Following a few weeks of the Bantams and a week at the coast, we’re back
The Score – Spokane 2 – Kootenay 4
What Happened – The Ice goal some good goaltending – it’s rare when they don’t get that – and a fine time for Dylen McKinlay to notch his first-ever WHL hat-trick.
The Turning Point – They wouldn’t need the last second heroics on this night. Less than three minutes after the Chiefs tied it on the power play Joe Antilla took a pass and skated down the left-wing. His shot managed to beat Engel that the Chief goaltender definitely wanted back.
The Goals – Early in the second off a neutral zone face-off Jesse Ismond poked the puck past a committed Chief D-man that caused a short 2-on-1. Ismond fed a net-charging McKinlay who potted his 12th for a 1-0 lead… Liam Stewart – he’s Rod-the-bod’s boy – burst into the Ice zone with speed and made a move on Jagger Dirk before shooting. Lieuwen made the save but couldn’t stop Holmberg from ripping the rebound by him. 1-1… The Ice regained their one-goal lead on a good forecheck by Jesse Ismond who intercepted a clear on the half-wall and found McKinley in the slot. He ripped his 13th and second of the night past Engel for a 2-1 lead… For all their chances it was the Chiefs who tied it 8:36 into the 3rd with Leach in the box for slashing. Brenden Kichton’s point-shot deflected off of Czerwonka kneeling down to block it and behind Lieuwen. 2-2… Ice regained the lead this time off a break-in with Joe Antilla on a snap-shot off the wing. Looking for a puck on the net for a rebound, Antilla got his 10th of the season when Engel gloved it, only to have it go off his glove and over him into the back of the net. 3-2… McKinley finished the Hattie when he corralled a pass – yes, Ismond fed this one too – at the far post that he initially missed but managed to bang in to make it 4-2 late in the 3rd.
The Flurry – Early in the 3rd the Ice came out red-hot and pinned the Chiefs in their own end for three consecutive shifts. Ismond missed on a glorious chance and Sam hit the cross-bar. For all those chances only two shots registered. For all their momentum, minutes later the Chiefs scored to tie the game on the power play.
The Hit – Ice Captain Drew Czerwonka threw the biggest hit of the game down low on Chiefs winger Collin Valcourt in the first period, drawing a loud reaction from the Ice faithful.
The Tough Guy Kramer – The WHL’s fight leader with 21 this season and reigning heavyweight started hard early but became a non-factor as the game wore on. The Chief’s captain intimidates with his size and reputation but with no fights to be had on this night, the 5th round pick of the Ottawa Senators last June wasn’t the Milan Lucic-type for the Chiefs.
The Injuries - The young Ice have soldiered on without leaders like Luke Paulsen, Max Reinhart and Drew Czerwonka over the last few weeks. Czerwonka's back and Reinhart could play Tuesday while Paulsen may be back for the weekend.
The Crowd – 2838
Rec Plex Three Stars
1. RW Dylen McKinlay – Puck is starting to go in for the 19-year-old, Hat-trick
2. LW Jesse Ismond – Set-up man with three helpers
3. G Nathan Lieuwen – Stellar, again.
What it means – The Ice improve to 29-15-4-4 on the season with 65 points, now in 5th in the traffic jam that is the Eastern Conference standings.
Up Next: They’ll have Tuesday’s ‘Hooky’ for hockey day in Edmonton as the area school kids get to go to the game during school hours. Gametime is 11:30AM at Rexall Place in Edmonton as the Ice try to claw away at the Oil King’s 9 point conference lead.
Summary:
Chiefs 2 @ Ice 4
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for playoff game between the Spokane Chiefs and the Kootenay Ice; February 4, 2012
Dylen McKinley notched his first-ever WHL hat-trick as the Ice downed the Spokane Chiefs 4-2 in WHL action Saturday night.
After a scoreless first period McKinley got his 12th of the season on a feed from Jesse Ismond on a short 2-on-1, pushing a shot past Chief goaltender Mac Engel to make it 1-0. The Chiefs tied it on Mitch Holmberg's 22nd of the season five minutes later but at the 17:24 mark Ismond intercepted a clearing pass and fed McKinley who ripped his 13th of the season past Engel to give the Ice a 2-1 lead going into the 3rd.
Brenden Kichton's 12th of the season with the Chiefs on the power play tied it 8:36 into the 3rd three minutes before Joe Antilla got his 10th of the season on a shot Engel didn't get all of his glove on as it went up and over him for the eventual game-winner. McKinley finished off the hat-trick and the Chiefs with a tap-in late in the game for a 4-2 final.
Nathan Lieuwen stopped 28 of 30 shots for the win while Engel stopped 16 of 20 shots in taking the loss.
First Period
No Scoring.
Penalties -- Kramer Spo (roughing) Dirk Ktn (high-sticking) 11:45, Kichton Spo (tripping) 18:34.
Second Period
1. Kootenay, McKinley 12 (Ismond) 2:22
2. Spokane, Holmberg 21 (Stewart, Fram) 7:10
3. Kootenay, McKinley 13 (Ismond) 17:24
Penalties -- Czerwonka Ktn (high-sticking) 7:21, Antilla Ktn (holding) 18:17.
Third Period
4. Spokane, Kichton 12 (Gal, Uher) 8:36 (pp)
5. Kootenay, Antilla 10 (Benoit, Montgomery) 11:14
6. Kootenay, McKinley 14 (Ismond, Leach) 18:17
Penalties -- Wedman Spo (holding) 1:29, Leach Ktn (slashing) 7:33.
Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 4 8 8 - 20
Spokane: 11 9 10 - 30
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (W, 22-11-4-2); Spokane: Mac Engel (L, 22-14-1-2).
Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 0-2
Spokane: 1-3
Referee -- Sean Raphael, Pat Smith. Linesman -- Jeff Jobson, Ian Shaver.
