Showing posts with label Tristen Nielsen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tristen Nielsen. Show all posts

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Tigers derail 'Cane train . . . Pats win sets franchise record . . . Barzal six-pack sparks Seattle


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The Everett Silvertips, who opened an East Division trek in Brandon with a 2-1 loss to the Wheat Kings on Friday, made a pair of roster moves Saturday morning. They dropped F Bradly Goethals, 18, from their roster as he has left the team, and brought back F Cal Babych, who had been with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. . . . Babych, who turned 20 on Jan. 18, played two games — on Jan. 29 and 31 — with the Silvertips during a recent stint with them, before being returned to Coquitlam. . . . Babych also has played with the Calgary Hitmen, Prince George Cougars, Prince Albert Raiders and Vancouver Giants. In total, he has 35 points, 15 of them goals, in 154 regular-season games. He had seven goals and 22 assists in 36 games with the Express this season. . . . Everett acquired Goethals from Brandon on Oct. 12 for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft. He had three goals and three assists in 23 games with the Silvertips. “Bradly Goethals made significant strides to become a regular in our lineup,” general manager Garry Davidson said in a news release, “and made a decision to leave our hockey team for personal reasons. We acknowledge his wishes and priorities, and wish him well in his future endeavours.” . . . From Île-des-Chênes, Man., Goethals had 74 points, including 41 goals, in 43 games with the midget AAA Eastman Selects last season. He led the Manitoba Midget Hockey League in goals and points.
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When the Northern Michigan Wildcats blanked the visiting Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, 2-0 on Saturday, in Marquette, Mich., G Atte Tolvanen, a 22-year-old from Vihti, Finland, recorded his fifth straight shutout. That tied the record for consecutive shutouts that was set by Medicine Hat native Blaine Lacher in his senior season (1993-94) with the Lake Superior State Lakers. Lacher still holds the NCAA record with a shutout streak of 375 minutes 1 second. . . . Tolvanen’s streak is at 335:49. . . . Tolvanen is in his second season at NMU after spending two seasons in the NAHL, first with the Minnesota Magicians and then the Minot Minotauros. . . . The Wildcats are scheduled to visit the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks on Friday and Saturday nights. . . . The Wildcats’ head coach is Walt Kyle, who has been there since June 13, 2002. Kyle spent two seasons (1992-94) as head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Concussion Report

 Like football and hockey, the sport of bull riding has come face-to-face with a concussion problem, a situation that has been exacerbated by the death of cowboy Ty Pozzobon, a rodeo star from Merritt, B.C. Pozzobon, who was 25 when he died on Jan. 25, is believed to have suffered 12 concussions. . . . Charlie Gillis of Maclean’s has more right here on Pozzobon and the situation in which bull riding now finds itself.
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“In the 1950s,” writes Juliet Macur of The New York Times, “tobacco companies responded to research proving a link between smoking and lung cancer by trying to discredit the science. They formed their own research group to poke holes in the data and to stave off public panic that cigarette smoking could cause serious diseases and death.
“More than 60 years later, the NHL has responded to a class-action lawsuit regarding head injuries with a similar approach.
“The suit, brought by former players and their families, claims that the league hid the dangers of brain trauma. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages.
“It now looks as if the NHL, which makes about US$4 billion a year, has chosen to go after the science behind the brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. It’s late to this game. Even the NFL — a longtime and loud naysayer that blows to the head cause CTE — has acknowledged the link.”
