Hockey Sports

“Sports Briefs: Oahe wins state hockey title - Argus Leader” plus 1 more

2011-03-14T23:21:00.001-07:00

“Sports Briefs: Oahe wins state hockey title - Argus Leader” plus 1 more

Sports Briefs: Oahe wins state hockey title - Argus Leader

Posted:

ABERDEEN - The Oahe Capitals captured the South Dakota boys high school hockey championship Sunday with a 6-3 win over Aberdeen at the Odde Ice Center.

Josh Rogers had two goals and two assists, Lucas Lindholm had two goals, and Austin Wagner had a goal and two helpers to pave the way for Oahe (22-1-1).

Josh Snyder had two goals for Huron (16-6-2).

UNO cutting football, wrestling

OMAHA — The University of Nebraska at Omaha announced Sunday that it plans to switch to the Division I Summit League and eliminate its football and wrestling teams in order to make its athletic program financially sustainable.

Athletic director Trev Alberts said the school was invited Friday to join the 10-team conference in 2012. The move will help the athletic program fix its money woes and Title IX violations and help renew interest in its sports teams, he said.

UNO currently competes in Division II through the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association — except for men's ice hockey, which competes in Division I through the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The school relies on hockey to generate revenue for the athletic department's 14 other sports. Alberts said the football program is a drain on the $9.5 million athletic budget and the wrestling program would need an infusion of funds for it to be competitive at a higher level.

"Our current structure was not sustainable and, in all likelihood, we wouldn't have an athletic program in five years," he said.

But the Mavericks have been competitive in football and wrestling. The football team went to the NCAA D-II playoffs in 2007, and the wrestling team won its third straight NCAA D-II championship on Saturday. It was the wrestling team's sixth such victory in eight seasons.

Lancers turn back Stampede

The Omaha Lancers handed the Stampede a 2-1 defeat Sunday afternoon in Omaha. The loss kept the Herd in a third place tie with Fargo and pushed the Stampede three points back of the Lancers for second place in the Western Conference with nine games reaming.

Dominic Zombo tallied the only Stampede goal late in the third period while Juho Olkinuora had his five-game winning streak snapped in goal stopping 22 shots. The Herd are now 28-17-6 on the season.

USF completes strong weekend

The University of Sioux Falls baseball team completed a three-game sweep of McPherson College Sunday, taking the series finale 8-4. Game two of the scheduled double-header was canceled due to weather. The Cougars won Saturday's twin bill by scores of 10-3 and 7-2.

Steve Schroer got the start and earned the win for Sioux Falls, as he struck out three while allowing just one hit in four innings of shutout ball.

"Steve pitched well out of the gate," USF coach Matt Guiliano said. "So far, our starting pitching has been pretty good this year."

Kevin Santos was 3-for-3 for USF (6-4) while Corey Vasquez and TJ Miller each had two hits and two RBI.

Marks sparks Augie

Deryk Marks tossed 8.0 shutout innings and added two hits to lead Augustana past Drury 4-1 Sunday in Springfield, Mo.

Augustana improves to 6-5, while DU drops to 7-6. Marks (1-1) allowed just three hits and struckout three en route to his first win of the season. At the dish, the senior finished 2-for-5 with an RBI.

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National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star

Posted:

By Sports Network

The Sports Network

Mattias Ritola scored two goals and Teddy Purcell notched three assists, as Tampa Bay defeated Toronto, 6-2, and swept the season series between the two clubs. Vincent Lecavalier, Dominic Moore, Mike Lundin and Nate Thompson all tallied for the Lightning, who moved within three points of idle Southeast Division leader Washington. Dwayne Roloson had 30 saves in the win, which was Tampa Bay's second of the month and improved its less than impressive March record to 2-4-2. Dion Phaneuf and Nikolai Kulemin lit the lamp for the Maple Leafs, who have severely hurt their playoff chances with four losses in the last five games. James Reimer was chased out of the net after surrendered five goals on 29 shots. Jean- Sebastien Giguere replaced Reimer and stopped 6-of-7 shots.

Final Score: Chicago 6, San Jose 3

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Marian Hossa scored twice and Patrick Sharp had four assists as the Chicago Blackhawks dominated the San Jose Sharks, 6-3, at United Center. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane each had a goal and an assist and Viktor Stalberg and Niklas Hjalmarsson each added a marker for the Blackhawks, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Corey Crawford stopped 33 shots in the win. The win gives Chicago 84 points on the season and sole position of fourth place in the Western Conference. Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist while Joe Thornton and Logan Couture each scored a goal for the Sharks, who have lost four of their last five games. Antti Niemi was pulled in the second period after giving up four goals on 18 shots. Antero Niittymaki stopped 14-of-16 shots the rest of the way. San Jose sits atop the Pacific Division and is in third place in the Western Conference.

Final Score: Vancouver 4, Minnesota 2

Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Ryan Kesler scored twice to help the Vancouver Canucks take a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild at Rogers Arena. Daniel Sedin and Raffi Torres each had a goal for the Canucks, who have won their past six games. Roberto Luongo made 33 saves in the win. Vancouver sits atop the NHL standings with 101 points. It is the third straight season the team has eclipsed the century mark in points. Mikko Koivu and Andrew Brunette both had goals for the Wild, who are 0-3-0 on a four-game road trip that wraps up in San Jose on Thursday. Niklas Backstrom stopped 18-of-21 shots in the loss. Minnesota is on the outside looking in as the team is four points back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 12 games to play.

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star” plus 1 more

2011-03-14T00:28:00.001-07:00

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star” plus 1 more

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star

Posted:

By Sports Network

The Sports Network

Mike Knuble scored with 1:09 left in overtime, and the Washington Capitals edged the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-3, to extend their winning streak to eight games. An extra five minutes became necessary to determine a victor after Chicago captain Jonathan Toews tied the game on a power play with 38.5 seconds remaining in the third period. In overtime, Knuble parked himself in front of Corey Crawford, took a pass from Marcus Johansson and dragged the puck to his forehand before flipping it over the goaltender's glove. Johansson atoned for committing the hooking penalty that led to Toews' marker. Jason Arnott, Brooks Laich and Boyd Gordon also tallied for the Southeast Division-leading Capitals, who have won five straight at Verizon Center. Braden Holtby, making his third consecutive start, made 27 saves. Washington moved within one point of idle Philadelphia for the Eastern Conference's best record. Nick Leddy and Tomas Kopecky also lit the lamp for Chicago, which has lost three in a row after winning eight straight. Crawford stopped 38 shots in defeat.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 5, Edmonton 1

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Chris Kunitz tallied twice and Tyler Kennedy added three assists, as Pittsburgh dominated Edmonton, 5-1, at CONSOL Energy Center. Jordan Staal and Maxime Talbot both added a goal and one assist for the Penguins, who moved within three points (91-88) of idle Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division with their third win in four games. Marc-Andre Fleury was solid in net, stopping 28-of-29 shots. Ryan Jones provided the sole offense for the Oilers, who have dropped four in a row. Devan Dubnyk was victimized for all five scores on 33 shots.

Final Score: Los Angeles 3, Dallas 2

Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Michal Handzus scored the game-winning goal with 20.8 seconds remaining, as the Los Angeles Kings snuck past the Dallas Stars, 3-2, at American Airlines Center. Dustin Penner and Drew Doughty also lit the lamp for the Kings, who have won the first three games of a four-game road trip. Jonathan Quick made 21 saves and was bailed out by his teammates after giving up the tying score with 43 seconds left in regulation. Brad Richards and Jamie Langenbrunner scored for the Stars, who were 6-0-2 in their previous eight games. Jamie Benn had scored a goal in six straight, but failed to find the back of the net on Sunday. Kari Lehtonen turned aside 27- of-30 shots in defeat.

Final Score: Buffalo 6, Ottawa 4

Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) - Tyler Ennis scored a pair of goals and Mike Weber picked up three assists as Buffalo upended Ottawa, 6-4, at HSBC Arena. Thomas Vanek and Paul Gaustad posted a goal and assist each for the Sabres, who have won four of their last six and pulled into a tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference with the idle Rangers. Both teams have 76 points. Jhonas Enroth did well enough to earn the win, stopping 34-of-38 shots. Jason Spezza tied a season-high of four points on two goals and two helpers for the Senators, whose three-game win streak came to an end. Erik Karlsson and Colin Greening also tallied in defeat. Curtis McElhinney was charged in the loss for two goals on 16 shots in relief of starter Craig Anderson, who was dented for four scores on 17 shots in 22-plus minutes.

