Heavy snow. In Buffalo. On Dec. 29. Who’da thunk it?
The outdoor game drew 44,592 fans to New Era Field in Buffalo, a record for a World Junior Championship game. The previous record (20,380) was set in Ottawa at the tournament final between Canada and Sweden. . . . But does record attendance mean the game was a success? . . . I don’t think so, but it does mean that there will be more of these monsters.
Considering that this is the WORLD Junior Championship, the game was an embarrassment and shot holes through the event’s integrity. It wasn’t fair to the players; it absolutely wasn’t fair. Some of the highest-skilled junior hockey players in the world were reduced to playing chip-and-chase and that’s too bad. Here’s hoping that if they meet again in Buffalo, the tournament organizers don’t get greedy and move that game outside, too.
Dennis Beyak, the radio voice of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, has been calling the play on some of the ‘lesser’ WJC games in Buffalo. It’s long past time that TSN gave him some serious national attention.
You are a real hockey fan if you know which WHL team once employed Beyak as its general manager.
If you are up for some major junior hockey, with two teams playing indoors, the Moose Jaw Warriors and the host Brandon Wheat Kings will be on Sportsnet this afternoon. Game time in Brandon is 2:30 p.m., which is 12:30 p.m. in Kamloops. . . . The Warriors (28-6-3) are atop the WHL’s overall standings; the Wheat Kings (25-9-1) are third, eight points back. Moose Jaw is 8-1-1 in its past 10 games; Brandon is 8-2-0.
Here for your reading pleasure is a Mike Royko column from Aug. 15, 1985. Royko, a legendary columnist with the Chicago Tribune, had written a column in which he skewered Frank Sinatra. The response? Sinatra wrote a letter to Royko, who responded with this piece right here. Enjoy!
F Richard Rapáč (Moose Jaw, Prince George, 2006-07) has been assigned on loan by Poprad to Liptovský Mikuláš (both Slovakia, Extraliga) for the rest of the season. He had one goal and one assist in 11 games with Poprad.
Royals lose sniper to wrist injury
The Victoria Royals will be without F Noah Gregor for up to five weeks after he suffered a broken wrist in a 5-3 loss to the visiting Prince George Cougars on Wednesday night.
Gregor, who was acquired earlier in the month from the Moose Jaw Warriors, didn’t play in the host Royals’ 7-1 victory over the Cougars on Thursday night.
The Royals got Gregor, 19, and an eighth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft for F Ryan Peckford and a fourth-round pick in 2018.
This season, Gregor has two goals and an assist in four games with the Royals, after putting up 14 goals and 22 assists in 30 games with the Warriors.
The Royals did get F Dante Hannoun back on Wednesday after he was out since Dec. 2 with mononucleosis. He had two assists in each of the two games with Prince George. Hannoun has 13 goals and 28 assists in 33 games.
The Royals already were without F Regan Nagy, 20, who had 18 goals and six assists in 26 games when he suffered a broken finger. He has missed 10 games since last playing on Nov. 28. He also missed the two games prior to Nov. 28. Nagy isn’t likely to return for another couple of weeks.
It appears that Nagy won’t be back before the passing of the Jan. 10 deadline. The Royals have three other 20-year-olds on their roster — D Chaz Reddekopp, F Tyler Soy and D Kade Jensen, who was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Dec. 1 for a fifth-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft.
It will be interesting to see what Victoria general manager Cam Hope does with his 20s between now and Nagy’s return.
Of course, with the departure of F Wyatt Sloboshan, the Regina Pats do have an opening for a 20-year-old, and Nagy is from Ogema, Sask. Ogema is located about 115 km south of Regina.
The Kootenay Ice has brought in F Jakin Smallwood, who turns 17 on Monday, from the midget AAA Leduc, Alta., Oil Kings. From Leduc, he has 11 goals and 15 assists in 23 games with the Oil Kings. . . . A fifth-round selection by Moose Jaw in the 2016 bantam draft, the Ice acquired him from the Warriors on Dec. 11, along with a conditional third-round pick in the 2020 draft for F Vince Loschiavo, 19.
A tip of the cap to the legendary Fred Sasakamoose, who has been named a Member of the Order of Canada. A native of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, Sask., he lives in the nearby community of Sandy Lake. He was the first Indigenous player in the NHL when he got into 11 games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1953-54. . . . Sasakamoose told CBC: “It’s unbelievable. I thought getting to the NHL was to make it to the highest level of my life. But to reach the age of 84, and you receive the honours of Canada. That is one of the top awards that I will receive and remember for the rest of my life.” . . . These days, he works with young people who are fighting addictions. . . . Sasakamoose was saluted prior to last night’s game between the Blackhawks and the Oilers in Edmonton. . . . If you ever have an opportunity to hear Sasakamoose tell his story, don’t miss it.
