Tag: Brad Lambert

Early three-goal burst lifts T-Birds to Game 3 victory . . . Take 2-1 lead into Game 4 tonight . . . Vees close in on second straight BCHL title

PLAYOFF NOTES:

Phil Varney is the Seattle Thunderbirds’ athletic trainer. He posted the above tweet from Winnipeg long after Game 2 of the WHL’s championship final. . . .

The WHL’s best-of-seven championship series resumed with Game 3 in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday night. The Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Winnipeg Ice, 6-3, to take a 2-1 series lead. . . . They’ll be back on the ice tonight in Kent for Game 4, with Game 5 there on Friday night. . . .

While the remainder of the WHL’s championship series will be shown on TSN, Fox 13+ in Seattle had announced it would televise Games 3 and 4. On Tuesday, it announced that it also will show Game 5, along with Games 6 and 7 from Winnipeg, if the latter two are necessary. . . .

In the QMJHL, the visiting Quebec Remparts scored a 5-4 OT victory over the Halifax Mooseheads on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship final. . . . They’ll play Game 4 in Halifax tonight, with Game 5 set for Quebec City on Friday. . . . F James Malatesta scored the Game 3 winner at 4:25 of OT. Malatesta, who scored twice and added an assist, has 12 goals in these playoffs. . . .

The OHL’s championship final, featuring the London Knights and Peterborough Petes, is set to continue tonight. The host Petes won Games 2 and 3 so will take a 2-1 series lead into Game 4. . . . They’ll play Game 5 in London on Friday night.

TUESDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Winnipeg (1) at Seattle (2) — The Seattle Thunderbirds broke a 1-1 first-period Seattletie with three goals in 45 seconds en route to a 6-3 victory over the Winnipeg Ice in Kent, Wash. . . . The Thunderbirds lead the best-of-seven series, 2-1, with Game 4 in Kent tonight. Game is to be played there on Friday night. . . . Game 3 began with an exchange of goals in the first 87 seconds, with Seattle F Kyle Crnkovic (5) scoring at 0:25 and Winnipeg F Carson Latimer (3) equalizing at 1:27. . . . D Jeremy Hanzel (4) gave Seattle a 2-1 lead, on a PP, at 13:24 of the first period. . . . F Brad Lambert (6) upped it to 3-1 at 13:47, and F Jared Davidson (11) made it 4-1 at 14:09. . . . The WHL record for fast three goals  by one team in a playoff game is 26 seconds and belongs to the Winnipeg Jets from a 10-1 victory over the visiting Flin Flon Bombers on April 19, 1970. Henry Boucha (18:50, first period), Brian Howe (19:04) and Jim Hargreaves (19:16) had the goals. . . . The Ice was chasing from that point on and just wasn’t able to catch up. . . . F Dylan Guenther, with his WHL-leading 15th goal, scored on a PP at 8:09 of the second period for a 5-1 lead. . . . The Ice got a goal from F Zach Benson (7) at 13:42, only to have Hanzel (5) get it back at 18:25. . . . Winnipeg F Zack Ostapchuk (9) completed the scoring, on a PP, at 12:12 of the third period. . . . Lambert also had an assist as he recorded his eighth multi-point game of the playoffs. . . . Hanzel added an assist to his two goals. . . . Seattle was 2-for-3 on the PP; Winnipeg was 1-for-4. . . . The Thunderbirds got a big game from G Thomas Milic, who finished with 35 saves. . . . Winnipeg starter Daniel Hauser was beaten six times on 22 shots. Mason Beaupit played the third period and stopped all 11 shots he faced. . . . Announced attendance was 5,505. . . . Seattle F Jordan Gustafson and Winnipeg D Wyatt Wilson continued to be among the scratches.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

With the BCHL having chosen to leave Hockey Canada and operate on an independent basis, there are a whole lot of questions — and rumours — floating around out there. Brian Wiebe of the BCHL Network tries to answer a few of the player-related questions right here.

On the ice, the Penticton Vees struck for five goals in the second period en route to a 6-3 victory over the host Alberni Valley Bulldogs in Game 3 of the BCHL’s championship final. . . . The Vees hold a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and have their first chance to wrap up their second straight title tonight in Alberni Valley. . . . Last night, the Vees got two goals and two assists from F Aydar Suniev, who now has nine playoff goals. . . . F Josh Nadeau also scored twice for Penticton, giving him 15 goals.

Exits

The 2023 Kamloops Kidney Walk is scheduled for June 4, and Dorothy is taking part once again. She will celebrate 10 years as a kidney-transplant recipient in September, so the annual Kidney Walk is a big deal for her. In fact, she is participating for a 10th straight year. Yes, that means she is fund-raising, with all donations going to the Kidney Foundation. . . . If you are interested in helping, you are able to do so on her home page, which is 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.

HoleFoods

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Lambert, Guenther spark Seattle victory . . . Series heads for Washington state . . . QMJHL, OHL finals all even, too

Thinking of Joanne Boogaard and other mothers in her situation on days like this. Be safe!

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

Darren Steinke, the travellin’ blogger from Saskatoon, made the trek to Winnipeg for the first two games of the WHL’s championship final between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Winnipeg Ice. Here’s his Game 1 report. . . .

On Saturday night, the three visiting teams each won and now all three CHL championship finals are even at 1-1. . . . In Winnipeg, the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Ice, 4-2. The series will resume in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday night. . . . In the QMJHL, the Halifax Mooseheads beat the host Quebec Remparts, 6-3 in front of a second straight sellout crowd. They will get back at it in Halifax on Tuesday night. . . . In the OHL, the Peterborough Petes beat the Knights, 5-3, in London. That series is all even as they head for Peterborough and a Monday night game. . . .

Remember that TSN has said it will televise Games 3-7 in each of the championship series, so check your TV listings.

SATURDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Seattle (2) at Winnipeg (1) — F Brad Lambert, who began this season with the SeattleAHL’s Manitoba Moose, scored twice to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Ice in Game 2. . . . The series is tied, 1-1, with the teams heading to Kent, Wash., for games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. . . . The Ice won the opener, 3-2, on Friday night. . . . Lambert, a 19-year-old native of Lahti, Finland, was a first-round selection by the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL’s 2022 draft. He began this season with the Moose, then left to play for Finland at the 2023 World Junior Championship. After the tournament, the Jets assigned him to Seattle, which had acquired his rights from the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Lambert put up 17 goals and 21 assists in 26 regular-season games with Seattle. In the playoffs, he has 23 points, including 18 assists, in 14 games. . . . F Zach Benson, who turned 18 on Friday, gave the Ice a 1-0 lead at 4:11 of the first period. . . . D Jeremy Hanzel (3) got Seattle even at 1:24 of the second period. . . . The remainder of the scoring occurred in the third period. . . . Lambert (4) gave Seattle the lead at 5:02 and F Reid Schaefer (8) made it 3-1 just eight seconds later. Schaefer has goals in five straight games. . . . Benson (6) got his guys back to within a goal at 8:27, but Lambert (5) added insurance at 17:14. . . . Seattle got three assists from F Dylan Guenther, who now has 25 points, including 11 assists, in 16 playoff games. . . . Seattle was 0-for-3 on the PP; Winnipeg was 0-for-5. . . . Seattle held a 39-31 edge in shots, although Winnipeg led 14-8 in the third period when the Thunderbirds scored three times. . . . G Thomas Milic stopped 29 shots for Seattle, six fewer than Winnipeg’s Daniel Hauser. . . . Seattle remains without F Jordan Gustafson, while Winnipeg is without D Wyatt Wilson. . . . The announced attendance in the Canada Life Centre, home of the Jets, was 5,691. . . . Kelly Moore of Winnipeg radio station CJOB has a game story with some quotes right here.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

F Alexandre Doucet scored twice and added two assists to lead the visiting Halifax Mooseheads to a 6-3 victory over the Quebec Remparts before 18,259 fans on Saturday night. . . . The QMJHL’s championship final is tied, 1-1, with the next two games in Halifax on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Game 5 is to be played in Quebec City on Friday. . . . The Remparts led 2-0 late in the first period, but Doucet scored at 19:49 and Halifax added four straight second-period goals to take control. . . . Doucet’s second goal, his 12th, was into an empty net. . . .

In the OHL, the visiting Peterborough Petes beat the London Knights, 5-3, to even the championship series, 1-1. . . . The Knights took a 3-2 lead into the third period, but gave up the game’s last three goals. . . . F Tucker Robertson had two goals and two assists for the Petes, who got 51 stops from G Michael Simpson, who just happens to be from London. . . . The Knights had won their previous nine home playoff games. . . . Announced attendance was 9,046. . . . London had won, 3-0, on Friday night. . . . They’ll play the next two games in Peterborough, on Monday and Wednesday nights, before returning to London for Game 5 on Friday. . . .

In the BCHL, the host Penticton Vees erased a 2-1 second-period deficit en route to beating the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, 4-3, in Game 2 of the championship series. . . . The Vees hold a 2-0 lead in the series as it heads to Alberni Valley and games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . F Josh Nadeau had a goal and two assists for Penticton. . . . The announced attendance was 3,148.

