DAN’S DIARY . . .
Dan Courneyea, who heads up the Kamloops Blazers’ off-ice crew of officials left Friday for PyeongChang and the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, where he’ll be working the hockey competitions.
He arrived in Seoul on Saturday — well, it was Sunday there — and then took a high-speed train to PyeongChang. En route, he sent along this note:
“Well . . . the time change is definitely something! It’s 17 hours, so it was Sunday when we got here. Temp is -7/c but windy and I mean cold. Feels like -20/c with a wind blowing in your face. Looks like everything is set up nicely and the Korean people are very friendly.”
A LITTLE OF THIS . . .
Ken McIntyre, who was involved in a 10-player trade during the WHL’s 1986-87 season, has died.
McIntyre, 48, was found unresponsive at an intersection in Minot, N.D., on Wednesday afternoon. A passer-by spotted him, initiated CPR and called 9-1-1.
According to The Associated Press, police in Minot say “medical conditions” caused his death. The police released that information after an autopsy was completed on Friday.
According to AP, police responded to the call on Wednesday. “The man was taken to the hospital,” AP reported, “where he was pronounced dead a short time later.”
McIntyre, a native of Regina, had been living in Minot.
He was in his second season with the Pats when he was traded to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Joining McIntyre on the way west were F Brent Fedyk, F Garnet Kazuik, D Gerald Bzdel and F Kevin Kowalchuk. In return, the Pats acquired F Craig Endean, F Ray Savard, F Erin Ginnell, F Grant Chorney and the rights to F Frank Kovacs, who was 15 and playing bantam AA in his hometown of Regina.
After finishing that season with Seattle, McIntyre played with the Moose Jaw Warriors in 1987-88. In 167 regular-season games, he had 20 goals and 28 assists, along with 288 penalty minutes.
Someone who knew McIntyre told Taking Note that he was “a world traveller” who at one time was teaching English in Cambodia.
After being away from Regina for a number of years McIntyre returned to help care for his ill father until his death. While in Regina, McIntyre spent a lot of time with former teammate Brad Hornung at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre and they renewed their friendship.
“He was a fun guy,” Terry Hornung, Brad’s mother, told Taking Note, “and everyone who knew him liked him. We will all miss him.”
If you like what you see here, please consider clicking on the DONATE button over there to the right and helping the cause.
If you have a tip or just want to chat, email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com. You are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
And don’t forget that the domain name here is greggdrinnan.com.
IF THE PLAYOFFS OPENED TODAY …
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Saskatoon at Moose Jaw
Regina at Medicine Hat
Brandon at Swift Current
Kootenay at Lethbridge
——
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Seattle at Everett
Tri-City at Victoria
Spokane at Portland
Vancouver at Kelowna
SATURDAY:
At Edmonton, F Trey Fix-Wolansky scored a late goal to give the Oil Kings a 4-3 victory 
over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Edmonton (15-32-7) had lost its previous three games. . . . Red Deer (17-26-13) had points in each of its previous nine games (7-0-2). It is fourth in the Central Division, four points behind Kootenay. . . . Interestingly, Fix-Wolansky had been ejected from the Oil Kings’ 7-2 loss in Red Deer on Friday night, thanks to a cross-checking major and game misconduct at 8:42 of the first period. Obviously, the WHL office didn’t feel it was a suspendible offence, so he played on Saturday. . . . Fix-Wolansky scored the winning goal with 7.6 seconds left in the third period, one second after an Edmonton PP had expired. He got his 23rd goal of the season by kicking the puck into the net from about five feet above the top of the Red Deer crease. The goal wouldn’t have counted last season, but the WHL changed the rule to allow pucks to be kicked in, as long as the kicker isn’t in the goal crease. . . . The Rebels had tied the game 3-3 at 18:21 when F Reese Johnson (18) scored while shorthanded. . . . Edmonton F Liam Keeler (3) opened the scoring at 3:45 of the second period with a shorthanded goal. . . . The other six goals all were scored in the third period. . . . Red Deer took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Austin Schellenberg (2), at 3:34, and F Brandon Cutler (2), at 3:57. . . . The Oil Kings went ahead 3-2 on goals from F David Kope (9), at 6:40, and F Colton Kehler (24), on a PP, at 8:52. . . . D Conner McDonald had two assists for Edmonton, with Kehler and Fix-Wolansky each getting one. . . . Johnson also had an assist for Red Deer. . . . Edmonton was 1-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-5. . . . The Oil Kings got 29 saves from G Josh Dechaine. . . . Red Deer G Ethan Anders stopped 18 shots. . . . Announced attendance: 11,317.
At Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored three times in the first period and went on to a 6-0 
victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Moose Jaw (42-9-3) has won three in a row. It leads the overall standings by five points over Swift Current. . . . The Warriors have equalled their victory total from last season when they finished 42-21-9. The franchise record for victories in a season (45) is from 2011-12, when they went 45-19-8. . . . Kootenay (24-29-3) is third in the Central Division, five points behind Lethbridge. . . . G Brody Willms stopped 15 shots for his second shutout in as many nights. He blanked visiting Lethbridge 2-0 on Friday. Willms has four shutouts this season and five in his career. . . . F Brayden Burke opened the scoring at 7:47 of the first period as he became the first player in all of the CHL to reach 100 points. He later added a second goal, giving him 28, and an assist, pushing his total to 102 points. . . . D Dmitri Zaltsev (6) upped Moose Jaw’s lead to 2-0 at 18:30, and F Brett Howden made it 3-0 at 19:32. . . . Howden later added a second goal, giving him 20, and D Brandon Schuldaus (4) also scored. . . . The Warriors got two assists from each of D Kale Clague and Zaitsev, with Howden and Schuldhaus adding one each. . . . Moose Jaw was 1-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-2. . . . The Ice got 28 saves from G Matt Berlin. . . . Announced attendance: 3,309.
At Regina, the Pats broke a 1-1 tie with three straight goals as they skated to a 4-2 victory 
over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Regina (29-23-5) is fourth in the East Division, two points behind Brandon. . . . Lethbridge (25-23-6) has lost two in a row. It is second in the Central Division, seven points behind Medicine Hat. . . . D Libor Hajek (11) gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 4:04 of the first period. . . . F Logan Barlage (4) tied it, on a PP, at 17:55. . . . Regina took control on goals from F Matt Bradley (32), at 2:23 of the second period, and F Sam Steel (21), on a PP, at 15:09. D Cale Fleury (10) made it 4-1, shorthanded, at 3:17 of the third period. . . . F Brad Morrison (18) got Lethbridge’s second goal, on a PP, at 19:46. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn had two assists for Regina, with Fleury, Steel and Hajek adding one each. . . . Lethbridge was 2-7 on the PP; Regina was 1-10. . . . G Max Paddock earned the victory with 33 saves. . . . Lethbridge G Logan Flodell, who is from Regina, stopped 30 shots on his 21st birthday. . . . The Pats scratched G Ryan Kubic, so brought in G Jacob Wasserman from the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos as the backup. . . . Regina also was without F Jared Legien, who was a recent healthy scratch for a couple of games. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
At Swift Current, the Broncos scored the game’s first four goals and went on to a 5-2 
victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Swift Current (39-13-4) has won three in a row. It is second in the overall standings, five points behind Moose Jaw. . . . Brandon (30-20-5) is third in the East Division, two points ahead of Regina. . . . F Glenn Gawdin of the Broncos, playing in his 300th game, drew an assist on the game’s first goal, making him the second WHLer this season to get to 100 points. He followed Moose Jaw F Brayden Burke by about 20 minutes. . . . Gawdin later scored his club’s fourth goal, his 47th, while shorthanded. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen (38) opened the scoring at 19:09 of the first period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro upped it to 2-0, on a PP, at 15:34 of the second, and F Beck Malenstyn (8) made it 3-0 at 19:20. . . . Brandon made it interesting on third-period goals from F Jonny Hooker (3), at 5:39, and F Ty Lewis (29), shorthanded, at 11:47. . . . Gennaro concluded the scoring with his 35th goal, at 18:27. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi had two assists for the Broncos. . . . Swift Current was 1-5 on the PP; Brandon was 0-4. . . . G Joel Hofer stopped 22 shots for the Broncos, three fewer than Brandon’s Logan Thompson. . . . Announced attendance: 2,890.
