F Tanner MacMaster, a first-round selection by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2011 bantam draft, apparently has chosen to take the NCAA route. MacMaster, a Calgarian who turned 17 on Jan 8, indicated via his Twitter account (@TannerMacMaster) on Wednesday night that he has “committed to Boston College.”
MacMaster was selected 19th overall by the Chiefs.
He is playing his first season with the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks, for whom he put up 47 points, including 24 goals, in 54 regular-season games.
Tanner is the younger brother of Nathan MacMaster, who played in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Calgary Hitmen and Tri-City Americans (2007-12). Nathan, now 20, played this season at Mount Royal College in Calgary.
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G Eric Comrie of the Tri-City Americans, who was shot down earlier this year because of hip problems, has undergone two surgical procedures and is well on the road to recovery.
Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald has that story right here.
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Dr. James Andrews knows a thing or two about injuries and sports. In fact, he has co-written a book — Any Given Monday: Sports Injuries and How to Prevent Them, for Athletes, Parents and Coaches — Based on My Life in Sports Medicine. . . . Dennis Manoloff of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has spoken with Dr. Andrews and his story is right here. . . . I’ll give you a hint. Dr. Andrews says he is seeing far too many injuries in young people that used to be restricted to older, more mature athletes.
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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Medicine Hat (6)
Prince Albert (4) vs Red Deer (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Tri-City (4) vs. Spokane (5)
———
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, D Brycen Martin scored at 1:05 of OT to give the Swift Current Broncos a 3-2 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings trailed 2-0 in the first period, but tied it on goals by F Quintin Lisoway, his second, at 8:07 of the second, and F Taylor Cooper, his ninth, at 14:26 of the third, on a PP. . . . Martin has two goals this season. . . . The night’s results mean the Wheat Kings won’t be in the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2000 and only the second time since 1992. . . . The Broncos, seventh in the Eastern Conference, are two points behind Medicine Hat and a point ahead of Kootenay. . . .

In Prince Albert, G Luke Siemens stopped 22 shots to lead the Raiders to a 7-0 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Siemens tied the franchise’s single-season shutout record, with six. He shares the record with Rejean Beauchemin (2003-04). . . . Siemens has 12 shutouts in his career. . . . F Carson Perreaux had a goal, his 12th, and two assists, while F Dakota Conroy scored his 20th goal. . . . Prince Albert F Tim Vanstone was back in the lineup after missing a month with a concussion. . . . The Raiders are fourth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Red Deer. . . .

In Medicine Hat, G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 42 shots as the Kootenay Ice dumped the Tigers, 2-0. . . . Skapski has seven shutouts this season, including two in a row. He put up four shutouts in February. . . . F Brock Montgomery scored his 28th goal at 4:07 of the first, on a PP, while F Levi Cable got his 12th into an empty net at 19:49 of the third. . . . Tigers G Cam Lanigan stopped 38 shots. . . . Skapski is tied for the WHL lead in shutouts with Portland’s Mac Carruth and Saskatoon’s Andrey Makarov. . . . The Ice, which at one time was last in the overall standings, has won 22 of its last 28 games. . . . The Tigers are sixth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Red Deer. . . . The Ice, eighth in the conference, stayed five points ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . .

In Calgary, F Nathan Burns scored in the circus to give the Saskatoon Blades a 3-2 victory over the Hitmen. . . .  The Blades have won 17 straight games. . . . Saskatoon GM/head coach Lorne Molleken now has 599 WHL coaching victories. Saskatoon is at home to Brandon on Friday. . . . Burns was the only one of 10 shooters to score in the shootout. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart scored his 27th goal at 13:11 of the third period to force OT. . . . F Brett Stovin scored twice for Saskatoon, giving him nine goals, while F Lukas Sutter had two assists. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov made 46 saves. He leads the WHL with 34 victories. . . . This was Saskatoon’s 40th victory of the season, the fifth straight winter in which the Blades have gotten there. . . . The Blades lead the East Division by seven points over Prince Albert. In the overall standings, Saskatoon is two points behind Calgary, although the Hitmen hold a game in hand. . . .

