Player of the Year, while Newton was the Offensive Rookie of th

KELOWNA, B.C. -- Marek Tvrdon scored twice and Jordon Cooke made 29 saves as the Kelowna Rockets downed the visiting Tri-City Americans 4-1 on Friday to advance in the Western Hockey League playoffs. Rourke Chartier and Carter Rigby also scored for the Rockets, who took the first-round series 4-1, and Nick Merkley had two assists. Parker Bowles scored the lone goal for the Americans while Eric Comrie turned away 34-of-38 shots in a losing cause. Kelowna must wait for the series between Everett and Seattle to wrap up before knowing who its next opponent is. --- WHEAT KINGS 5 PATS 1 BRANDON -- John Quenneville scored once and set up two more as the Wheat Kings toppled Regina to sweep their first-round series. Jayce Hawryluk and Jesse Gabriel each had a goal and an assist for Brandon while Richard Nejezchleb and Ryley Lindgren added the others. Jordan Papirny made 28 saves for the Wheat Kings. Morgan Klimchuk scored the lone goal for the Pats while Daniel Wapple stopped 37-of-42 shots in defeat. The Wheat Kings will face the top-seeded Edmonton Oil Kings in Round 2. --- SILVERTIPS 6 THUNDERBIRDS 1 EVERETT, Wash. -- Jujhar Khaira had three goals and an assist as the Silvertips took Game 4 against Seattle to avoid elimination from their first-round tilt. Joshua Winquist and Brayden Low each had a goal and an assist for Everett, which trails the series 3-1, and Carson Stadnyk had the other. Jared Hauf scored the lone goal for the Thunderbirds. Austin Lotz made 17 saves for the Silvertips. Seattles Taran Kozun gave up six goals on 29 shots in 47 minutes of action. Danny Mumaugh stopped all five shots his way in relief. Carl Yastrzemski Red Sox Jersey . -- Slugger Jose Abreu, All-Star left-hander Chris Sale and closer Matt Lindstrom are on the disabled list. Allen Craig Red Sox Jersey . -- Antoine Bibeau bought the Val-dOr Foreurs valuable time at the Memorial Cup with his 51-save shutout Friday. https://www.cheapredsox.com/221z-pablo-sandoval-jersey-red-sox.html . Right-hander Todd Redmond took the loss. Jose Bautista hit his second home run of the spring. Here are a handful of tidbits from around camp: Hutchison impressive The Blue Jays are being cautious when talking about their young arms but internally, excitement is building over the way Drew Hutchison is looking and performing this spring. Mitch Moreland Red Sox Jersey . Toronto FC hosts the three-time Italian league champions in a friendly Aug. 7 at BMO Field, a game that Roma CEO Italo Zanzi said falls within a key part of their pre-season. Jimmie Foxx Red Sox Jersey . -- On any given day here at his companys Silicon Valley headquarters, Vivek Ranadive is ready to compete against any employee who wants to challenge him to any contest.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Panthers say theyd like to find a replacement for longtime No. 1 wide receiver Steve Smith in this years NFL draft. The big question is when theyll do it. The Panthers have the 28th overall pick, but the NFC South champions have a variety of needs after getting hit hard in free agency, and could go in a number of directions with their first-round choice. General manager Dave Gettleman said recently that wide receiver, offensive tackle and cornerback are among the teams top needs, but qualified that statement by adding he wont got out of his way to land one. "When you reach for a position of need youre in trouble," he said. Gettleman said he has some reservations about drafting a receiver in the first round because it often takes them longer to adjust to the NFL game than those who play other positions. "History tells you that its a very difficult position to assimilate into (the NFL), especially with the current game being played at the college level," Gettleman said. Gettleman called it a "wide receiver heavy" draft that includes several players whove put up big numbers. He said the trick is finding guys who can easily make the transition to the next level. "Ill look at a guy and hes caught 90 balls ... but of those 45 were flash screens," Gettleman said. "The other 45 he caught, he ran to three spots. So, do they understand coverage? Theyre going to have to learn the whole route tree. How long is it going to take them to assimilate? Its an issue. Its a problem." Smith was released in a salary cap move earlier this off-season. Replacing his toughness and production wont be easy. He caught 836 passes for 12,197 yards and 67 touchdowns for the Panthers in 13 seasons. However, after averaging 76 receptions for 1,284 yards receiving and 5.5 touchdowns in his first two seasons playing with quarterback Cam Newton, Smiths numbers fell off in 2013. He caught 64 passes for 745 yards and four TDs. The Panthers signed free agents Jerricho Cotchery, Jason Avant and Tiquan Underwood, but none is expected to become the next No. 1 receiver in Carolina. Five things to watch from the Panthhers in the draft: ON THE FRONT BURNER: Jordan Gross retired this off-season, leaving a huge hole at left tackle — one the Panthers potentially could address in Round 1.dddddddddddd. Gettleman said there are some tackles in the draft dont have "left tackle feet," but said that doesnt necessarily matter. "There are only so many elite tackles," he said. "There are plenty of guys playing left tackle in this league that dont have classic left tackle feet." Finding a left tackle might take on added importance given Newton is coming off ankle surgery this off-season. FIRST ROUND SUCCESS: The Panthers have had tremendous success with their first-round picks the last three seasons. They grabbed defensive tackle Star Lotulelei from Utah at No. 14 in 2013, and he looks like hes going to be around the league for quite a while. They drafted linebacker Luke Kuechly at No. 11 in 2012 and quarterback Cam Newton first overall the year before that. Kuechly was the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, while Newton was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011. BLUE GOOSE: Last year, Gettleman said the Panthers needed to add some "hog mollies," or big linemen. This year, the Boston native switched gears, saying if there is a "blue goose" pass rusher available at No. 28 he wouldnt pass on him. Tough to know what a blue-winged bird native to Ethiopia has to do with building a football team, though. CORNERBACK ON RADAR: The Panthers lost starting cornerback Captain Munnerlyn to Minnesota in free agency. While they signed free agent Antoine Cason, dont rule out cornerback as an option with one of the teams top three picks. The Panthers have one pick in each of the seven rounds. DONT BE REACHING: The Panthers are determined not to reach for picks at positions of need. They followed that plan last year and took defensive tackle Kawaan Short from Purdue in the second round — even after selecting Lotulelei in the first. "Last year, K.K. (Short) was obviously the best value in that second-round pick," Gettleman said. ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '