The host committee for the 2020 Memorial Cup in Kelowna held a news conference on Friday at which it unveiled the tournament’s logo and ticket prices.
The tournament is scheduled to run from May 22 through May 31, with a maximum of 
nine games including a possible tiebreaker on May 28.
For now, ticket packages are available to Kelowna Rockets’ season-ticket holders who are renewing for the 2019-20 season, and for fans wanting to become season-ticket holders. One adult season-ticket will set you back $591.50 plus taxes and fees.
So . . . what are Memorial Cup ticket prices in Kelowna’s 6,886-seat Prospera Place, you ask?
From a news release:
“2020 Memorial Cup ticket packages are $567 plus applicable taxes and fees to attend all six round-robin games, possible tiebreaker game, semi-final and final game.”
The 2019 Memorial Cup tournament is scheduled to be held in the 11,093-seat Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, from May 17 through May 26.
The QMJHL’s Mooseheads offered lower-bowl ticket packages to their “full season-ticket members and 15-game pack holders” for $320 plus taxes, with higher seats at $270, plus taxes. Ticket packages for the general public are going for $350 and $450, plus taxes.
The news release from the Kelowna host committee is right here.
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The Kelowna Rockets, the host team for the 2020 Memorial Cup, didn’t qualify for the 
WHL playoffs this season, finishing fourth in the B.C. Division after losing a tiebreaker, 5-1, to the Blazers in Kamloops.
Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ president and general manager, had a message for fans during Friday’s Memorial Cup-related news conference in Kelowna.
“Before we close the door on this season,” Hamilton said, “I want our fans to know that I understand and share in their disappointment of this (season’s) final results. The next couple months are going to be very busy for myself and our scouting staff, but we are excited about the challenge that lies ahead of us to add some new players to our roster.”
Hamilton went on to say: “When I look at our hockey club, I feel we need to add probably four players, and we’re into that already. I’m confident that we’ll get the players we need to make us even more competitive.”
The Rockets hold the fifth-overall selection in the 2019 bantam draft that is scheduled to be held in Red Deer on May 2. It is expected that Hamilton will trade that pick and more in order to get an impact 18- or 19-year-old top-end defenceman or scorer.
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Pitter, patter . . . let’s get at ’er . . .
Also on Friday, the Kelowna Rockets and radio station AM 1150 announced a broadcast agreement that will run through the 2021-22 WHL season.
The contract includes the return of Regan Bartel as the Rockets’ radio voice.
Bartel will be in his 20th season as the voice of the Rockets in 2019-20. It also will be his 25th season of calling WHL games, as he worked Swift Current Broncos’ games before moving to Kelowna.
If you were watching the Canada-Russia game from Kamloops on Nov. 5, you may 
remember seeing F Justin Almeida of the Moose Jaw Warriors leave after his first shift. It turns out that he suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder, something that would plague through the remainder of the season. . . . Almeida, 19, chose not to undergo surgery, which likely would have ended his season, and went on to lead the WHL in assists (78) and finish third in the scoring race, with 111 points. . . . He also signed an NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. . . . Marc Smith of discovermoosejaw.com has Almeida’s remarkable story right here.
D Josh Brook of the Moose Jaw Warriors has joined the AHL’s Laval Rocket and could make his pro debut today against the host Toronto Marlies. . . . Brook’s Warriors were eliminated from the WHL playoffs this week by the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Brook had 16 goals and 59 assists in 59 games with the Warriors this season. . . . Brook, who will turn 20 on June 17, was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the NHL’s 2017 draft. He has signed with the Canadiens. . . .
Meanwhile, two forwards from the Red Deer Rebels, who lost out to the Prince Albert Raiders, will be joining the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. . . . Brandon Hagel, who signed a free-agent deal with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, completed his junior eligibility this season by scoring 41 goals and adding 61 assists in 66 games. . . . F Reese Johnson, who also played out his eligibility this season, had 27 goals and 26 assists in 67 games with the Rebels. He also has signed a free-agent deal with the Blackhawks.
Cam Keith has joined the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles as associate general manager and head coach. He spent this season with the Chilliwack Chiefs, as their associate GM and associate head coach. . . . Before that, he spent two seasons (2016-18) as GM/head coach of the Trail Smoke Eaters.
