Aces come up kings in ECHL

F Ty Morris (Swift Current, Vancouver, Red Deer, 2003-05) has signed a one-year extension with Landshut (Germany, DEL2). Last season, he had 46 points, including 15 goals, in 47 games.
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So I am embarking on a voyage of discovery to find out.
I'll be back in a couple of weeks. Until then . . .

1. Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada has an interesting note in his weekly 30 Thoughts: “Another AHL coach to watch: Norfolk's Trent Yawney. Hearing Anaheim wants him on the bench next to Bruce Boudreau.” . . . There’s an opening in Anaheim because Bob Woods, whose contract with the Ducks was up and hadn’t yet been renewed, left to join the Saskatoon Blades as GM/head coach. . . . Yawney, from Hudson Bay, Sask., spent three seasons (1981-84) on the Blades’ blue line. . . . Friedman’s latest column is right here.

2. Baseball has Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. . . . Hockey has Billy Mosienko’s three goals in 21 seconds. . . . Brian Costello of The Hockey News revisits Mosienko’s amazing feat right here.

3. In Cincinnati, G Gerald Coleman stopped 23 shots as the Alaska Aces beat the Cyclones 4-0 and won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup final, 4-2. . . . The Aces won the last two games, both in Cincinnati, to win their third Kelly Cup, tying the South Carolina Stingrays for the most in ECHL history. . . . Former WHL F Turner Elson (Red Deer, 2009-13) had one of Alaska’s goals. . . . Former WHL D James Martin (Swift Current, Kootenay, 2008-11) was among Alaska’s scratches in Game 6. . . . According to an Aces news release, “Assistant coach Louis Mass joined Scott Burt, Jared Bednar and Patrick Wellar as the only individuals to have their names on the Kelly Cup three times.” . . . Burt (Seattle, Swift Current, Edmonton Red Deer, 1994-98) just completed his first season as an assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs. Prior to that he played three seasons (2008-11) with the Aces and was an assistant coach for two more (2011-13). . . . Bednar, now an assistant coach with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons, played three seasons in the WHL (Saskatoon, Spokane, Medicine Hat, Prince Albert, 1990-93). . . . Wellar, who played this season with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, spent four seasons in the WHL (Portland, Calgary, 2000-04).

4. G Michael Hutchinson stopped 49 shots to lead the visiting St. John’s IceCaps to a 2-1 victory over the Texas Stars in Game 2 of the AHL final on Monday night in Cedar Park, Texas. . . . The series is tied, with the next three games in St. John’s, starting on Wednesday. . . . Hutchinson was especially busy in the third period when he made 20 saves. . . . F Blair Riley, a native of Chase, B.C., scored the GWG. He got his second goal of this postseason early in the second period, just 44 seconds after the Stars had tied the game. . . . F Brendan Ranford, who spent the previous five seasons with the Kamloops Blazers, had the lone Texas goal, his eighth of the playoffs.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:

Hearing #WHLGiants coaching search may be down to 2 guys - former #Canucks forward Tim Hunter and EDM Oil Kings assistant Steve Hamilton.
— News1130 Sports (@News1130Sports) June 9, 2014

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“A Colorado jury has awarded $11.5-million in a lawsuit brought against helmet maker Riddell and several high school administrators and football coaches over brain injuries suffered by a teenager in 2008,” writes Catherine Tsai of the Associated Press in a story filed from Denver. “Saturday’s ruling comes as the company still faces a similar lawsuit in Los Angeles, plus a complaint by thousands of former NFL players against the league and Riddell.”
While the jury didn’t find Riddell helmets defective, it found that the company was negligent “in failing to warn people wearing its helmets about concussion dangers.”
Tsai’s story is right here.
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Michael Shanks, who was born in Vancouver and grew up in Kamloops, plays the role of Gordie Howe in the Hallmark Channel original movie Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story. . . . The movie will be shown April 28 in Canada on CBC and May 4 on the Hallmark Channel in the U.S. . . . Mike Brudenell of the Detroit Free Press has more right here.
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F Turner Elson, who has completed his WHL eligibility with the Red Deer Rebels, has joined the Abbotsford Heat, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. Elson had 57 points, including 26 goals, in 64 regular-season games with the Rebels, then added nine points in nine playoff games. He played four seasons in Red Deer. . . . The Flames signed him as a free agent on Sept. 22, 2011.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Calgary (3)
Series opens Thursday in Edmonton; all games on Shaw TV.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Kamloops (3)
Series opens Friday in Portland.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
No games scheduled.


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A few words from the blog of Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos:
“As first reported by CTV’s Lee Jones, the WHL has admitted the officiating crew in (Tuesday) night’s Game 4 between the Swift Current Broncos and Calgary Hitmen missed the glove pass in overtime that led to Calgary’s winning goal. Brooks Macek gloved the puck into the Swift Current crease and Victor Rask then knocked it in to secure a controversial 1-0 victory for the Hitmen.
“I talked to a league source this afternoon (who) confirmed they are aware a mistake was made and the goal should not have counted. However, once the referees missed the call on the ice the league had no further options to deal with the goal. Glove passes are not included among the items that can be looked at in a video review.”
If you haven’t seen the play in question, it’s near the end of a highlights package right here that was posted on the Broncos’ website.
Mullin’s blog is over there on the right.
Under the present rules, as Mullin notes, this isn’t a reviewable play. Obviously, it’s time to change the rule. Any play like this that results in a goal, or what appears to be a goal, should be reviewable.
We are not referring to a possible slash or a trip in the neutral zone. This was a gloved pass that led directly to a goal.
With video replay at its disposal, the WHL must act to change the rule. The objective should be to get it right, not to force teams to live with human error when it is avoidable.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Denis Chalifoux, 42, has resigned after one season as head coach of the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes. Chalifoux cited family reasons – he wants to spend more time with his children – as the reason. Shawinigan was 15-46-7 this season. He had two years left on his contract. . . .


