Taking Note

Healing begins for Fraser Valley Bruins

2009-12-17T23:41:00.000-08:00

The Fraser Valley Bruins, the B.C. major midget league team that was in that single-vehicle bus accident a week ago near Williams Lake, B.C., won’t play again this weekend.
Which means they won’t play again until after Christmas.
Their games last weekend against the Cariboo Cougars in Prince George were postponed, and may end up being cancelled, after the bus hit some black ice and ended up on its side in a ditch late on the afternoon of Dec. 11.
Pat Ansell, the Bruins’ head coach, sent me an email Thursday.
“Our games that were initially scheduled for this weekend versus the South Island Thunderbirds have been postponed to the new year,” writes Ansell, a well-known hockey coach on the Lower Mainland of B.C., who played goal for the Regina Pats (1976-78). “We simply don’t have enough healthy bodies to play.
“As you can imagine, a number of guys have bumps and bruises (and) we have discovered another separated shoulder.”
Ansell went on to add that “through the generous work of BC Hockey they have compiled a list of counselors that we will take full advantage of for both our players and their families.”
Ansell then hit the nail directly on the head with something that we far too often forget.
“We have to remember that these guys are 15 years of age and that we have to take care of them,” he said.
Ansell didn’t suffer a broken nose, as was originally reported.
He said that he is “pretty sore” and received “a few stitches.”
Devin Potomak, a 16-year-old defenceman, is the player with the broken collarbone.
Goaltender Mackenzie Skapski, 15, was the most seriously injured player. He was airlifted to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver and underwent surgery to repair head and facial injuries.
Thankfully, Skapski was released from hospital on Wednesday night and now is at home with family.
“In a difficult situation like this,” Ansell writes, “it is truly remarkable in the number of people from the hockey community from across the country who have offered their support to our guys.
“The community of Williams Lake was unbelievable and it has just continued.
“We are working on getting better and I can tell you that I can’t wait to get to the rink to see our kids and how they are handling themselves.”
Let us all take pause and be thankful that all of the people on that bus survived and will live to take the bus to another hockey game.
Oh, it could have been so much worse!

Thursday . . .

2009-12-17T23:40:00.000-08:00

The Saskatoon Blades hope to have D Jyri Niemi back in their lineup Friday night when they open a home-and-home series with the Prince Albert Raiders. They’re in P..A. on Friday and back in ‘Toontown on Saturday. Niemi (shoulder) has missed six games. He leaves after these two games to join Finland’s world junior team. . . . Saskatoon F Travis Toomey (charleyhorse) is shown as questionable for Friday’s game.
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The Regina Pats have lost five straight games, two of their best players — F Jordan Eberle and D Colten Teubert — are with Canada’s national junior team and now the injuries are starting to mount. . . . D Brandon Davidson and D Cody Carlson both have knee injuries. F Hampus Gustafsson played defence during the Pats’ two most-recent games but went down Wednesday in a 3-1 loss to the host Edmonton Oil Kings. He has a lower-body injury and is uncertain for Friday’s game against the host Calgary Hitmen. . . . As if that isn’t enough, G Damien Kelto is gone with a shoulder injury and won’t play again until after the Christmas break. Dawson Guhle will start in Calgary, with Cory Nygaard, 16, a sixth-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft from Winnipeg, backing up.
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If you haven’t seen this already, things did get a little batty in a USHL game the other night. The video is right here.
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The Central league’s Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs have acquired D Clay Plume (Lethbridge, Prince George, 2001-04) from the Rapid City Rush. Plume, who in his sixth pro season, was acquired for freshman D Kirk Medernach and future considerations. In 18 games with the Rush, Plume had eight points and 19 penalty minutes, and was a plus-4.
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The Minnesota Wild has recalled D Clayton Stoner (Tri-City, 2002-05) from the AHL’s Houston Aeros. Stoner, 24, had 10 points and 52 penalty minutes and was plus-14 in 26 games with the Aeros. He has played parts of five seasons with the Aeros. Stoner has yet to appear in an NHL game.
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The Versteeg boys — Kris (Lethbridge, Kamloops, Red Deer, 2002-06) and Mitch (Lethbridge, 2006-08) — both played in the WHL. There’s a story on them right here.
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The Vancouver Giants are welcoming Mr. Hockey on Friday night as they play host to the Chilliwack Bruins. Yes, Gordie Howe, a family friend of Giants owner Ron Toigo, will be in the building. . . . The Giants may be without F Milan Kytnar (shoulder), F Brett Lyon (infected hand) and F Connor Redmond (concussion). F Dalton Sward, the 21st overall selection in the 2009 bantam draft, practised with the Giants on Thursday. He plays for the major midget Fraser Valley Bruins and was on the team bus that crashed on Dec. 11.
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F Levi Nelson (Swift Current, 2004-08) has been assigned by the Boston Bruins to the AHL’s Providence Bruins. Nelson, 21, has yet to play this season due to injury. Last season, his first with Providence, he had seven points in 59 games.
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The AHL’s Houston Aeros have assigned G Barry Brust (Spokane, Calgary, 2000-04) to the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. Before his brief stay in Houston, Brust was 3-2-2 with a 2.91 GAA and a .906 save percent with the Everblades.
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There is a lot of talk these days about head injuries in all sports, including hockey. Here is the first paragraph from a New York Times story: “A deceased professional hockey player has been found to have had brain damage associated with repeated head trauma, connecting hockey for the first time to health risks linked to boxers and, most recently, football players.” . . . That story is right here.

It's official! Gillies dealt to Phillies

2009-12-17T00:14:00.000-08:00

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Tyson Gillies was looking forward to having his head hit the pillow Wednesday night.
“It’s all done,” the outfielder from Kamloops said yesterday, referring to the monster Major League trade in which he found himself moving from the Seattle Mariners to the Philadelphia Phillies. “I’m relieved because it was going for such a while. I just wanted to turn my phone off. I haven’t had a good night’s rest in the last couple of nights.”
The trade became official for Gillies when Jack Zduriencik, the Mariners’ executive vice-president and general manager of baseball operations, called him about 11:30 a.m.
“We had a talk about how these things work,” Gillies, 21, said. “He said there were several teams wanting me in trades that he (rejected) but that it’s too hard to say no to a Cy Young pitcher like Cliff Lee who will be in the rotation with Felix Herandez.”
The Mariners acquired the left-handed Lee from the Phillies for Gillies, right-hander Phillippe Aumont of Gatineau, Que., and Nicaraguan right-hander Juan Ramirez.
The Phillies were able to trade Lee because they acquired right-hander Roy Halladay, like Lee a former Cy Young Award winner, from Toronto, with the Blue Jays getting right-hander Kyle Drabek, considered one of the best prospects in all of baseball and son of former pitcher Doug Drabek, catcher Travis d’Arnaud and outfielder Michael Taylor. The Blue Jays then shipped Taylor to the Oakland A’s for Brett Wallace, who can play first or third base.
Drabek, 22, was the Phillies’ first-round pick in the 2006 draft. Last season, he was a combined 12-3 with a 3.19 ERA at Class A Clearwater and Double-A Reading.
The Blue Jays also gave US$6 million to the Phillies. Halladay then signed a US$60-million, three-year extension through 2013.
Gillies, Ramirez and Aumont, who is Gillies’ best friend and offseason roomate in Arizona, began last season with the High Desert Mavericks of the High Class A California League. Aumont finished the season in Double-A and is being groomed for short relief.
“I wouldn’t choose anyone else to come with me,” a laughing Gillies said of Aumont. “Last year, Phillippe and I were standing there and the farm director walked by. I was supposed to go to low A Clinton (Lumberkings, in Iowa).
“Phillippe told him, ‘He’s coming to High A with me.’
“Then, while this trade was going on, Phillippe told (Zduriencik), ‘If they’re taking me to the Phillies, Tyson’s coming with me.’ An hour and a half later, that’s what’s going on.”
The 6-foot-7 Aumont, who pitched for Canada in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, was a combined 2-6 with 16 saves and a 3.88 ERA for High Desert and Double-A West Tennessee last season. He was Seattle’s first-round pick, 11th overall, in the 2007 draft.
Gillies, 21, hit .341 last season and led the California League with 44 stolen bases. He scored 104 runs and had a .430 on-base percentage.
Gillies said Zduriencik told him, “We had a good run and it’s tough the way these things work, but . . .”
Early last evening, Gillies heard from the Phillies, including general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., and Steve Noworyta, the director of minor league operations.
“It was exciting,” Gillies said.
Had he remained with Seattle, Gillies would have been going to spring training with the Mariners. That being the case, chances are that he will go to main camp with the Phillies.
If he ends up in Double-A, it’ll be with the Reading Phillies of Eastern League; if it’s Triple-A, it’ll be the Lehigh Valley IronPigs of the International League. Both teams are located in Pennsylvania.
Gillies already is thinking about the climate change he will face, going from Arizona and California to the East Coast.
“It’s going to be a pretty sweaty experience, that’s for sure,” he said.
But the one thing he won’t do is change his game.
“I’m going to a new organization and I’m just going to stick within my game and do exactly what I’ve been doing,” Gillies said. “I’m not going to change anything.”
At the same time, he admitted to being sad at leaving the Seattle organization.
“I’ve built such a strong realtionship with all the coaches and my teammates,” he said. “Guys from my team are calling me, sayin, ‘Sad to see you go.’
“It isn’t that I’m just going to Arizona. I’m going to Florida, the East Coast . . . I won’t see those guys for a long time.”
And, of course, there was some humour involved in the goodbyes.
“A lot of them were sad but we joked around about the guys who play the same position being sad to see you go but happy to see you leave, you know?,” Gillies said with a chuckle.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

Wednesday . . .

2009-12-17T00:07:00.001-08:00

The Prince George Citizen is reporting that F Brett Connolly was in Vancouver on Monday “where he saw a specialist who determined there is nothing physically wrong with his hip joints.” . . . Connolly, 17, originally was injured while in Europe playing for Canada in the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament. He missed the start of the WHL season, tried to play, re-aggravated things, rested, tried to play again and left a game in Kamloops on Dec. 5. He hasn’t played since then. . . . There is more on Connolly near the end of a story right here.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed Jason Becker, 35, as an assistant coach under head coach Dean Clark. Becker, who is from Saskatoon, played five seasons in the WHL (Saskatoon, Red Deer, Kamloops, Swift Current, 1990-95). He then played five seasons with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies before going on to play in Europe. He played as recently as last season. Becker will join the Cougars on Dec. 26 in Kelowna as they return from the Christmas break.
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You may be aware that Boeing has a huge plant in Everett, and that Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner had its maiden flight on Tuesday. The Silvertips have found a tie-in with a promotion for Friday’s game against the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . There are $7.87 tickets being sold for seats in the upper bowl.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have released Swedish F Fredrik Cedergren, 19, who had five points in 31 games and was a healthy scratch in five of the club’s last nine games. “Bringing in a 19-year-old, it was a calculated risk that he would have a shorter transition period and really help us out sooner rather than later,” Bruno Campese, the Raiders’ GM/head coach, told John MacNeil of the Prince Albert Daily Herald. “It was a calculated risk and one that I don’t feel bad about. It’s worked out the way it’s worked out, and we move on.”
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WEDNESDAY:
In Spokane, F Nino Niederreiter broke a 2-2 tie at 13:50 of the third period to give the Portland Winterhawks a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The Swiss freshman, who is 17, has 21 goals. . . . F Ryan Johansen also had a goal and an assist for Portland. . . . F Mitch Wahl had two goals for the Chiefs, giving him 13. His second goal tied the game at 4:41 of the third. . . . Portland G Ian Curtis stopped 31 shots, 12 more than Spokane’s James Reid. . . . F Stefan Schneider scored Portland’s second goal, his sixth of the season, and it came while shorthanded. . . . Portland was 1-for-2 on the PP; Spokane was 0-for-5. . . . G Ian Curtis stopped 32 shots for Portland. . . . Attendance was 3,766. . . . The Winterhawks (22-13-0-1) moved into third in the Western Conference, a point ahead of the Chiefs. . . . Spokane (21-10-2-0) had won seven of eight. . . . The Winterhawks have won three of the five games with the Chiefs this season, with the visiting team winning every game.
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In Everett, the Silvertips built up a 3-0 lead and hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Shane Harper, who hadn’t scored in six games, got his 21st of the season to give Everett a 2-0 lead in the first period. F Chris Langkow upped that to 3-0 at 15:55 of the second. . . . F Cody Eakin, cut earlier in the day from Canada’s national junior team in Regina, got his 27th for the Broncos at 8:06 of the third period.. . . . Sophomore D Jordan Evans got his first WHL goal — it came in his 82nd game — for the Broncos at 15:38 of the third. . . . Harper skated one third-period shift and left the game, the result of being on the receiving end of a hard check in the second. Everett head coach Craig Hartsburg told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald that Harper has an upper body bruise but is expected to play Friday against the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . Everett (18-12-2-1) had lost six of seven. . . . The Broncos (17-17-0-2) have lost four of five and are 3-12-0-2 on the road. . . . The Silvertips were without F Zack Dailey (head injury) for a second straight game.
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In Edmonton, the Oil Kings opened up a 3-0 third-period lead and beat the Regina Pats 3-1 to end their 11-game losing streak. . . . D Mark Pysyk and F Mark Raedeke, who is from Regina, scored in the first period, with F Michael St. Croix adding a third-period goal. . . . F Jordan Weal got his 18th for the Pats at 13:57 of the third. . . . F Clayton Cumiskey had two assists for Edmonton (9-19-4-4). . . . The Pats (16-19-3-0) have lost five straight. . . . Attendance was 3,286.
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In Saskatoon, three second-period goals carried the Blades to a 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . F Walker Wintoneak had a goal and two assists for the Blades, while F Randy McNaught added his first goal of the season. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan scored for the Rockets (18-18-1-0) who went 3-3-0-0 on their East Division swing. . . . Attendance was 5,531. . . . The Blades (23-6-1-3) closed to within two points of the idle Calgary Hitmen (25-8-1-1), who lead the overall standings.