Woody

Prior to the release of the NFL’s regular-season schedule, Bob Molinaro of the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot hit the nail on the head with this:

“Up next: In its ongoing quest to eclipse all other sports news and conversation, the NFL will grab headlines again . . . with the release of its regular-season schedule. As always, media will treat it like the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.”

Thanks to an old friend and former NHL scout for pushing Dorothy past the $4,000 mark as she fund-raises for the Kidney Foundation. . . . The 2023 Kamloops Kidney Walk is scheduled for June 4, and Dorothy is taking part once again. She will celebrate 10 years as a kidney-transplant recipient in September, so the annual Kidney Walk is a big deal for her. In fact, she is participating for a 10th straight year and is closing in on a personal-best. . . . If you are interested in helping, you are able to do so on her home page, which is 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.

Tanning

Hanzel shoots T-Birds into 2-0 lead; series heads to Kamloops for two . . . Ice, Blades to resume hostilities on Tuesday . . . Hodge was one of a kind

WHL

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

The four teams left standing in the WHL playoffs will get some rest today before returning to action on Tuesday night.

In the Eastern Conference, the No. 1 Winnipeg Ice won Games 1 and 2 on home ice so take a 2-0 edge into Tuesday’s Game 3 against the No. 2 Blades in Saskatoon. They’ll play a fourth game in Saskatoon on Wednesday night.

A note from Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) after Winnipeg’s 6-2 victory on Saturday: “The loss puts Saskatoon into an 0-2 hole for the 3rd straight series. They are believed to be the first team to have comeback twice in the same postseason to win series from that deficit. The 2000 Kootenay Ice won three series losing Game #1.”

In the Western Conference, the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds hold a 2-0 edge on the No. 2 Kamloops Blazers after a 4-3 OT victory on Sunday. The series will resume with Game 3 in Kamloops on Tuesday night, and they’ll play Game 4 there on Thursday. . . .

The Seattle roster includes 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams, while the Blazers boast nine. As well, the Thunderbirds have six players who were in the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship; the Blazers have three.

The 2023 Kamloops Kidney Walk is scheduled for June 4, and Dorothy is taking part once again. She will celebrate 10 years as a kidney-transplant recipient in September, so the annual Kidney Walk is a big deal for her. In fact, she is participating for a 10th straight year. Yes, that means she is fund-raising, with all donations going to the Kidney Foundation. . . . If you are interested in helping, you are able to do so on her home page, which is right here.

SUNDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Kamloops (2) at Seattle (1) — The Seattle Thunderbirds twice overcame two-Seattlegoal deficits en route to a 4-3 OT victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . D Jeremy Hanzel (2) won it at 6:21 of the extra period when his point shot got through Kamloops G Dylan Ernst. . . . The Thunderbirds had opened the conference final with a 5-1 victory on Saturday. . . . They are scheduled to play Games 3 and 4 in Kamloops on Tuesday and Thursday nights. . . . The Blazers opened a 2-0 lead with goals 1:39 apart. F Caedan Bankier (7) got them started with 39.2 seconds left in the first period. . . . D Olen Zellweger (9) made it 2-0, on a PP, at 0:59 of the second period. . . . F Lucas Ciona (5) got Seattle’s first goal, on a PP, at 7:33, but F Matthew Seminoff (5) got that one back, on another PP, at 12:53. . . . F Colton Dach (3) got the Thunderbirds back to within a goal at 15:55. . . . F Brad Lambert (3) pulled Seattle even at 2:04 of the third period. . . . On the winning goal, Lambert won a 2-on-2 battle in the corner to the right of Ernst, and fed the puck to D Sawyer Mynio, who sent it across to Hanzel at the other point. His shot beat Ernst for the winner. . . . Kamloops was 2-for-6 on the PP, but came up dry on an opportunity late in the third period. . . . Seattle was 1-for-5. . . . G Thomas Milic stopped 39 shots for Seattle, four more than Ernst. . . . F Logan Stankoven was in on all three Kamloops goals, his three assists giving him a total of 25 points in these playoffs. He leads the points derby with two more than Zellweger. . . . Since being acquired from the Everett Silvertips at the trade deadline, Zellweger has put up 76 points, including 31 goals, in 42 games with Kamloops. . . . Lambert, with 16 assists, is tied for the WHL lead with D Ben Zloty of the Winnipeg Ice. . . . The Blazers scratched D Logan Bairos, who suffered an undisclosed injury on Saturday night, and brought in D Ryan Michael, who last played on March 22.

Headline at The Onion (@TheOnion): Study Finds Majority Of Cavities Formed From Repeatedly Running Tongue Over Tooth That Feels Weird.

Back in the day, when Charlie Hodge was on the scouting trail, there was nothing better than sitting in the media/scout room prior to a WHL game listening to him spin tales, bellyache (always with a smile on his face) and eat Nanaimo bars.

Here’s Dave Stubbs of nhl.com, following Hodge’s death on April 16, 2016 . . .

“You’ll find Hodge’s name on the Stanley Cup six times with the Canadiens and once more with the 1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins as a scout. It appears four different ways on the trophy’s sterling bands: C Hodge, CH Hodge, Charles Hodge and Charlie Hodge.

“He was signing ‘Charlie’ at a 2008 collectibles show, as he did only for memorabilia.”

At that 2008 collectibles show, Hodge told Stubbs that “I sign checks a different way and legal documents a way different than that. If anybody copies what I sign today then tries to forge something legal, I can say, ‘No, this is not my signature.’

“It’s not that I don’t trust anybody,” he added, laughing. “It’s just that I don’t trust anybody.”

Quartet

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.

Ex-WHLer needs heart transplant . . . Rebels have Blades on ropes . . . Lambert puts up six points in Seattle victory

Dmitriy (Dyma) Markovskiy, a former WHL player, is 47 years of age and in need of a heart transplant. From Kyiv, Ukraine, he played with the Portland Winterhawks (1993-94) and split the next season between the Regina Pats, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Saskatoon Blades. . . . Mike Williamson, who played and coached with the Winterhawks, roomed with Markovskiy in 1993-94 and has started a GoFundMe page. . . . Williamson writes: “Dyma is doing better but has a long road ahead of him. Doctors have now told him that he will need a heart transplant, and he will always be limited in what he can do physically. Between the war and his heart, he has been unable to work and provide for his family. Julia is working and the family is doing what they can. Still, medical bills, medication, rehabilitation, and future costs are and will be substantial.” . . . That GoFundMe page is right here.

WHL

After a quiet day, the WHL was back in action with three games on Tuesday night, and there is a full slate of four scheduled for tonight.

In the Eastern Conference, the No. 2 Saskatoon Blades are staring elimination in the face as they meet the No. 3 Rebels in Red Deer. A 3-1 victory there last night gave the Rebels a 3-0 series lead.

In the Western Conference, the No. 2 Kamloops Blazers and No. 3 Portland Winterhawks will play Game 3 tonight. The Blazers, who are 6-0 in these playoffs, hold a 2-0 edge after dominating at home.

In Prince George, the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds, who are 7-0, will try to complete a sweep of the No. 4 Cougars tonight. Seattle posted an 8-1 victory in Prince George last night.

In the Eastern Conference, the No. 1 Winnipeg Ice is in Moose Jaw for Game 4 with the Warriors, who hold a 2-1 series lead after posting an 8-4 victory last night. They’ll go back to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Saturday night.

——

TUESDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) at Moose Jaw (4) — The Moose Jaw Warriors broke a 3-3 tie with WarriorsNewthe only two goals of the second period and went on to score an 8-4 victory over the Winnipeg Ice. . . . The Warriors lead the series, 2-1, and will play host to Game 4 tonight. The series will return to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Saturday night. . . . The Ice led this one 2-0 early in the first period after goals from F Zack Ostapchuk (5) and F Briley Wood (2) at 7:07 and 7:18. . . . The Warriors got back in it on PP goals from F Ryder Korczak (3) and F Jagger Firkus (6) at 8:45 and 11:33. . . . F Lynden Lakovic (2) put Moose Jaw ahead at 14:52, only to have F Vladislav Shilo (1) get Winnipeg into a 3-3 tie at 17:06. . . . The Warriors counted the next four goals to take control. F Eric Alarie (1), back after a four-game absence, Lakovic (3), D Cosmo Wilson (1) and F Martin Rysavy (4) got the Warriors into a 7-3 lead. . . . F Josh Medernach (1) got Winnipeg’s last goal, and Firkus (7) ended Moose Jaw’s offensive onslaught. . . . The Ice hadn’t surrendered eight goals in a game since Feb. 25, 2020 when they dropped a 10-1 decision to the Oil Kings in Edmonton. . . . F Brayden Yager had four assists for Moose Jaw, while Korczak added two assists to his goal and Firkus had one assist for a three-point game. . . . The Warriors were 2-for-2 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-2. . . . The Ice was without F Evan Friesen, who sat out the first of a two-game suspension for a headshot on Moose Jaw D Matthew Gallant in Game 2. Gallant didn’t return after the hit and he didn’t play in Game 3. . . .