Bill McDonald, 60, is the new head coach of the CIS’s Lakehead Thunderwolves. He replaces Mike Busniuk, was was the interim head coach after replacing Joel Scherban four games into this season. . . . McDonald is a veteran coach with lots of experience in the Thunder Bay, Ont., area. Right now, he is an assistant coach with the Central league’s Allen Americans.
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Rob Charney, who spent the last seven seasons scouting for the Prince George Cougars, lost a battle with cancer on Wednesday. Charney worked out of Winnipeg for the Cougars. . . . According to a Cougars’ news release: “The family has requested that any donations made on Rob’s behalf should go to KidSport Canada in his memory.” . . .
The OHL has suspended D Ryan O’Connor of the Barrie Colts for 10 games “for hitting an opponent in the head.” . . . O’Connor hit F Spencer Watson of the Kingston Frontenacs during a playoff game on Saturday. Watson was injured; O’Connor got a major and game misconduct. . . . The video of the hit is right here.
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 The WHL’s first-round situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
(Edmonton leads 3-1; Game 5 on Friday in Edmonton)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
(Medicine Hat wins 4-0)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
(Calgary leads 3-1; Game 5 tonight in Calgary)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)
(Red Deer wins 4-0)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
(Portland leads series 2-1; Game 4 on Friday in Everett)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
(Seattle leads 3-1; Game 5 on Saturday in Kelowna)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
(Kamloops leads 2-1; Game 4 tonight in Victoria, Bear Mountain Arena)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
(Spokane leads 2-1; Game 3 tonight in Kennewick, Wash.)
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In the East, if Edmonton takes out Kootenay, the second round will feature Edmonton against Medicine Hat and the Calgary/Swift Current winner versus Red Deer.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored the game’s first three goals and beat the Blades, 3-1. . . . The Blades, the Memorial Cup hosts, won’t play again until May 17 when they are to open the tournament against the OHL champions. . . . Saskatoon has been swept from back-to-back first-round series by Medicine Hat and now has lost 12 straight playoff games. . . . The Tigers never once trailed in this series. . . . Medicine Hat outscored Saskatoon 15-4 in the four games, including 7-0 in the first periods. . . . In the regular season, the Blades had won all four games with the Tigers. . . . F Curtis Valk scored at 4:23 of the first period, on a PP, and the Tigers were off and running. . . . Tigers F Boston Leier, who is from Saskatoon, had a goal and an assist. . . . F Lukas Sutter scored for the Blades at 7:36 of the third. . . . Medicine Hat G Cam Lanigan stopped 36 shots. He was 4-0, 1.00, .976 in the series. . . . Saskatoon F Jessey Astles was back from a two-game suspension. . . . The Blades had F Josh Nicholls in the lineup, after the WHL chose not to suspend him for a slashing major and game misconduct he took as the third period ended in Game 3. Nicholls slashed Medicine Hat F Hunter Shinkaruk. . . . Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s disciplinarian, told Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News: “I think on this one it certainly appeared to our supervisor at the game and our director of officiating and myself that there was perhaps some embellishment from the opponent. That was definitely taken into consideration when determining whether there should be a suspension or not.” . . .

In Prince Albert, F Turner Elson broke a 2-2 tie at 10:51 of the third period as the Rebels beat the Raiders, 3-2. . . . Prince Albert led this one 2-0 at 8:45 of the first, on goals by F Mark McNeill and F Jayden Hart. McNeill gave the Raiders their first lead of the series at 5:19. . . . F Connor Bleackley got Red Deer on the board at 12:02 of the first and F Brooks Maxwell tied it with his third of the series at 13:05 of the second. . . . Maxwell had 10 goals in 71 regular-season games. . . .

In Cranbrook, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 20 shots to help the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 4-0 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Henrik Samuellson and F Curtis Lazar each had a goal and an assist for the Oil Kings. . . . This was Brossoit’s second shutout of the series and the fourth of his playoff career. In this series, he is 3-1, 0.71, .970. His next victory will be the 20th of this career. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Kelowna Rockets scored three first-period PP goals and went on to blank the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), 4-0. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 25 shots for his first playoff shutout. . . . F Tyson Baillie scored the game’s first two goals. F Myles Bell and F Zach Franko also scored, each notching his second of the series. . . . Kelowna finished 3-for-7 on the PP; Seattle was 0-for-8. . . . The Rockets were without F Rourke Chartier (undisclosed), who was injured in Game 3. They dressed F Justin Kirkland in Chartier’s place. . . . After attendance was announced as 6,021 in Kent for Game 3, it was 2,559 last night. . . . Kelowna D MacKenzie Johnston didn’t return after behind checked into the end boards by Seattle F Connor Honey, who was hit with a double minor for checking from behind. . . .

