For the Townsman Monday
Ice run the BC Division table, win 4-0 over Rockets
by Jeff Bromley
A stellar effort by goaltender Nathan Lieuwen, a red-hot power play and a diving call on the Rocket captain all combined to give the Kootenay Ice a 4-0 win over the hometown Kelowna Rockets Friday night, Kootenay’s fifth straight – all on the road through the BC Division – vaulting the club into top spot in the WHL with 39 points. With an 18-5-1-2 record and .750 winning percentage the Ice sit atop the WHL class. “Nathan played very well,” said Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch. “And without his efforts it’s probably a different story but our team as a whole played very well defensively. (Kelowna) had their opportunities but our defense did an excellent job of limiting the quality of those chances.”
Outshot 10-5 in the opening frame Ice super-rookie Sam Reinhart had the only goal of the period when Drew Czerwonka fed him a pass on a short 2-on-1 in which the 16-year-old sent a shot five-hole that trickled through Rocket goaltender Adam Brown. The Rockets poured on the shots and led in the category that doesn’t count 24-11 after two periods but it was a controversial late second-period embellishment call by referee Adam Griffiths on Rocket captain Colton Scissons that turned the tide. With the crowd of 6121 getting surlier by the minute over the call, things went south for the Rockets when Czerwonka finished off a pretty three-way passing play at the goal-mouth with his 8th of the season to make it 2-0. It was the turning point in a tight 1-0 hockey game. “Everyone has an opinion on the call but the goal was definitely a turning point,” Knoblauch said. “I didn’t see it (the penalty) and haven’t seen it on video yet but (Ice assistant coach Todd Johnson) saw it and didn’t disagree with the call.”
Rocket head coach Ryan Huska, naturally, did. “I think it was a bad call,” Huska told Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier. “It was a bad call in a 1-0 game. I don’t think that call should be made.”
The Rockets continued to get into penalty trouble in the third and Kootenay’s power play – now ranked 4th overall at 23.6% and 2nd on the road, clicking at 30% - went to work. Ice forward Brock Montgomery notched his 6th and 7th on the season to put the game out of reach – one a turn-around blast off a scramble and the other a redirection behind Brown – to make it 4-0. It’s been a meteoric rise for a power play ranked as low as 17th in the WHL just a few weeks ago. “With our system we haven’t changed anything dramatic,” said Knoblauch of his club’s success on the power play. “Todd has done a great job of going over the video and correcting some minor details so that everyone is on the same page.”
While Montgomery notched two goals and Czerwonka matched the two point night with a goal and an assist, Max Reinhart got on the board with three assists and brother Sam finished with a goal and an assist, giving the rookie an astounding 14 points on the five game road trip for a total of 22 on the season, good for sixth in rookies and tops among 16-year-olds. “I’m not surprised he’s had a road trip like this,” said Knoblauch. “He’s a very skilled player. He’s playing in a role he’s very comfortable with right now and has found some good chemistry playing on a line with his brother and Joe Antilla.”
Arriving back in Cranbrook early Saturday morning the club enjoyed a few days off before continuing the nine-game odyssey away from the Cranbrook Rec Plex currently occupied by the Canada Cup of Curling. It’s a change coming home from a long trip only to head out on another four-game swing starting Wednesday in Saskatoon. “After having a road trip like we did,” continued Knoblauch. “It lessens the blow of doing it all over again.”
Quick Hits – The shutout was Lieuwen’s second of the season and 8th of his WHL career… Sam’s point-scoring streak is now at five games with 14 points. Max’s streak is a game longer at six games notching 12 points. Joe Antilla’s point streak is also at five games with 8 points… Ice scratches were D Luke Paulsen (team suspension), Eric Benoit (upper body – day-to-day) and Levi Cable (healthy). Benoit will return Wednesday against Saskatoon after missing five games. F Dylen McKinlay is the lone veteran left to serve his one-game suspension and will do so in Saskatoon Wednesday… G Mackenzie Skapski is ranked 4th among WHL goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting in their preliminary rankings... C Max Reinhart will find out Monday if he's among the 37 or so players getting the invite to Team Canada's Selection Camp. Hockey Canada will announced the roster invites at 9:30 Mountain time.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Ice sweep BC
The Kootenay Ice seized on a chance to sweep the BC Division tonight and took it with a 4-0 shutout of the Kelowna Rockets.
Nathan Lieuwen was stellar in stopping 35 Rocket shots to reclaim the top spot in the goaltending stats with a 1.78 GAA - the only goaltender in the WHL and one of two CHL-wide - to own a GAA under 2.00/game (Malcom Subban of the Belleville Bulls, PK's younger brother at 1.97 is the other). He also owns the best save percentage in the country at .938.
Rookie Sam Reinhart continued his stellar pace with a goal and an assist to finish the first leg of the road trip at 14 points in five games. At 22 points (8g 14a) Sam is now 5th in rookie scoring in the WHL but 1st among 16-year-olds, the true rookie scoring test, imo. All four skaters ahead of him are 17-19.
Max had another great night with 3 assists as well as Brock Montgomery with two goals to round out the scoring. Ice captain Drew Czerwonka got the second goal late in the second, finishing off a pretty three-way passing play at the back door to make it 2-0.
D Luke Paulsen (team suspension), Jon Martin and Eric Benoit (upper body - one week) were the scratches.
The Ice power play went 3-4 and now sits 4th overall at 23.6%. When they left the PP was ranked 16th. On the road they sit 2nd in WHL clicking at over 30%.
At 18-5-1-2 and 39 points the Ice sit atop the WHL, two clear of the Blades who lost to the surging Calgary Hitmen, 6-2. The Tigers and Rebels also lost.
The highlites are here.
Nathan Lieuwen was stellar in stopping 35 Rocket shots to reclaim the top spot in the goaltending stats with a 1.78 GAA - the only goaltender in the WHL and one of two CHL-wide - to own a GAA under 2.00/game (Malcom Subban of the Belleville Bulls, PK's younger brother at 1.97 is the other). He also owns the best save percentage in the country at .938.
Rookie Sam Reinhart continued his stellar pace with a goal and an assist to finish the first leg of the road trip at 14 points in five games. At 22 points (8g 14a) Sam is now 5th in rookie scoring in the WHL but 1st among 16-year-olds, the true rookie scoring test, imo. All four skaters ahead of him are 17-19.
Max had another great night with 3 assists as well as Brock Montgomery with two goals to round out the scoring. Ice captain Drew Czerwonka got the second goal late in the second, finishing off a pretty three-way passing play at the back door to make it 2-0.
D Luke Paulsen (team suspension), Jon Martin and Eric Benoit (upper body - one week) were the scratches.
The Ice power play went 3-4 and now sits 4th overall at 23.6%. When they left the PP was ranked 16th. On the road they sit 2nd in WHL clicking at over 30%.
At 18-5-1-2 and 39 points the Ice sit atop the WHL, two clear of the Blades who lost to the surging Calgary Hitmen, 6-2. The Tigers and Rebels also lost.
The highlites are here.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Ice Dump Blazers, win four straight
For the Townsman Wednesday
Ice douse Blazers 7-3, win fourth straight on the road
by Jeff Bromley
When the Kootenay Ice embarked on their nine-game road trip, scoring goals was starting to become a problem.
Four games into the trip through the BC Division, four wins and 22 goals later – including a 7-3 drubbing of the Kamloops Blazers Wednesday night – putting the puck in the net suddenly isn’t a problem.
16-year-old Sam Reinhart led the Ice with a goal and three assists for his second four-point night of the road trip and 12 points in his last four games. “We don’t have a whole lot of offensive super stars but we certainly have some quality players who are capable of putting the points up and (Sam) is certainly doing just that,” said Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch after the win. “Right now we’re starting to find some chemistry and part of the biggest thing is that we’re starting to have some confidence when we shoot the puck.”
Billed as the battle of two of the WHL’s marquis clubs, Knoblauch cautioned any thoughts that the game was an easy win, despite the score. “The score flattered us,” he said. “It’s wasn’t a 7-3 game. We were able to capitalize on our opportunities while their goaltender didn’t play very well. But if Nathan Lieuwen doesn’t play as well as he did in the first period, it’s a completely different game.”
The Ice opened the scoring in the first with the club on an extended power play courtesy of Blazer 20-year-old D-man Josh Caron’s flying elbow to the head of Ice leading scorer Max Reinhart that earned him a five minute major and a game misconduct. The five minute power play generated little through the first four minutes until Sam continued his torrid point pace of late with a slapshot that Drew Czerwonka deflected down and through the legs of Blazer goaltender Cole Cheveldave. “We went through the first three or four minutes of that power play sleeping but we capitalized at the end of it. Throughout the road trip we haven’t a lot of opportunities on the power play,” continued Knoblauch, whose club was 4-7 on the power play over the last three games. “Tonight we won the game largely because of it.”
The lead didn’t last the period however as the Blazers tied it on a nice redirection by rookie Tim Bozon past Ice starter Nathan Lieuwen off a Blazer rush at 14:23.
A chippy affair for two clubs who meet just once a season the Blazers ended up on the wrong side of the penalty box in the first minute of the second period. With Brendan Ranford sent off for goaltender interference Jesse Ismond took advantage and notched his 10th on the season to put the Ice up 2-1.
And then the floodgates opened.
Max Reinhart’s 12th of the season, again on the power play, at 4:57 gave the Ice a 3-1 lead and the momentum swung completely into Kootenay’s favour as off the face-off three minutes later Ismond sprung Dylen McKinley on a breakaway in which the 19-year-old buried a wrist shot past Cheveldave, chasing the Blazer starter from the net in the process.
The goaltending change didn’t change much as the goalfest continued with back-up Cam Lanigan in the net for the Blazers as Sam notched his 7th goal of the season at 12:29. Two minutes later Brock Montogmery got his 5th on another breakaway just 31 seconds before Joe Antilla made it 7-1, scoring three goals in less than three minutes and sending Lanigan back to the bench after only 7:23 of work.
Brendan Ranford and Bronson Maschmeyer would score for the Blazers in the third but the damage was done.
Tonight’s line-up change featured Elgin Pearce sitting out his game as the fourth veteran of six to miss a game due to a violation of team rules prior to the trip but throughout the line-up juggling with key veterans missing, the club hasn’t missed a beat. “As a coach, it’s easy to juggle the lines when everyone is playing well. We have so many guys playing with confidence and that want to make an impact that it doesn’t really matter who’s playing with who. They’ve all responded.”
The Ice improve to 17-5-1-2 and 37 points on the season, good for first in the Central Division and tied for top spot with the Saskatoon Blades in the Eastern Conference and the WHL.
Quick Hits – Scratched for the Ice were D Jeff Hubic (healthy), LW Eric Benoit (upper body – one week) and C Elgin Pearce (one game suspension – team discipline)… Joe Antilla (goal, assist), Drew Czerwonka (goal, assist), Jesse Ismond (goal, two assists) and Dylen McKinley (goal, assist) all had a multiple-point night… Kootenay was 3-4 on the power play while the Blazers were 2-4… 17-year-old Aspen Sterzer, a forward for the Blazers, hails from Canal Flats… The Ice finish up the first leg of the nine game road trip with game five in Kelowna Friday night.
Ice douse Blazers 7-3, win fourth straight on the road
by Jeff Bromley
When the Kootenay Ice embarked on their nine-game road trip, scoring goals was starting to become a problem.
Four games into the trip through the BC Division, four wins and 22 goals later – including a 7-3 drubbing of the Kamloops Blazers Wednesday night – putting the puck in the net suddenly isn’t a problem.
16-year-old Sam Reinhart led the Ice with a goal and three assists for his second four-point night of the road trip and 12 points in his last four games. “We don’t have a whole lot of offensive super stars but we certainly have some quality players who are capable of putting the points up and (Sam) is certainly doing just that,” said Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch after the win. “Right now we’re starting to find some chemistry and part of the biggest thing is that we’re starting to have some confidence when we shoot the puck.”
Billed as the battle of two of the WHL’s marquis clubs, Knoblauch cautioned any thoughts that the game was an easy win, despite the score. “The score flattered us,” he said. “It’s wasn’t a 7-3 game. We were able to capitalize on our opportunities while their goaltender didn’t play very well. But if Nathan Lieuwen doesn’t play as well as he did in the first period, it’s a completely different game.”