Final Score: Phoenix 5, Anaheim 2

Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Lauri Korpikoski scored a pair of goals and Ilya Bryzgalov made 36 saves, as the Phoenix Coyotes handled the Anaheim Ducks, 5-2. Shane Doan had a goal and two assists for the Coyotes, who have won three of four since a five-game skid. Taylor Pyatt and David Schlemko also scored for the victors. Corey Perry scored a pair of goals for the Ducks, who had won five of six coming in. Dan Ellis turned aside 17-of-21 shots before being pulled in favor of Ray Emery, who made nine saves in the third period.

Hockey East Pairings Set - WMUR.com

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UNH Press Release:DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire men's hockey team advanced to the Hockey East semifinals by virtue of a Hockey East quarterfinal sweep of the University of Vermont on Saturday evening. The Wildcats will play fourth-seeded Merrimack College at TD Garden at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 18.New Hampshire will play the second of two semifinals, while top-seeded Boston College will play sixth-seeded Northeastern in the first semifinal at 5 p.m.Tickets are now on sale at the Whittemore Center Arena Box Office at (603)862-4000, extension 5, during normal box office hours of Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., through the TD Garden box office or online at Ticketmaster.com. UNH fans are ask to request the UNH section when ordering through the TD Garden Box Office.Ticket pricing for the Hockey East semifinals (one ticket for both semifinals) and championship (8 p.m.) are as follows:Loge/Club Seating: $39.00/$37.00 Balcony Seating: $25.00/$17.00 UNH Student Balcony seating: $10.00UNH is 8-0 all-time vs. Merrimack in the Hockey East playoffs, all of which have come in quarterfinal play. Their last playoff meeting came in March of 2002. BC and Northeastern have met six times in the Hockey East tournament with the Eagles holding a 5-1 all-time record. The teams have met in the semifinals once previously in 1987, a 9-3 BC victory.It marks the seventh appearance for Northeastern in the semifinal round, their first since 2009.The winners of each game will advance to the Hockey East Championship Game on Saturday, March 19th at 7 p.m. at the TD Garden. All three games will be televised live in HD by the New England Sports Network with Saturday's Championship Game being shown on NESNplus. Tom Caron and Craig Janney will have the call from Causeway Street.All UNH games will be broadcast on the UNH Wildcat Sports Radio Network with coverage beginning 30 minutes before the start time.

“Prep hockey: Novi tops OLSM, wins school's first state title - Detroit Free Press” plus 1 more

2011-03-12T23:10:00.001-08:00

“Prep hockey: Novi tops OLSM, wins school's first state title - Detroit Free Press” plus 1 more

Prep hockey: Novi tops OLSM, wins school's first state title - Detroit Free Press

Posted:

The talent has always been there for Novi, but until this year, Coach Todd Krygier said the hard part was getting over the hump.

But the Wildcats showed they had things figured out with a near-flawless performance in the Division 1 state title game tonight at Compuware Sports Arena.

A 4-0 win over Orchard Lake St. Mary's gave Novi its first state title in school history.

"They worked, they sacrificed and took the team to this level," Krygier said.
Novi broke open a tight game, netting two goals within 46 seconds of each other early in the third period.

St. Mary's nearly survived a two-man advantage for Novi, but Joey Ferriss fired a blast from inside the blue line past goalie Joe Janiga.

Novi followed that up with Taylor Howell's second goal for the final tally of the night.

Ferriss and Nolan Valleau both notched two assists. Brock Krygier, Michael Kruse and Howell had one assist each.

Todd Krygier said his team had to endure a maturation process before it was able to reach the big stage.

"We just weren't showing the emotional maturity we needed to get to this point," Krygier said. "The last game that hurt us was against Marquette (earlier this season), when they scored three power-play goals."

Against St. Mary's, the Wildcats were only whistled for two penalties (both coming late in the game).

After a quiet first period, Novi (24-5-1) struck with Zach Mohr's power-play goal at 1:51 of the second period.

Later in the period, Ferriss set up Howell with a nice pass from behind the net and Ferriss buried it to make it 2-0.

Novi goalie Michael Pesendorfer stopped 19 shots, recording his second consecutive shutout and drawing praise from St. Mary's coach Brian Klanow.

"He was great tonight," he said. "We had some opportunities in the first period, and the second period. He did a great job of controlling his rebounds well."

Pesendorfer made sure to heap praise on a strong defense, about which he said "make my job easy."

Mohr obviously enjoyed helping Novi earn its championship.

"It's amazing," he said. "There's nothing better than going out there and doing what every kid dreams of doing."

St. Mary's, which was unbeaten in three previous state finals appearances, finished 20-10 overall.

Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Considers Sale of Toronto Leafs Hockey Team - Bloomberg

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The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan said it's considering selling its 66 percent stake in the company that owns the Toronto Maple Leafs National Hockey League team and the Raptors basketball club.

Ontario Teachers' spokeswoman Deborah Allan declined to provide further details in an e-mailed statement today. La Presse reported earlier today that the pension fund has hired Morgan Stanley (MS) to find a buyer for the stake, looking to raise about C$1.3 billion ($1.33 billion) in a sale, the Montreal- based newspaper said.

A sale of the Toronto Maple Leafs, which has won the Stanley Cup 11 times, would give a potential buyer one of professional hockey's most valuable franchises, according to Forbes.com. The team was founded in 1917.

Speculation about a sale of the Leafs stake accelerated in December after the Toronto Star reported the fund wanted to sell Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment for C$1.3 billion to Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI/B), Canada's largest wireless carrier.

Ontario Teachers' bought an additional 7.7 percent stake in Maple Leaf Sports in August 2009, boosting its ownership to 66 percent, the Toronto-based company said at the time.

Ontario Teachers', Canada's third-biggest retirement fund manager, has more than C$100 billion in assets.

Maple Leafs Sports also owns the Toronto FC soccer team, the Air Canada Centre arena and the Toronto Marlies junior hockey team.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jeremy van Loon in Calgary at jvanloon@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Scanlan at dscanlan@bloomberg.net

“HOCKEY: Area team capsules - New Haven Register” plus 1 more

2011-03-11T23:31:00.001-08:00

“HOCKEY: Area team capsules - New Haven Register” plus 1 more

HOCKEY: Area team capsules - New Haven Register

Posted:

NOTRE DAME-FAIRFIELD

COACH: Marty Roos

LAST YEAR: 16-7

TOP PLAYERS: Eric Sugrue, G, Sr.; Charlie Zuccarini, So.; Ben Viccari, F, Sr.; Brian Sanca, F, Sr.; Ian Smith, D, Sr.; Nick Dupuis, D, Jr.; Anthony Bouchard, D, Sr.

OUTLOOK: Roos, who holds the state coaching record for most wins with 527, fields his youngest team in years. Zuccarini, Viccari and Sanca will be counted on to score. The key early will be seasoned goalie Sugrue, who needs to avoid the injuries that plagued him last season. If he returns to his sophomore form, where he had a .945 save-percentage and 1.52 goals-against average, the Lancers will be contenders for the Division I title.

NOTRE DAME-WEST HAVEN

COACH: Bill Gerosa

LAST YEAR: 7-12-1

TOP PLAYERS: Matt Merola, F-D, Sr.; Brandon Martone, F, Sr.; Joe Travaglino, F, Sr.; Kevin Dubrow, D, Sr.; Matt Dostie, F, So.; Jesse Ruocco, F, So.; Darren Capobianco, D, So.

OUTLOOK: It is likely a rebuilding year with the loss of 10 players to graduation. But Gerosa is as cerebral and savvy as coaches come and will have the Green Knights well prepared to pull off an upset or two.

WEST HAVEN

COACH: Joe Morrell

LAST YEAR: 17-4

TOP PLAYERS: J.P. Withington, G, Sr.; Ryan Hansen, F, Sr.; Dave Landino, F, Sr.; Dean Alling, D, Sr.; Jeff Norton, F, Sr.; Ray Leyerzlpf, D, Jr.; Mike Troiano, F, Jr.; Adam Mink, F, Jr.

OUTLOOK: Morrell typically builds his team from the goalie on out, and he certainly has a solid foundation in Withington (1.50 goals-against average last season). Matching last season's success is certainly possible with the team's depth. But one or two forwards will need to emerge as consistent scorers.

XAVIER

COACH: Scott Gainey

LAST YEAR: 8-13

TOP PLAYERS: Mike Rotundo, F, Sr.; Nick Ford, F, Sr.; Brandon Reid, F, Sr.; Trevor Buchas, F, Sr.; Charlie Dupont, F, Sr.; Kurt Johnson, F, Sr.; Dan Walsh, F, Sr.; Austin Essery, G, Jr.

OUTLOOK: The Falcons lost a key two-way player when senior Jack Even decided to go to prep school at Avon Old Farms. But they have more experience and depth and should be able to improve on last season's record.

DIVSION II

BRANFORD

COACH: Adolph Brink

LAST YEAR: 10-10-3

TOP PLAYERS: Gary Criscuolo, D, Sr.; Alex Mansi, F, Sr.; Nick Blake, F, Jr.; Austin Hackett, F, Jr.

OUTLOOK: The Hornets have to find a replacement for graduated goalie Andrew Furbush, but they have enough talent and experience to at least match last season's record.

CHESHIRE

COACH: Jim Riccitelli

LAST YEAR: 14-6 (SCC Division II tournament champion)

TOP PLAYERS: Tyler Carbone, G, Jr.; Matt Dupont, F, Sr.; Ryan Powers, F, Sr.; Owen Powers, F, So.; Tyler Violano, F, Jr.; John Cunningham, D, Jr.

OUTLOOK: Riccitelli said his team is young and inexperienced at some key positions. His ability to instill a strong work ethic should have the Rams ready for another strong run in the postseason.

GUILFORD

COACH: Ralph Russo

LAST YEAR: 18-4-1 (Division III state champion)

TOP PLAYERS: Troy Raccuia, F, Sr.; Jordan Drake, D, Sr.; Christian Cattaruzza, D, Sr.; Stephen Petrick, F, Sr.; Dave DeCaprio, F, Sr.; Jake Lane, F-D, Sr.

OUTLOOK: The consensus among coaches, including several on the Division I level, is that Guilford has the talent and depth to be one of the dominant teams in Division II.

HAND

COACH: Mark Andreucci

LAST YEAR: 9-12

TOP PLAYERS: Tyler Bauer, F, Sr.; Mike Berestecky, F, Sr., Mark Pomeroy, D, Sr.; Jonas Thelin, D, Sr.; Nick Kruczek, F, Sr.

OUTLOOK: The Tigers return most of their team and are poised to make some noise in the postseason. Bauer had 41 points last season, and Berestecky is solid on both ends of the ice.

LYMAN HALL

COACH: Tim Belcher

LAST YEAR: 13-10

TOP PLAYERS: Andrew Zona, F, Jr.; Adam McKay, F, Sr.; Everett Bolduc, D, Sr.; Pat Reynolds, F, Sr.; R.J. Negri, G, Sr.; Zack Sansone, G, Sr.

OUTLOOK: Experience, depth and a potent offense could see the Trojans go far in the postseason. Having solid scorers like Zona (27 goals, 26 assists) and Mckay (23 goals, 22 assists) is a huge plus.

MILFORD

COACH: Sal Follo

LAST YEAR: 8-13

TOP PLAYERS: Andy Bostic, F, Sr.; John McLenithan, D, Jr.; T.J. Olsson, F, Jr.; Craig Wargo, F, Jr.; Nick DePascale, F, Jr.

OUTLOOK: The biggest hole to fill is the graduation loss of seasoned goalie Marcus Demchak. Five goalies are in the process of competing for the starting job. Despite the inexperience, the Indians usually peak at the right time to qualify for the state tournament.

NORTH BRANFORD

COACH: Ralph Shaw

LAST YEAR: 10-10

TOP PLAYERS: Eric Podbielski, F, Sr.; Joe Lion, F, Sr.; Ryan Dunn, F, Sr.; Sam Amendola, D, Jr.; Dylan Podbielski, D, So.

OUTLOOK: The Thunderbirds could improve on last season's record, if the defense steps up and the team plays disciplined for three periods.

DIVISION III

SHEEHAN

COACH: Dave Festa

LAST YEAR: 10-11

TOP PLAYERS: Aaron Grimaldi, F, Sr.; Nick Capozzi, F, Sr.; Ryan Sabino, F, Jr.; Cody Albert, F, So.; Vinny Esposito, D, Sr.; Billy McNamee, D, Jr.

OUTLOOK: "If the young players contribute, and we work together as a group and unit, we can be competitive," Festa said. Freshman center Mike Capozzi is one young player who is expected to make an immediate impact.

STAPLES-WESTON-SHELTON Ralph Unker, Tom Roche (Shelton)

CO-COACHES:

LAST YEAR: Shelton 4-16; Staples-Weston 3-16-1

TOP PLAYERS: Dan Guerrera, F,Sr. (Shelton), Mark Blake-Lobb, G,Sr. (Shelton), Luke Andriuk, G, Sr. (Staples), Tali Laifer, F, Sr. (Staples); Aaron Liu, F, Jr. (Staples), Kyle Wehmoff, F, Jr. (Staples).

OUTLOOK: At one point in the off-season the Gaels' program was among the sports that would possibly be dropped at Shelton High due to the tough economy. Shelton keeps its program alive by becoming a coop team with Staples-Weston for the first time this season. The team will compete in Division III and it has the depth and talent to be very competitive at this level.

HAMDEN HALLJosh Siembida

COACH:

LAST YEAR: 9-3

TOP PLAYERS: Michael Russon, F, Sr. (resides in Branford); John Bacon, D, Sr. (Hamden); Jamie DeNicola, F, So. (Hamden); Ryan McLellan, F, So. (Wallingford); Joe O'Buck, D, So. (Guilford); Jeremy Germain, D, Fr. (Hamden); Dante Tomassini, F, Fr. (East Haven).

OUTLOOK: The Hornets return to the varsity level this season and are designed for the future with its youth (four eighth graders, four freshmen, four sophomores). Injuries have taken its toll early on with three concussions, a broken arm and a fractured ankle taking a bite out of the active roster. But coach Siembida believes he has the talent to be very competitive in the New England Prep School Hockey Association and Fairchester League this season.

By Dan Nowak, Register staff
dnowak@nhregister.com

AMITY

COACH: Gary Lindgren

LAST YEAR: 22-3-1 (Division II state champion)

TOP PLAYERS: Alec Mansfield, G, Sr.; Corey Shea, F, Sr.; Adam Soltis, D, Sr.; Zak Dykun, F, Sr.; Joe Bianchi, F, Jr.; Eric Carrano, D, Sr.

OUTLOOK: The Spartans move up to Division I and are expected to make an immediate impact with their depth, led by goalie Alec Mansfield (2.45 goals-against average last season). Shea (61 points last season) and Bianchi (51 points) will lead the offense.

EAST HAVENLou Pane (25th season)

COACH:

LAST YEAR: 11-10

TOP PLAYERS: Tom Brunski, F, Sr.; Andrew Hamilton, F, Sr.; Rich Decarlo, F, Jr.; Matt Barcomb, F, Sr.; Sam Gavigan, G, Sr.; Steve Marsico, F, Fr.;Matt Longabardi, F, Fr.

OUTLOOK: The Yellowjackets lost some key players from last season to graduation and prep school, including the coach'son Lou Pane Jr. (28 points last season, graduated) and Ben Kuzma (17 points, Worcester Academy). One of the strengths this season will be scoring. Brunski, Hamilton, Decarlo and Barcomb combined for 81 points last season. Pane usually gets his team to the post season and should this season with his combination of experience and talented newcomers.

FAIRFIELD PREP

COACH: Matt Sather

LAST YEAR: 18-4

TOP PLAYERS: Don Carnicky, F, Sr.; Bryan Puffer, F, Sr.; David Griffin, F, Sr.; A.J. Unker, F, Jr.; John Galiani, G, Sr.; Nick Downing, D, Sr.; Tom Worsfold, D, Jr.; Matt Brophy, D, Jr.

OUTLOOK: Experience and the usual depth make Prep one of the favorites to win it all. Last year's goalie Spencer Sodokoff (.920 save-percentage) has graduated, but Galiani is expected to step in and make an immediate impact.

HAMDEN

COACH: Bill Verneris

LAST YEAR: 17-5-1 (Division I state champion)

TOP PLAYERS: C.J. Carignan, F, Jr.; R.J. Ugolik, D, Sr.; Brandon Dadio, D, Jr.; Jim Burt, F, Sr.; Nick Amarone, F, Jr.; Connor Walsh, F, Jr.; Justin MacGregor, F, Sr.

OUTLOOK: The big question mark is in goal with Ryan Amarone having graduated. Last season's backup, Andy Varga, likely has the inside track for the position. The defense will be strong again, led by Dadio and Ugolik, two of the best defensemen in the state. Carignan and Burt will be key contributors on offense.

ST. JOSEPH

COACH: Marty Crouse

LAST YEAR: 18-5-2 (Division II runner-up)

TOP PLAYERS: Zach Carrano, G, Sr.; Conor Crouse, F, Sr.; Pat Corcoran, F, Sr.; Sander Boroczky, F, So.