FRIDAY:
At Lethbridge, the Hurricanes broke a 3-3 tie with two third-period goals en route to a 5-4 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Hurricanes (16-17-2) are third in the Central 
Division, six points behind Medicine Hat and four in arrears of Kootenay. . . . The Tigers (19-15-2) had won their previous two games, including a 4-2 victory over the visiting Hurricanes on Wednesday. . . . The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead on goals from D Igor Merezhko (3), at 14:35 of the first period, and F Dylan Cozens (11), on a PP, at 1:21 of the second. . . . F Jaeger White (5) halved the lead at 4:33. . . . F Giorgio Estephan (16) restored Lethbridge’s two-goal lead at 6:23. . . . The Tigers pulled even on goals from D David Quenneville (15), at 10:45 of the second period and F Ryan Chyzowski (12), on a PP, at 4:56 of the third. . . . The Hurricanes went back out front at 9:37 as F Jordy Bellerive (19) came out of the penalty box to score. . . . F Zane Franklin (11) provided some insurance at 12:49 and it turned into the game-winner when Tigers F Mark Rassell (29) found the range at 15:45. . . . D Calen Addison had two assists for Lethbridge, with Estephan, Bellerive and Franklin getting one each. . . . Quenneville and F James Hamblin each recorded two assists for the Tigers and Rassell had one. . . . Lethbridge was 1-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-4. . . . G Reece Klassen earned the victory with 37 saves. . . . The Hurricanes scratched G Stuart Skinner (ill) for a second straight game since the Christmas break. . . . With Skinner out, Bryan Thomson backed up after being brought in from the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos of Wlcox, Sask. . . . The Tigers got 28 stops from G Jordan Hollett. . . . Medicine Hat GM/head coach Shaun Clouston remains tied with Willie Desjardins for the most career regular-season victories (323) in franchise history. . . . Announced attendance: 4,313.
At Kamloops, F Kole Lind scored all of the game’s goals, leading the Kelowna Rockets to a 3-0 victory over the Blazers. . . . The Rockets (22-11-3) have won four in a row and now 
lead the Western Conference by one point over Everett. . . . The Blazers (16-18-2) have lost three straight (0-2-1) and have been shut out twice in a row at home. The Kootenay Ice posted a 4-0 victory on Dec. 3. . . . Kamloops is three points out of a wild-card playoff spot. . . . These teams also met Wednesday in Kelowna, with the Rockets winning 2-1 in a shootout. . . . In four games since being deemed not good enough to play for Canada’s national junior team, Lind has put up seven goals and four assists. He has two hat tricks and one four-assist game in that stretch. . . . In four games against Kamloops this season, Lind has seven goals and five assists. . . . The Rockets lead the season series, 4-0-0; the Blazers are 0-3-1. . . . Lind, who now has 20 goals, opened the scoring, on a PP, at 12:34 of the first period. . . . Lind made it 2-0, on another PP, at 11:26 of the second period, and he made it 3-0 2:07 later. . . . F Nolan Foote drew assists on each of the first two goals. . . . Kelowna was 2-8 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-3. . . . G James Porter Jr. stopped 28 shots for Kelowna as he recorded his second shutout of his freshman season. He has shutouts in two his last three starts. . . . With Brodan Salmond injured, Porter Jr. has taken over as the Rockets’ starter. This season, he is 14-5-2, 3.22, .904. . . . G Dylan Ferguson stopped 30 shots for the Blazers. . . . Announced attendance: 4,310.
At Kennewick, Wash., F Skyler McKenzie’s goal at 2:45 of OT gave the Portland Winterhawks a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Portland (22-12-1) had lost its 
previous three games, including a 6-3 setback at the hands of the visiting Americans on Wednesday. The Winterhawks are second in the U.S. Division, one point behind Everett. Portland holds three games in hand. . . . Tri-City (19-10-4) had won its previous four games. It is third in the U.S. Division, three points behind Portland. . . . After two scoreless periods, F Parker AuCoin (7) gave the home side a 1-0 lead at 1:36 of the third. . . . Portland F Ty Kolle (4) tied it at 8:24. . . . The Americans went ahead again as F Jordan Topping (17) scored, on a PP, at 13:58. . . . The Winterhawks forced OT with G Shane Farkas on the bench as F Mason Mannek (5) counted at 19:00. . . . McKenzie won it with his team-leading 24th goal. . . . F Alex Overhardt had two assists for Portland. . . . Tri-City was 1-2 on the PP; Portland was 0-5. . . . The Winterhawks got 39 saves from Farkas. That included stopping F Morgan Geekie on a penalty shot at 19:37 of the second period. . . . G Patrick Dea stopped 36 shots for the Americans. . . . The Winterhawks lost F Cody Glass, who leads them in assists (32) and points (54), in the dying seconds of the second period. He left after appearing to take a slash to his right leg from Tri-City D Dylan Coghlan. After the game, Glass had a brace on his right knee and he was to return to Portland, while the team went on to Kent, Wash., for a game tonight against Seattle. . . . D John Ludvig of the Winterhawks left for repairs after being struck by a puck while on the bench during the second period. . . . D Keoni Texeira was among Portland’s scratches. . . . With Texeira down, D Nick Cicek was in the lineup for his second WHL game. He had been returned to the MJHL’s Winnipeg Blues. . . . Tri-City was without F Michael Rasmussen, who is sidelined with an undisclosed injury. . . . Announced attendance: 4,240.