Attendance -- 2838 (4264)
Scratches --
Kootenay: Luke Paulsen (concussion - 1-2 weeks), Max Reinhart (foot - day-to-day), Levi Cable.
Spokane: Tanner Mort, Reid Gow, Corbin Baldwin (game two of two-game suspension).
Summary courtesy Jeff Bromley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Ice drop two straight, lose to Canes
"Opportunities always look bigger going than coming." - Anonymous
For the 2011-12 edition of the defending WHL champion Kootenay Ice, games such as Wednesday night's in Lethbridge are going to be looked back upon as missed opportunity.
The Ice let slip away leads of 3-1 and 4-2 en route to a 5-4 loss to the Canes and now find themselves even deeper into the crowded pool that is the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist as did Jesse Ismond, while John Neibrandt and Joe Antilla also scored. Mackenzie Skapski stopped 22 of 27 in a losing cause. The Hurricanes capitalized on some Ice penalty trouble in the third with two power play goals by Sutter and Tot, who got the game-winner.
Sitting 4th with 60 points and a 27-15-3-3 record, the Ice are now but a point clear of the Saskatoon Blades and the red-hot Calgary Hitmen - who they'll play five times before now and the end of the season - and two points ahead of the Regina Pats who currently occupy 7th. The Wheat Kings sit nine points back in the 8th and final playoff spot.
Not withstanding the 1-0 home loss Tuesday night to the Wheaties, after dismantling them on home ice 7-3 three nights prior, it is losses to the Canes in 11th-place that could do the most damage, especially when the two points is there for the taking with a couple of two-goal leads.
Missing F Drew Czerwonka (1-2 weeks, upper body) and D Luke Paulsen (concussion, 2-3 weeks) and now leading scorer Max Reinhart who is out with a minor injury after blocking a shot Tuesday and missed Wednesday's game in Lethbridge, three 19-year-old impact players out of the line-up at a crucial stretch could prove costly to the club.
Reinhart isn't expected to play this weekend with the club hosting the last-place Prince Albert Raiders (another lost opportunity in their previous meeting in PA when the Ice once again saw a big lead melt away) tonight at the Rec Plex and Saturday travel to Spokane for a date with the Chiefs.
But such is the ways of a team competing but rebuilding almost simultaneously. Players like 16-year-old Sam Reinhart playing minutes almost exclusively reserved for 19-year-olds anywhere else. Rookies Jon Martin, Jaedon Descheneau and on the blueline Mike Simpson, Jeff Hubic and Spencer Wand (dash-3 against the Canes) are facing a steep learning curve as the season gets longer, tougher and more intense that anything they're used to.
And while Sam's re-writing of the Ice rookie record book continues with his goal and assist Wednesday that gave him 17 goals on the season - eclipsing Czerwonka's rookie total of 16 four years ago - and 42 points on the season to move past Steve McCarthy's rookie mark set in Edmonton in 97-98 - it will be interesting to see how the young players react to the next level they'll face in the coming weeks as the playoff race tightens and the pressure cooker heats up.
The pressure on the 20-year-olds - Jesse Ismond and Joe Antilla, to be more precise, is on for them to pick up the slack left by the injuries. Both have started to score of late.
Wednesday's highlites are here while there's a write up here.
For the 2011-12 edition of the defending WHL champion Kootenay Ice, games such as Wednesday night's in Lethbridge are going to be looked back upon as missed opportunity.
The Ice let slip away leads of 3-1 and 4-2 en route to a 5-4 loss to the Canes and now find themselves even deeper into the crowded pool that is the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist as did Jesse Ismond, while John Neibrandt and Joe Antilla also scored. Mackenzie Skapski stopped 22 of 27 in a losing cause. The Hurricanes capitalized on some Ice penalty trouble in the third with two power play goals by Sutter and Tot, who got the game-winner.
Sitting 4th with 60 points and a 27-15-3-3 record, the Ice are now but a point clear of the Saskatoon Blades and the red-hot Calgary Hitmen - who they'll play five times before now and the end of the season - and two points ahead of the Regina Pats who currently occupy 7th. The Wheat Kings sit nine points back in the 8th and final playoff spot.
Not withstanding the 1-0 home loss Tuesday night to the Wheaties, after dismantling them on home ice 7-3 three nights prior, it is losses to the Canes in 11th-place that could do the most damage, especially when the two points is there for the taking with a couple of two-goal leads.
Missing F Drew Czerwonka (1-2 weeks, upper body) and D Luke Paulsen (concussion, 2-3 weeks) and now leading scorer Max Reinhart who is out with a minor injury after blocking a shot Tuesday and missed Wednesday's game in Lethbridge, three 19-year-old impact players out of the line-up at a crucial stretch could prove costly to the club.
Reinhart isn't expected to play this weekend with the club hosting the last-place Prince Albert Raiders (another lost opportunity in their previous meeting in PA when the Ice once again saw a big lead melt away) tonight at the Rec Plex and Saturday travel to Spokane for a date with the Chiefs.
But such is the ways of a team competing but rebuilding almost simultaneously. Players like 16-year-old Sam Reinhart playing minutes almost exclusively reserved for 19-year-olds anywhere else. Rookies Jon Martin, Jaedon Descheneau and on the blueline Mike Simpson, Jeff Hubic and Spencer Wand (dash-3 against the Canes) are facing a steep learning curve as the season gets longer, tougher and more intense that anything they're used to.
And while Sam's re-writing of the Ice rookie record book continues with his goal and assist Wednesday that gave him 17 goals on the season - eclipsing Czerwonka's rookie total of 16 four years ago - and 42 points on the season to move past Steve McCarthy's rookie mark set in Edmonton in 97-98 - it will be interesting to see how the young players react to the next level they'll face in the coming weeks as the playoff race tightens and the pressure cooker heats up.
