Giants down to three 20s. . . . A retirement in P.A.

D Ray Macias (Kamloops, 2002-07) has signed a two-week tryout contract with Székesfehérvár (Hungary, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite), he had two goals and three assists in eight games. . . .
F Martin Podlešák (Tri-City, Lethbridge, 2000-02) was granted his release by the Nottingham Panthers (England, UK Elite) for personal reasons. Last season, with Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had three goals and four assists in 23 games. He also had a goal in three games with Litoměřice (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). . . .
F Clinton Pettapiece (Tri-City, Medicine Hat, 2003-06) was released by Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan). Last season, with the Dordrecht Lions (Netherlands, Eredivisie), he had 61 points, including 22 goals, in 36 games. . . .
F Tomáš Troliga (Calgary, 2003-04) signed a one-year-plus-option contract with Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga) after a successful tryout. Last season, with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had 24 points, including 13 goals, in 46 games.
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The Vancouver Giants have settled on their three 20-year-olds, at least for now. They placed F Travis McEvoy on waivers on Tuesday, leaving them with F Matt Bellerive, F Joel Hamilton and F Dalton Sward. . . . McEvoy, from Thorsby, Alta., has 49 points, 23 of them goals, in188 regular-season WHL games. He played 111 of those with the Giants, after starting his career with 77 games with the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Bellerive, from North Vancouver, is with the Giants for a second go-round. He played 98 games with them through the end of 2011-12, when he was dealt to the Red Deer Rebels. Last season, the Rebels traded him to the Kamloops Blazers, who sent him to the Giants this summer. In 227 games, he has 97 points, 43 of them goals. . . . Hamilton put up 46 points, including 13 goals, in 70 games with the Giants last season. From Cochrane, Alta., he played his first two seasons with Red Deer, recording 57 points, 14 of them goals, in 114 games. . . . Sward, from Abbotsford, is entering his fifth sesaon with the Giants. He has 96 points, including 48 goals, in 237 games.
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The Swift Current Broncos released veteran F Justin Spagrud, 19, on Tuesday. Spagrud, from Gull Lake, which is just west of Swift Current, was pointless in 39 games last season. In 2012-13, he had three goals and two assists in 39 games.
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F Carson Perreaux, who turns 20 on Dec. 28, has left the Prince Albert Raiders, choosing to end his WHL career in order “to pursue education and work opportunities,” according to a news release. . . . In 186 games with the Raiders, the Brandon native had 58 points, including 32 goals. . . . “He’s decided it’s time for him to step away,” Raiders GM Bruno Campese told Andrew Schopp of the Prince Albert Daily Herald. “He’s been a great citizen. He and his family have been very dedicated to the Raiders organization and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.” . . . The Raiders, who now are carrying 29 players, still have four 20-year-olds on their roster -- F Calder Brooks, F Dakota Conroy, F Jayden Hart and D Sawyer Lange. . . . The Raiders also are down to two goaltenders -- Nick McBride, 17, and Rylan Parenteau, who turns 18 on Nov. 6. McBride, from Maple Ridge, B.C., was 12-7-2/2.95/.908 as a freshman last season. Parenteau, from Saskatoon, has played 69 minutes with the Raiders over the last two seasons.
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The Kamloops Blazers have signed F Garrett Pilon, 16, who has been returned to the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. . . . The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Pilon, the son of former NHL/WHL D Rich Pilon (Prince Albert, 1985-88), was a seventh-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Last season, Garrett had 29 points, including 10 goals, in 43 games with the contacts.
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If you were one of the viewers who stayed up into the wee hours of Tuesday morning to watch No. 6 Milos Raonic and No. 11 Kei Nishikori play in the U.S. Open, Juan Jose Vallejo of Rolling Stone has his take right here.
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Magnus Carlsen is a 23-year-old Norwegian who already is being billed as perhaps the best chess player in history. He’s in St. Louis these days and Dave McKenna of Deadspin takes a look right here.
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that F Ty Mappin, who suffered a brain injury last week, has resumed skating but hasn’t been cleared for contact. . . . The Blades released F Nick Gomerich, 18, on Tuesday. Last season, as a freshman, he had five points in 44 games. From Nanaimo, B.C., he was a sixth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . The SJHL’s Notre Dame Hounds have added Bear Trapp to their staff as an assistant coach. He will work alongside GM/head coach Clint Mylymok. Trapp is the son of former WHL F Doug Trapp (Regina, 1982-85) and the grandson of former WHL coach and longtime scout Barry Trapp.


