The news doesn't get any better for the Ice as the infirmary now includes goaltender Nathan Lieuwen who is out indefinitely with a concussion after a collision with a Winter Hawk forward Friday night... This, ironically enough, on the eve that G Thomas Heemskerk with the Everett Silvertips returns to the 'Plex for the first time since leaving the club and requesting a trade 11 months ago.
On another note the Kamloops Blazers announced that they've fired head coach Barry Smith. This after a blazing start to the season going 8-2-2 before losing their last five straight games. Sheesh, tough crowd.
More later...
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The Score - Moose Jaw...
The Score – Moose Jaw 1 – Kootenay 0
What Happened – Goaltender Todd Mathews was spectacular and if not for his heroics the score would have much, much worse.
The Goal – Only one which deflected off Moose Jaw forward Dylan Hood in the slot after Travis Hamonic’s point-shot, was stopped by Mathews, only to trickle across the goal-line.
The Up and Comers – In two straight nights Kootenay fans were treated to the up and coming stars of the WHL. First Portland, with forwards Ty Rattie, 16, and Brad Ross, 17, - along with 19-year-old Luke Walker, a walk-on list player who made the Hawks in 2007 who hails from Castlegar. Then the Warriors with D Travis Hamonic and forward Quinton Howden. Two teams that have struggled for years and are now reaping the benefits of high drafting positions.
The Shots – The Warriors out-shot the Ice 35-18 and at one time lead 19-6 through almost half the game. G Todd Mathews was the difference on this night drawing rousing ovations from those in attendance at least three times.
The Skinny – Kootenay sits at 5-10, tied with the 4-9-2 Lethbridge Hurricanes for last in the Central and last in the Eastern Conference.
The Crowd – 2477. The days of 3000 plus to a weekend hockey game in this town are clearly gone. Attendance is down a ton and rink advertising, bread and butter of this club, has gone the same way with a number of empty sign boards around the ‘Plex.
Rec Plex Three Stars
1. D Travis Hamonic – The Warriors mined a great one with the 9th round pick in ‘05
2. G Todd Mathews – Spectacular against his old mates
3. G Jeff Bosch – Stopped Kootenay when he had to.
What it means – Kootenay’s 5-10 and five games under .500 since, uh, forever
Up Next – Everett and former goaltender Thomas Heemskerk are here Wednesday.
What Happened – Goaltender Todd Mathews was spectacular and if not for his heroics the score would have much, much worse.
The Goal – Only one which deflected off Moose Jaw forward Dylan Hood in the slot after Travis Hamonic’s point-shot, was stopped by Mathews, only to trickle across the goal-line.
The Up and Comers – In two straight nights Kootenay fans were treated to the up and coming stars of the WHL. First Portland, with forwards Ty Rattie, 16, and Brad Ross, 17, - along with 19-year-old Luke Walker, a walk-on list player who made the Hawks in 2007 who hails from Castlegar. Then the Warriors with D Travis Hamonic and forward Quinton Howden. Two teams that have struggled for years and are now reaping the benefits of high drafting positions.
The Shots – The Warriors out-shot the Ice 35-18 and at one time lead 19-6 through almost half the game. G Todd Mathews was the difference on this night drawing rousing ovations from those in attendance at least three times.
The Skinny – Kootenay sits at 5-10, tied with the 4-9-2 Lethbridge Hurricanes for last in the Central and last in the Eastern Conference.
The Crowd – 2477. The days of 3000 plus to a weekend hockey game in this town are clearly gone. Attendance is down a ton and rink advertising, bread and butter of this club, has gone the same way with a number of empty sign boards around the ‘Plex.
Rec Plex Three Stars
1. D Travis Hamonic – The Warriors mined a great one with the 9th round pick in ‘05
2. G Todd Mathews – Spectacular against his old mates
3. G Jeff Bosch – Stopped Kootenay when he had to.
What it means – Kootenay’s 5-10 and five games under .500 since, uh, forever
Up Next – Everett and former goaltender Thomas Heemskerk are here Wednesday.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Two loss weekend and some changes....
For those of you who are regulars here you will have notice a distinct drop in postings.
Due to a 'restructuring' at the paper my contributions have now been cut in half or perhaps even less.
I want to continue this thing as I do enjoy it but at the moment things are kind of in flux. I hoping to pick the ball back up here this week but it's going to be a little light for the time being.
JB
Due to a 'restructuring' at the paper my contributions have now been cut in half or perhaps even less.
I want to continue this thing as I do enjoy it but at the moment things are kind of in flux. I hoping to pick the ball back up here this week but it's going to be a little light for the time being.
JB
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Ice weekend
For Hockey Now....
Power play sputters in weekend split for the Ice
by Jeff Bromley
The Kootenay Ice got their captain back from injury but couldn’t find their power play and had to settle for a weekend split against the Spokane Chiefs, winning 4-3 on home ice Friday and then dropping a 3-1 decision in the return bill Saturday in Spokane. In the process they lost two more players; forward Steele Boomer on a dangerous hit from behind by Chief forward Mitch Wahl and then linemate Matt Fraser in the ensuing fisticuffs between Fraser and Wahl after the hit. “The difference was the injuries,” said Ice assistant coach Kris Knoblauch, as Fraser will miss at least a week with a shoulder injury while the club received some good news in that given Steele Boomer’s concussion history, the 19-year-old passed the concussion test Monday and will return to the line-up for the weekend’s home dates. “Losing Boomer and Fraser made it very difficult for the rest of the game but the difference was not capitalizing on the power play.”
Dominik Pacovsky would pace the Ice to a 1-0 lead shortly after the hit and fight with Wahl in the box for checking-from-behind, the import would deflect Hayden Rintoul’s point-shot past newly acquired goaltender Michael Tadjdeh, who joined the Chiefs in a trade from the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier in the week. Wahl would get the last laugh however as the 19-year-old Calgary Flames prospect would return to assist on two goals for the Chiefs in the 3-1 win. On Friday in front of 2844, the biggest crowd of the season at the Cranbrook Rec Plex, Kootenay had leads of 1-0, 3-2 and finally holding on to win 4-3 on Hayden Rintoul’s power play game-winner halfway through the third period as well as the strength of Pacovsky’s two assists along with Dustin Sylvester and Max Reinhart, who had a goal and an assist each.
Playing with the lead, though it’s not been as prevalent as they would like this season with the club’s 5-8 start to the regular season, isn’t as big an issue as the power play which went 1-7 Saturday in Spokane and is ranked 17th in the 22-team WHL, scoring just five goals over the club’s last ten games. “I think it’s still the power play that’s been the difference,” said Knoblauch. “It’s near the bottom of the league and we still have a lot of work to do. We’ve had chances to maybe get 2 or 3 goals up in Spokane but didn’t generate anything on the power play. With good teams it’s only a matter of time before they score but if we could capitalize on those chances it might be a different story.”
The club will get a chance to earn some redemption this weekend starting with a two-game set against the Portland Winter Hawks and Moose Jaw Warriors, which kicks off a five-game home stand at the Rec Plex. “Mark (head coach Holick) and myself, in our two seasons here our club has got off to slow starts,” said Knoblauch. “This isn’t so different and hopefully everything progresses like it has the last two years.”