The pressure on the 20-year-olds - Jesse Ismond and Joe Antilla, to be more precise, is on for them to pick up the slack left by the injuries. Both have started to score of late.
Wednesday's highlites are here while there's a write up here.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Wheat Kings here in home-end of home and home
The Brandon Wheat Kings made the 18-hour bus ride to Cranbrook for tonight's rematch of Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Ice in Brandon. Former Ice head coach Cory Clouston makes his return début as an opposing coach for the first time.
Gametime is 7PM at the Rec Plex.
The Ice are coming off a 7-3 win over the Wheaties Saturday in which Mackenzie Skapski made 33 saves for the win. Highlites are here.
Jesse Ismond scored twice as did Levi Cable. For Ismond it broke a scoring drought of some 15 games dating back to December 4 against Swift Current.
Cable, with two goals, is the second rookie to score two in as many games with Jon Martin notching a couple in the 6-5OT loss to Moose Jaw Friday.
The Ice were missing D Luke Paulsen (concussion) and F Drew Czerwonka (upper-body) and both aren't expected to play tonight. Paulsen is still indefinite and Czerwonka will be another two weeks.
Coming off a five-game road trip in which the club got eight of a possible ten points the Ice were 3-0-2 on the trip, with four of five games going to extra-time or a shootout. They sit tied for 3rd in the tight Eastern Conference with the Tigers, with a 27-13-3-3 record, two points back of the Warriors and nine back of the Central Division and Conference leading Edmonton Oil Kings.
F Max Reinhart has crept into the top 20 in WHL scoring, sitting 16th with 57 points (20 goals and 37 assists) and has 8 assists in his last four games.
F Sam Reinhart hasn't quite hold the team record for goals scored by a rookie 16-year--old yet. Seems F Drew Czerwonka might have something to say about it as he hit 16 in 08-09. F Nigel Dawes had 15 in 01-02. Sam now has 16 on the season and will break Czerwonka's mark with his next goal.
Former Ice forward Matt Fraser will make his NHL debut tonight for the Dallas Stars after being called up from the AHL Texas Stars where his second in team scoring with 21g and 14a for 35 points in 40 games, good for 22nd in the AHL. There's a story in the Dallas Morning News here.
G Peyton Lee made the most of his début with the Vancouver Giants. The 15-year-old goaltender from Cranbrook - who plays with the Pursuit of Excellence Midget program in Kelowna - was drafted by the Giants in the second round (28th overall) last May and was called up with the concussion injury to starter Adam Morrison and some indifferent play by back-up Jackson Whistle, hence the two starts over the weekend by Lee.
The Cranbrook Minor Hockey product stopped 24 of 26 shots Sunday in a 3-2 win over Seattle and 19 of 22 shots in a 4-3 win over Everett. There's highlites and coverage here, here and here.
For those who wondered, G Nathan Lieuwen's save against Edmonton did make the WHL Plays of the Week.
Mackenzie Skapski's toe-save in Brandon will likely get some consideration for Friday's version.
Gametime is 7PM at the Rec Plex.
The Ice are coming off a 7-3 win over the Wheaties Saturday in which Mackenzie Skapski made 33 saves for the win. Highlites are here.
Jesse Ismond scored twice as did Levi Cable. For Ismond it broke a scoring drought of some 15 games dating back to December 4 against Swift Current.
Cable, with two goals, is the second rookie to score two in as many games with Jon Martin notching a couple in the 6-5OT loss to Moose Jaw Friday.
The Ice were missing D Luke Paulsen (concussion) and F Drew Czerwonka (upper-body) and both aren't expected to play tonight. Paulsen is still indefinite and Czerwonka will be another two weeks.
Coming off a five-game road trip in which the club got eight of a possible ten points the Ice were 3-0-2 on the trip, with four of five games going to extra-time or a shootout. They sit tied for 3rd in the tight Eastern Conference with the Tigers, with a 27-13-3-3 record, two points back of the Warriors and nine back of the Central Division and Conference leading Edmonton Oil Kings.
F Max Reinhart has crept into the top 20 in WHL scoring, sitting 16th with 57 points (20 goals and 37 assists) and has 8 assists in his last four games.
F Sam Reinhart hasn't quite hold the team record for goals scored by a rookie 16-year--old yet. Seems F Drew Czerwonka might have something to say about it as he hit 16 in 08-09. F Nigel Dawes had 15 in 01-02. Sam now has 16 on the season and will break Czerwonka's mark with his next goal.
Former Ice forward Matt Fraser will make his NHL debut tonight for the Dallas Stars after being called up from the AHL Texas Stars where his second in team scoring with 21g and 14a for 35 points in 40 games, good for 22nd in the AHL. There's a story in the Dallas Morning News here.
G Peyton Lee made the most of his début with the Vancouver Giants. The 15-year-old goaltender from Cranbrook - who plays with the Pursuit of Excellence Midget program in Kelowna - was drafted by the Giants in the second round (28th overall) last May and was called up with the concussion injury to starter Adam Morrison and some indifferent play by back-up Jackson Whistle, hence the two starts over the weekend by Lee.
The Cranbrook Minor Hockey product stopped 24 of 26 shots Sunday in a 3-2 win over Seattle and 19 of 22 shots in a 4-3 win over Everett. There's highlites and coverage here, here and here.
For those who wondered, G Nathan Lieuwen's save against Edmonton did make the WHL Plays of the Week.
Mackenzie Skapski's toe-save in Brandon will likely get some consideration for Friday's version.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Catching up
On a sad day with the loss of Freestyle skier Sarah Burke who passed away today as a result of her injuries sustained a week ago in a training accident to the gruesome reality of a freak injury to Oiler forward Taylor Hall suffered in the pre-game warm-up, without a helmet, I try to catch up.