At Kent, Wash., D Turner Ottenbreit broke a 4-4 tie at 11:49 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds overcame a two-goal deficit to beat the Spokane Chiefs, 5-4. . . . The 
Thunderbirds (16-14-5) have points in four straight games (3-0-1). They are fifth in the U.S. Division, four points behind Spokane, but hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Chiefs (19-14-3) had beaten the visiting Thunderbirds, 5-4 in OT, on Wednesday. . . . Last night, Seattle took a 1-0 lead when F Nolan Volcan (15) scored at 11:21 of the first period, giving him nine points over four games. . . . The teams combined for five second-period goals, four of them by the Chiefs. . . . F Riley Woods pulled Spokane even, at 2:08. . . . The game remained tied until there were four goals in a span of 1:51 late in the period. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (18) put the Chiefs out front at 17:34. . . . F Noah Philp (8) got Seattle back into a tie at 18:01. . . . Spokane then took a two-goal lead as Woods (16) scored, at 18:23, and F Eli Zummack (9) counted at 19:25. . . . The Thunderbirds tied it on third-period goals from F Nikita Malukhin (3), at 1:41, and F Zack Andrusiak (18), at 9:54. . . . Ottenbreit won it with his fifth goal this season. It was the second game-winner of his 248-game career. . . . F Donovan Neuls and F Dillon Hamaliuk each had two assists for the winners, with Philp getting one. . . . The Chiefs got two assists from Anderson-Dolan and one from Woods. . . . The teams combined for 70 penalty minutes, but there were only three PP opportunities. Seattle was 0-2; Spokane was 0-1. . . . G Matt Berlin record the victory with 29 saves, eight more than Spokane’s Donovan Buskey. . . . Announced attendance: 4,441.
At Everett, the Vancouver Giants, beaten 11-0 by visiting Everett two nights earlier, bounced back to beat the Silvertips, 2-1. . . . The Giants (19-14-4) now have won more 
games than they have lost. They are third in the B.C. Division, three points back of Victoria. . . . The Silvertips (22-14-2) had won their previous three games and 11 of 12. They had set a single-game franchise record for goals scored in Wednesday’s victory. . . . Everett is second in the Western Conference, one point behind Kelowna and one ahead of Portland and Victoria. . . . Last night, F Matt Fonteyne (18) provided Everett with a 1-0 lead 51 seconds into the second period. . . . F Dawson Holt (4) tied it at 6:43 and F Tyler Benson (14) scored what proved to be the winner at 13:19. . . . Vancouver was 0-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-3. . . . G David Tendeck continued his fine play with 34 saves for Vancouver. . . . Everett got 23 stops from G Dustin Wolf. . . . Announced attendance: 5,525.
SATURDAY (all times local):
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Brandon, 2:30 p.m.
Lethbridge at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Prince George at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 6:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
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Christmas break and his name no longer appears on Regina’s roster.
sixth-round selection by the Calgary Flames in the 2016 NHL draft, Tuulola was loaned to Everett while under contract with HPK in Finland.
2019 tournament is shared between Vancouver and Victoria.
games, including a 4-2 victory over the visiting Raiders on Wednesday night. . . . Prince Albert (13-16-7) has lost three in a row. . . . Saskatoon is tied with Regina for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card playoff spots. They are four points ahead of the Raiders. . . . The Blades won after overcoming a 3-1 first-period deficit. . . . F Parker Kelly (15) gave the home side a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 6:33 of the first period. . . . Paterson tied it, on a PP, at 9:56. . . . F Eric Pearce (3) gave the Raiders a 2-1 lead at 16:27 and F Carson Miller (1) upped it to 3-1 at 18:46. That was Miller’s first goal since Jan. 14, when he scored twice in a 7-6 OT loss in Regina. He played only nine more games last season thanks to shoulder problems that would require surgery. . . . F Chase Wouters (8) got the Blades to within a goal at 4:12 of the second period. . . . Paterson broke the tie at 17:53, then completed his first WHL hat trick with his 16th goal of this season at 3:28 of the third period. . . . The Blades took a 5-3 lead as F Braylon Shmyr scored at 14:01. . . . F Brett Season (6) got the home team back to within a goal at 18:18, but Shmyr (17) wrapped it up with an empty-netter at 19:14. . . . Shmyr also had two assists for a four-point night, earning his 200th career regular-season point, while Wouters also had four points, including three assists. . . . Shmyr has 200 points, including 91 goals, in 265 games. . . . The Blades were 1-1 on the PP; the Raiders were 1-3. . . . G Nolan Maier stopped 38 shots for the Blades in recording his sixth straight victory, while the Raiders’ Ian Scott made 33 saves. . . . F Justin Nachbaur of the Raiders left at 8:39 of the first period with a cross-checking major and game misconduct after he drilled Saskatoon D Mark Rubinchik in the face. . . . In the third period, the Blades lost D Evan Fiala, the team captain, after he took a puck in the face. The Blades later tweeted: “The captain is OK! Quite a few stitches but no broken bones and all chiclets accounted for.” . . . Saskatoon will be without F Kirby Dach (undisclosed injury) on a week-to-week basis. He left Wednesday’s game in the first period and didn’t return. . . . Announced attendance: 2,312. . . . Darren Steinke, the travellin’ blogger, was in attendance and posted this piece 
