Welcome to a site where we sometimes provide food for thought, and often provide information about the Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation.
D Dominik Bittner (Everett, 2011-12) has signed a two-year contract with Grizzlys Wolfsburg (Germany, DEL). This season, with Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, DEL), he had two goals and 14 assists in 46 games.
Sounds like Rayce Ramsay of @HumboldtBroncos will be joining @blazerhockey. Kamloops' starting goalie Dylan Ferguson was injured last night. He's day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Dylan Garand relieved Ferguson last night in a 5-0 loss to Vancouver.
The Kamloops Blazers, their playoff hopes flickering like a fading light bulb, have lost G Dylan Ferguson to injury, so are expected to add G Rayce Ramsay to their roster.
Ramsay, who turned 18 on Jan. 3, has been playing with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos. From Saskatoon, Ramsay was 16-7-1, 2.73, .923 in his first season with Humboldt. . . . Ramsay got into 27 games with the Broncos, as he split time with Dane Dow, who made 34 appearances and was 19-12-2, 3.06, .906. . . . The Broncos aren’t scheduled to play again until March 15 when they open a best-of-seven first-round series with the Estevan Bruins. . . . Ramsay has made two appearances with the Blazers this season, going 1.99, .931 in 60 minutes of action.
Ferguson, who has played in 49 games (17-24-5, 3.01, .908), went down in the second period of a 5-0 loss to the visiting Vancouver Giants on Wednesday night. He needed to lean on his stick in order to get back on his feet, and tried to stay in the game. But he left at the next whistle, and needed help leaving as he was unable to put any weight on one leg.
G Dylan Garand, a 16-year-old freshman from Victoria, is the Blazers’ other goaltender. A third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft, he is 6-7-2, 3.40, .891.
The Blazers (23-32-7) have lost their past four games (0-3-1), three of them to the B.C. Division-champion Vancouver Giants. With six games left, Kamloops is fourth in the division, seven points behind the Kelowna Rockets. The Blazers and Rockets are to meet tonight in Kamloops and Saturday night in Kelowna.
Kamloops also is seven points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds, who hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot.
The Kelowna Rockets will be without F Mark Liwiski for their next three games, including this weekend’s home-and-home series with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Liwiski drew a three-game suspension after taking a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on Portland F Seth Jarvis during a 4-3 victory over the visiting Winterhawks on Sunday. . . . The Rockets are to play in Kamloops tonight, with the Blazers in Kelowna on Saturday night. . . . Liwiski, who has 10 goals and six assists in 58 games, also will miss Kelowna’s game on Wednesday against the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Rockets are third in the B.C. Division, seven points ahead of the Blazers.
Paul Danzer of the Portland Tribune reports that three Winterhawks skaters — F Cody Glass, F Seth Jarvis and D Matt Quigley — were listed as “week-to-week” by GM/head coach Mike Johnston going into this week. . . . Danzer writes that Glass “has experienced some nagging discomfort in the knee he injured in late January.” Glass has missed Portland’s past three games. . . . Quigley has missed eight games with an undisclosed injury. . . Jarvis was injured during a 4-3 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Sunday. Kelowna F Mark Liwiski received a boarding major and game misconduct on the play, and since has been suspended for three games by the WHL. . . . The Winterhawks have added D Ryan Miley to their roster since his team, the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles, had its season come to an end. Miley, 18, is from Brooking, S.D. He had one goal and four assists in 43 games with the Eagles. He was pointless in one game with Portland last season.
The Victoria Royals have added a pair of defencemen — Kaden Reinders and D Noah Lamb — to their roster. . . . They both played in Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Reinders had been with the midget AAA Grande Prairie Storm. He was a third-round pick in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. He is pointless in nine WHL games, six of them this season. . . . Lamb played for the midget AAA Edmonton Knights of Columbus Pats. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2017 bantam draft, and has played two WHL games, both this season. . . .
Today’s announcement by the AHHF of my being inducted into the Hall of fame, comes as a great honor. Being recognized by the Alberta hockey community is the pinnacle of my career. Also being joined by my friends from the ‘87-88 Mem cup winning Tiger teams makes the induction
The Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2019 induction dinner is going to have a definite Medicine Hat flavour. . . . The Class of 2019, as revealed on Thursday, includes Bob Ridley, the only play-by-play voice in the Tigers’ history, along with the 1986-87 and 1987-88 Tigers, the only team from Alberta to have won back-to-back Memorial Cup titles. . . . Ridley celebrated 50 years with CHAT in Medicine Hat last year. He has done more than 3,900 Tigers games and until recently doubled as the team’s bus driver. . . . Also to be inducted are Theo Fleury, who won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames, an Olympic gold medal and also played four seasons (1984-88) with the Moose Jaw Warriors; Shirley Cameron, a player, coach and builder of women’s hockey in Alberta; Kevin Lowe, who won six Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers and two Olympic gold medals; and Duncan MacDougall, who is being recognized for “four decades of involvement at the grassroots level of the officiating program in Edmonton.” . . . The AHHF Awards Gala is scheduled for July 21 at the Coast Hotel in Canmore.
The 1986-87 Medicine Hat Tigers: Ron Bonora, Neil Brady, Dean Chynoweth, Rob Dimaio, Rocky Dundas, Mark Fitzpatrick, Kelly Hitchins, Jamie Huscroft, Wayne Hynes, Kevin Knopp, Mark Kuntz, Dale Kushner, Kirby Lindal, Trevor Linden, Mike MacWilliam, Wayne McBean, Scott McCrady, Mark Pederson, Guy Phillips, Jeff Wenaas, Keith Van Rooyen, Rod Williams, Russ Farwell (general manager), Bryan Maxwell (coach).
The 1987-88 Medicine Hat Tigers: Mike Barlage, Vince Boe, Neil Brady, Dean Chynoweth, Rob Dimaio, Mark Fitzpatrick, Clayton Gainer, Murray Garbutt, Wayne Hynes, Dan Kordic, Kirby Lindal, Trevor Linden, Wayne McBean, Scott McCrady, Ryan McGill, Jason Miller, Mark Pederson, Jason Prosofsky, Darren Taylor, Neil Wilkinson, Mark Woolf, Cal Zankowski, Russ Farwell (general manager), Barry Melrose (coach).
The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies have won 25 straight games, tying the Sorel Eperviers and #OHLRangers for the longest winning streak in #CHL history. One of the Huskies wins was by shootout, though, so there's that debate (21 in a row since the SO). https://t.co/fTUhHt42zY
Alan Millar, the general manager of the Moose Jaw Warriors, is back with Hockey Canada as part of its Program of Excellence management group. . . . Millar will, according to a news release, “advise and support the Canadian contingents at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and 2020 IIHF U18 World Championship.” . . . This will be Millar’s second consecutive season with the program. . . . At the same time, Hockey Canada announced that Martin Mondou, the GM of the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes, will “guide and support three teams at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Medicine Hat and Swift Current.” . . . Mark Hunter, the general manager of the OHL’s London Knights, will take over the U-20 program and Canada’s national junior team. Hunter spent four seasons with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs as director of player personnel (2014-16) and assistant GM (2016-18) before returning toe London. He is likely to get at least some consideration as the next GM of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. As well, the expansion Seattle franchise likely will have him on its list of possible general managers. . . . Hockey Canada’s complete news release is right here.
JUST NOTES: The 2020 U-17 World Hockey Challenge is to be played in Charlottetown and Summerside, both of which are on Prince Edward Island, from Oct. 31 through Nov. 7. Games will be played in in Charlottetown’s 3,717-seat Eastlink Centre, as well as Summerside’s 3,728-seat Credit Union Place. . . . The OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs will play host to the next Top Prospects Game, which is set for Jan. 16, 2020. The 25th annual game will feature NHL draft-eligible players from the OHL, QMJHL and WHL. . . . The Calgary Hitmen have added F Sean Tschigerl to their roster. Tschigerl, 15, is from Whitecourt, Alta., and has been playing with the OHA Edmonton prep team. The fourth-overall pick in the 2018 bantam draft, he is pointless in six games with the Hitmen this season. . . . The Tri-City Americans have added F Sequoia Swan, 17, to their roster. He had been playing with the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard, whose season has ended. He was a sixth-round pick by the Americans in the 2017 bantam draft.
So sad to hear Tom Seaver has dementia. He will always be the heart and soul of the @Mets ,the standard which all Mets aspire to, this breaks my heart. Do not feel worthy to be mentioned in the same breath, yet honored to be with him in the @baseballhall#Mets#MLB
I don’t know why, but I saw video of Tom Seaver pitching and the news on TV that he was suffering from dementia and I started to cry. Immortals aren’t supposed to be mortal. #miracleMets#totalclass
The QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies beat the host Shawinigan Cataractes 8-3 on Wednesday night, running their winning streak to 25 games. That ties the CHL record that was set by the QMJHL’s 1973-74 Sorel Éperviers and equalled by the 1983-84 Kitchener Rangers. The 1995-96 Hull Olympiques and the 2012-13 London Knights won 24 in a row. . . . The WHL record (22) is held by the 1967-68 Estevan Bruins.
F Reese Johnson, the captain of the Red Deer Rebels, has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. . . . This season, the 20-year-old Saskatoon native has 22 goals and 23 assists in 62 games. He has single-season career highs in assists and points. . . . In 182 career regular-season games, he has 50 goals and 42 assists. . . . Johnson wasn’t selected in either the WHL bantam draft or the NHL draft.
The MJHL’s Neepawa Natives are in need of a general manager and head coach following the decision by Dustin Howden not to ask for a new contract. . . . Howden, 33, is from Deloraine, a community south of Brandon. He told Chris Jaster of the Brandon Sun: “I just feel it’s time for someone else to take the program to the next step.” . . . Howden has been with the Natives since 2014-15 when he was an assistant coach. He took over as head coach prior to 2016-17, and added the GM’s duties in time for this season. . . . This season, the Natives finished 9-43-8, which left them last in the 11-team league.
F Jake Elmer ran his goal-scoring streak to 13 games as he helped the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Lethbridge (36-18-10) has won four in a row, and now has clinched a playoff spot. It also has moved into a tie with the Edmonton Oil Kings atop the Central Division. Edmonton holds a game in hand. . . . Brandon (30-25-8) is 1-2-1 on a six-game trek through the Central Division. The Wheat Kings are tied with the Red Deer Rebels for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Lethbridge won the season series, 3-1-0. . . . Elmer opened the scoring at 5:36 of the second period, while shorthanded. He’s got 37 goals this season, and leads the WHL with six shorthanded snipes. . . . The longest goal-scoring streak in WHL history occurred from Nov. 6 through Dec. 15, 1984, as F Cliff Ronning of the New Westminster Bruins struck 27 times over 18 games. . . . The Hurricanes’ record (16 games) belongs to F Jason Ruff (Jan. 16 through Feb. 27, 1991). Ruff had 20 goals over that stretch. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn, who has 37 goals, gave his guys a 3-0 lead when he scored at 7:35 and 19:44, the latter on a PP. . . . F Zack Stringer’s first WHL goal, at 10:16 of the third period, made it 4-0. Stringer’s first goal came in his fourth game. He also had an assist, and now has three points. A 15-year-old from Lethbridge, Stringer, the eighth-overall selection in the 2018 bantam draft, had 14 goals and 27 assists in 30 games with the midget AAA Hurricanes this season. . . . F Luka Burzan (38) scored Brandon’s goal, at 11:09 of the third period. . . . G Carl Tetachuk stopped 27 shots to earn the victory. . . . F Scott Mahovlich was back in Lethbridge’s lineup after having left the club on Feb. 13 to deal with a “family emergency.” He missed 10 games.