It's been an up and down week for the Ice as Saturday a great effort by goaltender Nathan Lieuwen ended with a 3-2 OT loss to the Oil Kings in Edmonton followed by a great show by the Reinharts in a OT win by the same score over the Pats last night in Regina.
Those games were sandwiched around a 10-hour visit to Sparwood due to the Hwy 3 closure through the Crowsnest pass earlier this week that turned into a 28-hour bus odyssey to Regina through Kootenay Park/Calgary.
The highlites are here while the Leader-Post has the gamer here.
The three helpers by Max pushed him into the WHL's Top 20 in scoring for the first time this season while the two goals and an assist by Sam ties the rookie for 5th in rookie scoring and tops among 16-year-olds. All five ahead of him are import players 2-3 years senior.
At 15 goals, 22 assist for 37 points Sam is three points from tying Steve McCarthy's team record of points by a rookie. McCarthy did when the club was still in Edmonton in 1997-98. The 15 goals ties Nigel Dawes team record of most goals by a rookie (16-year-old). Dawes notched 15 when the club won the Memorial Cup in 2002.
In the article you might notice LP writer Greg Harder makes note of Lieuwen's play and alludes to the 20-year-old being a WHL regular season MVP candidate. I'm sure players like Ty Rimmer and Adam Hughesman of the Tri-Cities Americans; Ty Rattie of the Winterhawks etc will also get consideration but the test is always this: take one of those players out of the line-up and how would that team do?
Take Lieuwen out of the line-up and what do you get?
Sam's draft day counterpart for the Pats - Morgan Klimchuk of Calgary taken 10 spots ahead of him - notched both goals for the Pats. When you see the 2013 NHL Draft rankings I'm thinking you'll see him mentioned in the first round. Sam isn't eligible until the 2014 Draft with the late November 6 birthdate. Klimchuk was Team Pacific's second leading scorer at the World U-17 tournament behind Sam.
With the win last night the Ice improve to 26-13-2-3 and 57 points, good for 3rd in the Eastern Conference, still 8 points behind the front-running and red-hot Oil-Kings (though they lost their last outing to the even hotter Calgary Hitmen) and two points up on the Moose Jaw Warriors who they'll face Friday night in the Jaw.
D Luke Paulsen remains out with a concussion indefinitely while LW Drew Czerwonka left the game Saturday just seconds into his first shift with what is being called an upper body injury but I suspect is a shoulder injury, one of at least a few for Czerwonka. He's out at least 3-4 weeks.
The game is on Shaw TV and the Warriors will be without D Dylan McIlrath (10th overall by the New York Rangers in 2010) who is awaiting the discipline to be doled out by the WHL after a check on Victoria forward Jesse Zgraggen. McIlrath is a repeat offender and it was definitely a high hit but by the same token, Taylor Crunk's blindside head-hit on the Warriors Andrew Johnson should suffer the same result.
With the resurgence of the Hitmen a scant six points seperate the 2nd-place Warriors from the 7th-place Hitmen so there'll be little room for error or slump going down the stretch. Curiously, every team in the East would make the playoffs in the West as all 12 teams from PA up are tied or better than the 8th-place Royals.
Last week the CHL's top ranked team in the Tri-City Americans announced that Cranbrook product Jim Hiller had his contract extended. Hiller is 123-54-3-4 with the Ams now into his 4th season with the club, sporting an impressive .688 winning percentage. After coaching stops in Alberni Valley with the BCHL's Bulldogs and the Chilliwack Bruins for that franchises first two seasons, Hiller has come into his own as a top WHL coach and, if things go as planned, a top contender for a pro job in the not-too-distance future. Hiller's name has been bandied about as moving onto the pro ranks and a championship for the number-one ranked Ams would all but salt that opportunity. Someone asked me why Scott Beattie left what could have been a good situation here - he was offered the assistant's job when Kris Knobluach took over - but turned it down instead to relocate to Tri-City to work with his very good friend and former college linemate Hiller as an assistant. Could it also have been a quicker line to a head coaching gig giving the likelihood of Hiller moving onto the pros? Hmmmm. Guess time will tell.
Have to apologize for the lack of posting as my working life and trying to get my Bantam squad prepared to battle for a spot in the T3 Provincials over the next couple of weeks has taken up most of my time.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Ice edge Rebels in Shootout, win second straight
Dylan McKinley neatly deflected his 8th of the season to tie it in the second period and in the shootout Max Reinhart scored a beauty as the Kootenay Ice edged the Red Deer Rebels 2-1 last night.
Game was televised on Shaw, but didn't get a chance to watch due to work commitments. Caught the game the old fashioned way.
The contest was a goaltender's dual as both Nathan Lieuwen and Deven Dubyk were stellar on the night as both were named stars.
Highlites are here while the Red Deer Advocate has a recap here.
D Luke Paulsen (concussion - indefinite) and D Jeff Hubic were the scratches.
On that note Central Scouting's Mid-Term Rankings were released and they are here. D Jeff Hubic checks in at the #110 spot among North American Skaters and G Mackenzie Skapski - both of which are 17 - is 14th among North American goaltenders.
With the win the Ice improve to 25-13-1-3 and 54 points, 3rd in the Eastern Conference Standings, one back of Moose Jaw and five back of Edmonton who the team will play Saturday night. Medicine Hat, two back of the Ice, will host the Oil Kings tonight.
Edmonton, Regina (next Wednesday), Moose Jaw and Brandon (Friday, Saturday, Jan 20,21) are on the docket as all key games in the schedule that will give us a glimpse of things to come in the Eastern Conference standings as all will be tough tests with the new-look line-ups following the trade deadline.
