Tag: Edmonton Oil Kings

Wilson takes more than 50 years of scouting into Wall of Honour

The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation is to hold its second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner in Okotoks, Alta., on July 29. On that evening, we will honour 29 scouts — three Pioneers of Scouting, seven from the Early Era (1968-80), 17 from the Modern Era (1981-Present) and two from the world of major junior hockey. . . . Tickets are available on the Foundation’s website (tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com). . . . Now we would like to introduce you to Keith Wilson, one of our 2025 inductees. . . .

KEITH WILSON

(March 5, 1943 — )

Born in Daventry, England, he migrated in 1948. . . . Recalls travelling with Swift Current Broncos scout John Vogel in 1972. . . . Has been WHL scout for every season since then. . . . Worked with Swift Current/Lethbridge Broncos (1972-79), Billings Bighorns/Nanaimo Islanders (1979-83), Medicine Hat Tigers (1983-88), Seattle Thunderbirds (1988-94), Tri-City Americans (1994-95), Prince Albert Raiders (1995-2001), Spokane Chiefs (2001-02), Swift Current again (2002-18) and Edmonton Oil Kings (2018-). . . . That’s 53 consecutive seasons through 2024-25. . . . Was head scout and director of player personnel with the Raiders. . . . Won two WHL championships and Memorial Cups (1987, 1988) with Medicine Hat, one WHL title with Swift Current (2018) and one with Edmonton (2022). . . . Thanks Les Calder, Russ Farwell, Dennis Beyak, Rick Valette, Tim Speltz, Jamie Porter and Kirt Hill “for showing faith in my scouting ability.”

Veteran scout retires from Blazers . . . Hitmen get draft picks in trades . . . Wilson returns as Smoke Eaters’ radio voice

Ken Fox, one of the Kamloops Blazers’ three head scouts, has retired after Kamloopsspending more than 30 seasons in the WHL. Fox had been with the Blazers since the summer of 2008. . . . From Holdfast, Sask., Fox left the Swift Current Broncos — he had been their assistant scouting director — to join the Blazers. His time in the WHL also included four seasons with the Vancouver Giants and nine with the Red Deer Rebels. . . . His life, Fox told Keeping Score, now “will be different after 35 years.” . . . Fox’s retirement leaves the Blazers with Scott Blakeney and Jason Pashelka as their head scouts. . . .

The WHL’s Calgary Hitmen made a couple of deals on Tuesday, sending F Brandon Whynott, 19, to the Tri-City Americans and D Trey Patterson, 20, to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Calgary received a fifth-round selection in the 2024 WHL draft from Tri-City and a sixth-rounder in 2026 from Seattle. . . . Whynott, a second-round pick by the Hitmen in the 2019 draft, is from Langley, B.C. In 141 games with the Hitmen, he had 12 goals and 35 assists. . . . Patterson, from Calgary, was acquired from the Red Deer Rebels, had one goal and 14 assists in 68 games last season. In 147 career games, he has two goals and 21 assists. . . .

The Prince Albert Raiders are going to retire the No. 16 in honour of F Dan Hodgson with the Moose Jaw Warriors in town on Nov. 25. Hodgson spent three seasons (1982-85) with the Raiders, putting up 493 points, including 188 goals, in 204 regular-season games. . . . He was saluted as the CHL’s player of the year for 1984-85, after he scored 70 goals and added 112 assists in 64 games. . . . He led the Raiders to their first WHL title that season as team captain, and also helped them to the Memorial Cup championship. . . . There is a complete news release right here. . . .

The Regina Pats have hired Tristan Frei as their manager of hockey operations, Reginareplacing Landon Watson who, according to the team, “has accepted a position with a National Hockey League club.” . . . Watson, 28, had been with the Pats through seven seasons, starting as an intern in January 2016. He also worked as a video analyst and director of hockey analytics. He had been director of hockey operations for two years. . . . Frei, 27, spent the past two seasons playing with the EIHL’s Guildford Flames. From Regina, he played with the Regina Pats Canadians (2010-13) and the U of Regina Cougars (2016-21). . . .

Drew Wilson, once the radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, is the new-old play-by-play man for the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters. Wilson is a news and sports anchor at Bounce Radio in Trail. . . . He also was the Smoke Eaters’ play-by-play voice 20 years ago before moving to Prince Albert. “It’s the exact job I did before moving to PA in 2004,” he told Taking Note. “I guess you can go home.”

Herman2

THE COACHING GAME:

The Swift Current Broncos have hired Taras McEwen, 32, as an assistant coach. He joins the Broncos after spending six seasons with the Winnipeg Ice (hey, remember them?), first as a scout and then last season as an assistant coach. . . . During his time with the Ice, he also worked as the general manager of the Winnipeg Blues, one of two MJHL teams that is owned by the Winnipeg Ice’s former owners, and took over as head coach for 2020-21. . . . Taras’s father, Brad, is a former GM/head coach of the Broncos. . . .

The Edmonton Oil Kings have added Kyle Chipchura to their staff as a development coach. Chipchura, 37, was coaching with the Northern Alberta Xtreme’s program for the past two seasons. . . . From Westlock, Alta., Chipchura played four seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders before going on to a 15-year pro career. . . . From a news release: “Chipchura joins Ladislav Smid as a development coach with the organization. Smid, who is entering his second season with the club, will oversee the development of Oil Kings prospects, while Chipchura will work with the team during practices and home games.” . . .

The SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers announced on Monday that Mat Hehr, their general manager and head coach, has left the organization “to pursue a new opportunity in coaching.” He had been with the Terriers for seven years. . . . It turns out that Hehr is joining the Northern Alberta Xtreme. Calvin Daniels of Yorkton This Week wrote that Hehr told him that the Xtreme ownership has a vision to grow the program and also to own an AJHL franchise. . . . Hehr, 34, signed on with the Terriers as an assistant coach in 2016 and was named GM/head coach during the 2017-18 season.

Einstein

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

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Or, for more information, visit right here.

Cement

Robison prepping for final season as WHL commissioner . . . Giants’ owner twice on Titan submersible . . . Hershey kisses Calder Cup in Game 7 OT

The WHL announced Wednesday that Ron Robison, its long-serving commissioner and CEO, will be leaving his position following the 2023-24 season.

The announcement was made via press release following the completion of the WHLleague’s annual general meeting in Calgary. It came five days after the WHL announced that the Winnipeg Ice had been sold and have moved to Wenatchee, Wash. That move came after the Ice’s owners reneged on a promise to build a new arena that would meet WHL standards. Instead, the Ice spent four seasons playing out of the 1,600-seat Wayne Fleming Arena on the campus of the U of Manitoba.

Robison, who was born in 1955, is entering the final season of a three-year contract extension that was announced on June 18, 2021. He is preparing for his 24th season as the WHL commissioner and CEO. The late Ed Chynoweth, who is considered the godfather of the WHL, spent 21 seasons (1973-79, 1980-95) running the league.

Meanwhile, the WHL also announced that it will release its exhibition schedule and the home-opening date and opponent for each team on Monday, and the regular-season scheduled on Tuesday.

As was reported here on Friday night, the Swift Current Broncos will play in the six-team Central Division for the 2023-24 season and then return to the East Division. The Broncos moved to the Central Division when the Kootenay Ice moved to Winnipeg and were positioned in the East Division.

In its news release, the WHL also stated that “attendance levels have returned to pre-COVID levels.”

According to figures compiled by the WHL based on announced attendances, the average for the 2022-23 regular season was 3,895, “up 22 per cent from the average of 3,205 in 2021-22.”

That is a healthy increase but, as Dylan Bumbarger points out in the above tweet, it is still below the pre-pandemic numbers. In 2018-19, the last completed season before the pandemic, the WHL’s average attendance was 4,361. The average in 2019-20, the season that was halted in March by the pandemic, was 4,154.