Quick Hits – Along with Fraser, who is questionable for the weekend action with a shoulder injury and listed as day-to-day, Kootenay forwards Christian Magnus (broken finger) and Drew Czerwonka (leg laceration) are both out for another two weeks…The WHL’s 20-year-old deadline passed in which teams had to declare their three 20-year-olds on the roster. Kootenay wasn’t able to add to their roster by filling their vacant overage spot at the deadline October 15. Three clubs; Spokane, Swift Current and Prince George, were granted injury exemptions and won’t have to get down to three until two weeks after the injured players return.
Power play sputters in weekend split for the Ice
by Jeff Bromley
The Kootenay Ice got their captain back from injury but couldn’t find their power play and had to settle for a weekend split against the Spokane Chiefs, winning 4-3 on home ice Friday and then dropping a 3-1 decision in the return bill Saturday in Spokane. In the process they lost two more players; forward Steele Boomer on a dangerous hit from behind by Chief forward Mitch Wahl and then linemate Matt Fraser in the ensuing fisticuffs between Fraser and Wahl after the hit. “The difference was the injuries,” said Ice assistant coach Kris Knoblauch, as Fraser will miss at least a week with a shoulder injury while the club received some good news in that given Steele Boomer’s concussion history, the 19-year-old passed the concussion test Monday and will return to the line-up for the weekend’s home dates. “Losing Boomer and Fraser made it very difficult for the rest of the game but the difference was not capitalizing on the power play.”
Dominik Pacovsky would pace the Ice to a 1-0 lead shortly after the hit and fight with Wahl in the box for checking-from-behind, the import would deflect Hayden Rintoul’s point-shot past newly acquired goaltender Michael Tadjdeh, who joined the Chiefs in a trade from the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier in the week. Wahl would get the last laugh however as the 19-year-old Calgary Flames prospect would return to assist on two goals for the Chiefs in the 3-1 win. On Friday in front of 2844, the biggest crowd of the season at the Cranbrook Rec Plex, Kootenay had leads of 1-0, 3-2 and finally holding on to win 4-3 on Hayden Rintoul’s power play game-winner halfway through the third period as well as the strength of Pacovsky’s two assists along with Dustin Sylvester and Max Reinhart, who had a goal and an assist each.
Playing with the lead, though it’s not been as prevalent as they would like this season with the club’s 5-8 start to the regular season, isn’t as big an issue as the power play which went 1-7 Saturday in Spokane and is ranked 17th in the 22-team WHL, scoring just five goals over the club’s last ten games. “I think it’s still the power play that’s been the difference,” said Knoblauch. “It’s near the bottom of the league and we still have a lot of work to do. We’ve had chances to maybe get 2 or 3 goals up in Spokane but didn’t generate anything on the power play. With good teams it’s only a matter of time before they score but if we could capitalize on those chances it might be a different story.”
The club will get a chance to earn some redemption this weekend starting with a two-game set against the Portland Winter Hawks and Moose Jaw Warriors, which kicks off a five-game home stand at the Rec Plex. “Mark (head coach Holick) and myself, in our two seasons here our club has got off to slow starts,” said Knoblauch. “This isn’t so different and hopefully everything progresses like it has the last two years.”
Quick Hits – Along with Fraser, who is questionable for the weekend action with a shoulder injury and listed as day-to-day, Kootenay forwards Christian Magnus (broken finger) and Drew Czerwonka (leg laceration) are both out for another two weeks…The WHL’s 20-year-old deadline passed in which teams had to declare their three 20-year-olds on the roster. Kootenay wasn’t able to add to their roster by filling their vacant overage spot at the deadline October 15. Three clubs; Spokane, Swift Current and Prince George, were granted injury exemptions and won’t have to get down to three until two weeks after the injured players return.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Weekend Split...
Kootenay gets the home and home split over the weekend falling to the Chiefs Saturday in Spokane 3-1. KREM has a couple of highlites here.
More later...
More later...
Friday, October 16, 2009
No Chiefs/Ice
Nothing out of the Chiefs/Ice game tonight. Out of town this weekend coaching my Peewee Tier III club.
There'll be a weekend recap Sunday night.
There'll be a weekend recap Sunday night.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Ice stay with two
Kootenay stays put as the 20-year-old deadline passes. The only deal was a waiver wire pick-up by the Prince George Cougars when they nabbed Del Cowan after the Wheat Kings released him. The Wheaties were also in a seperate deal, acquiring goaltender Jacob De Serres, 19, from the Seattle T-Birds in exchange for 17-year-old forward Brennan Rouse.
The Cougars, like the Broncos and Chiefs, now have too many 20-year-olds with Cowan on their roster but d-men Garrett Thiessen and Dallas Jackson are both on the injured reserve list with shoulder injuries and are a few weeks from returning. They'll have to make thier decision when each player is healthy.
The Tigers got down to their three 20's after releasing goaltender Ryan Holfeld outright. He wasn't claimed and is now a free agent.
Kootenay options for filling that 20-year-old spot still exist. The club could trade for a player closer to the deadline if the need arises or when the aforementioned clubs are forced to make decisions on their 20-year-olds because all are healthy the spot could be filled then.
The Cougars, like the Broncos and Chiefs, now have too many 20-year-olds with Cowan on their roster but d-men Garrett Thiessen and Dallas Jackson are both on the injured reserve list with shoulder injuries and are a few weeks from returning. They'll have to make thier decision when each player is healthy.
The Tigers got down to their three 20's after releasing goaltender Ryan Holfeld outright. He wasn't claimed and is now a free agent.
Kootenay options for filling that 20-year-old spot still exist. The club could trade for a player closer to the deadline if the need arises or when the aforementioned clubs are forced to make decisions on their 20-year-olds because all are healthy the spot could be filled then.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Scratch Wintoneak off the list...
You can remove Blade forward Walker Wintoneak from the list of possible 20-year-old forward available by Thursday's deadline. For that matter you can scratch Mylan Kytnar too.
The Blades traded Kytnar, an Edmonton Oiler prospect who was surprisingly returned the Blades this season creating the 20-year-old logjam, to the Vancouver Giants for a 3rd round Bantam selection in 2010. The release is here. Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix also has the story here.
It's more likely that Kyntar was the odd man out because of his injuries of late and the play of Wintoneak and his nine points in the past three games that helped Blade GM Lorne Molleken make that decision. The Giants now have four 20-year-olds on the roster: D Ryan Funk, D Nolan Toigo, Kytnar and F Gary Nunn who is out for another 4-6 week with a broken leg. Once Nunn is healthy they'll have to make a decision then.
So what's left? Medicine Hat still has four but that included goaltender Ryan Holfeld, who looks to be the odd-man out. Prince George has D Dallas Jackson, D Garrett Thiessen and forwards Tyler Halliday and Alex Rogers. Not exactly impact players, at least up front. Spokane has four also - D Brett Bartman, D Jared Spurgeon, forward Ryan Letts and F/D Dustin Donaghy. The latter presents and interesting acquisition in that he's local and provides some depth and toughness but ultimately isn't the scoring forward they're looking for. Swift Current, a favourite trading partner, also has four on the roster D Michael Claffey, D Eric Doyle, F Michael Stickland and F Matt Tassone. Tassone is still a month or so away so they don't have to make a decision until he's back. Brandon still looks like the best bet left of the bunch with forwards Aaron Lewadniuk and Del Cowan up for grabs.
