WHL NOTEBOOK: Final knotted at a game apiece

Here’s the latest from around major junior hockey this week.

WHL FINAL

The Everett Silvertips and Prince Albert Raiders are square at 1-1, with the series shifting back to Prince Albert for the next three.

In Game 1 on Friday, Prince Albert forward Braeden Cootes had a goal and an assist and goaltender Michal Orsulak made 39 saves in a 4-2 Raiders victory. Jonah Sivertson, Justice Christensen and Aiden Oiring, into the empty net, also scored for Prince Albert.

Carter Bear of West St. Paul and Julius Miettinen replied for the Silvertips, with Anders Miller making 22 saves.

In Game 2 on Saturday, Bear had two goals and Miettinen had a goal and three assists in a 6-2 Everett win. Kayd Ruedig, Rylan Gould of Headingley, and Jesse Heslop had the other Silvertips tallies, with Brock Cripps and Christensen replying for the Raiders.

One of the WHL’s top draft prospects, defenceman Daxon Rudolph of the Raiders, took a major for cross checking and earned a game misconduct with 62 seconds remaining, and then Prince Albert took two more roughing penalties.

Rudolph would likely have earned a suspension for a similar infraction in the regular season, but we’ll see if the league is willing to sit him down in the final.

OHL FINAL

The Kitchener Rangers lead the Barrie Colts 3-0 in their best-of-seven final in a series that’s been a lot closer than it indicates.

After a 5-2 victory in Game 1 on Wednesday, Ottawa Senators defensive prospect Matthew Andonovski scored 18:03 into overtime when his shot changed direction off a shot blocker in Game 2 on Friday to lift the Rangers to a 4-3 victory.

The dagger, however, may have come on Sunday in Game 3 when Dylan Edwards banged in his own rebound 5:24 into double overtime for his 14th goal of the playoffs.

Game 4 is tonight in Barrie.

QMJHL FINAL

The first-place Moncton Wildcats and second-place Chicoutimi Saguenéens are tied 1-1 after they split in Moncton.

In Game 1 on Friday, Utah Mammoth prospect Caleb Desnoyers had a goal and two assists for Moncton in a 5-2 victory. In Game 2 on Saturday, Liam Lefebvre broke a 2-2 tie with a bullet of a shot off the rush with 3:08 remaining in a 3-2 Chicoutimi win.

The series, which follows the traditional 2-2-1-1-1 series format, resumes tonight in Saguenay’s Centre Georges-Vézina.

GIANT FINE

The WHL fined the Vancouver Giants $5,000 for conduct detrimental to the league after an inappropriate remark made by a member of their staff during the live broadcast of the draft last Wednesday.

After the Giants drafted defenceman Eli Vickers third overall, Vancouver head scout Terry Bonner made the unfortunate decision to call the WHL show co-host Cami Kepke a “good-looking girl.”

“Accountability is a cornerstone value of our League – that includes both players and staff,” WHL commissioner Dan Near said in a release. “In this instance, regardless of intent, the remarks are not reflective of the organization’s standards of respect and inclusion.”

WEEKLY STARS

The player of the week is 20-year-old Everett forward Julius Miettinen of Helsinki, Finland, who had two goals and four assists in the first two games of the final.

The rookie of the week is 16-year-old Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Brock Cripps of Victoria, B.C., who had a goal and an assist.

The goalie of the week is Everett’s Anders Miller, a 19-year-old product of Anchorage, Alaska who went 1-1-0-0 with a 2.54 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

PICKFORD TAKES TWO

Medicine Hat Tigers captain Bryce Pickford has been picked as the winner of the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as player of the year in a vote by WHL general managers and media members.

The 20-year-old product of Chauvin, Alta., scored a remarkable 45 goals as a defenceman in his 19-year-old season. He is the second Tiger in a row to win the award after Gavin McKenna took it a year ago, the sixth time a team has had back-to-back winners.

The other finalists were JP Hurlbert (Kamloops Blazers), Tij Iginla (Kelowna Rockets), Liam Ruck (Medicine Hat Tigers), Markus Ruck (Medicine Hat Tigers) and Cameron Schmidt (Seattle Thunderbirds).

