As was suggested might happen here earlier in the week, the Everett Silvertips have 
added F Lucas Cullen, 19, to their roster. . . . Cullen spent the season with the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors, putting up 50 points, including 26 goals, in 49 regular-season games, then adding seven goals and three assists in seven playoff games. . . . Cullen is from Kelowna. The Calgary Hitmen selected him in the fifth round of the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. He played 48 games with them over three seasons, scoring four times and adding five assists.
D Ty Mueller announced via Twitter that he has made a commitment to the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks starting with the 2021-22 season. Mueller, who turned 16 on Feb. 26, is from Cochrane, Alta. He played this season with the midget AAA Airdrie CFR Bisons, putting up 10 goals and 24 assists in 34 games. . . . He also had one goal in two games with the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers. . . . Mueller was selected by the Prince George Cougars in the third round of the WHL’s 2018 bantam draft.
D Tyler Bates of the Calgary-based Edge School midget prep team, has committed to the Colorado College Tigers for the 2021-22 season. . . . Bates, 16, was picked by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 11th round of the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. . . . This season, he had two goals and 26 assists in 35 games with Edge School. He also had three assists in four games with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits.
The MJHL’s Winkler Flyers are looking for a head coach after announcing that they won’t 
be renewing Steve Mullin’s contract. Mullin spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Flyers, then took over as head coach prior to this season when Ken Pearson stepped aside to focus on his general manager’s duties. The Flyers and Pearson parted company on Feb. 19, he since has been named GM and head coach of the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives. . . . This season, the Flyers finished 23-32-5 and missed the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 1981. . . . Jeff Jeanson has taken over the general manager’s duties.
The midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos are looking for a new head coach following the resignation of Ken Morrison. This season, Morrison drew a seven-game suspension following Game 1 of the playoffs. According to Jeff D’Andrea of panow.com, Morrison became involved in an argument with the on-ice officials after the game. “Morrison received two games for the argument itself against the officials,” D’Andrea wrote, “four games for being a repeat offender, and another game for the misconduct coming within the last 10 minutes of the game.” . . . The Mintos’ season ended on Sunday as they lost a best-of-five series in five games to the Saskatoon Blazers. . . . Assistant coach Bryan Swystun ran the Mintos’ bench in Morrison’s absence. . . . Morrison played four seasons (1982-86) in the WHL — the first three plus 15 games with the Prince Albert Raiders and the last 57 games with the Kamloops Blazers. In his final season, he scored 83 goals in 72 games, including 69 in 57 games with Kamloops. That season, he finished with 150 points.
A GoFundMe page has been launched in an attempt to help Lyle Frank and his mother.
Here’s what is on the page:
“Lyle came to the West Kootenays as a 19-year-old junior hockey player. He played his career for the junior B Beaver Valley Nitehawks of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, and loved the area and people so much that he made the Kootenays his home.
“He has coached minor hockey, plays commercial league hockey and got an apprenticeship at Curlew Refrigeration because of his tremendous work ethic. Just last week, Lyle, who will be 24 on April 8, donated a kidney. He initially hoped he would be a match for his Mom, but when he wasn’t he still decided to donate.
“Lyle and his Mom will be off work for the next few months recovering. If you can find it in your heart to help this extraordinary young man, please donate to or give a cash donation at the Smokies games and BV Nitehawks games.”
The GoFundMe page is right here.
Lyle played for the KIJHL-champion Nitehawks in 2013-14 and through 2015-16. He gave a kidney through the Kidney Paired Donation (KPD) program, where he donates one, but only if his mother gets one from someone else in the program.
Here’s wishing the best to both of them. And, yes, Lyle is a hero!
There’s more on the KPD program right here.
WEDNESDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
The Moose Jaw Warriors struck for the game’s first three goals en route to a 6-2 victory 
over the Wheat Kings in Brandon. . . . Moose Jaw (38-20-8) will finish third in the East Division and meet the Saskatoon Blades in a first-round series. . . . Brandon (30-28-8) has lost four in a row. It is four points from a playoff spot with only two games remaining. . . . Moose Jaw won the season series, 5-3-1; Brandon was 4-4-1. . . . Moose Jaw went ahead 3-0 on first-period goals from F Yegor Buyalski (6), at 3:46; F Brayden Tracey (36), at 12:56; and F Tristin Langan (51), on a PP, at 14:30. . . . The Wheat Kings got to within a goal as F Stelio Mattheos (44) scored, at 14:54 of the first period, and F Caiden Daley (9) counted at 1:41 of the third. . . . The Warriors put it away with the game’s last three goals, the final two into an empty net. . . . F Daemon Hunt (6), who is from Brandon, added insurance at 5:53. . . . D Dalton Hamaliuk and F Cameron Sterling (1) got the empty-netters. . . . Moose Jaw got 29 saves from G Adam Evanoff. . . . G Jiri Patera stopped 25 shots for Brandon. . . . Tracey was unsuccessful on a first-period penalty shot with his guys ahead, 2-0.
G Isaac Poulter stopped 33 shots to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 2-0 victory over the Pats in Regina. . . . Swift Current (11-49-6) had lost its previous 18 games (0-15-3). This was the Broncos’ fifth regulation-time victory this season. . . . Regina (18-45-3) has lost six in a row. . . . The Pats’ loss means the bottom three teams in the final standings will be Regina, the Kootenay Ice and Swift Current. Those are the three teams that will have a shot at the first pick in the 2019 bantam draft, but the Prince George Cougars hold the Broncos’ pick and the Saskatoon Blades own Regina’s selection. When the draft lottery is held, it will feature the six non-playoff teams, but a team is only allowed to move up two spots. . . . Swift Current and Regina split the season series, 3-3-0. . . . Poulter, a 17-year-old freshman from Winnipeg, posted his first career shutout. He is 3-20-1, 4.25, .891. . . . F Joona Kiviniemi (6) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 12:38 of the first period, and F Ethan O’Rourke (11) iced it, on a PP, at 18:27 of the third period. . . . G Max Paddock stopped 31 shots for Regina. . . . Broncos F Tanner Nagel was in the lineup despite having been hit with a charging major and game misconduct during this club’s last game, a 6-0 loss to the visiting Prince Albert Raiders on Sunday. It would seem the WHL didn’t deem the infraction to have been all that serious. . . . D Alex Moar and F Owen Blocker won’t play again this season for the Broncos, who had F Dawson Springer in the lineup for his second WHL game. Springer played this season with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos, whose season has ended. . . . Regina, which dressed only 16 skaters, was without F Duncan Pierce and F Logan Nijhoff, neither of whom is likely to play again this season. . . . If you keep track of such things, note that Swift Current head coach Dean Brockman wasn’t at this one. He was away on a scouting trip, so assistant coach Brandin Cote, a Swift Current native, recorded his first WHL coaching victory. (A tip of the Taking Note fedora to Shawn Mullin for that last note.)
F Brett Kemp scored three times and added an assist to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 
7-4 victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels. . . . Medicine Hat (34-26-6) has won two in a row and has clinched a wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. . . . Red Deer (33-27-6) has lost two straight. It holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points behind Medicine Hat and four ahead of Brandon, which has two games remaining. . . . Medicine Hat won the season series, 6-0-0. . . . F Jeff de Wit (17) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 7:48 of the first period, only to have F James Hamblin (33) tie it at 8:04. . . . F Zak Smith (13) put Red Deer back out front 57 seconds into the second period. . . . The Tigers took control with the next three goals, in a span of 3:29, from F Ryan Chyzowski, at 3:19, and two from Kemp, on a PP at 4:20 and at 6:48. . . . F Josh Tarzwell (11) got the Rebels to within a goal at 11:35. . . . Chyzowski (26) restored the two-goal lead, on a PP, at 12:59, and Kemp (31) completed his first career WHL hat trick at 7:26 of the third period. . . . F Brandon Hagel (41), who also had two assists, got Red Deer’s fourth goal, at 9:03. . . . F Logan Christenssen (7) finished Medicine Hat’s scoring at 13:07. . . . Hamblin and Chyzowski added two assists apiece. . . . Medicine Hat F Elijah Brown, who was injured in a Feb. 28 practice, was back in the lineup. . . . Red Deer F Alex Morozov sat out as he completed a two-game suspension. . . . The Rebels, of course, are without D Alex Alexeyev (knee). . . . Medicine Hat scratched F Bryan Lockner (ill).
F Brodi Stuart scored once and added four assists as the host Kamloops Blazers coasted 
to an 8-0 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Kamloops (27-32-7) has won four in a row. The Blazers are fourth in the B.C. Division, one point behind the Kelowna Rockets, who got a loser point last night. Kamloops will play home-and-home with the fifth-place Prince George Cougars on Friday and Saturday, while the Rockets finish with a home-and-home set with the first-place Vancouver Giants. . . . The third-place finisher will open a first-round series in Victoria on March 22. . . . Victoria (33-29-4) has lost four straight. . . . Victoria won the season series, 5-3-1; Kamloops was 4-5-0. The Blazers won the last three games in the series. . . . Stuart went into the game with 19 goals and 14 assists in 65 games, then enjoyed his first career five-point outing. He now has 20 goals and 18 assists. . . . The Blazers took a 1-0 lead into the second period on Stuart’s goal at 12:51 of the first period. Kamloops then put it away with five second-period goals. . . . F Josh Pillar finished with his seventh goals and three assists, while F Zane Franklin had two goals, giving him 28. . . . F Jermaine Loewen (26), who also had two assists, F Connor Zary (28), F Kyrell Sopotyk (12) and F Ryley Appelt (4) also scored. . . . G Dylan Garand, 16, made his fourth straight start for the Blazers, who have won all four of those games. Garand, a freshman from Victoria, is starting because Dylan Ferguson was injured in a 6-0 loss the visiting Vancouver Giants on March 6. . . . On the season, Garand, who stopped 22 shots, is 10-7-2, 2.89, .904 with one shutout. . . . Victoria dressed 15 skaters, three under the maximum, and that included D Kaden Reinders and D Noah Lamb, both of whom are APs. The Royals scratched nine skaters — D Ralph Jarratt, D Jameson Murray, D Scott Walford, D Matt Smith, F Tyus Gent, F Sean Gulka, F Kody McDonald, D Jake Kustra and F Kaid Oliver.