The Blades traded Kytnar, an Edmonton Oiler prospect who was surprisingly returned the Blades this season creating the 20-year-old logjam, to the Vancouver Giants for a 3rd round Bantam selection in 2010. The release is here. Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix also has the story here.
It's more likely that Kyntar was the odd man out because of his injuries of late and the play of Wintoneak and his nine points in the past three games that helped Blade GM Lorne Molleken make that decision. The Giants now have four 20-year-olds on the roster: D Ryan Funk, D Nolan Toigo, Kytnar and F Gary Nunn who is out for another 4-6 week with a broken leg. Once Nunn is healthy they'll have to make a decision then.
So what's left? Medicine Hat still has four but that included goaltender Ryan Holfeld, who looks to be the odd-man out. Prince George has D Dallas Jackson, D Garrett Thiessen and forwards Tyler Halliday and Alex Rogers. Not exactly impact players, at least up front. Spokane has four also - D Brett Bartman, D Jared Spurgeon, forward Ryan Letts and F/D Dustin Donaghy. The latter presents and interesting acquisition in that he's local and provides some depth and toughness but ultimately isn't the scoring forward they're looking for. Swift Current, a favourite trading partner, also has four on the roster D Michael Claffey, D Eric Doyle, F Michael Stickland and F Matt Tassone. Tassone is still a month or so away so they don't have to make a decision until he's back. Brandon still looks like the best bet left of the bunch with forwards Aaron Lewadniuk and Del Cowan up for grabs.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Ice limp home 4-7....
As the 20-year-old deadline approaches, and I'll have more on it later in the week, Brandon's Del Cowen or Aaron Lewadniuk - both forwards - or Blade forward Walker Wintoneak, could be in an Ice uniform by Thursday. Just an opinion and so far fishing. Nothing concrete yet....
For the News-Advertiser...
Inconsistent Ice limp back from 2-4 road trip
by Jeff Bromley
Try as he might Kootenay Ice head coach Mark Holick had trouble searching for some positives to take out of the club’s 10-day lacklustre road trip through the prairies that saw the club return to Cranbrook late Monday night with a 2-4 record.
This Thanksgiving weekend the club had little to be thankful for, at least on the ice.
Injuries as well as inconsistent offence, defence and all-around efforts plagued the Ice as the club wrapped the trip Monday afternoon in Swift Current with a 3-1 loss. “It’s tough when you take four guys out of anybody’s line-up,” said Holick following the loss. “It’s not really an excuse but it’s a fact. We have to find a way. We need more from certain players in our line-up and it can’t always be the same guys contributing night after night. We’ve got to find some other players that contribute, not only offensively but to dig their heels in and be responsible defensively. Right now that’s what we’re working towards.”
Pinpointing the deficiencies on the road trip was like a game of ‘Where’s Waldo?’; just when you think you found it something else pops up somewhere else. Starting the six-game trip with a 5-4 overtime win in Medicine Hat when captain Dustin Sylvester wired the game-winner in the extra period the Ice then dropped a 4-3 decision to the Prince Albert Raiders Tuesday. On Shaw TV Wednesday in Saskatoon Kootenay was down 2-0 less than three minutes into the game and 5-0 after the first period as the Blades coasted to an 8-4 victory in which Sylvester was knocked out of the game and the rest of the road trip on a hit by rookie D Dalton Thrower. The Ice rebounded Friday in Brandon by finding their stride offensively and thumping the Wheat Kings 7-3. But some turkey dinner Saturday predicated a couple of uninspiring efforts in Moose Jaw and Swift Current Sunday and Monday, losing 4-2 and 3-1, respectively. Though the club gave up an average of 34 shots a game on the trip, Holick could care less given the unreliability of shot-keepers in the WHL, instead choosing to ask why certain players didn‘t do enough to block some of those shots. “We’ve got to do a better job of getting in front of those,” he said. “That’s what I’m talking about by being on the same page. We’ve got guys that aren’t stepping up. Courage is part of this game. You’ve got to have courage to play it and if you lack in that department you’re going to have some long nights.”
“Swift Current must’ve blocked 30 shots and did a great job in getting into lanes.”
While refusing to name names, one player who seemed to take the brunt of Holick’s disdain was 18-year-old D Hayden Rintoul, who was a healthy scratch in Saskatoon following a defensive gaffe that led to the Raiders winning goal Tuesday night and then being beat early in the third Monday by Bronco forward Geordie Wudrick with Swift Current’s third goal 54 seconds into the third period in a 2-1 game, Rintoul didn’t see another shift the rest of the way. “His intensity level isn’t anywhere near where it needs to be,” said Holick. “Hayden has to figure that out. He’s a guy that’s got boatloads of talent. He skates like the wind and sees the ice like few others but his compete level has got to come up a notch or two. He’s struggling a little bit with confidence but we’re working with him. He’s got to find a way. Our best guys have to be our best guys and he’s one of our best defensemen but he has to do that on a nightly basis.”
Quick Hits - Kootenay returns to the Cranbrook Rec Plex Friday night when they host the Spokane Chiefs. The Ice sport a 4-7 record and are currently 11th in the 12-team Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes… C Dustin Sylvester is questionable for the weekend with what’s reported to be a case of whiplash. Doctor’s will re-assess the Kelowna product in Cranbrook this week. LW Brock Montgomery returned from missing the Brandon game with an ankle injury while import D Petr Senkerik missed the last two games of the trip with a shoulder injury. RW Christian Magnus (finger) and LW Drew Czwerwonka (leg) are still two weeks away… The WHL’s 20-year-old deadline in which teams have to get down to three overage players is October 15. Will Kootenay be a buyer for one of the 20-year-olds available? Holick thinks so. “That’s something you’d have to talk to Jeff (Ice GM Chynoweth) about as he handles the player personnel but certainly, we have an open 20-year-old spot and ideally we’d like to get one that’s an impact guy and who is able to help the hockey club immediately. I’m sure if Jeff can find a guy like he’ll put the trigger on something.”... D Brayden McNabb, currently third in league-scoring among defensemen with 13 points, broke his 9-game point-scoring streak to start the season in Sunday's loss in Moose Jaw. McNabb scored Kootenay's only goal Monday against the Broncos.
For the News-Advertiser...
Inconsistent Ice limp back from 2-4 road trip
by Jeff Bromley
Try as he might Kootenay Ice head coach Mark Holick had trouble searching for some positives to take out of the club’s 10-day lacklustre road trip through the prairies that saw the club return to Cranbrook late Monday night with a 2-4 record.
This Thanksgiving weekend the club had little to be thankful for, at least on the ice.
Injuries as well as inconsistent offence, defence and all-around efforts plagued the Ice as the club wrapped the trip Monday afternoon in Swift Current with a 3-1 loss. “It’s tough when you take four guys out of anybody’s line-up,” said Holick following the loss. “It’s not really an excuse but it’s a fact. We have to find a way. We need more from certain players in our line-up and it can’t always be the same guys contributing night after night. We’ve got to find some other players that contribute, not only offensively but to dig their heels in and be responsible defensively. Right now that’s what we’re working towards.”