Five Wheat Kings have won the award, Eric Fehr (2004-05), Peter Schaefer (1996-97), Marty Murray (1994-95), Ray Ferraro (1983-84) and Ron Chipperfield (1973-74

Pickford also won the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the league’s top defenceman, topping Carson Carels of Cypress River (Prince George Cougars), Landon DuPont (Everett Silvertips), Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders), Tarin Smith (Everett Silvertips) and Jonas Woo (Medicine Hat Tigers).

It’s the fifth time a player has won both awards, following Kris Russell (Medicine Hat, 2006-07), Dan Hamhuis (Prince George, 2001-02), Manny Viveiros (Prince Albert, 1985-86) and Barry Beck (New Westminster Bruins,1976-77).

The Wheat Kings who have won the award are Braden Schneider (2020-21), Ivan Provorov (2015-16) and Brad McCrimmon (1977-78). Kale Clague also won it in 2017-18 after a deadline trade to the Moose Jaw Warriors.

FOND FAREWELL

One of the giants of the WHL in the 1960s and 1970s died in a car accident on Friday near Dease Lake in northern British Columbia.

Ernie (Punch) McLean, 93, of Estevan, Sask., coached the Estevan Bruins and New Westminster Bruins and was part of a more colourful era of the game when opposing coaches helped sell tickets on the road by essentially telling sports writers the night before games that the home referees were crooked, the hosts were goons and their dogs were ugly.

He posted a career regular-season record of 548-429-90 and a playoff record of 87-52-9 in the WHL.

McLean also coached Canada’s national junior team, including a kid named Wayne Gretzky, to a bronze medal at the 1979 world juniors.

CHL TOP 50

The final 10 players are currently being unveiled as part of the Canadian Hockey League’s top 50 players in 50 years, which includes their contributions beyond major junior.

• 10. Dale Hawerchuk (Cornwall Royals, 1979-81).

During two seasons with the QMJHL’s Cornwall squad, the Toronto product posted 286 points in 144 regular-season games and added another 80 points in 37 playoff games. In the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers, he put up 1,409 points in 1,188 regular-season games, and 99 points in 97 playoff games.

• 9. Ray Bourque (Trois-Rivières Draveurs, Sorel/Verdun Blackhawks, 1976-79).

The Montréal product, who was traded in his rookie season, had 220 points in 204 regular-season games and 22 points in 15 playoff games. In the NHL with the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche, he recorded 1,579 points in 1,612 regular-season games, retiring as the league’s all-time leader among defencemen in goals, assists and points.

• 8. Steve Yzerman (Peterborough Petes, 1981-83).

He recorded 155 points in 114 regular-season games with the Petes. After being selected fourth overall by Detroit in 1983, he spent 22 seasons with the Red Wings, recording 1,755 points in 1,514 NHL regular-season games. He also set an NHL record by serving as captain for 19 years.

• 7. Eric Lindros (Oshawa Generals, 1989-92).

The London, Ont., product posted 216 points in just 95 career regular-season games over three seasons and was taken first overall by the Québec Nordiques in 1991. He went on to play 760 regular-season NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars from 1992 to 2007.

• 6. Joe Sakic (Lethbridge/Swift Current Broncos, 1985-88).

The product of Burnaby, B.C., recorded 293 points in 139 career regular-season games, and Sakic was selected 15th overall by Quebec in 1987. He played his entire 20-year NHL career with the franchise in Quebec and then with the Colorado Avalanche after the move, posting 1,641 points in 1,378 games

• 5. Mike Bossy (Laval National, 1973-77).

The Montrealer is the only major junior with more than 300 goals, scoring 309 and earning 532 points overall in four seasons with the National. He was selected 15th overall by the New York Islanders in 1977, and in 752 games over 10 seasons, recored 1,226 points, and 160 more in 129 playoff games.

• 4. Connor McDavid (Erie Otters, 2012-15).

A product of Newmarket, Ont., McDavid recorded 285 points in 166 regular-season games, and incredibly, he had 49 points in 20 playoff games as the Otters made it to the league final in 2015. He was selected first by the Edmonton Oilers that summer, and has 1,220 points in 794 regular-season games over 11 seasons.