The Calgary Hitmen struck for four goals in the first period — three of them by F Carson Focht — and then needed OT to beat the host Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-5. . . . Calgary (36-22-6) has points in seven straight games (6-0-1). It is third in the Central Division, four points behind the Edmonton Oil Kings and Lethbridge Hurricanes. Three of Calgary’s last four games are against the Oil Kings. . . . Medicine Hat (32-25-6) holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, two points ahead of the Red Deer Rebels and Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Calgary won the season series, 5-1-0. . . . Focht gave his guys a 2-0 lead with goals at 2:52, on the PP, and 3:53 of the first period. . . . F Ryan Chyzowski (23) got the Tigers on the scoreboard at 11:44. . . . F James Malm, on a PP, increased Calgary’s lead to 3-1 at 15:46 and Focht completed his third career hat trick — all three in the past five games — at 19:59. He’s got 26 goals, 10 of them in those past five games. . . . The Tigers followed with the next four goals to take a 5-4 lead. . . . F Ryan Jevne, who last played on Feb. 16, scored at 1:37 of the second period, and FCorson Hopwo made it 4-3 at 10:01. . . . The Tigers pulled even on D Trevor Longo’s fifth goal, at 7:58 of the third period, and went ahead at 11:07 when Jevne got his 28th goal, on a PP. . . . Malm forced OT with his 33rd goal at 16:18. . . . Calgary won it at 3:41 of OT when D Vladislav Yeryomenko notched his sixth goal of the season. . . . The Hitmen were 3-4 on the PP; the Tigers were 1-4. . . . Focht also had an assist for the fourth four-point game of his career. . . . Malm added an assist to his two goals. . . . Jevne added an assist to his two goals, while Longo had two helpers. . . . G Jack McNaughton stopped 37 shots for the Hitmen. . . . The Tigers also had F Brett Kemp back in their lineup. He had been out since Feb. 22.
G Trent Miner stopped 16 shots and D Bowen Byram set a single-season franchise record as the Vancouver Giants dumped the Blazers, 5-0, in Kamloops. . . . Vancouver (45-14-4) has points in seven straight games (6-0-1). It is tied with the Everett Silvertips atop the Western Conference, each with five games remaining. . . . Kamloops (23-32-7) has lost four in a row (0-3-1). With six games to play, it is fourth in the B.C. Division, seven points behind the Kelowna Rockets. Kamloops and Kelowna will go home-and-home on Friday and Saturday. . . . The Blazers also are seven points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds, who hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . This was the third game in a row between these teams — the Giants won all three, one of them in OT. . . . Vancouver won the season series, 8-0-0; Kamloops was 0-5-3. . . . Miner posted his third shutout of the season. He is 23-4-2, 1.94, .926. . . . F Jadon Joseph scored twice for the Giants, opening the scoring 34 seconds into the second period and closing it with his 20th goal, on a PP, at 16:47 of the third. . . . In between, the Giants got goals from F Davis Koch (27), F Justin Sourdif (20) and Byram. . . . Byram’s goal was his 25th of the season and set a single-season franchise record for goals by a defenceman. The previous record was set by Kevin Connauton in 2009-10. . . . F Milos Roman had three assists. The Giants are about to lose Roman for a handful of games. Like Kootenay Ice D Martin Bodak, he will be returning to his native Slovakia to write a mandatory exam. . . . Kamloops G Dylan Ferguson left at 1:37 of the second period. He was slow getting up after some goal-mouth action at 1:20, and actually needed to lean onhis stick in order to get to his feet. Seventeen seconds later, he left the game, unable to put any weight on one leg. . . . Ferguson stopped 10 of 11 shots in 21:37. Dylan Garand came on in relief and turned aside 17 of 21. . . . The Giants enjoyed a 32-16 edge in shots, including 14-2 in the second period when they began to take control. . . .Vancouver was 3-5 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-5. . . . Vancouver had F Krz Plummer in their lineup. Plummer, who turns 17 on Feb. 13, was a third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. This was his fifth WHL game, four of them this season.
GOOOOOOOOALLLLL!!@SourdifJustin pots his 20th! He becomes the third Giant to ever reach 20 goals in his 16-year-old season! The others were Gilbert Brule and Evander Kane! 3-0 the Giants lead mid-way through the third period!
The Tri-City Americans scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Victoria Royals, 6-3, in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Tri-City (34-25-4) had lost five in a row (0-4-1). The Americans, who are in possession of the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, have clinched a playoff spot. . . . Victoria (33-26-4) had points in each of its past four games (3-0-1). It is headed to a second-place finish in the B.C. Division. . . . F Phillip Schultz (19) put Victoria ahead 55 seconds into the game. . . . F Paycen Bjorklund (5) tied it at 4:12. . . . Victoria went ahead again just 27 seconds later as F Carson Miller (14) scored. . . . The Americans tied it at 17:10 when D Dom Schmiemann (3) scored. . . . F Riley Sawchuk, who finished with two goals and an assist, put the Americans out front at 4:00 of the second period. . . . Victoria pulled even at 16:51 on F D-Jay Jerome’s 22nd goal. . . . Tri-City F Sasha Mutala (19) broke the tie at 18:08, and Sawchuk added insurance with his 20th goal, on a PP, at 13:54 of the third period. . . . Tri-City D Mitchell Brown (4) added the empty-netter at 18:58. . . . G Beck Warm stopped 20 shots for Tri-City, six fewer than Victoria’s Brock Gould. . . . D Ralph Jarratt, D Scott Walford and F Kody McDonald were among Victoria’s scratches.
G Patrik Bartošák (Red Deer, 2011-14) has signed a contract beginning next season with Třinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, in 45 games with Vítkovice Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he was 25-17-3, 2.20, .935, with one shutout. He led the league in save percentage. . . . http://iSport.czreports that with the Třinec contract, Bartošák will make 700,000 Czech crowns (~$31,000 US) a month; 30,000 crowns (~$1,300 US) for each standing point; and 90,000 crowns (~$4,000 US) for each regulation win. . . . Czech Extraliga awards three points for a win in regulation, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss, and no points for a loss in regulation. . . .
F Spencer Machacek (Vancouver, 2005-08) has signed a one-year contract extension with Grizzlys Wolfsburg (Germany, DEL). He has 18 goals and 13 assists in 49 games. . . .
F Johannes Salmonsson (Spokane, 2005-06) has signed a two-year contract extension with Timrå (Sweden, SHL). He has three goals and 15 assists in 31 games.
The NHL’s Minnesota Wild has signed F Connor Dewar of the Everett Silvertips to a three-year entry-level contract. . . . Dewar, from The Pas, Man., was a third-round pick by the Wild in the NHL’s 2018 draft. The 19-year-old is the Silvertips’ captain. . . . This season, Dewar has career highs in assists (41) and points (75), in 54 games. He has 34 goals, four shy of his career high. . . . In 265 regular-season games, Dewar has 97 goals and 94 assists. . . . He has added 14 goals and 15 assists in 41 playoff games. . . . Everett selected him in the fifth round of the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft.
Kelowna's Mark Liwiski given a 5 minute major and GM for this hit on Portland's Seth Jarvis pic.twitter.com/o8jT3OIJZK
F Mark Liwiski of the Kelowna Rockets has drawn a TBD suspension after taking a boarding major and game misconduct during a 4-3 victory over the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Sunday. . . . Portland F Seth Jarvis, who absorbed the hit from Liwiski, isn’t shown as being injured on the WHL’s weekly roster report that was issued on Tuesday. . . . Kelowna’s next game is scheduled for Friday against the Blazers in Kamloops. The teams also will meet on Saturday in Kelowna. . . . The Winterhawks are to meet the Cougars in Prince George on Friday and Saturday nights.
Ryely McKinstry was selected by the Vancouver Giants in the second round, 23rd overall, of the 2013 WHL bantam draft. A defenceman from Calgary, he played 43 games with the Giants — two in 2013-14, 30 in 2014-15 and 11 in 2015-16. . . . He didn’t play at all in 2016-17. . . . He had to leave hockey behind after playing one game with the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers last season. . . . Yes, he was forced out of the game by concussions. Eight of them, by his count. . . . McKinstry has written a detailed account of what he’s been through and it’s all right here.
TUESDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
#WHL SAS/MJ: @BladesHockey Brandon Schuldhaus scores twice 11:00 apart to reach 75 career points. 3rd 2-goal game of career doing so twice last year as a member of the Warriors. 4 of 7 goals this season against most recent former squad (Moose Jaw).
D Brandon Schuldhaus scored twice to help the visiting Saskatoon Blades to a 4-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Saskatoon (42-14-8) has won five in a row. . . . The Blades won for the 12th time in 13 games and clinched second place in the process. That gives them home-ice advantage in what almost certainly will be a first-round series with the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw (25-19-8) is third in the East Division, 14 points behind the Blades with six games remaining. . . . F Tristin Langan (48) gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead just 56 seconds into the game. . . . Schuldhaus, who has seven goals, tied the game at 15:02, then put his guys out front at 6:24 of the second period. . . . F Justin Almeida (27) got the Warriors into a 2-2 tie, while shorthanded, at 11:55. . . . Blades D Dawson Davidson broke the tie with his 11th goal, on a PP, at 12:15. . . . F Kirby Dach (24) iced it at 19:17. . . . G Nolan Maier earned the victory with 26 saves. . . . G Brodan Salmond also stopped 26 shots for the Warriors.
— Prince Albert Raiders (@PARaidersHockey) March 6, 2019
G Ian Scott turned aside 24 shots to help the Prince Albert Raiders to a 6-0 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . With the victory, Prince Albert (51-9-4) clinched the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy that goes to the WHL team with the best regular-season record. The only other time in franchise history when the Raiders had the league’s best record was in their Memorial Cup-winning season of 1984-85. . . . The Raiders’ first-round playoff opponent hasn’t yet been decided. . . . Swift Current (10-46-6), the WHL’s defending champion, has lost 15 games in a row (0-12-3). . . . The Raiders and Broncos will meet again Friday in Prince Albert and Sunday in Swift Current. The Broncos also will meet the Blades in Saskatoon on Saturday. . . . Scott put up his sixth shutout of the season and the ninth of his career. He has tied the franchise’s single-season record and shares it with Luke Siemens (2012-13) and Rejean Beauchemin (2003-04). . . . D Sergei Sapego (9) got the Raiders started at 5:30 of the first period. . . . F Dante Hannoun (29) made it 2-0 at 7:00 and the Raiders never were threatened. . . . F Justin Nachbaur, who turned 19 on Monday, added two goals, giving him 18, with F Aliaksei Protas (11) and F Eric Pearce (7) also scoring. . . . Hannoun also had two assists. . . . The Ice got 33 stops from G Riley Lamb. . . . The Raiders had D Max Martin back after he sat out six games, while F Parker Kelly returned after serving a three-game suspension.
The booth belonging to the Kootenay Ice’s booster club looks as though it’s ready to lose its hockey team to Winnipeg.
G Jiri Patera put up his first WHL shutout as the Brandon Wheat Kings dumped the Kootenay Ice, 7-0, in Cranbrook, B.C. . . . Brandon (30-24-8) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). The Wheat Kings moved into a tie with the Red Deer Rebels for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Kootenay (12-42-10) has lost three in a row. It has been blanked five times this season, with three of them coming on home ice. . . . The Ice has two homes games remaining, on March 15 and 17, before it leaves Cranbrook for Winnipeg. . . . Patera, an 18-year-old freshman from Praha, Czech Republic, stopped 29 shots. He is 22-15-5, 3.20, .910. . . . The Wheat Kings got two goals from each of F Baron Thompson and F Luka Burzan. . . . Thompson, who has eight goals, made it 1-0 at 9:11 of the first period. . . . Burzan, who has 37 goals, upped it to 2-0 at 16:06. . . . F Ridley Greig (14), F Stelio Mattheos (41) and F Connor Gutenberg (15) also scored for Brandon, which is 1-1-1 on a six-game trip through the Central Division while the Tim Hortons Brier — the Canadian men’s curling championship — is being played in its home arena. . . . Burzan added an assist for a three-point game. . . . Kootenay D Martin Bodak has played his final WHL game. He is returning to his native Slovakia to write a mandatory high school exam, so will miss the Ice’s final four games. . . . Bodak, 20, put up 11 goals and 14 assists in 58 games this season. In 117 regular-season games over two seasons, he had 18 goals and 38 assists.