Tuesday . . .

2009-12-15T23:32:00.001-08:00

RW Scott Glennie of the Brandon Wheat Kings won’t be on the Canadian national junior team’s final roster when it is unveiled Wednesday morning. Glennie left in the third period of a Monday scrimmage and didn’t play Tuesday against a university team in Regina. “He’s going to be out for a little while,” Willie Desjardins, Canada’s head coach, told reporters. “He has a concussion. We took him to the hospital (Monday) night. We’re going to get to try to get him evaluated to make a decision on where he’s at.”
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As expected, the Portland Winterhawks have recalled F Taylor Peters, 17, from the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. He played in three games with Portland before being reassigned. He has six points in 17 games with the Vees.
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The NAHL will have a new team — the Fresno Monsters — in its lineup when the 2010-11 season gets here. The expansion application was approved by the NAHL board of governors this week. The Monsters will play out of the 7,600-seat Selland Arena, which has undergone more than US$8 million in renovations over the last two years. The Monsters, under GM/head coach Eric Ballard, are a first-year team in the Western State Hockey League. They are 28-2-0-1 and averaging 2,833 fans per game. . . . Rick Brodsky, the owner of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, owns the NAHL’s Wichita Falls Wildcats.
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The Calgary Hitmen enjoyed quite a weekend. . . . They held their second annual Shake Up The ’Dome on Saturday. When it was all over, the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank got 9,810 pounds of food, 12,000 boxes of Kraft Dinner and $1,110. . . . On Sunday, it was the 15th annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss. Fans tossed 16,755 stuffed toys all of which will go to more than 50 local charities. . . . And there will be more on Friday as the Hitmen play host to the Regina Pats. That night, the Teddy Bear toss game-worn jerseys will be sold on the concourse, with proceeds going to the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank.
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TUESDAY:
In Red Deer, F Josh Cowen’s PP goal at 7:48 of the third period stood up as the winner as the Rebels beat the Regina Pats, 3-2. . . . Cowen, who has 10 goals, gave the Rebels a 3-1 lead. . . . Red Deer (17-14-0-2) was 2-for-4 on the PP as it improved to 4-0-0-2 in its last six. . . .. The Pats (16-18-3-0) have lost four in a row. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins set up two Red Deer goals. . . . F Craig Orfino and F Carter Ashton scored their first goals for Regina since coming over in a trade with the Lethbridge Hurricanes last week. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots, eight more than Regina’s Damien Ketlo. . . . .Attendance was 4,018. . . . F Mason Burr, Red Deer’s second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, played for the Rebels. He’s a regular with the midget AAA UFA Bisons. . . . The Rebels continue to be without F Landon Ferraro (knee). They also had some players feeling the after-effects of a suspected bout of food-poisoning following a recent road trip.
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In Cranbrook, D Brayden McNabb had a goal and two assists as the host Kootenay Ice dumped the Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-4. . . . The Ice (17-15-1-2) was 4-for-6 on the PP; the Tigers (21-11-2-4) were 0-for-5. . . . The Ice went in having lost two in a row, while the Tigers had won five straight. . . . McNabb scored his ninth goal on a 5-on-3 advantage. . . . The Ice led 4-0 in the second period before the Tigers struck for three goals in 4:15. . . . Medicine Hat freshman F Emerson Etem got No. 26. . . . F Steele Boomer upped the Ice’s lead to 5-3 at 19:04 of the second. . . . Medicine Hat F Joey Frazer had two goals and an assist. . . . The Ice had a 41-24 edge in shots. . . . Attendance was 2,616.
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In Prince Albert, G Garrett Zemlak stopped 26 shots to lead the Raiders to a 3-0 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . It was the fourth shutout of the season for Zemlak and the fifth of his career. . . . D Ryan Button’s goal at 19:53 of the first period stood up as the winner. It was his first goal of the season. He had been credited one during a 5-1 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors last week, but a late scoring change gave the goal to F Brandon Herrod. . . . The Raiders (19-15-1-2) had lost three of five. . . . The Rockets (18-17-2-0) wrap up their East Division swing in Saskatoon on Wednesday. They are 3-2-0-0 on the trip. . . . F Craig McCallum drew two assists for the Raiders. He has 18 points, including 15 helpers, in his last nine games. . . . Herrod scored his 22nd goal, shorthanded, and added an assist. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 39 shots. . . . Attendance was 1,792.
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In Kent, Wash., G James Reid stopped 37 shots to lead the Spokane Chiefs to a 3-1 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Chiefs built up a 3-0 lead on goals by Levko Koper, Brady Brassart and Kyle Beach, with his 24th, before Luke Lockhart scored for Seattle at 10:02 of the third period. . . . Beach also had an assist, while C Mitch Wahl had two. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 35 shots. . . . The Chiefs (21-9-2-0) are 5-1-1-0 in their last eight games. . . . The Thunderbirds are 12-19-1-3. . . Attendance was 4,108.

Mondays with Murray . . . on Tuesday night

2009-12-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

Here for your enjoyment is the column Jim Murray wrote to 'celebrate' his 50th birthday . . .

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1969, SPORTS
Copyright 1969/THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY

JIM MURRAY

Ravages of Time

I woke up Monday morning and looked in the mirror — and an imposter winked back at me.
   That fellow in the mirror was 50 years old that day. Not me. I'm somewhere between 26 and 39.
   "Good morning, Mr. Hyde. How does it feel to be 50?" I asked him. I've been needling him for years.
   You see, this fella has been playing tricks on me for a long while. For instance, being young, I have a cast-iron stomach. HE gets gas on the stomach. Lately. When HE gets gas on the stomach, I belch.
   I never should have taken the old fool on. You know, I can hear perfectly well. The trouble is the sounds come through HIS ears. Therefore because of HIM, I find myself saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."
   He's insidious, implacable. My enemy was in that mirror. It's like fighting China. He's got all the time in the world. One of these days, I'm going to be lying on my back in bed with a sawbones looking grave above me and people crying in the corner, and I'm gonna say, "Do me a favor. Go in and take a look at that old creep in the mirror and tell him to get a new boy. That I'm going over the wall. I've had enough of carrying his load."
   You see, I know what he's going to do to me. He's already begun. You know that nice turn I used to take off a teed-up golf ball? Well, now it sounds like twigs snapping under an elephant. My backbone was as supple and gristly as a baby shark's. Shucks, it was only three years ago, I was the best twister at the office party.
   Now, he's got me taking a 3-wood off the tee.
   You remember how I used to fire those long, arching passes to the boy out in the lot? Well, he's taken all the lube out of the bow joint. I throw underhanded like a girl now.
   My eyes are just as good as they ever were — 20/200. He has clouded them over for reading fine print. My belly used to be as flat as Texas. HE has put on weight. I would try to outwit him by jogging 10 miles or so every day, but the doctor tells me dead men sell no scales.

31 — Count 'Em - 31

   The worst he's done is corrupted my mind. I mean, I still have 31 of my 32 teeth (they got more gold in them than the city of Florence) and two million separate strands of hair on my head, but I've got HIS neck. It's beginning to wattle.
   But the worst disease he carried is nostalgia. I mean, I've always been a guy who wanted news, the latest thing, the newest gimmick. But, you see, this old creep I took in out of the cold 49 years 11 months and 30 days ago is now using me like a ventriloquist. Someone says an electric toothbrush is a great invention and — in my voice — my enemy says, "Anybody who doesn't have the strength to push a brush up and down his teeth should put them in a glass, anyway."
   But, worst of all, youngsters say, "Boy, that Rod Carew is a great hitter!" and you find yourself screaming, "Rod Carew! I thought he was a coxswain! Why, with the '27 Yankees, he'd have to take batting practice with the bullpen crew. The regulars would be afraid to pick up bad habits just watching him. Now, Babe Ruth, THERE was a hitter. Used to warm up against machine gun bullets. He could bat .360 against the Gatling gun."
   "Paul Warfield is a great end," they say. "Paul Warfield! I thought he was a baritone! He'd be in a taxi on the 1950 Rams. Now, Hirsch and Fears, THERE were ends. They were, you might say, THE ends.”
   Or, they may bring up some hot-shot young golfer. "Couldn't shag for Hogan," you sniff.
   Well, my enemy's gums hurt. His hands shake, his blood is tired, and he wants to go put on something by Lawrence Welk, and he's worried about sitting in a draft and wants to go sit in a blanket with Musterole and do crossword puzzles. Me, I want to go surfing.
   I suppose now I'll go out and get hit on the head by some young punk that a young athlete like me would kick under the car if I didn't have that coward at the control. He's jealous is what he is. He's been trying to turn my hair gray for 10 years, but my hair is younger than both of us. I think he's got one week to give me rheumatism or they make him turn in his scythe. He keeps telling them I'm only Shangri-la on the outside, but inside, I look like Ptolemy. He ought to know. He's in there. Not me.

* Reprinted with permission by the Los Angeles Times

Jim Murray Memorial Foundation | P.O. Box 995 | La Quinta | CA | 92247

Gillies part of historic deal

2009-12-15T22:46:00.001-08:00

One more for the Tyson Gillies fans in Everett . . .

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Because Roy Halladay, a right-handed pitcher and former Cy Young Award winner, wouldn’t accept a trade from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Seattle Mariners, outfielder Tyson Gillies of Kamloops expects to officially be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies today.
Got that?
“I’ve been nervous for quite a while,” a tired sounding Gillies said Tuesday night from Vancouver, where he is spending some holiday time with family. “The whole deadline . . . it’s supposed to be done by (today). The way they make it sound, it’s finished. Right?
“It has been a waiting game . . . no sleep . . . the phone has been crazy.”
The Blue Jays are expected to announce today that Halladay, who has a no-trade clause in his contract and refused a trade to Seattle, has been dealt to the Phillies for, according to ESPN.com, outfielder Michael Taylor, catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud and highly touted pitcher Kyle Drabek.
Toronto then is expected to flip Taylor to the Oakland A’s for first baseman Brett Wallace, who came over from the St. Louis Cardinals in last season’s Matt Holliday deal.
The Mariners, wanting a first-rate starter alongside Felix Hernandez at the top of their rotation, will get left-hander Cliff Lee, another former Cy Young winner, from the Phillies.
In return, the Mariners will give up three young prospects — Gillies, hard-throwing right-hander Phillippe Aumont of Gatineau, Que., and right-hander Juan Ramirez.
Gillies, Aumont and Ramirez started last season together with the Class A High Desert Mavericks of the California League. While Gillies and Ramirez, who has a 97 mile-per-hour fastball, finished the season there, Aumont advanced to the AA West Tenn Diamond Jax in Jackson, Tenn.
The 6-foot-7 Aumont and Gillies live together in Arizona during the offseason. In fact, Aumont called Gillies from a Philadelphia hotel last night to say that he had been called in for a physical.
Baseball America rates Aumont, the Mariners’ first pick in baseball’s 2007 draft, and Ramirez, who is from Nicaragua, as Seattle’s top two pitching prospects. As for Gillies, one baseball talent evaluator told The Canadian Press that he plays with so much enthusiasm it “sometimes needs to be reined in a little bit.”
Gillies, CP reported after speaking with the evaluator, is a character kid who has overcome a hearing impairment to become a legitimate prospect with blazing speed and the potential for pop “once his power develops into man-strength.”
Gillies said he is waiting to hear from the Mariners.
“All the prospects are set and ready to leave,” Gillies, 21, said. “The Mariners have to call me . . . the only way I know it’s done is when they call me.”
And when the call does come, Gillies said, he will feel some sadness.
“Definitely. It was my favourite childhood team,” he said. “Growing up watching Ken Griffey Jr. play . . . I wanted a shot to get to play with him in the lineup this seaon . . . maybe.
“But by (today) . . . it’s good. All this will be over.”
While Halladay and Lee actually aren’t part of the same trade, they are involved in the same transaction. And never before in major league history have two Cy Young winners been involved in such a transaction.
“It’s one of the biggest trades in baseball history,” Gillies said. “It’s overwhelming.”
One American League scout told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com: “I like this deal a lot for the Phillies, long-term and short-term. They got the best pitcher in the game right now. And they got a couple of guys from Seattle (Aumont and Gillies) I’m surprised they could get.”
Gillies will become the second Kamloops product in the Phillies organization.
Colin Kleven, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound right-hander, signed with them on Aug. 6 after being drafted in the 33rd round of the June draft.
“I know him pretty well,” Gillies said, adding that he also knows Colin’s father, Barry, and brother Chris, with whom he played on the midget AAA Kamloops RiverDogs.
In fact, Gillies said, Barry chatted with him before Colin decided to sign with the Phillies.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

Monday . . ..

