Tag: Kamloops Blazers

Another five-point night for Bedard; he’s got 14 in three games . . . Two WHLers get NHL deals . . . Ice hangs on to lead atop overall standings

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

THE BEDARD REPORT: It was only a few short days ago that I was wondering if fatigue was catching up to F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats. After all, he had had a four-game stretch during which he had only two points, both goals. . . . Since then? Well, he had another five-point outing — three goals and two assists — on Saturday night as the Pats beat the Warriors, 7-3, in Moose Jaw. One night earlier, in Regina, Bedard also had three goals and two assists, but the Warriors won that one, 9-5. . . . Prior to the back-to-back five-pointers, he had a four-point outing, so he now has 14 points in a three-game stretch. . . . He also now has nine hat tricks this season — seven three-goal games and two four-goal outings. Of the WHL’s 21 other teams, only the Saskatoon Blades have as many hat tricks. . . . Bedard leads the WHL in goals (69) and points (139). He and F Riley Heidt of the Prince George Cougars are tied for the lead in assists, with 70. . . . The last WHLer to score 70 goals in a season was F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2017-18. . . . Up next? The Pats are in Saskatoon to play the Blades today and somewhere around 15,000 are expected to show up for that one. Yes, that will a single-game attendance record for Saskatoon.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The NHL’s Dallas Stars have signed F Chase Wheatcroft of the Prince George Cougars to a three-year entry-level contract. Wheatcroft, 20, was an NHL free agent. . . . Wheatcroft, from Calgary, is second in the WHL scoring race, his 105 points trailing only F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats, who has 139. Wheatcroft has 47 goals and 58 assists. . . . He went into this season with 82 points, 31 of them goals, in 137 games split between the Lethbridge Hurricanes (104) and Winnipeg Ice (33). . . .

The Edmonton Oilers have signed F Jake Chiasson of the Saskatoon Blades to a three-year entry-level contract. The Oilers selected Chiasson in the fourth round of the NHL’s 2021 draft. . . . Chiasson, an 18-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., was picked by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round, 15th overall, of the WHL’s 2018 draft. . . . The Wheat Kings dealt him to Saskatoon in January. He has 10 goals and 18 assists in 30 games with the Blades this season, after putting up 10 goals and 18 assists in 37 games with Brandon. In 170 career regular-season games, he has 40 goals and 67 assists.

Fire

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Calgary (8)

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

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Everett (6)

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

——

SATURDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Matt Savoie drew three assists to lead the host Winnipeg Ice to a 4-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . G Daniel Hauser recorded the victory with 19 saves. This season, he 36-4-1, 2.31, .915. In 89 career appearances, he is 77-7-3, 2.24, .913. . . . Winnipeg (54-9-1) has won six straight and leads the overall standings by two points over Seattle. Each team has four games remaining. . . . Prince Albert (27-35-3) was eliminated from the playoff chase after Saturday’s games. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes scored the game’s last four goals as they beat the Oil Kings, 6-1, in Edmonton. . . . F Tyson Laventure had a goal (22) and an assist. . . . Lethbridge (35-24-6) is fifth in the Eastern Conference and headed to a first-round clash with Moose Jaw. . . . Edmonton (9-51-4) has lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . .

G Brayden Peters stopped 23 shots to help the Calgary Hitmen to a 2-0 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat. . . . Peters, a 20-year-old from Taber, Alta., has three shutouts this season and seven in his career. This season, he is 16-14-6, 2.88, .908, pretty good numbers for a Calgary team that had something of a roller-coaster season. . . . F Carter Yakemchuk (17) gave Calgary a 1-0 lead with a PP goal at 16:14 of the second period, and the Hitmen nursed that until F Sean Tschigerl (24) got the empty-netter at 19:26 of the third. . . . Calgary (28-28-8) is eighth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Medicine Hat and two ahead of Swift Current. . . . Medicine Hat (28-27-9) had won its previous two games. . . .

G Drew Sim stopped 45 shots as the Regina Pats beat the Warriors, 7-3, in Moose Jaw. . . . F Connor Bedard had three goals (69) and two assists, while F Braxton Whitehead added a goal (10) and two assists. . . . Attendance was announced at 4,965, the largest crowd in Moose Jaw this season, well above the 4,011 fans who watched the Pats win 6-3 there on opening night. According to its website, the Moose Jaw Events Centre seats 4,465 for hockey. . . . Regina (33-28-4) clinched a playoff spot with the victory. It is sixth in the Eastern Conference and likely to face Saskatoon in the opening round. . . . Moose Jaw (39-23-3) had won its previous four games and will finish fourth in the conference. . . .

G Reid Dyck turned aside 31 shots as his Swift Current Broncos came out of Red Deer with a 3-1 victory over the Rebels. . . . F Josh Filmon scored his 45th goal of the season for the Broncos. . . . The Broncos led 2-1 after the first period and it stayed that way until F Mat Ward (25) scored into an empty net at 19:18 of the third. . . . Red Deer lost F Frantisek Formanek to a cross-checking major and game misconduct at 15:33 of the first period. . . . Swift Current (29-32-4) snapped a six-game losing skid (0-5-1). It is ninth in the Eastern Conference, two points from a playoff spot with three games remaining. . . Red Deer (42-18-6) had points in each of its previous six games (4-0-2). It will be the No. 2 seed in the conference and is awaiting an opponent. . . .

F Justin Lies broke a 2-2 tie at 16:04 of the second period as the Saskatoon Blades beat the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . Lies has eight goals. . . . F Jake Chiasson, whom the Blades acquired from Brandon in January, had two assists on the day he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. . . . Saskatoon (46-14-5) has won two straight and will be Eastern Conference’s third seed when the playoffs open. . . . Brandon (26-32-8) has lost four in a row and is four points from the conference’s last playoff spot with only two games remaining. . . .

D Aidan Sutter had a goal and two assists to help the host Everett Silvertips to a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . He’s got six goals. . . . The Silvertips scored the first two and the last two goals. . . . Sutter’s PP marker, at 18:20 of the first period proved to be the winner. . . . Everett (32-30-3) is sixth in the Western Conference, three points behind Tri-City. . . . Vancouver (26-30-8) had won its previous two games. It is seventh in the conference, four points ahead of Kelowna but with two games in hand. . . .

F Kyle Crnkovic broke a 2-2 tie with two late third-period goals as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Winterhawks, 4-2, in Portland. . . . Crnkovic scored his 29th goal of the season at 16:46, then added No. 30 into an empty net at 18:31. . . . It was Seattle’s club-record 24th road victory of the season, breaking a record that was set last season. . . . Seattle (52-9-3) has points in 18 straight games (17-0-1), but trails Winnipeg by two points atop the overall standings. . . . Portland (39-19-7) has lost two in a row. It will be the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed when the playoffs begin. . . .

F Logan Stankoven’s goal at 2:19 of OT gave the Kamloops Blazers a 5-4 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . Stankoven, playing in his second game since returning from an undisclosed injury, also had an assist. He’s got 33 goals. . . . F Ryan Hofer of the Blazers forced OT with his 40th goal, at 15:55 of the third period. . . . Kamloops D Olen Zellweger scored his 29th goal of the season, tops among WHL defencemen. . . . Kamloops got two goals and an assist from F Connor Levis, who now has 26 goals. . . . F Carson Golder had a goal (30) and two assists for the Rockets, as did F Dylan Wightman (15). They also got two goals from F Andrew Cristall (38). . . . Kamloops (47-11-6) has won nine in a row and 20 of 21, but is seven points behind Seattle atop the Western Conference standings. Each team has four games remaining. . . . Kelowna (26-36-4) has lost three in a row (0-2-1). It is eighth in the conference and appears headed to a first-round meeting with Seattle. . . .

F Brayden Schuurman scored in the second-round of a shootout to give the Victoria Royals a 7-6 victory over the Cougars in Prince George. . . . The Royals had tied the game with two PP goals in the final minute of the third period. F Teague Patton (14) scored at 19:15 and Schuurman got his second of the game and 15th of the season at 19:54. . . . F Koehn Ziemmer reached the 40-goal plateau with a pair for the Cougars. . . . Victoria (16-43-7) has lost its previous 12 games (0-11-1). . . . Prince George (35-24-7) has points in nine straight (6-0-3) and will finish fourth in the Western Conference. . . . 

F Jordan Gavin and F Parker Bell each had two goals and an assist to help the Tri-City Americans to an 8-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Gavin, the second overall selection in the WHL’s 2021 draft, has 22 goals and 30 assists in 59 games. He won’t turn 17 until Nov. 13. . . . Bell, 18, has 24 goals and 39 assists in 53 games. Last season, in 64 games, he finished with 18 goals and 31 assists. . . . Tri-City (31-26-8) has points in four straight (3-0-1). It is fifth in the Western Conference, three points ahead of Everett with each team have three games remaining. . . . Spokane (14-42-9) has lost six in a row (0-4-2).

OldAge

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.

Boss

Remembering Rob Brown’s two nine-point games 10 days apart . . . Had 29 points in five-game span . . . Bedard adds five more points to his legend

F Matt Seminoff of the Kamloops Blazers put up eight points — four goals and Kamloopsfour assists — on Wednesday night in an 11-1 victory over the visiting Victoria Royals.

The next day, the WHL tweeted that only two other players “in the Internet era” had had eight-point games — D Ty Smith of the Spokane Chiefs on Feb. 28, 2020, against the Seattle Thunderbirds, and F Peter Schaefer of the Brandon Wheat Kings on Dec. 6, 1996, against the Calgary Hitmen.

Smith scored three times and drew five assists in a 9-2 victory over the Thunderbirds in Spokane.

Schaefer had three goals and five assists as the host Wheat Kings dumped the Hitmen, 10-2.

But what of players who played in the WHL in the 30 years prior to “the Internet era”?

Once again, the WHL should be embarrassed by not being able to acknowledge the accomplishments of those who played back in the day. The time is long past for the WHL to remedy the situation so that the players from the league’s first 30 years can be given their due when necessary.

Players like Rob Brown. A prolific scorer with Kamloops, Brown, according to Blazers’ radio voice Jon Keen, had two nine-point games in 1986-87.

That was the season in which Brown totalled 212 points, including 136 assists, in 63 games.

It didn’t take long for me to learn that Brown enjoyed a pair of nine-point games just 10 days apart.

On Nov. 11, 1986, Brown struck for six goals and three assists in a 10-3 victory over the visiting Chiefs.

On Nov. 21, he had three goals and six assists in a 15-8 victory over the Victoria Cougars in Kamloops.

In between, he had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 victory in Spokane, two goals and four assists in a 10-5 victory in Spokane, and a goal and two assists in an 8-5 victory over visiting Seattle.

