Quenneville reaches milestone . . . Rockets hang on to beat Cougars . . . Silvertips clinch 15th straight playoff berth


MacBeth

F Pavel Brendl (Calgary, 1998-2001) has been released by Wings Arlanda (Sweden, Division 1). He had five goals and three assists in 12 games.


A LITTLE OF THIS . . .

The WHL’s department of discipline was busy on Tuesday.

F Sean Richards of the Everett Silvertips was hit with a four-game suspension after he whltook a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct against the host Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday. He already has sat out three games.

Jesse Gabrielle of the Regina Pats and Barrett Sheen of the Moose Jaw Warriors got two games each for their part in a kerfuffle at the end of a game in Regina on Sunday. . . . Both players have one game remaining.

Two other players drew TBD suspensions.

D Liam Schioler of the Pats took a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct in Prince Albert on Monday after a hit on Raiders F Kody McDonald, who returned to the game.

D Jett Woo of the Warriors left Monday’s game in Brandon with a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Wheat Kings F Ty Lewis.


D Austin Chorney, 17, of the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks has committed to Ohio State and the Buckeyes. Chorney, from Calgary, split last season between the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs and the Silverbacks. This season, he has six goals and three assists in 46 games. . . . He was a second-round pick by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL’s 2015 bantam draft.


G Ty Taylor, 18, of the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers has committed play next season for the U of New Hampshire Wildcats. This season, Taylor, from Richmond, B.C., is 22-5-3, 1.83, .932, with seven shutouts. . . . Taylor’s WHL rights moved from the Prince George Cougars to the Portland Winterhawks at the Jan. 10 trade deadline.


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.


IF THE PLAYOFFS OPENED TODAY …

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Saskatoon at Moose Jaw

Brandon at Medicine Hat

Regina at Swift Current

Red Deer at Lethbridge

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle at Everett

Tri-City at Kelowna

Spokane at Portland

Vancouver at Victoria


Scoreboard

TUESDAY:

At Medicine Hat, David Quenneville became the first defenceman in franchise history to get to 200 points as the Tigers beat the Kootenay Ice, 3-1. . . . Medicine Hat (30-24-7) has Tigers Logo Officialwon two in a row. It leads the Central Division by three points over Lethbridge, which has two games in hand. . . . Kootenay (25-34-3) has lost three in a row. It is fourth in the Central Division, two points behind Red Deer, which holds two games in hand. . . . The Tigers and Ice will meet again Friday, this time in Cranbrook, B.C. . . . F Brett Davis (23) gave the Ice a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 9:59 of the first period. . . . The Tigers tied it when F Tyler Preziuso (13) scored at 14:22 of the second period, then took the lead at 14:10 of the third on F Bryan Lockner’s 12th goal. . . . Quenneville got his 24th goal, and the 200th point of his career, into an empty net at 19:42. . . . He’s got 200 points, including 67 goals, in 240 games. . . . This season, Quenneville leads all WHL defencemen in goals and points (66). . . . Each team took one minor penalty, and each team was 0-1 on the PP. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 19 shots for the Tigers. . . . The Ice got 29 saves from G Matt Berlin. . . . The Tigers remain without G Jorden Hollett, D Joel Craven, D Kristians Rubins, F Hayden Ostir, F Baxter Anderson, F Mason Shaw and D Linus Nassen, all out with injuries. . . . Announced attendance: 2,904.


At Kelowna, the Rockets scored four goals before the first period was 11 minutes old and went on to beat the Prince George Cougars, 6-5. . . . Kelowna (36-18-6) has points in three KelownaRocketsstraight (2-0-1). The Rockets lead the B.C. Division by three points over Victoria. . . . The Cougars (20-31-8) are fifth in B.C., nine points behind Kamloops. . . . F Dillon Dube got the Rockets started 49 seconds into the first period. . . . F Carsen Twarynski added goals at 5:04 and 5:35, for a 3-0 lead. He’s got 37 goals. . . . F Jackson Leppard (13) scored for the Cougars, on a PP, at 10:13, but F Liam Kindree (8) got that one back for the Rockets just 46 seconds later. . . . Prince George F Vladislav Mikhalchuk (13) closed out a six-goal first period at 14:45. . . . Dube (29) upped the Rockets’ lead to 5-2 at 12:09 of the second period, and F Erik Gardiner (4) made it 6-2 at 14:30. . . . Prince George made it interesting with three third-period goals, from D Ryan Schoettler (5), at 6:12; D Rhett Rhinehart (1), at 9:00; and F Jared Bethune (20), shorthanded, at 15:54. . . . The Rockets got two assists from each of Lindree and D Cal Foote, and one from Dube. . . . Leppard, Bethune and Mikhalchuk each had an assist for Prince George. . . . The Cougars were 1-2 on the PP; the Rockets were 1-6. . . . G Brodan Salmon stopped 32 shots for Kelowna. . . . G Tavin Grant started for the Cougars and was beaten three times on six shots in 5:35. Taylor Gauthier came on to stop 20 of 23 shots in 35:39, before Grant came back in to stop all eight shots he faced in 17:41. . . . The Rockets remain without D James Hilsendager, F Nolan Foote and F Kole Lind, all with upper-body injuries. . . . Lind was shown on Tuesday’s WHL roster report as having returned from injury, but that obviously has yet to happen. . . . F Tyson Phare made his WHL debut with the Cougars. From Maple Ridge, B.C., he was a first-round selection by the Cougars in the 2017 bantam draft. He has 20 goals and 15 assists in 25 games with the Yale Hockey Academy prep team. . . . Announced attendance: 4,349.


At Spokane, F Garrett Pilon scored a pair of second-period goals to help the Everett Silvertips to a 4-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Everett (39-17-5) has points in nine straight Everett(7-0-2) and clinched a playoff spot with the victory. Everett is in its 15th WHL season and has been in the playoffs in each one. . . . The Silvertips lead the Western Conference by five points over Kelowna. . . . Spokane (33-21-5) had won three in a row. It is third in the U.S. Division, three points behind Portland. . . . Pilon opened the scoring 31 seconds into the second period. . . . F Riley Sutter (24) made it 2-0, on a PP, at 12:13, and Pilon, who has 30 goals, upped it to 3-0 at 14:17. . . . F Eli Zummack (12) scored for Spokane at 17:11. . . . F Connor Dewar (30) got the game’s last goal at 13:21, off an assist from Pilon. . . . Dewar had an assist on Pilon’s first goal. . . . Everett was 1-1 on the PP; Spokane was 0-2. . . . G Carter Hart blocked 28 shots for the winners, while Spokane’s Dawson Weatherill, who had won each of his previous seven appearances, made 30 saves. . . . Everett D Kevin Davis played in his 336th regular-season game, passing F Shane Harper taking over the franchise record. . . . Davis has 165 points, including 141 assists, in those games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,469.


WEDNESDAY (all times local):

Kamloops at Portland, 7 p.m.

Moose Jaw at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

Red Deer at Calgary, 7 p.m.

Prince Albert at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

Seattle vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.


TWEET OF THE DAY

Wheaties manage to beat Raiders . . . Hurricanes blow away Ice . . . Kambeitz breaks Giants’ hearts

A LITTLE OF THIS . . .

A number of former NHLers, including Hockey Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier, were in Regina for the All-Star Celebrity Classic on Saturday.

During the lead-up to the game, Dave Struch, the Regina Pats’ assistant GM and assistant coach, came face-to-face with Trottier for perhaps the second time in their lives.

The first time? That was during Struch’s four-game NHL career.

Struch relived that first meeting with Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post, and it’s all right here. Hey, there might even be a coaching lesson buried in here somewhere, courtesy of Dave King.


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.


IF THE PLAYOFFS OPENED TODAY …

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Saskatoon at Moose Jaw

Regina at Medicine Hat

Brandon at Swift Current

Red Deer at Lethbridge

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle at Everett

Tri-City at Kelowna

Spokane at Portland

Vancouver at Victoria


Scoreboard

SATURDAY:

At Brandon, the Wheat Kings opened up a 3-0 first-period lead and, despite being badly outshot, beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-3. . . . Brandon (31-22-5) had lost its previous BrandonWKregularthree games, including a 5-2 setback in Prince Albert on Friday. It moved back into third in the East Division, one point ahead of Regina. . . . Prince Albert (23-24-11) is four points behind Saskatoon, which holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Brandon is 3-2-0 in the season series; the Raiders are 2-2-1. . . . F Ty Lewis gave the home side a 1-0 lead 26 seconds into the first period. F Marcus Sekundiak (3) made it 2-0 at 2:40, and D Ty Ettinger (2) upped it to 3-0 at 14:31. . . . The Raiders got the only two goals of the second period, both on the PP, from F Jordy Stallard (38), who is from Brandon, at 9:35, and F Brett Leason (11), at 10:47. . . . The Raiders outshot the Wheat Kings 15-5 in the first period and 16-4 in the second, but went into the third period trailing 3-2. . . . Brandon stretched the lead to 4-2 when F Rylan Bettens (5) scored at 2:15 of the third. . . . F Spencer Moe (8) cut the Raiders’ deficit to one at 13:39. . . . The Raiders got two assists from F Kody McDonald. . . . Prince Albert was 2-5 on the PP; Brandon was 0-4. . . . G Logan Thompson stopped 39 shots in earning the victory. . . . Curtis Meger started for the Raiders and gave up four goals on 10 shots in 42:15. Ian Scott came on to stop the three shots he faced in 16:14. . . . The Wheat Kings again were without F Stelio Mattheos, but also scratched D Chase Hartje, D Daniel Bukac and F Linden McCorrister (all ill). . . . Announced attendance: 3,826.


At Lethbridge, the Hurricanes erased an early 2-0 deficit and went on to defeat the Kootenay Ice, 5-2. . . . Lethbridge (28-24-6) has won two in a row. It is second in the LethbridgeCentral Division, three points behind Medicine Hat. . . . Kootenay (25-32-3) is tied with Red Deer (20-26-13) for third in the Central Division, with the Rebels having a game in hand. The Ice has five more victories, but Red Deer’s loser points leaves it with a higher points percentage — .449 to .442. . . . The Ice and Hurricanes will meet this afternoon in Cranbrook. Each team will be playing its third game in fewer than 48 hours. . . . Lethbridge is 5-1-0 in the season series; Kootenay is 1-5-0. . . . The Ice led 2-0 on first-period goals from F Cameron Hausinger (18), at 2:57, and F Gillian Kohler (5), on a PP, at 5:04. . . . F Dylan Cozens (18) started Lethbridge’s comeback at 13:17, and F Brad Morrison (22) tied it, on a PP, at 15:41. . . . F Jordy Bellerive put the Hurricanes in front with 18.7 seconds left in the second period, on a PP. Bellerive had left the game briefly at 17:03 after taking a knee from Ice D Martin Bodak, who was tossed with a major and game misconduct. . . . F Jadon Joseph (7) upped the lead to 4-2 at 14:44 of the third period. . . . Bellerive (41) added an empty-netter at 19:59. . . . F Brett Davis had two assists for Kootenay. . . . Lethbridge was 2-5 on the PP; Kootenay was 1-7. . . . The Hurricanes got 29 saves from G Logan Flodell. . . . G Matt Berlin stopped 37 shots for the Ice. . . . Announced attendance: 3,680.


At Medicine Hat, F Ryan Jevne’s OT goal gave the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Medicine Hat (29-24-7) had lost its previous two games. It leads the Tigers Logo OfficialCentral Division by three points over Lethbridge. . . . Swift Current (42-13-5) has points in seven straight (6-0-1) and now is tied with Moose Jaw atop the overall standings. The Warriors hold four games in hand. . . . One night earlier, the Broncos beat the visiting Tigers, 6-2. . . . The Broncos won the season series, 3-0-1; the Tigers were 1-3-0. . . . Earlier, Jevne gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 17:18 of the first period. . . . The Broncos went ahead 3-1 on goals from F Glenn Gawdin (51), at 3:35 of the second period; F Aleksi Heponiemi (25), at 4:01 of the third; and D Artyom Minulin (12), at 6:14. . . . The Tigers got to within a goal when F Bryan Lockner (11) scored at 9:21, then tied it when F Elijah Brown (6) scored at 15:00. . . . Jevne won it with his 16th goal, at 3:07 of extra time. . . . The Tigers got two assists from F Mark Rassell. . . . Heponiemi had an assist for the Broncos, as did Gawdin. . . . Gawdin leads the WHL scoring race with 111 points, eight more than Heponiemi. . . . Gawdin also is on a 19-game point streak. . . . The Tigers were 1-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-5. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 28 shots for the Tigers. . . . The Broncos got 34 saves from G Stuart Skinner. . . . Medicine Hat D Dylan MacPherson was back in the lineup after leaving Friday’s game early after taking a shot off one knee. . . . Announced attendance: 3,677.