In Portland, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game's last three goals and beat the Winterhawks, 4-3. . . . It was the first meeting of these teams since the Oil Kings beat the Winterhawks in a seven-game championship final last spring. . . . Edmonton F Dylan Wruck, who missed that series with an injury, got his side to within one, at 3-2, with his 20th goal at 19:57 of the second period. . . . Edmonton F Trevor Cheek tied it with his 27th at 1:23 of the third. . . . The winner went to F Michael St. Croix, who got his 33rd, on a PP, at 18:57. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 26 shots, while Portland’s Mac Carruth turned aside 38. . . . Portland D Troy Rutkowski scored his 20th goal of the season, tying Saskatoon’s Darren Dietz and Spokane’s Brenden Kichton for the lead among defencemen. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie had two assists, giving him 97 points and moving him into third in the scoring race. Linemates Brendan Leipsic (111), Nic Petan (109) and Rattie are 1-2-3 in the points derby. . . . Petan scored his 44th goal, tying Leipsic for the league lead in that department. . . . Edmonton F Henrik Samuelsson was ejected with a spearing major at 18:01 of the first. . . . D Derrick Pouliot (ankle) wasn’t in the Winterhawks’ lineup. I have been told that he will play Saturday in Everett. . . . Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal won a Memorial Cup with the Winterhawks in 1982-83. . . . Portland leads the overall standings by 10 points over Edmonton. . . .

In Kamloops, F Brendan Rouse scored twice as the Vancouver Giants beat the Blazers, 5-3. . . . The Blazers outshot the Giants 19-8 in the first period and took a 1-0 lead into the second. But the Giants held a 30-18 edge in shots the rest of the way. . . . Rouse broke a 2-2 tie at 5:53 of the third period and later added his 14th goal of the season on a PP. . . . F Cain Franson added his 26th goal for the Giants, who beat Kamloops for the first time in seven tries this season. . . . Vancouver G Jared Rathjen stopped 34 shots. . . . The loss prevented the Blazers from closing on the B.C. Division-leading Kelowna Rockets, who are at home to the Seattle Thunderbirds in tonight’s only game. . . . The Rockets are five points ahead of Kamloops and hold a game in hand. . . . Kamloops and Kelowna will play each other three times next week. . . .

In Victoria, the Lethbridge Hurricanes jumped to a 3-0 first-period lead and went on to beat the Royals, 5-4. . . . F Sam Mckechnie’s 25th goal, at 7:11 of the first, via a PP, gave Lethbridge a 3-0 lead. . . . The Royals tie it on D Jordan Fransoo’s sixth goal at 9:32 of the second, also on a PP. . . . Lethbridge D Adam Henry broke the 3-3 tie with his fourth goal at 15:25 of the second and F Jamal Watson, with his second of the game and 16th of the season, scored shorthanded to stretch the visitors’ lead. . . . Victoria F Jamie Crooks got his 31st goal at 19:33. . . . Lethbridge G Ty Rimmer stopped 44 shots. . . . Victoria F Logan Nelson had two goals, giving him 10, and an assist. These were Nelson’s first goals since he returned from injury on Feb. 15. He has played six games after not playing since Dec. 28. . . . The Royals have lost seven in a row. . . . Victoria F Logan Fisher left the ice surface on a stretcher after taking a check from Lethbridge F Graham Hood in the second period. There was no word on Fisher’s condition immediately after the game. Later, the Royals’ Twitter account contained this:  “Coach (Dave) Lowry on Logan Fisher’s condition: ‘Logan was taken to hospital and is being evaluated as we speak.’ ”. . . Hood wasn’t penalized on the play. . . . The Royals are sixth in the Western Conference, seven points behind Spokane. . . . The Hurricanes remain five points out of the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Everett, D Brenden Kichton scored twice to help the Spokane Chiefs to a 4-1 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Kichton has 20 goals this season. . . . His 19th goal broke a 1-1 tie on a PP with 0.5 seconds left in the first period. . . . Spokane F Todd Fiddler got his 40th goal in the second period. . . . Spokane F Blake Gal, who has been playing some defence to cover for injuries, had two assists. . . . Everett holds down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. It is five points ahead of the Prince George Cougars. . . . The fifth-place Chiefs are one point behind the Tri-City Americans.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Tim Vanstone, Regina
D Keegan Kanzig, Victoria