F Owen Williams scored off a 2-on-1 at 1:32 of OT to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 6-5 
victory over the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Seattle (29-29-8) has clinched the Western Conference’s second wild-card berth, meaning all five U.S. Division teams will be in the playoffs for a second straight season. The Thunderbirds will play the conference’s top seed, either the Vancouver Giants or Everett Silvertips, in the first round. Seattle will open that series on the road on March 22. . . . Tri-City (34-26-6) has lost two in a row (0-1-1). It will finish in the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Seattle went 4-2-2 in the season series; Tri-City was 4-3-1. . . . The Thunderbirds held a 4-2 lead eight minutes into the third period, then watched as the Americans scored three times to take the lead. . . . Seattle forced OT at 16:04 when F Nolan Volcan completed a hat trick with his 26th goal. . . . F Nolan Yaremko had given the Americans a 1-0 lead 31 seconds into the second period. . . . Yes, the first period was scoreless. . . . Seattle took a 2-1 lead on goals from Volcan, at 3:53, and F Matthew Wedman, on a PP, at 13:09. . . . Tri-City tied it at 15:02 when F Krystof Hrabik got No. 20. . . . Seattle took the 4-2 lead as Wedman (39) scored, on a PP, at 0:28 of the third period, and Volcan counted at 4:59. . . . Tri-City went ahead 5-4 on goals from F Parker AuCoin (41), on a PP, at 8:18; F Sasha Mutala (20), at 9:15; and Yaremko (27), on a PP, at 15:23. . . . The Thunderbirds got four assists from F Henri Rybinski. He’s got seven goals and 24 assists in 31 games since being acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Wedman added one assist to his two goals. . . . The Americans got two assists from each of Hrabik and AuCoin, with Yaremko getting one.
F Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who has scored in nine straight games, snapped 34 seconds into 
OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 6-5 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . Spokane (38-21-7) is third in the U.S. Division, three points behind the Portland Winterhawks, each with two games remaining. . . . Spokane will finish home-and-home with the Tri-City Americans, while Portland goes home-and-home with the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Kelowna (26-32-8) has lost three in a row (0-1-2) and now is only one point ahead of the fourth-place Kamloops Blazers in the B.C. Division, each with two games remaining. . . . The Chiefs went 3-0-1 in the season series; the Rockets finished 1-2-1. . . . Spokane led this one 5-2 with fewer than 10 minutes left in the third period. . . . F Nolan Foote (36) got Kelowna to within two goals at 10:49. . . . The Rockets tied it on goals from D Kaedan Korczak (4), at 17:31, and F Kyle Topping (23), on a PP, at 19:20. . . . The Chiefs got the game’s first goal at 0:12 of the first period when F Jack Finley, who is from Kelowna, scored his ninth goal. . . . Foote tied it at 3:54. . . . Anderson-Dolan, who has 20 goals, gave Spokane a 2-1 lead at 8:39, and F Luke Toporowski (20) added to the lead at 17:26. . . . F Ethan McIndoe (15) made it 4-1 at 3:11 of the second period. . . . F Michael Farren (3) scored for Kelowna at 1:58 of the third, only to have D Nolan Reid (16) reply for the Chiefs at 10:03. . . . Anderson-Dolan now shares the club record for longest goal-scoring streak with F Adam Helewka (2014-15), F Marian Cesar (1997-98), F Brent Gilchrist (1986-87) and F Terry Perkins (1985-86). . . . Korczak added three assists to his goal, while Foote had an assist so finished with three points. . . . F Luc Smith and D Filip Kral were among Spokane’s scratches. . . . The Rockets are without D Lassi Thomson, who is in concussion protocol. He hasn’t played since taking a hit from Kamloops F Jermaine Loewen in the Blazers’ 2-1 shootout victory on home ice on Friday night. . . . Kelowna also was without F Mark Liwiski, as he completed a three-game suspension.
including this weekend’s home-and-home series with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Liwiski drew a three-game suspension after taking a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on Portland F Seth Jarvis during a 4-3 victory over the visiting Winterhawks on Sunday. . . . The Rockets are to play in Kamloops tonight, with the Blazers in Kelowna on Saturday night. . . . Liwiski, who has 10 goals and six assists in 58 games, also will miss Kelowna’s game on Wednesday against the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Rockets are third in the B.C. Division, seven points ahead of the Blazers.
Glass, F Seth Jarvis and D Matt Quigley — were listed as “week-to-week” by GM/head coach Mike Johnston going into this week. . . . Danzer writes that Glass “has experienced some nagging discomfort in the knee he injured in late January.” Glass has missed Portland’s past three games. . . . Quigley has missed eight games with an undisclosed injury. . . Jarvis was injured during a 4-3 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Sunday. Kelowna F Mark Liwiski received a boarding major and game misconduct on the play, and since has been suspended for three games by the WHL. . . . The Winterhawks have added D Ryan Miley to their roster since his team, the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles, had its season come to an end. Miley, 18, is from Brooking, S.D. He had one goal and four assists in 43 games with the Eagles. He was pointless in one game with Portland last season.
Lamb — to their roster. . . . They both played in Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Reinders had been with the midget AAA Grande Prairie Storm. He was a third-round pick in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. He is pointless in nine WHL games, six of them this season. . . . Lamb played for the midget AAA Edmonton Knights of Columbus Pats. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2017 bantam draft, and has played two WHL games, both this season. . . . 
Medicine Hat flavour. . . . The Class of 2019, as revealed on Thursday, includes Bob Ridley, the only play-by-play voice in the Tigers’ history, along with the 1986-87 and 1987-88 Tigers, the only team from Alberta to have won back-to-back Memorial Cup titles. . . . Ridley celebrated 50 years with CHAT in Medicine Hat last year. He has done more than 3,900 Tigers games and until recently doubled as the team’s bus driver. . . . Also to be inducted are Theo Fleury, who won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames, an Olympic gold medal and also played four seasons (1984-88) with the Moose Jaw Warriors; Shirley Cameron, a player, coach and builder of women’s hockey in Alberta; Kevin Lowe, who won six Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers and two Olympic gold medals; and Duncan MacDougall, who is being recognized for “four decades of involvement at the grassroots level of the officiating program in Edmonton.” . . . The AHHF Awards Gala is scheduled for July 21 at the Coast Hotel in Canmore.
Canada as part of its Program of Excellence management group. . . . Millar will, according to a news release, “advise and support the Canadian contingents at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and 2020 IIHF U18 World Championship.” . . . This will be Millar’s second consecutive season with the program. . . . At the same time, Hockey Canada announced that Martin Mondou, the GM of the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes, will “guide and support three teams at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Medicine Hat and Swift Current.” . . . Mark Hunter, the general manager of the OHL’s London Knights, will take over the U-20 program and Canada’s national junior team. Hunter spent four seasons with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs as director of player personnel (2014-16) and assistant GM (2016-18) before returning toe London. He is likely to get at least some consideration as the next GM of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. As well, the expansion Seattle franchise likely will have him on its list of possible general managers. . . . 
three-year entry-level contract. . . . Dewar, from The Pas, Man., was a third-round pick by the Wild in the NHL’s 2018 draft. The 19-year-old is the Silvertips’ captain. . . . This season, Dewar has career highs in assists (41) and points (75), in 54 games. He has 34 goals, four shy of his career high. . . . In 265 regular-season games, Dewar has 97 goals and 94 assists. . . . He has added 14 goals and 15 assists in 41 playoff games. . . . Everett selected him in the fifth round of the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft.
over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Saskatoon (42-14-8) has won five in a row. . . . The Blades won for the 12th time in 13 games and clinched second place in the process. That gives them home-ice advantage in what almost certainly will be a first-round series with the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw (25-19-8) is third in the East Division, 14 points behind the Blades with six games remaining. . . . F Tristin Langan (48) gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead just 56 seconds into the game. . . . Schuldhaus, who has seven goals, tied the game at 15:02, then put his guys out front at 6:24 of the second period. . . . F Justin Almeida (27) got the Warriors into a 2-2 tie, while shorthanded, at 11:55. . . . Blades D Dawson Davidson broke the tie with his 11th goal, on a PP, at 12:15. . . . F Kirby Dach (24) iced it at 19:17. . . . G Nolan Maier earned the victory with 26 saves. . . . G Brodan Salmond also stopped 26 shots for the Warriors.
the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . With the victory, Prince Albert (51-9-4) clinched the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy that goes to the WHL team with the best regular-season record. The only other time in franchise history when the Raiders had the league’s best record was in their Memorial Cup-winning season of 1984-85. . . . The Raiders’ first-round playoff opponent hasn’t yet been decided. . . . Swift Current (10-46-6), the WHL’s defending champion, has lost 15 games in a row (0-12-3). . . . The Raiders and Broncos will meet again Friday in Prince Albert and Sunday in Swift Current. The Broncos also will meet the Blades in Saskatoon on Saturday. . . . Scott put up his sixth shutout of the season and the ninth of his career. He has tied the franchise’s single-season record and shares it with Luke Siemens (2012-13) and Rejean Beauchemin (2003-04). . . . D Sergei Sapego (9) got the Raiders started at 5:30 of the first period. . . . F Dante Hannoun (29) made it 2-0 at 7:00 and the Raiders never were threatened. . . . F Justin Nachbaur, who turned 19 on Monday, added two goals, giving him 18, with F Aliaksei Protas (11) and F Eric Pearce (7) also scoring. . . . Hannoun also had two assists. . . . The Ice got 33 stops from G Riley Lamb. . . . The Raiders had D Max Martin back after he sat out six games, while F Parker Kelly returned after serving a three-game suspension.
