There is a link to a GoFundMe page on the link below. Please give it some consideration . . .
WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:
The Saskatoon Blades will be playing in a Game 7 on home ice for a second straight series, both times after losing the first two games at home. . . . The Blades dropped Games 1 and 2 to the visiting Regina Pats in a first-round series, before coming back to win Game 7, 4-1, in Saskatoon on April 10. . . . And now, after having lost the first two games to the visiting Red Deer Rebels, the Blades have forced a seventh game, thanks to a 5-3 road victory on Sunday afternoon. . . . They’ll play Game 7 in Saskatoon on Tuesday night. . . .
Not only were the Blades trailing 3-0 in this Eastern Conference semifinal, but they fell behind 2-0 at 13:05 of the first period of Game 4 in Red Deer before storming back to win, 4-2. . . .
On Tuesday night, the Blades will be attempting to become the third team in WHL history to win a series after losing the first three games. . . . Interestingly, the only two teams to have managed this feat needed OT in Game 7. . . . In 1996, the Spokane Chiefs beat the Portland Winterhawks in Game 7, winning 4-3 when F Darren Sinclair scored 58 seconds into OT. . . . In 2013, the Kelowna Rockets beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2 in OT, in Game 7, winning on a goal at 5:10 by F Tyson Baillie. . . . Saskatoon had an opportunity to do it in a 1990 Eastern Conference semifinal but lost Game 7, 4-3 in OT, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on a goal by D Neil Hawryluk at 2:31 of extra time. . . .
A tweet from Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) from Saturday’s game in Winnipeg in which the Ice beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-2: “After ceding first two goals, Conor Geekie puts Winnipeg on his back by scoring the next two nine minutes apart in the 2nd and completing a hat trick into an empty net. 3rd trick in last 23 games, 4th of season. Scored grand total of five in other 19.” . . . The Ice holds a 3-2 lead in that Eastern Conference semifinal with Game 6 scheduled for tonight in Moose Jaw.
Meanwhile, the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds and No. 2 Kamloops Blazers await the arrival of Saturday night and Game 1 of the Western Conference final in Kent, Wash. . . . The Thunderbirds last played on Wednesday when they completed a sweep of the No. 4 Prince George Cougars, while the Blazers finished a sweep of the No. 3 Portland Winterhawks on Thursday. . . . The Thunderbirds and Blazers both are 8-0 in these playoffs, so something is going to give on Saturday. . . . They’ll play the second game in Kent on Sunday.
The 2023 Kamloops Kidney Walk is scheduled for June 4, and Dorothy is taking part once again. She will celebrate 10 years as a kidney-transplant recipient in September, so the annual Kidney Walk is a big deal for her. In fact, she is participating for a 10th straight year. Yes, that means she is fund-raising, with all donations going to the Kidney Foundation. . . . Things are rolling right along, too, as she surpassed $3,000 on Saturday. . . . If you are interested in helping, you are able to do so on her home page, which is right here.
SUNDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Saskatoon (2) at Red Deer (3) — F Egor Sidorov scored twice and added an 
assist as the Saskatoon Blades beat the Red Deer Rebels, 5-3. . . . The Eastern Conference semifinal is tied, 3-3, with Game 7 scheduled for Sasdatoon on Tuesday night. . . . The Blades now are 4-0 in elimination games. . . . Sidorov, who has nine goals in the playoffs, gave his guys a 1-0 lead just 34 seconds into the game, then drew the secondary assist on a goal by F Trevor Wong (5), at 16:24, for a 2-0 lead. . . . F Jace Isley (2) got Red Deer to within a goal at 5:09 of the second period, but Sidorov got that one back via a PP at 9:53. . . . F Jake Chiasson (4) gave Saskatoon a 4-1 lead at 17:37. . . . F Kai Uchacz (9) scored at 19:31 and the Rebels went to the third period trailing by two. . . . Isley (3) cut the deficit to one goal at 12:13 of the third. . . . F Jayden Wiens (7) got the empty-netter for the Blades at 18:08. . . . Saskatoon was 1-for-6 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-for-4. . . . In his first start since Game 3, Saskatoon G Austin Elliott stopped 35 shots. . . . Red Deer gave G Chase Coward his first start of these playoffs and he responded with 18 saves. . . . There were some shenanigans at 19:12 of the third period that resulted in 49 penalty minutes being doled out. F Jhett Larson of the Rebels picked up 37 of them — an instigating minor, two fighting majors, and a double game misconduct, the second one for getting into a second fight during the same stoppage. Chances are he will be hearing from the Dept. of Discipline. . . . By game’s end, the Rebels had taken 78 of the 112 penalty minutes that were handed out. . . . The Blades were without suspended F Justin Lies, who will complete a three-game suspension by also missing Game 7. He was suspended for a headshot on Red Deer F Kalan Lind, who hasn’t played since taking that hit in Game 4. . . . The Rebels were without suspended F Frantisek Formanek, who drew a one-game sentence under supplemental discipline after taking a boarding penalty in Game 5 for a hit on Saskatoon D Blade Gustafson, who didn’t play in Game 6.
JUNIOR JOTTINGS:
Cullen Revel is the new head coach of the junior B Richmond Sockeyes of the Pacific Junior Hockey League. He spent nine years coaching in Taiwan, including with the Chinese Taipei Ice Hockey Federation. He also has coach at the U18 level in North Vancouver. . . . Revel replaces Bayne Koen, who held the position from May 1, 2020, through the end of the 2022-23 season.
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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 