Tag: Winnipeg Ice

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

Bacon

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.

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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.

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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

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)

——

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.)

——

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.

——

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.

Back

Here’s your chance to join Team Dorothy . . . Blades blank Bedard in front of another full house . . . Tigers, Broncos have playoff spot on line tonight

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.

THE BEDARD REPORT: F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats was rather quiet on Friday night as his guys dropped a 3-2 decision to the Blades in Saskatoon. . . . Bedard, who had put up 17 points, including nine goals, in his previous four games, was blanked by the Blades for the fifth time in 56 games this season. . . . He still leads the WHL in goals (70), assists (72) and points (142). . . . Bedard has one game remaining in the regular season. He and the Pats will entertain the Prince Albert Raiders tonight.

——

What kind of an impact did F Connor Bedard and his Regina Pats have on the Saskatoon Blades’ final regular-season attendance figures this season? . . . Well, let us take a quick look. . . . The Travellin’ Bedards visited the Pats twice this week — putting 14,768 fans into the SaskTel Centre on Sunday and again on Friday night. Prior to those two dates, the Blades’ average attendance was 3,865. Afterwards, the number was 4,506. . . . The Blades drew 153,214 fans to 34 games. Last season, those numbers were 114,586 and 3,370. . . . This season’s average attendance, then, is up 1,136 over last season. . . . And that’s with the playoffs — yes, the Travellin’ Bedards will be playing the Blades in the first round — to come. . . . BTW, this season’s average attendance in Saskatoon is the highest it’s been since 2012-13, a season in which the Blades were the host team for the Memorial Cup tournament. That season, the Blades drew 217,447 fans to 36 games, an average of 6,040. . . . BTW, had the Blades paid Bedard 25 cents per seat filled for the Sunday and Friday games, he would have put $7,384 in his hockey bag.

Vic

I saw this photo on Facebook this week, along with this note: “I saw this car at the lights today — I think we all need to share share share — hope he finds a donor.”

The car belongs to Vic Morin, who is a friend through the Kamloops Kidney Support Group. His wife, Colleen Bruce, commented on the photo: “Thank you for taking the time and posting your picture. It is my husband that needs the kidney very desperately.”

And that is the absolute truth. So, please, “share share share” and also consider sharing a kidney.

If you are interested in at least checking out what is involved in donating a kidney, there is more info further down on this post.

Holes

Dan Tencer, the Saskatoon Blades’ director of scouting, escaped a serious car accident with only minor injuries on Wednesday night, according to Colin Priestner, the WHL team’s president and general manager.

Tencer, who is resting at home in Edmonton, was on a scouting assignment en route to a tournament when the accident occurred on Highway No. 2 in Alberta.

“Despite being hit at 120 km/h, he was pulled from the vehicle by a Good Samaritan with only minor bruises and cuts . . . a total miracle,” Priestner tweeted.

Both vehicles — Tencer’s truck and a car — were destroyed. The other driver apparently wasn’t injured, either.

“Let’s all send him our best wishes, and I know he’ll be back in the rinks before you know it because he loves it so much. He even asked me (Wednesday) night, in total shock, who was winning the Edmonton Oilers game.”

Priestner also took time to give a “shout out to all the amazing scouts who live on the road for the love of the game, their clubs and these kids trying to make it one day.”

He added: “We probably don’t tell you enough how much we appreciate what you do and the risks you take in these Canadian winters for us.”

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

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Medicine Hat (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Calgary (7)

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

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

——

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.)

——

FRIDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Zach Ostapchuk’s shootout goal gave the Winnipeg Ice a 3-2 victory over the Wheat Kings in Brandon. . . . F Dawson Pasternak (15) gave Brandon a 2-1 lead at 13:49 of the third period, but F Briley Wood (2) got Winnipeg back into a tie just five seconds later. . . . Winnipeg (56-10-1) will win the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for finishing atop the overall standings for a second straight season. That means the Ice will have home-ice advantage for as long as its playoff run goes. . . . Brandon (26-32-9) has lost five in a row (0-4-1) and won’t be in the playoffs. . . . These two teams will finish their regular-season schedules tonight in Winnipeg. . . .

F Trevor Wong broke a 2-2 tie at 11:10 of the third period as the Saskatoon Blades got past the visiting Regina Pats, 3-2. . . . Wong won it with his 25th goal of the season. . . . F Brandon Lisowsky (37) gave Saskatoon a 2-0 lead with goals at 17:53 of the first period and 5:19 of the second. . . . The Pats got third-period goals from F Tanner Howe (35), shorthanded, and F Sam Oremba (10). . . . Saskatoon (47-15-5) will be the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed when the playoffs open and will face No. 6 Regina (34-29-4). . . . The Blades won the season series, 4-2-0. . . . They will open with two games in Saskatoon, on March 31 and April 2. . . .