Kootenay Ice, 7-0, in Cranbrook, B.C. . . . Brandon (30-24-8) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). The Wheat Kings moved into a tie with the Red Deer Rebels for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Kootenay (12-42-10) has lost three in a row. It has been blanked five times this season, with three of them coming on home ice. . . . The Ice has two homes games remaining, on March 15 and 17, before it leaves Cranbrook for Winnipeg. . . . Patera, an 18-year-old freshman from Praha, Czech Republic, stopped 29 shots. He is 22-15-5, 3.20, .910. . . . The Wheat Kings got two goals from each of F Baron Thompson and F Luka Burzan. . . . Thompson, who has eight goals, made it 1-0 at 9:11 of the first period. . . . Burzan, who has 37 goals, upped it to 2-0 at 16:06. . . . F Ridley Greig (14), F Stelio Mattheos (41) and F Connor Gutenberg (15) also scored for Brandon, which is 1-1-1 on a six-game trip through the Central Division while the Tim Hortons Brier — the Canadian men’s curling championship — is being played in its home arena. . . . Burzan added an assist for a three-point game. . . . Kootenay D Martin Bodak has played his final WHL game. He is returning to his native Slovakia to write a mandatory high school exam, so will miss the Ice’s final four games. . . . Bodak, 20, put up 11 goals and 14 assists in 58 games this season. In 117 regular-season games over two seasons, he had 18 goals and 38 assists.
Spokane Chiefs, 3-1. . . . Everett (45-14-4) has points in seven straight games (6-0-1). It leads the Western Conference by two points over Vancouver, but the Giants have one game in hand. While Everett is idle tonight, the Giants are to meet the Blazers in Kamloops. . . . Spokane (35-20-7) had points in each of its past six games (5-0-1). It is third in the U.S. Division, five points behind the Portland Winterhawks. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (15) gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 8:40 of the second period. He has goals in five straight games. . . . D Ronan Seeley got the Silvertips even with his first career WHL goal, at 1:38 of the third period. . . . F Dawson Butt (8) broke the tie at 3:33, and F Reece Vitelli (10) added insurance at 16:03. . . . Seeley, the 20th overall pick in the 2017 bantam draft, scored in his 48th career game, all of them this season. . . . Everett got 24 saves from G Dawson Wolf, who won for the 40th time this season. He now is 40-13-3, 1.71, .936. . . . G Bailey Brkin turned aside 24 shots for the Chiefs.
victories by one team in a 68-game regular season, a reader responds:
complications related to epilepsy. He was 18.
Deer Rebels, 1-0. . . . Saskatoon (41-14-8) has won four in a row. It will finish second in the East Division. . . . Red Deer (31-25-6) had points in each of its previous three games (2-0-1). It remains in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and two ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Maier stopped 17 shots in recording his fourth shutout of the season and sixth of his career. On Friday, Maier made 19 saves in a 4-0 victory over the Pats in Regina. . . . This season, Maier is 33-10-6, 2.66, .909. . . . The Blades held a 33-17 edge in shots, including 10-0 in the third period. . . . F Cyle McNabb (7) scored the game’s lone goal, at 6:37 of the second period. . . . Saskatoon was 0-4 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-3. . . . The Rebels got 32 saves from G Ethan Anders.
visiting Kootenay Ice. . . . Calgary (35-22-6) has points in six straight (5-0-1). It is third in the Central Division, four points behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes and six behind the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Hitmen have five games remaining, with three of them against the Oil Kings. . . . Kootenay (12-41-10) has lost two in a row. . . . On Friday, in Cranbrook, B.C., the Hitmen beat the Ice, 5-2. . . . On Sunday, Focht opened the scoring, on a PP, at 2:16 of the first period. . . . The Ice tied it at 10:19 when F Connor McClennon (12) scored on a PP. . . . The Hitmen took control with the next three goals. . . . F Ryder Korczak (8) counted, on a PP, at 18:07, before second-period goals from F Josh Prokop, at 5:17, and Focht, at 8:19. . . . D Martin Bodak (11) scored for the visitors at 10:14. . . . Calgary iced it with third-period goals from Prokop (9), at 4:28, and Focht (23), shorthanded, at 16:03. . . . Calgary was 2-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 1-8. . . . The Hitmen got 36 saves from G Carl Stankowski. . . . Focht has been on a tear of late, with 16 points, including seven goals, on a six-game point streak. He had a four-goal game on Feb. 27 as the Hitmen beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos, 9-3. He now has 58 points in 63 games. . . . Calgary went 3-0-0 in playing three times in fewer than 48 hours over the weekend. The Ice went 1-2-0 in doing the same thing.
Giants a 5-4 victory over the Kamloops Blazers in Langley, B.C. . . . Vancouver (44-14-4) has points in six straight (5-0-1). It is tied with the Everett Silvertips, who also are 44-14-4, atop the Western Conference. . . . Kamloops (23-31-7) has lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . . Things couldn’t have gone much worse for the Blazers this weekend as they try to catch either the Kelowna Rockets or Seattle Thunderbirds for a playoff spot. On Saturday, the Blazers lost, 5-4 in regulation to the visiting Giants, while the Thunderbirds and Rockets both lost in OT, so picked up loser points. Last night, with the Blazers getting a loser point, Kelowna and Seattle both posted regulation-time victories. . . . The Blazers are fourth in the B.C. Division, now seven points behind the Rockets. Kamloops also is seven points behind Seattle, which holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Giants and Blazers will play again in Kamloops on Wednesday. . . . On Sunday, F Milos Roman gave the Giants a 1-0 lead at 9:39 of the first period. . . . The Blazers promptly took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Jerzy Orchard (1), at 10:33, and F Brodi Stuart, on a PP, at 19:00. . . . The Giants went up 3-2 as F Tristen Nielsen (13) scored, at 1:56 of the second period, and D Dylan Plouffe (6) counted, on a PP, at 3:28 of the third. . . . Stuart (19), who is from Langley, tied it, on a PP, at 7:42. . . . Roman (27) put the Giants ahead, again, at 17:02, on a PP. . . . The Blazers forced OT when F Jermaine Loewen (24) scored at 18:01. . . . Byram won it 29 seconds into extra time. . . . Byram’s 24th goal of the season tied the franchise’s single-season record for goals by a defenceman that was set by Kevin Connauton in 2009-10. . . . Byram, who also had two assists, now has 66 points in 62 games. Eight of his goals have been game-winners. . . . Byram’s fifth OT winner of the season tied the WHL record that was set by F Eric Fehr of the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2004-05 and equalled by Kamloops F Deven Sideroff in 2016-17. . . . Roman added two assists to his brace of goals, giving him the third four-point game of his career. On Friday night, he had a goal and three assists in a 7-4 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets. Roman now has 56 points in 56 games this season. . . . The Blazers got three assists from F Luke Zazula. . . . The Giants got 22 stops from G David Tendeck, four fewer than the Blazers’ Dylan Garand. . . . Vancouver was 2-3 on the PP; Kamloops was 2-4. . . . D Jackson Caller was out of Kamloops’ lineup after needing some dental work after being struck in the face by a puck on Saturday night. . . . Both teams were playing their third game in fewer than 48 hours — the Giants went 3-0-0; the Blazers finished 0-2-1.
Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Kelowna (27-30-6) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). . . . Portland (38-19-6) is headed to a second-place finish in the U.S. Division. With Portland’s loss, the Everett Silvertips clinched first place in the division for the seventh time in the franchise’s 16-season history. . . . On Saturday, the Winterhawks beat the host Rockets, 2-1, in OT. . . . Kelowna held a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by F Ted Brennan (2), at 6:00, and F Leif Mattson (22), at 7:13. . . . F Josh Patterson (22) got the Winterhawks to within a goal at 12:39 of the second. . . . Kelowna went up 3-1 at 1:53 of the third period on a PP goal by D Lassi Thomson (17). . . . Portland tied it on PP goals from F Jake Gricius (24), at 7:26, and D Brendan De Jong (7), at 13:58. . . . Wilton won it with his fourth goal of the season. . . . Portland outshot Kelowna, 30-19, including 13-7 in the first period. . . . Kelowna G Roman Basran stopped 27 shots, 12 more than Portland’s Shane Farkas. . . . Portland was 2-4 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-2. . . . Kelowna lost F Mark Liwiski to a boarding major and game misconduct at 2:07 of the third period. . . . The Winterhawks were without F Cody Glass again, but had De Jong back in the lineup. . . . Kelowna went 1-1-1 in playing three times in fewer than 48 hours. Portland did the same thing and was 1-2-0.
assists, leading the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 6-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans in Kent, Wash. . . . Seattle (26-28-8) has points in five straight (3-0-2). . . . Tri-City (33-25-4) has lost five in a row (0-4-1). . . . F Sasha Mutala (18) gave the Americans a 1-0 lead at 4:07 of the first period. . . . Seattle scored the game’s next three goals. . . . Wedman got it started, on a PP, at 13:20. . . . F Andrej Kukuca (25) broke the tie, at 4:22 of the second period, and F Brecon Wood (3) made it 3-1 at 7:56. . . . The Americans got to within a goal when F Krystof Hrabik (18) scored, on a PP, at 13:17. . . . The Thunderbirds responded with three more goals, from Wedman (37), on a PP, at 17:07; F Graeme Bryks (1), at 2:58 of the third period; and F Henri Rybinski (7), just seven seconds later. . . . Tri-City’s final goal came from F Parker AuCoin (38), on a PP, at 7:30. . . . Tri-City was 2-6 on the PP; Seattle was 2-7. . . . Seattle went 2-0-1 in playing three times in fewer than 48 hours on the weekend. Tri-City did the same thing and went 0-2-1.
headshot major and game misconduct on Friday night.
victories when the Penticton Vees beat the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, 4-0, on Saturday. . . . The Vees also clinched their eighth straight regular-season Interior Division title with the the victory. . . . Harbinson is in his 12th season with Penticton. He joins Harvey Smyl (New Westminster Royals, Chilliwack Chiefs, Langley Chiefs, 1990-2012), Kent Lewis (Powell River Kings, Nanaimo Clippers, 1990-2018) and Bill Bestwick (Nanaimo Clippers, Victoria Warriors, Cowichan Valley Capitals, Victoria Grizzlies, 1989-2014) as BCHL coaches with 500 victories. . . . Harbinson took over as the Vees’ general manager and head coach prior to 2007-08 after five seasons as an assistant coach with the St. Cloud State Huskies. The Vees have him signed through the 2023-24 season.