Saskatoon (2) at Red Deer (3) — The Red Deer Rebels scored the game’s last RedDeerthree goals as they beat the Saskatoon Blades, 3-1. . . . The Rebels hold a 3-0 series lead with Game 4 in Red Deer tonight. . . . F Trevor Wong gave the Blades their first lead of the series when he opened the scoring at 5:04 of the second period. . . . F Frantisek Formanek (3) got Red Deer even at 9:46. . . . F Dwayne Jean Jr. (1) snapped the tie at 16:25. . . . F Kalan Lind (2) got the empty-netter at 19:14 of the third period. . . . Red Deer was 0-for-3 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-for-2. . . . G Kyle Kelsey earned the victory with 22 saves. He is 7-1, 1.67, .938 in the playoffs. . . . D Aiden De La Gorgendiere, the Blades’ captain, returned to the lineup after having left Game 2 with an illness. . . . The Blades also had D Blake Gustafson in the lineup for the first time in the series.

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) at Prince George (4) — The Seattle Thunderbirds scored four times Seattlebefore the game was 13 minutes old — two of them coming via the PP — en route to an 8-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Thunderbirds hold a 3-0 series lead and get their first chance to wrap it up tonight. . . . The Thunderbirds have outscored the Cougars, 17-3, through three games. . . . F Brad Lambert led Seattle with a goal and five assists. The WHL record for most assists in a playoff game (7) is held by F Dale Derkatch of the Regina Pats. He did it in a 13-6 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on March 26, 1982. . . . Lambert now has 15 points, 13 of them assists, in five games in these playoffs. At three points per game, he is slightly ahead of F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats, who finished at 2.86 for seven games. . . . Including his 26 regular-season games, Lambert has put up 53 points, including 34 assists, since joining the Thunderbirds from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. . . . The Cougars lost F Jaxsen Wiebe at 10:30 of the first period when he was hit with a match penalty for butt-ending. Seattle scored twice on the ensuing PP to take a 4-0 lead. . . . Seattle finished 4-for-4 on the PP; Prince George was 0-for-4. . . . The Thunderbirds had a 40-20 edge in shots, including 20-4 in the first period. . . . F Dylan Guenther scored his ninth and 10th goals of these playoffs; he is tied with Bedard for the playoff lead. . . . D Kevin Korchinski had three assists. . . . The Cougars were without F Riley Heidt, a 97-point scorer in the regular season, as he served a one-game suspension for a headshot major and game misconduct in Game 2.

Headline at The Beaverton — World’s sick, injured travel to see NHL team doctors after they miraculously heal entire rosters in time for playoffs.

Pastor

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Mitch Love, a former WHL coach and player, has been named the AHL’s outstanding coach for a second straight season. Love, the head coach of the Calgary Wranglers, also was awarded the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award last season when the NHL’s Calgary Flames had their AHL affiliate in Stockton, Calif. . . . The award is voted on by coaches and members of the media in the AHL’s 32 cities. . . . Love is the third coach to win the award in back-to-back seasons, after Bill Dineen (1985, 1986) and Robbie Ftorek (1995, 1996). . . . Love is the first head coach to win it in each of his first two AHL seasons. . . . The Wranglers finished 51-17-4, the AHL’s best regular-season record. . . . He is 96-33-11 in his two AHL seasons. . . . Love, 38, is from Quesnel, B.C. He played in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Swift Current Broncos and Everett Silvertips (2000-05). He spent six seasons (2012-18) as an assistant coach with Everett and as the head coach of the Saskatoon Blades for three seasons (2018-21). . . .

Jason Becker, a former WHL player and coach, has been named head coach of BC Hockey’s U16 male team for the 2023 Program of Excellence season. . . . Becker, the manager of hockey operations and head coach of the U17 Prep team at the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy, has been BC Hockey’s lead evaluator for its male U16 program for the past three seasons. . . . He played four seasons in the WHL (Saskatoon Blades, Red Deer Rebels, Kamloops Blazers, Swift Current Broncos, 1991-95) and was an assistant coach with the Prince George Cougars (2010-14). He also played five seasons with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies. . . . Becker’s assistant coaches also are former WHLers— Craig Bedard and Riley Emmerson. Bedard will be with Team BC for a third time, while Emmerson is a first-timer. Bedard, a head coach with the Okanagan Hockey Academy since 2012, was an assistant coach with the Prince Albert Raiders (2007-12). . . . Emmerson, the head coach of the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U15 AAA side, played two seasons (2004-06) with the Tri-City Americans. . . . BC Hockey’s U16 team will emerge from the BC Cup (Salmon Arm, April 20-23) and a provincial camp (Chilliwack, July 24-27) to play in the WHL Cup in Red Deer. . . .

The WHL has lost a legend with the news on Monday that Craig West has left the Tri-City Americans. The WHL team made that announcement, stating that West “has left . . . to pursue other opportunities.” . . . West, who had been vice-president of sponsorship sales and broadcasting, was the radio voice of the Americans since 1998. Before joining the Americans, he spent eight seasons (1990-98) with the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Last season, he called his 2,500th WHL game. . . .

On Tuesday, the Tri-City Americans announced that Midge Peterson, their athletic therapist, wouldn’t be returning. She had been with the organization since March 2021. . . .

The SJHL’s Melville Millionaires announced on Monday that Mike Rooney, their general manager and head coach, is leaving “to pursue other opportunities.” He had been with the Millionaires since May 2020. Melville went 25-68-16 with him as head coach, and wasn’t able to make the playoffs. . . . This season, the Millionaires finished 14-36-6. . . . The Millionaires also are looking for an assistant coach because Daven Smith left in March. . . .

The junior B Port Alberni Bombers of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League are in the market for a general manager and head coach following the departure of Gaelan Patterson. According to a news release, Patterson told the Bombers that he is moving on “to a new endeavour with a U14 program being established in Duncan.” . . . Patterson was with the Bombers for their first two seasons in the VIJHL and got them into the playoffs both times. . . . Patterson, 32, is a former WHL player, who spent four seasons (2006-10) with the Saskatoon Blades.

Headline at The Onion — Absent-Minded Billionaire Almost Forgets to Pay $0 in Taxes.

THINKING OUT LOUD — If you are watching the first round of the NHL playoffs on TV, how many games is it going to take before you are sick of all the gambling-related commercials? . . . What’s that? . . . You’re there already? Yeah, so am I. . . . Remember when the analysts on hockey telecasts didn’t tread all over the play-by-play person’s time? Sheesh, when the puck is in play the analyst needs to zip it. . . . I’m thinking the NHL’s Calgary Flames have quite a decision to make. Do they stick with Darryl Sutter as their head coach, or do they promote Mitch Love? And if they don’t make a move with Love, might the Anaheim Ducks be interested?

Bees

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.

Seventy

Warriors win in Winnipeg, but pay a price . . . Lambert leads Thunderbirds to victory . . . Stankoven, Ernst too much for Winterhawks

GrandmaGirls031823
Dorothy, with her two sweethearts — Averi, behind the hat, and the always smiling Kara.

With the 10th anniversary of her kidney transplant in sight, Dorothy is taking part in her 10th straight Kamloops Kidney Walk. So, yes, she is fund-raising. . . . It’s worth noting that she has been No. 1 in Kamloops for nine straight years, too, and, yes, things are cookin’ again. . . . In recent days, she has received support from the wife of a gentleman who is a general manager/head coach in the WHL. She also heard from another WHL head coach, and from an avid follower of the Victoria Royals, and from a former WHL scout. . . . As a result of these people and more, her 10-year total has surpassed $30,000. . . . Yes, hockey people are awesome. . . . The 2023 Walk is scheduled for June 4. . . . If you would like to be part of her team, you are able to donate right here. . . . And thank you in advance.

Pi

A few Twitter tidbits from Friday’s opening second-round WHL playoff games . . .

Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow): “After seeing a 3-0 lead dissipate, the Winnipeg Ice score twice in the third for a Game 1 win. Connor McClennon combines for 23rd career game-winning goal recording 30th playoff point in process. Graham Sward secures third goal since calendar changed to March.”

Brandow, again: “Red Deer only fires 20 shots on goal, but scores three times and takes a 1-0 series lead. Kyle Kelsey gets to within 1:54 of a shutout cutting off 23 of 24. Jhett Larson opens scoring with only goal of first 40, Jace Isley pots first of postseason.”

Brandow, once more: “Kamloops goes up 1-0 fending off a late Winterhawks charge. Jakub Demek delivers first playoff goal(s) since the Ed Chynoweth Cup winner with the Oil Kings last season. Potted four in 15 tries in regular campaign. Hits 25 career playoff points. . . . Portland’s James Stefan beats the final buzzer securing a hat trick and pots 10 playoff goals in 17 career efforts. First career combined hat trick in 204 games. 44 points (27 assists) at home, 29 points on road with a -13 rating. . . . Kamloops’ Dylan Ernst sees name everywhere on scoresheet with an assist, a delay of game penalty, and 28 saves on 32 shots. Improves to 5-0 in playoffs and has dropped goals against average by a full goal. 1.96 GAA, .927 SV% in combined 43 wins; 4.82 GAA, .854 SV% in 13 non-wins.”