In those five games, Brown put up 29 points, including 16 assists.

He had missed the start of the season while in camp with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. But after that second nine-point outing, Brown had 64 points, 25 of them goals, in 14 games.

Without looking too hard, I also found two other nine-point games.

On Jan. 27, 1985, F Cliff Ronning of the New Westminster Bruins scored six times and added three assists in a 16-4 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors.

On Feb. 11, 1984, F Al Conroy of the Medicine Hat Tigers scored five times and had four assists in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Winnipeg Warriors.

Of course, the WHL record for points in one game is 10, something that has been accomplished on five occasions, most recently by F Brian Sakic of the Tri-City Americans. On Oct. 3, 1990, he had two goals and eight assists in a 19-3 victory in Seattle.

F Gerry Pinder of the Saskatoon Blades was the first to enjoy a 10-point game. He had six goals and four assists in a 17-5 victory over the visiting Calgary Buffaloes on March 12, 1967.

On Dec. 30, 1971, F Tom Lysiak of Medicine Hat had four goals and six assists in a 12-6 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings.

On Jan. 19, 1973, F Dennis Sobchuk of the Regina Pats scored six times and added four assists in an 11-3 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings.

On Jan. 9, 1983, F Kelly Glowa of the Wheat Kings had five goals and five assists in a 12-6 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders in Brandon.

I have a feeling that Bobby Clarke of the Flin Flon Bombers may have had a nine-point game or two, and there likely are three or four others from back in the ‘live puck’ era. But I’m only guessing.

Evel

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

THE BEDARD REPORT: F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats recorded his eighth hat trick of the season but it went for naught as his club dropped a 9-5 decision to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors before a sold-out crowd of 6,499. . . . Bedard also had two assists, meaning he figured in all five of the Pats’ goals. . . . Bedard, who has played 53 games this season, leads the WHL in goals (66) and points (134). He and F Riley Heidt of Prince George are tied for the lead in assists (68). . . This was the ninth time Bedard has scored at least five points in one game. He has seven five-pointers and one six-point outing. . . . He is the first WHLer with 66 goals since F Jayden Halbgewachs scored 70 with the Warriors in 2017-18. Halbgewachs was 20 that season; Bedard won’t turn 18 until July 17. . . . From Rob Vanstone (@robvanstone): “With 4:21 left in the second period, it is Moose Jaw Warriors 6, Connor Bedard 2. Bedard’s 65 goals are the most by someone who has played an entire season with the Pats since Tim Iannone scored 65 times in 1985-86.” . . . Bedard has nine points in his past two games; he had two goals and two assists in a 6-3 victory over visiting Brandon on Wednesday. . . . A note from a Regina friend on Thursday afternoon: “You should see the tickets from ‘verified resellers’ for the last two Regina Pats games. I looked today . . . and found one set for $750 per ticket.”

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Calgary (8)

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

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Everett (6)

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

——

FRIDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Sloan Stanick’s second goal of the game and 25th of the season, at 17:37 of the third period, gave Prince Albert a 4-2 lead and the Raiders went on to a 4-3 victory over the Wheat Kings in Brandon. . . . Prince Albert (27-34-3) is five points from a playoff spot with four games remaining. . . . Brandon (26-31-8) has lost three straight and is two points from a playoff spot. . . .

F Tyson Laventure had a goal and two assists to lead the Hurricanes to a 6-4 victory over the Calgary Hitmen in Lethbridge. . . . Laventure has 21 goals. . . . The Hurricanes erased a 3-2 deficit with three goals within 7:10 in the third period. . . . The Hitmen had beaten the visiting Hurricanes, 7-1, on Wednesday. . . . Lethbridge (34-24-6) is fifth in the Eastern Conference and appears headed for a first-round matchup with Moose Jaw. . . . Calgary (27-28-8) holds down eighth in the conference, two points ahead of Swift Current and Brandon. . . .

G Kyle Kelsey stopped 34 shots, 20 of them in the third period, as the host Red Deer Rebels beat the Swift Current Broncos, 2-0. . . . Kelsey has put up two straight shutouts. . . . Red Deer (42-17-6) has points in six straight (4-0-2) and will be the second seed in the Eastern Conference for the first round of playoffs. . . . Swift Current (28-32-4) has lost six in a row (0-5-1) and is two points out of the playoffs. . . .

F Jagger Firkus scored three times and added an assist to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 9-5 victory over the Pats in Regina. . . . He’s got 36 goals this season. . . . Moose Jaw (39-22-3) has won four in a row. It is fourth in the Eastern Conference, seven points ahead of Lethbridge, which has four games remaining. . . . Regina (32-28-4) is sixth, three points ahead of Medicine Hat. . . .

D Dru Krebs scored three times, all in the third period, to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 7-2 victory over the Oil Kings in Edmonton. . . . Krebs, who has eight goals, recorded his first WHL hat trick. He scored once while shorthanded, once on the PP and once at even strength. . . . The Tigers (28-26-9) have won two in a row and are seventh in the Eastern Conference, three points behind Regina and three ahead of Calgary. . . . The Oil Kings (9-50-4) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . .

G Dylan Ernst stopped 24 shots for his WHL-leading 38th victory of the season as the Kamloops Blazers dumped the visiting Kelowna Rockets, 5-2. . . . Kamloops F Caedan Bankier, who had three goals and three assists in an 11-1 victory over the visiting Victoria Royals on Wednesday, had two assists. . . . The Blazers (46-11-6) have won eight in a row and 19 of 20. With five games remaining, they are seven points behind Western Conference-leading Seattle. . . . Kelowna (26-36-3) has lost two straight. With three games left, it is eighth in the conference, five points behind Vancouver. . . .

D Hudson Thornton, F Riley Heidt and F Chase Wheatcroft each had a goal and two assists to lead the host Prince George Cougars to a 7-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The teams combined for 120 minutes in penalties, with the Cougars taking 68 of those. . . . Prince George (35-24-6) has points in eight straight (6-0-2) and is fourth in the Western Conference. . . . Victoria (15-43-7) has lost 12 in a row (0-11-1). . . .

F Dylan Guenther had a goal (8) and two assists to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks in Kent, Wash. . . . Guenther has 23 points in 16 games since joining the Thunderbirds from the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. . . . Seattle (51-9-3) has points in 17 straight (16-0-1). It is two points behind the idle Winnipeg Ice in the race for the WHL’s best record. Each team has five games remaining. . . . Portland (39-18-7) had points in each of its previous five games (3-0-2). The Winterhawks will be Western Conference’s No. 3 seed when the playoffs begin. . . .

G Tomas Suchanek stopped 23 shots to help the Tri-City Americans to a 3-1 victory over the Chiefs in Spokane. . . . Tri-City (30-26-8) has points in three straight (2-0-1). It is fifth in the Western Conference, three points ahead of Everett. . . . Spokane (14-41-9) has lost five in a row (0-3-2). . . .

G Jesper Vikman stopped 32 shots for his first shutout of the season as the Vancouver Giants beat the Everett Silvertips, 3-0, in Langley, B.C. . . . Vancouver (26-29-8) has won two in a row. It is seventh in the Western Conference, five points ahead of Kelowna. . . . Everett (31-30-3) is five points ahead of Vancouver.

Noah

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.

Stupid

Bedard, Howe spark Pats’ victory . . . Hitmen move into playoff spot . . . Seminoff, Bankier bury Royals

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

THE BEDARD REPORT: After a brief respite it would appear that F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats is back on track. He had just two points, both goals, in his previous four games, but came up with two goals and two assists on Wednesday in a 6-3 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Bedard leads the WHL in goals (63) and points (129), all done in 52 games. . . . Bedard and F Riley Heidt of the Prince George Cougars are tied for the lead in assists (66). . . . According to Quant Hockey (@QuantHockey), only F Sidney Crosby scored more goals in one CHL season as a 17-year-old than Bedard. Crosby had 66 with the 2004-05 Rimouski Oceanic. . . . Bedard’s 63 goals are the most in one season for a Regina skater since 1997-98 when F Ronald Petrovicky scored 64. . . .

Up next for Bedard and the Pats? Three games in fewer than 48 hours — the Moose Jaw Warriors visit on Friday, and the teams play in Moose Jaw on Saturday, then it’s into Saskatoon for a Sunday date with the Blades. . . .

The Blades say they are expecting a crowd of “around 15,000” on Sunday, which would be their first-ever sellout crowd. Les Lazaruk, the Blades’ radio voice, tweeted: “Ticket sales for Sunday’s visit by Connor Bedard . . . have surpassed 14,000! Just a few hundred remain. Sales for the following Friday rematch are at 13,600!”

On Wednesday, the Blades issued a release informing fans exactly what they can expect in terms of doors opening, a park-and-ride service, transit availability, parking and a whole lot more. If you’re interested, it’s all right here.

BarSign

Le Journal de Quebec reported last week that the QMJHL is moving to ban qmjhlnewfighting from its games. Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News added to that story on Wednesday. A QMJHL spokesperson told Ferrari: “The QMJHL is planning to have a rule in place that will ban fighting, making it black and white that it is no longer a part of our game. The punishments have not been decided as of yet. We will be looking to have a rule in place in June when the next general annual assembly of the members of the board of governors takes place.” . . . The aim is to have these changes in place for the start of the 2023-24 season. . . . With all that is known about concussions and CTE, the time has come. You have to think it won’t be long before the OHL and WHL follow suit. . . . Ferrari’s story is right here.

The Vancouver Giants and Kelowna Rockets are involved in a scrap for seventh Vancouverplace in the Western Conference as the WHL’s regular season heads down the stretch. The prizes? The seventh seed gets the No. 2 Kamloops Blazers in the first round; the eighth seed draws the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Giants, though, are likely to be without F Samuel Honzek until at least Tuesday as he recovers from a headshot he absorbed from Kelowna F Carson Golder on Friday. Golder was later suspended for four games. . . . Honzek, who has 21 goals and 31 assists, isn’t expected to play this weekend as the Giants suit up three times in fewer than 48 hours. . . . The Giants are at home to the Portland Winterhawks on Tuesday. . . . Steve Ewen of Postmedia has more on the Giants and their injuries right here.