Macur’s story in its entirety is right here.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Calgary, F Tristen Nielsen scored in the eighth round of a shootout to give the Hitmen a 3-2 victory
TRISTEN NIELSEN
over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Jake Kryski gave Calgary a 1-0 lead in the skills competition to end the second round, but F Tyler Steenbergen tied it for the Broncos in the third round. . . . That set the stage for Nielsen, a first-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft who has two goals in 34 games this season. . . . F Ryley Lindgren sent the Broncos into a 1-0 lead at 9:01 of the first period. . . . Calgary tied it at 10:30 of the second period as F Matteo Gennaro got No. 34. . . . Lindgren’s 17th goal gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at 12:05. . . . Calgary forced OT when D Brady Reagan (4) scored, on a PP, at 13:12 of the third period. . . . Gennaro also had an assist. . . . G Kyle Dumba blocked 21 shots to earn the victory over Jordan Papirny, who stopped 31 shots, seven of them in extra time. . . . Calgary was 1-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-3. . . . The Hitmen (20-26-9) had lost their previous three games. They are three points away from a playoff spot. . . . The Broncos (29-17-9) are 4-0-1 in their past five outings. They are third in the East Division, five points behind Moose Jaw. . . . Announced attendance: 6,272.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Cole Fonstad’s goal in the eighth round of a shootout gave the Prince Albert
COLE FONSTAD
Raiders a 4-3 victory in a game featuring the teams with the WHL’s poorest records. . . . The Raiders (14-38-5) had lost their previous three games. . . . The Ice (12-34-9) has lost five in a row (0-4-1). . . . They are tied for 21st in the overall standings, with the Ice holding two games in hand. . . . F Brett Davis scored for the Ice in the second round of the skills competition, with F Cavin Leth keeping the Raiders alive with a goal in the third round. . . . The Ice had taken a 1-0 lead when F Colton Kroeker scored at 3:26 of the first period. . . . The Raiders tied it on F Simon Stransky’s 15th goal at 18:12. . . . The final four goals came in the third period. . . . F Vince Loschiavo got No. 20 to put the Ice ahead at 1:07. . . . The visitors then took the lead on goals from F Parker Kelly (11), at 13:27, and F Curtis Miske (13), at 15:15. . . . Kroeker, who also had an assist, forced OT with his 11th goal at 18:43. . . . Loschiavo had two assists for the Ice. . . . Miske had an assist for the Raiders. . . . Fonstad, a 16-year-old from Estevan, Sask., was the fifth-overall pick in the 2015 bantam draft. He has nine goals and 12 assists in 55 games. . . . G Nic Sanders stopped 34 shots for the Raiders, including six in OT. . . . The Ice got 25 saves from G Payton Lee. . . . Prince Albert was 0-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-7. . . . Announced attendance: 1,924.
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At Medicine Hat, G Michael Bullion stopped 19 shots in recording his first WHL shutout as the Tigers
ZACH FISCHER
dropped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-0. . . . Bullion, who was acquired from the Portland Winterhawks to back up Nick Schneider, was making his 36th career appearance. It was his 12th appearance with the Tigers. He now is 9-2-0, 2.72, .898. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko scored the game’s first goal, his 10th, on a PP at 3:47 of the first period. . . . F James Hamblin added insurance with No. 16, shorthanded, at 1:31 of the second period. . . . F Ryan Jevne (9) F Zach Fischer (29) and F Mason Shaw (22) also scored for the Tigers. . . . Fischer also had two assists, as did D Jordan Henderson. Kirichenko added one. . . . The Hurricanes started Stuart Skinner in goal. He left after allowing five goals on 34 shots in 52:08. Adam Swan then made his WHL debut, stopping all four shots he faced in 7:52. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-2 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-2. . . . The Tigers (40-16-1) have won four in a row. The now lead the Central Division by eight points over Lethbridge. . . . The Hurricanes (33-16-7), who had won nine straight, had points in each of their previous 15 games (13-0-2). . . . Announced attendance: 4,419.