NOTES: There were two games on Friday night. . . . The Edmonton Oil Kings won at home, beating the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-4, to take a 3-2 lead in the series. The Oil Kings get their first opportunity to clinch on Sunday in Medicine Hat. . . . In Langley, B.C., the Vancouver Giants beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2, and now lead that series, 3-2. Game 6 is set for Kent, Wash., tonight. . . .
There are four other games scheduled for tonight. . . . The Calgary Hitmen and Lethbridge Hurricanes are tied, 2-2, as they go into Game 5. They’ll play in the Nicholas Sheran Arena because the world men’s curling championship is being played in the Enmax Centre. . . . In Spokane, the Chiefs hold a 3-1 lead over the Portland Winterhawks, who may — or may not — have F Cody Glass in their lineup for the first time in the series. . . . The Everett Silvertips, with a 3-1 lead, will entertain the Tri-City Americans. . . . In Victoria, perhaps the most bitterly contested of the first-round series will resume with the Royals and Kamloops Blazers tied, 2-2.
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FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
The Edmonton Oil Kings scored four times on 18 first-period shots en route to a 5-4 
victory over the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Oil Kings lead the series, 3-2, with Game 6 in Medicine Hat on Sunday. . . . F Andrei Pavlenko (1) got Edmonton started just 16 seconds into the game. . . . D Linus Nassen (3) tied it for the Tigers, on a PP, only 23 seconds later. . . . F Andrew Fyten (2) gave the Oil Kings a 2-1 lead at 5:08. . . . The home team went up 3-1 at 7:57 when F Trey Fix-Wolansky (1) scored, then made it 4-1 at 18:49 on a goal by F Scott Atkinson (1). . . . F Ryan Chyzowski (2) scored for the Tigers 41 seconds into the second period, but Fix-Wolansky (2) got that one back at 12:31. . . . At that point, Edmonton held a 5-2 lead. . . . F James Hamblin (3) pulled the Tigers to within two goals at 8:12 of the third period, and Chyzowski (3) made it 5-4 at 11:22. . . . But that was as close as the Tigers would get. . . . The Oil Kings got 27 saves from G Dylan Myskiw. . . . G Mads Søgaard stopped 34 shots for the Tigers. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-5 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-4. . . . F Josh Williams was scratched by the Oil Kings, meaning that F Dylan Guenther, the first-overall pick in the 2018 bantam draft, was in the lineup for a second game. . . . If it comes down to Game 7, it would be played in Edmonton on Tuesday night.
D Dallas Hines broke a 2-2 tie early in the third period and the Vancouver Giants went on 
to a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds in Langley, B.C. . . . The Giants lead the series, 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for tonight in Kent, Wash. . . . Last night, Vancouver opened up a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from D Dylan Plouffe (4), at 7:06, and F Jadon Joseph (4), on a PP, at 12:58. . . . Seattle F Matthew Wedman (3) cut the deficit to one, on a PP, at 14:14, and F Noah Philp (2) tied it, on another PP, at 3:57 of the second period. . . . Hines, a mid-season acquisition from the Kootenay Ice, scored his second goal of the series at 4:43 of the third period, and it stood up as the winner. D Bowen Byram took the puck to the net on the right side. Hines skated in from the left point and got there in time to bang in the rebound of Byram’s shot. . . . Seattle was 2-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-4. . . . Vancouver G Trent Miner stopped 25 shots, five fewer than Seattle’s Roddy Ross. . . . Seattle F Nolan Volcan played in his 54th playoff game to set a franchise record. He had shared the record with F Scott Eansor (2013-17). . . . The Thunderbirds were without D Cade McNelly, who completed a two-game suspension, and F Sean Richards, who is under indefinite suspension. . . . F Aidan Barfoot and F Justin Sourdif were among the Giants’ scratches. Sourdif was injured in Game 1, while Barfoot was hut in Game 4 on a hit from behind by Richards. . . . If these teams need a Game 7 to settle things, it would be played in Langley on Tuesday night.
The mayors of Moose Jaw and Saskatoon made a small wager on the outcome of the first-round series between the Warriors and Blades. This is the end result:
anticipated that the Ice will relocate to Winnipeg following this season; management has been adding Manitoba-born players in recent trades.)