Just a thought, but looking at the conference standings, the 8th-place team in the West is the Victoria Royals with 31 points. All four non-playoff teams in the East; the Rebels, Broncos, Hurricanes and Raiders would make the playoffs in the West where only two of the ten teams won't make the post-season. In the East it's 8 of 12. If that holds out, how much discussion will that generate around the board table of the off-season league meetings?
Is it me or are the highlites out of Red Deer the best in the league? TV angle is great and there's a lot of time and effort put into them.
D Tanner Muth got into another tussle last night and that bout is right here.
It brings us to the discussion of the day; it's early but how much has the addition of Muth done for overall team toughness?
Last night F Charles Inglis didn't like the check Muth put on his into the end boards. It was a marginal call but nevertheless, the redhead (Swift, redheads - another trend?) isn't afraid to drop them. Maybe it's me but the Ice haven't had a player such as that in a while.
I know it's not politically correct but hey, I'm a bit old school and still think there's a place for it in the game.
Something to discuss for coffee row....
Game was televised on Shaw, but didn't get a chance to watch due to work commitments. Caught the game the old fashioned way.
The contest was a goaltender's dual as both Nathan Lieuwen and Deven Dubyk were stellar on the night as both were named stars.
Highlites are here while the Red Deer Advocate has a recap here.
D Luke Paulsen (concussion - indefinite) and D Jeff Hubic were the scratches.
On that note Central Scouting's Mid-Term Rankings were released and they are here. D Jeff Hubic checks in at the #110 spot among North American Skaters and G Mackenzie Skapski - both of which are 17 - is 14th among North American goaltenders.
With the win the Ice improve to 25-13-1-3 and 54 points, 3rd in the Eastern Conference Standings, one back of Moose Jaw and five back of Edmonton who the team will play Saturday night. Medicine Hat, two back of the Ice, will host the Oil Kings tonight.
Edmonton, Regina (next Wednesday), Moose Jaw and Brandon (Friday, Saturday, Jan 20,21) are on the docket as all key games in the schedule that will give us a glimpse of things to come in the Eastern Conference standings as all will be tough tests with the new-look line-ups following the trade deadline.
Just a thought, but looking at the conference standings, the 8th-place team in the West is the Victoria Royals with 31 points. All four non-playoff teams in the East; the Rebels, Broncos, Hurricanes and Raiders would make the playoffs in the West where only two of the ten teams won't make the post-season. In the East it's 8 of 12. If that holds out, how much discussion will that generate around the board table of the off-season league meetings?
Is it me or are the highlites out of Red Deer the best in the league? TV angle is great and there's a lot of time and effort put into them.
D Tanner Muth got into another tussle last night and that bout is right here.
It brings us to the discussion of the day; it's early but how much has the addition of Muth done for overall team toughness?
Last night F Charles Inglis didn't like the check Muth put on his into the end boards. It was a marginal call but nevertheless, the redhead (Swift, redheads - another trend?) isn't afraid to drop them. Maybe it's me but the Ice haven't had a player such as that in a while.
I know it's not politically correct but hey, I'm a bit old school and still think there's a place for it in the game.
Something to discuss for coffee row....
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Youth served in deadline deals for Ice
The WHL's Trade Deadline came and went with nary a whimper this season considering the amount and magnitude of deals in years gone by and, as predicted, here at home the Kootenay Ice decided to stay on the sidelines for the most part and let the kids play.
That was accentuated with the deal that the Ice made/announced right at the deadline that sent 18-year-old forward Brendan Hurley to Medicine Hat to a 3rd round pick in the 2012 Bantam Draft.
Hurley, playing on the fourth line of late, wanted more ice-time. The former first round Bantam pick never seemed to get into the role of goal-scorer, defensive forward or power forward with the Ice and it was becoming clear that the rookies were passing him on the depth chart. The trade does two things; replacing the 3rd round pick lost to Swift Current in the Eakin deal last season - as mentioned by GM Chynoweth in the release - and coupled with the fact that F Eric Benoit - a training camp invite/list player who made the team - had more upside. It also gives the likes of Jaedon Descheneau, Jon Martin and Levi Cable the chance to stay in the line-up full-time in a fourth-line role. The young D-men; Wand, Hubic and Simpson - once Paulsen is healthy - could rotate through the line-up. The fact Hurley was sent to a divisional rival further demonstrates the commitment the club is making to the young players.
Around the league however - especially the Eastern Conference - there were teams who upped the anti with deals that make they'll hope make their clubs better.
Edmonton had already done their damage with the acquisition of Maxwell for a prospect and two picks as well as the addition of Samuelsson (son of former NHLer Ulf) and D Cody Corbett, 18, from Minnesota for nothing as both players were on the club's list. The Oil Kings are on a big roll and could run away with the top seed in the East.
Red Deer added F Charles Inglis, 19, for the relatively low price of F Daulton Siwak, 18, and a 3rd pick, which should help the club compete for a playoff spot.
Regina threw down the gloves and decided to add a big-name D-man as Martin Marancin, a 19-year-old import D who is a draft pick of the NHL's Oilers was dealt from PG to Regina for import D Ricard Bildstrand and the Pats' 1st and 2nd round picks in 2012 and a 5th in 2013. Going with Marancin are 4th and 7th picks in 2012 and a 4th in 2013.
Brandon, who most thought would upgrade on the goaltender position decided to go with the offensive upgrade with the addition of F Kevin Sundher from Victoria in exchange for D Jordan Fransoo, F Dakota Conroy and a 1st round pick in 2012.
Moose Jaw added two 20-year-old forwards to their line-up that will give them a ton of depth on offense as they got Cam Braes from Lethbridge for a 1st round pick in 2012 and a 2nd round pick next year. Then they added Vancouver Giant captain James Henry for a 2nd round pick in 2012 and a 3rd round pick in 2013.