At Kamloops, the Prince George Cougars got two shootout goals to beat the Blazers, 7-6. . . . Prince George (20-30-8) had lost its previous four games. It is fifth in the B.C. Division, PrinceGeorgenine points behind the Blazers. . . . Kamloops (26-28-5) has lost four straight (0-3-1) and is eight points out of a playoff spot. . . . Kamloops leads the season series, 5-2-1; Prince George is 3-5-0. . . . The Blazers, who lost 2-1 to visiting Kelowna on Friday night, are scheduled to play in Everett his afternoon. . . . F Nick Chyzowski (16) gave Kamloops a 1-0 lead 15 seconds into the first period. . . . The Cougars took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Vladislav Mikhalchuk, at 7:08, and F Josh Maser, on a PP, at 10:22. . . . The Blazers then went ahead 3-2 on goals from F Justin Sigrist (3), at 11:55, and F Jackson Shepard (9), on a PP, at 14:03. . . . Maser (25) tied it at 1:57 of the second period. Maser joined the Cougars during last season, after playing with the junior B Kamloops Storm. . . . F Josh Curtis (9) put the Cougars ahead, 4-3, at 4:14. . . . The Blazers got the next two goals to go ahead 5-4. F Jermaine Loewen (29) scored at 4:42, with F Quinn Benjafield (19), on a PP, scoring at 12:05. . . . The Cougars go the next two goals, going ahead 6-5 at Mikhalchuk (12) scored at 17:49 and F Jared Bethune (19) counted, on a PP, at 19:53. . . . After all that, F Tylor Ludwar (1) scored the only goal of the third period to get the Blazers into a 6-6 tie. . . . Mikhalchuk and F Ethan Browne scored shootout goals for the Cougars; Sigrist had one for the Blazers. . . . Kamloops was 2-3 on the PP; Prince George was 2-5. . . . The Cougars got 39 saves from G Tavin Grant. . . . Kamloops G Dylan Ferguson started and allowed five goals on 24 shots in 37:49. Max Palaga finished up, stopping six of seven shots in 27:11. . . . The Blazers lost D Nolan Kneen to a kneeing major and game misconduct at 2:48 of the second period. . . . F Connor Bowie, 16, made his WHL debut with the Cougars. From Fort St. John, B.C., he was a seventh-round pick by the Portland Winterhawks in the 2016 bantam draft. The Cougars acquired his rights in a deadline deal that had D Dennis Cholowski go to Portland. . . . Announced attendance: 3,165.


At Kelowna, F Trey Fix-Wolansky scored the only goal of a shootout to give the Edmonton EdmontonOilKingsOil Kings a 3-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . Edmonton (18-33-7) was 3-1-0 on a trek into the B.C. Division. . . . Kelowna (35-18-6) leads the B.C. Division by one point over Victoria. . . . The Oil Kings were able to dress only 10 forwards. . . . D Cal Foote (15) gave the home team a 1-0 lead at 5:34 of the first period. . . . D Conner McDonald (5) tied it with a PP goal, at 11:58. . . . D Braydyn Chizen (5) gave the Rockets a 2-1 lead at 5:52 of the second period. . . . Edmonton F Tomas Soustal (16), who moved over from Kelowna earlier in the season, tied it at 15:09. . . . Edmonton was 1-4 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-2. . . . The Oil Kings got 29 saves from G Todd Scott. . . . James Porter Jr. turned aside 27 shots for Kelowna. . . . Announced attendance: 5,112.


At Victoria, F Dino Kambeitz broke a 3-3 tie at 19:49 of the third period to give the Royals a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Victoria (35-21-5) had lost its previous three VictoriaRoyalsgames (0-2-1). It is second in the B.C. Division, one point behind Kelowna and five ahead of the Giants, who have three games in hand. . . . Vancouver (31-19-8) had won its previous two games. . . . Victoria won the season series, 7-3-0; Vancouver was 3-4-3. . . . Kambeitz won it with his 11th goal of the season. . . . Giants F Ty Ronning had tied the score with his 53rd goal, with 36.3 seconds left in the third period. . . . Ronning had scored the game’s first goal, on a PP, at 1:41 of the second period. . . . Victoria went ahead 2-1 on goals from Kambeitz, at 11:57, and F Tyler Soy, at 1:59 of the third period. . . . F Brayden Watts (15) tied it for Vancouver at 13:15. . . . Soy put Victoria back out front with his 32nd goal, at 16:06. . . . The Royals got three assists from F Matthew Phillips, but he wasn’t able to score on a first-period penalty shot. Phillips ran his point streak to 21 games. . . . Watts added an assist for Vancouver. . . . With 53 goals, Ronning is one off the WHL lead that is held by Moose Jaw F Jayden Halbgewachs. . . . The Giants were 2-3 on the PP; the Royals were 0-1. . . . G Griffen Outhouse, back after being out for a couple of games, stopped 24 shots for the Royals. . . . G Trent Miner was outstanding for the Giants. He finished with 38 saves, 19 of them in the first period. . . . The Royals also had D Ralph Jarratt back after he sat out a couple of games. . . . Victoria D Kade Jensen played in his 300th regular-season game. . . . Announced attendance: 5,816.


At Spokane, F Jake McGrew had a goal and two assists to lead the Chiefs to a 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Spokane (32-20-5) has won two in a row. It is third in the SpokaneChiefsU.S. Division, five points behind Portland. . . . Tri-City (29-21-8) has lost two straight. It is fourth in the U.S. Division, three points behind Spokane and one ahead of Seattle. . . . Spokane is 5-2-2 in the season series; Tri-City is 4-2-3. . . . The Chiefs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on goals from F Ethan McIndoe (8), on a PP, at 3:54 of the first period, and D Ty Smith (10), at 4:14. . . . F Max James (7) scored Tri-City’s goal at 4:44. . . . Spokane got second-period goals from F Luke Toporowski (8), at 4:33, and McGrew (15), at 17:05. . . . D Dalton Hamaliuk (2) had Spokane’s final goal, at 7:06 of the third period. . . . F Riley Woods had two assists for the Chiefs. . . . Spokane was 1-5 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-1. . . . The Chiefs got 18 saves from G Dawson Weatherill. . . . G Patrick Tea stopped 27 shots for the Americans. . . . Announced attendance: 9,785.


At Everett, the Seattle Thunderbirds got two shootout goals and beat the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . Seattle (28-20-9) had lost its past four games (0-2-2). It holds down the Western SeattleConference’s second wild-card spot, one point behind Tri-City. . . . Everett (37-17-5) has points in seven straight (5-0-2). It leads the Western Conference standings by three points over Kelowna.  . . . On Friday, the visiting Silvertips beat the Thunderbirds, 4-3, in overtime. . . . Seattle is 4-2-1 in the season series; Everett is 3-2-2. . . . F Martin Fasko-Rudas (4) gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 16:54 of the first period. . . . Seattle F Blake Bargar (11) tied it, on a PP, at 1:42 of the second period. . . . D Jarret Tyszka (7) gave Seattle a 2-1 lead at 4:26. . . . Everett F Riley Sutter (23) tied it at 16:20. . . . F Noah Philp and F Zack Andrusiak scored shootout goals for Seattle, with F Matt Fonteyne replying for Everett. . . . Tyszka also had an assist. . . . Seattle was 1-2 on the PP; Everett was 0-5. . . . Seattle G Dorrin Luding stopped 41 shots through OT. . . . Everett got 30 stops from G Carter Hart. . . . The Silvertips were without F Sean Richards after he drew a TBD suspension. He was given a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct for a hit on Seattle D Jarret Tyszka on Friday. . . . Announced attendance: 8,238.


SUNDAY (all times local):

Moose Jaw at Regina, 2 p.m.

Saskatoon at Calgary, 2 p.m.

Lethbridge vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 4 p.m.

Red Deer vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 4 p.m.

Kamloops at Everett, 4:05 p.m.

Spokane vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.


TWEET OF THE DAY

Paddock: Pats will play their best . . . Chico’s the man for Cougars . . . Tigers’ Shaw back on blades . . . Storm’s days numbered in Kamloops?


MacBeth

D Stefan Warg (Seattle, Prince Albert, 2008-10) has signed a two-year contract extension with Malmö (Sweden, SHL). This season, he has two goals and 10 assists in 44 games, while averaging 16:39 ice time per game.


A LITTLE OF THIS . . .

The situation staring the Regina Pats squarely in the face is the elephant in the WHL’s room at the moment.

The Pats, as you are aware, will be the host team for the Memorial Cup when it opens in May.

You also will be aware that they got off to a horrendous start this season, and have ReginaPats100known for some time that they won’t finish first or second in the East Division, the Moose Jaw Warriors (40-9-3) and Swift Current Broncos (37-13-4) simply being too far ahead. The Pats (28-22-5) trail the Warriors by 22 points and the Broncos by 17.

For a while, the third-place Brandon Wheat Kings (29-19-5) had a healthy lead, too, but that was before they turned into sellers at the trade deadline. Since then, they have gone 2-7-3 and now resemble a middle-of-the-pack squad rather than one that was running third in the overall standings.

Going into weekend games, then, the Pats are two points behind the Wheat Kings.

And there’s the rub. . . .

The third-place finisher in the East Division will play No. 2 in the opening round of the playoffs, which is likely to be Swift Current.

Finish fourth and chances are you will be the first wild-card team, meaning a first-round date with the first-place team in the Central Division, either the Medicine Hat Tigers or Lethbridge Hurricanes.

The injury-riddled Tigers have a five-point edge on the hard-charging Hurricanes.

You don’t have to be a rocket surgeon to know which is the easiest route.

Just don’t suggest to John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, that maybe, well, just maybe . . . you know . . .

“There’s a lot of hypotheticals,” he told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post.“One, be careful what you might wish for. Two, you can’t step on the ice as a player and you can’t go behind the bench as a coach without trying to win the game. It’s really just a joke (to suggest otherwise). You can’t go out and not play your best. . . .

“We’re not going to catch those top two teams. I’ve known that since October. But we’re going to have to play one or both at some point (in the playoffs). You want to play good and we also know we’re going to play in May and nobody else does. It’s very important to be playing better and better as the season goes on.”

Harder’s complete story is right here.


Chico Dhanjal worked his 700th WHL game with the Prince George Cougars on Jan. 31 while the team was on its East Division swing. A native of Saskatoon, the Cougars’ equipment manager celebrated 700 games during a game against the Pats in Regina.

Dhanjal, who seems to wear a perpetual smile, started with the Cougars in 2008-09, after working with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos. He has degrees in kinesiology and psychology from the U of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

The Cougars signed him to a three-year extension on Nov. 24, 2016.


The access ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash., home of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, lost US$361,861 in 2017, up from a loss of $155,268 the previous year. But, as Steve Hunter of the Kent Reporter writes, city officials are “confident that the numbers show better days are ahead” for the facility. . . . Hunter’s story is right here.


F Mason Shaw, who has yet to play for the Medicine Hat Tigers this season, skated on Thursday for the first time at home since he suffered a knee injury in early September.

Shaw suffered a torn ACL while playing for the Minnesota Wild’s rookie team at an NHL Tigers Logo Officialpreseason tournament in Traverse City, Mich. He subsequently underwent surgery and only recently was cleared to resume skating.

CHAT News reported yesterday that Mason was wearing a non-contact jersey as he “skated several laps . . . by himself. It’s the first time he’s been on skates at his home rink, and the first time he was in full equipment since September.”

Shaw, 19, isn’t likely to play in the regular season, but hopes to be cleared for game action in time for the start of the playoffs.

It would be huge for the Tigers to get him back for playoff action. Last season, he finished with 27 goals and 67 assists in 71 games, then added 12 assists in 11 playoff games.

The Tigers (27-22-7) go into the weekend atop the Central Division, five points ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (25-21-6), who hold four games in hand.

Medicine Hat is really banged up, and is 3-4-3 in its last 10 games, while Lethbridge is 5-2-3.

The Tigers will play home-and-home with the Calgary Hitmen (16-30-7) this weekend, opening tonight (Friday) in Medicine Hat and finishing Sunday afternoon in Calgary.

The Hurricanes are in Moose Jaw tonight and Regina on Saturday.


There is an interesting hockey story unfolding in Quesnel, B.C., where a group has been trying to land a junior B franchise, preferably in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.