The Giants now have four 20-year-olds on their roster, with Hines joining F Davis Koch, F Jared Dmytriw and D Matt Barberis. However, Barberis has played in only nine games this season, the last one on Nov. 18. Should he come back from injury, the Giants would have a week to get down to three 20s.
trades on Thursday, continue to stockpile draft picks.
home to Vancouver to wait. On Friday, the Tigers dealt him to the Seattle Thunderbirds for D Aidan Brook, 15, and two WHL bantam draft picks — a second-round selection in 2019 and a third in 2020.
James Hamblin or Ryan Chyzowski, the team’s top centres.
the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Moose Jaw (41-9-3) has won two in a row and leads the overall standings by five points over Swift Current. . . . Lethbridge (25-22-6) had points in each of its previous five games (3-0-2). It is second in the Central Division, five points ahead of Kootenay. . . . F Vince Loschiavo (15) scored the game’s first goal, at 8:11 of the first period, and F Brayden Burke (26) added insurance at 16:10. Burke and Swift Current F Glenn Gawdin now are tied for the scoring lead, each with 99 points. . . . Willms posted his third shutout of this season, and the fourth of his career. This season, he is 29-7-3, 3.02, .901. . . . The Hurricanes got 34 saves from G Logan Flodell. . . . Lethbridge was 0-3 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . The Warriors continue to be without D Jett Woo, although is back at practice in a non-contact outfit. . . . The Hurricanes still are without F Dylan Cozens. . . . Announced attendance: 3,259.
Pats, 4-2. . . . Kootenay (24-28-3) had lost its previous five games. It is third in the Central Division, five points behind Lethbridge. . . . Regina (28-23-5) had won its past three games. It is fourth in the East Division, four points behind Brandon, but continues to hold down the Eatern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . F Alec Baer (23) gave the Ice a 1-0 lead just 46 seconds into the first period. . . . Regina F Nick Henry (9) tied it at 1:04 of the second period. . . . The Ice took common with three goals in 6:29. . . . F Colton Kroeker (12) started it with a shorthanded goal at 3:29. . . . F Sebastian Streu (9) gave the visitors a 3-1 lead at 6:14, and D Dallas Hines (4) added a PP goal at 9:48. . . . The Pats got their second goal from F Matt Bradley (31) at 6:33 of the third period. . . . Hines, Baer and Kroeker added an assist each for the winners. . . . F Sam Steel drew two assists for Regina. . . . Kootenay was 1-2 on the PP; Regina was 0-5. . . . The Ice got 37 saves from G Duncan McGovern, while Ryan Kubic stopped 29 shots for the Pats. . . . Announced attendance: 6,020.
headed towards a 5-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Swift Current (38-13-4) has won two straight. It is second in the overall standings, five points behind Moose Jaw, which holds two games in hand. . . . Prince Albert (22-21-11) had points in its previous nine games (6-0-3). It is tied with Saskatoon for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Gawdin, who has 46 goals, scored 22 seconds into the first period, then added a second goal at 11:25. He has 99 points and is tied with Moose Jaw F Brayden Burke for the lead in the scoring race. . . . F Giorgio Estephan (25), at 11:39, and F Beck Malenstyn (7), at 17:38, added goals before the period ended. . . . F Kaden Elder (13) made it 5-0 at 1:43 of the second period. . . . The Raiders got their goal from F Justin Nachbaur (7) at 13:58 of the second. . . . The Broncos got two assists from F Matteo Gennaro, with Estephan and Malenstyn getting one each. . . . Swift Current was 1-4 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-3. . . . G Stuart Skinner earned the victory with 29 saves, one fewer than Prince Albert’s Curtis Meger. . . . The Broncos had F Aleksi Heponiemi, Elder and D Sahvan Khaira back after brief injury-related absences. . . . Announced attendance: 2,890.