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Calgary (8)

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

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Everett (6)

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

——

WEDNESDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Matteo Danis scored four times to lead the host Calgary Hitmen to a 7-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Danis, 17, is from Calgary. A freshman, he now has 11 goals in 59 games. . . . His first goal, at 8:55 of the first period, turned into the winner. . . . Danis got his second goal on a PP at 1:00 of the second period, then got the game’s last two goals, at 8:45 and 15:40 of the third period. . . . F Maxim Muranov helped out with three assists. . . . G Koen Cleaver, 15, made his WHL debut with Lethbridge when he entered in the third period in relief of starter Bryan Thomson. Cleaver, from Port Alberni, B.C., gave up two goals on seven shots in 18:25. He was a third-round selection in the WHL’s 2022 draft. . . . Calgary (27-27-8) moved into eighth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Swift Current and Brandon, both of whom lost last night. . . . Lethbridge (33-24-6) clinched a playoff spot despite the loss when Saskatoon beat host Swift Current. The Hurricanes are fifth in the conference, four points ahead of Regina. . . .

The Regina Pats scored the game’s first four goals, two of them by F Tanner Howe, en route to a 6-3 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Howe, who has 33 goals as a 17-year-old, made it 3-0 at 11:39 of the first period and 4-0, while shorthanded, at 10:42 of the second. . . . Brandon got to within 5-3 on F Nolan Ritchie’s 26th goal at 13:34 of the third period, but Regina F Connor Bedard got the empty-netter at 18:27. . . .  This season, Howe had 78 points in 62 games; last season, he finished with 69 points, including 42 assists, in 64 games. . . . Regina (32-27-4) had lost its previous four games (0-3-1). It remains sixth in the Eastern Conference, four points behind Lethbridge and five ahead of Medicine Hat. . . . Brandon (26-30-8) has lost two in a row and now is two points out of a playoff spot. . . .

F Trevor Wong had a goal and two assists to lead the Saskatoon Blades to a 3-2 victory over the Broncos in Swift Current. . . . Wong got his guys into a 1-1 tie at 12:51 of the first period, then was in on goals from D Aidan De La Gorgendiere (12), at 2:49 of the second, and D Tanner Molendyk (9), at 19:54, for a 3-1 lead. . . . F Josh Filmon’s 44th goal got the Broncos to within one at 1:59 of the third but the home team wasn’t able to equalize. . . . Wong’s second assist was the 100th of his career. This season, he has 81 points, 57 of them assists, in 64 games. In 114 games with Saskatoon, since coming over from Kelowna, he has 123 points, 82 of them assists. . . . G Austin Elliott earned the victory with 29 saves. In his freshman season, he is 23-5-3, 2.15, .913. . . . Saskatoon (45-14-5) will be the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed for the first round of the playoffs. . . . Swift Current (28-31-4) has lost five straight (0-4-1) and is two points from a playoff spot. . . . 

The Kamloops Blazers scored five times in the first period and added five more in the second en route to an 11-1 victory over the visiting Victoria Royals. . . . F Matt Seminoff finished with eight points, including four goals, while F Caedan Bankier had three goals and three assists. . . . That was Seminoff’s first hat trick this season and the second of his career. This season, he has 79 points, including 31 goals, in 56 games. . . . The WHL record for points in one game is 10; it has been done five times. . . . Bankier put up his fourth career hat trick, the second this season. This season, he has 78 points, 35 of them goals, in 51 games. Bankier also is riding the WHL’s longest active point streak at 14 games. . . . At one point in the second period, Kamloops was leading 7-0 with a 34-4 edge in shots. At game’s end, it was 48-20. . . . G Dylan Ernst stopped 19 shots in earning his WHL-leading 37th victory. That is the most in one season by a Kamloops goaltender since Corey Hirsch put up 48 in 63 appearances in 1989-90. Hirsch and Grant Fuhr (Victoria Cougars, 1980-81) share the WHL single-season record. . . . The Blazers continue to be without injured forwards Logan Stankoven and Daylan Kueffler, who have combined for 62 goals and 89 assists. . . . Kamloops (45-11-6) has won seven in a row and 18 of 19. It is second in the Western Conference, seven points behind Seattle. Each team has six games remaining. . . . Victoria (15-42-7) has lost 11 in a row (0-10-1). . . .

F Chase Wheatcroft scored twice, added three assists and surpassed the 100-point mark to lead the host Prince George Cougars to a 6-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Wheatcroft, who has 46 goals, broke a 1-1 tie with goals at 16:26 of the first period and 0:38 of the second. . . . The Cougars were never headed after that point. . . . Wheatcroft, 20, went into the season with 82 points, including 31 goals, in 137 games. This season, he has 101 points in 64 games. He is the second WHL player to surpass 100 points this season. . . . F Koehn Ziemmer added a goal (37) and two assists for the Cougars. . . . Prince George (34-24-6) has points in seven straight (5-0-2). It is headed to a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference. . . . Kelowna (26-35-3) had won its previous three games. It is eighth in the conference, three points behind Vancouver, which has two games in hand.

Needle

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.

Package

Broncos, Warriors clash postponed . . . Basha, Tigers bash Pats . . . T-Birds, Blazers rollin’, rollin’, rollin’

The Vancouver Giants were without F Samuel Honzek on Saturday night as they Vancouverlost 6-0 to the Blazers in Kamloops. Honzek, who has 42 points, including 21 goals, in 40 games, was injured in Friday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . F Carson Golder was ejected with a headshot major for the hit on Honzek. . . . Steve Ewen of Postmedia reported late Friday that Honzek was returning to Giants’ headquarters in Ladner, B.C., “for evaluation” as the team went on to Kamloops. Ewen also reported “there have been 13 players receive suspensions this season resulting from checking-to-head majors.” . . . Honzek was playing in his ninth game since returning from a badly cut leg that he incurred while playing for Slovakia at the World Junior Championship. . . . He is expected to be a first-round selection in the NHL’s 2023 draft.

The Swift Current Broncos were to have met the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Saturday night. However, some nasty weather stormed across southern Saskatchewan and forced the game’s postponement. It is hoped that the teams will be able to play today in Moose Jaw. . . . On Friday night, in Swift Current, the Warriors erased a 3-0 deficit in beating the Broncos, 4-3 in a shootout. . . . The Warriors (37-22-3) go into tonight’s rematch having won two straight. . . . The Broncos (28-29-4) have lost three in a row (0-2-1) and are scrapping for a playoff spot.

Pecans

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

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

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

——

SATURDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

The Brandon Wheat Kings scored the game’s last six goals to skate away with a 10-2 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . F Noah Boyko (16) got Edmonton to within two, at 4-2, at 3:19 of the third period. . . . But the Wheat Kings scored two quick goals, from F Dawson Pasternak (14), at 3:51, and F Rylen Roersma (18), at 5:30, and school was out. . . . Pasternak and Roersma each scored twice and added an assist. . . . F Joby Baumuller, the 12th overall selection in the WHL’s 2022 draft, scored his first WHL goal for Brandon. A 15-year-old from Wilcox, Sask., he was playing in his fifth game. . . . The Oil Kings were without F Dawson Seitz, who drew a TBD suspension after taking a boarding major and game misconduct on Friday in Winnipeg. . . . Brandon (26-28-8) has won three in a row and is tied with Swift Current and Calgary for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . Edmonton now is 9-49-4. . . .

F Andrew Basha scored four goals and G Beckett Langkow recorded the shutout as the host Medicine Hat Tigers dumped the Regina Pats, 7-0. . . . Langkow stopped 17 shots, including just one in the second period, as he posted his first career shutout in his 78th appearance. . . . Medicine Hat outshot Regina, 40-17, including 18-1 in the second period. . . . Basha, who has 19 goals, went into the game with a pair of two-goal games in 108 career games. Last season, the 17-year-old sophomore from Calgary, had five goals and nine assists in 48 games. This season, he has 55 points in 61 games. . . . The Tigers had a 1-0 lead going into the second period, and Basha scored the next three goals. He finished his four-goal night at 19:05 of the third period. . . . D Bogdans Hodass had three assists. . . . F Gavin McKenna, the first selection in the WHL’s 2022 draft, scored his first goal with the Tigers. He has a goal and eight assists in 12 games. . . . Medicine Hat (27-26-9) had lost its previous two games. It is seventh in the Eastern Conference, three points behind Regina and three ahead of Swift Current, Calgary and Brandon. . . . Regina (31-27-4) has lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . .

F Jhett Larson scored three times to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 9-0 victory over the Hitmen in Calgary. . . . Larson ran his goal total to 18 with his first career hat trick. . . . G Kyle Kelsey stopped 25 shots to record the third shutout of his freshman season. Kelsey, who turned 19 on Jan. 22, is 19-11-5, 2.76, .904. . . . The Rebels, who held a 57-25 edge in shots, scored four times in the first period and five in the second. . . . Red Deer was 5-for-7 on the PP. . . . D Mats Lindgren added a goal (11) and two assists. . . . F Kai Uchacz scored his 49th at 3:34 of the first period and it stood up as the winner. . . . Red Deer (41-17-6) has points in five straight (3-0-2). It has clinched the Central Division title. . . . Calgary (26-27-8) had points in each of its previous three games (2-0-1). It is tied with Swift Current and Brandon for eight in the Eastern Conference. . . .

The Seattle Thunderbirds won their 50th game, the second time they have accomplished that in franchise history, beating the Everett Silvertips, 5-1, in Kent, Wash. . . . Seattle also reached the 50-victory plateau in 1989-90 when it finished 52-17-3 — that would be three ties, of course. . . . D Jeremy Hanzel (12) scored twice for Seattle, the first one, on a PP at 6:12 of the third period, breaking a 1-1 tie. . . . Hanzel also had an assist. . . . F Dylan Guenther (7) and F Brad Lambert (14) each had a goal and an assist. . . . F Jackson Berezowski (43) had Everett’s goal, a shorthanded tally. . . . Seattle G Thomas Milic earned the victory with 14 saves. He’s 24-3-2, 2.02, .928 this season. . . . Seattle held a 47-15 edge in shots. . . . Seattle (50-9-3) has points in 16 straight games (15-0-1). It also is tied with idle Winnipeg atop the overall standings, each with 103 points. . . . Everett (30-29-3) has lost five in a row. It is sixth in the Western Conference, two points behind Tri-City. . . .

G Matthew Kieper recorded the shutout as the host Kamloops Blazers dumped the Vancouver Giants, 6-0. . . . Kieper, who was acquired from Regina earlier this season, finished with 25 saves for his first shutout this season and the second of his career. . . . The game included two second-period penalty shots. Vancouver F Ethan Semeniuk came up short at 10:08. Kamloops F Connor Levis ran his goal streak to six games when he scored at 13:44 for a 4-0 lead. . . . Levis later scored again, giving him 23 this season. He also is riding a six-game goal-scoring streak, with seven goals in that time. . . . F Emmitt Finnie had a goal (6) and two assists. A 17-year-old from Lethbridge, he had six assists in 48 games last season. This season, he’s got 25 points in 57 games. . . . Kamloops held a 44-26 edge in shots, including 25-4 in the first period. . . . Kamloops (44-11-6) has won six in a row and 17 of 18. It has wrapped up the B.C. Division title. . . . Vancouver (24-29-8) had points in each of its previous four games (3-0-1). The Giants are seventh in the Western Conference, three points ahead of Kelowna. . . .