18-3) had been 0-4-1 in its previous five games. . . . The Wheat Kings (25-9-1) had beaten the visiting Pats, 5-3, on Wednesday night. . . . Brandon is third in the overall standings, three points behind Swift Current. . . . Regina is tied with Saskatoon for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card spots. . . . Last night, Brandon took a 2-0 lead on goals from F Ty Lewis (19), at 16:18 of the first period, and F Evan Weinger (16), at 1:30 of the second. . . . Regina took the lead with three goals in a span of 2:23 early in the second. . . . F Logan Nijhoff (2) got it started at 4:14. Nijhoff, 16, also scored Wednesday. An eighth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft, he has two goals and an assist in eight games. . . . D Cale Fleury (8) tied it, 2-2, at 5:08, on a PP, picking up his 100th career point in the process. . . . F Bryan Lockner (5) gave the Pats the lead, on another PP, at 6:37. . . . D Zach Wytinck (2) got Brandon even at 11:11, only to have F Nick Henry (5) give the home boys the lead at 17:13. . . . F Stelio Mattheos (27) got Brandon back into another tie, at 8:57 of the third period. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn and D Dawson Davidson each had two assists for Regina, with Nijhoff and Bradley each getting one. . . . Brandon got two assists from Weinger and one from Lewis. . . . Regina was 2-8 on the PP; Brandon was 0-3. . . . G Tyler Brown earned the victory with 24 saves, while Dylan Myskiw stopped 31 for Brandon. . . . The Pats had G Jacob Wasserman on the bench backing up Brown. G Max Paddock, who went the distance in Brandon on Wednesday, was scratched as he is in the concussion protocol. Wasserman was brought in from the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos. . . . Regina also had F Cole Dubinsky, who turned 15 on Dec. 4, in its lineup. From Androssan, Alta., Dubinsky plays for the CSSHL’s Delta Hockey Academy prep team. Regina selected him in the fourth round of the 2017 bantam draft. . . . F Jared Legien, acquired Wednesday from the Victoria Royals, had an assist in his Regina debut. . . . The Pats were without D Josh Mahura for a second straight game after he was released Monday by the Canadian national junior team in Buffalo. Mahura is expected to play on Monday night against visiting Prince Albert. . . . Announced attendance: 6,238.
victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Warriors (28-6-3) have points in three straight (2-0-1) and are atop the overall standings, five points ahead of the Broncos (26-8-2). The Broncos had won their previous six games. . . . The Broncos had beaten the visiting Warriors 5-4 in a shootout on Wednesday. . . . Last night, the Warriors took control with three goals before the game was nine minutes old. . . . F Justin Almeida (22) made it 1-0 at 5:47, with D Dmitri Zaitsev (2) scoring at 6:36, and Halbgewachs counting at 8:49. . . . F Beck Malenstyn (1) got the Broncos on the scoreboard, on a PP, at 11:03 of the second period. . . . F Luka Burzan (5) restored Moose Jaw’s three-goal lead at 16:22. . . . The visitors got to within two goals at18:25 when F Kole Gable (3) scored. . . . The Warriors put it away with four third-period goals, from Halbgewachs, who leads all of the CHL with 37 goals, F Tristin Langan (5), D Oleg Sosunov (7) and F Vince Loschiavo (11). . . . The Warriors got two assists from each of F Tanner Jeannot and D Josh Brook, and one each from Almeida, Langan, Burzan and Zaitsev. . . . F Glenn Gawdin had two assists for the Broncos. . . . Swift Current was 1-1 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . G Brody Willms stopped 28 shots for the Warriors. . . . The Broncos started G Logan Flodell, who gave up three goals on 12 shots in 8:49. Joel Hofer then came on to stop one shot in 2:38. Flodell was sent back out and finished up. In all, he stopped 37 of 45 shots. . . .Swift Current F Matteo Gennaro left in the third period after taking a hit from Moose Jaw F Barrett Sheen. . . . Announced attendance: 3,657.
2) has won four in a row and has points in five straight (4-0-1). It is second in the Central Division four points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Hitmen (10-19-6) have lost four in a row (0-2-2) and are 11 points out of a playoff spot. . . . These teams have met in four straight games, with the Ice winning all four of them — 5-1 at Cranbrook on Dec. 16, 4-3 in OT in Calgary on Dec. 17, 4-3 in OT on Wednesday in Cranbrook and 4-3 last night. . . . When this season began, the Hitmen had taken 16 straight victories from the Ice. . . . Kootenay now is 5-1-0 in the season series; the Hitmen are 1-3-2. . . . Last night, F Orca Wiesblatt (5) gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 5:36 of the second period. . . . The Ice tied it when F Alec Baer (14) scored at 11:40. . . . The Hitmen went back out front when F Mark Kastelic (9) scored at 12:09. . . . The Ice tied it again, this time when F Colton Veloso scored, on a PP, at 1:53 of the third period. . . . F Luke Coleman (7) gave Calgary a 3-2 lead with a shorthanded goal at 4:27. . . . Veloso (12) tied it, on a PP, at 12:55. . . . Davis then won it with his ninth goal. . . . F Cameron Hausinger drew assists on each the Ice’s last two goals. . . . F Peyton Krebs also had two assists for the winners. . . . Kastelic added an assist to his goal. . . . Kootenay was 2-8 on the PP; Calgary was 0-4. . . . The Ice held a 38-13 edge in shots on goal. . . . Kootenay G Duncan McGovern stopped 10 shots. . . . Calgary got 34 stops from G Nick Schneider. . . . G Bailey Brkin, who missed Wednesday’s game with the flu, was backing up McGovern. . . . The game was 45 minutes late starting after the Ice encountered some travel difficulties thanks to road conditions en route to Calgary. . . . F Brad Ginnell, acquired Wednesday from the Portland Winterhawks, made his Kootenay debut in his hometown. . . . The Ice is in a stretch of eight games, two of them at home, in 11 nights. It will play in Edmonton on Saturday, to complete a run of three games in four nights. On Monday, Kootenay will entertain Medicine Hat to start a stretch of five games in six nights — yes, five in six! — that is to include stops in Lethbridge, Swift Current, Prince Albert and Saskatoon. . . . Seriously, how does someone involved in the WHL not step in and stop something like this? . . . Announced attendance: 9,034.
