Showing posts with label Tyler Mosienko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tyler Mosienko. Show all posts

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Blades for sale? GM says 'zero' truth to report . . . Petit big for Silvertips . . . Butcher cuts up Rockets

F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) has signed a one-year contract with Frederikshavn (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Mosienko was released at his request by the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite) on Oct. 28 after putting up five goals and 10 assists in 13 games. . . . 
F Tomáš Kopecký (Lethbridge, 2000-02) has signed a one-year contract with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). Kopecký had signed with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga) on Oct. 18 and recorded two assists in five games. . . . 
D Filip Novák (Regina, 1999-2002) has signed a one-year contract with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). This season, he had a goal and two assists in nine games with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . . 
F David Vrbata (Calgary, 2000-01) was released by Neumarkt/Egna (Italy, Alps HL) by mutual agreement. He had five goals and six assists in 12 games.
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Colin Priestner has spent his weekend trying to pour water on a fire that he had nothing to do with starting.
Priestner, the general manager of the Saskatoon Blades, is adamant that the WHL franchise isn’t for sale.
Priestner’s father, Mike, purchased the Blades from the Brodsky family prior to the 2013-14 season. At
that point, the Blades were pretty much tapped out, having spent a lot in young players and bantam draft picks in an attempt to load up as the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup tournament.
Since then, the Priestners have been fighting what to now has been an uphill battle for success on the ice and to get fans back into their home arena.
And then came Friday. . . .
What started all of this was a tweet, at 7:13 a.m., from Regina broadcaster Rod Pedersen: “Friday morning rumour from a solid Saskatoon hockey and business source: The Blades are for sale. @Chasenpucks39”
The latter part of the tweet, which goes unexplained, is the Twitter handle for former Blades forward Kelly Chase, who went on to an NHL career and now is part of the St. Louis Blues broadcast crew. Originally, Chase, who is a highly popular part of Blades history, was from Porcupine Plain, Sask.
In response to Pedersen, a former radio voice of the Regina Pats who now is perhaps best known as the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ play-by-play voice and chief sympathizer, Chase later tweeted: “To clear this up I have no idea what’s going on in Saskatoon. If you are trying to contact me, save a call. No interest in this rumor.”
On Saturday, an exasperated Colin Priestner told Taking Note:
“It’s silly we would even have to respond to such an absurd rumour. Obviously, there is zero truth to it . . . we would never sell the Blades and we are all working tirelessly to bring a championship to Saskatoon.
“It was really disappointing to read something like that . . . we all live here, our wives and families live here, and we couldn’t be more proud to be part of the Blades and the community and what we are building.”
Priestner said Friday started out like any other game day — the Blades played in Regina that night — until the tweet showed up.
“When we saw the tweet in the office,” he said, “we all kind of looked at each other and laughed. . . . But once it was out it got a life of its own, and parents and media are calling to see if it is true. Such is life in the 21st century!”
On Saturday, at 10:59 a.m., Pedersen tweeted: “The word from Saskatoon Blades ownership regarding the rumour the club is for sale: ‘It’s totally false.’ ”
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It may have been Saturday but that didn’t keep the WHL court from being in session. . . . D Ethan Bear of the Seattle Thunderbirds was suspended for one game after taking a spearing major and game misconduct during the first period of a 3-2 loss to the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday night. Bear served that on Saturday night as the Thunderbirds completed an East Division swing against the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The WHL also has fined the Saskatoon Blades and Regina Pats each $500 for a “multiple-fight situation” (aka a line brawl) in Regina on Friday night. Ch-ch-ching! Just in time for some early Christmas shopping.
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JUST NOTES:

Former Brandon Wheat Kings F Duncan Campbell made an immediate impact with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees on Friday night. Campbell, who lost his spot on Brandon’s roster when the Wheaties cut down to the maximum three 20-year-olds, scored twice in the first period of his first game with the Vees, helping them to a 4-1 victory over the Silverbacks in Salmon Arm. . . . On Saturday, Campbell had another goal and was the game’s first star as the Vees beat the visiting Prince George Spruce Kings, 3-2.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, the Edmonton Oil Kings erased a 3-0 deficit en route to a 6-3 victory over the Brandon
Wheat Kings. . . . Two goals from F Reid Duke, who has eight, and one from F Tyler Coulter, who has six, gave Brandon a 3-0 lead early in the second period. . . . The Oil Kings got rolling as two players — F Davis Murray and F Ty Gerla — scored their first goals 59 seconds apart, shortly after Coulter had scored. . . . D Aaron Irving pulled the visitors even with his fourth goal, at 14:28 of the second period — he also had two assists — and they put it away with three goals in the third period. . . . F Colton Kehler’s fourth goal, on a PP at 16:37, stood up as the winner. . . . F Davis Koch, who also had two assists, added insurance with his fifth goal, at 17:19, and F Lane Bauer’s ninth goal, into an empty net, iced it at 18:48. . . . Coulter also had an assist. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 24 shots, one fewer than Brandon’s Logan Thompson. . . . Edmonton was 1-7 on the PP; Brandon was 0-6. . . . The Oil Kings improved to 6-9-2, while Brandon slipped to 7-7-3. . . . Announced attendance: 3,645.
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At Calgary, the Hitmen got two goals 30 seconds apart early in the third period to beat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-2. . . . F Jakob Stukel’s fourth goal got Calgary into a 2-2 tie at 2:07, with F Andrei Grishakov’s second goal, at 2:37, snapping the deadlock. . . . F Lane Pederson gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead with his sixth goal at 13:02 of the first period. . . . Calgary F Tyler Mrkonjic’s third goal, at 18:06, tied the score. . . . Swift Current F Tyler Steenbergen’s 14th goal, on a PP at 17:29 of the second period, put his guys back in front. . . . Steenbergen added an assist to his goal. . . . Swift Current was 1-7 on the PP; Calgary was 0-3. . . . G Kyle Dumba stopped 20 shots to earn the victory over Taz Burman, who turned aside 30. . . . On Friday, the Broncos had beaten the visiting Hitmen, 3-2, in OT. . . . The Hitmen (6-5-2) have points in four straight games (3-0-1). . . . The Broncos (10-6-3) were 2-0-1 in their previous three games. . . . The Hitmen open a six-game road trip in Seattle on Friday. . . . Announced attendance: 9,580.
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At Everett, G Mario Petit stopped 41 shots to lead the Silvertips to a 5-2 victory over the Portland
MARIO PETIT
Winterhawks. . . . Petit, who normally backs up Carter Hart, is 3-0-1, 2.57, .915 this season. . . . Portland got on the board first when F Skyler McKenzie notched his 11th goal at 10:27 of the first period. . . . However, Everett scored the next three goals, the first two via the PP. . . . D Kevin Davis (2) tied the game at 15:58 and D Noah Juulsen (6) gave the home side the lead at 16:55. . . . F Patrick Bajkov’s seventh goal, at 9:41 of the second period, would prove to be the winner. . . . F Keegan Iverson got Portland back to within a goal, with his eighth, at 6:51 of the third period. . . . Everett put it away with empty-netters from F Dominic Zwerger (7) and F Riley Sutter (8) in the game’s last minute. . . . Bajkov, Sutter and Zwerger each added an assist. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 24 shots for Portland. . . . Everett was 2-7 on the PP; Portland was 1-4. . . . The Silvertips (13-2-2) have points in six straight (5-0-1). . . . The Winterhawks (8-10-0) have lost seven in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 6,743.
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At Kelowna, F Chad Butcher scored twice and added an assist to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 6-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . Butcher scored his sixth goal just 56 seconds into the game. . . . Tigers F Max Gerlach made it 2-0 with his 11th at 10:13. . . . Kelowna halved the deficit at 15:37 when F Kole Lind scored his eighth goal. . . . Medicine Hat F Zach Fischer got that one back just 2:03 later. He’s got 11. . . . The Rockets again closed to within one on F Kyle Topping’s fourth goal, at 17:23 of the second period. . . . The visitors put it away with three third-period goals, the first two coming 28 seconds apart. D David Quenneville got No. 10 at 12:23 and F John Dahlstrom scored his eighth at 12:51. . . . Butcher finished the scoring on a PP at 15:31. . . . F Steve Owre drew two assists for the Tigers, as did F Mark Rassell. Quenneville, and Fischer had one each. . . . Lind added an assist to his goal. . . . The Tigers got 23 stops from G Nick Schneider, while Michael Herringer of the Rockets blocked 34. . . . Medicine Hat was 2-5 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-2. . . . The Tigers (12-5-1) went 4-1-0 on a five-game jaunt that included three games (2-1-0) in the B.C. Division. . . . The Rockets are 10-9-0. . . . Announced attendance: 5,509.
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At Moose Jaw, F Scott Eansor scored three times to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-1 victory over
MATT BERLIN
