Blades get help from Bedard in setting attendance record . . . Tigers skate past Ice . . . Ex-WHLer Lee dead at 37

The Travellin’ Bedards will play in Saskatoon on March 19 and the Blades announced Wednesday that they will be setting a single-game attendance Saskatoonrecord that evening. . . . The record for now is 12,588 from Feb. 9, 2013, when the Blades beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-2. . . . As of Wednesday afternoon, tickets sales for the March 19 game had exceeded the record. . . . The Pats will provide the opposition for the Blades’ final home game of this season, too, on March 24, and more than 11,500 tickets already have been sold for that one. . . . The reason, of course, is Regina F Connor Bedard, who almost certainly will be the No. 1 selection in the NHL’s 2023 draft. . . . “Connor is an incredible player (who) comes along once every generation,” Colin Priestner, the Blades’ president and general manager, said in a news release. “As a league, we’re extremely fortunate Connor chose the WHL as his path because his star power has brought thousands of new fans to come see our product from across the country, and he’s been an outstanding ambassador for our game.”

It’s worth noting that the Blades and Pats could wind up as first-round opponents when the playoffs get here. And the Blades again are selling a $99 playoff pass. As the news release states: “This will guarantee your seat through the entire postseason, meaning you could enjoy as many as 16 playoff games for under $100!”

The Pats have made only one visit to Saskatoon to this point in the season; the Blades posted a 5-2 victory on Nov. 13 before 7,868 fans. That, to date, is the Blades’ largest home crowd this season.

Perhaps during the March 24 the Blades could thank Bedard for making all this possible by presenting him with a lifetime pass.

Two forwards with the Kamloops Blazers signed three-year entry-level NHL Kamloopscontracts on Wednesday. . . .

F Ryan Hofer signed with the Washington Capitals, who selected him in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2022 draft. He was with the Everett Silvertips at the time. His contract carries an AAV of US$851,666.67 in the NHL and $82,500 in the AHL. . . . There also is an annual signing bonus of $80,000, $80,000 and $70,000. . . . Hofer, 20, is from Winnipeg. He has 13 goals and nine assists in 22 games with the Blazers since being acquired from Everett. He had 23 goals and 13 assists in 36 games before being traded. In 142 career regular-season games, he has 67 goals and 58 assists. . . .

F Caedan Bankier signed with the Minnesota Wild, which selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2021 draft. Bankier, who turned 20 on Jan. 26, had 62 points, including 30 goals, in 44 games with the Blazers this season. . . . His contract carries an AAV of US$867,500 in the NHL with an $80,000 salary in the minors. There also is an annual $92,500 signing bonus. . . . From White Rock, B.C., he has 165 points, 69 of them goals, in 189 career regular-season games with the Blazers. . . . Bankier also played for the gold medal-winning Canadian team at the 2023 World Junior Championship. . . .

There now are five players on the Blazers’ roster who have signed NHL contracts, the others being F Fraser Minten (Toronto Maple Leafs), F Logan Stankoven (Dallas Stars) and D Olen Zellweger (Anaheim Ducks).

Of all that I witnessed during more than 40 years of writing about sports the few seconds in time during which F Brad Hornung of the Regina Pats was injured is the only one that really, really stayed with me. Even now, all these years later, whenever I see a player get hit from behind and take a tumble into the boards, I cringe. . . . And, yes, there still is far too much checking from behind in the game of hockey. . . . We lost Brad more than a year ago — on Feb. 8, 2022. In the end, just to show that life really can be cruel, cancer took him from us. . . . He was five days from turning 53 when he died, meaning he spent almost 35 years as a quadriplegic. Courage, thy name was Brad Hornung.

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Swift Current (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Tri-City (6)

Prince George (4) vs. Everett (5)

——

WEDNESDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

The Medicine Hat Tigers erased an early 2-0 deficit and beat the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-4. . . . The Ice had an 11-game winning streak come to an end. . . . This was the Tigers’ second victory over one of the WHL’s top teams in recent times. They beat the visiting Kamloops Blazers, 7-3, on Friday. . . . Last night, the Tigers got two goals and two assists from F Oasiz Wiesblatt (24). His first goal tied the score, 2-2, at 14:22 of the first period. His second, at 8:03 of the third period, stood up as the winner. . . . F Cru Hanas, a 17-year-old from Highland Village, Texas, scored his first goal for the Tigers, breaking a 3-3 tie. It came in his 39th career game. . . . D Reid Andresen (7) had a goal and two assists for Medicine Hat. . . . The Ice got a goal (32) and two assists from F Matt Savoie and three assists from D Ben Zloty. . . . G Evan May earned the victory with 40 saves. May, an 18-year-old freshman from Nanaimo, B.C., got his fourth victory in his 17th appearance of the season. . . . Medicine Hat (25-24-9) is seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Regina Pats and two ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Winnipeg (48-8-1) will finish atop the East Division and the Eastern Conference. . . .

F Rylen Roersma scored three times to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 7-3 victory over the Warriors in Moose Jaw. . . . Roersma, who has 15 goals, notched his first hat trick in his 139th regular-season game, all with the Wheat Kings. . . . F Jagger Firkus scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him 31 goals. He gave his guys a 1-0 lead at 1:04 of the first period, but Brandon erased the deficit with three goals, two from Roersma, in 4:28 before the period ended. . . . F Tony Wilson had a goal (7) and two assists for Brandon. His first career three-point game came in his 114th game. . . . Brandon F Ben Thornton had a goal (2) and an assist as he returned to the lineup for the first time since Oct. 14 when he was stretchered off the ice during a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C. He spent two nights in hospital and then recovered at home in Chilliwack. He was left with concussion-related issues (headache and dizziness) and also had a hip injury. . . . Brandon (23-26-8) had lost three in a row (0-2-1). It now is three points from a playoff spot. . . . Moose Jaw (35-21-3) has lost two straight. It is fourth in the Eastern Conference, five points ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . .

D Mazden Leslie scored three goals to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 6-2 victory over the Cougars in Prince George. . . . The Cougars had beaten the visiting Giants, 6-0, on Tuesday night. . . . Last night, Leslie enjoyed the third multi-goal game of his career in his 138th game; the first two — both two-goal outings — came in the first and sixth games he played in his freshman season (2020-21). . . . Leslie’s second goal broke a 2-2 tie at 2:30 of the third period. His third goal, No 11 for the season, made it 5-2 at 11:04. . . . F Skyler Bruce (11) had a goal and two assists for the winners. . . . D Hudson Thornton (18) had both Prince George goals. . . . The Giants lost F Kyle Bochek to a cross-checking major and game misconduct at 10:02 of the second period. He served a three-game suspension last month after taking a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct, and a four-game suspension in October for a charging major and game misconduct. . . . Vancouver (22-28-7) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). It is seventh in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Prince George (29-24-4) had a five-game winning streak end. It is fourth in the conference, one point ahead of the Everett Silvertips and Tri-City Americans. . . .

F Egor Sidorov and F Brandon Lisowsky each scored twice and added an assist to spark the host Saskatoon Blades to a 5-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Blades outshot the visitors 13-0 in the first period and came out of it with a 1-0 lead on Sidorov’s first goal. . . . Saskatoon ended with a 38-10 edge in shots. . . . Sidorov’s 35th goal made it 2-0 at 1:21 of the second period. . . . Lisowsky’s two goals — he’s got 31 — gave the Blades 3-1 and 4-1 leads late in the second and early in the third. . . . F Trevor Wong earned three assists for Saskatoon. . . . The Blades were 3-for-9 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-for-2. . . . A brouhaha at 7:59 of the third period resulted in 87 penalty minutes being handed out, including five majors and six game misconducts. The WHL’s Dept. of Discipline is certain to spend the morning looking at the video. . . . Saskatoon (39-13-5) has points in seven straight (6-0-1). . . . Red Deer (38-17-4) has lost two in a row. . . . So here’s the deal: The Blades have three more points — 83-80 — than do the Rebels. But Saskatoon, which also has two games in hand, is second in the East Division, while Red Deer is atop the Central Division. So it is looking like the Rebels will be the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed and the Blades No. 3 for the first round of the playoffs.

F Andrew Cristall and F Carson Golder each scored three times to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 7-4 victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . F Chase Bertholet (24) pulled the Chiefs to within a goal, at 3-2, at 2:51 of the third period. . . . The Rockets then struck three times in 4:43 to take control. Golder, who has 28 goals, scored the first two of those goals to complete his second hat trick this season. . . . Golder, 20, was a defenceman prior to this season. He went into this season with three goals in 100 regular-season games, split between the Victoria Royals and Edmonton Oil Kings. This season, he has 28 goals in 57 games; with Kelowna, he has 20 goals in 33 games. . . . Golder also had an assist. . . . The Rockets got three assists from each of D Elias Carmichael and F Gabriel Szturc. . . . Cristall had 75 points, 33 of them goals, in 43 games. He had a four-goal game earlier in the season. . . . The Rockets got 41 saves from G Jari Kykkanen. . . . Kelowna (23-31-3) is eighth in the Western Conference, 12 points ahead of the Victoria Royals, who have nine games remaining. . . . Spokane (13-37-7) had points in each of its previous three games (2-0-1).