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At Moose Jaw, G Carter Hart turned aside 31 shots to lead the Everett Silvertips to a 2-0 victory over the
CARTER HART
Warriors. . . . The victory lifted the Silvertips back into first place in the U.S. Division, one point ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds, whose game against the visiting Portland Winterhawks started shortly before Everett’s game ended. Just over two hours later, Seattle completed an 8-5 victory and moved one point ahead of Everett. . . . Hart now has put up back-to-back shutouts as he blanked the visiting Vancouver Giants, 1-0, one week earlier. This is his second shutout streak of the season. As November ended, he put up three in a row. . . . Hart leads the WHL with eight shutouts this season and now has 18 in his career. . . . F Devon Skoleski (11) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 10:18 of the first period, with F Eetu Tuulola (13) providing insurance at 10:13 of the second period. . . . Skoleski also had an assist. . . . The Warriors got 32 saves from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . Each team was 0-3 on the PP. . . . The Silvertips are 1-1-0 on their six-game East Division trip. . . . Everett (32-12-10) is nine points ahead of third-place Tri-City in the U.S. Division. . . . The Warriors (32-17-8) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). They are second in the East Division, five points ahead of Swift Current. . . . Announced attendance: 3,337.
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At Red Deer, D Josh Mahura’s goal at 3:04 of OT gave the Regina Pats a 4-3 victory over the Rebels. . . .
JOSH MAHURA
Mahura, who has 13 goals, was acquired from the Rebels in a deal at the trading deadline. He has four goals and six assists in 15 games with Regina, after recording nine goals and 24 assists in 39 games with the Rebels this season. . . . F Austin Pratt (12) had given the Rebels a 1-0 lead at 19:25 of the first period. . . . The Pats took a 2-1 lead on goals from D Connor Hobbs (25), on a PP, at 19:45 of the second period and F Adam Brooks (31) just 26 seconds into the third. . . . Red Deer responded with two PP goals to take a 3-2 lead. F Michael Spacek (24) counted at 5:46, with D Colton Bobyk getting his fifth at 6:51. . . . The Pats forced extra time when F Austin Wagner got his 25th goal at 7:08. . . . Wagner also drew an assist on the winner. . . . Brooks also had two assists, with Hobbs adding one. . . . Regina F Sam Steel, the WHL scoring leader, had one assist. . . . Steel has 98 points, four more than Brooks. . . . The Rebels got 47 shots from G Riley Lamb. He was especially busy in the second and third periods as the Pats outshot the Rebels by margins of 21-5 and 17-5. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown turned aside 23 shots. . . . Red Deer was 2-5 on the PP; Regina was 1-7. . . . The Rebels had F Cam Hausinger and F Adam Musil back after they served two- and one-game suspensions, respectively. . . . Regina (40-6-7) ran its winning streak to 11 games. The Pats lead the overall standings by six points over Medicine Hat with four games in hand. . . . The Rebels (23-24-9) have lost four in a row (0-3-1). They are third in the Central Division, six points ahead of Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 6,297.
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At Saskatoon, F Jesse Shynkaruk scored his second goal of the game at 4:43 of OT as the Blades beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 3-2, on Ukrainian Night. . . . Shynkaruk now has 26 goals this season, and
JESSE SHYNKARUK
that’s not bad for a 20-year-old who was a walk-on at training camp. . . . Shynkaruk, who is from Saskatoon, went into the season with 23 goals and 25 assists in 196 career regular-season games split between the Kamloops Blazers and Moose Jaw Warriors. He was a seventh-round pick by the Blazers in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . This season, he has 26 goals and 14 assists in 41 games. . . . The game’s first four goals came in a span of 6:19 in the second period. . . . Shynkaruk put the Blades ahead 1-0, on a PP, at 9:35. . . . Brandon F Ty Lewis (25) tied it, on a PP, at 12:12. . . . The Blades went back out front when F Josh Paterson (13) counted at 14:11. . . . The Wheat Kings pulled even as F Stelio Mattheos (21) scored another PP goal, at 15:54. . . . Shynkaruk’s OT winner came from the backdoor off a pass from F Mason McCarty. . . . F Nolan Patrick and D Kale Clague each had two assists for Brandon. . . . Saskatoon G Logan Flodell stopped 21 shots, one more than Brandon’s Travis Child. . . . Brandon was 2-5 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-4. . . . The Wheat Kings dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum, as they used nine forwards and seven defencemen. . . . The Blades, already with six players on the injury list, lost F Chase Wouters to an undisclosed injury in the first period. . . . This was the final game the eight-game season series. The Wheat Kings were 4-2-2; the Blades finished 4-3-1. . . . For those unfamiliar with the beloved loser point, that means Brandon won the series, 10-9. . . . Saskatoon (23-26-6) has won three in a row and holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, 10 points behind Brandon and three in front of Calgary. . . . Brandon (27-20-8) has points in four straight (2-0-2) and is five points behind third-place Swift Current in the East Division. . . . Announced attendance: 4,307.