OUTLOOK: Like Amity, the Cadets move up to Division I and are expected to make an immediate impact with two strong lines, four talented defensemen, and a seasoned four-year starting goalie. Adding some spice to the mix is Boroczky, a transfer from Norway, who played on the Norwegian 16-under national team.

NORTH HAVEN

COACH: Mike Violano

LAST YEAR: 10-11-1

TOP PLAYERS: Mike Andreucci, F, Jr.; Tyler Bensen, F, Sr.; Nash Garceau, F, Sr.; Richie Mauri, F, Sr.; Jay Johns, D, Sr.; Jim Piscitelli, D, So.; Tyler DeMartin, F, Jr.

OUTLOOK: The Indians have a tough schedule, but Violano expects to be competitive with his experience and depth. The Indians had balanced scoring last season and the returning forwards were a big part of that success.

NOTRE DAME-FAIRFIELD

COACH: Marty Roos

LAST YEAR: 16-7

TOP PLAYERS: Eric Sugrue, G, Sr.; Charlie Zuccarini, So.; Ben Viccari, F, Sr.; Brian Sanca, F, Sr.; Ian Smith, D, Sr.; Nick Dupuis, D, Jr.; Anthony Bouchard, D, Sr.

NOTRE DAME-WEST HAVEN

COACH: Bill Gerosa

LAST YEAR: 7-12-1

TOP PLAYERS: Matt Merola, F-D, Sr.; Brandon Martone, F, Sr.; Joe Travaglino, F, Sr.; Kevin Dubrow, D, Sr.; Matt Dostie, F, So.; Jesse Ruocco, F, So.; Darren Capobianco, D, So.

WEST HAVEN

COACH: Joe Morrell

LAST YEAR: 17-4

TOP PLAYERS: J.P. Withington, G, Sr.; Ryan Hansen, F, Sr.; Dave Landino, F, Sr.; Dean Alling, D, Sr.; Jeff Norton, F, Sr.; Ray Leyerzlpf, D, Jr.; Mike Troiano, F, Jr.; Adam Mink, F, Jr.

XAVIER

COACH: Scott Gainey

LAST YEAR: 8-13

TOP PLAYERS: Mike Rotundo, F, Sr.; Nick Ford, F, Sr.; Brandon Reid, F, Sr.; Trevor Buchas, F, Sr.; Charlie Dupont, F, Sr.; Kurt Johnson, F, Sr.; Dan Walsh, F, Sr.; Austin Essery, G, Jr.

DIVSION II

BRANFORD

COACH: Adolph Brink

LAST YEAR: 10-10-3

TOP PLAYERS: Gary Criscuolo, D, Sr.; Alex Mansi, F, Sr.; Nick Blake, F, Jr.; Austin Hackett, F, Jr.

OUTLOOK: The Hornets have to find a replacement for graduated goalie Andrew Furbush, but they have enough talent and experience to at least match last season's record.

CHESHIRE

COACH: Jim Riccitelli

LAST YEAR: 14-6 (SCC Division II tournament champion)

TOP PLAYERS: Tyler Carbone, G, Jr.; Matt Dupont, F, Sr.; Ryan Powers, F, Sr.; Owen Powers, F, So.; Tyler Violano, F, Jr.; John Cunningham, D, Jr.

OUTLOOK: Riccitelli said his team is young and inexperienced at some key positions. His ability to instill a strong work ethic should have the Rams ready for another strong run in the postseason.

GUILFORD

COACH: Ralph Russo

LAST YEAR: 18-4-1 (Division III state champion)

TOP PLAYERS: Troy Raccuia, F, Sr.; Jordan Drake, D, Sr.; Christian Cattaruzza, D, Sr.; Stephen Petrick, F, Sr.; Dave DeCaprio, F, Sr.; Jake Lane, F-D, Sr.

OUTLOOK: The consensus among coaches, including several on the Division I level, is that Guilford has the talent and depth to be one of the dominant teams in Division II.

HAND

COACH: Mark Andreucci

LAST YEAR: 9-12

TOP PLAYERS: Tyler Bauer, F, Sr.; Mike Berestecky, F, Sr., Mark Pomeroy, D, Sr.; Jonas Thelin, D, Sr.; Nick Kruczek, F, Sr.

OUTLOOK: The Tigers return most of their team and are poised to make some noise in the postseason. Bauer had 41 points last season, and Berestecky is solid on both ends of the ice.

LYMAN HALL

COACH: Tim Belcher

LAST YEAR: 13-10

TOP PLAYERS: Andrew Zona, F, Jr.; Adam McKay, F, Sr.; Everett Bolduc, D, Sr.; Pat Reynolds, F, Sr.; R.J. Negri, G, Sr.; Zack Sansone, G, Sr.

MILFORD

COACH: Sal Follo

LAST YEAR: 8-13

TOP PLAYERS: Andy Bostic, F, Sr.; John McLenithan, D, Jr.; T.J. Olsson, F, Jr.; Craig Wargo, F, Jr.; Nick DePascale, F, Jr.

NORTH BRANFORD

COACH: Ralph Shaw

LAST YEAR: 10-10

TOP PLAYERS: Eric Podbielski, F, Sr.; Joe Lion, F, Sr.; Ryan Dunn, F, Sr.; Sam Amendola, D, Jr.; Dylan Podbielski, D, So.

OUTLOOK: The Thunderbirds could improve on last season's record, if the defense steps up and the team plays disciplined for three periods.

DIVISION III

SHEEHAN

COACH: Dave Festa

LAST YEAR: 10-11

TOP PLAYERS: Aaron Grimaldi, F, Sr.; Nick Capozzi, F, Sr.; Ryan Sabino, F, Jr.; Cody Albert, F, So.; Vinny Esposito, D, Sr.; Billy McNamee, D, Jr.

STAPLES-WESTON-SHELTON Ralph Unker, Tom Roche (Shelton)

CO-COACHES:

LAST YEAR: Shelton 4-16; Staples-Weston 3-16-1

HAMDEN HALLJosh Siembida

COACH:

LAST YEAR: 9-3

Newly public Bauer eyes markets beyond ice hockey - Reuters

Posted:

By Pav Jordan and S. John Tilak

TORONTO | Fri Mar 11, 2011 2:41pm EST

TORONTO (Reuters) - Bauer Performance Sports Ltd BAU.TO, creator of the modern ice hockey skate, says it expects its initial public offering this week to herald growth in existing markets and expansion into new ones through acquisitions.

The 84-year-old Canadian company, now the world's biggest maker of ice hockey gear, launched a C$75 million ($77 million) IPO on Thursday, floating a 30 percent stake.

The stock was trading 2 percent lower at C$7.33 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Friday, following a decline the previous day.

"We appreciate that it might take the investment community some time to understand our business and for us to be able to create the same performance that we have for our athletes and our products for our shareholders," Chief Executive Kevin Davis said in an interview with Reuters.

Bauer says it wants to increase revenue faster than the industry average through a combination of market share gains and acquisitions. It says it also expects to increase profit faster than revenue.

Expansion in the hockey market may not be a smooth road for Bauer, said Bob Stellick of sports marketing firm Stellick Marketing Communications.

"Outside of Canada and the United States, what are the opportunities to grow the game of hockey? I wouldn't say it has growth potential like basketball or soccer. It's a strong niche sport."

Stellick sees the company growing in single digits.

Expanding market share is "a bit more challenging when you're already the dominant player," he said.

The company says it has a 45 percent share of a global ice hockey equipment market worth $555 million a year. It has recently expanded into roller hockey and lacrosse, and said it is eyeing acquisition targets in other sports that require high-performance equipment.

It has changed its name from Bauer Hockey to reflect the shift in focus.

"They have to be the existing market leader or have the potential to become the market leader," Davis said of acquisition targets. "There are a lot of businesses out there that meet our criteria."

Davis expects Bauer, which has made three acquisitions in as many years, to continue that pace.

Its most recent acquisition was Maverik Lacrosse, which it bought last year, expanding its reach to a fast-growing team sports.

Bauer continues to see room for growth in hockey, a market that has been growing at 1 percent to 2 percent a year over the past year.

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“Elmira College steps up game in men's hockey postseason - Star-Gazette” plus 1 more

2011-03-10T23:25:00.001-08:00

“Elmira College steps up game in men's hockey postseason - Star-Gazette” plus 1 more

Elmira College steps up game in men's hockey postseason - Star-Gazette

Posted:

Written by

Joe Mink
jmink@gannett.com

elmira college vs. adrian college

* What: NCAA Division III men's hockey quarterfinal

* When: 7 p.m. Saturday

* Where: Arrington Ice Arena, Adrian College, Adrian, Mich.

