Skrudland sent to Junior A

Kootenay's healthy roster was trimmed by one on Wednesday as the Ice sent 18-year-old forward Simon Skrudland to a Junior A club yet to be determined. The Calgary product, a former 3rd round pick (58th overall) in the 2006 Bantam Draft had one assist in 17 games in mostly a fourth-line role for the Ice.

He'll likely join a Calgary area AJHL squad. The club's roster sits at 23 - 2 goalies, 8 defensemen and 13 forwards.

Ice win two on weekend

A successful weekend to recover from the Remembrance Day blowout in Calgary, Kootenay dumped the best team in the west Saturday at the 'Plex 7-1 - with a four assist effort from Dustin Sylvester while Steele Boomer, Dominick Pacovsky, Kevin King and Cason Machacek all had a goal and an assist, as well as welcoming back Matt Fraser from a knee injury. Forward Brendan Hurley, 16, with his first WHL goal and D Joey Leach with his first of the season, each got in on the goal barrage.... Todd Mathews stopped 30 of 31 shots to get the win.

On Sunday night in Lethbridge Fraser scored the OT winner with 27 seconds left in the extra frame on a pretty set-up by Steele Boomer. Boomer tied the game for the Ice after the Hurricanes went up 1-0 on Austin Fyten's 9th of the season. Dustin Sylvester notched his 9th of the season short-handed in the middle frame to give the Ice a 2-1 lead. The club had numerous chances to put the tired 'Canes - playing their third game in three nights - away with a five-on-three late in the second and another one 3:50 into the third but instead gave up the short-handed tying goal when Mitch Maxwell scooted out of the penalty box and scored on a partial breakaway. Mathews once again got the start and stopped 27 of 29 shots.

In terms of importance, well, it's November and already every point is important as the OT win put the Ice two points clear of the Hurricanes for last spot in the Eastern Conference but only two out of the top eight with a 10-12-1 record for 21 points. Key games at the Plex this week against Prince Albert Tuesday, Regina Friday and Swift Current Broncos, the latter of which has yet to win on the road this season in ten tries, and all games against opponents just ahead of them in the standings. They'll get their 11th shot at it Saturday at the Rec Plex.

Notes.... D Brayden McNabb looks to be making a miraculous recovery of his knee strain/injury that was supposed to keep the 18-year-old out four-six weeks but is now listed at a week away, meaning he could play this weekend against the Regina Pats. The recovery - oh, I'll bet that brutal rope ladder drill he does to build leg strength after practice every day helped on this one - will undoubtedly put him back in the running for a World Junior team shot and to play in the CHL Canada/Russia series' final game in Kelowna November 25.... Since G Nathan Lieuwen's return last week he's sat squarely in the bench in a back-up role to Todd Mathews, continuing coach Mark Holick's philosophy of you win; you play... Mathews surrendered four goals in the Calgary loss while Lieuwen gave up three but other than that blip Mathews has been solid in winning two straight and five of his last seven games... The infirmary list is getting shorter and shorter with the return of both Fraser and 17-year-old forward Christian Magnus from a broken finger which forced him to miss 19 games. Only D Luke Paulsen, 17, (ankle - day-to-day) and McNabb (knee - one week) are left. The healthy roster will eventually force the club to examine it's size, which currently sits at 24 - one defenseman and one forward over the usual roster of 22 (two goalies, 13 forwards and 7 defensemen). Then again, with the injury problems this season don't be surprised if the roster stays at 24.... With five more points on the weekend - one goal and four assists - Ice captain Dustin Sylvester now has 4 goals and 7 assists in his last five games.... Swift Current Broncos radio voice over on his blog (on the right, a few spots down) states there's a chance that the Broncos could be ready to make a roster move as soon as this week. Overage forward Matt Tassone is getting closer and closer to returning and the Broncos will have to make a move within two weeks of having four healthy 20-year-olds. D Derek Claffey, D Eric Doyle, RW Mike Stickland and C Matt Tassone. One will have to go...... UPDATE: Turns out the deal is more of the blockbuster variety. The Broncos have dealt former first round bantam pick Geordie Wudrick to the Kelowna Rockets for their leading scorer, import forward Stepan Novotny, along with prospect Tanner Clark. More details are at the Broncos Website and over at Jon Keen's blog here.

Hitmen blast Ice

Why is it once you crow about the playing ability of a player their play suddenly heads south? Kootenay jumped out to a gratuitous 2-0 lead on goals by Joe Antilla and Brock Montgomery - a gaffe that Hitmen goaltender Martin Jones just missed - before a 12-second stretch by the Hitmen included goals by Ian Schultz and former Ice forward Kris Foucault to tie it after one period.