In Everett, F Nic Petan had two goals and two assists as the Portland Winterhawks dumped the Silvertips, 7-3. . . . The Winterhawks limited Everett to just 13 shots, including two in the second period. . . . F Brendan Leipsic added a goal and two assists for the Winterhawks, as did D Derrick Pouliot. . . . Portland was 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . Announced attendance was 2,000. . . . Everett lost F Manraj Hayer (broken finger) after he stopped a shot by Portland D Seth Jones in the second period.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (8):
F Collin Valcourt, Saskatoon
F Curtis Honey, Seattle (double minor)

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (4):
D Brady Gaudet, Red Deer
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From Edmonton Sun columnist Terry Jones (@sunterryjones), who was in Cranbrook for the OIl Kings’ two games with the Kootenay Ice: “If I owned Kootenay Ice after WHL record 15 consecutive years in the playoffs and a crowd of less than 2,000 for Game 4, I'd be outta here.”
The Ice drew crowds of 2,204 and 2,042 for its two home playoff games with the Oil Kings.


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Hockey Canada is expected to announce one of the these days that Don Hay, the head coach of the Vancouver Giants, will coach Canada’s entry in the IIHF’s U-18 world championship. That tournament is scheduled for April 18-28 in Sochi, Russia. . . . Last year’s tournament was held in Brno and Znojmo, Czech Republic, with the U.S., Sweden and Canada finishing in that order. . . . This year, Canada will be in a pool with Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia. The other pool is to comprise the U.S., Finland, Russia, Czech Republic and Latvia. . . . Canada opens April 13 against Slovakia.
Hay, of course, has extensive experience with Hockey Canada. The 59-year-old from Kamloops has twice coached the national junior team, winning gold in Red Deer in 1995 and bronze in Calgary/Edmonton in 2012.
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We have word of another hockey team that uses a logo similar to that of the NHL’s Washington Capitals. Here is the logo used by the junior B Regina Capitals, of the Prairie Junior Hockey League.

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 The WHL’s first-round situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
(Edmonton leads 1-0; Game 2 on Sunday in Edmonton)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
(Medicine Hat leads 2-0; Game 3 on Tuesday in Medicine Hat)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
(Calgary leads 2-0; Game 3 on Monday in Swift Current)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)
(Red Deer leads 2-0; Game 3 on Tuesday in Prince Albert)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
(Series tied 1-1; Game 3 on Wednesday in Everett)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
(Seattle leads 2-0; Game 3 on Tuesday in Kent, Wash.)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
(Kamloops leads 2-0; Game 3 on Tuesday in Victoria. Bear Mountain Arena)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
(Spokane leads 2-0; Game 3 on Tuesday in Kennewick, Wash.)
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Red Deer, the Rebels jumped out to a 3-0 lead and hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . F Rhyse Dieno gave the Rebels a 3-0 edge at 6:25 of the second. . . . The Raiders got in it on goals from F Jonas Knutsen, at 14:15 of the second, and F Shane Danyluk, at 10:05 of the third. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak stopped 36 shots, two fewer than Prince Albert’s Luke Siemens. . . . Red Deer F Joel Hamilton came up dry on a first-period penalty shot with his side up 1-0. . . . F Turner Elson had two assists for Red Deer. . . .

In Spokane, F Blake Gal broke a 4-4 tie at 16:31 of the third period and the Chiefs went on to a 6-4 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . F Jesse Mychan had pulled Tri-City into a 4-4 tie with a PP goal at 8:41 of the third. . . . The goal was Gal’s second of the game. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 15 shots. . . . The Chiefs have taken four straight games from the Americans, including two late in the regular season. . . . The next two games and a third, if necessary, will be played in Kennewick, Wash. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks held Everett to 11 shots on goal and beat the Silvertips, 4-1. . . . Portland D Troy Rutkowski had a goal and two assists, while F Ty Rattie had one of each. . . . Portland D Shaun MacPherson scored his first playoff goal at 8:04 of the second. It gave Portland a 2-0 lead and ended up being the winner. . . . The game degenerated in the late going and by the end the visitors had taken 88 of 130 penalty minutes. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 30 shots. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth turned aside 10 shots, including three in the first period and one in the second. . . . Everett had lost 16 consecutive games in Portland before winning Friday’s opener, 4-3. . . .

In Kamloops, D Joel Edmundson and F Tim Bozon each scored twice as the Blazers got past the Victoria Royals, 6-4. . . . The Blazers led 5-1 going into the third period. The Royals then scored three times and trailed 5-4 with 1:44 left. . . . Kamloops F Dylan Willick put it away with an empty-netter at 18:52. . . . Kamloops F JC Lipon drew four assists. . . . The Royals got a goal and an assist from each of F Jamie Crooks and F Austin Carroll. . . . Victoria lost D Ryan Gagnon in the first period when he lost an edge and crashed awkwardly into the boards. He eventually was helped off the ice but didn’t return. Head coach Dave Lowry said Gagnon will be “re-evaluated” when the Royals return home. . . . Royals general manager Cam Hope told play-by-play man Marlon Martens that he saw Gagnon in the dressing room after the incident. “He was walking and talking and quite upset that he had put himself in that position and was out of the game. But hopefully he’ll be back soon.” . . .