The West Fraser Centre will be home to a pair of games tonight (Kamloops Storm vs. 100 KamStormMile House Wranglers) and Saturday (Kamloops Storm vs. Myles Mattila and his Kelowna Chiefs in a game that also will promote mental health awareness).

Matt Kolle, the Storm’s assistant GM, is part of Parallel Sports Group, which has been working to bring junior B hockey to Quesnel. The KIJHL has twice rejected Quesnel-based expansion applications.

Kolle has told Melanie Law of the Quesnel Observer that the group now is looking at the possible relocation of an existing franchise. In that vein, Kolle told Law that the Storm’s management team has spent the past while reviewing its financial picture.

“In the next few weeks,” Kolle said, “we’ll know where Kamloops’ team stands. And (Parallel Sports Group) has also been having conversations with other (KIJHL) teams in financial strain that might be better off in Quesnel.

“It has always been something we would consider, but we wanted to see how the expansion bid would play out first.”

The Storm, owned by Barry Dewar, has played in Kamloops since relocating from Osoyoos, B.C., prior to the 2006-07 season.

Law’s complete story is right here.


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IF THE PLAYOFFS OPENED TODAY …

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Prince Albert at Moose Jaw

Regina at Medicine Hat

Brandon at Swift Current

Kootenay at Lethbridge

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle at Everett

Spokane at Kelowna

Tri-City at Portland

Vancouver at Victoria


Scoreboard

THURSDAY:

No Games Scheduled.


FRIDAY (all times local):

Lethbridge at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

Kootenay at Regina, 7 p.m.

Prince Albert at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.

Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

Calgary at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.

Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.

Tri-City at Portland, 7 p.m.

Kelowna at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

Seattle vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.

Spokane at Everett, 7:35 p.m.


TWEET OF THE DAY

Off-ice officials off to Olympic Games . . . Rebels get closer to Ice . . . Soy sets franchise record in loss

A LITTLE OF THIS . . .

Two men who work as off-ice employees at WHL games are headed to the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. Dan Courneyea, who heads up the Kamloops Blazers’ off-ice crew, and Ed Petrullo, a scorekeeper with the Seattle Thunderbirds, leave Friday for PyeongChang, where they will be part of the crew working the hockey competitions for the IOC. . . . Courneyea has been with the Blazers for 24 years. He has plenty of international experience, having worked, among other things, a World Junior Championship, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and a World Women’s Championship. . . . Petrullo worked the 2010 Wknter Games in Vancouver and also travelled to Kamloops to work the World Women’s Championship in 2016. . . . How do you get to PyeongChang from Kamloops? You fly to Vancouver, wait for four hours, then fly to Seoul. From there, it’s two hours on a high-speed train to PyeongChang.


When the Brandon Wheat Kings won the 2015-16 WHL championship by beating the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., the man who drives the bus for the Prince George Cougars found himself in the team photo. . . . Wait? What? . . . Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun explains right here how Ralph Posteraro got into the championship photo. This is junior hockey at its story-telling best.


D Baron Thompson of the Brandon Wheat Kings has drawn a four-game suspension for a hit on D Colin Paradis of the visiting Red Deer Rebels on Saturday night. The Wheat Kings won that game, 4-3 in OT. . . . Thompson served the first game on Tuesday when he sat out Brandon’s 5-2 loss to the visiting Regina Pats. . . . Thompson will miss Friday’s game against visiting Saskatoon and Saturday and Wednesday games in Swift Current. He will be eligible to return on Feb. 16 in Prince Albert. . . . Paradis is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury.


F Erik Middendorf, 17, has committed to attending Colorado College and playing for the Tigers next season. Middendorf, from Scottsdale, Ariz., was a fourth-round selection by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL’s 2015 bantam draft. This season, he is playing in the U.S. National Team Development Program. He has four goals and four assists in 15 games against USHL opposition. He also has seven goals and eight assists in 38 games with the U.S. U-18 team. . . . Middendorf had committed to the U of Denver on Sept. 19, 2016, but he walked away from that sometime last month.



IF THE PLAYOFFS OPENED TODAY …

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Prince Albert at Moose Jaw

Regina at Medicine Hat

Brandon at Swift Current

Kootenay at Lethbridge

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle at Everett

Spokane at Kelowna

Tri-City at Portland

Vancouver at Victoria


Scoreboard

WEDNESDAY:

At Prince Albert, F Jordy Stallard scored two goals to lead the Raiders to a 4-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Prince Albert (22-20-11) has points in nine straight games (6-0-PrinceAlbert3). It is tied with Saskatoon for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. They will meet in Saskatoon on Saturday. . . . Kootenay (23-28-3) had lost five straight. The Ice is third in the Central Division, seven points behind Lethbridge and four ahead of Red Deer. . . . The Raiders got out to a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from Stallard, at 5:39, and F Curtis Miske (19), on a PP, at 17:27. . . . The Ice tied it as F Cameron Hausinger (16) scored at 17:50 of the first, and F Sebastian Streu (8) did the same at 13:45 of the second. . . . F Spencer Moe (7) put the Raiders back out front at 18:43 . . . Kootenay tied it again, this time when F Alec Baer (22) scored at 8:04 of the third period. . . . Stallard broke the tie with his 34th goal, at 18:42. . . . The Raiders got two assists from each of Miske and D Vojtech Budik. . . . Prince Albert was 1-2 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-2. . . . G Ian Scott earned the victory with 20 saves. . . . Ice G Duncan McGovern, back after serving a one-game suspension, made 30 saves. . . . The Raiders had D Sergei Sapego, a Belarusian freshman, in the lineup for the first time since Jan. 20 and only the second time since Dec. 1. . . . Announced attendance: 1,961.


At Medicine Hat, the Tigers struck four times in the first period en route to a 6-0 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Medicine Hat (27-21-7) had lost its previous four games Tigers Logo Official(0-3-1). The Tigers lead the Central Division by five points over Lethbridge. . . . Edmonton (14-31-7) has lost two in a row. . . . Prior to the game, Corey Graham, the radio voice of the Oil Kings, pointed out via Twitter that the Tigers “have defeated the Oil Kings 16 straight times in the regular season and have won 19 of the last 20 regular-season matchups.” . . . You may add one to each of those numbers. . . . The Tigers got those first-period goals from F Tyler Preziuso (12), at 2:43; D David Quenneville (22), at 11:12; F Ryan Chyzowski (17), at 17:34; and F Mark Rassell (43), shorthanded, at 19:27. . . . F Gary Haden (14) and F Josh Williams (7) added third-period goals. . . . The Tigers got two assists from F Elijah Brown, and one each from Quenneville, Rassell and Chyzowski. . . . Preziuso (head) was playing for the first time since Jan. 26. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-5. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 31 shots in recording his second shutout of the season and fifth of his career. . . . The Oil Kings got 33 saves from G Josh Dechaine. . . . With six regulars injured, the Tigers had Garin Bjorkland, 15, backing up Bullion, and D Daniel Baker, 16, also was in the lineup. Baker, from the Northern Alberta X-Treme prep team, played in three games earlier in the season. . . . Bjorklund plays for the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes. . . . Announced attendance: 2,771.


At Red Deer, F Kristian Reichel scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Rebels a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Red Deer (16-25-13) has points in eight straight Red Deergames (6-0-2). The Rebels are fourth in the Central Division, four points behind Kootenay. Those two teams will play each other three more times, including a home-and-home series on the regular-season’s final weekend. . . . The Hitmen (16-30-7) have points in two straight (1-0-1). . . . F Conner Chaulk (11) gave Calgary at 1-0 lead at 2:49 of the first period. . . . F Mason McCarty (27) pulled Red Deer into a tie at 17:38. . . . The home team took a 2-1 lead when F Chris Douglas (5) scored, on a PP, at 13:37 of the second period. . . . Calgary F Tristen Nielsen (11) tied it, shorthanded, at 15:03. . . . Red Deer was 1-4 on the PP; Calgary was 0-2. . . . G Ethan Anders stopped 29 shots for Red Deer, nine fewer than Calgary’s Nick Schneider. . . . With D Colin Paradis (undiscosed injury) and D Alex Alexeyev out, the Rebels brought in D Sam Pouliot from the BCHL’s Powell River Kings. . . . Alexeyev went home to Russia last month following the death of his mother. He is due to return to practice on Friday. . . . Announced attendance: 3,545.


At Kamloops, F Riley Woods broke a 1-1 tie with a shorthanded goal late in the second period as the Spokane Chiefs skated to a 3-1 victory over the Blazers. . . . Spokane (28-19-SpokaneChiefs5) has points in eight straight (6-0-2). It and Seattle are tied for the Western Conference’s two-wild card spots, one point behind the Tri-City Americans, who are third in the U.S. Division. . . . Kamloops (24-25-4) now is nine points out of a playoff spot. . . . F Brodi Stuart (13) gave Kamloops a 1-0 lead at 10:22 of the first period. . . . Spokane F Luke Toporowski (7) tied it at 9:512 of the second period. . . . Woods got his 20th goal on a shorthanded breakaway at 18:04 of the second. . . . F Ethan McIndoe (16) iced it with an empty-netter at 19:03 of the third period. . . . Spokane was 0-2 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-3. . . . G Dawson Weatherill stopped 21 shots for the Chiefs, eight fewer than Dylan Ferguson of Kamloops. . . . Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto had an 11-game point streak come to an end. He had nine goals and 18 assists during that stretch. . . . F Josh Pillar, 15, made his WHL debut with the Blazers and came close to tying the game on a redirection late in the third period. A first-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft, he returned to the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos after the game. . . . The Chiefs had F Cordel Larson, 16, make his WHL debut. He was a ninth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Larson plays for the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, Sask. . . . F Nick Chyzowski played in his 324th regular-season game with the Blazers, tying him with D Aaron Gionet for third on the franchise career list. F Brendan Ranford holds the career record, at 348. . . . Associate coach Scott Burt was back with the Chiefs after having his number (12) retired by the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads in Boise on Saturday. He spent seven seasons there, winning championships in 2004 and 2007. . . . Announced attendance: 4,097.


At Portland, F Ryan Hughes, who left in the first period with an apparent leg injury, snapped a 5-5 tie at 7:29 of the third period and the Winterhawks went on to an 8-5 Portlandvictory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Portland (32-18-4) has won two in a row, and is second in the U.S. Division, three points behind Everett. . . . Victoria (32-19-4) had won its previous two games. It is second in the B.C. Division, two points behind Kelowna. . . . F Kaid Oliver (6) gave Victoria the lead at 2:29 of the first period. . . . Conor MacEachern, a defenceman who has been playing up front lately, scored his third goal of the season for Portland at 10:42. . . . F Cody Glass (26) gave the home team its first lead at 11:23. . . . F Tyler Soy pulled the visitors even at 14:25, only to have F Mason Mannek (9) scored for Portland at 18:00. . . . Soy opened the second period with two goals, at 0:41 and 2:31. The hat trick leaves him with 27 goals this season. . . . Soy’s second goal was the 141st regular-season score of his career, breaking the record set by Ryan House (Chilliwack Bruins, 2006-11). Earlier this season, Soy set franchise career marks for assists and points. He now has 304 points, including 162 assists, in 307 games. . . . Portland went back out front, 5-4, on second-period goals from F Joachim Blichfeld (17), at 11:03, and F Keiffer Bellows, at 12:21. . . . F Matthew Phillips (39) got Victoria back into a tie at 6:55 of the third period. . . . Hughes broke that tie with his ninth goal, at 7:29. . . . Bellows (28) added insurance at 9:31 and F Skyler McKenzie (40) got the empty-netter, at 18:14. . . . Portland got two assists from each of Glass, D Henri Jokiharju, F Alex Overhardt, D Dennis Cholowski and McKenzie, with Blichfeld and Bellows adding one apiece. . . . Victoria got three helpers from F Dante Hannoun, with Phillips getting two and Soy adding one. That line finished with 10 points. . . . Phillips ran his point streak to 15 games. . . . Soy has six career hat tricks, one of them this season. . . . Victoria was 0-1 on the PP; Portland was 0-3. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 23 shots for the Winterhawks. . . . Victoria starter Dean McNabb allowed seven goals on 43 shots in 53:46. Griffen Outhouse came on in relief and stopped all three shots he saw in 6:02. . . . The Royals now will play three in a row against Kelowna. They’ll play Friday and Saturday in Victoria and Monday in Kelowna. . . . Announced attendance: 4,795.