* Elmira's record: 17-6-4

* Adrian's record: 23-3-1

* National ranking: Adrian fifth; Elmira sixth

* Common opponent: Manhattanville; Elmira won 2-1, 3-1 and 4-3; Adrian lost 6-2

* Ticket information: Seats, $10; standing room, $8 for adults and $4 for students and senior citizens. Arrington Ice Arena box office: (517) 265-5161, ext. 5011

Hockey: Flags Bantam AA prepared for state - Port Huron Times-Herald

Posted:

By JOSEPH HAYES
Times Herald

FLAGS BANTAM AA

ROSTER
» FORWARDS: Scott Conlin, Robbie Letzgus, Tyler Sullivan, Matt Thomas, Justin VanBuskirk, Bryce VanHorn, Mike Whiter and Clay Wilson
? DEFENSE: Anthony Genna, Noah Johnson, Tommy Mackensen, Pat Moran and Andrew Silver
? GOALTENDERS: Peter Arena and Trevor Mamps

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Raleigh News & Observer” plus 1 more

2011-03-09T23:11:00.001-08:00

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Raleigh News & Observer” plus 1 more

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Raleigh News & Observer

Posted:

Rookie Braden Holtby recorded his first shutout, while Alex Ovechkin and Eric Fehr both scored twice in the red-hot Capitals' 5-0 rout of the Edmonton Oilers. Holtby started in place of Michal Neuvirth, who was injured in Monday's victory against Tampa Bay, and made another strong impression. Against the Lightning, Holtby took over after the first period and made 21 saves before stopping three Tampa Bay skaters in the shootout. Then on Wednesday, the 21-year-old turned aside all 22 shots he faced to help Washington win its sixth consecutive game. Alexander Semin also scored for the Capitals. Nikolai Khabibulin allowed all five goals on 36 shots for Edmonton, which was coming off Tuesday's loss in Philadelphia.

Final Score: St. Louis 4, Columbus 3 (OT)

Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Chris Stewart scored his second goal of the game 54 seconds into overtime, as St. Louis overcame a three-goal deficit to stun Columbus, 4-3, at Nationwide Arena. Stewart tied the contest in the third period, minutes after Ian Cole scored his first NHL goal for the Blues, who swept the home-and-home series over the last three days. Jaroslav Halak made 19 saves, including just five in the third period, to earn the win. Jakub Voracek, R.J. Umberger and Derek MacKenzie notched the goals for the Blue Jackets, who have lost six in a row, all but one of them by a single goal. Columbus netminder Mathieu Garon made 22 saves in defeat.

Final Score: Atlanta 3, Carolina 2 (OT)

Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Tim Stapleton scored 1:38 into overtime as the Atlanta Thrashers earned a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at RBC Center. Ondrej Pavelec had just made a nice stop on a Jussi Jokinen wrister and Atlanta skated back the other way on a 2-on-1. Ron Hainsey skated into the Carolina end down the left wing and fired a pass to the front where Stapleton redirected it in for the win. Rob Schremp and Tobias Enstrom also scored for the Thrashers, who have won their past two games. Pavelec made 35 stops in the win. Troy Bodie and Erik Cole scored for the Hurricanes, who have dropped their past two games. Cam Ward made 26 saves in defeat.

Final Score: Tampa Bay 4, Chicago 3 (SO)

Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - Martin St. Louis' looping move resulted in the only goal of the shootout, which lifted the Lightning to a 4-3 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks. St. Louis was the fifth shooter to go, and approached the net from the right side of the ice. As he skated closer, he cradled the puck with his blade and made a wide, counter-clockwise turn. St. Louis' left shoulder faced the net at the end of his rotation, and he quickly shifted to his backhand to shoot the puck past Corey Crawford. Officials upheld the goal after a brief delay, and Dwayne Roloson stopped Marian Hossa to secure the victory. St. Louis and Steven Stamkos both had a goal and an assist during regulation for the Lightning, who snapped a four-game slide and kept pace with Washington in the Southeast Division race. Tampa Bay is still two points (86-84) behind the Capitals, who beat Edmonton earlier Wednesday. Jonathan Toews had a goal and two assists for the Blackhawks, who have dropped two in a row. Roloson finished with 28 saves, while Crawford had 27, and both netminders survived close calls in overtime.

Final Score: Los Angeles 2, Detroit 1

Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Jonathan Quick made 28 saves to give the Los Angeles Kings a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown each had a goal for the Kings, who had dropped three of four coming in. Darren Helm scored the lone goal for the Red Wings, who have lost a season-high four straight games. Jimmy Howard made 24 stops in the loss.

Final Score: Calgary 4, Dallas 3 (SO)

Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Curtis Glencross scored the decisive goal in the third round of the shootout, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars. Rene Bourque, Tom Kostopoulos and Anton Babchuk lit the lamp for the Flames, who have won three in a row. Miikka Kiprusoff made 31 saves. Mike Ribeiro, Jamie Benn and Tomas Vincour had the goals for the Stars, who have recorded at least one point in seven consecutive games. Kari Lehtonen also turned aside 31 shots. Vincour's tally was his first NHL goal.

Final Score: Anaheim 5, NY Rangers 2

Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Bobby Ryan had a goal and three assists as the Anaheim Ducks took a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers at Honda Center. Corey Perry and Lubomir Visnovsky each added two goals and an assist for the Ducks, who have won four of their last five. Dan Ellis made 30 stops in the win. Marian Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky each scored for the Rangers, who had won their previous two, including a 7-0 romp of Philadelphia on Sunday. Henrik Lundqvist was tagged for five goals on 33 shots in the loss.

Gophers leave WCCO-AM for new sports radio home - msnbc.com

Posted:

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota's radio "Good Neighbor" has suffered another blow to its reputation as a sports leader losing the broadcast rights to the U of M's biggest sports.

The University of Minnesota announced early Wednesday that starting with the 2011-12 seasons Gopher football, men's hockey, and both men's and women's basketball will no longer be broadcast on WCCO-AM radio. Instead, football is moving to Clear Channel's KFAN-AM 1130 (simulcast on KTLK, 100.3 FM). Both basketball programs and men's hockey will shift to KSTP-AM 1500.

The deal runs for three years.

"Moving our sports coverage to these stations positions Gopher athletics to harness the combined power of the Twin Cities' two all-sports formatted radio stations," said athletics director Joel Maturi, "and is a strategic step in our effort to combine great radio coverage for Gopher fans with the very best promotional opportunities."

Maturi also thanked WCCO-AM for the university's long run on 830. "It's remarkable that we have enjoyed such an outstanding run with WCCO. I want to publicly thank them for their dedicated coverage of the Gophers."

In addition to play-by-play coverage of all Gopher football games, related football programming, including the weekly coach's show with Jerry Kill and a one-hour weekly show dedicated to Gopher athletics will be moving to KFAN.

WCCO-AM recently lost the radio rights for the Minnesota Twins, leaving the station with only the play-by-play rights of the Minnesota Wild.

Gopher Sports Properties is a property of Learfield Sports, which manages the multimedia rights for University of Minnesota Athletics and every aspect of the nearly 40-affiliate Golden Gopher Radio Network.

-------------------------------------

With information from www.Gophersports.com

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - 9News” plus 1 more

2011-03-08T23:36:00.001-08:00

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - 9News” plus 1 more

National Hockey League Game Capsules - 9News

Posted:

Written by

The Sports Network

Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 stops to help the Pittsburgh Penguins take a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at CONSOL Energy Center. Zbynek Michalek, Mark Letestu and James Neal each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who have won their past two games. Rob Niedermayer scored the lone goal and Ryan Miller was charged with three goals on 31 shots for the Sabres, who had won three of four coming in. Buffalo got the only goal of the first period when Niedermayer picked up the puck in the neutral zone, skated down the right wing and cut to the front before stuffing it past Fleury at the 2:47 mark. Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 stops to help the Pittsburgh Penguins take a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at CONSOL Energy Center. Zbynek Michalek, Mark Letestu and James Neal each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who have won their past two games. Rob Niedermayer scored the lone goal and Ryan Miller was charged with three goals on 31 shots for the Sabres, who had won three of four coming in. Buffalo got the only goal of the first period when Niedermayer picked up the puck in the neutral zone, skated down the right wing and cut to the front before stuffing it past Fleury at the 2:47 mark.

Final Score: Philadelphia 4, Edmonton 1

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 24 shots as the Philadelphia Flyers stopped a four-game skid with a 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers at Wells Fargo Center. Jeff Carter scored twice while Danny Briere added a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who were coming off a 7-0 shellacking at the hands of the Rangers on Sunday. It was Philly's first win over Edmonton since March 19, 2001. The Oilers had posted six wins and a tie in the previous seven games and lost in Philly for the first time since November 9, 2000. Jean-Francois Jacques had the only goal of the game for the Oilers, who had a three-game winning streak stopped. Devan Dubnyk stopped 23- of-26 shots in the loss.