the Warriors. . . . It was Eansor’s second career hat trick. . . . The Thunderbirds (7-7-1) went 4-2-0 on their East Division swing. . . . The Warriors (11-4-2) had a four-game winning streak end. . . . Eansor, who has six goals, opened the scoring at 7:37 of the first period, scored again at 2:20 of the second for a 2-0 lead, and got the game’s last goal, at 17:43 of the third. . . . D Reece Harsch had his first goal and added an assist for Seattle. . . . F Zack Andrusiak, a native of Yorkton, Sask., scored his second goal of the season, but first since being acquired by Seattle from the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Seattle D Matthew Wedman had two assists. . . . G Matt Berlin, in his Seattle debut, stopped 29 shots. He lost his shutout bid when F Brayden Watts (3) scored at 12:07 of the third period. . . . Berlin was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs on Oct. 7. . . . Moose Jaw G Brody Willms stopped 24 shots. . . . The Thunderbirds were 1-3 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-7. . . . The Warriors lost F Jayden Halbgewachs with a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct at 19:43 of the first period. . . . The Thunderbirds were without D Ethan Bear, who served his one-game suspension. . . . Announced attendance: 3,204.
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At Prince George, the Cougars scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Kamloops Blazers, 4-2. . . . This was the first of eight meetings between these teams this season. . . . D Max Martin (3) put the Cougars in front 1-0 at 4:40 of the second period. . . . The Blazers took the lead on goals from F Rudolfs Balcers (10) at 5:50 and F Collin Shirley (9), shorthanded, at 16:01. . . . F Bartek Bison’s PP goal, at 17:35, forged a 2-2 tie. . . . Cougars F Jesse Gabrielle (8) scored shorthanded, at 1:45 of the third period, to give the home side a 3-2 lead and Bartek added insurance, with his fifth goal, at 15:25. . . . G Ty Edmonds earned the victory with 37 saves, three more than Dylan Ferguson of the Blazers. . . . The Cougars were 1-7 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-4. . . . The Cougars were without D Sam Ruopp, who served Game 1 of an eight-game suspension, F Kody McDonald (Game 1 of a three-game suspension) and F Colby McCauley (undisclosed injury). . . . Prince George (14-3-2) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Blazers (10-9-1) had been 2-0-1 in their previous three games. . . . Announced attendance: 3,870.
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At Saskatoon, F Braylon Shmyr’s second goal of the game, a PP score 35 seconds into OT, gave the
BRAYLON SHMYR
Blades a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Shmyr has five goals. . . . Four of the game’s five goals came via the PP. . . . Shmyr got the game’s first goal, at 4:49 of the first period, on the PP. . . . The Ice tied it when F Vince Loschiavo scored at 4:10 of the second period. . . . The Blades went back out front on F Mason McCarty’s 11th goal, via a PP, at 8:54. . . . Kootenay pulled even at 18:11 on F Zak Zborosky’s 13th goal, also on the PP. . . . F Wyatt Sloboshan drew three assists for Saskatoon, while McCarty added one to his goal. . . . The Ice got two assists from F Matt Alfaro. . . . G Logan Flodell turned aside 36 saves for Saskatoon, two more than the Ice’s Jokob Walter. . . . The Blades were 3-7 on the PP; the Ice was 1-5. . . . The Blades have beaten the Ice in each of their last 10 meetings — five at home and five on the road. . . . The Blades (8-9-1) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Ice (3-10-5) has lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 5,172.
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At Spokane, D Juuso Valimaki scored 55 seconds into OT to give the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory
JUUSO VALIMAKI
over the Chiefs. . . . It was the third game in a row in which Spokane lost in OT. . . . Valimaki, who has three goals, also had two assists. . . . Spokane had erased a 3-1 deficit with three goals from the Yamamoto brothers in the third period, only to have Tri-City F Vladislav Lukin force OT with his ninth goal, at 19:54. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto pulled the Chiefs even with goals at 2:49 and 4:07 — he’s got 13 goals — and F Keanu Yamamoto, who also had an assist, put the home guys out front with his fifth goal, at 13:58. . . . The game’s first four goals all came via special teams. . . . Tri-City F Morgan Geekie (9) got a PP snipe at 16:18 of the first period. . . . Spokane F Taylor Ross’ first goal came while shorthanded, at 7:00 of the second period. . . . The Americans took the 3-1 lead with PP goals from F Michael Rasmussen (15) at 7:23 and D Dylan Coghlan (3) at 10:58. . . . G Evan Sarthou returned to Tri-City’s lineup for the first time this season and came up with 36 stops. He suffered an undisclosed injury while in a summer camp with the U.S. national junior team. . . . Spokane G Dawson Weatherill stopped 20 shots. . . . Tri-City F Kyle Olson, who had two assists, came up short on a first-period penalty shot. . . . F Tyler Sandhu and Geekie also had two assists each for the Ams. . . . The Americans were 3-5 on the PP; the Americans were 0-4. . . . Tri-City (11-6-1) has won three in a row. . . . Spokane (6-6-5) has points in six straight (3-0-3). . . . Announced attendance: 8,278.
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At Langley, B.C., F Radovan Bondra and F Ty Ronning scored two goals each as the Vancouver Giants dumped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 7-3. . . . Bondra, who has 11 goals, snapped a 2-2 tie at 15:14 of the second period and Ronning provided insurance with his sixth and seventh goals at 18:59 of the second and 3:45 of the third. . . . Bondra opened the third period with a PP goal at 5:13. . . . Lethbridge got goals from F Giorgio Estephan (8), F Brayden Burke (5) and D Brennan Menell (3), who asked out of Vancouver and was dealt to the Hurricanes last month. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson picked up his eighth goal and added two assists. . . . F Jack Flaman also got his eighth goal for Vancouver. . . . The Giants got two assists from each of D Dylan Plouffe, F Brendan Semchuk and F James Malm. . . . F Egor Babenko and F Jesse Zaharichuk had two assists each for Lethbridge. . . . G David Tendeck blocked 19 shots for the winners. . . . Lethbridge got 25 stops from Ryan Gilchrist. . . . Vancouver was 2-3 on the PP; Lethbridge was 2-6. . . . The Giants improved to 8-11-0. . . . The Hurricanes (7-8-3) had been 2-0-1 in their previous three outings. . . . Announced attendance: 4,137.
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LEADERS

