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Daily Dose

DUB’s Daily Dose: DUB update, DUB Players of the Week, DUB Alumni on Team Latvia, and more!

Written by Kevin Shaw on

 

DUB Update

The WHL announced that both the Brandon Wheat Kings and Kelowna Rockets were cleared to return to activities.

It was also announced that the Saskatoon Blades were unable to field a team due to nine players on the WHL COVID-19 Protocol List. This has caused the WHL to postpone a pair of their games this week.

Tuesday, January 25: Saskatoon at Medicine Hat

Wednesday, January 26: Saskatoon at Lethbridge

The league also rescheduled a trio of games.

Wednesday, February 2: Saskatoon at Regina (originally scheduled for Saturday, January 8)

Saturday, February 12: Regina at Saskatoon (originally scheduled for Friday, January 7)

Wednesday, March 2: Victoria at Prince George (originally scheduled for Saturday, January 8)

The league also relocated a pair of Calgary Hitmen games from the Saddledome to the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex on Tsuut’ina Nation.

Thos two games are:

Wednesday, February 16: Moose Jaw at Calgary

Friday, February 18: Winnipeg at Calgary

DUB Weekly Awards

Garand named Goalie of the Week

19-year-old Dylan Garand was named WHL Goalie of the Week after posting a 1.50 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage in a weekend home and home set against the Prince George Cougars.

On Friday, January 21 he stopped 31 shots in a 5-1 win in Prince George and on Saturday, January 22, he made 23 saves in a 3-2 win.

This is his second Goalie of the Week award of the season he was also names for the week ending November 7, 2021. The Victoria, BC product was named WHL Goalie of the Week for November.

On the season, Garand is 19-6-0-0 with a 2.04 GAA ans a .925 SV% for the BC Division leading Blazers.

Robins named Player of the Week

Overage forward Tristen Robins was named WHL Player of the Week after collecting seven points (2G-5A) in a pair of weekend contests against the Medicine Hat Tigers and Winnipeg ICE.

On Friday, January 21 against the Tigers, Robins had three points (2G-1A) in a 9-2 Blades win. Then the following night against the ICE the Clear Lake, MB product had four assists to help the Blades to an impressive 7-2 win over the league-leading ICE. Robins now has 18 points (8G-10A) in his last six games.

On the season, Robins is now tied for third in the WHL in scoring with 52 points (20G-32A) in 35 games.

DUB Alumni

Three DUB alumni named to Latvia’s men’s Olympic Team

Three WHL alumni were named to this year’s Latvian Men’s Olympic Team. Rodrigo Abols (Portland 2015-17), Rihards Bukarts (Brandon, Portland 2013-16), and Lauris Darzins (Kelowna 2004-06) got the call to represent their country.

Abols is currently the captain for Örebro HK of the SHL where he has 21 points (8G-13A) in 32 games. The now 26-year-old played parts of two seasons with the Winterhawks where he played 64 games tallying 50 points (20G-30A).

Bukarts is in his second season in the KHL, this year he is playing with Admiral Vladivostok where he has skated in 25 games collecting nine points (6G-3A). In three seasons in the DUB, the right shot forward played 192 games where he averaged almost a point per game with 190 points (92G-98A) with a majority of his career spent with the Wheat Kings.

The veteran of the trio, Darzins has been playing with Dinamo Riga since 2013-14 where he has been the team captain for multiple seasons. This season the 36-year-old has 18 points (3G-15A) in 36 games. He played two seasons in the DUB, both with the Rockets where he had 67 points (32G-35A) in 100 games.