
Some people were wondering whether Calgary Hitmen F Jake Virtanen had injured a hand during a third-period scrap with D Rinat Valiev of the Kootenay Ice on Saturday. . . . Virtanen says he’s fine. . . . "It was just the heat of the moment," he told Laurence Heinen of the Calgary Herald. "There were a lot of tweets to me, people asking me about my hand. It's fine. There's nothing wrong with it. During the moment, it was just kind of a stinger." . . .
A court case involving Tom Gaglardi, the majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers, will resume in Kamloops on April 14. Gaglardi, his father Bob, and their company, Northland Properties Corp., face two counts each of harmful alteration of a fish habitat. . . . There’s more right here. . . .
The St. Louis Blues have signed Prince George Cougars F Zach Pochiro, who turned 20 on March 6, to a three-year entry-level contract. Pochiro, who is from Las Vegas, had 66 points, including 27 goals, in 63 games this season. He was a fourth-round selection by the Blues in the 2013 NHL draft. . . .
F Troy Bourke, the captain of the Prince George Cougars, has signed an ATO with the Lake Erie Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. Bourke, 19, was selected by the Avalanche in the third round of the 2012 NHL draft. . . .
Prince George F Todd Fiddler, who got to the 50-goal plateau in the Cougars’ final game of the regular season, has signed an ATO with the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles. Fiddler, 20, has completed his major junior eligibility.
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THE FIRST ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. PRINCE ALBERT (8)
Season series: Edmonton, 2-1-1; Prince Albert, 2-2-0.
Saturday: Prince Albert at Edmonton, 1:30 p.m.
Sunday: Prince Albert at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Tuesday: Edmonton at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Edmonton at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Prince Albert at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday, March 30: Edmonton at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 1: Prince Albert at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: F Brandon Baddock, 3-5 weeks; D Blake Orban, indefinite.
Prince Albert: D Graeme Craig, indefinite.
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REGINA (2) vs. BRANDON (7)
Season series: Brandon, 5-3-0; Regina, 3-3-2.
Saturday: Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Regina at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Friday, March 28: Regina at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, March 31: Regina vs. Brandon, site TBA, 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 2: Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Brandon: None.
Regina: D Kyle Burroughs, day-to-day; D Tye Hand, indefinite; G Daniel Wapple, indefinite; D Colby Williams, day-to-day; F Dyson Stevenson, day-to-day.
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CALGARY (3) vs. KOOTENAY (6)
Season series: Calgary, 4-4-0; Kootenay, 4-2-2.
Thursday: Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Monday: Calgary at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Thursday, March 27: Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Calgary at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, March 31: Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Calgary: F Cal Babych, day-to-day; F Radel Fazleev, day-to-day; F Connor Rankin, day-to-day.
Kootenay: F Tim Bozon, indefinite; F Ryan Chynoweth, indefinite; D Landon Cross, 1 week; D Tanner Faith, 3-5 months; D Landon Peel, 1 week.
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MEDICINE HAT (4) vs. SWIFT CURRENT (5)
Season series: Medicine Hat, 2-2-0; Swift Current, 2-2-0.
Friday: Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday: Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
x-Sunday, March 30: Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 1: Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, indefinite; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
Swift Current: None.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. TRI-CITY (8)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-4-0; Tri-City, 0-3-1.
Saturday: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday: Tri-City at Kelowna, 5:05 p.m.
Tuesday: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
x-Friday, March 28: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 1: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
(NOTE: Tri-City plays home games in Kennewick, Wash.)
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Tyson Baillie, 1-2 weeks; D Jesse Lees, indefinite.
Tri-City: F Phil Tot, day-to-day; F Taylor Vickerman, indefinite.
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PORTLAND (2) vs. VANCOUVER (7)
Season series: Portland, 4-0-0; Vancouver, 0-3-1.
Friday: Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Portland at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Portland at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, March 28: Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday, March 30: Portland at Vancouver, 2 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 1: Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Portland: F Adam de Champlain, day-to-day.
Vancouver: F Tyler Benson, indefinite; G Jared Rathjen, day-to-day; F Jakob Stukel, indefinite; D Dalton Thrower, indefinite; F Cain Franson, day-to-day.
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VICTORIA (3) vs. SPOKANE (6)
Season series: Victoria, 1-3-0; Spokane, 3-1-0.
Saturday: Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday: Spokane at Victoria, 5:05 p.m.
Wednesday: Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Thursday, March 27: Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
x-Monday, March 30: Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 2: Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
INJURIES
Victoria: None.
Spokane: F Jacob Cardiff, day-to-day; D Colton Bobyk, week-to-week; F Adam Hascic, day-to-day; F Blair Oneschuk, week-to-week.