So as the deadline comes to a close, it's clear that Edmonton and Moose Jaw clearly tried to load up for a long spring while Brandon - who fit into that underachiever role so far this season - along with Regina made deals that they feel will vault them into contenders this season.
In the West Bob Tory took a flyer on the chance F Brett Connolly will be returned by the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightnight and sent a conditional 1st round pick in 2013 and conditional 2nd round pick in 2014 and a 5th round pick in 2013. That's a small price to pay in the off-chance the Lightning send him back. If they do, the Ams become even more of a loaded juggernaut than they already are - in my opinion they're the best team that have visited the Rec Plex this season - and if not, it's a 5th round pick that the club could get back later in other deals.
Saskatoon, Calgary, Medicine Hat and Kootenay, save for the Muth/Rossignol deal and the Hurley deal is more a depth deal than a big splash, all look to be staying the course.
Swift Current, Lethbridge and PA, while not throwing in the towel by any stretch, are looking at nextyearland.
All the deals leading up to the deadline are here.
Should make for an interesting run down the stretch.
That was accentuated with the deal that the Ice made/announced right at the deadline that sent 18-year-old forward Brendan Hurley to Medicine Hat to a 3rd round pick in the 2012 Bantam Draft.
Hurley, playing on the fourth line of late, wanted more ice-time. The former first round Bantam pick never seemed to get into the role of goal-scorer, defensive forward or power forward with the Ice and it was becoming clear that the rookies were passing him on the depth chart. The trade does two things; replacing the 3rd round pick lost to Swift Current in the Eakin deal last season - as mentioned by GM Chynoweth in the release - and coupled with the fact that F Eric Benoit - a training camp invite/list player who made the team - had more upside. It also gives the likes of Jaedon Descheneau, Jon Martin and Levi Cable the chance to stay in the line-up full-time in a fourth-line role. The young D-men; Wand, Hubic and Simpson - once Paulsen is healthy - could rotate through the line-up. The fact Hurley was sent to a divisional rival further demonstrates the commitment the club is making to the young players.
Around the league however - especially the Eastern Conference - there were teams who upped the anti with deals that make they'll hope make their clubs better.
Edmonton had already done their damage with the acquisition of Maxwell for a prospect and two picks as well as the addition of Samuelsson (son of former NHLer Ulf) and D Cody Corbett, 18, from Minnesota for nothing as both players were on the club's list. The Oil Kings are on a big roll and could run away with the top seed in the East.
Red Deer added F Charles Inglis, 19, for the relatively low price of F Daulton Siwak, 18, and a 3rd pick, which should help the club compete for a playoff spot.
Regina threw down the gloves and decided to add a big-name D-man as Martin Marancin, a 19-year-old import D who is a draft pick of the NHL's Oilers was dealt from PG to Regina for import D Ricard Bildstrand and the Pats' 1st and 2nd round picks in 2012 and a 5th in 2013. Going with Marancin are 4th and 7th picks in 2012 and a 4th in 2013.
Brandon, who most thought would upgrade on the goaltender position decided to go with the offensive upgrade with the addition of F Kevin Sundher from Victoria in exchange for D Jordan Fransoo, F Dakota Conroy and a 1st round pick in 2012.
Moose Jaw added two 20-year-old forwards to their line-up that will give them a ton of depth on offense as they got Cam Braes from Lethbridge for a 1st round pick in 2012 and a 2nd round pick next year. Then they added Vancouver Giant captain James Henry for a 2nd round pick in 2012 and a 3rd round pick in 2013.
So as the deadline comes to a close, it's clear that Edmonton and Moose Jaw clearly tried to load up for a long spring while Brandon - who fit into that underachiever role so far this season - along with Regina made deals that they feel will vault them into contenders this season.
In the West Bob Tory took a flyer on the chance F Brett Connolly will be returned by the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightnight and sent a conditional 1st round pick in 2013 and conditional 2nd round pick in 2014 and a 5th round pick in 2013. That's a small price to pay in the off-chance the Lightning send him back. If they do, the Ams become even more of a loaded juggernaut than they already are - in my opinion they're the best team that have visited the Rec Plex this season - and if not, it's a 5th round pick that the club could get back later in other deals.
Saskatoon, Calgary, Medicine Hat and Kootenay, save for the Muth/Rossignol deal and the Hurley deal is more a depth deal than a big splash, all look to be staying the course.
Swift Current, Lethbridge and PA, while not throwing in the towel by any stretch, are looking at nextyearland.
All the deals leading up to the deadline are here.
Should make for an interesting run down the stretch.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Lieuwen stops 31 shots as Ice beat Tigers
The Score – Medicine Hat 1 – Kootenay 3
What Happened – The Tigers had their chances but couldn't solve Lieuwen more than Etem's marker in the second. The 20-year-old shut the door the rest of the night.
The Turning Point – Up 2-1 in a tight game Hunter Shinkaruk was awarded a penalty shot at the 7:41 mark of the third period. Lieuwen stopped him and everything else the Tigers threw at him.
The Goals – Streaking down the wing with speed after getting a nice chip off the wall from Martin, Brendan Hurley ripped his 3rd past Tyler Bunz as the fourth line started things off… In the second after Etem’s line was caught icing the puck after a long change, Reinhart’s line came-on and controlled the play in the Tiger zone – almost like it was a power play with the Tiger top unit gassed – and after almost a minute of the Ice ragging the puck, Sam scored his 12th on a bad angle shot through a maze of legs. Etem ended up coming off the ice leaking from an errant stick. 2-0 Ice… Joe Antilla took his second straight penalty – this one 200 feet from his own net – and on the breakout James Bettauer found Emerson Etem through the neutral zone and he split the D with NHL-type speed and roofed his 34th of the season past Lieuwen to halve the Ice lead… In the third when Etem took a silly penalty skating into a scrum and landing on Nathan Lieuwen, Jesse Ismond gain possession below the redline and found Elgin Pearce on a one-timer to make it 3-1.