It is interesting that in 2022-23 the two teams atop the attendance table, the Edmonton Oil Kings (6,501) and Spokane Chiefs (5,842), had two of the poorest regular-season records and didn’t qualify for the playoffs. It’s also interesting that 11 of the 22 teams finished above the average attendance figure, meaning, of course, that 11 finished below it.

The WHL also said the playoff attendance was “up 37 per cent” at 4,689 for 75 games, compared to 3,575 for 72 games a year earlier. (As an aside, the WHL’s website shows the latter figures as 3,935 and 79.)

You are free to wonder just how much of an impact F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats had on the WHL’s regular-season and playoff attendance figures. While Bedard put up big numbers on the ice and deservedly cleaned up when the awards were handed out, I would suggest that the number of butts he put in the seats after he returned from his amazing performance at the World Junior Championship in Halifax was the biggest story in the WHL in 2022-23. It was nothing short of amazing and I would hope that he was at least toasted during the AGM.

The WHL’s AGM news release is right here.

You no doubt are aware of the submersible — the Titan — with five people aboard that has gone missing while on a voyage to see the wreck of the Titanic, which is in something like 12,500 feet of water about 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. . . . But did you know that Ron Toigo, the majority owner of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, has made two trips on the Titan? . . . Gord McIntyre of Postmedia reported that Toigo spent almost 40 hours on the Titan. “On Toigo’s first voyage, in 2021,” McIntyre wrote, “mechanical problems resulted in the sub settling on the ocean floor for four or five hours before it was able to rise to the surface again, with no view of the famous White Star liner. The whole trip took 20 hours.” . . . Toigo told McIntyre: “I really had a great time on that boat trip, even though we got stuck at the bottom.” . . . Last summer, Toigo was back for more and this time he was able to view the Titanic. . . . McIntyre’s story is right here.

The Hershey Bears overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat the host Coachella Valley HersheyFirebirds, 3-2 in OT, in Game 7 of the AHL’s championship final for the Calder Cup. . . . The Bears became the first team to win on the road in this season’s final. . . . F Mike Vecchione’s fifth goal of the playoffs won the game at 16:19 of the first OT period. . . . Former Regina Pats D Ryker Evans had a goal and an assist as the Firebirds took a 2-0 lead with goals at 4:41 of the first period and 0:24 of the second. . . . The Bears tied it on second-period goals from F Connor McMichael, at 13:42, and F Hendrix Lapierre, at 17:09. . . . Evans put up two goals and eight assists in the final series. . . . The Firebirds, who were in their first AHL season, sold out each of their last five home playoff games. . . . The Firebirds are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken; the Bears are hooked up with the Washington Capitals. . . . Hershey, the AHL’s oldest franchise, won its 12th championship. . . . The Bears’ Game 7 lineup included former WHLers Lucas Johansen, Vince Iorio, Beck Malenstyn, Garrett Pilon, Riley Sutter, Aliaksei Protas and team captain Dylan McIlrath. Head coach Todd Nelson and assistant Patrick Wellar also are former WHLers.

RedOnions

Two companies operating in Ontario’s internet gaming market have been fined a total of $30,000 by the Registrar of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) for alleged infractions of AGCO’s standards. According to a news release from AGCO, “The operators are alleged to have offered numerous bets on Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League games during the 2022-23 season. In doing so, the operators are alleged to have violated Standards that expressly prohibit offering bets on minor league sports, including the Canadian Hockey League’s three major junior leagues.” . . . Both operators — BV Gaming Limited and Fitzdares Canada Limited — have the right of appeal. Each was fined $15,000. . . . Dave Phillips, AGCO’s chief operating officer, said in a news release: “As the regulator of Ontario’s sports betting industry, the AGCO is resolved to maintain the integrity of sports betting which, in turn, may serve to protect the integrity of sport. This includes a clear prohibition on offering bets in Ontario on minor league sports, including Canadian major junior hockey. We will continue to carefully monitor Ontario’s sports betting markets to ensure the public interest is protected.” . . . All of this causes one to wonder if there really needed to be board advertising from a gambling outfit during the Memorial Cup in Kamloops? And what of the fact that the CHL had a daily in-season item that was posted on social media and sponsored by a sportsbook?

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Edmonton Oil Kings have released three players — F Luke Robson, F Hayden Wheddon and D Braeden Wynne. Robson and Wynne are 2004-born; Wheddon is 2005-born. . . . In 2022-23, Robson had three goals and two assists in 60 games, Wynne had a goal and an assist in 52 games, and Wheddon had one assist in six games.

——

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.

Eggs

MJHL concerned about losing players to BCHL . . . Warriors’ assistant takes over Bisons . . . Thunderbirds get import from Oil Kings

Here’s Ken Campbell of Hockey Unfiltered, in a piece headlined ‘Vegas won the Cup the old-fashioned way: They earned it’:

“No, the NHL did not gift the Golden Knights a Stanley Cup. The rival GMs who tried to outsmart the expansion draft and subsequently got fleeced by George McPhee did. If you need any further proof of that, just look at the team the Golden Knights vanquished in the final. The Florida Panthers gave Vegas Reilly Smith so they would select Jonathan Marchessault instead of defenceman Alex Petrovic, who hasn’t played in the NHL in four seasons and finished up this season with the Texas Stars of the AHL. The Anaheim Ducks traded Shea Theodore to the Golden Knights in exchange for not selecting the unprotected Sami Vatanen or Josh Manson. The Minnesota Wild dealt Alex Tuch — whom the Golden Knights ultimately leveraged to get Jack Eichel — so they would take Erik Haula.”

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Want more on the Stanley Cup-champion Golden Knights? Greg Wyshynski of ESPN has a terrific read right here. He writes about the Golden Knights and how they were built, warts and all, and a whole lot more. It’s lengthy but well worth the time.

Henri Richard, who won 11 Stanley Cups while playing with the Montreal Canadiens, is the latest former NHLer to have been found to be suffering with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died on March 6, 2020. . . . Richard, who was 84 when he died, played with the Canadiens for 20 seasons (1955-75). He was the Pocket Rocket; his brother Maurice was the Rocket. . . . Henri’s son, Denis, has gone public with the findings of Stage 3 CTE (Stage 4 is the worst). “I hope my father’s brain donation and diagnosis will lead to more prevention efforts, research and eventually a CTE treatment,” Denis said in a statement. “I want people to understand this is a disease that impacts athletes far beyond football.” . . . Ken Dryden, the Hall of Fame goaltender who played with Richard, also released a statement in which he said: “I played with Henri. We won two Cups together. He fits none of the easy stereotypes, checks none of the easy boxes. Played in a different time, old-time hockey, all the fights? Not Henri. Big hitter? Not Henri. . . . Like Stan Mikita and Ralph Backstrom, he was a great skater, and physical, but he had a playmaker’s mind, and played that way. But all those hits to the head. We have to understand, whatever the sport, a hit to the head is not a good thing.” . . . Mikita and Backstrom both were found to have CTE when they died. . . . There is more on this story right here.

Sponges

From Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press:

“The tremors triggered by the B.C. Hockey League’s recent split with Hockey Canada are rumbling toward the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

“One star player — 19-year-old Portage Terriers right-winger Austin Peters — has already committed to playing for the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs and others may soon follow.”

As Sawatzky points out, BCHL teams no longer have to pay compensation of any sort when signing players who have been in leagues that operate inside Hockey Canada.

Barry Wolff, the general manager and head coach of the MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders, who has extensive experience in the BCHL, told Sawatzky: “I think you’ll see those kind of high-end skilled guys leaving. It’s unfortunate there’s no compensation and I guess in our world, we would hope that some way, some how they would honour something because basically they can phone any of your guys and take them. On the flip side, we can do the same to their players but the chances of that happening is a little tougher.”

Sawatzky’s complete story is right here.