F Jagger Firkus scored twice to help the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors to a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Raiders came back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game with three PP goals, two of them from F Sloan Stanick (28). . . . F Ryder Korczak (28) broke the tie at 16:27 of the third period and Firkus added insurance with his 40th goal at 17:42, via the PP. . . . Moose Jaw (41-23-3) will finish fourth in the Eastern Conference and face No. 5 Lethbridge in the first round. The Warriors won the season series with the Hurricanes, 3-1-0. . . . Prince Albert (27-37-3) has lost three in a row. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes built a 5-1 lead and hung on for a 6-4 victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels. . . . D Tristen Doyle (4) gave the Hurricanes that 5-1 lead at 2:23 of the second period. . . . The Rebels got to within a goal, at 5-4, with third-period goals from F Talon Brigley (4), at 7:38, F Craig Armstrong (11), at 13:48, and F Jace Isley (30), at 14:12. . . . Lethbridge D Joe Arntsen (7) iced it with the empty-netter. . . . Earlier, Red Deer F Kai Uchacz scored his 50th goal of the season. . . . The winners got four assists from F Brayden Edwards. . . . Lethbridge (36-25-6) clinched fifth in the Eastern Conference and will meet No. 4 Moose Jaw in the first round. The Hurricanes and Warriors haven’t met in the playoffs since 1997. . . . Red Deer (42-19-6) will be the No. 2 seed but doesn’t yet know it will be playing Medicine Hat or Swift Current. . . . The Rebels and Hurricanes will meet again tonight, this time in Red Deer. . . .

The Swift Current Broncos kept alive their playoff hopes with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . F Caleb Wyrostok (24) scored twice, the second one coming on a shorthanded penalty shot at 12:16 of the third period for a 3-0 lead. . . . The Broncos ended up with three unassisted goals. . . . F Gavin McKenna (4) scored for the Tigers at 13:40 of the third. . . . Swift Current (31-32-4) has won three in a row. . . . Medicine Hat (29-29-9) had won its previous game. . . . They’ll play again tonight, this time in Medicine Hat. The Broncos go into the game in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, one points behind the Tigers. . . .

D Kevin Korchinski scored twice and added two assists to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 7-3 victory over the Winterhawks in Portland. . . . Korchinksi, who has 11 goals, figured in each of Seattle’s first four goals as it took a 4-1 lead in the second period. This was his third four-pointer of the season. Korchinski has 73 points, 62 of them assists, in 54 games. In his career, he now has 148 points in 145 games. . . . F Reid Schaefer (28) had a goal and two assists for Seattle. . . . F Brad Lambert scored his 17th goal. He’s got 38 points in 26 games with Seattle. . . . Seattle was 3-for-5 on the PP and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. . . . Kyle Gustafson, Portland’s associate coach, ran the bench with GM/head coach Mike Johnston away at a family wedding. . . . Seattle (54-10-3) will finish atop the Western Conference and meet up with Kelowna in the first round. . . . Portland (39-20-8) has lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . The Thunderbirds and Winterhawks will wrap up their regular seasons tonight in Kent, Wash. . . .

F Carlin Dezainde scored once and added two assists to help the Prince George Cougars to a 7-2 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops. . . . After F Connor Levis (27) opened the scoring for the Blazers at 1:43 of the first period, the Cougars scored six straight goals. . . . F Zac Funk scored his 26th goal of the season for Prince George. He’s got eight goals over his past eight games. . . . Prince George (36-24-7) has points in 10 straight (7-0-3). . . . Kamloops (48-13-6) has lost two in a row. . . . These two will wrap up their regular seasons tonight in Prince George. . . .

F Teague Patton scored twice and added an assist as the Victoria Royals skated out of Everett with a 6-4victory over the Silvertips. . . . The Royals opened a 3-0 lead, and the Silvertips cut it to 3-2. That’s when Patton, who has 16 goals, scored at 13:52 of the second period and 4:38 of the third. . . . F Jackson Berezowski, who also had an assist, scored three times for Everett, giving him 47 this season. That equals the single-season franchise record that was set by F Josh Winquist (2013-14). . . . Everett also got a goal (17) and three assists from F Raphael Pelletier, with F Jesse Heslop adding three assists. . . . Victoria (17-43-7) has won two in a row. . . . Everett (32-32-3) has lost two in a row. . . . These teams will meet again tonight, this time in Victoria. . . . The Royals are likely to be without F Reggie Newman, who left at 5:03 of the third period with a headshot major and game misconduct. . . .

F Reese Belton and F Jalen Luypen each scored three times for their first WHL hat tricks as the Tri-City Americans skated to a 7-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Tri-City broke a 3-3 tie with four third-period goals — two from Luypen, who has 18 goals, and two from F Reese Belton, who also has 18. . . . Belton also had two assists, with Luypen getting one. . . . F Carter Streek scored twice for the Chiefs. He’s got — you guess it! — 18 goals this season. . . . Tri-City (33-26-8) has points in six straight (5-0-1) as it prepares to meet Prince George in the first round. . . . Spokane (15-43-9) won’t be in the playoffs this time around. . . . The Americans and Chiefs will finish up tonight in Spokane. . . .

F Samuel Honzek scored twice, including the winner, as the Vancouver Giants got past the Kelowna Rockets, 3-2, in Langley, B.C. . . . The Giants overcame a 2-0 deficit with Honzek equalizing at 4:44 of the third period and then winning it with 0.5 showing on the clock. He’s got 23 goals. . . . F Kayden Longley had given the Rockets a 2-1 edge with his first WHL goal at 11:52 of the second period. Longley, a 13th-round selection in the WHL’s 2021 draft, scored in his seventh game. . . . The Rockets lost F Ty Hurley to a charging major and game misconduct at 6:28 of the third period. . . . Vancouver (28-31-8) has won two in a row. . . . Kelowna (26-37-4) has lost four straight (0-3-1). . . . The Giants and Rockets will end their regular seasons tonight in Kelowna.

Dinner

JUNIOR JOTTINGS: The 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is to be played in Moncton on Jan. 24. This will be only the second time that the game will be played in Atlantic Canada (Halifax, 2013). . . .

