Tuesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: F Anders Lövdahl (Calgary) has transferred to Tingsryd (Sweden Division 1) from Borlänge (Sweden Division 1). He had four goals and eight assists in nine games with Borlänge this season. He started the season with Mora (Sweden Allsvenskan) and had no points in 11 games with them. . . . F Lukas Bednarik (Red Deer) signed with Most (Czech Division 1) after leaving Nitra (Slovakia Extraliga) for financial reasons -- Nitra was behind on payroll. He had four goals and three assists in 16 games with Nitra this season.
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Bill Yuill, the owner of the Everett Silvertips, has purchased a second hockey team. Yuill, who sold the Seattle Thunderbirds in order to set up an expansion franchise in Everett, has purchased, through his holding company, Consolidated Sports Holdings (USA) Inc., the Arizona Sundogs, the Central league’s defending champions who are based in Prescott, Ariz. That isn’t too far from Peoria, Ariz., where Yuill owns a golf course. (What’s par? Hey, it’s his golf course so it’s whatever he says it is.) Yuill will act as the Sundogs’ governor for at least the remainder of this season.
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JUST NOTES: The WHL’s trade moratorium begins Friday and runs through Dec. 26. . . . The trade deadline arrives Jan. 10. . . . D Daniel Johnston, 16, is practicing with the Portland Winter Hawks after undergoing offseason surgery to remove a growth from the back of his neck. Johnston, a fifth-round selection in the 2007 bantam draft, had a goal and an assist in 10 games with Portland as a 15-year-old last season. . . . The Red Rebels are without F Carter Smith (ribs) for a week to 10 days, so won’t play again until after Christmas. He was injured Friday in a 2-1 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert. . . . The Prince George Cougars will be missing their entire first line when they play host to the Kamloops Blazers tonight. Dana Tyrell (Team Canada), Marek Viedensky (Team Slovakia selection camp) and Brett Connolly (concussion) aren’t available to the Cougars. They have combined for 92 points this season.
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The Eastern Conference’s top two teams met in Saskatoon on Tuesday night and the Calgary Hitmen came out on top, beating the Blades, 6-4. Tickets were $5 a pop, it was toque-and-scarf toss night and it was rain-check night and attendance was a season-high 6,268. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped F Josh Nicholls on a penalty shot at 15:16 of the third period with the Hitmen up 5-4. C Kyle Bortis, who is from Saskatoon, was credited with two Calgary goals, including the winner at 13:22 of the third. But he told the Saskatoon StarPhoenix’s Cory Wolfe later that the goal actually should go to F Brandon Kozun. . . . Saskatoon, which led 3-1 in the second period, had won the first two games between these teams. . . . The teams combined for five PP goals in the second period. . . . Saskatoon was without F Chris Langkow (knee) so added F Jamie Crooks, 16, from the midget AAA Lloydminster Bobcats. . . .
F Brandon Herrod had two goals and two assists to help the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-4 victory over the Warriors in Moose Jaw. F Justin Bernhardt had two goals and a helper for the Raiders, who got the winning goal from F Ryan McDonald at 11:46 of the third period. . . . Herrod, Bernhardt and McDonald were playing their second game together on the same line. . . . F Ian Duval had one of Moose Jaw’s goals as he ran his goal streak to six games. . . . Moose Jaw lost starting goaltender Jeff Bosch (hip flexor) at 11:03 of the first period. . . . Warriors D Travis Hamonic’s great week continued. He was released by Team Canada on Monday, flew from Ottawa to Regina later in the day and found out his luggage hadn’t made it. Then, when he got to Moose Jaw, his truck wouldn’t start. Last night, he suffered a skate cut to one wrist and needed stitches. He finished the game but will be re-evaluated Wednesdayand may not play that night against visiting Saskatoon. . . . In Regina, the Lethbridge Hurricanes posted a 3-2 victory, handing the Pats their third straight loss, all of them coming since D Colten Teubert and F Jordan Eberle left to join Canada’s national junior team. . . . The Pats go into their break having lost five of six games. . . .
In Red Deer, G Darcy Kuemper made 29 saves as the Rebels beat the Kelowna Rockets, 1-0. It was Kuemper’s third shutout this season and second in two games. He blanked the Blades 3-0 in Saskatoon on Saturday. . . . D Colin Archer had the game’s only goal, at 3:32 of the first period, as the Rebels won their third straight game; they also have won six of eight going into the break. It was Archer’s second goal of the season. . . . F Shane McColgan, the 11th pick in the 2008 bantam draft, made his WHL debut with the Rockets. McColgan, 15, is from Manhattan Beach, Calif. The Rockets, who have lost three straight, also had F Brett Bulmer, an 11th round pick in 2007, in their lineup. . . . Kelowna again was without D Tyson Barrie (concussion). . . . With Barrie hurt and Tyler Myers with Team Canada, the Rockets are using F Brandon McMillan on defence. . . .
The Vancouver Giants whipped the visiting Swift Current Broncos, 8-1. . . . Giants F Garry Nunn had two goals and two assists, and was plus-5. . . . The Giants have scored at least six goals in eight of 18 home games. . . . Here’s a paragraph from the game story of the Vancouver Sun’s Ian Walker: “Two regulation losses heading into the Christmas break. Undefeated at home. A Canadian Hockey League-best winning percentage of .894 through the first 33 games of the season. The most goals scored (162) and least allowed (64) in the Western Hockey League. Twenty-one points separating them and the next closest team in the B.C. Division. An 11-point lead on the second place team in the Western Conference.” . . . Walker also points out: “If the Giants were to maintain this pace over their final 39 games, they would finish the season with a franchise-best 62-6-0-4 record and 128 points.” . . . The Giants are 28-2-0-3. On home ice, they are 16-0-0-2. . . .
G Ryan Holfeld stopped 44 shots as the Medicine Hat Tigers got past the Chiefs 3-2 in Spokane. He pitched a shutout for two periods as he stopped 37 shots. . . . F Sean Ringrose broke a 2-2 tie at 13:57 of the third period. . . . The Tigers will be without F Travis Dunstall (shoulder) for up to three weeks. . . . In a nice touch, the Chiefs brought Chris Bruton, the captain of last season’s Memorial Cup-championship club, back to town to present a championship ring to D Jace Coyle of the Tigers. Coyle played for the Chiefs last season. . . . Spokane’s second goal was kind of neat, considering it came against the Tigers. It was scored by F Blake Gal with assists to F Levko Koper and D Trevor Glass. Gal’s brother, Taylor, plays for the Tigers, as does Koper’s cousin, Josh. Glass was acquired by the Chiefs from the Tigers last season. . . . The Chiefs had D Tanner Mort, 15, in their lineup. He’s from Post Falls, Idaho. . . . Spokane D Stefan Ulmer has a goal and four assists through two games with Austria at the IIHF’s Division I Group B World Junior Championship in Aalborg, Denmark. He had three assists in a 6-2 victory over Ukraine on Tuesday. Austria, Norway and Denmark each is 2-0.