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Winterhawks roll dice on Dumba

With the WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium arriving this weekend, the Portland Winterhawks and Red Deer Rebels gone one done on Tuesday morning.
And what a deal it was, with the Winterhawks acquiring the rights to D Mathew Dumba.
Portland also gets an undisclosed conditional 2014 bantam draft pick in the deal, while the Rebels acquired F Presten Kopeck and undisclosed conditional draft picks in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
It was just over a year ago when the Winterhawks got whacked by the WHL — they were barred from the first five rounds of the 2013 bantam draft and forfeited first-round selections in the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 drafts. So those picks are out of play when it comes to trades.
Dumba, 19, has spent this season with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, and has two points in 13 games. But he last played on Nov. 23. In fact, he played just four games in November.
Dumba, a native of Regina, was the seventh overall pick in the NHL’s 2012 draft.
Last season, he had 42 points, 16 of them goals, in 62 games with Red Deer. In 199 career WHL games, he has 127 points, including 51 goals. He was the fourth overall selection in the 2009 bantam draft.
Dumba will leave the Wild this week and join the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp that opens Thursday. Considering his idleness in Minnesota, one has to believe the chances are good that he will join the Winterhawks following the World Junior Championship that opens Dec. 26 in Malmo, Sweden.
“We feel acquiring the rights to Mathew Dumba is a risk worth taking,” Mike Johnston, the Winterhawks’ general manager and head coach, said in a news release. “He’s an impact player who can dominate both ends of the ice. He would also bring terrific character and leadership, as he’s a very highly regarded player around the league.”
Kopeck, 18, is in his second season with the Winterhawks. He has 10 points, including four goals, in 24 games. Last season, he had 19 points, 10 of them goals, in 64 games. The Medicine Hat native was a third-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft.
Kopeck, who hasn’t played since Nov. 22, is recovering from hernia surgery. He is expected to be game-ready sometime in January.
Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate has more right here.
Alan Caldwell, over at Small Thoughts At Large, takes a look at the deal right here.
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The WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium runs from Dec. 15 through Dec. 27.
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The BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies fired general manager and head coach Bill Bestwick on Tuesday. According to a release from the team: “The new ownership group, which took over operations (Monday) has decided it was important to move in a different direction immediately.” . . . Craig Didmon, who had been Bestwick’s assistant, ran the bench during last night’s 4-2 victory over the visiting Nanaimo Clippers. . . . Under Bestwick this season, the Grizzlies were 19-8-3-2, which left them second in the Island Division, five points behind the first-place Powell River Kings. . . . In his time with the Grizzlies, Bestwick was 52-21-3-12. . . . Mario Annicchiarico of the Victoria Times Colonist has more right here.
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Austin Rediron, a goaltender with the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs, stopped 19 shots, and had a goal and an assist on Tuesday night. You can see the goal right here. . . . It was Melfort’s fifth goal in a 5-2 victory over the Kindersley Klippers.
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TUESDAY:
When the night ended, the Edmonton Oil Kings (20-9-1), Swift Current Broncos (19-12-3), Calgary Hitmen (18-7-5) and Medicine Hat Tigers (19-9-3) were tied atop the Eastern Conference, each with 41 points. . . . By winning percentage, it’s Edmonton and Calgary, .683; Medicine Hat, .681; and Swift Current, .603. . . .
Not only that, but the Prince Albert Raiders (17-12-2), Brandon Wheat Kings (17-14-2) and Kootenay Ice (17-15-2) are tied for fifth, each with 36 points. . . .
This all could get pretty messy for the playoffs get here.