The Ice opened the scoring in the first with the club on an extended power play courtesy of Blazer 20-year-old D-man Josh Caron’s flying elbow to the head of Ice leading scorer Max Reinhart that earned him a five minute major and a game misconduct. The five minute power play generated little through the first four minutes until Sam continued his torrid point pace of late with a slapshot that Drew Czerwonka deflected down and through the legs of Blazer goaltender Cole Cheveldave. “We went through the first three or four minutes of that power play sleeping but we capitalized at the end of it. Throughout the road trip we haven’t a lot of opportunities on the power play,” continued Knoblauch, whose club was 4-7 on the power play over the last three games. “Tonight we won the game largely because of it.”
The lead didn’t last the period however as the Blazers tied it on a nice redirection by rookie Tim Bozon past Ice starter Nathan Lieuwen off a Blazer rush at 14:23.
A chippy affair for two clubs who meet just once a season the Blazers ended up on the wrong side of the penalty box in the first minute of the second period. With Brendan Ranford sent off for goaltender interference Jesse Ismond took advantage and notched his 10th on the season to put the Ice up 2-1.
And then the floodgates opened.
Max Reinhart’s 12th of the season, again on the power play, at 4:57 gave the Ice a 3-1 lead and the momentum swung completely into Kootenay’s favour as off the face-off three minutes later Ismond sprung Dylen McKinley on a breakaway in which the 19-year-old buried a wrist shot past Cheveldave, chasing the Blazer starter from the net in the process.
The goaltending change didn’t change much as the goalfest continued with back-up Cam Lanigan in the net for the Blazers as Sam notched his 7th goal of the season at 12:29. Two minutes later Brock Montogmery got his 5th on another breakaway just 31 seconds before Joe Antilla made it 7-1, scoring three goals in less than three minutes and sending Lanigan back to the bench after only 7:23 of work.
Brendan Ranford and Bronson Maschmeyer would score for the Blazers in the third but the damage was done.
Tonight’s line-up change featured Elgin Pearce sitting out his game as the fourth veteran of six to miss a game due to a violation of team rules prior to the trip but throughout the line-up juggling with key veterans missing, the club hasn’t missed a beat. “As a coach, it’s easy to juggle the lines when everyone is playing well. We have so many guys playing with confidence and that want to make an impact that it doesn’t really matter who’s playing with who. They’ve all responded.”
The Ice improve to 17-5-1-2 and 37 points on the season, good for first in the Central Division and tied for top spot with the Saskatoon Blades in the Eastern Conference and the WHL.
Quick Hits – Scratched for the Ice were D Jeff Hubic (healthy), LW Eric Benoit (upper body – one week) and C Elgin Pearce (one game suspension – team discipline)… Joe Antilla (goal, assist), Drew Czerwonka (goal, assist), Jesse Ismond (goal, two assists) and Dylen McKinley (goal, assist) all had a multiple-point night… Kootenay was 3-4 on the power play while the Blazers were 2-4… 17-year-old Aspen Sterzer, a forward for the Blazers, hails from Canal Flats… The Ice finish up the first leg of the nine game road trip with game five in Kelowna Friday night.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Ice winning streak to three
The Kootenay Ice won their third straight Tuesday night with a 3-2 win over the Prince George Cougars in the Northern BC City. The win was the club's third in three-games of the nine-game road trip through BC and the Prairies over the next one and a half weeks.
It was the Reinhart brothers night once again as elder sibling Max scored the eventual game-winner with a short-handed marker in the third period for the 3-2 win.
D Joe Leach opened the scoring for the Ice before the Cougars tied it and then took a 2-1 lead in the second period on goals by Campbell Elynuik and Charles Inglis. Sam Reinhart's 8th point (2g, 6a) in the last three games tied the game with his 6th of the season with 4:20 left in the second.
Max had a goal and an assist and has 8 points (3g 5a) in his last four games and his 11th of the season was the game-winner.
Joe Antilla had two assists.
The Ice improve to 16-5-1-2 and 35 points but the Blades won in a shootout over the Tigers to maintain their two-point lead. The Ice are now alone in second in the Eastern Conference and the WHL behind the Blades.
Mackenzie Skapski stopped 18 of 20 shots for his 5th win of the season.
F Jesse Ismond sat out his one game suspension for breaking team rules leaving Dylen McKinlay, Luke Paulsen and Elgin Pearce still to serve theirs. Mike Simpson (healthy) and Eric Benoit (upper body, one week) were the other scratches.
The crowd in Prince George was 1605 in the 6000-seat CN Centre.
The Ice are in Kamloops for a big test tomorrow night.
It was the Reinhart brothers night once again as elder sibling Max scored the eventual game-winner with a short-handed marker in the third period for the 3-2 win.
D Joe Leach opened the scoring for the Ice before the Cougars tied it and then took a 2-1 lead in the second period on goals by Campbell Elynuik and Charles Inglis. Sam Reinhart's 8th point (2g, 6a) in the last three games tied the game with his 6th of the season with 4:20 left in the second.
Max had a goal and an assist and has 8 points (3g 5a) in his last four games and his 11th of the season was the game-winner.
Joe Antilla had two assists.
The Ice improve to 16-5-1-2 and 35 points but the Blades won in a shootout over the Tigers to maintain their two-point lead. The Ice are now alone in second in the Eastern Conference and the WHL behind the Blades.
Mackenzie Skapski stopped 18 of 20 shots for his 5th win of the season.
F Jesse Ismond sat out his one game suspension for breaking team rules leaving Dylen McKinlay, Luke Paulsen and Elgin Pearce still to serve theirs. Mike Simpson (healthy) and Eric Benoit (upper body, one week) were the other scratches.
The crowd in Prince George was 1605 in the 6000-seat CN Centre.
The Ice are in Kamloops for a big test tomorrow night.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Ice dump G-men
The Kootenay Ice ran their winning streak to two as Game two of the nine-game road trip in Vancouver resulted in a 4-1 win.
The Lions are going to the Grey Cup; the Canucks won in OT but the Giants couldn't pull-off the trifecta as some Ice hometown boys took advantage of their only stop on their home stage in two years.
Sam Reinhart had a career best four-point night with a goal and three helpers while Joe Antilla and Max Reinhart both had a goal and an assist in the 4-1 win. Brock Montgomery was the non-BC'er to round out the scoring with his 4th of the season on the power play in the second period with the game-winner.
Nathan Lieuwen despite facing a barrage of 28 shots and Giant forwards who were in his face all night, stopped 27 of them to get the win.
The highlites - done right and up within an hour of the game's end - are on the Giants website here. The Vancouver Sun has a recap here.
The Ice improved to 15-5-1-2 and 33 points on the season but not much changed as the club remains atop the Central Division but tied for second in the Eastern Conference as both the Blades (6-5 over Calgary) and the Wheaties (7-6 in OT over Moose Jaw) won tonight.
The Ice halted the Giants six-game winning streak with the 4-1 win.
Ice captain Drew Czerwonka took his turn sitting out tonight as now two of the six veterans who broke team rules have sat out. I'm told that Jesse Ismond, Dylen McKinley, Luke Paulsen and Elgin Pearce are the other four that will also serve one game each on the road trip.
Attendance was 5608 at the Pacific Colosseum despite another sell-out for the Canucks and a further 41,000+ at BC Place to watch the Lions get to the Grey Cup at the Dome next week. Not bad for the G-men but at the same time Jeff H. on the broadcast said that over 600 fans/friends showed up to see Ice forward Joe Antilla play. Antilla is from Madeira Park, about 30 minutes up the Sunshine Coast from Sechelt (Beachcomer land for those unfamiliar). I think I heard that right and Jeff said he triple checked the number. 600, unbelievable. Maybe some of those included fans of the Reinhart boys, who took home first (Sam) and third (Max) star honours tonight. Or Nathan Lieuwen (Abbotsford) or Elgin Pearce (Port Coquitlam) or Dylen McKinley (Langley) or Adam Rossignol (Surrey) or Mike Simpson (Semiahmoo - White Rock). Or even Mackenzie Skapski (Abbotsford) as no fewer than nine members of the Ice call the Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley home. That would make more sense but maybe I heard it wrong.
Steve Ewen of The Province has a great recap and story here.
The road trip continues as the Ice are in Prince George to face the Cougars Tuesday. Gametime is 8PM Mountain and as always on The Drive.
Coincidentally there's an ice/snow storm warning for the Lower Mainland tonight as the Kootenay Ice head for Prince George. Sounds like the warning was issued a little too late.
The Lions are going to the Grey Cup; the Canucks won in OT but the Giants couldn't pull-off the trifecta as some Ice hometown boys took advantage of their only stop on their home stage in two years.
Sam Reinhart had a career best four-point night with a goal and three helpers while Joe Antilla and Max Reinhart both had a goal and an assist in the 4-1 win. Brock Montgomery was the non-BC'er to round out the scoring with his 4th of the season on the power play in the second period with the game-winner.
Nathan Lieuwen despite facing a barrage of 28 shots and Giant forwards who were in his face all night, stopped 27 of them to get the win.
The highlites - done right and up within an hour of the game's end - are on the Giants website here. The Vancouver Sun has a recap here.
The Ice improved to 15-5-1-2 and 33 points on the season but not much changed as the club remains atop the Central Division but tied for second in the Eastern Conference as both the Blades (6-5 over Calgary) and the Wheaties (7-6 in OT over Moose Jaw) won tonight.
The Ice halted the Giants six-game winning streak with the 4-1 win.
Ice captain Drew Czerwonka took his turn sitting out tonight as now two of the six veterans who broke team rules have sat out. I'm told that Jesse Ismond, Dylen McKinley, Luke Paulsen and Elgin Pearce are the other four that will also serve one game each on the road trip.
Attendance was 5608 at the Pacific Colosseum despite another sell-out for the Canucks and a further 41,000+ at BC Place to watch the Lions get to the Grey Cup at the Dome next week. Not bad for the G-men but at the same time Jeff H. on the broadcast said that over 600 fans/friends showed up to see Ice forward Joe Antilla play. Antilla is from Madeira Park, about 30 minutes up the Sunshine Coast from Sechelt (Beachcomer land for those unfamiliar). I think I heard that right and Jeff said he triple checked the number. 600, unbelievable. Maybe some of those included fans of the Reinhart boys, who took home first (Sam) and third (Max) star honours tonight. Or Nathan Lieuwen (Abbotsford) or Elgin Pearce (Port Coquitlam) or Dylen McKinley (Langley) or Adam Rossignol (Surrey) or Mike Simpson (Semiahmoo - White Rock). Or even Mackenzie Skapski (Abbotsford) as no fewer than nine members of the Ice call the Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley home. That would make more sense but maybe I heard it wrong.
Steve Ewen of The Province has a great recap and story here.
The road trip continues as the Ice are in Prince George to face the Cougars Tuesday. Gametime is 8PM Mountain and as always on The Drive.
Coincidentally there's an ice/snow storm warning for the Lower Mainland tonight as the Kootenay Ice head for Prince George. Sounds like the warning was issued a little too late.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Ice Kick-off Road Trip with a Bang
The Kootenay Ice took to the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria - an arena many thought the club would call home at different points in their history in Cranbrook - and took it to the Royals in an 8-3 drubbing. The high-lights are up on the Royals website including a late penalty shot stop by Skapski, here.
Kootenay improved to 14-5-1-2 and 31 points and find themselves in a three-way logjam for second place in the Eastern Conference. The Ice got a hand from the Swift Current Broncos, who beat the conference-leading Brandon Wheat Kings 5-4 in regulation. The Wheaties sit one point up on the pack with 32. However the Saskatoon Blades, who beat the Rebels 2-1 last night, are the actual Eastern Conference leaders - and WHL leaders - but the WHL website has yet to show that.
For the Royals it was the club's second lopsided loss in as many nights, having being dropped 11-3 by the Vancouver Giants the night before.
Forward Elgin Pearce had a career night with his first-ever WHL hat-trick as well as adding an assist for a four point outing. Jesse Ismond, riding shotgun on the Pearce line with Dylen McKinley, outdid his linemate by a point with a five-point night (2g 3a), his best in his career. McKinley finished with two assists as did Sam Reinhart. Drew Czerwonka had a goal and two assists and Luke Paulsen had a goal and an assist.