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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From Saskatoon Blades F Josh Nicholls (@Jnicks20): “Shout out to my homie @nate_burns19 on scoring the shoot out winner tonight and keeping the #heeater alive #17Straight #wegood #scarygood”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jon Mirasty (Prince Albert, Tri-City, Moose Jaw, 2000-02) was released by Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL) with one game left in the regular season. He had one assist in 10 games this season for Barys.
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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton vs. Lethbridge
Prince Albert vs. Swift Current
Calgary vs. Medicine Hat
Saskatoon vs Red Deer

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland vs. Seattle
Kelowna vs. Everett
Kamloops vs. Tri-City
Victoria vs. Spokane
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, G Cam Lanigan stopped 32 shots to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 3-0 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Lanigan, who is in his final WHL season, has four shutouts in his career, all of them this season. This was the third one with the Tigers; he put up his first one with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . F Curtis Valk had two goals for the Tigers, giving him 35. . . . The Tigers, who have won four in a row, moved past the Swift Current Broncos and into sixth place in the Eastern Conference. . . . Brandon has lost three in a row. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reported: “Brandon C Jayce Hawryluk, who is on a six-game point-scoring streak (5-6-11) was scratched for school-related reasons.” . . .

In Prince Albert, F Leon Draisaitl scored twice to lead the Raiders to a 3-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The victory lifted the Raiders back to the top of the East Division, two points ahead of the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Draisaitl, a freshman from Germany, has 15 goals. . . . The Raiders’ other goal came from Norwegian F Jonas Knutsen, a sophomore. He’s got six goals. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Jaedon Descheneau had a goal and two assists as the Ice won their 11th straight home game, dropping the Victoria Royals, 5-1. . . . Descheneau, a 17-year-old from Edmonton, had 14 points in 54 games last season. This time around, he’s got 55 points, including 40 assists, in 54 games. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart scored his 29th  goal and added an assist. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 30 shots. . . . The Ice, with three games in hand, is three points behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who hold down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Royals are tied with the Spokane Chiefs for fourth in the Western Conference. . . .

In Red Deer, F Rhyse Dieno scored twice as the Rebels got past the Prince George Cougars, 4-1. . . . Dieno has six goals in last three games and 23 this season. . . . Red Deer D Mathew Dumba had three assists. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak turned aside 32 shots. . . . The Rebels are fifth in the Eastern Conference, but are just a point behind the Saskatoon Blades. . . . F Jordan DePape, 20, is skating with the Rebels after having November shoulder surgery. If all goes well, he could return to action for Red Deer’s last two regular-season games. . . .

In Vancouver, F Kale Kessy had a goal and an assist to help the Kamloops Blazers past the Giants, 4-1. . . . Kessy, who has 15 goals, was acquired from the Giants last month. . . . F Colin Smith added his 37th goal and an assist for Kamloops. . . . Blazers D Joel Edmundson scored his sixth goal in his first game back after serving a four-game suspension. . . . Kamloops is second in the B.C. Division, five points behind the Kelowna Rockets. Kelowna is at home to the Everett Silvertips tonight, then in Kamloops on Friday. The Blazers and Rockets will play in Kelowna on Saturday. . . .

In Spokane, the Chiefs erased a 2-0 second-period deficit and edged the Calgary Hitmen, 4-3. . . . Spokane D Brenden Kichton tied the score 2-2 at 12:24 of the second, on a PP. He’s got 18 goals. . . . F Carter Proft broke the tie, with his seventh goal, at 18:49. . . . F Todd Fiddler upped the lead to 4-2 at 10:57 of the third. . . . Calgary F Victor Rask got his 11th goal at 17:49. . . . Calgary F Cody Sylvester scored his 31st goal and added two assists. . . . The Hitmen had won the first four games of their U.S. Division swing. . . . Calgary has played its last nine games on the road and gone 5-4-0.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Dan Gibb, Prince George
D Sam Grist, Kamloops