Congrats to Bill O’Donovan on the news that RTNDA Canada is presenting him with its 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award. . . . When he isn’t the public address announcer at Kamloops Blazers’ games, O’Donovan is the lead news anchor — a position he has filled since 2001 — and producer at CFJC-TV in Kamloops. . . . Bill and I go back to the late-1980s when he was at CKCK-TV in Regina and I was at The Leader-Post. We may have gone head-to-head in the odd Strat-O-Matic baseball game, too. . . . RTNDA? Radio Television Digital News Association.

F Noah Philp, who spent four seasons in the WHL, has retired from hockey after spending one season in the pro game. Philp, 24, put up 37 points, 19 of them goals, in 70 games with the Bakersfield Condors, the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton had signed him to a one-year entry-level deal after he played three seasons with the U of Alberta Golden Bears and had expressed interest in re-signing him. . . . Before joining the Golden Bears, Philp played two seasons (2015-17) with the Kootenay Ice and two (2017-19) with the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, Philp said: “I’m at a time in my life where I want to focus on things outside the realm of hockey. I’m doing well and wish all the best to the players, coaches and staff in Bakersfield and in Edmonton.”

Watch

F Mike Vecchione scored twice and added an assist on Thursday as the host Hershey Bears beat the Coachella Valley Firebirds, 3-2, to tie the AHL’s championship final, 2-2. . . . They’ll play Game 5 in Hershey on Saturday and then head to Thousand Palms, Calif., to finish the series with games on Monday and, if needed, Wednesday. . . . Last night, Vecchione’s second goal of the game, and fourth of the playoffs, broke a 1-1 tie at 3:03 of the second period. . . . F Ethen Frank (2) upped the lead to 3-1 at 14:24. . . . F Jesper Froden (5) got the Firebirds to within a goal at 7:01 of the third period but they weren’t able to pull even down the stretch.

THE COACHING GAME:

Gordon Burnett, an assistant coach with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors, has been named the head coach of the U of Manitoba Bisons. He will take over from the retiring Mike Sirant, who spent more than 30 years with the Bisons as a player, assistant coach and head coach. . . . Burnett spent three seasons with the Warriors. He also was on the staff of the Kootenay Ice for four seasons. . . . Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press reported on May 30 that the Bisons were expected to turn to Burnett as their next head coach.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Seattle Thunderbirds have acquired 2004-born German F Luca Hauf from the Edmonton Oil Kings for an eighth-round selection in the WHL’s 2024 draft. . . . That draft pick originally belonged to the Vancouver Giants. . . . Hauf had five goals and 16 assists in 45 games last season. He has played for Germany at each of the past two World Junior Championships. He had one goal in five games in the 2023 tournament. . . . The Oil Kings’ roster still includes 2005-born Czechia D Vojtech Port, who had four goals and 13 assists in 48 games as a freshman last season. . . . Hauf joins 2003-born F Brad Lambert, who is from Finland, on Seattle’s roster. Lambert, however, is unlikely to return. He started last season with the Manitoba Moose, the AHL affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, and is almost certain to be in the pro ranks next season. He also is heading into his 20-year-old season. . . . The 2023 CHL import draft is scheduled for July 5. . . .

D Chase Friedt-Mohr and D Nicco Camazzola, both preparing for their 20-year-old seasons, were placed on waivers by the Tri-City Americans and both have cleared. Thus, they both are free agents. . . . Friedt-Mohr, from Prince Albert, has split 125 regular-season games between the Americans, Spokane Chiefs and Edmonton Oil Kings. He has eight goals and 13 assists over those games. . . . From Burnaby, Camazzola put up three goals and six assists in 107 regular-season games — 16 with the Americans and 91 with the Vancouver Giants. . . .

F Blake Eastman, another player heading into his 20-year-old season, has cleared waivers after being released by the Prince George Cougars. From Ardrossan, Alta., Eastman had eight goals and 14 assists in 66 games last season. In 180 regular-season games over four seasons, he has 19 goals and 25 assists. . . .

F Steel Quiring, who played with four WHL teams, including three last season, also has cleared waivers and is a free agent. Quiring, 20, is from Vernon, B.C. He played last season with the Calgary Hitmen (two games), Everett Silvertips (30) and Regina Pats (23), totalling four goals and five assists. . . . He also played with the Kelowna Rockets. . . . In 142 regular-season games, he put up 18 goals and 38 assists. . . .

Simon Gagné was introduced as the general manager of the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts on Thursday. Gagné had been an assistant coach with the Remparts, working alongside Patrick Roy, the general manager and head coach, who stepped aside earlier this week. The Remparts haven’t yet named a new head coach. . . . Gagné played three seasons (1996-99) with the Remparts before going on to a lengthy NHL career during which he won one Stanley Cup (Los Angeles Kings, 2012).

Glasses

THINKING OUT LOUD:

Wouldn’t the NHL have been a lot more fun had one of the groups that included Ryan Reynolds or Snoop Dogg ended up owning the Ottawa Senators? . . . Can’t you just imagine Snoop hangin’ with some of the governors at those meetings in Florida? . . . What a great move by the QMJHL in posting its teams’ protected lists on its website, allowing fans to gain some insight into things. Yes, you are able to go to theqmjhl.ca and pore over the protected list of each of the 18 teams by going to the 2023 preseason pages. . . . Wouldn’t it be nice if the WHL chooses to follow suit once it gets the 2023 preseason pages up on its website?

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——

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.

Sewer

Blades move goalie to Silvertips . . . Oil Kings add two 2003-born skaters . . . WHL final on tap tonight in Winnipeg

There were three trades made involving veteran players on Thursday during the WHL’s annual draft. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades dealt G Ethan Chadwick, 19, to the Everett Silvertips for Saskatoontwo draft picks — a 2023 second-round pick that originally belong to the Kamloops Blazers and Everett’s fourth-rounder in 2025. . . . From Saskatoon, Chadwick was selected by the Blades in the third round of the 2019 draft. In 46 games with the Blades, he was 29-12-2, ???, .895. . . . In this season’s playoffs, he was 5-4, including victories in Games 3, 4 and 5 against the Regina Pats. He also won back-to-back games in the second round as the Blades came back from a 0-3 deficit to oust the Red Deer Rebels in seven games. . . . Chadwick and Austin Elliott, also 19, shared the Blades’ goaltending duties this season. . . . “This was not an easy situation to navigate with two great goalies who each played a pivotal role in our success this year,” Colin Priestner, the Blades’ general manager, said in a news release. “With two 19-year-old starting goalies who are both deserving of being starters in the league, we made this move to give Ethan the opportunity he deserves with a great franchise in Everett.” . . . The Blades used the 2023 second-round selection to take G Ryley Budd from the Calgary Northstars. . . .

The Portland Winterhawks traded F Aidan Litke, 20, to the Edmonton Oil Kings Portlandfor a third-round selection in Thursday’s draft. That pick originated with the Prince George Cougars. . . . Litke, from Winnipeg, was one of five potential 20-year-olds on the Portland roster, the others being F Gabe Klassen, D Ryan McCleary, F Jack O’Brien and F James Stefan. . . . In 123 games with the Winterhawks, Litke had 31 goals and 36 assists. This season, he put up 13 goals and 23 assists in 50 games. . . . Portland selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. . . . The Winterhawks’ used the third-round pick to take F Owen Chapman of Saskatoon, who played with the Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 prep team. . . .

The Oil Kings also acquired D Marc Lajoie, another 20-year-old, from the Tri-EdmontonCity Americans for two draft picks — a 2025 second-rounder that originally belonged to the Americans and a fifth-rounder in 2026. . . . The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Lajoie, who will turn 20 on May 21, is from St. Albert, Alta. He was the Americans’ captain this season. . . . “We have an abundance of quality (2003-born) players returning,” Bob Tory, Tri-City’s general manager, said in a news release, “which forces us to make some hard decisions. Recouping quality draft capital was a priority as we can only carry three (20-year-old) players each season.” . . . Lajoie played four seasons with the Americans after being the 14th overall selection in the 2018 draft. He had 26 goals and 67 assists in 215 regular-season games. This season, he had five goals and 32 assists in 65 games. . . . His father, Serge, works with the Oil Kings as an assistant coach and the manager of player development.

