Thursday . . .

The Kootenay Ice has solved its goaltending dilemma; at least, it hopes it has. The Ice has acquired G Todd Mathews, 18, and a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2009 or 2010 WHL draft. In exchange, the Lethbridge Hurricanes get a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2009 or 2010 draft. All of this became necessary after Thomas Heemskerk, 18, left the Ice last week and returned home to Chilliwack. Heemskerk, despite the fact he was splitting goaltending duties with Nathan Lieuwen, 17, told Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth his heart no longer was in the game. Mathews, who is from Covino, Calif., began the season with the Moose Jaw Warriors, then ended up with the SJHL’s Notre Dame Hounds before being dealt to Lethbridge. (The Warriors sent Mathews and a 2009 sixth-round pick to Lethbridge for RW Cody Smuk, 19, and a 2009 fifth-rounder.) Mathews will join the Ice after the Christmas break. In the meantime, the Ice will use Dylan Tait, who has been added from the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters, to back up Lieuwen.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds will play their first home game in the ShoWare Center in Kent on Jan. 3 against the Everett Silvertips. Single game tickets will gon on sale Friday, 9 a.m., on the Thunderbirds’ website. . . . This means the Thunderbirds have three games left at Key Arena – Dec. 27 (Portland), Dec. 28 (Spokane) and Dec. 30 (Chilliwack).
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I was remiss in not posting this yesterday. Jim Swanson, the sports editor at the Prince George Citizen, spoke with Marc Habscheid about any interest the latter might have in the Cougars’ head-coaching position. Habscheid has some interesting comments and even mentions blogs. (Surely, he wasn’t referring to this one!). . . . Anyway, you can read Swanson’s piece right here.