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None

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The Tri-City Americans, who are at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers tonight, have brought back F Matthew Gelinas and are planning on keeping the 17-year-old son of former NHLer Martin Gelinas for three games. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Gelinas, whose father now is on the coaching staff of the Calgary Flames, signed with the Americans earlier this month and played in games in Kamloops and Kelowna before returning to his club team, the midget AAA Calgary Royals. . . . G Troy Trombley, 18, has rejoined the Americans after returning to Melville, Sask., to pick up his car. He and Luke Lee-Knight, 19, are the goaltenders now, what with Eric Comrie done for the season with a hip problem. . . . According to Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald, Americans F Ryan Chynoweth (arm) is out, while F Malte Strömwall (ill) and F Marcus Messier (ill) are due back after sitting out one game.
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The Regina Pats have lost D Colton Jobke, 20, to a knee injury that could keep him out of the lineup for a month. He was injured Saturday, in a 2-1 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . Jobke earlier missed 17 games with a skate cut to a hand. . . . The Pats are in Swift Current tonight and may get D Luke Fenske back. He was injured Saturday when he took a check from behind and ended up with back spasms. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post also reports that Pats D Dryden Hunt has received medical clearance and is skating, but won’t play on the weekend. He has missed 37 games with his second concussion this season.
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Howie Stalwick has written a nifty feature on D Brenden Kichton of the Spokane Chiefs for the Pacific Northwest Inlander and that piece is right here.
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Scott Niedermayer, who played three seasons as a defenceman with the Kamloops Blazers, will have his number (28) retired by the WHL team tonight at Interior Savings Centre. . . . Niedermayer put up 190 points in 156 regular-season games with the Blazers and was on the team that won the 1992 Memorial Cup. . . . It also was announced yesterday that Niedermayer is this season’s recipient of the WHL Alumni Achievement Award in the professional hockey category. WHL commissioner Ron Robison will present Niedermayer with the award as part of tonight’s festivities.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Kelowna, F Carter Rigby had his second straight three-goal game as the Rockets dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds, 8-0. . . . Rigby also had two assists as the Rockets won their 20th straight home game. . . . The victory also lifted Kelowna to within four points of the Portland Winterhawks, who lead the WHL’s overall standings but have lost four in a row. . . . Kelowna got four assists from F J.T. Barnett and a goal and three helpers from F Colton Heffley. They are Rigby’s linemates. . . . Rigby and Heffley each finished plus-6; Seattle D Shea Theodore was minus-6. . . . The Rockets haven’t lost at home since Oct. 10 when they were beaten 6-4 by the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 18 shots in putting up his fourth shutout of the season and the fourth of his career. Cooke now is 26-8-2. . . . The same teams meet tonight in Kent, Wash.
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From Red Deer D Brandon Underwood (@BUND3RWOOD): “Yakupov so clutch with that game 7 Stanley Cup overtime winning goal! Oh wait a second . . . #settledown”


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Marek Svatos (Kootenay, 2000-02) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL) after an unsuccessful tryout with the Florida Panthers. Svatos last played in 2010-11, when he had three goals and five assists in 19 games with Avangard Omsk (Russia, KHL) and four goals and four assists in 28 games split between the Nashville Predators and Ottawa Senators. . . .


D Steve McCarthy (Edmonton/Kootenay, 1996-2000) signed a contract for the rest of this season with ZSC Zurich (Switzerland, NL A) after an unsuccessful tryout with the Calgary Flames. He had two goals and eight assists in 30 games with the Abbotsford Heat (AHL) this season. . . .

 F Ned Lukacevic (Spokane, Swift Current, 2001-06) signed a tryout contract with Aalborg (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He started the season with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2. Bundesliga), where he was pointless in a two-game tryout. Lukacevic then signed with Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga), getting three goals and eight assists in 15 games before being released by mutual agreement on Monday. . . .

F Duncan Milroy (Swift Current, Kootenay, 1998-2003) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Vålerenga Oslo (Norway, GET-Ligaen). He had six goals and 22 assists in 45 games with the Krefeld Pinguine (Germany, DEL) last season.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed Mark Holick as their head coach, replacing Dean Clark who was relieved of his duties on Tuesday morning.
Assistant coach Jason Becker ran the bench Wednesday, as the Cougars dropped a 3-2 decision to the visiting Prince Albert Raiders.
Holick was to speak with the players following the game and will run practice today and take over the bench Friday when the Everett Silvertips are in Prince George.
Sheri Lamb of the Prince George Citizen has more on the coaching change right here.
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Sheri Lamb of the Prince George Citizen also has spoken with a couple of Cougars players who are dealing with post-concussion syndrome.
This is an interesting story, another one that gives you some idea of what players go through while dealing with brain injuries.
———
F Dryden Hunt of the Regina Pats is working to come back from a second concussion this season. Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post writes right here about what Hunt has gone through.
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Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that D Ryan Pulock (wrist) was back practising with the Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday. He has missed five games with a chipped bone in a wrist. The Wheat Kings will meet the Rebels in Red Deer on Friday, but Pulock wasn’t ready to commit himself to playing just yet. . . . Brandon D Rene Hunter didn’t skate after blocking a shot in Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the visiting Saskatoon Blades. Also missing was F Nick Buonassisi (ill), who didn’t play Tuesday.
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Michael Newman Wright, who was selected by the Tri-City Americans in the sixth round of the 1995 bantam draft, has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison on an armed robbery charge.
Hannah Spray of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Saskatoon, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s first three goals and went on to a 4-2 victory over the Blades. . . . D Griffin Reinhart, who turns 19 today, scored twice for Edmonton, giving him six. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls scored his 32nd goal at 2:21 of the third to get the Blades to within 3-2. . . . Reinhart got his second goal at 15:02. . . .