Letting any team back into a game is dangerous enough. Doing against perhaps the best team in the WHL is usually suicide. But it was discipline against the number one team on the power play that did the Ice in after that when D Joey Leach took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and then the bench - presumably after coach Mark Holick gave the zebras an earful - took another, giving the Hitties a five-on-three and two straight power play goals to make it 4-2 after two, chasing starter Todd Mathews in the process.

Three more goals, one by WHL leading scorer Brandon Kozun who finished the night with four points, in the third turned this one into a romp for a 7-2 final.

Nathan Lieuwen replaced Mathews after four goals on 15 shots for his first action in seven games but didn't fare much better.... C Steele Boomer missed the game due to the flu... Things don't get any easier as the best club in the West, Bob Tory's Tri-City Americans along with Cranbrook product Jim Hiller behind the bench, visit the Rec Plex Saturday.

The Daily Townsman along with Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun will have game recaps up shortly. The Townsman will have Saturday's game coverage as I'm gone for a couple of games with my Peewee team.

Mathews wants the starter's job.....

For HockeyNow...

Mathews take the reigns

by Jeff Bromley

Kootenay Ice goaltender Todd Mathews is an opportunistic hockey player and once again the door is open for the 19-year-old Covina, California product.

Like last season, he’s seizing it.

Pressed into the starter’s role after 18-year-old Nathan Lieuwen went down with what was thought to be a concussion be diagnosed as a neck sprain, Mathews is a respectable 3-3 in the past six games and has the team playing just as well in front of him. “It took me a few games to get going and the first two or three games definitely didn’t go my way,” said Mathews following a 1-0 shutout of the Seattle Thunderbirds November 1. “There’s been some hard practices but I guess there’s some ease (the last six games) not having anybody pushing me but I end up just trying to push myself. The guys seem to have some confidence in me and I have confidence in myself right now which means a lot.”

Like his team-mates Mathews was the victim of a poor start to the season, losing his first start in Kootenay’s second game 7-1 against the Red Deer Rebels, essentially surrendering the starter’s job to Lieuwen. But an injury to Lieuwen after a collision with a Portland forward in a 5-1 loss to the Winter Hawks October 23 sidelined Lieuwen with a possible concussion, given the reigns to Mathews. This time he ran with it. In the six games since he’s produced a 3-3 record but more impressive are the 1.67 goals against average and .944 save percentage he’s garnered along the way, playing well enough to win only to have little support at key times. Last season Mathews joined the club mid-season and played 28 games, going 14-11-0-1 after Lieuwen missed two months due to a concussion.

The last four outings for the club have produced seven of a possible eight points, winning three straight over Brandon, Seattle and Red Deer before losing in overtime to the Rebels Saturday night. Are the wins enough to turn the tide? “How many more games do we got?” Mathews asked rhetorically. “But as long as we keep with this pace the goals are going to start to come. If we keep the goals against and the scoring chances against low I think we’ll be happy with our performance.”

On Monday the club welcomed back Nathan Lieuwen who had left the club to ponder his future after suffering what was thought to be his fourth concussion in two years. The injury had put a promising career in jeopardy until the injury was diagnosed as a neck sprain rather than a concussion. It was welcome news to the Abbotsford product, who will serve as back-up against the Calgary Hitmen on Remembrance Day. "To get this good news is a sigh of relief,” Lieuwen told the Cranbrook Daily Townsman. “Just thinking about if it would have been another concussion — that would have been terrible. Things would be a lot different. I’m very, very thankful and blessed to have this.”

So is there a goaltending controversy brewing in Iceland? Not according to head coach Mark Holick. “I’m not going to get into a debate on who is number one or who is number two,” said Holick. “I just look at who has played well lately and Todd, over the past six games has been great. His save percentage and goals against average is pretty low and he’s done enough to play Wednesday.”
“Lieuwen hasn’t been on the ice for over ten days so we’ll get him skating and see where he’s at but we’ve certainly got to get him back on the horse. It’s a nice problem to have with a couple of goaltenders that are going to fight for playing time.”

Ice Weekend...

For the Daily Townsman....

Sylvester soars in weekend split with Rebels



by Jeff Bromley



A weekend split against a divisional rival in November doesn’t usually give a team cause for brimming optimism but if you’re the Kootenay Ice, three out of four points against the Red Deer Rebels ain’t bad.



That and the fact they’re scoring again and more importantly, their captain is scoring again.