Casey Lee, who played five seasons in the WHL, has died. The native of Kindersley, Sask., was 37. . . . Lee was killed early Sunday morning in a single-vehicle accident in Calgary. . . . Lee played with the Kamloops Blazers and Kootenay Ice (2001-06). He totalled 127 points, including 40 goals, in 285 regular-season games. In 32 playoff games, he added a goal and three assists. . . . There is an obituary right here.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

BakingSoda

Broncos move into playoff spot . . . Raiders continue late-season push . . . Cougars leap into fourth spot in West

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

You may recall that the Regina Pats and Wheat Kings had something of a brouhaha in the immediate aftermath of a game in Brandon on Friday night. Well, the verdicts are in. . . . Each team has been fined $1,000 for “actions by player” after the game. . . . As well, Regina F Jaxsin Vaughan was given a three-game suspension for the match penalty he incurred, and Brandon F Matt Henry got five games for leaving the bench. . . .

F Reid Schaefer of the Seattle Thunderbirds was involved in an NHL deal on Tuesday as his rights moved from the Edmonton Oilers to the Nashville Predators. Nashville sent D Mattias Ekholm and a sixth-round pick in the NHL’s 2024 draft to the Oilers in exchange for D Tyson Barrie, who played in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets, Schaefer, a 2023 first-round draft pick and a fourth-rounder in 2024. . . . Schaefer was the 32nd overall selection in the 2022 NHL draft and signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Oilers. Schaefer, 19, has 47 points, including 23 goals, in 44 games with Seattle this season. . . .

The Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame and the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame have announced their 2023 inductees. . . . The Alberta announcement, which includes former WHL coaches Earl Ingarfield Sr. and Tim Hunter, is right here. . . . And right here is a story on the B.C. hall’s latest class, which includes former WHLers Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, and former on-ice official Lonnie Cameron.

Joggers

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Medicine Hat (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Swift Current (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Tri-City (6)

Prince George (4) vs. Everett (5)

——

TUESDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Conor Geekie and F Matt Savoie enjoyed four-point games as the Winnipeg Ice drubbed the Oil Kings, 10-1, in Edmonton. . . . Savoie scored twice, giving him 31, and added two assists, while Geekie scored No. 29 and had three assists. . . . The Ice also got two goals (12) and an assist from F Vladislav Shilo, and a goal (39) and two assists from F Connor McClennon. . . . F Ty Fraser, a 17-year-old from Raymond, Alta., scored his first two WHL goals in his 44th game over two seasons. . . . G Daniel Hauser stopped 26 shots in earning the victory. He now is 32-3-1, 2.35, .914 this season, and 73-6-3, 2-26, .912 for his career. . . . The Ice (48-7-1), which has won 11 straight, will finish atop the East Division and the Eastern Conference. . . . The defending-champion Oil Kings (8-46-3) now have lost 10 in a row. With 11 games remaining, they are getting closer to setting a WHL record for fewest victories in a season by the defending champions. The 2017-18 Swift Current Broncos won the championship and then went 11-51-6 in 2018-19. . . .

D Owen Pickering scored once and added three assists to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 5-2 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat. . . . Pickering has nine goals this season. . . . The Broncos led this one 4-0 late in the second period. . . . F Josh Filmon had two goals for the Broncos, giving him 39 this season. . . . F Mat Ward helped out with three assists. . . . The Broncos were 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . Swift Current (27-27-3) has won two in a row, and now is tied with Medicine Hat (24-24-9) for seventh in the Eastern Conference. They are one point ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. . . .

F Niall Crocker gave the host Prince Albert Raiders a 2-0 first-period lead and they went on to beat the Red Deer Rebels, 5-2. . . . Crocker, who has 15 goals, scored PP goals at 5:22 and 14:18 of the opening period to get the Raiders started. . . . D Landon Kosior added his 17th goal before the period ended. . . . F Keaton Sorensen (21) had a goal and two assists for the winners, with F Ryder Ritchie earning three assists. . . . The Raiders (25-29-3) are four points from a playoff spot. . . . The Rebels (38-16-4) are headed for a first-place finish in the Central Division so will be the No. 2 seed when the Eastern Conference playoffs begin. . . .

F Chase Wheatcroft enjoyed a four-point game as the Prince George Cougars dumped the visiting Vancouver Giants, 6-0. . . . Wheatcroft, 20, scored his 40th goal of the season and added three assists. He went into this season with 82 points, including 31 goals, in 137 games split between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Winnipeg. This season, in 56 games with the Cougars, he has 86 points. . . . F Riley Heidt helped out with his 22nd goal and two assists. . . . The Cougars were 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . G Tyler Brennan stopped 22 shots to record his second shutout of the season and the seventh of his career. . . . Prince George (29-23-4) has won five in a row. It now is fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Everett Silvertips and Tri-City Americans. . . . Vancouver (21-28-7) had lost three in a row (0-2-1). It is seventh in the conference, two points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. The Giants and Rockets will play each other three more times before this season ends. . . . Meanwhile, the Giants and Cougars will play in Prince George again tonight.

Fox

THINKING OUT LOUD:

I don’t know what kind of a pay raise you got in 2022, but the average salary in MLB went up 14.8 per cent to US$4.22 million. That is according to numbers compiled by the players’ association. . . . Just when you’ve gotten over the gong show that was the WHL trade deadline along comes the NHL and one-ups it. I mean, who knew that F Tanner Jeannot, the former Moose Jaw Warriors banger, would be worth D Cal Foote, another former WHL player, and five draft picks? . . . And just before the lights go out on another day comes word that the Los Angeles Kings have dealt G Jonathan Quick to the Columbus Blue Jackets. And who didn’t think Quick would finish his career with the Kings, a team he helped win two Stanley Cups?

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Soup

Chilliwack GM: ‘We’re not going anywhere,’ but he expects Ice to move . . . Remembering Mickey Mouse Night in Moose Jaw

If you haven’t already done so, you can stroke Chilliwack, B.C., off the list of potential landing spots for the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice.

Brian Maloney, the general manager and head coach of the BCHL’s Chilliwack ChilliwackChiefs, says his club isn’t going anywhere and the WHL isn’t moving into the Chilliwack Coliseum.

He should know, too, because he also is the building’s GM.

“I’ll clear the air right now,” Maloney said in a post-game interview on Friday after a 4-3 OT loss to the visiting Nanaimo Clippers. “I’ll clear the air right now. The Chilliwack Chiefs aren’t going anywhere. The WHL’s not coming here. We’ve tried that song and dance before.

“Our owners are invested into this community. They’ve been here for years. They did try it for a few years as everyone knows. It rubbed a lot of people the wrong way . . . I think it was handled poorly to be honest with you.”

The WHL had a franchise — the Chilliwack Bruins — for five seasons (2006-2011) before it was sold, moved to Victoria and became the Royals.

At the same time, Maloney said he thinks “Winnipeg should move to be honest with you. Anytime you’re pulling in 1,000 fans at the major junior level it’s probably time to move.”

The Ice plays in the Wayne Fleming Arena on the campus of the U of Manitoba. The building seats about 1,600. According to figures compiled by the WHL, the Ice’s average announced attendance is 1,634, the poorest in the 22-team league.

All of this speculation surrounding the Ice has been in the air for weeks now, but it turned into more than that following a Feb. 15 column by Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun that suggested the franchise’s days in the Manitoba capital may be numbered. If you haven’t seen it yet that column is right here.

(Friesen followed up that column with this one right here.)

“I’ve made the calls to our ownership group; they’re laughing and saying they’re not going anywhere,” Maloney said. “I’ve even heard rumours that they’ve contacted the building and secured a lease agreement and booked all the ice and everything for next year.

“They forget I hold the title as the general manager of the building as well. I’m the guy receiving those phone calls and I haven’t received anything yet. It’s quite comical to be honest with you.”

At the same time, Maloney said he fully realizes social media drives a lot of the rumours and speculation these days.

“It’s the way society is going right now,” he said. “Everyone can have a voice and they can sit in front of their computer or phone and make stories up . . . just to kind of get some attention.”

Still, Maloney is of the opinion that something is going on with the Ice.

“I think Winnipeg is probably moving,” he reiterated. “It’s not going to Penticton; it’s not going to Chilliwack. Who knows where they’re going?

“They’re just desperately trying to stir up stuff to try and go somewhere.”

It is hard to believe that it’s been 37 years since Mickey Mouse Night took place in the Crushed Can in Moose Jaw. Yes, that was the night that Kevin Gallant, the play-by-play voice of the Regina Pats, wore the Donald Duck suit as he called the game against the Warriors. . . . These days, Gallant may be the Warriors’ biggest fan. His son, Matthew, is a sophomore defenceman with the Warriors. Yes, life does take funny turns on occasion.

You may have heard that tennis star Novak Djokovic is trying to get into the U.S., despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19. Of course, the U.S. isn’t Covidallowing unvaccinated foreigners into the country. Despite all that, Djokovic wants in so that he can play tournaments in in California and Florida in March.

Here’s Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle:

“The U.S. government’s vaccinations requirement for entry by foreign travellers has been extended to at least April 10, so a waiver for a tennis player would seem unlikely, unless someone in authority recognizes that a rich man’s quest for more money and fame is worth the risk of sickness and death it might cause, directly and by way of trivializing science-based COVID-fighting measures.

“As Djokovic made his appeal, California hit the milestone of 100,000 COVID deaths, with an average of 22 Californians daily dying from the disease that is now well under control unless it happens to be currently killing you.”

——

According to the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, there were 1,936 deaths from COVID-19 over the past week in the U.S. For the past month, the number is 11,829.

In Canada, there were 241 deaths over the past week and 872 for the past month.

Just in case you thought we were all done with this virus.