From Winterhawks historian Andy Kemper (@AndyKemper): “Scoring change for Portland in Game 1 vs. Kamloops. 3rd goal — 72 Nguyen from 11 Fromm-Delorme and 19 Chyzowski. 2nd career 3 assist playoff game for Chyzowski.”

More from Brandow: “Seattle soars to a Game 1 win with help from a couple of midseason acquisitions. Dylan Guenther doubles up again in goal column reaching 20 (and 30 points) in 24 career playoff games. Brad Lambert returns and helps out on three, most this (season).”

Mayor

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

Six of the eight teams remaining in the WHL’s title chase now have played two WHLgames in the second round of playoffs. The other teams involved — the Red Deer Rebels and Saskatoon Blades — are scheduled to play their second game today. They’ll meet in Saskatoon’s SaskTel Centre, where the Rebels opened the series with a 3-1 victory on Friday night. . . . They weren’t able to play there on Saturday night because lacrosse’s Saskatchewan Rush had the facility booked for a NLL game.

There aren’t any games scheduled for Monday.

On Saturday night, the Moose Jaw Warriors evened their series with the Eastern Conference’s top-ranked Winnipeg Ice, but may have lost two veteran defencemen in the process. . . .

There weren’t any surprises in the Western Conference as the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds and No. 2 Kamloops Blazers each took 2-0 leads in their series. . . . The Prince George Cougars, down 2-0 to Seattle, may be looking at playing a game or two without a 97-point man who took a headshot major late in Game 2.

——

SATURDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Moose Jaw (4) at Winnipeg (1) — The Moose Jaw Warriors struck for four goals WarriorsNewin the game’s first 10 minutes, three of them in a span of 1:24 via the PP, en route to a 5-3 victory over the Winnipeg Ice. . . . The Ice’s first loss of these playoffs left the series tied, 1-1, as the scene shifts to Moose Jaw for games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Game 5 is to be played in Winnipeg on Saturday. . . . The Ice had won the opener, 5-3, on Friday. . . . Last night, F Ryder Korczak (2) gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead at 1:02 of the first period. . . . Ice F Evan Friesen was ejected at 7:45 for a headshot on Moose Jaw D Matthew Gallant, who left the game and didn’t return. . . . F Brayden Yager (4) made it 2-0 at 8:07. . . . Ice F Zach Benson went off for high-sticking at 8:22, and Yager (5) upped the lead to 3-0 at 9:11 on the 5-on-3 PP. . . . The Warriors made it 4-0 when F Martin Rysavy (3) added another PP goal just 20 seconds later. . . . The Ice managed to get to within a goal, at 4-3, on third-period scores from F Zack Ostapchuk (4), on a PP, at 1:07, F Connor McClennon (5), at 13:09, and F Carson Latimer (1), at 16:10. . . . Moose Jaw F Josh Hoekstra got the empty-netter with 2.4 seconds left to play. . . . Ostapchuk was back after sitting out Game 1 with a WHL-issued suspension. . . . Latimer was playing in his first game since Feb. 26. . . . The Warriors were 3-for-5 on the PP; the Ice was 1-for-9. . . . G Connor Ungar earned the victory with 33 saves. . . . Warriors F Atley Calvert, who had two assists, was given a slew-footing double minor at 15:07 of the first period. Those penalties often are met with a suspension. . . . Besides losing Gallant, the Warriors also played the third period without D Logan Dowhaniuk, who was hit from behind by F Owen Pederson in the second period.

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Prince George (4) at Seattle (1) — F Brad Lambert was in on each of Seattle’s Seattlefirst three goals as the Thunderbirds beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-1, in Kent, Wash. . . . Seattle holds a 2-0 lead in the series with the next two games in Prince George on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . Lambert, who had a goal and three assists in this one, had recorded three assists on Friday as the Thunderbirds opened the series with a 4-1 victory. . . . He missed two games in Seattle’s first-round sweep of the Kelowna Rockets, and now has a goal and eight assists in four playoff games. . . . Last night, Seattle scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Jared Davidson (2) got it started, on a PP, at 13:12 of the first period. . . . Lambert (1) got it to 2-0 at 9:23 of the second, and F Dylan Guenther (8) made it 3-0 at 13:43. . . . Guenther has goals in each of Seattle’s six playoff games, and is riding a 12-game point streak. . . . F Ondrej Becher (1) got the Cougars on the board 14 seconds into the third period, but F Kyle Crnkovic (2) got that one back for Seattle at 4:33. . . . Davidson (3) closed out the scoring on a PP at 19:16. . . . Seattle was 3-for-4 on the PP; Prince George was 0-for-5. . . . G Thomas Milic stopped 26 shots for Seattle. In these playoffs, he is 6-0, 1.00, .959. . . . The Cougars lost F Riley Heidt to a headshot major a game misconduct at 18:03 of the third period. He was a 97-point man in the regular season so a suspension of any length could be truly devastating to the Cougars. . . .

Portland (3) at Kamloops (4) — F Logan Stankoven had two goals and threee Kamloopsassists to lead the Kamloops Blazers to a 5-0 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Blazers had posted a 6-4 victory on Friday, so take a 2-0 series lead into games in Portland on Wednesday and Thursday. . . . Stankoven, who led last season’s playoffs in goals (17) and points (31), has 16 points, including seven goals, in six games in these playoffs. . . . Stankoven now has had three five-point playoff games — one last season and two this time around. . . . He is the WHL’s leading playoff scorer not named Connor Bedard, who had 20 points in seven games when his Regina Pats were eliminated. . . . The Blazers opened the scoring at 11:44 of the first period when F Caedan Bankier (5) counted on a PP. . . . D Olen Zellweger (4) made it 2-0 at 17:35 of the second period and Stankoven (6) upped it to 3-0 at 19:05 on another PP. . . . Stankoven (7) and F Daylan Kuefler (2), the latter on a PP, added third-period scores. . . . While the Blazers struck for five goals, they had only six players register points. . . . Bankier added two assists to his goal, while Seminoff also had two assists. . . . G Dylan Ernst stopped 28 shots in posting his third shutout in six starts. He is 6-0, 1.42, .942 in these playoffs. . . . Kamloops was 3-for-4 on the PP; Portland was 0-for-2.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Eight WHL players have been named to Team Canada that will play in the IIHF U18 World championship in Basel and Porrentruy, Switzerland, from Thursday through April 30. Those players are G Carson Bjarnason, Brandon Wheat Kings; D Lukas Dragicevic, Tri-City Americans; D Caden Price, Kelowna Rockets; D Carter Yakemchuk, Calgary Hitmen; F Berkly Catton, Spokane Chiefs; F Andrew Cristall, Kelowna; F Ty Halaburda, Vancouver Giants; and F Tanner Howe, Regina Pats. . . . The head coach is Jeff Truitt of the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Canada opens the tournament with a game against Sweden on Thursday. . . .

The NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned D Stanislav Svozil of the Regina Pats to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Svozil played two NHL games earlier in the week, picking up an assist in his debut. He played in his first AHL game last night, recording two assists and being name third star in a 4-3 victory over the host Rochester Americans. . . . Meanwhile, the NHL’s Washington Capitals have assigned Regina F Alexander Suzdalev to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. He was a third-round pick by the Capitals in the NHL’s 2021 draft. This season, he led all WHL freshmen in goals (38), assists (48) and points (86). . . .

F Ty Thorpe (Vancouver Giants) had a goal on Saturday night as the host South Carolina Stingrays scored a 5-4 shootout victory over the Jacksonville Icemen. No, he didn’t take part in the shootout. . . . F Carson Golder (Kelowna Rockets) drew the primary assist on the winning goal as the visiting Manitoba Moose got past the Rockford IceHogs, 3-2. . . . F Parker Bell (Tri-City Americans) picked up an assist on the game-winner at 19:44 of the third period as the Calgary Wranglers beat the host Abbotsford Canucks, 3-2. With the victory, the Wranglers, under head coach Mitch Love, a former WHL player and coach, clinched first place in the AHL’s overall standings (51-17-4).

OutOfOrder

THE COACHING GAME:

Roy Sommer, once an assistant coach with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, coached his 1,814th and final AHL game on Saturday night as his San Diego Gulls dropped a 3-1 decision to the host Colorado Eagles. Sommer, 66, has announced his retirement after 25 years in the AHL. For the first 24 of this seasons, he was head coach of the San Jose Sharks’ affiliate in Kentucky, Cleveland, Worcester and San Jose. He spent this season with the Anaheim Ducks’ AHL affiliate. . . . Sommer has coached in more AHL games and posted more victories (828) than anyone in history. . . . Sommer was with Prince Albert in 1988-89, before moving on to the ECHL’s Roanoke Valley Rebels. . . . As a player, Sommer, who is from Oakland, Calif., played one game with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings (1974-75) and then two seasons (1975-77) with the Calgary Centennials. . . .

Zack Dailey has been named the head coach of the MacEwan U Griffins, who play in Canada West. Dailey, an assistant coach with the Edmonton-based team since 2017, had been the team’s interim head coach as he filled in for Michael Ringrose, who was on parental leave. Ringrose announced in February that he wouldn’t be returning. Dailey, a 33-year-old native of Healey, Alaska, played with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips for five seasons (2005-10), before going on to spend five seasons with the U of Alberta Golden Bears.