In Brandon, F Rihards Bukarts broke a 2-2 tie with his first of two goals at 6:58 of the second period and the Wheat Kings went on to a 5-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . It was the Latvian’s first two-goal game. . . . Brandon has won its last two games and is 8-3-2 in its last 13 outings. . . . It was the 13th straight loss for Kamloops, and that’s a franchise record. The 1981-82 Kamloops Junior Oilers had a stretch of 12 consecutive losses. . . . Bukarts’ first goal, his 10th of the season, came just 49 seconds after Kamloops F Eric Krienke pulled his side into a 2-2 tie. . . . F Chad Robinson and F Jens Meilleur each had two assists for Brandon. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk, a freshman from Saskatoon, had the Blazers’ other goal, the first of his career. . . . Kamloops gave G Cole Kehler, who turns 16 on Dec. 17, his first career start; he stopped 26 shots. . . . The Blazers lost C Matt Needham, their captain, when he took a puck to one ear in the first period. It’s not known whether he will be in the lineup tonight against the Pats in Regina. . . .

In Swift Current, the Kelowna Rockets won for the 16th time in 17 games as they doubled the Broncos, 4-2. . . . Kelowna F Ryan Olsen broke a 2-2 tie with his 12th goal, on the PP, at 18:52 of the third period. . . . The Rockets have won seven in a row. . . . D Damon Severson had two assists for Kelowna, which trailed 1-0 after the first period and 2-1 late in the third. . . . F Zach Franko, with his seventh, pulled the Rockets even at 16:42 of the third. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 24 shots as he ran his record to 17-1-2. . . . His other numbers are 2.11 and .927. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 40 shots. . . . Kelowna (23-3-2) is tied with Portland (22-6-4) for top spot in the overall standings. The Rockets have four games in hand. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Edmonton Oil Kings held a 49-20 edge in shots as they beat the Blades, 3-1. . . . F Cole Benson’s second goal of the season, shorthanded at 9:57 of the second, broke a 1-1 tie. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson added insurance with another shortie, at 19:31 of the second. . . . Saskatoon’s PP is 0-for-16 over four games. . . . The Blades have lost seven in a row and 12 of 13. . . . Saskatoon G Troy Trombley turned aside 46 shots. . . . Edmonton D Aaron Irving had two assists. A freshman from Edmonton who was pointless in five games last season, Irving has 22 points, including 16 assists, in 30 games this season. . . . The Oil Kings have won six in a row and 15 of 18. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Tyler Wong continued his stellar season with two goals as the Hurricanes romped past the Red Deer Rebels, 6-0. . . . Wong, a 17-year-old sophomore from Cochrane, Alta., has 25 points, including 14 goals, in 33 games. Last season, he finished with 13 points, five of them goals, in 54 games. . . . According to post-game chatter, one of Wong's goals may end up going to F Josh Derko. . . . Lethbridge G Teagan Sacher stopped 35 shots for his first shutout this season and second of his career. . . . Red Deer starter Patrik Bartosak stayed home with the flu, so the start went to Taz Burman, who gave up six goals on 27 shots. Grant Naherniak, up from the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals, played 12:29, stopping all six shots he faced. . . . Lethbridge F Reid Nemeth scored his first goal in his 23rd game this season. . . . The Hurricanes took 101 of the game’s 196 penalty minutes. Most of those penalties were handed out in the last half of the third period. . . . Lethbridge (5-24-4) has won two of three games. . . . Things got heated, too. Here’s Dylan Purcell of the Lethbridge Herald: “The game looked like a real rivalry game, complete with Rebels’ head coach Brent Sutter and Hurricanes’ assistant Brad Lukowich yelling at each other as time wound down. Lukowich could be seen point ing at the scoreboard while Sutter could only glare and share some opinions.” . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Logan McVeigh scored 27 seconds into OT to give the Tigers a 1-0 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . It was McVeigh’s sixth goal of the season. . . . Medicine Hat G Daniel Wapple stopped 39 shots, while Calgary’s Chris Driedger turned aside 33. . . . Wapple has one shutout this season and two in his career. . . . Calgary has points in six straight games and is 8-1-1 in its last 10. . . . The Tigers had F Blake Penner back in their lineup. He hadn’t played since Oct. 30. . . . Medicine Hat didn’t dress three players who are preparing to play in the World Junior Championship — F Markus Eisenschmid (Germany), G Marek Langhamer (Czech Republic) and F Hunter Shinkaruk (Canada). . . .