GoHome

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Calgary (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Prince George (6)

Everett (4) vs. Tri-City (5)

——

SUNDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Andrew Cristall’s goal in the second round of a shootout gave the Kelowna Rockets a 3-2 victory over the Hitmen in Calgary. . . . The Rockets had a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F Carson Golder (25), on a PP, and F Dylan Wightman (10). . . . F Brandon Whynott (4) pulled Calgary to within a goal at 1:12 of the second period and F Riley Fiddler-Schultz (26) tied it at 9:20 of the third. . . . This was Kelowna’s first shootout appearance this season. . . . The Rockets (22-31-3) are eighth in the Western Conference, two points behind the Vancouver Giants, who hold a game in hand. . . . The Hitmen (24-26-8) have lost four in a row. . . . Calgary is eighth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and one ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. The Tigers and Broncos both hold two games in hand. . . .

F Zach Benson and F Conor Geekie each scored three times as the Winnipeg Ice cruised to an 8-1 victory over the Oil Kings in Edmonton. . . . Benson also had three assists for a six-point outing, while Geekie had one assist. . . . Benson now has 33 goals; Geekie has 28. . . . Benson has 92 points in 54 games this season. In 136 career regular-season games, he’s got 175 points, including 68 goals. He’s riding a nine-game point streak, with 20 points over that stretch. . . . F Miles Cooper, a third-round pick in the WHL’s 2021 draft, got Winnipeg’s final goal. It was his first WHL score and came in his second game. Cooper was brought in from the U18 prep team at Edge School in Calgary; he was returned to his team on Monday. . . . Winnipeg (47-7-1) has won 10 in a row and is running away with the Eastern Conference and the East Division. . . . Edmonton (8-45-3) has lost eight straight. . . .

F Austin Roest and F Jackson Berezowski had two goals each to lead the Everett Silvertips to a 5-2 victory over the Royals in Victoria. . . . Roest now has 31 goals; Berezowski is up to 39. . . . Roest broke a 1-1 tie at 10:37 of the second period; Berezowski made it 3-1 at 12:47 of the third. . . . Roest got it to 4-2 at 18:10, before Berezowski ended the scoring with a shorthanded empty-netter. . . . F Ben Hemmerling (21) had a goal and two assists for Everett. . . . The game featured two goaltenders who were traded for each other earlier this season. Tyler Palmer earned the victory with 23 saves, six fewer than Braden Holt. . . . Everett (29-24-3) has won two in a row. It is tied with the Tri-City Americans for fourth in the Western Conference. . . . Victoria (15-37-7) has lost six straight (0-5-1) and is 10 points from a playoff spot with nine games remaining.

Elevator

JUST NOTES:

Mark Weninger has written a book about the Lethbridge Broncos and their stay in the Alberta city. He also has started a blog — lethbridgebroncosblog.webador.com/ — where he will “share additional information about the Broncos.” . . . He says former players continue to share memories with him and he is passing them along on the blog. . . . He starts with Stan Jensen, who scored the first goal in the Broncos’ Lethbridge history. . . .

The best-of-three Canada West men’s hockey final will be played in Calgary starting on Friday. It will feature the U of Calgary Dinos and the Alberta Golden Bears, who eliminated the UBC Thunderbirds in Edmonton on Sunday. Alberta won Game 3 of the semifinal, 6-3, to advance. Calgary took out the Saskatchewan Huskies, also in three games, in a series that ended Saturday in Calgary.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Club

Bedard adds three more points in victory . . . Tigers slow streaking Blazers . . . Thunderbirds drop Winterhawks

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

THE BEDARD REPORT: F Connor Bedard, who is on track to win the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the WHL’s leading scorer, had a goal and two assists on Saturday night as the host Regina Pats doubled the Brandon Wheat Kings, 6-3. . . . Bedard drew assists on two PP goals that allowed his guys to erase a 3-1 deficit in the second period. . . . He later added his 54th goal of the season into an empty net. . . . Barring any scoring changes, Bedard leads the WHL in goals (54), assists (60) and points (114) in 45 games. He now is averaging 2.53 points per game this season. . . . Regina has 12 regular-season games remaining. . . . Since having a 35-game point streak snapped, Bedard has put up 24 points, including 10 goals, in eight games. . . . Bedard now will enjoy a few days off before the Pats play three home games in fewer than 48 hours next weekend. They’ll face the Winnipeg Ice on Friday, the Red Deer Rebels on Saturday and the Saskatoon Blades on Sunday. . . .

BTW, that attendance record that was set in Brandon on Friday night. Uhh . . . Brandonforget it. . . . You may recall that the Travellin’ Bedards were in Brandon and the attendance was announced as 5,954 and that was said to be a single-game attendance record for the Wheat Kings in Westoba Place. . . . Well, upon further review. . . . it turns out that there was an announced attendance of 6,042 for a March 13, 2010 game in which the Wheat Kings beat the Pats, 3-1. And, on March 10, 2010, there was an announced attendance of 6,022 as the Wheat Kings beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 8-2. . . . Here’s hoping the printer hadn’t started running off copies of a new record book. . . . BTW, according to the Keystone Centre’s website, Westoba Place has 5,102 seats. So I’m guessing that the higher attendance figures include standing room and seating in private suites.

SteelWool

With MLB teams having started playing exhibition games, here’s a note from Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News: “Rangers-Royals and Padres-Mariners were both played at right around two-and-a-half hours on Friday, in case you were wondering about the new pitch clock.” . . . Which, I’m thinking, is all well and good, but how do the TV people get in all of the commercials if the games are going to be that much shorter? . . . BTW, there were 17 games played Saturday in spring training; the average time was two hours 37 minutes.

——

One more from Lupica: “I keep asking this question about Aaron Rodgers coming out of that darkness retreat: If he saw his shadow, did that mean six more weeks of winter?”

CANADA WEST UPDATE: The U of Calgary Dinos advanced to the Canada West men’s hockey final with a 6-1 victory over the visiting Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday night. The Dinos won the best—of-three series, 2-1. Last night, F Max Patterson scored twice for the winners. . . . In the other semifinal, the Alberta Golden Bears tied the series, 1-1, with a 4-3 victory over the UBC Thunderbirds in Edmonton. F Jakin Smallwood got the winner on a PP at 18:21 of the third period. The Thunderbirds had won their previous 18 games. They’ll decide things tonight in Edmonton.

The Edmonton Oil Kings announced Saturday that three players — F Luca Hauf, EdmontonF Nathan Pilling and D Vojtech Port — will miss the remainder of this season due to undisclosed injuries. . . . Hauf, who turned 19 on Jan. 11, is from Krefeld, Germany. He had 21 points, including five goals, in 45 games. . . . Pilling, 18, is from Calgary and in his second WHL season. He was acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors, for whom he had 10 points, including seven goals, in 23 games. With Edmonton, he recorded 13 points, 10 of them goals, in 35 games. He is the grandson of former Oil Kings player/coach Gregg Pilling, who played for the 1963 Memorial Cup champions. . . . Port, 17, is from Jilhlava, Czechia. He had 17 points, four of them goals, in 48 games after coming over from the Red Deer Rebels early in the season. . . . The Oil Kings, the WHL’s defending champions, are 8-44-3, which is the 22-team league’s poorest record. With Hauf and Port, both freshmen, out for the duration the Oil Kings will finish the season without any import players. They have 13 games remaining, including a date with the visiting Winnipeg Ice today.

Headline at The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton): Vancouver considers buying a second snowplow

Clint

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Swift Current/Calgary (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Everett (6)

Tri-City (4) vs. Prince George (5)

——

SATURDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Logan Wormald broke a 3-3 tie late in the third period to give the Lethbridge Hurricanes a 4-3 victory over the Hitmen in Calgary. . . . Wormald’s 21st goal came at 17:48 of the third period. . . . The Hitmen had overcome a 3-1 deficit to tie the game on goals from F Sean Tschigerl (19), shorthanded, at 18:39 of the second period and F Carter Yakemchuk (14), at 5:07 of the third. . . . That was Yakemchuk’s second goal of the day. . . . Lethbridge (31-21-6) had lost its previous three games. It is fifth in the Eastern Conference and appears headed for a first-round showdown with Moose Jaw. . . . Calgary (24-26-7) has lost three in a row and is tied with Swift Current for eighth in the conference, two points out of seventh and four from sixth. . . .

The Medicine Hat Tigers erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals en route to a 7-3 victory over the visiting Kamloops Blazers, who came in riding an 11-game winning streak. . . . The game marked a return to Medicine Hat for Shaun Clouston, the Blazers’ general manager and head coach. Before signing with Kamloops, he spent 16 seasons with the Tigers. . . . F Andrew Basha led the Tigers with two goals (14) and an assist. . . . Tigers F Brett Calhoon scored his first WHL goal in his eighth game. A native of Oliver, B.C., he turned 18 on Jan. 10. . . . D Olen Zellweger scored twice (22) and added an assist for Kamloops. . . . F Caedan Banker scored his 30th goal of the season for the Blazers. . . . Medicine Hat (24-23-9) is seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Regina and two in front of Swift Current and Calgary. . . . Kamloops (38-11-6) went 5-1-0 in a swing through the Central Division. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades scored the game’s first three goals, all in the first period, and went on to beat the Raiders, 3-1, in Prince Albert. . . . The Blades had clinched a playoff spot earlier in the day when the Lethbridge Hurricanes beat the host Calgary Hitmen, 4-3. . . . The Raiders had beaten the Blades, 6-5 in OT, in Saskatoon on Friday night. . . . Last night, the Blades got three goals in 7:58 as they took control in the opening period. F Jayden Wiens (13), at 11:23, F Brandon Lisowsky (29), at 14:01, and F Jake Chiasson (18), at 18:21, supplied the offence. The first and third goals came via the PP. . . . The Raiders are without G Tikhon Chaika, who has an undisclosed injury. G Cooper Anderson, 15, is in from the U17AAA South Island Royals from Victoria to back up Max Hildebrand. . . . Saskatoon (38-13-5) has points in six straight (5-0-1) and is third in the Eastern Conference, eight points ahead of Moose Jaw. . . . Prince Albert (24-29-3) had won its previous five games. It is four points from a playoff spot with 12 games remaining. . . . Darren Steinke was at this game and has a recap right here. . . .