Warriors to a 5-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Moose Jaw (33-16-8) has won two in a row. It is third in the East Division, 10 points behind the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Regina (18-39-3) had won its previous two games. . . . Moose Jaw leads the season series, 5-1-0. . . . Langan finished with two goals, giving him 44, and an assist; Tracey scored his 30th goal and added two assists. . . . Langan opened the scoring, on a PP, at 9:19 of the first period. . . . Tracey made it 2-0 at 16:18. . . . The Pats tied it on second-period goals from D Brady Pouteau (4), on a PP, at 1:06, and F Garrett Wright (6), at 11:41. . . . After going 11 games without a goal, Wright has scored in two straight games, and has three goals in five games. He’s a 17-year-old freshman from Mesa, Ariz. . . . The Warriors took control with a pair of goals in the last 1:39 of the period. . . . D Josh Brook (15) broke the tie at 18:21, and Langan made it 4-2 at 19:18. . . . Moose Jaw got its final goal from F Carson Denomie (4), a Regina native, at 14:57 of the third period. . . . Regina was without F Sebastian Streu, who took a hard hit from F Mark Kastelic of the Calgary Hitmen on Friday night. Kastelic was given a boarding major and game misconduct on the play and was suspended for two games on Saturday. . . . For an interesting read, click on the tweet at the top of this piece and read the comments. . . . 
victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Prince Albert (49-8-3), which clinched the East Division pennant for the first time since 1999 with the victory, has won three in a row. . . . The Raiders, who also will finish atop the Eastern Conference, have tied the 1971-72 Calgary Centennials for most victories in a 68-game regular season. . . . Brandon (29-23-7) had won its previous six games. It holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and two ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Raiders won the season series, 4-1-1; the Wheat Kings were 2-4-0. . . . The Wheat Kings came out winners the last two times these teams met, winning 5-4 in OT in Prince Albert on Feb. 15, and 6-3 in Brandon the next night. . . . The Raiders got out to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from F Noah Gregor, at 2:37, and F Ozzy Wiesblatt (15), at 11:33. . . . Brandon D Vince Iorio scored his first WHL goal at 12:24. . . . The Raiders got the next five goals, from F Jakob Brook (6), Gregor, who now has 37, F Parker Kelly (30), F Sean Montgomery (27), on a PP, and Fonstand (27). . . . This was Fonstad’s second career four-point game. . . . Wiesblatt added two assists to his goal, and Gregor also had an assist for a three-point game. . . . The Raiders had a 48-16 edge in shots, including 23-4 in the second period and 13-5 in the third. . . . Brandon F Lynden McCallum left early in the second period with an apparent shoulder injury. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos left for a bit after absorbing a hit from Raiders D Brayden Pachal late in the second period. The two fought later, and Mattheos, Brandon’s leading scorer, didn’t play in the third period. . . . The Raiders lost Kelly at 15:48 of the third period as he took a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit that sent Brandon F Marcus Sekundiak to the dressing room. . . . Raiders D Max Martin sat out a third straight game. . . . Brandon was without F Linden McCorrister (ill) for a second game in as many nights. . . . Prior to the game, the Raiders announced that they had returned F Cole Nagy to the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers and G Brett Balas to the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks.
2013. The Blades clinched a playoff spot with a 4-3 shootout victory over the visiting Kootenay Ice. . . . Saskatoon (38-14-8) is second in the East Division and is likely to meet the Moose Jaw Warriors in the first round. . . . Kootenay (11-38-10) has lost eight in a row (0-6-2). . . . The Blades took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F Kristian Roykas Marthinsen (12), who had gone 15 games without a goal, at 6:57, and F Gary Haden (28), at 14:20. . . . F Jaeger White (25) got the Ice on the scoreboard at 18:21. . . . D Reece Harsch (4) stretched Saskatoon’s lead to 3-1 at 5:05 of the second period. . . . Kootenay tied it on third-period goals by F Brad Ginnell (14), at 10:05, and F Jakin Smallwood (12) at 13:16. . . . Ginnell also had two assists. . . . Saskatoon F Kyle Crnkovic scored the only goal of the three-round shootout. . . . Saskatoon G Dorrin Luding stopped 34 shots, four fewer than Kootenay’s Jesse Makaj. . . . According to Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Blades, Saskatoon has opened the scoring in 41 of 60 games. . . . Saskatoon F Max Gerlach had his point streak snapped at 15 games. He had 13 goals and 12 assists over that stretch. . . . Saskatoon D Nolan Kneen was back in the lineup after a one-game absence. . . . The Ice scratched D Martin Bodak with an undisclosed injury. He had played Friday night in a 4-0 loss to the Raiders in Prince Albert.
Swift Current. . . . Calgary (31-22-6) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). It is third in the Central Division, six points behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes and one ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Swift Current (10-42-5) has lost 10 in a row (0-8-2). . . . The Hitmen were 3-6 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-3. . . . Calgary got out to a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F Luke Coleman (19), at 6:58, and D Devan Klassen (1), at 7:56. . . . F Joona Kiviniemi (15) scored for the Broncos, on a PP, at 10:05. . . . Calgary F Carson Focht, who had four assists, was in on Calgary’s next three goals, by F Kaden Elder (24), on a PP, F Ryder Korczak (7), on another PP, and D Jackson van de Leest (1). . . . F James Malm (26), who also had two assists, scored Calgary’s final goal. . . . Focht enjoyed the second four-point game of his career. . . . Klassen, a 17-year-old from Crooked Creek, Alta., got his first goal in his 38th game, 29 of them this season. Van de Leest, a 17-year-old from Kelowna, was the 16th overall pick in the 2016 bantam draft. His first goal of this season — and second of his career — came in his 58th game of 2018-19. He has played in 101 career games. . . . Calgary was without F Mark Kastelic, who began a two-game suspension. . . . The Hitmen revealed Saturday afternoon that F Cael Zimmerman will be out weekt-to-week with an unidisclosed injury. He now has missed three games since last playing on Feb. 16 in a 5-3 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat. Zimmerman, a sophomore who turned 18 on Jan. 17, has seven goals and 18 assists in 56 games.
Red Deer. . . . Edmonton (34-18-8) has won three in a row. It leads the Central Division by two points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who hold a game in hand. . . . Red Deer (29-24-5) has lost five straight and is 1-9-2 in its last 12 outings. It is two points behind the Brandon Wheat Kings, who hold the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Edmonton is 5-1-1 in the season series; Red Deer is 2-5-0. . . . On Friday, the Oil Kings had beaten the visiting Rebels, 2-1. . . . F Vince Loschiavo (28) gave the Oil Kings a 1-0 lead at 12:09 of the first period, and F Parker Gavlas (1) made it 2-0 at 15:54. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky (30) upped it to 3-0, on a PP, at 9:01 of the second period, and F Andrei Pavlenko (8) made it 4-0 at 1:37 of the third. . . . D Ethan Sakowich (2) scored while shorthanded to get Red Deer on the scoreboard at 2:27, only to have Edmonton F Vladimir Alistrov (10) get that one back at 5:13. . . . Red Deer got another shorthanded goal, this one from F Oleg Zaytsev (12), at 19:57. . . . Edmonton was 1-7 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-4. . . . Edmonton enjoyed a 36-23 edge in shots, including 16-7 in the second period. . . . F Josh Williams (ill) was among Edmonton’s scratches. He had played in Friday’s game.
Hurricanes to a 5-0 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat. . . . Lethbridge (32-17-10) has won three in a row. It is second in the Central Division, two points behind the Edmonton Oil Kings and with a game in hand. . . . Medicine Hat (31-24-5) has lost six straight. It is fourth in the Central Division, one point behind the Calgary Hitmen. The Tigers
victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Spokane (31-19-7) had lost three in a row (0-2-1). The Chiefs and Americans now are tied for third in the U.S. Division, with Spokane having a game in hand. . . . Tri-City (33-22-3) had won its past two games. . . . The Americans are 6-3-0 in the season series; the Chiefs are 3-5-1. . . . F Adam Beckman (26) gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 9:19 of the second period. . . . Tri-City F Nolan Yaremko (23) tied it at 16:33. . . . Zummack got the winner, his 14th goal of the season, at 3:32 of the third period. . . . Spokane was 1-4 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-3. . . . G Reece Klassen stopped 24 shots for Spokane, four fewer than Tri-City’s Beck Warm, who was making his 100th regular-season appearance. . . . The Americans scratched F Kyle Olson, who has 62 points in 53 games. He had played Friday in a 4-2 victory over the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
Royals a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Victoria (31-25-3) is second in the B.C. Division, eight points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . With the loser point, Vancouver (40-14-4) wrapped up the B.C. Division pennant for the first time since 2009-10. The Giants are four points behind the Everett Silvertips, who lead the Western Conference. Vancouver has two games in hand. . . . The teams will meet again this afternoon in Victoria to complete the tripleheader weekend. The Giants won, 4-0, in Langley, B.C., on Friday night. . . . Vancouver is 5-2-2 in the season series; Victoria is 4-4-1. . . . Last night, F Milos Roman (23) gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 8:48 of the first period. . . . Victoria responded with the next three goals, by F Brandon Cutler (11), at 2:56 of the second period; F Kody McDonald (18), at 3:41; and F Dino Kambeitz (9), shorthanded, at 3:22 of the third. . . . Vancouver pulled even on goals from F Jadon Joseph (17), at 10:49, and F Davis Koch (24), at 15:51. . . . Victoria went back in front as F Logan Doust (6) scored, at 17:21. . . . The Giants got to OT as F Jared Dmytriw (15) scored, at 19:17. . . . With Vancouver shooting first, Dmytriw and McDonald traded goals in the shootout’s third round, and F Lukas Svejkovsky and Cutler did it in the fourth round, before Schultz won it. . . . D Bowen Byram had three assists for the Giants, with Joseph adding two assists to his goal. . . . Byram has 21 goals and 37 assists in 58 games. . . . The Royals got 38 saves from G Griffen Outhouse, while G Trent Miner blocked 20 shots for Vancouver. . . . The Giants listed G David Tendeck as a scratch for personal reasons. He was in goal for the Giants on Friday. . . . With Tendeck out, the Giants had Braedy Euerby, a 16-year-old from Delta, B.C., backing up Miner. Euerby plays for the Delta Hockey Academy’s prep team. He was selected by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2017 bantam draft. . . . Vancouver also had F Zack Ostapchuk in the lineup. Ostapchuk, 15, is from St. Albert, Alta., and plays for the Northern Alberta X-Treme prep team. This was his fifth game of the season with the Giants, who took him with the 12th overall selection of the 2018 bantam draft. . . . Victoria D Ralph Jarratt, who has battled injuries for most of this season, was back in the lineup after last playing on Feb. 2.