In Prince George, D Jagger Dirk’s fourth goal of the season broke a 1-1 tie at 4:12 of the third period and the Kootenay Ice went on to a 3-1 victory over the Cougars. . . . Ice G MacKenzie Skapski finished with a career-high 51 saves, 22 more than Prince George’s Ty Edmonds. . . . F Jordan Tkatch, with his seventh, gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 13:22 of the second. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau tied it, with his 22nd, at 17:34 of the second. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon added insurance with his 10th at 15:59 of the third. . . . Attendance was 1,410 and, according to Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, it was the smallest road crowd ever for a Kootenay game. . . . The Ice dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum. F Sam Reinhardt, who will attend the Canadian national junior team camp later this week, was one of Kootenay’s scratches. . . . Kootenay did get back F Kyle O’Connor, who hadn’t played since Nov. 11. . . .

In Vancouver, the Giants scored the game’s first two goals, both in the first period, and went on to a 3-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . It was the third straight meeting between the teams, with the Giants winning the last two. . . . The Giants are tied for seventh in the Western Conference with the Tri-City Americans, one point behind the Spokane Chiefs. . . .  Vancouver held a 2-0 first-period lead after outshooting the Royals, 22-1. Through two periods, shots were 31-7. . . . Victoria held a 9-2 edge in the third period. . . . Vancouver F Travis McEvoy gave his side a 3-1 lead with his sixth goal at 4:47 of the second. . . . Victoria got both of its goals from F Ben Walker, who has 12 goals. He scored once on the PP and once while shorthanded. . . . The Royals are fifth in the conference, a point behind the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Among Victoria’s scratches were F Logan Nelson (undisclosed injury) and F Steven Hodges (personal). . . . Vancouver D Mason Geertsen was hit with a headshot major for a game-ending hit on Victoria F Austin Carroll. In the resulting gathering, Victoria F Brandon Magee was given a match penalty for spearing. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Mathew Barzal broke a 1-1 tie at 2:50 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Tri-City Americans, 3-1. . . . Seattle has won seven in a row and now is fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . The Americans slipped to eighth in the conference. . . . Barzal, who also had an assist, has six goals. . . . Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs opened the scoring with his 20th goal at 5:12 of the second. He later added an empty-netter. . . . Tri-City F Lucas Nickles tied it with his eighth at 17:24 of the second. . . . Seattle G Danny Mumaugh stopped 22 shots, while Tri-City’s Eric Comrie turned aside 29.

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Giants take win over Blazers

For the first time in four exhibition games, the Kamloops Blazers outshot their opposition.
But it wasn’t enough as they dropped a 5-1 decision to the Vancouver Giants in a game played Sunday at Bill Copeland Arena in Burnaby.
“We played probably our best game that we’ve played to this point,” offered Kamloops head coach Dave Hunchak. “(It was) 2-1 going into the third period . . . we gave ourselves an opportunity to win on the road.
“They got a couple of goals . . . they got a few bounces and we didn’t. We had plenty of scoring chances and we outshot them, too.”
The Blazers, now 1-3 in the preseason, had been badly outshot in their first three outings. And this one started out like the earlier games.
“We gave up 12 shots in the first six minutes and ended up giving up 28 in total,” Hunchak said, “so there were some positives to take out of this game.”
Joel Hamilton opened the scoring for Vancouver, which lost 6-1 to the Rockets in Kelowna on Saturday, midway through the first period.
Defenceman Landon Cross pulled Kamloops even with a power-play goal at 8:53 of the second period.
Scott Cooke put the Giants (1-1-1) out front again, with a PP goal at 12:10.
The Giants put it away with three third-period goals, as Travis McEvoy, Ty Ronning and Blake Orban each scored his first goal of the exhibition season.
Freshman Cole Kehler started in goal for Kamloops, stopping 17 of 18 shots in the first half. Taran Kozun, who is expected to open the season as the Blazers’ starter, came on at 9:03 of the second period and stopped six of 10 shots.
“Kehler was excellent again,” Hunchak said of his backup, who won’t turn 16 until Dec. 17. “Taran Kozun has to step up here. As an older guy, he has to step up and start doing the job for us. He knows that.”
Still, Hunchak said he saw some positives following an undisciplined 4-0 loss to the visiting Rockets on Friday night.
“Structure-wise, guys understanding what’s expected of them,” Hunchak said, explaining the positives he felt he saw. “We got on pucks and we weren’t chasing the game. We had a lot of puck possession and that was all from a good forecheck. That’s what we have to keep building.”
The Blazers will conclude their exhibition season with a game in Prince George against the Cougars (4-0) on Saturday. Kamloops opens its regular season at home to the Rockets on Sept. 20.
JUST NOTES: Vancouver G Payton Lee stopped 28 shots. . . . Each team was 1-for-5 on the power play. . . . The game was played in two hours four minutes. “It was a physical game. It was a hard game,” Hunchak said. . . . F Tristan Sieben, who was acquired by the Blazers from Vancouver on Thursday, didn’t play. Hunchak said Sieben has a bit of “skate bite” and “we want that to heal up.” . . . The Blazers also were without F Devin Oakes, who has been suspended by the WHL for a hit to the head of Kelowna F Rourke Chartier on Friday. A length of the suspension has yet to be announced. . . . Kamloops F Cole Ully was pointless as his Dallas Stars scored a 2-1 shootout victory over the Minnesota Wild at a prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., on Sunday. . . . Former Blazers D Austin Madaisky had his second goal of the tournament Sunday as the Columbus Blue Jackets doubled the New York Rangers 4-2 in Traverse City. . . . Blazers D Sam Grist played but didn’t get on the scoresheet in the San Jose Sharks’ 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames at the Young Stars tournament in Penticton on Sunday.