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At Kent, Wash., F Mathew Barzal had a career-high six points as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Portland Winterhawks, 8-5. . . . F Ryan Gropp had two goals and an assist for Seattle, running his goal-
MATHEW BARZAL
scoring streak to six games and his point streak to 12. In those 12 games, he has put up 11 goals and 14 assists, and Seattle is 11-0-1 in that span. . . . Barzal finished with a goal, his eighth, and five assists. He has 54 points, 46 of them assists, in 29 games this season. He has played 190 regular-season games, putting up 253 points, including 192 assists. . . . The first four stoppages in this game were for goals. . . . Seattle took a 1-0 lead when F Tyler Adams scored his second goal at 1:39 of the first period. . . . Portland went ahead 2-1 on goals from F Jake Gricius (6), at 4:02, and F Cody Glass (26), at 5:33. . . . Barzal tied it at 6:38. . . . Barzal’s goal was the first of four straight for Seattle. . . . D Reece Harsch got his third goal at 18:48. F Alexander True scored No. 18, shorthanded, at 3:27 of the second period and F Keegan Kolesar (16) upped Seattle’s lead to 5-2, on a PP, at 7:47. . . . The Winterhawks got back to within a goal as F Joachim Blichfeld scored twice, giving him 23, at 9:16 and 14:51. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear stretched the lead with his 21st goal, on a PP, at 10:30 of the third period. . . . The Winterhawks made it interesting as F Skyler McKenzie (35) counted at 11:16. . . . Gropp put it away with two goals, at 11:49 and 18:10, the second into an empty net. . . . Gropp, who also had an assist, has 11 goals and 14 assists in his 12-game run. . . . In his last four games, Gropp has seven goals and five assists. . . . In their last four games, Barzal, Gropp and Kolesar have combined for 37 points. . . . Bear, who was playing in his 250th career game, also had three assists for his second career four-point game. He has 52 points, including 31 assists, in 53 games. . . . Portland got two assists from glass. . . . The Thunderbirds got 29 saves from G Rylan Toth, while Portland’s Cole Kehler blocked 20. . . . Seattle was 2-4 on the PP; Portland was 1-5. . . . The Thunderbirds were able to dress only 16 skaters, including 10 forwards. . . . The Thunderbirds were without D Turner Ottenbreit, who left Friday’s 6-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans and didn’t return. Seattle F Sami Moilanen, who also didn’t finish Friday’s game, was in the lineup last night. . . . The Winterhawks played for a second straight night without a 20-year-old in their lineup. . . . Seattle (35-15-5) is 11-0-1 in its past 12 games and leads the U.S. Division by one point over Everett. . . . The Winterhawks (30-23-3) are fourth in the U.S. Division, two points behind Tri-City. . . . Announced attendance: 5,653.