Pinpointing the deficiencies on the road trip was like a game of ‘Where’s Waldo?’; just when you think you found it something else pops up somewhere else. Starting the six-game trip with a 5-4 overtime win in Medicine Hat when captain Dustin Sylvester wired the game-winner in the extra period the Ice then dropped a 4-3 decision to the Prince Albert Raiders Tuesday. On Shaw TV Wednesday in Saskatoon Kootenay was down 2-0 less than three minutes into the game and 5-0 after the first period as the Blades coasted to an 8-4 victory in which Sylvester was knocked out of the game and the rest of the road trip on a hit by rookie D Dalton Thrower. The Ice rebounded Friday in Brandon by finding their stride offensively and thumping the Wheat Kings 7-3. But some turkey dinner Saturday predicated a couple of uninspiring efforts in Moose Jaw and Swift Current Sunday and Monday, losing 4-2 and 3-1, respectively. Though the club gave up an average of 34 shots a game on the trip, Holick could care less given the unreliability of shot-keepers in the WHL, instead choosing to ask why certain players didn‘t do enough to block some of those shots. “We’ve got to do a better job of getting in front of those,” he said. “That’s what I’m talking about by being on the same page. We’ve got guys that aren’t stepping up. Courage is part of this game. You’ve got to have courage to play it and if you lack in that department you’re going to have some long nights.”
“Swift Current must’ve blocked 30 shots and did a great job in getting into lanes.”
While refusing to name names, one player who seemed to take the brunt of Holick’s disdain was 18-year-old D Hayden Rintoul, who was a healthy scratch in Saskatoon following a defensive gaffe that led to the Raiders winning goal Tuesday night and then being beat early in the third Monday by Bronco forward Geordie Wudrick with Swift Current’s third goal 54 seconds into the third period in a 2-1 game, Rintoul didn’t see another shift the rest of the way. “His intensity level isn’t anywhere near where it needs to be,” said Holick. “Hayden has to figure that out. He’s a guy that’s got boatloads of talent. He skates like the wind and sees the ice like few others but his compete level has got to come up a notch or two. He’s struggling a little bit with confidence but we’re working with him. He’s got to find a way. Our best guys have to be our best guys and he’s one of our best defensemen but he has to do that on a nightly basis.”
Quick Hits - Kootenay returns to the Cranbrook Rec Plex Friday night when they host the Spokane Chiefs. The Ice sport a 4-7 record and are currently 11th in the 12-team Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes… C Dustin Sylvester is questionable for the weekend with what’s reported to be a case of whiplash. Doctor’s will re-assess the Kelowna product in Cranbrook this week. LW Brock Montgomery returned from missing the Brandon game with an ankle injury while import D Petr Senkerik missed the last two games of the trip with a shoulder injury. RW Christian Magnus (finger) and LW Drew Czwerwonka (leg) are still two weeks away… The WHL’s 20-year-old deadline in which teams have to get down to three overage players is October 15. Will Kootenay be a buyer for one of the 20-year-olds available? Holick thinks so. “That’s something you’d have to talk to Jeff (Ice GM Chynoweth) about as he handles the player personnel but certainly, we have an open 20-year-old spot and ideally we’d like to get one that’s an impact guy and who is able to help the hockey club immediately. I’m sure if Jeff can find a guy like he’ll put the trigger on something.”... D Brayden McNabb, currently third in league-scoring among defensemen with 13 points, broke his 9-game point-scoring streak to start the season in Sunday's loss in Moose Jaw. McNabb scored Kootenay's only goal Monday against the Broncos.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Ice dump Wheaties 7-3
The Jekyll and Hyde show took a turn for the better Friday in Brandon as the Ice exploded for 7 goals en route to a 7-3 win over the club that will host the Memorial Cup in May.
Forward Matt Fraser had his best game in an Ice uniform statistically speaking scoring a hat-trick while Dominik Pacovsky got two more. Steele Boomer finished with a goal and an assist and Jesse Ismond finished the night with three helpers. Max Reinhart got the other marker for Kootenay.
Nathan Lieuwen stopped 32 of 35 shots while the Ice threw 28 shots at Wheat King back-up Ty Rimmer, who stopped 21.
C/LW Dustin Sylvester sat this one out and likely won't play the rest of the trip with an undisclosed injury. It's likely his ankle but hey, it's October and injuries are a closely guarded secret, right? Forward Brock Montgomery missed the game with an ankle injury as did Drew Czerwonka (leg) and Christian Magnus (finger).
Brandon sat LW Del Cowan tonight as the fourth 20-year-old on their roster (Matt Calvert, Aaron Lewadniuk and Jay Fehr are the others).
Kootenay's off Saturday and will play in Moose Jaw on Sunday.
And FYI, further to the 20-year-old discussion; Walker Wintoneak had a goal and three assists in Saskatoon's 6-3 win over the Rebels tonight in Red Deer.
Forward Matt Fraser had his best game in an Ice uniform statistically speaking scoring a hat-trick while Dominik Pacovsky got two more. Steele Boomer finished with a goal and an assist and Jesse Ismond finished the night with three helpers. Max Reinhart got the other marker for Kootenay.
Nathan Lieuwen stopped 32 of 35 shots while the Ice threw 28 shots at Wheat King back-up Ty Rimmer, who stopped 21.
C/LW Dustin Sylvester sat this one out and likely won't play the rest of the trip with an undisclosed injury. It's likely his ankle but hey, it's October and injuries are a closely guarded secret, right? Forward Brock Montgomery missed the game with an ankle injury as did Drew Czerwonka (leg) and Christian Magnus (finger).
Brandon sat LW Del Cowan tonight as the fourth 20-year-old on their roster (Matt Calvert, Aaron Lewadniuk and Jay Fehr are the others).
Kootenay's off Saturday and will play in Moose Jaw on Sunday.
And FYI, further to the 20-year-old discussion; Walker Wintoneak had a goal and three assists in Saskatoon's 6-3 win over the Rebels tonight in Red Deer.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Question, questions and more questions
Another night on a long road trip that's destined to get longer after a lacklustre effort produced an 8-4 loss to the Saskatoon Blades Wednesday night.
Corey Wolfe of the Star-Phoenix has the gamer here.
Kootenay was down 2-0 less than three minutes into the game in which Todd Mathews gave up the first two shots he faced. He was given the hook shortly after that but the seed was sewn and by the end of the first it was 5-0 Blades.
Kootenay made it respectable but clearly questions are emerging about this club early in the campaign:
The Doghouse - Hayden Rintoul renting the real estate in Mark Holick's shady area of town. He was a healthy scratch after the Prince Albert game. Question is; was it a wise decision to bench an offensive threat and arguably your number 2 d-man going up against the Blades? Defensive liability? On this night there was plenty of that.
The Captain - Is the injury serious? Is it the ankle again after Dustin Sylvester left the game on an open-ice hit by rookie Blade D Dalton Thrower?
The 20's - In this game Blade forward Walker Wintoneak notched a goal and an assist. The 6'3" 212-pound Flin Flon product scored 31 goals to go along with 28 assists last season for the Blades and has 2g and 3a in five games this season. Because the Blades got D Sam Klassen back from the Rangers and import forward Mylan Kytnar back from the Oilers, who also happens to be a 20-year-old, to go along with the club's captain Derek Hulak, Wintoneak looks to be the odd-man out in Saskatoon as the October 15 deadline for three 20-year-olds approaches. With the Tigers getting down to four 20's on their roster by dealing forward Colton Grant to Chilliwack earlier today - G Ryan Holfeld still looks to be the odd-man out there - only Swift Current, Brandon, PG, Spokane and Saskatoon have 20's to deal with. Could a bidding war erupt for Wintoneak? And if so, is GM Jeff Chynoweth getting in on the action? Scoring depth is an obvious issue for the Ice and Wintoneak would address that.
