WHL Western Hockey League

WHL this Week: Looking Ahead

March 17, 2011 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Calgary, AB ‚¬" The 2010-11 Western Hockey League regular season enters its final weekend of action with a busy schedule of 25 games set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

In Brandon, MB, and Calgary, AB, the Wheat Kings and Hitmen will be collecting donations to contribute to earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan at their weekend home games. Fans are encouraged to support the victims of this devastating tragedy.

In Cranbrook, B.C., the Kootenay Ice will hold a special Stick Auction on Saturday night when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes. The team will use special blue sticks during the warm-up and in the first period, which will be auctioned off to raise money for the Cranbrook Men ‚¬â„¢s & Women ‚¬â„¢s Shelter.

In Moose Jaw, SK, the Warriors will play their final regular-season game at the historic Moose Jaw Civic Centre, better known as the Crushed Can, on Friday night versus the Brandon Wheat Kings.

In Regina, SK, the Pats are encouraging fans to help Shake Things Up on Friday night when they host the Saskatoon Blades. Fans are encouraged to bring boxes of Mac ‚¬Ëœn ‚¬â„¢ Cheese to the contest to help ‚¬Ëœshake ‚¬â„¢ the Pats to a victory and to donate to the Regina Food Bank.

In Kennewick, WA, the Americans wrap up the ‚¬ËœKruisin ‚¬â„¢ for MDA ‚¬â„¢ Challenge this weekend. Inspired by Ams ‚¬â„¢ captain Kruise Reddick, fans are encouraged to donate to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Reddick, himself, is donating $2 for every goal the Ams scored this season ‚¬" a total that is matched by the Tri-City Americans.

WHL MOURNS THE LOSS OF MURRAY COPOT ‚¬Â¦

The Western Hockey League is mourning the loss of longtime hockey volunteer Murray T. Copot, who passed away peacefully on Monday, March 14 at the age of 87.

‚¬Å“Murray was not only a great friend to many of us involved in the game, but he was a special volunteer who gave so many years unselfishly to ensure young hockey players had every opportunity to excel and enjoy the sport, ‚¬Â commented WHL Commissioner Ron Robison.

WHL GRADS CAPTURE UNIVERSITY AWARDS ‚¬Â¦

Calgary, AB -- The Western Hockey League is proud to announce that 100% of all Canada West University Hockey Award winners and 10 of the 12 Canada West University Hockey All Stars are graduates of the WHL. All are currently utilizing Western Canada's Premier Hockey Scholarship, a combination of the guaranteed WHL Scholarship and additional financial assistance provided by each individual Canada West Men's Hockey University program.

Spokane Chiefs graduate and fourth-year Alberta Golden Bears forward Derek Ryan was named Canada West University Hockey Most Valuable Player and also captured the 2010-11 Dave ‚¬Å“Sweeney ‚¬Â Schriner Scoring Trophy tallying 17 goals and adding 30 assists for 47 points in 28 conference games. He recorded the most points by a Canada West player since 2005-06, while the 24-year-old led CW in goals, hat tricks (2) and was second in assists and placed third in CIS scoring.

WARRIORS ‚¬â„¢ MCILRATH SIGNS WITH RANGERS ‚¬Â¦

New York, NY ‚¬" New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Dylan McIlrath.

McIlrath, 18, has skated in 59 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) this season, registering five goals and 18 assists for 23 points, along with 141 penalty minutes. He ranks third among team defensemen in points, goals and power play goals (two), and ranks third on Moose Jaw in penalty minutes. He was selected by the Rangers in the 1st Round (10th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

FRIDAY NIGHT WHL HOCKEY ON SHAW ‚¬Â¦

Dylan McIlrath and the Moose Jaw Warriors (39-25-2-4) host Mark Stone and the Brandon Wheat Kings (31-31-1-7), for the first of two meetings between the teams on the final weekend of the 2010-11 WHL regular-season.

The contest will mark the final regular-season game at Moose Jaw ‚¬â„¢s legendary Crushed Can arena.

Friday ‚¬â„¢s contest between the Wheat Kings and Warriors can be seen live throughout western Canada on SHAW and SHAW Direct channel 299 (7:00pm CST).

The Warriors are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Blades in Saskatoon on Wednesday night, putting a stop to a three-game winning streak, and are already cemented into fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Warriors boast a 21-12-0-2 record at the Crushed Can this season. McIlrath signed an entry-level contract with the New York Rangers on Wednesday.

The Wheat Kings have been idle since claiming a 7-3 win over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders last Saturday for their second win in a row, and currently sit one point up on Edmonton for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Wheaties have won just 10 games on the road this season. Stone (36g-66a) is tied for third in the WHL scoring race with 102 points, and is the first Wheat King to hit the 100-point mark since Eric Fehr did it in 2004-05.