POINTS: F Sam Steel, Regina, F Mason Shaw, Medicine Hat, each 28; F Kailer Yamamoto, Spokane, 26; F Chad Butcher, Medicine Hat, 25; F Nikita Popugaev, Moose Jaw, F Cody Glass, Portland, each 24.
GOALS: F Michael Rasmussen, Tri-City, 15; Steel, F Tyler Steenbergen, Swift Current, each 14; Yamamoto, F Zak Zborosky, Kootenay, each 13.
ASSISTS: Shaw, 23; F Brayden Burke, Lethbridge, Butcher, each 18; Glass, 17; D Chase Harrison, Regina, F Steve Owre, Medicine Hat, F Aleksi Heponiemi, Swift Current, each 16.
VICTORIES: Nick Schneider, Medicine Hat, 11; Ty Edmonds, Prince George, Griffen Outhouse, Victoria, each 10; Carter Hart, Everett, Michael Herringer, Kelowna, each 9.
GAA: Hart, 1.89; Connor Ingram, Kamloops, 2.01; Ty Edmonds, Prince George, 2.29; Logan Flodell, Saskatoon, 2.34; Cody Porter, Calgary, 2.46.
SAVE %: Ingram, .937; Flodell, .932; Hart, .926; Edmonds, .921; Outhouse, Porter, Ian Scott, Prince Albert, each .920.
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SUNDAY’S GAME (all times local):