1). It is last in the Eastern Conference, four points behind Calgary. . . . The Rebels (10-19-7) have lost three in a row (0-1-2) and are 10 points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Oil Kings had gone into Red Deer and won 3-1 on Wednesday night. . . . Last night, F Brian Harris gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 2:31 of the first period. . . . F Grayson Pawlenchuk (13) tied it at 14:01. . . . F David Kope (4) put Edmonton back out front at 11:59 of the second period. . . . D Dawson Barteux (1), on a PP, tied it, again, at 6:02 of the third period. His first career goal came in his 71st career game. . . . The Rebels took a 3-2 lead as F Mason McCarty (17) scored at 7:32. . . . Edmonton D Conner McDonald (3), who had three assists on Wednesday, forced OT at 11:10. . . . Fix-Wolansky won it with his 14th goal of the season. . . . McDonald and Fix-Wolansky each added an assist. . . . The Rebels got two assists from D Alex Alexeyev and one from Barteaux. . . . The Rebels were 1-4 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-4. . . . G Josh Dechaine earned the victory with 23 stops, one more than Red Deer’s Ethan Anders. Dechaine’s night included an OT stop on Red Deer D Brandon Schuldaus on a breakaway. . . . The Oil Kings have added D Aidan Lawson, 16, to their roster. A list player, he is from Providence, Utah, and has a goal and eight assists in 26 games with the Colorado Thunderbirds, a Tier 1 Elite team. . . . Edmonton also has added F Raphael Pelletier, 15, who was a third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. From St. Albert, Alta., he is playing for the CSSHL’s Northern Alberta Elite 15s. . . . Neither played last night. . . . Greg Meachem of 
four games. They now are tied with Kelowna atop the B.C. Division. . . . One night earlier, the Cougars (13-18-5) had beaten the host Royals, 5-3. Prince George is fifth in the B.C. Division, three points behind Kamloops. . . . F Dino Kambeitz (8) opened the scoring, on a PP, at 5:28, and F Matthew Phillips made it 2-0 just 29 seconds later. . . . F Josh Maser (15) got the Cougars to within a goal, on a PP, at 6:50, but it was all Royals after that. . . . Phillips got his 27th goal, on a PP, before the first period ended. . . . F Spencer Gerth (3) and F Tyler Soy (15), on a PP, added second-period goals, with F Jeff de Wit (4) and D Jeremy Masella (3) scoring in the third period. . . . The Royals had de Wit, who was acquired Wednesday from Kootenay, and F Braydon Buziak, who came over from Regina, in the lineup for the first time. De Wit had a goal and an assist, with Buziak recording an assist. . . . The Royals got three assists from D Chaz Reddekopp and two each from F Dante Hannoun and D Scott Walford. . . . Victoria was 3-6 on the PP; Prince George was 1-6. . . . G Griffen Outhouse earned the victory by stopping 23 of 24 shots in 52:27. Dean McNabb played the final 7:33, stopping four shots. . . . Cougars starter Taylor Gauthier was beaten seven times on 24 shots in 46:08. Isaiah DiLaura finished up by stopping all six shots he faced in 13:52. . . . Announced attendance: 5,936.
Junior Championship record to 2-0 with a 6-0 victory over Slovakia in Buffalo. Clague, who is having a monster season with the Brandon Wheat Kings, blocked a shot with his right foot in Canada’s 4-2 victory over Finland on Tuesday. According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, “X-rays were negative, reportedly no fracture.” . . . After beating Slovakia, Canadian head coach Dominique Ducharme said that he expects Clague to play Friday against the U.S., in the outdoor game.
Hurricanes, Bowen “was notified of a trade to another team, but has been suspended after informing the Hurricanes and the acquiring team that he would not report.”
RW Brendan Semchuk has left the Vancouver Giants and is requesting a trade.”
are third in the Eastern Conference, three points behind Swift Current. . . . Regina (16-18-3) has lost five in a row (0-4-1). They are tied with Saskatoon for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card playoff berths. . . . The Pats and Wheat Kings will play again tonight, this time in Regina. . . . Last night, the teams were 2-2 after two periods. . . . F Stelio Mattheos (26) gave Brandon a 1-0 lead, while shorthanded, at 13:37 of the first period. . . . The visitors took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Robbie Holmes, at 19:33 of the first, and F Logan Nijhoff (1), at 4:05 of the second. . . . The Wheat Kings took a 3-2 lead on goals from F Cole Reinhardt (11), at 14:36 of the second, and F Ty Lewis (18), at 3:38 of the third. . . . Holmes (9) pulled the Pats to within a goal at 7:25 of the third, but F Evan Weinger (15) got that one back for Brandon just 30 seconds later. . . . F Linden McCorrister (10) added insurance at 18:28. . . . Mattheos, Lewis and Weinger added an assist each for Brandon. . . . D Cale Fleury had two helpers for Regina. . . . The Pats were 0-3 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 0-6. . . . Brandon got 27 saves from G Logan Thompson, while Regina’s Max Paddock, playing in his hometown, turned aside 30 shots. . . . The Pats have F Sam Steel (Canada) at the WJC, while Brandon D Kale Clague also is with Team Canada. . . . Regina was without D Josh Mahura, who was released by Team Canada on Tuesday and has gone home to Edmonton for a couple of days. . . . The Pats brought in D Kjell Kjemhus, 16, from PoE and had him in the lineup. He was a fourth-round pick by the Pats in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . Announced attendance: 3,919.