The Everett Silvertips erased a 1-0 deficit with three third-period goals and beat the host Spokane Chiefs, 3-1. . . . Everett (45-14-4) has points in seven straight games (6-0-1). It leads the Western Conference by two points over Vancouver, but the Giants have one game in hand. While Everett is idle tonight, the Giants are to meet the Blazers in Kamloops. . . . Spokane (35-20-7) had points in each of its past six games (5-0-1). It is third in the U.S. Division, five points behind the Portland Winterhawks. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (15) gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 8:40 of the second period. He has goals in five straight games. . . . D Ronan Seeley got the Silvertips even with his first career WHL goal, at 1:38 of the third period. . . . F Dawson Butt (8) broke the tie at 3:33, and F Reece Vitelli (10) added insurance at 16:03. . . . Seeley, the 20th overall pick in the 2017 bantam draft, scored in his 48th career game, all of them this season. . . . Everett got 24 saves from G Dawson Wolf, who won for the 40th time this season. He now is 40-13-3, 1.71, .936. . . . G Bailey Brkin turned aside 24 shots for the Chiefs.
Forgot to mention earlier because Gallagher scored while we were discussing it, but a classy touch by @DieterRuehle to play the 90210 theme during an early-game stoppage.
Johnny Manziel released by Montreal Alouettes who said he "contravened the agreement which made him eligible to play" in CFL. How bad do you have to be to seriously p*ss off Canadians?
“It’s doubtful Marie Antoinette, beheaded former queen of France, ever played hockey,” writes RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “If she had, history would note her as out indefinitely with an upper body injury.”
Hey, Sportsnet, if you’re going to make a to-do about a pregame fight you should know that it happened in the ECHL, as opposed to the East Coast Hockey League. If you’re wanting to be a nation’s hockey network, you should be aware of that. Once again . . . that pregame scrap took place in the ECHL. OK?
So . . . my wife, Dorothy, was in Brandon last week. While they were paying 97.9 for a litre of gasoline, the price in Kamloops was 1.27.9. Does anyone have a clear and reasonable and sensible explanation for that? And you can’t use the word ‘gouging’ in your explanation.
A couple of Robservations from Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post: 1. Why are hockey referees so oblivious to obvious cross-checks? On Friday, for example, Logan Nijhoff of the Regina Pats was cross-checked into the Brandt Centre boards by Dakota Krebs of the Calgary Hitmen. No call. The Hitmen proceeded to score a goal when they should have been killing a penalty. The laissez-faire officiating was also on display when Nijhoff gave Kaden Elder an extra shot after finishing a check. No call (repeat). Why employ two referees if they are going to ignore penalties? . . . 2. There isn’t any justification for fighting in hockey — not when player safety is supposedly an area of emphasis.
Here’s columnist Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times on the Dodgers’ attempts to sign Bryce Harper: “They flew to his Las Vegas home this week in what appeared to be a successful attempt to convince him of their charms. It seemed like Harper was all but begging to come to Los Angeles. Yet the Dodgers let him go to the one place he clearly didn’t want to go. . . . When it comes to bringing a star to Hollywood, the Dodgers are more about raising prices than raising hopes.”
Headline at SportsPickle.com: Report: Man agrees to live in Philadelphia for $330 million.
When Bryce Harper gets his final paycheck from the Phillies in 2031, Bobby Bonilla will still be four years away from his final paycheck from the Mets.
Headline at SportsPickle.com: Somehow this Bryce Harper deal will end with the Mets paying him $1 million every month through the year 2095.
Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe, notes: “With Bryce Harper’s $300-million, 13-year contract, there are kids not even born in Philly who will be booing him someday.”
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Hough, again: “Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper at the Oscars had more chemistry than we’ve seen live since Trump and Putin in Helsinki.”
Just watched @rogerfederer win his 100th title and my daughter asked “how many did you win?” “10” I responded proudly. “How come you only won 10? That’s like none.” Thanks Roger, for making me look bad in front of my kids. Congrats.
“By now,” writes Jack Finarelli, aka The Sports Curmudgeon, “I’m sure you have seen photos of the exploded sneaker that led to Zion Williamson’s ‘Grade 1 knee sprain’. Photos of Janet Jackson’s ‘wardrobe malfunction’ didn’t get wider distribution than the exploded shoe has gotten.”
If you’re looking for a good read, get a copy of Bower: A Legendary Life. Written by Dan Robson, it chronicles the life and times of Johnny Bower, and what an amazing story it was. It helps, too, that Bower was a perfect gentleman. It should be mandatory reading, too, for every player who is making his living playing hockey today.
Wondering what’s in the future for outfielder Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels? Here’s Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle: “It’s nice to envision Mike Trout wearing a Giants uniform when he becomes a free agent two years from now, but that’s a pipe dream. Trout is an East Coast guy (New Jersey). His buddies are tired of staying up past midnight to watch a dreadful Angels game on television. Only the Dodgers could keep him in California.”
Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times flagged this one . . . Rich de Give, via Twitter, on former Trump campaign director Paul Manafort’s sentencing memo taking up 800 pages: “Wait until you get to the end, when you find out not only did he remove a mattress tag, he used the descriptions and accounts of a game without the express written consent of Major League Baseball.”
Zack Sawchenko makes 29 saves to post his 2nd consectuive shutout as #1 ranked Alberta beats #3 ranked Saskatchewan 1-0 in Saskatoon in the 3rd and deciding game of the Canada West Final to claim their 55th Conference title and 28th in the Canada West modern era (1972-73)
In response to a piece that appeared here yesterday about the WHL record for most victories by one team in a 68-game regular season, a reader responds:
“While there was obviously no shootout in 1971-72, teams did play a 10-minute sudden-death overtime to break tie games. The vast majority of overtime games were decided as there were only 10 ties in the entire season.
“It appears that Calgary had 46 regulation victories in 1971-72, the same number that Prince Albert has this season. Overtime games were far fewer in those days, of course, when double-digit game scores were a regular thing.”
The Calgary Centennials finished the 1971-72 season with a record of 49-16-3. This season, the Prince Albert Raiders, who have five games remaining, are 50-9-4, with three OT victories and one in a shootout.
So . . . let’s just say that the 1980-81 Victoria Cougars hold the single-season record for most victories (60) and leave it at that.
Today has been the toughest day of my young coaching career. I lost a true soldier, a soldier that I had the honour and privilege of coaching the past 3 years. Thanks for giving me your best and being a great kid to coach. Alec you will be missed. My sympathies to the Reid family pic.twitter.com/Cq2Y9h6jZS
F Alec Reid of the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada died on Sunday morning of complications related to epilepsy. He was 18.
A freshman in the QMJHL, he had two goals and three assists in 26 games with the Drummondville Voltigeurs to start the season, then was pointless in 11 games with the Armada following a January trade.
From a QMJHL news release:
“Reid had been closely monitored by a doctor and a neurologist due to epilepsy for quite some time. Over the course of the past few weeks, the Armada had been working in close collaboration with his physicians because of recent epilepsy seizures. Due to concerns over his condition, Reid hadn’t played since February 19, 2019.”
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SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
G Nolan Maier put up his second straight shutout as the Saskatoon Blades beat the Red Deer Rebels, 1-0. . . . Saskatoon (41-14-8) has won four in a row. It will finish second in the East Division. . . . Red Deer (31-25-6) had points in each of its previous three games (2-0-1). It remains in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and two ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Maier stopped 17 shots in recording his fourth shutout of the season and sixth of his career. On Friday, Maier made 19 saves in a 4-0 victory over the Pats in Regina. . . . This season, Maier is 33-10-6, 2.66, .909. . . . The Blades held a 33-17 edge in shots, including 10-0 in the third period. . . . F Cyle McNabb (7) scored the game’s lone goal, at 6:37 of the second period. . . . Saskatoon was 0-4 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-3. . . . The Rebels got 32 saves from G Ethan Anders.
F Carson Focht struck for three goals to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 6-2 victory over the visiting Kootenay Ice. . . . Calgary (35-22-6) has points in six straight (5-0-1). It is third in the Central Division, four points behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes and six behind the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Hitmen have five games remaining, with three of them against the Oil Kings. . . . Kootenay (12-41-10) has lost two in a row. . . . On Friday, in Cranbrook, B.C., the Hitmen beat the Ice, 5-2. . . . On Sunday, Focht opened the scoring, on a PP, at 2:16 of the first period. . . . The Ice tied it at 10:19 when F Connor McClennon (12) scored on a PP. . . . The Hitmen took control with the next three goals. . . . F Ryder Korczak (8) counted, on a PP, at 18:07, before second-period goals from F Josh Prokop, at 5:17, and Focht, at 8:19. . . . D Martin Bodak (11) scored for the visitors at 10:14. . . . Calgary iced it with third-period goals from Prokop (9), at 4:28, and Focht (23), shorthanded, at 16:03. . . . Calgary was 2-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 1-8. . . . The Hitmen got 36 saves from G Carl Stankowski. . . . Focht has been on a tear of late, with 16 points, including seven goals, on a six-game point streak. He had a four-goal game on Feb. 27 as the Hitmen beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos, 9-3. He now has 58 points in 63 games. . . . Calgary went 3-0-0 in playing three times in fewer than 48 hours over the weekend. The Ice went 1-2-0 in doing the same thing.
D Bowen Byram scored in OT for the fifth time this season, this one giving the Vancouver Giants a 5-4 victory over the Kamloops Blazers in Langley, B.C. . . . Vancouver (44-14-4) has points in six straight (5-0-1). It is tied with the Everett Silvertips, who also are 44-14-4, atop the Western Conference. . . . Kamloops (23-31-7) has lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . . Things couldn’t have gone much worse for the Blazers this weekend as they try to catch either the Kelowna Rockets or Seattle Thunderbirds for a playoff spot. On Saturday, the Blazers lost, 5-4 in regulation to the visiting Giants, while the Thunderbirds and Rockets both lost in OT, so picked up loser points. Last night, with the Blazers getting a loser point, Kelowna and Seattle both posted regulation-time victories. . . . The Blazers are fourth in the B.C. Division, now seven points behind the Rockets. Kamloops also is seven points behind Seattle, which holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Giants and Blazers will play again in Kamloops on Wednesday. . . . On Sunday, F Milos Roman gave the Giants a 1-0 lead at 9:39 of the first period. . . . The Blazers promptly took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Jerzy Orchard (1), at 10:33, and F Brodi Stuart, on a PP, at 19:00. . . . The Giants went up 3-2 as F Tristen Nielsen (13) scored, at 1:56 of the second period, and D Dylan Plouffe (6) counted, on a PP, at 3:28 of the third. . . . Stuart (19), who is from Langley, tied it, on a PP, at 7:42. . . . Roman (27) put the Giants ahead, again, at 17:02, on a PP. . . . The Blazers forced OT when F Jermaine Loewen (24) scored at 18:01. . . . Byram won it 29 seconds into extra time. . . . Byram’s 24th goal of the season tied the franchise’s single-season record for goals by a defenceman that was set by Kevin Connauton in 2009-10. . . . Byram, who also had two assists, now has 66 points in 62 games. Eight of his goals have been game-winners. . . . Byram’s fifth OT winner of the season tied the WHL record that was set by F Eric Fehr of the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2004-05 and equalled by Kamloops F Deven Sideroff in 2016-17. . . . Roman added two assists to his brace of goals, giving him the third four-point game of his career. On Friday night, he had a goal and three assists in a 7-4 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets. Roman now has 56 points in 56 games this season. . . . The Blazers got three assists from F Luke Zazula. . . . The Giants got 22 stops from G David Tendeck, four fewer than the Blazers’ Dylan Garand. . . . Vancouver was 2-3 on the PP; Kamloops was 2-4. . . . D Jackson Caller was out of Kamloops’ lineup after needing some dental work after being struck in the face by a puck on Saturday night. . . . Both teams were playing their third game in fewer than 48 hours — the Giants went 3-0-0; the Blazers finished 0-2-1.