At Kelowna, G Brodan Salmond turned aside 25 shots to help the Rockets to a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Kelowna (33-16-4) had lost its previous two games. It is KelownaRocketssecond in the Western Conference, one point behind Everett. . . . Vancouver (28-17-8) had points in its previous four games (3-0-1). It is third in the B.C. Division, four points behind Victoria. . . . Kelowna held a 15-2 edge in first-period shots, but only led 1-0 thanks to a goal by F Kole Lind (28), at 3:10. . . . F Conner Bruggen-Cate’s 15th goal, shorthanded, at 6:09 of the second period made it 2-0. . . . The Giants cut into the lead at 19:13 when F Davis Koch got No. 20. . . . Vancouver put it away with two third-period goals, from F Carsen Twarynski (34), at 11:21, and F Dillon Dube (23), at 17:47. . . . Kelowna got two assists from F Kyle Topping, with Lind and Twarynski adding one each. . . . Kelowna was 0-1 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-4. . . . G Brodan Salmon recorded the victory with 25 saves. . . . The Giants got 32 stops from G David Tendeck. . . . D James Hilsendager and F Nolan Foote were among Kelowna’s scratches. . . . The Giants were without F Ty Ronning (ill), F Aidan Barfoot (ill), D Darian Skeoch (undisclosed injury) and F Milos Roman (ankle). . . . Announced attendance: 4,807.


THURSDAY (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.


FRIDAY (all times local):

Lethbridge at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

Kootenay at Regina, 7 p.m.

Prince Albert at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.

Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

Calgary at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.

Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.

Tri-City at Portland, 7 p.m.

Kelowna at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

Seattle vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.

Spokane at Everett, 7:35 p.m.


TWEET OF THE DAY

Giants looking to end drought . . . Tigers’ injury list grows . . . Blades back in wild-card spot

A LITTLE OF THIS . . .

The Vancouver Giants are scheduled to meet the Rockets in Kelowna tonight (Wednesday). As Steve Ewen of Postmedia reports, the Giants “haven’t won a road game Vancouveragainst the Kelowna Rockets in 25 straight tries, dating to a 4-3 triumph at Prospera Place on March 19, 2011, when their lineup featured current Montreal Canadiens stalwart Gallagher, as well as the likes of Neil Manning, Wes Vannieuwenhuizen and James Henry.” . . . Tonight’s game, then, will be a good test for a Vancouver team that is third in the B.C. Division, four points behind the Rockets and Victoria Royals. . . . Ewen also reports that Vancouver F Milos Roman has she the walking boot but there’s no timeline for his return. Roman has missed the team’s past nine games. . . . Ewen’s piece is right here. . . . The Rockets list D James Hilsendager as week-to-week, while F Nolan Foote is out up to six weeks, both with upper-body injuries. F Erik Gardiner (UB) remains week-to-week, while G James Porter (UB) is day-to-day, so might soon be back.


The Medicine Hat Tigers are showing six injured regulars, all with long-term injuries. Tigers Logo OfficialThe latest addition to the list is D Kristians Rubins (UB), who will be out up to four weeks. Also out: D Joel Craven (UB), week-to-week; G Jordan Hollett (UB), four-to-six weeks; D Linus Nassen (UB), two-to-three weeks; F Hayden Ostir (broken finger), three-to-five weeks; and F Mason Shaw (knee), indefinite. . . . The Tigers have added D Daniel Baker, 16, to their roster. He has nine goals and 17 assists in 20 games with the Alberta X-Treme prep team of the CSSHL. A second-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft, Baker was pointless in three earlier games with the Tigers. . . . With Hollett out, they will be riding G Michael Bullion, 20. The Tigers are scheduled to entertain the Edmonton Oil Kings tonight, and are expected to have Garin Bjorklund backing up Bullion. Bjorklund, 15, was a first-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. He plays for the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes.


The Kamloops Blazers have added F Josh Pillar to their roster, and he is expected to make his WHL debut tonight (Wednesday) against the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . Pillar, from Warman, Sask., will turn 16 on Feb. 14. He was a first-round selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. He plays for the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos. Pillar has 20 goals and 25 assists in 39 games. . . . Pillar will be returned to the Mintos after tonight’s game.


If you like what you get here, please consider clicking on the DONATE button over there to the right and helping the cause.

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Jeff Hollick, over at dubnetwork.ca, has put together different sets of standings, showing how things would like with various options, such as three points for a regulation victory, two for an OT victory, one for a shootout victory and zero points for any kind of loss. . . .

Let’s be honest: The present system, with some games worth two points and others worth three, is terribly unfair.

Anyway, Hollick’s work is right here.


IF THE PLAYOFFS OPENED TODAY …

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Saskatoon at Moose Jaw

Regina at Medicine Hat

Brandon at Swift Current

Kootenay at Lethbridge

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Spokane at Everett

Seattle at Kelowna

Tri-City at Portland

Vancouver at Victoria


Scoreboard

TUESDAY:

At Brandon, F Jesse Gabrielle and F Cam Hebig each scored twice to help the Regina Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Regina (28-22-5) has won three in a row. It is ReginaPats100fourth in the East Division, but now is just two points behind Brandon (29-19-5). . . . Regina has beaten Brandon three times in a row and won the season series, 5-3-0. . . . F Marcus Sekundiak (2) gave Brandon a 1-0 lead at 2:52 of the first period. . . . Regina scored the next three goals. . . . Gabrielle, who has nine goals, scored on a PP at 12:53 of the first period, then gave his guys a 2-1 lead 50 seconds into the second. . . . F Jared Legien (19) upped it to 3-1 at 10:13. . . . F Luka Burzan (9) got Brandon to within a goal at 6:14 of the third period. . . . Hebig, who has 38 goals, put it away with goals at 15:25, on a PP, and 17:52, into an empty net. . . . F Sam Steel drew the primary assist on each of Regina’s last three goals. He now has 202 assists in 242 regular-season games. . . . Legien added an assist to his goal. . . . Regina was 2-3 on the PP; Brandon was 1-4. . . . The visitors outshot the Wheat Kings 17-9 in the first period and 21-4 in the second. . . . The Pats got 22 saves from G Max Paddock, who was playing in his hometown. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 46 shots. . . . F Baron Thompson was among Brandon’s scratches. He drew a TBD suspension after being hit with a boarding major and game misconduct on Saturday in a 4-3 OT victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels. . . . D Colin Paradis, who absorbed the hit from Thompson, is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury. . . . Announced attendance: 3,424.


At Saskatoon, F Michael Farren scored twice to lead the Blades to a 5-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Saskatoon (26-25-3) had lost its previous two games. It now holds the SaskatoonEastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points ahead of Prince Albert, which holds two games in hand. . . . Kootenay (23-27-3), which opened a four-game Saskatchewan tour with this one, has lost four straight. It is third in the Central Division, seven points behind Lethbridge and six ahead of Red Deer. . . . Farren opened the scoring, on a PP, at 2:47 of the second period. . . . The Ice tied it at 5:37 when F Colton Kroeker (11) scored. . . . Farren (6) broke the tie at 7:33, and F Bradly Goethals (10) stretched the lead with a shorthanded goal at 14:13. . . . F Max Gerlach (25), who also had an assist, gave the Blades a 4-1 lead at 5:12 of the third period. . . . The Ice made it interesting on goals from F Colton Veloso (18), at 17:14, and F Peyton Krebs (15), at 18:06. . . . Saskatoon iced it when F Chase Wouters (15) got the empty-netter at 19:06. . . . Veloso added two assists for the Ice, with Krebs and Kroeker each getting one. . . . Saskatoon was 1-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-3. . . . G Nolan Maier earned the victory with 21 saves. Maier, who turned 17 on Jan. 10, is 17-10-1, 3.24, .902 in his freshman season. . . . G Matt Berlin stopped 29 shots for Kootenay. . . . The Ice was without G Dustin McGovern, who served a one-game suspension for a match penalty he incurred in a 6-3 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Saturday. Kootenay had Jesse Makaj backing up in this one. . . . The Ice also had F Blake Allan, 16, make his WHL debut. From Humboldt, Sask., he has nine goals and 20 assists in 36 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers. He was a third-round selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. . . . F Keenan Taphorn (undisclosed injury) was among Kootenay’s scratches. . . . Announced attendance: 2,861.


At Kent, Wash., F Nolan Volcan scored in the fifth round of a shootout to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Seattle (27-18-7) had lost its Seattleprevious two games (0-1-1). The victory lifted it out of a tie with Spokane and into the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Tri-City (27-17-8) has lost two in a row (0-1-1). It is third in the U.S. Division, one point ahead of Seattle and three ahead of Spokane. . . . Tri-City leads the season series, 4-2-1; Seattle is 3-2-2. . . . F Nolan Yaremko (17) gave the Americans a 1-0 lead at 10:57 of the first period. . . . Seattle went ahead 2-1 on goals from F Donovan Neuls (19), at 13:37 of the first, and Volcan (25), shorthanded, at 14:00 of the second. . . . The Americans forced OT when F Morgan Geekie (20) scored at 18:15 of the third period. . . . Yaremko added an assist to his goal. . . . Seattle was 0-2 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-5. . . . Seattle G Liam Hughes earned the victory with 46 saves through OT and four more in the shootout. . . . The Americans got 40 saves from G Beck Warm. . . . Announced attendance: 4,152.


WEDNESDAY (all times local):

Kootenay at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.

Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.

Calgary at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

Spokane at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Victoria at Portland, 7 p.m.

Vancouver at Kelowna 7:05 p.m.

Tragedy averted as junior B team’s bus leaves road . . . O’Rourke not impressed with Warriors . . . WHL honours Rick Brodsky

MacBeth

F Jeremy Williams (Swift Current, 2000-04) has signed a one-year extension with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He has 21 goals and 19 assists in 49 games. He leads the Tigers in goals and is tied for the team lead in points. As part of the contract extension, Straubing has agreed to loan Williams to Örebro (Sweden, SHL) for the rest of this season. Straubing has three games left in the regular season and cannot make the playoffs. Örebro has 10 games left in its regular season.


A LITTLE OF THIS . . .

Tragedy was averted early Sunday when a bus carrying the junior B Princeton Posse of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League slid off a B.C. highway.

The Posse was on its way home after having played Saturday night in 100 Mile House.

Head coach Mark McNaughton gave full marks to the bus driver, saying that he did a “phenomenal job.”

According to McNaughton, the bus came upon ice and started sliding.

“He adjusted to go the right way,” McNaughton told Andrea Demeer of Black Press. “He steered it straight into a snow bank instead of over towards the embankment.”

The driver, whose named wasn’t included in the story, and one player were taken to hospital in Princeton and later released.

Demeer’s story is right here.


Prince George had just dropped a 4-1 decision to the host Moose Jaw Warriors on PrinceGeorgeSaturday night, and Steve O’Rourke, the Cougars’ associate coach, didn’t like what he saw . . . from the Warriors.

“It’s not easy when a team plays only two lines for pretty much the whole night,” O’Rourke said on 94.3 the GOAT’s post-game show. “It’s embarrassing to watch (the Warriors) to tell you the truth. I’m very upset.

“To come out here and see a top place team and really they played two (or) two-and-a-half lines.

“I thought we did a good job of keeping them to the outside. Yes, we gave up some chances and (goaltender Taylor Gauthier) played really well. We knew that was going to happen with a team this powerful.

“If you are not willing to play four lines during a 72-game schedule, it’s going to catch up to you somewhere. They are a good hockey club, give them credit, but I don’t know about the long term. Personally, I didn’t think it looks good on junior hockey. They have a fourth line that didn’t see the ice all night.”

There’s nothing like some fightin’ words to fire up things in the WHL, something we rarely hear these days. Unfortunately, the Warriors and Cougars aren’t scheduled to play again this season.


Rick Brodsky, a longtime owner and a former chairman of the board of governors, has whlbeen presented with a WHL Governors Award. . . . His involvement in the WHL began in 1977 when his family purchased the Saskatoon Blades. He left that ownership group early in 1992 when he purchased the Victoria Cougars, a franchise that he moved to Prince George after the 1993-94 season. . . . He sold the Cougars after the 2013-14 season and since has been only an interested observer. . . . Brodsky did two stints as the chairman of the board of governors, from 1986-90 and again from 1992-96, when he carried a lot of weight at the top levels of major junior hockey. . . . Brodsky’s brother Jack, who was involved in the Blades’ ownership for a long time, was a recipient of the same award for 2013-14.


Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, reported Monday that the team will be without sophomore F Nolan Foote “for a significant amount of time.” Foote suffered an undisclosed injury in Saturday’s 8-2 loss to the host Everett Silvertips. That was Foote’s 100th WHL regular-season game. . . . Foote, a sophomore, has 12 goals and 26 assists in 48 games this season.