with the Raiders and into a tie with Regina for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card playoff berths. . . . The Raiders (13-15-7) have lost two in a row. . . . Saskatoon took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from F Josh Paterson (13), at 4:08, and Hebig, on a PP, at 9:56. . . . The Raiders tied it before the period ended, though, thanks to scores by F Brett Season (5), on a PP, at 12:44, and F Devon Skoleski (8), at 13:22. . . . Hebig, who has 28 goals, broke the tie at 12:16 of the second period and D Jackson Caller (2) added insurance at 13:18. . . . The Blades got three assists from F Braylon Shmyr and one from Paterson. . . . D Max Martin drew two assists for the Raiders. . . . Saskatoon was 1-3 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-5. . . . G Nolan Maier earned the victory with 20 saves, 18 fewer than the Raiders’ Ian Scott. . . . F Kirby Dach of the Blades didn’t return after the first period. . . . Each team has a defenceman playing with the Czech Republic at the WJC in Buffalo — Vojtech Budik of the Raiders and Libor Hajek of the Blades. . . . F Gage Ramsay returned to Saskatoon’s lineup after missing eight games with an undisclosed injury, while F Michael Farren was back after a two-game absence. However, F Caleb Fantillo won’t play for at least three weeks. . . . With Hajek gone, the Blades have added Majid Kaddoura, 16, to their roster, although he didn’t play last night. A list player from Chestermere, Alta., Kaddoura plays at the Edge School in Calgary. . . . The Raiders and Blades will play again tonight, this time in Prince Albert. . . . Announced attendance: 3,395.
in the third period as they ran their victory streak to six. . . . The Warriors slipped to 27-6-3 and now lead the overall standings by three points over the Broncos. . . . Moose Jaw scored twice before the game was two minutes old — F Brayden Burke (17) counting at 1:14 and F Tanner Jeannot (26) following at 1:33 — and made it 3-0 when F Justin Almeida scored, on a PP, at 5:56 of the second period. . . . The Broncos got to within a goal on third-period scores from F Max Patterson (3), on a PP, at 4:56, and F Kaden Elder (7), at 6:29. . . . Almeida (21), on a PP, restored Moose Jaw’s two-goal lead at 7:52. . . . The Broncos forced OT when Gawdin (32) scored at 16:08 and Gennaro (21) tied it at 16:36. . . . Gennaro added two assists and Gawdin one. . . . Burke, F Tristin Langan and F Jayden Halbgewachs each had two assists for Moose Jaw. . . . The teams will play tonight in Moose Jaw. . . . The Warriors were 2-5 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-3. . . . The Broncos got 34 saves from G Logan Flodell. At the other end, Brody Willms turned aside 23 shots. . . . D Jacson Alexander, who left the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies to sign with the Broncos last week, didn’t make his WHL debut. That may happen sometime on the weekend. . . . F Beck Malenstyn, who was acquired by Swift Current from the Calgary Hitmen, in a rather large trade earlier in the month, made his Broncos debut after being out for all but the season’s first four games with a wrist injury. He was in the starting lineup, alongside Gennaro, who also came over in the deal with Calgary, and Elder. Malenstyn drew the primary assist on Gennaro’s tying goal. . . . D Carter Spenst, who plays with the Northern Alberta X-Treme of the CSSHL, made his WHL debut with the Broncos. . . . The Warriors are missing head coach Tim Hunter and F Brett Howden, both of whom are with Canada at the WJC. . . . The Broncos have three players in Buffalo — D Artyom Minulin (Russia), F Tyler Steenbergen (Canada) and F Aleksi Heponiemi (Finland). . . . Announced attendance: 2,644.
their previous four games (0-3-1). . . . The Rebels (10-19-6) had points in three straight (1-0-2). . . . D Alex Alexeyev (4) gave Red Deer a 1-0 lead at 1:25 of the first period. . . . Edmonton tied it when F Davis Koch (15) scored, on a PP, at 12:19, then took the lead at 15:16 as F Trey Fix-Wolansky (13) scored. . . . F David Kope (3) added insurance at 2:00 of the second period. . . . McDonald drew three assists, while Koch and Fix-Wolansky each had one. . . . Each team was 1-4 on the PP. . . . G Josh Dechaine stopped 27 shots for Edmonton. . . . The Rebels got 30 saves from G Ethan Anders. . . . Red Deer F Brandon Hagel missed his seventh straight game. . . . The Rebels also are missing F Kristian Reichel, who is in Buffalo with the Czech Republic. . . . They’ll play again tonight, this time in Edmonton. . . . Announced attendance: 4,826.