Michael Dyck, the @WHLGiants coach, says C Milos Roman will miss three of Vancouver's final six regular season games because he has to fly back to Slovakia to write tests tied to his high school graduation. He's slated to leave Saturday morning from @yvrairport
F Dallon Wilton broke a 3-3 tie at 14:13 of the third period to give the host Kelowna Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Kelowna (27-30-6) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). . . . Portland (38-19-6) is headed to a second-place finish in the U.S. Division. With Portland’s loss, the Everett Silvertips clinched first place in the division for the seventh time in the franchise’s 16-season history. . . . On Saturday, the Winterhawks beat the host Rockets, 2-1, in OT. . . . Kelowna held a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by F Ted Brennan (2), at 6:00, and F Leif Mattson (22), at 7:13. . . . F Josh Patterson (22) got the Winterhawks to within a goal at 12:39 of the second. . . . Kelowna went up 3-1 at 1:53 of the third period on a PP goal by D Lassi Thomson (17). . . . Portland tied it on PP goals from F Jake Gricius (24), at 7:26, and D Brendan De Jong (7), at 13:58. . . . Wilton won it with his fourth goal of the season. . . . Portland outshot Kelowna, 30-19, including 13-7 in the first period. . . . Kelowna G Roman Basran stopped 27 shots, 12 more than Portland’s Shane Farkas. . . . Portland was 2-4 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-2. . . . Kelowna lost F Mark Liwiski to a boarding major and game misconduct at 2:07 of the third period. . . . The Winterhawks were without F Cody Glass again, but had De Jong back in the lineup. . . . Kelowna went 1-1-1 in playing three times in fewer than 48 hours. Portland did the same thing and was 1-2-0.
Kelowna's Mark Liwiski given a 5 minute major and GM for this hit on Portland's Seth Jarvis pic.twitter.com/o8jT3OIJZK
F Matthew Wedman scored twice and added an assist, while F Noah Philp drew three assists, leading the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 6-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans in Kent, Wash. . . . Seattle (26-28-8) has points in five straight (3-0-2). . . . Tri-City (33-25-4) has lost five in a row (0-4-1). . . . F Sasha Mutala (18) gave the Americans a 1-0 lead at 4:07 of the first period. . . . Seattle scored the game’s next three goals. . . . Wedman got it started, on a PP, at 13:20. . . . F Andrej Kukuca (25) broke the tie, at 4:22 of the second period, and F Brecon Wood (3) made it 3-1 at 7:56. . . . The Americans got to within a goal when F Krystof Hrabik (18) scored, on a PP, at 13:17. . . . The Thunderbirds responded with three more goals, from Wedman (37), on a PP, at 17:07; F Graeme Bryks (1), at 2:58 of the third period; and F Henri Rybinski (7), just seven seconds later. . . . Tri-City’s final goal came from F Parker AuCoin (38), on a PP, at 7:30. . . . Tri-City was 2-6 on the PP; Seattle was 2-7. . . . Seattle went 2-0-1 in playing three times in fewer than 48 hours on the weekend. Tri-City did the same thing and went 0-2-1.
Donn Clark, who was inducted into the Prince Albert Raiders’ Wall of Honour on Friday night, died in Saskatoon on Saturday. He was two days shy of his 57th birthday.
From Kelvington, Sask., he was one of three brothers to play in the WHL — he, Wendel and Kerry all played for the Saskatoon Blades. Wendel represented his older brother in Prince Albert on Friday.
Donn got into one game with the Great Falls Americans in 1979-80, then played nine games with the Blades in 1980-81. He played all of 1981-82 with Saskatoon. In 1982-83 he played in three games with the Blades, one with the Nanaimo Islanders and 31 with the Raiders.
He began his WHL coaching career as an assistant with the Tacoma Rockets (1991-93). He was the head coach of the Raiders on two occasions (1993-95, 2000-02), and also ran the Blades’ bench (1995-98).
Clark, who had been battling cancer, worked as the Raiders’ general manager and director of hockey operations (2001-08).
We are saddened to learn one of our beloved alumni Donn Clark has passed away. Our condolences are with the Clark family today and always. We’ll miss you, Donny.
— x – Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) March 3, 2019
Saddened to hear the news of Donn Clark passing away today. He was a good, honest man who I always enjoyed being around during our time together in the WHL. My condolences to his family.
The WHL is crediting the Prince Albert Raiders with the record for most victories (50) in a 68-game schedule.
That would break the record of 49 that had been held by the 1971-72 Calgary Centennials.
Allow me to suggest, however, that this is comparing apples to oranges, and that the Raiders haven’t broken the Centennials’ record . . . at least, not yet.
This isn’t meant to taking anything away from the accomplishments of this season’s Raiders, not in the least.
But the Centennials didn’t have the opportunity to play overtime or go to a shootout in order to decide games back in their day. They finished that season at 49-16-3, with the ‘3’ being ties.
This season, the Raiders are 50-9-4, with the ‘4’ representing overtime and shootout losses. The victory total includes three OT victories and one in a shootout. That means they have won 46 games in regulation.
I would suggest, then, that if you are going to compare the victory totals of these two teams, the Centennials record of 49 victories still stands.
Perhaps it’s time to start a new section of the record book. Better yet, split it into BLP and ALP — Before Loser Points and After Loser Points — because this is what happens when you start deciding regular-season games in OT and skill competitions, and making some games worth more than others by awarding loser points.
So . . . it says here that if you played for the 1971-72 Calgary Centennials, you still hold the record for most victories in a 68-game WHL regular season.
Unless, that is, the Raiders win four of their remaining five games in regulation time. Their next three games are against the Swift Current Broncos (10-45-6), who have the WHL’s poorest record. To date, the Raiders are 4-0-1 against the Broncos and have a 24-15 edge in goals.
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SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
F Jake Elmer ran his goal-scoring streak to 12 games as the Lethbridge Hurricanes skated to a 4-1 victory over the Pats in Regina. . . . Lethbridge (35-18-10) has won three in a row. It went 4-1-0 on a five-game road trip that ended with this one. The Hurricanes are second in the Central Division, two points behind the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Regina (18-42-3) has lost four straight. . . . Lethbridge went 3-0-1 in the season series; Regina was 1-3-0. . . . The Hurricanes jumped into a 3-0 lead on second-period goals from F Nick Henry (26), at 3:30; F Jordy Bellerive (29), at 4:23; and F Dylan Cozens (32), at 12:51. . . . F Austin Pratt (24) scored Regina’s goal, on a PP, at 14:23. . . . Elmer kept his streak alive with his 36th goal of the season at 14:55. . . . Elmer, who began his career with the Pats before being moved to the Kootenay Ice and then Lethbridge, has 73 points in 63 games. He went into this season with 25 goals and 28 assists in 136 games. . . . Elmer has 16 goals in his scoring streak. The WHL record is 18 games. F Cliff Ronning of the New Westminster Bruins scored 27 goals in those 18 games, from Nov. 6 through Dec. 15, 1984. . . . Henry next is scheduled to play on Wednesday when the Brandon Wheat Kings visit Lethbridge. . . . G Carl Tetachuk stopped 38 shots for the Hurricanes, four more than Regina’s Max Paddock. . . . F Sebastian Streu was back in Regina’s lineup after missing three games.
Tristin Langan (@tlangan6) had 2-1-3pts in a 4-2 win over Prince Albert and was the Warrior of the Game.
F Tristin Langan scored twice and added an assist to reach the 100-point plateau as the host Moose Jaw Warriors beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-2. . . . Moose Jaw (35-18-8) has lost its previous two games. It is likely to finish third in the East Division and meet the Saskatoon Blades in the first round. . . . Prince Albert (50-9-4) had points in each of its previous five games (4-0-1). It leads the overall standings by 12 points over the Everett Silvertips and needs one point to wrap up first place. . . . F Justin Almeida (26) gave Moose Jaw the lead at 18:23 of the first period. . . . The Raiders tied it 44 seconds later when F Dante Hannoun (28) scored. . . . After a scoreless second period, Langan opened the third with two goals, giving him 47. He scored at 5:41 and 11:58, the second goal giving him 100 points. He is the second WHLer to get there this season, behind Portland Winterhawks F Joachim Blichfeld. . . . Langan’s second goal was his 10th game-winner of the season. . . . F Brayden Tracey (32) stretched Moose Jaw’s lead to 4-1, at 13:36, before F Justin Nachbaur (17) scored for the visitors, at 19:50. . . . Almeida also had two assists, and now has 93 points. . . . Langan is tied for the WHL lead in GWG, with Tracey and F Bryce Kindopp of the Everett Silvertips. . . . G Brodan Salmond stopped 27 shots for the Warriors. . . . The Raiders won the season series, 4-2-0; the Warriors were 2-3-1. . . . The Raiders continue to play without D Max Martin, while F Parker Kelly sat out as he completed a three-game suspension.
The Edmonton Oil Kings scored seven straight goals en route to a 7-1 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Edmonton (37-18-8) has won six in a row and leads the Central Division by two points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. With the victory, the Oil Kings clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2015-16. . . . Brandon (29-24-8) has lost three straight (0-2-1). It is two points behind the Red Deer Rebels, who hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Wheat Kings are 0-2-1 on a six-game road swing into the Central Division. They are out of their home arena because the Tim Hortons Brier — the Canadian men’s curling championship — is being played there. . . . Edmonton was 3-1-0 in the season series; Brandon was 1-2-1. . . . The Oil Kings took a 2-0 first-period lead — on goals from F Andrew Fyten (39), at 6:09, and F Andrei Pavlenko (9), at 19:32 — and never looked back. . . . F Carter Souch (10), F David Kope (14) and D Wyatt McLeod (4) added second-period goals for Edmonton, with F Vince Loschiavo (31) and F Quinn Benjafield (13) making it 7-0 in the third period. . . . F Caiden Daley (8) scored for Brandon at 7:56 of the third. . . . D Parker Gavlas had three assists, while Souch added two assists to his goal. . . . Edmonton F Trey Fix-Wolansky had two assists, giving him 63 this season. That ties the franchise record that was set by F Dylan Wruck in 2012-13. . . . Edmonton outshot Brandon, 45-29. . . . G Dylan Myskiw earned the victory with 28 saves.
F Ryan Chyzowski scored in OT to give the Medicine Hat Tigers a 3-2 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . Medicine Hat (32-25-5) has lost its previous seven games. It holds the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, one point ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. The Tigers are fourth in the Central Division, five points behind the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Swift Current (10-45-6) has lost 14 straight (0-11-3). . . . The Tigers won the season series, 4-0-0; the Broncos were 0-3-1. . . . F Ethan Regnier (10) gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead at 13:24 of the first period. . . . The Tigers got even at 14:20 as F Nick McCarry (3) scored. . . . The Broncos went back in front at 3:41 of the second period on F Tanner Nagel’s 13th goal. . . . Swift Current nursed that lead until 19:01 of the third period when Medicine Hat D Linus Nassen (6) scored to force OT. . . . Chyzowski won it with his 22nd goal at 1:07 of the extra period. . . . Medicine Hat had a 49-23 edge in shots. . . . The Broncos got 46 saves from G Riley Lamb. . . . G Mads Søgaard blocked 21 shots to earn the victory. . . . Medicine Hat again was without F Ryan Jevne, F Elijah Brown and F Brett Kemp.