Dave Liffiton has signed on as interim head coach of the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. He will be working alongside associate coach Bob Beatty and assistant coach Tyler Gow. . . . Colin Birkas, the Clippers’ general manager and head coach, was suspended on March 17 while, according to the team, “a third-party investigation into complaints filed under Hockey Canada’s discipline and complaints policy” is undertaken. Beatty and Gow were running things until Liffiton was brought on board. . . . You may recall that Liffiton joined the Clippers as an assistant coach prior to the 2022 playoffs after then-head coach Darren Naylor and Birkas were suspended pending an investigation for alleged violations of the BCHL’s code of conduct. Birkas was reinstated, however, and coached during the playoffs. Naylor never did return, nor were results of the investigation ever released to the public. . . . The MJHL’s OCN Blizzard signed Naylor as GM/head coach in July, but he wasn’t reinstated from his suspension. So the Blizzard ended up hiring Doug Johnson, longtime GM/head coach of the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks, as head coach and assistant GM.

THINKING OUT LOUD: Hey, Regina, Friday was one of the big days of your year. Yes, it was opening day at the Milky Way. Enjoy! . . . So two of the Staal brothers chose not to wear Pride Night sweaters for the Florida Panthers’ pregame warmup on Thursday night. And then photographic evidence was found showing Eric wearing one with the Montreal Canadiens during the 2020-21 season. Whoops! Especially when he earlier had said: “I haven’t before. I never have . . . I haven’t worn a pride jersey before.” Double whoops! . . . Once again, the NHL proves that not everyone is welcome in its world. . . . Hey, Sportsnet, Friday night without NHL hockey on any of your channels. What’s up with that? . . . Hey, TSN, you and the WHL missed the boat by not taking the Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades playing in front of a full house and putting them on one of your channels on Friday night. Yes, I know they were available on something called TSN+, but I already pay for half-a-dozen of your channels and that’s about four too many on most nights.

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.

Flush

Bedard adds No. 70 to legendary season . . . Pats beat host Blades in front of record crowd . . . MacDougall, Reds win another title

BEDARD UPDATE: I was told early on Sunday that a scoring change will be made that will give F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats another assist in their 7-3 Saturday victory over the Warriors in Moose Jaw. So . . . that means the WHL scoring leader finished with three goals and three assists, giving him his second six-point game of the season. Of course, he also has nine five-point outings. . . . The added assist gave him the league lead, with 71, going into Sunday’s games. He also went into Sunday leading in goals (69) and points (140). . . .

Meanwhile, it has been pointed out that there was a glaring omission from a list of the “highest single-season goals-per-game in WHL history (minimum of 35 GP)” that appeared here late Saturday night. The list had been tweeted by StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) and I picked it up. . . . Ray Ferraro was No. 1 on the list, at 1.50, thanks to his record 108 goals in 72 games for the 1983-84 Brandon Wheat Kings. However, a long-time friend pointed out that is in error because F Bill Derlago of the Wheat Kings scored 89 times in 52 games in 1977-78, and that computes to 1.71 goals-per-game. So if you’re keeping track of such things, put Derlago at the top of that list. . . .

——

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

THE BEDARD REPORT: F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats had a goal and an assist on Sunday in a 4-2 victory over the Blades in Saskatoon. . . . That was his 70th goal this season. He is the first Regina skater with 70 since F Dale Derkatch got there in 1983-84. Derkatch finished with 72 in 62 games that season; one season earlier, he scored 84 times in 67 games. . . . Bedard is the first WHLer with 70 goals since F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors finished the 2017-18 season with 70. . . . The WHL website shows Bedard leading in goals (70), assists (71) and points (141). That scoring change from Saturday’s game should show up on Monday, giving him 72 assists and 142 points. . . . The WHL last had a 140-point man in 1995-96 when three skaters got there — F Mark Deyell (Saskatoon, 159), F Frank Banham (Saskatoon, 152) and Hnat Domenichelli (Kamloops Blazers, 148). . . . Since return from leading Canada to gold at the World Junior Championship, Bedard has put up 78 points, including 43 goals, in 27 games. . . . In his past four games alone, he has nine goals and eight assists.

The U of New Brunswick Reds won the USports men’s hockey championship on Sunday, beating the Alberta Golden Bears, 3-0. . . . That means that Gardiner MacDougall, the Reds’ head coach, has won a Memorial Cup and a university championship just nine months apart. He took over as the head coach of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs before the 2022 Memorial Cup and guided them to the tournament title. . . . G Samuel Richard, formerly of the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, stopped 17 shots for the Reds, with the goals coming from former OHL players Cody Morgan, Cole Mackay and Austen Keating. . . . This was MacDougall’s eighth David Johnston University Cup title, all with UNB. The Reds have won four of the last six tournaments; the 2020 and 2021 events were lost to the pandemic. . . . MacDougall, 63, has been the Red’ head coach since 2000-01.

Witness

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

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Medicine Hat (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Calgary (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

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

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

——

SUNDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

The host Calgary Hitmen scored the game’s last three goals, all in the third period, to beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-3. . . . F Oliver Talk (23) got the Hitmen to within one, at 3-2, at 5:00. . . . F Brandon Whynott (5) tied it at 5:10, and F Carson Wetsch (10) got the winner at 9:00. . . . F Gavin McKenna, the first overall selection in the WHL’s 2022 draft, had a goal (2) and an assist for Medicine Hat. His club team at the Southern Alberta Hockey Academy had its season come to an end, so he is likely to finish the season with the Tigers. He has 12 points in 13 games with the Tigers this season. . . . Calgary (29-28-8) had won, 2-0, in Medicine Hat on Saturday. The victory lifted the Hitmen into seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Tigers. . . . Medicine Hat (28-28-9) has lost two in a row. . . . Calgary and Medicine Hat each has three games remaining. . . . The Tigers are three points ahead of Swift Current, which also has three games to play. . . .