Friday ‚¬â„¢s meeting marks the seventh encounter of the season between the Wheat Kings and Warriors. Moose Jaw won four of the first six clashes, with their only two losses coming at home. The teams will conclude their regular-season schedules on Saturday in Brandon.

WINTERHAWKS HOST SILVERTIPS, FRIDAY NIGHT ON FSN

Ryan Johansen and the Portland Winterhawks (48-18-0-3) welcome Ryan Harrison and the Everett Silvertips (28-30-7-4) for a key U.S. Division match-up on Friday night.

Friday ‚¬â„¢s meeting between the ‚¬ËœTips and Hawks can be seen live throughout the Pacific Northwest on FSN Northwest (7:00pm PST).

The Winterhawks claimed a 5-3 win over the visiting Vancouver Giants on Wednesday night for their third straight triumph, and remain one point ahead of Spokane for first place in the U.S. Division and Western Conference. The Winterhawks are 9-1 over their last 10 home games. Johansen has five goals and 16 points on a current eight-game point streak.

The Silvertips pulled off a 2-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, WA, on Wednesday, snapping a seven-game losing skid, and currently hold down seventh place in the Western Conference. The ‚¬ËœTips close out their season with three weekend road games. The Silvertips can clinch at least a tiebreaker for a playoff spot with any combination of gained points or points dropped by Seattle totaling 2.

It ‚¬â„¢s the 10th and final meeting of the regular season between the Silvertips and Winterhawks. The Hawks have won eight of nine meetings versus Everett this season.

FSN Northwest will broadcast 10 WHL regular-season games this season, giving fans in the Pacific Northwest a chance to watch exciting WHL hockey action.

KEY WEEKEND MATCH-UPS ‚¬Â¦

Spokane Chiefs @ Portland Winterhawks

Sunday, March 20

The Portland Winterhawks host the Spokane Chiefs on Sunday for a season finale game that could very well decide who gets the right to call themselves the U.S. Division and Western Conference regular-season Champions.

The Winterhawks currently hold a slim one-point lead over the Chiefs for top spot in the division and conference, with both teams having three remaining games.

The Hawks posted a 5-3 win over Vancouver on Wednesday to earn their third victory in a row. The Winterhawks host the Everett Silvertips on Friday and visit the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday before Sunday ‚¬â„¢s clash with Spokane. With a combined 15-4-0-1 record versus the ‚¬ËœTips and T-Birds, the Winterhawks have a good opportunity to go into Sunday ‚¬â„¢s meeting still holding the edge in the race for the division and conference titles.

The Chiefs skated to a 2-1 shootout win over the visiting Chilliwack Bruins on Wednesday, overcoming a brilliant 77-save performance from Bruins ‚¬â„¢ goalie Lucas Gore, to stretch their winning streak to eight games. The Chiefs host the Thunderbirds on Friday night and visit archrival Tri-Cities on Saturday prior to Sunday ‚¬â„¢s match-up with the Hawks. The Chiefs have outscored their opponents 35-14 over the course of their current eight-game win streak.

The Hawks and Chiefs split eight meetings this season, with each team winning three times in each other ‚¬â„¢s building.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE ‚¬" March 18 - 20

All times local

WATCH WHL HOCKEY LIVE ON WHL LIVE ON DEMAND

Friday, Mar. 18

Red Deer @ Edmonton; 7:00

Prince George @ Kamloops; 7:00

Kootenay @ Lethbridge; 7:00

Brandon @ Moose Jaw; 7:00 **Live on SHAW**

Everett @ Portland; 7:00 **Live on FSN**

Swift Current @ Prince Albert; 7:00

Saskatoon @ Regina; 7:00

Seattle @ Spokane; 7:00

Chilliwack @ Tri-City; 7:05

Kelowna @ Vancouver; 7:30

Saturday, Mar. 19

Moose Jaw @ Brandon; 7:30

Everett @ Chilliwack; 7:00

Vancouver @ Kelowna; 7:05

Lethbridge @ Kootenay; 7:00

Calgary @ Medicine Hat; 7:30

Kamloops @ Prince George; 7:00

Edmonton @ Red Deer; 7:30

Regina @ Saskatoon; 7:05

Portland @ Seattle; 7:05

Prince Albert @ Swift Current; 7:00

Spokane @ Tri-City; 7:05

Sunday, Mar. 20

Medicine Hat @ Calgary; 2:00

Spokane @ Portland; 5:00

Tri-City @ Seattle; 5:05

Everett @ Vancouver; 5:00

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