Tri-City at Portland, 5 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:46 AM
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Friday, October 28, 2016

Judge wants to see financials, tax returns . . . Did NCAA err on Gelsinger? . . . Ice dumps Wheaties

D Keaton Ellerby (Kamloops, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) has signed a one-year contract with Lukko Rauma (Finland, Liiga). Last season, he had two goals and seven assists in 42 games with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL), and a goal and five assists in 13 games with Fribourg-Gottéron (Switzerland, NL A). . . .
F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) has been released by the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite) at his request. He had five goals and 10 assists in 13 games.
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The potential class-action lawsuit faced by the CHL, WHL and OHL and the 42 teams in the OHL and WHL got a lot more interesting on Friday when Justice R.J. Hall of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in Calgary ordered the CHL and those teams, according to TSN’s Rick Westhead, “to hand over their tax returns and financial statements dating back to 2011 to establish whether those franchises are profitable or lose money.” . . . Justice Hall also wants to see all CHL contracts “that funnel revenue to teams” in the WHL and OHL, Westhead reports. . . . The QMJHL and its 18 teams? They weren’t named as defendants in the lawsuit, so aren’t part of the court order. . . . This is part of a potential class-action lawsuit that asks that teams be forced to pay players at least minimum wage. . . . Governments in B.C., Saskatchewan, Washington state and Nova Scotia have exempted teams in those jurisdictions from minimum-wage legislation. Those governments did so without seeing any financial statements from the teams involved. . . . Westhead’s complete story is right here.
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According to Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks, N.D., Herald, F Brayden Gelsinger should have had to sit out one complete season and 12 games of another before being allowed to play for the Lake Superior State U Lakers, an NCAA Division I team.
Gelsinger, who has four goals and three assists in the 4-0-0 Lakers’ first four games, played 12 regular-season games with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers in 2012-13.
“Normally,” Schlossman writes, “that would mean he would have to sit out one year (for signing in WHL) and 12 games the following year (for playing 12 WHL games) before having his eligibility re-instated.”
According to Schlossman, “The NCAA just missed it.”
“When his paperwork was sent into the NCAA, they missed that Gelsinger had played in the WHL and ruled him eligible immediately,” Schlossman writes. “Upon learning about their mistake, the NCAA decided to own it and not punish the kid or the team for their mistake.
“So, the NCAA’s stance hasn’t changed or softened on ruling those who play in the CHL ineligible. In this extremely rare case, the NCAA just missed it.”
As bizarre as it sounds, it seems that’s exactly what happened.
Chris Dilks, a long-time observer of the U.S. college hockey scene and the managing editor of SBN College Hockey (sbncollegehockey.com), later tweeted: “The Gelsinger story still seems crazy to a me, but I've heard the same story as Brad's from a couple different sources now.”
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have acquired D Ty Prefontaine, 17, from the Calgary Hitmen for a seventh-round selection in the 2017 WHL bantam draft. . . . Prefontaine, from Saskatoon, was a fifth-round pick by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2014 bantam draft. He played three games with the Raiders and eight with Calgary. This season, he had one assist in seven games with the Hitmen. . . . The Hitmen acquired Prefontaine and F Matteo Gennaro in January for F Layne Bensmiller and D Loch Morrison.
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JUST NOTES:

The Calgary Hitmen have signed D Jameson Murray, 17, who was placed on their protected list a year ago. From Kelowna, he is playing with the Okanagan Rockets of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. He has three assists in six games. . . . Having dealt D Ty Prefontaine, 17, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier in the day, the Hitmen added Murray to their roster on Friday. . . .
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have suspended D Brady Reagan, 19, “for violating team rules.” According to the team, the length of the suspension has yet to be decided. Reagan is into his second full season with the Hurricanes, who acquired him from the Regina Pats midway through the 2014-15 season. This season, he has a goal and two assists in 12 games.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Coaching
The SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs have signed general manager/head coach Trevor Blevins to a three-year extension. Blevins, who is from Melfort, played for the Mustangs and has been the head coach since December 2013. He was working on a three-year deal that was to expire after this season. . . . Melfort went into Friday’s games with a 5-9-2 record, good for third place in the four-team Sherwood Division.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:


At Edmonton, F Carsen Twarynski’s two goals helped the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-2 victory over the Oil
CARSEN TWARYNSKI
Kings. . . . The visitors took a 2-0 first-period lead and never trailed. F Lucas Cullen’s first goal, on a PP, gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 1:47, with F Jordy Stallard’s second goal upping it to 2-0 at 8:53. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer’s sixth goal cut into the lead, on a PP, at 9:30 of the second. . . . Twarynski’s first goal of the night, at 12:33, restored the two-goal lead. . . . The Oil Kings got back to within one when F Nicholas Bowman got his first goal, at 6:24 of the third period. . . . However, Calgary F Taylor Sanheim got that one back 26 seconds later. He’s got two goals. . . . Twarynski got the empty-netter at 19:31. . . . Calgary got two assists from each of D Micheal Zipp, F Andrei Grishakov and F Matteo Gennaro, while Sanheim added one to his goal. . . . G Cody Porter stopped 38 shots for the Hitmen, with Patrick Dea making 26 stops at the other end. . . . Calgary was 2-7 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-2. . . . The Hitmen (4-5-1) had lost their previous five games (0-4-1). . . . The Oil Kings (4-7-2) have lost two in a row. . . . D Jakob LaPointe was back in Calgary’s lineup after missing nine games with an undisclosed injury. . . . Announced attendance: 7,774.
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CONNOR INGRAM
At Kamloops, G Connor Ingram stopped 30 shots for his first shutout this season, leading the Blazers to a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . It was Ingram’s eighth career shutout. He is a candidate for Canada's national junior team and has been playing like it. . . . F Nick Chyzowski’s sixth goal, at 6:33 of the first period, stood up as the winner. . . . F Garrett Pilon’s second goal, on a PP, at 10:54 of the third period added insurance. . . . F Rudolfs Balcers got his sixth goal into an empty net at 18:57. . . . Pilon also had an assist. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic also was terrific. He finished with 40 saves. . . . Kamloops was 1-2 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-4. . . . The Blazers improved to 8-7-0. . . . The Giants (6-10-0) have lost two in a row. . . . The teams meet again tonight (Saturday) in Langley, B.C. . . . Announced attendance: 3,208.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Zak Zborosky broke a 1-1 tie at 10:07 of the third period and the Kootenay Ice went
ZAK ZBOROSKY
on to a 2-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Zborosky has 11 goals in 14 games this season. He is one goal behind Tri-City F Michael Rasmussen, who leads the WHL. . . . Brandon took a 1-0 lead on a PP goal by F Stelio Mattheos at 6:02 of the second period. He’s got six goals. . . . The Ice tied it at 5:512 of the third when F Vince Loschiavo scored his second goal. Zborosky drew the secondary assist. . . . G Payton Lee blocked 32 shots for the victory. . . . Brandon’s Jordan Papirny turned aside 29 shots. . . . The Ice was 1-2 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 1-3. . . . The Ice (2-8-4) had lost seven in a row (0-5-2). . . . Brandon (6-5-2) has lost two straight. . . . F Reid Duke returned to Brandon's lineup after missing two games while tending to a personal matter. However, the Wheat Kings continue to play without injured F Nolan Patrick. . . . The Wheat Kings will play in Cranbrook again on Sunday afternoon. . . . Announced attendance: 1,736.
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At Lethbridge, F Bartek Bison broke a 1-1 tie at 18:23 of the first period as the Prince George Cougars beat the Hurricanes, 2-1. . . . F Jansen Harkins’ fourth goal, at 3:51, gave the visitors the lead. . . . The Hurricanes tied it on a PP goal from F Giorgio Estephan at 9:21. He’s got four goals. . . . Bison’s third goal of the season stood up as the winner. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 28 shots for the Cougars, two more than Lethbridge’s Stuart Skinner. . . . Lethbridge was 1-8 on the PP; Prince George was 0-4. . . . The Cougars (13-2-1) have points in six straight (5-0-1). . . . The Hurricanes (5-7-2) have dropped six in a row (0-5-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,694.
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At Moose Jaw, F Noah Gregor scored twice to help the Warriors to a 4-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . F Dakota Odgers, with his first goal, at 6:35 of the first period, and Gregor, with his fourth, at 13:46 gave the home side a 2-0 edge. . . . F Mason McCarty’s ninth goal, on a PP at 6:50 of the second period, cut the lead in half. . . . Gregor got that one back at 4:46 of the third period. . . . F Luke Gingras got Saskatoon back to within one at 14:21 of the third. . . . Moose Jaw F Tanner Jeannot put it away at 19:58. . . . F Nikita Popugaev had two assists for the Warriors, with Odgers getting one. . . . Moose Jaw got 32 saves from G Brody Willms, while Saskatoon’s Logan Flodell stopped 35 shots. . . . Saskatoon was 1-2 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . The Warriors now are 8-3-2. . . . The Blades (6-7-1) have lost four in a row. . . . The Blades have lost eight straight games in Moose Jaw. . . . F Brett Howden (undisclosed injury) was among Moose Jaw’s scratches. . . . Announced attendance: 3,162.
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JAYDEN SITTLER
At Prince Albert, the Spokane Chiefs ran their winning streak to three games as they beat the Raiders, 4-2. . . . The Chiefs (6-6-2) are 3-2-0 on their six-game East Division swing. They won three times in the past four nights, outscoring the opposition, 16-6, in the process. . . . The Raiders are 4-8-1. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s first three goals, with F Ethan McIndoe getting his third goal at 3:06 of the second period, D Jeff Faith scoring his second at 5:25, and F Jaret Anderson-Dolan getting his fifth, at 10:34. . . . F Cavin Leth got his first goal for the Raiders at 11:08 of the third period, but Spokane F Hudson Elynuik got it back just 14 seconds later. . . . D Brendan Guhle scored for the Raiders at 19:46 of the third, on a PP. That was the first goal this season by a Prince Albert defenceman. . . . G Jayden Sittler stopped 22 shots for the Chiefs. . . . Raiders starter Ian Scott gave up three goals on 19 shots. Nick Sanders came on in relief to stop 10 of 11 shots in 29:26. . . . The Raiders were 2-4 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-4. . . . Spokane wraps up its East Division swing tonight in Swift Current. . . . Announced attendance: 2,114.
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At Red Deer, the Medicine Hat Tigers scored three times in the game’s first nine minutes en route to a 5-
MASON SHAW
2 victory over the Rebels. . . . F Max Gerlach got the visitors rolling with his seventh goal, on a PP, at 5:57. . . . F Mark Rassell scored his 10th goal at 8:32, and D David Quenneville’s seventh, at 8:52, made it a three-goal difference. . . . Red Deer F Michael Spacek stretch his point streak to 10 games with his eighth goal at 12:55. . . . Tigers F Mason Shaw, the WHL’s leading scorer, made it 4-1 with a shorthanded goal at 7:49 of the second period. He leads the WHL, with 24 points. . . . D Josh Mahura’s fifth goal, at 8:07, cut the deficit in half, but the Tigers iced it with F Max Gerlach getting No. 8, on a PP, at 18:33. . . . Spacek, who also had an assist, has eight goals and nine assists over his past 10 games. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider stopped 38 shots. . . . Red Deer starter Lasse Petersen allowed three goals on 12 shots in 8:52. Riley Lamb played the final 51:08, stopped 25 of 27 shots. . . . The Tigers were 2-4 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-7. . . . Medicine Hat improved to 9-4-1. . . . The Rebels (8-4-2) had a six-game winning streak end. . . . Announced attendance: 4,581.
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At Swift Current, D Ethan Bear’s PP goal at 3:39 of the third period stood up as the winner as the Seattle 
ETHAN BEAR
Thunderbirds opened an East Division swing with a 2-1 victory over the Broncos. . . . Bear has two goals this season. . . . F Calvin Spencer gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead, with his sixth goal, at 8:05 of the first period. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp’s first goal, with Bear getting the primary assist, tied it at 11:38 of the first. . . . Gropp was back in the Thunderbirds’ lineup after not playing since Oct. 15 because of an undisclosed injury. He has a goal and an assist in four games since returning from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. . . .  The two goaltenders — Seattle’s Rylan Toth and Swift Current’s Taz Burman — were teammates with the Red Deer Rebels at one time. Both were traded by Red Deer to Seattle. . . . Toth finished with 29 saves, three more than Burman. . . . Seattle was 1-3 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-5. . . . The Thunderbirds improved to 4-5-1. . . . The Broncos (8-5-2) have lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . Announced attendance: 1,988.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Kyle Olson’s second goal of the game, at 2:12 of OT, gave the Tri-City
KYLE OLSON
Americans a 5-4 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Olson has five goals. . . . F Tyler Soy scored three times for the Royals, his third career hat trick giving him eight goals this season. . . . Soy gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 14:17 of the second period. . . . The Americans then took a 2-1 lead on goals 33 seconds apart by F Parker AuCoin, shorthanded, at 17:09, and Olson. . . . The Royals started the third period by moving back out front on goals from F Dante Hannoun, his seventh, at 1:06, and Soy, shorthanded, at 3:15. . . . The Americans went back in front on PP goals from F Michael Rasmussen, his WHL-leading 12th, at 4:03, and F Morgan Geekie, his sixth, at 6:24. . . . Soy forced OT with a PP goal at 18:55. . . . D Juuso Valimaki and Rasmussen each had two assists, while Geekie added one to his goal. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker had three helpers, with D Chaz Reddekopp earning two. . . . G Rylan Parenteau turned aside 24 shots for the Americans, as did Dylan Myskiw of the Americans. . . . Tri-City (9-6-1) was 2-7 on the PP; the Royals (8-7-1) were 1-8. . . . Announced attendance: 3,435.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Prince George at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Portland, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.