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At Spokane, the Chiefs built a 4-0 second-period lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Tri-City
ETHAN McINDOE
Americans. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto’s 31st goal, at 2:28 of the first period, gave the home side a 1-0 lead. . . . F Keanu Yamamoto’s 21st goal, at 3:09, upped that to 2-0. . . . Both goals came via the PP. . . . F Ethan McIndoe scored two second-period goals for a 4-0 lead. He’s got 14 goals. . . . The Americans got back into it with three third-period goals. . . . F Brett Leason got his third at 1:40, with F Tyler Sandhu scoring his 15th at 10:24, and D Juuso Valimaki counting his 16th at 12:56. . . . The Chiefs got two assists from F Riley Woods and one each from the Yamamoto brothers. . . . Spokane started G Jayden Sittler, who was beaten three times on 19 shots in 52:56. He got the victory. Dawson Weatherill came on to earn a save, stopping all five shots he faced in 7:04. . . . G Rylan Parenteau stopped 25 shots for the Americans. . . . Spokane was 2-3 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-3. . . . Tri-City was without F Michael Rasmussen for a second straight game. . . . The Chiefs (23-23-9) have points in three straight (2-0-1). They are eight points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Americans (31-23-3) have lost three in a row. . . . . Announced attendance: 9,848.
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At Langley, B.C., G Brodan Salmond blanked the Vancouver Giants for a second straight night as the
BRODAN SALMOND
Kelowna Rockets posted a 5-0 victory. . . . One night after making 22 saves in a 6-0 victory in Kelowna, the 18-year-old native of Calgary stopped 19 shots for his third career shutout. . . . The Royals got out to a 1-0 lead when F Calvin Thurkauf (25) scored, on a PP, at 6:10 of the first period. . . . D James Hilsendager (3) made it 2-0 at 8:49. . . . F Erik Gardiner (4) counted on a PP, at 1:01 of the second period, giving him two goals in two nights. . . . D Lucas Johansen (4) and F Kole Lind (26) had the other Kelowna goals. . . . The Rockets got three assists from F Dillon Dube, with Gardiner and Johansen adding one each. . . . The Giants got 33 saves from G David Tendeck. . . . Kelowna was 2-4 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Rockets (32-20-4) have won two in a row. They are third in the B.C. Division, six points behind Kamloops and two ahead of Victoria. . . . The Giants (18-34-5) have lost two straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,233.
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At Victoria, G Dylan Ferguson blocked 36 shots to lead the Kamloops Blazers to a 3-1 victory over the
DYLAN FERGUSON
Royals. . . . One night earlier, the host Royals beat the Blazers, 2-1 in a shootout. . . . Last night, the Blazers went 3-7 on the PP, scoring in the final minute of each period. . . . The Royals were 0-6 on the PP. . . . F Collin Shirley’s 23rd goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 19:53 of the first period. . . . Victoria tied it at 1:37 of the second period when F Eric Florchuk got his third goal. . . . F Deven Sideroff (31) gave Kamloops a 2-1 lead at 19:07 of the second period, with F Rudolfs Balcers (31) adding insurance at 19:39 of the third. . . . The Blazers got two assists from D Joe Gatenby and one from Sideroff. . . . Ferguson improved to 14-9-2, 2.71, .923. . . . The Royals got 33 saves from G Griffen Outhouse. . . . The Royals lost F Jared Dmytriw when he took a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on F Deven Sideroff at 17:19 of the third period. . . . The Blazers (34-18-6) have points in five straight (3-0-2). They are second in the B.C. Division, four points behind the Prince George Cougars, who don’t play this weekend. . . . The Royals (31-22-4) hold down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, three points ahead of Portland. . . . Announced attendance: 5,853.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Calgary at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Lethbridge vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 4 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:10 PM
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Friday, September 16, 2016

Giants' Benson has shoulder injury . . . Thunderbirds get goaltender from Rebels . . . Broncos win, go to 5-1-1

F Erik Christensen (Kamloops, Brandon, 1999-2004) has signed a one-year extension with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden, SHL). Last season, he had nine goals and 15 assists in 42 games.