Rookie Jaedon Descheneau had the other Ice goal as the club built up an 8-0 lead before letting off the gas and the Royals got the last three.
G Mackenzie Skapski got the win in the nets.
The biggest news of the night is that the club did it without the services of their leading scorer, Max Reinhart. Reinhart, who re-joined the club after playing for Team WHL in the CHL Super Series in Regina and Moose Jaw Wednesday and Thursday, along with five other members of the club were all suspended one game each for breaking team rules.
There isn't any indication what rule they broke or who the other five are as of yet. All six veterans will serve a game each on the road trip with Reinhart serving his tonight.
The club is in Vancouver to play the Giants tomorrow night. Gametime is 6PM Cranbrook time (102.9 The Drive) After a slow start the G-men are atop the BC Division standings with a 15-8-0-1 record and 31 points.
The Giants have landed former Trail Smoke Eaters D-man Eric Walker, 18, who should be in the line-up for the G-men Sunday night. Walker, a Castlegar product who received a full-ride scholarship to Northern Michigan, left the school this week after not getting into the team's first 12 games.
Should be interesting to see the crowd at the Giants-Ice game Sunday night as the city has the Canucks hosting the Senators and earlier in the afternoon, the BC Lions hosting the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL Western Final.
D Jeff Hubic and F Eric Benoit - who is out 1-2 weeks with an upper body injury - were the Ice scratches along with Max. F Brendan Hurley returned from a month off recovering from a knee injury.
Kootenay improved to 14-5-1-2 and 31 points and find themselves in a three-way logjam for second place in the Eastern Conference. The Ice got a hand from the Swift Current Broncos, who beat the conference-leading Brandon Wheat Kings 5-4 in regulation. The Wheaties sit one point up on the pack with 32. However the Saskatoon Blades, who beat the Rebels 2-1 last night, are the actual Eastern Conference leaders - and WHL leaders - but the WHL website has yet to show that.
For the Royals it was the club's second lopsided loss in as many nights, having being dropped 11-3 by the Vancouver Giants the night before.
Forward Elgin Pearce had a career night with his first-ever WHL hat-trick as well as adding an assist for a four point outing. Jesse Ismond, riding shotgun on the Pearce line with Dylen McKinley, outdid his linemate by a point with a five-point night (2g 3a), his best in his career. McKinley finished with two assists as did Sam Reinhart. Drew Czerwonka had a goal and two assists and Luke Paulsen had a goal and an assist.
Rookie Jaedon Descheneau had the other Ice goal as the club built up an 8-0 lead before letting off the gas and the Royals got the last three.
G Mackenzie Skapski got the win in the nets.
The biggest news of the night is that the club did it without the services of their leading scorer, Max Reinhart. Reinhart, who re-joined the club after playing for Team WHL in the CHL Super Series in Regina and Moose Jaw Wednesday and Thursday, along with five other members of the club were all suspended one game each for breaking team rules.
There isn't any indication what rule they broke or who the other five are as of yet. All six veterans will serve a game each on the road trip with Reinhart serving his tonight.
The club is in Vancouver to play the Giants tomorrow night. Gametime is 6PM Cranbrook time (102.9 The Drive) After a slow start the G-men are atop the BC Division standings with a 15-8-0-1 record and 31 points.
The Giants have landed former Trail Smoke Eaters D-man Eric Walker, 18, who should be in the line-up for the G-men Sunday night. Walker, a Castlegar product who received a full-ride scholarship to Northern Michigan, left the school this week after not getting into the team's first 12 games.
Should be interesting to see the crowd at the Giants-Ice game Sunday night as the city has the Canucks hosting the Senators and earlier in the afternoon, the BC Lions hosting the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL Western Final.
D Jeff Hubic and F Eric Benoit - who is out 1-2 weeks with an upper body injury - were the Ice scratches along with Max. F Brendan Hurley returned from a month off recovering from a knee injury.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Ice rookies make the grade
All four of the Kootenay Ice rostered 16-year-olds have made their respective regional teams for the World U17 Challenge set for Windsor, Ontario this Christmas.
F Sam Reinhart (BC), F Jaedon Descheneau (AB) were named to Team Pacific (BC and Alberta players - 22-man roster, 11 from each province).
F Jon Martin (MB) was named to the Team Western roster made up from players from Saskatchewan and Manitoba. D Spencer Wand (SK) was also named to the club, giving the Ice a clean sweep for 16-year-olds.
Rosters are here and here.
F Luke Philp (AB) of the Canmore Eagles of the AJHL and a late Ice cut was a finalist for Team Pacific as was D Tanner Faith (SK) and D Cole Depape (MB) for Team Western.
As was G Brad Rebagliati, a Cranbrook Minor Hockey product currently playing at OHA in Penticton.
The ten-team annual tournament, featuring five Canadian squads (Team Pacific, Team Western, Team Ontario, Team Quebec and Team Atlantic) play a round-robin format with national development teams from the U.S., Russia, Germany, Sweden and Czech Republic.
The tournament is the first step (U-18 is the next) to identifying World Junior talent for the World U-20 championships held every Christmas.
The amount of players named to the two teams, four of the Ice top seven 16-year-old prospects, speaks volumes of where this program should be in two-three years.
As the Ice hit the road this week, I erred as the Ice start their monster road trip Saturday night in Victoria, not Friday as earlier stated. Broadcast time is an hour later at 8PM Mountain time. (102.9 The Drive).
F Eric Benoit, who took an elbow to the head in Sunday's loss to the Saskatoon Blades in the first period and didn't return, is listed as out 1-2 weeks with an upper body injury.
F Brendan Hurley, who has missed the last month with a knee injury should return on the road trip, if not in time for the game in Victoria.
It'll be a reunion of sorts as the Royals captain is former Ice D Hayden Rintoul who was traded in the off-season for forward Dylen McKinlay. Rintoul, 20, has 6 goals and 11 assist and is -14 on the season for the 11-10-0-1 Royals who are 3rd in the BC Division.
F Sam Reinhart (BC), F Jaedon Descheneau (AB) were named to Team Pacific (BC and Alberta players - 22-man roster, 11 from each province).
F Jon Martin (MB) was named to the Team Western roster made up from players from Saskatchewan and Manitoba. D Spencer Wand (SK) was also named to the club, giving the Ice a clean sweep for 16-year-olds.
Rosters are here and here.
F Luke Philp (AB) of the Canmore Eagles of the AJHL and a late Ice cut was a finalist for Team Pacific as was D Tanner Faith (SK) and D Cole Depape (MB) for Team Western.
As was G Brad Rebagliati, a Cranbrook Minor Hockey product currently playing at OHA in Penticton.
The ten-team annual tournament, featuring five Canadian squads (Team Pacific, Team Western, Team Ontario, Team Quebec and Team Atlantic) play a round-robin format with national development teams from the U.S., Russia, Germany, Sweden and Czech Republic.
The tournament is the first step (U-18 is the next) to identifying World Junior talent for the World U-20 championships held every Christmas.
The amount of players named to the two teams, four of the Ice top seven 16-year-old prospects, speaks volumes of where this program should be in two-three years.
As the Ice hit the road this week, I erred as the Ice start their monster road trip Saturday night in Victoria, not Friday as earlier stated. Broadcast time is an hour later at 8PM Mountain time. (102.9 The Drive).
F Eric Benoit, who took an elbow to the head in Sunday's loss to the Saskatoon Blades in the first period and didn't return, is listed as out 1-2 weeks with an upper body injury.
F Brendan Hurley, who has missed the last month with a knee injury should return on the road trip, if not in time for the game in Victoria.
It'll be a reunion of sorts as the Royals captain is former Ice D Hayden Rintoul who was traded in the off-season for forward Dylen McKinlay. Rintoul, 20, has 6 goals and 11 assist and is -14 on the season for the 11-10-0-1 Royals who are 3rd in the BC Division.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Ice need to shoot more
For HockeyNow...
Kootenay hits the road in search of scoring
by Jeff Bromley
The defending WHL champs hit the road this week for an extended stay as the club embarks on a two-part, nine-game odyssey away from the Cranbrook Rec Plex which is occupied by the Canada Cup of curling until December 4.
After dropping two of their last three games at the Rec Plex – the Ice dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-1 Saturday night sandwiched by one goal losses to the Tri-City Americans Wednesday and a Sunday night 2-1 loss to the Saskatoon Blades to finish off the seven-game home stand – the club will travel throughout the BC and East Divisions hopeful to return with some consistent offense and a passing grade to what amounts to the biggest test of the season.
At 13-5-1-2, 29 points and fifth in the crowded Eastern Conference standings that separated from first to eighth by six points, the Ice put in one of the club’s best efforts of the season Sunday night against the Blades but weren’t rewarded for it as Blade import netminder Andrey Makarov stopped 36 of 37 shots in the 2-1 win. “He made some good saves,” said Ice scoring leader Max Reinhart, who managed to get the only goal by the Russian goalie on a power play late in the first period. “To only let in one goal throughout the game, he had to be good but we did pass up shots that we should’ve taken. It’s something we addressed and I thought we got better as the game went on but it was a little too late for us. We’ve got to stay out of the box against a team like that. Both of their goals were on the power play.”
The Ice found themselves in-deep early as both F Eric Benoit and D John Neibrandt were sent to the box in the first two minutes of play giving the Blades a 5-on-3. Darren Dietz fired a slapshot from the point through a maze of players that found the back of the net for a 1-0 Saskatoon lead. From then on it was the Ice who dominated the visitors, out-shooting the Blades 13-5 in the first period and cashing in on a 5-on-3 of their own late in the first. Off the face-off Reinhart took the puck off the half-wall and circled to the slot, waiting long enough for a crowd to form before snapping his 9th of the season past Makarov. A scoreless second period – again in which the Ice out-shot the Blades 16-6 – came up empty-handed for the Ice as shot after shot was turned back by Makarov. An ill-advised penalty by Jagger Dirk late in the third gave the Blades the chance they needed and they capitalized when Brent Benson shot a rebound over Nathan Lieuwen for the eventual game-winner.
Following the game Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch wasn’t going to criticize his club for a lack of effort. “Our effort was there,” said the second-year bench boss. “It’s something I won’t question tonight. They played extremely hard and it was one of our best overall performances but if there is an area of improvement needed it’s shooting the puck.”
Though the club directed a barrage of 37 shots at Makarov as well as the 28 fired at Eric Comrie Wednesday against the Americans and another 32 against the Thunderbirds Saturday, Knoblauch wants more shots. Averaging over 30 shots per game, Knoblauch thinks it's essential to combat the club’s scoring issues. “Tonight we had 30-odd shots but passed up some good opportunities to shoot the puck, especially in the second period when we had a couple of 2-on-1’s and didn’t get anything from them,” said Knoblauch. “Maybe because we were playing so well we figured we could make those plays but we have to shoot the puck more.”
Quick Hits – The club’s first test on the road will be Friday in Victoria against the Royals. Max Reinhart will re-join the club in time for the game after playing in both CHL Subway Super Series games in Regina and Moose Jaw November 16 and 17. The two games will have an impact whether or not Reinhart gets the invite to Team Canada’s Selection Camp for the World Junior team December 10-14…G Nathan Lieuwen was the WHL Goaltender of the Month for September/October... Kootenay lost F Eric Benoit to an unspecified injury in the first period Sunday... F Brendan Hurley should return to action for the road trip after missing over a month with a knee injury.
Kootenay hits the road in search of scoring
by Jeff Bromley
The defending WHL champs hit the road this week for an extended stay as the club embarks on a two-part, nine-game odyssey away from the Cranbrook Rec Plex which is occupied by the Canada Cup of curling until December 4.
After dropping two of their last three games at the Rec Plex – the Ice dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-1 Saturday night sandwiched by one goal losses to the Tri-City Americans Wednesday and a Sunday night 2-1 loss to the Saskatoon Blades to finish off the seven-game home stand – the club will travel throughout the BC and East Divisions hopeful to return with some consistent offense and a passing grade to what amounts to the biggest test of the season.