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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:30 PM
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Friday, May 22, 2015

Rockets drop opener to Remparts . . . Lowry on Sharks' radar . . . Hiller on move








F Chet Pickard (Tri-City, 2005-09) signed  one-year-plus-option contract with RHW Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). This season, with Odense (Denmark, Metal Ligaen), he was 2.65 and .909 in 36 games. . . .
F Martin Cibák (Medicine Hat, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract with Zlín (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Olomouc (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had 11 goals and nine assists in 48 games. . . .
F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) signed a one-year extension with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). This season, he had 26 goals and 37 assists in 60 games.
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As you no doubt are aware, the games began at the Memorial Cup in Quebec City last night. . . . The host Quebec Remparts dumped the WHL-champion Kelowna Rockets, 4-3, before 9,497 fans. . . . In each of the last six tournaments, the host team had lost its opener. . . . The Remparts outchanced the Rockets and, at one point, held a 2-0 lead that could just as easily have been 5-0, but not for some solid play by Kelowna G Jackson Whistle. . . . A key part in this game occurred as the buzzer sounded to end the second period. The Remparts held a 2-1 lead at the time, with Kelowna F Nick Merkley having scored a shorthanded goal at 17:56 of the second period to get the Rockets to within a goal. . . . There was some milling around, some pushing and shoving, at the buzzer and the referees chose to slap misconducts on Kelowna F Leon Draisaitl and Quebec F Marc-Olivier Roy, both of whom are NHL draft picks of the Edmonton Oilers. That took Draisaitl, the WHL’s playoff MVP and Kelowna’s most-dangerous player, off the ice for the first half of the third period. . . . The Rockets didn’t do much offensively with Draisaitl off and, in fact, gave up a shorthanded goal to Quebec F Ryan Graves at 2:08 for a 3-1 Remparts lead. . . . Draisaitl came back and later scored the game’s last goal, on a PP, at 19:24. . . . The Rockets took 44 of the game’s 70 penalty minutes. If they are to win this tournament, they are going to have to stop giving the referees the option to make some of those calls. . . . The Rockets were 2-for-6 on the PP, but gave up that shorthanded goal. . . . Quebec was 0-for-5 on the PP. . . . Quebec G Zach Fucale stopped 26 shots, one fewer than Whistle. . . . Kelowna was 30-for-58 on faceoffs, and that was with Draisaitl struggling — he was 13-for-29. . . . Rockets D Madison Bowey had a game-high six shots, but he can play a lot better than he did. He fought the puck for a good part of this one. . . . The Rockets don’t play again until Monday, so will have some time to think about the loss.
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Here is the Memorial Cup schedule (all games on Sportsnet; all times Eastern):
Friday: Kelowna 3 vs. Quebec 4 (9,497)
Saturday: Rimouski vs. Oshawa, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday: Quebec vs. Oshawa, 4:30 p.m.
Monday: Rimouski vs. Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday: Oshawa vs. Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Quebec vs. Rimouski, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7:30 p.m.
Friday: Semifinal, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 31: Championship game, 7 p.m.
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An interesting note from Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier, who is in Quebec City:
“The Colisée Pepsi is a wonderful, albeit aging, rink, one filled with
history. Located steps away is the city’s newest construction site, the home of Videotron Centre, an 18,482-seat arena that fans in this hockey-mad market hope will soon be home to an NHL team. And steps away from the Videotron Centre is Pavillon de la Jeunesse, a small but outstanding rink of which some WHL teams would be envious. The rink seats 5,000, has a low roof and an ice surface that, with the touch of a button, can be expanded from NHL to Olympic size in only eight minutes. If that sounds crazy, here’s something really crazy: The rink doesn’t have a main tenant, and, according to staff, is mostly used for cultural events.”
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NHLThose of us on the outside really have no idea how serious a contender Dave Lowry is for the head-coaching position with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. But if you believe that where there’s smoke, there’s fire, the Victoria Royals head coach very well may be in the hunt. . . . It could be that someone like Randy Carlyle or Peter DeBoer will replace Todd McLellan. But, hey, it could be Lowry, who played 143 games with the Sharks back in the day. . . . David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News has more right here. . . . “I tried reaching Lowry through the Royals’ media relations director,” Pollak writes, “only to be told Lowry and Royals general manager Cam Hope — who indicated he thought the moment his coach would get a shot at an NHL job was getting closer — weren’t interested in talking any more about the subject. That, of course, only adds to Lowry’s viability as a serious candidate.”
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The Spokane Chiefs have signed F Koby Morrisseau, who was the ninth overall selection in the WHL’s 2015 bantam draft. Morrisseau, 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, is from Grandview, Man. He had 61 points, including 39 goals, with the Parkland Rangers, who play in the West Division of the Winnipeg bantam AAA league. . . . The Chiefs had two first-round selections in the 2015 draft. Earlier, they signed D Ty Smith, who was the draft’s first overall selection.
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THE COACHING GAME:

QMJHLThe QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs have signed Danny Flynn to a three-year contract as head coach. Flynn, 57, spent this season as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. . . . Flynn, a veteran of the coaching wars, spent six seasons (2007-13) as head coach of the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats, guiding them to the 2010 championship. Flynn replaces Ross Yates, the head coach for the past two seasons.
——
NHLAnsar Khan, who covers the Detroit Red Wings for MLive.com, reported Friday afternoon that former WHL coach Jim Hiller will be joining the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching staff. . . . Hiller, 46, coached in the WHL with the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) and Tri-City Americans. This season, he was an assistant coach under Mike Babcock with the Red Wings. . . . In Detroit, Hiller was responsible for the PP, which was the second most-prolific in the NHL.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:08 PM
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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Kamloops school ends hockey program








F Alexander Gogolev (Calgary, Victoria, 2011-13) has been assigned by Lada Togliatti (Russia, KHL) to Ariada Volzhsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga). Gogolev signed a one-year contract with Lada in June. Last season, with Severstal Cherepovets (Russia, KHL), he had a goal and two assists in 24 games.
---
You go to bed on Monday night and you’re part of a hockey team in your hometown.
You wake up Tuesday morning and find out that team is gone. Kaput!
So, Ryan Hanes, how do you feel?