G Kelton Pyne blocked a career-high 42 shots to lead the Regina Pats to a 4-2 victory over the Blades in Saskatoon. . . . Pyne earned his third victory of the season. . . . F Alexander Suzdalev (38) had a goal and an assist for Regina, with F Tanner Howe getting No. 34. . . . F Brandon Lisowsky (35) scored twice for Saskatoon. . . . The announced attendance was 14,768, a record for the Blades. The previous record (12,588) was from a Feb. 9, 2013 game in which the Blades dumped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-2. . . . Les Lazaruk, the Blades’ longtime play-by-play voice, called his 2,100th game. . . . This may well have been a first-round playoff preview. But before that happens, the Pats are back in Saskatoon again on Friday. . . . Regina (34-38-4) is sixth in the Eastern Conference, four points behind Lethbridge and six ahead of Calgary. . . . Saskatoon (46-15-5) has won its previous two games and will be the conference’s No. 3 seed when the playoffs begin. . . .

F Chase Bertholet scored twice to help the Spokane Chiefs to a 3-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Bertholet (28) gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead with the only goals of the first period. . . . F Jackson Berezowski (44) got Everett on the board at 2:22 of the third period, only to have F Berkly Catton (22) restore the two-goal lead at 5:45. . . . Spokane (15-42-9) had lost its previous six games (0-4-2). . . . Everett (32-31-3) will finish sixth in the Western Conference and meet up with Portland in the first round. . . . They’ll open March 31 in Portland. The Winterhawks won the season series, 6-1-1; the Silvertips were 2-6-0. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans erased a 1-0 deficit with five straight goals as they beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-2. . . . F Jake Sloan (20) and F Adam Mechura (26) each scored twice for the Americans. . . . F Ty Thorpe (37) had a goal and an assist for the Giants; he’s got goals in four straight games. . . . F Samuel Honzek had an assist in his return to Vancouver’s lineup. He hadn’t played since taking a high hit in a game in Kelowna on March 10. . . . Tri-City (32-26-8) has points in five straight (4-0-1). The Americans will finish fifth in the Western Conference and face No. 4 Prince George in the first round. Tri-City was 3-1-0 in the season series; the Cougars were 1-2-1. . . . Vancouver (26-31-8) is seventh, four points ahead of Kelowna. The Giants have three games remaining; the Rockets have two to play, both against Vancouver. . . .

F Owen Pederson and F Zack Ostapchuk each scored twice as the host Winnipeg Ice beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 6-1. . . . Pederson, who also had an assist, has 32 goals; Ostapchuk has 29. . . . G Daniel Hauser stopped 29 shots in earning his 37th victory over the season. That’s one off the league lead held by Dylan Ernst of the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Hauser now holds the Kootenay/Winnipeg franchise record for victories in one season. The previous record (36) was set by Wyatt Hoflin with Kootenay in 2014-15. . . . The Raiders lost F Terrell Goldsmith to a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct at 10:32 of the second period. . . . This was the third meeting in six days for these two and the Ice won all three, including 4-3 in Prince Albert on Tuesday and 4-1 in Winnipeg on Saturday. . . . Winnipeg (55-9-1) has won seven straight and leads the overall standings by four points over Seattle, which has four games remaining. . . . Prince Albert slipped to 27-36-3 and won’t be in the playoffs.

Peanutes

Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Now Adam Silver is a faith healer? After a meeting with Ja Morant, the NBA commissioner is convinced that Morant is cool, saying, ‘Ja has also made it clear to me that he has learned from this incident.’ What about the other three (that we know of) disturbing instances involving Morant and his family and friends? Silver is like Jon Taffer in TV’s ‘Bar Rescue,’ who cures people of sloth, stupidity and alcoholism in a few hours. Keep your phone handy, Commish.”

——

Ostler, again: “The NBA determined that Morant, at Shotgun Willie’s club near Denver, was ‘holding a firearm in an intoxicated state.’ How that gun got intoxicated is anybody’s guess.”

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.

Leonardo

Another five-point night for Bedard; he’s got 14 in three games . . . Two WHLers get NHL deals . . . Ice hangs on to lead atop overall standings

BEDARD
CONNOR BEDARD

THE BEDARD REPORT: It was only a few short days ago that I was wondering if fatigue was catching up to F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats. After all, he had had a four-game stretch during which he had only two points, both goals. . . . Since then? Well, he had another five-point outing — three goals and two assists — on Saturday night as the Pats beat the Warriors, 7-3, in Moose Jaw. One night earlier, in Regina, Bedard also had three goals and two assists, but the Warriors won that one, 9-5. . . . Prior to the back-to-back five-pointers, he had a four-point outing, so he now has 14 points in a three-game stretch. . . . He also now has nine hat tricks this season — seven three-goal games and two four-goal outings. Of the WHL’s 21 other teams, only the Saskatoon Blades have as many hat tricks. . . . Bedard leads the WHL in goals (69) and points (139). He and F Riley Heidt of the Prince George Cougars are tied for the lead in assists, with 70. . . . The last WHLer to score 70 goals in a season was F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2017-18. . . . Up next? The Pats are in Saskatoon to play the Blades today and somewhere around 15,000 are expected to show up for that one. Yes, that will a single-game attendance record for Saskatoon.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The NHL’s Dallas Stars have signed F Chase Wheatcroft of the Prince George Cougars to a three-year entry-level contract. Wheatcroft, 20, was an NHL free agent. . . . Wheatcroft, from Calgary, is second in the WHL scoring race, his 105 points trailing only F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats, who has 139. Wheatcroft has 47 goals and 58 assists. . . . He went into this season with 82 points, 31 of them goals, in 137 games split between the Lethbridge Hurricanes (104) and Winnipeg Ice (33). . . .

The Edmonton Oilers have signed F Jake Chiasson of the Saskatoon Blades to a three-year entry-level contract. The Oilers selected Chiasson in the fourth round of the NHL’s 2021 draft. . . . Chiasson, an 18-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., was picked by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round, 15th overall, of the WHL’s 2018 draft. . . . The Wheat Kings dealt him to Saskatoon in January. He has 10 goals and 18 assists in 30 games with the Blades this season, after putting up 10 goals and 18 assists in 37 games with Brandon. In 170 career regular-season games, he has 40 goals and 67 assists.

Fire

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Calgary (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Everett (6)

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

——

SATURDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Matt Savoie drew three assists to lead the host Winnipeg Ice to a 4-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . G Daniel Hauser recorded the victory with 19 saves. This season, he 36-4-1, 2.31, .915. In 89 career appearances, he is 77-7-3, 2.24, .913. . . . Winnipeg (54-9-1) has won six straight and leads the overall standings by two points over Seattle. Each team has four games remaining. . . . Prince Albert (27-35-3) was eliminated from the playoff chase after Saturday’s games. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes scored the game’s last four goals as they beat the Oil Kings, 6-1, in Edmonton. . . . F Tyson Laventure had a goal (22) and an assist. . . . Lethbridge (35-24-6) is fifth in the Eastern Conference and headed to a first-round clash with Moose Jaw. . . . Edmonton (9-51-4) has lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . .

G Brayden Peters stopped 23 shots to help the Calgary Hitmen to a 2-0 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat. . . . Peters, a 20-year-old from Taber, Alta., has three shutouts this season and seven in his career. This season, he is 16-14-6, 2.88, .908, pretty good numbers for a Calgary team that had something of a roller-coaster season. . . . F Carter Yakemchuk (17) gave Calgary a 1-0 lead with a PP goal at 16:14 of the second period, and the Hitmen nursed that until F Sean Tschigerl (24) got the empty-netter at 19:26 of the third. . . . Calgary (28-28-8) is eighth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Medicine Hat and two ahead of Swift Current. . . . Medicine Hat (28-27-9) had won its previous two games. . . .

G Drew Sim stopped 45 shots as the Regina Pats beat the Warriors, 7-3, in Moose Jaw. . . . F Connor Bedard had three goals (69) and two assists, while F Braxton Whitehead added a goal (10) and two assists. . . . Attendance was announced at 4,965, the largest crowd in Moose Jaw this season, well above the 4,011 fans who watched the Pats win 6-3 there on opening night. According to its website, the Moose Jaw Events Centre seats 4,465 for hockey. . . . Regina (33-28-4) clinched a playoff spot with the victory. It is sixth in the Eastern Conference and likely to face Saskatoon in the opening round. . . . Moose Jaw (39-23-3) had won its previous four games and will finish fourth in the conference. . . .

G Reid Dyck turned aside 31 shots as his Swift Current Broncos came out of Red Deer with a 3-1 victory over the Rebels. . . . F Josh Filmon scored his 45th goal of the season for the Broncos. . . . The Broncos led 2-1 after the first period and it stayed that way until F Mat Ward (25) scored into an empty net at 19:18 of the third. . . . Red Deer lost F Frantisek Formanek to a cross-checking major and game misconduct at 15:33 of the first period. . . . Swift Current (29-32-4) snapped a six-game losing skid (0-5-1). It is ninth in the Eastern Conference, two points from a playoff spot with three games remaining. . . Red Deer (42-18-6) had points in each of its previous six games (4-0-2). It will be the No. 2 seed in the conference and is awaiting an opponent. . . .

F Justin Lies broke a 2-2 tie at 16:04 of the second period as the Saskatoon Blades beat the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . Lies has eight goals. . . . F Jake Chiasson, whom the Blades acquired from Brandon in January, had two assists on the day he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. . . . Saskatoon (46-14-5) has won two straight and will be Eastern Conference’s third seed when the playoffs open. . . . Brandon (26-32-8) has lost four in a row and is four points from the conference’s last playoff spot with only two games remaining. . . .

D Aidan Sutter had a goal and two assists to help the host Everett Silvertips to a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . He’s got six goals. . . . The Silvertips scored the first two and the last two goals. . . . Sutter’s PP marker, at 18:20 of the first period proved to be the winner. . . . Everett (32-30-3) is sixth in the Western Conference, three points behind Tri-City. . . . Vancouver (26-30-8) had won its previous two games. It is seventh in the conference, four points ahead of Kelowna but with two games in hand. . . .

F Kyle Crnkovic broke a 2-2 tie with two late third-period goals as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Winterhawks, 4-2, in Portland. . . . Crnkovic scored his 29th goal of the season at 16:46, then added No. 30 into an empty net at 18:31. . . . It was Seattle’s club-record 24th road victory of the season, breaking a record that was set last season. . . . Seattle (52-9-3) has points in 18 straight games (17-0-1), but trails Winnipeg by two points atop the overall standings. . . . Portland (39-19-7) has lost two in a row. It will be the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed when the playoffs begin. . . .

F Logan Stankoven’s goal at 2:19 of OT gave the Kamloops Blazers a 5-4 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . Stankoven, playing in his second game since returning from an undisclosed injury, also had an assist. He’s got 33 goals. . . . F Ryan Hofer of the Blazers forced OT with his 40th goal, at 15:55 of the third period. . . . Kamloops D Olen Zellweger scored his 29th goal of the season, tops among WHL defencemen. . . . Kamloops got two goals and an assist from F Connor Levis, who now has 26 goals. . . . F Carson Golder had a goal (30) and two assists for the Rockets, as did F Dylan Wightman (15). They also got two goals from F Andrew Cristall (38). . . . Kamloops (47-11-6) has won nine in a row and 20 of 21, but is seven points behind Seattle atop the Western Conference standings. Each team has four games remaining. . . . Kelowna (26-36-4) has lost three in a row (0-2-1). It is eighth in the conference and appears headed to a first-round meeting with Seattle. . . .

F Brayden Schuurman scored in the second-round of a shootout to give the Victoria Royals a 7-6 victory over the Cougars in Prince George. . . . The Royals had tied the game with two PP goals in the final minute of the third period. F Teague Patton (14) scored at 19:15 and Schuurman got his second of the game and 15th of the season at 19:54. . . . F Koehn Ziemmer reached the 40-goal plateau with a pair for the Cougars. . . . Victoria (16-43-7) has lost its previous 12 games (0-11-1). . . . Prince George (35-24-7) has points in nine straight (6-0-3) and will finish fourth in the Western Conference. . . . 

F Jordan Gavin and F Parker Bell each had two goals and an assist to help the Tri-City Americans to an 8-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Gavin, the second overall selection in the WHL’s 2021 draft, has 22 goals and 30 assists in 59 games. He won’t turn 17 until Nov. 13. . . . Bell, 18, has 24 goals and 39 assists in 53 games. Last season, in 64 games, he finished with 18 goals and 31 assists. . . . Tri-City (31-26-8) has points in four straight (3-0-1). It is fifth in the Western Conference, three points ahead of Everett with each team have three games remaining. . . . Spokane (14-42-9) has lost six in a row (0-4-2).

OldAge

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.

Boss

Alscher latest WHLer with NHL deal . . . Former Pats start gets head-coaching gig . . . Ice’s lead now four points

Rams1
There was a staredown on Shuswap Road east of Kamloops on Monday afternoon. This guy and his three pals saw me coming, had a meeting and chose to send an emissary to greet me. No, he wasn’t about to move. So I lost and went around. BTW, there were two more just over the embankment to the left, so it’s a good thing I didn’t try anything. And as I moved to the left and drove past, I swear I heard that front guy laughing at me.

While I’m sure we’re all familiar with teams having minor hockey players, especially the youngest ones, on the ice during intermissions, the Saskatoon Blades went the other way on Sunday during a game against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. The Blades had the old-timers on the ice and, yes, a good time was had by all. It was part of a Seniors Night promotion. Well done!

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

D Marek Alscher of the Portland Winterhawks has agreed to terms with the NHL’s Florida Panthers on a three-year entry-level contract. Alscher, 18, was a third-round selection in the NHL’s 2022 draft; that was Florida’s first selection in that draft. . . . From Czechia, Alscher has seven goals and 14 assists in 54 games as a sophomore. Last season, he put up 16 points, seven of them goals, in 61 games. . . . The contract calls for salaries of US$775,000 in each of the first two years and $855,000 in the third year. The minor league salary would be $82,500. And there are three $95,000 signing bonuses. . . .

Former WHLer Josh Holden is the new head coach of HC Davos of Switzerland’s National League. Holden, 45, fills a vacancy created a couple of months ago when Christian Wohlwend was released. . . . Holden got a two-year contract. . . . Waltteri Immonen and Glen Metropolit will be staying on as assistant coaches. . . . Holden, who is from Calgary, played 13 seasons in Switzerland (2005-18) before spending the past five seasons as an assistant coach with Zug. He also was an assistant coach with Canada’s Spengler Cup entry in December. Holden played four seasons (1994-98) with the WHL’s Regina Pats. . . .

F Carson Golder of the Kelowna Rockets drew a four-game suspension for that Friday night headshot on F Samuel Honzek of the Vancouver Giants. Golder sat out Saturday and Sunday games, and won’t play Wednesday in Prince George or Friday in Kamloops. . . . Honzek left the game in Kelowna and missed the Giants’ Saturday and Sunday games. . . .

Meanwhile, F Dawson Seitz of the Edmonton Oil Kings got three games after taking a boarding major and game misconduct in Winnipeg on March 10, and F Caleb Wyrostok of the Swift Current Broncos drew two games for a charging major/game misconduct, and for being a repeat offender, he took on Sunday in Moose Jaw. . . . According to the online game sheet, Wyrostok originally was given a double major (charging, fighting) and a double game misconduct. One of those game misconducts has been changed to a misconduct, according to the online sheet. . . .

The junior B Kootenay International Junior Hockey League had two second-round series come to thrilling Game 7 conclusions on Monday night. . . . In Kimberley, before 1,782 fans, the Dynamiters, who had lost the first three games, beat the Fernie Ghostriders, 1-0, while the host Beaver Valley Nitehawks got past the Creston Valley Thunder Cats, 3-2 in OT, in front of 495 fans. . . . F Christian Mealey scored for Kimberley at 8:38 of the third period and G Trystan Self stopped 36 shots. . . . D Kaleb Percival scored the Nitehawks’ winner at 11:48 of the first OT. . . . The Dynamiters and Nitehawks will meet in the Kootenay Conference final.

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Swift Current/Calgary/Brandon (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Everett (6)

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

——

TUESDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Matt Savoie scored twice to help the Winnipeg Ice to a 4-3 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert. . . . The Ice trailed 2-0 after the first period, then took the lead with three second-period goals. . . . F Connor McClennon (43) and Savoie, who has 37 goals, tied the score with goals 46 seconds apart early in the second. . . . D Graham Sward (3) gave the visitors their first lead with 2.3 seconds left in the period. . . . Savoie made it 4-2 at 3:15 of the third period. . . . D Evan Herman (17) got the Raiders to within one while shorthanded at 18:51. . . . F Conor Geekie had three assists for Winnipeg, while F Owen Pederson had one. That was Pederson’s 200th regular-season point in his 232nd game. . . . G Daniel Hauser earned the victory with 22 saves. He has 35 victories this season, one more than he put up last season. He is one off the league lead (Dylan Ernst, Kamloops). . . . With 76 career regular-season victories, behind Nathan Lieuwen (85) and Taylor Dakers (82). Lieuwen now is the majority owner and president of the BCHL’s Cranbrook Bucks, who were born after the Ice left Cranbrook for Winnipeg. . . . Winnipeg (53-9-1) has won five in a row. It leads the overall standings by four points over Seattle, which has six games remaining. . . . Prince Albert (26-34-3) is 11th in the Eastern Conference, five points from a playoff spot with five games remaining. . . .

The Portland Winterhawks struck four times in the first period en route to a 6-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs, who were playing their fourth game in five nights. . . . F Luca Cagnoni scored twice (17) and added an assist. . . . F Luke Schelter (7) broke a 1-1 tie at 12:35 of the first period as the Winterhawks scored six straight goals. . . . Portland had a 48-33 edge in shots. . . . The Winterhawks (39-17-7) have points in five straight (3-0-2). They are headed to a third-place finish in the Western Conference. . . . Spokane (14-40-9) has lost four in a row (0-2-2). The Chiefs have lost 40 times in regulation for the first time since 1998-99 when they finished 19-44 with nine ties.

Roman

Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle:

Hey, MLB, want to trim more wasted time from your games? Eliminate mound visits by managers and coaches, except to remove the pitcher. This isn’t a job interview. Let the pitcher and catcher figure out how to work the next batter. If the manager wants to know how his pitcher is feeling, let the skipper stand at the dugout rail and shout, “How you feelin’, Meat?”

——

Ostler, again: One baseball art/skill I will never salute, but will cheer when it is rendered obsolete by robo umps: pitch framing. The analytics folks recognize it as a legitimate tool. (See: Statcast rankings.) Framing is legal cheating. Look how badly I can fool the umpire! Some catchers are subtle, easing the glove an inch or two back into the zone. Other catchers will leap or dive to catch a pitch, then frame it back into the zone, hoping the umpire has a resin bag for a brain.

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.

Dog

WHL playoff picture coming into focus . . . Western Conference teams decided . . . Things heat up near bottom of East

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Swift Current/Calgary/Brandon (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Everett (6)

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

——

With 10 game days remaining in the 2022-23 regular season, the WHL playoff picture is starting to sort itself out. We know which eight teams will be in the WHLWestern Conference playoffs, but there still are 11 teams in the hunt in the Eastern Conference.

In the Western Conference, the Seattle Thunderbirds are likely to be the top seed when the playoffs begin; they are nine points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers, who have seven games remaining. And both teams are burning it up — Seattle has points in 16 straight (15-0-1); the Blazers have won six straight and 17 of 18.

At this point, neither Seattle nor Kamloops knows who it will meet in the first round. The Vancouver Giants are seventh, three points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. The Giants have six games remaining; the Rockets five. And they will finish the regular season by going home and home — in Langley, B.C., on March 24 and in Kelowna on March 25.

The Rockets also have to go to Prince George for a single game with the Cougars, and face the Blazers twice — in Kamloops on March 17 and in Kelowna the next night.

Before facing the Rockets, the Giants have two games left with the Everett Silvertips, one in Kennewick, Wash., with the Tri-City Americans and another in Portland with the Winterhawks.

The eighth-place team draws the first seed in the first round, with No. 7 facing No. 2.

While Portland has settled into third place in the conference and Prince George looks headed to a fourth-place finish, Tri-City and Everett are separated by one point as they scrap for fifth place. The fifth-place team will face the No. 4 seed, which at the moment is Prince George. So is it better to finish six and meet up with Portland in the first round, or get into fifth and ride the bus to Prince George to get things started?

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, the Winnipeg Ice will go in as the No. 1 seed, with the Red Deer Rebels in the No. 2 slot and the Saskatoon Blades the third seed. Saskatoon is likely to finish with more points than Red Deer, but the Rebels, as Central Division champions, will be the second seed. (Keep in mind that the WHL reseeds after the first round.)

The Moose Jaw Warriors and Lethbridge Hurricanes appear headed to a first-round clash as the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds. The Warriors are fourth, seven points ahead of the Hurricanes, who have six games remaining.

The Regina Pats, who have lost four in a row (0-3-1) and also have six games left, are six points behind Lethbridge. The Pats very well could meet up with Saskatoon in the first round.

After that, things are really heated with the seventh-place Medicine Hat Tigers holding a three-point edge on the Swift Current Broncos, Calgary Hitmen and Brandon Wheat Kings, who are tied for that eighth and final playoff spot.