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F Tyler Benson of the Vancouver Giants just can’t seem to escape the injury bug. Benson, the first overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft, is in Penticton, B.C., with the Edmonton Oilers prospects team for the annual YoungStars Classic. But he didn’t play in the Oilers’ tournament opener against the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night thanks to a shoulder injury incurred in a WHL exhibition game against the visiting Victoria Royals on Sunday. Benson sat out the last eight minutes of that game, something the Giants said was precautionary. . . . Benson got into 30 games last season and put up 28 points, including nine goals. But he had early-season surgery to remove a cyst from his lower back area and missed a lot of time. . . . An Edmonton native, he was selected by the Oilers in the second round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . In 2014-15, as a freshman, he recorded 45 points, 14 of them goals, in 62 games.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds acquired G Rylan Toth, 20, from the Red Deer Rebels on Friday for a third-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. . . . Toth, who was placed on the Rebels’ protected list in December 2012, had a regular-season record of 54-33-10 in 100 appearances with Red Deer. The Saskatoon native is 4-10 in the playoffs. . . . Last season, Toth was 26-15-1, 2.67, .912 and put up five shutouts. In the playoffs, he went 3-6, 3.15, .905. He also played in four Memorial Cup games, going 2-2, 2.99, .901. . . . Toth’s arrival in Seattle gives the Thunderbirds three 20-year-olds, the others being F Scott Eansor and F Cavin Leth. . . . The Rebels also have the maximum three 20-year-olds — G Trevor Martin, D Colton Bobyk and F Evan Polei. . . .
In Seattle, Toth joins Logan Flodell, 19, Ryan Gilchrist, 18, and Carl Stankowski, 16, as goaltenders still on the roster. . . . The Rebels, meanwhile, are left with veteran Trevor Martin, 20, and freshmen Riley Lamb, 18, and Dawson Weatherill, 17, competing for their goaltending spots. . . . 
This isn’t the first time Seattle has gone to Red Deer for a goaltender. On Aug. 5, 2015, the Thunderbirds got Taz Burman from the Rebels F Lane Pederson and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. Burman was 7-4-0, 3.20, .877 in 16 appearances with Seattle before being dealt to the Swift Current Broncos with F Jamal Watson and a conditional second-round draft pick for G Landon Bow. With the Broncos, Burman was 8-10-3, 3.39, .903. . . . Burman, 19, is 1-0-0, 2.19, .921 in two appearances in this exhibition season.

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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:

In Brandon, D Ivan Provorov and F Ty Lewis had shootout goals to give the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . F Connor Gutenberg scored twice for Brandon (2-2-0), his second goal, and third of the preseason, forging a 2-2 tie at 15:41 of the third period. That one came via the PP; his first goal was a shorthanded effort. . . . D Chase Harrison and F Dawson Leedahl each had a goal and an assist for the Pats (3-3-1). . . . F Nolan Patrick, who is recovering from sports hernia surgery in July, wasn’t in Brandon’s lineup. . . . 
In Kelowna, F Brendan Semchuk had a goal and two assists to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 5-4 victory over the Rockets. . . . Semchuk was playing his first game since Jan. 2 when his freshman season was ended by an injury. . . . D Dylan Plouffe also had a goal and two assists for Vancouver (1-3-1), while D Marcus Kichton had two assists. F James Malm and D Matt Barberis each had a goal and an assist. . . . Kelowna (3-2-0) got a goal and two assists from F Kole Lind. . . . The Rockets dressed only 14 skaters, four under the maximum. They have eight players at NHL camps, with F Rod Southam injured and D Nolan Foote ill. . . . The Giants, meanwhile, dressed 15 skaters, including five defencemen. . . . 
In Crowsnest Pass, Alta., F Tristen Nielsen scored two goals and added an assist to help the Calgary Hitmen to a 6-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . F Lucas Cullen also scored twice for Calgary (3-1-1), with D Vladislav Yeryomenko scoring his fourth goal and and adding an assist. . . . F Colton Kroeker scored his fifth goal for Lethbridge (2-4-0). . . . 
In Ralston, Alta., the Medicine Hat Tigers blanked the Red Deer Rebels, 4-0. . . . F Steven Owre scored three times for the Tigers (3-2-0), with F Mason Shaw drawing three assists. . . . The Rebels (3-2-0) were outshot 32-14. . . . G Duncan McGovern recorded the shutout. . . .
