Ice, Blades to open tonight . . . T-Birds, Blazers on tap Saturday . . . Warriors’ Firkus gets NHL deal


WHL

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

After a couple of nights off, the WHL playoffs are back on centre stage tonight as the Saskatoon Blades are in Winnipeg to meet the Ice.

WinnipegIceThese were the top two Eastern Conference teams in the regular season. The Ice finished with the WHL’s best record, going 57-10-1; the Blades, at 48-15-5, had the conference’s second-best record.

The Ice are 8-2 in the playoffs, having swept the Medicine Hat Tigers and then taken out the Moose Warriors in six games.

The Blades are writing an amazing story. They are 8-6 after winning a pair of Saskatoonseven-game series. In both series, against the Regina Pat and Red Deer Rebels, the Blades dropped the first two games on home ice, then came back to win Game 7 at home. Of course, they actually lost three in a row to Red Deer before becoming the third team in WHL history to do that and then win the series.

The Ice won four of six regular-season meetings with the Blades, who went 2-3-1. The Ice won all three meetings in Winnipeg. In their latest meeting, the host Blades put up a 3-2 victory on Feb. 4.

JUST NOTES: Game 2 will be played in Winnipeg on Saturday, with Games 3 and 4 in Saskatoon on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . Saskatoon F Justin Lies is eligible to return after having sat out the last three games while serving a WHL-issued suspension. . . . The Western Conference final, featuring the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds and No. 2 Kamloops Blazers, is to open on Saturday in Kent, Wash. They’ll play Game 2 there on Sunday, and then head to Kamloops for games on Tuesday and Thursday. Should this series go seven games, they’ll play Games 6 and 7 on back-to-back nights — May 8 in Kamloops and May 9 in Kent. . . . Each team is 8-0 this spring, the result of that being that Seattle hasn’t played since April 19, and Kamloops last played on April 20.


The 2023 Kamloops Kidney Walk is scheduled for June 4, and Dorothy is taking part once again. She will celebrate 10 years as a kidney-transplant recipient in September, so the annual Kidney Walk is a big deal for her. In fact, she is participating for a 10th straight year. Yes, that means she is fund-raising, with all donations going to the Kidney Foundation. . . . Things are rolling right along, too, as she now has surpassed $3,300 thanks to help from people like the former WHL general manager who has more than one Memorial Cup ring. . . . If you are interested in helping, you are able to do so on her home page, which is right here.


Twain


JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Seattle Kraken has signed F Jagger Firkus of the Moose Jaw Warriors to a three-year entry-level contract. Firkus, who will turn 19 on Saturday, had 40 goals and 44 assists in 66 games with the Warriors this season. In 10 playoff games, he added 10 goals and 11 assists. . . . Seattle selected him in the second round of the NHL’s 2022 draft. . . .

G Dante Giannuzzi of the Portland Winterhawks has signed an ATO with the Manitoba Moose, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Giannuzzi, who is from Winnipeg, played out his junior eligibility this season. In 109 appearances over five seasons with Portland, he went 59-32-12, 3.07, .896. . . . This season, he was 23-13-3, 3.37, .894. . . .

The New York Rangers have assigned F Ryder Korczak of the Moose Jaw Warriors to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Korczak, 20, had 28 goals and 41 assists in 48 games with the Warriors this season, then added three goals and eight assists in 10 playoff games. He was a third-round selection by the Rangers in the NHL’s 2021 draft.


Headline at The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton): Calgary tackles housing crisis by spending $867 million on new home for the Flames.

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Headline at Deadspin (@Deadspin) after the New York Jets acquired QB Aaron Rodgers: Anti-vaxxer introduced as QB for franchise of Johnson & Johnson heir.



THE COACHING GAME:

The BCHL’s Merritt Centennials are looking for a new general manager and head coach after choosing not to renew Curtis Toneff’s contract. Toneff had been an assistant coach with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos when he joined the Centennials on Dec. 22, 2021. . . . The Centennials, who were 1-20-1 when Toneff was hired midway in the 2021-22 season, finished that season at 3-47-4. This season, they went 12-37-5. . . .

The junior B Nanaimo Buccaneers of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League have signed Vin Jackson as an assistant coach for the 2023-24 season. . . . Jackson, 20, used up his junior eligibility as a player this season, finishing up with the VIJHL’s Campbell River Storm. This season, he also played with the Princeton Posse and Fernie Ghostriders, both of the junior B Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. . . . With the Buccaneers, he will work alongside GM/head coach Lee Stone. Jackson will be a full-time assistant as he relocates from his home in Creston, B.C., to Nanaimo.


——

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.


Blimp

Advertisement

Ex-WHLer needs heart transplant . . . Rebels have Blades on ropes . . . Lambert puts up six points in Seattle victory

Dmitriy (Dyma) Markovskiy, a former WHL player, is 47 years of age and in need of a heart transplant. From Kyiv, Ukraine, he played with the Portland Winterhawks (1993-94) and split the next season between the Regina Pats, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Saskatoon Blades. . . . Mike Williamson, who played and coached with the Winterhawks, roomed with Markovskiy in 1993-94 and has started a GoFundMe page. . . . Williamson writes: “Dyma is doing better but has a long road ahead of him. Doctors have now told him that he will need a heart transplant, and he will always be limited in what he can do physically. Between the war and his heart, he has been unable to work and provide for his family. Julia is working and the family is doing what they can. Still, medical bills, medication, rehabilitation, and future costs are and will be substantial.” . . . That GoFundMe page is right here.


WHL

After a quiet day, the WHL was back in action with three games on Tuesday night, and there is a full slate of four scheduled for tonight.

In the Eastern Conference, the No. 2 Saskatoon Blades are staring elimination in the face as they meet the No. 3 Rebels in Red Deer. A 3-1 victory there last night gave the Rebels a 3-0 series lead.

In the Western Conference, the No. 2 Kamloops Blazers and No. 3 Portland Winterhawks will play Game 3 tonight. The Blazers, who are 6-0 in these playoffs, hold a 2-0 edge after dominating at home.

In Prince George, the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds, who are 7-0, will try to complete a sweep of the No. 4 Cougars tonight. Seattle posted an 8-1 victory in Prince George last night.

In the Eastern Conference, the No. 1 Winnipeg Ice is in Moose Jaw for Game 4 with the Warriors, who hold a 2-1 series lead after posting an 8-4 victory last night. They’ll go back to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Saturday night.

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TUESDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) at Moose Jaw (4) — The Moose Jaw Warriors broke a 3-3 tie with WarriorsNewthe only two goals of the second period and went on to score an 8-4 victory over the Winnipeg Ice. . . . The Warriors lead the series, 2-1, and will play host to Game 4 tonight. The series will return to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Saturday night. . . . The Ice led this one 2-0 early in the first period after goals from F Zack Ostapchuk (5) and F Briley Wood (2) at 7:07 and 7:18. . . . The Warriors got back in it on PP goals from F Ryder Korczak (3) and F Jagger Firkus (6) at 8:45 and 11:33. . . . F Lynden Lakovic (2) put Moose Jaw ahead at 14:52, only to have F Vladislav Shilo (1) get Winnipeg into a 3-3 tie at 17:06. . . . The Warriors counted the next four goals to take control. F Eric Alarie (1), back after a four-game absence, Lakovic (3), D Cosmo Wilson (1) and F Martin Rysavy (4) got the Warriors into a 7-3 lead. . . . F Josh Medernach (1) got Winnipeg’s last goal, and Firkus (7) ended Moose Jaw’s offensive onslaught. . . . The Ice hadn’t surrendered eight goals in a game since Feb. 25, 2020 when they dropped a 10-1 decision to the Oil Kings in Edmonton. . . . F Brayden Yager had four assists for Moose Jaw, while Korczak added two assists to his goal and Firkus had one assist for a three-point game. . . . The Warriors were 2-for-2 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-2. . . . The Ice was without F Evan Friesen, who sat out the first of a two-game suspension for a headshot on Moose Jaw D Matthew Gallant in Game 2. Gallant didn’t return after the hit and he didn’t play in Game 3. . . .

Saskatoon (2) at Red Deer (3) — The Red Deer Rebels scored the game’s last RedDeerthree goals as they beat the Saskatoon Blades, 3-1. . . . The Rebels hold a 3-0 series lead with Game 4 in Red Deer tonight. . . . F Trevor Wong gave the Blades their first lead of the series when he opened the scoring at 5:04 of the second period. . . . F Frantisek Formanek (3) got Red Deer even at 9:46. . . . F Dwayne Jean Jr. (1) snapped the tie at 16:25. . . . F Kalan Lind (2) got the empty-netter at 19:14 of the third period. . . . Red Deer was 0-for-3 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-for-2. . . . G Kyle Kelsey earned the victory with 22 saves. He is 7-1, 1.67, .938 in the playoffs. . . . D Aiden De La Gorgendiere, the Blades’ captain, returned to the lineup after having left Game 2 with an illness. . . . The Blades also had D Blake Gustafson in the lineup for the first time in the series.