At 13-5-1-2, 29 points and fifth in the crowded Eastern Conference standings that separated from first to eighth by six points, the Ice put in one of the club’s best efforts of the season Sunday night against the Blades but weren’t rewarded for it as Blade import netminder Andrey Makarov stopped 36 of 37 shots in the 2-1 win. “He made some good saves,” said Ice scoring leader Max Reinhart, who managed to get the only goal by the Russian goalie on a power play late in the first period. “To only let in one goal throughout the game, he had to be good but we did pass up shots that we should’ve taken. It’s something we addressed and I thought we got better as the game went on but it was a little too late for us. We’ve got to stay out of the box against a team like that. Both of their goals were on the power play.”
The Ice found themselves in-deep early as both F Eric Benoit and D John Neibrandt were sent to the box in the first two minutes of play giving the Blades a 5-on-3. Darren Dietz fired a slapshot from the point through a maze of players that found the back of the net for a 1-0 Saskatoon lead. From then on it was the Ice who dominated the visitors, out-shooting the Blades 13-5 in the first period and cashing in on a 5-on-3 of their own late in the first. Off the face-off Reinhart took the puck off the half-wall and circled to the slot, waiting long enough for a crowd to form before snapping his 9th of the season past Makarov. A scoreless second period – again in which the Ice out-shot the Blades 16-6 – came up empty-handed for the Ice as shot after shot was turned back by Makarov. An ill-advised penalty by Jagger Dirk late in the third gave the Blades the chance they needed and they capitalized when Brent Benson shot a rebound over Nathan Lieuwen for the eventual game-winner.
Following the game Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch wasn’t going to criticize his club for a lack of effort. “Our effort was there,” said the second-year bench boss. “It’s something I won’t question tonight. They played extremely hard and it was one of our best overall performances but if there is an area of improvement needed it’s shooting the puck.”
Though the club directed a barrage of 37 shots at Makarov as well as the 28 fired at Eric Comrie Wednesday against the Americans and another 32 against the Thunderbirds Saturday, Knoblauch wants more shots. Averaging over 30 shots per game, Knoblauch thinks it's essential to combat the club’s scoring issues. “Tonight we had 30-odd shots but passed up some good opportunities to shoot the puck, especially in the second period when we had a couple of 2-on-1’s and didn’t get anything from them,” said Knoblauch. “Maybe because we were playing so well we figured we could make those plays but we have to shoot the puck more.”
Quick Hits – The club’s first test on the road will be Friday in Victoria against the Royals. Max Reinhart will re-join the club in time for the game after playing in both CHL Subway Super Series games in Regina and Moose Jaw November 16 and 17. The two games will have an impact whether or not Reinhart gets the invite to Team Canada’s Selection Camp for the World Junior team December 10-14…G Nathan Lieuwen was the WHL Goaltender of the Month for September/October... Kootenay lost F Eric Benoit to an unspecified injury in the first period Sunday... F Brendan Hurley should return to action for the road trip after missing over a month with a knee injury.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Ice outplay Blades, still lose
The Score – Saskatoon 1 – Kootenay 2
What Happened – If you hadn’t seen a game where one team utterly dominated another but didn’t win, you have now. Kootenay had more chances than a Vegas high-roller to cash-in but converted only on a 1st period 5-on-3.
The Turning Point – During a battle in the Ice end D Jagger Dirk lost his stick and tried to move or cover the puck while on his knees. Stuck three or four times by Josh Nicholls Dirk came up with a fore-arm smash and it earned him two minutes. The Blades’ power play went to work and Benson deposited the game-winner.
The Goals – The one blemish on an otherwise dominant opening period cost the Ice, giving the high-powered Blades a 5-on-3 a minute and half into the game. The Blades converted as Darren Dietz’ point shot found the back of the net through a crowd. 1-0 Blades… The Ice returned the favour at the end the period as they enjoyed a 5-on-3 of their own in the last minute. Max Reinhart delayed in the slot long enough to fire a wrist shot past Blade netminder Andrey Makarov. 1-1… With just over five minutes left in the third Dirk took a bad roughing penalty and it cost him. With a dynamite power play the Blades had four point blank chances that Lieuwen stopped or, in Stransky’s case, hit the post. Lieuwen stopped three more late in the power play but couldn’t stop the fourth as Brent Benson fired the go-ahead goal into the net for a 2-1 lead… It would turn out to be the game-winner.
The Lines – Jaedon Descheneau, 16, replaced Sam Reinhart on the Ice’ second unit on the wing with Pearce and McKinley. Reinhart’s demotion didn’t last long however as an elbow to the head of Eric Benoit in the first period forced Coach K to juggle the lines. Knoblauch was adamant that the change wasn’t so much a reflection of Sam but rather reward for Descheneau playing well of late.
The Expensive Souvenir – About six minutes into the first – Jon Martin’s first shift – he was hit by a Blade but managed to avoid most of it. His $300 twig ended up in row five behind the Ice bench. The gracious fan gave it back.
The Next Vopat – The Mites were at it during the intermission. Team White featured Brendan Vopat, son of former NHL’er and current head coach of the Kimberley Dynamiters, Roman. The younger version notched one on Shivers.
The Save – In the second after about four minutes of end-to-end action – well, mostly in the Blades end where Makarov stopped four quality Ice chances – Blade leading scorer Josh Nicholls was sprung on the partial breakway and managed to slip the puck through Lieuwen’s legs. The 20-year-old goaltender managed to swing his backleg enough to knock the puck wide before it went over the line.
The Goaltender – Blade import netminder Andrey Makarov was strong on the night. But I’ll go out on a limb and say he wasn’t lights out, just in the right place, for 36 of 37 shots.
An errant elbow – forced Ice forward Eric Benoit from the game in the first period. He didn’t return. I’ll bet it’s an upper body injury.
The Scoring; or lack thereof - Having scored 60 goals on the season, just over 3 goals a game at 17th in the WHL, it's an issue that will at some point have to be addressed. Yes, they're the best defensive team in the league at 2.14 GAA having only given up 45 goals in 21 games but tonight proved that yet another good effort by their goaltender isn't always going to do it.
The Roadie – Due to the Canada Cup of Curling the Ice now embark on a 9-game road trip, broken up into a five-game trip through the BC Division and then a four-game sojourn through the prairies. Most agree that this trip should provide the litmus test on the 2011-12 version of the Ice.
The Crowd – 2572 – Just fewer than 500 less than the night prior which were treated to a much better game, go figure.
Rec Plex Three Stars
1. G Andrey Makarov – Stopped almost everything the Ice threw at him.
2. C Max Reinhart – 1 goal and enough chances to shake a stick at
3. D Joey Leach – Best D-man on the Ice, what he needs to be every night.
What it means – The Ice finish their seven-game home stand at 4-1-2 but now embark on a three week nine game road trip that could define their season. The Blades leapfrog the Ice for first in the Eastern Conference while the Ice drop to 13-5-1-2; 29 points and 3rd in the Central.
Up Next: Their first trip to Victoria to take on the Royals Friday.
Summary:
Blades 2 @ Ice 1
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Saskatoon Blades and the Kootenay Ice; November 13, 2011
Brent Benson scored a late power play goal as the Saskatoon Blades stole a 2-1 win over the Kootenay Ice in WHL action Sunday night.
The Blades opened the scoring on an early first period 5-on-3 power play as Darren Dietz rifled a point shot that Ice goaltender Nathan Lieuwen didn’t see. The Ice tied it on a 5-on-3 of their own late in the first period as Max Reinhart scored his 9th of the season at 19:14 to tie it at one.
That would be all the scoring until Benson’s power play marker that held up at the game-winner.
Andrey Makarov stopped 36 of 37 shots and was terrific in gaining the win while Nathan Lieuwen was also sharp, stopped 22 of 24 shots in taking the loss.
First Period
1. Saskatoon, Dietz 4 (Stransky) 2:56 (pp)
2. Kootenay, M. Reinhart 9 (Leach, Paulsen) 19:14 (pp)
Penalties – Benoit Ktn (holding) 1:37, Neibrandt Ktn (hooking) 1:48, McEvoy Sas (high-sticking) 7:52, Nicholls Sas (slashing) 10:18, Wand Ktn (high-sticking) 16:56, Sutter Sas (interference) 18:23, Siemens Sas (kneeing) 19:03.
Second Period
No Scoring.
Penalties – Wand Ktn (elbowing) 3:06, Ismond Ktn (holding-the-stick) 18:22.
Third Period
3. Saskatoon, Benson 4 (Paradis, Sutter) 15:49 (pp)
Penalties – Siemens Sas (roughing) 2:42, Dirk Ktn (roughing) 14:10,
Shots on goal by:
Kootenay: 13 16 8 - 37
Saskatoon: 5 6 13 - 24
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (L, 10-4-1-2); Saskatoon: Andrey Makarov (W, 13-5)
Power plays (goals-chances)
Saskatoon: 2-6
Kootenay: 1-5
Referee – Kevin Webinger, Derek Zalaski. Linesman – Scott Sharun, Jim Maniago
Attendance – 2572 (4264)
Scratches --
Saskatoon: Devan Fafard, Kyle Haas.
Kootenay: Mike Simpson, Brendan Hurley (knee – one week), Levi Cable.
What Happened – If you hadn’t seen a game where one team utterly dominated another but didn’t win, you have now. Kootenay had more chances than a Vegas high-roller to cash-in but converted only on a 1st period 5-on-3.
The Turning Point – During a battle in the Ice end D Jagger Dirk lost his stick and tried to move or cover the puck while on his knees. Stuck three or four times by Josh Nicholls Dirk came up with a fore-arm smash and it earned him two minutes. The Blades’ power play went to work and Benson deposited the game-winner.
The Goals – The one blemish on an otherwise dominant opening period cost the Ice, giving the high-powered Blades a 5-on-3 a minute and half into the game. The Blades converted as Darren Dietz’ point shot found the back of the net through a crowd. 1-0 Blades… The Ice returned the favour at the end the period as they enjoyed a 5-on-3 of their own in the last minute. Max Reinhart delayed in the slot long enough to fire a wrist shot past Blade netminder Andrey Makarov. 1-1… With just over five minutes left in the third Dirk took a bad roughing penalty and it cost him. With a dynamite power play the Blades had four point blank chances that Lieuwen stopped or, in Stransky’s case, hit the post. Lieuwen stopped three more late in the power play but couldn’t stop the fourth as Brent Benson fired the go-ahead goal into the net for a 2-1 lead… It would turn out to be the game-winner.
The Lines – Jaedon Descheneau, 16, replaced Sam Reinhart on the Ice’ second unit on the wing with Pearce and McKinley. Reinhart’s demotion didn’t last long however as an elbow to the head of Eric Benoit in the first period forced Coach K to juggle the lines. Knoblauch was adamant that the change wasn’t so much a reflection of Sam but rather reward for Descheneau playing well of late.
The Expensive Souvenir – About six minutes into the first – Jon Martin’s first shift – he was hit by a Blade but managed to avoid most of it. His $300 twig ended up in row five behind the Ice bench. The gracious fan gave it back.
The Next Vopat – The Mites were at it during the intermission. Team White featured Brendan Vopat, son of former NHL’er and current head coach of the Kimberley Dynamiters, Roman. The younger version notched one on Shivers.
The Save – In the second after about four minutes of end-to-end action – well, mostly in the Blades end where Makarov stopped four quality Ice chances – Blade leading scorer Josh Nicholls was sprung on the partial breakway and managed to slip the puck through Lieuwen’s legs. The 20-year-old goaltender managed to swing his backleg enough to knock the puck wide before it went over the line.
The Goaltender – Blade import netminder Andrey Makarov was strong on the night. But I’ll go out on a limb and say he wasn’t lights out, just in the right place, for 36 of 37 shots.
An errant elbow – forced Ice forward Eric Benoit from the game in the first period. He didn’t return. I’ll bet it’s an upper body injury.
The Scoring; or lack thereof - Having scored 60 goals on the season, just over 3 goals a game at 17th in the WHL, it's an issue that will at some point have to be addressed. Yes, they're the best defensive team in the league at 2.14 GAA having only given up 45 goals in 21 games but tonight proved that yet another good effort by their goaltender isn't always going to do it.