Delivery

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.

Bacon

Courteau out as QMJHL boss . . . Blades shut down Bedard, Pats . . . Seattle makes it lucky 13 in a row

Gilles Courteau resigned as the QMJHL’s commissioner on Sunday. In a statement posted to social media, Courteau wrote: “Today, I contacted Mr. Richard Létourneau, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, to announce my resignation, effective immediately. I am no longer the commissioner of the QMJHL.” . . . Courteau 65, added that “recent events have taken on such proportions that my family members have suffered. To persist would have been stubbornness.” . . .

Courteau had been involved with the QMJHL since 1975. He took over as league president during the 1985-86 season; the title of president was changed to commissioner in 2000. . . . The league had announced on Dec. 16 that he would be retiring in 2024 and that its championship trophy, the Presidents Cup, had been renamed the Gilles Courteau Trophy. . . . The QMJHL said Sunday that Martin Lavallée, the assistant commissioner, would take over on an interim basis until a replacement is hired. However, there were immediate reports by Le Soleil and the Journal de Québec that Mario Cecchini would be named commissioner in the immediate future. Cecchini most recently was the president of the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes. . . .

Courteau had been under the gun of late because of allegations of hazing and abusive initiations in the QMJHL. His appearance before a legislative committee didn’t go particularly well, with Premier François Legault saying that he had concerns about Courteau’s testimony, some of which the premier referred to as “contradictory statements.” . . . On Thursday, Isabelle Charet, the province’s sport minister, had said that her government would be recalling Courteau for further testimony. . . .

The Canadian Press reported that Vincent Marissal, who is responsible for sports and leisure with the political party Québec solidaire, said in a news release: “It had become very clear after his appearance in the parliamentary committee that Gilles Courteau no longer had the legitimacy or the room for manoeuvre to remain in office. I salute his decision to pass the torch immediately. As for us parliamentarians, the work has barely begun with this parliamentary commission and we must continue this work in order to ensure that we find solutions to protect the integrity of young people who practice sports in Quebec.” . . .

In the WHL, Ron Robison, 68, is in his 23rd season as commissioner. The board of governors extended his contract through the 2023-24 season on June 18, 2021. . . .

In the OHL, David Branch, 74, has been commissioner since 1979.

Tea

CANADA WEST UPDATE: The U of Calgary Dinos men’s hockey team won its first Canada West title since 1996 on Sunday, beating the visiting Alberta Golden Bears, 2-1, in the third game of the best-of-three final. . . . F Josh Maser broke a 1-1 tie at 16:45 of the third period. . . . Both teams will be going to the national championship tournament that runs in Charlottetown, March 16-19.

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)

——

SUNDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Trevor Wong scored three times and added an assist to lead the Saskatoon Blades to a 5-2 victory over the Pats in Regina. . . . This may well have been a first-round playoff preview. . . . Wong, who has 23 goals, tied the game 1-1 at 8:23 of the second period and 2-2 at 11:56. . . . He completed his hat trick with the emtpy-netter. . . . Saskatoon F Egor Sidorov scored twice, giving him 40 this season. He broke a 2-2 tie at 2:17 of the third period and added insurance at 6:39. . . . Regina D Stanislav Svozil continued his superb season with two assists. He has 73 points, including 63 assists, in 47 games. . . . F Connor Bedard of the Pats, who leads the WHL in goals (59), assists (64) and points (123), was blanked for just the third time in 48 games this season. He also was on the ice for all of Saskatoon’s goals. . . . Saskatoon (42-13-5) went 4-0-0 and outscored its opposition 19-6 in playing four games over five nights. It has points in 10 straight (9-0-1) and is 10 points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Winnipeg Ice. . . . Regina (31-25-3) had a six-game winning streak snapped. It is sixth in the conference, five points behind Lethbridge and four ahead of Medicine Hat. . . .

In Calgary, the Hitmen overcame an early 2-0 deficit to beat the Swift Current Broncos, 4-3. . . . F Owen Pickering (10) and D Grayson Burzynski (5) scored for the Broncos before the game was eight minutes old. . . . F Sean Tschigerl (20) got Calgary to within a goal at 3:26 of the second period and F Riley Fiddler-Schultz (27) tied it 42 seconds into the third. . . . Tschigerl (21), on a PP, gave his guys the lead at 3:39 and F Carter Yakemchuk (15) made it 4-2, on another PP, at 9:13. . . . F Mat Ward (22) pulled the Broncos to within one at 14:10. . . . Tschigerl also had an assist, while Fiddler-Schultz had two. . . . Calgary (25-26-8) had lost its previous four games (0-3-1). It is ninth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Swift Current (28-28-3), which had had won its previous three games. . . .

The Portland Winterhawks ended a nine-game losing skid with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . Portland had been 0-7-2 in its previous nine games. . . . D Ty Gibson (6) gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 10:04 of the first period. . . . F Gabe Klassen (34) tied it at 18:49, with F Luca Cagnoni (15) breaking the tie, on a PP, at 18:13. . . . F Robbie Fromm-Delorme (28) added the empty-netter. . . . Portland had a 44-28 edge in shots, including 22-8 in the first period. . . . Portland was without F James Stefan, who drew a TBD suspension for a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct he took on Saturday night against Tri-City. F Ethan Ernst, who on the receiving end of the hit by Stefan, wasn’t in the Americans’ lineup Sunday night against Seattle. . . . Portland (37-17-6) is third in the Western Conference and is going to finish there. . . . Everett (30-26-3) has lost two in a row and is tied with Tri-City for fifth in the conference. . . .

The Seattle Thunderbirds ran their winning streak to 13 games with a 4-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans in Kent, Wash. . . . D Jeremy Hanzel (10) of the Thunderbirds broke a 2-2 tie at 4:41 of the third period. . . . F Reese Belton (11) had a goal and an assist for Tri-City. . . . F Brad Lambert drew three assists and now has 28 points, 16 of them assists, in 18 games since joining Seattle. . . . Seattle (48-9-2) leads the Western Conference and is one point behind Winnipeg for first place overall. . . . Tri-City (28-25-7) is tied with Everett for fifth in the conference. . . . The Thunderbirds will entertain the Kamloops Blazers on Tuesday night in a battle of the conference’s top two teams.

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.

Backpat

All is quiet in Moose Jaw; police are unable to comment . . . Keller maintains hot hand for Blades . . . Lambert sparks Thunderbirds

There doesn’t appear to be anything new — at least, nothing for public consumption — in the situation involving the four players off the Moose Jaw WarriorsNewWarriors’ roster who have been suspended indefinitely by the WHL.

The four players — D Marek Howell, 16; F Lynden Lakovic, who turned 16 on Dec. 12; D Maximus Wanner, 19; and G Connor Ungar, 21 — are shown on the WHL’s discipline page as having been suspended “tbd for standard of conduct violation.”

When the WHL announced the suspensions on Saturday, via a one-sentence news release. It stated that the players were suspended “pending an investigation into possible violations of team rules and the WHL Standard of Conduct policies.”

The WHL didn’t indicate who would be conducting such an investigation, whether an investigation is underway, or whether there was a time element involved.

Nor did the league indicate whether there is any police involvement.

Katie Strang of The Athletic reported on Monday that a Moose Jaw Police Service spokesperson confirmed they “have been made aware” of a situation involving players with the team but aren’t able to comment further at this time.

The four players all played in a 2-1 victory over the host Calgary Hitmen on Feb. 5, then were scratched on Wednesday as the Warriors beat the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings, 6-3. The night the suspensions were announced, the Warriors dropped an 8-4 decision to the Pats in Regina.

The Warriors next are scheduled to play on Friday against the visiting Winnipeg Ice.

Moose Jaw (33-17-3) is fourth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the Saskatoon Blades and seven ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

——

While enjoying their annual Super Bowl retreat in Las Vegas, the WHL’s board WHLof governors honoured Kelly McCrimmon by presenting him with a Governors Award. From a news release: The award “is presented annually to an individual who, through their outstanding hockey and overall contributions to the game, has impacted on the growth and development of the WHL.” McCrimmon, now the general manager of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, was a long-time owner, general manager and head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The governors also took time out from their time at the slot machines to honour former Spokane Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz. Speltz was named as the recipient of last year’s Governors Award. However, scheduling issues due primarily to the pandemic prevented the award from being presented to Speltz prior to Monday. Speltz, the Chiefs’ GM for 26 seasons, now is the GM of the Henderson Silver Knights, the Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate.