F Jaedon Descheneau drew three assists as the host Kootenay Ice got past the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . F Luke Philp broke a 2-2 tie at 13:52 of the third. . . . In 11 January games, Descheneau has 18 points, including 14 in the last seven. . . . Last season, Deschenau, a 17-year-old from Edmonton, had 14 points in 54 games. Now he has 45, including 32 assists, in 45 games. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart, who was day-to-day on the injury list, had two assists. . . . Kootenay, which has won five straight and 12 of 13, has closed to within four points of an Eastern Conference playoff spot. . . .

In Kamloops, G Austin Lotz stopped 65 shots — yes, 65! — but the last one he faced got past him and gave the Blazers a 4-3 OT victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . By period, Lotz stopped 29, 18 and 18 shots. His 65 saves were a single-game franchise record. The previous record (55) had been set by Kent Simpson in a game against Portland last season. . . . Kamloops won it when F Cole Ully scored on a penalty shot at 1:17 of extra time. It was Ully’s second goal of the game and 16th of the season. Ully, who had 20 goals, including nine goals, in 55 games last season, has 33 points in 40 games this season. . . . Everett somehow took 43 of the game’s 58 penalty minutes, including 14 of 19 minors. . . . Kamloops ended up going 0-for-12 on the PP; the Silvertips were 1-for-3. . . . Lotz was chosen as Wednesday’s first star by Neate Sager of the Buzzing The Net blog and was given all three stars by the Kamloops Daily News. In the building, he was the third star, although the fans did give him a standing ovation. . . .

In Prince George, the Prince Albert Raiders overcame a 2-0 deficit and beat the Cougars, 3-2. . . . F Mike Winther broke a 2-2 tie at 12:57 of the third period with his 17th goal. . . . It was the Cougars’ first game since head coach Dean Clark was fired on Tuesday. Assistant coach Jason Becker ran the bench, with Mark Holick, the new head coach, planning to take over with the Everett Silvertips in town for a Friday-Saturday doubleheader. . . .

In Spokane, D Brenden Kichton scored in the circus to give the Chiefs a 5-4 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Kichton, who scored his 16th goal in the first period, was the only one of six shooters to score in the circus. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 41 shots. . . . Spokane led 3-1 after the second. The Winterhawks forced OT with goals by D Troy Rutkowsk, his 16th, at 15:13 of the third and F Ty Rattie’s 23rd at 16:31. Rutkowski’s goal was a shorthanded effort. . . . Rattie’s goal was his 300th career point. It came in his 245th game. . . . The Chiefs had beaten the host Winterhawks 5-2 on Monday. The teams play again Friday in Spokane.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Austin Vetterl, Kootenay
F Manraj Hayer, Everett
F Carson Perreaux, Prince Albert

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Joel Edmundson, Kamloops
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From Everett Silvertips D Ben Betker (@Betker5): “S/O to my roomy on the road @lotzy30. Kid had a night to remember in the loops #65Saves”
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From former Kootenay Ice F Drew Czerwonka (@cwonks19): “Attempted to wax my chest tonight, did about 6 strips and quit. Mad props to all the ladies out there who do that regularly #sopainful”
Czerwonka now is at the U of Regina.

