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MALMO - Head coach Brent Sutter has made it official: Jake Paterson will start for Canada when it opens the World Junior Hockey Championship on Thursday against Germany. Goalie consultant Fred Brathwaite delivered the news to the Saginaw Spirit goalie on the ice at the start of Wednesdays practice at the Malmo Isstadion. "Obviously Im really excited to get the call," Paterson said after the up-tempo workout. "Im ready to get focused and looking forward to the game." The 19-year-old served as Canadas third-string goalie at last years event in Ufa, Russia, but did not get in a game. He was also a backup and didnt play for Team Ontario at the 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. On Tuesday, Sutter noted that he sensed Paterson was ready for the chance to finally take the net in international competition. "He feels like this is his time," the coach said. Paterson agrees. "I think so," he said when informed of Sutters assessment. "Its been a pretty long year from last year not just not being able to play, but having a sour taste in our mouth from a fourth-place finish so Im definitely looking forward to getting things going tomorrow." Zach Fucale will serve as the backup despite playing well in his pre-tournament start against Finland on Friday. The Halifax Mooseheads goalie has slightly better numbers than Paterson this season and is coming off a Memorial Cup win in May, but remained upbeat despite Sutters decision. "Even though I wont be playing I think Ill be still important," Fucale, who is a year younger than Paterson, said. "I mean, I have to make sure Im positive for the guys and always be ready. You can never know in these tournaments what can happen. Jake is playing really well, very sharp and were all happy. All I have to do is make sure Im ready and Im ready to accept that." In his two previous world junior stints behind Canadas bench, Sutter has opted to ride one goalie most of the way giving the backup just one start in 12 games. "Lets see how Game 1 goes," Sutter said when asked if Fucale would get a start at some point. "I really dont know. You got to assume when youre playing a lot of games in a short period of time that you need both goalies, but were going to start with Patty and then well make a determination wholl play in Game 2." Buffalo Bills Jerseys Outlet . Pillar is batting .305 with 17 extra-base hits, 19 RBI and five stolen bases in 34 games for Buffalo this season. The right-handed hitter had an International League high, 18-game hitting streak this season and currently owns an IL high 26-game on base streak. Wholesale Buffalo Bills Jerseys . Neither striker Demba Ba nor Fernando Torres came close to scoring as Chelsea was left unsuccessfully appealing for penalties in this drab penultimate game of the season. 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"I realize that I behaved bad in Boston," Ramirez said.MESA, Ariz. -- No matter what the record says, Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein insists he sees progress as he begins his third season in charge. It hasnt shown at the major league level. "The people that we have in place in this organization -- the coaches, scouts -- I believe are impact, and I believe in the processes that we have in place," Epstein said Thursday. "It takes time to turn our organization around. It takes time to build impact talent and to build requisite depth. But its happening. People in those meetings, the people in this organization, really believe that were on the verge of something special. And we understand that were perceived otherwise, and thats our fault because weve been a last-place club the last couple years. Were not protesting. We need to earn our way into a position where were championship contenders on an annual basis, and we feel like that is certainly moving in the right direction." It hasnt been an easy process, and while success might be on the horizon, it doesnt appear to be at hand. Pitchers and catchers reported on Thursday, and for the Cubs, it doesnt look like much will be different this season. They were relatively quiet in the off-season, although they did hire manager Rick Renteria to replace the fired Dale Sveum and made a run at star Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, but mostly it looks like they are in for more rough times at the major league level as they wait for their top prospects to develop in the minors. Their most recent winning season was when they went 83-78 under Lou Piniella in 2009. With four straight sub-.500 seasons, theyve matched their longest streak since 1984 to 1988. And another losing season would put them on their longest run since they finished below .500 six years in a row from 1978 to 1983. For now, the Cubs continue to sell hope, a promise that better days are coming. They tout their minor league system, and while renovations to Wrigley Field remain on hold, they can point to new facilities in the Dominican Republic along with a spring training home that just opened. As for the Cubs record, it cant get much worse. Theyve dropped 91 or more games each of the past three years and are coming off a two-year run under Sveum that produceed a 127-197 record.dddddddddddd Theyre hoping Renteria will provide the right atmosphere for young major league players such as shortstop Starlin Castro and first baseman Anthony Rizzo as well as top prospects Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, Albert Almora and Kris Bryant. They believe they have three solid starters in Travis Wood, Jeff Samardzija and Edwin Jackson, although Jackson struggled last season and Samardzija is a potential trade chip after he was unable to reach a long-term agreement and took a one-year deal. Jake Arrieta, a candidate to start, might not be ready for the beginning of the season because of tightness in his right shoulder. General manager Jed Hoyer revealed Thursday that Arrieta, acquired from Baltimore last July, experienced some tightness this winter and is being brought along slowly. Hoyer announced Arrietas injury after confirming the Cubs agreed to one-year contracts with starting pitchers Jason Hammel and James McDonald. Both could be candidates to be traded before the deadline if they succeed, considering thats exactly what the Cubs did with Paul Maholm and Scott Feldman the past two seasons. "We know we have some numbers now," Hoyer said. They also have hope that better days are coming. "Theres a real dichotomy between how the organization is perceived from the outside and how we look at it internally and the morale that we have internally," Epstein said. NOTES: Renteria tabbed newcomer Jose Veras as the closer. ... Hoyer basically dismissed the idea of moving Castro to another position even though he and the White Soxs Alexei Ramirez led major league shortstops with 22 errors last season and Baez is in the pipeline. "Castros our shortstop," Hoyer said. "We have all the confidence in the world that hell remain our shortstop and hell keep working hard and keep improving. And he knows theres (room) to improve there." ... Hoyer said reliever Kyuji Fujikawa will soon start throwing off the mound. Hes coming off Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow. ... Epstein said the Cubs will look to draft pitchers going forward, although not necessarily with their first pick. 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