The road show continues Friday in Brandon against the Wheat Kings.
Corey Wolfe of the Star-Phoenix has the gamer here.
Kootenay was down 2-0 less than three minutes into the game in which Todd Mathews gave up the first two shots he faced. He was given the hook shortly after that but the seed was sewn and by the end of the first it was 5-0 Blades.
Kootenay made it respectable but clearly questions are emerging about this club early in the campaign:
The Doghouse - Hayden Rintoul renting the real estate in Mark Holick's shady area of town. He was a healthy scratch after the Prince Albert game. Question is; was it a wise decision to bench an offensive threat and arguably your number 2 d-man going up against the Blades? Defensive liability? On this night there was plenty of that.
The Captain - Is the injury serious? Is it the ankle again after Dustin Sylvester left the game on an open-ice hit by rookie Blade D Dalton Thrower?
The 20's - In this game Blade forward Walker Wintoneak notched a goal and an assist. The 6'3" 212-pound Flin Flon product scored 31 goals to go along with 28 assists last season for the Blades and has 2g and 3a in five games this season. Because the Blades got D Sam Klassen back from the Rangers and import forward Mylan Kytnar back from the Oilers, who also happens to be a 20-year-old, to go along with the club's captain Derek Hulak, Wintoneak looks to be the odd-man out in Saskatoon as the October 15 deadline for three 20-year-olds approaches. With the Tigers getting down to four 20's on their roster by dealing forward Colton Grant to Chilliwack earlier today - G Ryan Holfeld still looks to be the odd-man out there - only Swift Current, Brandon, PG, Spokane and Saskatoon have 20's to deal with. Could a bidding war erupt for Wintoneak? And if so, is GM Jeff Chynoweth getting in on the action? Scoring depth is an obvious issue for the Ice and Wintoneak would address that.
The road show continues Friday in Brandon against the Wheat Kings.
Raiders edge Ice
The Kootenay Ice played a good road game Tuesday night in Prince Albert but not good enough to get by the Raiders as PA got a late third period goal by Igor Ravenko to edge the Ice 4-3.
John MacNeil of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has a gamer here.
The line of Steele Boomer, with three assists, Kevin King - with a goal and an two assists - and Matt Fraser with a two goal effort supplied all of the scoring for the Ice.
Ravenko notched two while Raider captain Dustin Cameron had the Gordie Howe hat-trick with a goal, assist and a fight, against Ice D Ryan Molle. Craig McCallum had the other Raider goal.
The Raiders poured 43 shots on Ice goaltender Nathan Lieuwen while the Ice fired 35 at Raider goaltender Garret Zemlak.
Two Ice defenders - D Hayden Rintoul and D Ryan Molle - didn't have great nights as the former coughed up a breakaway chance to the Raiders in the second in which Lieuwen stopped on top of leaving Ravenko wide-open for the game-winner while Molle was fingered for a frustration penalty late in the game that all but thwarted any comeback attempt. Rintoul, normally a staple on the power play, didn't see a lot of time after the mid-game gaffe.
Kootenay's in Saskatoon (Shaw TV; Channel 10)tonight at 7PM.
John MacNeil of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has a gamer here.
The line of Steele Boomer, with three assists, Kevin King - with a goal and an two assists - and Matt Fraser with a two goal effort supplied all of the scoring for the Ice.
Ravenko notched two while Raider captain Dustin Cameron had the Gordie Howe hat-trick with a goal, assist and a fight, against Ice D Ryan Molle. Craig McCallum had the other Raider goal.
The Raiders poured 43 shots on Ice goaltender Nathan Lieuwen while the Ice fired 35 at Raider goaltender Garret Zemlak.
Two Ice defenders - D Hayden Rintoul and D Ryan Molle - didn't have great nights as the former coughed up a breakaway chance to the Raiders in the second in which Lieuwen stopped on top of leaving Ravenko wide-open for the game-winner while Molle was fingered for a frustration penalty late in the game that all but thwarted any comeback attempt. Rintoul, normally a staple on the power play, didn't see a lot of time after the mid-game gaffe.
Kootenay's in Saskatoon (Shaw TV; Channel 10)tonight at 7PM.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Ice find the goals....
For the News-Advertiser...
Kootenay gains weekend split
by Jeff Bromley
To begin what would be the club’s longest road trip in a decade the Kootenay Ice boarded the bus in search of one key ingredient; goals. After finding their offensive touch, if not the back of the net, on Friday against the Calgary Hitmen, they struck pay dirt Saturday against the always accommodating Medicine Hat Tigers in game one of a six-game, ten-day road trip through the prairies.
On Friday at the Rec Plex Hitmen back-up goaltender Michael Snider stole the show, stopping 39 of 40 shots to gain first-star honours and the win for the rival Hitmen. “It was exciting to get in there and string a couple of wins together,” said Snider, who snared his second straight win Friday. “I’ve never played back-to-back in this league and tonight everything was hitting me.”
All things considered - and on this night they had to be as the club was battling a major flu bug that had two starters , D Hayden Rintoul and D Cason Machacek, in bed and a host of others stuffed full of TamiFlu - the effort was to be commended as the club put forth their best effort since the opening-night drubbing of the Lethbridge Hurricanes but ran head long into the heroics of Snider. “With everyone sick and some guys out there was a chance for some guys to step up, I thought we played pretty well,” said Ice forward Kevin King, who finished the weekend with a couple of assists. “It was a good builder to take into the road trip. (Snider) was frustrating us tonight but you cant do anything about that. We just have to stay positive on the bench and in the room.”
That positive energy, and the finish around the net the club’s been searching for since the aforementioned Game 1, paid off 24 hours later in Medicine Hat. Kootenay traded blows with the Tigers in the goal department, taking an early 1-0 lead on Ryan Molle’s first of the season, and then surrendering two goals before Dustin Sylvester tied it late in the first period. Kootenay would chase the Tigers once again in the second as Emerson Etem - this season’s early Ice-killer as the American rookie had notched four goals on the season to that point, all against the Ice - twice paced the Tigers to one-goal leads before goals by Joe Antilla and a quick reply 24 seconds after the Tigers took the lead once again in the third period by import D Petr Senkerik, with his second of the year, took the two clubs to overtime.
Tiger forward Zdenek Okal took a late third period penalty that carried over into the overtime. D Brayden McNabb skated in from the point on the 4-on-3 and feed a cross-ice pass to Sylvester, who one-timed the game-winner past Tiger goaltender Tyler Bunz. The goal capped off a two-goal, one assist performance that got the Ice captain second star honours, ironically enough, behind Okal who finished with two helpers, the first star and the goat horns for the late penalty.
After a goal-starved week Ice head coach Mark Holick got what he asked for Friday night, goals. “We need to score goals, that’s what more I could ask for,” he said after Friday’s game. “I’m not sure we have a 50-goal guy in our room. We have a guy that can get close but for us to score goals, a lot of things have to go right.”