Monopoly

TUESDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

The Swift Current struck four times in the third period en route to posting a 7-5 victory over the Wheat Kings in Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings took a 4-3 lead into the third period, but the Broncos took a 5-4 lead on two goals from F Brad Birnie (14), at 0:32 and 3:47. . . . F Connor Hvidston (14), who also had two assists, and F Josh Filmon (33) stretched the lead at 8:33 and 12:34. . . . Swift Current was 2-for-2 on the PP and had a shorthanded goal. . . . Brandon was 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . Brandon got two goals from F Brett Hyland (26) and a goal (25) and two assists from F Nate Danielson. . . . Swift Current (25-22-3) is tied with the Regina Pats (25-22-3) and Calgary Hitmen (23-22-7) for sixth in the Eastern Conference. . . . Brandon (21-23-7) is 10th, four points from a playoff spot. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades snapped a 1-1 tie with three goals early in the third period as they skated to a ?? victory over the Cougars in Prince George. . . . F Jordan Keller pulled the Blades into a 1-1 tie with a PP goal at 17:23 of the second period, then snapped the tie with his 13th goal at 2:26 of the third period. . . . D Spencer Shugrue’s first goal of the season and third in 140 games increased the lead at 2:51, and D Charlie Wright (5) added another at 4:35. . . . Keller also had an assist for the first three-point game of his freshman season. He has three two-goal games in his last five outings. . . . F Egor Sidorov scored his 31st goal — giving the Blades four goals in 5:46 — and also had two assists. . . . F Chase Wheatcroft of the Cougars drew one assist to run his point streak to 14 games. . . . The Blades are 2-1-0 in a B.C. Division tour that continues Friday night in Victoria. Interestingly, Saskatoon is the only East Division team that made its Prince George visit in the middle of the road trip; the others either began or ended their trip against the Cougars. . . . Saskatoon (35-13-4) is third in the Eastern Conference, five points ahead of the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Prince George (24-23-4) is sixth in the Western Conference, four points behind the Tri-City Americans. . . . BTW, McBride has a population of about 600 people, so that’s an awfully good showing in support of Blades D Tanner Molendyk. . . .

F Brad Lambert had a goal and two assists as the Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Tri-City Americans, 4-2, in Kent, Wash. . . . In nine games since joining the Thunderbirds from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, Lambert has seven goals and seven assists. He has a goal in each of his last four games. . . . F Lucas Ciona (23) scored Seattle’s last two goals, proving a 3-0 lead at 14:18 of the second period and making it 4-2 with an empty-netter at 19:44 of the third. . . . F Ethan Ernst (30) and F Adam Mechura (18) got the Americans to within a goal by scoring at 16:30 and 18:51 of the third. . . . Seattle (39-9-2) has won four in a row. It now leads the Western Conference by four points over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Tri-City (25-20-6) has lost five straight (0-4-1). It is tied with the Everett Silvertips (27-22-2) for fourth in the conference.

Lions

From the Ghostrider News blog that follows the junior B Kootenay International Junior Hockey League:

“With an amusing 1,350 penalty minutes the Kelowna Chiefs won the coveted KIJHL colouring books; they also finished dead last with 16 points. Clearly in a large city where there are almost as many players as protesters recruiting should be easy; there might even be a ‘convoy’ of players to choose from . . . but the owner, Jason Tansem, made himself the GM . . . What does that tell you?

“Tansem joins a long list of owners who have dabbled in the occult or whatever it is coaches do. Friend of the blog Lee Stone, who coached the Campbell River Storm to Cyclone Taylor and Keystone Cups along with three VIJHL championships, lost his coaching job recently when a new owner came in and meddled as GM.”

——

The junior B Campbell River Storm of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League announced Monday that it has “parted ways” with Lee Stone, its general manager and head coach. . . . “He has been an integral part of every success this team has experienced from 2013-23,” the team said in a social media post. According to the team, Stone had a 373-113-32 record over nine seasons. . . . This season, the Storm is 31-11-2, good for second place in the six-team North Division. . . . On Tuesday, Stone posted on social media that “the timing of this decision by a new ownership interest was unfortunate and reflects ongoing changes to the club’s direction that I could no longer support.”

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.

VanGogh

Bedard streaks end, as Pats win in Lethbridge . . . Hofer fills hat for Blazers . . . Suchanek, Americans keep on rolling

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

THE BEDARD REPORT — F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats had his goal and point streaks snapped on Friday night in Lethbridge, but you know that won’t matter to him because his side beat the Hurricanes, 3-2. . . . Bedard now has been blanked in two games this season — the season-opener and Friday’s game. In between, he put up 90 points in 35 games. . . . He leads the WHL in goals (44), assists (46) and points. . . . His goal-scoring streak was halted at 11 games. He scored 22 times in those 11 games. In fact, he also had 14 assists over that stretch. . . . You have to think he now is thinking about starting new streaks on Sunday in Medicine Hat against the Tigers. . . .

The longest ongoing point streak in the WHL now belongs to F Logan Stankoven of the Kamloops Blazers. He had one assist in a 6-4 victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders on Friday night as he ran that streak to 31 games. He has 68 points, including 26 goals, over that stretch. He has at least one point in all 30 games he has played this season.

——

The Travellin’ Bedards packed them into the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge on ReginaFriday night, with 5,378 fans showing up to watch them post a 3-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . According to the Enmax Centre website, it seats 5,479. . . . It was the Hurricanes’ largest crowd this season and came in their 26th home game. The announced attendance on Dec. 9, for a 5-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers, was 5,000. . . . On Tuesday, the Travellin’ Bedards had helped Red Deer set a single-game franchise record — 7,287 — as the Rebels won 6-5 in a shootout. . . . On Wednesday night, the Travellin’ Bedards beat the host Calgary Hitmen, 6-5 in a shootout, before 17,223 fans in the Saddledome, which has a capacity of 19,289. . . .

The Travellin’ Bedards move on to Medicine Hat for a Sunday game with the Tigers in the 7,000-seat Co-op Place. The Tigers are expected to experience their largest crowd since 5,947 showed up on Sept. 26, 2015 for the first game in the new building. The Tigers beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-3, that night. This season, the Tigers’ announced average attendance, through 22 homes games, is 2,207. . . . In anticipation of Sunday’s large gathering, the City of Medicine Hat has added free special bus service to Co-op Place. . . .

If the WHL playoffs started today, the Pats would be up against Red Deer in the first round. However, that could well change before the regular season ends. After Friday’s games, the Pats were seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points behind sixth-place Calgary and two ahead of the Swift Current Broncos.

Minivan

“An audit by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office of the Athletic Department at LSU,” writes Jack Finarelli, aka The Sports Curmudgeon, “discovered that the university accidentally over-paid head coach Brian Kelly by $1,001,368 in May and June of 2022. The overpayment was discovered in November and confirmed in December and arrangements have been made to recover the overpayments. There is no allegation of any sort of nefarious dooings here; it appears to have been a ‘paperwork error.’

“Here is my take on that situation: Wouldn’t it be great to be in a situation where your boss overpaid you by $1M and that mistaken overpayment did not jump out as a ‘WTF moment’ as you did whatever financial management you do?”

The other day I mentioned here about how former WHL player/GM/head coach Doug Sauter used to joke about having invented the curved goalie stick because it was easier to fish pucks out of the net with it.

Shortly thereafter, a friend sent me an obit for Don (Smokey) McLeod, who died on March 11, 2017. McLeod developed quite a following while with the WHA’s Calgary Cowboys for two seasons (1975-77). He was, according to the obit, “known for being a pioneer at playing the puck as a goaltender and one of the first netminders to use a curved stick.” . . . Mark Howe was an 18-year-old defenceman with the WHA-champion Houston Aeros in 1973-74 while McLeod was the No. 1 goaltender. “Everybody talks about how goalies like Marty Brodeur and Ron Hextall handled the puck,” Howe said, “but back in the ’70s, Smokey was every bit as good as those guys at it, and I don’t think he ever got the credit for it.” . . . McLeod was from Trail, B.C., which is how he got his nickname. He won the Memorial Cup with the Edmonton Oil Kings in the spring of 1966.

Irony

FRIDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

The Winnipeg Ice scored the game’s last two goals to beat the Wheat Kings, 7-6 in OT, in Brandon. . . . F Connor McClennon (27), who scored the game’s first goal, got the winner at 2:01 of OT. . . . F Evan Friesen (7) had pulled the Ice into a 6-6 tie at 17:05 of the third period. . . . Winnipeg (37-6-1) leads the Eastern Conference by five points over the idle Red Deer Rebels. The Ice, which has won four in a row, still holds three games in hand. . . . Brandon (19-21-7) has lost three in a row (0-1-2) and is four points out of a playoff spot. . . .

G Jackson Unger turned aside 42 shots to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to 4-1 victory over the Oil Kings in Edmonton. . . . The Warriors scored the game’s first four goals, taking a 4-0 lead at 2:18 of the second period. . . . D Denton Mateychuk drew an assist on each of the first two goals. . . . Edmonton had a 43-27 edge in shots. . . . Moose Jaw (31-16-3) is third in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Red Deer. . . . The defending-champion Oil Kings (7-37-3) won’t be in the playoffs. . . . The Oil Kings will be in Calgary this afternoon to face the Hitmen, who didn’t play last night. . . .

