F Pascal Dupuis of the Pittsburgh Penguins is out of action, thanks to a second blood clot that was found in a lung. It turns out that he actually played five games with that clot hanging around, such is the hockey mentality. If you haven’t read his story, it’s right here, all in Dupuis’ words.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary season, unveiled their all-time all-star team on Friday night. The lineup features G Joey Perricone, D Travis Hamonic, D Morgan Rielly, F Troy Brouwer, F Theo Fleury and F Ryan Smyth. . . . The all-time team was selected in voting by fans.
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By the time this weekend is over, the Tri-City Americans will have turned to their fifth starting goaltender of the season. . . . Eric Comrie and Evan Sarthou, the two regulars on the roster, both are injured. Casey Kaiser, a 19-year-old from Richland, Wash., has started. Nick Sanders will be returned to the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes after he made his second straight start, this one last night against the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . Tonight, in Spokane, the Americans will start Beck Warm 15, from the major midget Vancouver North West Giants. That will be his first WHL start. Warm, who signed with the Americans on Friday, also is expected to start on Wednesday against the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald has more on Warm right here.
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F Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Portland Winterhawks is chasing a franchise record tonight against the host Seattle Thunderbirds. Mike Tokito of The Oregonian takes a look at Bjorkstrand — his past, his present and his future — right here.
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The junior B Sicamous Eagles of the Kootenay International Junior League are looking for a new head coach, which would indicate that Blair Robinson won't be back. The Eagles were 26-23-1-2 this season, good for fourth in the Doug Birks Division. They then lost a first-round playoff series in five games to the Kamloops Storm. . . . According to a news release, “Anyone applying must have at least 5 years of Junior coaching experience and have all CHA Coaching Levels, plus Speak-Out and Respect in Sports.”
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IF THE WHL PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern ConferenceBrandon vs. Edmonton
Calgary vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Medicine Hat vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Kelowna vs. Tri-City
Everett vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Vancouver
Portland vs. Seattle
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, D Ty Stanton scored two second-period goals and the Medicine Hat Tigers went on to a 2-1 victory over the Pats. . . . Stanton, who has nine goals, scored at 2:13 and 8:31. . . . Regina F Ty Cooper got his 24th goal at 18:31 of the third period. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 27 shots, 11 fewer than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-for-7 on the PP; the Pats were 0-for-4. . . . The Tigers (38-21-3) had lost their previous three games. They are second in the Central Division, two points behind Calgary. . . . The Pats (33-20-8) had been 3-0-1 in their last four. They will finish second in the East Division. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, F Brayden Point scored his 28th goal for the Warriors as they got past the Saskatoon Blades, 3-1. . . . The Warriors had a 19-3 edge in shots after one period but had only a 1-0 lead. Here’s a tweet from the Moose Jaw Times-Herald’s Matthew Gourlie on those three shots: “One shot was two feet over the net and another was by Dallas Valentine on his own net.” . . . D Dustin Perillat scored his eighth goal for Moose jaw at 6:23 of the first period. . . . Point made it 2-0 at 2:42 of the second on a PP. . . . Saskatoon F Ryan Graham scored his 17th goal at 4:50 of the third to get his guys within one. . . . Moose Jaw F Jack Rodewald got the empty-netter at 19:37. He’s got 29 goals. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko stopped 21 shots. . . . Saskatoon G Brock Hamm turned aside 37 shots. . . . Saskatoon F Cameron Hebig came up short on a third-period penalty shot with his side down 2-1. . . . F Axel Blomqvist (groin) was among Moose Jaw’s scratches. . . . Moose Jaw F Jaimen Yakubowski left in the second period favouring his left arm and didn’t return. . . . The Warriors (25-31-5) are seven points out of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining. . . . Saskatoon (18-40-4) is the first team to 40 losses this season. . . . 