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The Vancouver Giants are back to having three goaltenders on their roster. The Giants have acquired G Jared Rathjen, 18, from the Victoria Royals for a 2013 eighth-round bantam draft pick. . . . Rathjen is with the AJHL’s Whitecourt Wolverines but is expected to join the Giants in Red Deer, where they are to play the Rebels tonight. . . . Rathjen played in 26 games with the Royals over the last two seasons. This season, he was 2-2-0, 2.92, .912 in four appearances. . . . His arrival in Vancouver puts him in a battle with Tyler Fuhr, 17, to back up Payton Lee, the 16-year-old who has been getting most of the starts.
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The Vancouver Giants have added F Luca Leone, 16, to their roster. Leone had been with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express after spending two seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, the prep school in Faribault, Minn. He had 93 points in 61 games with a bantam Tier 1 team and last season had 34 points in 45 games with a midget team. This season, with the Express, he had six points in 29 games.
The 6-foot-0, 190-pound Leone expected to join the Giants in Red Deer today.
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The Victoria Royals have acquired F Trent Lofthouse, 18, from the Everett Silvertips for a sixth-round draft pick in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . This season, Lofthouse has 12 points, including nine goals, in 34 games. That includes his first WHL three-goal game. . . . Lofthouse, 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, had five points in 58 games with Everett last season. . . . His father, Mark, played in the WHL with the New Westminster Bruins (1974-77). Mark put up 116 and 112 points in his last two WHL seasons.
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D Brenden Kichton, 20, will play in his 300th regular-season game with the Spokane Chiefs tonight in Everett against the Silvertips. He will be the eighth player in Chiefs history to get there, but just the first defenceman. . . . Kichton is putting the wraps on a fabulous WHL career. He leads the franchise in goals, assists and points by a defenceman. His 172 assists have him fourth on the Spokane career list, 14 behind F Mitch Wahl. F Ray Whitney is No. 1 at 207, with F Pat Falloon second at 194. . . . The other seven Chiefs to have played 300 games: Brandin Cote (1996-2002), 352; Tim Krymusa (1998-2003), 332; Levko Koper (2006-11), 330; Derek Schutz (1994-2000), 322; Mason Wallin (1998-2003), 319; Jeff Lynch (2001-06),  313; and Jevon Desautels (2000-05), 301. . . . It is worth noting that of the 10 players to have played the most games with the Chiefs – Blake Gal is at 290 and Steven Kuhn finished at 288  – eight were Spokane draft picks. The exceptions are Koper and Kuhn, both of whom were listed by the Chiefs.
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F Adam Kambeitz and F Josh Nicholls, teammates with the Saskatoon Blades, also will play in their 300th regular-season games tonight. The Blades are playing host to the Prince Albert Raiders tonight. . . . Nicholls was a second-round pick by the Blades in the 2007 bantam draft. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix points out that if Nicholls plays every game this season, he will finish with 332 games, five shy of the franchise record held by Paul Buczkowski. . . . The Blades acquired Kambeitz from the Red Deer Rebels earlier this season.
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After Thursday’s happenings at the World Junior Championship, Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun points out right here that hockey no longer is Canada’s game. In fact, as he writes, it hasn’t been since about 1971.
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And the last word on Canada at the WJC goes to The Globe and Mail’s Roy MacGregor, who is in Ufa. As he puts it, “Stuff happens.” His piece is right here.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Lethbridge, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 45 shots as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Hurricanes, 4-0. . . . It was Brossoit’s first shutout this season. He has a franchise-record six shutouts in his career. . . . His 45 saves are the most for a WHL goaltender in a shutout this season. . . . F Stephane Legault had two goals, giving him seven on the season. . . . Lethbridge was 0-for-6 on the PP. The Oil Kings, with the WHL’s best penalty killing, have killed off the last 15 PP opportunities they have faced. . . . Edmonton has won three straight and eight of 10.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Henrik Samuelsson, Edmonton
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 From Tom Reale (@realet): “Canada has not won the WJC since they unleashed Bieber on the world. This is not a coincidence. #2013WJC”


————————

 The WHL’s trade deadline arrives on Jan. 10. Here is a look at trades since the end of the WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium:

Jan. 1: Medicine Hat trades D Dylan Busenius, 19, F Jayden Hart, 18, and a 2014 sixth-round pick to Prince Albert for F Logan McVeigh, 18, D Zach Hodder, 19, F Connor Hobbs, 15, and a 2013 second-round pick.

Jan. 2: Vancouver trades F Kale Kessy, 20, to Kamloops for F Rob Trzonkowski, 18, and a 2015 fifth-round pick.

Jan. 3: Everett trades F Trent Lofthouse, 18, to Victoria for a 2014 sixth-round draft pick.

