PLAYOFF NOTES:
Friday night leftovers:
Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow): “I will open the floor for anyone to respond if I am wrong or can verify this statement, but I believe this is the first time that an American team has won the Ed Chynoweth Cup on American soil since Portland in 1982 (outlasted Regina in five games).” . . .
Brandow, again: “Thomas Milic is full marks adding another 30 saves to the total and becomes 12th goaltender to win Playoff MVP. Improves to 30-12-2 in 44 career postseason games and has played all but 17 empty-net minutes combined over past two postseasons. 13-1-0-1 this year blocking 30+.” . . .
Brandow, in reference to Seattle F Nico Myatovic scoring on a penalty shot: “Other penalty shots in WHL championship (since 1996): 2006, Game 2 — Dustin Boyd (MJ) scores on Dustin Slade (VAN), 1:25/3rd; 2011, Game 2 — Sven Bartschi (POR) misses on Nathan Lieuwen (KTN), 2:42/2nd; 2017, Game 3 — Sam Steel (REG) misses on Carl Stankowski (SEA), 12:45/3rd .” . . .
Thunderbirds radio voice Thom Beuning (@ThomBeuning): “The Thunderbirds allowed zero goals to Matthew Savoie and Conor Geekie in the five games. The pair had combined for 17 through the first three rounds.” . . .
Beuning, again: “Luke Prokop joined the Seattle Thunderbirds in early November. He would play 22 home games at the ShoWare Center. Did you know all four of his goals this season were scored on home ice (4g, 8a)? He added 3 assists in 10 home playoff games, including an assist on the Game 4 winner.” . . .
One more from Beuning: “Kyle Crnkovic only called the ShoWare Center home for one season. In 33 home games he put up 33 points (18g, 15a). In 10 home playoff games he contributed 9 points (3g, 6a), including the final home game goal to secure the Cup!” . . .
The field has been set for the four-team 2023 Memorial Cup tournament. . . . It will open in Kamloops on Friday with the host Blazers meeting the QMJHL-champion Quebec Remparts and continue Saturday as the WHL-championship Seattle Thunderbirds meet the OHL-champion Peterborough Petes. . . . The Remparts and Petes both wrapped up league titles on Sunday, winning best-of-seven series in six games. . . .
The Remparts scored two goals in the last 2:08 of the third period to beat the host Halifax Mooseheads, 5-4, and win the best-of-seven series, 4-2. . . . F Zachary L’Heureux (11) have the Mooseheads a 4-3 lead at 16:47 of the third period. . . . F Kassim Gaudet (5) pulled the Remparts even at 17:52 and F Pier-Olivier Roy (6) got the eventual winner at 19:01. . . .
Patrick Roy, the former NHL star goaltender who is the Remparts’ general manager and head coach, will be looking for his second Memorial Cup title. In 2006, the Moncton Wildcats beat the Remparts, with Roy in his first season as their head coach, in the QMJHL final. However, the Wildcats were the host team for the Memorial Cup, so the Remparts got the QMJHL’s berth and went on to win the tournament. It was the first time in Memorial Cup history that the winner was neither a league champion nor the host team. . . . At that point, Roy was an owner as well as GM and head coach. He joined the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche as vice-president of hockey operations and head coach in 2013-14 and stayed through 2015-16. He returned to the Remparts for the 2018-19 season, by which time the franchise had been sold to Quebecor. Now he is simply the GM and head coach. . . . These days, there is ample speculation that this will be Roy’s last season as the Remparts’ head coach. Former NHLer Simon Gagné, now completing his first season as a Remparts’ assistant coach, is the likely successor. . . .
In the OHL, the host Peterborough Petes won their 10th OHL title, but their first in 17 years, with a 2-1 victory over the London Knights to win that series, 4-2. . . . F Tucker Robertson (9) broke a 1-1 tie at 11:10 of the third period. Robertson had drawn the primary assist on the game’s first goal, by F Avery Hayes (12), at 14:33 of the second period. . . . F Max McCue (4) got London into a 1-1 tie at 7:59 of the third period. . . . Petes G Michael Simpson, who made 36 saves, was named the playoff MVP. . . . Peterborouh was without F Owen Beck who drew a two-game suspension for a slew-footing match penalty he incurred late in Game 5. One supposes, then, that he will sit out the Petes’ game against Seattle on Saturday in Kamloops to complete the suspension.
Check out Geoffrey Brandow on Twitter (@GeoffreyBrandow) for even more information after each CHL game.
JUNIOR JOTTINGS:
The NHL’s Buffalo Sabres have assigned F Matt Savoie of the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice to the Rochester Americans, their AHL affiliate. Rochester is to open the Eastern Conference final against the Hershey Bears on Tuesday. . . . Savoie, 19, had 95 points, including 38 goals, in 62 regular-season games with the Ice this season, then added 11 goals and 18 assists in 19 playoff games. . . . The Sabres selected him ninth overall in the NHL’s 2022 draft. . . .
The AJHL’s Brooks Bandits won their third consecutive Centennial Cup title on Sunday, beating the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars, 4-0, in the one-game final in Portage la Prairie, Man. . . . The Bandits allowed only four goals in six games during the 10-team tournament that features a host team and champions from the nine leagues that play under the CJHL umbrella. That, of course, doesn’t include the BCHL. . . . The Bandits won the Centennial Cup in 2019, 2022 and 2023, with the pandemic having prevented tournaments in 2020 and 2021.
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The 2023 Kamloops Kidney Walk is scheduled for June 4, which means that Dorothy’s fund-raising efforts are running out of time. Her 10th anniversary as a kidney-transplant recipient arrives in September, and this is her 10th straight year of participating in the Kidney Walk. All of the money raised goes directly to the Kidney Foundation. . . . Among the latest hockey people to join her team is the head coach of the defending Memorial Cup champions and — my oh my — she was thrilled to have him back for another go-round. . . . If you would like to join people like that in supporting Dorothy, you may do so right here.
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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.
Sutter be back coaching the Red Deer Rebels when another season gets here?
championship, beating the Winnipeg Ice, 3-1, in Kent, Wash. . . . The Thunderbirds won the last four games as they took the series, and the Ed Chynoweth Cup, in five games. . . . This was the first time the Thunderbirds won the title on home ice. In 2017, they beat the Pats in a six-game series that ended in Regina. . . . Last season, Seattle lost the final in six games to the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Seattle G Thomas Milic was named the playoff MVP. He stopped 30 shots last night. He led the playoffs in victories (16), GAA (1.95) and save percentage (.933). . . . The championship-winning goal came off the stick of F Nico Myatovic, an 18-year-old from Prince George, who went into the game with three goals in 18 games in these playoffs. He got his fourth goal on a penalty shot at 2:27 of the third period, a score that gave his guys a 2-0 lead. . . . F Sam Popowich (2) had Seattle’s first goal, at 13:45 of the second period. . . . F Evan Friesen (7) got the Ice within a goal at 5:02 of the third period. . . . F Kyle Crnkovic (6) gave Seattle insurance with the empty-netter at 18:54. . . . Seattle was 0-for-1 on the PP; Winnipeg was 0-for-2. . . . The Ice had a late-game PP, too, as Seattle F Lucas Ciona was hit with a boarding minor at 15:40 of the third period. However, the Ice, despite have good possession in the Seattle zone, passed up a number of shooting opportunities and when skaters did pull the trigger they weren’t able to beat Milic. . . . The Ice got another superb game from G Daniel Hauser, who finished with 35 saves. . . . F Jordan Gustafson played in his first game in the series after being injured on April 30. He played a key role on Seattle’s first goal as he and Popowich provided some net-front presence, with Popowich tipping in D Jeremy Hanzel’s point shot. . . . F Dylan Guenther and D Luke Prokop of the Thunderbirds won their second straight WHL title. Both were with the Oil Kings last season. Guenther suffered a knee injury in last season’s final series and wasn’t able to play in the Memorial Cup. . . . F Logan Stankoven of the Kamloops Blazers won the playoff scoring race with 30 points, one more than teammate Olen Zellweger and Winnipeg F Matt Savoie. . . . Guenther had a WHL-leading 16 goals, two more than Ice F Connor McClennon. . . . Winnipeg D Ben Zloty was tops in assists, with 23, three more than Stankoven and Seattle F Brad Lambert.
tie with three goals in 45 seconds en route to a 6-3 victory over the Winnipeg Ice in Kent, Wash. . . . The Thunderbirds lead the best-of-seven series, 2-1, with Game 4 in Kent tonight. Game is to be played there on Friday night. . . . Game 3 began with an exchange of goals in the first 87 seconds, with Seattle F Kyle Crnkovic (5) scoring at 0:25 and Winnipeg F Carson Latimer (3) equalizing at 1:27. . . . D Jeremy Hanzel (4) gave Seattle a 2-1 lead, on a PP, at 13:24 of the first period. . . . F Brad Lambert (6) upped it to 3-1 at 13:47, and F Jared Davidson (11) made it 4-1 at 14:09. . . . The WHL record for fast three goals
AHL’s Manitoba Moose, scored twice to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Ice in Game 2. . . . The series is tied, 1-1, with the teams heading to Kent, Wash., for games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. . . . The Ice won the opener, 3-2, on Friday night. . . . Lambert, a 19-year-old native of Lahti, Finland, was a first-round selection by the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL’s 2022 draft. He began this season with the Moose, then left to play for Finland at the 2023 World Junior Championship. After the tournament, the Jets assigned him to Seattle, which had acquired his rights from the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Lambert put up 17 goals and 21 assists in 26 regular-season games with Seattle. In the playoffs, he has 23 points, including 18 assists, in 14 games. . . . F Zach Benson, who turned 18 on Friday, gave the Ice a 1-0 lead at 4:11 of the first period. . . . D Jeremy Hanzel (3) got Seattle even at 1:24 of the second period. . . . The remainder of the scoring occurred in the third period. . . . Lambert (4) gave Seattle the lead at 5:02 and F Reid Schaefer (8) made it 3-1 just eight seconds later. Schaefer has goals in five straight games. . . . Benson (6) got his guys back to within a goal at 8:27, but Lambert (5) added insurance at 17:14. . . . Seattle got three assists from F Dylan Guenther, who now has 25 points, including 11 assists, in 16 playoff games. . . . Seattle was 0-for-3 on the PP; Winnipeg was 0-for-5. . . . Seattle held a 39-31 edge in shots, although Winnipeg led 14-8 in the third period when the Thunderbirds scored three times. . . . G Thomas Milic stopped 29 shots for Seattle, six fewer than Winnipeg’s Daniel Hauser. . . . Seattle remains without F Jordan Gustafson, while Winnipeg is without D Wyatt Wilson. . . . The announced attendance in the Canada Life Centre, home of the Jets, was 5,691. . . . Kelly Moore of Winnipeg radio station CJOB has a game story with some quotes 
end, the national governing body is giving indications that it isn’t about to bend any of its rules.
goals early in the third period as they beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-2, in Kent, Wash. . . . Seattle leads the best-of-seven conference final, 3-2, with Game 6 in Kamloops on Monday. If they need a seventh game, it would be played on Tuesday in Kent. . . . F Jared Davidson (9) gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 6:25 of the second period. . . . F Matthew Seminoff (8) sacred at 16:00 and the teams were all even going to the third. . . . Seminoff (9) broke the tie 43 seconds into the third period. . . . F Ryan Hofer then scored his seventh and eighth goals, the latter while shorthanded, at 1:06 and 5:31, and just like that Kamloops held a 4-1 lead. . . . F Reid Schaefer (5) got Seattle to within two, on a PP, at 5:48. . . . Davidson’s goal set a franchise record for career playoff goals. He has 22, one more than F Scott Eansor (2013-17). . . . D Olen Zellweger and F Logan Stankoven, the Blazers’ offensive stars, each had one assist. . . . Seattle was 1-for-4 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-for-2. . . . Kamloops got another big night from G Dylan Ernst, with 36 saves, 10 more than Seattle’s Thomas Milic. . . . D Logan Bairos was back in Kamloops’ lineup, while D Ryan Michael remains sidelined. . . . The Thunderbirds remain without F Jordan Gustafson.
the second period was eight minutes old en route to an 8-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . That allowed the Ice, who finished atop the WHL’s regular-season standings, to win the Eastern Conference semifinal, 4-2. They will open at home against the winner of tonight’s Game 7 between the Red Deer Rebels and host Saskatoon Blades. . . . Last night, the Ice scored two first-period goals 51 seconds apart and took it from there. F Zack Ostapchuk (7) scored at 10:49 and F Vladislav Shilo (3) counted at 11:40. . . . Winnipeg really took control on four straight second-period goals — from F Connor McClennon (7, 8), D Graham Sward (2) and F Conor Geekie (5). . . . Geekie (6) and F Evan Friesen (3) had the Ice’s other goals. . . . D Denton Mateychuk (3) and F Jagger Firkus (10) had PP goals for the Warriors. . . . Firkus is tied for the playoff lead in goals and points (21). . . . Shilo and Sward each had two assists and Geekie had one for three-point nights. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-for-2 on the PP; Winnipeg was 0-for-1. . . . G Daniel Hauser stopped 25 shots in earning the victory.
the Winnipeg Ice a 3-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . That series is tied, 2-2, as the teams return to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Saturday night. . . . They are scheduled to play a sixth game in Moose Jaw on Monday night. . . . F Vladislav Shilo (2) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 8:22 of the first period. . . . The Warriors tied it at 12:57 as F Martin Rysavy (5) scored. . . . The Ice went back in front, 2-1, 50 seconds in to the second period on a goal from F Matt Savoie (8). . . . F Jagger Firkus (8) got the Warriors back even at 1:22 of the third period. . . . Ostapchuk scored his sixth goal of the playoffs at 11:56 of OT. . . . Winnipeg D Ben Zloty drew three assists. He has 13 points, all assists, in eight games. . . . The Ice was 1-for-2 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-for-1. . . . G Daniel Hauser earned the victory with 29 saves, nine fewer than Moose Jaw’s Connor Ungar. . . . The Warriors welcomed back F Robert Baco after he completed a three-game suspension for a goaltender interference major he took in Lethbridge on April 5. . . . The Ice was without F Evan Friesen, who completed a two-game suspension for a headshot on Moose Jaw D Matthew Gallant in Game 2. Gallant, who likely is in concussion protocol, hasn’t played since the hit. . . . 
period deficit en route to a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Rebels still hold a 3-1 series lead as the series goes back to Saskatoon for Game 5 on Friday night. . . . F Kai Uchacz, without a point in the first three games of this series. scored twice to give the Rebels a 2-0 first-period lead. A 50-goal man in the regular season, he has six goals in these playoffs. . . . D Aidan De La Gorgendiere (1) got the Saskatoon comeback started, on a PP, at 12:09 of the second period. . . . F Jayden Wiens (5) tied it at 4:12 of the third period and F Brandon Lisowsky (3) gave Saskatoon the lead 43 seconds later. . . . D Tanner Molendyk (1) added insurance at 8:15. . . . The Blades got 34 saves from G Ethan Chadwick. . . . Saskatoon F Justin Lies was tossed with a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Red Deer F Kalan Lind at 3:24 of the first period. Lind was down for several minutes before being removed on a stretcher. Lind was taken to Red Deer Regional Hospital where he underwent an examination before being released.
Western Conference final with an 8-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Thunderbirds swept their second straight series. They will meet either the Kamloops Blazers or Portland Winterhawks in the conference final. . . . The Thunderbirds outscored the Cougars, 25-5, in the four games. In eight playoffs games — they swept the Kelowna Rockets in the first round — the Thunderbirds have outscored the opposition, 39-8. Seattle has yet to allow more than two goals in a game in these playoffs. . . . Last night, four of Seattle’s first five goals came from skaters who scored for the first time in the eight-game run — F Sam Popowich, D Jeremy Hanzel, D Bryce Pickford and D Luke Prokop. . . . In all, the Thunderbirds got goals from eight different players, with F Colton Dach (2), F Mekei Sanders (2), F Reid Schaefer (3) and F Jared Davidson (5) also scoring. . . . Dach had two assists and was the only Seattle skater with three points. . . . Seattle F Brad Lambert, who put up six points in Game 3, had two assists in this one. He finished the four games with two goals and 12 helpers. . . . The Cougars had F Riley Heidt back from a one-game suspension, and he had two assists. . . . Prince George was without F Jaxsen Wiebe, who drew one of those TBD suspensions for a match penalty he incurred in Game 3. . . . F Zach Funk (5) and F Chase Wheatcroft (5) had the Cougars’ goals. . . . The Thunderbirds got 22 saves from G Thomas Milic, who now is 8-0, 1.13, .953. . . .
after a two-game Monday.
Rebels hold a 2-1 lead with Game 4 on Wednesday in Calgary. A fifth game is scheduled for Red Deer on Friday. . . . F Carson Wetsch (1) opened the scoring for Calgary at 13:42 of the first period. . . . The Rebels scored the next three goals. D Matteo Fabrizi (1) tied it at 16:07 and Uchacz gave Red Deer the lead just 49 seconds later. . . . F Frantisek Formanek (2) made it 3-1 at 0:46 of the second. . . . F Carter MacAdams (1) pulled Calgary to within a goal, on a PP, at 3:56. . . . Uchacz scored his third goal of the series into an empty net at 19:23 of the third period. . . . G Kyle Kelsey earned the victory with 36 saves, six fewer than Calgary’s Brayden Peters. . . . F Ben King, who led the WHL with 52 goals in 2021-22, was back in Red Deer’s lineup after being out since March 18. . . . The Hitmen were without F Riley Fiddler-Schultz, who didn’t finish Game 2 because of an undisclosed injury. . . . D Keagan Slaney and F Maxim Muranov returned to Calgary’s lineup after serving suspensions, while F Craig Armstrong of Red Deer completed two-game suspension by sitting out Game 3.
period goals en route to a 6-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Winterhawks lead the series, 3-0. . . . These teams get three days off now — a Paw Patrol show has the Angel Of The Winds Arena booked — so Game 4 is scheduled for Friday. . . . F Kyle Chyzowski (2) and F James Stefan (3) each scored twice for Portland, which led 1-0 and 4-0 at the intermissions. . . . Portland F Josh Zakreski had two assists for the second time in the three games. He has had three two-point outings in his past four games; he had three in 67 regular-season games. . . . Portland G Jan Špunar stopped 38 shots. He had his shutout streak snapped at 120:18 when F Jackson Berezowski (2) scored at 17:07 of the third period. . . . Everett F Caden Zaplitny was ejected with a major for interference at 3:22 of the first period following a hit on Portland F Jack O’Brien, who wasn’t injured.
fighting from its games. Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News added to that story on Wednesday. A QMJHL spokesperson told Ferrari: “The QMJHL is planning to have a rule in place that will ban fighting, making it black and white that it is no longer a part of our game. The punishments have not been decided as of yet. We will be looking to have a rule in place in June when the next general annual assembly of the members of the board of governors takes place.” . . . The aim is to have these changes in place for the start of the 2023-24 season. . . . With all that is known about concussions and CTE, the time has come. You have to think it won’t be long before the OHL and WHL follow suit. . . . Ferrari’s story is 
place in the Western Conference as the WHL’s regular season heads down the stretch. The prizes? The seventh seed gets the No. 2 Kamloops Blazers in the first round; the eighth seed draws the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Giants, though, are likely to be without F Samuel Honzek until at least Tuesday as he recovers from a headshot he absorbed from Kelowna F Carson Golder on Friday. Golder was later suspended for four games. . . . Honzek, who has 21 goals and 31 assists, isn’t expected to play this weekend as the Giants suit up three times in fewer than 48 hours. . . . The Giants are at home to the Portland Winterhawks on Tuesday. . . . Steve Ewen of Postmedia has more on the Giants and their injuries 
TAKING NOTE 