JUNIOR JOTTINGS:
You may recall that the Regina Pats and Wheat Kings had something of a brouhaha in the immediate aftermath of a game in Brandon on Friday night. Well, the verdicts are in. . . . Each team has been fined $1,000 for “actions by player” after the game. . . . As well, Regina F Jaxsin Vaughan was given a three-game suspension for the match penalty he incurred, and Brandon F Matt Henry got five games for leaving the bench. . . .
F Reid Schaefer of the Seattle Thunderbirds was involved in an NHL deal on Tuesday as his rights moved from the Edmonton Oilers to the Nashville Predators. Nashville sent D Mattias Ekholm and a sixth-round pick in the NHL’s 2024 draft to the Oilers in exchange for D Tyson Barrie, who played in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets, Schaefer, a 2023 first-round draft pick and a fourth-rounder in 2024. . . . Schaefer was the 32nd overall selection in the 2022 NHL draft and signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Oilers. Schaefer, 19, has 47 points, including 23 goals, in 44 games with Seattle this season. . . .
The Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame and the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame have announced their 2023 inductees. . . . The Alberta announcement, which includes former WHL coaches Earl Ingarfield Sr. and Tim Hunter, is right here. . . . And right here is a story on the B.C. hall’s latest class, which includes former WHLers Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, and former on-ice official Lonnie Cameron.
If the WHL playoffs started today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Winnipeg (1) vs. Medicine Hat (8)
Red Deer (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)
Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)
Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)
Portland (3) vs. Tri-City (6)
Prince George (4) vs. Everett (5)
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TUESDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:
F Conor Geekie and F Matt Savoie enjoyed four-point games as the Winnipeg Ice drubbed the Oil Kings, 10-1, in Edmonton. . . . Savoie scored twice, giving him 31, and added two assists, while Geekie scored No. 29 and had three assists. . . . The Ice also got two goals (12) and an assist from F Vladislav Shilo, and a goal (39) and two assists from F Connor McClennon. . . . F Ty Fraser, a 17-year-old from Raymond, Alta., scored his first two WHL goals in his 44th game over two seasons. . . . G Daniel Hauser stopped 26 shots in earning the victory. He now is 32-3-1, 2.35, .914 this season, and 73-6-3, 2-26, .912 for his career. . . . The Ice (48-7-1), which has won 11 straight, will finish atop the East Division and the Eastern Conference. . . . The defending-champion Oil Kings (8-46-3) now have lost 10 in a row. With 11 games remaining, they are getting closer to setting a WHL record for fewest victories in a season by the defending champions. The 2017-18 Swift Current Broncos won the championship and then went 11-51-6 in 2018-19. . . .
D Owen Pickering scored once and added three assists to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 5-2 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat. . . . Pickering has nine goals this season. . . . The Broncos led this one 4-0 late in the second period. . . . F Josh Filmon had two goals for the Broncos, giving him 39 this season. . . . F Mat Ward helped out with three assists. . . . The Broncos were 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . Swift Current (27-27-3) has won two in a row, and now is tied with Medicine Hat (24-24-9) for seventh in the Eastern Conference. They are one point ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. . . .
F Niall Crocker gave the host Prince Albert Raiders a 2-0 first-period lead and they went on to beat the Red Deer Rebels, 5-2. . . . Crocker, who has 15 goals, scored PP goals at 5:22 and 14:18 of the opening period to get the Raiders started. . . . D Landon Kosior added his 17th goal before the period ended. . . . F Keaton Sorensen (21) had a goal and two assists for the winners, with F Ryder Ritchie earning three assists. . . . The Raiders (25-29-3) are four points from a playoff spot. . . . The Rebels (38-16-4) are headed for a first-place finish in the Central Division so will be the No. 2 seed when the Eastern Conference playoffs begin. . . .
F Chase Wheatcroft enjoyed a four-point game as the Prince George Cougars dumped the visiting Vancouver Giants, 6-0. . . . Wheatcroft, 20, scored his 40th goal of the season and added three assists. He went into this season with 82 points, including 31 goals, in 137 games split between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Winnipeg. This season, in 56 games with the Cougars, he has 86 points. . . . F Riley Heidt helped out with his 22nd goal and two assists. . . . The Cougars were 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . G Tyler Brennan stopped 22 shots to record his second shutout of the season and the seventh of his career. . . . Prince George (29-23-4) has won five in a row. It now is fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Everett Silvertips and Tri-City Americans. . . . Vancouver (21-28-7) had lost three in a row (0-2-1). It is seventh in the conference, two points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. The Giants and Rockets will play each other three more times before this season ends. . . . Meanwhile, the Giants and Cougars will play in Prince George again tonight.
THINKING OUT LOUD:
I don’t know what kind of a pay raise you got in 2022, but the average salary in MLB went up 14.8 per cent to US$4.22 million. That is according to numbers compiled by the players’ association. . . . Just when you’ve gotten over the gong show that was the WHL trade deadline along comes the NHL and one-ups it. I mean, who knew that F Tanner Jeannot, the former Moose Jaw Warriors banger, would be worth D Cal Foote, another former WHL player, and five draft picks? . . . And just before the lights go out on another day comes word that the Los Angeles Kings have dealt G Jonathan Quick to the Columbus Blue Jackets. And who didn’t think Quick would finish his career with the Kings, a team he helped win two Stanley Cups?
If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:
Living Kidney Donor Program
St. Paul’s Hospital
6A Providence Building
1081 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-806-9027
Toll free: 1-877-922-9822
Fax: 604-806-9873
Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca
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Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney
Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre
Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9
604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182
kidneydonornurse@vch.ca
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Or, for more information, visit right here.
TAKING NOTE 