Scout
03-12-2008, 07:28 AM
with Gregg Drinnan
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
That's it for Tuesday. . . .
The Western Major Junior Hockey Writers Association’s weekly ranking of WHL teams, showing ranking, last ranking, first-place votes and total points (22 for first, 21 for second, etc.):
Rank (last week), team (first-place votes), total points
1. (3) Spokane Chiefs (14) 328
2. (1) Tri-City Americans (1) 310
3. (2) Vancouver Giants 307
4. (4) Calgary Hitmen 281
5. (5) Lethbridge Hurricanes 260
6. (7) Kootenay Ice 249
7. (6) Regina Pats 240
8. (8) Medicine Hat Tigers 232
9. (10) Seattle Thunderbirds 212
10. (13) Everett Silvertips 178
T11. (11) Moose Jaw Warriors 175
T11. (9) Brandon Wheat Kings 175
13. (12) Swift Current Broncos 166
14. (14) Kelowna Rockets 138
15. (17) Saskatoon Blades 119
16. (15) Chilliwack Bruins 104
17. (18) Prince Albert Raiders 85
18. (16) Kamloops Blazers 82
19. (19) Edmonton Oil Kings 62
20. (21) Prince George Cougars 39
21. (20) Red Deer Rebels 38
22. (22) Portland Winter Hawks 15
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Here’s a look at fines paid by teams this season, showing number of fines and total amount paid:
Regina 8/$4,500
Saskatoon 6/$3,500
Moose Jaw 3/$3,250
Portland 4/$1,000
Edmonton 2/$750
Lethbridge 1/$500
Brandon 1/$250
Chilliwack 1/$250
Medicine Hat 1/$250
Prince George 1/$250
Seattle 1/$250
Spokane 1/$250
TOTALS 30/$15,000
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JUST NOTES: LW Jamie Benn is expected to return to the Kelowna Rockets’ lineup Wednesday as they play host to the Chilliwack Bruins. Benn, who has 29 goals, has missed 17 games with a sprained ankle. The Rockets, who are fifth in goals scored after actually leading the league five weeks ago, went 6-10-0-1 in his absence. Kelowna has 15 goals in its last 10 games, during which time it is 3-7-0-0. . . . The game also features the WHL’s top two point-getters — Kelowna C Colin Long, with 96, has a two-point lead on Chilliwack LW Mark Santorelli. . . . For the second time this season, Dustin Tokarski of the Spokane Chiefs is the ADT CHL goaltender of the week, after going 2-0-0-0 with a 0.50 GAA, a .983 save percentage and one shutout last week. On the season, his numbers are 29-9-0-3, 2.03 and .923. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes have been fined $500 for failing to have players available to the media following a 5-3 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncos on March 7. . . .
F Garry Nunn of the Vancouver Giants has a strained rotator cuff and won’t play in his club’s last three regular-season games this weekend. He is expected to be ready to play when the Giants open the playoffs at home on March 21. He has 29 points in 35 games since joining the Giants from the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. . . . With D Neil Manning (wrist) likely done for the season, the Giants have added D Mitch Spooner, the 19th overall selection in the 2007 bantam draft, to their roster. He spent the season with the major midget Vancouver-North East Giants. . . . D Taylor Ellington of the Everett Silvertips, who has missed six weeks with a broken bone in a foot, has the OK to return to skating. RW Dan Gendur and D Tyler Kieffer () should play Wednesday against the visiting Tri-City Americans. Gendur was fighting a flu bug, while Kieffer had one of those dreaded and gawd-awful upper-body injuries. F Kyle Beach won’t be in Everett’s lineup against Tri-City as he is experiencing swelling in his face after being struck by a puck Saturday in Vancouver. . . .
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TUESDAY IN THE WHL:
In Red Deer, F Travis Dunstall scored twice and set up a third goal to help the Tigers to a 4-1 victory over the Rebels. . . . The Tigers (42-21-5-2) won their fifth straight. They moved into a tie for third with the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference. . . . They are four points behind the first-place Calgary Hitmen and one ahead of the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Rebels (18-45-4-3), who are winding down the second-poorest season in franchise history, have lost four straight. . . . The Tigers went 6-0-0-0 against the Rebels this season, outscoring them 22-9 in the process. . . . Medicine Hat G Ryan Holfeld stopped 17 shots. He lost his shutout bid when F Troy Ofukany scored a shorthanded goal at 14:34 of the third period. . . . Dunstall also had a scrap, with D Cullen Morin, for the Gordie Howe hat trick. . . . Medicine Hat has two games left, both against Lethbridge.
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WEDNESDAY’S KEY GAME: The Lethbridge Hurricanes are in Cranbrook to play the Kootenay Ice. Lethbridge (43-20-2-3) is tied for third in the Eastern Conference with the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Ice (41-20-5-3) is one point behind those two teams. Lethbridge has won two straight; the Ice is 8-0-1-1 in its last 10. The Ice holds a 4-1-0-0 edge in the season series, but the Hurricanes won the last meeting, 7-1, in Lethbridge. . . . Also on tap: Spokane at Kamloops, Tri-City at Everett, Prince Albert at Brandon, Chilliwack at Kelowna.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
That's it for Tuesday. . . .