The Hall of Fame banner honouring Jarret Stoll hangs from the Western Financial Place rafters in Cranbrook and will remain there even after the Kootenay Ice moves to Winnipeg at season’s end.
F James Malm scored three times to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook, B.C. . . . Calgary (34-22-6) has points in five straight (4-0-1) and is third in the Central Division, six points behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . . Kootenay (12-40-10) has lost at least 40 times in regulation for the third time in four seasons, after not having done it even once in its first 17 seasons in Cranbrook. . . . These teams will play again today, this time in Calgary. . . . The Hitmen are 4-1-0 in the season series. . . . Malm opened the scoring at 8:33 of the first period. . . . Ice D Marco Creta (3) tied it at 9:54. . . . Malm put Calgary back out front at 10:33, only to have Ice F Brad Ginnell (16) equalize at 12:59. . . . Malm completed his second career hat trick, on a PP, at 3:14 of the second period. He’s got 31 goals this season. . . . F Josh Prokop (7) added insurance at 14:28 of the third period, and F Mark Kastelic (45) closed the scoring at 19:25. . . . Prior to the game, the Ice, which will leave Cranbrook for Winnipeg at season’s end, honoured former captain Jarret Stoll as the first inductee into its Hall of Fame. . . . The announced attendance was 2,738, the second-largest crowd of the team’s last season in Cranbrook. Only opening night (2,862) was larger. . . . The Ice has three home games remaining in its stay in Cranbrook. . . . Before the game, the Hitmen announced that they have returned F Orca Wiesblatt to the MJHL’s Portage Terriers. He has three assists in 12 games with the Hitmen this season.
The Vancouver Giants snapped a 2-2 tie with three goals in a span of 2:30 early in the second period en route to a 5-4 victory over the host Kamloops Blazers. . . . Vancouver (43-14-4) has points in five straight. It is two points behind the Everett Silvertips in the race to finish atop the Western Conference. . . . Kamloops (23-31-6) has lost two in a row and now is six points behind the third-place Kelowna Rockets in the B.C. Division and six points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds, who hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. This was a bad night for the Blazers, as Seattle and Kelowna both lost in OT so increased their breathing room with the loser points. . . . The Blazers and Giants will play today in Langley, B.C., then meet again Wednesday back in Kamloops. . . . The Giants are 6-0-0 in the season series; the Blazers are 0-4-2. . . . Kamloops lost D Jackson Caller on a play that led to the game’s first goal. A shot by Vancouver F Justin Sourdif struck Caller in the lower face area. As he crumpled to the ice, the puck went to F Jared Dmytriw. He slipped it to F Aidan Barfoot, who tucked it in for his fourth goal of the season. Caller skated off, leaving a trail of blood from the slot to the Kamloops bench. He didn’t return. . . . Caller lost one tooth. Two others were displaced, but a dentist pushed them back into their proper position. . . . F Brodi Stuart (17) tied it for Kamloops at 4:22, but D Bowen Byram (23) put the Giants back out front, on a PP, at 15:50. . . . The Blazers pulled even at 4:41 of the second period as F Jermaine Loewen scored when a shot by F Connor Zary hit him in the chin and bounced into the net. . . . The Giants then scored the three quick goals — by F Davis Koch (26), at 5:54; F Tristen Nielsen (12), at 7:23; and F Milos Roman (25), at 8:24. . . . Loewen (23) cut the Blazers’ deficit to two at 19:35 of the second period, and the home side got to within a goal at 5:08 of the third when F Ryley Appelt (2) scored. . . . But the Blazers weren’t able to beat Vancouver G Trent Miner again. He stopped 26 shots, including 14 in the third period. . . . Sourdif finished with three assists. . . . G Dylan Ferguson was beaten four times on 16 shots in 27:23 before giving way to Dylan Garand, who last played on Jan. 27. Garand gave up a goal on the second shot he faced, as he finished with 11 saves on 12 shots.
F Jaydon Dureau’s OT goal gave the Portland Winterhawks a 2-1 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . Portland (38-18-6) is headed to a second-place finish in the U.S. Division and a first-round series with the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Kelowna (26-30-6) is third in the B.C. Division, six points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers, who have two games in hand. . . . The Winterhawks and Rockets will play again this afternoon in Kelowna. . . . Portland leads the season series 3-0-0; Kelowna is 0-2-1. . . . F Jake Gricius (23) opened the scoring for Portland, on a PP, at 1:06 of the first period. . . . Kelowna didn’t tie it until 14:55 of the third period when F Alex Swetlikoff (5) scored. . . . Dureau won it with his 12th goal, at 1:22 of OT. . . . G Shane Farkas blocked 28 shots for Portland, four more than Kelowna’s Roman Basran.
F Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored in OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 5-4 victory over the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Spokane (35-19-7) has points in six straight (5-0-1). It is third in the U.S. Division, five points behind the Portland Winterhawks and seven ahead of the Americans. . . . Tri-City (33-24-4) has lost four in a row, but has clinched a playoff spot. . . . With two games left in the season series, Tri-City is 6-3-1; Spokane is 4-5-1. . . . The Chiefs grabbed a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from D Noah King (5), at 3:34, and F Adam Beckman (27), on a PP, at 6:00. . . . The Americans pulled even in the second period as F Nolan Yaremko (25) scored, on a PP, at 5:50, and F Krystof Hrabik (7) got one at 7:07. . . . Spokane went out front 4-2 in the third period on goals from D Nolan Reid (15), at 13:23, and F Michael King (3), just 10 seconds later. . . . Tri-City tied it was F Riley Sawchuk (18) scored, on a PP, at 18:43, and F Kyle Olson (21) counted with 1.1 seconds left on the clock. . . . Anderson-Dolan won it with his 14th goal of the season at 3:16 of OT. . . . The Chiefs got 30 saves from G Reece Klassen, while workhorse Beck Warm, who has started 56 of the Americans’ 61 games, stopped 31 shots.
F Phillip Schultz broke a 2-2 tie with two early third-period goals as the Victoria Royals beat the visiting Prince George Cougars, 5-2. . . . Victoria (33-25-4) has points in four in a row (3-0-1) and has clinched second place in the B.C. Division. This is the eighth straight season in which the Royals have qualified for the playoffs. . . . Prince George (17-39-8) has lost five in a row (0-4-1). . . . Victoria won the season series, 8-1-0; Prince George was 1-6-2. . . . The Royals had beaten the Cougars, 4-3, on Friday. . . . Last night, a pair of first-period PP goals — from D Ralph Jarratt (6), at 7:42, and F Carson Miller (13), at 10:55 — staked the home boys to a 2-0 lead. . . . The Cougars tied it in the second period on goals from F Josh Maser (28), at 4:54, and D Jack Sander (2), at 9:03. . . . Schultz, who has 18 goals, broke the tie 14 seconds into the third period, then added some insurance at 5:49. . . . Victoria F Igor Martynov (10) got the empty-netter at 16:41. . . . Martynov and Miller had two assists each, with Schultz adding one. . . . G Brock Gould stopped 32 shots for the Royals, five more than the Cougars’ Taylor Gauthier.
— x Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) March 3, 2019
F Bryce Kindopp scored with 0.4 showing on the clock in OT to give the host Everett Silvertips a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Everett (44-14-4) has points in six straight (5-0-1). It leads the U.S. Division by 10 points over the Portland Winterhawks, and is atop the Western Conference by two points over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Seattle (25-28-8) has points in four in a row (2-0-2). It is in possession of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, six points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers. . . . With one game remaining, Everett is 7-1-1 in the season series; Seattle is 2-5-2. . . . Kindopp, who has 38 goals,now is tied for the WHL lead in game-winners. Kindopp and F Tristin Langan and F Brayden Tracey, both of the Moose Jaw Warriors, have 10 each. . . . Everett G Dustin Wolf stopped 32 shots in recording his seventh shutout of this season and the 11th of his career. . . . This season, Wolf is 39-13-3, 1.72, .935.His career numbers are 52-19-3, 1.85, .933. . . . Seattle got 40 saves from G Roddy Ross, who is 12-4-3, 2.71, .921. . . . Each team was 0-4 on the PP. . . . Seattle D Cade McNelly sat out Game 3 of a four-game suspension.
In case you were wondering, the last TBIrds goaltender to have a shutout in Everett was Calvin Pickard. He made 29 saves on 11/14/09 in a 4-0 Seattle win.
… watching @BC1@GlobalBC this morning… seeing the @WHLKootenayICE being left off the @TheWHL scoreboard for #BC teams from last night is a true reflection of how this group has decimated this club! #UsedToBeOurIce
F Jesse Gabrielle’s season might be over, sidelined by what he says is his third concussion of the season.
Gabrielle suffered the first concussion this season while with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. He began the regular season with the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, but was injured after playing 25 games. He came back with the Wichita Thunder, but suffered a third concussion in January.
Gabrielle, 21, finished last season with the WHL’s Regina Pats. He also played in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Prince George Cougars.
In conversation with Hartley Miller for his Cat Scan podcast, Gabrielle said that he has been advised to shut it down for this season.
“Head injuries nowadays are a big deal and they need to be taken serious care of. I’ve had three concussions this season. It’s something that definitely shouldn’t be taken lightly. You have to make sure you rest and don’t come back before it’s properly healed.”
As for brain injuries in the WHL, Gabrielle, a native of Moosomin, Sask., offered: “I had one diagnosed but I know that . . . I probably had three guaranteed in the WHL. But I didn’t really say anything.”
He remembers having one in his draft season, 2014-15, and not saying anything.
“It’s my draft year and I tried skating through it, I guess . . . I didn’t really want anyone to know that I had a concussion at the time.”
He remembers being hit by D Ivan Provorov of the Brandon Wheat Kings.
“Provorov lined me up,” Gabrielle said. “I don’t think it was a dirty hit; it just really jarred me. I didn’t want to say anything. You don’t want to be out a week or two with a concussion in your draft year. It’s something that players probably hide more than they should. I’m fresh out of the league but I’m pretty sure it’s the same thing now. Guys weren’t saying anything when I was in the league, that’s for sure.”
Asked what he’s dealing with now as he tries to recover from this third concussion, Gabrielle replied: “It’s annoying . . . it’s really tough. Some days are worse than others. For me, it’s a lot of pain behind the eyes . . . a lot of pressure behind the eyes. . . . sensitivity to light. Screens, TV,even a sunny day. It’s tough to go outside sometimes.
“You’re alone a lot of the time. Our team is on the road and I stayed back just because I don’t really want to be doing too much activity.”
Gabrielle pointed out that a brain injury isn’t like a lot of other hockey injuries.
“It’s not like a shoulder where you can tape it up and go play,” he said. “You don’t really know how it’s healing up. You’re just going day by day. It’s kind of a frustrating experience . . . because one day you can be feeling really good. You try biking and you want to poke your eyes out because the pressure behind your eyes is so intense.”
He also mentioned having migraines and having to go into a dark room to deal with those.
In dealing with this latest brain injury, he also noticed something else one day.
“It happened three times in a day . . . one of the scarier days since got my third concussion,” he said. “I was in mid-conversation with someone and I would just forget what I was saying.
“It’s not something to be taken lightly. If you’re a player with a history of concussions or think you might have one, be safe about it. Don’t risk your brain. You only have one.”
The Prince Albert Raiders inducted Donn Clark, a former player, general manager and head coach, into their Wall of Honour on Friday night prior to a game against the Red Deer Rebels.
Unfortunately, Clark wasn’t able to attend.
“He’s at the final stages of battling cancer, and he’s done it proudly,” Kerry Clark, one of the three brothers to have played in the WHL, told Trevor Redden of panow.com. “He’s held his head high and he’s never complained. Every battle, he’s hit it head first all the time and that’s just the way he is.” . . . Redden’s story is right here.
With Donn unable to attend, Wendel, the third of the brothers, represented him in Prince Albert.