G Kyle Kelsey turned aside 29 shots to help the Red Deer Rebels to a 5-1 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Rebels clinched a playoff spot while their game was being played; they got in when the Brandon Wheat Kings were beaten by the Pats in Regina. . . . The Rebels took control with three first-period goals before F Jace Isley made it 4-0 with his 26th goal at 3:31 of the second. . . . Kelsey, a freshman from Maple Ridge, B.C., who turned 19 on Jan. 22, is 18-9-4, 2.61, .911 this season. . . . Red Deer (38-15-4) had lost two in a row. It leads the Central Division by 12 points over Lethbridge. . . . Kelowna (21-31-3) had a four-game winning streak snapped. It is eighth in the Western Conference, four points behind Vancouver and eight ahead of Victoria. . . .

F Alexander Suzdalev scored three times and added an assist to lead the Regina Pats to a 6-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Pats had beaten the Wheat Kings, 4-3, in Brandon on Friday night. . . . Suzdalev, who has 34 goals, opened the scoring last night at 5:18 of the first period. . . . His second goal gave the Pats a 4-3 lead at 16:37 of the second period, then he made it 5-3 at 8:20 of the third. That was his first WHL hat trick. This season, the freshman from Khabarovsk, Russia, has 75 points in 54 games. . . . D Stanislav Svozil added a goal (9) and two assists for Regina, as did F Connor Bedard (54). . . . Each team was without one player thanks to suspensions issued after a post-game melee in Brandon on Friday night. Brandon F Matt Henry and Regina F Jaxsin Vaughan both drew TBD suspensions. . . . Regina (29-24-3) has won four in a row and is sixth in the Eastern Conference. . . . Brandon (22-26-8) has lost three straight (0-2-1). It is three points from a playoff spot. . . .

The Seattle Thunderbirds scored the game’s last four goals to beat the Portland Winterhawks, 4-1, in Kent, Wash. . . . F Marcus Nguyen (19) scored while shorthanded to give Portland a 1-0 lead at 3:56 of the first period. . . . F Reid Schaefer (23) tied it on a PP at 6:12 of the second period. . . . D Jeremy Hanzel (9) gave Seattle the lead at 2:12 of the third and F Tij Iginla (6) added insurance just 44 seconds later. . . . Iginla has goals in three of his last four games. . . . Seattle got 29 saves from G Thomas Milic, who is 22-3-1, 2.14, .924 this season. . . . Seattle (45-9-2) has won 10 straight and leads the U.S. Division by 15 points over Portland (36-16-5), which has lost seven in a row (0-6-1). . . .

D Raegan Wiles broke a 2-2 tie early in the third period to help the host Spokane Chiefs to a 4-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Wiles scored his eighth goal of the season just 55 seconds into the final period. . . . F Jalen Luypen (11) had pulled the Americans into a 2-2 tie at 8:28 of the second period. . . . F Cade Hayes (17) got the empty-netter for Spokane. . . . Spokane (13-36-7) has points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . Tri-City (27-23-7) has lost two in a row. It is fourth in the Western Conference, but just one point ahead of Prince George, which holds two games in hand. . . .

G Reid Dyck stopped 31 shots to lead the Broncos to a 4-0 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors in Swift Current. . . . Dyck, who turned 19 on Jan. 20, is from Winkler, Man. He has two career shutouts, both this season. Last night’s shutout came in his 61st career appearance. . . . F Caleb Wyrostok (20) scored the Broncos’ first two goals and added an assist. . . . The other two goals, both empty-netters, came from F Josh Filmon, who now has 37. . . . Swift Current (26-27-3) had lost its previous five games. It is tied with Calgary for eighth in the Eastern Conference. . . . Moose Jaw (35-20-3) had won its past two outings. It is settling into fourth in the conference. . . .

F Jesse Heslop scored the winner as the Everett Silvertips got past the Vancouver Giants, 3-1, in Langley, B.C. . . . The victory allowed the Silvertips to clinch a playoff spot. They joined the WHL for the 2003-04 season and have never missed the playoffs. . . . Heslop’s eighth goal of the season, at 17:53 of the third period, broke a 1-1 tie. . . . D Aidan Sutter (5) added the empty-netter. . . . F Caden Zaplitny (10) gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 6:38 of the second period, with F Ty Thorpe’s 30th goal getting the Giants even at 11:16. . . . Everett (28-24-3) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). It is sixth in the Western Conference, one point behind Prince George and two in back of Tri-City. . . . Vancouver (21-27-7) is seventh, four points ahead of Kelowna. . . .

F Chase Wheatcroft’s third goal of the game gave the Prince George Cougars a 6-5 OT victory over the Royals in Victoria. . . . Wheatcroft, who has 39 goals, scored his side’s last three goals. He got the Cougars into a 4-4 tie, on a PP, at 11:11 of the third period, then tied it 5-5 at 16:28. He won it at 3:13 of OT. . . . Wheatcroft, 20, went into this season with 82 points, including 31 goals, in 137 games split between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Winnipeg Ice. This season, he has 82 points, 39 of them goals, in 55 games. . . . After eight two-goal games this season, this was Wheatcroft’s first three-goal outing. He has five goals and two assists in his past two games. . . . D Ethan Samson (14) and D Hudson Thornton (15) each had a goal and two assists for the winners, who trailed 4-1 11 minutes into the second period. . . . D Justin Kupke (7) scored twice for the Royals. . . . Prince George (28-23-4), which has clinched a playoff spot, has won four in a row and is fifth in the Western Conference, one point behind Tri-City. . . . Victoria (15-36-7) has lost five straight and is eight points from a playoff spot with nine games remaining.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

LOL

Bedard nets winner in Brandon . . . Blazers’ victory streak hits 11 . . . Raiders roar back, stun Blades

There was a time when hockey people who do a lot of travelling would tell me that the Regina Leader-Post had the second-best sports section in Canada, behind only the Toronto Star. I was the sports editor then and I loved to hear from those people.

While that sports department covered the heck out of the CFL and the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the WHL and the Regina Pats we really prided ourselves on our local sports coverage. Our curling coverage was second to none. We had someone whose primary responsibility was the U of Regina; he also covered junior football’s Rams, the SJHL and the local stock car scene. We were all over the high school athletic scene and the local amateur sports people.

Well, as of today, that sports department is gone. Kaput. Nothing but a memory.

Murray McCormick, who had been there since 1985, spent his last day as a member of the sports department working from home. And somehow that was only fitting because the lights really had gone out a long time ago.

A department that once was home to at least 12 of us was down to three not that long ago. But then Greg Harder, whose primary beat had been the Regina Pats, moved over to entertainment.

That left McCormick and Rob Vanstone. But Vanstone announced his departure a few days ago. He now is the senior writer and historian with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

For now, Regina is home to arguably the biggest story of this hockey season. F Connor Bedard, who hasn’t yet turned 18, led Canada to a gold medal at the World Junior Championship and since returning to the Pats he has been selling out arenas throughout Western Canada, including Regina. Until a few days ago, Vanstone had done a masterful job of keeping all informed of Bedard and all the numbers that go with his story.

In a few months, Bedard will be the first selection in the NHL’s 2023 draft.

As things sit now, the Regina Leader-Post won’t be there because it no longer has a sports department to document his journey. It’s like a book without an ending and that’s a real shame.

Overseer

CANADA WEST UPDATE: The U of Calgary Dinos doubled the visiting Saskatchewan Huskies, 4-2, on Friday night to even their best-of-three Canada West semifinal series, 1-1. They’ll decide things at the Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary tonight. . . . The Dinos had won 23 in a row before dropping a 5-3 decision to the Huskies on Thursday. . . . In the other semifinal, the UBC Thunderbirds ran their winning streak to 15 games with a 4-3 victory over the visiting Alberta Golden Bears. They’ll play Game 2 in Edmonton tonight.

Juice

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

THE BEDARD REPORT: The Travellin’ Bedards were in Brandon on Friday night and, according to Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun, they drew a record 5,954 fans. “That’s a new record,” Bergson tweeted. “Maybe don’t tell the fire marshal.” . . . Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to ascertain what the previous single-game attendance record was. . . . F Connor Bedard only picked up one point on Friday night, but it was a big one as his goal, with 1:55 left in the third period, gave the Regina Pats a 4-3 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Bedard tipped home a point shot by D Parker Berge to win this one. . . . Bedard leads the WHL in goals (53), assists (58) and points (111). Yes, he was at 111 points after having what originally was a six-point outing — a goal and five assists — on Wednesday in Regina’s 6-3 victory over the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. However, one of those assists later was taken away from him.

