DUB ROUND-UP: ICE HOLDS OFF BRONCOS, NEW WHEAT KINGS GM

ICE 5 BRONCOS 4

REGINA – Michael Milne’s second goal of the night stood as the winner and Owen Pederson had a goal and two assists as Winnipeg (13-5-0) dealt Swift Current (3-14-1) its seventh loss in a row, despite the fact they outshot the ICE 44-28.

Scoring for the Broncos were Cohner Saleski, Carter Stebbings, Josh Davies and Owen Williams. Isaac Poulter took the loss for Swift Current, making 23 saves. Daniel Hauser got the win for Winnipeg.

Saturday in the Dub Hub, Moose Jaw faces Brandon at 4:00 pm and Swift Current takes on Saskatoon at 8:00 pm.

The Regina Pats return to action Sunday at 8:00 pm when they face Prince Albert on AccessNow TV and 620 CKRM.

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TIGERS 4 REBELS 2

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – Corson Hopwo scored two power-play goals, and the Medicine Hat Tigers came from behind to beat the Red Deer Rebels 4-2 on Friday in Western Hockey League play.

Brett Kemp and Eric Van Impe also scored to help Medicine Hat improve to 6-0-1 in its last seven games.

Garin Bjorklund made 23 saves for the Tigers (10-3-1).

Ben King had a pair of goals to put his team up 2-0, but the Rebels (2-13-2) gave up four unanswered for their 10th loss in a row and third straight since Brent Sutter stepped down as head coach.

Ethan Anders stopped 33-of-37 shots for Red Deer.

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SILVERTIPS 5 THUNDERBIRDS 3

KENT, Wash. – Gage Goncalves scored twice while also setting up both of Cole Fonstad’s goals for a four-point outing, and Evertt (10-3-0) topped Seattle (7-6-0) to avoid a third straight defeat.

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COUGARS 5 ROYALS 2

KELOWNA, B.C. – Taylor Gauthier kicked out 19-of-21 shots and was led by five different goal scorers including Jonny Hooker who put Prince George (4-3-2) ahead for good against Victoria (1-8-1), losers of five in a row.

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Brandon Wheat Kings General Manager, Darren Ritchie has accepted an amateur scouting position with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League.

The Wheat Kings have named Doug Gasper the 17th General Manager in franchise history to replace Ritchie at the helm of their hockey operations. Gasper’s been the Assistant GM of the Wheat Kings since 2019.

Ritchie joins the Leafs after spending the past 14 seasons with the Wheat Kings as an assistant coach, director of scouting and general manager. He also played four seasons with the club from 1991-1995.

“I’m really excited for this next step and I’m also really excited for Doug to take over as General Manager of the Wheat Kings,” says Ritchie. “It’s going to feel a little different for me because I’ve been involved with the Wheat Kings for such a long time and I hold the club so close to my heart. But we’re currently enjoying a strong season and fans can expect a solid team moving forward.”

Ritchie spent nine seasons from 2007 to 2016 as an assistant coach before taking the reins of the Wheat Kings’ scouting operations in 2016. He became the 16th GM in franchise history in July of 2019.

Gasper, a native of Rosetown, Saskatchewan, joined the Wheat Kings scouting staff in 2019 after spending the previous two seasons as a Western Canadian amateur scout for the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.

A former area scout with both the Western Hockey League’s Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Nipawin Hawks, Gasper served as the Moose Jaw Warriors’ director of scouting from 2015 to 2017. In all, he spent six seasons with the Warriors and was instrumental in leading the club to an Eastern Division pennant in 2018.

(Canadian Press, WheatKings.com/Photo: WHL)