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SEATTLE (4) vs. EVERETT (5)
Season series: Seattle, 5-4-1; Everett, 5-4-1.
Saturday: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday: Seattle at Everett, 4:05 p.m.
Tuesday: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, March 28: Seattle at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
x-Monday, March 31: Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 2: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
(NOTE: Seattle plays home games in Kent, Wash.)
INJURIES
Seattle: F Connor Honey, indefinite.
Everett: F Kohl Baum, indefinite.
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In Calgary, F Greg Chase scored two goals and drew two assists as the Hitmen doubled the Kootenay Ice 6-3 in what was a first-round playoff preview. . . . Chase, who finished plus-5, has 35 goals. . . . The Hitmen go into the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed, while the loss, combined with a victory by the Swift Current Broncos, knocked the Ice from fifth to sixth. . . . The Hitmen have won four in a row, while the Ice has lost four straight. . . . The Ice went 4-2-2 in the season series, which means the Hitmen were 4-4-0. . . . The Ice again went with 16 skaters, two under the maximum, and again scratched D Landon Cross and D Landon Peel. . . . Calgary F Jake Virtanen scored his 45th goal in the second period and later got into a scrap with Ice D Rinat Valiev. . . . The Hitmen got a goal and two assists from each of F Mike Winther, who has seven goals, and F Pavel Padakin, who has 27. . . . F Sam Reinhart had two assists for the Ice, while F Jaedon Descheneau scored his 44th goal and added an assist. F Luke Philp also had a goal, his 31st, and an assist. . . . The Hitmen (48-17-7) and Ice (39-28-5) will open Thursday in Calgary. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, the Swift Current Broncos clinched fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-1 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Broncos, who have won four straight, swept a weekend series from Moose Jaw. . . . The victory lifted the Broncos past the Kootenay Ice and into fifth. . . . F Jay Merkley, with his 34th, and F Coda Gordon, with his 26th, gave the Broncos a 2-0 first-period lead. . . . Moose Jaw F Jack Rodewald, who scored seven goals in 56 games for the Regina Pats last season, got his 28th in his 58th game with the Warriors at 19:42 of the first. . . . Broncos F Nathan Burns added insurance with his 27th goal at 17:46 of the third. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 29 shots. . . . According to a tweet from Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, Warriors D Jesse Forsberg “is going to join the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles for the end of their season.” . . . The Broncos (38-25-9) will meet the No. 4 Medicine Hat Tigers (43-24-4) in the first round. They’ll open Friday in Medicine Hat. . . . The Warriors (21-42-9) finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs for a second straight season. . . . 
In Red Deer, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored a 7-4 victory over the Rebels to wrap up first place in the Central Division and the Eastern Conference for a third straight season. . . . The victory was Edmonton’s 50th of the season and tied a WHL record for consecutive 50-victory seasons (Kamloops, 1989-92). . . . The Oil Kings have won three in a row. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson and F Curtis Lazar each had two goals and two assists. Lazar has 41 goals; Samuelsson has 35. . . . Edmonton D Cody Corbett had a goal, his 17th, and three assists, while D Dysin Mayo had three helpers and F Edgars Kulda got his 30th goal. . . . The Oil Kings were 5-for-8 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-for-5. . . . Red Deer F Aspen Sterzer scored his 28th goal and added an assist. . . . The Oil Kings (50-18-3) will begin the first round at home against Prince Albert or Red Deer on Saturday night. . . .
In Saskatoon, the Prince Albert Raiders erased a 4-3 deficit with three third-period goals and beat the Blades, 6-4. . . . The victory lifted the Raiders (35-32-5) into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. The Raiders are out of games; the Rebels play in Edmonton today and need a victory to force a one-game playoff for the conference’s final playoff spot. . . . Raiders F Jayden Hart scored twice, giving him 14, while F Collin Valcourt got his 28th goal and added two assists. . . . Raiders F Dakota Conroy tied the game with his 30th goal at 1:12 of the third, via the PP. . . . Hart gave the Raiders their first lead at 17:41. . . . Prince Albert F Leon Draisaitl scored his 38th goal and added an assist. . . . The Blades got two goals from F Chase Clayton, who finished with 12, and three assists from F Cory Millette. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherback, the WHL’s highest-scoring freshman, got his 28th goal to end a nine-game drought. . . . The Blades (16-51-5) finished the season on a 12-game losing streak. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored the games first six goals and went on to a 6-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . F Curtis Valk scored twice, giving him 46, and added two assists for the Tigers. Last season, Valk finished with 91 points, including 46 goals, in 71 games. He duplicated that feat this season. . . . F Cole Sanford added his 32nd goal and three assists, while F Trevor Cox had two goals, giving him 25, and an assist. . . . Medicine Hat D Dylan Bredo, playing in his 289th consecutive game, had two helpers. . . . The Tigers (43-24-4) will finish fourth in the Eastern Conference and open a first-round series at home against the Swift Current Broncos on Friday night. . . . The Hurricanes (12-54-5) have lost 13 in a row. . . . The teams meet today in Lethbridge in a game that was postponed from Friday due to water-related issues in the city. . . .