net, and beat the Saskatoon Blades, 6-3. . . . Brandon (30-19-5) is third in the East Division, now four points up on Regina. . . . Saskatoon (26-26-3) remains tied with Prince Albert for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. They will play tonight in Saskatoon as the folks in ‘Toontown celebrate the 30th anniversary of the facility originally known as Saskatchewan Place (it now is the SaskTel Centre). . . . Last night, F Cole Reinhardt gave Brandon the lead at 3:11 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon scored the next three goals. . . . F Max Gerlach (26) tied it at 7:21. . . . F Bradly Goethals (11) gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at 5:17 of the second period, and D Dawson Davidson (8) upped it to 3-1 at 10:57. That was Davidson’s first goal since coming over from Regina in January. . . . F Luka Burzan (10) got Brandon to within a goal at 16:16. . . . D James Shearer (1) tied the scored at 2:38 of the third period, with Reinhardt 13) breaking the tie at 13:52. . . . D Chase Hartje (2) and F Evan Weinger (25) got the empty-netters, at 18:00 and 18:30. . . . F Gunnar Wegleitner had two assists for Brandon, with Reinhardt and Weinger getting one apiece. . . . The Blades got two assists from F Logan Christensen. . . . Brandon was 0-4 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-2. . . . G Logan Thompson stopped 33 shots to record the victory over Tyler Brown, who made 19 saves. . . . G Nolan Maier (ill) was among Saskatoon’s scratches. As a result, Koen MacInnes, 16, came in from the Burnaby Winter Club to back up Brown. MacInnes was a second-round pick by Saskatoon in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. . . . Announced attendance: 4,210.
to a 7-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Red Deer (17-25-13) has points in nine straight games (7-0-2). It is fourth in the Central Division, four points behind Kootenay. . . . Edmonton (14-32-7) has lost three in a row. . . . These two teams will play again this afternoon in Edmonton and it’s on Sportsnet. . . . F Kobe Mohr (7) gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead 26 seconds into the game. . . . Red Deer scored the next five goals, three of them by Reichel, who has 23. . . . He started with PP goals at 3:37 and 17:59 of the second period. . . . F Arshdeep Bains (2) made it 3-1 at 19:15. . . . Reichel completed the hat trick with a shorthanded goal at 4:28 of the third period. . . . F David Kope (8) got a shorthanded goal for Edmonton in the third period, before F Brandon Hagel (9) and D Hunter Donohoe (2) finished Red Deer’s scoring. . . . McCarty, Hael and D Dawson Barteaux each had two assists for Red Deer. . . . The Rebels were 3-11 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-3. . . . G Riley Lamb stopped 24 shots for the winners, while Edmonton’s Todd Scott turned aside 33. . . . The Oil Kings lost F Trey Fix-Wolansky to a cross-checking major and game misconduct for a hit on Reichel at 8:42 of the first period. . . . D Alex Alexeyev, who was due back in Red Deer on Friday after returning to Russia following the death of his mother, may return to the lineup on Monday in Prince George. . . . Announced attendance: 4,729.
history as they beat the Calgary Hitmen, 4-0. . . . Medicine Hat (28-22-7) has won two straight. It leads the Central Division by seven points over Lethbridge. . . . Calgary (16-31-7) had points in its two previous games (1-0-1). . . . Quenneville drew two assists, giving him 197 career points, one more than Kris Russell. Quenneville, 19, has played 236 games over four seasons. Russell, now with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, played 241 games over four seasons. . . . F Elijah Brown opened the scoring at 1:16 of the second period, with F Mark Rassell (44) making it 2-0 at 2:13. . . . Brown (5) upped it to 3-0 at 3:36. . . . F Ryan Chyzowski (18) added a PP goal at 15:20 of the third period. . . . G Michael Bullion recorded his second consecutive shutout with 16 saves. He’s got three shutouts this season and six in his career. . . . Calgary G Nick Schneider stopped 41 shots. . . . Announced attendance: 3,063.
Kamloops Blazers a 3-2 victory over the Cougars on Lumberjack Night. . . . Kamloops (25-25-4) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). It is eight points away from a playoff spot. . . . Prince George (19-28-8) has lost two straight. It is fifth in the B.C. Division, eight points behind Kamloops. . . . F Ryley Appelt (2) gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead at 1:37 of the first period. . . . The Cougars took the lead on goals by F Ilijah Collins (8), at 2:46, and F Kjell Kjemhus (1), at 3:37. . . . Kamloops F Jackson Shepard (6) got the visitors even at 9:44. . . . The teams then played almost 50 minutes of scoreless hockey before Loewen scored his 26th goal. . . . D Joe Gatenby had two assists for the Blazers. He has career highs in goals (11), assists (36) and points (47). He will play his 300th regular-season game tonight in Prince George. . . . Kamloops was 0-3 on the PP; Prince George was 0-6. . . . G Dylan Ferguson stopped 26 shots to earn the victory over Taylor Gauthier, who made 30 saves. . . . Kamloops F/D Tylor Ludwar took a kneeing major and game misconduct after a hit on D Joel Lakusta at 9:38 of the third period. Lakusta wasn’t injured on the play. . . . Kamloops F Luc Smith left early in the first period, after he missed a check, hit the boards hard and left with an apparent leg injury. . . . F Brendan Boyle, 16, made his WHL debut with the Cougars. From Lake Country, B.C., he plays for the major midget Okanagan Rockets. He has 16 goals and 19 assists in 29 games in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. . . . Announced attendance: 2,901.