The NHL’s Colorado Avalanche has signed F Nick Henry of the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a three-year entry-level contract. . . . Henry, from Portage la Prairie, Man., was selected by Colorado in the fourth round of the NHL’s 2017 draft. . . . Henry, 19, has 24 goals and 59 assists in 62 games this season. He played the first 25 games with the Regina Pats, before being dealt to the Hurricanes. In Lethbridge, he has nine goals and 34 assists in 37 games. . . . The Everett Silvertips selected him in the third round of the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft, but later dealt him to Regina.
Yikes. The Manitoba Junior Hockey League just dropped the hammer on Boissevain's Brayden Billaney, who plays for the Portage Terriers. The repeat offender gets an 18-game suspension for a hit on Feb. 24 against Winkler. The video is from the online broadcast. #MJHLpic.twitter.com/yY25SBPIxQ
The Spokane Chiefs have signed D Hendrik De Klerk, 16, to a WHL contract. He was a seventh-round pick in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. . . . From Swift Current, De Klerk had six goals and 31 assists in 44 games as a freshman with the midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires.
F Kaden Bohlsen of the USHL’s Fargo Force has made a commitment to attend the U of Nebraska-Omaha and play for the Mavericks starting in 2020-21. Bohlsen, from Willmar, Minn., turned 18 on Jan. 10. He started this season with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers, putting up six goals and seven assists in 25 games. With the Force, he has three goals and an assist in 17 games. . . . He was a ninth-round selection by the Regina Pats in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft.
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FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
G Carl Tetachuk stopped 35 shots to help the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 5-0 victory over the Warriors in Moose Jaw. . . . Lethbridge (34-18-10) has won two in a row. It is second in the Central Division, two points behind the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Moose Jaw (34-18-8) has lost two straight and is destined to finish third in the East Division. . . . Tetachuk’s second career shutout came six days after the first one. . . . The Hurricanes opened a 1-0 lead at 6:59 of the first period as F Jake Elmer ran his goal-scoring streak to 11 games with a shorthanded marker. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn (35) made it 2-0 just 43 seconds into the third period, and F Jackson Shepard (4) upped it to 3-0 at 15:53. . . . F Nick Henry, who signed a three-year contract with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche earlier in the day, had a goal, his 25th, and an assist. . . . F Dylan Cozens (31) also scored. . . . Elmer and Leschyshyn each had two assists. . . . The Warriors had F Kaeden Taphorn back in the lineup after a 10-game absence.
The Prince Albert Raiders closed to within one point of clinching the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy with a 2-1 shootout victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels. . . . With one more point, Prince Albert (50-8-4) will wrap up first place overall. The Raiders last won 50 games in 1991-92 when they finished 50-20 with two ties. The franchise record for victories in a season is 58, set in 1984-85. . . . The Raiders have points in five straight (4-0-1). . . . Red Deer (31-24-6) has points in three straight (2-0-1). It is fourth in the Central Division, four points behind the Calgary Hitmen. Red Deer also holds the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, one point ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . F Noah Gregor (38) gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 9:29 of the third period. . . . Red Deer tied it at 14:21 as F Brandon Hagel (38) scored the 100th regular-season goal of his career. . . . In the shootout, the Raiders got goals from Gregor, F Dante Hannoun and F Brett Leason, with F Cam Hausinger scoring for the Rebels. . . . G Ian Scott earned the victory with 23 saves. . . . Red Deer got 39 saves from G Ethan Anders. . . . The Raiders were without D Max Martin for a fifth straight game. . . . Prince Albert F Parker Kelly sat out the second game of a three-game suspension.
G Nolan Maier turned aside 19 shots to help the host Saskatoon Blades to a 4-0 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Saskatoon (40-14-8) has won three in a row. The Blades have won 40 games for the first time since they finished 2012-13 at 44-22-6. That also is the last time they qualified for the playoffs prior to this season. . . . The Blades are going to finish second in the East Division and meet the third-place Moose Jaw Warriors in the first round. . . . Regina (18-41-3) has lost three straight. . . . Saskatoon is 5-1-0 in the season series; Regina is 1-4-1. . . . Maier has three shutouts this season and five in his career. . . . Saskatoon got first-period goals from F Eric Florchuk (21), shorthanded at 2:10, and F Max Gerlach (38), at 19:46. . . . F Ryan Hughes (27) and F Kyle Crnkovic (11) added second-period scores. . . . G Dean McNabb stopped 31 shots for Regina.
F Riley Stotts scored in OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 3-2 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Calgary (33-22-6) has points in four straight (3-0-1). It is third in the Central Division, six points behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes and four ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Brandon (29-23-8) has lost two in a row (0-1-1). It is one point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers, who are in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card berth. . . . The Hitmen got the game’s first goal, from F James Malm (28), at 3:48 of the second period. . . . Brandon went ahead 2-1 on goals from F Connor Gutenberg (14), at 8:03, and F Caiden Daley (7), at 14:23. . . . Calgary forced OT on F Mark Kastelic’s 44th goal, on a PP, at 7:59 of the third period. . . . Stotts won it with his 19th goal, at 2:09 of extra time. . . . G Jack McNaughton recorded the victory with 19 saves, 20 fewer than Brandon’s Jiri Patera.
After beating the visiting Swift Current Broncos, 5-3, on Friday night, the Kootenay Ice has four home games remaining before leaving Cranbrook, B.C., for a new home in Winnipeg.
F Connor McClennon scored twice as the Kootenay Ice beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-3, in Cranbrook, B.C. . . . The Ice (12-39-10) had lost its previous nine games (0-7-2). . . . The Broncos now have lost 13 straight (0-11-2). . . . These two teams have combined for 13 regulation-time victories in 120 regular-season games — nine by the Ice and four by the Broncos. . . . F Brandon Machado (4) gave the Ice a 1-0 lead at 2:44 of the first period. . . . The Broncos tied it at 2:49 of the second period on F Matthew Culling’s 10th goal. . . . The Ice responded with the next three goals — from F Jaeger White (26), at 4:44 of the second period, F Brad Ginnell (15), at 16:31, and McClennon, at 1:49 of the third. . . . Swift Current got to within a goal as F Carter Chorney (14) scored at 7:41 and F Eric Houk (3) counted at 10:43. . . . McClennon iced it with an empty-netter at 18:08. He’s got 11 goals. . . . The Ice got 24 saves from G Jesse Makaj. . . . G Isaac Poulter stopped 43 shots for the Broncos. . . . The Ice has four home games left in Cranbrook before it relocates to Winnipeg.
F Trey Fix-Wolansky, who was playing in his 200th regular-season game, scored twice to help the host Edmonton Oil Kings to a 4-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Edmonton (36-18-8) has won five in a row. It is atop the Central Division, two points ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Medicine Hat (31-25-5) has lost seven in a row. It is in the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point behind the Red Deer Rebels and one ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Edmonton is 5-0-1 in the season series; Medicine Hat is 1-3-2. . . . D Matthew Robertson (7) gave the home boys a 1-0 lead at 8:08 of the first period. . . . The Tigers tied it at 9:38 of the second as F Ryan Chyzowski (21) scored on a PP. . . . Fix-Wolansky snapped the tie at 12:05 and F Vince Loschiavo (30) made it 3-1 at 13:22. . . . F Hayden Ostir (10) pulled Medicine Hat to within a goal at 7:27 of the third period. . . . Fix-Wolansky iced it with his 33rd goal, an empty-netter, at 19:51. . . . G Dylan Myskiw earned the victory with 31 saves, 10 fewer than the Tigers’ Mads Søgaard. . . . With F Ryan Jevne, F Brett Kemp and F Elijah Brown all out, the Tigers had F Caleb Willms, 17, and F Noah Danielson, 16,in their lineup. Willms, from the midget AAA Airdrie CFR Bisons, played one game with the Tigers earlier in the season. Danielson, a fourth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft, made his WHL debut. He plays for the midget AAA Red Deer Chiefs.
G Roddy Ross stopped 42 shots and F Noah Philp had a goal and two assists to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 6-4 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops. . . . Seattle (25-28-7) has points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . Kamloops (23-30-6) now is five points from a playoff spot. . . . This game was one of those four-pointers. Had Kamloops won, the Blazers would have been one point behind Seattle, which holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, with a game in hand. Instead, the Blazers fell five points off the pace. . . . Kamloops also is fourth in the B.C. Division, five points behind the Kelowna Rockets. The Blazers do have two games in hand. . . . Over the next eight days, the Blazers will play three times against the Vancouver Giants and twice against the Rockets. . . . Seattle scurried home after last night’s game because it has to face the host Everett Silvertips tonight. Everett was at home to the Tri-City Americans on Friday. . . . Seattle jumped out front 2-0 on first-period goals from F Matthew Wedman, at 8:02, and Philp (22), at 10:30. . . . F Kobe Mohr (7) got Kamloops’ first goal at 13:18. . . . Wedman upped Seattle’s lead to 3-1 withhis 35th goal, at 3:25 of the second period. . . . The Blazers tied it on goals from F Josh Pillar (6), on a PP, at 11:41, and F Orrin Centazzo (16), at 12:19. . . . Seattle went back in front at 14:04, on a PP, as F Andrej Kukuca (24) scored. . . . F Connor Zary (19) brought Kamloops even again at 18:25. . . . F Henri Rypinski (6) broke the tie for Seattle, on a PP, at 6:46, and F Nolan Volcan (21) added insurance at 10:03. . . . Wedman now is riding an 11-game point streak, while Philp is on a 10-game tear. . . . Kamloops had a season-high 46 shots on goal, while surrendering 31. . . . D Simon Kubicek returned to Seattle’s lineup after not having played since Feb. 8. . . . Seattle D Cade McNelly served the second game of a four-game suspension. . . . The Blazers had F Ryley Appelt back for the first time since Jan. 27.
G Bailey Brkin turned aside 50 shots to lead the Spokane Chiefs to a 5-2 victory over the Winterhawks in Portland. . . . Spokane (34-19-7) has points in five straight (4-0-1). It is third in the West Division, six points ahead of the Tri-City Americans. . . . Portland (37-18-6) is second, five points up on the Chiefs, who have a game in hand. . . . Spokane went 3-2-1 in the season series; the Winterhawks were 3-3-0. . . . The Chiefs took control with the game’s first four goals. . . . F Jake McGrew (25) got it started, on a PP, at 6:04 of the first period. . . . F Luke Toporowski (19) scored at 10:02 of the second and F Riley Woods, who also had two assists, scored his 29th at 17:00. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (13) made it 4-0 at 1:24 of the third period. . . . D John Ludvig (5) scored for Portland at 2:25, but F Eli Zummack (15) got that one back for Spokane, on a PP, at 10:50. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld (52) got Portland’s last goal, on a PP, at 18:48. . . . The Winterhawks had an 18-9 edge in shots in the first period, and it was 21-7 in the third. The Chiefs had the edge, 19-13, in the second. . . . Spokane D Filip Kral had three assists. . . . The Winterhawks had D Brendan De Jong back after he missed six games, but they scratched F Cody Glass.