2009-12-14T23:46:00.001-08:00

F Luke Walker of the Portland Winterhawks returned to the ice Monday for the first time since taking a puck to the face during a game in Everett on Tuesday. He underwent surgery the next morning and now has a plate in his face along with at least 50 stitches. . . . Walker skated wearing a full faceshield and I am told that he was “in a fair bit of pain.” . . . But he’s a hockey player. Right? . . . So he will get on a plane Wednesday and head for Grand Forks, N.D., and the U.S. national junior team’s selection camp that opens Thursday.
———
The Red Deer Rebels have acquired D Brad Haber, 19, from the Seattle Thunderbirds for a 2010 conditional seventh-round bantam draft pick. He will make his Red Deer debut Wednesday against the visiting Regina Pats. Haber had six points in 26 games with the Thunderbirds after putting up 12 points in 59 games last season. The conditions? If he isn’t on the Rebels’ roster at the Jan. 10 trade deadline, Red Deer keeps the draft pick.
———
The Brandon Wheat Kings have brought in D Rene Hunter, 16, for a look-see this week. He plays for the MJHL’s Portage Terriers, who have a break in their schedule right now. Hunter will skate with the Wheat Kings and perhaps get into a game on the weekend. Later in the month, he will play for Team West at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Timmins, Ont.
———
The Brandon Sun reports that LW Toni Rajala (hip flexor) didn’t practise on Monday and is listed as day-to-day. . . . The Wheat Kings go home-and-home with the Moose Jaw Warriors this weekend. They’re in the Crushed Can on Friday and in Brandon on Saturday.
———
There’s a good read on former Tri-City Americans G Chet Pickard right here.

Meet Jim Murray . . .

2009-12-14T23:45:00.001-08:00

So . . . just who was Jim Murray? Well, the late, great sports columnist would have turned 90 on Dec. 29. He was born Dec. 29, 1919, in Hartford, Conn. . . . Here is who he was in the words of a few who knew him (and you may recognize a few of the names!) . . .

"For reasons forever a mystery, Murray practically adopted me when I met him at my first World Series, between Los Angeles and Minnesota in 1965. He took me everywhere, introduced me to everyone. I felt like an art student perched on Michelangelo's palette." — Edwin Pope, Miami Herald
———
"I'd say within the business, Jim was a legend to everybody except himself. I have known him for 35 years, I guess, and he was a wonderful friend. Also, the toughest SOB I've ever known." — Blackie Sherrod, Dallas Morning News (ret’d)
———
"Jim was more than a sportswriter. He produced literature. No one in sports journalism was more revered, or more shabbily imitated.” — Furman Bisher, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (ret’d)
———
"Jim Murray is not merely a great sportswriter. He is a great American writer who deserves to be thought of with Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway and John Updike, as well as Red Smith and Jimmy Cannon." — Dave Anderson (Pulitzer Prize winner), The New York Times
———
"It's been said that Grantland Rice launched a thousand bad sportswriters. Well, Jim Murray launched 10,000 bad sportswriters. He was the only one who could do what he tried to do." — Bill Millsaps, Richmond Times Dispatch (ret’d)
———
"Only Jim, of all the great sportswriters, always got it right and always got it funny.” — Dave Kindred, The Sporting News
———
"He never did complain. He never had the time, what with asking how you were doing. It didn't matter if you were the third-string tennis writer for the Modesto News, when you left Murray you were never quite sure which one of you was the legend." — Rick Reilly, ESPN
———
"Ten days into my summer internship here at The Washington Post — July 1, 1979 — I got to read a Jim Murray column for the first time. As an aspiring writer, I knew enough about Murray to know he was a Funny Guy, a stylist who brought the metaphor to the sports page like nobody before or since. We — The Post — used to run some of Murray's columns. And that day, I was in no way prepared for what was under his signature." — Michael Wilbon, The Washington Post (Sports, 8-18-98)
———
"Your grace, your wit and your great range of perspective brought by wide experience are necessary for the Los Angeles Times — now, more than ever.” — Shelby Coffey III, (former editor, Los Angeles Times, 2/21/95), now a trustee on the Newseum board, Washington, DC.
———
"He made his readers laugh and cry, all the while peppering them with enough one-liners to land you a week at the Palace. He leveled cities with tongue-in-cheek descriptions, humanized by hyperbole and punctured the pompous with his literary lance. Every day he faced the same challenge, the same blank piece of paper tauntingly unfurled and hanging out of the typewriter like a mocking tongue, daring him to be different, fresh, funny and incisive. And every day for more than 35 years, Jim Murray not only accepted that challenge but triumphed." — Vin Scully, Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame broadcaster (8.18.98)
————
As a friend and fan, what better way to celebrate and perpetuate Jim Murray's legacy? Your donation to the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation will enrich the lives of students who are pursuing degrees in journalism. As of 2009, 68 Murray Scholars have each received a $5,000 scholarship from the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation.

Kamloops outfielder in major league trade talks

2009-12-14T23:35:00.000-08:00

This one is for the Tyson Gillies' fans in the Everett area . . .

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Tyson Gillies and his family are in Vancouver trying to enjoy some quality time together.
But the ringing of his cellphone keeps interrupting the proceedings.
That’s what happens when your name is being bandied about as perhaps being part of a three-team trade involving Major League pitching stars Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee.
Gillies, who is from Kamloops, is one of the Seattle Mariners’ top outfield prospects.
He said Monday evening that he’s isn’t “really sure” what is going on.
“I’ve heard many things,” he said, adding that “my best friend with the Mariners, Phillippe Aumont, who I live with in Arizona . . . his name keeps coming up. I think (the Toronto Blue Jays) really want him.”
The Associated Press reported yesterday that the Blue Jays have a tentative agreement to send Halladay to the Philadelphia Phillies who, in turn, would move Lee, a prime left-hander, to Seattle.
The AP also reported that the commissioner’s office on Sunday gave Toronto and Philadelphia a 72-hour window in which to complete the deal.
Halladay was in Philadelphia on Monday and took a physical for the Phillies. Pitchers J.A. Happ, Joe Blanton and outfielder Dominic Brown of the Phillies also took physicals and are believed to be part of the deal.
Geoff Baker, who covers the Mariners for the Seattle Times, wrote on his blog Monday:
“Look for Phillippe Aumont to be included in any deal. Also, look for Tyson Gillies to possibly be included, given the fact he’s Canadian and the type of up-and-coming prospect the Jays would be thrilled to have in their system.”
Aumont, 20, is a 6-foot-7, 220-pound right-hander who was taken by Seattle with the 11th pick of baseball’s 2007 draft.
Also being mentioned is outfielder Michael Saunders, 23, of Victoria. He got into 46 games with the Mariners last season, hitting. 221. He has more pop in his bat than he showed, and also has great speed and is solid defensively.
Gillies, 21, played last season for the advanced Class A High Desert Mavericks of the California League. Batting leadoff, he hit .341 with 44 stolen bases and 104 runs. He had a .430 on-base percentage and slugged .486.
“It’s definitely pretty overwhelming,” he said of having his name in trade talks involving the likes of Halladay and Lee, both former Cy Young Award winners. “It’s exciting. I’m pretty nervous about the whole thing, but I’m sure everybody is.
“It sounds like those two deals are pretty done. The Doc and Lee . . . two of the top pitchers in the major leagues right now.
“It’s a huge trade right now . . . huge.”
Gillies added that he fielded a lot of calls yesterday.
“People have been calling me all day,” he said. “People want to let me know what’s going on . . . but nobody really knows right now.”
As for the possibility of playing for the Blue Jays, Gillies said that would be a challenge but one to which he would look forward.
“I grew up watching the Blue Jays play . . . the last Canadian team,” he said before adding: “I’ve never been to Toronto, though.”
He may get his first taste of Toronto real soon.
But then again . . . maybe not.
Late last night, ESPN reported: “The Phillies also would receive one other prospect — believed to be 21-year-old outfielder Tyson Gillies — from Seattle in the other trade for Lee, who is a year away from free agency.”
According to ESPN, Aumont also would go to the Phillies in that scenario.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

'Shocked' DePape prepares to join Blazers

2009-12-14T23:34:00.000-08:00

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
When Jordan DePape climbed out of bed Sunday, life was good. And why not? After all, he was a young player with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, the host team for the 2010 Memorial Cup tournament.
By the time the 17-year-old Winnipegger went to bed that night, his world had been turned upside down.
That’s because early Sunday evening he was traded to the Kamloops Blazers, who are eighth in the Western Conference and in the process of jettisoning older, experienced players in what has become an obvious rebuilding effort.
Left-winger Shayne Wiebe, a 19-year-old who was traded for DePape, is the sixth experienced player to leave the Blazers since Nov. 17.
“I was really shocked,” said DePape, who had eight points in 22 games with the Wheat Kings this season, one that was slowed early on by a broken foot. “I didn’t see it coming. I liked it in Brandon and enjoyed it there.
“I guess things happen in hockey . . .”
DePape said his original thoughts were on leaving a Memorial Cup team.
“That was obviously on my mind . . . to leave a team hosting the Memorial Cup is a little upsetting,” he said. “But I have to move on.
“You have to look at things positively . . . take the positives out of everything and be confident that things will work out for the best.”
DePape spent last night with his family in Winnipeg, and was scheduled to catch an early flight to Kamloops this morning. He will practice with his new teammates on Wednesday, play against the Cougars in Prince George on Friday and Saturday, then return to Winnipeg for Christmas.
DePape played last season for the Winnipeg Saints and his 85 points in 55 games garnered him the MJHL’s rookie-of-the-year award. Earlier this season, NHL Central Scouting had him 26th on its list WHL skaters who are eligible for the NHL’s 2010 draft.
“He sure can (play),” Kelly McCrimmon, Brandon’s owner, general manager and head coach, told The Daily News in an email. “And he’s a great kid, too.”
Under normal circumstances, this isn’t a deal McCrimmon would have made — it isn’t like him to give up a highly rated prospect in a deal such as this.
“It’s not how I usually do business,” McCrimmon wrote, “but this is not an ordinary year. Wiebe should fit in well and it makes us better this (season).”
Wiebe, who had 65 points, including 32 goals, last season, visited Kamloops general manager Craig Bonner early in November and asked to be moved.
“It wasn’t any one thing that happened,” said Wiebe, who is from Brandon. “It was more to do with myself . . . I just wasn’t having fun and wasn’t liking coming to the rink. I just need to find a way to get back that want-to-play feeling.
“It had nothing to do with anything here.”
Wiebe also said that while he did ask for a trade, he “didn’t specify anyone.”
“I just said I would like to be closer to home,” he said, “and lucky enough for (Bonner) to get me this opportunity.”
While Wiebe, who planned on heading for Brandon by car this morning, will go into a situation where “I know quite a few of the players,” DePape doesn’t know anyone in the Kamloops dressing room.
“I don’t know anyone. I don’t know the town. I don’t know too much about Kamloops,” DePape said.
He also is diabetic and spoke with Kamloops trainer Colin Robinson on Monday. Robinson, a veteran trainer, has worked with a handful of diabetics during his career and said it’s just a matter of being prepared.
DePape said he “takes pretty good care” of himself and the Blazers plan on introducing him to former captain Ajay Baines, who also is diabetic.
Chances are that DePape also will meet up with Diane Schuetze of the TRU WolfPack women’s basketball team. She, too, is diabetic and is the honourary chairperson for the local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund, an organization with which DePape is familiar.
JUST NOTES: DePape’s older brother, Ryan, is attending the Manitoba Emergency Services College in Brandon, training to be a firefighter. Ryan played four seasons in the WHL (Prince Albert, Regina, 2004-08). . . . G Justin Leclerc, who was released by the Blazers on Nov. 23, has decided to stay with the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints. He had been contemplating a move to the USHL’s Lincoln Stars.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

The choice: Halifax . . . or Howe?

2009-12-14T23:33:00.000-08:00

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Guy Charron, the head coach of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, never will forget the first time he was involved in an NHL trade.
Charron, a rookie with the 1970-71 Montreal Canadiens, was closing in on his 22nd birthday when he learned that he was about to be reassigned to the Habs’ AHL farm team, the Halifax Voyageurs.
In fact, he says he had his suitcase packed.
Then, on Jan. 13, 1971, he learned that he and forwards Bill Collins and Mickey Redmond had been dealt to the Detroit Red Wings for left-winger Frank Mahovlich. Despite having been born in Verdun, Que., Charron said, he was “excited” to leave the Canadiens.
“I was excited because I was being reassigned to Montreal’s farm team and, instead of that, I got to play with Mr. Howe and Mr. Delvecchio,” Charron said Saturday night. “I couldn’t be complaining about that.”
For years, Alex Delvecchio centred a line featuring Gordie Howe on the right side and any number of players on the left side.
“Here I am,” Charron said, “I have my suitcase to go to Halifax or to go to Detroit to play with Howe and Delvecchio.
“I think I liked the idea of playing with Howe and Delvecchio.”
Charron finished that season with 12 points in 24 games and would go on to play more than three seasons in Detroit before moving on to the Kansas City Scouts — he and defenceman Claude Houde were dealt by Detroit for defencemen Bart Crashley and Larry Giroux and forward Ted Snell — and later signing as a free agent with the Washington Capitals.
And how would Charron advise his players to deal with the uncertainty that comes with
“My message would be,” he said, “that you have got to control what you can control; what you can’t control, you can’t control.
“These things are part of hockey and when you choose that profession you know that these things can happen.”

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

Sunday . . .