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WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) at Prince George (4) — The Seattle Thunderbirds scored four times Seattlebefore the game was 13 minutes old — two of them coming via the PP — en route to an 8-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Thunderbirds hold a 3-0 series lead and get their first chance to wrap it up tonight. . . . The Thunderbirds have outscored the Cougars, 17-3, through three games. . . . F Brad Lambert led Seattle with a goal and five assists. The WHL record for most assists in a playoff game (7) is held by F Dale Derkatch of the Regina Pats. He did it in a 13-6 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on March 26, 1982. . . . Lambert now has 15 points, 13 of them assists, in five games in these playoffs. At three points per game, he is slightly ahead of F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats, who finished at 2.86 for seven games. . . . Including his 26 regular-season games, Lambert has put up 53 points, including 34 assists, since joining the Thunderbirds from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. . . . The Cougars lost F Jaxsen Wiebe at 10:30 of the first period when he was hit with a match penalty for butt-ending. Seattle scored twice on the ensuing PP to take a 4-0 lead. . . . Seattle finished 4-for-4 on the PP; Prince George was 0-for-4. . . . The Thunderbirds had a 40-20 edge in shots, including 20-4 in the first period. . . . F Dylan Guenther scored his ninth and 10th goals of these playoffs; he is tied with Bedard for the playoff lead. . . . D Kevin Korchinski had three assists. . . . The Cougars were without F Riley Heidt, a 97-point scorer in the regular season, as he served a one-game suspension for a headshot major and game misconduct in Game 2.


Headline at The Beaverton — World’s sick, injured travel to see NHL team doctors after they miraculously heal entire rosters in time for playoffs.


Pastor


JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Mitch Love, a former WHL coach and player, has been named the AHL’s outstanding coach for a second straight season. Love, the head coach of the Calgary Wranglers, also was awarded the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award last season when the NHL’s Calgary Flames had their AHL affiliate in Stockton, Calif. . . . The award is voted on by coaches and members of the media in the AHL’s 32 cities. . . . Love is the third coach to win the award in back-to-back seasons, after Bill Dineen (1985, 1986) and Robbie Ftorek (1995, 1996). . . . Love is the first head coach to win it in each of his first two AHL seasons. . . . The Wranglers finished 51-17-4, the AHL’s best regular-season record. . . . He is 96-33-11 in his two AHL seasons. . . . Love, 38, is from Quesnel, B.C. He played in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Swift Current Broncos and Everett Silvertips (2000-05). He spent six seasons (2012-18) as an assistant coach with Everett and as the head coach of the Saskatoon Blades for three seasons (2018-21). . . .

Jason Becker, a former WHL player and coach, has been named head coach of BC Hockey’s U16 male team for the 2023 Program of Excellence season. . . . Becker, the manager of hockey operations and head coach of the U17 Prep team at the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy, has been BC Hockey’s lead evaluator for its male U16 program for the past three seasons. . . . He played four seasons in the WHL (Saskatoon Blades, Red Deer Rebels, Kamloops Blazers, Swift Current Broncos, 1991-95) and was an assistant coach with the Prince George Cougars (2010-14). He also played five seasons with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies. . . . Becker’s assistant coaches also are former WHLers— Craig Bedard and Riley Emmerson. Bedard will be with Team BC for a third time, while Emmerson is a first-timer. Bedard, a head coach with the Okanagan Hockey Academy since 2012, was an assistant coach with the Prince Albert Raiders (2007-12). . . . Emmerson, the head coach of the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U15 AAA side, played two seasons (2004-06) with the Tri-City Americans. . . . BC Hockey’s U16 team will emerge from the BC Cup (Salmon Arm, April 20-23) and a provincial camp (Chilliwack, July 24-27) to play in the WHL Cup in Red Deer. . . .

The WHL has lost a legend with the news on Monday that Craig West has left the Tri-City Americans. The WHL team made that announcement, stating that West “has left . . . to pursue other opportunities.” . . . West, who had been vice-president of sponsorship sales and broadcasting, was the radio voice of the Americans since 1998. Before joining the Americans, he spent eight seasons (1990-98) with the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Last season, he called his 2,500th WHL game. . . .

On Tuesday, the Tri-City Americans announced that Midge Peterson, their athletic therapist, wouldn’t be returning. She had been with the organization since March 2021. . . .

The SJHL’s Melville Millionaires announced on Monday that Mike Rooney, their general manager and head coach, is leaving “to pursue other opportunities.” He had been with the Millionaires since May 2020. Melville went 25-68-16 with him as head coach, and wasn’t able to make the playoffs. . . . This season, the Millionaires finished 14-36-6. . . . The Millionaires also are looking for an assistant coach because Daven Smith left in March. . . .

The junior B Port Alberni Bombers of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League are in the market for a general manager and head coach following the departure of Gaelan Patterson. According to a news release, Patterson told the Bombers that he is moving on “to a new endeavour with a U14 program being established in Duncan.” . . . Patterson was with the Bombers for their first two seasons in the VIJHL and got them into the playoffs both times. . . . Patterson, 32, is a former WHL player, who spent four seasons (2006-10) with the Saskatoon Blades.



Headline at The Onion — Absent-Minded Billionaire Almost Forgets to Pay $0 in Taxes.


THINKING OUT LOUD — If you are watching the first round of the NHL playoffs on TV, how many games is it going to take before you are sick of all the gambling-related commercials? . . . What’s that? . . . You’re there already? Yeah, so am I. . . . Remember when the analysts on hockey telecasts didn’t tread all over the play-by-play person’s time? Sheesh, when the puck is in play the analyst needs to zip it. . . . I’m thinking the NHL’s Calgary Flames have quite a decision to make. Do they stick with Darryl Sutter as their head coach, or do they promote Mitch Love? And if they don’t make a move with Love, might the Anaheim Ducks be interested?


Bees


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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.


Seventy

Habscheid leaves Pioneers, next steps “uncertain” . . . Ex-WHLer Stanley replaces him . . . Blazers complete sweep of Giants

GreenShirtDay


Habby

Marc Habscheid, the fifth-winningest head coach in WHL regular-season history, is leaving the BEMER Pioneers Vorarlberg, who play out of Feldkirch, Austria. . . . Habscheid, 60, left the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders in August and took over as head coach of the Pioneers. . . . “Marc recently informed us that he will be leaving the Pioneers at the end of the 2022-23 season and would like to look for another job,” the team said in a news release. . . . This was Habscheid’s first European coaching job and he was guiding a team in its first season in the ICE Hockey League. The Pioneers finished last in the 13-team league, at 8-34-6. . . . “My next steps are currently still uncertain,” Habscheid said in the news release. “I would like to give myself the necessary time to consider various options before I set the course for the future.” . . . Habscheid spent 18 seasons as a WHL head coach, posting 582 victories with the Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets, Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?), Victoria Royals and Prince Albert. . . . He also has posted 75 playoff victories, including guiding the Kelowna Rockets (2002-03) and Prince Albert (2018-19) to WHL championships. . . .

Pioneers management already has signed a new head coach — former WHLer Dylan Stanley. From Edmonton, the 39-year-old Stanley played five seasons (2000-05) as a forward with the Tri-City Americans. He played in Europe since 2008, spending 2014 through 2022 playing with VEU Feldkirch. He has been a skills coach and director of player development with the Feldkirch organization from 2017-22. In 2022-23, he was with Pioneers Vorarlberg as director of player development, assistant coach and conditioning coach.



A few Twitter tidbits from Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow), all of them WHLinvolving Wednesday night in the WHL . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Prince George Cougars scored a 6-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans to even their series, 2-2. “F Koehn Ziemmer and F Jaxsen Wiebe both rack up a pair of tallies. Ziemmer gets on board for first time seeing 4-game goal drought end. Wiebe had a multi-goal game in last season’s playoffs.” . . .

In Kelowna, the Seattle Thunderbirds swept the Rockets with a 3-0 victory. The Thunderbirdsd “sow the final seeds of the series and move on to the conference semifinal. F Jordan Gustafson jimmies a goal and an assist in 3rd period to put game out of reach. G Thomas Milic stops all 19 faced, leaves series with a .958 save percentage.” . . .

In Calgary, the Rebels beat the Calgary Hitmen, 6-1, to go ahead 3-1 in the series. The Rebels “combine for five special teams goals (3 power play, 2 shorthanded) . . . D Mats Lindgren sets up four. Team’s first blueliner to do so in the Internet Era.” . . .

In Lethbridge, the Moose Jaw Warriors completed a sweep of the Hurricanes, winning 5-2. “F Brayden Yager blasted first two goals of playoffs, last into an empty net to complete a 3-goal third. D Maximus Wanner has inverse, setting up first two in final frame. Third career 3+ point competitive contest.” . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Winnipeg Ice completed a sweep of the Tigers with a 3-2 victory. “Winnipeg is outshot in all four games of series yet has more goals and that’s all that matters. F Ty Nash notches tilt’s final tally, scoring back-to-back. F Matthew Savoie starts scoring while shorthanded, 6th goal of series equaling last season’s total.”

In Regina, the Saskatoon Blades won, 4-3 in OT, to even the series with the Pats, 2-2. “The Blades are back to square one after turning around a 3-1 deficit, after conceding two goals in first minute of the final frame.  F Jayden Wiens kickstarts comeback helped by D Charlie Wright who levels match halfway through third. Jake Chiasson finishes job. . . . First playoff goal for Chiasson in 10 career tries and ends a personal nine-game goalless drought. 11th goal since becoming a member of the Blades, fifth game-winning goal. . . . Team also won 2 overtime games in same series to start 2019 against Moose Jaw.”