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Hansen man on a mission

Defenceman Tyler Hansen (2) of the Kamloops Blazers is facing what is
a life-altering decision.
(Hugo Yuen / Kamloops Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
These are gut-wrenching times for Tyler Hansen, a defenceman who is nearing the end of his fourth season with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.
Hansen, 19, has one year of junior hockey eligibility remaining but hasn’t yet decided whether he will use it.
As a practising member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he has known all his life that he will be go on a two-year mission around the time of his 20th birthday.
“My church is very important to me. My faith and my religion . . . it’s something that I have very close to my heart,” Hansen, who turns 20 on March 17, said prior to his club’s 5-3 loss at the hands of the Vancouver Giants (17-45-2) at Interior Savings Centre on Wednesday night.
The Blazers (41-18-5) had beaten the host Giants 6-0 on Friday — Kamloops won the first six games of the season series — and looked to be headed in that direction again. After one period, the Blazers held a 19-8 edge in shots and a 1-0 lead, thanks to a Brendan Ranford pass that went in off one of Joel Edmundson’s skates on an early power play.
However, the tide turned in the second period as the Blazers, appearing frustrated with the lack of offensive success, ditched the game plan — get the puck in deep and work over the Vancouver defence with a cycle game — in favour of more individual play. Judging from head coach Guy Charron’s demeanour at the bench, he wasn’t pleased.
The Giants got goals from Dalton Sward and Cain Franson, allowing them to take a 2-1 lead into the third period.
Charron juggled his lines prior to the third, a move that included the reuniting of JC Lipon with Colin Smith and Tim Bozon. And the Blazers pulled even when Chase Souto scored at 2:04.
But the Blazers didn’t draw much energy from that and the Giants got the game’s next two goals, from Brendan Rouse and Travis McEvoy, to regain control.
The Giants, who got a 34-save effort from goaltender Jared Rathjen got a late goal from Rouse, while Lipon had the Blazers’ other goal.
And through it all Hansen played his usual strong-armed, shot-blocking game. But, he said, his future really is up in the air.
“I’m not exactly sure of my plans yet,”  he said. “I’ve been here for four years and I can go at the age of 19. . . . so I’m thinking I will probably go in the next year or two.
“I absolutely have plans to go on a mission.
Hansen is from Magrath, Alta., a community of 2,200 people located about 30 kilometres south of Lethbridge. Magrath was established in 1899 by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who relocated from Idaho and Utah.
The Blazers have eight regular-season games remaining and, of course, are hoping for a deep playoff run. In all probability, Hansen will wait for it all to end before making a decision.
“Hockey has been good and I have really enjoyed it,” he said. “I’m still hoping something will open up, one of the doors, whether it’s a contract. . . . If things don’t go the way I want them to, I could see myself going on a mission anywhere from after this season to next year.”
This is not unfamiliar territory for the Blazers. Nathan Grochmal, a forward from Yorba Linda, Calif., played two seasons for them before going on an LDS mission to South Africa following 2004-05, which was his 19-year-old season.
Before being assigned a mission by the church, a young person must fill out the proper papers, something Hansen has yet to do. Those papers include questions that indicate personal interests and help those responsible make assignments.
“Part of it for me is that a lot of my friends are going, a lot of my lifestyle is changing that way,” Hansen stated. “It isn’t a reason to go because your friends are going, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. For the last year I’ve been pretty anxious, wanting to get ready for it.
“If I was to go, I would see what happens. If I really missed hockey while I was out there, I would keep the option of coming back and playing CIS.”
Russell Maxwell, a forward with the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, is perhaps Hansen’s best friend. Maxwell’s older brother, Mitch, is in West Virginia on a mission, but is to return to Alberta in August and has said he will play hockey next season with the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns.
“If I was to go this summer or next summer,” Hansen emphasized, “I wouldn’t just be giving up my hockey career. I would be going and seeing from there whether I want to play hockey again after or just move on with my life and go to school.”