F Zack Stringer, playing in his first game since Jan. 20, broke a 2-2 tie at 5:44 of the third period to give the visiting Regina Pats a 3-2 victory over his hometown Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Stringer, who didn’t start his season until Dec. 16 because of a torn Achilles tendon, had missed the Pats’ previous four games. . . . His second career game-winner was his third goal this season and came in his 118th regular-season game, the first 79 of which were played with the Hurricanes. . . . Regina (24-21-3) is seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points out of sixth and two from eighth. The Pats have points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . Lethbridge (27-17-5) is in fifth spot. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers scored the game’s last three goals to beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 6-4. . . . The Blazers opened up an early 2-0 lead, but had to overcome 3-2 and 4-3 deficits. . . . F Ryan Hofer led the Blazers with three goals and an assist. His third goal, No. 30 on the season, broke a 4-4 tie at 8:47 of the third period. . . . According to the Blazers, GM/head coach Shaun Clouston now has 527 coaching victories, good for eighth on the all-time list. . . . Kamloops (29-10-6) will finish atop the B.C. Division. It is eight points behind the Western Conference-leading Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Raiders (19-26-3) had won four in a row, including three straight in the B.C. Division. They are eight points from a playoff spot. . . .

The Kelowna Rockets erased an early 2-0 deficit with five straight goals en route to a 5-4 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . F Gabriel Szturc (13) got the Rockets into a 3-2 lead 57 seconds into the second period. . . . F Carson Golder (20) stretched the lead at 8:35, and D Jackson DeSouza (6) got what proved the winner at 6:53 of the third. . . . The Giants made it interesting with two third-period goals, the last one, a shorthanded effort from F Jaden Lipinski (16), came at 18:38. . . . Kelowna (16-26-3) is eighth in the Western Conference, seven points behind Vancouver (18-23-6) and two ahead of Victoria. . . .

D Hudson Thornton (12), F Riley Heidt (20) and F Chase Wheatcroft (29) each had a goal and two assists as the Prince George Cougars dumped the visiting Victoria Royals, 8-1. . . . They’ll complete the doubleheader tonight in Prince George. . . . The Cougars had a 40-25 edge in shots, including 18-7 in the second period and 10-2 in the third. . . . The Cougars (20-21-4) are sixth in the Western Conference, three points behind Everett. . . . Victoria (14-30-5) is ninth, four points behind Kelowna. . . .

F Brad Lambert scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 6-5 OT victory over the Everett Silvertips in Kent, Wash. . . . There’ll be a rematch tonight in Everett. . . . Lambert’s second goal of the game and third of the season won it just 54 seconds into OT. He’s got six points in four games with Seattle. . . . D Kevin Korchinski scored his sixth goal and added three assists for Seattle. . . . F Jackson Berezowski scored twice for Everett, giving him a franchise-record 114 career regular-season goals. He had been sharing the record with F Patrick Bajkov (2013-18). . . . Seattle (35-8-2) moved back into first place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Portland. Although it was a foregone conclusion, Seattle became the first WHL team to clinch a playoff spot this season. . . . Everett (23-23-1) is fifth in the conference, three points ahead of Prince George. . . .

The Swift Current Broncos opened a 3-0 lead and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Chiefs in Spokane. . . . The visitors took control with PP goals from F Connor Hvidston (12) and F Ty Coupland (1) in the first period. . . . Coupland, from North Vancouver, was playing in his second WHL game. He was a second-round pick in the WHL’s 2022 draft. . . . The Broncos were 2-for-8 on the PP. . . . Swift Current (23-21-3) is eighth in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Regina and three ahead of Medicine Hat. The Broncos had lost their previous four games (0-3-1). . . . Spokane (9-33-4) has lost five in a row (0-4-1) and is 13 points from a playoff spot. . . .

The Tri-City Americans scored the game’s last six goals, four of them in the third period, in beating the Portland Winterhawks, 6-1, in Kennewick, Wash. . . . They’ll stage a rematch tonight in Portland. . . . Tri-City G Tomas Suchanek stopped 28 shots in winning his 20th game this season. His last 12 decisions have all been victories. . . . The Americans got a goal and two assists from each of F Jordan Gavin (14) and F Jake Sloan (18). . . . The Winterhawks were without F Chaz Lucius for a second straight game. . . . The Americans (25-16-5) have points in 13 straight (10-0-3). They are a comfortable fourth in the Western Conference. . . . Portland (34-10-3) is one point behind conference-leading Seattle.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Medicine Hat Tigers have added F Gavin McKenna to their roster for weekend games against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes tonight and the visiting Regina Pats on Sunday. McKenna, who turned 15 on Dec. 20, is from Whitehorse. He was the first overall selection in the WHL’s 2022 draft. McKenna has played nine games with the Tigers this season and has earned six assist, four of them coming in his first WHL game. . . . This season, he has 69 points, including 34 goals in 24 games with the SAHA U18 prep team. . . .

The Red Deer Rebels revealed Friday that F Kalan Lind will be out “week-to-week” with an undisclosed injury. Lind, who turned 18 on Jan. 25, is from Shaunavon, Sask. He has 42 points, 15 of them goals, in 41 games, after finishing last season with 38 points, including 20 goals, in 61 games. He was the sixth pick in the WHL’s 2020 draft. . . . The Rebels being a U.S. Division tour tonight in Spokane.

AirSpace

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.

WendyCity

Bedard keeps adding to legend, has 11 points in two games . . . Lambert scores in Seattle debut . . . Rebels complete sweep of Oil Kings

Like Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill, the legend of Connor Bedard continues to grow.

On Friday night in Regina, Bedard ran his two-game total to 11 points as the ReginaPats beat the Saskatoon Blades, 7-4.

On Sunday, in his first game back after helping Canada win gold at the World Junior Championship, Bedard had four goals and two assists as the Pats beat the visiting Calgary Hitmen, 6-2.

Last night, he struck for three goals — his sixth WHL hat trick — and two assists to lead Regina past Saskatoon.

Bedard, the No. 1-ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s rating that were released Friday, also went over 200 career points. He now has 203 points — 87 goals and 106 assists — in 107 career regular-season games.

Keep in mind that he won’t turn 18 until July 17.

(Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post was at Friday’s game and filed this story.)

This season, Bedard has 75 points, 34 of them goals, in 30 games. He is tied for the WHL lead in goals, with F Kai Uchacz of the Red Deer Rebels, and leads the league in assists and points. All this despite having missed 11 games while with the Canadian national junior team.

Oh, he also ran his point streak to 29 games. He actually was blanked in his first game of the season, but has at least a point in every game since then.

With 11 points in his two most-recent games, Bedard now will prepare to face the Portland Winterhawks in Regina tonight.

You would like to think that referee Kyle Rehman — yes, a product of the WHL’s officiating ranks — ended up on whatever kind of carpet the NHL has for its officials after his decision to flat-out ignore a sucker-punch to the head during a game on Thursday night.

Look, the Vancouver Canucks bring enough on themselves without getting stiffed by the stripes.

In this one, the Canucks were visiting the Tampa Bay Lightning. The home team had a 5-3 lead late in the third period. But the Canucks closed to within one at 17:52 while on a PP and with their goaltender on the bench.

Then, during a stoppage with 41 seconds remaining in the period, there was a gathering at the Tampa Bay net. After play had been halted, Lightning defenceman Mikhail Sergachev clearly drilled an unsuspecting Vancouver F Connor Garland on the chin. Tampa Bay players were upset that Garland had tried to poke free a puck being held by G Andrei Vasilevskiy.

If you watch the video, you will see Rehman enter from the left. He was right there and didn’t make a call. Thus, the Canucks didn’t get a PP and ended up losing, 5-4.

On Friday, Sergachev, in the first season of an eight-year, US$68-million, was fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA.

As for Rehman, well, the NHL — a league that pretends to be serious about eliminating head shots from its games — isn’t at all transparent when it comes to its officials so we may never know if he was disciplined.

Santa

John Matisz has taken a look at the trade deadlines that the three major junior hockey leagues recently manoeuvred their way through. There is lots here, including the WHL not allowing teams to trade draft picks that are more than four years away. . . . Give the piece a read right here.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars still haven’t been beaten in regulation time. They ran their record to 33-0-3 with a 6-1 victory over the host Weyburn Red Wings on Friday night, after beating the Notre Dame Hounds 9-6 in Wilcox, Sask., on Thursday. The North Stars are to meet the Bruins in Estevan tonight.

NoSee

FRIDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Brad Lambert scored in his debut with Seattle and was named the game’s first star as the Thunderbirds skated to a 3-2 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert. Lambert, who had been with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, was assigned to Seattle by the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. He started on the right side with LW Reid Schaefer and C Jared Davidson. . . . In Moose Jaw, G Connor Ungar won his 20th game this season by stopping 42 shots to lead the Warriors to a 4-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Seattle is 3-2-0 on an East Division trip that winds up tonight in Saskatoon. . . . Portland is 2-3-0 on its eastern swing and will wrap it up tonight in Regina. . . .

D Stanislav Svozil returned to Regina’s lineup and had four assists in a 7-4 victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades. He was playing his first game after having captained Czechia to a silver medal at the World Junior Championship. . . . G Rhett Stoesser blocked 34 shots to lead the host Red Deer Rebels to a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. The season series is over now, and Red Deer won all nine games. . . . Andrew Peard, the Oil Kings’ radio voice, notes that F Loick Daigle, 20, who was claimed off CHL waivers this week, became the first Quebec born-and-raised player to play for the team in modern franchise history. Daigle scored Edmonton’s lone goal. . . .