Bob Ridley, the radio voice of the Medicine Hat Tigers, tweeted Sunday that the Tigers “limp home from winless road trip without goaltender Jordan Hollett. Sidelined indefinitely (with) lower-body injury.” . . . Hollett was injured during Saturday’s 5-4 loss Tigers Logo Officialto the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C. He left in the second period, apparently favouring his right leg.

“It looked liked (Ty) Ronning might’ve got the tongue of his skate trapped with the top of the pad and it was just a little freak thing,” Tigers assistant coach Bobby Fox told Zach Amin of CHAT News. “Just the speed off the rush and you could tell right away in the video that he wasn’t himself.”

Fox said the Tigers will add G Garin Bjorklund, 15, or G Kaeden Lane, 16, with Hollett out. . . . Bjorklund, a first-round pick in the 2017 WHL bantam draft, is with the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes. Lane plays at the Burnaby Winter Club. . . . The Tigers next are scheduled to play on Wednesday when they entertain the Edmonton Oil Kings.


The Spokane Chiefs have added F Cordel Larson, 16, to their roster. Larson, who plays for the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds of Wilcox, Sask., should be with the Chiefs on Wednesday when they visit the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Larson, from Weyburn, Sask., was a ninth-round pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. He has 12 goals and 28 assists in 38 games with the Hounds this season.


The Kootenay Ice has added G Jesse Makaj, 16, to is roster. From Vancouver, he plays for the Greater Vancouver Canadians of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. In 14 games, he is 6-7-0, 3.14. Makaj was selected by the Ice in the second round of the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. . . . Ice G Dustin McGovern likely will be suspended after being hit with a match penalty for attempt to injure during Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncos. Should that happen, Makaj will back up Matt Berlin. . . . The Ice is scheduled to visit Saskatoon tonight (Tuesday).


John Grisdale, the BCHL’s commissioner since 2003, revealed Monday that he is stepping aside following this season. Grisdale became the BCHL’s first commissioner when he succeeded Ron Boileau, who had been the league’s president. . . . “The BCHL has meant a lot to me and I’m happy with the work we’ve done but the time is right for me to step aside and let a new face run the show,” Grisdale said in a news release. “I believe the league is in a good place and I think I’m leaving it in a better position than when I began so I take great pride in that.” . . . For more, click right here.

——

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Scoreboard

MONDAY (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.


TUESDAY (all times local):

Regina at Brandon, 7 p.m.

Kootenay at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.

Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.


TWEET OF THE DAY

Saturday in the WHL: Record for Hay . . . Two goals for Rasmussen in return . . . Four points for Budik . . . Ice sweeps Wheat Kings

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Scoreboard

SATURDAY:

At Prince Albert, D Vojtech Budik had a goal and three assists to lead the Raiders to a 9-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Prince Albert (20-20-9) has points in five straight PrinceAlbert(4-0-1). The Raiders are four points behind Saskatoon, which holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Edmonton (13-29-7) has lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . F Cole Fonstad gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 9:25 of the first period. . . . F Parker Kelly (21) made it 2-0 at 10:12. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky got Edmonton on the scoreboard 28 seconds into the second period. . . . Fonstad (15) got that one back at 4:38 and Budik (8) made it 4-1, on a PP, at 9:23. . . . Fix-Wolansky (20) cut into the deficit at 19:07. . . . The Raiders put it away with five third-period goals, two of them from F Kody McDonald, who has 25 goals, and one each from F Justin Nachbaur (5), D Zack Hayes (2) and F Nikita Krivokrasov (1). . . . The Raiders got two assists from each of D Brayden Pachal and D Max Martin, with Hayes, Fonstad and Nachbaur getting one each. . . . F Tomas Soustal had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Prince Albert was 2-5 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-2. . . . G Ian Scott recorded the victory with 18 saves. . . . Edmonton starter Todd Scott allowed six goals on 25 shots in 44:00. Josh Dechaine finished up with six saves on nine shots in 16:00. . . . Raiders F Regan Nagy (knee) took the pregame warmup but didn’t play in this one. . . . Announced attendance: 1,865.


At Swift Current, F Glenn Gawdin scored twice to lead the Broncos to a 3-1 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Swift Current (34-12-4) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). The SCBroncosBroncos lead the season series, 3-0-0. . . . Swift Current is second in the overall standings, nine points behind Moose Jaw. . . . Regina (25-21-5) had points in each of its previous two games (1-0-1). The Pats are fourth in the East Division, six points behind Brandon. . . . The Pats held a 16-11 edge in first-period shots, but mustered only seven shots through the final 40 minutes. . . . D Libor Hajek (10) gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 7:35 of the first period. . . . Gawdin tied it at 8:48 of the second period, then gave his guys a 2-1 lead with his 39th goal, on a PP, at 11:38 of the third. . . . D Artyom Minulin (10), who also had an assist, got the empty-netter, at 19:28. . . . Regina was 1-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 1-5. . . . The Broncos got 22 stops from G Stuart Skinner, while Regina’s Ryan Kubic turned aside 42. . . . While F Jake Leschyshyn and F Emil Oksanen returned to Regina’s lineup, the Broncos were without D Sahvan Khaira and F Kole Gable. . . . These teams will play in Regina this afternoon. . . . Announced attendance: 2,879.


At Saskatoon, F Josh Paterson scored in the sixth round of a shootout to give the Blades a 4-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Saskatoon (25-23-3) has won two in a row Saskatoonand now is two points behind Regina, which holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Prince George (18-24-8) is 0-1-1 on its East Division swing and now is 11 points out of the playoffs. . . . Paterson had given the Blades a 1-0 lead with his 25th goal at 11:39 of the first period. . . . The Cougars took a 2-1 lead on goals from D Joel Lakusta (6), at 18:18 of the second period, and F Ilijah Colina (5), at 0:53 of the third. . . . Saskatoon F Braylon Shmyr (26) got the Blades even, on a PP, at 6:50. That was his 100th career goal in his 279th game. He has 70 goals in 151 games with the Blades, who acquired him from Brandon. . . . D Ryan Schoettler (4) gave the visitors a 3-2 lead at 14:05. . . . The Blades thought they had tied it, 3-3, with 56 seconds left in the third period when F Caleb Fantillo tipped a point shot from D Evan Fiala. But it was ruled that the puck was contacted by a high stick. . . . F Max Gerlach (24) tied it for real just 16 seconds later. . . . F Chase Wouters had two assists for the winners, with Shmyr adding one. . . . The Blades were 2-4 on the PP; the Cougars were 1-4. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 35 shots through OT for Saskatoon. At the other end, Isaiah DiLaura blocked 36 shots. . . . The Blades had Fiala back after he served a one-game WHL suspension. D Dawson Davidson also returned after missing one game due to illness. . . . Announced attendance: 3,817.


At Red Deer, F Kristian Reichel’s OT goal gave the Rebels a 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Red Deer (12-25-11) has won two in a row. It had lost its previous eight OT Red Deergames. . . . Kelowna (31-14-4) has points in four straight (3-0-1). This was the third straight game in which it went to OT. It went 2-0-1. . . . The Rockets lead the Western Conference by one point over Everett. . . . F Leif Mattson (17) put the Rockets out front at 14:41 of the second period. . . . Red Deer took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Mason McCarty (25), at 17:33, and F Josh Tarzwell (5), shorthanded, at 1:25 of the third period. . . . The Rockets forced OT when F Kole Lind (26) struck at 19:27. . . . Reichel (17) won it at 2:46 of extra time. . . . Red Deer was 0-2 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-4. . . . The Rebels got a big game from G Ethan Anders, who stopped 41 shots. . . . G Cole Tisdale stopped 19 shots for the Rockets as the 15-year-old made his third WHL start. . . . Kelowna had F Dillon Dube back after a two-game absence. He picked up one assist. . . . Announced attendance: 4,644.


At Cranbrook, B.C., F Peyton Krebs scored twice to spark the Kootenay Ice to a 3-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Kootenay (23-23-3) has won three in a row, including Kootenaynewa 6-2 victory over Brandon on Friday night. It is third in the Central Division, one point behind Lethbridge. . . . Brandon (28-17-5) has lost eight straight (0-5-3). The Wheat Kings were 0-5-2 on a seven-game road trip that ended with this one. They are third in the East Division, 11 points behind Swift Current. . . . Krebs gave his guys a 1-0 lead at 19:29 of the first period. . . . F Cameron Hausinger (15) made it 2-0 at 12:46 of the second. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos (33) cut into the lead at 12:56. . . . Krebs, who has 13 goals, made it 3-1 at 18:18. . . . The Wheat Kings got back to within a goal on F Luka Burzan’s eighth score, shorthanded, at 5:47 of the third period. . . . Burzan also had an assist. . . . Brandon was 0-1 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-2. . . . G Matt Berlin stopped 19 shots for Kootenay, while Brandon’s Logan Thompson turned aside 32. . . . Before the game, the Ice announced that it had returned D Nolan Orzeck to the midget AAA Calgary Northstars. Orzeck, 16, got into two games this time, after making his WHL debut in October. . . . Announced attendance: 3,474. That’s the largest announced crowd of the season. The announced attendance for their home-opener was 3,392.


At Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored twice on a five-minute PP in the second period en route to a 5-3 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Medicine Hat (26-19-6) has points Tigers Logo Officialin three in a row (2-0-1). It leads the Central Division by eight points over Lethbridge. . . . Moose Jaw (39-8-3) had won its previous four games. It leads the overall standings by nine points over Swift Current. . . . F Brayden Burke (24) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 18:41 of the first period. . . . The Tigers tied it when F Ryan Chyzowski (16) scored at 3:55 of the second period. . . . F Tanner Jeannot (33) put the Warriors out front just 34 seconds later. . . . At 12:11, Moose Jaw F Barrett Sheen was given a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Tigers D Joel Craven, who had to be helped off the ice. . . . The Tigers scored twice on the ensuing PP, with D David Quenneville counting at 13:07, and F James Hamblin (15) making it 3-2 at 16:25. . . . The Tigers went up 4-2 at 1:57 of the third period as F Mark Rassell (42) scored. . . . F Ryan Peckford (18) got the visitors back to within a goal at 12:11. . . . Quenneville, who has 21 goals, iced it with the empty-netter at 19:58. . . . The Tigers got three assists from F Ryan Jevne, with Hamblin, Rassell, Chyzowski and Quenneville adding one each. . . . D Kale Clague drew two assists for the Warriors, with Jeannot adding one. . . . The Tigers were 2-7 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-0 as the Tigers weren’t assessed even one penalty. . . . G Jordan Hollett stopped 33 shots to earn the victory. . . . The Warriors got 19 stops from G Adam Evanoff. . . . The Tigers scratched F Tyler Preziuso, who left Friday’s 4-3 OT loss to visiting Kelowna after being struck on the head by a puck. . . . Moose Jaw D Jett Woo remains out of the lineup. . . . Announced attendance: 3,268.


At Kamloops, Don Hay became the winningest head coach in WHL history as his Blazers erased a 2-0 first-period deficit and beat the Portland Winterhawks, 4-2. . . . Hay now has Kamloops1743 regular-season victories, one more than Ken Hodge, who retired as Portland’s head coach after 1992-93. . . . Kamloops (23-23-3) has won five in a row. It remains six points away from a playoff spot. . . . Portland (28-17-4) has lost two straight. It dropped a 5-2 decision in Kamloops on Friday. The Winterhawks are third in the U.S. Division, five points behind Everett. . . . The teams headed for Portland immediately after this one. They’ve got a date there today at 5 p.m. . . . The Winterhawks got first-period goals from F Skyler McKenzie (37), shorthanded, at 4:29, and F Jake Gricius (11), at 12:06. . . . The Blazers tied it in the second period as F Connor Zary (6), at 5:37, and F Luc Smith (13), at 11:31, found the range. . . . F Quinn Benjafield (17) broke the 2-2 tie 43 seconds into the third period. . . . F Luc Smith (14) got the empty-netter at 18:56. . . . D Nolan Kneen had two assists for the Blazers. . . . Kamloops was 0-2 on the PP; Portland was 0-4. . . . G Dylan Ferguson earned the victory with 32 saves. . . . G Shane Farkas stopped 32 shots for Portland. . . . The Winterhawks were without D Matthew Quigley, who drew a two-game suspension for an elbow to the head that took out Kamloops F/D Tylor Ludwar on Friday. Quigley wasn’t penalized on the play, but was suspended after the Blazers filed for supplementary discipline. . . . These teams will play again today in Portland, so Quigley will sit out that one, too. . . . It’s safe to assume that Ludwar is in the concussion protocol and won’t play today, either. . . . The Winterhawks again were without F Cody Glass and F Kieffer Bellows, both out with undisclosed injuries. No word on whether either one might return today. . . . Announced attendance: 3,651.