0-1) and has moved into second in the Central Division, six points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Hitmen (10-18-6) have lost three in a row (0-1-2). . . . This was the third straight game these teams have played — the Ice won the previous two, 2-0 and 5-1. The teams will make it four in a row tonight in Calgary. . . . F Jakob Stukel put the visitors ahead 1-0 at 7:37 of the first period. . . . The Ice took a 2-1 lead on two goals from F Colton Veloso, who has 10. He scored on a PP at 9:12 of the first period and while shorthanded at 8:35 of the second. . . . Calgary F Jake Kryski (9) tied it 11:54. . . . F Cameron Hausinger (10) put the Ice back in front at 14:33. . . . F Orca Wiesblatt (4) got Calgary back into a tie at 17:54 of the third period. . . . Krebs, who has nine goals, won it with a PP goal. . . . F Brett Davis drew three assists for Kootenay, with Krebs adding one. . . . The Ice was 2-6 on the PP; Calgary was 0-2. . . . Kootenay got 20 saves from G Duncan McGovern. . . . G Nick Schneider stopped 24 shots for the Hitmen. . . . The Hitmen are without D Jake Bean (Canada) and D Vladislav Yeryomenko (Belarus), who are in Buffalo. . . . Kootenay D Martin Bodak is with Slovakia. . . . With G Bailey Brkin (ill) sidelined, the Ice had G Gage Alexander, 15, on the bench in support of McGovern. Alexander, a seventh-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft, signed a WHL contract last week. From Okotoks, Alta., he is playing with the minor midget AAA Rockyview Raiders (8-1-1, 1.60, .942). . . . Announced attendance: 2,625.
14-2) have won two straight and lead the Central Division by six points over Kootenay. . . . The Hurricanes (15-17-2) had won their previous game. They are third in the Central Division, two points behind Kootenay. . . . The teams will meet again Friday in Lethbridge. . . . Clouston now has 323 victories with the Tigers, equalling the record held by Willie Desjardins. . . . The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead on a PP goal from F Jordy Bellerive (18) at 5:28 of the second period. . . . The teams combined for five goals in the third period. . . . Medicine Hat took the lead on goals from D David Quenneville, on a PP, at 4:53, and F Max Gerlach (13), at 10:14. . . . F Lane Zablocki pulled Lethbridge into a tie with his 10th goal at 10:36. . . . Tigers F James Hamblin (11) snapped the tie, on a PP, at 17:24. . . . Quenneville (14), who also had an assist, got the empty-netter, at 19:21. . . . F Ryan Chyzowski had two assists for Medicine Hat. . . . F Taylor Ross had two assists for the visitors. . . . The Tigers were 2-4 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 1-1. . . . Tigers G Jordan Hollett made 27 saves, while Lethbridge’s Reece Klassen turned aside 36. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner (ill) was scratched. . . . Announced attendance: 3,688.
moved into fifth in the Western Conference, two points behind Victoria and Portland. . . . The Winterhawks (21-12-1) have lost three straight. They trail U.S. Division-leading Everett by three points. . . . The Americans and Winterhawks will meet Friday in Kennewick, Wash. . . . The Americans skated to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from F Isaac Johnson, at 8:00, and F Kyle Olson (4), on a PP, at 12:06. . . . The Winterhawks scored the game’s next three goals. . . . F Cody Glass started it at 14:43 of the first period, with F Jake Gricius (6) twins it at 15:11. . . . Glass (22), on a PP, gave Portland a 3-2 lead at 6:15 of the second period. . . . Johnson (8) tied it at 14:29. . . . The Americans took over in the third period, getting goals from F Morgan Geekie (15), at 6:29; D Dylan Coghlan (11), at 7:17; and F Nolan Yaremko (10), at 9:30. . . . Geekie and Yaremko each had three assists, with D Mitchell Brown adding two and Coghlan one. . . . Tri-City was 1-2 on the PP; Portland was 1-3. . . . G Beck Warm earned the victory with 30 saves, 11 more than Portland’s Cole Kehler. . . . F Michael Rasmussen was among Tri-City’s scratches. . . . Tri-City D Juuso Valimaki is in Buffalo with Finland. . . . The Winterhawks have three players at the WJC — F Joachim Blichfeld (Denmark), F Kieffer Bellows (U.S.) and D Henri Jokiharju (Finland). . . . Announced attendance: 5,719.
and lead the U.S. Division. . . . The Giants (18-14-4) had won their previous six games. They are third in the B.C. Division, three points behind Victoria. . . . The Silvertips had scored 10 goals once before — in a 10-4 victory over the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Oct. 11, 2009. . . . The Giants and Silvertips will meet again Friday in Everett. . . . The Silvertips got four goals and an assist from F Riley Sutter and 24 saves from G Dustin Wolf, who has two shutouts and three assists in his eight appearances in his freshman season. He is 6-2-0, 1.75, .947. . . . The visitors scored four goals in the first period and five in the second. . . . Sutter now has 17 goals this season. He scored the game’s first two goals, at 2:28 and 12:43 of the opening period. . . . F Connor Dewar, who has 14 goals, made it 4-0 with goals at 16:00 and 19:05. He also had three assists. . . .F Orrin Centazzo (5) added two goals, with singles from F Matt Fonteyne (17), F Sean Richards (15) and D Jake Christiansen (3). . . . F Patrick Bajkov had three assists, with F Bryce Kindopp getting two and Richards one. . . . Everett was 2-6 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-2. . . . G David Tendeck played the first and third periods, allowing six goals on 19 shots. Todd Scott was beaten five times on 10 shots in the second period. . . . Vancouver F Milos Roman is at the WJC with Slovakia, while Everett G Carter Hart is with Canada. . . . Announced attendance: 4,046.