The Fight – Off a scrum in front of Lieuwen Boston Leier and Jagger Dirk skated off and decided to go at it. Leier tagged Dirk with a straight right that rocked Dirk and sent him to the ice. To his credit he got right back up and kept going. He landed a couple before both went to the ice.
The Saves – There were two on this night that I liked. In the second Nathan Lieuwen had to stretch his left leg across the net to stop Curtis Valk and preserve a 2-1 lead and in the third Elgin Pearce got loose with some room but his shot was snatched with a great glove save by Bunz.
The Penalty Shot – With the Ice holding a 2-1 lead Joe Leach had his shot blocked and Shinkaruk was off to the races. Leach caught him and slashed him but he got the shot off that went wide but referee Jeff Ingram – doing his second straight game in Cranbrook – decided it warranted a penalty shot, much to the dismay of the Ice faithful. Like all but Etem’s goal on this night, Lieuwen stopped him.
The Muth – Kootenay’s acquisition from Swift Current played his second game with the Ice and notched his first point, an assist on the game-winner. He also played some serious minutes and saved a goal late in the game by clearing a puck sitting on the goal-line. Oh, and on the topic of Bronco-Ice trades there were a few I forgot: D Mike Busto in 2004 for C Jeremy Schenderling; G Jeff Harvey (as part of the Jaffray/Milroy deal); D Donny Lloyd for a 6th round pick in 2005 (D Brad Ryan); F Kris Foucault for a 6th round pick in 2008 and just for good measure, current Ice F Eric Benoit was in the Broncos camp two years ago but wasn’t listed by the Broncos.
The Crowd – 2568; The club is averaging 2765/game through 21 home dates, an increase of almost 300 per game through the same period over last season, if you were wondering.
Rec Plex Three Stars:
1. G Nathan Lieuwen – Carried his team on both nights this weekend. Sunday got the win he deserved.
2. D Joey Leach – Rearguard bounced back with a strong night
3. F Emerson Etem – His NHL speed is a treat to watch
What it means – The Ice improve to 24-13-1-3, 52 points and back into a tie with the Tigers for 3rd in the Eastern Conference.
Up Next: The trade deadline is Tuesday afternoon while the Ice are in Red Deer Wednesday night to start a five-game road trip over two weeks.
Summary:
Tigers 1 @ Ice 3
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Kootenay Ice; January 8, 2012
Sam Reinhart's 12th of the season stood up as the game-winner as the Kootenay Ice beat the Medicine Hat Tigers 3-1 in WHL action Sunday night.
The Ice opened the scoring 3:30 into the game when Brendan Hurley streaked down the left-wing and rifled a wrist-shot past Tyler Bunz for a 1-0 lead. Sam Reinhart's goal off a behind the net feed from his brother Max at 8:44 of the second period gave the Ice a 2-0 lead before Emerson Etem cut the lead in half with the Tigers on the power play at the 14:00 minute mark with his 34th of the year as he split the Ice defense and beat Nathan Lieuwen.
With the Ice on the power play in the third Elgin Pearce got his 17th of the season on another behind-the-net feed, this time by Jesse Ismond.
Nathan Lieuwen was stellar on the night, stopping 31 of 32 shots in getting the win while Tyler Bunz stopped 21 of 24 shots in taking the loss.
First Period
1. Kootenay, Hurley 3 (Martin, Niebrandt) 3:30
Penalties -- Benoit Ktn (kneeing) 7:30, Kessy MH (unsportsmanlike conduct) 15:01, Ismond Ktn (hooking) 16:15.
Second
2. Kootenay, S. Reinhart 12 (M. Reinhart, Muth) 8:44
3. Medicine Hat, Etem 34 (Bettauer) 14:00 (pp)
Penalties -- Antilla Ktn (slashing) 3:51, Antilla Ktn (holding) 13:32, Leier MH Dirk Ktn (fighting) 15:23,
Third Period
4. Kootenay, Pearce 17 (Ismond, Reinhart) 12:56 (pp)
Penalties -- Leach Ktn (cross-checking) 2:33, Grbavac MH (tripping) 8:05, Etem MH (roughing), Konan MH (misconduct) 11:07, Dirk Ktn (tripping) 13:26, Dirk Ktn (high-sticking) Hurley Ktn Etem MH (roughing) 17:19.
Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 4 14 6 - 24
Medicine Hat: 8 9 15 - 32
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (W, 18-10-1-2); Medicine Hat: Tyler Bunz (L, 23-11-2).
Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 1-3
Medicine Hat: 1-7
Penalty Shot - Shinkaruk MH 7:41 of second (stopped).
Referee -- Jeff Ingram, Brett Montison. Linesman -- Ian Shaver, Jim Maniago.
Attendance -- 2568 (4264)
Scratches --
Kootenay: Jeff Hubic, Luke Paulsen (concussion - indefinite), Jaedon Descheneau, Jesse Wood-Schatz.
Medicine Hat: Tyler Lewington, Gavin Broadhead, Kyle Becker, Jayden Hart.
What Happened – The Tigers had their chances but couldn't solve Lieuwen more than Etem's marker in the second. The 20-year-old shut the door the rest of the night.
The Turning Point – Up 2-1 in a tight game Hunter Shinkaruk was awarded a penalty shot at the 7:41 mark of the third period. Lieuwen stopped him and everything else the Tigers threw at him.