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

When the Winnipeg Ice plays host to the Seattle Thunderbirds in Game 1 of the WHL’s championship final tonight, Canada Life Centre’s upper bowl won’t be open. The lower bowl has a capacity of about 8,800. . . . Carter Brooks (@CBrooksie84) reported Tuesday that tickets for Games 1 and 2 “range in price from $31 to $62.” . . .

The Ice and Thunderbirds each is 12-2 in these playoffs, including 8-2 in their past 10 games. . . . Winnipeg finished with a 57-10-1 regular-season record; Seattle was 54-11-3. . . . There are a combined 17 players on the two rosters who already have been selected in the NHL draft. Of those, 10 play for the Thunderbirds. . . .

Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow), after the Seattle Thunderbirds won the Western Conference title in Kamloops on Monday: “Blazers F Logan Stankoven is held off the scoresheet for sixth time in 62 games this season (and a minus player for just the 13th). Finishes playoffs with 30 points to become one of three players with consecutive 30+ point outputs in a postseason.

“Players to Record 30+ points in 2 WHL playoffs:

Chuck Arnason, Flin Flon (32 in 1970; 37 in 1971)

Ty Rattie, Portland (33 in 2012; 36 in 2013)

Logan Stankoven, Kamloops (31 in 2022; 30 in 2023)

Dale Derkatch, Regina, had non-consecutive years of 34 points in 1982 and 53 in 1984.”

Thunderbirds radio voice Thom Beuning (@ThomBeuning): “Jared Davidson now sits alone in career playoff goals as a Thunderbird with 23 and is third in career playoff points (50), trailing only Ethan Bear (55) and Mat Barzal (65). From undrafted to unbelievable!” . . .

Games 3 and 4 of the WHL final are to be played in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. They will be televised in the Seattle area by Fox 13+. . . . Meanwhile, TSN has announced that it will show Games 3-7 from the OHL, QMJHL and WHL finals. . . .

The OHL final opened Thursday night as G Zach Bowen stopped 24 shots to lead the London Knights to a 3-0 victory over the visiting Peterborough Petes. F Ryan Winterton had a goal and an assist; he has goals in seven straight playoff games. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for London on Saturday night. . . . Games 3 and 4, both of which are to be televised by TSN, are to be played in Peterborough on Monday and Wednesday nights. . . .

Games 1 and 2 of the QMJHL final, featuring the Quebec Remparts and Halifax Mooseheads, are scheduled for Quebec City tonight and Saturday night. . . . Games 3 and 4 in Halifax, both of which are to be shown by TSN, are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Spam

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, like maybe pushing her past $4,000, you are able to do so on her home page, which is right here.

Gnome

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Victoria Royals will be sharing their facility, the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks for a few days in September. The Canucks announced Thursday that they will hold their five-day training camp there from Sept. 21-25. . . . This will be first time since 2019 that the Canucks have trained in Victoria.

THE COACHING GAME:

Mike Kelly, a former WHL coach, has lost his job as the NHL’s New York Rangers continue to make changes. Kelly joined the Rangers as an assistant coach after Gerard Gallant signed on as head coach. Gallant was fired a few days ago; Kelly was released on Tuesday. . . . Kelly had worked with Gallant with the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights, and with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. Kelly coached the Rangers’ PP, which finished fourth in the NHL at 24.6 per cent over the past two seasons. . . . Kelly was the head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings for one season (2003-04).

THINKING OUT LOUD — Bob Huggins, the men’s basketball coach at the U of West Virginia, had an annual salary of US$4.2 million that made him the state’s highest-paid employee. But then he had a radio rant that included homophobic slurs so the school knocked $1 million off his salary. Now he’s No. 2 on the state payroll. Who’s No. 1? That would be Neal Brown, the school’s football coach. What? You thought it would be doctor? . . . D Radek Gudas played without a conscience when he was with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. And he shows even less of one now that he is with the Florida Panthers. But I really want him on my team. . . . RCMP on the Coquihalla Highway near Merritt, B.C., stopped a Washington state driver behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo on Wednesday. The speed limit is 120 km-h; he was clocked at 262. Yes, 262! Had to have been a Seattle Thunderbirds fan still celebrating from the previous night. . . . If you are watching the NHL series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers, I have to ask if you are more tired of the stick work or the WAH? . . . It became apparent on Wednesday night that Vegas D Shea Theodore missed the NHL memo legalizing cross-checking. Edmonton F Klim Kostin gave him three hard unpenalized shots before Theodore responded with a spear to the groin for which he was given a minor penalty. Surely he wouldn’t have retaliated had he known that cross-checking now is a legal ploy. Right?

Amazon

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.

Text

Bedard to share WHL assists lead; scoring change to give Heidt 72nd helper . . . Oil Kings triumphant in season finale . . . Whitney Forum will be hopping on Tuesday

While F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats has won the WHL Triple Crown — he led the league in goals, assists and points — it seems that he is going to have to share the lead in one of those categories.

Some time today (Monday), the WHL website is expected to indicate a scoring change from a Friday night game.

That change will award an assist to Prince George F Riley Heidt on the Cougars’ fourth goal in a 7-2 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops. That goal was scored by F Koehn Ziemmer, giving the Cougars a 4-1 lead at 5:06 of the second period.

That assist means Ziemmer, a native of Saskatoon who turned 18 on Saturday, will finish with 97 points, 72 of them assists, in 68 games. He was the second overall selection in the WHL’s 2020 draft.

Bedard, who played in 57 games this season, had the outright lead in goals (71) and points (143). As the points leader, he will be awarded the Bob Clarke Trophy.

The WHL’s draft lottery is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, with teams in the lottery able to move up a maximum of two spots.

That’s it. Another WHL regular season is in the books. The Edmonton Oil Kings beat the host Calgary Hitmen, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon in the final game of the 2022-23 regular season. . . . The announced attendance of 7,905 lifted the WHL’s average per game to 3,877, an increase of 672 over last season. . . . Could it be that the WHL is on the way back at the gate after taking a two-season beating from the pandemic? . . . You will recall that the 2019-20 season was brought to a premature end by the pandemic. When it ended in March, each of the 22 teams had played between 30 and 34 games, and the average attendance was 4,154. The 2020-21 season was wiped out, although teams did play some games in what was a developmental situation. . . . In the 20 seasons from the turn of the century through 2019-20, the lowest average attendance was 4,115 in 2000-01. The other seasons all averaged between 4,251 (2001-02) and 4,817 (2012-13). . . .  So while this season’s average still was under 4,000, it just might be showing us that pre-pandemic crowds are on the way back. We certainly will hope that’s the case.

Pete

SUNDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

It took until the final game of the WHL’s 2022-23 regular season, but the defending-champion Edmonton Oil Kings finally got to double digits in victories as they beat the Hitmen, 2-1, in Calgary. . . . That lifted Edmonton’s record to 10-54-4 as it snapped a seven-game losing skid (0-6-1). Still, the Oil Kings, who went 50-14-4 last season, now hold the dubious distinction of having the poorest record in WHL history in the season after winning a championship. The 2018-19 Swift Current Broncos had held the record, having finished 11-51-6. . . . The Hitmen (31-29-8) had won their previous four games. . . . F Loick Daigle (9) broke a 1-1 tie at 19:33 of the third period to give the Oil Kings the victory. Daigle, who turned 21 on Jan. 31, was playing in his final junior game. . . . F Marshall Finnie (8) had given Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 12:45 of the first period. . . . F Sean Tschigerl (27) tied it, shorthanded, at 9:11 of the second period. . . . The Oil Kings got 32 saves from G Logan Cunningham. . . . Calgary lost F Ethan Moore to a boarding major and game misconduct at 6:08 of the second period.