visiting Prince George Cougars. . . . Everett (42-14-4) has points in four straight games (3-0-1). It leads the U.S. Division by eight points over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Prince George (17-36-7) had snapped a 17-game losing skid (13-0-4) with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Blazers in Kamloops on Friday night. The Cougars have eight games remaining and are 14 points from a playoff spot. . . . Everett played twice in Prince George earlier in the week, winning both games by the same 4-1 score. . . . Everett went 4-0-0 in the season series, outscoring the Cougars, 20-6. . . . last night, the Silvertips got first-period goals from D Wyatte Wylie (10), on a PP, at 6:08; F Zack Andrusiak (37), at 6:24; and F Jackson Berezowski (11), on a PP, at 17:52. . . . F Robbie Holmes (11) made it 4-0, on another PP, at 2:59 of the second period. . . . F Matéj Tomas scored for the Cougars at 5:12, but the Silvertips got that one back at 6:19 as F Bryce Kindopp scored. . . . Kindopp added his 36th goal at 2:23 of the third period. . . . Toman got his second of the game and seventh of the season at 10:16, and F Josh Maser (24) got the Cougars’ last goal at 17:31. . . . D Gianni Fairbrother had three assists for Everett. . . . The Silvertips were 3-5 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-4. . . . Everett outshot the visitors, 47-29, including 24-8 in the first period. . . . Cougars D Cole Moberg, who didn’t finish Friday’s 2-1 shootout victory over the Blazers in Kamloops, was scratched from this one. . . . Everett was without F Martin Fasko-Rudas, F Connor Dewar, F Riley Sutter and F Dawson Butt, all of whom are injured.
that the sophomore defenceman has suffered another concussion and this one is “potentially career-ending.”
season AJHL record with 54 victories. The Bandits now are 54-3-0, and have won an AJHL-record 30 straight games. . . . The Bandits, under general manager/head coach Ryan Papaioannou, also have set the AJHL record for home victories (29) in one season. . . . The 2012-13 Bandits finished 53-4-3 en route to winning a national championship. . . . The 1976-77 Red Deer Rustlers won 28 straight home games. . . . The Bandits are the host team for the 2019 national junior A championship tournament, May 11-19.
victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades. . . . Brandon (29-22-7) has won six in a row, and has moved into a playoff spot. It now holds the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point ahead of the Red Deer Rebels and one point behind the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Saskatoon (37-14-8) had won seven in a row and had at least a point in each of its previous 13 games (11-0-2). The Blades are second in the East Division and appear destined to finish there. . . . F Ryan Hughes (13) put the visitors ahead 1-0 at 2:18 of the first period, but the Wheat Kings scored the next five goals. . . . F Ridley Greig (13) tied it at 11:32, with D Zach Wytinck (5) breaking the tie at 15:11. . . . Brandon then added three second-period goals — from F Luka Burzan (35), at 4:03; F Caiden Daley (6), at 4:46; and F Stelio Mattheos (40), at 10:20. . . . F Max Gerlach (37) got Saskatoon’s other goal, on a PP, at 4:47 of the third period, but Brandon F Ben McCartney (19) got that one back, shorthanded, at 10:39. . . . Gerlach ran his point streak to 15 games. He’s got 13 goals and 12 assists in that stretch. . . . Brandon got 37 saves from G Jiri Patera, who has won six straight. His work included a first-period stop on F Gary Haden on a penalty shot with the visitors ahead, 1-0. . . . The Blades had D Aidan De La Gorgendiere back in their lineup after he hadn’t played since Feb. 2. . . . D Nolan Kneen was among Saskatoon’s scratches. Saskatoon head coach Mitch Love told Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Blades, that Kneen is “nicked up.” . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Linden McCorrister (ill).
Albert Raiders to a 4-0 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Prince Albert (48-8-3) has won two in a row, and leads the overall standings by 13 points over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Kootenay (11-38-9) has lost seven straight (0-6-1). . . . Scott stopped 21 shots to earn his fifth shutout of this season. He has eight shutouts in his career, four of them against the Ice, including the first three. . . . Leason drew the primary assists on the Raiders’ first, second and fourth goals. . . . D Brayden Pachal (14) gave the hosts a 1-0 lead at 7:59 of the first period, and F Sean Montgomery made it 2-0 at 12:18. . . . F Ozzy Wiesblatt (14) added a second-period goal, and Montgomery (26) added a shorthanded score in the third. . . . The Ice got 26 saves from G Curtis Meger, who made 27 appearances with the Raiders last season.
Calgary Hitmen. . . . Regina (18-38-3) has won two in a row and five of their past eight. . . . Calgary (30-22-6) has lost two straight (0-1-1). It is fourth in the Central Division, one point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. Calgary also holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, one point ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . F Mark Kastelic (43) gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 5:52 of the first period, only to have Regina take a 2-1 lead on goals from F Garrett Wright (5), at 7:31, and F Duncan Pierce (8), at 10:13. Pierce had missed the previous eight games. . . . F James Malm pulled Calgary even at 18:26, on a PP. . . . The Pats went ahead 4-2 on second-period goals from F Austin Pratt (23), on a PP, at 5:06, and F Carter Massier (4), shorthanded, at 8:56. . . . The Hitmen tied it before the period ended, on goals from D Vladislav Yeryomenko (5), at 15:27, and Malm (25), on a PP, at 18:08. . . . Nijhoff won it with his seven goal just 30 seconds into OT. . . . Kastelic, who added two assists to his goal, left with a boarding major and game misconduct at 8:06 of the third period. . . . Regina got 37 saves from G Dean McNabb. . . . Ice G Jack McNaughton stopped 25 shots.
Broncos, 4-2, in Swift Current. . . . Moose Jaw (32-16-8) is headed for a third-place finish in the East Division, and a first-round meeting with the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Swift Current (10-41-5) has lost nine in a row (0-7-2). . . . The Broncos took a 1-0 lead when F Ethan Regnier (9) scored, on a PP, at 5:12 of the first period. . . . Almeida (24) tied it, on a PP, at 11:23. . . . F Tristin Langan (42) gave the Warriors a 2-1 lead at 13:22 of the second period, only to have Broncos F Tanner Nagel (11) tie it, on a PP, at 16:23. . . . F Brayden Tracey scored the Warriors’ last two goals, breaking the tie, on a PP, at 13:14, getting an empty-netter, at 19:43. . . . Tracey now has 29 goals in his freshman season. . . . Almeida added two assists to his goal. . . . Moose Jaw was 3-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 2-3. . . . The Warriors held a 37-13 edge in shots., including 14-2 in the first period and 13-5 in the third. 
Myskiw en route to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels. . . . Edmonton (33-18-8) has won two in a row. It leads the Central Division by two points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Red Deer (29-23-5) has lost four in a row and now is one point out of a playoff spot. . . . These same teams will play again tonight in Red Deer. . . . The Oil Kings got first-period goals from F Scott Atkinson (10), at 8:56, and F David Kope (11), at 15:24. . . . F Brandon Hagel (34) scored for Red Deer, at 14:29 of the second period. . . . Red Deer G Ethan Anders stopped 26 shots.
to beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-3. . . . Lethbridge (31-17-10) has won two in a row. It is second in the Central Division, two points behind the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Medicine Hat (31-23-5) has lost five in a row. It is third in the Central Division, five points behind Lethbridge. . . . The same teams will meet again tonight, this time in Medicine Hat. . . . The Tigers took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F Corson Hopwo, at 3:43, and F Ryan Chyzowski (20), on a PP, at 6:05. . . . Lethbridge tied it before the period ended, on goals from F Jake Elmer (30), at 10:45, and F Logan Barlage (13), on a PP, at 13:41. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn (34) gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead at 3:34 of the second period, and F Taylor Ross (30) made it 4-2 at 12:27. . . . Hopwo (6) got the Tigers to within a goal at 15:10. . . . F Jordy Bellerive iced it for Lethbridge with a pair of third-period goals — at 14:50, on a PP, and into an empty net at 19:27. Bellerive has 27 goals. . . . The Hurricanes got three assists from F Nick Henry. . . . Lethbridge was 2-6 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-8. . . . The Tigers had F Hayden Ostir (knee) back after he had been out since Jan. 4, but they are without F Ryan Jevne.