Quick Hits - Holick juggled some early-season line combinations Friday that paid-off Saturday, the most obvious being the trio of Dustin Sylvester with Max Reinhart and Dominik Pacovsky, which seemed to kick-start Sylvester’s point production which now stands at 3 goals and 4 assists in six games. Kevin King and Matt Fraser, Sylvester’s former linemates, were centred by Steele Boomer… After Prince Albert Tuesday night the road trip continues for the Ice as they’re in Saskatoon Wednesday night - a game televised on Shaw TV - and then Brandon on Friday; Moose Jaw on Sunday and Swift Current on Thanksgiving Monday… Both Christian Magnus (broken finger) and Drew Czerwonka (leg laceration) are still 3-4 weeks away from returning… To get down to the WHL-mandated three 20-year-olds the Prince Albert Raiders waived D Patrick Kozyra over the weekend. G Garret Zemlak, LW Craig McCallum and LW Dustin Cameron are the club’s overage players. Brandon (4), Swift Current (4 - with injury) and Medicine Hat (5) are the Eastern Conference clubs still over the limit. The league deadline for 20-year-olds is October 15.
Kootenay gains weekend split
by Jeff Bromley
To begin what would be the club’s longest road trip in a decade the Kootenay Ice boarded the bus in search of one key ingredient; goals. After finding their offensive touch, if not the back of the net, on Friday against the Calgary Hitmen, they struck pay dirt Saturday against the always accommodating Medicine Hat Tigers in game one of a six-game, ten-day road trip through the prairies.
On Friday at the Rec Plex Hitmen back-up goaltender Michael Snider stole the show, stopping 39 of 40 shots to gain first-star honours and the win for the rival Hitmen. “It was exciting to get in there and string a couple of wins together,” said Snider, who snared his second straight win Friday. “I’ve never played back-to-back in this league and tonight everything was hitting me.”
All things considered - and on this night they had to be as the club was battling a major flu bug that had two starters , D Hayden Rintoul and D Cason Machacek, in bed and a host of others stuffed full of TamiFlu - the effort was to be commended as the club put forth their best effort since the opening-night drubbing of the Lethbridge Hurricanes but ran head long into the heroics of Snider. “With everyone sick and some guys out there was a chance for some guys to step up, I thought we played pretty well,” said Ice forward Kevin King, who finished the weekend with a couple of assists. “It was a good builder to take into the road trip. (Snider) was frustrating us tonight but you cant do anything about that. We just have to stay positive on the bench and in the room.”
That positive energy, and the finish around the net the club’s been searching for since the aforementioned Game 1, paid off 24 hours later in Medicine Hat. Kootenay traded blows with the Tigers in the goal department, taking an early 1-0 lead on Ryan Molle’s first of the season, and then surrendering two goals before Dustin Sylvester tied it late in the first period. Kootenay would chase the Tigers once again in the second as Emerson Etem - this season’s early Ice-killer as the American rookie had notched four goals on the season to that point, all against the Ice - twice paced the Tigers to one-goal leads before goals by Joe Antilla and a quick reply 24 seconds after the Tigers took the lead once again in the third period by import D Petr Senkerik, with his second of the year, took the two clubs to overtime.
Tiger forward Zdenek Okal took a late third period penalty that carried over into the overtime. D Brayden McNabb skated in from the point on the 4-on-3 and feed a cross-ice pass to Sylvester, who one-timed the game-winner past Tiger goaltender Tyler Bunz. The goal capped off a two-goal, one assist performance that got the Ice captain second star honours, ironically enough, behind Okal who finished with two helpers, the first star and the goat horns for the late penalty.
After a goal-starved week Ice head coach Mark Holick got what he asked for Friday night, goals. “We need to score goals, that’s what more I could ask for,” he said after Friday’s game. “I’m not sure we have a 50-goal guy in our room. We have a guy that can get close but for us to score goals, a lot of things have to go right.”
Quick Hits - Holick juggled some early-season line combinations Friday that paid-off Saturday, the most obvious being the trio of Dustin Sylvester with Max Reinhart and Dominik Pacovsky, which seemed to kick-start Sylvester’s point production which now stands at 3 goals and 4 assists in six games. Kevin King and Matt Fraser, Sylvester’s former linemates, were centred by Steele Boomer… After Prince Albert Tuesday night the road trip continues for the Ice as they’re in Saskatoon Wednesday night - a game televised on Shaw TV - and then Brandon on Friday; Moose Jaw on Sunday and Swift Current on Thanksgiving Monday… Both Christian Magnus (broken finger) and Drew Czerwonka (leg laceration) are still 3-4 weeks away from returning… To get down to the WHL-mandated three 20-year-olds the Prince Albert Raiders waived D Patrick Kozyra over the weekend. G Garret Zemlak, LW Craig McCallum and LW Dustin Cameron are the club’s overage players. Brandon (4), Swift Current (4 - with injury) and Medicine Hat (5) are the Eastern Conference clubs still over the limit. The league deadline for 20-year-olds is October 15.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Sylvester in OT
Dustin Sylvester was the overtime hero as the captain got his second of the night as the Kootenay Ice defeated the Medicine Hat Tigers 5-4 in OT Saturday night in the Medicine Hat.
It was a night the imports contributed heavily as D Petr Senkerik notched a goal and an assist and Dominik Pacovsky chipped in with three assists. Joe Antilla and Ryan Molle had the other Kootenay goals.
The Tigers got goals from Linden Vey and Joey Frazer while Californian Emerson Etem got another two goals, giving the American rookie four goals on the season - all against the Ice.
Checkout the highlites at the Tigers website.
Kootenay's in Prince Albert Tuesday night to continue the 10-day, six game road trip.
It was a night the imports contributed heavily as D Petr Senkerik notched a goal and an assist and Dominik Pacovsky chipped in with three assists. Joe Antilla and Ryan Molle had the other Kootenay goals.
The Tigers got goals from Linden Vey and Joey Frazer while Californian Emerson Etem got another two goals, giving the American rookie four goals on the season - all against the Ice.
Checkout the highlites at the Tigers website.
Kootenay's in Prince Albert Tuesday night to continue the 10-day, six game road trip.
Friday, October 2, 2009
The Score - Ice/Hitmen
The Score – Calgary 2 – Kootenay 1
What Happened – The flu-ridden Ice played a strong game, perhaps their best of the season save for the home-opener, but ran headlong into a hot Michael Snider. So much for facing the back-up.
The Flu Bug – Kootenay didn’t practice Thursday and two of their defensemen – Hayden Rintoul and Cason Machacek – stayed in bed.
The New (dumb) Fight Rule – Elgin Pearce stood up for his linemate Brendan Hurley after Hurley was checked dangerously into the boards by Kyle Aschim. Pearce landed most of the shots but because of the new, keep your lid on rule, most of the shots hit hard plastic, doing more damage to his hand than his opponent.
The Save – Michael Snider stopped a point blank rebound shot by Brock Montgomery in the second period after D Brayden McNabb sent a blast to the Hitmen net. Like most of the night, the 5’9” fire hydrant was a wall between the pipes for the Hitmen.