The Kelowna Rockets scored a PP goal in OT to beat the Chiefs, 5-4, in Spokane. . . . F Cade Hayes emerged from a scuffle at the end of the third period with the only major penalty and game misconduct. Kelowna F Gabriel Szturc (21) won the game at 2:24 of OT. . . . Before that, the Rockets had coughed up a 4-0 lead as the Chiefs forced extra time when F Berkly Catton (20) scored at 17:58 of the third period. . . . Szturc, the Rockets’ captain, finished with two goals and two assists. . . . The Rockets were without F Carson Golder, who has been hit with a TBD suspension after he took a headshot major and game misconduct against visiting Vancouver on Friday night. . . . Kelowna (25-34-3) has won two in a row and clinched a playoff spot in the process. It is eighth in the Western Conference, three points behind Vancouver. . . Spokane (14-39-8) has lost two straight. . . .

F Reece Belton’s penalty shot goal gave the Tri-City Americans a 3-2 OT victory over the Portland Winterhawks in Kennewick, Wash. . . . The Americans thought they had won seconds earlier, only to have the goal disallowed. As Pucklandia’s Chad Balcom (@hawkeyblog) tweeted: “Never seen that one before — the Winterhawks were down the tunnel & in the room, LONG huddle of refs, no replay, & the OT winner was overturned. We play on in Kennewick.” . . . According to Nick Marek, Portland’s play-by-play voice, the goal was disallowed because of a quick whistle. “The accidental whistle is what disallowed the initial goal by (Adam) Mechura. The ref whistle killed the play.” . . . Belton, who had been slashed from behind while on a breakaway, then won it with his 14th goal of the season at 1:08 of OT. . . . Tri-City had taken a 2-0 lead into the third period on goals from Belton, on a PP, and Mechura (23). D Lukas Dragicevic assisted on both goals. . . . Portland tied it on third-period goals from F Marcus Nguyen (22), shorthanded at 10:47, and F Luke Schelter (6), at 14:48. . . . The Americans got 47 saves from G Tomas Suchanek. . . . Tri-City (29-26-7) had lost its previous two games. It moved into fourth in the Western Conference, two points ahead of Everett. . . . Portland (38-17-7) has points in four straight (2-0-2) and will be the conference’s No. 3 seed when the playoffs begin. . . .

F Koehn Ziemmer and F Carlin Dezainde each scored twice as the Prince George Cougars doubled the Royals, 6-3, in Victoria. . . . The Cougars swept the doubleheader, having won 8-3 on Friday. . . . Ziemmer, who has 35 goals, got the Cougars started at 5:44 of the first period, and F Chase Wheatcroft (44) made it 2-0 at 11:48. . . . The Royals got a goal from F Riley Gannon (17) at 13:06, but the Cougars scored the next four. . . . Dezainde has seven goals this season. . . . Wheatcroft, 20, also had two assists. He is up to 96 points in 62 games. He went into this season with 82 points, including 31 goals, in 137 games split between Lethbridge and Winnipeg. . . . F Alex Thacker had a goal (8) and two assists for Victoria. . . . Prince George (33-24-5) has points in five straight (4-0-1). It is fourth in the Western Conference. . . . Victoria (15-41-7) has lost 10 in a row (0-9-1).

——

THINKING OUT LOUD: Has anyone been able to figure out what Hyundai is trying to accomplish with that WAH advertising campaign? And isn’t it about time for it to be retired? . . . Sheesh, Sportsnet, I hope NESN is paying you for the TV time those Bruins’ telecasts take up on your networks. I mean, if you’re paying for them, they’re stealing your money. . . . Would you like some good news? Old friend Roy MacGregor has a new book coming out on Aug. 1 — Paper Trails: From the Backwoods to the Front Page, a Life in Stories. I, for one, can’t wait. . . . If you’re like me, you’re wondering if F Connor Bedard of the Regina finally is running on empty. For all that he has accomplished this season, he won’t turn 18 until July 17.

Oreo

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.

Time

WHL settles Moose Jaw situation . . . Suspended Warriors could be back for playoffs . . . GM, head coach disciplined; team fined

The four players off the Moose Jaw Warriors’ roster who were suspended by the WHL last month will be eligible to return for this season’s playoffs.

The WHL announced on Friday that the four — G Connor Ungar, 21, D Max WHLWanner, 19, D Marek Howell, 16, and F Lynden Lakovic, 16 — “have been suspended for the balance” of the regular season.

As well, Jason Ripplinger, the Warriors’ general manager, and head coach Mark O’Leary each has been suspended for five games, and the Warriors have been fined $25,000.

In a news release, the WHL said the discipline follows “the completion of an independent investigation into violations of team rules and WHL Standard of Conduct policies.”

The WHL didn’t offer any specifics of the “independent investigation,” such as who conducted it or any of its parameters.

The WHL did allow that the players were suspended following an off-ice WarriorsNewincident that occurred in Edmonton where the Warriors beat the Oil Kings, 4-1, on Feb. 3. The four players were in the lineup again on Feb. 5 when the Warriors beat the Hitmen, 2-1, in Calgary. But all four were scratched from a Feb. 8 game against Edmonton in Moose Jaw.

On Feb. 11, the WHL announced that all four had been suspended “indefinitely pending an investigation . . .”

Somehow — and no one has said how it came about — the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) became involved. Earlier this week, an EPS spokesperson indicated it had determined that criminality wasn’t involved in the incident and said it wouldn’t comment further.

From the WHL’s Friday news release: “Though the conduct of the players was not found to be criminal in nature, the conduct was determined to be a violation of team and league rules including the WHL Standard of Conduct policies, as outlined in the WHL Personal Conduct Policy.”

The WHL’s Standard of Conduct covers such things as racial/derogatory comments; abuse, bullying, harassment and hazing; social media and networking; personal conduct; and diversity and inclusivity.

By the time the Warriors play their final regular-season game on March 25, the four players will have each missed 17 games.

The WHL said that before being reinstated, the players “will be required to complete further personal conduct and respect training.” Presumably that will happen before month’s end in order for them to be reinstated when the playoffs begin.

The WHL said that Ripplinger and O’Leary were disciplined because they failed “to provide the proper oversight and supervision required to ensure a safe and positive environment for players, in particular, while travelling.”

The news release didn’t state specifically why the Warriors organization had been fined $25,000.

That is believed to be the largest fine handed down by the WHL since Nov. 27, 2012, when the Portland Winterhawks were fined $200,000, stripped of a number of draft picks, and lost GM/head coach Mike Johnston to a suspension that covered the remainder of the regular season plus the playoffs for what the league called “multiple player benefit violations.”

The Warriors issued a news release on Friday, stating that the organization takes “full responsibility for the violations of team and league rules, and co-operated fully with the WHL investigation into this matter.

“With the support of the WHL, the Warriors are fully committed to learning from this incident and will take the necessary steps to improve security moving forward. Our organization will continue to support all of our players throughout this process.”

Contacted by Randy Palmer of moosejawtoday.com, Ripplinger said: “All comments or anything like that has to be directed to the Western Hockey League; we can’t comment on anything.”

The Warriors’ statement ended with: “Out of respect for the privacy of all of the parties involved, the Warriors cannot provide further details or comment on the matter.

The WHL, meanwhile, ended its news release with: “Out of respect for the privacy of all of the parties involved, the WHL cannot provide further details on the matter.”

——

So . . . you’re thinking that 17-game suspensions are rather lengthy. But you’re also wondering if there have been longer ones issued by the WHL.

Well, the longest suspension to a player that I can recall went to F Bryan Wells, then of the Regina Pats. On Jan. 27, 1985, Wells and D Mark Tinordi of the host Lethbridge Broncos became involved in a nasty stick-swinging incident. A few days later, Wells, a repeat offender, was suspended for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs, which turned out to be 31 games — 23 in the regular season and eight in the playoffs.

Tinordi, who came out of the duel with a broken finger, was a first-time offender and, as such, was suspended for nine games.

In 1970-71, F Blaine Stoughton of the Flin Flon Bombers was involved in a high-sticking incident in a game with the Medicine Hat Tigers. He later was suspended for 29 games.

If you included general managers and coaches, Portland’s Mike Johnston ended up sitting out 71 games in 2012-13 — 47 regular-season, 21 playoff and three Memorial Cup. The Winterhawks, with Travis Green running things in Johnston’s absence, won the WHL championship and got to the Memorial Cup final, where they lost 6-4 to the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads in Saskatoon.

On Oct. 14, 1981, Pat Ginnell, then the GM/head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers, became involved with linesman Gary Patzer during a game in Lethbridge with the Broncos. Ginnell ended up serving a 36-game suspension. (The Canadian Press actually reported that the two “exchanged blows.”)

Ernie (Punch) McLean, the head coach of the New Westminster Bruins, sat out 25 games after that infamous 1977-78 brawl with visiting Portland.

I’m sure there have been other suspensions of some length, but those are the ones that came immediately to mind.

Follow

THE BEDARD REPORT:

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

Make it 61 goals in 50 games. . . . F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats scored the game’s first goal, on a PP, at 3:50 of the the first period on Friday night, but his side ended up dropping a 5-5 OT decision to the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. . . . That goal was it for Bedard on this night as the Hurricanes and G Bryan Thomson kept him off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game. . . . The announced attendance was 5,378, for the Hurricanes’ second sellout this season. The other? On Feb. 3, when the Pats scored a 3-2 victory. . . . Bedard leads the WHL in goals (61), assists (64) and points (125). . . . The Pats will play in Medicine Hat tonight. . . .

Earlier Friday, Bedard, who is from North Vancouver, was honoured by BC Sport as its junior male athlete of the year for 2022. . . .

——

Meanwhile, the Medicine Hat Tigers have added F Gavin McKenna, who turned MedicineHat15 on Dec. 20, to their roster and he is expected to play tonight against Bedard and the Pats. . . . McKenna, who plays at the Southern Alberta Hockey Academy, is fresh off the Canada Winter Games, where he played for Yukon and set a tournament scoring record with 29 points in six games. . . . In 26 games with SAHA’s U18 prep team, he has 37 goals and 38 assists. . . . The first overall selection in the WHL’s 2022 draft, McKenna already has played 11 games with the Tigers. He has eight assists, four of them coming in his first game.