2009-12-13T23:48:00.000-08:00

G Mackenzie Skapski of the major midget Fraser Valley Bruins is in B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, recovering from surgery to repair head injuries suffered in a bus accident Friday afternoon near Williams Lake, B.C. Skapski, from Abbotsford, B.C., was taken by the Kootenay Ice in the third round, 57th overall, of the 2009 bantam draft. He played last season with the Abbotsford Hawks, who won the B.C. bantam championship. . . . Skapski was released from ICU on Sunday and now is recovering in his own room. He has had two plates and some screws surgically installed to repair damage and facilitate healing.
———
Have you ever wondered about the Tri-City Americans and the number of Winnipeggers on their roster? The Winnipeg Sun takes a look at that phenomenon right here.
———
It’s over. The QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs had their winning streak halted at 22 games Sunday when they lost 7-3 to the Wildcats in Moncton. That is the third-longest winning streak in QMJHL history.
———
A couple of notes from the Vancouver Giants’ 5-4 shootout victory over the Blazers in Kamloops on Saturday:
The victory was the 466th of Vancouver head coach Don Hay’s WHL career. He is tied for fourth on the all-time list with Jack Shupe (Weyburn, 1966-67, Medicine Hat, Victoria, 1971-82), but is 52 behind the legendary Pat Ginnell, who is third.
Hay, once a Kamloops firefighter, has stood behind the bench as a WHL head coach for 759 games, 11th on the all-time list. Next up is Marcel Comeau, at 780.
The leading active coach is Lorne Molleken of the Saskatoon Blades, who is ninth, with 812 appearances.
————
Jean-Francois Houle is leaving his post as an assistant coach with the Clarkson University Knights to become head coach of the QMJHL’s Lewiston Maineiacs.
———
SUNDAY:
In Lethbridge, the Medicine Hat Tigers scored three second-period goals as they erased a 3-1 deficit and went on to a 5-4 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . F Austin Fyten gave the home side a 3-1 lead with a PP score at 3:43 of the second period. . . . But the Tigers (21-10-2-4) got goals from D Thomas Carr, his first, F Taylor Gal and F Emerson Etem, his 25th, before the second period ended. . . . F Joey Frazer got his fourth at 12:30 of the third and it was needed when F Carter Bancks got a PP goal for Lethbridge at 16:03. . . . The Hurricanes (10-18-3-1) were 2-for-6 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-for-4. . . . F Wacey Hamilton had a goal and two assists for the Tigers and was plus-3. . . . Medicine Hat has won five in a row and 10 of 12. . . . The Tigers used F Gui Glasspoole, 17, in two weekend games. He plays for the midget AAA Calgary Royals. . . . Attendance was 3,050.
———
In Calgary, F Chase Schaber got the shootout winner as the Hitmen edged the Kootenay Ice, 3-2. . . . Schaber was the shootout’s sixth and final skater. . . . The Ice led 1-0 after one period and 2-1 through a lot of the third. . . . Calgary F Del Cowan forced OT with his sixth goal at 17:19 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 16,751. . . . Calgary F Ian Schultz scored his club’s first goal and it was the Teddy Bear score. . . . The goal resulted in 14,655 stuffed toys hitting the ice. . . . The Hitmen (25-8-1-1) continue to lead the overall standings. . . . The Ice (16-15-1-2) has lost three of four.
———
In Portland, G Ian Curtis stopped 23 shots to help the Portland Winterhawks to a 2-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Curtis has two shutouts this season and two in his career. . . . Everett G Thomas Heemskerk made 33 saves. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter scored his 20th goal at 9:12 of the first period and it stood up. . . . Niederreiter, a 17-year-old from Switzerland, leads all CHL freshmen with 37 points. . . . F Brad Ross added insurance with his 16th at 4:21 of the third. . . . F Ryan Johansen drew assists on both goals. . . . The Winterhawks (21-13-0-1) had lost two of three. . . . The Silvertips, who have lost four of five with Portland this season, are 17-12-2-1. They have been shut out three times this season. . . . Attendance in the Rose Garden was 3,868. . . . Word out of Portland’s camp is that LW Luke Walker, who needed surgery Thursday after being struck in the face with a puck the previous night, is undecided about reporting to the U.S. national junior team’s selection camp.
———
In Kennewick, Wash., F Patrick Holland scored his second and third goals of the season as the Tri-City Americans beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos, 6-2. . . . The Americans (24-9-0-0) scored the game’s first four goals as they won for the fifth time in six games. . . . F Johnny Lazo of the Americans, who had back-to-back three goal games earlier this month, scored twice, giving him 19. Lazo’s goals were both shorthanded. . . . The victory lifted the Americans past the idle Vancouver Giants and into first place in the Western Conference. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley stopped 27 shots in earning his 23rd victory this season and the 30th of his career. . . . The Broncos (17-16-0-2) are 1-1 on their U.S. Division swing. . . . Attendance was 3,264.

Blazers send Wiebe home to Brandon

2009-12-13T23:47:00.000-08:00

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The winds of change continue to blow through the Kamloops Blazers’ dressing
room.
Two more veterans left town over the weekend, meaning general manager Craig Bonner has removed six experienced WHL players from his club’s dressing room since Nov. 17.
Left-winger Shayne Wiebe, who had requested a trade in early November, was dealt Sunday to his hometown Brandon Wheat Kings. In exchange for Wiebe, 19, the Blazers acquired centre Jordan DePape, a 17-year-old from Winnipeg.
DePape, Brandon’s third-round selection in the 2007 bantam draft, was the MJHL’s rookie of the year last season with the Winnipeg Saints. He led all MJHL freshmen in goals (34) and points (85). He also played for Team Western at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni.
This season, DePape has eight points, including four goals, and 16 penalty minutes in 22 games with Brandon. He missed part of the season with a broken foot, but now is healthy. He is the younger brother of Ryan DePape, who split four seasons (2004-08) with the Prince Albert Raiders and Regina Pats.
“I like the way he plays,” Bonner said of the younger DePape. “I saw him once last season. This season, our scouting staff has seen him three or four times. We’ve watched him a lot. I’ve watched him a lot on (video).
“The biggest thing is he’s a competitive guy.”
DePape played the first nine games of this season with a broken bone in one foot after X-rays came up negative. Later X-rays showed the break and he sat out a month. He has four points in his last four games.
“I’m pretty happy with this one,” Bonner said. “(DePape) is going to get plenty of opportunity here.”
Wiebe, an eighth-round pick in the 2005 draft, has 25 points, including 14 goals, and 45 penalty minutes in 32 games this season. In 171 regular-season games, Wiebe put up 107 points and 196 penalty minutes.
“He expressed that he wasn’t happy here,” Bonner said. “We had some coaching changes and I thought that might change his (mind). He kept following up on it and that was the message he wanted to send. When Jordan DePape came available, he was the best player and best fit for our group, so. . . .”
DePape is expected to play Friday and Saturday when the Blazers meet the Cougars in Prince George.
On Saturday, the Blazers dealt defenceman Curtis Kulchar, 19, to the Everett
Silvertips for a fifth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft.
Kulchar, from Martensville, Sask., had four assists in 26 games but had been a healthy scratch in three of six games under head coach Guy Charron. The Blazers acquired Kulchar, third- and fourth-round 2009 draft picks and a 2010 second-round pick from the Vancouver Giants in January for defenceman Nick Ross and left-winger Alex Rodgers.
“We respected what (Kulchar) brought but we did have eight defencemen,” Charron said. “We had to make tough decisions every game.”
Meanwhile, on the ice, the Blazers erased a 3-1 deficit Saturday night, only to lose 5-4 in a shootout to the Giants before 4,755 well-entertained fans at Interior Savings Centre.
The Blazers, who blew a 3-0 lead and lost 5-3 in Vancouver on Friday, may well have deserved a better fate in the rematch. But they were done in by two soft goals, although goaltender Kurtis Mucha later redeemed himself with some quality saves, and that old bugaboo — penalty killing.
The Giants, with the WHL’s No. 4-ranked power play, were 3-for-5 with the man advantage — they scored six times on the PP in the two games — as the Blazers continue to struggle to kill penalties.
“It was a good effort. We deserved a better fate. We out-chanced them,” Charron said. “Their power play kept them in the game.
“I was really pleased with the team’s effort. It was a good effort against a good team.”
Jimmy Bubnick, with two goals, the first the Teddy Bear score, Linden Saip and winger Matej Bene also scored for Kamloops, while the Giants got singles from Brendan Gallagher, Craig Cunningham, David Musil and Lance Bouma.
In the shootout, C.J. Stretch, Bubnick and Wiebe came up empty for Kamloops, while James Henry and Cunningham failed to score for Vancouver. The sixth shooter was Kevin Connauton, who leads WHL defencemen with 15 goals, and he beat Mucha with a quick shot to win it.
After weekend play, the Blazers (13-16-2-3) remain eighth in the Western Conference, two points behind the Chilliwack Bruins and three ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. The Blazers will break for Christmas after the two games in Prince George and will face the Cougars at the ISC on Dec. 27.
JUST NOTES: Referees Derek Herman and Sean Raphael gave the Giants 12 of 21 minors and two of four majors. . . . No, that wasn’t Nick Swaine of Kamloops working with Raphael. Herman worked the game using equipment belonging to Swaine. Herman’s gear went missing, courtesy of Air Canada. . . . Stretch, playing in his 303rd regular-season game, had two assists, the second the 200th point of his career. . . . Musil’s goal was his fourth of the season and his first since he scored three times in Vancouver’s 5-4 overtime victory over the visiting Blazers on Oct. 3. . . . The Blazers now are carrying 22 players, including seven defencemen and 13 forwards. . . . Bruno Campese, the Prince Albert Raiders’ GM/head coach, took in Saturday’s game. But if he and Bonner are to deal now, it will be have to be today. The WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium runs from Tuesday through Dec. 27.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

Brandon, Kamloops trade

2009-12-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

The Kamloops Blazers have dealt veteran LW Shayne Wiebe, 19, to the Brandon Wheat Kings for C Jordan DePape, 17.

More later . . .

Keeping Score

2009-12-13T01:34:00.001-08:00

Defenceman Josh Gorges, a product of the Kelowna Rockets, scrapped with
forward Mike Cammalleri during a recent Montreal Canadiens practice. So
what started it? “I don’t know who started it," Gorges told canadiens.com,
"but I remember I called him ugly and he got pretty upset, so he called me
fat.” . . . Dan Hawkins, the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, has said
his football team, which went 3-9, was just 10 plays from being a bowl team.
To which Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post noted: "In a related story, the
Titanic was 10 ice cubes away from the East Coast." . . . You may have
noticed that Blazers goaltender Kurtis Mucha is wearing the gear he brought
with him from the Portland Winterhawks. New pads and gloves are on order,
but he isn't likely to get a new paint job for his mask until after the Jan.
10 trade deadline. . . .

It was Dan Jenkins, only the best golf writer ever, who in 2001 wrote: "Only two things can stop Tiger. Injury or a bad marriage." . . . The PGA Tour without Tiger? Would it be the Nationwide Tour 2? . . . Dwight Perry, in the Seattle Times: "This year's winner of the 'Mulligan, Please?' Award: the January issue of Golf Digest -- the one that touts '10 Tips Obama Can Take From Tiger' on the cover." . . . One more from Perry: "The tabloids' Tiger Woods mistress count, in barely two weeks of trying, has reached double figures. Who would've guessed they'd already be into the back nine?" . . . Had you taken everything that has happened with and around Tiger Woods in the last two weeks and put it into a movie script they would have laughed you out of Hollywood. . . . But it would have made a terrific reality TV show. . . .

So I'm thinking that defenceman Keith Ballard definitely should be on the U.S. Olympic hockey team just in case, you know, the goaltenders need a little bit of added motivation. . . . Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: "Is it just me, or has the Montreal Canadiens' celebration of their 100th anniversary lasted for about 100 years?" . . . One more from Hutchinson: "So, NBA star Ron Artest used to drink during games. What's the big deal? I'm thinking somewhere in his past he must have been a curler." . . .

Former Kamloops Blazers pest Tyson Nash now is on the Phoenix Coyotes' radio
crew. And when the Coyotes were in Calgary last week, Nash couldn't resist
wearing a Blazers jacket to the game-day skate. After all, Phoenix centre
Shane Doan and Flames winger Jarome Iginla are among the Blazers' owners
and, as a chuckling Nash pointed out: "You never know when you might need a
job." . . . In case you missed it, Ken Hitchcock, now the head coach of the
Columbus Blue Jackets, got a vote of confidence the other day. "Hitch is
safe," GM Scott Howson told the Columbus Dispatch. "To suggest otherwise is
just ludicrous. It has not even entered anybody's mind. It's not something
we'd even consider." . . . Of course, if Columbus continues to stumble
along, someone just may consider it. . . .

A tip of the cap to the senior hockey players who stopped by the Royal
Inland Hospital Foundation office the other day and dropped off a cheque for
$1,000. Bruce White, Norio Sakaki and Tom Blair handed the cheque to Pat
Esdale, and it was all in memory of Wally Deneault, a former teammate who
left us far too soon a year ago. . . . Hey, whatever happened to Joey
Kenward? . . . Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: "Ron Artest
says the reason he talked about gulping booze at his locker was that he
wanted to help kids who have similar problems. Beware, kids! If you drink
cognac at halftime, you might wind up as a zillionaire All-Star." . . . One
more from Ostler: "Good to see Al Davis responding to that billboard on 880,
paid for by fans begging him to 'hire a GM.' Davis, already concerned about
the haphazard way his limos are parked, hired a Garage Manager." . . .

The New York Post reports that the home Derek Jeter is having built in Tampa
is known by the locals as St. Jetersburg. How big is it? Try 30,875 square
feet, with seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. . . . Dan Daly, in the
Washington Times: "(Tiger) Woods has reportedly redone the prenuptial
agreement with wife Elin Nordegren to encourage her to stay in the marriage.
He must have really sweetened the deal. Elin is now third on the career
money list." . . . Could it be that John Daly and Tiger have swapped roles?
The Associated Press reports that Daly has dropped 100 pounds, taking him
down to 185. Perhaps he now will limit his swinging to the golf course. . .
. So are you on the Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup bandwagon yet? . . .
Hey, just asking. . . .