Final Score: NY Islanders 4, Toronto 3 (OT)

Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) - Blake Comeau's goal off a deflection with 58 seconds remaining in overtime lifted the New York Islanders to a 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Nassau Coliseum. After some good puck possession in the Toronto zone with time winding down, the disc came out to Frans Nielsen, who fired a shot from the right point that Comeau deflected past James Reimer to give the Islanders the victory. Comeau also had an assist in regulation, while Nielsen had a goal in addition to the helper on the game- winning tally. Michael Grabner and Zenon Konopka also scored for the Islanders, who have won three of their last four. Al Montoya turned aside 24- of-27 shots to pick up the victory. Tim Brent had a goal and an assist, while Nikolai Kulemin lit the lamp for Toronto, which suffered a 5-3 loss versus Chicago on Saturday and has dropped four of its last six. Keith Aulie registered his first career goal, while Reimer made 36 saves in defeat.

Final Score: Ottawa 2, New Jersey 1

Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - Erik Condra netted both goals, including the game-winner with 2:13 to play, as Ottawa outlasted New Jersey, 2-1, at the Prudential Center. Condra, playing in his tenth NHL game, had his second two- goal game to account for all of the goals he has scored with Ottawa. Jason Spezza set up the decisive marker for the Senators, who have won four of their last five road contests. Craig Anderson turned away 31 shots to earn the win for the visitors, who ended a six-game losing streak in the Garden State. Patrik Elias potted the lone goal for the Devils, who had a four-game win streak snapped. Martin Brodeur stopped 19 shots in defeat for the hosts, who could gain no ground in the chase for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Final Score: Montreal 4, Boston 1

Montreal, QC (Sports Network) - Lars Eller's first career two-goal game in Montreal's 4-1 win over Boston was overshadowed by a harsh collision between Bruin defender Zdeno Chara and Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty. With just 16 seconds left in the second period, Pacioretty was charging down the left side boards near the benches. Chara went to pinch Pacioretty off and hit him into a dangerous spot where glass divides the two benches. His head hit the glass before he tumbled straight to the ice. He laid motionless, face first, for several minutes as the medical staff attended to him. Finally, they were able to get him onto a stretcher and off the ice. Fortunately, the Canadiens reported he was conscious and had motion in his extremities as he was taken to a local hospital for further examination. Meanwhile, the Canadiens held onto the lead through a relatively quiet third period and pulled within three points of division-leading Boston. James Wisniewski and Brian Gionta also had goals while Carey Price made 30 saves in the win. Milan Lucic scored the lone goal for Boston, which has lost two straight on the heels of a season-high seven-game winning streak. Tuukka Rask surrendered all four goals on 26 shots.

Final Score: Florida 3, Chicago 2

Sunrise, FL (Sports Network) - Tomas Vokoun made three first period goals stand up as he turned away 37 shots to help Florida hang on for a 3-2 win over Chicago at BankAtlantic Center. David Booth recorded a goal and an assist while Clay Wilson and Marty Reasoner also tallied for the Panthers, who ended a five-game slide. Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa potted goals for the Blackhawks, who were halted in an attempt to match a club record with their ninth straight win. Corey Crawford yielded three goals on eight shots in the first period and was relieved by Marty Turco, who denied the seven shots he encountered.

The Sports Network

Top teams McGill, Alberta to face each other in CIS women's hockey finals opener - Big Hollywood

Posted:

Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press In a normal year, the McGill Martlets would face the Alberta Pandas in the Canadian Inter-university Sport women's hockey final, but this is no normal year.

The seven-time national champion Pandas were beaten by the Manitoba Bisons for the Canada West title and only got to the six-team CIS championship tournament as the sixth seed. They will face the No. 1- ranked Martlets in the opening game Thursday at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont.

The Laurier Golden Hawks, who usually battle McGill and Alberta for national supremacy, were knocked out of the Ontario conference playoffs by the fourth-ranked Queen's Golden Gaels, but got to play in the tournament as the host team.

Fifth-ranked Laurier will face No. 3 Manitoba on Thursday.

''The seedings are a little different because some of the favourites didn't come out on top of their conference but I don't think it really changes anything,'' McGill coach Peter Smith said this week. ''When you go to a national championship, you have to win three games and it doesn't matter who you're playing.

''We're fine with (playing Alberta first). They have a great team. They're similar to us. They work hard. It will be a competitive game and we're fine with that.''

The loser of the McGill-Alberta game will face Queen's while the loser between Laurier and the second-seeded St. Francis Xavier X-Women will play Manitoba on Friday. The winners of those games will face the opening-day victors to decide the two teams that will play in the final Sunday.

McGill goes in as the favourite for a fifth straight year. The Martlets were national champions in 2008 and 2009, but were beaten 2-0 in the final last year by Alberta, when Smith, an assistant to head coach Melody Davidson, and goaltender Charline Labonte were away helping Canada win gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The Martlets plowed through their regular season, going 24-0 to stretch their streak to 105 straight wins in the Quebec conference. They went 30-0 against all CIS opponents, including wins over Laurier, Alberta and Manitoba, and are 116-1 against the CIS over the last four years.

They also added two-time Olympic gold medallist Gillian Ferrari, who joined Quebec conference scoring leader and former national team member Cathy Chartrand on the blue-line. It is the team's ninth straight trip to the nationals and it has 16 players who have played in gold medal games.

''A lot of the things we do are the same as the national team — that's a big part of what Peter Smith has brought to the program,'' said Ferrari. ''In some ways the level isn't quite as high, but it's surpassed my expectations and it challenges me.''

Despite being the sixth seed, Alberta is a formidable opponent that is 6-0 all-time against McGill at the nationals.

Alberta has won the championship in seven of the 13 years it has been contested and reached the final two other times. The Pandas have a .818 win percentage at the tournament.

''Were a different team than we were at the national championship last season,'' Alberta coach Howie Draper told the CIS. ''I would say we're a tighter team and one that plays the game with a preference to hard work and grit.''

They share the A-pool with a team that looks to have destiny on its side — Queen's.

The Gaels became known as the Cardiac Girls after winning all five of their playoff games in overtime — including a victory in the conference final over Guelph on Morgan McHaffie's goal at 17:14 of the sixth extra period. It set a record as the longest collegiate game ever, male or female.

McGill and Alberta have each been to 12 national championships. It is the Gaels' first.

Laurier was swept by Queen's in a pair of double overtime games, dropping from the No. 2 ranking they held most of the season. But with a home crowd and the top goalie in CIS women's hockey in Liz Knox, who posted a .955 save percentage, they are expected to be a force.

''With the selection of teams this year, anyone could win the title,'' said Golden Hawks coach Rick Osborne.

Like McGill, St. FX steamrolled through its conference, going 24-0 in the Atlantic regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs led by scoring star Janelle Parent. But the championship tournament has not been kind to them over the years, as their 3-24 all-time record indicates.

Manitoba, which swept its best-of-three Canada West final against Alberta, is in its fifth national tournament in seven years, finishing third three times.

The Bisons are led by goaltender Tara Lacquette, who posted a 1.66 goals-against average in 17 starts.

The Canadian Press, 2011

“Seven years on, Bertuzzi hockey violence saga still heading to court - Calgary Herald” plus 1 more

2011-03-07T23:19:00.001-08:00

“Seven years on, Bertuzzi hockey violence saga still heading to court - Calgary Herald” plus 1 more

Seven years on, Bertuzzi hockey violence saga still heading to court - Calgary Herald

Posted:

TORONTO — Seven years have passed since Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore was dealt a career-ending sucker-punch by Todd Bertuzzi in Vancouver that ultimately resulted in three broken vertebrae and a concussion after the hulking Canucks winger fell on top of Moore.

For Moore, the hit on March 8, 2004 meant never playing for the National Hockey League again. For Bertuzzi, it meant a suspension that lasted the rest of the season — including the playoffs.

But the story of the most infamous incidents of violence in professional sports history is far from over.

The Ontario courts have yet to hear Moore's $20-million lawsuit launched against Bertuzzi and Orca Bay Ltd., the company that then owned the Vancouver Canucks, Bertuzzi's former team. Bertuzzi, in turn, is counter-suing his former coach, Marc Crawford, alleging that he was encouraged to hit.

It's believed Moore's claim will be the single largest civil suit involving professional athletes in Canadian legal history. A date for the litigation is expected to be set by a Toronto court next month.

"The tragedy of this case isn't just the loss of an NHL career," said Moore's lawyer Tim Danson on Monday, on the eve of the anniversary of his client's last game. "It has also impacted any post-NHL career he might've have."