the Blazers in Kamloops. . . . Prince George (17-35-7) hadn’t won since beating the visiting Kelowna Rockets, 4-0, on Jan. 12. . . . The Cougars are 13 points out of a playoff spot with nine games remaining. . . . Kamloops (22-28-6) is fourth in the B.C. Division, five points behind the Kelowna Rockets. They’ll play in Kelowna tonight. . . . Kamloops is four points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds, who hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Blazers are 6-0-1 in the season series; the Cougars are 1-5-1. . . . F Josh Maser gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 8:13 of the first period. . . . The Blazers tied it when F Zane Franklin (26) scored at 13:16 of the third period. . . . Kamloops had a 19-5 edge in third-period shots. . . . The Cougars scored the only goals of the shootout from F Ethan Browne and F Vladislav Mikhalchuk. . . . The Cougars got 41 saves from G Taylor Gauthier, while G Dylan Ferguson stopped 31 shots for Kamloops. . . . The Cougars lost D Cole Moberg to an undisclosed injury during the game. . . . Things don’t get any easier for the Cougars, who are to meet the U.S. Division-leading Silvertips in Everett tonight. . . . Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen takes a look at the Cougars’ woes 
Winterhawks, 4-2, in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Tri-City (33-21-3) has won two in a row. It is third in the U.S. Division nine points behind Portland and two ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Portland (36-17-6) had points in each of its previous four games (3-0-1). It is second in the U.S. Division, nine points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Americans won the season series, 7-1-0. . . . Tri-City F Parker AuCoin (37) ran his point streak to 10 games by giving his guys a 1-0 lead just 47 seconds into the game. . . . Portland took a 2-1 lead on first-period goals from D Jared Freadrich (11), at 10:52, and F Cody Glass (15), at 12:59. . . . Tri-City F Krystof Hrabik (16) tied it at 15:30. . . . F Samuel Huo (6) broke the tie at 15:32 of the second period, and F Nolan Yaremko (22) iced it with an empty-netter at 19:00 of the third period. . . . Tri-City was 0-4 on the PP; Portland was 0-1. . . . G Beck Warm stopped 34 shots for the winners, while Portland got 27 stops from Joel Hofer. . . . Warm stopped Portland F Joachim Blichfeld, who leads the WHL in goals and points, on a penalty shot at 3:00 of the third period to preserve a 3-2 lead. . . . The Winterhawks remain without D Nolan De Jong.
Victoria Royals in Langley, B.C. . . . Vancouver (31-24-3) is atop the B.C. Division by 20 points over Victoria. . . . Victoria (30-25-3) looks to be headed to a second-place finish in the B.C. Division. . . . This was the first of three straight games between these teams, as they will clash again tonight and Sunday afternoon in Victoria. . . . Vancouver leads the season series, 5-2-1; Victoria is 3-4-1. . . . The Giants’ first two goals came from defencemen Kaleb Bulych (3), at 11:15 of the second period and Seth Bafaro (6), at 19:45. . . . The winner got insurance in the third period from F Lukas Svejkovsky (7) and F Justin Sourdif (18). . . . Tendeck posted his 20th victory of this season and the 50th of his career. This season, he is 20-10-2, 2.41, .911, with four shutouts. He has seven shutouts in his career. . . . The Royals got 30 saves from G Brock Gould.
Silvertips in Everett. . . . Seattle (24-28-6) holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, four points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Everett (41-14-4) has points in three straight (2-0-1). It leads the U.S. Division by eight points over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Everett held 1-0 and 2-1 leads. . . . D Wyatte Wylie (9) made it 1-0 at 16:49 of the first period. . . . Seattle tied it on a goal by F Nolan Volcan (20) at 4:36 of the second period. . . . F Jalen Price (6) put Everett back into the lead at 6:46. . . . F Andrej Kukuca (22) forced OT with a PP goal at 11:25 of the third period. . . . Tyszka won it with his seventh goal at 2:24 of OT. . . . Seattle was 1-5 on the PP; Everett was 0-2. . . . G Roddy Ross stopped 39 shots for Seattle. . . . Everett got 27 saves from Dustin Wolf. . . . Seattle lost D Cade McNelly to a headshot major and game misconduct at 7:18 of the second period. Everett F Martin Fasko-Rudas had to be helped off the ice after the hit. . . . Everett F Connor Dewar was scratched for a third straight game.
best of his five WHL seasons, with 46 points, including 19 goals, in 41 games when he was injured. . . . 
with general manager Ken Pearson. . . . He had been the Flyers’ general manager and head coach for seven seasons (2011-18), before stepping aside as head coach prior to this season. . . . Jeff Jeanson has been named the interim general manager. . . . Steve Mullin took over as the Flyers’ head coach after working as Pearson’s assistant coach. . . . When Pearson stepped aside as the Flyers’ head coach, he had more regular-season victories (519) than any coach in MJHL history. Blake Spiller of the Portage Terriers passed Pearson earlier this season. . . . Winkler (22-29-5) is ninth in the 11-team league, four points out of a playoff spot with four games remaining.
Prince George. . . . The Silvertips had beaten the host Cougars by that same score on Monday. . . . Everett (41-14-3) has won two straight. It leads the Western Conference by four points over the Vancouver Giants, who hold two games in hand, and leads the West Division by seven points over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Prince George (16-35-7) now has lost 17 in a row (0-13-4). . . . F Ethan Browne (9) gave the Cougars the lead at 5:56 of the first period. . . . F Zack Andrusiak (36) pulled Everett even at 17:29 of the second period, and F Bryce Kindopp (34) broke the tie at 3:46 of the third. . . . The Silvertips put it away on two goals from Reece Vitelli, at 17:36 and 18:28 of the third. Vitelli, who has nine goals, put the second one into an empty net. . . . The Cougars were 1-3 on the PP; the Silvertips never had even one opportunity. . . . Everett held a 37-17 edge in shots, including 14-5 and 16-5 in the first and second periods, respectively. . . . G Dustin Wolf earned the decision over G Taylor Gauthier. . . . Everett was without F Connor Dewar (ill) for a second straight game. . . . D Sahvan Khaira was back in Everett’s lineup after serving a one-game suspension. He played in his 302nd career regular-season game.
victory over the Red Deer Rebels in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Tri-City (32-21-3) move into third place in the U.S. Division, one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Red Deer (29-22-5) has lost three in a row. It holds the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points behind the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Americans hustled home for this one after losing 3-1 in Kamloops on Monday afternoon. The Rebels hadn’t played since Saturday, so were well-rested. . . . The Rebels finished their U.S. Division swing at 1-3-1. . . . F Brandon Hagel (33) gave Red Deer a 1-0 lead 28 seconds into the first period. . . . Tri-City F Parker AuCoin tied it, on a PP, at 5:18. . . . The Rebels went ahead 3-1 on goals from F Chris Douglas (13), at 13:43 of the first period, and F Brett Davis (18), on a PP, at 1:12 of the third period. . . . The Americans pulled even on goals from F Riley Sawchuk (17), at 4:17, and F Sasha Mutala (16), at 5:17. . . . AuCoin (35) scored on a PP at 6:43 for a 4-3 lead. . . . F Kyle Olson (21), at 16:42, and F Krystof Hrabik (15), into an empty net, at 18:20 put it away. . . . Olson also had two assists. . . . G Beck Warm stopped 36 shots to earn the victory.
George on Monday as he sat out a one-game suspension that, according to the WHL, was “as a result of actions at Seattle” on Saturday night. . . . As almost always happens in these situations, the WHL didn’t make any further comment and no one else is talking. . . . However, one person who was at the game told Taking Note that Khaira had become involved in something and that “a number of police went rushing back stage” somewhere between five and 10 minutes after the three stars had been announced. . . . The Thunderbirds won the game, beating the Silvertips, 4-1, in Kent, Wash. . . . Seattle took 66 of the game’s 130 penalty minutes, with 96 of those minutes handed out in the game’s final 13 seconds. . . . Khaira, 20, began his WHL career with the Thunderbirds, playing 77 games with them before being dealt to the Swift Current Broncos. The Silvertips acquired him from the Broncos on July 30, sending F Ethan O’Rourke and a third-round pick in the 2020 WHL bantam draft the other way.
for a 4-3 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Prince Albert (47-8-3) had lost two in a row (0-1-1). The Raiders will finish atop the East Division and the Eastern Conference. . . . Moose Jaw (31-16-8) remains third in the East Division, 12 points behind the Saskatoon Blades and with three games in hand. . . . Prince Albert is 4-1-0 in the season series; Moose Jaw is 1-3-1. . . . The Raiders got two goals and two assists from F Noah Gregor. . . . F Ozzy Wiesblatt (13) made it 1-0 at 10:14 of the first period, and Gregor upped it to 2-0 at 15:06. . . . F Sean Montgomery (24) made it 3-0, on a PP, at 18:00. . . . Gregor’s 35th goal got it to 4-0 at 4:08 of the second period. . . . The Warriors made it interesting with three third-period goals — one from F Tristian Langan (41), at 8:31, and two PP scores from freshman F Brayden Tracey, at 18:31 and 19:54. . . . Tracey now has 27 goals. . . . The Raiders had a 40-23 edge in shots, including 20-6 in the first period. . . . The Raiders again were without G Ian Scott and F Brett Leason, both of whom have missed five games. They also scratched D Max Martin, who was struck on the helmet by a puck on Saturday. . . . Prince Albert had F Cole Nagy in the lineup. Nagy, 17, plays for the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers, and has 25 goals and 38 assists in 39 games. He played one game with the Raiders earlier in the season.
went on to beat the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-0. . . . Edmonton (32-18-8) leads the Central Division, by two points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Medicine Hat (31-22-5) has lost four in a row. It is third in the Central Division, three points behind Lethbridge and two ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The season series? Edmonton is 4-0-1; Medicine Hat is 1-2-2. . . . Edmonton G Dylan Myskiw stopped 38 shots to post his first career WHL shutout. . . . Myskiw’s shutout came in his 77th regular-season appearance, 38 of them with Edmonton. This season, he is 21-11-5, 2.74, .908. . . . Andrew Peard, the radio voice of the Oil Kings, tweeted that Myskiw now is 9-0-1, 2.14, .935 in starts against the Tigers, including playoffs. . . . F Scott Atkinson (9) gave the Oil Kings a 1-0 lead at 2:30 of the first period. . . . F Andrew Fyten (15) made it 2-0 just 21 seconds later. . . . F Vladimir Alistrov (9), who also had two assists, upped it to 3-0 at 4:14. . . . F Quinn Benjafield (12), on a PP, and F Vince Loschiavo (27) added third-period goals for Edmonton.