F Tyson Laventure’s 13th goal of the season, just 47 seconds into OT, gave the Lethbridge Hurricanes a 4-3 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars. F Blake Swetlikoff, who was acquired from Spokane prior to the trade deadline, had four assists. . . . F Carter MacAdams had a goal (7) and an assist in his game with Calgary after coming over from Prince George at the deadline and the Hitmen beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos, 6-3. The Broncos had three Wards — D Mason Ward, D Sam Ward and F Matt Ward in their lineup. “With all three of them in the lineup tonight, I may have to go strictly with first names for the Wards,” tweeted Craig Beauchemin, the Broncos’ radio voice. . . .

D Olen Zellweger (12) and F Ryan Hofer (24), both whom were acquired by Kamloops from Everett on Tuesday, scored in the first period and the Blazers went on to beat the host Silvertips, 6-3. . . . Everett got two goals (26) and an assist from F Jackson Berezowski, who had four goals and two assists in a 9-3 victory over host Spokane on Wednesday. . . . G Braden Holt turned aside 29 shots to lead the host Victoria Royals to a 4-0 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. Holt is 4-0-1, 1.57, .951 since coming over from Everett on Dec. 27. . . . F Robin Sapoušek, an 18-year-old Czech, made his WHL debut with the Royals. . . .

F Hunter St. Martin had a goal (3) and two late assists as the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. F Dallon Mellon (10) tied the game at 12:45 of the third period and F Cayden Lindstrom (10) got the winner at 16:59. . . . F Chase Bertholet scored twice (18), one on the PP and the other while shorthanded, to help the Spokane Chiefs to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C. F Ty Thorpe, the Giants’ new captain, scored twice (23). He was named captain after F Zach Ostapchuk was dealt to the Winnipeg Ice.

Canary

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.

Wednesday

A quieter Monday in the WHL . . . Six more deals as deadline nears . . . Portland, Seattle add AHL assignees

As Monday disappeared over the horizon, there had been nothing in the way of WHLSunday’s craziness and with the WHL’s deadline now only hours away.

One supposes that some teams took time to count their remaining draft picks after what had transpired on Sunday.

Still, there were a handful of trades made on Monday, one of which involved a player who had been part of one of those Sunday blockbusters.

And two U.S. Division teams had players who began the season in the AHL assigned to them by the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.

Read on . . .

——

The Swift Current Broncos were involved in a couple of trades. . . .

First, they and the Brandon Wheat Kings swapped a pair of defencemen, with SwiftCurrentMason Ward, 20, moving to the Broncos for Kayden Sadhra-Kang, 19. . . . The Wheat Kings acquired Ward from the Red Deer Rebels prior to the 2021-22 season. From Lloydminster, the 6-foot-5 Ward had four goals and six assists in 38 games with Brandon this season. . . . The 6-foot-4 Sakhra-Kang, from Richmond, B.C., was acquired by Swift Current from the Lethbridge Hurricanes early last season. In 90 games with the Broncos, he had four goals and 19 assists. . . .

The Broncos also made a deal with Everett, getting F Drew Englot, 20, from the Silvertips for F Raphael Pelletier, 20, and a second-round pick in the WHL’s 2024 draft. . . . This was the second time Englot was traded in fewer than 24 hours. On Sunday, he was part of the massive trade between the Kamloops Blazers and Everett. . . . Englot, from Candiac Sask., had three goals and 11 assists in 34 games with the Blazers this season. Kamloops had acquired him from the Regina Pats last season. . . . Pelletier, from Legal, Alta., had 37 goals and 53 assists in 162 games with the Broncos over the past four seasons. This season, he has 11 goals and 17 assists in 28 games. . . .

Ward and Englot are expected to be in the Broncos’ lineup tonight (Tuesday) when they meet the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.

——

The Everett Silvertips acquired F Nolan Chastko, 17, from the Prince George Cougars for a conditional sixth-round selection in the WHL’s 2025 draft. . . . Chastko, from Brandon, wasn’t picked in the WHL draft. He signed with the Cougars, and has been playing with the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals. He has 10 goals and 14 assists in 29 games with Virden.

——

The Tri-City Americans also were involved in a couple of Monday deals. . . . They Tri-Citygot D Ethan Peters, 19, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a second-round pick in the WHL’s 2025 draft. From Moose Jaw, Peters was in his third season with Edmonton. He recorded 28 points, including 24 assists, in 119 regular-season games. . . . Following last season, he was presented with the Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy as the WHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year. . . .

The Americans also acquired D Jackson Romeril, 17, from the Kelowna Rockets for a fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft. . . . From Calgary, the Rockets selected him in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. . . . This season, he is pointless in 13 games with Kelowna.

——

——

Edmonton was involved in another Monday exchange when it got D Jacob Hoffrogge, 19, from the Everett Silvertips for a seventh-round pick in the WHL’s 2025 draft. . . . He had two goals and two assists in 23 games with Everett this season. He also has played with the Brandon Wheat Kings.

——

The WHL’s trade deadline arrives on Tuesday. Here are the trade numbers since Oct. 25:

No. of trades — 36.

No. of players traded — 65.

No. of WHL draft picks traded — 65.

No. of WHL conditional draft picks traded — 16.

Teams involved in trades — 10: Edmonton; 6: Victoria, Winnipeg; 5: Kamloops, Seattle; 4: Everett, Kelowna, Lethbridge, Prince George, Regina; 3: Spokane, Tri-City; 2: Brandon, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Red Deer; Swift Current; 1: Saskatoon, Vancouver; 0: Calgary, Medicine Hat, Portland.

Why did I start with Oct. 25? Because that was the day that the Seattle Thunderbirds acquired D Luke Prokop from the Edmonton Oil Kings, signalling to me that the countdown to deadline day had started.

The Seattle Thunderbirds and Portland Winterhawks each has added a player to their roster who began this season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. The NHL’s Winnipeg Jets assigned F Brad Lambert to Seattle and F Chaz Lucius to Portland. Neither has played since they were in the 2023 World Junior Championship in Moncton and Halifax.

Lambert, 19, had two goals and an assist in 14 games with the Moose. He had Seattleone goal in five games with Finland at the WJC. . . . Seattle acquired his WHL rights from the Saskatoon Blades on June 30 for fourth- and sixth-round picks in the WHL’s 2023 draft, a conditional first-rounder in 2023 and a conditional second-rounder in 2024. . . . With Lambert having been assigned to Saskatoon, the Blades now are in possession of those two conditional draft picks. . . . Might the Blades spend some draft capital today before the trade deadline arrives?

Lucius, 19, is a native of White Bear Lake, Minn. He had two goals and three Portlandassists in 12 games with the Moose. The Jets selected him with the 18th pick of the NHL’s 2021 draft. Portland grabbed his WHL rights in the fourth round of the 2018 bantam draft. . . . Last season, he played at the U of Minnesota, putting up 19 points, including nine goals, in 24 games. . . . Last week, he helped Team USA to a bronze medal at the WJC. He finished with seven points, five of them goals, in as many games. He had three goals, including the OT winner, as the Americans beat Sweden, 8-7, in the third-place game.

Portland and Seattle both are in the midst of East Division road trips.

Lucius is expected to join the Winterhawks once they return home. He could make his Portland debut on Jan. 20 against the visiting Victoria Royals.

Seattle general manager Bil La Forge said in a news release that his club looks “forward to getting (Lambert) in a Thunderbirds jersey soon.”

THINKING OUT LOUD: Look, I’m not a fan of the Montreal Canadiens, but those baby blue outfits they were wearing on Monday night should be sent to Mars. Sheesh, who is responsible for the Habs wearing those things instead of their traditional outfits? . . . If you were wondering, the Kamloops Blazers and Seattle Thunderbirds will meet three more times this season. They’ll play March 7 and 21 in Kent, Wash., and March 22 in Kamloops. . . . How much of the NCAA’s championship football game did you watch on Monday night? . . . Today’s WHL trade deadline arrives at 4 p.m. in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 3 p.m. in Alberta, and 2 p.m. in B.C.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

In the middle of all the trading frenzy, the Erie Otters chose to fire head coach BJ Adams on Monday. Adams, who was in his second season as the head coach, had been on the Otters’ staff since 2015. . . . The Otters, who are 1-9-0 of late, are 12-20-3 and in last place in the 10-team Western Conference. . . . The plan is for assistant coaches Vince Laise and Wes Wolfe to run the team while management searches for a head coach. . . .

The junior B Nelson Leafs of the Kootenay Junior International Hockey League are believed to be poised to introduce Briar McNaney as their new head coach. He would replace Adam DiBella, who resigned this week after the league suspended him for the remainder of this season for his role in a New Year’s Eve line brawl in a game against the visiting Beaver Valley Nitehawks. . . . McNaney, 30, spent five seasons on staff with the KIJHL’s Columbia Valley Rockies; he finished last season as general manager and head coach. . . . From Kamloops, he began this season as an assistant coach with the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers

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.

Trust

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