Scout
12-01-2008, 05:53 AM
with Gregg Drinnan
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Have I mentioned lately how much I hate loser points?
Well, let us pause for a few moments to consider the case of the Columbia Valley Rockies, a junior B team from Invermere, B.C., that plays in the Kootenay International junior league.
Now . . . I don’t have anything against the Rockies. Nothing at all.
But consider that the Rockies have lost six of their last 11 games. You would think that would mean they are under .500 in their last 11 games. Right? Actually, thanks to today’s goofy rules, you would be wrong.
You see, the Rockies have been in five straight shootouts and they have lost them all. Furthermore, they have been in six shootouts in their last seven games — they are 2-0-5 (the KIJHL puts OT and shootout losses in the same category in its standings) over that stretch.
Get this! In their last 11 games, the Rockies are 5-0-6. That means they have picked up 16 points in their last 11 games even though they have lost six of those games.
Going into those 11 games, there were 22 points up for grabs — so you could say the Rockies earned 16 of a possible 22 points.
Except that only five of those games turned out to be two-pointers, while six ended up being three-pointers. Which means you also could say the Rockies picked up 16 of 28 points.
Except that one team can’t get three points for a victory.
Ahh, the whole thing is a mess.
Yes, it’s time to stop handing out loser points like suckers on Halloween.
———
The Kelowna Rockets have dealt D Riley McIntosh, 18, to the Tri-City Americans for a fifth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. The Rockets selected McIntosh, a 6-foot-5, 205-pounder from Coquitlam, B.C., with the 39th pick of the 2005 draft. “This move will allow Riley to get more ice time with a very good hockey club,” Kelowna GM Bruce Hamilton said in a release. “He’s a third-year defenceman and this will give him a better chance to succeed in the Western Hockey League.” McIntosh had seven points and 70 penalty minutes in 104 games with the Rockets. . . . The Chilliwack Bruins now have gone more than three complete games without scoring on the Kelowna Rockets. The Rockets posted back-to-back shutouts — 5-0 and 6-0 — in late October and beat the Bruins 3-0 on Saturday night. Kelowna freshman G Adam Brown put up the first two shutouts; veteran Kris Lazaruk earned the blank job Saturday. Chilliwack is back in Kelowna on Dec. 6 and goes into that one knowing it hasn't scored on the Rockets in 185 minutes 57 seconds. The last time the Bruins scored versus Kelowna was March 12.
———
C Jordan Weal was a healthy scratch Saturday as the Regina Pats beat the Cougars 7-1 in Prince George. Weal is a 16-year-old who leads all freshmen WHLers in assists (25) and points (34). “There were indications of him getting a little bit tired,” Regina head coach Dale Derkatch told the Regina Leader-Post. “Like any of the other players, there’s a time when I have to do that. I knew this was going to be a tough thing for him, because he had never been sat before in his life. It happens to everyone. Honestly, I think you learn a lot from watching the game. Coupled with feeling a little bit tired, he was starting to take shortcuts on the ice a little bit and not doing the little things, which is understandable. He’s16. We had a good talk and I am sure he’ll come back with a very good effort.” . . . The Pats continue their B.C. tour against the Bruins in Chilliwack on Tuesday. . . . The Pats are without D Mike Scarborough, who suffered a broken nose and a concussion in Friday’s 8-5 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops. He will be out at least two weeks and perhaps won’t play again until after the Christmas break. . . . Regina has brought in D Myles Bell, 15, and D Tyler Pankovich, 15. Bell, who plays for a midget AAA team in Calgary, was the 17th overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft, while Pankovich, from Abbotsford, B.C., was taken in the ninth round.
———
The Edmonton Oil Kings won two home games on the weekend — 4-0 over the Moose Jaw Warriors and 5-3 over the Prince Albert Raiders — and now are riding a four-game winning streak. . . . The Oil Kings (13-14-1-3) are eighth in the 12-team Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (14-12-0-1), who hold four games in hand. . . . While the Raiders have lost eight straight, the Oil Kings tied a franchise record with their fourth straight victory. Of course, their history started last season. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that Giants head coach Don Hay is thinking about giving D Jon Blum some extra work. So opposing teams shouldn’t be startled if they see Blum taking a spin or two on the right side with C Evander Kane and LW Casey Pierro-Zabotel, who just happen to be two of the WHL’s leading scorers. Blum saw some time there during a 5-3 loss to the host Tri-City Americans on Saturday and Hay apparently liked what he saw. He should have as the trio scored two goals. . . . Vancouver, now 21-2-0-3, is at home to Regina on Wednesday night. . . . Kane had his 22-game point streak end on Saturday night. It turns out he originally was credited with an assist on a Pierro-Zabotel goal. But after the game that assist was credited to Blum.
———
The Calgary Hitmen dumped the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings 4-1 in front of 18,105 fans on Sunday. Yes, it was the annual Teddy Bear Game. And, after F Brandon Kozun scored Calgary’s first goal at 7:47 of the first period, fans responded by tossing more than 22,000 stuffed toys — the unofficial count is 22,722 — onto the ice surface. The game was delayed about 30 minutes as volunteers cleared the ice. . . . The Hitmen (24-4-1-0) have won 11 straight games. . . . Calgary opens a five-game U.S. Division swing on Wednesday in Spokane against the Chiefs. . . . The Saskatoon Blades beat the Cougars 7-3 in Prince George on Sunday before 2,054 fans, the smallest crowd in the CN Centre which the franchise moved into for the 1995-96 season.