——

OK . . . what’s next in the WHL?

All eight first-round best-of-seven playoff series are scheduled to open on Friday, which means that the rumours of TSN showing Game 1 between the Saskatoon Blades and Regina Pats on Thursday were just that — rumours.

THE PLAYOFF MATCHUPS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Medicine Hat (8) — Opens with games in Winnipeg on Friday and Saturday. . . . The Ice won the season series, 3-1-0, outscoring the Tigers, 20-12. . . . The Tigers beat the Ice, 6-4, in Medicine Hat on March 1.

Red Deer (2) vs. Calgary (7) — They’ll start with games in Red Deer on Friday and Saturday. . . . Red Deer was 6-1-1 in the season series; Calgary was 2-4-2. . . . In their most-recent meetings, the Hitmen won, 4-3, in Red Deer on March 10, with the Rebels winning, 9-0, in Calgary on March 11.

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6) — Games 1 and 2 are set for Saskatoon on Friday and Sunday. The ice isn’t available on Saturday because of an NLL game. . . . The season series went to the Blades, 4-2-0. . . . Saskatoon is 15-4-2 versus Regina over the past five seasons. . . . This season, the Blades held a 25-18 edge in goals. . . . Regina F Connor Bedard had five goals and four assists in five games against the Blades, but he was blanked in two of those games. . . . The Pats’ last two visits to Saskatoon drew sellout crowds of 14,768.

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5) — They are scheduled to open in Moose Jaw with games on Friday and Saturday. . . . The Warriors won the season series, 3-1-0, and held an 18-14 edge on the scoreboard. . . . The Warriors lost four players to suspension on Feb. 11; they went 9-8-0 since then, including 6-2-0 in their last eight games. Assuming those players — G Conner Ungar, D Max Wanner, D Marek Howell and F Lynden Lakovic — carried out the terms of their suspension, they will be eligible to play on Friday.

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8) — Games 1 and 2 are to be played in Kent, Wash., on Friday and Saturday. . . . The Thunderbirds swept the season series, 4-0, outscoring the Rockets, 15-7, but they haven’t played each other since Dec. 30 and 31. . . . After losing 1-0 in Everett on Feb. 4, the Thunderbirds closed by going 19-2-1. The two regulation losses — 6-5 in Kamloops and 3-1 to visiting Portland — occurred in their past three games.

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7) — They’ll open in Kamloops on Friday and Saturday. . . . Kamloops dominated the season series, going 6-1-1; the Giants were 2-6-0. . . . The Blades outscored the Giants, 33-19. . . . In their last meeting, on March 11 in Kamloops, the Blazers won, 6-0.

Portland (3) vs. Everett (6) — It opens with games in Portland on Friday and Saturday. . . . The season series went to Portland, 6-1-1; Everett was 2-6-0. . . . The Winterhawks held a 34-25 edge in goals. . . . Everett won, 10-3, at home on March 3, but then lost, 3-1, in Portland on March 5.

Prince George (4) vs. Tri-City (5) — This series is the only one that will be played under a 2-3-2 format. The first two games are to be played in Prince George on Friday and Saturday before the scene shifts to Kennewick, Wash. . . . The Americans won the season series, 3-1-0; the Cougars were 1-2-1. . . . Tri-City led 17-14 on the scoreboard, but these teams last met on Dec. 9 and 10. . . . These were two of the hottest teams in the league as the regular season wound down. The Cougars closed on an 8-0-3 run; the Americans went 6-0-1.

(NOTE:There are excellent playoff previews available on the WHL’s website.)

UFO

Gardiner MacDougall, who coached teams to the 2022 Memorial Cup and 2023 Canadian university men’s hockey titles, has a lot of fans out there. One of them has reminded me that I shortchanged him here when I dropped a few sentences after his U of New Brunswick Reds won another championship. “I’d like to add to Mr. Gardiner MacDougall’s list of championships in the past several months,” the email read. “He guided the Canadian university all-star squad to a gold medal performance in the World University Games in January in Lake Placid, N.Y.” . . . Yes, he certainly did. It’s worth pointing out that it was his second Universiade championship; he also was head coach of the Canadian team that won in 2013 in Trentino, Italy. . . . At some point in the not too distant future, MacDougall should be an inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

THINKING OUT LOUD — The Penticton Vees concluded a 50-3-1 regular season on Sunday, setting a BCHL record for best points percentage (.935) in the process. So now they go into the playoffs with opponents knowing that if they are to advance they will have to beat the Vees four times in seven games, which would be as many losses as they suffered in the 54-game regular season. . . . BTW, in their last 109 games, including last spring’s 16-1 playoff run, the Vees are 109-12-3. . . . I’m not positive about the previous record, but the 2011-12 Vees went 54-4-2 and that’s a .917 points percentage. . . . If you need to contact me this week, please do so before Thursday. It’s Opening Day and I will be kind of busy all day and into the night. . . . There’s something wrong with the NHL’s Dept. of Discipline when a deliberate cross-check to the face that inflicts damage draws only a one-game suspension. F Blake Lizotte of the L.A. Kings got just that for taking his stick to the face of Winnipeg Jets D Josh Morrissey, who needed stitches inside his mouth and to his chin. Maybe one day the NHL will get serious about shots to the head, but it won’t be today or tomorrow. . . . Noticed some followers of the Vancouver Canucks celebrating the fact they their favourite team reached the .500 mark with Sunday’s 4-2 victory in Chicago. That lifted Vancouver’s record to  34-34-5. That tells me the Canucks have 34 wins and 39 losses, and that’s not .500 in my book. . . . Unfortunately, the Canucks still aren’t going to make the playoffs. . . . The place to be on Tuesday night? The Whitney Forum in Flin Flon. It’ll be the Bombers and Estevan Bruins in Game 7 of a first round SJHL series. Flin Flon forced the series to the limit with a 4-1 victory in Estevan on Sunday night.

——

My wife, Dorothy, will be taking part in the 2023 Kamloops Kidney Walk on June 4 and, for a 10th straight year, is fund-raising. In September, she will celebrate 10 years as a transplant recipient. . . . If you would like to make a donation and be part of Team Dorothy, you may do so 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.

Bear

Oil Kings, Chiefs struggle on ice, not at gate . . . Bedard wins WHL Triple Crown . . . Tigers grab last playoff spot

The Edmonton Oil Kings and Spokane Chiefs had the two poorest records during this WHL regular season.

But that didn’t stop the fans from showing up.

The Oil Kings played their final regular-season home game on Saturday at EdmontonRogers Place before an announced crowd of 14,781, the largest gathering in Edmonton this season.

According to figures compiled by the WHL, that lifted the Oil Kings’ average attendance to 6,223, the highest in the 22-team league.

Yes, indeed, the Oil Kings may have been last in the standings — they won only nine of 68 games — but they were No. 1 at the gate.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, completed their home schedule on Saturday night Spokanebefore a sold-out crowd of 10,541. That increased their average attendance to 5,842 and allowed them to pass the Everett Silvertips (5,840) and move into the No. 2 slot.

The Chiefs finished 10th in the 10-team Western Conference, winning 15 games.

Last season, Everett was No. 1 in average attendance, at 5,341, with Edmonton (5,198) in second spot and Spokane (4,419) in fourth.

With one game left to be played this season — Edmonton is to visit the Calgary Hitmen this afternoon — the WHL’s average attendance is 3,872, up from 3,205 in 2021-22.

How much of that do you think is due to the presence of F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats, especially after he returned from the World Junior Championship?

THE BEDARD REPORT: F Connor Bedard scored his 71st goal of the season on Saturday night, but his Regina Pats dropped a 5-3 decision to the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The game was played in front of a sellout crowd of 6,499. It was Regina’s sixth sellout of the season, all of them since Jan. 21. . . . Bedard won the WHL’s Triple Crown, leading in goals (71), assists (72) and points (143), all in 57 games. However, he finished with just one point, last night’s goal, over three games. . . . He won the points title by 36 over F Chase Wheatcroft of the Prince George Cougars, and finished 21 goals ahead of F Kai Uchacz of the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Prince George F Riley Heidt was one assist behind Bedard, with D Ben Zloty of the Winnipeg Ice three behind.