victory over the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook, B.C. . . . Lethbridge (30-17-10) is second in the Central Division, two points behind the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Kootenay (11-37-8) has lost five straight. . . . Lethbridge won the season series, 6-0-0. . . . After this one, the Ice’s stay in Cranbrook has five games remaining, all of them in March, and then it’s off to Winnipeg. . . . F Jaeger White (23) gave the Ice a 1-0 lead at 17:28 of the first period, and F Davis Murray (9) made it 2-0 at 2:37 of the second. . . . The visitors went ahead 3-2 on second-period goals from F Dylan Cozens (28), shorthanded, at 11:07; F Jordy Bellerive (26), on a PP, at 13:01; and F Jake Elmer (29), on another PP, at 13:38. . . . Cozens hadn’t scored in his previous 10 games. He also came up short on a first-period penalty shot. . . . Elmer ran his goal-scoring streak to six games; he has nine goals in that stretch. . . . F Taylor Ross (28), on a PP, and F Nick Henry (22) added insurance at 8:07 and 17:14 of the third period, respectively. . . . Henry also had two assists. . . . Lethbridge D Caden Addison had three assists for the second time in three games. . . . The Hurricanes were 3-5 on the PP; the Ice was 0-7. . . . Kootenay G Duncan McGovern, who last played on Jan. 6 but hasn’t been listed as injured, was on the bench backing up starter Curtis Meger. G Jesse Makaj was scratched. . . . McGovern, an 18-year-old from Winnipeg, hadn’t even dressed for a game since Jan. 6. . . . Lethbridge outshot Kootenay, 48-29, including 38-19 through two periods.
over the Cougars in Prince George. . . . Everett (40-14-3) has won 40 games for a third straight season. It leads the Western Conference by two points over the Vancouver Giants, and has a seven-point lead over the Portland Winterhawks atop the U.S. Division. . . . Prince George (16-34-7) has lost 16 in a row (0-12-4). . . . The Silvertips took a 2-0 lead on
the host Swift Current Broncos, 4-1. . . . Saskatoon (33-13-8) has points in nine straight (7-0-2). It leads the season series, 6-1-0. . . . The Blades are second in the East Division, six points ahead of the Moose Jaw Warriors, who have three games in hand. . . . Swift Current (10-38-4) has lost five straight (0-4-1). . . . While the Blades enjoyed Friday off, the Broncos played in Brandon and didn’t get home until 4 a.m. Because the Saturday game was part of a Hockey Day in Canada celebration in Swift Current, it started at 5 p.m. CT. . . . After a scoreless first period, F Gary Haden (26) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 9:29 of the second. . . . F Tyler Lees (2) tied it for the Broncos at 10:12. That was his first goal in nine games since the Broncos acquired him from the Victoria Royals with whom he had one goal in 27 games. . . . Saskatoon F Riley McKay broke the tie at 8:34 of the third period. He has nine goals in 54 games with the Blades, after totalling seven in 113 over two seasons with the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Blades got insurance from F Max Gerlach (33), at 17:46, and F Cyle McNabb (6), into an empty net, at 19:41. . . . G Nolan Maier stopped 24 shots for Saskatoon, 10 fewer than the Broncos’ Isaac Poulter. . . . Broncos D Matthew Stanley didn’t play after the first period, while Saskatoon F Kirby Dach, who will be a first-round selection in June’s NHL draft, left late in the second period after being struck by a puck in the throat area. A Blades official told Taking Note last night that Dach “will be fine” and that taking him out of the game was “precautionary.”
beat the Hurricanes, 6-5, in Lethbridge. . . . Prince Albert (45-7-2) has won four in a row. It leads the Eastern Conference by 18 points over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Lethbridge (27-16-10) had points in each of its previous three games (2-0-1). It is third in the Central Division, one point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and two behind the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The victory provided Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid with the 500th regular-season victory of his WHL career. . . . For someone who played the game with offensive flair, it was only fitting that Habscheid’s milestone victory should come in a game with 11 goals. . . . F Jake Elmer (22) gave the home boys a 1-0 lead at 5:42 of the first period. . . . The Raiders responded with three straight goals, from F Eric Pearce (6), at 12:40; F Parker Kelly (25), on a PP, at 1:48 of the second period; and Fonstad, again, at 7:25. . . . Lethbridge roared back with three goals of its own, from D Ty Prefontaine (2), at 8:59; D Igor Merezhko (4), at 13:53; and F Jake Leschyshyn, at 16:24. . . . F Sean Montgomery (22) got the Raiders into a 4-4 tie at 18:50. . . . Leschyshyn broke the tie with his 31st goal, shorthanded, at 5:57 of the third period. . . . The Raiders tied it at 6:05 as F Ozzy Wiesblatt (22) scored, on a PP. . . . Fonstad won it with his 26th goal of the season. . . . One night earlier, Fonstad had two goals and three assists in an 8-2 victory over the Hitmen in Calgary. He now has 60 points, including 26 goals, in 54 games. . . . F Nick Henry had three assists for Lethbridge. . . . With G Ian Scott given the night off, Boston Bilous started for the Raiders and made 29 stops, two fewer than Lethbridge’s Carl Tetachuk. . . . The Raiders also had F Tyson Laventure in their lineup. Laventure, who turned 16 on Jan. 28, is from Lloydminster, Alta., and plays for the OHA Edmonton prep team. He played in three games with the Raiders right before the Christmas break. Laventure was a second-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft. . . . F Justin Nachbaur of the Raiders completed a three-game suspension by missing this one.
the Rebels in Red Deer. . . . Moose Jaw (30-13-8) has won two straight. It is third in the East Division, six points behind the Saskatoon Blades with three games in hand. . . . Red Deer (28-19-4) has lost five in a row (0-4-1). It holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, one point ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. Red Deer also is fourth in the Central Division, four points behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Warriors have been outshot 98-46 in their last two games, and have won both games. They beat the host Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-3 in OT on Friday night, despite being outshot, 50-25. . . . F Brayden Tracey (24) got Moose Jaw’s first goal, at 13:03 of the second period. . . . F Tristin Langan (39) made it 2-0 at 16:44. . . . F Brett Davis (17) got Red Deer’s goal, but it didn’t come until 19:19 of the third period. . . . Red Deer was credited with winning 46 of the game’s 71 faceoffs. . . . Evanoff now is 15-8-3, 2.54, .919. . . . Red Deer F Brandon Hagel broke the franchise’s career record for assists when he earned No. 162 on Davis’s goal. The previous record had been held by F Arron Asham (1994-98). . . . Warriors D Jett Woo missed this one as he completed a two-game suspension. 
over the Medicine Hat Tigers in Kent, Wash. . . . Seattle (21-26-6) had lost its previous two games. It holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, three points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Medicine Hat (30-18-5) has points in four straight games (3-0-1). It is second in the Central Division, one point behind the Edmonton Oil Kings and one ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Tigers, who opened a U.S. Division swing with a 1-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips on Friday, held a 3-1 lead in this one. . . . They got their first goal from F James Hamblin (30), on a PP, at 8:15 of the first period. . . . F Andrej Kukuca tied it at 11:58 of the second. . . . Medicine Hat went ahead 3-1 on goals from F Tyler Preziuso (19), at 18:18 of the second, and F Ryan Chyzowski (19), at 4:51 of the third. . . . Kukuca (18) pulled Seattle to within a goal at 10:18, and D Jake Lee (4) tied it at 13:15. . . . Wedman won it with his 27th goal of the season. . . . Kukuca also had two assists, meaning he was in on all four Seattle goals. . . . The 19-year-old Slovakian freshman has 43 points in 47 games. . . . F Ryan Jevne had three assists for the Tigers. . . . G Roddy Ross stopped 27 shots for Seattle, with Medicine Hat getting 36 stops from Jordan Hollett. . . . Seattle was without D Simon Kubicek, who left in the first period of Friday’s game, and remains without F Nolan Volcan, the team captain.
Kootenay Ice. . . . Spokane (29-17-6) has points in six straight (5-0-1). It is third in the U.S. Division, five points ahead of the Tri-City Americans. . . . Kootenay (11-34-8) has lost three in a row. . . . The Chiefs swept the season series, 5-0-0; Kootenay was 0-4-1. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (8) and Finley gave the Chiefs an early 2-0 lead, with goals at 3:08 and 5:47 of the first period. . . . D Martin Bodak got the Ice on the scoreboard at 7:03. . . . Spokane got the next two goals, from F Riley Woods (26), on a PP, at 9:04, and Finley (8), at 4:34 of the second period. . . . Bodak (8) scored again at 8:52. . . . D Bobby Russell (4) rounded out the scoring for the Chiefs, at 18:03. . . . Russell, who played last season with Kootenay, has scored three of his four goals against the Ice.
Everett Silvertips beat the Portland Winterhawks, 5-0. . . . Everett (38-13-2) leads the U.S Division by seven points over Portland. . . . With the victory, Everett clinched a playoff spot for the 16th straight season, meaning it has been in the playoffs in every season that it has been in the WHL. . . . The Winterhawks (33-16-5) are seven points ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Everett leads the season series, 6-3-0; Portland is 3-5-1. . . . After a scoreless first period, the Silvertips struck four times in the second, including twice on the PP and once while shorthanded. . . . D Jake Christensen got it started, on a PP, at 5:31. . . . F Bryce Kindopp (30) scored while shorthanded at 14:27, and F Max Patterson (13) made it 3-0 on a PP at 18:49. . . . Christensen scored Everett’s last two goals, at 19:26 of the second and 8:08 of the third, the latter coming via a PP. He’s got 12 goals. . . . Not only did Christensen score his first career hat trick, it was the first three-goal game by a defenceman in franchise history. . . . F Zack Andrusiak helped out with three assists. . . . Wolf now has 10 career shutouts. This season, he leads the WHL in victories (34), GAA (1.77), save percentage (.933) and shutouts (6). . . . Portland was shut out for the first time this season. . . . G Joel Hofer stopped 48 shots for Portland, which remains without F Cody Glass (knee). . . . The Winterhawks lost D Brendan De Jong to an apparent left knee injury in the first period. He wasn’t able to put any weight on his left leg as he was helped off the ice following a hit into the end boards in Portland’s zone.