In Brandon, the Kootenay Ice outscored the Wheat Kings 2-1 in the shootout to post a 3-2 victory. . . . It was the Ice’s third straight shootout game. It has won two of those games. . . . F Rihards Bukarts gave Brandon a 1-0 lead in the second round of the shootout. Ice F Matt Alfaro tied it in the third round and F Jaedon Descheneau won it in the fourth round. . . . The loser point, combined with a Regina loss at home, allowed Brandon to clinch first place in the East Division. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart opened the scoring with his 17th goal, on a PP, at 8:14 of the second period. . . . Brandon F Morgan Klimchuk tied it with his 22nd at 19:22. . . . Alfaro got his 10th at 10:42 of the third for a 2-1 Ice lead. . . . Bukharts forced OT with his 28th goal at 16:33. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley picked up an assist on Bukarts’ goal to run his point streak to 18 games. He’s got 37 points, 25 of them assists, over that stretch. . . . The Ice was 1-for-4 on the PP; Brandon was 0-for-1. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny, making his 12th straight start, stopped 35 shots. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin turned aside 32. . . . The Wheat Kings had G Alex Moodie back on the bench. He missed 11 games with a concussion. . . . Brandon still is without F Nolan Patrick, F Reid Duke and D Kale Clague with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Ice (33-27-3) has points in seven straight (5-0-2). It holds the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, seven points ahead of Edmonton. At the same time, the Ice is fourth in the Central Division, four points behind Red Deer. . . . Brandon (45-10-7) had won its previous two games. It is three points behind Kelowna, which leads the overall standings. . . . 
In Red Deer, F Brooks Maxwell scored twice to help the Rebels to a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Maxwell’s second goal, his 19th of the season, gave the Rebels a 4-1 lead at 12:18 of the second. . . . Red Deer F Scott Feser had broken a 1-1 tie with his 12th goal, on a PP, at 5:09 of the second. . . . F Luke Coleman, who joined the Raiders this week from the midget AAA Red Deer Optimist Chiefs, scored his first WHL goal at 13:50 of the second and D Jesse Lees got them to within one with his 11th goal, on a PP, at 6:03 of the third. . . . Rebels F Riley Sheen provided insurance with his 18th goal, an empty-netter, at 19:53. . . . The Rebels were 2-for-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 2-for-4. . . . F Jayden Hart, a 22-goal man, was back in the Raiders’ lineup after not having played since Jan. 30. . . . Red Deer (32-20-9) has won two in a row. It is third in the Central Division, six points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Raiders (24-34-3) have lost two straight and now are 11 points out of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining. . . .
In Kamloops, F Matt Needham broke a 2-2 tie at 16:21 of the third period and the Blazers went on to beat the Victoria Royals, 4-2. . . . Blazers F Logan McVeigh gave his side a 2-1 lead with his seventh goal at 4:28 of the third. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee scored his 18th just 33 seconds later. . . . Needham got his 21st goal when he redirected a point shot by D Brady Gaudet, who scored twice, giving him four, and added an assist. Gaudet’s second goal was an empty-netter. . . . Victoria G Justin Paulic stopped 38 shots, while Blazers G Connor Ingram made 12 saves. . . . The Blazers outshot the Royals 13-6, 14-4 and 15-4 by period. . . . The Blazers lost F Deven Sideroff with an apparent right wrist injury. He left for the dressing room at 7:47 of the third period after taking a check in to the end boards in the Victoria zone. He plays the right side on the Blazers’ top line with Needham and LW Cole Ully. Sideroff, a freshman from Summerland, B.C., has 40 points, including 16 goals, in 58 games. . . . The Blazers (23-33-6) had lost their previous four games. They are fifth in the B.C. Division, three points behind Vancouver and two behind Prince George. Vancouver is in Kamloops tonight. . . . The Royals (33-25-4) have lost two straight. They will finish second in the B.C. Division. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., G Garret Hughson stopped 28 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans, 4-0. . . . Hughson has three career shutouts. . . . D Jason Fram had three assists. . . . F Jackson Playfair’s 10th goal, at 13:11 of the first period, on a PP, stood up as the winner. . . . F Adam Helewka scored his 33rd goal in the second period; he also had an assist. . . . Tri-City F Austyn Playfair wasn’t able to beat Hughson on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Spokane was 2-for-5 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-for-5. . . . Americans G Nick Sanders stopped 21 shots. . . . Tri-City had D Brandon Carlo back in the lineup. He sat out a few games after taking a puck to the head. . . . The Chiefs (29-27-4) have won two straight. They hold the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, five points up on the Americans. . . . The Americans (27-32-3) have lost three in a row. . . . 