Microwave

If the WHL playoffs started today (x-locked in):

EASTERN CONFERENCE

x-Winnipeg (1) vs. Medicine Hat (8)

x-Red Deer (2) vs. Calgary (7)

x-Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

x-Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

x-Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

x-Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

x-Portland (3) vs. Everett (6)

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

(NOTE:There are excellent playoff previews available on the WHL’s website.)

——

SATURDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

The Medicine Hat Tigers grabbed the WHL’s last available playoff spot with a 4-3 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Broncos grabbed a 2-0 lead before the game was nine minutes old — on goals from F Connor Hvidston (21) and F Josh Davies (20), the latter on a PP — but the Tigers stormed back with the next four goals. . . . F Tyler McKenzie (18) got them on the scoreboard 14 seconds into the second period, and F Oasiz Wiesblatt (26) tied it, on a PP, at 7:52, . . . F Dallon Melin (16), celebrating his 21st birthday, gave the Tigers their first lead, on a PP, at 15:35. . . . D Cayden Lindstrom (19) upped the lead to 4-2 at 6:00 of the third period. . . . F Josh Filmon pulled the Broncos to within a goal with his 47th at 10:26. . . . F Gavin McKenna drew two primary assists for the Tigers. The 15-year-old — he won’t turn 16 until Dec. 20 — finished with 17 points, 13 of them assists, in 16 games. He was the first overall selection in the WHL’s 2022 draft. . . . Medicine Hat (30-29-9) will face the Winnipeg Ice, who finished atop the overall standings, in the first round. . . . Swift Current (31-33-4) will miss the playoffs for the third time since winning the 2017-18 championship. They didn’t qualify in 2019 or 2022, and there weren’t any playoffs in 2020 or 2021. . . .

F Carter Yakemchuk scored twice to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-2 victory over the Oil Kings in Edmonton. . . . With the victory, the Hitmen locked themselves into seventh place in the Eastern Conference. That means a first-round meeting with the No. 2 Red Deer Rebels. . . . Yakemchuk, with 19 goals, gave Calgary a 2-1 edge at 6:39 of the third period, then broke a 2-2 tie, on a PP, at 14:22. . . . The Hitmen lost D Keagan Slaney to a charging major and game misconduct at 9:05 of the third period. . . . Calgary (31-28-8) has won four straight games. It last met Red Deer in the playoffs in 2016, when the Rebels won in five games. . . . Edmonton (9-54-4) has lost seven in a row (0-6-1). The Oil Kings will set a dubious WHL record for the fewest victories by a defending champion. That record (11) had been held by the Swift Current Broncos, who won the 2017-18 WHL championship and then went 11-51-6 in 2018-19. . . . The Oil Kings and Hitmen will conclude the WHL’s regular season this afternoon in Calgary. . . .

F Conor Geekie scored three times and added two assists as the Winnipeg Ice beat the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-3. . . . Geekie finished with 35 goals, while F Connor McClennon, who scored the Ice’s other two goals, scored 46. . . . D Jonas Wood helped out with three assists for Winnipeg. . . . Winnipeg (57-10-1) finished atop the overall standings. . . . Brandon (26-33-9) went 18-17-7 after general manager Marty Murray replaced Don MacGillivray as head coach. . . . The Wheat Kings, the lone WHL team to make a coaching change during this season, finished 10th in the Eastern Conference. . . .

The Calvert brothers, who are from Moose Jaw, each scored as the Saskatoon Blades posted a 6-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . F Rowan Calvert scored his fourth goal for the Blades and it proved the winner. His brother, Atley, had two goals and an assist for the Warriors, giving him 40 scores on the season. Their father, Jeff, played five seasons as a goaltender in the WHL, two with the Warriors and three with the Tacoma Rockets. . . . You can bet that Rowan and Atlee’s grandfather, the late Bob Calvert, a longtime member of the Warriors’ board, was looking down and grinning from ear to ear. . . . On Feb. 11, the WHL announced that four Warriors — G Connor Ungar, D Max Wanner, D Marek Howell and F Lynden Lakovic — had been suspended pending an investigation into potential violations of WHL’s policies of conduct. Those players later were suspended for the duration of the regular season — they sat out 17 games — and now are eligible to return, assuming they completed personal conduct and respect training as requested by the league. . . . Saskatoon (48-15-5) enjoyed a 100-point season for the fifth time in franchise history, and the Blades have been in the league since the start (1966-67) . . . Moose Jaw (41-24-3) had won its previous two games. . . .

The Red Deer Rebels scored four second-period goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . G Koen Cleaver made his debut with the Hurricanes, managing to keep the game scoreless through a first period in which they were outshot, 19-1. . . . By game’s end, the shot advantage was 39-12. . . . F Kalan Lind (16) and D Hunter Mayo (18) each had a goal and an assist for the Rebels. . . . Red Deer (43-19-6) had lost its previous two games. . . . Lethbridge finished at 36-26-6. . . .

F Sloan Stanick scored three times to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-3 victory over the Pats in Regina. . . . Stanick (31) scored two second-period goals, the second one while shorthanded, as the Raiders took a 3-0 lead. . . . He completed his second career hat trick at 4:15 of the third period, giving the visitors a 4-1 edge. . . . Stanick, a 19-year-old from Rapid City, Man., ws acquired from the Pats early last season. He finished this season with 64 points in 67 games. . . . F Tanner Howe, who won’t turn 18 until Nov. 28, scored his 36th goal. He finished with 85 points in 67 games, and has 156 points in 139 career games. . . . Prince Albert (28-37-3) had lots its previous three games. . . . Regina (34-30-4) has lost two in a row. . . .

The Portland Winterhawks scored the game’s last three goals to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-1, in Kent, Wash. . . . F Dylan Guenther (13) gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 4:06 of the first period. . . . Portland got second-period goals from F Luke Schelter (8) and F Josh Zakreski (13) and a third-period empty-netter from D Ryan McCleary (13). . . . Portland (40-20-8) had lost its previous four games (0-3-1). . . . Seattle (54-11-3) finished atop the Western Conference. . . .

F Koehn Ziemmer and F Chase Wheatcroft scored shootout goals to give the host Prince George Cougars a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Cougars D Hudson Thornton scored his 23rd goal, setting a franchise record for goals by a defenceman in one season. Dustin Byfuglien scored 22 times in 2004-05. . . . G Tyler Brennan stopped 43 shots as the Cougars were outshot, 45-17, including 6-0 in OT. . . . G Jesse Sanche, who turned 17 on March 19, made his WHL debut with the Blazers. He now lives in Kelowna, but grew up in Kamloops. Sanche was a second-round pick in the WHL’s 2021 draft. . . . Kamloops (48-13-7) has lost two in a row. . . . Prince George (37-24-7) goes into the playoffs having put up points in 11 straight (8-0-3). . . .

The Kelowna Rockets scored the game’s first four goals and then hung on for a 5-4 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . F Gabriel Szturc (24) scored twice for Kelowna, the second one, at 13:11 of the second period, providing that 4-0 lead. . . . A pair of goals 26 seconds apart from F Skyler Bruce (15) and F Ty Halaburda (21) got the Giants to within a goal, at 4-3, at 14:25 of the third period. . . . F Turner McMillen (9) restored Kelowna’s two-goal lead at 18:23, with D Colton Roberts (3) getting the Giants back to within a goal at 19:20. . . . Kelowna (27-37-4) had lost its previous four games (0-3-1). . . . Vancouver (28-32-8) had won two in a row. . . .