The Roadie – Due to the Canada Cup of Curling the Ice now embark on a 9-game road trip, broken up into a five-game trip through the BC Division and then a four-game sojourn through the prairies. Most agree that this trip should provide the litmus test on the 2011-12 version of the Ice.
The Crowd – 2572 – Just fewer than 500 less than the night prior which were treated to a much better game, go figure.
Rec Plex Three Stars
1. G Andrey Makarov – Stopped almost everything the Ice threw at him.
2. C Max Reinhart – 1 goal and enough chances to shake a stick at
3. D Joey Leach – Best D-man on the Ice, what he needs to be every night.
What it means – The Ice finish their seven-game home stand at 4-1-2 but now embark on a three week nine game road trip that could define their season. The Blades leapfrog the Ice for first in the Eastern Conference while the Ice drop to 13-5-1-2; 29 points and 3rd in the Central.
Up Next: Their first trip to Victoria to take on the Royals Friday.
Summary:
Blades 2 @ Ice 1
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Saskatoon Blades and the Kootenay Ice; November 13, 2011
Brent Benson scored a late power play goal as the Saskatoon Blades stole a 2-1 win over the Kootenay Ice in WHL action Sunday night.
The Blades opened the scoring on an early first period 5-on-3 power play as Darren Dietz rifled a point shot that Ice goaltender Nathan Lieuwen didn’t see. The Ice tied it on a 5-on-3 of their own late in the first period as Max Reinhart scored his 9th of the season at 19:14 to tie it at one.
That would be all the scoring until Benson’s power play marker that held up at the game-winner.
Andrey Makarov stopped 36 of 37 shots and was terrific in gaining the win while Nathan Lieuwen was also sharp, stopped 22 of 24 shots in taking the loss.
First Period
1. Saskatoon, Dietz 4 (Stransky) 2:56 (pp)
2. Kootenay, M. Reinhart 9 (Leach, Paulsen) 19:14 (pp)
Penalties – Benoit Ktn (holding) 1:37, Neibrandt Ktn (hooking) 1:48, McEvoy Sas (high-sticking) 7:52, Nicholls Sas (slashing) 10:18, Wand Ktn (high-sticking) 16:56, Sutter Sas (interference) 18:23, Siemens Sas (kneeing) 19:03.
Second Period
No Scoring.
Penalties – Wand Ktn (elbowing) 3:06, Ismond Ktn (holding-the-stick) 18:22.
Third Period
3. Saskatoon, Benson 4 (Paradis, Sutter) 15:49 (pp)
Penalties – Siemens Sas (roughing) 2:42, Dirk Ktn (roughing) 14:10,
Shots on goal by:
Kootenay: 13 16 8 - 37
Saskatoon: 5 6 13 - 24
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (L, 10-4-1-2); Saskatoon: Andrey Makarov (W, 13-5)
Power plays (goals-chances)
Saskatoon: 2-6
Kootenay: 1-5
Referee – Kevin Webinger, Derek Zalaski. Linesman – Scott Sharun, Jim Maniago
Attendance – 2572 (4264)
Scratches --
Saskatoon: Devan Fafard, Kyle Haas.
Kootenay: Mike Simpson, Brendan Hurley (knee – one week), Levi Cable.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The Score - Ams Stun Ice
The Score – Tri-Cities 5 – Kootenay 4
What Happened – The Ice stopped skating in the second and the Ams started. Then Ice didn’t have an answer for Brendan Shinnimin.
The Turning Point – Up 3-1 eight minutes into the third, the Ams had the Ice right where they wanted them. Four goals in 3:48 by the visitors left the place in utter shock.
The Goals – On an early power play – not the Ice forte of late coming into the game at 17th overall in the WHL – Elgin Pearce took a pass off the cycle on the left circle and fired a shot that Comrie got a piece of only to have Jesse Ismond help it into the net behind him. 1-0 Ice…. Kootenay went up by two on a neutral zone turnover that took some time to develop but eventually Brock Montgomery broke free on the 2-on-1 with Adam Rossignol. After a couple of return passes Montgomery put it behind Comrie for his second goal of the season, in his second straight game, no less…. In the second the Americans showed why they’re best team in the Western Conference and came out flying. Their hard work paid off when Joey Leach was fingered for elbowing halfway through the period. Six seconds into the power play a pretty three-way passing play off the faceoff found Shinnimin in the deep slot. He rifled his 5th of the season past Liuewen to make it 2-1… In the third, with the Ice still reeling from the Ams onslaught, Grist took an ill-advised cross-checking penalty. Some hard work by Dylen McKinlay behind the net got him the puck and then got him the assist as the feed to Ismond found the back of the net. 3-1 Ice… The Ams got that one back after Jeff Hubic took a roughing penalty. With the Ams on the rush Adam Hughesman found Jordan Messier with a great pass into the slot. He wired his 4th past Lieuwen… The onslaught finally took shape when Brendan Shinnimin just about tied when he hit the post and then a few seconds later deflected a point shot after a poor clearing attempt by Jagger Dirk… The Ams took the lead when Patrick Holland took pass in the slot and then wired the go-ahead goal past Lieuwen, stunning the crowd and the Ice… The carnage continued after Leach took another bad penalty and the Ams toyed with the Ice on the power play as Shinnimin found Hughesman with a backdoor pass and Hughesman’s 14th as well as a 5-3 lead scoring four goals in 3:48… With less than a minute left the Ice made it close as Jesse Ismond finished off the hat-trick with a carbon-copy of his second goal, making it 5-4. It would be as close as they would get
The Power Play – Coming into the night the Ice were ranked 17th in the WHL with the man-advantage. The Ams were even worse coming in at the 20th spot. The visitors scored three goals while the Ice, looking for any positive out of the collapse, scored two.
Shinnimin-Hughesman Show – The Ams two 20-year-olds were dynamite on this night, combining for 8 points.
A tale of two periods – The first showcased the home side, at times dominating the Americans that had many wondering what all the fuss was about from the U.S. Division leaders. In the second they and the Ice faithful found out, the hard way. Out-shooting the Ice 15-9, which was generous to the home side. As the summary would show, the third didn’t get any better for the Ice.
Another Comrie – This one isn’t married to Hillary Duff – he’s only 16 – as former Ice captain Mike Comrie’s younger half brother Eric got the start in the nets for the Ams. It’s the first time a Comrie has taken to the Rec Plex ice since December 6, 2000. The younger Comrie, age five at the time of his brother lighting it up for the Ice, probably doesn’t remember watching him play anyway.
The depth or lack of it – With Drew Czerwonka out with a concuss…. Err upper body injury and Luke Paulsen still not back for tonight’s game, having D Joey Leach take three undisciplined penalties which resulted in two power play goals; added up it meant the Ice didn’t have the horses to skate with the Ams on this night.
The Surprise Start – Still on Comrie, the rookie heir apparent to the Ams goaltending fortunes got the start ahead of Ty Rimmer, who is second in WHL in goals against average and save percentage to Ice netminder Nathan Lieuwen, hence the surprise. Usually the top two goaltenders in the WHL stats-wise going head-to-head is a good story line. Not on this night.
Looooo – As he is on every night he’s played this season, Lieuwen was sharp most of the night and the goals against weren’t the fault of the 20-year-old goaltender. In fact, if Lieuwen wasn’t on his game most of the night it would’ve been a blowout. The Ice couldn’t answer the Americans’ forecheck before it was too late.
The Rankings - The CHL Top Ten came out and the Ice found themselves up three spots to number 6 in the country. The Ams on this night, in at the number three spot and the top WHL club, justified why in about a four minute span. That Shinnimin is something.
The Crowd – 2583; Not a great atmosphere for two of the WHL’s top clubs.
Rec Plex Three Stars
1. F Brendan Shinnimin – two goals, two assists, almost single-handedly turned the game around
2. F Jesse Ismond – Third career hat trick lone bright spot
3. F Adam Hughesman – goal, three assists
What it means – An oddity or sign of things to come? The Ice lose two straight for the first time in a month and fall to 12-4-1-2; 27 points and now 3rd in the Eastern Conference, two back of the Tigers who occupy 1st. Only six points separate 8th (Moose Jaw with 23 points) and 1st place in the crowded Eastern Conference.
Up Next: Seattle is here Saturday with an even tougher test in the Saskatoon Blades here Sunday night.
Summary:
Americans 5 @ Ice 4
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Tri-Cities Americans and the Kootenay Ice; November 9, 2011
The Tri-City Americans exploded for four goals in a 3:48 span in the third period to erase a 3-1 deficit en route to a 5-4 win over the Kootenay Ice in WHL action Wednesday.
The Ice took a 2-0 lead on goals by Jesse Ismond and Brock Montgomery after one period.
Ams forward Brendan Shinnimin notched his 5th of the season to cut the Ice lead to 2-1 after two periods.
The Ice went up 3-1 on another power play goal goal by Ismond in the third period before the Americans mounted an assault that produced goals by Shinnimin, with his second of the night, Patrick Holland, Jordan Messier and Adam Hughesman before Ismond finished off the hat-trick to get the Ice back to within one goal.
Adam Hughesman and Brendan Shinnimin both had four point nights while Jesse Ismond got the hat-trick in a losing cause.
Eric Comrie stopped 24 of 28 shots to get the win while Nathan Lieuwen surrendered five goals on 40 shots in taking the loss.
First Period
1. Kootenay, Ismond 5 (Pearce, Antilla) 3:08 (pp)
2. Kootenay, Montgomery 2 (Rossignol, Benoit) 17:37
Penalties -- Nickles TC (hooking) 2:55, Rossignol Ktn (boarding) 3:39, TC Bench (too-many-men - served by Stromwall) 4:58, Dow TC (delay-of-game) 14:36.
Second Period
3. Tri-Cities, Shinnimin 5 (Hughesman, Feser) 10:20
Penalties -- Leach Ktn (elbowing) 10:14, Yuen (hooking) 10:45, Leach Ktn (boarding) 17:02.
Third Period
4. Kootenay, Ismond 6 (McKinlay) 6:06 (pp)
5. Tri-City, J. Messier 4 (Hughesman, Shinnimin) 8:26 (pp)
6. Tri-City, Shinnimin 6 (Hughesman) 10:23
7. Tri-City, Holland 2 (Wilgosh) 10:40
8. Tri-City, Hughesman 14 (Shinnimin, Feser) 12:14 (pp)
9. Kootenay, Ismond 7 (Antilla, Descheneau) 19:41
Penalties -- Grist TC (cross-checking) 5:52, Hubic Ktn (roughing) 7:37, Leach Ktn (high-sticking) 11:47, Plutnar Ktn (roughing) 13:44, Yuen TC (cross-checking) 17:13.
Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 10 9 9 - 28
Tri-Cities: 9 15 16 - 40
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (L, 10-3-1-2); Tri-Cities: Eric Comrie: (W, 5-2).
Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 2-7
Tri-Cities: 3-5
Referee -- Andy Thiessen. Linesman -- Chris Carlson, Jim Maniago.
Attendance -- 2583 (4264)
Scratches --
Kootenay: Drew Czerwonka (upper body - one week), Luke Paulsen (upper body - day-to-day) Brendan Hurley (knee - 2-4 weeks)
Tri-City: Justin Hamonic, Riley Guenther, Lukas Walter, Nathan McMaster.
What Happened – The Ice stopped skating in the second and the Ams started. Then Ice didn’t have an answer for Brendan Shinnimin.
The Turning Point – Up 3-1 eight minutes into the third, the Ams had the Ice right where they wanted them. Four goals in 3:48 by the visitors left the place in utter shock.