Getting to that point, however, is proving to be a sleep-depriving experience.
“It’s hard,” Hansen said. “There’s been a lot of nights when I’ve been on the phone with my parents or Skype, or thinking myself.
“I’m just trying to make the best decision for myself. Obviously, I’m trying to take the team into consideration and what’s best for the team, but ultimately I have to look at myself and what’s best for me and my life.”
If that means, he doesn’t come back for a final season in the WHL, so be it.
“I think it’s a possibility,” he said. “I haven’t finalized anything . . . but it’s an option. I’m leaving every door open. After this season . . . if I feel that it’s my time to be done and go on my mission, I think I will do that.”
With the loss, the Blazers remain five points behind the B.C. Division-leading Kelowna Rockets, who will use up their game in hand tonight when they play host to the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The Blazers and Rockets will meet each other three times next week, starting Sunday night at ISC.
JUST NOTES: The attendance was 4,172. . . . Kamloops G Taran Kozun, making his first appearance since Jan. 29, stopped 33 shots. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. Rouse: Two goals, leadership; 2. Rathjen: Kept his guys in it; 3. Franson: Quality player. . . . Vancouver D Reid Zalitach left in the first period with an injury to his right leg. By the third period, he was on crutches and watching from the press box. . . . The Blazers meet the Cougars in Prince George on Friday, then return home to face the Giants on Saturday. . . . Former Blazers radio voice Jeff Paterson was in the house, calling the play for the Giants’ broadcast. . . . Kamloops F Aspen Sterzer (concussion), who hasn’t played since Dec. 29, remains at home in Calgary. Charron isn’t hopeful that Sterzer will be back for the start of the playoffs.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Tomas Polak (Red Deer, 2007-09) was recalled from loan to Most (Czech Republic, 1.Liga) by Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga) and reassigned to Bernousti Medvedi (Czech Republic, 1.Liga). Polak had three assists in 11 games during his assignment to Most. . . .
Bernousti Medvedi has released F Radek Meidl (Seattle, Tri-City, 2006-08) from his try-out contract. Meidl had three goals and two assists in 14 games during his try-out.
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The book that is referenced over there on the right, Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos, has been popping up in various bookstores.
If you are at all interested in it, you may want to know something about Leesa Culp, who was instrumental in bringing this project to fruition.
There is a story on her and her involvement right here.
If you missed it (and one or two of you likely did), I appeared with Bob Stauffer on 630 CHED in Edmonton on Thursday to talk about the book. I was followed on air by former WHLer Peter Soberlak and Brian Costello of The Hockey News. If you visit CHED's website, you will find an archive where you are able to listen to back programming. We were on in the hour from noon to 1 p.m.
I also did an interview with Cam Moon, the radio voice of the Red Deer Rebels, and he plans on playing that during two intermissions of one game on the team’s current road trip.
On top of that, Dan Russell of Sportstalk, the nightly show on Vancouver radio station CKNW, has done a one-hour interview that is to be played one night next week and one more time before Christmas.
I also will be chatting with Pat Siedlecki, the radio voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, on his weekly show on Monday evening.
And there are regular appearances with Drew Wilson, the play-by-play voice of the Prince Albert Raiders on CKBI. The most recent of those was last Monday.
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The host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup and a team hoping to be the host in 2016 got together on a deal on Friday.
The Saskatoon Blades, who will play in the 2013 tournament as the host team, acquired F Nathan Burns, 19, from the Vancouver Giants for F Travis McEvoy, 18, a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft and a first-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. (The Brandon Wheat Kings have an option on that selection through a deal in which Saskatoon acquired F Brenden Walker over the summer. The Wheat Kings can flip picks in that first round.)