In Kelowna, F Alex Delnov scored at 2:41 of OT to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 2-1 victory over the Rockets. . . . F Cole Linaker gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead at 13:28 of the second period. . . . Seattle D Jared Hauf forced OT with a goal at 10:08 of the third. . . . Among the Rockets’ scratches was veteran F J.T. Barnett, who had played in Game 1. The Rockets inserted freshman F Austin Glover, who turned 17 on Jan. 15, in Barnett’s spot. . . . The Rockets were 31-5-0 at home in the regular season, but now have lost two straight playoff games, both in OT, at home. . . .
The Thunderbirds now are 6-2 against the Rockets in playoff OT games. Here’s a look, courtesy of Ian Henry, the Thunderbirds’ director of public and media relations:
March 30, 2001 — In Game 1 of the first round, Shane Endicott scored at 2:14 of overtime for a 5-4 Seattle victory.
April 6, 2001 — In Game 4 of the first round, Brad Tutschek scored at 2:20 of overtime for a 3-2 Seattle victory.
April 8, 2001 — In Game 5 of the first round, Paul Hurd scored at 5:27 of overtime for a 2-1 Kelowna victory.
April 22, 2003 — In Game 3 of the Western Conference final, Tyler Metcalfe scored at 18:58 of the second overtime for a 3-2 Seattle victory.
March 28, 2008 — In Game 3 of the first round, David Richard scored at 15:12 of overtime for a 3-2 Seattle victory.
March 29, 2008 — In Game 6 of the first round, Lucas Bloodoff scored at 10:59 of overtime for a 4-3 Kelowna victory.
March 22, 2013 — In Game 1 of the first round, Luke Lockhart scored at 19:09 of overtime for a 5-4 Seattle victory.
March 23, 2013 — In Game 2 of the first round, Alexander Delnov scored at 2:41 of overtime for a 2-1 Seattle victory.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (5):
D Marco Mueller, Everett

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (2):
F Taylor Peters, Portland