Once underway, the case is anticipated to last anywhere from eight to 12 weeks, with lawyers for both players expected to call up a multitude of renowned experts in professional sports and in medicine.

One of the reasons for the delay in the proceedings, said Danson, is that Moore wanted to see if time would help him recover from his head injury.

"When you're dealing with such a severe brain injury you have to be very careful that it's not premature," said Danson. "You have to let the rehabilitation process run its course so that medical experts can be satisfied that enough time has gone by that the injury has plateaued."

Moore, a Harvard graduate, continues to go to rehabilitation and still lives in Thornhill, Ont., just north of Toronto.

"The doctors have concluded that his brain injury is permanent and he's struggling with that," he said. "But (Moore) is looking forward to his day in court, his day for justice."

The issue of violence in professional hockey is still a hot-button topic in the league, even years after the Bertuzzi/Moore incident.

Just last week, Boston University released a study that found the late NHL enforcer Bob Probert had chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Probert reportedly fought 240 times over his 16-year NHL career.

And earlier this month, New York Islanders Trevor Gillies was given a 10-game suspension after slamming Minnesota Wild's Cal Clutterbuck into the boards during a game. He had just come back from a nine-game suspension for a similar hit.

Ex-NHL goaltender Kelly Hrudey, a commentator on Hockey Night In Canada, said that Bertuzzi's fate seven years ago proved the professional hockey world rejects excessive violence.

"There's not much to learn (from the hit) because that was never accepted anywhere, that kind of behaviour," he said from Calgary. "Bertuzzi was suspended for good reason. He was severely punished. (That behaviour) was not acceptable then. It's not acceptable now."

Bertuzzi's lawyer, Geoff Adair wouldn't comment on the case Monday.

"Unlike our opponents, we don't litigate this case in the newspaper," he said. "Other than that, I can't comment."

linnguyen@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/lindathu—nguyen

SPORTS: Holliston boys hockey falls to Scituate in quarterfinal - Abington Mariner

Posted:

SCITUATE 4, HOLLISTON 1: Senior captain John Georgallas scored for Holliston, but it wasn't enough for the Panthers in a loss to Scituate in the Division 3 South quarterfinals at Gallo Arena in Bourne. Holliston finished the season at 10-9-4.

Eric Witunski and Justin Dunham assisted on Georgallas' goal, which came in the second period and brought the Panthers within 2-1. However, Scituate scored twice in the third period to close it out.

"It was a great run," Holliston coach Rick LeBlanc said. "The boys just fought and battled hard. Day after day, being the underdog, they just found a way to get it done."

It was the first playoff berth for Holliston in six years and came just two years after a 1-18-1 season.

"I'm very proud of the boys," said LeBlanc, who will lose 14 seniors next year. "I can't say how proud I am. Just being in every game, we never got blown out of any games this year. It was a great feeling."

Hockey equipment maker Bauer files $77 million IPO - Reuters Canada

2011-03-06T23:36:00.001-08:00

Hockey equipment maker Bauer files $77 million IPO - Reuters Canada

Posted:

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content]

TORONTO (Reuters) - Bauer Performance Sports, a maker of hockey equipment in Canada for more than 80 years, said on Thursday it filed a final prospectus to raise at least C$75 million ($77 million) in an initial public stock offering. Bauer said in a ...

“Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament: Mercyhurst beats Robert Morris - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette” plus 1 more

2011-03-05T23:23:00.001-08:00

“Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament: Mercyhurst beats Robert Morris - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette” plus 1 more

Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament: Mercyhurst beats Robert Morris - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Posted:

Hot goaltenders often rule in hockey, and Robert Morris ran into one Saturday night.

Mercyhurst senior Ryan Zapolski stopped 31 shots as the Colonials fell, 5-1, in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey Association tournament in front of 1,202 at Island Sports Center, Neville Island.

Robert Morris developed plenty of scoring chances, but not a lot of the rebound, short-range type.

"If you can't get to him and get to his head a little bit, he'll stop everything that he sees," said Colonials senior defenseman Denny Urban, who had an assist. "We didn't get enough traffic in front of him to make him fight the puck."

It was the first postseason home game for Robert Morris, which finishes 18-12-5. Mercyhurst (15-16-4) advances to the quarterfinals of the league tournament. This was the Colonials' first season in the AHA.

Robert Morris spotted the Lakers a 3-0 lead through two periods before junior Trevor Lewis split the Mercyhurst defense while short-handed and beat Zapolski with a backhander at 1:59 of the third period.

The teams had each gone 1-1-1 in their three-game season series, with Mercyhurst holding a 9-8 scoring edge. The Lakers were the only school to win on Robert Morris home ice, where the Colonials were 9-2-3. A major reason for that is Zapolski.

"We just had too many perimeter shots," said Colonials senior and leading scorer Nathan Longpre. "We didn't get on Zapolski.".

Mercyhurst senior Scott Pitt got the only goal of the first period. He and Colonials senior Brock Meadows battled down the slot before Ryan Raven broke free to slip a shot in off the glove of Robert Morris goaltender Brooks Ostergard to make it 1-0 at 7:02.

The best of the Colonials' several good scoring chances in the first period came at about the midpoint when Longpre, with an open half-net, swung and missed from just left of the net on a pass from Urban, who was at the right point.

The Lakers trebled their lead in the second period.

Pitt made it 2-0 with his second goal at 8:36 when, from the slot, he one-timed a pass from freshman Nate Jensen, changing the direction of the puck by nearly 90 degrees.

A deft play by senior Jesse Echternach upped Mercyhurst's lead to 3-0 at 12:43. From the extended goal line to Ostergard's right, Echternach bounced the puck in off of Ostergard.

Robert Morris continued to threaten -- Urban got stopped on a two-on-one break with Longpre during four-on-four play, and junior Brandon Blandina had a short-handed breakaway -- but what Zapolski didn't stop, his teammates blocked. Mercyhurst had 17 blocks.

This season was the start of something different with a new league, but it also marked the end of a significant era in the six-year-old Robert-Morris program.

"We're graduating our all-time leading scorer [Longpre, 138 points]. We're graduating our all-time leading scoring defenseman [Urban, 112 points] and the all-time winningest class," coach Derek Schooley said. "It's time for the juniors to embrace the chance to lead the team."

First published on March 5, 2011 at 10:56 pm

Canisius Tops Niagara in Atlantic Hockey - WGRZ TV

Posted:

(CANISIUS SPORTS INFORMATION) Lewiston, N.Y. - The Canisius College hockey team lit the lamp six times as the Griffs ran away with a 6-3 victory at Niagara in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament on Saturday night. Canisius, who improves to 12-17-6 on the season, advances to the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals to face Holy Cross next weekend.

"Tonight was an excellent win in a tough building against a very good hockey team," said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. "We stuck to our game plan and played a very disciplined match."

Seniors Eric Rex (Fairview, Pa.) and Vincent Scarsella (Lackawanna, N.Y.) led the Griffs with two goals apiece. Rex also added an assist to match his career high with three points on the night. Junior Scott Moser (Tonawanda, N.Y.) and sophomore Preston Shupe (Weyburn, Saskatchewan) rounded out the scoring for Canisius, each adding a goal.

"Obviously, it is a big win for us tonight," Scarsella said. "We played very well and stuck to our game plan like we did two weeks ago when we won here. We kept it simple, made the easy plays and nobody tried to do too much."

Freshman Ben Danford (Stillwater, Minn.) was one of three Griffs with multiple assists on the night, pacing the offense with a team-leading three helpers. The freshman now owns the program's single-season record for assists by a blue liner with 20.

Junior goaltender Dan Morrison (London, Ontario) played strong in net, recording 48 saves to earn his third career postseason victory. The 48 stops by the junior netminder is a new program record for a postseason game, topping his own mark off 44.

The Griffs wasted no time finding the back of the net, scoring 68 seconds into the contest. Moser fired a shot on goal and the rebound went right to Rex. The senior then scored on the open net for his eighth goal of the season and the early 1-0 advantage. Sophomore Wes Love (Lake St. Louis, Mo.) also registered an assist on the goal.

Just a minute later, it was the Canisius defense's turn to shine. Bryan Haczyk, the nation's third-leading goal scorer, skated in on a breakaway but Morrison was there to make the save.

Niagara, however, eventually did find the back of the net when Derek Foam scored on the power play with 23.6 seconds left in the opening period.

Canisius came back in the second period and dominated the scoreboard during the stanza, outscoring the Purple Eagles, 4-0. Scarsella got things started on the power play, sending a wrist shot in from the blue line for the go-ahead score. Danford and Shupe both registered assists on the goal at the 6:52 mark.