The Goals – Despite the flu bug it was Kootenay who started well with the better chances during the first half of the first period but with Ismond in the box Hitmen D Chase Schaber wired a point-shot along the ice that goaltender Nathan Lieuwen didn’t see… Though you might not believe it as the Hitmen got their stride after the goal and peppered 18 shots at Lieuwen in the first period… In the second period the Ice, again after carrying much of the play for the second period, couldn’t clear the zone. Brandon Kozun found last year’s leading goal-score Joel Broda in the slot all alone. He didn’t miss… Kootenay finished the period with an astounding 22-4 edge on the shot clock. So much so that Mackenzie Royer’s shot chart beside me in the press box was full of ink on just one side of his sheet. Of course the score clock read one big zero… Kootenay finally solved Snider with Kyle Aschim in the sin bin; Petr Senkerik fired a blast from the point that caught the top corner for his first WHL goal.
The Boards – Dominik Pacovsky found the end boards head first trying to check Misha Fisenko in behind Nathan Lieuwen. Pacovsky stumbled off the ice wondering where he was after that.
The Off-sides – I counted seven of ‘em. On this night Kootenay just couldn’t get into sinc.
The Turning Point – A second period barrage of shots that Hitmen goaltender Michael Snider stared down, stopping every one of them. Particularly when Kootenay had back-to-back power plays into the second half of the period and D Brayden McNabb left the ice for only about 30 seconds over a five minute span.
The Brother Act – Dustin Sylvester’s younger brother Cody played on Calgary’s 3rd line.
The Crowd – 2696 – There were days when the Hitmen would draw 4000 plus in this town on a regular basis.
KNA Three Stars
1. Michael Snider – Stopped everything he saw, and most of the ones he didn’t
2. D Brayden McNabb – The guy is a horse; easily over 40 minutes in playing time.
3. G Nathan Lieuwen – Quietly another good night. Could use some support.
Up Next: Kootenay gets on the bus and heads to Medicine Hat to begin a ten-day road trip that will take them through the prairies. Their biggest opponent could be the Flu Bug and should make travelling in the Iron Lung a very nasty place to be.
Hitmen 2 @ Ice 1
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Calgary Hitmen and the Kootenay Ice; October 2, 2009
Joel Broda scored his second of the season in the second period and goaltender Michael Snider was terrific in stopping 39 of 40 shots he faced as the Calgary Hitmen improved to 5-0 on the regular season, edging the Kootenay Ice 2-1 in WHL action Friday night.
Chase Schaber opened the scoring at 9:20 of the first period for the Hitmen by wiring his second of the season past a screened Nathan Lieuwen to put the visitors up 1-0.
Broda, just returned to junior from the Washington Capitals, put the Hitmen up 2-0 with a shot from the slot after a wide-open pass from Brandon Kozun. Kootenay finally solved the heroics of Snider when Petr Senkerik blasted his first in the WHL from the point with the Ice on the power play.
Snider stopped 39 of 40 shots to get the win while Nathan Lieuwen was solid in the nets for the Ice, stopping 31 of 33 shot in taking the loss.
First Period
1. Calgary, Schaber 2 (Fisenko, Foucault) 9:20 (pp)
Penalties -- Pearce Ktn Aschim Cgy (fighting) 5:36, Ismond Ktn (checking-from-behind) 7:44,
Second Period
2. Calgary, Broda 2 (Kozun, Fiddler) 8:13
Penalties -- Foucault Cgy (holding) 0:45, Fiddler Cgy Sylvester Ktn (roughing) Stone Cgy (cross-checking) 11:19, Wilson Cgy (slashing) 14:17.
Third Period
3. Kootenay, Senkerik 1 (McNabb, King) 16:42 (pp)
Penalties -- Aschim Cgy (tripping) 16:00.
Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 11 22 7 - 40
Calgary: 18 4 11 - 33
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (L, 2-2); Calgary: Michael Snider (W, 2-0).
Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 1-4.
Calgary: 1-1.
Referee -- Pat Smith. Linesman -- Steve Cochrane, Ian Shaver.
Attendance -- 2696 (4264)
Scratches --
Kootenay: Hayden Rintoul (flu), Cason Machecek (flu), Christian Magnus (broken finger - four weeks), Drew Czerwonka (leg laceratio - four weeks).
Calgary: Erik Bonsor (healthy), Cody Gross, (healthy), Jaynen Rissling (healthy), Jessi Hilton (healthy) Mackenzie Royer (healthy).
Summary courtesy Jeff Bromley of the Kootenay NewsAdvertiser
What Happened – The flu-ridden Ice played a strong game, perhaps their best of the season save for the home-opener, but ran headlong into a hot Michael Snider. So much for facing the back-up.
The Flu Bug – Kootenay didn’t practice Thursday and two of their defensemen – Hayden Rintoul and Cason Machacek – stayed in bed.
The New (dumb) Fight Rule – Elgin Pearce stood up for his linemate Brendan Hurley after Hurley was checked dangerously into the boards by Kyle Aschim. Pearce landed most of the shots but because of the new, keep your lid on rule, most of the shots hit hard plastic, doing more damage to his hand than his opponent.
The Save – Michael Snider stopped a point blank rebound shot by Brock Montgomery in the second period after D Brayden McNabb sent a blast to the Hitmen net. Like most of the night, the 5’9” fire hydrant was a wall between the pipes for the Hitmen.
The Goals – Despite the flu bug it was Kootenay who started well with the better chances during the first half of the first period but with Ismond in the box Hitmen D Chase Schaber wired a point-shot along the ice that goaltender Nathan Lieuwen didn’t see… Though you might not believe it as the Hitmen got their stride after the goal and peppered 18 shots at Lieuwen in the first period… In the second period the Ice, again after carrying much of the play for the second period, couldn’t clear the zone. Brandon Kozun found last year’s leading goal-score Joel Broda in the slot all alone. He didn’t miss… Kootenay finished the period with an astounding 22-4 edge on the shot clock. So much so that Mackenzie Royer’s shot chart beside me in the press box was full of ink on just one side of his sheet. Of course the score clock read one big zero… Kootenay finally solved Snider with Kyle Aschim in the sin bin; Petr Senkerik fired a blast from the point that caught the top corner for his first WHL goal.
The Boards – Dominik Pacovsky found the end boards head first trying to check Misha Fisenko in behind Nathan Lieuwen. Pacovsky stumbled off the ice wondering where he was after that.
The Off-sides – I counted seven of ‘em. On this night Kootenay just couldn’t get into sinc.
The Turning Point – A second period barrage of shots that Hitmen goaltender Michael Snider stared down, stopping every one of them. Particularly when Kootenay had back-to-back power plays into the second half of the period and D Brayden McNabb left the ice for only about 30 seconds over a five minute span.
The Brother Act – Dustin Sylvester’s younger brother Cody played on Calgary’s 3rd line.
The Crowd – 2696 – There were days when the Hitmen would draw 4000 plus in this town on a regular basis.
KNA Three Stars
1. Michael Snider – Stopped everything he saw, and most of the ones he didn’t
2. D Brayden McNabb – The guy is a horse; easily over 40 minutes in playing time.
3. G Nathan Lieuwen – Quietly another good night. Could use some support.
Up Next: Kootenay gets on the bus and heads to Medicine Hat to begin a ten-day road trip that will take them through the prairies. Their biggest opponent could be the Flu Bug and should make travelling in the Iron Lung a very nasty place to be.
Hitmen 2 @ Ice 1
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Calgary Hitmen and the Kootenay Ice; October 2, 2009
Joel Broda scored his second of the season in the second period and goaltender Michael Snider was terrific in stopping 39 of 40 shots he faced as the Calgary Hitmen improved to 5-0 on the regular season, edging the Kootenay Ice 2-1 in WHL action Friday night.