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The WHL’s 20-year-old deadline arrives this afternoon.
Each WHL team has to declare a maximum of three such players by the deadline.
The Saskatoon Blades will have to make a move as they are carrying four 20s since acquiring F Adam Kambeitz from the Red Deer Rebels on Monday. The Blades also have D Connor Cox, F Josh Nicholls and F Brenden Walker on their roster.
The Portland Winterhawks also are carrying four 20s — G Cam Lanigan, G Mac Carruth, F Taylor Peters and D Troy Rutkowski. However, Carruth was just assigned to them by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, so the Winterhawks have 14 days from his arrival to get down to four 20s.
The Medicine Hat Tigers’ roster also includes four 20s — F Kale Kessy, F Elgin Pearce, D Derek Ryckman and D Alex Theriau. The situation here isn’t what it seems, however, as Theriau is on the injury list as he recovers from offseason hip surgery and, as you will read further on, Kessy, while under a WHL suspension, no longer is with the Tigers.
Two other teams — the Kamloops Blazers and Prince Albert Raiders — are keeping close tabs on a couple of AHL camps.
D Austin Madaisky has spent the last two-plus seasons with the Blazers. He has signed an NHL contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets and is with their AHL affiliate, the Springfield, Mass., Falcons. He is one of 10 defencemen on their roster as Saturday’s season-opener approaches. The Blazers have three 20s on their roster in F Jordan DePape, F Brendan Ranford and F Dylan Willick.
At the same time, the Prince Albert Raiders are watching the camp of the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs because D Antoine Corbin is there. If he returns to Prince Albert, the Raiders will have 14 days to make a move involving him, F Anthony Bardaro, D Davis Vandane or G Luke Siemens.
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oil Kings are at the other end of the spectrum, with two 20s — F T.J. Foster and F Dylan Wruck.
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When F Jordan Messier woke up Tuesday, you can bet he was thinking about the Tri-City Americans’ approaching swing into the East Division.
It wasn’t long, however, before Messier had a head start.
The Americans, who will head east today, dealt Messier, 20, to the Moose Jaw Warriors yesterday, getting back a 2014 fourth-round bantam draft pick. He was packing his gear, while his former teammates were preparing to head east.
In six games this season, his fifth in the WHL, Messier has three points.
Messier, from Canmore, Alta., has 163 points in 270 regular-season games, all of them with the Americans. Tri-City selected him in the second round of the 2007 bantam draft.
He is expected to make his Moose Jaw debut on Saturday against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. The Americans, whose roster includes Jordan’s brother Marcus, 18, will play in Moose Jaw on Sunday.
Jordan met up with G Eric Comrie for lunch yesterday.
“I had a bite to eat with Eric and joked to let me slip one past him,” Messier told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. “It will be good to see the boys so soon. I will definitely come out hard for that one.”
The deal leaves the Americans with three 20-year-olds — D Drydn Dowd, F Justin Feser and F Jesse Mychan.
To stay at three 20-year-olds, the Warriors promptly released F Austin Bourhis, who had one assist and 17 penalty minutes in four games this season. Bourhis, from Kipling, Sask., has split 117 regular-season games between the Medicine Hat Tigers, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw.
The Warriors other 20-year-olds are F Justin Kirsch and D Kendall McFaull.
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The Everett Silvertips have traded F Ryan Chynoweth, 17, to the Tri-City Americans for a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Chynoweth, the son of Kootenay Ice president/general manager Jeff Chynoweth, was the Silvertips’ first pick, going 24th overall, in the 2010 bantam draft.
Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Ryan Chynoweth asked the Silvertips for a trade. Patterson also writes that the conditional pick “begins as a fifth-rounder, but could rise to as high as a third-rounder depending on how Chynoweth performs” in 2013-14.
Chynoweth, who was a healthy scratch for two weekend games, is pointless in four games this season. Last season, he had eight points, two of them goals, in 66 games.
If you’re wondering, there was no chance of his ending up with the Ice. Prior to the 2010 bantam draft, he told his father that he didn’t want to play at home. That holds true today.
“I never even pursued it,” Jeff Chynoweth told me via text yesterday. “It wouldn’t be fair to him or the team.”
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The Tri-City Americans were really busy yesterday, as they also dealt D Sam Grist, 19, to the Kamloops Blazers for a pair of bantam draft picks — a third-rounder in 2013 and a fifth-rounder in 2014. (For now, that fifth is the pick the Americans got from Everett for F Ryan Chynoweth. Of course, as noted, that pick could escalate to a third.)
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Grist is in his third WHL season. He has 15 points and 207 penalty minutes in 119 regular-season games.
“With the emergence of some of our younger defencemen like (Wil) Tomchuk and (Brodie) Clowes, who is close to returning to practice, we had to get our numbers down on defense,” Tri-City general manager Bob Tory said in a news release. “This move allows Sam to play on a good team, closer to home, while opening some ice time for our other players.”
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Following the Monday trade of F Adam Kambeitz, who was the team captain, the Red Deer Rebels have announced that F Turner Elson, 20, will wear the ‘C.’ Kambeitz, 20, was traded to the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Elson returned to the Rebels’ lineup last night in Swift Current after missing seven games with an undisclosed injury. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings are a finalist in the Small Business category of the 2012 Manitoba Business Awards, which are into the final stages. The Small Business division comprises those with fewer than 30 employees. . . . Brandon businesses were nominated by the Economic Development Brandon office and the Brandon Chamber of Commerce submitted the applications. . . . Winners will be announced on Oct. 18 at the annual awards gala in Winnipeg. . . .
The Everett Silvertips left on their East Division swing Tuesday and there were three goaltenders on the bus when it hit the highway. G Austin Lotz (groin) was injured Saturday and unable to play Sunday, but he is on the trip. Also on the trip are Cole Holowenko, who was sharing time with Lotz, and Daniel Cotton, who was acquired Sunday from  the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . .
It seems that F Kale Kessy of the Medicine Hat Tigers is serving out his WHL suspension in the training camp of the AHL’s Portland Pirates. Kessy drew a 12-game suspension on Sept. 24 for a headshot major. Sean Rooney of the Medicine Hat News writes that “the Tigers quietly shipped off their fourth-most experienced player . . . two weeks ago. The only mention of the move from the team came in a note on their Oct. 2 injury report, found on the WHL’s website.” . . . Kessy, a fourth-round selection by the Phoenix Coyotes in the NHL’s 2011 draft, isn’t eligible to return to the Tigers’ lineup until Oct. 26. . . . D Ryan Pilon of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who was the subject of Kessy hit, hasn’t played since Sept. 22. . . . Rooney also reports that the Tigers should have freshman D Ty Stanton (undisclosed upper body injury) in the lineup tonight when they play host to the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . .
The Edmonton Oil Kings will be without F Stephane Legault for up to six weeks. He suffered a broken left foot when he blocked a shot by D Alex Roach during Sunday’s 6-5 OT loss to the Hitmen in Calgary. . . . The Oil Kings continue to be without D Keegan Lowe (knee), but he skated Tuesday. Lowe has missed four games. . . .
The Saskatoon Blades will honour former star Gerry Pinder on March 8 prior to a game against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. He will have his number (7) retired. Actually, the number already is retired – F Brent Ashton wore it. Other numbers retired by the Blades are F Bob Bourne’s 12, F Wendel Clark’s 22, F Bernie Federko’s 15 and F Brian Skrudland’s 10. . . . Pinder played for the Blades in the early days. In fact, he set the WHL record for most points in one game (10) and that’s a mark that has been equalled but not broken. He had six goals and four assists in a 17-5 victory over the visiting Calgary Buffaloes on March 12, 1967. . . . Pinder put up 221 points in 109 games with the Blades.
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TUESDAY’S ACTION:
Sophomore F Brooks Maxwell scored his first goal of the season, a PP score at 17:30 of the third period, to break a 2-2 tie and give the Red Deer Rebels a 3-2 victory over the Broncos in Swift Current. . . . The Broncos (3-1-4) lost for the first time in regulation time this season. . . . It was a battle of import goaltenders, with Red Deer’s Patrik Bartosak, a Czech, and the Broncos’ Eetu Laurikainen, a Finn, each stopping 29 shots. . . . The Rebels ended up 3-2-1 on an swing through the East Division. . . . The Rebels will be without sophomore D Kayle Doetzel (broken jaw) for up to six weeks. He was injured on Oct. 3 in a 5-3 victory over the Blades in Saskatoon. . . .