——

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Medicine Hat (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Calgary (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Everett (6)

Tri-City (4) vs. Prince George (5)

——

FRIDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

In Brandon, G Drew Sim blocked 44 shots to lead the Regina Pats to a 4-3 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . According to one observer, Sim also sparked a post-game brouhaha by “waving goodbye to a Wheat Kings player at the end of the game.” Any resemblance to an old-fashioned bench-clearing was purely accidental, however. . . . Regina F Jaxsin Vaughan received a match penalty for attempt to injure in the post-game melee, while Brandon F Matt Henry was given a game misconduct for leaving the bench. . . . The Pats had taken three of the game’s four minor penalties until that point. . . . Vaughan already has served a five-game suspension for a headshot major and game misconduct in a Dec. 28 game at Brandon. . . . F Nate Danielson (27) got Brandon into a 3-3 tie at 8:17 of the third period. . . . Regina F Connor Bedard (53) won it at 18:05 of the third period. . . . The Wheat Kings are to play in Regina tonight. . . . Regina (28-24-3) has won three straight. It is sixth in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of Calgary and Medicine Hat. . . . Brandon (22-25-8) is 10th, three points from a playoff spot. . . .

G Talyn Boyko stopped 27 shots to lead the visiting Kelowna Rockets to a 4-0 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Boyko has three shutouts this season and six in 136 career appearances. . . . F Dylan Wightman scored twice, his first one, at 9:55 of the first period, proving to be the winner. He’s got nine goals on the season. . . . Former Edmonton F Carson Golder (24) provided insurance at 3:45 of the second period. . . . F Max Graham was back in Kelowna’s lineup after a nine-game absence. He drew an assist on Wightman’s first goal. . . . Kelowna (21-30-3) has won four straight. It is eighth in the Western Conference, nine points ahead of Victoria and four behind Vancouver. . . . Edmonton (8-44-3) has lost six in a row. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Kamloops Blazers scored the game’s last five goals to beat the Hurricanes, 6-2. . . . F Fraser Minten (26) got the Blazers even, on a PP, at 19:00 of the second period and D Olen Zellweger (20) gave the visitors the lead, on another PP, at 9:53 of the third. . . . F Logan Stankoven scored his 29th goal and added two assists for the Blazers, who have won 11 in a row, five of them on a six-game swing through the Central Division that wraps up tonight in Medicine Hat. . . . Kamloops (38-10-6) will win the B.C. Division. . . . Lethbridge (30-21-6) has lost three in a row but appears headed to a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. . . .

G Jackson Unger blocked 36 shots to lead the host Moose Jaw Warriors to a 4-3 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Broncos held a 39-24 edge in shots, including 15-6 and 12-6 in the final two periods. . . . F Atley Calvert scored his 34th goal, giving him the Warriors’ single-season record for most goals by a Moose Jaw-born player. That record had belonged to David Bararuk (33, 2001-02). . . . Calvert’s goal, at 17:55 of the second period, broke a 2-2 tie. . . . F Ryder Korczak (23) made it 4-2 at 5:05 of the third period. . . . The Broncos got to within a goal when F Josh Filmon (35) scored at 5:39, but they weren’t able to equalize. . . . They’ll have a rematch tonight in Swift Current. . . . Moose Jaw (35-19-3) has won two in a row and looks to be headed to a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. . . . Swift Current (25-27-3) has lost five straight and is two points from a playoff spot. . . .

F Matt Savoie’s third-period goal stood up as the winner as the Winnipeg Ice got past the Rebels, 2-1, in Red Deer. . . . F Zack Ostapchuk (21) had given the Ice a 1-0 lead at 12:03 of the first period. . . . F Jace Isley (25) tied it 11 seconds into the second. . . . Savoie’s 29th goal of the season, at 4:38 of the third, turned into the winner. . . . G Daniel Hauser earned the victory with 29 saves. This season, he is 31-3-1, 2.39, .913. His career numbers are 72-6-3, 2.27, .911. . . . Yes, 72-6-3. Think about that for a minute or two. . . . The game featured the leaders of the East and Central divisions. . . . Winnipeg (46-7-1) has won nine in a row. It now leads the Eastern Conference by 14 points over Saskatoon. . . . Red Deer (37-15-4) has lost two straight, but will finish atop the Central Division and be the conference’s second seed. . . .

The Prince Albert Raiders erased a 5-2 deficit with three third-period goals and then beat the host Saskatoon Blades, 6-5 in OT. . . . D Aidan De La Gorgendiere (10) put the Blades ahead 5-2 at 10:53 of the third. . . . The Raiders tied with with three goals in 2:45 — D Landon Kosior (17), at 12:37; F Niall Crocker (13), at 14:23; and F Aiden Oiring (11), at 15:22. The first two came via the PP. . . . F Sloan Stanick won it with his 19th goal just 49 seconds into OT. . . . It was Stanick’s second OT goal of the week. He had the winner at 1:05 of OT on Monday as the Raiders won, 4-3, in Brandon. . . . Kosior, who was playing in his 200th regular-season game, added two assists to his goal. . . . Oiring also had two helpers. . . . Saskatoon got two goals and an assist from F Jake Chiasson (17). . . . The Raiders were 3-for-8 on the PP; the Blades were 2-for-5. . . . They’ll meet up again tonight, this time in Prince Albert. . . . The Raiders (24-28-3) have won five in a row; they are four points from an Eastern Conference playoff spot. . . . The Blades (37-13-5) have points in five straight (4-0-1). They are likely to be the conference’s third seed. . . .

The Seattle Thunderbirds scored three first-period goals en route to a 6-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans in Kent, Wash. . . . F Brad Lambert (12) scored 16 seconds into the game to put Seattle ahead. . . . F Jalen Luypen (10) got the Americans even just 33 seconds later, but the visitors weren’t able to score again. . . . Seattle was 2-for-5 on the PP and added a shorthanded goal. . . . F Reid Schaefer (22) scored twice and added two assists. He’s got 46 points in 43 games. . . . Lambert added an assist to his goal. He now has 23 points in 14 games. . . . F Dylan Guenther drew three assists, giving him 13 points in eight games. . . . Seattle (44-9-2) ran its winning streak to nine games. It leads the Western Conference by eight points over Kamloops. . . . Tri-City (27-22-7) is fourth, three points ahead of Prince George. . . .

F Carter Streek scored twice to lead the Spokane Chiefs to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Portland Winterhawks. . . . Streek, who has 13 goals, gave his guys a 2-0 lead at 19:14 of the first period and added the game’s last goal at 14:53 of the second. . . . F Ty Cheveldayoff helped Spokane’s cause with his 20th goal. . . . G Dawson Cowan stopped 30 shots to earn the victory. . . . Spokane (12-36-7) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). . . . Portland (36-15-5) has lost six straight (0-5-1) and is going to be the third seed when the Western Conference playoffs start. . . .

F Chase Wheatcroft scored twice, including an OT goal, as the Prince George Cougars beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-4, in Langley, B.C. . . . Wheatcroft, who has 36 goals, won it at 3:09 of OT. . . . The Cougars erased a 3-1 deficit with three goals 2:50 apart in the second period. . . . F Cole Dubinsky (17) gave them a 4-3 lead at 10:09. . . . F Skyler Bruce (10) got the Giants even with his second goal of the game, at 4:42 of the third period. . . . Wheatcroft also had an assist. . . . At one point in the first period, Vancouver D Damian Palmieri delivered seven cross-checks to the back of Prince George F Arjun Bawa, who was down in the Giants’ crease. Referee Adam Bloski was in perfect position at the back of the net and didn’t raise a finger. I know! I know! Stripes was waiting for the eighth one. . . . Prince George (27-23-4) has won three in a row. It has moved into fifth in the Western Conference, three points behind Tri-City and one ahead of Everett. . . . Vancouver (21-26-7) is seventh, four points ahead of Kelowna.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Snow

Bedard’s six-pointer turns to five . . . Chiefs’ group shrugs off rumours . . . Huskies halt Dinos’ 23-game streak

So much for the second six-point game of Connor Bedard’s WHL career.

The Regina Pats beat the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-3, on Wednesday night and Bedard, who leads the WHL in goals, assists and points, originally was credited with a goal and five assists.

However, one those assists appears to have disappeared at some point in the wee hours of Thursday. Bedard had been awarded an assist on the Pats’ final goal; however, his name no longer appears where it had been.

So . . . Bedard now leads the WHL with 58 assists and 110 points. Yes, he also leads the league in goals, with 52.

The Pats are scheduled to face the Wheat Kings in Brandon tonight. Yes, the Travellin’ Bedards have sold out another arena.

It would seem that you can scratch Chilliwack off the list of potential soft landing spots for a WHL franchise.

Here’s Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress:

“Is the Western Hockey League returning to Chilliwack?

“That answer is no, according to the owners of the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs. The return of major junior hockey would have to come with the blessing of the Chiefs, who also own and operate the Chilliwack Coliseum. They re-affirmed their commitment to the BCHL and junior A hockey when asked about the rumours this week.

“ ‘We’re flattered being identified as a top junior hockey market in Canada,’  said Barry Douglas, the Chiefs’ vice-president of business operations. “But Chiefs ownership is committed to the BCHL and is thrilled with the support the Chiefs receive in Chilliwack.’ ”

Welsh ended his story with this: “The Progress reached out to the Western Hockey League for comment but did not receive a reply.”

The WHL is nothing if not consistent.

Welsh’s complete story is right here.