over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Portland (33-18-4) has won three straight games. It is second in the U.S. Division, two points behind Everett. . . . Tri-City (27-18-8) has lost three in a row (0-2-1) and now is tied with Seattle for the Western Conference’s two wild-card spots, but they are just one point behind Spokane, which is third in the U.S. Division. . . . F Jordan Topping (31) gave Tri-City a 1-0 lead at 19:31 of the first period. . . . D Dennis Cholowski (14) got Portland into a 1-1 tie at 3:24 of the second period. That was his first goal with the Winterhawks, after being acquired from Prince George at the trade deadline. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld (18) broke the tie at 4:33. . . . F Kieffer Bellows (29) added insurance at 16:44 of the third period. . . . Tri-City was 0-1 on the PP; Portland was 0-2. . . . Farkas won for the fifth time in his last six decisions. . . . The Americans got 34 stops from G Patrick Dea. . . . D Keoni Texeira played in his 327th regular-season game, moving past Kevin Haupt (1994-99) and into second on Portland’s all-time list. Only D Troy Rutkowski (2008-13) has played in more, at 351. . . . Announced attendance: 7,741.
Kelowna Rockets. . . . Victoria (33-19-4) now is tied with Kelowna (33-17-4) atop the B.C. Division. The Rockets hold two games in hand. . . . The Royals took a 2-0 lead on PP goals from F Dante Hannoun (22), at 16:36 of the first period, and F Matthew Phillips, at 9:28 of the second period. . . . F Dillon Dube (24) got Kelowna’s goal at 11:26 of the second. . . . Victoria took a 3-1 lead at 13:20 of the second when F Igor Martynov (16) scored. . . . Phillips (41) added insurance at 17:19. His two goals made him the WHL’s fifth 40-goal man this season. . . . Victoria got third-period goals from F Tyler Soy (28) and F Andrei Grishakov (17), the latter on a PP. . . . Soy also had three assists, as did F Tanner Kaspick, with Hannoun getting two. . . . Victoria was 3-8 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-4. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 37 shots through 56:00 for the Royals. Dean McNabb finished up with two saves in 4:00. . . . G Brodan Salmond allowed four goals on 25 shots through two periods for the Rockets. James Porter Jr. finished up by stopping 13 of 15 shots. . . . These same teams will play again tonight in Victoria, and then head for Kelowna and a Monday afternoon clash. . . . The Rockets had F Erik Gardiner in their lineup for the first time since Oct. 28. Gardiner, who missed 39 games, was out with a concussion. Gardiner was hit square in the visor by a puck on Oct. 27, then played the next night, before being knocked out of the lineup by symptoms associated with a concussion. . . . Announced attendance: 4,887.
1 in OT. . . . Spokane (29-19-5) has points in nine straight games (7-0-2). It has moved into third in the U.S. Division, seven points behind Portland. . . . Everett (34-17-4) has points in three straight (2-0-1). It leads the U.S. Division by two points over Portland. . . . F Garrett Pilon (26) gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 10:17 of the first period. . . . That lasted until 18:11 of the third period when F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (29) pulled Spokane even. . . . The Chiefs won it at 2:58 of OT when F Kailer Yamamoto scored his 11th goal. . . . D Ty Smith drew an assist on each of Spokane’s goals. . . . Spokane was 0-1 on the PP; Everett was 0-4. . . . The Chiefs got 38 saves from G Dawson Weatherill. . . . G Carter Hart stopped 30 shots. He is one victory shy of the franchise record for career victories by a goaltender, and one shutout away from tying the WHL’s career record. . . .
TAKING NOTE 