Dustin Sylvester had a six-point weekend scoring three goals and three assists including his 7th and 8th on the season in a losing cause as Kootenay dropped a 4-3 overtime loss on Colin Archer’s overtime marker Saturday night at the Rec Plex after dumping the Rebels on home-ice Friday 4-1. “We got a bounce or two (Friday) so I think it was their turn tonight,” said Ice head coach Mark Holick. “It was kind of a funny bounce on the winner but their second and third goals were a one-on-three and they made something out of it. Our back-check on both goals wasn’t very good and our attention to detail and the guys behind us wasn’t good. We fell in love with the puck too much tonight. I mean, you’re going to make mistakes but unfortunately those two mistakes cost a point here tonight.”



Kootenay opened the scoring early in the first period when their power play clicked on Dustin Sylvester's 7th of the season with Rebel defenseman Alex Petrovic off for cross-checking. The 20-year-old fired a wrist shot that beat Rebel goaltender Kraymer Barnstable from the slot to make it 1-0. That lead lasted only 1:32 when Red Deer forward Andrej Kudrna sent Willie Coetzee in alone on Ice goaltender Todd Mathews. The Rebels’ leading scorer didn’t miss, roofing his 10th of the season past Mathews to tie the game at one. The start of the second period saw the Ice take the play to the Rebels, finally cashing in on a neutral zone turnover by Rebel forward Landon Ferraro, picked up Sylvester, who streaked in and went five-hole on Barnstable to give the Ice a 2-1 lead and a serious case of momentum.



It wouldn’t last.



By the end of the second period the Rebels would have the lead on a couple of goal-mouth goals by Willie Coetzee and Brett Ferguson and the home side would spend the third period scrambling to get back into the game.



They almost didn’t, save for a dropped stick.



While killing a penalty late in the game that all but killed their chances of a comeback, a two-on-two rush started by – you guessed it – Sylvester, ended with a scrum deep in the Red Deer zone. Rebel blueliner Cullen Morin dropped his stick in the mix and when trying to catch Kevin King skating out of the corner with the puck Morin stepped on the dropped twig and fell, sending King to the front of the net to out-wait Barnstable for the game-tying goal.



Holick felt they deserved a better fate. “I thought we deserved better at that point,” he said. “It should’ve been 3 or 4-1 but we weren’t capitalizing on our chances. We were shooting wide or getting pucks blocked and not paying the price for rebounds but we came out with jump and did a lot of good things. That’s why it’s so disappointing.”



Not so disappointing was the play of 16-year-old rookie Brendan Hurley, who had his best game in an Ice uniform patrolling the right wing on the club’s third line. “(Hurley) has been great for us the last little bit,” said Holick. “With the injuries he’s getting some time to play. He had four or five good chances tonight and a couple last night and I was hoping a couple would’ve gone in for him, he’s played that good. He’s starting to become the player we think he can be and if you play well, you’ll play.”



Rebel coach Jesse Wallin was grateful that his squad was rewarded for their hard work, something that didn’t happen 24 hours earlier as they were stymied by the play of Todd Mathews, Friday’s first star. “This was a big game for us, as was (Friday), but for whatever reason we didn’t play as well as we played here. We faced some adversity early coming back from a 1-0 showing some resilience and then battling back again down 2-1. We never gave up and were rewarded in overtime.”



In Red Deer the Ice rode the stellar goaltending of Todd Mathews and three point efforts from both Sylvester and import defenseman Petr Senkerik, who notched a goal and added two assists in a the 4-1 win. The game welcomed back sophomore forward Drew Czerwonka, who finished with an assist on the night an was plus-2 on the weekend, adding a dimension of size sorely needed with his 6’2” frame in front of the opposition’s net. “That’s my game, I want to be physical and get in front of the net,” said Czerwonka. “The goalie can’t see much when I’m there and it creates scoring chances.”



Quick Hits – Saturday’s crowd was 2713… Kootenay got some welcome news Friday when it was learned that goaltender Nathan Lieuwen did not suffer a concussion when he was injured in game against the Portland Winter Hawks two weeks ago. Lieuwen has since re-joined the club and will start skating Monday and will serve as back-up on Remembrance Day for an afternoon date with the Hitmen in Calgary starting at 2PM… Forward Christian Magnus, who has missed 18 games with a broken finger, could play Wednesday while D Brayden McNabb (knee – 4-6 weeks), Luke Paulsen (ankle 2-4 weeks) and LW Matt Fraser (knee – 1-2 weeks) are still on the injured list. Forward Simon Skrudland missed the weekend’s action with the flu… 16-year-old forward Ryan Bloom, a 2nd round pick from the 2008 Bantam Draft, was called up for Friday’s game in Red Deer from the Calgary Midget Buffaloes… Backing up Mathews over the weekend was Calgary product Kevin Jacyna, 16, who plays for the Calgary Midget AA Royals.

