Its been a long wait for Mackenzie Hughes but in just a couple of weeks, hell finally kick off his 2014 season on the Web.Com Tour. The former Canadian Amateur champion, who made his rookie year as a professional a memorable one, has had a long wait to get back on the course and after last season, hes anxious to play. "Its funny that my season really ended in September," he said, noting the end of the PGA Tour Canada schedule. "That was so long ago and Ive had so much time to think about it." Whats probably crossed his mind from time to time has been his great campaign of 2013, where he went from having no status and minimal financial backing to winning the Order of Merit on PGA Tour Canada, which gave him an exemption onto the Web.Com Tour. It was certainly a whirlwind season but one the product of Dundas, Ont., never doubted he could make. After playing for Canada at the World Team Amateur Championship, Hughes turned pro, moved to Charlotte, N.C., and ventured out into the world of mini-tours. "I dont like mini-tours so much," he chuckled. "Youre not playing for a lot of money and its definitely not glamourous." However, thats about all Hughes had at that point. And he did learn a thing or two about life as a professional, which was a definite change from his amateur and college days. "You have to learn on your own pretty quickly," he said. "Youre really on your own." One thing that didnt change, however, was his talent. It didnt take him long to parlay a couple of PGA Tour Canada starts into a regular gig. And, in June, after going through the qualifying and winning a playoff, he made it into the U.S. Open. Although he didnt make the cut at Merion, it was an eye-opening experience. "It showed me that Im not that far off, that I can play at that level," he stated. "And it helped me when I got back to PGA Tour Canada." After missing the cut in his first three stops, Hughes rolled off four top-10 finishes in his next five events. That included a runner-up finish at the Wildfire Invitational and a victory at the Cape Breton Celtic Classic. His success on the course also helped him off it. When he first turned pro, Hughes attempted to find sponsors, even coming up with a plan to sell shares of himself. That didnt work out and in the early going, things were tight. This year, hes signed on with SportBox Entertainment Group, the new Canadian agency thats headed up by former IMGer Danny Fritz and includes as clients Mike Weir, Graham DeLaet and David Hearn. Hes found some stability with sponsorships from Ping and Freedom 55 Financial, but says hes a long way from being on easy street. "Its better for sure, but at the same time, Im going to spend a lot more money this year," Hughes pointed out. "Ill be paying for caddies, more travel, more of everything really. It adds up pretty quick. But if I play well, its not an issue." In addition to learning how to balance his chequebook, Hughes is learning the ropes of another new tour, this one a step up on the competitive scale. The long layoff has made it possible for him to glean lots of information about playing the Web.com Tour, but that has an upside and downside. "Ive talked to a million different people about it," Hughes said. "Ive maybe got too much advice. Im really just trying to figure out whats best for me." He has sought out help from those whove gone before him and hes hoping to play practice rounds with fellow Canadians Roger Sloan and Adam Hadwin to not only learn about courses, but also life on tour. He will also likely join up with another Canadian rookie, Albin Choi to share expenses and experiences. "Im more excited than nervous," Hughes admitted. "I want to test my game against the next level and see where I am." Hughes will get that opportunity when the Tour gets underway Feb. 13 in Bogota, Colombia. 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Advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals should be a formality after Lionel Messi scored a penalty and Dani Alves added a late second to secure a commanding 2-0 advantage over City in the round of 16 on Tuesday.Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson has identified better home performances as a key to the Senators climbing into playoff contention. After an impressive win on home ice their last time out, another could be on the way with the last-place Carolina Hurricanes heading to Ottawa Saturday night to complete a back-to-back set. The Senators (18-17-8) havent won back-to-back home games in over two months, going 5-5-2 since a 4-0-2 start at Canadian Tire Centre. Weve got to take care of business at home, Anderson said. The teams that are in the playoffs right now have got really good home records. For us, weve got to win some games and put some pressure on the teams in front of us. Thursdays 4-1 victory over Montreal fit that description with the Senators in tune offensively. Theyve managed 13 goals over a 2-1-0 span with 10 different players scoring. Only Edmonton and New Jersey have fewer home wins than the Senators, who are 9-5-4 in their own building. Montreal, like Carolina will be, was playing the second of a back-to-back. Ottawa took a 2-1 first-period lead and is outscoring opponents 7-3 in the first over the last three games. It felt like we had more energy coming out from the start here and we never let off the gas, defenseman Erik Karlsson told the teams official website. I think for the first time in a while we played three periods really well. It gave us the win. Anderson stopped 25 shots and has allowed three goals just twice in 10 starts, going 6-2-2 with a 1.78 goals-against average in that time. Anderson has a 1.dddddddddddd8 GAA over a 4-2-2 stretch against Carolina. Should Anderson get the start, hell face Anton Khudobin. Cam Ward started in Fridays 3-0 home loss to Vancouver, but Khudobin replaced him after two periods. Khudobin got off to a terrible start this season, going winless over his first 10 starts with a 3.11 GAA through his first nine. Hes won his last three, all in shootouts, and is 3-1-0 with a 1.10 GAA in his last five appearances. Hes also won his four career games against Ottawa with a 1.75 GAA and .952 save percentage. The shutout suffered at the hands of the Canucks ended a 2-0-1 stretch on which the Hurricanes (14-25-4) had shown some offensive aptitude with 11 goals. For the season, though, their 2.00 goals per game rank ahead of only Buffalo, and theyve averaged a league-low 1.60 in their last 20 contests. Coach Bill Peters was complimentary of Canucks goalie Ryan Miller, but also critical of his own offense, which has a league-low 6.75 shooting percentage. Youve got to tip your hat to him, but I think we could have made it quite a bit harder, Peters said. On a positive note, the Carolina penalty kill was 2 for 2 and is 30 for 30 over the past 12 games. Ottawa was 0 for 4 on the power play against Montreal but is 4 for 12 (33.3 percent) over three games. Carolina won two of three in last seasons series, giving it victories in six of the last eight meetings while limiting the Senators to 12 goals. Eric Staal has four goals and three assists in his last six games in the series. ' ' '