The Goals – Streaking down the wing with speed after getting a nice chip off the wall from Martin, Brendan Hurley ripped his 3rd past Tyler Bunz as the fourth line started things off… In the second after Etem’s line was caught icing the puck after a long change, Reinhart’s line came-on and controlled the play in the Tiger zone – almost like it was a power play with the Tiger top unit gassed – and after almost a minute of the Ice ragging the puck, Sam scored his 12th on a bad angle shot through a maze of legs. Etem ended up coming off the ice leaking from an errant stick. 2-0 Ice… Joe Antilla took his second straight penalty – this one 200 feet from his own net – and on the breakout James Bettauer found Emerson Etem through the neutral zone and he split the D with NHL-type speed and roofed his 34th of the season past Lieuwen to halve the Ice lead… In the third when Etem took a silly penalty skating into a scrum and landing on Nathan Lieuwen, Jesse Ismond gain possession below the redline and found Elgin Pearce on a one-timer to make it 3-1.
The Fight – Off a scrum in front of Lieuwen Boston Leier and Jagger Dirk skated off and decided to go at it. Leier tagged Dirk with a straight right that rocked Dirk and sent him to the ice. To his credit he got right back up and kept going. He landed a couple before both went to the ice.
The Saves – There were two on this night that I liked. In the second Nathan Lieuwen had to stretch his left leg across the net to stop Curtis Valk and preserve a 2-1 lead and in the third Elgin Pearce got loose with some room but his shot was snatched with a great glove save by Bunz.
The Penalty Shot – With the Ice holding a 2-1 lead Joe Leach had his shot blocked and Shinkaruk was off to the races. Leach caught him and slashed him but he got the shot off that went wide but referee Jeff Ingram – doing his second straight game in Cranbrook – decided it warranted a penalty shot, much to the dismay of the Ice faithful. Like all but Etem’s goal on this night, Lieuwen stopped him.
The Muth – Kootenay’s acquisition from Swift Current played his second game with the Ice and notched his first point, an assist on the game-winner. He also played some serious minutes and saved a goal late in the game by clearing a puck sitting on the goal-line. Oh, and on the topic of Bronco-Ice trades there were a few I forgot: D Mike Busto in 2004 for C Jeremy Schenderling; G Jeff Harvey (as part of the Jaffray/Milroy deal); D Donny Lloyd for a 6th round pick in 2005 (D Brad Ryan); F Kris Foucault for a 6th round pick in 2008 and just for good measure, current Ice F Eric Benoit was in the Broncos camp two years ago but wasn’t listed by the Broncos.
The Crowd – 2568; The club is averaging 2765/game through 21 home dates, an increase of almost 300 per game through the same period over last season, if you were wondering.
Rec Plex Three Stars:
1. G Nathan Lieuwen – Carried his team on both nights this weekend. Sunday got the win he deserved.
2. D Joey Leach – Rearguard bounced back with a strong night
3. F Emerson Etem – His NHL speed is a treat to watch
What it means – The Ice improve to 24-13-1-3, 52 points and back into a tie with the Tigers for 3rd in the Eastern Conference.
Up Next: The trade deadline is Tuesday afternoon while the Ice are in Red Deer Wednesday night to start a five-game road trip over two weeks.
Summary:
Tigers 1 @ Ice 3
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Kootenay Ice; January 8, 2012
Sam Reinhart's 12th of the season stood up as the game-winner as the Kootenay Ice beat the Medicine Hat Tigers 3-1 in WHL action Sunday night.
The Ice opened the scoring 3:30 into the game when Brendan Hurley streaked down the left-wing and rifled a wrist-shot past Tyler Bunz for a 1-0 lead. Sam Reinhart's goal off a behind the net feed from his brother Max at 8:44 of the second period gave the Ice a 2-0 lead before Emerson Etem cut the lead in half with the Tigers on the power play at the 14:00 minute mark with his 34th of the year as he split the Ice defense and beat Nathan Lieuwen.
With the Ice on the power play in the third Elgin Pearce got his 17th of the season on another behind-the-net feed, this time by Jesse Ismond.
Nathan Lieuwen was stellar on the night, stopping 31 of 32 shots in getting the win while Tyler Bunz stopped 21 of 24 shots in taking the loss.
First Period
1. Kootenay, Hurley 3 (Martin, Niebrandt) 3:30
Penalties -- Benoit Ktn (kneeing) 7:30, Kessy MH (unsportsmanlike conduct) 15:01, Ismond Ktn (hooking) 16:15.
Second
2. Kootenay, S. Reinhart 12 (M. Reinhart, Muth) 8:44
3. Medicine Hat, Etem 34 (Bettauer) 14:00 (pp)
Penalties -- Antilla Ktn (slashing) 3:51, Antilla Ktn (holding) 13:32, Leier MH Dirk Ktn (fighting) 15:23,
Third Period
4. Kootenay, Pearce 17 (Ismond, Reinhart) 12:56 (pp)
Penalties -- Leach Ktn (cross-checking) 2:33, Grbavac MH (tripping) 8:05, Etem MH (roughing), Konan MH (misconduct) 11:07, Dirk Ktn (tripping) 13:26, Dirk Ktn (high-sticking) Hurley Ktn Etem MH (roughing) 17:19.
Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 4 14 6 - 24
Medicine Hat: 8 9 15 - 32
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (W, 18-10-1-2); Medicine Hat: Tyler Bunz (L, 23-11-2).
Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 1-3
Medicine Hat: 1-7
Penalty Shot - Shinkaruk MH 7:41 of second (stopped).
Referee -- Jeff Ingram, Brett Montison. Linesman -- Ian Shaver, Jim Maniago.
Attendance -- 2568 (4264)
Scratches --
Kootenay: Jeff Hubic, Luke Paulsen (concussion - indefinite), Jaedon Descheneau, Jesse Wood-Schatz.
Medicine Hat: Tyler Lewington, Gavin Broadhead, Kyle Becker, Jayden Hart.
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