At Kent, Wash., D Austin Strand scored the only goal of a three-round shootout to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Seattle (26-17-6) had Seattledropped a 3-1 decision in Everett on Friday. It is third in the U.S. Division, two points behind Portland. . . . The Silvertips (31-16-3) have points in nine straight (8-0-1). They are second in the Western Conference, one point behind Kelowna. . . . Everett took a 1-0 lead when F Connor Dewar scored at 3:44 of the first period. . . . F Blake Bargar (10) tied it at 7:34 of the second period. . . . Dewar, who has 25 goals, put the visitors back out front at 7:41 of the third period. . . . F Matthew Wedman (10) scored on a PP at 10:25 as Seattle pulled even again. . . . Strand was the first shooter of the third round. . . . F Garrett Pilon had two assists for Everett. . . . Seattle was 1-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-2. . . . G Liam Hughes earned the victory with 34 saves through OT. . . . G Carter Hart turned aside 29 shots for Everett. . . . Seattle was in a shootout for the third straight home game and it won all of them. . . . F Sami Moilanen was among Seattle’s scraches after leaving Friday’s game with an undisclosed injury. . . . F Payton Mount, who turned 16 on Jan. 19, made his debut with the Thunderbirds. From Victoria, he was a first-round pick in the 2017 WHL bantam draft. He plays at the Delta Hockey Academy. . . . Announced attendance: 5,476.


At Kennewick, Wash., D Dylan Coghlan’s second goal of the game, in OT, gave the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Tri-City (24-16-7) has points in four TriCity30straight (2-0-2). It holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point behind Spokane. . . . Spokane (26-19-4) has points in five straight (5-0-1). . . . The Americans overcame a 4-1 deficit by scoring the game’s last four goals. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (25), at 5:37 of the first period, and F Ethan McIndoe (15), at 1:15 of the second, gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead. . . . Coghlan halved the deficit on a PP, at 2:43. . . . The Chiefs then got two quick goals to go up 4-1. D Ty Smith (7) scored at 3:46 and F Zach Fischer (22) counted at 4:39. . . . F Michael Rasmussen started the comeback at 10:26, and F Riley Sawchuk (6) cut the deficit to a goal at 14:11. . . . Rasmussen (18) tied it at 19:00 of the third. Coghlan then won it with his 15th goal at 1:14 of extra time. . . . The tying goal originally was credited to Coghlan, which would have meant the winner gave him a hat trick. But the Americans said after the game that the goal will be credited to Rasmussen. . . . F Jordan Topping drew three assists for the Americans, while Rasmussen, in his first game since Dec. 16, added one, as did F Isaac Johnson. . . . Rasmussen had wrist surgery before Christmas. . . . The Chiefs got two assists from D Filip Kral, with Anderson-Dolan getting one. . . . Tri-City was 1-1 on the PP; Spokane was 0-2. . . . G Patrick Tea recorded the victory with 33 saves, seven more than Spokane’s Dawson Weatherill. . . . Tri-City remains without D Juuso Valimaki, D Roman Kalinichenko and F Kyle Olson. . . . Announced attendance: 5,022.


At Victoria, F Tanner Kaspick and F Matthew Phillips each scored twice as the Royals beat the Calgary Hitmen, 4-1. . . . Victoria (29-17-4) has won two in a row. It is second in VictoriaRoyalsthe B.C. Division, four points behind Kelowna. . . . Calgary (15-27-6) will play in Victoria again today in Game 2 of a seven-game road trip. . . . The Royals got out to a 3-0 lead on a goal from Phillips at 1:01 of the first period and two from Kaspick, at 12:03 of the first and at 3:22 of the second, the latter on a PP. . . . F Luke Coleman (10) scored Calgary’s goal, on a PP, at 12:57. . . . Phillips got his 35th goal, on a PP, at 14:52. . . . F Tyler Soy had three assists for Victoria. . . . Kaspick has six goals and two assists in seven games since Victoria acquired him from Brandon at the trade deadline. Four of those six goals have been game-winners. . . . Victoria was 2-3 on the PP; Calgary was 1-9. . . . Victoria G Griffen Outhouse stopped 21 of 22 shots in 58:59. Dean McNabb finished up with two saves in 1:01. . . . Calgary got 18 saves from G Nick Schneider. . . . F Jakob Stukel, with a team-high 22 goals, was among Calgary’s scratches. . . . Announced attendance: 5,638.


SUNDAY (all times local):

Swift Current at Regina, 4 p.m.

Lethbridge at Red Deer, 5 p.m.

Spokane at Everett, 4:05 p.m.

Kamloops at Portland, 5 p.m.

Seattle vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 5:05 p.m.

Calgary at Victoria, 5:05 p.m.


TWEET OF THE DAY

Winterhawks ask for minimum-wage break . . . Steel leads Pats to win . . . Chiefs, Weatherill blank Giants

A LITTLE OF THIS . . .

The Portland Winterhawks have asked state lawmakers for an exemption from any PortlandOregon law that requires employers to pay at least minimum wage to employees.

Katie Shepherd of the Willamette Week reports that the Winterhawks have asked the state government “for a custom-made law that would allow the team to continue not paying its players.”

Oregon’s minimum wage is $11.25 per hour.

According to Shepherd, Tim Bernasek, an attorney representing the Winterhawks, wrote to the Oregon House Judiciary Committee that “without an exemption for amateur athletes under Oregon law, the Portland Winterhawks will be forced to either declare bankruptcy or relocate.”

A class-action lawsuit asking the courts to force CHL teams to pay minimum wage to players is underway in Canada. The WHL’s five U.S. teams have been ruled exempt from that lawsuit, but the plaintiffs have appealed.

Obviously, the Winterhawks aren’t waiting for the outcome of that appeal.

Shepherd reports that the Winterhawks “asked the Oregon Legislature to change the law in 2017. The Senate approved the Winterhawks’ proposal, but the House rejected it as too broad.

“So the team is trying again. Lawmakers expect the new bill will pass.”

Shepherd’s complete story is right here.


F Mason Shaw of the Medicine Hat Tigers has been cleared to return to skating. Shaw has Tigers Logo Officialbeen in Minneapolis, where the Minnesota Wild’s medical staff gave him a going over. He suffered a knee injury that needed surgery while with the Wild’s rookie team at a preseason NHL tournament on Sept. 10. . . . “I’m very excited,” Shaw told CHAT News Today. “I came down here looking for that news, and to be able to leave Minnesota knowing I can come back on skates is something I’m looking forward to, and it’s a long time coming. It’s time to get some skates on.” . . . There isn’t a timetable for his return but he hopes to be back in time for the playoffs. . . . Last season, Shaw, a fourth-round pick by the Wild in the 2017 bantam draft, had 27 goals and 67 assists in 71 games.


If you like what you get 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.

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Another set of twins has been added to our list to those who played together in the WHL.

Jeremy and Joshua Schappert, now 29, were with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Jeremy whlplayed five seasons (2005-10) with the Thunderbirds; Joshua was there from 2005-07 and for 23 games in 2007-08.

Twins who played together . . .

Darren and Trevor Kruger, Swift Current (1987-89)

Bob and Ted McAneeley, Edmonton (Calgary Buffaloes, 1966-67; Edmonton Oil Kings, 1968-69)

Trevor and Troy Pohl, Portland (1986-88)

Jeremy and Joshua Schappert, Seattle (2005-08)

Rich and Ron Sutter, Lethbridge Broncos (1980-83)

Kaeden and Keenan Taphorn, Kootenay (active)

——

Twins who played but not together . . .

Connor and Curtis Honey, Seattle, Brandon (2011-14)

Kris and Ryan Russell, Medicine Hat and Kootenay (2003-07)

Beck and Will Warm, Tri-City and Edmonton (active)

——

Officials who are twins and work together . . .

Chad and Cody Huseby, linesmen from Red Deer (active)


Scoreboard

WEDNESDAY:

At Regina, F Sam Steel drew five assists to lead the Pats to a 7-3 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Regina (25-20-5) holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-ReginaPats100card spot, six points ahead of the Blades. . . . Saskatoon (23-23-3) is four points ahead of Prince Albert, which holds two games in hand. . . . Including in Steel’s night was his 300th career regular-season point. Steel now has 303 points, including 196 assists, in 237 games. . . . Earlier in the game, Regina F Cam Hebig got point No. 200. The first 193 points of Hebig’s WHL career came with the Blades, who dealt him to Regina earlier this month. . . . D Josh Mahura (17), who also had three assists, gave the Pats a 1-0 lead at 2:39 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon F Chase Wouters (14) tied it at 8:30. . . . Regina took control with the game’s next four goals. D Libor Hajek (9), an acquisition from the Blades, gave the Pats a 2-1 lead at 12:21. . . . F Nick Henry (8) upped it to 3-1 at 4:43 of the second period, and F Jesse Gabrielle (6) scored, on a PP, at 10:51. . . . F Jared Legien (18) made it 5-1, on another PP, at 14:29. . . . Saskatoon then got two goals from F Max Gerlach, who has 22 this season. He made it 5-2 at 19:15, then 5-3 just 32 seconds into the third period. . . . Hebig iced it with his 33rd and 34th goals, the latter shorthanded, at 1:13 and 12:31. . . . Hajek and Hebig also had an assist each. . . . D Jake Kustra had two assists for Saskatoon. . . . Regina was 3-6 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-7. . . . G Ryan Kubic, who started the season with Saskatoon, stopped 26 shots for Regina. At the other end, G Tyler Brown, who began the season with the Pats, blocked 38 shots for the Blades. . . . The Blades hold a 4-2-0 edge in the season series, but it isn’t that lopsided because the Pats are 2-2-2. That means the Blades have eight points and the Pats have six. Ahh, the loser point is a glorious thing, isn’t it? . . . Saskatoon, which beat the Pats 4-3 in OT in Saskatoon on Saturday, was missing F Eric Florchuk, who is at the Top Prospects Game. . . . The Pats continue to be without F Jake Leschyshyn. . . . The Blades lost D Evan Fiala to a cross-checking major and game misconduct at 14:29 of the second period for a hit on Steel, who wasn’t injured. . . . Announced attendance: 5,454.


At Edmonton, D Kristians Rubins scored in OT to give the Medicine Hat Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Medicine Hat (25-19-5) had lost its previous four games (0-Tigers Logo Official2-2). The Tigers lead the Central Division by six points over Lethbridge. . . . Edmonton (13-27-7) has lost two straight (0-1-1). . . . The Oil Kings took a 1-0 lead when F Colton Kehler (22) scored, on a PP, at 14:39 of the first period. . . . The Tigers scored the next three goals, all in the second period. F Ryan Jevne (12) got a PP score at 13:03. D Dalton Gally made it 2-1 with his first goal, at 18:34. F Josh Williams (6) upped it to 3-1 at 18:45. . . . The Oil Kings tied it on third-period goals from F David Kope (7), at 11:54, and F Tomas Soustal (12), at 14:32. . . . D Matthew Robertson assisted on both of those Edmonton goals. . . . Rubins won it at 1:03 of OT. He has five goals, three of them winners with two of those coming in OT. . . . F Ryan Chyzowski had two assists for the Tigers, with Jevne adding one. . . . Edmonton was 1-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-5. . . . G Jordan Hollett stopped 27 shots for Medicine Hat, including a stop on Soustal on a penalty shot at 3:30 of the third period. . . . G Josh Dechaine stopped 36 shots for the Oil Kings. . . . Announced attendance: 6,008.


