WHL News and Notes

Blazers light the red lamp- The Blazers scored 15 goals in two wins on the weekend. Kamloops defeated Seattle 10-2 Friday night, then shutout Portland 5-0 the following night. Swedish forward Jonas Johansson led the Blazers with one goal and five assists. Jarret Lukin had three goals and two assists. Johansson and Lukin are 1-2 among WHL scoring leaders.

Wheat Kings sweep Pats- For the third consecutive season, the Brandon Wheat Kings have opened up their Western Hockey League regular season with a home-and-home series sweep of the Regina Pats. Norwegian defenceman Ole-Kristian Tollefson and 17-year-old Eric Fehr scored goals in each game for the Wheat Kings

Rebel rout- The Red Deer Rebels started the season 2-0 with 5-2 wins over Medicine Hat and Calgary. Colin Fraser led the way with a goal and three assists.

Storm watch- The Lethbridge Hurricanes opened the season with two convincing wins, Friday 6-2 over Calgary and 5-2 on Saturday against the Medicine Hat Tigers. Jeremy Jackson and Clay Plume led the team, both with four points.

Ice time- Kootenay, the defending WHL and Memorial Cup Champions, opened the season with a pair of victories over the Prince George Cougars. The Ice were led by Duncan Milroy, who had three goals and an assist.

Hockey Town North- The Prince Albert Raiders swept a home-and-home series with the Saskatoon Blades on the weekend. The Raiders won 6-3 in Saskatoon on Friday night and 3-2 the following night in Prince Albert. Slovakian forward Igor Pohanka led the offensive charge with two goals and five assists.

Sizzling stoppers- Goaltenders Davis Parley (Blazers), Robert McVicar (Wheat Kings), Bryan Bridges (Ice) and Cam Ward (Rebels) all opened the season with two wins on the weekend. Parley, a fourth-year Blazer, made 30 stops Saturday night versus the Portland Winter Hawks for his fifth career shutout.

Gender barrier broken- Shannon Szabados became the first female to play in a regular-season game in the WHL, stepping in briefly when the Tri-City Americans starter had an equipment problem Sunday versus Vancouver. Szabados relieved Tyler Weiman but did not face a shot in the 20 seconds she played. The 16-year-old goaltender made history last week by becoming the first female to make a WHL regular season roster. The native of Edmonton, Alberta appeared in three pre-season contests and was 1-1 with a 4.97 G.A.A. and a .881 save percentage. The Americans will start the season with three goaltenders after the acquisition of 18-year-old goaltender Ryan Senft from the Saskatoon Blades. They join Weiman, a three-year WHL veteran.

Suspension and Fine Announced

The Western Hockey League today announced a club fine and a player suspension.

The Calgary Hitmen have been fined $200.00 for a warm-up violation at Lethbridge on September 20th.

Logan Stephenson of the Tri-City Americans has been suspended for two games for leaving the vicinity of the bench and attempting to join an altercation at Vancouver on September 22nd.