Chase Schaber opened the scoring at 9:20 of the first period for the Hitmen by wiring his second of the season past a screened Nathan Lieuwen to put the visitors up 1-0.
Broda, just returned to junior from the Washington Capitals, put the Hitmen up 2-0 with a shot from the slot after a wide-open pass from Brandon Kozun. Kootenay finally solved the heroics of Snider when Petr Senkerik blasted his first in the WHL from the point with the Ice on the power play.
Snider stopped 39 of 40 shots to get the win while Nathan Lieuwen was solid in the nets for the Ice, stopping 31 of 33 shot in taking the loss.
First Period
1. Calgary, Schaber 2 (Fisenko, Foucault) 9:20 (pp)
Penalties -- Pearce Ktn Aschim Cgy (fighting) 5:36, Ismond Ktn (checking-from-behind) 7:44,
Second Period
2. Calgary, Broda 2 (Kozun, Fiddler) 8:13
Penalties -- Foucault Cgy (holding) 0:45, Fiddler Cgy Sylvester Ktn (roughing) Stone Cgy (cross-checking) 11:19, Wilson Cgy (slashing) 14:17.
Third Period
3. Kootenay, Senkerik 1 (McNabb, King) 16:42 (pp)
Penalties -- Aschim Cgy (tripping) 16:00.
Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 11 22 7 - 40
Calgary: 18 4 11 - 33
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (L, 2-2); Calgary: Michael Snider (W, 2-0).
Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 1-4.
Calgary: 1-1.
Referee -- Pat Smith. Linesman -- Steve Cochrane, Ian Shaver.
Attendance -- 2696 (4264)
Scratches --
Kootenay: Hayden Rintoul (flu), Cason Machecek (flu), Christian Magnus (broken finger - four weeks), Drew Czerwonka (leg laceratio - four weeks).
Calgary: Erik Bonsor (healthy), Cody Gross, (healthy), Jaynen Rissling (healthy), Jessi Hilton (healthy) Mackenzie Royer (healthy).
Summary courtesy Jeff Bromley of the Kootenay NewsAdvertiser
Hitmen hit the Plex tonight
WHO: Calgary Hitmen
WHERE: The Rec Plex;
WHEN: 7PM
WHY: The Hitmen show up to start eight regular season meetings between the two clubs.
The Skinny: The Hitmen - 4-0 to begin the season - hit town with the number one ranking in the CHL. Last year's league finalists come into the season with easily one of the strongest line-ups in the WHL. That line-up got stronger this week with the addition of forward Joel Broda who led the WHL last season with 53 goals...F Brandon Kozun (2g - 8a) leads the league with 10 points while F Tyler Fiddler is two points back... For the Ice their led by D Brayden McNabb with (1g, 5a) 6pts and D Hayden Rintoul (5a) 5pts.
The Injuries: D Peter Kosterman – Shoulder; listed as day to day; G Martin Jones – Ankle listed as out for 1-2 weeks while D Erik Bonsor and LW Mackenzie Royer are back from injury... For Kootenay both LW Drew Czerwonka (leg laceration) and RW Christian Magnus (broken finger) are gone for four weeks.
The Flu: My Peewee club hits the ice every Thursday following Kootenay's regular practice. Yesterday the Ice were conspicuous by their complete absence as the club did not practice yesterday. Battling the flu bug that's ravaging the team right now Kootenay could be in tough against the Hitmen tonight and the Tigers Saturday in Medicine Hat. The only saving grace is that they don't have to face G Martin Jones who many consider the best goaltender in the league. Chase Komistek or Michael Snider will get the start tonight.
The 20's: Calgary sits with two 20-year-olds - F Joel Broda and F Cody Gross - after releasing former Ice forward Jason MacDonald yesterday. Kootenay also has two in F Dustin Sylvester and D Ryan Molle. The deadline to get down to the WHL mandated three overage players - which five WHL teams are still over - is October 15.
The Signings: Former Ice goaltender Thomas Heemskerk signed a deal with the San Jose Sharks as a camp invite this week. Okay, hands-up those who thought it would be Heemskerk with his name on the NHL dotted line before Nathan Lieuwen when both were here to start the season one year ago. Thought so.... Heemskerk is the starter with the Everett Silvertips and there's a cool story on the club's Zamboni and how the fans can now ride one in the Everett Events Centre... The Calgary Flames are getting a distinct Ice look to them this season. On the NHL roster is Nigel Dawes and Jason Jaffray, who made the club as the 13th forward but didn't play in last night's 5-3 Flames win over the Vancouver Canucks. On the farm? It's Iceland in Abbotsford: D John Negrin, D Brad Cole, LW Brett Sutter and RW Ryley Armstrong are on the Heat's AHL roster.
WHERE: The Rec Plex;
WHEN: 7PM
WHY: The Hitmen show up to start eight regular season meetings between the two clubs.
The Skinny: The Hitmen - 4-0 to begin the season - hit town with the number one ranking in the CHL. Last year's league finalists come into the season with easily one of the strongest line-ups in the WHL. That line-up got stronger this week with the addition of forward Joel Broda who led the WHL last season with 53 goals...F Brandon Kozun (2g - 8a) leads the league with 10 points while F Tyler Fiddler is two points back... For the Ice their led by D Brayden McNabb with (1g, 5a) 6pts and D Hayden Rintoul (5a) 5pts.
The Injuries: D Peter Kosterman – Shoulder; listed as day to day; G Martin Jones – Ankle listed as out for 1-2 weeks while D Erik Bonsor and LW Mackenzie Royer are back from injury... For Kootenay both LW Drew Czerwonka (leg laceration) and RW Christian Magnus (broken finger) are gone for four weeks.
The Flu: My Peewee club hits the ice every Thursday following Kootenay's regular practice. Yesterday the Ice were conspicuous by their complete absence as the club did not practice yesterday. Battling the flu bug that's ravaging the team right now Kootenay could be in tough against the Hitmen tonight and the Tigers Saturday in Medicine Hat. The only saving grace is that they don't have to face G Martin Jones who many consider the best goaltender in the league. Chase Komistek or Michael Snider will get the start tonight.
The 20's: Calgary sits with two 20-year-olds - F Joel Broda and F Cody Gross - after releasing former Ice forward Jason MacDonald yesterday. Kootenay also has two in F Dustin Sylvester and D Ryan Molle. The deadline to get down to the WHL mandated three overage players - which five WHL teams are still over - is October 15.
The Signings: Former Ice goaltender Thomas Heemskerk signed a deal with the San Jose Sharks as a camp invite this week. Okay, hands-up those who thought it would be Heemskerk with his name on the NHL dotted line before Nathan Lieuwen when both were here to start the season one year ago. Thought so.... Heemskerk is the starter with the Everett Silvertips and there's a cool story on the club's Zamboni and how the fans can now ride one in the Everett Events Centre... The Calgary Flames are getting a distinct Ice look to them this season. On the NHL roster is Nigel Dawes and Jason Jaffray, who made the club as the 13th forward but didn't play in last night's 5-3 Flames win over the Vancouver Canucks. On the farm? It's Iceland in Abbotsford: D John Negrin, D Brad Cole, LW Brett Sutter and RW Ryley Armstrong are on the Heat's AHL roster.
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