F Lane Scheidl scored in OT to give the host Regina Pats a 3-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Scheidl’s fourth goal of the season came at 4:28 of extra time, just 28 seconds after the Pats had killed off a Portland PP. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt was huge with a 34-save effort. . . . Portland G Brendan Burke stopped 21 shots. G Mac Carruth, assigned to the team by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks after a stint in camp with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, was on the bench, leaving Cam Lanigan as a healthy scratch. . . . Portland F Taylor Peters forced OT with his first goal of the season at 16:55 of the third. . . .

The Prince Albert Raiders continued to write the WHL’s best early-season success story as they ran their winning streak to seven games with a 4-1 victory over the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. . . . The Raiders now are 7-0-1. . . . According to WHL Facts (@WHLFacts), the Raiders last won seven in a row in February/March of 1999. . . . D Sawyer Lange, a sophomore from Prince Albert, scored his third goal in eight games and it stood up as the winner. He had one goal in 58 games last season. . . . The Hurricanes actually opened the scoring when veteran F Russell Maxwell scored 21 seconds into the game. That was the first time in seven games this season that Lethbridge had scored the game’s first goal. . . . Prince Albert F Mike Winther, who hadn’t played since Sept. 28 because of a groin injury, scored his first goal of the season. . . . The Raiders went 4-0 on a swing that took them to Edmonton, Calgary, Cranbrook and Lethbridge.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Portland F Joey Baker

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
F Ryan Chynoweth (@RChynowethh) has a scoop: “Going to miss the boys so much :(. Excited for a new start in tri city's!”
Chynoweth’s tweet announced his trade from Everett to Tri-City well in advance of either team issuing a news release.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Roman Polak (Kootenay, 2004-05) signed a lockout contract with Vitkovice Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had 11 assists in 77 games with the St. Louis Blues last season.
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After being a healthy scratch twice on the weekend, F Matt Bellerive has requested a trade and left the Vancouver Giants.
Bellerive, who turns 18 on Dec. 7, didn’t play in either of the Giants’ first two games — a 6-4 loss to the visiting Victoria Royals on Friday and a 3-2 setback in Victoria on Saturday.
Bellerive, a second-round selection in the 2009 bantam draft, is from North Vancouver. He had 14 points, including six goals, in 46 games last season. In his freshman season (2010-11), he had six points, four of them goals, in 50 games.
The Giants were 1-3-2 in the exhibition season, before opening with the two losses against victory.
They now have dropped three forwards off last season’s team, as F Taylor Makin, 20, was assigned to the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits sometime after Saturday’s game, while D Kiefer McNaughton, 19, joined the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs earlier this month.
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SUNDAY’S NOTES:
The Edmonton Oil Kings ran their regular-season winning streak to 13 games as they beat the visiting Red Deer Rebels, 6-2. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar scored three times for the first time in a WHL game. . . . The Rebels lost F Turner Elson, 20, in the second period with an undisclosed injury. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks went into Kennewick, Wash., and beat the Tri-City Americans, 4-2. . . . Tri-City, which lost 5-2 to the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Saturday, last lost its first two home games in 2005-06. . . . The Winterhawks were without F Ty Rattie (suspended) and F Taylor Leier, who has the dreaded lower body injury. . . . F Patrick Holland earned one assist for the Americans as he played what may have been his final WHL game. He now leaves to join the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs for training camp. He has 209 points, including 63 goals, in 206 games with the Americans. . . . Portland D Troy Rutkowski had three assists and perhaps someday someone will explain why an NHL team didn’t sign him over the summer. . . .
In Everett, the Prince George Cougars erased a 6-3 third-period deficit and beat the Silvertips, 7-6, in a shootout. . . . The seven-round shootout featured seven goals with F Jordan Tkatch finally winning it. . . . The Cougars scratched F Chase Witala, who was injured in Saturday’s 6-0 victory in Everett, and then lost F Jari Erricson to a headshot major and game misconduct.
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Everett F Jari Erricson is one of at least nine players who were involved in weekend incidents that will get a serious look from Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey. As part of his duties, Doerksen handles the WHL’s discipline.
And you have to think that he will be quite concerned with an opening weekend on which nine players got tossed from games with majors and game misconducts:
D Joel Edmundson, Moose Jaw, major, fighting off faceoff
F Josh Nicholls, Saskatoon, major, charging
D Mathew Dumba, Red Deer, major, check to head
F Justin Kirsch, Moose Jaw, major, checking from behind
F Andrew Johnson, Moose Jaw, major, charging
F Kale Kessy, Medicine Hat, major, check to head
D Spencer Galbraith, Lethbridge, major, check to head
F Ty Rattie, Portland, major, cross-checking
F Jari Erricson, major, headshot
Of that bunch, Rattie, Edmundson, Kirsch, Dumba and Nicholls all received ‘tbd’ suspensions on the weekend. Rattie and Dumba already have sat out one game.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Sunaya Sapurji (@sunayas), of Yahoo! Sports: “Red Wings Sr. VP Jim Devellano is at the Hershey Centre this afternoon to watch the young calves before they become full-grown cattle. #NHL”