Rebels/Ice - The Score

The Score – Red Deer 4 – Kootenay 3 (OT)

What Happened – A see-saw battle ended with the Rebels scoring in OT. The Ice capitalized on almost all of their opportunities, they just didn’t have enough of them.

The Rookie – For Kootenay fans it was their first chance to have a good look at rookie phenom Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The former first overall pick in the 2008 Bantam Draft didn’t disappoint with an assist and more chances that I could count. The kid who many expect to go first overall in the 2011 NHL Draft sees the ice better than some that play there right now.

The Goals – Eager to capitalize on some momentum found 24 hours early in Red Deer, Kootenay captain Dustin Sylvester wired his 7th of the season past Rebel starter Kraymer Barnstable 4:01 into the game with Rebel blueliner Alex Petrovic in the box for cross-checking… Just over two minutes later Rebel import forward Andrej Kudrna thread the needle with a beautiful pass that sent Willie Coetzee in alone on Todd Mathews. He went shelf and tied it at one… In the second with the Ice buzzing Dustin Sylvester benefitted from a Rebel neutral zone turnover and went in alone on Barnstable. Sylvester went five-hole and gave the Ice a 2-1 lead… The Rebels tied it on a shot by Nathan Green coming down the left wing that Mathews took off his shoulder. The puck went straight up and straight down his back, sitting on the goal-line for the easy tap in for Coetzee… The Rebels took the lead on another rush in which Josh Cowen centred a pass that Brett Ferguson somehow tapped past Mathews at 16:16… While killing a penalty late in the game and generating next to nothing in terms of offence a two-on-two started by Dustin Sylvester sends the puck to the Rebel corner. A scrum ensued and Rebel D Cullen Morin dropped his stick, steps on it and falls while Kevin Kings walks out of the corner and out-waits Barnstable to tie the game with his sixth of the season, shorthanded, forcing overtime… The Rebels would get the last laugh however when Colin Archer banged into the game-winner in the extra period after Willie Coetzee got in on a great scoring chance in which Mathews kicked out; right to Archer however who buried the winner.

Disgusted with his stick - After being stripped of the puck for the second Sylvester goal Rebel forward Landon Ferraro threw his stick away in disgust. Referee Devin Klein didn't share the same views of his stick and nailed Ferraro with a ten minute misconduct.

The Turning Point – Tough to find a particular point in this one that saw three leads by both clubs evaporate but besides the OT winner the fight following the Sylvester goal between Alex Petrovic and Drew Czerwonka seemed to spur the Rebels after a poor start to the second period.

The Fight – Sophomore blueliner Alex Petrovic dropped the mitts with Ice forward Drew Czerwonka for a tilt that was even and rather uneventful, except it lit a fire under the Rebels and they scored two goals to take the lead not long after.

The Crowd – 2713 – Rather lively for a change with lots of energy. Especially from a kid with a painted face and home-made sign made out of cardboard cheering on the home-side, until he was asked to refrain from waving his sign while the play was on by a rather grumpy usher.

The Skinny – The overtime loss breaks the club’s modest three-game winning streak but still produces a point – with seven of a possible eight points over the last four games – with the Ice sitting at 8-11-1 and 17 points, one shy of the Rebels and two back of the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Daily Townsman Three Stars
1. Willie Coetzee – You now see what the Detroit Red Wings saw when they signed him as a free agent out of training camp.
2. Dustin Sylvester – Captain’s got his groove back. A six point weekend over two games including two goals Saturday
3. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Two assists; a 16-year-old playing like he’s 19.




Game Summary:

Rebels 4 @ Ice 3 (OT)

CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Red Deer Rebels and the Kootenay Ice. November 7, 2009.
Colin Archer streaked in on a rebound and buried his second of the season in overtime as the Red Deer Rebels edged the Kootenay Ice 4-3 in WHL action Saturday night. Dustin Sylvester, with two goals, and Kevin King with a late short-handed marker to send it to overtime scored for the Ice while Willie Coetzee notched two goals and added an assist with Brett Ferguson getting the other Rebel marker.
Kraymer Barnstable stopped 27 of 30 shots to get the win while Todd Mathews turned aside 28 of 32 in taking the loss.