Burns, from Edmonton, has nine points and 18 penalty minutes in 15 games with the Giants this season. He was in the Blades’ lineup last night when they met the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. Burns, a seventh-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, is the younger brother of former Blades F Michael Burns.
McEvoy, from Thorsby, Alta., had 11 points in 64 games last season and had four assists in 13 games with the Blades this season. He is expected to make his Giants debut tonight in Cranbrook against the Ice.
At 6-foot-0 and 210 pounds, McEvoy gives the Giants a big centre, something coveted by head coach Don Hay, especially on a team that began this season rather smallish up front.
The Giants, who lost 5-1 to the Tigers in Medicine Hat on Thursday to fall to 4-11-0, now hold seven selections in the first three rounds of the 2013 bantam draft -- two firsts, two seconds and three thirds — and, of course, two picks in the first-round of the 2014 draft.
While the Giants haven’t made an official announcement, they are expected to bid to play host to the 2016 Memorial Cup tournament. When that happens, you can expect them to be the favourites to win that right.
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The Kootenay Ice have added another veteran forward to its roster. On Friday, the ice acquired F Zach McPhee, 19, from the Everett Silvertips for a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. McPhee, who is from Vernon, B.C., had left the Silvertips earlier this season after going pointless in 11 games. Last season, he had 10 points in 34 games.
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Hey, before we look at Friday’s games, if you’re a stats person, zip on over to the QMJHL website and check out its online scoresheets. They include faceoff stats, shots by skaters, and hits. Well, WHL, what are you waiting for?
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 40 shots to help the Wheat Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . F Nick Buonassisi broke a 2-2 tie with his seventh goal at 15:10 of the third period. . . . This was Brandon’s first home game after a seven-game road trip that ended in Prince George on Saturday. . . . Moose Jaw is 1-6-1 on the road now. The Warriors have scored only 14 goals in those games, with 10 of them coming via the PP. . . . F Jordan Messier scored his first goal for the Warriors since being acquired from the Tri-City Americans. He showed up with an undisclosed injury and has played in only five games with Moose Jaw. This was his first game after a five-game absence. In this game, he also took a big hit from Brandon D Ryley Miller. . . . Moose Jaw D Kendall McFaull (flu) sat out and the Warriors lost F Justin Kirsch with an undisclosed injury in the first period. . . . F Ryley Lindgren, who co-leads the Manitoba midget AAA league in scoring with the Winnipeg Thrashers, was in Brandon’s lineup and earned an assist. Lindgren had quite a week. He had a goal and an assist on Wednesday as the Thrashers beat the visiting Kenora Thistles, 6-4. On Thursday night, Lindgren had an assist in helping the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers to a 4-3 shootout victory over the host Virden Oil Capitals. . . . In three games in three nights in three leagues in three levels, Lindgren had a goal and three assists. . . . A fifth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, Lindgren has 18 points in 12 games with the Thrashers. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Shane McColgan’s OT goal gave the Saskatoon Blades a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . McColgan got his fourth goal of the season at 3:06 of extra time. . . . Ice F Erik Benoit forced OT with his third goal at 9:11 of the third period. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls had two goals, giving him 14, and an assist. . . . F Zach McPhee drew an assist and was plus-1 in his first game with the Ice. . . . . . . F Nathan Burns, acquired by Saskatoon earlier in the day from Vancouver, was pointless in his debut with the Blades. . . . The Blades, who got off to such a shaky start, are 2-0 since returning from a 10-day break in their schedule. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Jay Merkley scored twice as the Hurricanes scored the game’s first four goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-2. . . . Merkley has seven goals. . . . Medicine Hat G Cam Lanigan, named the WHL’s goaltender of the month earlier in the week, was gone in the second period after giving up four goals on 28 shots. Marek Langhamer relieved him and stopped 24 of 25 shots. . . . The Hurricanes are 3-0-1 in their last four outings. . . .

