F Jaedon Descheneau (Kootenay, 2011-16) has been assigned on loan by Thurgau (Switzerland, NL B) to Davos (Switzerland, NL A) for the rest of this season. In 41 games, he had 18 goals and 32 assists for Thurgau, leading the team in assists and points. He was fifth in league scoring. . . . Thurgau lost Game 6 of the NL B quarterfinals 4-1 at home to Olten on Sunday. Descheneau led his team in scoring with nine points, including four goals. . . . Meanwhile, Davos leads a best-of-seven NL A quarterfinal series against Biel-Bienne, 1-0. Game 2 is today (Tuesday) in Davos.
A LITTLE OF THIS . . .
Stacey McAlpine, a former player agent who was charged of defrauding former NHL players Dany Heatley and Chris Phillips, died on March 5 in Winnipeg. As a result, the charge have been stayed. . . . A death notice in Saturday’s Winnipeg Free Press stated that McAlpine, 54, had “passed away peacefully in his sleep, at home.” . . . Kevin Rollason of the Free Press has more right here.
D Ondrej Vala of the Everett Silvertips has drawn a two-game suspension after taking a cross-checking major and game misconduct for a hit on F Zack Andrusiak of the host 
Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday night. Vala sat out Everett’s 2-0 loss in Portland on Sunday, and he will miss tonight’s game in Kennewick, Wash., against the Sri-City Americans. . . .
F Tanner Nagel of the Swift Current Broncos will begin to serve a TBD suspension by missing Wednesday’s game against the visiting Saskatoon Blades. Nagel was suspended under supplementary discipline for something that occurred during Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Warriors in Moose Jaw. . . .
As of Monday night, the WHL hadn’t set the length of the suspension to Moose Jaw F Barrett Sheen after he took a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on Swift Current F Tyler Steenbergen on Saturday. . . . Sheen missed Sunday’s 5-3 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, and he isn’t likely to play tonight against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. . . . This is Sheen’s third suspension this season. He sat out five games after taking a headshot major and game misconduct in Medicine Hat on Jan. 27, then drew a two-game sentence for, according to the WHL website, “actions at conclusion of game at Regina on Feb. 18.”
Eric Thurston is the new general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder. . . . Thurston, 54, spent 1994-2011 on staff with the U of Alberta Golden Bears, the last four as head coach. He also has coached in the Hungarian National Ice Hockey Federation’s programs. This season, Thurston was coaching at OHA Edmonton. . . . As a player, Thurston played 206 games with the WHL’s Victoria Cougars (1981-84), then spent one season with the Golden Bears, before spending five seasons in Europe. . . . The Thunder didn’t make the playoffs this season, finishing 17-40-3. . . . Last week, general manager Joey Bouchard, head coach Ryan Rechner, Jason Nicholetts, the director of player development, and head scout Travis Gibson all resigned.
IF THE PLAYOFFS OPENED TODAY …
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Prince Albert at Moose Jaw
Brandon at Medicine Hat
Regina at Swift Current
Red Deer at Lethbridge
——
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Seattle at Everett
Tri-City at Kelowna
Spokane at Portland
Vancouver at Victoria
MONDAY:
No Games Scheduled.
TUESDAY (all times local):
Prince Albert at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Brandon 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Everett vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
WEDNESDAY (all times local):
Prince Albert at Regina, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Seattle at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
THURSDAY (all times local):
No Games Scheduled.
FRIDAY (all times local):
Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Portland, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
SATURDAY (all times local):
Regina at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 6:05 p.m.
Spokane vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Everett at Victoria 7:05 p.m.
SUNDAY (all times local):
Edmonton at Calgary, 2 p.m.
Spokane at Portland, 5 p.m.