In Portland, G Brendan Burke earned the shutout and F Oliver Bjorkstrand reached the 50-goal plateau as the Winterhawks beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-0. . . . Burke stopped 28 shots in recording his fourth shutout this season and the eighth of his career. . . . Bjorkstrand struck for three goals, getting No. 50 on the PP at 15:24 of the third period. It was his fourth hat trick this season. . . . The sophomore from Herning, Denmark, had 63 points, including 31 goals, last season. This season, he has 109 points in 68 games. . . . WHL Facts tweeted that Bjorkstrand scored 13 of his goals this season against Seattle. . . . Portland D Mathew Dumba scored his eighth goal and added three assists. . . . The Winterhawks were 3-for-7 on the PP as Seattle took 58 of the game’s 102 penalty minutes. . . . The Thunderbirds were without F Branden Troock, who drew a one-game suspension for a charging major he incurred on Friday night. . . . Portland (53-13-5) has won six in a row, while Seattle (40-25-6) has dropped three straight. . . . Portland, the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed, will open against the No. 7 Vancouver Giants in the Oregon city on Friday. . . . The Thunderbirds will go up against the Everett Silvertips in the first round with home-ice to be decided today. . . .
In Prince George, F Todd Fiddler scored four times and F Troy Bourke had a goal and three assists as the Cougars beat the Kamloops Blazers, 8-3, in the final game of the season for two non-playoff teams. . . . Fiddler finished with 50 goals, just the second player to do that since the franchise relocated from Victoria over the summer of 1994. . . . F Quinn Hancock scored 54 times in 1997-98. . . . Bourke, who turns 20 on March 30, finished the game with 236 career points, a record for the franchise since its move to Prince George. That broke the mark of 233 that had been held by F Eric Hunter (2002-07). . . . Bourke finished this season with 85 points, including 29 goals, in 69 games. . . . Cougars F Zach Pochiro had three assists, while D Sam Ruopp scored his fifth goal and added two assists. . . . F Cole Ully had two assists for Kamloops, which got 43 saves from G Bolton Pouliot. . . . Kamloops F Deven Sideroff scored his second goal of the season 42 seconds into the third period to get his guys to within 4-3. The Cougars, who snapped a six-game losing streak, then scored four straight goals, with Fiddler getting No. 49 shorthanded and adding No. 50 at 15:50. After scoring two goals in 14 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Fiddler struck 48 times in 42 games with the Cougars. . . . He finished the season with 98 points. . . . This may well have been the Cougars’ final game under the ownership of Rick Brodsky, who has owned the franchise since purchasing the Victoria Cougars in 1994. He is negotiating the sale of the club with a local group. While a deal isn’t yet complete, it is believed to be inching forward. . . . The Cougars (27-37-8) finished ninth in the Western Conference. . . . The Blazers (14-53-5) wrapped up the poorest season in Kamloops franchise history. They went 4-24-1 after Guy Charron replaced Dave Hunchak as head coach. . . . 
In Everett, F Carson Stadnyk scored his 23rd goal at 18:32 of the third period to give the Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Victoria F Tyler Soy had tied the score with his 15th goal at 16:29 of the third. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 22 shots, as did Victoria G Coleman Vollrath. . . . F Manraj Hayer had two assists for the Silvertips, who had won 5-3 in Victoria on Friday night. . . . The Silvertips (39-23-9) moved into fourth in the Western Conference and for the first time in their 11 WHL seasons will meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in the playoffs. Home-ice advantage for that series will be decided today. . . . The Royals (48-20-4) will open a first-round series against the Spokane Chiefs at home on Saturday night. . . . 