At Saskatoon, the Blades erased a 3-2 deficit with four third-period goals as they beat the 
Prince Albert Raiders, 6-3. . . . Saskatoon (27-26-3) holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points ahead of the Raiders (22-22-11). . . . Jeff D’Andrea of panow.com points out that the Raiders have lost 14 in a row in Saskatoon. . . . The Blades took a 1-0 lead at 7:44 of the first period when F Michael Farren (7) scored. . . . F Parker Kelly (25) tied it 36 seconds later. . . . F Josh Paterson (26) scored, on a PP, at 16:39 to give the Blades a 2-1 lead. . . . The visitors went ahead 3-2 on a pair of second-period goals from F Jordy Stallard (36), at 11:35 and 16:49, the latter via a PP. . . . The Blades owned the third period. . . . D Logan Christensen (2) tied it at 9:15 and F Bradly Goethals put Saskatoon in front at 10:32. . . . F Braylon Shmyr (27) added insurance at 15:37. . . . Goethals, who has 13 goals, got the empty-netter at 19:57. . . . Shmyr and F Eric Florchuk each had two assists for the winners, with Christensen getting one. . . . Saskatoon was 1-3 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-5. . . . The Blades got 29 stops from G Nolan Maier. . . . G Ian Scott stopped 24 shots for the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert lost Kelly to a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct at 18:27 of the first period for a hit on Saskatoon F Kirby Dach, who left the game and didn’t return. . . . The Blades and their fans celebrated the 30th anniversary of the opening of their arena. . . . Announced attendance: 4,444.
At Everett, G Carter Hart tied the WHL’s career shutout record as the Silvertips beat the 
Vancouver Giants, 5-0. . . . Everett (35-17-4) has points in four straight (3-0-1). It leads the Western Conference by two points over Portland and Victoria. . . . Vancouver (29-18-8) is third in the B.C. Division, five points behind Kelowna. . . . Hart stopped 23 shots in putting up his seventh shutout of the season and the 26th of his career. He now shares the career record with Tyson Sexsmith (2004-09). . . . Hart has 26 shutouts in 178 regular-season appearances. Sexsmith did it in 179 appearances, the first one with Medicine Hat and the rest with Vancouver. . . . Hart also won for the 107th time with Everett, tying Leland Irving’s career franchise record. . . . F Ethan O’Rourke (6) opened the scoring, getting his first goal since coming over from Prince George last night, at 11:34 of the second period. . . . F Sean Richards (19) made it 2-0 at 14:12. . . . Everett got third-period goals from F Matt Fonteyne (31), D Ian Walker (1) and F Bryce Kindopp (16). . . . F Patrick Bajkov helped out with two assists, with O’Rourke, Richards and Fonteyne each getting one. . . . Vancouver was 0-4 on the PP; Everett was 0-5. . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck surrendered four goals on 42 shots in 45:38. Trent Miner finished up, stopping seven of eight shots in 14:22. . . . Everett D Kevin Davis played in his 331st regular-season game. F Shane Harper (2005-10) holds the franchise record, at 335. . . . Announced attendance: 5,982.
At Prince George, F Jermaine Loewen had two goals and two assists to lead the Kamloops 
Blazers to a 4-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . Kamloops (26-25-4) had beaten the host Cougars, 3-2, on Friday night, winning on Loewen’s goal at 19:20 of the third period. The Blazers are six points out of a playoff spot. . . . Prince George (19-29-8) has lost three in a row and now trails Kamloops by 10 points. . . . Loewen, who has 28 goals, opened the scoring at 7:17 of the first period. . . . The Cougars took a 2-1 lead on second-period goals from F Jackson Leppard (12), on a PP, at 12:34, and F Kjell Kjemhus (2), at 16:13. . . . Kamloops tied it when F Travis Walton (3) scored at 6:59 of the third period. . . . F Orrin Centazzo (9) broke the tie at 16:47, and Loewen adding insurance at 18:48. . . . F Connor Zary had two assists for the Blazers. . . . Loewen’s career highs going into this season were six goals and 11 assists from last season. This season, he has 47 points, 28 of them goals, in 49 games. . . . Prince George was 1-3 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-1. . . . G Dylan Ferguson stopped 30 shots for Kamloops, one more than Prince George’s Isaiah DiLaura. . . . Kamloops D Joe Gatenby played in his 300th regular-season game. . . . The Blazers dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum, because F/D Tylor Ludwar was serving a one-game suspension after he took a kneeing major and misconduct on Friday, and F Luc Smith and D Luke Zazula are nursing injuries. . . . Announced attendance: 2,645.