Smell

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. Tri-City (6)

Prince George (4) vs. Everett (5)

——

FRIDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

D Olen Zellweger scored twice to help the host Kamloops Blazers to a 6-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Kamloops had beaten the Silvertips, 7-1, in Everett on Wednesday night. . . . Zellweger, who was acquired from Everett in January, leads all WHL defencemen with 27 goals. . . . F Matthew Seminoff had a goal (27) and two assists for Kamloops. His goal broke a 3-3 tie at 11:41 of the third period. . . . F Fraser Minten (29) had two goals and an assist for Kamloops, while F Jackson Berezowski (42) scored twice for Everett. . . . G Tyler Palmer made 47 saves for Everett, which was outshot 53-25. . . . Kamloops F Logan Stankoven missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury, while F Daylan Kuefler remains sidelined. . . . Kamloops (43-11-6) has won four in a row and 16 of 17. . . . Everett (30-28-3) has lost four straight. It is tied with Tri-City for fifth in the Western Conference. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets erased a 3-1 third-period deficit and beat the Vancouver Giants, 4-3, in a shootout. . . . F Max Graham (10) got the Rockets to within 3-2 at 4:40 of the third period and F Andrew Cristall (35) tied it at 18:31 with G Jari Kykkanen on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . F Ty Thorpe (33) had put the visitors ahead 3-1 at 4:38 of the second period. . . . F Gabriel Szturc, the Rockets’ captain, was the first shooter in the circus and he scored the lone goal. . . . Kelowna F Carson Golder took a headshot major and game misconduct at 8:10 of the second period for a hit on F Samuel Honzek, who went straight to the dressing room and didn’t return. . . . Kelowna (24-34-3) had lost its previous three games. . . . Vancouver (24-28-8) had won its past three games. . . . The Rockets are eighth in the Western Conference, five points behind Vancouver. . . . Earlier Friday, the Rockets announced that F Logan Peskett had undergone season-ending shoulder surgery. Peskett, a 16-year-old freshman from North Vancouver, had three goals and two assists in 40 games. He was a sixth-round selection in the WHL’s 2021 draft. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes forced OT with a late third-period goal and then got a goal from D Logan McCutcheon at 3:39 of extra time to beat the Regina Pats, 5-4. . . . McCutcheon’s winner was his third goal of the season. . . . D Joe Arntsen (7) forced OT with a goal at 17:38 of the third period. . . . G Bryan Thomson, who finished with 22 saves, stoned F Connor Bedard, who had scored his 61st goal to open the game, from in tight moments before McCutcheon won it. . . . Lethbridge (33-23-6) had lost its previous two games. It remains fifth in the Eastern Conference, six points ahead of Regna (31-26-4), which has lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . .

F Conner Roulette scored three times to lead the Saskatoon Blades to a 6-2 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert. . . . Roulette, who has 24 goals, opened the scoring at 1:32 of the first period, pulled the Blades into a 2-2 tie at 15:35 and stretched their lead to 5-2 at 16:31 of the second. . . . F Jake Chiasson added a goal, his 20th, and two assists. . . . Saskatoon F Misha Volotovskii (4) scored in his return from a 13-game absence. . . . Roulette, now with 59 points in 54 games, has two hat tricks this season. His other career hat trick came on Oct. 5, 2019, in a 5-3 victory over Victoria in Kent, Wash. . . . Last season, Roulette had 24 goals in 65 games with Seattle; this season he has 24 in 54 games. Interestingly, he was credited with 199 shots on goal last season; this season, he has 127. . . . G Austin Elliott earned the victory with 24 saves. He is 8-0-1 in his last nine appearances, and 23-5-3, 2.07, .916 on the season. . . . Saskatoon (44-13-5) has points in 12 straight (11-0-1) and will be the third seed when the Eastern Conference playoffs begin. . . . Prince Albert (24-33-3) has lost four straight and is seven points from a playoff spot with seven games remaining. . . . These teams will meet again Sunday afternoon in Saskatoon. . . . Darren Steinke, the travellin’ blogger, was in Prince Albert last night. His piece is right here. . . .

The Calgary Hitmen forced OT with less than a second remaining in the third period and then got the winner from F Riley Fiddler-Schultz to beat the Rebels, 4-3, in Red Deer. . . . Calgary F Carter Yakemchuk forced OT when he scored his 16th goal, on a PP, with 0.6 seconds left in the third period. . . . The game’s first five goals all came in the first period. . . . F Sean Tschigerl (23) scored twice and added an assist for Calgary. . . . Fiddler-Schultz added two assists to his 28th goal. . . . F Kai Uchacz notched No. 48 for the Rebels. . . . Calgary (26-26-8) has points in three straight (2-0-1) and is tied with Swift Current for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . Red Deer (40-17-6) has points in four straight (2-0-2). It has clinched first place in the Central Division and will be the No. 2 seed when the first round begins. . . . The same two teams will meet up again this afternoon, this time in Calgary. . . .

The Seattle Thunderbirds scored the game’s last three goals, all in the last 8:11 of the third period, to beat the Tri-City Americans, 6-3, in Kent, Wash. . . . F Reese Belton (12) pulled the visitors into a 3-3 tie at 1:59 of the third period. . . . F Lucas Ciona (27) put Seattle back out front at 11:49 and F Jared Davidson completed a hat trick with two insurance goals, at 13:41 and 18:25, the last one into an empty net. . . . Davidson, who has 38 goals, also had an assist. . . . F Brad Lambert had a goal (13) and two assists for Seattle. . . . Seattle (49-9-3) has points in 15 straight games (14-0-1). It leads the Western Conference by nine points over Kamloops, which has eight games remaining. . . . Tri-City (28-26-7) has lost two in a row. . . .

In Spokane, the Portland Winterhawks scored the game’s last four goals to beat the Chiefs, 5-2. . . . F Cade Hayes (19) gave Spokane a 2-1 lead at 10:33 of the second period. . . . F Robbie Fromm-Delorme (30) got Portland even with his first of two goals at 16:08. . . . F Josh Zakreski (9) scored the eventual winner at 12:30. . . . The Winterhawks got 30 saves from G Jan Špunar, an 18-year-old Czechia freshman who now is 15-6-2, 2.71, .904. . . . . Portland (38-17-6) has points in three straight (2-0-1). It is a comfortable third in the Western Conference. . . . Spokane (14-39-7) won’t be in the playoffs this season. . . .

The Moose Jaw Warriors erased a 3-0 first-period deficit as they beat the host Swift Current Broncos, 4-3, in a game that featured a 12-round shootout. . . . The Warriors went into the game needing one point to clinch a playoff spot. . . . The Broncos held a 3-0 lead when F Clarke Caswell (9) scored at 17:19 of the first period. . . . The Warriors tied it on F Atley Calvert’s 36th goal at 19:36 of the second period. . . . F Josh Hoekstra won it for the Warriors in the shootout. . . . The Warriors got 40 stops from G Jackson Unger. . . . Moose Jaw (37-22-3) has won two in a row. It appears headed for a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. . . . Swift Current (28-29-4) has lost three straight (0-2-1). It is tied with Calgary for the conference’s last playoff spot. . . . They Broncos and Warriors are scheduled to meet again tonight, this time in Moose Jaw. . . .

The Prince George Cougars got two goals from each of three players en route to an 8-3 victory over the Royals in Victoria. . . . The weekend doubleheader will conclude tonight in Victoria. . . . F Zac Funk (20), F Cayden Glover (5) and F Ondrej Becher (16) each scored twice. Funk also had an assist. . . . Prince George erased a 1-0 first-period deficit with three goals, the first two in the span of 46 seconds, as it took control. . . . Prince George (32-24-5) has points in four straight (3-0-1). It is fourth in the Eastern Conference, six points ahead of Everett and Tri-City. . . . Victoria (15-40-7) has lost nine in a row (0-8-1) and has been eliminated from playoff contention. . . .

F Ty Nash’s 20th goal of the season, at 3:08 of OT, gave the Winnipeg Ice a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Ice. . . . F Zack Ostapchuk (25) scored twice for the Ice, which got a goal and two assists from F Matt Savoie (35) and three assists from F Connor McClennon. . . . F Josh Medernach (4) gave the Ice a 4-2 lead 35 seconds into the third period. . . . The Oil Kings tied it on goals from F Rilen Kovacevic (15), at 3:11, and F Mason Finley (11), at 10:08. . . . The Oil Kings lost F Dawson Seitz to a boarding major and game misconduct at 7:41 of the first period. . . . Edmonton F Treycen Wuttunee returned to the lineup for the first time since Feb. 28 when he had a fight with the 20-year-old Ostapchuk. . . . Winnipeg (51-9-1) has won three in a row. It leads the WHL in victories and points (101). . . . Edmonton (9-48-4) has points in two straight (1-0-1).

Piper

A note from Jack Finarelli, aka The Sports Curmudgeon:

“Earlier this week, there was a headline on a report at CBSSports.com that read: ‘Katie Ledecky’s nine-year winning streak on US soil snapped by Summer McIntosh.’ . . .

“Katie Ledecky is a swimmer. She had a nine-year winning streak in US water but not on US soil.”

Nigerian

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.

Burrito

Edmonton police: Incident non-criminal in nature . . . WHL not commenting . . . Another Blazers skater gets NHL deal

Four players with the Moose Jaw Warriors remained suspended by the WHL on Thursday despite the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) indicating that its WarriorsNewinvestigation led it to determine that whatever happened involving the four didn’t involve criminality.

CTV News reported that EPS media relations advisor Scott Pattison, in an email, said: “Police have looked into the matter and believe the incident to be non-criminal in nature. As such, we have no further comment.”

The WHL announced on Feb. 11 that the four players in question — G Connor Ungar, 21, D Max Wanner, 19, F Marek Howell, 16, and F Lynden Lakovic, 16 — WHLhad been suspended. According to the one-paragraph news release issued by the WHL, the four were “suspended indefinitely pending an investigation into possible violations of team rules and the WHL Standard of Conduct policies.”

The four players appear on the WHL’s discipline page as having been suspended with the lengths of those suspensions “tbd for standard of conduct violation.”

Ungar, from Calgary, was having a terrific season at the time of the suspensions. He was the WHL’s goaltender of the month for January; he remains third in victories (26) and second in save percentage (.925).

Wanner, from Estevan, Sask., has signed with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2021 draft. He had 30 points, including eight goals, in 44 games.

Howell, a freshman from Calgary, had a goal and three assists in 44 games, while Lakovic, from West Kelowna, had two goals and five assists in 37 games in his first season.