Stove

F Gavin McKenna set a record for most points in one Canada Winter Games hockey competition on Thursday. McKenna, from Whitehorse, Yukon, finished with 29 points, including 14 goals, in six games to break the record of 27 that had been shared by François Methot (Quebec, 1997) and Kelsey Tessier (New Brunswick, 2007). . . . Yukon finished 10th, its best performance ever in the tournament. . . . McKenna, who was in on 84 per cent of Yukon’s goals, also set a tournament record for goals. His 14 assists are tied for second on the all-time list . . . McKenna, who turned 15 on Dec. 20, plays at the Southern Alberta Hockey Academy. He was selected by the Medicine Hat Tigers with the first overall pick in the WHL’s 2022 draft. He has played 11 games with the Tigers this season and has recorded eight assists. Four of those came in his first career game. . . . McKenna will be eligible for the NHL’s 2026 draft.

The Red Deer Rebels will be without D Christoffer Sedoff for four games as he serves a suspension after he took a headshot major and game misconduct during a 4-1 loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Monday. . . . D Pasha Bocharov, the victim of the hit, is listed by the Tigers as being out day-to-day. . . . Sedoff will miss two home games — tonight against the Winnipeg Ice and Saturday against the Kelowna Rockets. He also will sit for two road games — at Prince Albert on Tuesday and Saskatoon on Wednesday.

Password

The U of Saskatchewan Huskies went into Calgary and beat the Dinos, 5-3, on Thursday night in Game 1 of their Canada West semifinal series. The Dinos went into the game on a record 23-game winning streak; they hadn’t lost since Oct. 14. . . . The Dinos erased a 3-1 deficit on two third-period goals a minute apart by F Jake Gricius, but D Shane Collins put the Huskies back in front at 8:53 and F Justin Ball got the empty-netter. . . . They’ll play Game 2 tonight in Calgary. . . . The other semifinal, with the UBC Thunderbirds at the Alberta Golden Bears, opens tonight in Edmonton.

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Medicine Hat (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Calgary (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Prince George (6)

Tri-City (4) vs. Everett (5)

——

THURSDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

No games scheduled.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Life

Bedard inks another chapter . . . Fonteynes are great hockey story . . . Blazers run streak to 10 games

THE BEDARD REPORT: F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats enjoyed his second six-point night of this season on Wednesday in a 6-3 victory over the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Bedard finished the night with a goal and five assists. . . . He leads the WHL in goals (52), assists (59) and points (111), all in 43 games. He holds a 26-point lead over F Zach Benson of the Winnipeg Ice in the points derby. . . . Bedard, who won’t turn 18 until July 17, is on the verge of averaging two points per game for his career. He now has 239 points in 120 regular-season games. . . . This was Bedard’s first five-assist game of his career. . . . Since having a 35-game point streak come to an end on Feb. 3, Bedard has 21 points, including 13 assists, in six games. . . . Next up for Bedard and the Pats? A visit to Brandon for a Friday night game with the Wheat Kings.

Ants

When I was a youngster, I had an aunt and uncle who every Christmas would buy me a subscription to The Hockey News. That is how I came to be interested in the career of Val Fonteyne, who played 820 regular-season NHL games and another 149 in the WHA. . . . The amazing thing is that Fonteyne, a native of Wetaskiwin, Alta., who now is 89 years young, totalled 30 penalty minutes in all those games. Seriously! He never had more than four PiMs in any one season. However, somehow, in 1957-58, while with the WHL’s Seattle Americans, he actually ended up with 11 PiMs. I would love to know what he did to incur a major penalty that season.

I mention him today because it seems his grandson, Matt, is cut from the same cloth. Matt, who also is from Wetaskiwin, played with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips and now is with the U of Alberta Golden Bears. On Wednesday, Canada West handed out some post-season awards and the 25-year-old was named the winner of the Sportsmanship and Ability Award.

In five seasons (2013-18) in Everett, Fonteyne’s season-high in penalty minutes was 28. In 48 games over two seasons with the Golden Bears, he has 10 penalty minutes. This season, the team captain has 12 goals and 20 assists in 28 games, and four PiMs. . . .

Four other former WHL players were honoured by Canada West.

F Riley Sawchuk (Tri-City Americans, Edmonton Oil Kings) of the Mount Royal U Cougars was named the player of the year. He signed a pro contract with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins earlier this week. . . . Connor Hobbs (Medicine Hat Tigers, Regina Pats) of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies got top defenceman honours, with Carl Tetachuk (Lethbridge Hurricanes, Moose Jaw Warriors) of the U of Calgary Dinos the top goaltender. . . . F Jakin Smallwood (Winnipeg Ice) of the Golden Bears was saluted as rookie of the year. . . .

Mark Howell of the U of Calgary was named coach of the year. He played in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Medicine Hat Tigers, and later was an assistant coach with the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Howell’s Dinos will play a best-of-three semifinal series with Saskatchewan this weekend. The Dinos are on a 23-game winning streak.

Conan

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Medicine Hat (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Calgary (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Prince George (6)

Tri-City (4) vs. Everett (5)

——

WEDNESDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Zach Benson scored once and added three assists as the Winnipeg Ice skated to a 5-2 victory over the Hitmen in Calgary. . . . Benson opened the scoring with his 30th goal at 8:25 of the first period. . . . F Matt Savoie (28) added two goals for the Ice, the first one a shorthanded effort, and F Connor McClennon (38) also scored twice. . . . G Daniel Hauser earned his 30th victory of the season with 24 saves, including a first-period stop on a penalty-shot attempt by F Sean Tschigerl. . . . Hauser is 30-3-1, 2.43, .911 this season. In 82 career regular-season appearances, he is 71-6-3, 2.29, .911. . . . Winnipeg (45-7-1) has won eight in a row and now leads the Eastern Conference by 13 points. . . . Calgary (24-25-7) and Medicine Hat are tied for seventh, two points behind Regina and two ahead of Swift Current. . . .

F Connor Bedard had a goal and five assists and wasn’t even the first star as the host Regina Pats beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-3. . . . F Tanner Howe was selected as the No. 1 star after scoring twice and adding two assists. . . . While playing in Bedard’s shadow, Howe, who turned 17 on Nov. 28, is having quite a season. He now has 68 points, including 28 goals, in 53 games. Last season, he finished with 69 points, 27 of them goals, in 64 games. . . . Last night, it likely was Howe’s second goal that stung the Tigers the most. He scored seven seconds into the third period to gave the Pats a 4-1 lead. . . . Regina D Stanislav Svozil had three assists and that pushed him over the 100-point mark for his career. He now has 101 points, including 84 assists, in 101 games. . . . Regina (27-24-3) has won two in a row and now is sixth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Calgary and Medicine Hat (23-23-9), which is 6-2-3 in its past 11 games. . . .

The Kamloops Blazers are on a 10-game winning streak after beating the Broncos, 6-3, in Swift Current. . . . The Blazers have won four in a row on this tour of the Central Division that continues in Lethbridge on Friday and Medicine Hat on Saturday. . . . Last night, the Blazers got two goals from each of F Ryan Hofer (36) and Connor Levis (16). . . . Hofer’s second goal gave the Blazers a 5-0 lead at 15:01 of the second period. . . . The Broncos opened the third period with three goals, but Levis put it away at 16:31. . . . F Josh Filmon got No. 34 for the Broncos, with F Connor Hvidston (17) adding a goal and an assist. . . . Kamloops held a 53-29 edge in shots, including 24-9 in the first period. . . . Kamloops (37-10-6) is second in the Western Conference, eight points behind Seattle. . . . Swift Current (25-26-3) has lost four in a row. It is ninth in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Calgary and Medicine Hat. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans opened up a 4-0 lead en route to a 6-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . F Adam Mechura (20) and F Jalen Luypen (9) each had two goals and an assist for the winners. . . . F Ben Hemmerling scored his 20th of the season for Everett. . . . This may have been a playoff preview. . . . Tri-City (27-21-7) is fourth in the Western Conference, four points ahead of Everett (27-24-3) and five up on Prince George.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers announced on Wednesday that they and Ken Plaquin, their general manager and head coach, “have agreed to part ways.” Plaquin was in his third season with the Klippers. . . . Tyler Traptow, who had been an assistant coach, will serve as the interim GM/head coach for the remainder of this season. . . . The Klippers, who lost 5-4 to the visiting Yorkton Terriers on Wednesday night, are 11-30-7, which is the poorest record in the 12-team SJHL.

Wrestling

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Snoopy

Warriors double Hurricanes . . . Cougars complete doubleheader sweep . . . Myatovic fills hat for Thunderbirds

——

The Seattle Thunderbirds ran their winning streak to eight games on Tuesday Seattlenight, beating the Royals, 8-0, in Victoria. That victory followed on the heels of a 7-0 triumph in Victoria on Monday afternoon.

After Monday’s game, Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist wrote:

“Too fast, too big, too good. Basically, too everything.

“The Seattle Thunderbirds are all that with 10 NHL draft picks, including five first-rounders, and another five players ranked for this year’s NHL draft. “The Thunderbirds are on another planet than most Western Hockey League teams, and in another solar system entirely, than also-rans like the Victoria Royals.”

BankErr

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Medicine Hat (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Calgary (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Prince George (6)

Tri-City (4) vs. Everett (5)

——

TUESDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

The Moose Jaw Warriors struck for the game’s first five goals en route to an 8-4 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . F Eric Alarie (17) got it started 17 seconds into the first period and the Warriors, who had lost three in a row, went on from there. . . . The Warriors got a goal and three assists from each of F Ryder Korczak (22) and Jagger Firkus (29), with F Atley Calvert scoring twice (33) and adding one assist. F Martin Rysavy helped out with a goal (7) and two assists. . . . F Blake Swetlikoff scored twice (13) and added an assist for Lethbridge. . . . Chances are this was a playoff preview because Moose Jaw (34-19-3) and Lethbridge (30-20-6) are comfortably settled into fourth and fifth in the Eastern Conference, each with 12 games remaining. . . .

