Two former WHL players have had their contracts terminated by Esbjerg Energy, a pro team in Denmark’s Al-Bank Liga.
F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) and F Kirill Starkov (Red Deer, 2006-07), along with backup goaltender David Jones, admitted, according to Lokalavisen.dk, before the Danish Ice Hockey Federation (DIF), having bet that “Rungsted would score at least one goal in the 1st period” of a Jan. 3 game. Rungsted scored three times in the first period, en route to a 7-4 victory.
Lokalavisen.dk reported that team president Christian Rølmer Christensen was “both surprised and disappointed about the matter.”
After tweeting about this on Friday, The MacBeth Report checks in with:
“Players were told at the start of the season that they were prohibited from betting on their own games – this is the government lottery, not some back-alley bookie deal. A Rungsted player told someone in Esbjerg’s management that they were suspicious about what happened in the first period. The club went to the Danish Federation. The three players admitted to the bets to the DIF and Esbjerg terminated their contracts immediately. The DIF Match Fixing Committee is investigating and will report to the DIF board in about three weeks. I would guess that DIF could ban the players for a period of time. This would probably be honoured by other federations, so their careers may be done.”
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“The process of determining who gets to host the Memorial Cup is broken,” writes Tony Saxon of the Guelph Mercury. . . . This comes after the news that the 2013 tournament, which was held in Saskatoon, fell quite a bit short of the pre-tournament profit guarantee of $3.5 million. . . . Saxon’s column is right here.
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The junior career of Tyson Ness, 20, may have ended Friday night when the Kamloops Blazers forward took a puck to the face and suffered a broken jaw during a 7-2 loss to the visiting Victoria Royals. Ness, who had 24 points, including 12 goals, in 48 games, may need surgery. He has told people in the Blazers’ organization that he wants to come back and play one more game, so perhaps he’ll suit up for the team’s final regular-season game. . . .
F Curtis Valk of the Medicine Hat Tigers ran his goal-scoring streak to seven games, the longest in the WHL this season, in a 4-0 victory over the host Blazers on Saturday night. He has a team-high 26 goals. . . . G Nick Schneider, 16, earned the shutout for the Tigers. He stopped 19 shots in his first start since coming over from the Regina Pats in January. . . . The Tigers, playing their fourth game in five nights, outshot the Blazers, 34-19, including 17-9 in the third period. . . . The Blazers, who are 1-4-1 under head coach Guy Charron since he replaced Dave Hunchak on Jan. 11, were without F Matt Needham, who was injured again in Friday’s game, and lost F Luke Harrison in the third period last night following a collision with Medicine Hat D Scott Allan. Harrison, who has missed time this season with a brain injury, was attended to by trainer Colin Robinson and left with gauze in his mouth. . . . Kamloops G Justin Myles remains out with an undisclosed injury. G Al Duncan, who plays for the junior B Chase, B.C., Heat, backed up Bolton Pouliot last night. . . .
You may have seen this tweet from Bob Ridley, the Tigers’ legendary broadcaster, on Friday night: “Can't understand why the classy Prospera Place in Kelowna can't provide visiting broadcasters with a decent broadcast location.” . . . It turns out that he had problems broadcasting the Tigers’ 6-2 loss to the Rockets because he struggled to see past the TV cameras that were perched in front of his location. . . .
F Peter Quenneville had two goals to lead the host Brandon Wheat Kings to a 6-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. Quenneville has 35 points, including 14 goals, in 30 games since leaving Quinnipiac University for the Wheat Kings earlier this season. He had four assists in five games with the Bobcats. . . .
The host Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s first five goals en route to a convincing 7-3 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. The victory left Edmonton at 33-13-1 and atop the Eastern Conference. The Oil Kings are tied in points (67) with Calgary (31-12-5), but have played one fewer game and have two more victories. . . . The Oil Kings are 9-1-0 in their last 10 and have won four in a row. . . . The same teams will meet today in Calgary. . . .
G Patrik Bartosak stopped 41 shots as the Red Deer Rebels went into Regina and beat the Pats, 4-0. He has five shutouts this season and 11 in his career. . . . One night earlier, the Pats blanked visiting Prince George, 8-0. . . .
They saluted the Brodsky in Saskatoon last night -- the family owned the Blades for 37 years -- and the Blades then went out and got past the Swift Current Broncos 3-2 in OT. D MacKenzie Johnston, who is from Swift Current, got the winner at 3:16 of extra time. . . .
F Sam Reinhart struck for three goals, giving him 24, as the host Kootenay Ice dropped the Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-2. . . . Moose Jaw actually led 2-0 midway through the first period before giving up the game’s last six goals. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon scored his 20th goal of the season. He has 41 points, including 17 goals, in 36 games with the Ice, who acquired him from the Kamloops Blazers 13 games into the season. . . .
The Victoria Royals, who may be the WHL’s best defensive team these days, got 32 saves from G Patrik Polivka and beat the Giants 3-1 in Vancouver. . . . The Royals have allowed 120 goals in 41 games. At 33-16-2, they are third in the Western Conference, three points ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Victoria needs two more victories to tie the franchise’s single-season record that was set last season. . . . Vancouver D Dalton Thrower (ankle) sat out as his side played its sixth game in nine nights. . . . The Royals and Giants will meet again Friday and Saturday, this time in Victoria. . . .
G Jackson Whistle stopped 26 shots as the host Kelowna Rockets dumped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-0. The Kelowna native posted the first shutout of the season and the third of his career. . . . The Hurricanes, who have lost eight in a row, were outscored 27-3 in a four-game swing into B.C. . . . The Rockets, who lead the overall standings, won for the 40th time this season. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Roberts Lipsbergs scored his 29th goal this season at 1:48 of OT as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-3. . . . Lipsbergs scored via the PP. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp had tied the game 3-3 with a PP goal at 14:19 of the third. . . . Seattle was 4-for-5 on the PP. . . . F Josh Winquist scored his 30th goal of the season for Everett. He is the eighth skater in franchise history to reach 30 goals in a season. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 25 shots. He’s 5-0-0, 1.35, .952 since coming over in a deadline-day swap with Kamloops, where he was 5-19-3, 3.95, .897. . . . It was a Teddy Bear Game and Seattle D Shea Theodore scored the goal. He also had three assists. . . .
The Spokane Chiefs outscored Tri-City 3-2 in the shootout and beat the Americans, 2-1. . . . Attendance was 10,325. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 35 shots, 15 more than Eric Williams of the Chiefs. . . . Spokane D Reid Gow scored his second goal of the season, to go with his 40 assists, all in 41 games.
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From Victoria Royals F Jack Walker: “Got the win and some lady threw her bra on the ice what more could you ask for? #2pts”
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The Alex New York