In Prince George, F Yan Khomenko scored twice to help the Cougars to a 4-0 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Khomenko, a Russian, had five goals and three assists in 46 games as a freshman with the Everett Silvertips last season. The Cougars picked him up last week. . . . F Colby McAuley added a goal and an assist for the Cougars (3-3-0), while D Max Martin had two assists. . . . Goaltenders Nick McBride (19 saves) and Tavin Grant (9) shared the shutout. . . . The Blazers (2-3-0) have nine players at NHL camps; the Cougars have eight. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., F Alexander True scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . F Sami Moilanen scored twice for Seattle (4-2-0). . . . D Lucas Skrumeda had a goal and an assist for Everett (2-3-1), which forced OT on F Riley Sutter’s goal at 8:26 of the third period. . . . True, who is from Denmark, scored the shootout winner against Everett G Lasse Petersen, who also is from Denmark. . . .  
In Swift Current, the Broncos scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-2. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen pulled the Broncos into a 2-2 tie at 17:38 of the first period. The home boys won it with two third-period goals, from F Calvin Spencer and D Artyom Minulin, the latter into an empty net. . . . The Broncos (5-1-1), who were 3-for-5 on the PP, got two assists from F Aleksi Heponiemi, giving him 15 points, including 10 assists, in six games. . . . F Tim Vanstone scored his third goal for the Raiders (3-2-0). . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Kailer Yamamoto scored 41 seconds into OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Chiefs (3-3-0) led this one 2-0 in the first period, only to have the Americans (3-3-1) tie it on a goal by F Vladislav Lukin at 15:29 of the second. . . . D Evan Fiala had two assists for Spokane.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:24 PM
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Monday, June 29, 2015

Giants get their coach . . . Chiefs deal D-man to Tigers . . . Hitmen, Thunderbirds sign skaters








F Štěpán Novotný (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with Žilina (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had 13 goals and nine assists in 39 games. He also played 13 games with Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga), scoring three goals.
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The Vancouver Giants will introduce Lorne Molleken today as their newest head coach. . . . Molleken, 59, is one of four coaches to have won more than 600 WHL regular-season games. His 603 victories trail only the retired Ken Hodge (742), Don Hay (637), who now is with the Kamloops Blazers, and Don Nachbaur (632) of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Molleken, who is from Regina, began his coaching career with the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings. In the WHL, he has been the head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades. He also has coached in the AHL and NHL. . . . In Vancouver, he takes over from Claude Noel, who wasn’t retained following the last season. Noel took over from Troy Ward, who was hired last summer and fired after 25 games. . . . Ward was hired after the Giants allowed Hay out of his contract in order for him to return to Kamloops. . . . The Giants have missed the playoffs in two of the past three seasons. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman has more on the Molleken signing right here.
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Steve Ewen, who covers the Giants for the Vancouver Province, takes a look right here at the team’s coaching situation. He says it’s time the organization changed its approach and started grooming future head coaches.
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With the Vancouver Giants having signed Lorne Mollken, it means that all 22 WHL teams now have head coaches in place. . . . Of those teams, three have made coaching changes since the 2014-15 season ended. . . . The Kootenay Ice hired Luke Pierce to replace Ryan McGill, who is believed to have been on Vancouver’s shortlist. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes hired Brent Kisio to take over from Peter Anholt, who will focus on his general manager’s duties. . . . Molleken, who turned 59 on June 11, is the third-oldest coach in the WHL, younger than only John Paddock of the Regina Pats, who turned 61 on June 9, and Don Hay of the Kamloops Blazers, who hit 61 on Feb. 13. . . . The youngest? Pierce will be 32 on Aug. 18, with Kisio scheduled to turn 33 on Dec. 15.
