Tuesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: G Norm Maracle (Saskatoon, 1991-94), who was released by Olimpija Ljubljiana (Slovenia, plays in Austria Erate Bank Liga) last week because of the club's financial issues, has signed a contract with Cologne Sharks (Germany DEL) for the rest of this season. Maracle had a 3.58 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 25 games for Olimpija this season. . . .
F Mark Rooneem (Kamloops, Calgary, 1999-2004) has been released by the Newcastle Vipers (UK Elite). He had five goals and four assists in 15 games for the Vipers. . . .
F Jesse Schultz (Tri-City, Prince Albert, Kelowna, 1999-2003) has been released by Björklöven Umeå (Sweden Allsvenskan). He had seven goals and nine assists in 21 games for Björklöven.
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F David Robinson, 19, who left the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins in December, has joined the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. He holds the Bruins’ career penalty minutes record, at 265, after playing 169 games with them. Robinson, who is from Vernon, skated with the Vipers (34-4-0-2) on Monday.
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F Sahir Gill, 18, whose WHL rights belong to the Kamloops Blazers, has left the USHL’s Chicago Steel. Gill played last season with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers and helped them win the Royal Bank Cup as junior A champions. The Blazers acquired his rights from the Vancouver Giants for a bantam draft pick. He had 26 points in 26 games when he left the Steel. Asked if the Blazers had Gill coming to Kamloops, GM Craig Bonner replied: “No.” . . . The Steel announced in late November that Gill, who is from Terrace, B.C., had committed to attend Boston University and play for the Terriers in 2010-11. . . . I am told that Gill is in Penticton and that he wants to return to the Vipers. But the Vipers will have to pay for his release before that happens.
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The Central league’s Odessa Jackalopes have acquired F Troy Ofukany (Kelowna, Regina, Red Deer, 2004-08). Odessa dealt F Paul Kelly and D JR Bria to the Wichita Thunder for Ofukany, who is from Kamloops. He had nine points in 31 games with Wichita, after putting up 36 points in 62 games as a rookie last season.
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D Reagan Rome (Moose Jaw, 1998-99) will be inducted into the Reading Eagle Wall of Honor in a ceremony during the ECHL Royals game against the Elmira Jackals on Jan. 15. Rome, who holds the team record for all-time regular season career games played (176), is expected to be present. He is from Nesbitt, Man., and will join current head coach Larry Courville, Ryan Flinn, trainer Brian Grogesky, Jon Franscisco, and Cody Rudkowsky as members of the Wall of Honor. . . . Rudkowsky (Seattle, 1995-99) is a former WHL goaltender.
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The Prince George Cougars are without G Hudson Stremmel as they head out on the road. He was hit in the head with a shot in Saturday’s pregame warmup and has concussion-like symptoms. The Cougars, who meet the Bruins in Chilliwack on Wednesday, left him in Prince George when they boarded the bus for a swing that also will taken them to Kennewick, Wash., to play the Tri-City Americans on Friday and into Kent, Wash., to face the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday. . . . That means Alex Wright will get the starts while GM Dallas Thompson searches to find a backup.
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The Kelowna Rockets should have F Brandon McMillan in the lineup Wednedsay when they play host to the Everett Silvertips. McMillan has been with the Canadian team at the World Junior Championship in Saskatoon. The Rockets still are likely to be without seven injured players, although F Lucas Bloodoff (knee) and D Collin Bowman (ankle) are believed to be close to returning. . . . If you were wondering, Kelowna GM Bruce Hamilton doesn’t sound like he wants to move McMillan before Sunday’s trade deadline. “I like the chances of having some fun in the playoffs when we get to the point that we have a healthy line-up,” Hamilton told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. “From my standpoint, I like our team.”
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F Michael Liambas of the International league’s Bloomington Prairie Thunder has drawn a five-game suspension for a hit that left an opponent with a ruptured spleen. You will recall that the OHL suspended Liambas for the remainder of this season in October. You are able to read about his latest suspension right here.
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Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press was in Saskatoon and is wondering about all the empty seats that he saw. That column is right here.
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TUESDAY:
In Spokane, F Josh Nichols scored two late second-period goals as the Saskatoon Blades beat the Chiefs, 5-4. . . . Nichols scored his eighth and ninth goals at 15:56 and 16:21. . . . The Blades (29-7-1-3) went 5-0-0-0 in their swing through the U.S. Division. They have won six in a row as they play the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook on Wednesday. . . . The Chiefs (23-14-3-0) have lost five in a row at home — all by one goal — where they are 11-9-1-0. . . . The Blades led this one 2-0 midway through the first period, but the Chiefs took a 3-2 lead early in the second. . . . Saskatoon D Stefan Elliott tied it at 8:26 with his 14th, only to have Spokane F Mike Aviani give the Chiefs the lead with his first goal 20 seconds later. . . . Saskatoon G Adam Morrison stopped 32 shots, while Spokane’s James Reid turned aside 32. . . . Attendance was 3,642. . . . The Chiefs are about to head out on an eight-game road trip as the U.S. figure skating championships take over their building. They’re at home Friday (Chilliwack) and Saturday (Tri-City) and then on the road until Jan. 29.
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In Kamloops, the Everett Silvertips jumped out to a 5-0 second-period lead and went on to beat the Blazers, 5-3. . . . Everett (22-16-2-1) has won three in a row and plays the Rockets in Kelowna on Wednesday. . . . The Silvertips had five different scorers and nine players with one point as there was a dearth of assists. . . . D Curtis Kulchar, whom Everett acquired from Kamloops last month, opened the scoring with his first tally of the season. . . . Kamloops, which has yet to win two games in a row under head coach Guy Charron, is 17-20-2-3. . . . The Blazers scored three third-period goals after Charron shortened his bench and went mostly with two lines. . . . Kamloops forwards C.J. Stretch, Jimmy Bubnick and Brendan Ranford saw one shift in the final period, while Tyler Shattock, Dalibor Bortnak and Jordan DePape didn’t play a lot, either. . . . F Colin Smith was in the Blazers’ lineup after returning from the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Timmins, Ont. But the Blazers scratched F JC Lipon and the Silvertips did the same with D Ryan Murray. . . . While all three players made it to Kamloops, their equipment didn’t. The Blazers were able to get Smith outfitted, but the other two sat out. . . . Attendance was 3,589, the seventh-smallest crowd ever to watch the Blazers in a regular-season game in their home arena. . . . By the way, six of the last 10 games between these teams have gone to OT or a shootout. Which means Everett is 6-1-1-2 against Kamloops in those games, while the Blazers are 4-3-2-1. . . . Yes, in this era of loser points both teams are above .500.