Calgary, which is 3-6-1 in its last 10, has seven games remaining, with Swift Current (3-6-1) having six left, and Brandon (4-5-1) five.

The Prince Albert Raiders, who have six games remaining, have a slim chance of catching eighth, but they are five points out and would have to pass three teams to get there. Three of those remaining games are against Winnipeg, too.

The seventh-place finisher will face Red Deer in the opening round, with the eight-place club opening against the Ice in Winnipeg.

Deer

SUNDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

The Moose Jaw Warriors jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead and went to a 7-3 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . This game was to have been played on Saturday but was postponed because of nasty weather conditions in southern Saskatchewan. . . . D Denton Mateychuk had two goals and two assists. Mateychuk, who last scored a goal on Nov. 29, has 60 points, including 52 assists, this season. . . . Swift Current F Caleb Wyrostok likely can expect to hear from the WHL office after he took two majors (fighting and headshot) and two game misconducts at 13:12 of the third period. . . . Since losing four teammates to suspensions, the Warriors (38-22-3) are 6-6-0 and have won three in a row. They are settling nicely into fourth place in the Eastern Conference. . . . Swift Current (28-30-4) has lost four in a row (0-3-1) and is tied with Calgary and Brandon for the conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Prince Albert Raiders scored the game’s last six goals as they dumped the Blades, 7-1. . . . F Evan Herman (16) broke a 1-1 tie at 14:02 of the first period, and the Raiders took control with three second-period goals. . . . F Keaton Sorensen scored twice (25) and added an assist. . . . F Sloan Stanick, playing in his 200th regular-season game, had a goal, his 23rd, and an assist. He has career highs in goals, assists (32) and points (55). . . . Prince Albert (26-33-3) snapped a four-game skid. It is five points from an Eastern Conference playoff spot with six games remaining. . . . Saskatoon (44-14-5) had points in its previous 12 games (11-0-1). The Blades will be the conference’s No. 3 seed when the first-round begins. . . .

The Winnipeg Ice clinched its second straight Eastern Conference title with a 4-1 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Ice took a 4-0 lead into the third period. . . . F Zack Ostapchuk scored once (26) and added two assists. . . . F Owen Pederson got his 30th goal, giving the Ice five skaters with at least 30 scores. . . . G Daniel Hauser stopped 30 shots to earn the victory. This season, he is 34-4-1, 2.32, .915. He finished last season at 34-3-1, 2.00, .914. . . . Winnipeg (52-9-1) has won four straight. . . . Brandon (26-29-8) had won its previous three games. It is tied with Swift Current and Calgary for the last playoff spot in the conference. . . .

F Jackson Berezowski scored the lone goal of the shootout to give the host Everett Silvertips a 4-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Berezowski scored that goal to open the second round. . . . F Jesse Heslop scored twice (11) and added an assist in the first period as Everett took a 3-0 lead. . . . The Chiefs got to within one, at 3-2, only to have F Roan Woodward (6) restore Everett’s two-goal lead at 6:32 of the third period. . . . Spokane tied it with two goals in the period’s last minute — F Chase Bertholet (26), at 19:07, and F Tommaso De Luca (15), at 19:25. . . . Bertholet also had three assists. . . . F Raphael Pelletier had three assists for the Silvertips. . . . Everett (31-29-3) ended a five-game losing streak. It is sixth in the Western Conference, one point behind Tri-City. . . . Spokane (14-39-9) has lost three in a row (0-1-1). . . .

F Marcus Pacheco scored the only goal of a five-round shootout to give the Kelowna Rockets a 5-4 victory over the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash. . . . F Max Graham (12) scored two goals, 28 seconds apart, in the second period as Kelowna took a 3-1 lead. . . . Tri-City evened the score on goals from D Alex Serraglio (4), at 18:34 of the second, and F Tyson Greenway (26), at 4:34 of the third. . . . Greenway was playing his 200th regular-season game. . . . F Andrew Cristall (36) put Kelowna back out front at 8:56, but D Ethan Peters (3) tied it, on a PP, at 13:40. . . . The Americans got a goal (16) and two assists from F Deagan McMillan. . . . G Talyn Boyko stopped 37 shots in earning the victory against his former club. . . . The Rockets were without F Carson Golder, who missed his second game with a TBD suspension for a headshot major and game misconduct he took on Friday night. . . . Kelowna (26-34-3) has won three in a row. It is eighth in the Western Conference, three points behind Vancouver. . . . Tri-City (29-26-8) is fifth, one point ahead of Everett. . . .

F Ty Thorpe scored a PP goal in OT to give the Vancouver Giants a 3-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars in Langley, B.C. . . . F Julian Cull (4) gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead at 2:15 of the second period. . . . F Zac Funk (23) tied it at 5:28. . . . F Connor Dale (6) restored Vancouver’s lead at 7:13. . . . D Hudson Thornton (21) pulled the Cougars even again, on a PP, at 11:53. . . . Thorpe won it with his 34th goal at 1:10 of OT. . . . Thornton also had an assist as he set the Prince George franchise record for single-season points by a defenceman. He now has 69 points; the previous record was set by Christian Chartier in 2000-01. . . . Vancouver got 34 saves from G Brett Mirwald. . . . The Giants were without F Samuel Honzek, who left a Friday game in Kelowna after taking a high hit from Rockets F Carson Golder. . . . Vancouver (25-29-8) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). It is seventh in the Western Conference, three points ahead of Kelowna. . . . Prince George (33-24-6) has points in six straight (4-0-2). It looks to be headed to a fourth-place finish in the conference.

Drugs

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.

Selfies