In Prince George, the Cougars completed a doubleheader sweep by beating the Portland Winterhawks, 3-1. . . . The Cougars had won, 1-0 in a shootout, on Monday. . . . The home boys got second-period goals from F Jaxsen Wiebe (13), at 4:32, and F Carlin Dezainde (4), at 14:09. . . . F Cole Dubinsky (16) made it 3-0 at 12:39 of the third. . . . F Luca Cagnoni (14) got Portland on the board at 16:54 of the third. . . . The Cougars got 34 saves from G Tyler Brennan, while G Dante Giannuzzi stopped 29 shots at the other end. . . . These two teams could well meet up in the first round of the playoffs. . . . Prince George (26-23-4) is sixth in the Western Conference, two points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . . Portland (36-14-5) is third in the conference, but is 0-4-1 in its last five games. . . .

The Seattle Thunderbirds completed a three-game sweep of a series with the Victoria Royals, winning 8-0 on Vancouver Island. . . . The Thunderbirds had won, 7-0, in Victoria on Monday and 8-1 in Kent, Wash., on Saturday. . . . Last night, Seattle took a 3-0 lead in the first period, getting the first one from F Brad Lambert at 8:02 and later scores from D Nolan Allan (9) and F Mekai Sanders (4) just six seconds apart. . . . F Nico Myatovic, who turned 18 on Dec. 1, enjoyed this one with his first career three-goal game. Last season, he had four goals in 67 games. This season, he has 23 in 54 outings. . . . Allan also added three assists. . . . Lambert finished with two goals. He’s got 11 goals and 10 assists in 13 games. . . . F Reid Schaefer had a goal (20) and two assists. . . . G Scott Ratzlaff blocked 21 shots to post his fifth shutout of the season. He is 20-6-1, 2.07, .922. . . . Seattle lost F Kyle Crnkovic to a headshot major and game misconduct at 9:21 of the first period. . . . Seattle’s victory allowed the idle Tri-City Americans to clinch a playoff spot. They are fourth in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Everett Silvertips. . . . Seattle (43-9-2) has won eight in a row. It leads the Western Conference by 10 points over the Kamloops Blazers and is 11 points ahead of Portland atop the U.S. Division. . . . Victoria (15-36-6) has lost four in a row. It is seven points from a playoff spot with 11 games remaining.

Coffee

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

F Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2021 WHL draft by the Medicine Hat Tigers, had four points on Tuesday as Yukon beat host P.E.I., 5-3, at the Canada Winter Games. McKenna has put up 21 points in three games. . . . McKenna, who plays at the South Alberta Hockey Academy, turned 15 on Dec. 20. From Whitehorse, he has played in 11 games with the Tigers, earning eight assists. . . .

G Rhett Stoesser of the Red Deer Rebels will miss the remainder of this season. The Rebels announced on Tuesday that he suffered an undisclosed injury “last week in practice that will require season-ending surgery.” . . . Stoesser, 17, is from Cremona, Alta. A freshman, he went 19-6-0, 2.35, .910 and put up two shutouts. . . . The Rebels have added G Chase Wutzke, 17, from the U18AAA Saskatoon Contacts to their roster for the remainder of the season. He was a second-round selection in the WHL’s 2021 draft. . . . Wutzke will team with G Kyle Kelsey, who turned 19 on Jan. 22 and is is 17-8-4, 2.68, .908 as a freshman. . . .

Former NHL and OHL star Bobby Smith has sold his 85 per cent share in the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads to Sam Simon, a Detroit-based businessman. Smith was the majority owner for 20 years. . . . “I wasn’t going to own the team forever,” Smith explained, “and none of my kids who have their own lives . . . was interested so when a good buyer presented himself and he saw the Mooseheads as the team he wanted to buy and this guy was going to be a real asset to the team, there was a deal to be made. We put one together and here we are.” . . . Willy Palov has the complete story right here.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

WTF

Demek returns in Kamloops win . . . Playoff preview in Prince George? . . . Seattle really rolling now

Happy birthday to Brian Pellerin, an assistant coach with the Portland Winterhawks. He not only knows where Old Drinnan Town is, he likely has been there.

Jack Todd, in the Montreal Gazette: “It’s been 73 years since a Canadian won alpine world championships gold in the women’s slalom. Quebec City’s Laurence St-Germain did it Saturday, beating the great Mikaela Shiffrin in the process — and chances are you didn’t hear about it because our sports networks were busy fawning over Tiger Woods or the Maple Leafs.”

——

Two more notes from Todd, whose complete column is right here:

“At least it’s not hard to locate Theo Fleury. You can find him at the corner of Ignorance and Misinformation pretty much any day of the week. . . .

“We need more of Cheryl Pounder between periods on the TSN Canadiens telecasts. Pounder is superb. Unlike most broadcasters of the ‘unbelievable’ school, Pounder actually tells you things you didn’t know and avoids belabouring the obvious.”

THINKING OUT LOUD:

Might the Winnipeg Ice be forced by the WHL to vacate their home arena, which seats about 1,600, for a larger venue, perhaps in Brandon or Regina, should it make a deep playoff run? All in the interests of TV and atmosphere, of course. . . . Why are WHL pooh-bahs and the Ice owners so reluctant to sit down in front of media folks and answer a few questions? . . . If the WHL was to get a team into Penticton how great would the rivalry be between the Kelowna Rockets and the Peaches? . . . With all of these junior hockey teams wearing ‘special’ sweaters at various times during a season and then making them available at auction, I’m wondering how many are purchased by Mom and Dad? . . . Sign of the times: The Regina Pats had 20 players in uniform on Sunday afternoon with only four of them wearing sweaters with numbers below 20. . . . Just wondering but is Darryl Sutter’s best-before-date almost here with the Calgary Flames?

Fireplace

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Medicine Hat (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Calgary (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Prince George (6)

Tri-City (4) vs. Everett (5)

MONDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Sloan Stanick scored one of those between-the-legs goals at 1:05 of OT to give the Prince Albert Raiders a 4-3 victory over the Wheat Kings in Brandon. . . . Stanick, who has 18 goals, is from Rapid City, which is about three slap shots north of Brandon. . . . The Raiders overcame 2-0 and 3-1 deficits. . . . F Keaton Sorensen had three assists for the winners. . . . F Evan Herman (14) scored twice, the second goal pulling the Raiders into a 3-3 tie at 11:54 of the third period. Herman, a 20-year-old from The Pas, Man., was playing in his 200th regular-season game, all with the Raiders. . . . F Nolan Ritchie scored his 20th goal and added an assist for Brandon. . . . Prince Albert (23-28-3) has won four straight and is 11th in the Eastern Conference, six points from a playoff spot. . . . Brandon (22-24-8) is 10th, three points out of eighth. . . . Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun points out that “Brandon is 0-8 in games decided in OT; this could be the first season in the Internet era (it doesn’t) win an overtime game.” . . .

The Kamloops Blazers, playing their third game in four days, unleashed a 60-shot attack in beating the Oil Kings, 7-3, in Edmonton. . . . The winners got two goals from each of F Dylan Sydor (10) and F Daylan Kuefler (30). . . . Kamloops scored the game’s last three goals. . . . D Olen Zellweger had a goal and two assists for the winners. He has nine goals and 22 assists in 16 games since being acquired from Everett. . . . F Noah Boyko (15) had two PP goals for the Oil Kings. . . . Kamloops F Logan Stankoven, who had a 35-game point streak snapped in Sunday’s 4-1 victory over the host Calgary Hitmen, was blanked for a second straight game. . . . F Jakub Demek, 19, made his Kamloops debut. He hadn’t played since undergoing shoulder surgery after he played for Slovakia in the World Junior Championship that was held in Edmonton in August. Last season, he had 54 points, including 20 goals, in 55 games with the WHL-champion Oil Kings. In trading him to Kamloops on Nov. 14, Edmonton acquired a first-round 2023 WHL draft pick that originated with Regina, a conditional 2024 second-round pick, a conditional third-rounder in 2026 and a fourth-rounder in 2026. . . . F Shea Van Olm, another player Kamloops acquired from Edmonton, was scratched after apparently being injured in Calgary. . . . Kamloops (36-10-6) has won nine in row and will finish atop the B.C. Division. . . . Edmonton (8-43-3) has lost six straight games. . . .

F Adam Kydd scored once and drew two assists to lead the host Kelowna Rockets to a 3-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Kydd’s 17th goal, at 17:02 of the second period, broke a 1-1 tie and stood up as the winner. . . . D Marek Rocak, a 16-year-old freshman from Czechia, scored his first WHL goal 45 seconds later to provide insurance. He has one goal and one assist in nine games. . . . Kelowna (20-30-3) has won three in a row. It is eighth in the Western Conference, five points behind Vancouver. . . . Tri-City (26-21-7) is fourth, two points ahead of Everett. . . .