Seattle vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 5:05 p.m
the 2018 inductees to the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame that is located in Penticton. . . . Hannan, from Richmond, B.C., went on to play 1,055 regular-season NHL games with five teams. . . . Also going into the Hall are Willie Mitchell, another former NHL defenceman, and Gerry Sillers, who played with the WHL’s Vancouver Canucks and later spent 28 years as president of the Canucks alumni association. . . . Mitchell, from Port McNeil, played in 907 regular-season NHL games and won two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles King. . . . The 1980 Burnaby Lakers, who won the Canadian intermediate A championship, will be inducted in the team category. . . . The inductions will take place in Penticton on July 20.
to the host Medicine Hat Tigers. Sheen was penalized for a hit on Tigers D Joel Craven, who had to be helped off the ice. On this week’s WHL roster report, Craven is shown as being out week-to-week. . . . Sheen will miss four home games — against Red Deer, Prince George, Lethbridge and Kootenay — and a Feb. 14 game in Regina. He’ll be eligible to return on Feb. 16 against visiting Regina. . . . 
straight games (3-0-1). . . . Prince Albert (20-20-10) has points in six straight (4-0-2). The Raiders now are three points behind Saskatoon, which holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Raiders will visit Saskatoon on Friday, after the Blades play host to the Rebels tonight. . . . The Rebels trailed three times before coming back for the victory. . . . F Justin Nachbaur (6) put the home side ahead 1-0 at 9:38 of the second period. . . . F Mason McCarty (26) pulled Red Deer event at 10:33. . . . The Raiders went back out front at 11:37 when F Curtis Miske (17) scored his 17th goal. . . . Red Deer F Alex Morozoff (2) tied it at 13:48. . . . F Eric Pearce (4) scored at 2:27 of the third period as Prince Albert went ahead 3-2. . . . Reichel, who has 19 goals, tied it at 7:43. He got the winner at 2:37 of OT. . . . Red Deer got two assists from F Brandon Hagel, with Reichel adding one to his two goals. . . . Red Deer was 0-1 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-3. . . . G Riley Lamb stopped 25 shots for the Rebels, six more than that Raiders’ Ian Scott. . . . The Raiders had F Regan Nagy back in the lineup after he last played on Jan. 20 when he appeared to suffer a knee injury. It ended up being a whole lot better than originally feared. . . . Announced attendance: 2,056.
in the overall standings, five points behind Moose Jaw, but the Warriors hold three games in hand. . . . The Cougars (18-25-8) are 0-2-1 on an East Division tour and are 13 points away form a playoff spot. . . . Hofer, a 17-year-old freshman from Winnipeg, recorded his first WHL shutout in his 14th appearance. He is 6-2-1, 2.61, .917. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen (37) scored the game’s first goal, at 13:01 of the first period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro (32) made it 2-0, on a PP, at 18:20 of the second. . . . F Max Patterson (7) and D Josh Anderson (2), who was acquired from the Cougars at the trade deadline, added third-period goals. . . . D Colby Sissons drew three assists, with F Glenn Gawdin adding two, and Steenbergen getting one. . . . G Tavin Grant stopped 36 shots for the Cougars. . . . The Broncos were without F Aleksi Heponiemi, although he wasn’t listed as being injured on the WHL roster report that was released on Tuesday. They again were missing D Sahvan Khaira and F Kaden Elder, while F Kole Gable was back after a brief absence. . . . Announced attendance: 2,816.
five straight (4-0-1). The Rockets leapfrogged Everett and now leads the Western Conference by one point. . . . Medicine Hat (26-20-6) had points in each of its previous three games (2-0-1). It leads the Central Division by six points over Lethbridge. . . . The Rockets scored the game’s first three goals and led 3-0 midway through the second period. . . . D Cal Foote (11) got it started at 18:08 of the first period. . . . The home team went ahead 3-0 on second-period goals from F Leif Mattson (18), at 1:35, and F Carsen Twarynski (32), on a PP, at 8:42. . . . D David Quenneville (21) got the Tigers on the scoreboard, on a PP, at 14:56. . . . F Kole Lind (27) got that one back for the Rockets at 18:54. . . . F Dawson Heathcote (6) got the Tigers to within two at 5:05 of the third period. . . . Dube (22) put it away with the empty-netter at 19:28. . . . Lind also had one assist. . . . Kelowna was 2-5 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-4. . . . The Rockets got 31 saves from G Brodan Salmond. . . . At the other end, Jordan Hollett blocked 39 shots. . . . Tigers F Ryan Chyzowski was given a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Kelowna D James Hilsendager at 10:06 of the third period. Chances are Chyzowski will be suspended, so will miss his club’s game tonight against his older brother, Nick, and the Blazers in their hometown of Kamloops. . . . Announced attendance: 4,373.
TAKING NOTE 