At Lethbridge, F Kole Lind had four points, including the OT winner on a breakaway, as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Hurricanes, 4-3. . . . Kelowna (30-14-3) has won two in a KelownaRocketsrow. It leads the Western Conference by a point over Everett. . . . Lethbridge (22-21-5) has lost three straight (0-2-1). It is second in the Central Division, four points ahead of Kootenay. . . . D Kaedan Korczak (2) gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead 20 seconds into the second period. . . . Lethbridge F Jadon Joseph (5) tied it 12 seconds later. . . . Lind, who finished with two goals and two assists, put the visitors out front, on a PP, at 10:02. . . . The home team took a 3-2 lead on goals from F Jordy Bellerive (31), at 18:14 of the second, and D Igor Merezhko (4), at 14:00 of the third period. . . . Kelowna F Carsen Twarynski (31) forced OT when he scored at 19:22. . . . Lind won it at 4:33 of OT. . . . Kelowna had a 6-1 edge in OT shots. . . . F Nolan Foote had two assists for the winners, with Twarynski adding one. . . . F Zane Franklin had two assists for Lethbridge and Joseph had one. . . . A tip of the Taking Note hat to Kelowna head coach Jason Smith for giving the start to G Cole Tisdale. The 15-year-old is from Lethbridge so got to make his second career WHL start in his hometown where he began the season with the minor midget AAA Hurricanes. He is with the Rockets due to injuries to James Porter and Roman Basran. . . . Tisdale earned the victory with 25 saves. . . . Lethbridge G Reece Klassen stopped 45 shots. . . . Kelowna was 1-2 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-2. . . . The Hurricanes were without D Calen Addison for a second straight game. He’s at the Top Prospects Game. . . . Lethbridge also is without injured forwards Dylan Cozens and Taylor Ross. Before being injured, they were on the Hurricanes’ top line, along with Logan Barlage. . . . Announced attendance: 3,974.


At Langley, B.C., G Dawson Weatherill stopped 31 shots and F Kailer Yamamoto had two goals as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-0. . . . Spokane (26-19-3) opened SpokaneChiefsa seven-game stretch of road games by winning its fourth straight. The Chiefs are fourth in the U.S. Division, one point behind Seattle and two ahead of Tri-City. Spokane and Tri-City hold down the Western Conference’s two wild-card berths. . . . Vancouver (25-16-7) has lost three in a row (0-2-1). It is third in the B.C. Division, one point behind Victoria. . . . Weatherill, an 18-year-old sophomore from  Red Deer, has two career shutouts, both of them coming this season. . . . F Zach Fischer (21) got the Chiefs’ offence started at 1:03 of the first period. . . . Yamamoto, who has eight goals, scored 59 seconds into the second period and again at 3:10. The second goal came with the Chiefs shorthanded. . . . Yamamoto has seven goals and 10 assists in a seven-game point streak. He has put together seven straight multi-point games. . . . F Luke Toporowski (4) and F Hudson Elynuik (23), who also had two assists, had Spokane’s other goals. . . . Elynuik now has 201 career points, 125 of them assists. . . . Vancouver starter David Tendeck stopped 23 of 27 shots through two periods. Trent Miner came on to play the third period. In his WHL debut, he stopped 14 of 15 shots in 20 minutes. . . . Each team was 0-6 on the power play. . . . Spokane was missing D Ty Smith, who is at the Top Prospects Game. . . . The Giants are without F Milos Roman, who has been seen with a walking boot on one foot. . . . Announced attendance: 2,579.


THURSDAY (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.


FRIDAY (all times local):

Prince George at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.

Edmonton at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.

Moose Jaw at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

Kelowna at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.

Brandon vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.

Portland at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Victoria vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.

Seattle at Everett, 7:35 p.m.


TWEET OF THE DAY

WHL’s Saturday roundup: A quick look at 11 games . . . Big night for Giants in Langley . . . Who is the KHL’s King of Hat Tricks?

MacBeth

F Petr Šenkeřík (Kootenay, Prince George, 2009-10) has been assigned on loan by Slovan Ústí nad Labem (Czech Republic, 1. Liga) to Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, 1. Liga) for the rest of this season. This season, he had three assists in 12 games with Vsetín (Czech Republic, 1. Liga), and two goals and two assists in nine games with Labem.


A LITTLE OF THIS . . .

It was on Jan. 6, 2014, when the announcement was made that the Kamloops Daily News was soon to be buried.

Employees worked their final shift on Friday, Jan. 10.

Since then, former employees have gathered once a year to renew acquaintance. We did just that on Saturday, which is why the night’s WHL games weren’t rounded up here on Sunday morning.

It’s always a good time when we gather. In a lot of instances, it’s the one time a year when we see each other so there is a lot of catching up to do. What was interesting this time is that there wasn’t a lot of reminiscing about our days at the newspaper. Instead, it was more about catching up with each other and discussing current events.

If you aren’t familiar with Kamloops, you should know that the city demolished The Daily News building late in 2017. The site now is a paved parking lot. Yes, they paved paradise . . .

You may be aware that the city had paid $4.8 million for the building. Yes, that’s one pricey parking lot.

While I am not about to pontificate on the newspaper industry, there is one thing that often is overlooked with the death of a smaller community’s newspaper. That is this: There no longer is a daily chronicle — a daily diary, if you will — of the area’s history. You can’t overestimate the impact of that loss.


Anyway . . . here are some notes from Saturday and short recaps of the night’s WHL games . . .

At Prince Albert, F Kody McDonald’s 21st goal, on a PP at 7:55 of the third period, stood up as the winner as the Raiders beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 4-3. . . . The Raiders had lost 4-0 to the visiting Swift Current Broncos on ‘Guaranteed Win Night’ just 24 hours earlier. The Warriors lead the overall standings by eight points over the Broncos. . . . F Jordy Stallard had goals No. 28 and 29 for the Raiders. . . . F Brayden Burke, the WHL’s scoring leader, had two assists for Moose Jaw. . . . The Warriors had been 9-0-1 in their previous 10 games.


At Regina, D Josh Mahura had a career high five points as the Pats skated to an 8-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Mahura had a goal and four assists, and was a plus-6. . . . The Pats have points in four straight (3-0-1); the Hitmen have lost four in a row. . . . Four other Pats — F Sam Steel, F Jesse Gabrielle, F Jared Legien and D Cale Fleury — had three-point nights. . . . Announced attendance: 6,217.


At Swift Current, the Broncos got goals from nine different players as they whipped the Edmonton Oil Kings, 9-1, before a sellout crowd. . . . Before the game, the Broncos saluted D Artyom Minulin (Russia), F Aleksi Heponiemi (Finland) and F Tyler Steenbergen (Canada), all of whom played in the WJC. . . . The Broncos have points in six straight (5-0-1). . . . The Broncos have gone over 2,100 in season-ticket sales, with quite an upsurge since Wednesday’s trade deadline. That means they will be giving away one 2018-19 season-ticket at each of their final 10 home games. . . . Announced attendance: 2,879.


At Brandon, F Ryan Jevne’s goal at 1:02 of OT gave the Medicine Hat Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . The Tigers overcame 2-0 and 3-2 deficits, with F Gary Haden forcing OT with a PP goal at 7:42 of the third period. . . . Brandon has points in five straight (3-0-2). . . . Announced attendance: 3,721.


At Lethbridge, F Dylan Cozens scored three times and added an assist as the Hurricanes dumped the Kootenay Ice, 5-2. . . . From Whitehorse, Cozens, who will turn 17 on Feb. 9, has 16 goals and 19 assists in 37 games as a freshman. . . . F Logan Barlage had two assists for Lethbridge, giving him four points, including two goals, in three games — all victories — since being acquired from Swift Current. He also has a shootout winner. . . .  The Ice has lost six in a row (0-5-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,651.


At Red Deer, the Saskatoon Blades scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Rebels, 3-2 in OT. . . . F Josh Paterson tied it with his 21st goal, at 18:17 of the third period, and F Max Gerlach won it at 1:21 of OT. . . . Gerlach, who drew the primary assist on Paterson’s goal, was acquired from Medicine Hat at the deadline. . . . D Dawson Davidson and F Eric Florchuk, two other acquisitions, had the assists on the winner. . . . The Rebels have lost 11 straight games but have loser points in six of those games (0-5-6). . . . Announced attendance: 4,301.


At Portland, the Winterhawks skated to 3-0 and 5-2 leads en route to a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie scored twice, giving him 31, including one on a shorthanded penalty shot. . . . F Kieffer Bellows had three assists for Portland, which has won four in a row. . . . Seattle, which has lost three straight (0-2-1), got two goals from F Dillon Hamaliuk, who has 10. . . . Announced attendance: 8,622.


At Langley, B.C., F James Malm broke a 2-2 tie at 8:35 of the third period as the Vancouver Giants beat the Kelowna Rockets, 3-2. . . . The game drew the largest crowd for a Giants Vancouverhome game since the franchise moved from Pacific Coliseum to the Langley Events Centre prior to last season. . . . Malm, who also had an assist, has 17 goals. . . . F Ty Ronning scored his 40th goal of the season for Vancouver, which has points in nine straight (7-0-2). . . . The Rockets had won their previous three games. . . . The victory lifted the Giants to within one point of the Western Conference-leading Rockets. . . . Announced attendance: 4,753.

Before the game, the Giants announced that they have played D Bailey Dhaliwal on the long-term injury list. He will miss the remainder of this season. . . . The Giants also announced that they have added F Hunor Torzsok, who will turn 18 on Feb. 1, to their roster for the remainder of the season. Torzsok was born in Budapest, Hungary but has played his minor hockey in Canada so is not an import. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder had seven goals and eight assists in 15 games with the major midget Valley West Hawks this season, and three goals in 10 games with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers.


At Spokane, F Garrett Pilon scored three times to lead the Everett Silvertips to a 5-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Pilon, who has 21 goals, was playing his second game since being acquired from the Kamloops Blazers on Jan. 7. . . . F Matt Fonteyne had Everett’s other two goals, giving him 24. . . . G Carter Hart earned the victory with 31 saves in his first appearance since returning from winning gold with Canada at the WJC. . . . Everett has won three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 6,541.


At Kennewick, Wash., the Prince George Cougars scored three second-period goals and went on to a 5-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . F Jared Bethune scored his 15th goal, into an empty net, and added two assists for the Cougars. . . . The Americans were without seven — yes, seven! — of their top-end players — D Juuso Valimaki, F Michael Rasmussen, F Max James, F Nolan Yaremko, F Kyle Olson, F Morgan Geekie and D Roman Kalinichenko. James is serving a suspension; the others are injured. . . . “Never seen anything like it,” Bob Tory, the Americans’ GM, told Taking Note. . . . The Americans have lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 3,704.


At Victoria, F Dante Hannoun’s second goal of the game, at 16:29 of the third period, gave the Royals a 5-4 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The visitors led 3-0 before the first period was 11 minutes old and never trailed until Hannoun scored his second goal. . . . He’s got 18 goals, nine of them in seven games against Kamloops. . . . F Jeff de Wit, who came up short on a second-period penalty shot, also scored twice for Victoria, giving him eight goals. . . . The Royals were without F Lane Zablocki, who served a one-game suspension from a checking-from-behind major he took the previous night. . . . Announced attendance: 6,786.


If you would like to contact Taking Note with information, have a question or just feel like commenting on something, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).


If you enjoy stopping by here, and even if you don’t, feel free to make a donation to the cause by visiting my old site, taking note.ca, and clicking on the DONATE button. Thank you, in advance.


SUNDAY (all times local):

Medicine Hat at Moose Jaw, 4 p.m.

Saskatoon vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 4:05 p.m.

Everett at Portland, 5 p.m.


TWEET OF THE DAY

If you were wondering about former Kootenay Ice sniper Nigel Dawes . . . he is the KHL’s King of Hat Tricks.

Wednesday in the WHL: A pair of four-goal games … ‘Sudden-Death’ Kemp beats Pats … Wolf howls in Everett

Scattershooting

Thankfully, the madness that was the WHL trading deadline has passed us by. Might I suggest that somewhere along the line some people appear to have forgotten that this is junior hockey. . . . Is it not completely absurd to be moving around 15- and 16-year-olds, some of whom haven’t even had a taste of the WHL?


Just putting this out there, but when the Regina Pats lost 4-3 in OT to the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings last night they had four players — D Josh Mahura, F Nick Henry, F Robbie Holmes and D Liam Schioler — in the lineup who played in Game 6 of last spring’s WHL championship final. F Jake Leschyshyn, who played last night, missed last season’s playoffs with a knee injury. F Sam Steel, who didn’t play last night, is resting after playing for Team Canada at the WJC in Buffalo. . . . The Pats made seven trades after the Christmas break. . . . This is what you call a massive makeover.



The biggest winners at the WHL trade deadline? How about the folks who recruit for NCAA hockey teams? Hey, with the whacky WHL schedule and teams combining to move 110 players and 77 bantam draft picks since Nov. 13, you have to think NCAA recruiters are fine-tuning their sales pitches.


It didn’t used to be this way, you know. There was a time when players and draft picks didn’t fly around like snowflakes at the WHL trade deadline. Asked what changed, one GM told Taking Note: “Greed. It’s all about the money now. You can’t build a team anymore.”



One thing to keep in mind after all that has gone on in the last while is this: At the end, only one team can win.