Jan. 3: Victoria trades G Jared Rathjen, 18, to Vancouver for a 2013 eighth-round draft pick.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Clarke MacArthur (Medicine Hat, 2002-05) signed a lockout contract with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He had 20 goals and 23 assists in 73 games with Toronto Maple Leafs last season. . . .
F Eric Fehr (Brandon, 2000-05) signed a one-year contract with HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had two goals and one assist in 35 games with the Winnipeg Jets last season. Fehr is an unrestricted free agent so he is not technically locked out. However, his contract with HPK does have an NHL opt-out clause should the lockout end and Fehr sign with an NHL team. Fehr was expected to arrive in Finland on Tuesday evening and is to be in HPK's lineup Saturday. . . .
F Gilbert Brulé (Vancouver, 2002-06) was granted his release by the ZSC Lions Zurich (Switzerland, NL A) for reasons the club said were "private and personal". He had six assists in 14 games for the Lions this season.
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G Austin Lotz is back on the ice with the Everett Silvertips, after sitting out seven games with a groin injury. That, of course, makes the Silvertips’ goaltending situation awfully interesting, what with Daniel Cotton and Cole Holowenko also healthy. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has  look at things right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
G Ty Rimmer stopped 31 shots to lead the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 4-0 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . It was Rimmer’s first shutout this season and the 10th of his career. . . . He had four with the Prince George Cougars in 2010-11 and five with the Tri-City Americans in 2011-12. . . . The Hurricanes have won two in a row for the first time this season and are 6-6-1. . . . F Russell Maxwell, who had 15 goals in 72 games last season, got his ninth in 13 games this time around. . . .

F Charles Inglis scored twice, giving him 11, as the host Red Deer Rebels got past the Regina Pats, 3-2. . . . Inglis scored 10 goals in 36 games after Red Deer acquired him from the Prince George Cougars last season; he has 11 goals in 16 games this season. . . . Regina was without F Chandler Stephenson (ankle), who will be out for up to six weeks. He was injured late in a 6-3 loss to the visiting Tri-City Americans on Friday. . . . Regina, which plays tonight in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice, is in a stretch of four games in five nights and had six players scratched with illness/injuries — Stephenson, F Patrick D’Amico (foot), D Kyle Burroughs (illness), F Braden Christoffer (foot), D Tye Hand (leg) and F Dryden Hunt (concussion). . . .

D Brenden Kichton drew three assists as the Spokane Chiefs scored five third-period goals and beat the host Prince George Cougars, 6-1. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s last six goals. . . . F Mitch Holmberg scored his 11th goal and drew two assists for Spokane. . . . These teams are in a stretch of playing each other in three straight games. The Chiefs won at home 3-2 on Saturday night and they’ll play again tonight in P.G. . . . G Mac Engel, acquired last week from the Chiefs, stopped 17 shots for the Cougars. . . . The announced attendance was 1,382. . . .

F Alex Gogolev put up three points, including the OT winner, as the Victoria Royals got past the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . Gogolev scored his second goal of the game, and seventh of the season, on a PP at 1:58 of OT. Brandon D Tyler Yaworski had been penalized for a headshot just 27 seconds into OT. . . . Victoria was 3-for-9 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 1-for-6. . . . The Royals have won nine games this season and have come from behind in six of them. . . . F Alessio Bertaggia scored his ninth goal of the season on a penalty shot at 2:02 of the second period. . . . Brandon later held a 2-0 lead, but trailed 3-2 in the third period. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley forced OT with his fourth goal at 14:16 of the third. . . . The Wheat Kings hadn’t played in Victoria since 1993. . . . D Tyler Stahl, named the Royals’ captain earlier in the week, sat out with an undisclosed injury. . . . Brandon F Jack Palmer is the son of former Victoria Cougars sniper Brad Palmer. Brad had 214 points, including 97 goals, in 185 games with the Cougars (1978-81). He was selected by the Minnesota North Stars with the 16th overall pick of the NHL’s 1980 draft.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Reid Duke, Lethbridge
F Collin Valcourt, Spokane
D Keegan Kanzig, Victoria

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Keegan Kanzig, Victoria
D Tyler Yaworski, Brandon
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From F Graham Black (@GrahamBlack9) of the Swift Current Broncos: “Vicks vapor rub is not meant for some parts of your body . . . Can someone please help me”

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