You’ll always remember your first @TheWHL goal. Congrats to Nic Draffin on a night, a goal and a win that he’ll never forget! pic.twitter.com/6Ng1FSyj56
F Milos Roman scored once and added three assists as his Vancouver Giants dumped the Kelowna Rockets, 7-4, in Langley, B.C. . . . Vancouver (42-14-4) has points in four straight (3-0-1). The Giants will finish atop the B.C. Division, and they are two points behind the Everett Silvertips, who lead the Western Conference. . . . Kelowna (26-30-5) had won its previous two games. It is third in the B.C. Division, five points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers, who have two games in hand. . . . Vancouver leads the season series, 6-0-1; Kelowna is 1-6-0. . . . Roman enjoyed the second four-point game of his career. . . . The Rockets actually held a 4-3 lead early in the second period before surrendering the game’s last four goals. . . . F Nolan Foote gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead at 1:44 of the first period. . . . D Nicholas Draffin tied it with his first WHL goal at 2:54. . . . Kelowna went back out front at 3:12 as F Mark Liwiski (10) scored. . . . Vancouver D Dallas Hines (8) tied it at 11:16. . . . Foote (33) gave Kelowna a 3-2 lead at 16:45. . . . The Giants pulled even, again, at 1:15 of the second period as D Alex Kannok Leipert (3) scored. . . . The Rockets took their fourth lead of the game at 4:47 as F Alex Swetlikoff (4) scored. . . . It was all Giants after that. . . . F Jadon Joseph (18) tied it at 12:24, and Roman’s 24th goal, on a PP, gave Vancouver a 5-4 lead at 14:33. . . . D Davis Koch (25), who also had two assists, and F Tristen Nielsen (11) added insurance before the third period ended. . . . Joseph also added two assists to his goal. . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck stopped 35 shots. . . . F Dawson Holt returned to Vancouver’s lineup after missing 14 games.
F Kody McDonald scored twice and added an assist to lead the host Victoria Royals to a 4-3 victory over his first WHL team, the Prince George Cougars. . . . Victoria (32-25-4) has points in three straight (2-0-1). It is headed for a second-place finish in the B.C. Division. . . . Prince George (17-38-8) has lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . Victoria went 7-1-0 in the season series; Prince George was 1-5-2. . . . McDonald got the scoring started at 3:47 of the first period, and F Phillip Schultz (16) made it 2-0 at 6:16. . . . F Josh Maser (27) got the Cougars to within a goal, on a PP, at 11:20. . . . Victoria F Tarun Fizer, celebrating his 18th birthday, made it 3-1, on a PP, at 16:03. . . . McDonald got the lead to 4-1 with his 20th goal at 4:26 of the second period. . . . The Cougars got close on third-period goals from Matej Taman (8), at 2:05, and F Reid Perepeluk (2), at 19:26. . . . McDonald played 232 regular-season games over parts of five seasons (2013-18) with the Cougars. . . . The Royals got 32 saves from G Griffen Outshouse. . . . The Cougars have added F Liam Ryan, who turned 19 on Jan. 2, to their roster after his BCHL team, the Surrey Eagles, had its season end. Ryan, from New Westminster, B.C., had five goals and four assists in 22 games with the Eagles. The Cougars selected him in the seventh round of the 2015 bantam draft. Ryan didn’t play in this one. . . . The Royals are without F Kaid Oliver, who is listed as week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. He leads them in goals (27) and points (49).
G Bryce Kindopp scored with 48.6 seconds left in the third period as the Everett Silvertips overcame a career-high 60-save effort by G Beck Warm in beating the visiting Tri-City Americans, 2-1. . . . Everett (43-14-4) has points in five straight (4-0-1). It leads the U.S. Division by 10 points over the Portland Winterhawks. Everett also leads the Western Conference, by two points over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Tri-City (33-24-3) has lost three in a row. It is fourth in the U.S. Division, six points behind the Spokane Chiefs. The Americans do hold down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . The Silvertips lead the season series, 4-3-0. . . . Everett unleashed a season-high 62 shots, which is the most shots the Americans have allowed in a game this season. . . . The Americans took a 1-0 lead when F Nolan Yaremko (24) scored at 7:25 of the first period. . . . F Zack Andrusiak (38) got Everett into a tie when he scored at 9:40 of the third period, on the team’s 57th shot. . . . Kindopp, who drew an assist on Andrusiak’s goal, won it with his 37th goal of the season. . . . Everett G Dustin Wolf stopped 21 shots in winning his 38th game of the season, a franchise record. The previous record of 37 was set by Leland Irving in 2005-06. . . . This season, Wolf is 38-13-3, 1.75, .934. . . . The Silvertips had F Connor Dewar and F Dawson Butt back in the lineup.
When you have kidney disease, or if you are impacted because a family member does, those seven words never leave you.
There isn’t a cure. Kidney disease doesn’t go into remission. Once diagnosed, it is always with you.
When you first are diagnosed, you are told there isn’t a cure. That is made clear. Oh, is it made clear!
If you are fortunate enough to be able to have a transplant, you are told again in the preparatory stage, and during every stop along the way.
Dorothy Drinnan, here in a still from an interview with CFJC-TV, had a kidney transplant more than five years ago.
The Kamloops Blazers held their second annual RE/MAX Presents: WHL Suits Up with Don Cherry to Promote Organ Donation game on Feb. 1.
It was a special event in this household.
Earlier in the day, Dylana Milobar of CFCJ-TV in Kamloops called because she wanted to interview my wife, Dorothy, who underwent a kidney transplant on Sept. 23, 2013. (If you’re interested, that interview is right here.)
That out of the way, Dorothy later took part in the ceremonial face-off prior to the Blazers’ 4-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. She and others with ties to the Kamloops chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada and the Kamloops Kidney Support Group, of which she is a co-founder, worked an information table on the concourse.
All of this was aimed at raising awareness of organ donation.
In the days leading up to the game, I had two conversations with people that got me to thinking about some misconceptions about living with kidney disease, and living with someone who has kidney disease.
For one thing, kidney disease doesn’t play favourites; it isn’t an old person’s disease.
If you saw the ceremonial face-off at that Feb. 1 WHL game in Kamloops, you will have noticed Patrick Backmeyer and his daughter, Ferris, taking part. Ferris is two years of age and has kidney disease.
Also, if you receive a transplant, you don’t end up with two working kidneys. You will be given one to replace your kidneys, both of which will have failed.
Ideally, you will get a kidney from a living sibling, and it will happen before you have to go on dialysis. If that isn’t possible and you need dialysis, you may still get a kidney from a living donor through a paired exchange program — in brief, someone, perhaps a friend who is a match, gives up a kidney to a stranger but only if you receive one as part of the exchange.
That is the process through which Dorothy got her ‘new’ kidney.
After doing peritoneal dialysis for four years — she hooked up to a machine called a cycler for eight hours a night, every single night, at home — Dorothy received a kidney through the paired donor exchange program. Her best, best, best friend gave up one of her two healthy kidneys so that Dorothy could go on living.
By the way, that friend never experienced any ill effects, proving, once again, that you are able to go on living as before with one healthy kidney.
Had you seen Dorothy on the ice at the Sandman Centre on Feb. 1, you wouldn’t have realized that she has a serious health issue. That holds true for a lot of transplant recipients, whether they received a kidney, liver or heart. But these people are walking among us, in greater numbers than we realize.
Transplant recipients also have suppressed immune systems because they will take anti-rejection medications for the duration of their lives. This means being careful in some areas that didn’t use to get a second thought. In our case, when possible we avoid anti-vaxxers and people who don’t get flu shots, even if it means the end to a friendship or two. You come to realize that the risks just aren’t worth it.
You also learn the importance of cleanliness . . . I mean, really learn. You especially wash your hands more than you ever have.
Dorothy takes her medications twice a day, at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. She visits a lab and has blood drawn every four months, so all levels are monitored by the renal clinic staff and adjustments are made as necessary.
It used to be that she went for bloodwork far more frequently. But as time goes on and the new kidney keeps ticking along, those visits — and the ones to the renal clinic — became less frequent. But the monitoring always is there.
With the WHL regular season winding down, seven of the 17 Canadian teams have yet to hold their RE/MAX Presents: WHL Suits Up with Don Cherry to Promote Organ Donation games.
There are three scheduled for this weekend, with the Kootenay Ice wearing their special sweaters and socks tonight, the Victoria Royals on Saturday and the Calgary Hitmen on Sunday.
The Prince George Cougars are set up for March 8, with the Kelowna Rockets, Medicine Hat Tigers and Saskatoon Blades scheduled for March 9.
If you attend any of these games, please take a look at some of the information and look into being an organ donor. Even if you don’t register, do some research and see what all is involved.
D Richard Nedomlel (Swift Current, 2010-13) has signed a one-year contract extension with Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he has four assists in 37 games.
Two men who have made huge contributions to the WHL will be honoured tonight.
In Kamloops, Dr. Bob Smillie will be presented with a Distinguished Service Award. In Prince Albert, the Raiders will induct Donn Clark into their Wall of Honour as a builder.
Dr. Smillie has had a long association with the league, starting with the Kamloops Chiefs in 1973-74 when he served as the team’s doctor. Later, he filled various roles with the Kamloops Jr. Oilers and the Blazers, including team doctor and education liaison. He also served on the Blazers’ board of directors when the franchise was community-owned. Now he is the executive director of the Kamloops Sports Legacy Fund, which began with the sale of the franchise in 2007. The fund has contributed more than $3.26 million to community sports groups in the Thompson-Nicola region.
Dr. Smillie will be saluted prior to the Blazers’ game against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Clark, who will turn 57 on Monday, will be honoured before the Raiders meet the Red Deer Rebels.
Clark is from Kelvington, Sask. Yes, Wendel is his younger brother.
Donn played 68 games over three seasons with the Saskatoon Blades, before getting into 31 games for the Raiders in 1982-83. However, he is better known for his work in the Raiders’ front office. He did two stints as the team’s head coach (1993-95, 2000-02) and also worked as the club’s general manager and director of hockey operations (2001-08).
Bruce Vance, who once worked for the Raiders, is in Krasnoyarsk, Russia,where daughter Jessica is a goaltender with Team Canada at the Winter Universiade. Bruce took time Thursday to tweet that Clark is a “great choice. This wall was Donn’s concept. He told me he’d never be on it . . . glad he is. Wish I could attend.”
Great job by the Raiders to do this. Clarkie led the organization out of some tough times to one of the most successful years financially that the team has ever had. Disappointed I can't be there. Donn is very deserving of this honour.
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Seattle’s 2018 first-round bantam pick Kai Uchacz is practicing with the Thunderbirds this week and is expected to play with team the remainder of season.
The NAHL has added two franchises — the Maine Nordiques and the New Mexico Ice Wolves.
The Nordiques are owned by ISS Kings of Youth Hockey Club, LLC., which is owned by Dr. Darryl Antonacci. The Nordiques will be the seventh team in the East Division and play out of the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. The arena seats 3,677 with a capacity of 4,000. The arena once housed the QMJHL’s Lewistone Maineiacs.
Dr. Antonacci also owns the ISS Kings Youth Hockey Club, which has been around for six seasons. Nolan Howe, the son of Hockey Hall of Fame Mark Howe, has been the Kings’ head coach from the start.
The Ice Wolves, who will be based in Albuquerque, are owned by Desert Ice Investment, LLC., which is owned and operated by Stan E. Hubbard. The Ice Wolves will play out of the Outpost Ice Arenas, which was purchased by Hubbard in August, and will become the seven team in the NAHL’s South Division.
This season, the NAHL comprises 24 teams playing in four six-team divisions.
Meanwhile, the USHL has lost a team with the news that the Central Illinois Flying Aces, who are based in Bloomington, Ill., have received approval for what they are calling a “one-year temporary withdrawal from play” for 2019-20. . . . More from a news release: “The Flying Aces’ current five-year lease to play in Grossinger Motors Arena ends at the close of this season. The team has fulfilled all the terms of the lease and commits to ensure all vendors continue to be paid in full for all services provided.” . . . The franchise is owned by CSH International, Inc., which, among other things, also owns the WHL’s Everett Silvertips.
While all of that was going on, the Canadian Sport School Hockey League issued a news release announcing “expansion of teams for existing members” for next season.
St. George’s School, which is based in Vancouver, will add a team in the Midget Prep Division. St. George’s already had teams in the Elite 15, Bantam Prep and Bantam Varsity divisions.
The Notre Dame Hounds of Wilcox, Sask., are adding an Elite 15 Division team. The team joins clubs in the Elite 15 and Bantam Prep divisions.