D Lukas Dragicevic scored the only goal of a five-round shootout to give the Tri-City Americans a 2-1 victory over the Chiefs in Spokane. . . . F Kooper Gizowski (11) gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead at 8:28 of the first period. . . . F Parker Bell (25) got the Americans even at 16:39 of the second. . . . Tri-City (34-26-8) has points in six straight (5-0-1). . . . Spokane finished at 15-42-10. Its 40 points is the lowest in franchise history, beneath the 47 earned by the 1998-99 club. . . .

F Raphael Pelletier scored the only goal of a shootout to give the Everett Silvertips a 4-3 victory over the Royals in Victoria. . . . The Royals had erased 2-1 and 3-2 deficits to force extra time on F Matthew Hodson’s 17th goal at 18:52 of the third period. . . . F Jackson Berezowski scored his 48th goal, shorthanded, to set an Everett single-season franchise record. F Josh Winquist had scored 17 goals in 2013-14. . . . Everett (33-32-3) had lost its previous two games. . . . Victoria (17-43-8) finished with points in three straight (2-0-1).

Mike

It’s that time of year again. Yes, the 2023 Kamloops Kidney Walk is almost upon us.

This year, we’re back to walking outdoors, and we’ll be hitting the trail at McDonald Park on June 4.

My wife, Dorothy, who in September will celebrate 10 years as a transplant recipient, is once again taking part. And, yes, she is fund-raising and would love for you to be part of her team.

If you are so inclined, you may make a donation right here. Thank you so much, in advance.

——

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.

Back

Kelowna without the Rockets? Hmmm . . . Pats, Blades starting on TSN? . . . Western Conference matchups set in stone

The WHL’s Kelowna Rockets weren’t considered as a potential host for the 2023 KelownaMemorial Cup tournament after an audit found that the team’s home arena, 24-year-old Prospera Place, wasn’t up to standards. As the Rockets posted on their website shortly after the Kamloops Blazers were named as the host team, an audit discovered “significant deficiencies that needed to be upgraded for the facility to meet the Canadian Hockey League standards for hosting the Memorial Cup.” . . . Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ majority owner, president and general manager, has told Rob Munro of infotel.ca that he would like to bid again in 2025. But there’s a problem in that most of the improvements needed have yet to be implemented. . . . And now Hamilton is even hinting that it might be time to look for a new home. As he told Munro: “We’ve still got five or six years left on our lease. We’ll see what happens here. It would be pretty unusual for someone to be on a 30-year lease and get into the last five years and not have a plan. You can read between the words on that. I’m not threatening anything but we’re running a big business here.” . . . Munro’s complete story is right here.

Hide

The WHL website shows that the Saskatoon Blades, the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, will play host to the opening game in a first-round playoff series on March 31. However, if the Blades’ first-round opponent is the Regina Pats, it seems that the series may begin on March 30, with Game 2 on March 31 . . . That’s because TSN apparently is interested in climbing on board the Connor Bedard bandwagon in time for the playoffs and would like to have a March 30 game to televise. . . . While it isn’t yet guaranteed, all signs point to Bedard and his Pats meeting the Blades in the first round. . . . I don’t have any idea if TSN would like to show more than one game. . . . The original plan was for the Pats and Blades to play at the SaskTel Centre on March 31 and April 2. The NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush have a home game scheduled for April 1.

Wool

If the WHL playoffs started today (x-locked in):

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Medicine Hat (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Calgary (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

x-Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

x-Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

x-Portland (3) vs. Everett (6)

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

——

TUESDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

The Seattle Thunderbirds wrapped up first place in the Western Conference with a 6-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers in Kent, Wash. . . . The two teams will meet again tonight, this time in Kamloops. . . . F Dylan Guenther (11) scored twice for Seattle, which erased a 2-1 first-period deficit. . . . Kamloops D Olen Zellweger (31) scored twice. He is the first defenceman to get to 30 since Connor Hobbs finished with 31 with the Regina Pats in 2016-17. . . . G Thomas Milic stopped 34 shots for Seattle, while the Blazers got 28 saves from Dylan Ernst. . . . Seattle (53-9-3) has points in 19 straight (18-0-1). It has set a franchise record for victories in one season. The previous record was set in 1989-90. . . . The Blazers (47-12-6) had won its previous nine games. . . . Results on Tuesday set up first-round Western Conference playoff series between No. 1 Seattle and No. 8 Kelowna, and No. 2 Kamloops and No. 7 Vancouver. . . . The Thunderbirds swept the season series with the Rockets, 4-0, outscoring them 15-7 in the process. . . . Kamloops went 6-1-1 against Vancouver this season; the Giants were 2-6-0. The Blazers held the scoring edge, 33-19. . . .

F Ty Halaburda scored twice, the second coming in OT, as the Vancouver Giants beat the Winterhawks, 3-2, in Portland. . . . Halaburda scored his 20th goal of the season at 4:24 of OT. . . . Halaburda and D Tyler Thorpe (4) allowed the Giants to hold a 2-0 lead early in the third period. . . . The Winterhawks tied it on goals from F Robbie Fromm-Delorme (33), on a PP, at 7:14 of the third period and F Diego Buttazzoni (6), at 13:35. . . . Portland held a 39-18 edge in shots, including 26-11 through two periods. . . . The Giants got 37 saves from G Brett Mirwald. . . . Vancouver (27-31-8) had lost its previous two games. . . . Portland (39-20-7) has lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . . The Giants now will finish seventh in the Western Conference, so will meet the No. 2 Kamloops Blazers in the first round. . . . The No. 3 Winterhawks already knew that their first-round opponent would be the No. 6 Everett Silvetips. . . .

The Swift Current Broncos erased a 2-1 second-period deficit as they beat the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-2. . . . F Mason Finley (13) gave the Oil Kings a 2-1 lead with a pair of goals, the second one at 13:14 of the second period. . . . D Sam McGinley (9) pulled the Broncos even at 15:45 and F Caleb Wyrostok (22) broke the tie at 2:55 of the third period. . . . D Connor Hvidston drew three assists. . . . Swift Current (30-32-4) has won two in a row. With two games remaining, it is ninth in the Eastern Conference, one point out of eighth and two from seventh. . . . Edmonton (9-52-4) has lost five straight (0-4-1). The Oil Kings need to win their three remaining games to avoid equalling or setting a WHL record for the fewest victories in one season by a defending champion. The Broncos won the 2017-18 title, then went 11-51-6 in 2018-19.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks announced on Tuesday that they and head coach Clayton Jardine “have mutually agreed to part ways effective immediately.” . . . However, in the second paragraph of the news release, it indicates that “the organization has decided to make a change in leadership at this point in time.” . . . Jardine, 32, had been the club’s head coach since 2019-20. . . . This season, the Kodiaks finished 27-30-3, good for fifth in the South Division. They were swept from a best-of-seven first-round playoff series by the Okotoks Oilers.

Carlson

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.

Coffee

That’s 60 for Bedard, but Pats stunned by Oil Kings . . . Coward a winner in return to Rebels . . . BCHL taking Showcase to Seattle

THE BEDARD REPORT: F Connor Bedard scored his 60th goal of the season on Wednesday night but it didn’t mean a whole lot as his Regina Pats dropped a 3-2 decision to the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Bedard, who was playing in his 49th game of the season, is the first WHLer with 60 goals since 2017-18 when F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors finished with 70 in 72 games. . . . The last Regina skater to get to 60 goals was F Ronald Petrovicky, who finished the 1997-98 season with 64 in 71 games. . . . Bedard leads the WHL in goals (60), assists (64) and points (124). However, he has only one point in his past two games. . . . Next up? The Pats, with eight games remaining in the regular season, venture into Alberta for two games — Friday in Lethbridge and Saturday in Medicine Hat.

