F Tomas Netik (Medicine Hat, 2000-01) exercised an opt-out clause to obtain his release from Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). He had 11 goals and three assists in 31 games.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors are switching trainers in mid-stream. Curtis Amiot, the head trainer and athletic therapist, is leaving the Warriors after eight years to join the Moose Jaw Police Service. He will be replaced by Brooke Kosolofski, who has been with the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that “Amiot said he started looking at a career change after he and his wife began to have a family. Amiot’s wife Andrea is due with the couple’s second child at the end of March.”———
SUDBURY SATURDAY NIGHT:
In Moose Jaw, the Brandon Wheat Kings scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Warriors, 3-1. . . . D Reid Zalitach scored his first WHL goal in 68 games — it was the Teddy Bear goal — to get the Warriors started in the second period. . . . Brandon D Eric Roy pulled his guys even at 12:53 of the second and F Quintin Lisoway’s first goal of the season, in his 29th game, at 5:27 of the third, stood up as the winner. . . . Brandon G Curtis Honey stopped 29 shots in his first start since Oct. 30. . . . The Warriors have one victory in their last 10 games (1-7-2). . . . 
In Saskatoon, F Dyson Stevenson scored twice to lead the Regina Pats to a 3-2 victory over the Blades. . . . Stevenson, who has 18 goals, gave his side a 2-1 lead at 16:33 of the second and upped it to 3-1 at 16:26 of the third. . . . Regina, which is sixth in the Eastern Conference and just four points out of second, held a 49-23 edge in shots. . . . Pats F Boston Leier had two assists. . . . Saskatoon has lost six in a row and 11 of 12. The result is that the Blades now are 11 points out of a playoff spot. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports: “Three members of the Kelowna Rockets’ management team, including assistant general manager Lorne Frey, attended Saturday’s game. The Rockets have just two 20-year-old players. The trade deadline is Jan. 10.” . . .
In Calgary, F Jake Virtanen scored twice to help the Hitmen to a 5-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Virtanen has 14 goals. . . . The Hitmen scored three times in the first period to take control. . . . Lethbridge took 65 of 104 penalty minutes. . . . Calgary (17-7-4) is third in the Eastern Conference, just two points behind the Swift Current Broncos (19-11-4). Calgary holds five games in hand. . . .
In Red Deer, F Brendan Leipsic scored twice and added an assist as the Portland Winterhawks got past the Rebels, 5-4. . . . Leipsic’s 20th goal, at 15:04 of the second period, gave his side a 5-3 lead. . . . Portland F Nic Petan had two assists. With 66 points, he is within one of F Mitch Holmberg of the Spokane Chiefs, who leads the scoring race. . . . Portland F Shane McColgan was back in the lineup for the first time since Oct. 26. He had one assist. . . . The Winterhawks (22-5-4) continue to lead the overall standings. They are two points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets (22-3-2), who have four games in hand, and the Everett Silvertips (21-6-4). . . . Portland is 7-1-2 in its last 10. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, D Ty Stanton broke a 3-3 tie at 13:44 of the third period to give the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Stanton’s third goal of the season came via the PP. . . . The Raiders, who have lost three in a row, had erased a 3-1 third-period deficit on goals by F Dakota Conroy, at 1:06, and F Leon Draisaitl, shorthanded, at 12:40. . . . Draisaitl also had an assist to go with his 17th goal. . . . D Tommy Vannelli had two goals, giving him eight, for the Tigers. . . .
In Kamloops, G Austin Lotz stopped the Teddy Bears as the Everett Silvertips blanked the Blazers, 7-0. . . . It was Teddy Bear toss night; the fans threw the toys at game’s end. . . . Lotz stopped 26 shots in posting his fourth shutout this season and the fifth of his career. . . . D Ben Betker and F Ivan Nikolishin had two goals each. . . . The Blazers have lost 12 straight games. . . . Every Everett skater, with the exception of D Micheal Zipp, was at least plus-1. Zipp was even. . . . Every skater in the Kamloops lineup was at least minus-1. . . . Everett won all four games in the season series with the Blazers. . . . Kamloops was without D Sam Grist, who served a one-game suspension for a match penalty in incurred on Friday night. . . . The Blazers headed east right after the game. They open an East Division tour in Brandon on Tuesday night. . . .
In Prince George, the Cougars got off to a 3-0 lead and went on to beat the Tri-City Americans, 5-2. . . . Prince George F Troy Bourke returned from a three-game suspension to draw three assists. . . . Attendance was 2,498. . . . Prince George F Tyler Mrkonjic’s second goal of the season, at 5:36 of the first, was the Teddy Bear goal. . . . F Todd Fiddler’s 12th goal, at 10:28 of the second period, on the PP, gave the Cougars a 3-0 lead and stood up as the winner. . . .
In Kelowna, D Myles Bell broke a 1-1 tie with his 10th goal at 12:20 of the third period as the Rockets beat the Kootenay Ice, 2-1. . . . Bell, who hadn’t scored in his previous eight games, also drew an assist on F Carter Rigby’s goal at 10:22 of the second period that tied the game. . . . F Luke Philp had given the Ice a 1-0 lead at 18:30 of the first period, on the PP. . . . The Rockets, who left on an East Division swing on Sunday, have won six in a row and 15 of 16. . . .
In Kent, Wash., the host Seattle Thunderbirds scored three third-period goals and beat the Spokane Chiefs, 4-2. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp broke a 2-2 tie at 10:20 of the third period, via the PP. It was his fourth goal. . . . D Adam Henry and D Shea Theodore each had two assists for Seattle. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg scored his WHL-leading 33rd goal. . . . The Thunderbirds have won six in a row. They are 7-1-2 in their last 10. . . .
In Victoria, F Carter Popoff had a goal and three assists as the Vancouver Giants dumped the Royals, 7-4. . . . The Giants erased a 2-0 first-period deficit with six straight goals, five of them in the second period. . . . The visitors were 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . Vancouver F Cain Franson and F Trent Lofthouse, who was acquired earlier from Victoria, each had a goal and two assists. . . . F Steven Hodges scored twice for the Royals. . . . F Austin Carroll scored Victoria’s Teddy Bear goal at 3:51 of the first. . . . The Royals had beaten the visiting Giants 4-2 on Friday night; the teams meet again Tuesday, this time in Vancouver. There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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