B.C., and a Sunday afternoon appointment with the B.C. Division-leading Vancouver Giants.
another brain injury forced him to retire from the Trail Smoke Eaters. . . . An alternate captain, Chernenkoff, 20, now is a member of the Trail coaching staff. . . . “It wasn’t really a hard decision to make,” Chernenkoff told Jim Bailey of the Trail Times. “It was a decision made for me by the doctors. It was a hard pill to swallow so I took a couple days to come to terms with it myself, and then transitioning into the coaching and being with the team made it easier for me to make that transition.” . . . Bailey’s story is 
visiting Swift Current Broncos, 3-2. . . . Brandon (23-21-7) had lost its previous two games. It now is six points from a playoff spot. . . . Swift Current (10-37-4) has lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . The Wheat Kings, who were 0-6 on the PP, fired 55 shots at Broncos G Riley Lamb, who is from Rivers, which is 30 km northwest of Brandon. . . . F Baron Thompson (6) gave Brandon a 1-0 lead at 17:49 of the first period, and D Braden Schneider (8) made it 2-0 at 13:48 of the second. . . . F Joona Kiviniemi (13) got Swift Current’s first goal, at 18:48. . . . F Ethan O’Rourke (10) got the Broncos to OT with a goal at 18:40 of the third period. Yes, Lamb was on the bench for the extra attacker at the time. . . . McCartney, the second shooter in the first round, got the winner. . . . Brandon had a 21-6 edge in first-period shots, and it was 19-6 in the second period. . . . Brandon remains without G Jiri Patera (leg), but did get back D Braydyn Chizen from suspension and F Linden McCorrister from an undisclosed injury.
skated to an 8-2 victory over the Calgary Wranglers (aka Calgary Hitmen). . . Prince Albert (44-7-2) has won three in a row and leads the East Division by 18 points over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Calgary (27-20-5) had points in each of its previous seven games (6-0-1). It is fifth in the Central Division, one point behind the Red Deer Rebels. The Hitmen also hold down the Eastern Conference’s second-wild card spot. . . . This was the third game of the three-game Corral Series in which the Hitmen saluted the three teams that have called the Corral home — the Centennials, Cowboys and Wranglers. . . . The Raiders swept the four-game season series, the first time in franchise history that they have done that with Calgary. . . . The Raiders took control of this one by scoring the game’s first four goals. . . . F Dante Hannoun (25) got it started, on a PP, at 7:33 of the first period, with F Cole Fonstad making it 2-0 at 8:37. . . . Gregor upped that to 3-0 at 3:12 of the second period, and D Sergei Sapego (8) made it 4-0 at 3:33. . . . F Riley Stotts (16) scored for Calgary at 16:20, but the Raiders opened the third period with four straight goals to take an 8-1 lead. . . . Fonstad, who has 24 goals, finished with two goals and three assists, giving him his first career five-point game. . . . Gregor completed his second career hat trick with his side’s last two goals. He has 33 goals. . . . F James Malm (22) scored Calgary’s second goal on a penalty shot at 17:03 of the third. . . . Calgary G Jack McNaughton left in the first period after being involved in a collision with Raiders F Brett Leason. McNaughton had skated out to the hash marks in pursuit of a puck that Leason was chasing. That meant that Carl Stankowski came off the bench to see his first playing time since Nov. 23 when he suffered an ankle injury. . . . McNaughton stopped five of seven shots in 8:58, with Stankowski giving up six goals on 38 shots in 51:02. . . . Prince Albert got 21 saves from G Ian Scott. . . . F Sean Montgomery of the Raiders, who is from Calgary, played in his 331st regular-season game to set a franchise record. F Brett Novak (2000-06) had held the previous record. . . . Montgomery, 20, was a sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He has played 65, 72, 69, 72 and now 53 games in each of his regular-seasons. . . . Montgomery had one assist last night, and now has 134 points, including 64 goals, in 331 games. This season, he has career highs in goals (21), assists (28) and points (49). . . . F Justin Nachbaur of the Raiders sat out Game 2 of a three-game suspension. . . . The Hitmen are without D Dakota Krebs, D Egor Zamula, F Jake Kryski and F Hunter Campbell.
the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. . . . Moose Jaw (29-13-8) had lost its previous two games. It is third in the East Division, six points behind the Saskatoon Blades with three games in hand. . . . Lethbridge (27-15-10) has points in four straight (2-0-2). It is tied with the Medicine Hat Tigers for second in the Central Division, two points behind the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Warriors, who got 47 saves from G Adam Evanoff, were 3-3 on the PP. . . . F Jake Elmer (21) put the Hurricanes ahead at 5:20 of the first period, only to have Brook tie it at 8:23. . . . Lethbridge went ahead 3-1 on goals from D Calen Addison (9), at 8:54, and F Taylor Ross (25), on a PP, at 0:19 of the second period. . . . F Justin Almeida, who also had two assists, got Moose Jaw into a tie with two second-period PP goals, at 6:53 and 15:54. He’s got 23 goals. . . . Brook, who also had two assists, won it with his 12th goal of the season. . . . The Warriors got three assists from F Brayden Tracey. . . . Elmer added two assists to his goal for Lethbridge. . . . The Hurricanes were 1-5 on the PP. . . . Moose Jaw had F Tristin Langan back after he served a one-game suspension, but now is without D Jett Woo, who will sit for two games after taking a charging major and game misconduct in a 6-1 loss to the Blades in Saskatoon on Wednesday. Woo also will miss tonight’s game in Red Deer against the Rebels.
Red Deer. . . Regina (15-36-3) is 26 points from a playoff spot with 14 games remaining. . . . Red Deer (28-18-4) has lost four straight (0-3-1). It is fourth in the Central Division, four points out of third and one up on the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Red Deer went up 1-0 when F Cam Hausinger (17) scored at 1:35 of the second period. . . . Regina tied it on F Ty Kolle’s 12th goal, on a PP, at 2:39. . . . F Brett Davis (16) put Red Deer back in front, on a PP, at 10:14. . . . Regina tied it when F Logan Nijhoff (4) scored at 15:24. . . . Evans won it when he scored his first WHL goal on a PP. A 17-year-old freshman from Calgary, Evans scored in his 31st games. . . . Red Deer F Brandon Hagel drew an assist on his club’s second goal to tie the franchise’s career record of 161. He now shares it with F Arron Asham (1994-98). . . . Regina had D Tyson Feist back after a four-game absence, while F Brandon Dubinsky completed a four-game suspension by missing this game. . . . The Rebels had D Alex Alexeyev back in their lineup. He missed six games since last playing on Jan. 19.
and three helpers, as the Spokane Chiefs dumped the visiting Victoria Royals, 8-3. . . . Spokane (28-17-6) has points in five straight (4-0-1). It is third in the U.S. Division, nine points behind the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Victoria (26-22-3) is second in the B.C. Division, six points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Victoria actually held a 3-2 lead late in the first period, but then surrendered the game’s last six goals. . . . The Chiefs held a 49-31 edge in shots, including 20-14 in the first period and 21-8 in the third. They were 4-8 on the PP and won 46 of 74 faceoffs. . . . Spokane F Luc Smith (23) tied the game 3-3 at 17:45 of the first period. . . . McIndoe, who has 12 goals, broke the tie at 8:55, and Spokane later added four third-period goals. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored his seventh goal of the season for Spokane, and it was the 100th of his career. . . . Spokane F Connor Gabruch, who didn’t score for the first 34 games of his freshman season, scored his second goal in two games. . . . F Jake McGrew (23) and F Luke Toporowski (16) added goals for the winners, who in the third period scored three times on the PP and once while shorthanded. . . . Reid, who has two four-point games during his 315-game career, now has 12 goals this season. . . . D Mitchell Prowse (3), F Kaid Oliver (22) and F Kody McDonald, on a PP, scored for the Royals, who began a five-game road swing with this one.
to a 7-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Tri-City (28-19-3) has won three straight games. It is fourth in the U.S. Division, four points behind the Spokane Chiefs. The Americans hold down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, 13 points ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Kootenay (11-34-8) has lost two in a row. . . . F Peyton Krebs (18) gave the Ice a 1-0 lead at 6:22 of the first period, with AuCoin tying it, on a PP, at 11:49. . . . The Ice then took a 3-1 lead on goals from F Cole Muir (11), at 15:37, and F Holden Kodak (1), at 16:33. Holden, a 17-year-old from Cloverdale, B.C., got his first WHL goal in his 40th game, 38 of them this season. . . . The Americans scored the games next five goals to take control. . . . F Nolan Yaremko (19) made it a one-goal game at 17:05. . . . F Krystof Hrabik scored while shorthanded at 13:38 of the second period to tie the score, and AuCoin’s 29th goal gave Tri-City the lead at 14:53. . . . F Paycen Bjorklund (4) and AuCoin, with his 30th goal, added insurance before the period ended. . . . In the third period, Hrabik got his 13th goal for the winners, with F Jakin Smallwood (10) counting for the ice. . . . AuCoin enjoyed his first career hat trick and his first five-point game. 
host Everett Silvertips. . . . Medicine Hat (30-18-4) has won three in a row. The Tigers are tied for second with the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the Central Division, two points behind the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Everett (37-13-2) had won its past four games. It leads the U.S. Division by five points over the Portland Winterhawks, with the Silvertips holding a game in hand. . . . Søgaard, a 6-foot-7 freshman from Denmark, was hot right from the start, as he stopped 17 shots in the first period. . . . F James Hamblin scored the game’s only goal, his 29th, on a PP at 16:40 of the second period. . . . Everett got 28 saves from G Dustin Wolf. . . . This was a battle of two of the league’s best goaltenders. . . . Søgaard now is 14-4-4, 2.24, .933. . . . Wolf is 33-12-1, 1.81, .931.
TAKING NOTE 