The four played in a 4-1 victory over the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Feb. 3 and in a 2-1 victory over the Hitmen in Calgary on Feb. 5. They haven’t played since, though, meaning they now have missed 10 games.

The Warriors are 4-6-0 without them and, with seven games remaining in their regular season, are fourth in the Eastern Conference, 16 points behind the Saskatoon Blades and five ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Randy Palmer of moosejawtoday.com pointed out Thursday that suspensions of at least 10 WHL games have only been handed out “twice in the last decade.”

“Everett’s Dawson Butt received a 10-game suspension on Jan. 12, 2020 for actions in the final minute against Regina that led to serious facial injuries for a player,” Palmer wrote, “while Victoria’s Brandon Magee was handed a 12-game suspension on April 11, 2014 after receiving a match penalty against Portland for cross-checking multiple players in the head.”

The WHL, meanwhile, has yet to remove itself from its cone of silence.

From CBC News: “A spokesperson for the WHL did not respond to requests for updates about the players’ statuses, including the result of the investigation and whether they remain on suspension.”

From Moose Jaw radio station CHAB, which carries play-by-play of Warriors games: “A spokesperson for the WHL has not responded to several requests for updates on the status of the players and the league’s investigation.”

Thus, we can only assume that the suspensions remain in place and that whatever investigation the WHL is carrying out remains a work in progress. In fact, no details of the investigation, including who is conducting it or anything else about what is involved, have been released.

The Warriors are scheduled to visit the Swift Current Broncos tonight with a rematch in Moose Jaw on Saturday.

D Kyle Masters of the Kamloops Blazers has signed a three-year entry-level Kamloopscontract with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. Masters, 19, was a fourth-round selection by the Wild in the NHL’s 2021 draft. . . . The Blazers acquired Masters from the Red Deer Rebels prior to this season. He has 11 goals and 48 assists in 58 games. . . . From Edmonton, he has 86 points, including 16 goals, in 164 career regular-season games with Red Deer and Kamloops. . . . The contract calls for an NHL salary of US$775,000 each season with $80,000 in the minors. There also is an annual $90,000 signing bonus. . . . Masters is the third Kamloops skater to sign an NHL contract in the past few days. F Caedan Bankier signed with the Wild, while F Ryan Hofer signed with the Washington Capitals. . . .

You can only imagine the chatter on the Blazers’ bus and in the dressing room these days. . . . “Oh, yeah,” Bankier told Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week. “They’re all over us, me and Ryan, about buying them some dinner. We’ll have to think about that. Maybe we’ll get them a couple of Big Macs or something. Not too much.” . . . A laughing Hofer told Hastings: ““I might go to Tim Hortons, maybe get them some Timbits. I don’t know. We’ll see, but if we keep it going, they might get a good dinner.”

The Blazers, 3-2 shootout winners in Seattle on Tuesday and 7-1 winners in Everett on Wednesday, are at home to Everett tonight. The Blazers, the host team for the 2023 Memorial Cup tournament, have won 15 of 16 games since Feb. 1, clinching the B.C. Division title in the process.

Terry Bartman, a longtime scout with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, died on Monday in Medicine Hat. He was 65. . . . There is a complete obituary right here.

Buffalo

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)

——

THURSDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

No Games Scheduled.

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Windows

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

QMJHL has new commish, also moving to ban fighting . . . GTHL investigating irregularities . . . Blazers win battle of division kings

The QMJHL made it official on Tuesday — Mario Cecchini will be the new qmjhlnewcommissioner, replacing Gilles Courteau, who resigned effective immediately on Sunday after 37 years in office. . . . Cecchini is presently the interim president of the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, so won’t take over his new position until May 8. . . . Martin Lavallee, who had been assistant commissioner, will serve as the interim commissioner until then. . . . The QMJHL had announced earlier that Courteau would be retiring in 2024, so a search for a replacement was well underway when he chose to leave his position on Sunday.

——

The QMJHL’s board of governors will vote in June on whether to ban fighting. . . . Le Journal de Quebec reported Monday that members voted in favour of the move last week, but that a move in that direction would have to be ratified in June. . . . Under the new regulations, according to the newspaper, a fight will result in automatic expulsion, with “certain exceptions,” such as when there is an instigator in a fight. . . . On Sept. 30, 2020, the QMJHL implemented a rule that results in a major and misconduct being given to a fighter. . . . The newspaper reported that during the 2010-11 season, the QMJHL averaged 0.78 fights per game. This season, through 536 games, that number was 0.14 (79 fights in 536 games).

If you’re not aware, it would appear that the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) is in a bit of a messy situation. Rick Westhead, who is doing such great work with TSN, reports that the GTHL “has opened multiple investigations into allegations that some teams and the non-profit companies that run them have been inappropriately bought and sold.” That is according to Scott Oakman, GTHL’s executive director. . . . Westhead’s story is right here and it is jam-packed with information, a lot of which will have you shaking your head. Such as this:

“One hockey parent whose son plays in the GTHL described to TSN his negotiations in July 2021 to buy a 25 per cent stake in a AAA organization for $1 million, and a current coach of a GTHL U14 AAA team told TSN that two parents approached him in October and informed him that they had ‘bought’ the right to control his team for $50,000.

“ ‘We went for coffee. They showed me what the new lineup was going to be, with a few kids literally benched for two of three periods, and they told me to take it up with our owner if I had an issue, which I did,’ the coach said. ‘I asked my owner how he was going to explain this to the GTHL and he told me he wouldn’t have to because it was an all-cash deal, all off the books.’ ”

Somehow I think it’ll be a while before we’ve heard the end of this one.

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)

——

TUESDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

The Kamloops Blazers scored the only two goals of a shootout and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2, in Kent, Wash. . . . This was a meeting between the Western Conference’s two division leaders. . . . Kamloops took a 1-0 lead at 12:02 of the first period when F Connor Levis (19) held the puck on a 2-on-1 and beat G Thomas Milic. . . . Blazers G Dylan Ernst preserved a 1-0 first-period lead by stuffing F Brad Lambert’s deke-to-the-backhand attempt on a penalty shot. . . . A tip by F Logan Stankoven (31) off a shot from the left wing by F Caedan Bankier just 38 seconds into the second period gave the visitors a 2-0 edge. . . . Seattle F Jared Davidson (35) cut into the Kamloops lead at 8:08, beating Ernst with a snapshot from the top rim of the left circle, and then tied the score at 12:20. . . . The Blazers won it on shootout goals from Bankier and F Matthew Seminoff. . . .  Ernst finished with 34 saves, five fewer than Milic. . . . Stankoven didn’t finish the game due to an undisclosed injury. Kamloops assistant coah Don Hay told Radio NL’s postgame show: “It might be a day-to-day, week-to-week type of injury.” . . . Kamloops (41-11-6) has won three in a row. . . . Seattle (48-9-3) had won its previous 13 games. . . . The Blazers and Thunderbirds are scheduled for two more meetings before the regular season ends — in Kent on March 21 and in Kamloops on March 22. . . .

G Ethan Eskit made 30 saves in his first WHL start to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 4-3 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert. . . . Eskit, who turned 17 on Jan. 7, is from Calgary. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2021 WHL draft. . . . F Keaton Sorensen (23), in his 200th regular-season game, got the Raiders started when he scored on a penalty shot at 15:48 of the first period. . . . Eskit was solid after that as his teammates built a 4-1 lead on second-period goals from F Dawson Pasternak (12), F Ben Thornton (3), F Calder Anderson (15) and F Nolan Ritchie (23). . . . The Raiders got third-period goals from F Ryder Ritchie (18) and F Sloan Stanick (21), the latter scoring at 19:37. . . . Brandon (24-28-8) had lost its previous two games. . . . Prince Albert (25-32-3) has lost three in a row. . . . Brandon is 10th in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Calgary, three behind Swift Current and five in arrears of Medicine Hat. . . . Prince Albert is 11th, three points behind Brandon and now six points from a playoff spot. . . .

F Matt Savoie broke a 1-1 tie at 18:10 of the second period and the host Winnipeg Ice went on to a 3-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . This was the Ice’s first home game since Feb. 15; it went 8-2-0 on a lengthy road trip. Of its last nine games, including this one, seven will be played at home. . . . F Shane Smith (19) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 7:39 of the first period, only to have F Zach Benson (36) tie it at 10:03. . . . Savoie’s 34th goal, shorthanded, proved to be the winner. . . . F Conor Geekie (32) got the empty-netter. . . . The Ice has four 30-goal scorers on its roster and F Owen Pederson is at 29. The WHL record for most 30-goal scorers in one season is held by the 1986-87 Kamloops Blazers, who had nine of them. . . . G Daniel Hauser earned the victory with 29 saves. This season, he is 33-4-1, 2.36, .914. In his career, he has won 74 of 84 decisions. . . . Winnipeg (50-9-1) is the first WHL team this season to 50 victories and 100 points. . . . Medicine Hat (26-25-9) had won its previous two games. . . .

Moon

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.

Sandals

Bedard adds four more points in OT victory . . . Rocha a rock for Broncos . . . Blazers, Thunderbirds clinch division titles

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

THE BEDARD REPORT: Ho hum . . . Yes, it was another one of those nights for F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats. . . . On Friday, he had a goal and four assists as he led his guys back from a 3-0 deficit to a 5-3 victory over the visiting Winnipeg Ice, the CHL’s No. 1-ranked team. . . . On Saturday, Bedard scored once and added three assists as he and his pals overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat the visiting Red Deer Rebels, 6-5 in OT. . . . Bedard leads the WHL in goals (59), assists (64) and points (123). . . . In 124 regular-season games, he has 251 points — 122 goals and 129 assists. . . . He has put up 32 points, including 14 goals, over his past nine games. . . . Bedard now has played in 19 games since return from the World Junior Championship; he has 32 goals and 27 assists over that stretch. . . . Next up? The Saskatoon Blades are in Regina this afternoon for what will be a third game in fewer than 48 hours for both teams.

Mike Stothers, an assistant coach with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks who did a turn as head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors, revealed on Saturday that he has been diagnosed with Stage 3 melanoma of the lymph nodes. He is to begin treatment, which is to involve surgery, in the near future. . . . “If I could share one simple message to all,” Stothers, 61, said. “Listen to your body. If you notice something unusual, or don’t feel like yourself, consult a doctor immediately. Please do no wait. It could be the best decision you ever make.” . . . Stothers spent three seasons with the Warriors (2011-14). The Warriors got into the third round of the playoffs in his first season, but then missed the playoffs each of the next two seasons. . . . He ended up the head coach of the Manchester Monarchs in 2014-15 and guided them to the Calder Cup as AHL champions.