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The Spokane Chiefs have dealt D Tamas Laday, 19, to the Medicine Hat Tigers for an eighth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Laday, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound Hungarian, had six assists in 60 games as a freshman last season with the Chiefs. . . . The trade allows the Chiefs, who also have Austrian F Dominic Zwerger on their roster, to select one player in today’s CHL import draft. They go into the draft with the 26th selection. . . . The Tigers also have German F Markus Eisenschmid on their roster. He had 44 points, including 19 goals, in 50 games last season, but at 20 years of age would be a two-spotter in 2015-16.
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The CHL import draft poses a lot of problems for WHL general managers because, in many instances, they don’t control a whole lot about it. So it’s always interesting to see what some of them have to say.
Here’s what John Paddock, the Regina Pats’ GM/head coach, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post:
“It’s like picking a needle out of a haystack. You try to do your work. You have friends or people you know in the pro ranks that see these guys play. You talk to agents. You try to get as much information as you can.”
Paddock also said:
“You hope and pray. There are no guarantees of anything. When I looked around our league last year, there’s not a lot of significant Europeans. There’s the odd top one like (Leon) Draisaitl and (Ivan) Provorov, but with a lot of teams I couldn’t tell you who their Euros are.”
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Coaching

The QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders will introduce Jim Hulton as their new head coach on Thursday. . . . He will replace Gordie Dwyer, who was dropped after the Islanders didn’t get through the second round of the postseason. . . . Hulton, 46, has OHL coaching experience with the North Bay Centennials, Mississauga IceDogs, Belleville Bulls and Kingston Frontenacs. . . . He also spent three seasons (2008-11) as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Florida Panthers. . . . Since 2011, Hulton has been the general manager and head coach of the USHL’s Tri-City Storm.
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Josh Hepditch, the former general manager and head coach of the junior B Creston Valley Thunder Cats of the Kootenay International junior league, has signed on as head coach of the County Aces, a junior A team that plays out of St. Stephen, N.B., in the Maritime Hockey League. . . . Last season, Hepditch was general manager and head coach of the MHL’s Amherst Ramblers.
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F Patrick D’Amico, who played out his eligibility with the Regina Pats last season, will attend the New Jersey Devils’ development camp. . . . F Tyler Soy, 18, of the Victoria Royals and F Jakob Stukel, 18, of the Vancouver Giants will be in the development camp of the Edmonton Oilers. . . . Tri-City Americans D Brendan O’Reilly, an 18-year-old from Southlake, Texas, will skate with the Dallas Stars. . . . F Terrell Draude, 18, of the Calgary Hitmen will be in camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning. . . . F Markus Eisenschmid, 20, of the Medicine Hat Tigers is to attend the Montreal Canadiens’ development camp. . . . D Justin Hamonic, who played with the Tri-City Americans as a 20-year-old last season, is going to camp with the Colorado Avalanche.
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The Calgary Hitmen have signed F Tristen Nielsen, the 19th overall selection in the 2015 bantam draft. Nielsen, from Fort St. John, B.C., played last season at the Edge School in Calgary. He had 97 points, including 59 goals, in 52 games with the bantam prep team.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed D Brandon Schuldhaus, who was a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Schuldhaus, a 17-year-old native of Houston, Texas, who now lives in Calgary, has played two seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn. Last season, with the midget AAA team, he had 12 points, five of them goals, in 31 games.
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Concussion Report

D Patrick Wey, 24, has retired from hockey after being unable to return from two concussions incurred less than a year apart. . . . Wey, from Pittsburgh, was a fourth-round pick by the Washington Capitals in the 2009 NHL draft. He had been playing with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. . . . Mike Vogel, who writes for the Capitals, tweeted the news Monday morning. . . . Wey has said he will pursue “educational interests.” . . . Wey played 28 games in 2013-14 and just three games last season. . . . He suffered his first concussion in a fight on March 30, 2014, while up with the Capitals, then suffered the second one in the third game of last season, thanks to an elbow to the head.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:29 PM
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