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If you don’t read anything else today, read this story by Scott Burnside of ESPN.com. It’s the latest on Marc Savard, the former Boston Bruins centre, and how he is dealing with post-concussion syndrome. And after you have read it, stop and think about the number of concussions we are seeing in hockey today.
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Of course, on the same that Marc Savard met with the media in Boston, D Andrew Ference of the Bruins tried to run D Ryan McDonagh of the New York Rangers through then end boards from behind. If you haven’t yet seen the play, Ference rushes the puck up the ice, dumps it into the Rangers zone and then follows it in. McDonagh turns, Ference follows him over the icing line and then shoves him from behind.
Joe Michelleti, who was on the telecast crew, summed it up: “One of these days someboyd’s not going to get up and then maybe some of these players will wake up. . . . it’s ridiculous . . . it’s ridiculous.”
Unfortunately, Michelleti is right. It is ridiculous.
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While all of this was happening, the Winnipeg Jets revealed that their leading scorer, former Vancouver Giants star Evander Kane, is sidelined with a concussion.
The Philadelphia Flyers revealed that F Daniel Briere has joined the list of concussed NHLers. He left Saturday’s 4-1 victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils.
And, in Pittsburgh, it was revealed that Penguins F Sidney Crosby had a session with a specialist in chiropractic neurology earlier in the week and that he now is in California for a few sessions with a neurological spine specialist.
What is especially interesting is that NHL teams now are publicly declaring which players have concussions, while continue to refer to other injuries as upper- or lower-body.
In the WHL, however, there are no concussions, only upper-body injuries. There were more than 100 concussions in the WHL last season. Prior to the start of this season, the WHL chose to go to the upper- and lower-body system of reporting injuries.
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And here’s a good read, by Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen. It deals with Ottawa Senators F Brad Winchester who hasn’t played since Dec. 20. Yes. Concussion. Here, he details what his life has been like since he was injured.
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As the WHL heads into the last two months of its regular season, there are going to be a couple of interesting individual races worth watching.
Regina F Jordan Weal moved into the lead for the point title on Friday night, his two points giving him 79 in 47 games, one more than F Ty Rattie of the Portland Winterhawks, who had played 43 games.
Weal and Rattie each picked up two more points last night, leaving the Regina veteran with an 81-80 lead.
Rattie went into last night with 40 goals, which had him tied for the lead with F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who got there with a deuce on Friday night.
Last night, it was Rattie scoring twice and Etem once, leaving the Portland sniper with a 42-41 edge.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes are the latest team to encounter weather-related travel problems.
The Hurricanes were excited to get on the bus and head for home after beating the Rockets 6-3 in Kelowna on Saturday night.
But what normally is about an eight-hour jaunt turned into much more than that as the Trans-Canada Highway was closed so they overnighted in Revelstoke.
G Liam Liston tweeted: “Never seen roads this bad. Stuck in Revelstoke for the night.”
Team captain Brody Sutter followed with: “Stuck in Revelstoke for the night... All I want to do is go home. #Rattled”
On Saturday, Sutter added: “Left Kelowna over 14 hours ago, the 8 hour bus trip has turned into a 18+ hour bus trip. Get me back to Lethy. #LightAtTheEndOfTheTunnel”
The Hurricanes reached Calgary at about 1 p.m. MT.
Meanwhile, the Portland Winterhawks had some problems of their own as they worked to get to Spokane late Friday.
The Winterhawks didn’t play Friday and were headed for Spokane for a Saturday night engagement with the Chiefs when their bus experienced a flat tire. A problem with the spare meant the Winterhawks had to wait for another bus to come to their rescue.
These problems pale compared to what the Kootenay Ice went through earlier in the week when it took the club 28 hours to get to Regina for a Wednesday night game with the Pats.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Michael St. Croix scored three goals and added two assists as the Edmonton Oil Kings dropped the Raiders, 9-2. . . . St. Croix has 77 points, including 31 goals, in 48 games. He has three hat tricks this season. . . . F Tyler Maxwell had opened the scoring in each of Edmonton’s previous four games, but didn’t get it done this time. Instead, he scored the game’s fifth and sixth goals, giving him 29. . . . He also had two assists. He has 38 points, including 18 goals, in 24 games since moving from Everett to Edmonton in a trade. . . . F Dylan Wruck added a goal and two assists for the Oil Kings, who now are tied with the Tri-City Americans for second in the overall standings. . . .

In Regina, F Jordan Weal scored in OT to give the Pats a 3-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Weal scored his 30th goal of the season at 30 seconds of OT. . . . He also had an assist and now has a WHL-leading 81 points. He also leads the WHL in assists (51). . . . Regina F Lane Scheidl forced OT when he scored his 17th goal on a penalty shot at 11:29 of the third period. . . . Regina F Dryden Hunt got tossed at 2:16 of the first period with a checking to the head major. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Blades scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Victoria Royals, 9-6. . . . Victoria gave up the game’s first two goals, then held 4-2 and 5-3 leads. . . . The Blades tied it 5-5, only to have Victoria F Jamie Crooks scored his 25th goal at 2:01 of the third period. . . . Saskatoon D Dalton Thrower got his second goal of the game at 8:38, D Kyle Schmidt added his second of the season and second in two nights at 10:26 and Thrower completed his hat trick at 19:02. . . . Thrower has 12 goals this season. . . . Thrower’s last goal was shorthanded and into an empty net, as was Michael Burns’ 20th of the season at 19:32. . . . Burns also had two assists and finished plus-6. . . . Saskatoon F Lukas Sutter, who had one goal, also was plus-6. . . . Victoria went 2-4-0 in its swing through the East Division. . . .