CANADA WEST UPDATE: F Josh Prokop’s goal in OT gave the visiting U of Alberta Golden Bears a 5-4 victory over the Calgary Dinos on Saturday night. . . . The Golden Bears won despite coughing up a 4-0 lead as the Dinos scored four times in the third period. . . . The best-of-three Canada West final is 1-1 with the deciding game scheduled for tonight in Calgary.

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)

——

SATURDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:
F Conor Geekie scored three times as the Winnipeg Ice wrapped up a 10-game road trip with an 8-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Ice, which had lost its previous two games, went 8-2-0 on the trip. . . . Geekie opened the scoring with his 30th goal, at 3:01 of the first period, scored again at 13:51 of the second for a 5-1 lead, and completed his hat trick at 16:37 to put the Ice ahead 7-1. . . . Geekie has three hat tricks this season, with two of them in his past five games. . . . F Connor McClennon (41) had a goal and two assists for the winners, and F Owen Pederson had three assists. . . . Winnipeg (49-9-1) leads the Eastern Conference by 12 points over Saskatoon. . . . Brandon (23-28-8) has lost two in a row and now is five points from a playoff spot. . . .

G Joey Rocha stopped 24 shots to post his first WHL shutout as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Oil Kings, 8-0, in Edmonton. . . . Rocha, who turned 18 on Jan. 22, is a freshman from Nanaimo, B.C. . . . F Connor Hvidston (19) had two goals and an assist, and D Owen Pickering drew three assists. . . . F Josh Filmon scored his 40th goal in his 54th game this season, and D Sam Ward got his first. . . . Filmon went into this season with 25 goals in 84 games. . . . Ward, a 17-year-old from Kamloops, scored in his 26th game this season. . . . The Broncos held a 50-24 edge in shots and were 3-for-4 on the PP. . . . Swift Current (28-27-3) has won three straight. It is eighth in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Medicine Hat and three ahead of Calgary. . . . Edmonton (8-48-3) has lost 11 in a row and been outscored 70-14 in the process. . . . The Oil Kings have been blanked eight times this season. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors opened a 3-0 lead and went on to beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 5-3. . . . F Jagger Firkus (32), shorthanded, and F Eric Alarie (18) gave the hosts a 2-0 first-period lead, and D Matthew Gallant, with his first of the season, on a PP, made it 3-0 at 6:26 of the second. . . . The Raiders weren’t able to catch up, although they did get to within a goal, at 4-3, when F Evan Herman (15) scored at 12:39 of the third period. . . . Warriors F Ryder Korczak (24) iced it with the empty-netter. . . . The Warriors got 34 stops from G Jackson Unger. . . . Moose Jaw (36-22-3) had lost its previous three games. It is settling into fourth spot in the Eastern Conference, 12 points behind Saskatoon and five ahead of Lethbridge. . . . Prince Albert (25-31-3) has lost two in a row and now is six points from a playoff spot. . . .

F Alexander Suzdalev’s OT goal gave the host Regina Pats a 6-5 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Suzdalev scored his 35th goal of the season 55 seconds into extra time off a pass from F Connor Bedard, who finished with a goal, his 59th, and three assists. . . . Red Deer led this one 3-1 halfway through the second period. . . . D Stanislav Svozil (10), at 10:13 and F Riley Ginnell (7), at 11:30, got Regina even. . . . F Ben King (17) got Red Deer back in front before the period ended. . . . The Pats took their first lead on two goals from F Borya Valis (20), at 13:34 and 15:02 of the third period. . . . Red Deer F Jayden Grubbe (16) forced OT at 19:08. . . . Svozil also had three assists for a four-point evening. . . . F Kai Uchacz (46) had a goal and two assists for Red Deer, which got three assists from D Mats Lindgren, who has eight points in two games. He had a goal and four assists in a 6-3 victory in Brandon on Friday. . . . Regina (31-24-3) has won six in a row. It is sixth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Lethbridge and four ahead of Medicine Hat. . . . Red Deer (39-17-5) has points in two straight (1-0-1). . . .

In Saskatoon, the Blades scored the game’s first five goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . D Charlie Wright (6) gave the Blades a first-period lead and they broke it open with three second-period goals, from F Jake Chiasson (19), F Jayden Wiens (15) and F Egor Sidorov (38). . . . Saskatoon G Ethan Chadwick stopped 19 shots to record the victory over a Lethbridge side that included his brother, Noah. . . . Saskatoon (41-13-5) has points in nine straight (8-0-1). It looks like it will be the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed when the playoffs open. . . . Lethbridge (32-22-6) had won its previous two games. It is fifth in the conference, five points behind Moose Jaw and five ahead of Regina. . . .

G Thomas Milic stopped 32 shots to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-0 victory over the Silvertips in Everett. . . . This was Milic’s fourth shutout this season and the eighth of his career. This season, he is 23-3-1, 2.06, .927. . . . F Nico Myatovic got Seattle a 2-0 lead with goals at 8:56 of the first period, via a PP, and 1:21 of the second. . . . Myatovic, an 18-year-old from Prince George, also had an assist. He has 25 goals in 58 games this season after scoring four times in 67 games last season. . . . F Reid Schaefer (26) also scored twice for Seattle. He has goals in five straight games. . . . Seattle (47-9-2) has won 12 straight games and has clinched first place in the U.S. Division for the first time since 2015-16. It also leads the Western Conference by 10 points over Kamloops. . . . Everett (30-25-3) had won its previous three games. It is tied with Tri-City for fifth in the conference, two points behind Prince George. . . .

The Kamloops Blazers clinched their fourth straight B.C. Division with a 7-2 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . The Blazers had beaten the Rockets, 8-1, in Kamloops on Friday. . . . Kamloops held a 109-50 edge in shots in the two games, including 56-28 last night. . . . The Blazers broke open a 1-1 game with six straight goals. . . . F Caedan Bankier (32) gave Kamloops a 2-1 lead, on a PP, at 16:30 of the first period, and F Connor Levis (18) made it 3-1 just 2:17 later while shorthanded. F Ryan Hofer (38), on another PP, upped it to 4-1 at 15:41. . . . D Olen Zellweger (24), with his second of the game, gave Kamloops a 5-1 edge at 19:58. . . . The Blazers got three assists from F Logan Stankoven. . . . Hofer added two assists to his goal. . . . Kamloops (40-11-6) isn’t likely to catch Seattle atop the Western Conference so, as B.C. Division champ, will be the No. 2 seed when the playoffs open. . . . Kelowna (23-33-3) is eighth in the conference, six points behind Victoria and 12 ahead of Victoria. . . .

F Adam Mechura’s PP goal in OT gave the visiting Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . F James Stefan of the Winterhawks was given a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct at 19:45 of the third period for a hit on F Ethan Ernst. Mechura’s 21st goal of the season won the game at 2:35 of OT. . . . Tri-City F Jalen Luypen (12), who also had two assists, forced OT with a PP goal at 17:39 of the third period. . . . The Americans were 2-for-5 on the PP. Portland was 0-for-2. . . . D Lukas Dragicevic (15) had a goal and two assists for the winners. . . . Tri-City (28-24-7) had lost its previous three games. It is tied with Everett for fifth in the Western Conference, two points behind Prince George. . . . Portland (36-17-6) has lost nine in a row (0-7-2) and looks to be the conference’s No. 3 seed for the first round of the playoffs. . . .

F Chase Bertholet scored 28 seconds into OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 5-4 victory over the Cougars in Prince George. . . . The Cougars had opened the weekend doubleheader with a 5-2 victory on Friday night. . . . F Berkly Catton, who had two goals and two assists, had tied the game, 4-4, with his 19th goal at 6:44 of the third period. . . . Catton, who turned 17 on Jan. 14, was the first overall selection in the WHL’s 2021 draft. He now has 46 points in 54 games. . . . F Chase Wheatcroft (41) had given the Cougars a 4-3 lead at 5:11 of the third. . . . D Mac Gross had three assists for the Chiefs. . . . The Cougars got a goal (16) and two assists from D Ethan Samson. . . . Spokane lost F Grady Lane to a charging major and game misconduct at 19:42 of the second period. . . . Spokane (14-38-7) had lost its previous two games. . . . Prince George (30-24-5) is fourth in the Western Conference, two points ahead of Everett and Tri-City. . . .

G Brett Mirwald turned aside 34 shots to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 4-2 victory over the Royals in Victoria. . . . The Giants had doubled up on the Royals, 4-2, in Langley, B.C., on Friday. . . . Mirwald came up with 14 saves in the third period as his guys were outshot, 15-5. This season, the 19-year-old from Saskatoon is 6-8-5, 3.30, .907. . . . D Carson Haynes (3) had a goal, an empty-netter, and two assists for Vancouver. . . . The Giants won this one with three second-period goals. . . . F Skyler Bruce (12) tied it 1-1 just 56 seconds into the period. F Ty Thorpe (32) gave the Giants the lead at 13:24 and F Ty Halaburda (18) made it 3-1 at 14:46. . . . Vancouver (24-28-7) clinched a playoff spot with its third straight victory. It is seventh in the Western Conference and appears headed to a first-round meeting with Kamloops. . . . Victoria (15-39-7) has lost eight in a row (0-7-1) and is 12 points from a playoff spot with seven games remaining.

Eagles

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.

Cookies

Bedard’s legend grows and grows . . . Silvertips rout Winterhawks . . . Thunderbirds run winning streak to 11

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

THE BEDARD REPORT: So . . . what do you think? Is F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats one of those athletes who rises to the occasion, or what? . . . On Friday night, in a game being televised by TSN and with the highly touted F Zach Benson on the other side, Bedard scored four times and added an assist as the host Pats overcame a 3-0 deficit and posted a 5-3 victory. . . . Bedard has seven hat tricks this season — five three-goal outings and two four-goal games. . . . It was his second four-goal game this season and the third of his career. Last season, he had one three-goal game and one four-goal outing. . . . Bedard’s nine career hat tricks breaks the Pats’ record that he shared with F Jordan Eberle, who played four seasons. . . . Bedard now has 16 multi-goal games this season. . . . In his past eight games, he has 13 goals and 15 assists. . . . In 18 games since returning to the Pats from the World Junior Championship, where he led Canada to gold, Bedard has put up 31 goals and 24 assists. . . . In 123 career regular-season games, he now has 121 goals and 126 assists. . . . Bedard leads the WHL in goals (58) and points (119). And allow me to remind you once again that he won’t turn 18 until July 17. . . . Benson had two assists last night, giving him 61 this season. He is tied with Bedard and Ice D Ben Zloty for the league lead. . . . Next up for Bedard and the Pats? The Red Deer Rebels will be in Regina today with the Saskatoon Blades to visit on Sunday. . . .