Hanes, who played in the WHL (Kamloops, Prince George, 2008-13), was planning on playing for the Kamloops-based Thompson Rivers University (TRU) WolfPack this season.
However, TRU announced Tuesday morning that it was dropping its support of the WolfPack hockey team after six seasons.
The hockey program was operated by a society and was a ‘club’ team that played with the support of the athletic department but wasn’t a varsity team. There are baseball and swimming teams that operate under the same system at TRU. Golf and badminton programs were dropped earlier this year.
The hockey program was established “for student/athletes who wanted to continue to play competitive hockey while pursuing their education,” Ken Olynyk, TRU’s athletics and recreation director, said in a news release. “They made every effort possible to maintain the program to this point, but due to economics and a lack of a sustainable model, we have no choice but to dissolve the program.”
A source familiar with the situation has told Taking Note that the hockey program is more than $50,000 in debt.
The WolfPack played in the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League, which is left with five  teams -- the Eastern Washington U Eagles, who play out of Cheney, Wash.; the Selkirk College Saints (Castlegar, B.C.); Simon Fraser U (Burnaby, B.C.); the Trinity Western U Spartans (Langley, B.C.); and the U of Victoria.
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F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) says he is working to rebuild his life and his career after becoming involved in a gambling scandal while playing in Denmark last season. Mosienko has signed with the Sheffield Steelers (Great Britain, Elite). The Sheffield Star has more right here.---
Former NHLer Jon Rohloff has filed a concussion-related lawsuit against the NHL. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in the District of Minnesota. . . . According to the filing, Rohloff, who played for the Boston Bruins (1994-97), “suffered multiple head traumas during his NHL career that were improperly diagnosed and treated by the NHL. Mr. Rohloff was never warned by the NHL of the negative health effects of head trauma.“ . . . It’s all right here.
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The Spokane Chiefs have signed F Hayden Ostir of Winnipeg, a second-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Earlier, the Chiefs signed F Jaret Anderson-Dolan, their first-round selection. . . . Ostir had 75 points, including 35 goals, in 47 games with the bantam AAA-1 team at the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna last season.
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Unifor, the labour union that is working to organize major junior hockey players, has met with the Ontario’s labour and sports ministers. Rick Westhead of TSN reports that the government may strike a task force “to examine working conditions for players in the Ontario Hockey League,” according to the Unifor president. . . . Westhead’s report is right here.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed Jason Ripplinger, the director of player personnel, and Terry Bonner, the club’s scouting director, to multi-year contract extensions. No other details were released. Both men have been with the organization since 2001. Bonner is the father of Giants general manager Scott Bonner and Kamloops Blazers GM Craig Bonner. . . . Don’t forget that Alan Caldwell, over there at Small Thoughts at Large, is taking a team-by-team look at WHL prospects. There’s a link over there on the right.
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THE COACHING GAME:
If video killed the radio star, it is doing nothing but bolstering the Portland Winterhawks’ coaching staff. The Winterhawks have added Keith McKittrick to their coaching staff as an assistant under GM/head coach Jamie Kompon. . . . McKittrick comes to Portland with an extensive history in the video side of the game, including the last two as assistant coach -- video. . . . Interestingly, Kompon also has a history as a video coach; in fact, he has two Stanley Cup rings as the video assistant with the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks. . . . As well, Kyle Gustafson, who is preparing for his 11th season as a Winterhawks assistant, also is a veteran of the video game.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:46 PM
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Sunday, July 27, 2014

Unifor continuing drive to unionize major juniors








F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). Last season, with Esbjerg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen), he had 43 points, including 16 goals, in 31 games. He also played 25 games with the Alaska Aces (ECHL), putting up 20 points, 17 of them assists. . . .
F Jade Galbraith (Saskatoon, 2000-01) has signed a one-year contract with the Dundee Stars (Scotland, UK Elite). Last season, with the Heerenveen Flyers (Netherlands, Eredivisie), he had 38 points, including 17 goals, in 22 games.
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Rick Westhead, who recently joined TSN as its senior correspondent, has filed his first piece and it deals with Unifor and its bid to unionize major junior hockey. The union, Westhead reports, is to meet today with Ontario’s minister of labour. . . . Westhead’s piece is right here.
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It was Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown, N.Y., as the world of baseball saluted a few of its greats. That included Roger Angell, perhaps the best of all the baseball essayists. Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated has more on Angell right here, and you won’t want to miss it.
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Now here’s a real treat. In celebration of Angell, The New Yorker, the magazine for which he writes, has posted links to “eight Angell classics.” Those links are right here.
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The Portland Mavericks were an independent baseball team that lasted just five seasons. But what a five seasons of fun they were! Larry Stone of the Seattle Times chronicles that team right here. The Mavericks, by the way, were owned by Bing Russell. You may have heard of his son, Kurt.
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“After football, hockey is the sport that produces the highest reate of concussion,” notes Dr. Stefan M. Duma, the head of the biomedical engineering department at Virginia Tech. . . . Which is why, as Jeff Z. Klein of The New York Times reports, hockey helmets “may be on the verge of a radical makeover.” . . . Klein’s piece is right here.
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No doubt you are aware of the political unrest in the Russian area of the world. Perhaps you have been wondering how that will impact the approaching KHL season. Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star tackles that question right here.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:




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