Meteor


While there was only one game in the WHL playoffs on Thursday night, there will be four played tonight with two of the teams involved facing elimination.

In Red Deer, the Calgary Hitmen trail the Rebels, 3-1, and are without two of their top three scorers in F Riley Fiddler-Schultz and F Sean Tschigerl. Fiddler-Schultz didn’t finish Game 2, while Tschigerl was injured in Game 3. . . .

In Everett, the Silvertips have lost the first three games of their series with the Portland Winterhawks, so need a victory to send the series back to Oregon. . . . A Portland victory will send the Winterhawks into the second round against the Kamloops Blazers, who completed a sweep of the Vancouver Giants last night. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Prince George Cougars and Tri-City Americans are 2-2 as they head into a fifth game. They’ll be in Prince George for Game 6 on Sunday, with a seventh game, if needed, scheduled for Tuesday . . .

And, in Saskatoon, the Blades will be looking for a third straight victory as they try to take a 3-2 lead over the Regina Pats. After the Pats won the first two games in Saskatoon, the Blades went into Regina and twice overcame 3-1 deficits to win in OT. . . . Regina will be without F Brayden Barnett, who drew a one-game suspension for a slew-footing double minor he was hit with in Game 4. . . . These teams so far have played in front of 33,861 fans, with more than 10,000 expected again for Game 5. . . . They’ll be back in Regina before another 6,499 fans for Game 6 on Saturday. . . .

Meanwhile, the Moose Jaw Warriors will be without F Robert Baco for the first three games of their second-round series. The Warriors completed a sweep of the host Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday night and Baco took a goaltender interference major and game misconduct during the game.

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THURSDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Kamloops (2) at Vancouver (7) — D Olen Zellweger scored his second goal of Kamloopsthe game and third in four games with 1.5 seconds left in OT to give the Kamloops Blazers a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C. . . . The Blazers swept the first-round series. . . . They outshot the Giants, 67-35, last night, including 26-7 in OT. . . . The Giants overcame 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 deficits, forcing OT when F Skyler Bruce (1) scored, on a PP, at 15:00 of the third period. . . . F Ty Thorpe, the Giants’ captain, scored three times and added an assist. He scored at even strength, while shorthanded and on the PP. His third goal of the series, on a PP, came 52 seconds into the third period and tied it 3-3. . . . Zellweger (2) put his guys back out front at 3:45. . . . Zellweger’s winner was the second goal Kamloops scored with 1.5 seconds left on the clock. F Connor Levis (1) put the Blazers in front, 3-2, with 1.5 seconds remaining in the first period. . . . F Ryan Hofer (5) had two goals and an assist for the Blazers, all in the first period. . . . F Samuel Honzek drew three assists for the Giants. . . . Vancouver scored twice in the first period after having been outscored 19-1 through the first three games. . . . Kamloops had a 221-93 edge in shots in the four games. . . . In the series, the Blazers were 6-for-22 on the PP; the Giants were 3-for-10, including 2-for-6 in Game 4. . . . With F Daylan Kuefler injured, Kamloops had F Nathan Behm, 15, skating alongside Logan Stankoven and Levis. Behm, from Calgary, was the 13th overall selection in the WHL’s 2022 draft. . . . The Blazers went back to Kamloops with a little less money in their bank account after being fined $250 for a warmup violation prior to Tuesday’s game in Langley.


JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

It seems that reports of WHL referee Steve Papp’s retirement were premature. A report in some Black Press newspapers/websites indicated that Papp “officiated his final WHL game on Tuesday night . . . between the Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds.” . . . Papp, 39, is from Kelowna and in his 17th season as a WHL referee. He also spent two seasons as a linesman. . . . But he is not yet done. . . . A WHL official told Taking Note on Thursday night that Papp “is planning on this being his last season . . . he will be continuing to skate in the playoffs.” . . .

In the OHL, the Kitchener Rangers completed a first-round sweep of the Windsor Spitfires, winning 5-1 at home on Friday night. The Spitfires had finished atop the Western Conference, 22 points ahead of the eighth-place Rangers. This is the first time in OHL history that an eighth seed has swept a No. 1 seed. . . . The Spitfires had loaded up in the hopes of a deep playoff run, their acquisitions including the highly touted F Shane Wright.



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With the 10th anniversary of her kidney transplant within in sight, Dorothy is taking part in her 10th straight Kamloops Kidney Walk. So, yes, she is fund-raising. . . . The 2023 Walk is scheduled for June 4. . . . If you would like to donate to her cause, you are able to do so right here.

——

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.


Forge

Blades, Pats runnin’ back to Saskatoon all even . . . Three WHL teams have seasons end . . . Cougars tie it up in Kennewick


Some Twitter tidbits from Tuesday’s WHL playoff games, thanks to Geoffrey WHLBrandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) . . .

F Parker Bell had a goal and two assists in the Tri-City Americans’ 4-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars in Kennewick, Wash. It was his “sixth 3-point game of season, 3 in Dec., 3 since.”

The Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Rockets, 4-1, in Kelowna. The Thunderbirds “claim a 2nd straight 4-1 win and 3-0 series lead. 2nd win in series when trailing after 2, after 4 in season. . . . F Jordan Gustafson scores in return after missing 11 (and 29 of 31).”

The Kamloops Blazers beat the host Vancouver Giants 5-0 as they rolled “to 2nd shutout of the series with Dylan Ernst matching clean sheet number from regular season. F Caedan Banker closes with final two goals . . . is up to 22 points vs. Vancouver this season.”

The Saskatoon Blades beat the host Regina Pats, 4-3 in OT. “F Egor Sidorov kickstarts comeback and finishes with winner 5 minutes in. Struck twice in OT during the regular season.”

In Medicine Hat, the Winnipeg Ice beat the Tigers, 7-2. “The Ice is scoring at nearly a 21 per cent rate through three games. . . . D Ben Zloty adds another three helpers to total, up to combined 76 this season.”

The visiting Moose Jaw Warriors beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-2. “F Jagger Firkus figures in four goals, including a natural hat trick to outscore Lethbridge. Up to 10 goals, 20 points in playoff career. Team’s first natural hat trick in Internet area, 4th total.”


Office


The Thursday WHL schedule features only one game. It has the Kamloops KamloopsBlazers, with a 3-0 series lead, in Langley, B.C., for Game 4 with the Vancouver Giants. . . . All you really need to know is that Kamloops G Dylan Ernst is 3-0, 0.33, .983. . . . On Wednesday, Chad Klassen of CFJC-TV in Kamloops tweeted: “Just checked with the WHL and since 2006 the lowest goals-against in a series is two (Vancouver vs. Everett, 2006 Western Conference final). The Kamloops Blazers have a chance to tie or break that mark in Game 4 on Thursday.” . . . Yes, the Blazers have outscored the Giants, 19-1, in the three games. . . . Remember, though, that the WHL doesn’t seem to have any records handy from the 30 years prior to 2006. So who knows what the league record might be.


——

WEDNESDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

THE BEDARD REPORT — F Connor Bedard continued his terrific playoff run as he scored two goals. . . . However, his Regina Pats dropped a 4-3 OT decision to the visiting Saskatoon Blades. . . . Bedard got his guys into a 1-1 tie at 19:35 of the second period, then gave them a 2-1 lead 13 seconds into the third. . . . But for the second night in a row the Pats weren’t able to hold a third-period lead. . . . Through two periods, Bedard had six of Regina’s 12 shots on goal. He finished with 10 of his team’s 26 shots. . . . The Pats have scored 18 goals in the four games; Bedard has eight goals and five assists. . . . He leads the WHL playoffs in goals and points (13). . . . The game drew a second straight sellout crowd (6,499) to Regina’s Brandt Centre.

——

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) at Medicine Hat (8) — F Ty Nash broke a 2-2 tie in the third period as the Winnipeg Ice beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . The Ice, winners of the Eastern Conference title, swept the first-round series against the No. 8 Tigers. . . . Nash scored his second goal of the series at 1:10 of the third period. . . . F Matt Savoie’s sixth goal of the series, shorthanded, gave the Ice a 1-0 lead at 1:14 of the first period. . . . D Dru Krebs (1) of the Tigers tied it just 16 seconds later while on a PP. . . . F Owen Pederson (1) put Winnipeg back out front at 10:50 of the second period. . . . Medicine Hat tied it at 14:59 when F Hunter St. Martin (1) scored. . . . The Tigers outshot the Ice in each game of the series, including 32-21 in Game 4. . . . Winnipeg G Daniel Hauser was 2.25, .925 in the four games. In 90 regular-season appearances over last season and this, he is 90-9-3. . . . Winnipeg lost F Zack Ostapchuk to a cross-checking major and game misconduct just 55 seconds into the game. . . .