The way I see it, there are four legitimate championship contenders in the WHL right now. My rankings look like this: 1. Portland; 2. Moose Jaw; 3. Everett; 4. Swift Current. . . . For the fans of the other 18 teams, well, the WHL is sorry but there’s always next season.


I would say that Tri-City and Kelowna are close, and I really like Vancouver as a dark horse. But they aren’t quite there. The Americans? They need to get their key guys healthy, something they haven’t been able to do for most of two seasons now.


Thanks to eliteprospects.com, a site that is invaluable during a hockey season, but even moreso with a trade deadline approaching.


Peter Anholt gets it. He really does. On Tuesday morning, the general manager of the Lethbridge Hurricanes traded two players — G Stuart Skinner and F Giorgio Estephan — who have been cornerstones of that franchise. Later that night, after the Hurricanes scored a 5-4 OT victory over the Red Deer Rebels, Anholt met with fans to explain the trade and to answer any questions they might have.


All those players who left Regina over the past while? Here’s hoping their parents didn’t purchase Memorial Cup tickets and make travel plans.



MacBeth

F Jared Aulin (Kamloops, 1997-2002) has signed a one-year extension with Rapperswil (Switzerland, NL B). This season, he has 10 goals and 33 assists in 30 games. He leads his team in assists and points; he is fourth in the league’s scoring race and second in assists.


A LITTLE OF THIS …

Scott Burt, an assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs, will have his number (12) retired by the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads on Feb. 3 when they entertain the Utah Grizzlies. Burt played 403 games with the Steelheads over seven seasons (2000-07). Burt is second in Steelheads history in games played (403), third in goals (111) and third in points (250). He played on two ECHL-championship clubs. . . . Burt, now 40, played four seasons (1994-98) in the WHL, making stops with the Seattle Thunderbirds, Swift Current Broncos, Edmonton Ice and Red Deer Rebels.


The Swift Current Broncos have dropped F Logan Foster, 18, from their roster. He has joined the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. From Kamsack, Sask., Foster had one assist in seven games with the Spokane Chiefs last season. This season, he had two goals and an assist in 22 games with the Broncos. The Chiefs selected him in the seventh round of the 2014 bantam draft.


The Red Deer Rebels have dropped D Sam Pouliot, 17, from their roster. He is expected to join the BCHL’s Powell River Kings. He had one goal in 12 games with the Rebels. A native of Ottawa who now calls North Vancouver, B.C., home, he is an undrafted list player who was in his first WHL season.


The Medicine Hat Tigers have dropped F Jaxon Steele, 17, from their roster and he is expected to join the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks. He was pointless in 17 games with the Tigers.


THE COACHING GAME …

KABOOM! The junior B Kimberley Dynamiters of the Kootenay International Junior KimberleyHockey have signed Derek Stuart, their general manager and head coach, to a two-season contract extension that contains an option on a third season. . . . Stuart is a former Dynamiters player. From Calgary, he is in his second season on the bench. This season, the Dynamiters are 27-6-1-1 (one OTL and one tie) and lead the overall standings by a point over the Nelson Leafs.


Scoreboard

WEDNESDAY:

At Moose Jaw, F Tristan Langan scored four goals, including three in a row in the first period, to lead the Warriors to an 8-3 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Moose Jaw (34-MooseJawWarriors6-3) has points in nine straight games (8-0-1) and leads the overall standings by 10 points over Swift Current. . . . Calgary (13-23-6) had lost two in a row. . . . F Jakob Stukel gave the Hitmen a 1-0 lead at 4:22 of the first period. . . . The Warriors scored the next six goals. . . . Langan, who has 12 goals, scored at 7:42, 14:12 and 19:36 of the first period. His fourth goal, at 8:08 of the second period, gave the home side a 6-1 lead. . . . F Justin Almeida (25), F Brecon Wood (2), F Tyler Smithies, with his first WHL goal, and F Tate Popple (5) also scored for Moose Jaw. . . . Stukel, who has 20 goals, scored twice, the second one coming on a third-period penalty shot. . . . F Carson Focht also scored for Calgary. . . . The Warriors got three assists from each of F Tanner Jeannot and Jayden Halbgewachs, with D Dmitri Zaitsev getting two and Smithies one. . . . The Warriors were 2-4 on the PP; the Hitmen were 1-3. . . . The Warriors got 17 saves from G Adam Evanoff. . . . Calgary starter Nick Schneider gave up six goals on 22 shots in 28:08. Matthew Armitage came on to stop 10 of 12 shots in 31:52. . . . Announced attendance: 3,048.


At Regina, F Brett Kemp scored at 1:40 of OT to give the Edmonton Oil Kings a 4-3 victory over the Pats. . . . The Oil Kings (12-24-6) have won two in a row. . . . The Pats (21-19-4) EdmontonOilKingshave points in two straight (1-0-1) and hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, one point ahead of Saskatoon. . . . One night earlier, Kemp, who has 11 goals, scored at 2:06 of OT to give Edmonton a 3-2 victory in Brandon. . . . Last night, F Robbie Holmes gave Regina a 2-0 lead before the first period was half over. Holmes, who has 12 goals, scored at 4:37 and 9:59. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky (18) got Edmonton’s first goal, at 12:12. . . . The Oil Kings took a 3-2 lead on two goals from F Colton Kehler, at 1:07 of the second period and 1:13 of the third. . . . The Pats forced OT when F Matt Bradley (26) scored at 14:25. . . . Fix-Wolansky also had an assist. . . . F Austin Pratt drew two assists for Regina and Bradley had one. . . . The Pats were 0-2 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-3. . . . G Josh Dechaine stopped 33 shots for Edmonton, four more than Regina’s Ryan Kubic, who was acquired earlier in the day from the Saskatoon Blades. . . . F Cam Hebig, who went to Regina in the same deal, didn’t play. . . . D Libor Hajek, who came over from Saskatoon on Tuesday, made his Regina debut. F Jesse Gabrielle, who was acquired from Prince George, also was in Regina’s lineup. . . . Announced attendance: 5,372.


At Saskatoon, F Bryan Lockner scored in his Medicine Hat debut as the Tigers beat the Blades, 3-2. . . . Medicine Hat (23-16-3) leads the Central Division by 10 points over Tigers Logo OfficialLethbridge and Kootenay. . . . Saskatoon (22-18-3) has lost two in a row and now holds the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, seven points ahead of Prince Albert.. . . . The Blades actually acquired Lockner from the Regina Pats on Wednesday morning, then flipped him to Medicine Hat in a deal that brought F Max Gerlach to Saskatoon. Gerlach made his Saskatoon debut and had an assist. . . . The Tigers opened up a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from F Gary Haden (11), at 1:57, and Lockner (8), at 6:00. . . . F Braylon Shmyr (22) pulled the Blades to within a goal at 17:39. . . . D David Quenneville (18) gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead at 12:31 of the third period. . . . The Blades got to within a goal when F Chase Wouters (11) scored at 19:45. . . . Quenneville also had an assist, as did F Elijah Brown, who was acquired from the Seattle Thunderbirds on Tuesday. . . . Wouters had an assist for Saskatoon. . . . The Blades were 0-2 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-4. . . . G Jordan Hollett earned the victory with 31 saves, 12 fewer than Saskatoon’s Nolan Maier. . . . Maier was backed up by Tyler Brown, who was acquired from Regina earlier in the day. . . . F Ryan Jevne was back in Medicine Hat’s lineup after serving a three-game suspension. . . . Announced attendance: 2,709.


At Prince George, F Josh Maser scored four goals, the last one coming in OT, as the Cougars beat the Vancouver Giants, 4-3. . . . Prince George (16-19-7) had lost its previous PrinceGeorgetwo games (0-1-1). The Cougars are tied with Kamloops, six points out of a wild-card spot. . . . Vancouver (24-14-6) is 7-0-1 in its past eight games. It went 4-0-1 on a five-game road trip that ended with this game. The Giants are second in the Western Conference, one point behind Kelowna. . . . One night earlier, the Giants had beaten the host Cougars, 5-1. . . . Last night, seven goals were scored and they all came from two players, as F Ty Ronning had all three Vancouver goals. . . . Ronning, who has 39 goals, scored the game’s first two goals, at 10:16 of the first period and 7:53 of the second. . . . Maser, who now has 20 goals, gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead with goals at 9:17 of the second and 0:08 and 17:35 of the third. . . . The Giants forced OT when Ronning completed his hat trick with 29.9 seconds left in the third. . . . Master won it at 2:49 of OT. . . . The Cougars got two assists from F Josh Curtis. . . . Vancouver was 0-2 on the PP; Prince George was 0-3. . . . G Taylor Gauthier stopped 27 shots for the Cougars. . . . The Giants got 33 saves from G David Tendeck. . . . The Giants had traded G Todd Scott to Edmonton earlier in the day, a move that left them without a backup goaltender. Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen reports that Cougars G Isaiah DiLaura was on the lineup sheet as the Giants’ backup “and would have been called into service” had Tendeck been injured. . . . D Darian Skeoch was among Vancouver’s scratches. He had played in Tuesday’s victory. . . . Announced attendance: 2,495.


At Everett, G Dustin Wolf turned aside 29 shots to lead the Silvertips to a 4-0 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Everett (25-16-2) has won two in a row and leads the U.S. EverettDivision by a point over Portland. . . . Tri-City (22-13-5) had won its previous two games. It is third in the U.S. Division, two points behind Portland and three ahead of Seattle. . . Wolf, 16, has been starting for Everett in the absence of Carter Hart, who won gold with Team Canada at the WJC in Buffalo. Wolf now is 9-5-0, 2.17, .933, with three shutouts. . . . Hart is expected to return Saturday in Spokane. . . . The Silvertips got two goals from each of F Connor Dewar and D Kevin Davis. . . . Dewar, who has 18 goals, scored the game’s first and fourth goals, at 5:27 of the first period and 8:35 of the third, on a PP. . . . Davis made it 2-0 while shorthanded at 10:41 of the second period, then added his sixth goal at 4:35 of the third. . . . F Matt Fonteyne had two assists, and Davis had one. . . . Everett was 1-4 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-3. . . . G Patrick Dea started for Tri-City and allowed four goals on 51 shots in 50:05. Beck Warm finished up by stopping all six shots he faced in 9:55. . . . Tri-City F Max James was handed a charging major and game  misconduct for a hit on Everett F Matt Fonteyne at 7:24 of the third period. . . . F Garrett Pilon and D Ondrej Vala, both acquired Sunday from Kamloops, made their Everett debuts. Vala had a game-high 11 shots on goal. . . . The Americans were without D Jake Bean, who is expected to make his debut on Friday against Portland, and F Morgan Geekie, F Kyle Olson, D Juuso Valimaki and F Michael Rasmussen, all of whom are hurt. . . . Announced attendance: 2,997.


At Kelowna, F Kyle Topping score two goals and added an assist to help the Rockets to a 7-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Kelowna (26-12-3) has won two in a row and KelownaRocketsleads the Western Conference by a point over Vancouver. . . . Spokane (21-18-3) has lost three straight. It holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Topping, who has 17 goals, got the scoring started at 5:14 of the first period. . . . D Kaedan Korczak’s first WHL goal made it 2-0 at 14:57. . . . The Chiefs followed that with three straight goals, from D Jeff Faith (4), at 18:27; D Tyson Helgesen (6), at 0:19 of the second period; and F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (23), on a PP, at 2:11. . . . The Rockets erased the deficit and took a 5-3 lead as F Nolan Foote (12) scored at 3:37, D Cal Foote (7) counted, on a PP, at 14:20, and D Braydyn Chizen (4) added another at 7:53 of the third period. . . . F Zach Fischer (19), who also had an assist, pulled the Chiefs to within a goal at 15:41. . . . The Rocket put it away as Topping scored at 18:06 and F Kole Lind added his 21st goal at 18:55. . . . The Rockets got three assists from F Carsen Twarynski, with Lind, Topping and Nolan Foote adding one each. . . . Kelowna was 1-2 on the PP; Spokane was 1-3. . . . G Roman Basran started for Kelowna but was shaken up and left at 5:53 of the first period. He stopped all five shots he faced. James Porter Jr. finished up, stopping 23 of 27 shots in 54:07. . . . The Chiefs got 18 stops from G Donovan Buskey. . . . Spokane again had Campbell Arnold, 15, backing up Buskey with Dawson Weatherill scratched again. . . . Announced attendance: 5,372.


THURSDAY (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.


FRIDAY (all times local):

Edmonton at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

Swift Current at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.

Medicine Hat at Regina, 7 p.m.

Calgary at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.

Lethbridge at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

Prince George at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.

Portland vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

Kamloops at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

Kelowna vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.