The host Prince Albert Raiders erased a 2-0 deficit and beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-2. . . . Edmonton led 2-0 at 14:08 of the second period. . . . Raiders F Jonas Knutsen broke a 2-2 tie with his second goal at 12:33 of the third period. . . . Raiders G Luke Siemens stopped 37 shots. . . . D David Musil was pointless and plus-1 in his debut with the Oil Kings, who acquired him earlier in the week from the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Raiders have won three in a row and lead the East Division by five points over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Raiders also lead the Eastern Conference by three points over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Oil Kings began a six-game road swing that has them in Swift Current tonight and Kamloops on Tuesday. . . .

F Brooks Macek scored two empty net goals as the Calgary Hitmen beat the Pats 4-1 in Regina. . . . The Pats have lost four in a row. . . . Macek, whose goals both came in the final minute, also had an assist. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger stopped 30 shots. . . . Macek has nine goals this season. . . .

The host Swift Current Broncos erased a 2-1 deficit with three goals early in the third period and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-3. . . . Swift Current F Graham Black, who scored twice, tied the game 17 seconds into the third and F Adam Lowry and F Chance Lund, who was acquired from Seattle over the summer, scored at 3:48 and 4:25, both goals coming shorthanded on the same Thunderbirds PP. . . . This was the start of Seattle’s six-game East Division swing. . . .

The Kamloops Blazers got shootout goals from F Brendan Ranford and F Cole Ully to beat the visiting Prince George Cougars, 2-1. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham forced OT with his fourth goal at 1:36 of the third period. . . . D Marc McNulty scored for the Cougars in the second period. I checked and he isn’t related to The Wire’s Jimmy McNulty. . . . The Blazers went 5-1-0 as they played six games over an eight-day stretch. . . . Kamloops F Dylan Willick left in OT with an injury to his right leg after getting caught up in a mess of players during a scramble in the Blazers’ crease. . . . The Kamloops line of JC Lipon, Colin Smith and Tim Bozon have been held pointless for two straight games now. . . .

F Ty Rattie had a goal and two assists to help the Portland Winterhawks beat the visiting Victoria Royals, 6-2. . . . Rattie is on a nine-game point streak, the longest in the WHL at the moment. . . . Rattie now has 22 points in 14 games. . . . F Nic Petan added two goals and an assist for the winners, while D Tyler Wotherspoon had three assists. . . . Petan has 24 points in 15 games. He has points in six straight and that includes five multi-point outings. . . . The Winterhawks have won seven in a row and are 7-0-1 in their last eight outings. . . . The Royals have lost three in a row. . . .

In Spokane, the Red Deer Rebels opened a five-game road trip with a 3-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Spokane remains without F Mitch Holmberg, who hasn’t played since taking a headshot on Oct. 26. . . . Red Deer F Turner Elson tied the game 1-1 at 6:19 of the second, via the PP, and F Wyatt Johnson got the winner at 9:35. . . . The goal was Johnson’s first in the WHL and came in his third game. Acquired from Vancouver earlier, he missed the start of the season with a concussion. . . . D Brady Gaudet, acquired from Kamloops last month, got Red Deer’s third goal. . . . Spokane had won its first seven home games. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Marcus Strömwall got the winner as the Tri-City Americans beat the Everett Silvertips, 3-2. . . . Strömwall got his seventh goal, on the PP, at 6:59 of the third period to break a 2-2 tie. . . . The Americans, who are 4-0 against Everett this season, had lost their last three games. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser drew two assists, giving him 150 in his career. That ties him with F Patrick Holland and F Ian McDonald for 12th on the Americans’ career list. . . . D Ryan Murray drew two assists for Everett.
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By the way, 17 of the WHL’s 22 teams are at .500 or better, thanks to the loser point.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Lukas Sutter, Saskatoon
D Macoy Erkamps, Lethbridge
D Cody Corbett, Edmonton
D Richard Nedomlel, Swift Current
F Joel Hamilton, Red Deer

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Rinalds Rosinskis, Prince George
F JC Lipon, Kamloops
F Tanner Eberle, Moose Jaw
F Josh Uhrich, Moose Jaw
D Harrison Ruopp, Prince Albert
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge), the proprietor of the Small Thoughts At Large blog that is linked over there on the right: “Am I the only one who doesn't care about the NHL cancelling the Winter Classic? Sick of these outdoor games. Done to death already.”

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