In Kelowna, F Nick Merkley had a goal and two assists to help the Rockets to a 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Merkley tied the club record for single-season goals by a 16-year-old as he got his 25th. F Shane McColgan, now with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, scored 25 as a 16-year-old in 2009-10. . . . Merkley, from Calgary, finished with 58 points in 66 games. He was the ninth overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . The Rockets had beaten the Giants 6-5 in Vancouver on Friday night. . . . F Carter Rigby had two goals for Kelowna, giving him 18. . . . F Jackson Houck scored twice, giving him 34, and added an assist for the Giants. . . . Vancouver G Payton Lee, who was shaken up and left Friday’s game in the first period, stopped 35 shots. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 29 shots in running his record to 39-7-4. . . . The Rockets (57-11-4) are the Western Conference’s top seed and will open at home against the Tri-City Americans on Friday night. . . . The Giants (32-29-11) finished seventh and will meet the Portland Winterhawks. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., G Eric Comrie turned aside 18 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 3-0 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Comrie, 18, has four shutouts this season and nine in his career. . . . F Jesse Astles scored the game’s first goal, his 11th, at 14:24 of the first period. Four of those 11 goals came against the Chiefs. . . . Tri-City’s other two goals came via the PP, as F Parker Bowles got his 15th and Beau McCue added his 20th. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg was held pointless. He leads the WHL with 118 points, seven more than Portland F Nic Petan, who has one game remaining. . . . The Americans had lost five in a row (0-3-2) and went in 1-5-4 in their last 10. . . . Tri-City (29-32-10) finished eighth in the Western Conference, meaning it has a first-round date with the Kelowna Rockets. They open Saturday in Kelowna. . . . Spokane’s loss, combined with an Everett victory, left the Chiefs (40-26-6), who are out of games, in sixth spot in the conference. They open at Victoria on Saturday night.
F Fredrik Pettersson (Calgary, 2005-07) has signed a two-year extension with Lugano (Switzerland, NL A). His contract now runs through 2016-2017. This season, with Donbass Donetsk (Ukraine, KHL), Pettersson was pointless in five games. He was released in October and signed a two-year deal with Lugano in November. In 20 games with Lugano, he has 20 points, including seven goals.
D Dalton Thrower’s season may be over, according to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. . . . Thrower, the Vancouver Giants’ best player and their captain, “had to be helped off the ice midway through a session at South Delta Recreation Centre on Monday morning after re-injuring his left ankle. The team isn’t saying yet, but it’s likely that the overage defenceman is finished for the season. He was on his way to hospital before his teammates got off the ice.” . . . Thrower, 20, has missed the Giants’ past 16 games and there was hope he would return Wednesday against the visiting Kamloops Blazers. . . . Ewen also reports that G Jared Rathjen, who appeared to injure a shoulder in Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets, wasn’t on the ice Monday, while F Tyler Benson, the first overall selection in the WHL‘s 2013 bantam draft, was there. . . . Ewen’s complete report is 
The Kootenay Ice is 19-8-1 since returning from the Christmas break, including 11-2-0 in February, but may not have F Tim Bozon for the remainder of this season. Bozon has been diagnosed with meningitis and is in hospital in Saskatoon. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart, who set franchise records for consecutive games with a point (22) and an assist (15) last month, has 60 assists, six off the franchise record that his held by F Jarret Stoll (2000-01). . . . The Ice is at home to the Red Deer Rebels tonight.
F Mitch Holmberg of the Spokane Chiefs goes into the week atop the WHL’s scoring race. He has 107 points, one more than F Nic Petan of the Portland Winterhawks and 10 more than Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand. . . . The Chiefs meet the Rockets in Kelowna on Wednesday and then head to Prince George for Friday and Saturday dates with the Cougars. . . . Prince George F Todd Fiddler will take an 18-game point streak into the weekend series against his former team. That’s the longest active streak in the WHL.
F Gal Koren (Kelowna, 2010-11) has signed with Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had one goal in 23 games with Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL) and eight points, four of them goals, in 15 games with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga) this season. . . .
F Richard Rapac (Moose Jaw, Prince George, 2006-07) has signed with Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. This season, with Litvonov (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had two points in 17 games. He also was on loan to Most (Czech Republic, 1.Liga) and had two goals in six games.
In Spokane, Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg became the WHL’s first 50-goal man this season in a 5-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Holmberg scored twice, giving him 51, and added an assist. The three points also moved him to 100 on the season and put him into a tie with Portland Winterhawks F Nic Petan for the lead in the points derby. . . . Spokane and Portland each has 13 regular-season games remaining. . . . Holmberg has 136 regular-season career goals, 10 behind F Pat Falloon (1988-91), who holds the franchise record. . . . F Mike Aviani helped the Chiefs with his 32nd goal and two assists, while F Adam Helewka had three assists. . . . Helewka, an 18-year-old sophomore from Burnaby, B.C., has 42 points, including 20 goals, in 49 games. Last season, he finished with 27 points, 10 of them goals, in 60 games. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist got his 38th goal of the season. . . . G Carter Hart, 15, made his WHL debut by starting for the Silvertips. He stopped 20 shots. A native of Sherwood Park, Alta., Hart is wearing No. 70. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams turned aside 34 shots. . . . This was Spokane’s 18th straight home-ice victory over Everett. . . . The Chiefs (33-20-5) are fifth in the Western Conference. . . . Everett (28-22-8) is seventh, two points behind Vancouver and four ahead of Tri-City.
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