In Vancouver, G Michael Herringer turned aside 29 shots to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 4-0 victory over the Giants. . . . Herringer has two career shutouts. . . . F Gage Quinney scored once and drew two assists. . . . Quinney, who has 15 goals, was in on Kelowna’s first three goals, drawing the primary assist on each of the first two and scoring the third. . . . F Leon Draisaitl scored his 13th goal for the Rockets, on a first-period PP. He’s got goals in four straight games. . . . The Rockets had F Alexander Uryga, 16, in their lineup. A list player from North Vancouver, Uryga has been with the junior B North Vancouver Wolf Pack. . . . Vancouver is without F Dalton Sward (hand) indefinitely and he is team captain. In his absence, the ‘C’ is being worn by D Mason Geertsen. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle was in the lineup for the first time since undergoing an appendectomy early in February. He was backing up Michael Herringer. . . . D Josh Morrissey and F Rourke Chartier were among Kelowna’s scratches. . . . The Rockets (48-10-4) have reached 100 points for a third straight season. . . . The Giants (26-32-3) are third in the B.C. Division, one point ahead of Prince George and three up on Kamloops. . . . 
In Everett, F Carson Stadnyk had two goals and an assist as the Silvertips dumped the Calgary Hitmen, 7-2. . . . Everett took a 2-0 lead on early first-period goals by F Derek Leedahl, his 12th, at 0:34 and Stadnyk at 3:29, via the PP. . . . F Adam Tambellini got Calgary to within one at 16:09. . . . F Matt Fonteyne restored Everett’s two-goal lead with his fifth goal at 11:58 of the second. . . . Tambellini got his 44th goal, shorthanded, at 15:50 to leave Calgary trailing 3-2. . . . Everett scored the next four goals, two of them coming in the second period. . . . Stadnyk scored the game’s final goal, giving him 25. . . . F Nikita Scherbak got No. 26 for Everett and F Kohl Bauml got his 29th. . . . Everett F Ivan Nikolishin had three assists. . . . Silvertips G Carter Hart turned aside 41 shots. . . . Everett D Ben Betker was tossed at 4:23 of the third for a headshot on Calgary F Chase Lang. . . . D Kevin Davis (undisclosed injury) was among Everett’s scratches. . . . Everett (37-18-7) leads the U.S. Division by four points over Portland. . . . Calgary (38-19-5) had won nine straight on the road and six in a row overall. The Hitmen, who lead the Central Division by two points over Medicine Hat, had won four straight in the U.S Division. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., F Jansen Harkins scored 33 seconds into OT to give the Prince George Cougars a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Harkins, who also had three assists, has 19 goals. . . . Cougars F Jordan Ross, an 18-year-old from Kronau, Sask., scored his first WHL goal, in his 21st game, at 17:57 of the second period to force OT. . . . Seattle held a 3-1 lead in the second period when Seattle D Evan Wardley was hit with a triple minor. Four seconds later, Seattle D Jerret Smith was hit with a delay-of-game minor. . . . Cougars F Zach Pochiro then scored PP goals 39 seconds apart to tie the game. . . . Seattle F Luke Osterman gave his side a 4-3 lead with his second goal of the season at 14:44 of the second. . . . Pochiro also had two assists, as did Cougars D Josh Connolly. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal had two assists. . . . Prince George was 3-for-7 on the PP; Seattle was 2-for-6. . . . The Thunderbirds held a 20-3 edge in first-period shots but led only 1-0. . . . Seattle took 57 of the game’s 102 penalty minutes. . . . The Cougars (25-33-4) have won two in a row to get within a point of third-place Vancouver in the B.C. Division. . . . The Thunderbirds (31-23-7) have lost two straight. They are third in the U.S. Division, seven points behind Portland and eight ahead of Spokane.———
SATURDAY’S GAMES
(all times local)Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Regina at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Lethbridge at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Calgary at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Prince George at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
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@NickHPatterson tell the copy editors @EverettHerald I got their headline for tomorrow... HART OWNS HITMEN Thank you I'll show myself out
— Tips After The Game (@TipsATG) February 28, 2015
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