I never had the privilege of meeting Andy Eide, but we certainly communicated on occasion via email and Twitter. I can tell you that no one loved hockey — and hockey in the Pacific Northwest, in particular — more than did Andy. He absolutely loved covering the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds and it was more of his dream come true when he came to be involved in coverage of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken. . . . If you aren’t aware, Andy had a stroke on March 18, just prior to a Kraken game against the visiting Edmonton Oilers. He died on Friday. . . . The tributes that flowed on social media like so many tears revealed what kind of impact he had.
WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:
The second round of the WHL playoffs opened with four series — conference semifinals — on Friday night.
In Winnipeg, the Eastern Conference’s top seed, the Winnipeg Ice, will take a 1-0 series lead into tonight’s Game 2 against the No. 4 Moose Jaw Warriors.
In Saskatoon, the No. 3 Rebels have a 1-0 lead against the No. 2 Blades. They won’t play a second game until Sunday, because lacrosse’s Saskatchewan Rush has a game in the SaskTel Centre tonight. If you’re confused as to how the Rebels were the second seed and the Blades No. 3 in the first round but now those seeds are reversed, here’s the deal: The Rebels were the No. 2 seed because they finished atop the Central Division in the regular season. The Blades had more points than did the Rebels, but finished second in the East Division. In the first round, a division title gets you the first or second seed. The WHL reseeds for the second round, so the Blades became the No. 2 seed, ahead of the Rebels.
Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds have a 1-0 lead over the Prince George Cougars going into tonight’s second game.
And, in Kamloops, the No. 2 Blazers hold a 1-0 lead over the Portland Winterhawks as they prepared for a second game tonight.
——
FRIDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Moose Jaw (4) at Winnipeg (1) — F Matt Savoie had a goal and two assists to 
help the Winnipeg Ice to a 5-3 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Ice is 5-0 in these playoffs; the Warriors are 4-1. . . . The Ice jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead on goals from F Owen Pederson (2), on a PP, at 1:04, F Zach Benson (1), at 7:57, and Savoie (7), at 16:42. . . . However, the Warriors scored the next three goals to pull even. F Brayden Yager (3) got it started at 19:38 of the first period, with D Max Wanner (2) scoring at 4:09 of the second and F Jagger Firkus (5) tying it at 13:21, on a PP. . . . F Connor McClennon (4) snapped the tie at 2:59 of the third period, with D Graham Sward (1) adding insurance at 6:04. . . . Benson, who had 36 goals and 62 assists in the regular season, played in his first game March 10. . . . Winnipeg G Daniel Hauser stopped 26 shots, six fewer than Moose Jaw’s Connor Ungar. . . . Each team was 1-for-2 on the PP. . . . The Ice remains without F Carson Latimer, a trade-deadline acquisition from the Prince Albert Raiders, who last played on Feb. 26. . . . Moose Jaw F Robert Baco sat out as he is serving a three-game suspension after taking a goalie interference major and game misconduct in Game 4 against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Baco will be eligible to return for Game 4 against the Ice. . . .
Red Deer (3) at Saskatoon (2) — D Christoffer Sedoff had a goal and an assist as 
the Red Deer Rebels beat the Saskatoon Blades, 3-1. . . . F Jhett Larson (2) gave the Rebels a 1-0 lead at 4:28 of the second period, and they nursed that until 14:19 of the third when F Jace Isley (1) scored the eventual game-winner. . . . F Jake Chiasson (3) got Saskatoon on the board at 18:08 with G Austin Elliott on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Sedoff put it away with the empty-netter, his third goal of these playoffs. . . . Each team was 0-for-3 on the PP. . . . G Kyle Kelsey earned the victory with 23 saves, six more than Elliott.
——
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Prince George (4) at Seattle (1) — F Dylan Guenther’s two first-period goals 
got the Seattle Thunderbirds started to a 4-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars in Kent, Wash. . . . Guenther, who has seven goals in five games, scored at 1:50 and 15:23, the second one coming on a PP. . . . F Koehn Ziemmer (3) got the Cougars’ goal, on a PP, at 18:14. . . . F Lucas Ciona (4) added insurance for Seattle at 2:48 of the third period, and F Nico Myatovic (1) got the empty-netter at 19:36. . . . F Brad Lambert finished with three assists. . . . Prince George was 1-for-5 on the PP; Seattle was 1-for-3. . . . G Thomas Milic celebrated his 20th birthday by stopping 23 shots for Seattle, which is 5-0 in these playoffs. . . . The Cougars got 40 saves from G Ty Young. . . .
Portland (3) at Kamloops (2) — F Jakub Demek scored his first two goals of 
these playoffs as the Kamloops Blazers skated to a 6-4 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Demek went into the game with six assists and 26 shots on goal through four games, but nothing in the way of goals. Off-season shoulder surgery limited him to 15 regular-season games this season, and he finished with four goals and seven assists. . . . F Emmitt Finnie (4) ran his point streak to 15 games as he gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead at 8:30 of the first period. . . . F James Stefan’s first of three goals tied it at 9:50. . . . Demek put Kamloops back in front at 13:45 of the second period and F Fraser Minten, in his first game of these playoffs, upped the lead to 3-1 at 15:22. Minten hadn’t played since March 22. . . . Those two goals, coming 1:37 apart, were scored with Portland D Luca Cagnoni in the dressing room getting checked out. . . . Stefan got Portland back to within a goal at 17:04; this was his third multi-goal effort of these playoffs. . . . Demek scored his second goal at 19:36. . . . The Blazers put it away with third-period goals from F Matthew Seminoff (1) and F Logan Stankoven (5), the latter via the PP. . . . F Marcus Nguyen (5), on a PP, at 16:48 and Stefan (7), on another PP, at 19:58 completed the scoring. . . . Portland was 2-for-5 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-for-2. . . . G Dylan Ernst earned the victory with 28 stops, four fewer than Jan Spunar of Portland. . . . The Blazers are 5-0 in the playoffs; the Winterhawks are 4-2.
When the conversation turns to the best player in the history of the Kootenay/Winnipeg Ice, F Nigel Dawes has to get an early mention. A 38-year-old native of Winnipeg, Dawes apparently has decided to retire after a pro career that began in 2005-06 and which included 12 seasons in Europe. . . . He was with the Kootenay Ice for four seasons (2001-05) and finished with 272 points, 159 of them goals, in 245 regular-season games. He also had 45 points, including 19 goals, in 49 playoff games. . . . He got into 212 NHL games over five seasons, scoring 39 goals and adding 45 assists; in the AHL, he had 233 points, 117 of them goals, in 232 games. . . . He went on to play 10 seasons in the KHL, totalling 267 goals and 238 assists in 543 games. . . . Dawes played the past two seasons with Adler Mannheim of the DEL, totalling 32 goals and 34 assists in 90 games. . . . At 5-foot-8 and 200 pounds, he wasn’t the tallest player on the ice, but he was as gritty as they came, and he was a whole lot of fun to watch.
D Stanislav Svozil of the Regina Pats made his NHL debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night, earning one assist in a 3-2 OT victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. He played 19 minutes 13 seconds. . . . Last night was a bit of a different story, as he was minus-3 in 21:01 during a 5-2 loss to the visiting Buffalo Sabres. . . . Svozil, who turned 20 on Jan. 17, is from Prerov, Czechia. The Blue Jackets selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2021 draft.
JUNIOR JOTTINGS:
F Parker Bell of the Tri-City Americans has joined the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers for their playoff run. Bell, 19, was a fifth-round selection by the parent Calgary Flames in the NHL’s 2022 draft. . . . This season, he had 25 goals and 39 assists in 55 regular-season games with the Americans. . . .
F Carson Golder of the Kelowna Rockets has signed an ATO with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Golder, who played out his junior eligibility this season, was acquired by the Rockets from the Edmonton Oil Kings. This season, he put up 31 goals and 24 assists in 64 games. . . . He had been a defenceman until Edmonton’s championship playoff run last season, when he moved to the forward ranks.
JUST NOTES:
The U of Alaska-Fairbanks has signed head coach Erik Largen to a five-year contract worth US$200,000 per season. . . . Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks, N.D., Herald reports: “Largen’s deal spells out several investments into the hockey program — increased salaries for support staff like the strength and conditioning coaches, equipment manager and operations director, an increased recruiting budget, game guarantees for opponents traveling to Fairbanks and, perhaps most notably, salaries for three assistant coaches. . . . Largen’s contract calls for his associate coach to make $120,000 per year. The other two assistants will make $90,000 and $40,000.”
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.
the end of their seasons tonight. . . .
the 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. . . . 
gave 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. . . .
straight 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.
as 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. . . .
third 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.
Seven 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. . . . 
an 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. . .
Deer 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. . . . 
assist 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. . . .
second 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. . . .
beat 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. . . . 
Portland 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. . . . 
lead 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.
Rogers Place before an announced crowd of 14,781, the largest gathering in Edmonton this season.
before 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.
four assists — on Wednesday night in an 11-1 victory over the visiting Victoria Royals.
lost 6-0 to the Blazers in Kamloops. Honzek, who has 42 points, including 21 goals, in 40 games, was injured in Friday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . F Carson Golder was ejected with a headshot major for the hit on Honzek. . . . Steve Ewen of Postmedia reported late Friday that Honzek was returning to Giants’ headquarters in Ladner, B.C., “for evaluation” as the team went on to Kamloops. Ewen also reported “there have been 13 players receive suspensions this season resulting from checking-to-head majors.” . . . Honzek was playing in his ninth game since returning from a badly cut leg that he incurred while playing for Slovakia at the World Junior Championship. . . . He is expected to be a first-round selection in the NHL’s 2023 draft.
TAKING NOTE 