There could be an interesting matchup in the NFL on Sunday with the Cincinnati Bengals meeting the host Minnesota Vikings. That’s because Chad Ochocinco has promosed to relieve the Vikings’ mascot of his horn and use it. “I’m going to steal it from what’s his name? Ragnar?” warned the Bengals receiver. “If he doesn‘t give it to me I‘m going to MMA him.” . . . The Left Coast Sports Babe points out that “CBS is cancelling As the World Turns after 54 years. I guess they figured, who needs to produce a soap opera when we have options like The Tiger Woods Show?” . . . We close with this from the afore-mentioned Dwight Perry: "Thieves in Sao Paolo, Brazil, picked the perfect diversionary opportunity ‹ during the soccer-crazed country's national-championship game on Sunday -- to tunnel into a cash-delivery firm and make off with $6 million. . . . G-O-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-D!"

Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca and gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.

Saturday . . .

2009-12-13T00:45:00.000-08:00

Every report that I read Friday about the bus accident involving the major midget Fraser Valley Bruins referred to there being only minor injuries involved. . . . That turns out not to be true. . . . One player was airlifted to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver where, I am told, he underwent surgery on a head injury. . . . I will post further details when they become available to me. . . . There is a story on the accident right here and it details pretty much what happened.
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The AHL’s Binghamton Senators, under former Seattle Thunderbirds/Tri-City Americans head coach Don Nachbaur, engaged in a good old-fashioned bench-clearing brawl with the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday. . . . There’s a story right here.
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SATURDAY:
In Kennewick, Wash., F Brooks Macek had two goals and an assist to lead the host Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Macek, who has 10 goals, scored the game’s first two goals, both via the PP, before the game was 14 minutes old and the Americans never trailed. . . . It was the first multi-goal game of Macek’s career. . . . Macek’s first goal was the Teddy Bear goal. . . . F Ty Rattie scored twice for Portland, giving him six on the season. . . . The Americans (23-9-0-0) were 3-for-10 on the PP; the Winterhawks (20-13-0-1) were 2-for-6. . . . No, Andy Thiessen wasn’t one of the referees. . . . The Americans are 4-0 against Portland this season. . . . Attendance was 4,409. . . . Portland F Tayler Jordan served the first game of his three-game WHL suspension for squirting water at referee Andy Thiessen. . . . Portland LW Luke Walker also didn’t play. He had surgery Thursday to repair facial damage after being struck by a puck.
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In Brandon, the Wheat Kings scored two third-period goals and beat the
Edmonton Oil Kings, 4-2. . . . Brandon (23-11-0-2) led 2-0 when the Oil Kings (8-19-4-4), who now have lost 11 in a row, tied it on second-period goals by D Keegan Lowe, his first, and F Rhett Rachinski, his fifth. . . . Brandon F Aaron Lewadniuk broke the 2-2 tie with his 15th at 16:31 of the third period and F Matt
Calvert iced it with his 25th into an empty net at 19:37. . . . The Wheat Kings have won six straight. . . . Attendance was 4,871. . . . Brandon G Andrew Hayes stopped 35 shots, including a third-period penalty shot by F Tomas Vincour. The score was 2-2 at the time. . . . Edmonton G Torrie Jung stopped 31 shots. . . . The Oil Kings were without F Brett Breitkreuz, who sat out a one-game WHL suspension for instigating a fight during a line change on Friday in Moose Jaw.
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In Calgary, the Medicine Hat Tigers erased a 3-0 deficit and survived a
last-second goal to beat the Hitmen 6-5 in a shootout. . . . D Jace Coyle
and F Bretton Cameron scored for the Tigers in the shootout. . . . Calgary F Tyler Fiddler forced OT with his 15th goal, on the PP, at 19:59 of the third period -- it came with 0.6 left on the clock. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem had given the Tigers a 5-4 lead at 17:02. It was Etem’s third goal of the game and 24th of the season. He also finished plus-4. . . . The Hitmen (24-8-1-1), who had won five in a row, led 3-0 when F Ian Schultz got his 14th, shorthanded, at 2:26 of the second. . . . Medicine Hat (20-10-2-4), which got a PP goal from D Mark Isherwood at 14:13 of the second, took its first lead when Cameron and Etem with two, scored three times in a span of 9:11 in the third period. . . . Schultz, who also had two assists, scored on the PP at 15:51 of the third. . . . Calgary was 3-for-8 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-for-6. . . . The Tigers have won four in a row. . . . Attendance was 7,699. . . . Calgary was without F Cody Beach, who sat out a one-game WHL suspension for instigating a fight during a line change on Friday in Cranbrook.
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In Chilliwack, F Ryan Howse scored twice to help the Bruins to a 5-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Howse, who is from Prince George, has 27 goals on the season, second in the league to F Jordan Eberle of the Regina Pats. Eberle has 29, but won‘t play for a while as he is expected to make Canada‘s national junior team. Howes finished plus-3. . . . F Alexandre Wiklund, who had a goal and an assist, was plus-4. . . . The Bruins (14-17-1-4) opened up a 4-0 lead in the second period, only to have the Cougars (6-25-1-1) scored twice on the PP early in the third. . . . Chilliwack had lost two straight and four of five. . . . Bruins G Braden Gamble, with starter Lucas Gore (shoulder) sidelined, stopped 26 shots. . . . Attendance was 2,553, the smallest crowd to watch the Bruins, who are in their fourth WHL season.
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In Everett, F Kellan Tochkin scored twice to lead the Silvertips to a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds of Kent. . . . F Sena Acolatse gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 2:23 of the first period. . . . Tochkin scored at 8:32 of the second and 17:11 of the third. . . . Tochkin has 10 goals this season, four of them in his last three games. . . . Everett (17-11-2-1) had lost five straight. . . . Seattle (12-18-1-3) had won two in a row. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard, who had stopped 52 shots in a 5-1 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans on Friday, turned aside 42 shots in this one. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 20 shots. . . . Attendance was 6,760. . . . The Silvertips, faced with the loss of three of their top four defencemen in the next while, have acquired D Curtis Kulchar, 19, from the Kamloops Blazers for a 2011 fifth-round bantam draft pick. . . . . D Radko Gudas (Czech Republic) and D Rasmus Rissanen (Finland) could play at the World junior tournament, while D Ryan Murray will play for Team West at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . Kulchar had four assists in 26 games with Kamloops.
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In Kamloops, D Kevin Connauton scored in the shootout to give the Vancouver Giants a 5-4 victory over the Blazers. . . . The Giants (22-11-1-2), who erased a 3-0 deficit and beat the visiting Blazers 5-3 on Friday, held a 3-1 lead in the second period and a 4-3 lead late in the third. . . . F Jimmy Bubnick tied the game for Kamloops with his second goal of the game at 16:05 of the third period. . . . F Craig Cunningham had a goal and two assists, giving him seven points in the two-game set. . . . Cunningham now has 54 points. He is eight behind F Brandon Kozun of the Calgary Hitmen and six in arrears of F Jordan Eberle of the Regina Pats, both of whom are attending the Canadian junior team’s selection camp. . . . Connauton, who has 15 goals, didn’t score but did have two assists. . . . Attendance was 4,755. . . . Bubnick’s first goal was the Teddy Bear goal. . . . Vancouver has won three in a row and four of five. . . . Kamloops (13-16-2-3) is 10-6-1-2 at home. . . . Prior to the game, the Blazers dealt D Curtis Kulchar, 19, to the Everett Silvertips for a 2011 fifth-round bantam draft pick. He got into 26 games with the Blazers this season but had been a healthy scratch in three of six games under new head coach Guy Charron. . . . And it would seem more changes are in the wind for the Blazers. After all, why else would Bruno Campese, the GM/head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders, spend a Saturday night in Kamloops watching a WHL game?
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes scored three power-play goals and beat the
Regina Pats, 5-1. . . . D Brennan Yadlowski set up three goals for Lethbridge (10-17-3-1), which had lost its last two outings. . . . F Graham Hood, traded by the Pats to Lethbridge earlier in the week, scored his sixth goal of the season. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal tied the game 1-1 at 2:10 of the first period, but Lethbridge scored the game’s last four goals. . . . Lethbridge held a 40-16 edge in shots, including 30-7 after two periods. . . . Lethbridge was 3-for-7 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-5. . . . Regina (16-17-3-0) has lost three in a row. . . . Attendance was 3,059.
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In Moose Jaw, the Kelowna Rockets scored two shootout goals and beat the Warriors, 2-1. . . . The Rockets (18-16-1-0) got a shorthanded goal from F Spencer Main in the first period. . . . Moose Jaw D Ryan Stanton tied it on the PP at 17:14 of the second. . . . Kelowna got shootout goals from F Shane McColgan and F Geordie Wudrick, while the Warriors’ lone goal came from F Antonin Honejsek. . . . G Mark Guggenberger went the distance, making 27 saves, in his second start since returning from hernia surgery. . . . Moose Jaw G Brandon Glover stopped 15 shots through OT. . . . The Warriors are 17-13-1-2. . . . Kelowna D Tyson Barrie had his 21-game point streak come to an end. . . . Attendance was 2,005. . . . The Rockets have won three of four on their East Division swing which continues Tuesday in Prince Albert and ends Wednesday in Saskatoon.
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In Saskatoon, F Derek Hulak scored in the shootout to give the Blades a 4-3
victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Hulak was the only one of eight
shooters to score in the shootout. . . . The Blades (22-6-1-3) had lost two in a row and four of five. . . . Attendance was 3,874. . . . Red Deer D Colin Archer gave the Rebels a 3-2 lead with a PP goal at 1:28 of the third period. . . . Saskatoon D Stefan Elliott forced OT with his 11th goal at 18:36. . . . Red Deer (16-14-0-2) was 3-for-6 on the PP; the Blades were 0-for-3.
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In Spokane, F Taylor Vause’s shorthanded goal in the third period stood up as the winner as the Swift Current Broncos dropped the Chiefs, 2-1. . . . Broncos G Marc Friesen stopped 42 shots. . . . Broncos F Stepan Novotny got his 19th goal at 12:31 of the first period. . . . Vause picked up his sixth at 2:34 of the third. . . . D Brenden Kichton, with his second, got the Chiefs on the board on the PP at 3:27 of the third. That also was the Teddy Bear goal. . . . According to the WHL website, Spokane G James Reid stopped 137 of 139 shots, which will be a new single-game record. . . . The Broncos (17-15-2-0) had lost their last two games and now are 3-10-0-2 on the road. . . . The Chiefs (20-9-2-0) had a six-game winning streak snapped. . . . Attendance was 7,469.

Friday . . .

2009-12-12T01:44:00.000-08:00

The Vancouver Province is reporting that one player from the major midget Fraser Valley Bruins suffered a fractured collarbone when the team bus was involved in an accident near Williams Lake, B.C.
The Province is quoting RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk as saying: "One youth is suffering from facial injuries, non-life threatening, another with a fractured collar bone, and the remainder of the bus occupants are suffering from no injury to minor injuries.”
I also was told that head coach Pat Ansell, a former goaltender with the Regina Pats 1976-78), suffered a broken nose.
The Province story is right here.
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Tyler Bouck (Prince George, 1995-2000) signed a one-year contract extension with Ingolstadt (Germany DEL), which takes him through next season. Bouck has nine goals and 12 assists in 26 games for Ingolstadt so far this season. . . . F Josh Olson (Portland, 2000-02) has been released by the Hannover Indians (Germany DEL). He had seven goals and 10 assists in 21 games with the Indians this season.
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Some notes involving WHL teams and trades . . .
The WHL puts its annual Christmas trade moratorium in place early next week. Trading won’t be allowed from Tuesday (Dec. 15) through Sunday, Dec. 27. A trade will be accepted by the WHL office until 11:59 pm MT on Dec. 14 and again starting at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 28.
As well, players attending a World junior team evaluation/selection camp cannot be traded. If a player makes a World junior championship team, he cannot be traded until Wednesday, Jan. 6, the day after the World junior tournament concludes.
Players attending the U-17 World Hockey Challenge cannot be traded until Monday, Jan. 4, the day after the event concludes.
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A poster on the Oregon Live forum has done some research on Portland Winterhawks F Tayler Jordan and discovered that he now has been suspended seven times:
09-05-07 - One game for knee major and Game Misconduct (GM)
09-18-07 - Three games for knee major and GM
11-20-08 - One game for cross checking major
11-25-08 - Two games for GM
02-15-09 - One game for fight on opening faceoff
10-15-09 - Two games under supplemental discipline
12-10-09 - Three games for GM
The poster emailed me and asked: Is this a record ... can you recall any other player in the history of the WHL getting suspended seven times?
Off the top of my head, I can’t recall anyone spending seven episodes in the doghouse. On the other hand, Jordan has totalled only 13 games worth of suspensions in the seven episodes.
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The SPHL’s Louisiana IceGators have hired Dave MacIsaac as their head coach. He was the head coach of the Eastern league’s Danbury Mad Hatters last season. MacIsaac replaces Brent Sapergia, who took over from Ron Handy just after this season started.
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I also received a note from a reader pointing out the Regina-Vancouver connection that no doubt has something to do with trades made between the Pats and Giants. . . . Todd Ripplinger is the Pats’ director of scouting and his brother, Jason, is the Giants’ director of player personnel. . . . So conspiracy theorists have the Bonner brothers, Craig and Scott, running the Giants and Kamloops Blazers, and now they can point to the Ripplinger brothers, as well.
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Steve Brandon of the Portland Tribune reports that Winterhawks LW Luke Walker plans on being in Grand Forks, N.D., for the start of the U.S. national junior team’s selection camp. Walker needed surgery to repair the damage after he took a puck in the face late in the Winterhawks’ 4-3 OT victory over the Silvertips in Everett on Tuesday. He had surgery Wednesday morning and briefly visited teammates at practice Thursday. According to Brandon, Winterhawks GM/head coach Mike Johnston “says Walker had a plate inserted in his upper-jaw area, where he suffered a broken bone. . . . Walker also received nearly 50 stitches just above his teeth.” . . . But, as Johnston put it, “His face is pretty swollen, and it's painful, but a facial injury doesn't necessarily prohibit you from playing.” . . . So Walker, being a hockey player’s hockey player, will be in Grand Forks. . . . The U.S. is to announce its roster on Dec. 23. . . . Johnston told Brandon that the Winterhawks will bring in F Joel Ridgeway, 19, from the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers and F Taylor Peters, from the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, 17, to help out over the next couple of weeks. Ridgeway has played in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans and the Winterhawks, while Peters was assigned to the Vees in October.
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G Tyson Sexsmith (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, 2004-09) has been reassigned by the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, moving to the ECHL’s Kalamazoo K-Wings from the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. In eight games with the Sharks, the first year pro was 2-4-1 with a 4.00 GAA.
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Jeff Guay is the new head coach of the QMJHL’s Lewiston Maineiacs, who have lost 14 straight games. He replaces Don MacAdam, the president and head coach, who, along with assistant coach Jamie Dumont, was fired Thursday. Guay worked as an assistant coach in Lewiston for six seasons, before leaving after last season. The Maineiacs’ last home game drew 415 fans. Tim Schurman, a Maine scout, has moved in as an assistant coach.
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The OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs have announced that they “have formally submitted” a letter of intent to bid to serve as the host of the 2011 Memorial Cup tournament. The 2009 event was held in Rimouski, Que., with the 2010 party scheduled for Brandon.
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In the QMJHL, the Saint John Sea Dogs ran their winning streak to 21 games Friday when they beat the host P.E.I. Rocket, 4-1.
That is the third-longest winning streak in QMJHL history, behind only the Sorel Eperviers (25, 1973-74) and Hull Olympiques (24, 1995-96).
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FRIDAY:
In Vancouver, D Neil Manning and F Craig Cunningham had a goal and two assists each as the Giants erased a 3-0 first-period deficit and beat the Kamloops Blazers, . . . . Cunningham has 51 points in 35 games this season. . . . Manning broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 10:01 of the third period. . . . The Giants were 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . D Kevin Connauton scored twice for the Giants. . . . Kamloops has given up at least one PP goal in 17 of its last 18 games. In those 18 games, it has allowed 36 PP goals. . . . Vancouver (21-11-1-2) moved into first place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Giants are 15-8-0-0 at home. . . . The Blazers (13-16-2-2) are eighth, two points ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Vancouver tied the game with three second-period goals. . . . Vancouver head coach Don Hay hooked starter Mark Segal after he allowed three goals on eight shots before the game was 11 minutes old. Sophomore Jamie Tucker came on to stop all 21 shots he faced. . . . Kamloops G Jon Groenheyde stopped 42 shots. . . . Attendance was 8,926. . . . D Mathieu Bellerive, 15, made his WHL debut with the Giants. He was a second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft and plays for the major midget Vancouver-North West Giants. Bellerive played last season at Pursuit of Excellent in Penticton.
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In Brandon, F Jay Fehr scored four times, including the game’s last three goals, as the Wheat Kings beat the Kelowna Rockets, 8-4. . . . Fehr, 20, who may have had the quietest 84-point season in WHL history in 2008-09, has 18 goals this season. . . . Fehr’s last goal was shorthanded. . . . The Wheat Kings (22-11-0-2) have won five in a row. . . . The Rockets (17-16-1-0) scored the game’s first two goals and trailed 5-4 after two periods. . . . With Kelowna leading 2-0, Brandon F Jesse Sinatynski, 17, scored his second WHL goal. It was the Teddy Bear goal and you can bet the delay didn’t do the Rockets any good. . . . Sinatynski hadn’t played since Nov. 21. . . . The Rockets had won two in a row on their East Division swing and had posted five straight road victories. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger made his first appearance since last spring’s Memorial Cup final. He started but was gone at 6:59 of the second period after giving up five goals on 11 shots. At that point, Brandon had a 5-3 lead. . . . Brandon G Jacob De Serres stopped 26 shots. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-6 on the PP, while Brandon was 0-for-3. . . . Kelowna D Tyson Barrie had one assist to run his point streak to 21 games, the longest in the league this season. He has 33 points, including 28 assists, in that stretch. . . . Attendance was 4,730.
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In Chilliwack, F Levko Koper scored three straight goals as the Spokane Chiefs dumped the Bruins, 7-1. . . . Koper, who had set up the game’s first goal, upped his total to 14 with a goal late in the second period and two more in the third as the Chiefs took a 6-0 lead. . . . The Chiefs were 3-for-4 on the PP; the Bruins were 0-for-3. . . . F Tyler Johnson and F Kyle Beach added two goals each for Spokane. Johnson, who will attend the U.S. national junior team’s selection camp in Grand Forks, N.D., starting Dec. 17, has 18 goals. Beach, who wasn’t invited by Hockey Canada to its selection camp, has 23 goals. . . . Attendance was 2,834. . . . Spokane is 20-8-2-0 and winner of six in a row. . . . The Bruins (13-17-1-4) had lost four of five. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 31 shots, losing his shutout on F Roman Horak’s 12th goal at 12:54 of the third. . . . Chilliwack G Braden Gamble and stopped 11 of 14. Cole Holowenko came on at 10:05 of the second and stopped 12 of 16.
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In Everett, the Prince George Cougars snapped a 15-game road losing streak by beating the Silvertips, 3-2, in a shootout. . . . Interestingly, the WHL website originally credited the shootout winner to G Alex Wright, who backed up Hudson Stremmel on this night. . . . The winner actually came from D Dallas Jackson, who was the only one of five shooters to score in the circus. . . . The Cougars (6-24-1-1) forced OT when Jackson scored at 19:46 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 4,987. . . . Everett looked about to win after F Kellan Tochkin broke a 1-1 tie at 14:47 of the third period. . . . The Cougars took a 1-0 lead into the second period on F Marek Viedensky’s PP goal. . . . Viedensky had been out with strep throat. . . . Everett got that one back when F Cameron Abney got his second goal at 7:24 of the second. . . . Everett (16-11-2-1) has lost five in a row. . . . F Brett Connolly (hip) returned home to Prince George during the Cougars’ road trip.
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In Cranbrook, B.C., F Brandon Kozun, the WHL scoring leader, got his 19th goal as the Calgary Hitmen dumped the Kootenay Ice, 3-1. . . . Kozun, who will to the Canadian national junior team selection camp in Regina on Saturday, leads the WHL with () points. . . . F Kris Foucault, whom the Hitmen acquired from the Ice last season, broke a 1-1 tie with his 11th goal of the season, on the PP, at 7:13 of the third period. . . . F Kyle Aschim scored his first WHL goal in 25 games for the Hitmen. He had played 41 games with the Prince Albert Raiders prior to this season. . . . G Martin Jones stopped 24 shots for Calgary, while the Ice’s Todd Mathews turned aside 27. . . . Attendance was 2,808. . . . The Hitmen (24-8-1-0) have won five in a row. . . . The Ice (16-15-1-1) had won six of seven. . . . Calgary F Joel Broda had one assist. He now has 13 points in his last seven games.
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In Medicine Hat, F Wacey Hamilton had a goal and four assists as the Tigers whipped the Regina Pats, 7-2. . . . The Tigers (19-10-2-4) were without GM/head coach Willie Desjardins. He is the head coach of Canada‘s national junior team so is in Regina preparing for the selection camp that opens Saturday. . . . Associate coach Shaun Clouston runs the Tigers in Desjardins’ absence. . . . The Tigers have won three in a row and are 10-2-0-2 in their last 14 outings. . . . The Pats (16-16-3-0) have lost four of five. They have given up 16 goals in their last two games, both losses. . . . Regina took 90 of 145 penalty minutes, including 17 minutes worth to D Cody Carlson at game’s end. The Pats acquired him from the Tigers earlier in the season. . . . The Tigers were 3-for-8 on the PP; Regina was 0-for-6. . . . D Jace Coyle had three assists for Medicine Hat. . . . F Jordan Eberle’s WHL-leading 29th goal actually gave Regina a 2-1 lead at 8:26 of the first period. . . . D Mark Isherwood erased that with his ninth and 10th goals for the home side. . . . Medicine Hat D Scott McKay scored his first WHL goal. . . . F Carter Ashton and F Craig Orfino, acquired Wednesday by Regina from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, were in the lineup. Both were pointless and minus-1. . . . Before the game, the Pats announced that they had assigned F Jason Gardiner, 18, to an undisclosed MJHL team. Gardiner, who was acquired from the Tri-City Americans, had five points and 33 penalty minutes in 25 games. The Americans selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 2006 bantam draft. . . . The Pats are carrying 26 players, including 15 forwards and nine defencemen. That includes D Shamus Graham, 17, who has been added from the midget AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers.
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In Moose Jaw, F Antonin Honejsek scored four times to lead the Warriors to an 11-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . D Travis Hamonic had three goals and an assist, with D Kevin Smith and D Ryan Stanton each drawing four assists. . . . Honejsek, who has 10 goals in his last 11 games, has 11 goals on the season, while Hamonic, who will report to the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp in Regina on Saturday, has 10. . . . Honejsek also has three new front teeth. He lost three teeth when struck in the face a while back, and now has his new ones. . . . Moose Jaw F Joey Kornelsen, who had a goal in four games last season, scored his first two goals of this season, Kornelsen, 16, was Moose Jaw’s first pick, 33rd overall, in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . The Warriors (17-13-1-1) went 6-for-8 on the PP as they ended a three-game losing skid. . . . Edmonton (8-18-4-4) has lost 10 in a row. . . . Attendance was 2,042.
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In Prince Albert, Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 37 shots, including a penalty shot, to lead the Rebels to a 3-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . With Red Deer leading 3-1, Kuemper stopped F Ryan Harrison on a penalty shot at 12:49 of the third period. . . . Red Deer F Andrej Kudrna got the winner at 16:16 of the second on the PP. . . . F Willie Coetzee had a goal and an assist for the Rebels. He has signed with the Detroit Red Wings, and former Kelowna Rockets assistant coach Jeff Finley, who scouts for the Wings, was in P.A. . . . Red Deer (16-14-0-1) was 1-for-4 on the PP, while the Raiders (18-15-1-2) were 0-for-6. . . . Attendance was 2,426.
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In Kent, Wash., G Calvin Pickard stopped 53 shots to lead the host Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Tri-City F Neal Prokop scored the game’s first goal, after which Pickard slammed shut the door. . . . Seattle D Scott Ramsay and F Mikhail Sentuyrin got their first goals of the season for Seattle, while F Prab Rai got his 20th. . . . Seattle D Jeremy Schappert had three assists, while F Jonathan Parker was pointless but plus-4. . . . Seattle (12-17-1-3) closed to within two points of the eighth-place Kamloops Blazers, who hold down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Americans (22-9-0-0) had a three-game winning streak snapped and now trail the conference-leading Vancouver Giants by a point. . . . Attendance was 3,642.

B.C. Hockey press release

2009-12-11T18:22:00.001-08:00

The Fraser Valley Bruins' bus has crashed en route to their scheduled games this weekend in Prince George.
The crash occurred five km south of their destination for the evening, Williams Lake, after hitting black ice and spinning down an embankment.
The initial report has 14 players and the bus driver being taken to hospital with what has been described as minor injuries.
All games involving the team this weekend have been cancelled.
BC Hockey will update this story on the major midget league website at www.bcmml.net as more details become available.

Major midget team involved in accident

2009-12-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

The latest from The Canadian Press on a Friday bus accident involving the Fraser Valley Bruins of the B.C. major midget league . . .

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — A charter bus carrying a boys hockey team has crashed in a multi-vehicle collision north of Williams Lake, B.C.
The crash happened in light snow and slick conditions on Highway 97 just south of the town.
There was a report that four people were injured but George Almas of International Stage Lines says the injuries were minor.
The chartered bus was carrying a total of 26 people, including the players on a midget hockey team from Abbotsford, B.C.
Another bus was on scene to transport the hockey players to Williams Lake.
Almas says the bus hit black ice on the highway and ended up on its side.

Mondays with Murray . . . on Thursday night

2009-12-10T23:45:00.001-08:00

Linda McCoy-Murray of The Jim Murray Foundation writes:
“Since the day after Thanksgiving, the question ‘What do think Jim would have written about the Tiger Woods incident?’ keeps coming up in our emails, phone calls and general conversation.
“My answer? I don't know.
“However, Jim was a man of honesty, humility and integrity and believed that everyone is to be held accountable for his/her own actions.
“In Jim's 1996 column below, he quotes Earl Woods: ‘Tiger has been handling the media and publicity since he was 2,’ he explains. ‘I taught him. I was the public information officer for the Army at Fort Hamilton in New York. And I told Tiger, ‘Always tell the truth and just answer the question asked.’ He’s as at ease with the media as he is over a two-foot putt.’
“Hmmmm!!”