First Period
1. Kootenay, Sylvester 7 (Boomer, Rintoul) 4:01 (pp)
2. Red Deer, Coetzee 10 (Kudrna, Archer) 6:33



Penalties -- Petrovic RD (roughing) 2:19, Borejko RD (roughing) 6:46, Weller RD (elbowing) Morenko RD (roughing) Montgomery Ktn (roughing, slashing) 6:46, Machacek Ktn (roughing) 10:32, Deagle RD (slashing) 13:47,

Second Period
3. Kootenay, Sylvester 8 6:25
4. Red Deer, Coetzee 11 (Green, Kudrna) 11:34,
5. Red Deer, Ferguson 6, (Cowen, Nugent-Hopkins) 16:16


Penalties -- Ferraro RD (misconduct) 6:25, Petrovic RD Czerwonka Ktn (fighting) 6:51, Molle Ktn (holding) 7:31,

Third Period
6. Kootenay, King 6 (Leach, Sylvester) 16:41 (sh)

Penalties -- Weller RD (slashing) 2:24, 'Reinhart Ktn (hooking) 15:07, Green RD Machacek Ktn (unsportsmanlike conduct) 16:11.

Overtime
7. Red Deer, Archer 2 (Coetzee, Nugent-Hopkins) 2:54

Penalties -- None.


Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 10 13 6 1 - 30
Red Deer: 6 13 10 3 - 32

Goal -- Kootenay: Todd Mathews (L, 4-4-1) Red Deer: Kraymer Barnstable (W, 7-4)

Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 1-4
Red Deer: 0-3

Referee -- Devin Klein. Linesman -- Sean Donnelly, Scott Sharun.

Attendance -- 2713 (4264)

Scratches --
Kootenay: Brayden McNabb (knee - 4-6 weeks), Luke Paulsen (ankle - 2-4 weeks), Christian Magnus (finger - day-to-day), Matt Fraser (knee - 1-2 weeks), Simon Skrudland (flu).
Red Deer: Nick Bell (ankle - indefinite), Turner Elson (healthy), Colten Mayor (healthy)

Kootenay wins three

Kootenay pushed their modest winning streak to three after beating the Red Deer Rebels 4-1 Friday in Red Deer.

Jesse Ismond opened the scoring for the Ice when he banged in a rebound off a Petr Senkerik point-shot. Kootenay’s power play – ranked 19th in the league going into the game – clicked early against the Rebels with the return of Drew Czerwonka causing havoc in front of the Rebel net, Senkerik sent a shot from the blueline that produced a rebound for the waiting Ismond, who deposited his third of the year.

In the second some good work on a dump in saw Max Reinhart send a laser of a pass to the slot where Kevin King neatly deflected in the puck past Darcy Kuemper to make it 2-0. Kootenay’s third goal was a strange one in that Kuemper actually lost complete sight of the puck in that he was actually looking at the wrong side of the ice when Dustin Sylvester fired the puck past him to make it 3-0.

Kootenay went up 4-0 in the third period when Petr Senkerik’s shot from the point was deflected past Kraymer Barnstable who had replaced Kuemper after his gaffe on the third Kootenay goal. Red Deer finally solved Mathews with rookie Brendan Hurley in the box on a bit of a phantom call but Rebel phenom Ryan Nugent-Hopkins found Andrej Kudma with a beauty of a saucer pass that he tapped past Mathews to make it 4-1.

Todd Mathews was named the game's first star stopping 34 shots and easily avenged his last visit to Red Deer - a 7-1 loss in the second game of the season - and was Kootenay's best player. Dustin Sylvester notched a goal and couple of assists as did D Petr Senkerik, filling the void left by Brayden McNabb's knee injury, with a goal and two helpers.

The two teams meet in the return bill Saturday night at the Rec Plex. Gametime is 7PM.

In other news there's a couple of Ice prospects - well, drafted players that have chosen the NCAA route but remain on the club's protected list - that will meet in the World Junior A Challenge Gold Medal game in Summerside, PEI. Canada West - made up of Junior A players from the four provinces - features Winnipeg forward Brendan O'Donnell, 17, who plays for the Winnipeg South Blues of the MJHL. Canada West will play Team USA which features forward Colten St. Clair of the Fargo Force of the USHL. O'Donnell and St. Clair were selected with concurrent Ice picks in 2007. O'Donnell in the 9th round (196th overall) and St. Clair, a native of Phoenix, AZ, in the 10th round (218th overall). Both decided that the WHL was not for them with O'Donnell committing to North Dakota next season and St. Clair originally verbally committed to Colorado College. He has since changed his mind and will join O'Donnell at UND next season.

St. Clair sits 8th in tournament scoring with two goals and three assists while O'Donnell has yet to get a point in four games.