Some call it being in the zone. Whatever it is, JC Lipon is encased in it.
The undrafted 19-year-old from the Kamloops Blazers was named WHL player of the week for the second-consecutive week. His six goals and 10 points in three Blazers' victories gave him a plus-three rating and also top spot in the WHL scoring parade with 22 points.
HEAD SHOTS: The league has yet to determine if it will suspend Kelowna Rockets forward and Winnipeg Jets draft pick Ryan Olsen for his hit to the head on Victoria Royals rookie defenceman Joe Hicketts in the third period of Saturday's game at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
After a few moments on his knees, Hicketts skated off and later returned to the game.
ALUMNI TRAILS: Being two steps from the NHL must often feel like being an eternity away. But there are a lot of pro players who should be grateful that the ECHL is there as a back-stop to keep their dreams flickering.
The ECHL began its 25th season over the weekend with Island-raised WHL grads Dan Gendur with the Evansville Icemen, Taylor Ellington with the Florida Everblades, Cody Carlson with the Gwinnett Gladiators and Garry Nunn getting off to a fast start with a goal and three points in two games for the Alaska Aces.
NEW GOALIE IN COUGARS DEN: The Prince George Cougars have acquired 19-year-old goaltender Mac Engel from the Spokane Chiefs in exchange for a fourth round pick in the 2014 WHL bantam draft.
Engel, a Red Deer native, is entering his third full season in the WHL and has posted a career record of 42-28-3-4 in 88 career appearances, all with the Chiefs. His career goals-against average sits at 2.56 and he has a career save percentage of .899.
In 2010-11, Engel finished with the second best goals-against average in the WHL at 2.30.
TEROS CRAZY FOR ROYALS: Count Uruguay's rugby team, known as Los Teros, as big new-found fans of the Royals. Hailing from a country that has no ice hockey, the Uruguayans were transfixed as they saw their first live game Saturday at the Memorial Centre.
"The boys said they could always leave early if they got bored but everybody said 'let's stay' because it was so good," said Gonzalo Cortinas, manager of the Uruguay team, in town for the Americas Rugby Championship.
"We only have field and wheeled [roller] hockey and we enjoyed the ice version very much, especially with the home-side Royals winning late in the game with a rally [3-2 over Kelowna] and the fans cheering."
The sheer and utter will of Uruguayan rugby, of course, is immortalized by the book and movie Alive, about a 1972 Andean plane crash involving a rugby team.