Here is that 1996 column by the late, great Jim Murray . . .

NOVEMBER 28, 1996, SPORTS
Copyright 1996/THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY

JIM MURRAY

Can’t See Trees for the Woods

Golf is now a five-letter word. It’s spelled “W-O-O-D-S.”
   Tiger Woods is no longer merely an athlete. He’s an industry.
   It’s already beginning. The headline writers know where their readers are coming from. The headline reads: “Tiger Woods Finishes Fifth, Greg Norman Wins Australian Open.”
   And that’s Greg Norman! Imagine if it had been some rinky-dink tour journeyman. He’d have been lucky to make paragraph eight.
   We haven’t seen that kind of skewed headlining since the early days of Arnie’s Army when the banner would proclaim “Palmer Bogeys 18. Unknown Wins Masters.”
   All across the country, editors didn’t care who won a tournament if it wasn’t Palmer or Nicklaus. Without them, the story hit the agate — along with “Fights Last Night” and high school soccer scores.
   It’s happening again. A tall, smiling kid with the charisma of a movie star, a smile like a sunrise, a swing as sweet as a banana split and the confidence of a riverboat gambler with his own deck has come along to rescue the game from the brink of anonymity, saved it from being won by people named Jones or foreigners whose handles you can’t even pronounce.
   It was easy to believe there is no such person as Tiger Woods. They made him up, right? Everything about him is too perfect. They sent down to Central Casting and they came up with the right guy for the part. Best bit of casting since Clark Gable as Rhett Butler. It’s John Wayne on horseback, as heartwarming as a Lassie movie. Beaver Cleaver with a two-iron.
   Tiger was the American Dream, perfect ethnically for the United States in the 21st century. The cavalry to the rescue. The guy in the white hat.
   He did everything right. He won three U.S. Amateurs. Only Bobby Jones had done that, winning four. He won two of the first seven tournaments he entered after turning pro. Nobody had ever done that. Or maybe ever will.
   He won his first pro tournament at 20. Nicklaus won his at 22. Palmer won his at 26. Hogan was 27.
   Americans loved it — Instant Legend. He wasn’t going to have a career, he was going to have a ticker-tape parade. He was going to eagle life.
   Most people are allowed to slip into stardom, dip a toe in the water, test it, deal with it, maybe pick up a rookie-of-the-year award or so before they start getting measured for Halls of Fame. Tiger dived in headfirst off the high board. The spotlight was on him before he got his first set of clubs. The microphones were under his chin as soon as he could talk, the cameras were trained on him by his first practice swing. The agents were on hand throwing truckloads of money at him, waving contracts as he came off the 18th tee.
   It was good for golf, good for TV. Was it good for Woods?
   I went out the other night to check this out on our newest national resource. I thought I better get a look before they put him up on Mt. Rushmore.
   He was at the family home in Cypress, had just come back from the Australian Open where he had upstaged Norman and the flower of Down Under golf. A spot in a Tiger Woods threesome is a good place for a guy on the lam to hide out. No one will notice him there.
   He came home to get in a little of Mom’s cooking and Dad’s advice (Tiger now lives in Florida), but, as usual, he was surrounded by the pomp and circumstance of his messianic existence.
   I was there running around with a notebook and pen, ABC’s TV cameras were there to film him for the halftime show on “Monday Night Foodball,” Mom was trying to prepare him Thai delicacies, and Dad, Earl Woods, was trying to catch the football game. A neighbor was suddenly at the door with her 4-year-old son in tow wondering if Tiger would mind posing for a picture with him. Tiger didn’t mind, but Dad had to come up with the camera. This Is Your Lie, Tiger Woods.
   Everyone wants a piece of him these days. A tournament without Tiger is a non-event. And this weekend, at Rancho La Quinta golf course, he has turned a made-for-TV Skins game, ordinarily a “trash sport,” into something as eagerly awaited as a U.S. Open playoff. This is because it will be Tiger matching tee shots with none other than John Daly, the ex-Golden Boy of the tour.
   Fans are expecting a golf version of Dempsey-Firpo. ABC expects to buck weekend football. “Hold that Tiger!” doesn’t mean a goal-line stand anymore, it means Woods’ shots.
   Tiger is taking it in stride. Tiger takes everything in stride. Tiger is almost nonchalant about his talent.
   Still, he’s carrying the weight of all golf on his 20-year-old shoulders. Two of the greatest players in the game, Fred Couples and Tom Watson, will be almost straight men, sidekicks in Saturday and Sunday’s drama.
   Given that kind of pressure, is burnout an option? His father, Earl, scoffs. “Tiger has been handling the media and publicity since he was 2,” he explains. “I taught him. I was the public information officer for the Army at Fort Hamilton in New York. And I told Tiger, ‘Always tell the truth and just answer the question asked.’ He’s as at ease with the media as he is over a two-foot putt.”
   What about when he finds out putts don’t have to drop, balls slice or hood, or go out of bounds, or when he learns why they call bunkers “hazards?”
   What then?
   Tiger hoots.
   “Hey!” he says. “I was the wildest player off the tee you will ever see. I played some courses sideways. I had to invent trouble shots all the time!”
   Earl agrees: “You know why Tiger can handle adversity? Because when he goes bogey-bogey-double bogey, I laugh! I always have. He used to look at me and think, ‘Well, it can’t be the end of the world. Dad’s laughing.’ That’s why he can go from double bogey to birdie, from 79 to 66.”
   And that’s why he can go up to the game of golf these days and say, “You’re away!”

Reprinted with permission by the Los Angeles Times.

Courtesy of:
Jim Murray Memorial Foundation
P.O. Box 995
La Quinta, CA 92247-0995
Ph/Fx: 760-771-8972
www.jimmurrayfoundation.org

Thursday . . .

2009-12-10T23:32:00.000-08:00

THE MacBETH REPORT: F Sergei Varlamov (Swift Current, 1995-98) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL). Varlamov started the season with Sokol Kiev (Ukraine, plays in Belarus League), getting five goals and 19 assists in 22 games. Last season, he had no goals and four assists in 25 games split between Severstal Cherepovets (Russia KHL) and SKA St. Petersburg (Russia KHL) and one
assist in two games with HC VMF St. Petersburg (Russia High League).
———
The Vancouver Giants, with shutouts from three different goaltenders this season, appear poised to try for a fourth.
They have acquired G Derek Tendler from the Regina Pats and it is anticipated that he will be given an opportunity to win their starting job.
The Giants got Tendler, who turns 18 on Jan. 1, Regina’s first pick in the 2010 import draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft for F Cass Mappin, who turns 19 on Sunday, D Mitch Spooner, 17, and F Mikael Jung, 17.
The Giants’ roster includes goaltenders Mark Segal and Jamie Tucker, both of whom are 18. Each has put up one shutout this season, with Segal, who joined the Giants late last month from the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers, having blanked the visiting Chilliwack Bruins 5-0 on Wednesday. The Giants also used Brendan Jensen, 16, who picked up one shutout before being assigned to the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild.
Tendler got into one game with the Pats this season, playing four minutes. He has been with the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins. He is 5-6-1-0 with a 3.14 GAA and a .904 save percentage. Tendler was a fifth-round pick by Regina in the 2007 bantam draft. Two seasons ago, he played for the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians and was the Saskatchewan league’s MVP.
Spooner was the 19th overall pick in the 2007 bantam draft. With the Pats, he will slide into the spot created earlier in the week when D Alex Pym, 18, chose to leave the team.
Jung, the younger brother of Edmonton Oil Kings G Torrie Jung, was a sixth-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft. Mikael has nine points in 27 games with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals.
The Giants acquired Mappin from the Red Deer Rebels on Sept. 29, with F Andrej Kudrna going the other way. Mappin’s stay in Vancouver was hampered by the flu and a shoulder injury.
Mappin and Spooner are to meet the Pats in time to play against the Hurricanes in Lethbridge on Friday.
F Carter Ashton and F Craig Orfino, who were acquired by the Pats on Wednesday from Lethbridge, should play Friday against the Tigers in Medicine Hat.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post asked Pats’ general manager Brent Parker, who has acquired five players in the last two days, if he was through dealing.
“Am I done? For today,” Parker told Harder. “I don’t envision us doing too much more, if anything. We wanted to do some of this stuff before Christmas to give ourselves a chance to have a little longer to get some cohesion. We’ll let things settle out now. The trade moratorium starts at the beginning of next week. We don’t envision doing anything at all prior to that.”
The WHL trade deadline is Jan. 10.
———
D Steve Chaffin has announced his retirement from the WHL‚s Seattle Thunderbirds. "After consulting with team doctors, my family and the T-Birds, I have decided to retire from hockey," Chaffin, an 18-year-old from Calgary, said in a press release issued Thursday. "I have enjoyed my three years with the T- Birds but after suffering multiple concussions I have decided not to risk further injury." . . . "Steve will take the rest of this year to determine his field of interest and will move on to make use of the WHL scholarship (program)," said Seattle GM Russ Farwell. "This is the purpose of our scholarship program and we expect Steve to make full use of this benefit."
———
F Kyle St. Denis of the Kelowna Rockets won‚t play again until sometime after Christmas. St. Denis returned from a concussion to play Tuesday against the Broncos in Swift Current. However, he suffered another head injury during the game and wasn‚t able to finish. He has flown home to Trail, B.C., for the Christmas break.
———
The QMJHL’s Lewiston Maineiacs have fired president and head coach Don MacAdam and assistant coach Jamie Dumont. The Maineiacs have lost 14 straight and are 10-21-0-1, which has them last in the Central Division. Replacements haven’t yet been named.
———
F Tayler Jordan of the Portland Winterhawks will sit for three games after being suspended by the WHL for a game misconduct he received in the first period of a 4-3 OT victory over the Silvertips in Everett. Jordan was tossed after squirting referee Andy Thiessen with a water bottle. . . . This was the seventh suspension of Jordan's WHL career.
———
D Blaine Tendler, 19, is back playing hockey. John MacNeil of the Prince Albert Daily Herald reports that Tendler has joined the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. Tendler was in training camp, preparing for a fourth season with the Prince Albert Raiders, when he left the club, saying he had lost his passion for the game. The Raiders have listed Tendler as an AP.
———
The AHL’s Toronto Marlies have released D Andy Rogers (Calgary, Prince George, 2002-06) from his pro tryout contract. Rogers, 23, was pointless with 29 penalty minutes in six games. The Tampa Bay Lightning selected him with the 30th selection of the NHL’s 2001 draft.
———
The QMJHL has taken steps to deal with what it terms “unlawful draft practices.” The QMJHL press release dealing with that is right here.
———
You have to think that Mark MacKay is a proud father these days. MacKay was the WHL’s rookie of the year in 1984-85 in his only season with the Moose Jaw Warriors. In fact, he was the top rookie as a 20-year-old player. . . . His son, Matt, played for the Warriors before being dealt to the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Both experienced the rivalry between the Warriors and the Regina Pats. And Matt, knowing that the Pats will be in Medicine Hat on Friday night, chatted with Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News. . . . “It is one of those things, where I still hate them,” Matt said. “That is how bad it gets. I still don’t like playing against them. I still have that bad blood against them. It is going to be one of those things where I am sure it will carry over for me to the game. . . . It is how Medicine Hat is here with Lethbridge. You come into it. Guys are already talking about the rivalry. It is almost like one of those brainwashing things. Night in and night out when you play the Pats when you are in Moose Jaw you don’t like them. It is almost a playoff atmosphere every time we played against them.” . . . You just know his father can relate to that.

Regina deals again, this time with . . .

2009-12-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Regina Pats have been involved in their second WHL deal in two days.
This time, the Pats have traded G Derek Tendler, 17, a first pick in the 2011 CHL import draft and a 2011 fifth-round bantam pick to the Vancouver Giants for F Cass Mappin, who turns 19 on Sunday, D Mitch Spooner, 17, and F Mikael Jung, 17.

A busy Wednesday . . .