The Western Major Junior Hockey Writers Association’s weekly ranking of WHL teams, showing ranking, last ranking, first-place votes and total points (22 for first, 21 for second, etc.):
Rank (last week), team (first-place votes), total points
1. (3) Spokane Chiefs (14) 328
2. (1) Tri-City Americans (1) 310
3. (2) Vancouver Giants 307
4. (4) Calgary Hitmen 281
5. (5) Lethbridge Hurricanes 260
6. (7) Kootenay Ice 249
7. (6) Regina Pats 240
8. (8) Medicine Hat Tigers 232
9. (10) Seattle Thunderbirds 212
10. (13) Everett Silvertips 178
T11. (11) Moose Jaw Warriors 175
T11. (9) Brandon Wheat Kings 175
13. (12) Swift Current Broncos 166
14. (14) Kelowna Rockets 138
15. (17) Saskatoon Blades 119
16. (15) Chilliwack Bruins 104
17. (18) Prince Albert Raiders 85
18. (16) Kamloops Blazers 82
19. (19) Edmonton Oil Kings 62
20. (21) Prince George Cougars 39
21. (20) Red Deer Rebels 38
22. (22) Portland Winter Hawks 15
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Here’s a look at fines paid by teams this season, showing number of fines and total amount paid:
Regina 8/$4,500
Saskatoon 6/$3,500
Moose Jaw 3/$3,250
Portland 4/$1,000
Edmonton 2/$750
Lethbridge 1/$500
Brandon 1/$250
Chilliwack 1/$250
Medicine Hat 1/$250
Prince George 1/$250
Seattle 1/$250
Spokane 1/$250
TOTALS 30/$15,000
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JUST NOTES: LW Jamie Benn is expected to return to the Kelowna Rockets’ lineup Wednesday as they play host to the Chilliwack Bruins. Benn, who has 29 goals, has missed 17 games with a sprained ankle. The Rockets, who are fifth in goals scored after actually leading the league five weeks ago, went 6-10-0-1 in his absence. Kelowna has 15 goals in its last 10 games, during which time it is 3-7-0-0. . . . The game also features the WHL’s top two point-getters — Kelowna C Colin Long, with 96, has a two-point lead on Chilliwack LW Mark Santorelli. . . . For the second time this season, Dustin Tokarski of the Spokane Chiefs is the ADT CHL goaltender of the week, after going 2-0-0-0 with a 0.50 GAA, a .983 save percentage and one shutout last week. On the season, his numbers are 29-9-0-3, 2.03 and .923. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes have been fined $500 for failing to have players available to the media following a 5-3 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncos on March 7. . . .
F Garry Nunn of the Vancouver Giants has a strained rotator cuff and won’t play in his club’s last three regular-season games this weekend. He is expected to be ready to play when the Giants open the playoffs at home on March 21. He has 29 points in 35 games since joining the Giants from the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. . . . With D Neil Manning (wrist) likely done for the season, the Giants have added D Mitch Spooner, the 19th overall selection in the 2007 bantam draft, to their roster. He spent the season with the major midget Vancouver-North East Giants. . . . D Taylor Ellington of the Everett Silvertips, who has missed six weeks with a broken bone in a foot, has the OK to return to skating. RW Dan Gendur and D Tyler Kieffer () should play Wednesday against the visiting Tri-City Americans. Gendur was fighting a flu bug, while Kieffer had one of those dreaded and gawd-awful upper-body injuries. F Kyle Beach won’t be in Everett’s lineup against Tri-City as he is experiencing swelling in his face after being struck by a puck Saturday in Vancouver. . . .
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TUESDAY IN THE WHL:
In Red Deer, F Travis Dunstall scored twice and set up a third goal to help the Tigers to a 4-1 victory over the Rebels. . . . The Tigers (42-21-5-2) won their fifth straight. They moved into a tie for third with the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference. . . . They are four points behind the first-place Calgary Hitmen and one ahead of the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Rebels (18-45-4-3), who are winding down the second-poorest season in franchise history, have lost four straight. . . . The Tigers went 6-0-0-0 against the Rebels this season, outscoring them 22-9 in the process. . . . Medicine Hat G Ryan Holfeld stopped 17 shots. He lost his shutout bid when F Troy Ofukany scored a shorthanded goal at 14:34 of the third period. . . . Dunstall also had a scrap, with D Cullen Morin, for the Gordie Howe hat trick. . . . Medicine Hat has two games left, both against Lethbridge.
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WEDNESDAY’S KEY GAME: The Lethbridge Hurricanes are in Cranbrook to play the Kootenay Ice. Lethbridge (43-20-2-3) is tied for third in the Eastern Conference with the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Ice (41-20-5-3) is one point behind those two teams. Lethbridge has won two straight; the Ice is 8-0-1-1 in its last 10. The Ice holds a 4-1-0-0 edge in the season series, but the Hurricanes won the last meeting, 7-1, in Lethbridge. . . . Also on tap: Spokane at Kamloops, Tri-City at Everett, Prince Albert at Brandon, Chilliwack at Kelowna.