Red Deer (2) at Calgary (7) — The Red Deer Rebels scored twice while shorthanded and three times on the PP en route to a 6-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Rebels lead the series, 3-1. They’ll now head for Red Deer and Game 5 on Friday. . . . Red Deer broke a 1-1 tie with shorthanded goals from F Ollie Josephson (1), at 9:07 of the second period, and F Jhett Larson (1), at 18:31. . . . F Ben King scored his first two goals of these playoffs for the Rebels, both on the PP, and added an assist. . . . D Mats Lindgren earned four assists; F Jayden Grubbe had three. . . . F Kai Uchacz got his fourth goal of the series on a third-period PP. . . . The teams combined to take 23 minor penalties, 13 of them to Red Deer. . . . Red Deer was 3-for-7 on the PP; Calgary was 1-for-11. . . . Rebels G Kyle Kelsey continued his stellar play with 36 saves. . . . The Rebels had F Craig Armstrong back after he served a two-game suspension for slew-footing. . . . The Hitmen continued to be without F Riley Fiddler-Schultz, who didn’t finish the second game of the series. They also scratched F Sean Tschigerl, who didn’t finish Game 3. . . . Fiddler-Schultz, with 75 points in 64 games, and Tschigerl, with 57 in 60, were two of Calgary’s top three scorers in the regular season. . . .

Saskatoon (3) at Regina (6) — F Jake Chiasson’s OT goal gave the Saskatoon Blades a 4-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The series is tied, 2-2, with Game 5 in Saskatoon on Friday and Game 6 back in Regina on Saturday. . . . The road team has won all four games in this series. . . . This was the third straight game in the series to go to OT. The Blades won Games 3 and 4 in Regina by erasing 3-1 third-period deficits. . . . Last night, Saskatoon F Egor Sidorov, who scored the OT winner in Game 3, opened the scoring, on a PP, at 7:18 of the second period. . . . Regina took a 3-1 lead with three goals 1:18 apart. F Connor Bedard (8) scored twice — at 19:35 of the second period and 13 seconds into the third — and F Tanner Howe got his first of the series at 0:53. . . . The Blades pulled even on goals from F Jayden Wiens (3), at 2:42, and D Charlie Wright (1), at 10:01. . . . Chiasson, who was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings in January, won it at 7:20 of extra time. . . . The Blades got 23 saves from G Ethan Chadwick, with G Drew Sim stopping 33 shots for the Pats. . . . Who wins on Friday? Including the regular season, the road team has won seven of 10 games between these teams. . . .

Moose Jaw (4) at Lethbridge (5) — The Moose Jaw Warriors struck for three third-period goals as they beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-2. . . . The Warriors swept the first-round series. . . . F Tyson Zimmer (1) gave Lethbridge a 1-0 lead at 8:50 of the first period. . . . F Brayden Yager (1), at 13:56 of the first, and D Max Wanner (1), at 5:15 of the second, gave the Warriors the lead. . . . F Hayden Smith (1) pulled the hosts even at 19:00 of the second. . . . The Warriors put it away with third-period goals from F Lynden Lakovic (1), D Denton Mateychuk (2) and Yager (2), the latter into an empty net. . . . Yager also had an assist for a three-point night. . . . G Connor Ungar stopped 28 shots for Moose Jaw. . . . Interestingly, three of the four Warriors who served 17-game WHL-issued suspensions to end the season got on the scoresheet in this one. Wanner had a goal and two assists, Lakovic scored once, and Ungar again was solid in goal. In the four games, Ungar was 4-0, 1.29, .953. . . . The Warriors lost F Robert Baco with a major and game misconduct for goaltender interference at 7:35 of the second period.

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) at Kelowna (8) — G Thomas Milic stopped 19 shots as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Kelowna Rockets, 3-0. . . . The Thunderbirds, who finished atop the Western Conference, swept the series, outscoring the Rockets, 17-4. . . . F Lucas Ciona (3) scored Seattle’s first goal, at 8:42 of the second period, and that’s all Milic would need. . . . F Dylan Guenther (5) and F Jordan Gustafson (2) added third-period goals. . . . Milic went 4-0, 1.00, .958 in the series. . . . After G Jari Kykkanen played the first three games, the Rockets turned to Talyn Boyko for Game 4. Boyko, a fourth-round pick by the New York Rangers in the NHL’s 2021 draft who is signed, stopped 35 shots. For the fourth straight game, the Rockets were very much in the game in the third period but just couldn’t close it out. . . .

Prince George (4) at Tri-City (5) — F Koehn Ziemmer and F Jaxsen Wiebe each scored twice as the Prince George Cougars beat the Tri-City Americans, 6-2, in Kennewisk, Wash. . . . The series is tied, 2-2. This is the lone first-round series to be using a 2-3-2 format, which is why Game 5 will be played in Kennewick on Friday, with Game 6 scheduled for Prince George on Sunday. A seventh game, if needed, would be played in Prince George on Tuesday. . . . Ziemmer’s second goal of the game and the series gave the Cougars a 3-0 lead at 1:50 of the second period and they were never headed. . . . Wiebe has three goals. . . . G Ty Young got the start for the Cougars after Tyler Brennan left Game 3 with an undisclosed injury. Young made 26 stops. . . . Brennan wasn’t dressed, so the Cougars had Madden Mulawka on the bench in support of Young. Mulawka, who turned 17 on March 8, is from Edmonton. He was a fifth-round pick by the Cougars in the WHL’s 2021 draft. He got into three games with Prince George earlier in the season.


Cow


JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Lee Stone is the new general manager and head coach of the junior B Nanaimo Buccaneers of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. . . . He spent the previous 10 seasons with the VIJHL’s Campbell River Storm. . . . Stone takes over from Andy Hellweger, whose mother, Nicole Brandbenburg, purchased the Buccaneers in April 2022. . . . This season, Nanaimo finished 5-41-2. . . .

The BCHL’s Penticton Vees beat the Smoke Eaters, 5-1, in Trail on Wednesday night to sweep their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. Penticton, the BCHL’s defending champion, has won 20 straight playoff games going back to last season.



——

With the 10th anniversary of her kidney transplant within in sight, Dorothy is taking part in her 10th straight Kamloops Kidney Walk. So, yes, she is fund-raising. . . . The 2023 Walk is scheduled for June 4. . . . If you would like to donate to her cause, you are able to do so right here.

——

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.


Phone

$idorov’$ OT $core get$ Blade$ back in $erie$ . . . Ice, Warriors, Thunderbirds, Blazers in command . . . Green Shirt Day almost here


There were six WHL playoff games on Tuesday night and there will be six more tonight. The difference is that we could have as many as three teams come to WHLthe end of their seasons tonight. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Eastern Conference’s top seed, the Winnipeg Ice, holds a 3-0 edge on the No. 8 Medicine Hat Tigers. . . .

In Lethbridge, the No. 4 Moose Jaw Warriors take a 3-0 series lead into their game against the Hurricanes. . . .

In Kelowna, the Western Conference’s No. 8 seeded Rockets need a victory in order to stay alive against the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds. . . .

Three other series resume tonight, too.

The No. 4 Prince George Cougars are in Kennewick, Wash., to face the No. 5 Tri-City Americans. . . . Tri-City holds a 2-1 lead. . . . Game 5 will be played Friday in Kennewick. . . .

In Calgary, the Red Deer Rebels are to meet the Hitmen. Red Deer, the east’s No. 2 seed, took a 2-1 lead with a 4-2 victory over the No. 7 Hitmen in Calgary on Monday night. They’ll play a fifth game in Red Deer on Friday. . . .

And, in Regina, the Pats, the Eastern Conference’s No. 6 seed, hold a 2-1 lead over the No. 3 Saskatoon Blades. No matter tonight’s outcome, they’ll play a fifth game in Saskatoon on Friday.

——

TUESDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

THE BEDARD REPORT — Three more points! . . . F Connor Bedard has played three playoff games during his WHL career. He has 11 points, six of them goals, after scoring once and drawing two assists in a 4-3 OT loss to the visiting Saskatoon Blades on Tuesday night. . . . Bedard also had a goal disallowed in the first period. . . . The Pats now have scored 15 goals in the three games; Bedard has been in on 11 of them, with six goals and five assists. . . . The WHL’s regular-season scoring king, Bedard leads the playoffs in goals and points. . . . Including the regular season, this was the 28th time in 60 games that he has scored at least three points. . . . And please allow me to remind you one more time that Bedard won’t turn 18 until July 17.

——

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) at Medicine Hat (8) — The Winnipeg Ice struck three times before WinnipegIcethe game was six minutes old and went on to drop the Medicine Hat Tigers, 7-2. . . . The Ice, which finished atop the overall standings, leads the series, 3-0, with Game 4 in Medicine Hat tonight. . . . D Ben Zloty had three assists for Winnipeg, which got goals from seven different players, including F Matt Savoie, who scored his fifth of the series. . . . Zloty has seven helpers in the three games. . . .

Saskatoon (3) at Regina (6) — F Egor Sidorov’s second goal of the game in OT Saskatoongave the Saskatoon Blades a 4-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The Pats still lead the series, 2-1, with Game 4 in Regina tonight. . . . They’ll be back in Saskatoon for Game 5 on Friday. You can bet there’ll be more than 10,000 fans in the SaskTel Centre on Good Friday, so how much do you think Sidorov’s goal was worth? . . . This was the second straight OT game in the series; Regina had won, 6-5, in Saskatoon on Sunday. . . . Sidorov’s second goal of the series — he drove to the net off the right boards and beat G Drew Sim — came at 5:19 of OT. . . . F Brandon Lisowsky (1) had forced extra time when he scored on a PP with 27.2 seconds left in the third period. . . . Leading 2-1 in the first period, the Pats thought they had made it 3-1 on a goal by F Connor Bedard, only to have the goal disallowed because one goal post was off its mooring before the puck crossed the goal line. . . . The sold-out crowd of 6,499 didn’t take the decision well. . . . Bedard’s sixth goal had given the Pats a 3-1 lead at 9:39 of the third period. . . . Sidorov got the Blades to within one, on a PP, at 10:32. . . . Saskatoon was 3-for-4 on the PP after going 0-for-6 over the first two games. . . . F Trevor Wong had three assists, all on the PP, for Saskatoon. . . .

Moose Jaw (4) at Lethbridge (5) — F Jagger Firkus broke a 1-1 tie with three WarriorsNewstraight goals to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 6-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Warriors lead the series, 3-0, and can end it tonight in Lethbridge. . . . Firkus got his first goal at 18:52 of the first period, for a 2-1 lead. He scored again at 8:16 and 11:28 of the second period. . . . Firkus also added an assist for a four-point outing. He has four goals and four assists in the three games. . . . G Connor Ungar stopped 24 shots for the Warriors. He is 3-0, 1.09, .960 in this series.

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) at Kelowna (8) — The Seattle Thunderbirds scored the last four goals Seattleas they beat the Kelowna Rockets, 4-1. . . . Seattle now holds a 3-0 lead in the series and gets its first opportunity to end it tonight in Kelowna. . . . F Jordan Gustafson (1), playing in his first game of the series, snapped a 1-1 tie at 11:07 of the third period and F Lucas Ciona (2) added insurance at 13:05. . . . F Dylan Guenther scored his fourth goal of the series for Seattle. . . .  G Thomas Milic stopped 24 shots for Seattle. TBird Tidbits informs us that “Milic now stands alone at the top of the list of Seattle goaltender playoff wins. This was his 17th career playoff victory, surpassing Carl Stankowski, who had 16.” . . . The Rockets have been in all three games — they led 2-1 in the third period of Game 1 and were 1-1 in the third period of Game 2 — but haven’t been able to win. . . . G Jari Kykkanen gave the Rockets 29 saves in his third straight complete game. . . .

Kamloops (2) at Vancouver (7) — F Caedan Bankier scored twice and added an Kamloopsassist as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-0, to take a 3-0 lead in the series. . . . They’ll play Game 4 on Thursday in Langley, B.C. . . . G Dylan Ernst stopped 17 shots in earning his second shutout of the series. . . . Ernst had two shutouts in each of the past two regular seasons, in 53 appearances this season and 24 last season. In these playoffs, he is 3-0, 0.33, .983. . . . The Blazers, who had a 46-17 edge in shots, have outshot the Giants, 154-58, in the three games. . . . Bankier has four goals in the series. . . . F Matthew Seminoff helped out with three assists. . . .

Prince George (4) at Tri-City (5) — F Parker Bell broke a 2-2 tie at 5:31 of the Tri-Citythird period as the Tri-City Americans beat the Prince George Cougars, 4-2, in Kennewick, Wash. . . . The Americans hold a 2-1 series lead with Game 4 in Kennewick tonight. This series is going 2-3-2, so they’ll play Game 5 there on Friday. . . . The Americans took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from D Marc Lajoie (1) and F Tyson Greenway (3). . . . The Cougars tied it on goals from F Chase Wheatcroft (1), at 3:59 of the second period, and D Hudson Thornton (2), at 1:22 of the third. . . . Bell’s second goal of the series came via the PP. . . . F Jalen Luypen (2), who had the primary assist on Bell’s goal, added insurance with the empty-netter at 19:09. . . . G Tomas Suchanek earned the victory with 28 saves. . . . Cougars G Tyler Brennan left with an undisclosed injury at 16:59 of the second period after stopping 16 of 18 shots. Ty Young finished up with eight saves on nine shots.



JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

In the OHL, the Windsor Spitfires, who went all-in and acquired F Shane Wright during the season, lost, 6-3, to the host Kitchener Rangers on Tuesday and now trail the series, 3-0. The Spitfires finished atop the Western Division, at 44-18-6; the Rangers were eighth, at 33-29-6. A No. 8 seed has never swept a No. 1 in OHL playoffs. . . .

David Carle, the head coach of the U of Denver Pioneers, has been named head coach of Team USA for the 2024 World Junior Championship. . . . Carle, from Anchorage, has been Denver’s head coach for five seasons. . . . The 2024 WJC is scheduled to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, from Dec. 26, 2023 through Jan. 5, 2024.


ColdCase


A note from baseball fan supreme Joe Posnanski of JoeBlogs: “Thirteen of Monday’s 15 games were less than three hours — the only two games that went more than three hours also went extra innings. So far this year, 51 of 66 games — 77 per cent — have lasted less than three hours. The average time of game is 2 hours 40 minutes, which takes us ALL THE WAY BACK to 1983, when the No. 1 song was the Police’s stalker song ‘Every Breath You Take,’ and the No. 1 movie was ‘Return of the Jedi,’ and your MVPs in baseball were Cal Ripken Jr. and Dale Murphy.”


——

With the 10th anniversary of her kidney transplant within in sight, Dorothy is taking part in her 10th straight Kamloops Kidney Walk. So, yes, she is fund-raising. . . . The 2023 Walk is scheduled for June 4. . . . If you would like to donate to her cause, you are able to do so right here.

——

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.


Bacon

Bedard, Pats leave ‘Toontown with two victories . . . Stringer nets OT winner . . . BCHL planning to leave Hockey Canada?

WHL

Some Twitter tidbits from Saturday’s WHL playoff games . . .

Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) points out that D Nolan Allan, who is from Davidson, Sask., and F Jared Davidson both scored for Seattle in the Thunderbirds’ 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Now if only Davidson was from Allan, Sask., but he’s from Edmonton. . . .

More from Brandow: The Calgary Hitmen won in OT — they beat the Red Deer Rebels, 2-1 — for the first time since April 28, 2015. That night, F Adam Tambellini’s goal at 3:07 of extra time gave the host Hitmen a 2-1 victory over Brandon in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference final that the Wheat Kings would win, 4-1. . . .

Brandow, again: D Lucas Benton, who scored twice in 68 regular-season games, had two goals in the third period as his Moose Jaw Warriors beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-1. . . .

After a 4-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips, Portland historian Andy Kemper (@Andy Kemper) informed us that “the shutout for Jan Spunar was the 24th playoff clean sheet in Winterhawks history and third against Everett. The others: 3/25/05 — Blake Grenier 20 svs, 3-0 in Portland; 3/26/11 — Mac Carruth 32 svs, 4-0 in Portland. . . . First on home ice since 3/29/15 (Adin Hill — 21 svs in 3-0 win over Seattle).” . . .

A note from Troy Gillard (@Troy_Gillard), the play-by-play voice of the Red Deer Rebels, following a 2-1 OT loss to the Calgary Hitmen: “Calgary’s game-tying goal late in the third period ended G Kyle Kelsey’s shutout streak versus the Hitmen at 190:59. He’d last allowed a goal to them in the third period of a Rebels OT win on Nov. 27.” . . .

After Seattle’s 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets, Thunderbirds radio voice Thom Beuning (@ThomBeuning) noted: “G Thomas Milic earned his 16th playoff win in net for Seattle (16-11). I believe that ties him with Carl Stankowski (16-4) for most (playoff victories) in franchise history. Unless @TBirdTidbits says otherwise!” TBird Tidbits (@TBirdTidbits) later confirmed that as being correct.


Cheque


There was one first-round game played on Sunday, with a late afternoon start time in Saskatoon where the Blades entertained the Regina Pats, who had taken Game 1, 6-1, on Friday night. . . . The teams couldn’t play Saturday in Saskatoon because the NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush had SaskTel Centre booked for a game. If you’re wondering, the Rush beat the Vancouver Warriors, 12-11. . . .

There are two WHL playoff games scheduled for tonight, with the Red Deer Rebels to face the Hitmen in Calgary, and the Portland Winterhawks to play the Silvertips in Everett. . . . The Rebels and Hitmen are even, 1-1, while the Winterhawks hold a 2-0 lead.

——

SUNDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Regina (6) at Saskatoon (3) — F Zack Stringer scored two PP goals, the second one at 2:58 of OT, as the Regina Pats beat the Saskatoon Blades, 6-5. . . . The Pats had won the opener, 6-1, on Friday night. . . . The teams now head for Regina and games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . The Pats won it on the only shot by either team in OT; they were outshot 47-19 in the game, including 20-3 in the third period. . . . The Pats took a first-period lead on a goal from F Stanislav Svozil (2) and F Connor Bedard’s first of three scores. . . . The Blades got even on goals from F Justin Lies (1), at 18:01 of the first period, and F Lukas Hansen (2), at 2:48 of the second. . . . Stringer’s first PP goal, at 5:32, put the Pats back out front, but F Josh Pillar (1) tied it at 6:42. . . . Bedard scored at 12:31 for a 4-3 lead, but goals 18 seconds apart from F Jayden Wiens (1) and F Vaughn Watterodt (1) early in the third period gave the Blades their first lead of the series. . . . Bedard (who else?) tied it again at 11:10, just 2:20 after the Blades had taken the lead. . . . The WHL’s online scoresheet credited the winner to Svozil. However, on the play in question, F Alexander Suzdalev took the puck behind the Saskatoon net and centred it to Stringer, who snapped it past G Ethan Chadwick. . . . Suzdalev finished with a career-best four assists. . . . Chadwick came on in relief of Austin Elliott after Regina had scored four goals on 13 shots. Chadwick was beaten twice on six shots in playing 30:27. . . . The Pats got a huge effort from G Drew Sim, who finished with 42 saves. . . . The Blades were 0-for-4 on the PP and now are 0-for-6 in the two games. . . .

It would seem that there was at least one really unhappy fan when this one was over . . . A tip of the Taking Note cap to the attendants for maintaining their cool . . .

——

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

THE BEDARD REPORT: F Connor Bedard had three goals and two assists as his Regina Pats took a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series, beating the Blades, 6-5 in OT, in Saskatoon. . . . He had two goals and an assist in Friday’s 6-1 victory. . . . That means he has been in on eight of the Pats’ 12 goals in the two games. . . . This was Bedard’s 11th game this season with at least five points — nine with five, two with six. He now has played in 59 games this season and has at least three points in 27 of them. . . . Bedard has scored at least three goals in 10 games this season — eight threes and two fours. . . . The announced attendance for Game 2 was 10,598. That means that Bedard and the Pats have played before 50,399 fans in their last four visits to Saskatoon. . . . Some of the fans showed their appreciation on Sunday by tossing hats onto the ice after Bedard’s third goal.


Closed


If you were watching Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday, you may have seen bchlSportsnet’s Jeff Marek offer up some speculation about the BCHL perhaps preparing to leave the Hockey Canada umbrella.

The BCHL already has pulled out of the Canadian Junior Hockey League, so isn’t able to compete for the ‘national’ championship — the Centennial Cup.

As well, the BCHL has made recent noises about what it sees as the need for a super junior A league.

“The goal,” Marek told viewers on Saturday, “is to create this league of high-level, elite-level junior A players from all over the country without having to pay for players to bring them in. If you go out on your own away from Hockey Canada, you have access to everybody.”

According to Marek, a move could happen in time for the BCHL to operate independently starting with the 2023-24 season.

Jesse Adamson, the BCHL’s manager, communications and events, told Brian Wiebe, the owner and editor-in-chief of BCHL Network: ”We are always exploring opportunities to support more players. However, no decisions or votes have taken place and the reports are just rumours and speculation.”

Considering that last fall the BCHL sent Hockey Canada a 35-page report titled ‘Modernizing Junior Hockey in Canada — Supporting Two Junior Development Paths for Canadian Athletes’ and also posted it on its website, and apparently has yet to receive any reaction from Hockey Canada, this might well be one of those ‘where there’s smoke there’s fire’ situations.

Wiebe’s story on Marek’s report is right here.


Shoulder


THINKING OUT LOUD — Having watched more than a bit of MLB over the past few days I can tell you that some of the home-plate umpires seem to be doing everything in their power to speed up the arrival of robo-umps. . . . I’m not privy to details of the TV contract between the CHL and TSN, but it’s hard to believe that the ‘Canadian’ sports network didn’t jump through heats to get the Connor Bedard-led Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades on one of their multiple channels on Sunday. . . . Hey, TSN, if you’re not aware, Games 3 and 4 in that WHL playoff series are scheduled for Regina on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Are fans of the Toronto Blue Jays reaching for the panic button yet? After all, they’ve played three games without hitting a home run.


DorothyGirls
Dorothy and two of the loves of her life — granddaughters Averi and Kara. This photo likely wouldn’t have been possible had Dorothy not had a kidney transplant almost 10 years ago.

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

——

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.


Job

Hitmen, Cougars even series with OT goals . . . Adaszynski, Wiebe are the heroes . . . Pats, Blades resume today

Before we take a look at what transpired on the second night of the WHL playoffs, here are a few tidbits left over from Friday night, all of them from the WHLTwitter account of Geoffrey Brandow. . . . If you’re not following him, you should because he has information like this after every single OHL, QMJHL and WHL game. . . . He’s at @GeoffreyBrandow. . . .

The Medicine Hat Tigers outshot the host Winnipeg Ice, 36-35, in losing Game 1, 5-3. That left the Ice at 17-1-0 this season when it is outshot. . . . Ice D Ben Zloty had four assists, the first defenceman in franchise history to do that. . . .

Seattle F Dylan Guenther had two goals and an assist in the Thunderbirds’ 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. That was his fourth career three-point playoff game. He won a WHL title with the Edmonton Oil Kings last season. . . .

F Marcus Nguyen had two goals in the Portland Winterhawks’ 4-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. He scored once in 11 playoff games last season. . . .

Kamloops, which dumped the Vancouver Giants, 8-0, opened last season’s playoffs with a 9-0 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. F Logan Stankoven had three goals and two assists in each game. The latest was his fifth playoff hat trick. . . .

F Connor Bedard had two goals and an assist as the Regina Pats dumped the Sasdatoon Blades, 6-1. That was his 26th game this season with at least three points. . . .

Moose Jaw’s 2-1 double OT victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes was the Warriors’ longest game since April 14, 2018, when they beat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-2, in the third OT of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final. F Jayden Halbgewachs won that one on a PP at 1:14. The Broncos won that series in seven games, with Moose Jaw winning two of the three OT games.


FourWheel


Meanwhile, in Prince George, you can bet that the Cougars and their fans arose Saturday morning and were still fuming about a disallowed goal late in their 6-4 loss to the Tri-City Americans on Friday night. Had the goal stood, the game would have been 5-5 with 58 seconds remaining in the third period.

However, it appeared that Tri-City G Tomas Suchanek had inadvertently kicked the left goal post off its mooring, so the net wasn’t in proper position when the puck crossed the goal line.

Will Peters of myprincegeorge.com cited Rule 25 – Awarded goals:

“25.2 Infractions — When Goalkeeper is On the Ice – A goal will be awarded when an attacking player, in the act of shooting the puck into the goal (between the normal position of the posts and completely across the goal line), is prevented from scoring as a result of a defending player or goalkeeper displacing the goal post, either deliberately or accidentally.”

More from Peters:

“My PG Now reached out to the WHL for an official ruling on why the goal was overturned, and received nothing in response.

“To put it lightly, fans in the building were upset, and when the Americans hit the empty net a few moments later frustrations boiled over and at least 100 water bottles, cans, rally towels, and other items were thrown on the ice in protest.

“During this, Tri-City’s Jalen Luypen skated by the corner of his defensive end around section F, taunting fans from the ice.”

Playoff hockey . . . is there anything else like it?


Baby


On to the second night of WHL playoffs. . . . There were seven games played with only the Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades not in action. They’ll play today (Sunday). As of Saturday afternoon, 4,687 of 14,786 tickets still were available. Game 3 is scheduled for Regina on Tuesday. As of Saturday afternoon, only 406 of 6,499 were available. . . . Why couldn’t the Pats and Blades play Saturday in Saskatoon? Because the NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush had SaskTel Centre booked for a game. . . . Remember that all WHL playoff series are best-of-seven affairs.

——

SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Medicine Hat (8) at Winnipeg (1) — F Connor McClennon scored two PP goals WinnipegIceto help the Winnipeg Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Ice had won Game 1, 5-3. . . . The series will resume in Medicine Hat with games on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . McClennon’s first goal gave the Ice a 3-1 lead at 15:50 of the second period. He gave them a 4-2 lead at 13:49 of the third. . . . F Matt Savoie, who had three goals and an assist in the opener, had a goal and two assists for the Ice. . . . Tigers D Rhett Parsons left with a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct after a hit on F Josh Medernach at 12:09 of the second period. . . . The Ice remains without F Zach Benson, its leading scorer in the regular season. . . .

Calgary (7) at Red Deer (2) — F David Adaszynski scored in OT to give the CalgaryCalgary Hitmen a 2-1 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Rebels had opened with a 3-0 victory on Friday. . . . They’ll play the next two games in Calgary on Monday and Wednesday, then return to Red Deer for Game 5 on Friday. . . . D Christoffer Sedoff (1) gave Red Deer a 1-0 lead at 11:20 of the third period. . . . F Sean Tschigerl, who drew an assist on the winner, scored Calgary’s first goal of the series with 1:37 left in the third period to tie the game, 1-1. . . . Adaszynski, a 17-year-old sophomore from Coquitlam, B.C., won it at 16:42 of OT. He finished the regular season with 12 goals in 64 games. . . . F Carter MacAdams assisted on both Calgary goals. . . . The Hitmen got 38 saves from G Brayden Peters. . . . Red Deer G Kyle Kelsey turned aside 36 shots. In his last five starts, he has put up three shutouts and allowed three goals. . . . F Ben King, who led the WHL with 52 goals last season, remains out for Red Deer. . . . The Hitmen may have lost F Riley Fiddler-Schultz as he didn’t finish the third period. . . . Calgary F Maxim Muranov sat out as he served a one-game suspension after taking a slew-foot double minor in Game 1. . . . Red Deer F Craig Armstrong was hit with a two-game suspension for the same infraction. It was his second slew-footing penalty, so he got the extra game. . . . Calgary D Keagan Slaney missed this one, too, as he completed a three-game suspension for a charging major and game misconduct he incurred on March 25 at Edmonton. . . .

Lethbridge (5) at Moose Jaw (4) — The Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s WarriorsNewfirst three goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Warriors had won the opener, 2-1 in double OT, on Friday. . . . The teams now head to Lethbridge for games on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . F Atley Calvert (1) got Moose Jaw started on a PP at 13:06 of the first period. . . . F Ryder Korczak (1) upped it to 2-0 at 8:28 of the second period. . . . F Martin Tysavy (1) got it to 3-0 at 11:18 of the third period. . . . That was more than enough for G Connor Ungar, who earned the victory with 21 saves.

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Kelowna (8) at Seattle (1) — F Jared Davidson scored once and added two Seattleassists as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Kelowna Rockets, 4-1. . . . Seattle won the opener, 3-2, on Friday. . . . The series picks up in Kelowna with games on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . Seattle Dylan Guenther (3) opened the scoring, on a PP, at 12:02 of the first period. . . . F Dylan Wightman (1) scored for Kelowna at 7:38 of the second. . . . F Lucas Ciona (1) broke the tie at 9:35 of the third and D Nolan Allan (1) added insurance at 15:35. . . . Davidson (1) put it away with the empty-netter. . . . Seattle held a 48-26 edge in shots on goal. . . . Things got interesting late in the game. As TBird Tidbits tweeted: “Maybe a little message sending here with Seattle’s top power-play unit out on a 5-on-3 with a 4-1 lead.” . . .

Vancouver (7) at Kamloops (2) — F Ryan Hofer and D Olen Zellweger, both of Kamloopswhom were acquired from the Everett Silvertips at the trade deadline, scored 19 seconds part in the first period and the Kamloops Blazers went on to beat the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. . . . The Blazers had won, 8-0, on Friday. . . . Games 3 and 4 will be played in Langley, B.C., on Tuesday and Thursday. . . . F Logan Stankoven and Zellweger combined for nine points in Game 1; they had six in Game 2. Stankoven had three goals and two assists in the opener, then added three helpers last night. Zellweger, who had four assists in Game 1, had a goal and two assists in Game 2. . . . F Samuel Honzek scored the Giants’ first goal of the series at 12:55 of the third period by which time Kamloops held a 5-0 lead. . . . The Blazers held a 55-26 edge in shots, meaning they have outshot the Giants 108-41 through two games. . . .

Everett (6) at Portland (3) — F Marcus Nguyen, who scored twice in Friday’s Portlandgame, had two first-period goals in Game 2 to send the Portland Winterhawks on their way to a 4-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Portland had won the opener, 4-3. . . . They’ll play Game 3 in Everett on Monday and Game 4 there on Friday. . . . Three days off between games? It seems Paw Patrol Live has the arena in Everett booked. . . . F Jack O’Brien (2) had Portland’s other two goals, the second one into an empty net. . . . The Winterhawks got 23 saves from G Jan Špunar, who earned his first WHL shutout. He is an 18-year-old freshman from Olomouc, Czechia. He was 17-7-3, 2.61, .908 in 31 regular-season appearances. . . .

Tri-City (5) at Prince George (4) — F Jaxsen Wiebe’s OT goal gave the Prince PrinceGeorgeGeorge Cougars a 2-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Americans had won Friday’s opener, 6-4. . . . The series will resume in Kennewick, Wash., with games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Remember that this series is being played under a 2-3-2 format in order to ease the travel. . . . The Cougars, who had a goal disallowed late in Game 1, thought they had opened the scoring early in Game 2, only to have that one disallowed on review, too. . . . F Adam Mechura (1) gave the Americans a 1-0 lead at 7:22 of the second period. . . . F Cole Dubinsky (1) tied it at 12:02. . . . Wiebe’s first goal of the series won it at 4:52 of extra time. . . . The Cougars outshot the Americans, 38-18.



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

——

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.


unnamed

Bedard sparks Pats’ victory . . . Firkus, Warriors win in 2OT . . . Stankoven, Blazers light up Giants

April1


Things got rolling in the WHL playoffs on Friday with all 16 qualifiers in action. WHLSeven of the series will continue on Saturday night, with the exception being the Regina-Saskatoon series, which will pick up with Game 2 on Sunday in ‘Toontown. . . . All series are best-of-seven and injury-related news will be harder to find than hen’s teeth. And line combinations that are available prior to regular-season games? Those now are top secret and confidential. . . .

——

FRIDAY NIGHT IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Medicine Hat (8) at Winnipeg (1) — F Matt Savoie scored three times and added WinnipegIcean assist to lead the Winnipeg Ice to a 5-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Savoie gave the Ice a 2-0 lead at 8:22 of the first period, upped it to 4-1 at 4:55 of the third and made it 5-2 with an empty-netter at 18:53 of the third. . . . Three of Winnipeg’s first four goals came via the PP as it went 3-for-6 with the man advantage. . . . D Ben Zloty recorded four assists, three of them on the PP. . . . F Andrew Basha scored twice for the visitors, who held a 36-35 edge in shots. . . . F Zach Benson was among Winnipeg’s scratches. He was the Ice’s leading scorer in the regular season with 98 points, 62 of them assists, in 60 regular-season games but hasn’t played since March 10. . .  .

Calgary (7) at Red Deer (2) — G Kyle Kelsey stopped 25 shots to help the Red RedDeerDeer Rebels to a 3-0 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Kelsey was 21-11-5, 2.64, .907 with four shutouts in his freshman season. He has put up three blank jobs in his las four starts, with two of them coming against Calgary. . . . F Kai Uchacz, a 50-goal man in the regular season, scored the game’s first goal at 17:56 of the first period. . . . The Rebels nursed that lead until F Jayden Grubbe scored at 13:22 of the third period and F Frantisek Formanek counted at 17:56. . . . The Rebels are without F Ben King, who led the WHL last season with 52 goals. This season, he finished with 17 goals and 18 assists in 30 games, but he last played on March 18. . . .

Regina (6) at Saskatoon (3) — F Connor Bedard scored twice and added an Reginaassist to lead the Regina Pats to a 6-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . But it was F Zackary Shantz who got the Pats started, giving them a 1-0 lead at 4:11 of the second period with his first WHL goal. The 17-year-old from Sucker Creek, Alta., went into the game with one assist in 22 regular-season games — nine with Prince George and 13 with Regina. . . . F Riley Ginnell upped Regina’s lead to 3-0 just nine seconds into the third period. . . . The Blades got to within two when F Lukas Hansen scored at 9:54 but it was too little and too late. . . . G Drew Sim earned the victory with 27 stops. . . . There were only two minor penalties called, both to the Pats. . . . If you’re wondering, the announced attendance was 10,265. . . .

Lethbridge (5) at Moose Jaw (4) — F Jagger Firkus struck for PP goal late in the WarriorsNewsecond OT period to give the Moose Jaw Warriors a 2-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge had failed to score on a PP opportunity late in the first OT. . . . Firkus, who also had an assist, got the winner with 17 seconds left in the second OT period. . . . D Logan Dowhaniuk had given the Warriors a 1-0 lead at 4:53 of the second period. . . . F Cole Shepard tied it at 12:04, scoring while shorthanded. . . . The four Warriors who sat out the regular season’s last 17 games due to WHL-issues suspensions — G Connor Ungar, D Max Wanner, D Marek Howell and F Lynden Lakovic — all played. In fact, Ungar and Wanner were in the starting lineup. . . . Ungar finished with 50 stops. . . . Lethbridge G Bryan Thomson, who is from Moose Jaw, blocked 52 shots. . . .

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Kelowna (8) at Seattle (1) — The Seattle Thunderbirds erased a 2-0 deficit to Seattlebeat the Kelowna Rockets, 3-2, in Kent, Wash. . . . F Dylan Guenther scored twice for Seattle, the second one tying the game, 2-2, at 3:22 of the third period. . . . F Reid Schaefer snapped the tie, on a PP, at 5:53. . . . Guenther drew the primary assist on the winner, giving him a three-point night. . . . The Rockets got 36 saves from G Jari Kykkanen. G Talyn Boyko, who made 40 regular-appearances for the Rockets, appeared in only five of 12 March games. . . . G Thomas Milic stopped 23 shots for Seattle. . . . These teams are meeting in the playoffs for the 10th time since 2001, with the Thunderbirds holding a 5-4 edge. Seattle has won the last three times they’ve met — 2016 and 2017 in the Western Conference final and last season in the first round. Seattle is 3-1 in first-round series with Kelowna. . . .

Vancouver (7) at Kamloops (2) — F Logan Stankoven, who led the 2022 Kamloopsplayoffs in goals, scored three times and added two assists as his Kamloops Blazers dropped the Vancouver Giants, 8-0. . . . Last spring, Stankoven scored 17 times in 17 games. . . . The Blazers scored four times in the first period and took it from there. . . . Kamloops outshot Vancouver, 17-3, in that first period and held a 39-7 edge after the second. . . . G Dylan Ernst stopped 15 shots for the shutout. . . . D Olen Zellweger had four assists. . . . F Caedan Banker chipped in a goal and two helpers. . . .