The Winnipeg-based Rink Hockey Academy is adding a team in the Female Varsity Division. RHA also has teams in the Midget Prep, Elite 15 and Bantam Prep divisions.
The CSSHL annual general meeting is scheduled for Winnipeg, May 6-8.
Western Financial Place, the home of the WHL’s Kootenay Ice, is expected to open its doors this morning after it was closed Wednesday morning when ammonia was detected in the room that houses its ice plant.
Cranbrook Fire and Emergency Services arrived on scene after an automatic alarm went off at 9 a.m.
Scott Driver, the acting director of CFES told Summit 107, a Cranbrook radio station: “The ammonia plant in the building is where the detection alarm went off. So we all responded according to our City’s Ammonia Alarm Plan and everything seems to be going as planned . . . we’re hopeful that the building will be up and running soon.”
The building was evacuated and there weren’t any reports of injuries.
Refrigeration technicians, who are based in Alberta, were called and arrived on Wednesday afternoon. According to the City, they “were able to safely resolve the ammonia leak early Wednesday evening.”
You can bet there is a heightened awareness about this type of thing after three men were killed when an ammonia leak in Memorial Arena in Fernie, B.C., killed three men on Oct, 17. 2017.
The Ice, which will relocate to Winnipeg once its regular season ends on March 17, is scheduled to play at home on Friday and Saturday nights, against the Swift Current Broncos and Calgary Hitmen, respectively.
On Saturday night, the Ice is scheduled to honour former captain Jarret Stoll by making him the first inductee into its Hall of Fame. If you’re new here, yes, the organization is opening a hall of fame on its way out of Cranbrook.
Connor Dewar and Dawson Butt are cleared for this weekend against Tri-Ciru according to @WHLsilvertips general manager Garry Davidson.
The Spokane Chiefs have signed F Reed Jacobson to a WHL contract. Jacobson, 16, was a sixth-round selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. From Swift Current, the 5-foot-9, 160-pounder plays for the Swift Current Legionnaires of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. This season, he put 26 goals and 29 assists in 44 regular-season games. . . . In 2017-18, he had 14 goals and 14 assists in 41 games as a freshman with the Legionnaires.
The junior B Delisle Chiefs of the Prairie Junior Hockey League are having a pretty good season. They finished the regular season at 38-1-1, tying the league record for most victories in a 40-game season. The 2015-16 Saskatoon Quakers finished 38-2-0. . . . The Chiefs’ 77 points also broke the PJHL record for points in a season (76) that had been set by the 2015-16 Quakers.
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F Carson Focht scored four times and F Kaden Elder added three goals of his own as the host Calgary Hitmen dumped the Swift Current Broncos, 9-3. . . . Calgary (32-22-6) has points in three straight (2-0-1). It is third in the Central Division, six points behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes and three in front of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Red Deer Rebels. . . . Swift Currrent (10-44-5) has lost 12 in a row (0-10-2). . . . This game started at noon as it was Calgary’s third annual Telus Be Brave Anti-Bullying game. . . . The Broncos had taken part in the Edmonton’s Hockey Game on Tuesday, with the Oil Kings winning, 11-1. . . . On Wednesday, Focht made it 1-0 at 4:06 of the first period, and Broncos F Carter Chorney (13) tied it at 5:05. . . . The Hitmen then went ahead 3-1 on goals from Elder, at 6:59, and Focht, at 14:11. . . . D Connor Horning (7) got the Broncos back to within a goal at 17:50. . . . Calgary broke it open with four straight second-period goals, in a span of 6:57. . . . Focht scored 29 seconds into the period, with Elder counting at 2:46, F Luke Coleman (20) scoring at 3:47, and F James Malm (27), at 7:26. . . . Elder (27) and Focht (20) rounded out Calgary’s scoring with third-period PP goals. . . . F Matthew Culling (9) had the Broncos’ other goal. . . . Focht enjoyed the first four-goal game of his WHL career. He has 52 points, including 32 assists, in 60 games this season. . . . Elder, who was acquired from the Broncos on Sept. 27, for a third-round pick in the 2019 bantam draft, recorded his first hat trick. He has 56 points, 29 of them assists, in 61 games. . . . Calgary F Josh Prokop recorded four assists, giving him his first WHL four-point outing. He has 24 points, 18 of them assists, in 57 games. . . . The Hitmen also got three assists from D Vladislav Yeryomenko, while Malm added two assists to his goal. . . . Chorney had three points for the Broncos, as he also had two assists. . . . Calgary enjoyed a 32-14 edge in shots on goal. . . . The announced attendance was 15,084. . . . Calgary F Mark Kastelic completed his two-game suspension by sitting out this one. . . . The Hitmen list F Hunter Campbell and F Jake Kryski as being out indefinitely, with F Cael Zimmerman out week-to-week.
#WHL LET/PA: @WHLHurricanes Jake Elmer becomes first player since A. Heponiemi and T. Ronning had concurrent 11-game goal streaks in Oct. / Nov. 2017 to hit double-digits of consecutive games with a goal. Equals game and wins it in overtime :20 in. Fastest since 11/20/16, Wong
F Jake Elmer ran his goal-scoring streak to 10 games as he scored the last two goals to give the Lethbridge Hurricanes a 5-4 OT victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert. . . . Lethbridge (33-18-10) is second in the Central Division, two points behind the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Prince Albert (49-8-4) has points in four straight (3-0-1). It leads the overall standings by 14 points over the Everett Silvertips, who have eight games remaining. . . . Elmer, who also had an assist, tied the game 4-4 at 17:43 of the third period, then he won it 20 seconds into OT with his 34th goal of the season. . . . His 10-game goal streak is the longest in the WHL this season. The record? F Cliff Ronning of the New Westminster scored 27 goals in an 18-game run from Nov. 6 through Dec. 15, 1984. . . .Lethbridge opened a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F Dylan Cozens, at 11:09, and F Logan Barlage (15), at 11:22. . . . The Raiders tied it on PP goals from F Cole Fonstad (28), at 15:03 of the first, and F Justin Nachbaur (16), at 3:37 of the second. . . . Cozens (30) put the visitors back in front at 4:48. . . . F Spencer Moe (8) got the Raiders even at 11:56, and D Kaiden Guhle (3) gave the home boys the lead at 10:45 of the third. . . . All that did was set the stage for Elmer’s heroics. . . . . The Raiders were 2-5 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 0-5. . . . Cozens added an assist to his two goals. . . . Fonstad also had three points as he added a pair of assists to his goal. . . . G Carl Tetachuk stopped 25 shots for the Hurricanes, two more than Ian Scott of the Raiders. . . . F Parker Kelly of the Raiders began serving a three-game suspension by missing this one. . . . F Evan Herman, who signed with the Raiders on Tuesday, made his WHL debut.
#WHL RD/REG: A pair of goals for @Rebelshockey Ethan Sakowich who doubles goal total on the season paces the team to the "W". 3 goals in the last 3 games after registering 4 in first 194 career games. Team improves back to ,500 (3-3) in games that he scores.
The Red Deer Rebels broke open a 1-1 game with three straight goals en route to a 5-2 victory over the Pats in Regina. . . . Red Deer (31-24-5) has won two straight after ending a five-game skid. It is tied with the Medicine Hat Tigers for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card spots, two points ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Regina (18-40-3) has lost two in a row. It has lost 40 times in regulation time for the first time since 2004-05. . . . D Alex Alexeyev (10) gave the Rebels a 1-0 lead at 10:28 of the first period. . . . Regina tied it at 14:46 on a goal by F Cole Dubinsky (4). . . . Red Deer D Ethan Sakowich scored his third and fourth goals, at 19:18 of the first period and 0:55 of the second for a 3-1 lead, and F Brett Davis upped it to 4-1 at 6:03. . . . D Brady Pouteau (5) scored a PP goal for Regina at 16:45 of the third period. . . . Rebels F Brandon Hagel (37) got the empty-netter at 17:50. . . . G Ethan Anders stopped 32 shots to earn the victory over Max Paddock, who made 22 saves.
#WHL TC/KAM: @blazerhockey Orrin Centazzo racks up both markers in squeaking out in the 1-goal win and matches career total goals coming into the season with 15. Fifth time registering 2 goals this campaign and 2nd against Tri-City. All 6 goals in 2019 have been on home ice.
F Orrin Centazzo scored twice to help the Kamloops Blazers beat the visiting Tri-City Americans, 2-1. . . . Kamloops (23-29-6) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). It is three points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds, who hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. The Thunderbirds are scheduled to play in Kamloops on Friday. . . . The Blazers also are fourth in the B.C. Division, five points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Tri-City (33-23-3) has lost two in a row. It holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot and is fourth in the U.S. Division, four points behind the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Centazzo, who has 15 goals, scored on a PP at 5:44 of the first period, then made it 2-0 at 2:55 of the second. . . . The Americans cut into the lead when F Sasha Mutala (17) scored, on a PP, at 15:48. . . . The Blazers got 25 saves from G Dylan Ferguson, who continued his fine play. He had to be good in this one, though, because Tri-City G Beck Warm, who has started 53 of his club’s 58 games, played as fine a game as these old eyes have seen in some time. A left toe save on Kamloops F Jermaine Loewen late in the second period was the kind that can provide a shooter with a month’s worth of nightmares. . . . Warm finished with 43 stops. . . . Warm leads WHL goaltenders in games played (55), minutes played (3,251) and saves (1,716). He is 31-21-2, 2.86, .917. . . . F Blake Stevenson, who turned 18 on Jan. 12, was back in Tri-City’s lineup after not playing since Jan. 8. A freshman from Calgary, he has eight goals and six assists in 32 games.
Announced attendance: 3,407. 2,000 may be generous for the actual crowd tonight. #Kamloops#WHL
F Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored twice and added three assists to lead the visiting Spokane Chiefs to a 7-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Spokane (33-19-7) has points in four straight (3-0-1). The Chiefs clinched a playoff spot with the victory. They are third in the U.S. Division, four points ahead of the Tri-City Americans. . . . Prince George (17-37-8) has lost three in a row (0-2-1). This loss eliminated the Cougars from the playoff chase — they have six games remaining and are 13 points in arrears of the Seattle Thunderbirds, who hold the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Cougars also have lost a club record 12 straight home games. . . . The Chiefs had beaten the host Cougars, 4-3 in OT, on Tuesday night with Anderson-Dolan scoring the winner at 3:58 of extra time. . . . The Cougars are 1-7-2 since general manager Mark Lamb went behind the bench in place of fired head coach Richard Matvichuk. . . . Spokane took control of this one with four first-period goals, from F Luke Toporowski (18), at 0:18; D Bobby Russell (5), at 9:04; F Connor Gabruch (3), at 16:59; and D Nolan Reid (14), shorthanded, at 19:28. . . . F Josh Maser (26) scored, on a PP, for the Cougars just 24 seconds into the second period. . . . Spokane answered that with two PP goals from Anderson-Dolan, who has 12 goals this season, and one from F Luc Smith (27). . . . Anderson-Dolan, who missed a chunk of the early season with a broken wrist, has 31 points in 24 games. . . . Spokane was 2-6 on the PP; Prince George was 1-8. . . . Anderson-Dolan had his second career five-point game; this was the sixth time he has had at least four points in a game. . . . Smith added two assists to his goal, with D Ty Smith helping out with three assists. . . .G Bailey Brkin earned the victory with 27 saves. . . . The Cougars were able to dress only 16 skaters. F Ethan Browne and D Cole Moberg, both of whom are injured, were scratched, as was D Ryan Schoettler (flu).
Correct. This is new this season, with the goal of creating a more intimate, exciting fan experience! https://t.co/j68VEkx01n
The @AttackOHL head coach Alan Letang has a big zipper (stitches) above his right eye. Apparently got a puck/stick to the face during practice this week in a coaches v. players scrimmage.
"The coaches went undefeated, so that's all that matters," he said.