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Swift Current (8)

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

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

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

Prince George (4) vs. Everett (5)

——

WEDNESDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

In Red Deer, the Rebels clinched the Central Division title with a 2-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Red Deer last finished on top of the division in 2010-11. . . . F Kai Uchacz got his 47th goal for Red Deer in the first period, but it was F Jhett Larson’s 15th, shorthanded, at 14:04 of the second that was the winner. . . . D Chase Pauls (6) scored for Lethbridge with 17 seconds left in the third period. . . . G Chase Coward, in his first appearance this season, stopped 20 shots to earn the victory. The Rebels had announced prior to training camp that Coward, who turned 20 on Jan. 19, would be out for a while as he dealt with a medical situation. Last season, as a freshman, he was 22-10-2, 2.51, .906. . . . Red Deer (40-17-5) has points in three straight (2-0-1). It is 15 points ahead of the second-place Hurricanes (32-23-6), who have seven games remaining. . . .

Here’s more on Coward, this from Elliotte Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts, which is right here:

“(I) wanted to recognize 20-year-old Chase Coward of WHL Red Deer. Coward is scheduled to start for the Rebels Wednesday night against Lethbridge. Last summer, Coward, not drafted by an NHL team, was invited to the Canadian World Junior Team’s summer camp, and also to Buffalo’s development camp. However, he failed his physical due to hip injuries, although the Sabres kindly allowed him to stay.

“In August, Rebels uberboss Brent Sutter announced Coward ‘underwent testing and discovered a congenital defect to his lower body. At this time Chase has decided he will not attend training camp or be a part of the Rebels roster to start the season, and we support him as he navigates through the process.’ There was concern Coward’s hockey career was over at waaaaaaaaaay too young an age. As I write this, I’m not 100 per cent sure of the procedures he went through, but it was a gruelling process and recovery against big odds. Wishing Chase good luck as he returns to action.” . . .

F Josh Pillar scored twice to help the Saskatoon Blades to a 5-3 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . Pillar, who turned 21 on Feb. 14, missed a good chunk of the season with an undisclosed injury. He has six goals in 21 games. He didn’t play between Nov. 26 and Feb. 17; these were his first two goals in nine games since returning to the lineup. . . . The Blades got out to a 3-0 lead — D Tanner Molendyk (8) made it 3-0 at 7:33 of the second period — and were never headed. . . . The Broncos twice got to within a goal but weren’t able to equalize. . . . F Brandon Lisowsky (32) iced it with the empty-netter. . . . F Josh Filmon (43) scored twice for the Broncos. . . . The Blades got 36 stops from G Ethan Chadwick (21-8-2, 2.53, .903). . . . Saskatoon (43-13-5) has points in 11 straight (10-0-1). . . . Swift Current (28-29-3) has lost two in a row and is clinging to the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot, one point ahead of Calgary and Brandon. . . .

The Edmonton Oil Kings, owners of the poorest record in the WHL, snapped an 11-game losing skid with a 3-2 victory over the Pats in Regina. . . . F Marshall Finnie (7) snapped a 1-1 tie at 15:36 of the first period and F Gavin Hodnett (12) made it 3-1, on a PP, at 12:20 of the second. . . . G Kolby Hay earned his sixth victory of the season with 31 saves. . . . Edmonton (9-48-3) won’t be in the playoffs this season after winning the championship last season. . . . Regina (31-26-3) has lost two straight. It is sixth in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of Medicine Hat. . . .

G Nick Jones earned his first WHL shutout with 26 saves as the host Brandon Wheat Kings beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 2-0. . . . F Zakhar Polshakov (7) gave Brandon a 1-0 lead at 5:19 of the second period and that’s all the offence that Jones needed. . . . Jones, an 18-year-old from Calgary, was a fifth-round pick in the WHL’s 2019 draft. This season, he is 4-12-3, 4.17, .865. . . . Brandon (25-28-8) has won two in a row and is only one point from a playoff spot. . . . Medicine Hat (26-26-9) has lost two straight and is seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Swift Current. . . .

The Kamloops Blazers scored the game’s first four goals and went on to a 7-1 victory over the Silvertips in Everett. . . . D Owen Zellweger, who was acquired from Everett in January, had a goal (25) and two assists. He leads all WHL defencemen in goals. . . . F Jakub Demek also had a goal (2) and two assists. . . . The Blazers were without F Logan Stankoven, who left a 3-2 shootout victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds in the second period on Tuesday with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return. The team is listing him as being out day-to-day. . . . Kamloops (42-11-6) has won four in a row and will finish atop the B.C. Division. . . . Everett (30-27-3) has lost three straight. It is tied with Tri-City for fifth in the Western Conference. . . .

The Prince George Cougars scored four times on the PP en route to a 6-2 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . The Cougars broke a 2-2 tie with four third-period goals, three of them on the PP. . . . F Riley Heidt recorded three assists, giving him 60 and Prince George’s single-season record for most assists. The previous record (59) was held by F Jansen Harkins 2014-15). . . . D Hudson Thornton also had three assists for the Cougars. . . . The visitors were 4-for-7 on the PP; the home side was 0-for-5. . . . Prince George had a 47-18 edge in shots. . . . The Rockets were without G Talyn Boyko (undisclosed injury) for a second straight game. . . . Prince George (31-24-5) has points in three straight (2-0-1). It is fourth in the Western Conference, four points ahead of Everett and Tri-City. . . . Kelowna (23-34-3) has lost three in a row. It is eighth in the conference and appears headed for a first-round meeting with Seattle. The Thunderbirds will open at home with games on March 31 and April 1. They announced last night that tickets for those two games will go on sale on March 15.

Orbit

JUST NOTES:

D Chloe Primerano, 16, led the Canada Winter Games women’s hockey tournament in scoring, with 14 points, including nine assists, in six games as her U-18 B.C. team won gold. You may recall that the Vancouver Giants selected her in the 13th round of the 2022 WHL draft and she attended their training camp. . . . This season, the North Vancouver native is playing for the U-18 female team at the Rink Hockey Academy in Kelowna, and the Giants are contemplating bringing her back to camp prior to next season. . . . In the meantime, she will be getting advice on her hockey-playing future from the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). The chances are far greater of her playing NCAA hockey than in the WHL and CAA will provide her with guidance. . . . Steve Ewen of Postmedia has more right here. . . .

The BCHL has announced that it will hold its annual Showcase featuring all 18 teams in Seattle next season. This will be the first time since the inaugural event was held in 2012 that it hasn’t been held in Chilliwack. . . . The 2023 Showcase will be held in the Kraken Community Iceplex, the practice facility for the NHL’s Seattle Kraken. The facility includes three rinks and 12 dressing rooms. . . . Each BCHL team will play two regular-season games during four days in October. The precise dates have yet to be announced. . . .

The Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) is in Penticton for the long haul. From a Wednesday news release: “The CSSHL and its partners Okanagan Hockey Group, OVG360, Travel Penticton and the City of Penticton has reached an agreement for a 10-year agreement (five years, with an additional five-year renewal clause) to host the Western Championships beginning in March 2024.” . . . Also from that news release: “This month’s tournament features 86 teams and roughly 1,900 players and staff who are competing in the CSSHL Western Championships over a period of two weeks. Roughly 4,000 spectators are expected to attend the event. The sponsorship agreement, worth $100,000 per year, will see the number of participants increase to 95 Western Division teams next season as Penticton becomes host of the CSSHL’s Western championships.” . . .

Nela Lopušanová, the Slovakian Sensation, will leave home next season to play for the U-19 Bishop Kearney Selects, a program that is based in Rochester, N.Y. Lopušanová, who turned 15 on Feb. 26, is from Zilina. She perhaps first came to prominence earlier this season when, as a 14-year-old, she put up 12 points, nine of them goals, at the World Women’s U-18 tournament. She has 43 points, 18 of them goals, in 14 games with Zilina’s U-16 team, and has 28 goals and 21 assists in eight games with a Zilina club in a Slovakian women’s league.

Pyramids

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.

Idiots

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

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

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

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

SteelWool

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

——

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

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

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

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

Clint

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

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

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

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Everett (6)

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

——

SATURDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

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