Everett (6) at Portland (3) — F Marcus Nguyen scored twice to help the PortlandPortland Winterhawks to a 4-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Nguyen’s first goal gave Portland a 2-1 lead, on a PP, at 5:26 of the second period. . . . F Jackson Berezowski got Everett even, on a PP, at 4:17 of the third, only to have Nguyen break the tie, on another PP, at 10:59. . . . F James Stefan made it 4-2 at 12:20. . . . F Austin Roest’s second goal of the game got Everett to within one at 16:49. . . . Portland was 3-for-4 on the PP; Everett was 1-for-6. . . . Roest, who last played on March 8, returned to the lineup and had three points. He had 78 points, including 32 goals, in 60 regular-season games. . . . G Jan Špunar earned the victory with 28 saves. . . .

Tri-City (5) at Prince George (4) — The Tri-City Americans coughed up a 3-0 Tri-Citylead but came back to beat the Prince George Cougars, 6-4. . . . F Tyson Greenway scored twice as the Americans grabbed a 3-0 lead early in the second period. . . . The Cougars came back and tied it when F Caden Brown scored his second goal of the game at 2:03 of the third period. . . . Goals from F Jake Sloan, at 4:46, and F Deagan McMillan, at 6:55, put Tri-City ahead, 5-34. . . . F Zac Funk got the Cougars to within a goal at 9:42, then they thought they had it tied with 58 seconds left only to have the goal disallowed because the net was off its moorings. . . . F Jalen Luypen iced it with the empty-netter. . . . The Americans got 43 saves from G Tomas Suchanek. . . . This series has a 2-3-2 format, meaning the Americans now are in a position to win it on home ice.


JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

F Josh Filmon of the Swift Current Broncos has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils, who selected him in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2022 draft. From Winnipeg, Filmon, 19, had 47 goals and 28 assists in the just-completed WHL regular season. In 148 career games, he has 122 points, 72 of them goals. . . . He made his pro debut with the AHL’s Utica Comets on Friday night. Filmon had two shots and a tripping minor in a 4-3 shootout loss to the visiting Rochester Americans.


Think


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

——

——

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.


Unicorn

Suspensions over, four Warriors ready to go . . . OHL teams shoot darts on social media . . . Pitch clock a home run for MLB

If you were wondering, it appears that the four players from the Moose Jaw Warriors who sat out the regular season’s last 17 games while under suspension will be back in the lineup tonight.

The Warriors are to entertain the Lethbridge Hurricanes in Game 1 of a first-WarriorsNewround playoff series, and G Connor Ungar, D Marek Howell, D Max Wanner and F Lynden Lakovic all have been practising and are eligible to return.

“I think they’re a big part of the renewed energy around the rink right now,” head coach Mark O’Leary told Randy Palmer of moosejawtoday.com. “They’re a big part of our team, they have been to this point and any success we find in the playoffs, they’re going to be a big part of it. They look the same way they did when they left our group and that’s great to see.”

It sounds as though Ungar may be in Moose Jaw’s goal when the game starts, too. He was having a terrific season — 26-7-3, 2.58, .925 — before the four were suspended for what the WHL said was “a violation of team and league rules.”

“It’s all in how you look at it,” O’Leary told Palmer. “Any time something happens, there are both positive and negative things and one of the ones is he’s rested, he’s fresh and he’s chomping at the bit wanting to make a difference. So Connor looks really good and he’ll be ready to go Friday.”

No, the Warriors haven’t yet allowed any of the four players to speak with the media.

Palmer’s complete story is right here.


Howl


The OHL playoffs opened on Thursday night and — oh, yes!!! — hilarity ensued. On Twitter, that is!

In one of the games, the host Ottawa 67’s outshot the Oshawa Generals, 20-0, OHLin the first period en route to a 7-0 victory.

After the game, the Niagara IceDogs’ Twitter account had this: “See ya soon, @Oshawa_Generals.” . . . The IceDogs, you understand, didn’t even make the playoffs.

Anyway, the Generals responded: “Y’all couldn’t even finish last properly. We are not the same.”

To which the IceDogs came back with: “Shots since this tweet: 22 67’s, 9 Gens. Maybe focus on the game.”

The Generals ended it with: “Ottawa may have handed us the loss, but somehow, despite their season ending last week, we still gave the IceDogs their 57th L of their season tonight.”

Then the Barrie Colts got involved, chiming in with: “Last week?!? More like months.”


Thought I would check in with the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University of Medicine on Thursday night. I discovered that after three years it had shut Coviddown the centre’s operations as of March 10. . . . Thought you might be interested in knowing that as of March 10 the U.S. had lost 1,123,836 folks to COVID-19, with 2,216 of those dying in the week prior to that. . . . According to Health Canada, we have had 51,930 people die of COVID-19 through March 27 at 10 a.m. ET. In the seven days leading up to that, 117 people died. . . . All those deaths, all those families impacted forever, so many ill people and so few people doing anything about it. So, so sad, and I don’t think I will ever understand how we got to this horrid state of affairs.
Here’s Toronto-based journalist Matt Gurney (@mattgurney) via Twitter:

“To me, my no-bullshit explanation for why Canada is broken goes something like this: a plague just killed 50,000 of us, and I don’t see any sign that we’re actually, on any level, learning much of anything from that and applying those lessons in a meaningful way.

“If your country is so comfortable with the status quo, or so incompetent at changing it, that 50,000 dead Canucks all stacked up in a big heap isn’t enough to knock some sense into us, I don’t know how else to describe that other than ‘broken.’ ”


It’s that time of the year when a handful of players from non-playoff WHL teams head elsewhere to finish their seasons. Here are a few from the early days of the spring migration . . .

D Owen Pickering of the Swift Current Broncos has joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. Pickering, who turned 19 on Jan. 27, was selected by Pittsburgh with the 21st overall selection of the NHL’s 2022 draft. This season, he had nine goals and 36 assists in 61 games as he served as the Broncos’ captain. He signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Penguins in July. . . .

F Josh Davies of the Broncos will finish his season with the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Florida Panthers. They selected Davies, who turned 19 on March 24, in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2022 draft. This season, Davies, a physical forward, had 20 goals and 14 assists in 62 games with the Broncos. . . .

F Connor Hvidston of the Broncos has signed an ATO with the San Diego Gulls, the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. They selected him in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2022 draft. This season, Hvidston, 18, finished with 21 goals and 44 assists in 59 games. In 177 career regular-season games, he has 34 goals and 63 assists. . . .

D Landon Kosior, who completed his junior eligibility this season with the Prince Albert Raiders, has signed an ATO with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. He put up 135 points, 44 of them goals, in 213 regular-season games over four seasons with the Raiders. This season, the Regina native put up 17 goals and 46 assists in 63 games.


JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Brandon Wheat Kings have added Riley Dudar to their hockey staff as director of player development, a brand new position for the organization. From a Wheat Kings’ news release: “The Winnipeg product joins the organization after working in hockey operations as a scout with the USHL’s Chicago Steel, as well as serving as the director of player personnel for the MJHL’s Winkler Flyers.” . . . According to the Wheat Kings, Dudar “will also join the Wheat Kings scouting staff as well as occupy the role of director of player development with the (Western Canada Hockey Academy) in Brandon at the J&G Homes Arena.” . . .

The NHL’s Vancouver Canucks announced on Thursday that its Young Stars Classic will be back in Penticton’s South Okanagan Events Centre for at least two more years. The 10th edition of the tournament is scheduled for Sept. 15-18. Prospects from the Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets will participate in each of the next two tournaments.


Adult


THINKING OUT LOUD — Opening Day in MLB with the pitch clock was a resounding success. How great was it to watch the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees play in two hours 33 minutes? . . . The WHL playoffs open tonight and you have to think the Seattle Thunderbirds and Winnipeg Ice, the regular-season conference champions, are favoured to meet in the final. They both loaded up prior to the trade deadline, but there can only be one winner. So while there is going to be joy at the end of the trail, there also is going to be a whole lot of pain. . . . Don’t sleep on: Saskatoon Blades. Only Seattle gave up fewer goals, and the Blades’ one-two punch in goal is as good as it gets. . . . Wanted to watch Connor McDavid and the Oilers against the visiting Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. But the NHL’s blackout regulations wouldn’t allow it. So it was back to baseball with Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout and the Angels in Oakland against the A’s. . . . I will never understand how the NHL game that had the Anaheim Ducks visiting the Seattle Kraken was available, but a game in which McDavid scored No. 300 wasn’t. Oh well, the NHL’s loss, I guess.



You may be aware that crooner Michael Bublé owns a chunk of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. However, you may not be aware of how that came to happen. Ryan S. Clark of ESPN chatted with Bublé and has that story and a whole lot more right here. Whether you’re a fan or not, this is an entertaining read. I mean, how do other WHL teams compete with a team that sometimes has Bublé appear on a video call while recruiting a player?



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

——

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.


Madonna

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


Microwave


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

EASTERN CONFERENCE

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

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

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

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

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WESTERN CONFERENCE

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

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

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

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

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

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SATURDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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



Mike


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

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

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

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

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

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Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

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Or, for more information, visit right here.


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