B.C. Division, three points behind Kamloops. . . . The Royals (20-14-3) have lost four in a row and are second in the B.C. Division, two points behind Kelowna. . . . They will complete the doubleheader tonight in Victoria. . . . D Joel Lakusta gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 3:58 of the first period. . . . F Noah Gregor (16) tied it, on a PP, at 6:31. . . . F Nic Holowko (4) put Prince George back in front just 12 seconds later. . . . F Tyler Soy (14) tied it again, at 10:28, and F Matthew Phillips (25) gave the home side the lead, on a PP, at 12:03. . . . The Cougars tied it when F Jackson Leppard (8) scored, on a PP, at 14:48. . . . F Josh Maser’s 14th goal, on a PP, broke the tie at 2:54 of the second period. . . . Lakusta, who has four goals, put it away with an empty-netter, at 19:56 of the third period. . . . Prince George got three assists from F Kody McDonald, while Maser and Leppard each had one. . . . F Dante Hannoun had two assists for the Royals, with Phillips and Soy adding one each. . . . Soy has 147 career assists, which equals the Royals franchise record that he now shares with Jack Walker. The Victoria/Chilliwack franchise record (151) belongs to F Brandon Magee. . . . The Cougars were 2-8 on the PP; the Royals were 2-7. . . . G Tavin Grant stopped 36 shots for the Cougars, 14 more than Victoria’s Griffen Outhouse. . . . F Vladislav Mikhalchuk of the Cougars is in Buffalo with Belarus. . . . The Royals are missing F Ivan Martynov, who also is with Belarus. . . . Soy, who left Victoria’s last game before the Christmas break with an apparent injury, and Hannoun, who had been ill, both were in the Royals’ lineup. . . . Victoria F Regan Nagy (finger) remains sidelined. . . . This is the sixth straight season in which these teams have returned from Christmas to play twice in Victoria. The Royals are 8-2-1 in the previous 11 meetings. . . . Announced attendance: 5,637.
visiting Thunderbirds. Spokane is tied with Tri-City for third in the U.S. Division. . . . Seattle (15-14-5) has points in three straight (2-0-1). It is fifth in the U.S. Division, six points behind Spokane, and holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The rematch — and the third straight game between these teams — is set for Friday in Kent, Wash. . . . F Nolan Volcan (14) put Seattle out front 1-0, on a PP, at 17:54 of the first period. . . . Fischer tied it at 6:16 of the second period. . . . Seattle took a 3-1 lead on goals from F Matthew Wedman (5) at 14:14, and D Reece Hirsch (7), on a PP, at 17:20. . . . The Chiefs tied it on third-period goals from F Hudson Elynuik, on a PP, at 6:28, and F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (17), at 11:02. . . . F Dillon Hamaliuk (6) put Seattle ahead, again, at 14:18, only to have F Riley Woods (14) force OT by tying it at 16:12. . . . Fischer, who also had an assist, won it with his 16th goal. . . . Anderson-Dolan and Elynuik added an assist each for Spokane. . . . D Turner Ottenbreit had two helpers for Seattle. . . . The Thunderbirds were 2-3 on the PP; the Chiefs were 1-6. . . . G Donovan Buskey stopped 25 shots for Spokane, while Seattle got 37 saves from Matt Berlin. . . . F Sami Moilanen didn’t play for Seattle after suffering an undisclosed injury while in the selection camp of the Finnish national junior team. . . . The Chiefs have two players at the WJC — F Kailer Yamamoto (U.S.) and D Filip Kral (Czech Republic). . . . Announced attendance: 5,082.
between the Regina Pats and Kootenay. He didn’t play for the Ice between Oct. 27 and Nov. 29 due to an undisclosed injury. . . . In 2016-17, he had nine goals and seven assists as he split 66 games between Regina and the Red Deer Rebels. . . . . . . De Wit, who is from Red Deer, has regular-season totals of 22 goals and 35 assists in 57 games. The Rebels selected him in the first round of the 2015 bantam draft.
the Royals. In 120 regular-season games, split between the Kootenay Ice and Victoria, he has 17 goals and 25 assists. . . . In 32 games with the Pats, Buziak has two goals and five assists. In 87 regular-season games, he has 13 goals and nine assists.
goals and six assists in 25 games. In 76 career games, he has 11 goals and 10 assists.
WJC for a second straight year . . . or have you forgotten what happened in Toronto and Montreal a year ago?
can expect the dealing to resume anytime and to run through Jan. 10, when the trade deadline arrives.
a bouncing baby girl, 9 pounds 7 ounces, who’ll probably grow up to be our first woman President.
The 14-person judging panel considered logos that “made their in-game debut in 2017.”
through all that return to play, and all the protocols and everything and obviously, you know, they take it pretty seriously and they deemed me out so I went through all that stuff and I feel great now.”
TAKING NOTE 