Scout
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Have I mentioned lately how much I hate loser points?
Well, let us pause for a few moments to consider the case of the Columbia Valley Rockies, a junior B team from Invermere, B.C., that plays in the Kootenay International junior league.
Now . . . I don’t have anything against the Rockies. Nothing at all.
But consider that the Rockies have lost six of their last 11 games. You would think that would mean they are under .500 in their last 11 games. Right? Actually, thanks to today’s goofy rules, you would be wrong.
You see, the Rockies have been in five straight shootouts and they have lost them all. Furthermore, they have been in six shootouts in their last seven games — they are 2-0-5 (the KIJHL puts OT and shootout losses in the same category in its standings) over that stretch.
Get this! In their last 11 games, the Rockies are 5-0-6. That means they have picked up 16 points in their last 11 games even though they have lost six of those games.
Going into those 11 games, there were 22 points up for grabs — so you could say the Rockies earned 16 of a possible 22 points.
Except that only five of those games turned out to be two-pointers, while six ended up being three-pointers. Which means you also could say the Rockies picked up 16 of 28 points.
Except that one team can’t get three points for a victory.
Ahh, the whole thing is a mess.
Yes, it’s time to stop handing out loser points like suckers on Halloween.
———
The Kelowna Rockets have dealt D Riley McIntosh, 18, to the Tri-City Americans for a fifth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. The Rockets selected McIntosh, a 6-foot-5, 205-pounder from Coquitlam, B.C., with the 39th pick of the 2005 draft. “This move will allow Riley to get more ice time with a very good hockey club,” Kelowna GM Bruce Hamilton said in a release. “He’s a third-year defenceman and this will give him a better chance to succeed in the Western Hockey League.” McIntosh had seven points and 70 penalty minutes in 104 games with the Rockets. . . . The Chilliwack Bruins now have gone more than three complete games without scoring on the Kelowna Rockets. The Rockets posted back-to-back shutouts — 5-0 and 6-0 — in late October and beat the Bruins 3-0 on Saturday night. Kelowna freshman G Adam Brown put up the first two shutouts; veteran Kris Lazaruk earned the blank job Saturday. Chilliwack is back in Kelowna on Dec. 6 and goes into that one knowing it hasn't scored on the Rockets in 185 minutes 57 seconds. The last time the Bruins scored versus Kelowna was March 12.
———
C Jordan Weal was a healthy scratch Saturday as the Regina Pats beat the Cougars 7-1 in Prince George. Weal is a 16-year-old who leads all freshmen WHLers in assists (25) and points (34). “There were indications of him getting a little bit tired,” Regina head coach Dale Derkatch told the Regina Leader-Post. “Like any of the other players, there’s a time when I have to do that. I knew this was going to be a tough thing for him, because he had never been sat before in his life. It happens to everyone. Honestly, I think you learn a lot from watching the game. Coupled with feeling a little bit tired, he was starting to take shortcuts on the ice a little bit and not doing the little things, which is understandable. He’s16. We had a good talk and I am sure he’ll come back with a very good effort.” . . . The Pats continue their B.C. tour against the Bruins in Chilliwack on Tuesday. . . . The Pats are without D Mike Scarborough, who suffered a broken nose and a concussion in Friday’s 8-5 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops. He will be out at least two weeks and perhaps won’t play again until after the Christmas break. . . . Regina has brought in D Myles Bell, 15, and D Tyler Pankovich, 15. Bell, who plays for a midget AAA team in Calgary, was the 17th overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft, while Pankovich, from Abbotsford, B.C., was taken in the ninth round.
———
The Edmonton Oil Kings won two home games on the weekend — 4-0 over the Moose Jaw Warriors and 5-3 over the Prince Albert Raiders — and now are riding a four-game winning streak. . . . The Oil Kings (13-14-1-3) are eighth in the 12-team Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (14-12-0-1), who hold four games in hand. . . . While the Raiders have lost eight straight, the Oil Kings tied a franchise record with their fourth straight victory. Of course, their history started last season. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that Giants head coach Don Hay is thinking about giving D Jon Blum some extra work. So opposing teams shouldn’t be startled if they see Blum taking a spin or two on the right side with C Evander Kane and LW Casey Pierro-Zabotel, who just happen to be two of the WHL’s leading scorers. Blum saw some time there during a 5-3 loss to the host Tri-City Americans on Saturday and Hay apparently liked what he saw. He should have as the trio scored two goals. . . . Vancouver, now 21-2-0-3, is at home to Regina on Wednesday night. . . . Kane had his 22-game point streak end on Saturday night. It turns out he originally was credited with an assist on a Pierro-Zabotel goal. But after the game that assist was credited to Blum.
———
The Calgary Hitmen dumped the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings 4-1 in front of 18,105 fans on Sunday. Yes, it was the annual Teddy Bear Game. And, after F Brandon Kozun scored Calgary’s first goal at 7:47 of the first period, fans responded by tossing more than 22,000 stuffed toys — the unofficial count is 22,722 — onto the ice surface. The game was delayed about 30 minutes as volunteers cleared the ice. . . . The Hitmen (24-4-1-0) have won 11 straight games. . . . Calgary opens a five-game U.S. Division swing on Wednesday in Spokane against the Chiefs. . . . The Saskatoon Blades beat the Cougars 7-3 in Prince George on Sunday before 2,054 fans, the smallest crowd in the CN Centre which the franchise moved into for the 1995-96 season.
Scout