The Goals – On an early power play – not the Ice forte of late coming into the game at 17th overall in the WHL – Elgin Pearce took a pass off the cycle on the left circle and fired a shot that Comrie got a piece of only to have Jesse Ismond help it into the net behind him. 1-0 Ice…. Kootenay went up by two on a neutral zone turnover that took some time to develop but eventually Brock Montgomery broke free on the 2-on-1 with Adam Rossignol. After a couple of return passes Montgomery put it behind Comrie for his second goal of the season, in his second straight game, no less…. In the second the Americans showed why they’re best team in the Western Conference and came out flying. Their hard work paid off when Joey Leach was fingered for elbowing halfway through the period. Six seconds into the power play a pretty three-way passing play off the faceoff found Shinnimin in the deep slot. He rifled his 5th of the season past Liuewen to make it 2-1… In the third, with the Ice still reeling from the Ams onslaught, Grist took an ill-advised cross-checking penalty. Some hard work by Dylen McKinlay behind the net got him the puck and then got him the assist as the feed to Ismond found the back of the net. 3-1 Ice… The Ams got that one back after Jeff Hubic took a roughing penalty. With the Ams on the rush Adam Hughesman found Jordan Messier with a great pass into the slot. He wired his 4th past Lieuwen… The onslaught finally took shape when Brendan Shinnimin just about tied when he hit the post and then a few seconds later deflected a point shot after a poor clearing attempt by Jagger Dirk… The Ams took the lead when Patrick Holland took pass in the slot and then wired the go-ahead goal past Lieuwen, stunning the crowd and the Ice… The carnage continued after Leach took another bad penalty and the Ams toyed with the Ice on the power play as Shinnimin found Hughesman with a backdoor pass and Hughesman’s 14th as well as a 5-3 lead scoring four goals in 3:48… With less than a minute left the Ice made it close as Jesse Ismond finished off the hat-trick with a carbon-copy of his second goal, making it 5-4. It would be as close as they would get
The Power Play – Coming into the night the Ice were ranked 17th in the WHL with the man-advantage. The Ams were even worse coming in at the 20th spot. The visitors scored three goals while the Ice, looking for any positive out of the collapse, scored two.
Shinnimin-Hughesman Show – The Ams two 20-year-olds were dynamite on this night, combining for 8 points.
A tale of two periods – The first showcased the home side, at times dominating the Americans that had many wondering what all the fuss was about from the U.S. Division leaders. In the second they and the Ice faithful found out, the hard way. Out-shooting the Ice 15-9, which was generous to the home side. As the summary would show, the third didn’t get any better for the Ice.
Another Comrie – This one isn’t married to Hillary Duff – he’s only 16 – as former Ice captain Mike Comrie’s younger half brother Eric got the start in the nets for the Ams. It’s the first time a Comrie has taken to the Rec Plex ice since December 6, 2000. The younger Comrie, age five at the time of his brother lighting it up for the Ice, probably doesn’t remember watching him play anyway.
The depth or lack of it – With Drew Czerwonka out with a concuss…. Err upper body injury and Luke Paulsen still not back for tonight’s game, having D Joey Leach take three undisciplined penalties which resulted in two power play goals; added up it meant the Ice didn’t have the horses to skate with the Ams on this night.
The Surprise Start – Still on Comrie, the rookie heir apparent to the Ams goaltending fortunes got the start ahead of Ty Rimmer, who is second in WHL in goals against average and save percentage to Ice netminder Nathan Lieuwen, hence the surprise. Usually the top two goaltenders in the WHL stats-wise going head-to-head is a good story line. Not on this night.
Looooo – As he is on every night he’s played this season, Lieuwen was sharp most of the night and the goals against weren’t the fault of the 20-year-old goaltender. In fact, if Lieuwen wasn’t on his game most of the night it would’ve been a blowout. The Ice couldn’t answer the Americans’ forecheck before it was too late.
The Rankings - The CHL Top Ten came out and the Ice found themselves up three spots to number 6 in the country. The Ams on this night, in at the number three spot and the top WHL club, justified why in about a four minute span. That Shinnimin is something.
The Crowd – 2583; Not a great atmosphere for two of the WHL’s top clubs.
Rec Plex Three Stars
1. F Brendan Shinnimin – two goals, two assists, almost single-handedly turned the game around
2. F Jesse Ismond – Third career hat trick lone bright spot
3. F Adam Hughesman – goal, three assists
What it means – An oddity or sign of things to come? The Ice lose two straight for the first time in a month and fall to 12-4-1-2; 27 points and now 3rd in the Eastern Conference, two back of the Tigers who occupy 1st. Only six points separate 8th (Moose Jaw with 23 points) and 1st place in the crowded Eastern Conference.
Up Next: Seattle is here Saturday with an even tougher test in the Saskatoon Blades here Sunday night.
Summary:
Americans 5 @ Ice 4
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Tri-Cities Americans and the Kootenay Ice; November 9, 2011
The Tri-City Americans exploded for four goals in a 3:48 span in the third period to erase a 3-1 deficit en route to a 5-4 win over the Kootenay Ice in WHL action Wednesday.
The Ice took a 2-0 lead on goals by Jesse Ismond and Brock Montgomery after one period.
Ams forward Brendan Shinnimin notched his 5th of the season to cut the Ice lead to 2-1 after two periods.
The Ice went up 3-1 on another power play goal goal by Ismond in the third period before the Americans mounted an assault that produced goals by Shinnimin, with his second of the night, Patrick Holland, Jordan Messier and Adam Hughesman before Ismond finished off the hat-trick to get the Ice back to within one goal.
Adam Hughesman and Brendan Shinnimin both had four point nights while Jesse Ismond got the hat-trick in a losing cause.
Eric Comrie stopped 24 of 28 shots to get the win while Nathan Lieuwen surrendered five goals on 40 shots in taking the loss.
First Period
1. Kootenay, Ismond 5 (Pearce, Antilla) 3:08 (pp)
2. Kootenay, Montgomery 2 (Rossignol, Benoit) 17:37
Penalties -- Nickles TC (hooking) 2:55, Rossignol Ktn (boarding) 3:39, TC Bench (too-many-men - served by Stromwall) 4:58, Dow TC (delay-of-game) 14:36.
Second Period
3. Tri-Cities, Shinnimin 5 (Hughesman, Feser) 10:20
Penalties -- Leach Ktn (elbowing) 10:14, Yuen (hooking) 10:45, Leach Ktn (boarding) 17:02.
Third Period
4. Kootenay, Ismond 6 (McKinlay) 6:06 (pp)
5. Tri-City, J. Messier 4 (Hughesman, Shinnimin) 8:26 (pp)
6. Tri-City, Shinnimin 6 (Hughesman) 10:23
7. Tri-City, Holland 2 (Wilgosh) 10:40
8. Tri-City, Hughesman 14 (Shinnimin, Feser) 12:14 (pp)
9. Kootenay, Ismond 7 (Antilla, Descheneau) 19:41
Penalties -- Grist TC (cross-checking) 5:52, Hubic Ktn (roughing) 7:37, Leach Ktn (high-sticking) 11:47, Plutnar Ktn (roughing) 13:44, Yuen TC (cross-checking) 17:13.
Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 10 9 9 - 28
Tri-Cities: 9 15 16 - 40
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (L, 10-3-1-2); Tri-Cities: Eric Comrie: (W, 5-2).
Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 2-7
Tri-Cities: 3-5
Referee -- Andy Thiessen. Linesman -- Chris Carlson, Jim Maniago.
Attendance -- 2583 (4264)
Scratches --
Kootenay: Drew Czerwonka (upper body - one week), Luke Paulsen (upper body - day-to-day) Brendan Hurley (knee - 2-4 weeks)
Tri-City: Justin Hamonic, Riley Guenther, Lukas Walter, Nathan McMaster.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Tri-City Americans on Deck
The Ams visit the Rec Plex Wednesday night as Bob Tory's club comes to Cranbrook for the first time in two seasons.
The biggest news is that Ice captain F Drew Czerwonka will be out of the line-up for a week with what's termed an 'upper body' injury. I'm told it's a concussion after he was run into the boards by Rebels D Alex Petrovic Saturday in the 4-3 OT loss, but that is of course unconfirmed in today's world
D Luke Paulsen will return and as long as the kids are keeping up with their school work, F Joe Antilla should be able to return to the front lines from a weekend on the blueline.
There was a chance that Czerwonka might be a game-time decision for Wednesday but a week is the minimum in these injuries.
With the Tigers winning 6-3 over the T-Birds tonight they take over top spot in the WHL at 29 points, two clear of the Ice who have two games in hand.
The Ams, at 12-5-0-0 and 24 points, lead the U.S. Division.
On the stats front the Ice have put up their club record book on their website. It's here.
It's a great read and is an interesting trip down memory lane, at least from a stats standpoint.
The biggest news is that Ice captain F Drew Czerwonka will be out of the line-up for a week with what's termed an 'upper body' injury. I'm told it's a concussion after he was run into the boards by Rebels D Alex Petrovic Saturday in the 4-3 OT loss, but that is of course unconfirmed in today's world
D Luke Paulsen will return and as long as the kids are keeping up with their school work, F Joe Antilla should be able to return to the front lines from a weekend on the blueline.
There was a chance that Czerwonka might be a game-time decision for Wednesday but a week is the minimum in these injuries.
With the Tigers winning 6-3 over the T-Birds tonight they take over top spot in the WHL at 29 points, two clear of the Ice who have two games in hand.
The Ams, at 12-5-0-0 and 24 points, lead the U.S. Division.
On the stats front the Ice have put up their club record book on their website. It's here.
It's a great read and is an interesting trip down memory lane, at least from a stats standpoint.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
St. Clair won't play at UND this year
Headed to Spokane with the Bantams for a couple of games today and tomorrow so I'll miss the Rebels/Ice tilt tonight at the Plex.
Found a story on Colten St. Clair this morning in a strange reversal of fortune for players who 'keep their options' open to attend NCAA schools.
St. Clair, a 19-year-old forward from Arizona that the Ice drafted in the 10th round of the 2007 Bantam Draft, never reported to the club and stated a continual desire to take the NCAA route. The dynamic forward first had discussions with Colorado College but settled on North Dakota after two years in the USHL with the Fargo Force.
He'll now miss a full year of hockey due to high school credits ruled ineligible by the NCAA. St. Clair is still at UND but can't play or practice or even workout with the club for this season due to the online school some of his credits came from not being eligible.
The situation prompted the Ice to reach out to the player in the interest of joining the club but they were declined.
That story is here.
So, a player with obvious NHL aspirations will miss a full year of development - a crucial one at the age of 19 - and not play at all this season.
20/20 Hindsite being what it is, signing with the Ice to start his junior career might've been a better route whether he made the NHL or not.
Just something to chew on.
Found a story on Colten St. Clair this morning in a strange reversal of fortune for players who 'keep their options' open to attend NCAA schools.
St. Clair, a 19-year-old forward from Arizona that the Ice drafted in the 10th round of the 2007 Bantam Draft, never reported to the club and stated a continual desire to take the NCAA route. The dynamic forward first had discussions with Colorado College but settled on North Dakota after two years in the USHL with the Fargo Force.
He'll now miss a full year of hockey due to high school credits ruled ineligible by the NCAA. St. Clair is still at UND but can't play or practice or even workout with the club for this season due to the online school some of his credits came from not being eligible.
The situation prompted the Ice to reach out to the player in the interest of joining the club but they were declined.
That story is here.
So, a player with obvious NHL aspirations will miss a full year of development - a crucial one at the age of 19 - and not play at all this season.
20/20 Hindsite being what it is, signing with the Ice to start his junior career might've been a better route whether he made the NHL or not.
Just something to chew on.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Ice win fifth straight
The Score – Everett 2 – Kootenay 4
What Happened – This wasn’t a masterpiece but when the opportunity presented itself the Ice buried their chances, the Tips didn’t, at least not until it was too late.
The Turning Point – After a middle frame in which the visitors carried the play the third period started the same way. In the first minute Tips forward Cody Fowlie had a great chance to tie it left alone in the deep slot. He couldn’t convert and Montgomery broke out, found Benoit with a cross-ice pass and he buried it.
The Goals – It was the third time lucky for the Ice on the power play as on the third try they converted when Joe Antilla – playing the point and defence for the time being – fired a shot along the ice that just beat Simpson, who wasn’t screened on the play. It was Antilla’s first of the season… With just over a minute left in the period Sam sent a cross-ice pass to Dylen McKinlay who skated in and fired a shot from almost the same spot as Antilla did but with speed coming down the wing. McKinlay ripped a slapper that Simpson just whiffed on. 2-0 Ice… In the second where the Tips were clearly carrying the play, a harmless faceoff win that Dirk backtracked into his own end turned ugly when he turned it over to 17-year-old rookie Trent Lofthouse. He deked Lieuwen to get the Tips on the board and back into the game. It was Lofthouse's first WHL goal… In the third after an ugly start by the Ice for the first shift Brock Montgomery finally got it out on the breakout and found Erik Benoit streaking into the Tips zone. He potted his 6th over the shoulder of Simpson to make it 3-1… On a power play that got better as the game went on, Jesse Ismond corralled a dump in on the half-wall and then sent a pass to the net where Drew Czerwonka whacked at it and then Pearce punched in the rebound to make it 4-1… A late power play for the Tips – Ice D Jagger Dirk took exception to the Tips making contact with Lieuwen – looked good as Tyler Maxwell converted the back-door pass from Fowlie to make it 4-2.