2009-12-09T23:32:00.001-08:00

So . . . you’ve been wondering: Come the Jan. 10 trade deadline, will the Regina Pats be buyers or sellers? And what of the Lethbridge Hurricanes? Buy? Sell?
The questions were answered Wednesday when the teams got together on a trade that involved four players and three bantam draft picks.
To Regina: F Carter Ashton, 18, F Craig Orfino, 19, and a 2010 third-round draft pick.
To Lethbridge: F Graham Hood, 17, F Tayler Balog, 15, a 2010 second-round draft pick and a 2011 first-round draft pick.
(Just to make things even more interesting, the Pats are scheduled to play in Lethbridge on Saturday night.)
The best player in the deal is Ashton, who was a first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the NHL‘s 2009 draft after picking up 50 points, including 30 goals, in 70 games last season. He went to camp with the Lightning prior this season and has signed with them. This season, he has 26 points, 13 of them goals, in 28 games. Ashton, the son of former WHLer Brent Ashton, is from Saskatoon, which means there will be Blades fans who will have been hoping he would have ended up with their favourite team.
Orfino, who is from Edmonton, has 12 points in 30 games with Lethbridge this season. In his third WHL season, he went into this season with 22 points in 134 games.
Ashton and Orfino are expected to be in Regina’s lineup on Friday when they meet the Tigers in Medicine Hat. That will be the first of nine straight road games for Regina, which lost 9-5 to the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday night.
Hood was Regina’s second pick, 23rd overall, in the 2007 bantam draft and has eight points in 21 games this season. Last season, he finished with 13 points in 60 games.
You can’t look at this trade right now and pick a winner. A verdict will depend on whether Ashton returns to the Pats for his 19-year-old season and what becomes of the draft picks.
Obviously, Lethbridge made this deal for a few seasons down the road.
The message from Regina GM Brent Parker to his coaching staff and players, and to the fans, is that there is a certain sense of urgency to get things done before players like F Jordan Eberle, D Colten Teubert and now Ashton leave for the pro ranks.
At the same time, the Hurricanes, who were 12 points out of a playoff spot when the deal was made, obviously have all but given up on this season. So let the bidding for D Luca Sbisa begin . . .
Well . . . maybe not.
Here’s what Preston told Dale Woodard of the Lethbridge Herald: “I know the perception is Lethbridge is dumping. But that’s not the case. I know everybody is going to ask. (The players) that teams keep asking about is obvious, it’s (Luca) Sbisa and (Carter Bancks), but in no way does that mean they’re going anywhere. If you look at those two guys, those are your leaders, no question. Basically, they’re your role models, leaders and two guys that come to play every night. They do such a good job for our younger players. Those are guys you have to build around.”
Of course, what else could he say?
---
Like so many of the recent trades in the WHL, this one between Regina and Lethbridge was made between general managers who are quite familiar with each other.
Rich Preston, the first-year GM/head coach in Lethbridge, was the head coach in Regina for a couple of seasons (1995-97) so he and Parker know each other well.
---
A tip of the cap to the Seattle Thunderbirds for this effort:
The Seattle Thunderbirds are pleased to announce their fans have raised in excess of $23,000 for the Lakewood Police Independent Guild through two separate fundraising events.
The T-Birds held a 12-hour sale from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Wednesday) where they donated 100 per cent of all revenue from tickets purchased online to the game against the Tri- City Americans on Friday, Dec. 11, to the Guild. The T-Birds generated $13,212 in ticket sales that will be donated to the Guild.
At the game against the Everett Silvertips on Saturday, Dec. 5, the Lakewood Police Independent Guild raised over $10,000 in donations from fans to support the children of the four slain Lakewood police officers.
The T-Birds partnered with the City of Kent, the Kent Police Department, ShoWare Center and radio stations Q-Country 102.9 FM (KNBQ) and Funky Monkey 104.9 FM (KFNK) during the 12-hour sale.
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No one has been playing any better on home ice of late than the Spokane Chiefs, who have blanked the opposition in three of their last four home games. In fact, the Chiefs have given up only three goals in their last five home games, which shows in the fact they have surrendered a WHL-low 66 goals. They beat the Kamloops Blazers 6-1 on Nov. 14, blanked the visiting Kelowna Rockets 1-0 the next night, shut out the visiting Regina Pats 4-0 on Nov. 28, doubled visiting Seattle Thunderbirds of Kent 4-2 on Dec. 4 and then dropped the visiting Prince George Cougars 3-0 on Tuesday. . . . The Chiefs meet the Bruins in Chilliwack on Friday and then return home to face the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday in their Teddy Bear game presented by The Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund.
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It is too early to say how Portland Winterhawks LW Luke Walker’s facial injury will impact his status with the U.S. national junior team. Walker, who underwent surgery Wednesday, has been invited to the selection camp that opens Dec. 17 in Grand Forks, N.D.. . . . However, Portland F Nino Niederreiter, who scored two goals, including the OT winner, on Tuesday, will attend Switzerland’s tryout camp. It opens Dec. 19 in Saskatchewan and the team will play two exhibition games before declaring its roster on Dec. 24. Niederreiter will miss two games next weekend, against the visiting Swift Current Broncos and Tri-City Americans, and could miss as many as five after Christmas should he be selected. . . . He leads the Winterhawks with 19 goals and is second with 36 points. . . . Portland also has F Gasper Kopitar with the Slovenia entry at the IIHF U-20 Division 1 championship that opens Monday in Megève and Saint-Gervais, France. The winner of that event will be promoted to the A Group for 2011. . . . As well, F Ty Rattie and D Tyler Wotherspoon of the Winterhawks will play with Team Pacific at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Timmins, Ont., Dec. 29 to Jan. 4.
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For a comprehensive list of WHL players who have been invited to participate in various international activities over the next while, check this out right here.
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Former Portland D David Babych (1977-80) has signed on with the Vancouver Canucks. He will work in a part-time role as an assistant to director of player personnel Dave Gagner. Babych will spent his time working with the Canucks’ prospects, primarily young defencemen like Kevin Connauton of the Vancouver Giants.
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D Michael Stone of the Calgary Hitmen has signed a three-year deal with the Phoenix Coyotes, who selected him in the third round of the 2008 NHL draft. Stone, in his fourth WHL season, has 34 points in 32 games this season. He had 61 points in 69 games last season.
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The ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings have signed F Brady Leavold (Swift Current, Kelowna, 2003-08). He started this season with the Tilburg Trappers in the Netherlands. He had one goal in two games before returning to North America for personal reasons. He spent last season with the Salmon Kings, putting up 14 points in 31 games.
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They’re talking about a $60-million arena for Thunder Bay, Ont. That story is right here.
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The OHL’s Barrie Colts won their 18th straight game on Wednesday, beating the Owen Sound Attack, 5-4, in overtime. Barrie (26-4-0) hasn’t lost since Oct. 22 and has at least a point in 20 straight games. The OHL record for longest winning streak is 25 and was set by the Kitchener Rangers of 1983-84.
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Two former WHL defenceman -- Michael Funk and Matt McCue -- are battling concussion-related problems as they try to get back into the lineup with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. There’s a story right here.
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WEDNESDAY:
In Saskatoon, F Brayden Schenn scored at 2:03 of overtime to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 5-4 victory over the Blades. . . . Schenn, who also had two assists, is from Saskatoon. He has 14 goals. He also has 27 points in a 14-game point streak. . . . D Mark Schneider’s goal at 2:47 of the second period gave Brandon a 4-0 lead. . . . F Matt Calvert had scored the game’s first three goals, the third one coming at 19:23 of the first period. He scored the first one at even strength, the second on the PP and the third one shorthanded. He has 24 goals on the season. . . . F Braeden Johnson got the Saskatoon comeback started with his firsdt goal at 18:12 of the second, via the PP. . . . The Blades forced OT on D Tyler Kizuik’s first goal at 8:11 of the third. . . . Attendance was 3,580. . . . Brandon started G Andrew Hayes, who stopped 17 of 20 shots before being replaced by Jacob De Serres at 4:04 of the third period. De Serres stopped eight of nine. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 21 shots. . . . Brandon (21-11-0-2) has won four straight and eight of nine. The Wheat Kings have won three of four games with the Blades this season. . . . Saskatoon (21-6-1-3) has lost four of five and now is two points ahead of Brandon. . . . The Blades were without D Jyri Niemi (shoulder), who should return next week, and F Curtis Hamilton (collarbone), who should return early next month. Niemi has been invited to the Finnish national junior team’s selection camp in Calgary. It opens Dec. 21.
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In Cranbrook, F Dustin Sylvester drew four assists as the Kootenay Ice dropped the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-2. . . . D Brayden McNabb had a goal and two helpers for the Ice (16-14-1-1), which was 3-for-4 on the PP. . . . This was Kootenay’s first home game since it went 4-1 on a five-game B.C. Division swing. . . . Attendance was 2,434. . . . The Oil Kings (8-17-4-4) have lost nine in a row. . . . D Hayden Rintoul scored his second and third goals of the season for the Ice. . . . Edmonton G Torrie Jung was replaced by Cam Lanigan at 3:38 of the third period, having stopped three of six shots. . . . Ice G Todd Mathews stopped 24 shots. . . . Edmonton head coach Steve Pleau scratched D Adrian Van de Mosselaer, F Rhett Rachinski, who is the team captain, and F Robin Soudek, all veteran players.
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In Prince Albert, F Brandon Herrod scored twice, giving him 20, and G Garrett Zemlak stopped 38 shots as the Raiders dumped the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-1. . . . F Colin Reddin broke a 1-1 tie at 18:37 of the first period and the Raiders went on from there. . . . Raiders F Craig McCallum set up three goals, while D Ryan Button got his first goal of the season as did F Garrett Taylor. . . . Button was a third-round draft pick of Boston and Bruins assistant GM Don Sweeney and one of their scouts, former WHL D Dean Malkoc (Swift Current, Kamloops, 1989-91) were in the building. . . . The Raiders (18-14-1-2) were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Warriors (16-13-1-1) were 0-for-2 in losing for the seventh time in eight games. . . . Attendance was 1,781.
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In Red Deer, G Tyler Bunz stopped 36 shots through OT and two more in the shootout as the Medicine Hat Tigers got past the Rebels, 2-1. . . . The Tigers (18-10-2-4) got the only goals of the circus, from F Tristan King and D Jace Coyle. . . . F Bretton Cameron scored his 24th goal on the PP at 7:04 of the second period for the Tigers. . . . The Rebels (15-14-0-1) forced OT when F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got his 17th with 29.2 seconds left in the third on the PP. . . . Bunz stopped 24 shots in the third period and OT as the Tigers were outshot 25-3. . . . Attendance was 4,040. . . . This was Medicine Hat GM/head coach Willie Desjardins’ last game with the Tigers until early January. He is the head coach of Canada’s national junior team and it opens camp in Regina on Saturday. In Desjardins’ absence, associate coach Shaun Clouston will run the Tigers, with help from assistant coach Darren Kruger. It is the same scenario as a year ago when Desjardins was an assistant coach with Canada.
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In Regina, freshman F Shane McColgan enjoyed his first WHL three-goal game and also set up two goals, leading the Kelowna Rockets to a 9-5 victory over the Pats. . . . The game came just hours after the Pats made a blockbuster deal with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Rockets (17-15-1-0) were 6-for-8 -- yes, 6-for-8 -- on the power play. . . . Regina (16-15-3-0) was 2-for-6. . . . Kelowna had won four of its last five and has won five straight on the road. It has opened its six-game East Division swing with two victories. . . . McColgan, a contender as the WHL rookie of the year, has 14 goals. . . . His second goal, at 10:19 of the second period, gave the Rockets a 6-0 lead. Five of those goals came via the PP, with the other, from F Max Adolph, shorthanded. . . . Kelowna D Tyson Barrie drew four assists, while F Geordie Wudrick had two goals and two assists, F Brandon McMillan had two goals, and F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan had three assists. . . . The Pats got three goals from F Matt Strueby, who has 21. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger dressed for the first time this season. He backed up Adam Brown, who made 39 saves. . . . Attendance was 4,191. . . . Rockets F Kyle St. Denis didn’t dress. He was just back from a concussion when he took a hit in Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over the Broncos in Swift Currrent. . . . Kelowna F Curt Gogol sat t his one out as he completed a five-game WHL suspension. . . . D Damon Severson, a ninth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, made his debut with the Rockets. He has 22 points in 26 games with the midget AAA Yorkton Harvest. "When we drafted him we figured he would be a pretty good player," said Rockets assistant general manager Lorne Frey in a press release. "But when he came to camp he had really developed. He was probably our best player of his age group at camp and he's having a really good year in Saskatchewan. He was our biggest surprise out of our draft no question."
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Johnny Lazo was held to one assist as the Tri-City Americans downed the Prince George Cougars, 4-1. . . . Lazo was coming off back-to-back three-goal games for which he was named the CHL’s player of the week. . . . The Americans (22-8-0-0) got two goals from F Brendan Shinnimin, who has 19 on the season. . . . Attendance was 3,820. . . . The Cougars (5-24-1-1) have lost 15 road games. . . . Dean Clark, the Cougars’ head coach, has said that F Brett Connolly (hip) won’t play again before Christmas. The Cougars also are without F Marek Viedensky, who has come down with strep throat. . . . Prince George D Art Bidlevskii, the team captain, is back after recovering from an illness that cost him 10 pounds.
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In Vancouver, G Mark Segal stopped 17 shots for his first WHL shutout as the Giants beat the Chilliwack Bruins, 5-0. . . . On Sunday, the Bruins, playing at home, had beaten the Giants, 4-0. In their previous meeting before that one, the Bruins had won, 6-1. . . . Segal was making his fourth straight start and his sixth in eight games since joining the Giants from the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. . . . The Giants have record three shutouts this season, each one by a different goaltender. . . . The Bruins have been blanked twice. . . . F Brendan Gallagher scored twice and added an assist. He has 22 goals on the season and has 26 points in his last 17 games. . . . Vancouver G J.T. Barnett, who had such a hot start to the season, scored his first goal in 10 games. . . . Attendance was 6,871. . . . The Giants (20-11-1-2) had lost three of four. They are 14-8-0-0 at home. Yes, they already have played 22 home games. Because of the Vancouver Olympics, the Giants will spend the bulk of the season’s second half on the road. . . . G Braden Gamble stopped 29 of 33 shots through two periods for the Bruins (13-16-1-4). Cole Holowenko played the third period and saw just one shot. Vancouver‘s F Garry Nunn scored on that shot. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore (shoulder) didn’t play. Bruins GM/head coach Marc Habscheid told Marc Weber of the Vancouver Province on Tuesday that Gore is “going to get an MRI and see the doctor.” . . . The Giants were without F Milan Kytnar (shoulder) and F Cass Mappin (Game 1 of two-game WHL suspension).

Regina-Lethbridge deal

2009-12-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

The Regina Pats have acquired F Carter Ashton, 18, F Craig Orfino, 19, and a 2010 third-round bantam draft pick from the Lethbridge Hurricanes for F Graham Hood, 17, prospect Taylor Balog, 15, a 2010 second-round draft pick and a 2011 first-round pick.