And there’s more. . . . Chalk up at least two more sellouts to the Travellin’ Bedards. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes have said that their March 10 game against the Pats is sold out. . . . The Pats will go on to Medicine Hat the following night and the Tigers said Thursday that “a limited number of overflow tickets . . . are available now.” Overflow tickets? According to the tickets, overflow tickets “provide access into the venue but have no assigned seat or location.”

Grab

According to figures compiled by the WHL, the Saskatoon Blades’ average Saskatoonannounced attendance last season was 3,390. This season, through 28 home games, that average was at 3,876. . . . That number is going to go up simply because F Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats have two games left to play in Saskatoon. . . . Darren Zary of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix talked with Colin Priestner, the Blades’ president and general manager, about how things have gone this season. . . . That story is right here.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The U of Calgary Dinos scored a 3-2 OT victory over the Alberta Golden Bears in Game 1 of Canada West’s best-of-three men’s hockey championship on Friday. . . . F Josh Maser, who played four seasons (2016-20) with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, scored the winner at 5:41 of OT. . . . They are scheduled to play the second game tonight in Calgary. . . .

F Jaxsen Wiebe of the Prince George Cougars has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Wiebe was an undrafted free agent. . . . The contract calls for an NHL salary of US$775,000, with $80,000 in the minors. There also are signing bonuses of $80,000, $77,500 and $75,000. . . . Wiebe, 20, is from Moose Jaw. The Cougars acquired him from the Edmonton Oil Kings early in this season. He has 28 points, 11 of them goals, in 29 games with the Cougars. In six games with Edmonton, which he helped to a WHL title last season, he had three goals and an assist in six games. . . . In 159 career games — he also played 73 games with the Red Deer Rebels — he has 88 points, including 33 goals. The Rebels selected him in the seventh round of the WHL’s 2017 draft. . . .

D Christoffer Sedoff of the Red Deer Rebels has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. Sedoff, a 21-year-old from Helsinki, Finland, was an undrafted free agent. . . . The contract calls for a salary of US$870,000 in the NHL and $82,500 in the minors, with three $95,000 signing bonuses. . . . He is in his third season with the Rebels. This season, he has four goals and 42 assists in 54 games. Last season, he put up seven goals and 54 assists in 65 games. . . .

Brennan McConaghy has joined the Regina Pats as their interim athletic therapist. McConaghy, 29, has worked with the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos, the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves and the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . He takes over from Greg Mayer, who had been with the Pats for 19 years before joining the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders as their lead athletic therapist last week.

Stairs

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)

——

FRIDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:
The Red Deer Rebels broke open a scoreless game with four second-period goals, the first two via the PP, en route to a 6-3 victory over the Wheat Kings in Brandon. . . . F Ben King (16) scored both PP goals, at 6:43 and 8:26. . . . D Mats Lindgren helped out with a goal (10) and four assists for Red Deer. His first career five-point game has him at 27 points in 55 games. Lindgren, who came over from Kamloops prior to the season, had had six three-point games, but had never reached four. . . . F Nate Danielson scored his 30th goal of the season for Brandon. . . . D Christian Sedoff, who signed with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, was back in Red Deer’s lineup after serving a four-game suspension. . . . Red Deer (39-17-4) had lost its previous two games. The Rebels are headed to a Central Division title. . . . Brandon (23-27-8) is 10th in the Eastern Conference, three points from a playoff spot. . . .

In Everett, the Silvertips scored six times in the second period en route to a 10-3 victory over the Potland Winterhawks. . . . F Gabe Klassen (32), who had two Portland goals, got the Winterhawks to within one, at 2-1, at 9:53 of the first period. . . . Everett scored the next eight goals. . . . F Matthew Paszkiewicz scored his first goal for Everett and it proved to be the winner. A 17-year-old from Calgary, he scored in his 43rd game. . . . F Austin Roest (32) led Everett with a goal and three assists. D Dexter Whittle and F Ben Hammering each had three assists and F Raphael Pelletier (15) and F Caden Zaplitny (12) each scored twice. . . . F Jackson Berezowski scored his 40th of the season for the winners. . . . Everett (30-24-3) has won three in a row. It is fifth in the Western Conference, one point behind Prince George and two ahead of Tri-City. . . . Portland (36-17-5) has lost eight straight (0-7-1) and is headed to a second-place finish in the U.S. Division. . . .

The Kamloops Blazers unleashed a 53-shot attack in beating the visiting Kelowna Rockets, 8-1. . . . They’ll play again tonight, this time in Kelowna. . . . F Logan Stankoven’s 30th goal of the season, on a PP, got Kamloops started at 4:57 of the first period. The Blazers took a 4-0 lead into the second period, their fourth goal, at 14:17, off the stick of F Jakub Demek (1). . . . F Connor Levis (17) had a goal and two assists for Kamloops. . . . F Caedan Bankier (31) and F Ryan Hofer (37), both of whom signed NHL contracts this week, both scored for the Blazers. . . . F Ethan Neutens, a 17-year-old from Cochrane, Alta., scored his first WHL goal in his 53rd game for Kelowna. . . . Kamloops (39-11-6) will finish atop the B.C. Division. . . . Kelowna (23-32-3) had won its previous two games. It is eighth in the Western Conference, four points behind Vancouver and 12 ahead of Victoria. . . . The same two teams will do it again tonight, this time in Kelowna. . . .

The Medicine Hat Tigers built up a 5-0 second-period lead en route to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Tigers scored four times in the first period, two of them coming from F Brendan Lee (27). . . . F Tyler MacKenzie (17) had a goal and two assists in that outburst. . . . Edmonton D Rhys Pederson, a 16-year-old from Stettler, Alta., scored his first WHL goal; it came in his 28th game. . . . Medicine Hat (25-25-9) has won two straight. It is seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Regina and four ahead of Swift Current. . . . Edmonton (8-47-3) has lost 10 in a row. . . .

G Bryan Thomson blocked 31 shots to lead the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 3-0 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert. . . . Thomson has three shutouts this season and five in his career. He missed a lot of the early season due to injury, but now has made 16 appearances. He is 9-4-2, 2.14, .933. . . . The Hurricanes took control with second-period goals from F Tyson Laventure (20) and F Brayden Edwards (8). . . . Duane Bartley worked his 1,500 game as the Raiders’ athletic trainer/equipment manager. . . . Lethbridge (32-21-6) has won two in a row and has closed to within three points of fourth-place Moose Jaw in the Eastern Conference. . . . Prince Albert (25-30-3) is 11th, four points from a playoff spot. . . .

D Hudson Thornton scored twice to help the Prince George Cougars to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . Thornton, who has 20 goals this season, gave his guys a 1-0 lead at 3:43 of the first period and then snapped a 2-2 tie at 17:27 of the second. . . . Thornton is one of two defencemen with at least 20 goals; Olen Zellweger (22) of Kamloops is the other. . . . The Cougars scored once on the PP and twice while shorthanded. . . . F Carter Streek (15) had a goal and an assist for Spokane. . . . Prince George (30-24-4) is fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Everett. . . . Spokane (13-38-7) has lost two in a row. . . . They’ll complete the doubleheader tonight in Prince George. . . .

In Regina, the Pats erased a 3-0 second-period deficit and beat the Winnipeg Ice, 5-3. . . . D Carson Lambos (11) gave Winnipeg a 3-0 lead at 6:29 of the second period. . . . F Connor Bedard got Regina to within a goal with scores at 7:12 and 12:07 of the second, and F Tanner Howe, who also had two assists, tied it with his 30th goal at 18:43. . . . Bedard gave his guys the lead at 1:35 of the third and added the empty-netter at 19:38. . . . D Stanislav Svozil had three assists for the winners. . . . F Zach Benson of the Ice, who is second to Bedard in the scoring race, had two assists. . . . According to Rob Vanstone, who used to cover the Pats for the Regina Leader-Post, the Pats last beat the Ice on Feb. 20, 2019. Back then the Ice was playing out of Cranbrook. Regina had been 0-18-2 against the Ice since the franchise moved to Winnipeg. . . . Regina (30-24-3) has won five in a row and is sixth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Medicine Hat. . . . Winnipeg (48-9-1), which leads the Eastern Conference and the East Division, will wrap up a 10-game road swing with a game in Brandon tonight.  The trek started with seven straight victories, but the Ice now has lost two in a row. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades got to 40 victories for the 19th time in franchise history by beating the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors, 4-1. . . . F Egor Sidorov scored twice for Saskatoon, giving him 37 this season. . . . Saskatoon F Conner Roulette picked up one assist, the 100th of his career. It came in his 181st game, the first 131 of which were played with Seattle. . . . Saskatoon (40-13-5) has points in eight straight (7-0-1). It is second in the East Division, 10 points behind Winnipeg. . . . Moose Jaw (35-22-3) has lost three in a row. It is fourth in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of Lethbridge. . . .

The Seattle Thunderbirds scored the game’s last three goals to beat the Tri-City Americans, 4-1, in Kennewick, Wash. . . . F Gracyn Sawchyn (18) broke a 1-1 tie at 15:09 of the second period and F Lucas Ciona (26) added insurance at 17:55 of the third. . . . F Kyle Crnkovic had a goal (28) and an assist, running his career points total to 280 in 266 games, the first 210 with the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Americans had D Jackson Smith, 15, the second overall selection in the WHL’s 2022 draft, in their lineup for the third time this season. He plays for the U18 prep team at the Edge School in Calgary. . . . Seattle (46-9-2) has won 11 straight and leads the Western Conference by 10 points over Kamloops. . . . Tri-City (27-24-7) has lost three in a row. It is sixth in the conference, two points behind Everett. . . .

The Vancouver Giants scored two goals 57 seconds apart early in the second period and went on to a 4-2 victory over the Victoria Royals in Langley, B.C. . . . They’ll finish their two-game weekend series tonight in Victoria. . . . F Karen Gronick (4) opened the scoring at 1:31 of the second period and F Ty Halaburda (17) made it 2-0 at 2:28. . . . Victoria twice came to within a goal but couldn’t equalize. . . . F Samuel Honzek (21) had Vancovuer’s other two goals. . . . Vancouver was without F Kyle Bochek, who drew a five-game suspension for a cross-checking major and game misconduct he incurred on Wednesday night in Prince George. He also is a repeat offender; this is his third suspension totalling 12 games this season. . . . Vancouver (23-28-7) has won two straight. It is seventh in the Western Conference, four points ahead of Kelowna. . . . Victoria (15-38-7) has lost seven in a row (0-6-1). It is 12 points from a playoff spot with eight games to play.

Bottle

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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

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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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