The Early Hit – After Tips goaltender Kent Simpson stopped an Ice shot and batted the rebound away, it hit his defenseman Evan Morden. He was subsequently hit by Erik Benoit and fell awkwardly into the end boards. Morden left looking to favour his right shoulder but returned about ten minutes later.
The later one – In the third period Jon Martin caught Tips forward Josh Linquist by the bench with a devastating hit.
They Call him, uh, a D-man? – Antilla, with Luke Paulsen still hurt and Spencer Wand a surprise healthy scratch, was called upon to fill in on the blueline.
The Scratches – With Brendan Hurley and Luke Paulsen still nursing injuries it was unexpected to see D Spencer Wand and C Jaedon Descheneau both scratched. It was also unexpected to see Nathan Lieuwen get his 7th straight start against the struggling Silvertips when backup Mackenzie Skapski hadn’t started in almost three weeks. Ice assistant coach Jerry Bancks said following the game the three didn’t play, or in Skapski's case, didn't start, for educational reasons
Chinny 3.0 – The third generation of Chynoweth debuted at the Rec Plex tonight as Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth’s son Ryan, 16, took a regular shift for the Tips. He was +1 on the night and narrowly missed his first WHL goal with a great deflection in the second that Lieuwen stopped.
No Murray – Ice fans didn’t have a chance to watch the top-ranked WHL prospect for the 2012 NHL Draft on this night. D Ryan Murray – coming to a World Junior roster near you – suffered a high-ankle sprain October 20 and will miss another three weeks. With the WHL’s rotating schedule and the Tips not back for another two seasons, Murray may very well be playing the NHL.
Eakin out a living – Last season’s hero for the Ice made his NHL debut with the Washington Capitals this week and tonight scored his first goal and first assist and was named the game’s first star in the Caps’ 5-1 win over Carolina. Yes, the goal was a wrist-shot Eakin ripped on a 2-on-1 from about 15 feet.
The Fights – Jon Martin rocked Josh Winquist at the Tips bench and Evan Morden didn’t like it. He started a fight with the 16-year-old and got the clear win. The only issue I had that Martin got a charging minor for the clean hit… Tips forward Jesse Mychan levelled Ice D Jeff Hubic with a hit that blueline partner Mike Simpson took exception to. Mychan got the win in that battle too… Dylen McKinlay hit Lucas Grayson with a high stick behind the Tips net that Grayson wasn’t letting go on and the two dropped the mitts. In the bout of the night McKinley and Grayson both landed some big shots but McKinley got the decision.
The Crowd – 2783
Rec Plex Three Stars
1. F Erik Benoit – Game winner; a quiet six goals so far this season on the third unit
2. F Sam Reinhart – Set up two
3. F Dylen McKinley – finding his groove
What it means – The Ice have won five straight and improve to 12-3-0-2 and 26 points on the season; 1st overall in the WHL.
Up Next: After dumping the Seattle Thunderbirds 8-2 in Red Deer tonight the Rebels are here Saturday.
Summary:
Silvertips 2 @ Ice 4
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Everett Silvertips and the Kootenay Ice; November 4, 2011
Eric Benoit scored the game-winner and Sam Reinhart had two assists as the Kootenay Ice beat the Everett Silvertips 4-2 in WHL action Friday night.
The Ice opened the scoring on the power play when Joe Antilla wired his first of the season from the point past Tips goaltender Kent Simpson. Dylen McKinley made it 2-0 on a slapshot with just over a minute left in the period.
The Silvertips got on the board in the second when Trent Lofthouse stripped Ice defender Jagger Dirk of the puck and beat Nathan Lieuwen for his first WHL goal to make it 2-1.
The Ice made it 3-1 early in the third when Eric Benoit wristed his 6th of the season past Simpson with the eventual game-winner. Elgin Pearce added an insurance goal while Tyler Maxwell made it close late in the game with his 10th on the season.
Nathan Lieuwen stopped 29 of 31 shots he faced to get his 10th win of the season while Kent Simpson took the loss, stopping 33 of 37 shots.
First Period
1. Kootenay, Antilla 1 (Dirk, S. Reinhart) 17:16 (pp)
2. Kootenay, McKinley 2 (S. Reinhart) 18:57
Penalties -- Bittner Ev (kneeing) 0:28, Winquist Ev (slashing) 8:24, Grayson Ev (delay-of-game) 15:49.
Second Period
3. Everett Lofthouse 1 13:00
Penalties -- Antilla Ktn (slashing) 5:25.
Third Period
4. Kootenay, Benoit 6 (Montgomery) 0:49
5. Kootenay, Pearce 5 (Czerwonka, Ismond) 14:34 (pp)
6. Everett, Maxwell 10 (Fowlie, Birkholz) 16:37 (pp)
Penalties -- Ismond Ktn (slashing) 3:03, Martin Ktn (charging, fighting) Morden Ev (fighting, instigator - served by Samoridny, misconduct) 5:31, Maxwell Ev (holding) 6:06, Simpson Ktn (fighting, instigator - served by Cable, misconduct) Mychan Ev (fighting) 8:51, Fowlie Ev (high-sticking) 9:55, Yadlowski Ev (slashing) 13:26, Grayson Ev (roughing, fighting) McKinley Ktn (cross-checking, fighting) 14:03, Dirk Ktn (cross-checking) 16:16.
Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 11 8 18 - 37
Everett: 7 13 11 - 31
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (W, 10-2-0-2); Everett: Kent Simpson (L, 4-9-0-2).
Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 2-6
Everett: 1-4
Referee -- Jeff Ingram, Trent Knorr. Linesman -- Mike Roberts, Steve Cochrane.
Attendance -- 2783 (4264)
Scratches --
Kootenay: Spencer Wand, Jaedon Deschaneau, Brendan Hurley (knee - 4-8 weeks), Luke Paulsen (upper body - day-to-day).
Everett: Ty Mappin, Michael Bell, Jordyn Boyd (one game suspension), Manraj Hayer, Zach Maphee, Darian Henry, Ryan Murray.
What Happened – This wasn’t a masterpiece but when the opportunity presented itself the Ice buried their chances, the Tips didn’t, at least not until it was too late.
The Turning Point – After a middle frame in which the visitors carried the play the third period started the same way. In the first minute Tips forward Cody Fowlie had a great chance to tie it left alone in the deep slot. He couldn’t convert and Montgomery broke out, found Benoit with a cross-ice pass and he buried it.
The Goals – It was the third time lucky for the Ice on the power play as on the third try they converted when Joe Antilla – playing the point and defence for the time being – fired a shot along the ice that just beat Simpson, who wasn’t screened on the play. It was Antilla’s first of the season… With just over a minute left in the period Sam sent a cross-ice pass to Dylen McKinlay who skated in and fired a shot from almost the same spot as Antilla did but with speed coming down the wing. McKinlay ripped a slapper that Simpson just whiffed on. 2-0 Ice… In the second where the Tips were clearly carrying the play, a harmless faceoff win that Dirk backtracked into his own end turned ugly when he turned it over to 17-year-old rookie Trent Lofthouse. He deked Lieuwen to get the Tips on the board and back into the game. It was Lofthouse's first WHL goal… In the third after an ugly start by the Ice for the first shift Brock Montgomery finally got it out on the breakout and found Erik Benoit streaking into the Tips zone. He potted his 6th over the shoulder of Simpson to make it 3-1… On a power play that got better as the game went on, Jesse Ismond corralled a dump in on the half-wall and then sent a pass to the net where Drew Czerwonka whacked at it and then Pearce punched in the rebound to make it 4-1… A late power play for the Tips – Ice D Jagger Dirk took exception to the Tips making contact with Lieuwen – looked good as Tyler Maxwell converted the back-door pass from Fowlie to make it 4-2.
The Early Hit – After Tips goaltender Kent Simpson stopped an Ice shot and batted the rebound away, it hit his defenseman Evan Morden. He was subsequently hit by Erik Benoit and fell awkwardly into the end boards. Morden left looking to favour his right shoulder but returned about ten minutes later.
The later one – In the third period Jon Martin caught Tips forward Josh Linquist by the bench with a devastating hit.
They Call him, uh, a D-man? – Antilla, with Luke Paulsen still hurt and Spencer Wand a surprise healthy scratch, was called upon to fill in on the blueline.
The Scratches – With Brendan Hurley and Luke Paulsen still nursing injuries it was unexpected to see D Spencer Wand and C Jaedon Descheneau both scratched. It was also unexpected to see Nathan Lieuwen get his 7th straight start against the struggling Silvertips when backup Mackenzie Skapski hadn’t started in almost three weeks. Ice assistant coach Jerry Bancks said following the game the three didn’t play, or in Skapski's case, didn't start, for educational reasons
Chinny 3.0 – The third generation of Chynoweth debuted at the Rec Plex tonight as Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth’s son Ryan, 16, took a regular shift for the Tips. He was +1 on the night and narrowly missed his first WHL goal with a great deflection in the second that Lieuwen stopped.
No Murray – Ice fans didn’t have a chance to watch the top-ranked WHL prospect for the 2012 NHL Draft on this night. D Ryan Murray – coming to a World Junior roster near you – suffered a high-ankle sprain October 20 and will miss another three weeks. With the WHL’s rotating schedule and the Tips not back for another two seasons, Murray may very well be playing the NHL.
Eakin out a living – Last season’s hero for the Ice made his NHL debut with the Washington Capitals this week and tonight scored his first goal and first assist and was named the game’s first star in the Caps’ 5-1 win over Carolina. Yes, the goal was a wrist-shot Eakin ripped on a 2-on-1 from about 15 feet.
The Fights – Jon Martin rocked Josh Winquist at the Tips bench and Evan Morden didn’t like it. He started a fight with the 16-year-old and got the clear win. The only issue I had that Martin got a charging minor for the clean hit… Tips forward Jesse Mychan levelled Ice D Jeff Hubic with a hit that blueline partner Mike Simpson took exception to. Mychan got the win in that battle too… Dylen McKinlay hit Lucas Grayson with a high stick behind the Tips net that Grayson wasn’t letting go on and the two dropped the mitts. In the bout of the night McKinley and Grayson both landed some big shots but McKinley got the decision.
The Crowd – 2783
Rec Plex Three Stars
1. F Erik Benoit – Game winner; a quiet six goals so far this season on the third unit
2. F Sam Reinhart – Set up two
3. F Dylen McKinley – finding his groove
What it means – The Ice have won five straight and improve to 12-3-0-2 and 26 points on the season; 1st overall in the WHL.
Up Next: After dumping the Seattle Thunderbirds 8-2 in Red Deer tonight the Rebels are here Saturday.
Summary:
Silvertips 2 @ Ice 4
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Everett Silvertips and the Kootenay Ice; November 4, 2011
Eric Benoit scored the game-winner and Sam Reinhart had two assists as the Kootenay Ice beat the Everett Silvertips 4-2 in WHL action Friday night.
The Ice opened the scoring on the power play when Joe Antilla wired his first of the season from the point past Tips goaltender Kent Simpson. Dylen McKinley made it 2-0 on a slapshot with just over a minute left in the period.
The Silvertips got on the board in the second when Trent Lofthouse stripped Ice defender Jagger Dirk of the puck and beat Nathan Lieuwen for his first WHL goal to make it 2-1.
The Ice made it 3-1 early in the third when Eric Benoit wristed his 6th of the season past Simpson with the eventual game-winner. Elgin Pearce added an insurance goal while Tyler Maxwell made it close late in the game with his 10th on the season.
Nathan Lieuwen stopped 29 of 31 shots he faced to get his 10th win of the season while Kent Simpson took the loss, stopping 33 of 37 shots.