F Zac Funk scored in the seventh round of a shootout to give the Prince George Cougars a 1-0 victory over the visiting Portland Winterhawks in what may well have been a first-round playoff preview. . . . Funk was one of three skaters to score in the shootout. . . . Through OT, the Cougars got 31 saves from G Tyler Brennan, while G Dante Giannuzzi stopped 30 for Portland. This was Brennan’s first shutout this season and the sixth of his career. Giannuzzi has two this season and five in his career. . . These teams will meet in Prince George again tonight. . . . Prince George (25-23-4) had lost its previous two games. It is sixth, three points behind Everett. . . . Portland (36-13-5) has lost four in a row (0-3-1) and now trials U.S. Division-leading Seattle by nine points. . . .

F Brendan Lee’s two goals helped the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 4-1 victory over the Rebels in Red Deer. . . . Lee, who has 24 goals, gave his guys a 1-0 lead just 45 seconds into the game. He added an empty-netter at 19:02 of the third period. . . . The Tigers outshot the Rebels, 27-17, including 13-5 in the first period when they scored twice. . . . Red Deer lost D Christoffer Sedoff to a headshot major and game misconduct at 7:24 of the first period. . . . Medicine Hat (23-22-9) has points in three straight (2-0-1). It is tied with Regina and Calgary for sixth in the Eastern Conference. . . . Red Deer (37-14-4) lead the Central Division by 12 points over Lethbridge. . . .

In Regina, the Pats scored the game’s last three goals as they beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-2. . . . F Braxton Whitehead (8) got Regina into a 2-2 tie with a PP goal at 18:42 of the second period. . . . F Tanner Howe (26) snapped the tie just 16 seconds into the third period and F Zane Rowan (4) added insurance at 10:26. . . . D Stanislav Svozil (7) had a goal and an assist for the Pats in his 100th regular-season game. The sophomore from Czechia has 57 points in 41 games this season. In those 100 games, he has earned 98 points, including 81 helpers. . . . The announced attendance was 6,499, the fourth time in the Pats’ past five games that it has been a sellout crowd. . . . BTW, F Connor Bedard had two assists for the Pats. . . . Regina (26-24-3) is tied with Calgary and Medicine Hat for sixth in the Eastern Conference. . . . Lethbridge (30-19-6) had points in its previous four games (3-0-1). It is fifth in the conference, three points behind Moose Jaw. . . .

F Owen Pederson broke a 2-2 tie at 12:29 of the third period and the Winnipeg Ice sent on to a 4-2 victory over the host Swift Current Broncos. . . . Pederson’s PP goal stood up as the winner, and he added insurance at 19:03 with an empty-netter, his 29th goal of the season. Pederson, 20, also had an assist. He has 64 points in 50 games this season, after putting up 43 points, 17 of them goals in 50 games last season. . . . Winnipeg (44-7-1) has won seven straight games and leads the Eastern Conference by 11 points over Red Deer and Saskatoon. . . . Swift Current (25-25-3) has lost three in a row and is two points out of the playoffs. . . .

F Ty Thorpe scored had a goal and two assists as the Vancouver Giants beat the Spokane Chiefs, 4-3 in OT, in Langley, B.C. . . . Thorpe’s 28th goal won it at 4:16 of OT. . . . F Samuel Honzek, in his second game after returning from an injury suffered at the World Junior Championship, scored twice for Vancouver. He’s got 19 goals this season. . . . Honzek’s second goal, at 19:41 of the second period, gave the Giants a 3-2 lead. . . . Spokane tied it at 10:41 of the third when D Mac Gross scored his eighth goal, this one while shorthanded. . . . Vancouver (21-26-6) had lost its previous two games. It is settling into seventh in the Western Conference, now six points behind Prince George and five ahead of Kelowna. . . . Spokane (11-36-7) has lost two in a row (0-1-1). . . .

T Tomas Milic stopped 26 shots for his third shutout of the season as the Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Royals, 7-0, in Victoria. . . . The Thunderbirds had beaten the Royals, 8-1, in Kent, Wash., on Saturday night. And they’ll meet each other again tonight in Victoria. . . . Milic has seven career shutouts in 84 appearances over parts of four seasons. This season, he is 21-3-1, 2.18, .922. . . . F Gracyn Sawchyn (17) led Seatte’s offence with two goals and an assist. . . . F Brad Lambert had two assists. He’s got 19 points, 10 of them assists, in 12 games with Seattle. . . . D Kevin Korchinski also had two assists, pushing him over the point-per-game mark for his career. He now has 132 points, 121 of them assists, in 131 regular-season games. . . . F Colton Dach added a goal and an assist, and now has four points in two games since making his Seattle debut on Saturday. . . . F Jared Davidson scored his 32nd goal as he reached the 200-point mark, including 93 goals, in his 243rd regular-season game over five seasons. . . . Seattle (42-9-2) has won seven in a row and is pulling away atop the Western Conference. . . . Victoria (15-35-6) has lost three straight and now is seven points from a playoff spot.

Memories are made of this . . .

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

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Was it ‘the biggest regular-season upset in WHL history’? . . . Blazers run streak to eight; Stankoven streak halted

The piece that follows was to have appeared here a few days ago, but other news got in the way. . . . Thanks to Victoria Cougars Hockey Project (@victoriacougars) for alerting me to the 33rd anniversary of what may have been what the tweet described as “the biggest regular-season upset in WHL history.” . . . If you are a regular here, you will know that I am a sucker for that kind of stuff. So I did some research and came up with this. . . . Enjoy!

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It was Feb. 16, 1990, a Friday night.

The Victoria Cougars and their 4-49-2 record were at Memorial Arena in Kamloops for a date with the high-flying Blazers, who were 45-12-0.

The Cougars were looking for their first two-game winning streak of the VictoriaCougarsseason, having beaten the visiting Portland Winter Hawks, 8-5, two nights earlier to end a 32-game — yes, 32 games — losing skid. Yes, that was a CHL and WHL record.

There were 2,284 fans in the seats and you know they were expecting their favourites to skate to victory.

But . . . you know what they say . . . That’s why we play the game!

The Cougars got a goal from Ryan Harrison at 4:34 of OT to beat the Blazers, 7-6.

Harrison, a Kamloops native, had been dealt to the Cougars by the Blazers earlier that season, with Clayton Young going the other way.

Shayne Green of the Cougars had forced OT by scoring at 18:33 of the third period with goaltender Corey Jones on the bench for the extra attacker.

Earlier goals had come from Dean Dyer, Dino Caputo, Mike Seaton, Rob Sumner, who suffered a knee injury in the third period, and Mark Cipriano.

The Blazers had gotten two goals from each of Murray Duval and Darryl Sydor, with singles coming from Joe Mittelstaedt and Phil Huber.

Jones finished with 47 saves, while the Blazers’ duo of Dale Masson, who played the first period, and Corey Hirsch combined to stop 18.

Dyer had given the Cougars a 1-0 lead 39 seconds into the game. But the Blazers led 3-1 before the seven-minute mark. They got a wakeup call, though, as the Cougars struck three times before the period’s end, with two of the goals coming in the last 30 seconds.

The Blazers then scored the only two goals of the second period for a 5-4 lead.

Duval upped it to 6-4 at 2:56, with Cipriano getting the Cougars back to within one at 6:43.

The Victoria Times Colonist wasn’t able to report on the game because of deadline issues. The Saturday paper included the game summary through the end of the second period, with a notation that the game was “in progress at press time.”

However, there was a story on the second sports page of the Sunday paper. The headline: Cougars win again.

“After this,” Victoria head coach Lyle Moffat said, “I hope the guys believe that they can beat any team. We got a monkey off our back by breaking the losing streak (beating Portland 8-5 on Wednesday) and we told the players to put it all behind them. We told them to simply look ahead. . . .

“They kept plugging away. With the reputation Kamloops has, they could have given up after betting down but they didn’t.”

Unfortunately for Moffat, the Cougars didn’t win another game that season, losing 15 in a row. They finished 5-65 with two ties, setting WHL records for fewest points (12), fewest victories in a minimum 68-game schedule, most losses, longest losing streak (32 games), and longest road losing streak (23, tie).

Moffat was the team’s third coach that season; the victory over Portland had left him as the only one with more than one victory. Garry Cunningham had gone 1-28-0, while Wayne Naka was 1-5-1.

After beating the Blazers, Moffat was 3-16-1. He finished the season 3-31-1.

If you care about the newspaper industry or have even a glimmer of interest in it, you should pour yourself a cup of your favourite brew and give this piece right here a read. . . . It’s from Jeremy Klaszus of The Sprawl, which, according to its website, provides “in-depth Calgary journalism.” . . . This piece takes a look at the rise and fall of the Calgary Herald, but it could be the story of any once-dominant newspaper in any Canadian city.

Toews

SUNDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

The Kamloops Blazers ran their winning streak to eight games with a 4-1 victory over the host Calgary Hitmen. . . . The game was played at the Tsuut’ina Seven Chiefs Sportsplex. . . . F Ryan Hofer, returning from a one-game suspension, scored his 34th goal and added an assist for the Blazers, who also got a goal (28) and an assist from F Daylan Kuefler. . . . F Caedan Bankier (27) got the Blazers started just 11 seconds into the first period. . . . Kamloops had a 50-20 edge in shots. . . . G Dylan Ernst won his 30th game of the season by blocking 19 shots. He is 30-8-3, 2.61, .909. . . . Kamloops F Logan Stankoven had his point streak halted at 35 games. He had 79 points, including 27 goals, over that stretch. That is tied with F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats for the longest point streak this seaosn. . . . Kamloops (35-10-6) is tied with Portland, eight points behind Western Conference-leading Seattle. . . . Calgary is sixth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Regina, Swift Current and Medicine Hat.

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Or, for more information, visit right here.

Celery