At Kent, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks broke open a scoreless game with three 
second-period goals and went on to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Portland (34-18-4) has won four in a row. It is second in the U.S. Division, two points behind Everett. . . . Seattle (27-19-9) had points in each of its previous three games (1-0-2). It is tied with Tri-City for the Western Conference’s two wild-card spots. . . . The teams will turn around and play in Portland on Sunday, the third game in fewer than 48 hours for both clubs. . . . F Cody Glass (27) got Portland started, on a PP, just seven seconds into the second period. . . . D Keoni Texeira (8) made it 2-0 at 8:37, and F Ryan Hughes (10) upped it to 3-0 at 13:11. . . . Seattle got its goal from F Graeme Bryks (1) at 4:40 of the third period. . . . Bryks, who turned 17 on Jan. 22, is from Edmonton. He was an eighth-round pick in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. He was playing in his third WHL game, but his first since Oct. 7. Bryks is up from the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. . . . F Skyler McKenzie (41) got the empty-netter for Portland at 18:43. . . . Hughes and Texeira each had an assist for Portland. . . . Portland was 1-4 on the PP; Seattle was 0-3. . . . The Winterhawks got 28 saves from G Cole Kehler, while Seattle’s Liam Hughes made 24 saves. . . . Announced attendance: 6,058.
At Kennewick, Wash., F Jaret Anderson-Dolan and F Kailer Yamamoto had five points 
apiece as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans, 6-3. . . . Spokane (30-19-5) has points in 10 straight (8-0-2). It is third in the U.S. Division, seven points behind Portland. . . . Tri-City (27-19-8) has lost four in a row (0-3-1). It is tied with Seattle, three points behind Spokane. . . . Anderson-Dolan finished with three goals and two assists, with Yamamoto scoring once and adding four helpers. F Ethan McIndoe, the third member of that line, had a goal and two assists. . . . Anderson-Dolan, who has 32 goals, gave his guys the lead at 6:01 of the first period. . . . The Americans took a 2-1 lead before the period ended, thanks to goals from F Michael Rasmussen (20), on a PP, at 15:19, and F Morgan Geekie (21), at 18:12. . . . Spokane got the next three goals, the first two via the PP. . . . D Ty Smith (9) tied the score at 7:29 of the second period, and McIndoe (17) gave the Chiefs the lead just 24 seconds later. . . . Anderson-Dolan made it 4-2 at 8:48 of the third period. . . . Tri-City D Juuso Valimaki (6) got his mates to within a goal, at 9:34. . . . Yamamoto (12) got that one back at 12:46, and Anderson-Dolan completed the hat trick with an empty-netter, at 19:15. . . . Smith added two assists to his goal. . . . Geekie had an assist for Tri-City. . . . In 12 games since returning to the Chiefs from the WJC, Yamamoto has 30 points, including 20 assists. . . . Spokane was 2-5 on the PP; Tri-City was 1-5. . . . G Dawson Weatherill stopped 25 shots for Spokane. . . . G Beck Warm blocked 14 shots for Tri-City. . . . Announced attendance: 5,011.
At Victoria, F Tanner Kaspick scored at 2:22 of OT to give the Royals a 4-3 victory over the 
Kelowna Rockets. . . . Victoria (34-19-4) had beaten the visiting Rockets 6-1 on Friday. It now leads the B.C. Division by one point over Kelowna. . . . Kelowna (33-17-5) is five points ahead of Vancouver. . . . These same two teams will play again Monday afternoon, this time in Kelowna. . . . Last night, the Royals got two goals from each of Kaspick and F Noah Gregor, both of them mid-season additions by GM Cam Hope. . . . Gregor gave the home team a 1-0 lead at 3:52 of the first period. . . . Kelowna went ahead 2-1 on goals from F Kole Lind, at 8:36, and D Cal Foote (14), at 13:18. . . . Kaspick tied it at 17:44 of the second period. . . . F Conner Bruggen-Cate (16) put Kelowna back out front at 8:22 of the third period. . . . Gregor tied it with his 20th goal, on a PP, at 10:19. . . . Kaspick won it with his 20th goal, on a PP, in OT. . . . Kaspick has scored eight goals in 11 games with the Royals, and he has five game-winners. . . . Royals F Matthew Phillips drew one assist, giving him 91 points this season. That ties the Victoria franchise record for points in a single-season (F Alex Forsberg, 2015-16). F Mark Santorelli holds the Chilliwack/Victoria franchise record (101 points, 2007-08). . . . F Dante Hannoun had two assists for the Royals, with Gregor and Kaspick adding one each. . . . Foote had an assist for Kelowna. . . . Kelowna was 1-1 on the PP; Victoria was 2-6. . . . G Griffen Outhouse earned the victory with 33 saves. . . . G James Porter Jr. stopped 34 shots for Kelowna. . . . Announced attendance: 5,874.
SUNDAY (all times local):
Medicine Hat at Calgary, 2 p.m.
Swift Current at Prince Albert, 4 p.m.
Regina at Saskatoon, 4:05 p.m.
Seattle at Portland, 5 p.m.
Everett at Spokane, 5:05 p.m.
TAKING NOTE 