First Period
1. Kootenay, Antilla 1 (Dirk, S. Reinhart) 17:16 (pp)
2. Kootenay, McKinley 2 (S. Reinhart) 18:57
Penalties -- Bittner Ev (kneeing) 0:28, Winquist Ev (slashing) 8:24, Grayson Ev (delay-of-game) 15:49.
Second Period
3. Everett Lofthouse 1 13:00
Penalties -- Antilla Ktn (slashing) 5:25.
Third Period
4. Kootenay, Benoit 6 (Montgomery) 0:49
5. Kootenay, Pearce 5 (Czerwonka, Ismond) 14:34 (pp)
6. Everett, Maxwell 10 (Fowlie, Birkholz) 16:37 (pp)
Penalties -- Ismond Ktn (slashing) 3:03, Martin Ktn (charging, fighting) Morden Ev (fighting, instigator - served by Samoridny, misconduct) 5:31, Maxwell Ev (holding) 6:06, Simpson Ktn (fighting, instigator - served by Cable, misconduct) Mychan Ev (fighting) 8:51, Fowlie Ev (high-sticking) 9:55, Yadlowski Ev (slashing) 13:26, Grayson Ev (roughing, fighting) McKinley Ktn (cross-checking, fighting) 14:03, Dirk Ktn (cross-checking) 16:16.
Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 11 8 18 - 37
Everett: 7 13 11 - 31
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (W, 10-2-0-2); Everett: Kent Simpson (L, 4-9-0-2).
Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 2-6
Everett: 1-4
Referee -- Jeff Ingram, Trent Knorr. Linesman -- Mike Roberts, Steve Cochrane.
Attendance -- 2783 (4264)
Scratches --
Kootenay: Spencer Wand, Jaedon Deschaneau, Brendan Hurley (knee - 4-8 weeks), Luke Paulsen (upper body - day-to-day).
Everett: Ty Mappin, Michael Bell, Jordyn Boyd (one game suspension), Manraj Hayer, Zach Maphee, Darian Henry, Ryan Murray.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Local signs with the Winterhawks
Cranbrook Minor Hockey product D Ben Betker has made his WHL debut. The Portland Winterhawks called up Betker last night after adding him to their protected list in June and the Cranbrook native got into his first WHL action last night in Kamloops, a 4-2 win over the Blazers.
Betker was a +1 on the night, on the as the Winterhawks scored 57 seconds into the game.
Just turned 17 last month, the 6'4" 185lb Betker started the season with the Westbank Warriors of the BCHL, notching a goal and two assists in 13 games. Prior to that Betker patrolled the blueline last season for the BC Major Midget Kootenay Ice out of Nelson.
As a Bantam, the young Betker honed his skills with the AA Bantam Ice but on Sunday nights would join the old guys, including myself and his dad Jeff Betker, at Sunday night hockey. Congrats Ben!
Betker was a +1 on the night, on the as the Winterhawks scored 57 seconds into the game.
Just turned 17 last month, the 6'4" 185lb Betker started the season with the Westbank Warriors of the BCHL, notching a goal and two assists in 13 games. Prior to that Betker patrolled the blueline last season for the BC Major Midget Kootenay Ice out of Nelson.
As a Bantam, the young Betker honed his skills with the AA Bantam Ice but on Sunday nights would join the old guys, including myself and his dad Jeff Betker, at Sunday night hockey. Congrats Ben!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Ice ranked in Top Ten
Week 7 of the CHL Top Ten Rankings are out this morning and the Kootenay Ice are in them, at number 9.
The rankings are here.
The Ice have won 4 straight and sit tied for the WHL lead with a 11-3-0-2 and 24 points. The Medicine Hat Tigers, who beat the Everett Silvertips 10-2 last night - and had two goals disallowed - also have 24 points.
F Hunter Shinkaruk had a six point night (3g, 3a) while Emerson Etem had a goal and four helpers to pad his lead atop the WHL scoring race with 36 points (22g 14a).
The Tips are here Friday.
The rankings are here.
The Ice have won 4 straight and sit tied for the WHL lead with a 11-3-0-2 and 24 points. The Medicine Hat Tigers, who beat the Everett Silvertips 10-2 last night - and had two goals disallowed - also have 24 points.
F Hunter Shinkaruk had a six point night (3g, 3a) while Emerson Etem had a goal and four helpers to pad his lead atop the WHL scoring race with 36 points (22g 14a).
The Tips are here Friday.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Ice jump into WHL lead
For HockeyNow
Ice down Winterhawks, Rebels for WHL lead
by Jeff Bromley
If defense wins championships, the Kootenay Ice are following the axiom to the letter. 16 games into the 2011-12 season the WHL’s stingiest defense at 1.94 goals against per game finds themselves the same spot they left off last May; on top of the WHL leader board with a 11-3-0-2 record and 24 points.
On Saturday the Ice cemented that position with a hard-fought, 4-1 win over the Portland Winterhawks in a rematch of last May’s WHL Championship. The prior Wednesday saw the Ice build a 3-0 lead and hold on to win 3-2 over the Red Deer Rebels. The two wins pushed the club’s win streak to four straight on top of a home record that’s now 8-1 at the Rec Plex. The lack of offence by the club – Saturday’s 4-1 win was only the third time the club has scored four or more goals in a game this season – doesn’t bother the club’s head coach, because they’re winning. “We have had the opportunities to score, which would make the games a lot easier for us but they haven’t been going in, in bunches,” said Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch. “When we need to score though, we get the job done.”
The need for secondary scoring beyond the top line of Max Reinhart, Jesse Ismond and Drew Czerwonka clearly evident, the solution is starting to present itself for the club as the line of Sam Reinhart, Joe Antilla and Elgin Pearce chipped in with two goals and four helpers in wins over Calgary and Red Deer while Erik Benoit, 18, on the third unit, notched two goals against the Winterhawks Saturday night. “That's two games in a row where they've been really good," Knoblauch said of the Antilla, Pearce and Sam Reinhart trio. "And I believe they were our best line (against Calgary and Red Deer).”
With the return of Drew Czerwonka, 19, from a shoulder injury suffered at the Edmonton Oiler training camp that forced the club’s captain to miss the season’s first eight games, the Glenavon, Saskatchewan native has helped solidify the club’s depth, notching 5 goals and 3 assists in the 8 games he’s played. “We’ve played together for four years now and there’s certainly some chemistry,” said Czerwonka of his linemates Max Reinhart, who made the club as 16-year-olds and Jesse Ismond, who joined the club at 17. “The offence is going to come, we’re getting the chances and the goals are going to come. We’ll just continue to play good team defense and the rest will sort itself out.”
Pearce and the younger Reinhart, who doesn’t turn 16 until November 6, have got some chemistry going with 20-year-old linemate Joe Antilla, forming an all-Lower Mainland unit. “Both those guys are easy to play on a line with,” said Pearce, a 19-year-old Port Coquitlam product who is starting to fill the net with 4 goals and 5 assists this season. “Joe is strong along the boards and gets you the puck and Sam doesn’t play like he’s only 15, for sure.”
“The chemistry is starting to build up between us pretty well,” said Sam, the youngest of the three Reinhart brothers playing the WHL. “We played well together in Calgary and half the game in Medicine Hat before that, so it seems that we're making some good plays coming out of our zone that really help us in the offensive zone so it's been going really well.”
Quick Hits – Ice goaltender Nathan Lieuwen is the WHL goaltender of the month for September and October. Lieuwen leads all WHL goaltenders in save percentage with .948, averaging over 30 shots per game, and goals against average with 1.45 and a 9-2-0-2 record on the season... Ice D Luke Paulsen left the game Saturday after colliding with another player in the warm-up and, after trying to play, not being able to continue. He is listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury... The club’s leading scorer, Max Reinhart with 8 goals and 11 assists in 14 games this season, was named to the CHL Subway Super Series team in the WHL vs Russia portion of the event that will play the last two games of the six-game set against the Russians November 16 and 17 in Moose Jaw and Regina. The series is a Hockey Canada identifier for hopefuls with World Junior aspirations for the national junior team invitational camp in December. Reinhart will play in both games… Kootenay continues their seven-game home stand Friday with the Everett Silvertips in town and Saturday when the Red Deer Rebels are in Cranbrook. The Everett line-up will feature Cranbrook Minor Hockey product Ryan Chynoweth, 16, the son of Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth, in his first WHL action in his hometown.
Ice down Winterhawks, Rebels for WHL lead
by Jeff Bromley
If defense wins championships, the Kootenay Ice are following the axiom to the letter. 16 games into the 2011-12 season the WHL’s stingiest defense at 1.94 goals against per game finds themselves the same spot they left off last May; on top of the WHL leader board with a 11-3-0-2 record and 24 points.
On Saturday the Ice cemented that position with a hard-fought, 4-1 win over the Portland Winterhawks in a rematch of last May’s WHL Championship. The prior Wednesday saw the Ice build a 3-0 lead and hold on to win 3-2 over the Red Deer Rebels. The two wins pushed the club’s win streak to four straight on top of a home record that’s now 8-1 at the Rec Plex. The lack of offence by the club – Saturday’s 4-1 win was only the third time the club has scored four or more goals in a game this season – doesn’t bother the club’s head coach, because they’re winning. “We have had the opportunities to score, which would make the games a lot easier for us but they haven’t been going in, in bunches,” said Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch. “When we need to score though, we get the job done.”
The need for secondary scoring beyond the top line of Max Reinhart, Jesse Ismond and Drew Czerwonka clearly evident, the solution is starting to present itself for the club as the line of Sam Reinhart, Joe Antilla and Elgin Pearce chipped in with two goals and four helpers in wins over Calgary and Red Deer while Erik Benoit, 18, on the third unit, notched two goals against the Winterhawks Saturday night. “That's two games in a row where they've been really good," Knoblauch said of the Antilla, Pearce and Sam Reinhart trio. "And I believe they were our best line (against Calgary and Red Deer).”
With the return of Drew Czerwonka, 19, from a shoulder injury suffered at the Edmonton Oiler training camp that forced the club’s captain to miss the season’s first eight games, the Glenavon, Saskatchewan native has helped solidify the club’s depth, notching 5 goals and 3 assists in the 8 games he’s played. “We’ve played together for four years now and there’s certainly some chemistry,” said Czerwonka of his linemates Max Reinhart, who made the club as 16-year-olds and Jesse Ismond, who joined the club at 17. “The offence is going to come, we’re getting the chances and the goals are going to come. We’ll just continue to play good team defense and the rest will sort itself out.”
Pearce and the younger Reinhart, who doesn’t turn 16 until November 6, have got some chemistry going with 20-year-old linemate Joe Antilla, forming an all-Lower Mainland unit. “Both those guys are easy to play on a line with,” said Pearce, a 19-year-old Port Coquitlam product who is starting to fill the net with 4 goals and 5 assists this season. “Joe is strong along the boards and gets you the puck and Sam doesn’t play like he’s only 15, for sure.”
“The chemistry is starting to build up between us pretty well,” said Sam, the youngest of the three Reinhart brothers playing the WHL. “We played well together in Calgary and half the game in Medicine Hat before that, so it seems that we're making some good plays coming out of our zone that really help us in the offensive zone so it's been going really well.”
Quick Hits – Ice goaltender Nathan Lieuwen is the WHL goaltender of the month for September and October. Lieuwen leads all WHL goaltenders in save percentage with .948, averaging over 30 shots per game, and goals against average with 1.45 and a 9-2-0-2 record on the season... Ice D Luke Paulsen left the game Saturday after colliding with another player in the warm-up and, after trying to play, not being able to continue. He is listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury... The club’s leading scorer, Max Reinhart with 8 goals and 11 assists in 14 games this season, was named to the CHL Subway Super Series team in the WHL vs Russia portion of the event that will play the last two games of the six-game set against the Russians November 16 and 17 in Moose Jaw and Regina. The series is a Hockey Canada identifier for hopefuls with World Junior aspirations for the national junior team invitational camp in December. Reinhart will play in both games… Kootenay continues their seven-game home stand Friday with the Everett Silvertips in town and Saturday when the Red Deer Rebels are in Cranbrook. The Everett line-up will feature Cranbrook Minor Hockey product Ryan Chynoweth, 16, the son of Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth, in his first WHL action in his hometown.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)