In Brandon, G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 33 shots to help the Kootenay Ice to a 7-3 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon has lost five in a row at home. . . . Skapski was making his first start since Jan. 2. . . . The Ice broke open a scoreless game with goals 1:16 apart late in the first period, D Jagger Dirk sniping at 17:38 on the PP and F Joe Antilla following up at 18:54. . . . The visitors went on to a 5-0 lead. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart picked up a first-period assist which tied him for the franchise single-season record for most points by a 16-year-old. It was his 40th point, tying D Steve McCarthy. . . . F Max Reinhart had three assists for the Ice. . . . F Levi Cable had two goals for the Ice, giving him three on the season, while F Jesse Ismond also scored twice. He’s got 13. . . . These same teams meet Tuesday in Cranbrook. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Tigers erased an early 1-0 deficit and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 2-1. . . . F Christian Magnus scored for the Broncos at 12:05 of the first period. . . . The Tigers then got two first-period PP goals, from F Emerson Etem, at 13:10, and F Jayden Hart, at 14:34. . . . Etem has 41 goals, which is second in the WHL. . . . He also has scored at least one goal in each of his last 10 games, the longest such streak in all of the CHL since F Nigel Dawes of the Kootenay Ice in 2004-05. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk had two assists for the Tigers. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 35 shots, one fewer than Swift Current’s Jon Groenheyde. . . .

In Red Deer, F Turner Elson had two goals and two assists to lead the Rebels to a 5-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . D Mathew Dumba added his 13th goal and two assists. The goal was shorthanded and opened the scoring at 18:24 of the first. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 32 shots. . . . Red Deer, down to 11 healthy forwards, had F Connor Bleackley, a first-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, in the lineup. . . . The Cougars were without F Greg Fraser, who was concussed by a hit to head from Calgary D Alex Roach on Friday night. . . .

In Everett, the Silvertips got three goals from F Kohl Bauml and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-4, in overtime. . . . Bauml, who has 12 goals, got the winner at 3:21 of OT to complete his first WHL hat trick. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald points out that Bauml has 18 points over his last 16 games after he had just seven points in 30 games. . . . Everett overcame deficits of 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3. . . . Everett F Josh Birkholz forced extra time with his 20th goal at 19:14 of the third. . . . Birkholz finished with two goals and two assists. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets came from behind a 3-0 second-period deficit and beat the Vancouver Giants 4-3 in a shootout. . . . Vancouver led this one 3-0 with a minute left in the second. . . . Kelowna F Cody Chikie scored at 19:23 of the second and the Rockets were on their way. . . . F Tanner Moar got his third of the season at 10:36 of the third, on the PP, to tie it at 3-3. . . . Kelowna D MacKenzie Johnston drew two assists. . . . Vancouver G Jackson Whistle, who is from Kelowna, stopped 38 shots, nine more than Kelowna’s Adam Brown. . . . In the shootout, Kelowna got goals from F Zach Franko and D Myles Bell, while Vancouver forwards Marek Tvrdon and Cain Franson were blanked. . . .

In Spokane, F Steven Kuhn’s two goals led the Chiefs to a 5-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Kuhn has 10 goals. . . . F Dominik Uher and D Brenden Kichton each had a goal and two assists for the Chiefs. . . . Uher has 14 points in nine games since playing for the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championship. . . . F Ty Rattie scored both Portland goals and both came via the PP. He has a WHL-leading 42 goals. He also leads the WHL in PP goals, with 21. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 24 shots. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Spokane. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Kamloops Blazers maintained their position atop the WHL’s overall standings with a 4-3 shootout victory over the host Tri-City Americans. . . . The Blazers (34-10-3), who have won nine straight games, have 71 points, two more than the Americans (34-11-1) and the Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton Oil Kings (32-11-5). . . . The Americans, who play in Edmonton on Wednesday, now have lost two in a row at home after rattling of a 13-game home-ice win streak. . . . This also is the first time this season that Tri-City lost back-to-back games this season. . . . Kamloops F Chase Schaber scored twice for the second straight game. His second goal, and 19th of the season, gave his side a 3-1 lead at 5:28 of the second. . . . Tri-City tied it on goals by F Brendan Shinnimin, his 27th this season and the 100th of his career, at 15:30 of the second and F Adam Hughesman, his 29th, at 16:05. . . . The Blazers won the shootout 2-0 on goals by Schaber and D Bronson Maschmeyer. . . . The Americans had a great chance to win when Kamloops D Austin Madaisky was penalized for delay of game at 19:46 of the third period. . . . When the Blazers dropped the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-3 in Kent, Wash., on Friday, Schaber and Maschmeyer both reached career highs in goals. Schaber has 17 in 42 games; last season, he had 16 in 46. Maschmeyer has nine in 46 games. Two seasons ago, he had seven in 72 games. Last season, he had eight in 72 games. Maschmeyer, acquired from Vancouver prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, hasn’t missed a game with Kamloops. Last night, he played in his 191st straight. . . . The Blazers are 11-1-1 against the U.S. Division.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Sawyer Lange, Prince Albert.
F Torrin White, Moose Jaw.
F Colton Sissons, Kelowna.
D Joe Morrow, Portland.
D Mitch Topping, Tri-City.