Shupe then stretched the Griffs' lead to two, scoring with a two-man advantage. Senior Cory Conacher (Burlington, Ontario) one-timed a shot toward the goal that rang off the pipe. Shupe then gathered the rebound and scored for his 10th goal of the season. Danford also posted an assist on the power-play goal at the 9:34 mark of the period.

Two minutes later, Moser gave Canisius a 4-1 lead. Rex sent a shot in from the blue line and Moser redirected the puck past the Niagara goaltender for the three-goal advantage. Danford recorded his third assist of the period on the goal.

Scarsella then netted his second tally of the night to round out the scoring in the second period. Shupe and Scarsella entered the zone on a 2-on-1 rush and Shupe sent a shot on goal that was partially saved. The puck sat in the crease behind the Niagara goaltender and Scarsella finished it off for his 12th goal of his senior season. Sophomore Torrey Lindsay (Grosse Isle, Manitoba) also posted an assist on the goal.

Morrison was the anchor for the Griffs in net during the period, stopping all 21 shots on goal to help the Griffs take a four-goal lead into the third.

The Purple Eagles attempted a comeback in the final period, scoring two goals 1:41 apart. Giancarlo Iuorio started the rally with a rebound goal at the 5:58 mark, while Haczyk netted a power-play score at the 7:39 mark.

The defense clamped down from there and Rex then sealed the victory with his second goal of the night with 3:08 remaining. Conacher stole the puck in the Niagara zone and then fed Rex, who knocked it in for the three-goal advantage.

Niagara outshot the Griffs, 51-28, in the contest but Morrison was there to anchor the defense. Canisius was 2-for-9 with the extra-man advantage, while the Purple Eagles went 2-for-4 on the power play.

Cody Campbell started the game for Niagara, stopping 13-of-17 shots on goal, while Chris Noonan recorded nine saves on 11 shots in relief.

Canisius and Holy Cross now meet next weekend in Worcester, Mass. for a best 2-of-3 series. The first game of the series is scheduled for Friday night at 7:05 p.m.

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Sports Network” plus 1 more

2011-03-04T23:18:00.001-08:00

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Sports Network” plus 1 more

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Sports Network

Posted:

National Hockey League Game Capsules

(Friday, March 4th)

Final Score: New Jersey 2, Pittsburgh 1 (OT)

Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - Ilya Kovalchuk's power-play goal with 25 seconds left in overtime sent New Jersey over Pittsburgh, 2-1, at Prudential Center. The game-winner was made possible when Pittsburgh defenseman Zbynek Michalek was called for a questionable hook at 2:46 of the extra session. Patrik Elias missed his initial chance from the right side, but gathered the puck, skated behind the Penguins net and dished back for Kovalchuk, whose laser-like one-timer hit the back of the net from the left circle. Travis Zajac also tallied for the Devils, who have taken 11 of their last 12 games to keep themselves alive for a playoff berth. Martin Brodeur made 25 stops for the win. Tyler Kennedy notched the lone score for the Penguins, who dropped their sixth game in seven. Brent Johnson was the hard-luck loser with 28 saves.

Final Score: NY Rangers 4, Ottawa 1

Ottawa, ON (Sports Network) - Mats Zuccarello and Artem Anisimov scored 12 seconds apart in the second period to help the New York Rangers top Ottawa, 4-1, at Scotiabank Place. Vinny Prospal and Derek Stepan also tallied for the Rangers, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 28- of-29 shots. Sergei Gonchar scored for the Senators, who have lost two of three. Craig Anderson allowed all four goals on 27 shots in defeat.

Final Score: Chicago 5, Carolina 2

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Bryan Bickell had a goal and an assist as Chicago continued its recent tear with a 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at United Center. Ryan Johnson, Jonathan Toews, Dave Bolland and Patrick Kane all scored for the Blackhawks, who have won a season-high seven straight games. Corey Crawford made 18 stops to help Chicago move all alone into fourth place in the Western Conference with 78 points, one ahead of Calgary. Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal both scored for the Hurricanes, who had won their previous two. Justin Peters was tagged with all five goals on 29 shots.

Final Score: Calgary 4, Columbus 3

Calgary, AB (Sports Network) - Curtis Glencross had a goal and two assists as the Calgary Flames took a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Saddledome. Rene Bourque and Olli Jokinen each had a goal and an assist while Jarome Iginla also scored for the Flames, who jumped from the eighth spot to fifth place in the Western Conference. Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 37 shots as Calgary won for the third time in the past four games. Antoine Vermette had a goal and an assist while Jan Hejda and Craig Rivet also lit the lamp for the Blue Jackets, who have dropped their past four games. Steve Mason stopped 24 shots in the loss. The Blue Jackets had two penalty shots awarded to them in the game, but missed on both opportunities. It was the first time a team missed two penalty shots in one game since the Rangers missed two against the Red Wings on February 16, 1986.

Final Score: Anaheim 4, Dallas 3 (OT)

Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Lubomir Visnovsky's third goal of the game came with 3.8 seconds left in overtime as the Anaheim Ducks rallied for a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars at Honda Center. In the extra session, Ryan Getzlaf, who finished the game with three assists, drew a left circle faceoff back to Visnovsky. The blueliner then took a stride to the high slot before unleashing a bomb into the back of the net for the win. Visnovsky became the first defenseman in team history to record a hat trick while Teemu Selanne's 400th goal with the team late in the third tied the game for the Ducks, who have won three straight, including the second straight overtime win. Dan Ellis stopped 23 shots in the win for Anaheim, which now has 75 points and sits in a tie for the eighth spot in the Western Conference with Nashville. Jamie Benn, Adam Burish, and Loui Eriksson all scored for the Stars, who had won their previous three games. Kari Lehtonen made 25 saves in the loss.

03/05 02:09:18 ET

One Down, One to Go: Quinnipiac captures ECAC Hockey series opener with Brown - New Haven Register

Posted:

More Photos

Click thumbnails to enlarge

Quinnipiac's Kellen Jones, left, and Connor Jones celebrate Kellen's goal during the second period. (Photo by Peter Casolino/New Haven Register)

By Chip Malafronte, Register Staff
cmalafronte@nhregister.com

Quinnipiac's Kellen Jones put this one in for a goal as Brown Goalie Michael Clemente defends during the second period. (Photo by Peter Casolino/New Haven Register) 03/04/11 Cas110304

HAMDEN — With a lineup that features 13 underclassmen and just one senior, Quinnipiac was looking to start fast to ease the pressure of Friday's ECAC Hockey playoff opener.

It doesn't hurt that the Bobcats are significantly better playing with a lead — 12-2-4 when scoring the game's first goal and 1-11-4 when the opponent scores first.

So it was a good sign when Jeremy Langlois found the net just 15 seconds into the game — the second-fastest goal in conference playoff history. The eighth-seeded Bobcats were never in trouble, aided by Dan Clarke's 22 saves, cruising to a 4-0 victory over No. 9 Brown before 2,054 at the TD Bank Sports Center.

Quinnipiac (14-13-8) took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 series, which continues tonight at 7 at the same venue. The Bobcats will look to win at least one playoff series for the sixth time since joining the conference six years ago.

Brown won the opening faceoff and got the puck into the Quinnipiac zone. But Loren Barron tipped the puck to Langlois near the blue line, and Langlois used his speed to outskate the defense wide through the neutral zone and fire a shot over goalie Mike Clemente to give the Bobcats an immediate lead.

"That set the tone for the game," Quinnipiac captain Scott Zurevinski said of Langlois' quick goal. "I don't know our exact record when we score first, but it's a lot better than when we don't. We needed to score that first goal. If we can do that, we're going to win a lot of games."

Yuri Bouharevich made it a two-goal lead, cleaning up a rebound in front with 7:04 to play in the first period. Ben Arnt sent a shot the clipped the crossbar, and Bouharevich sent it to the back of the net.

Quinnipiac padded the lead in the second period.

See ECAC, C4

Defenseman Zach Hansen buried a long shot from just inside the blue line at 4:55, and a minute later, Kellen Jones got the puck off a faceoff and beat Clemente with a second chance to make it a four-goal game. Continued...

Clemente was then pulled in favor of sophomore Anthony Borelli.

"When we can come out to a game like that, and get our legs going good with a cycle or a big hit or a play like that right off the bat, it gives us some momentum to go through the game," said Langlois, a sophomore from Tempe, Ariz., who leads Quinnipiac with 16 goals. "We had a great week of practice, and all the guys were ready."

Clarke, making only his second start in the last three months, also gave the Bobcats a lift. The starter in goal at season's onset, he lost his job to sophomore Eric Hartzell in December.

He was strong in relief against Yale two weeks earlier, and earned a start against regular-season champion Union last Friday. His performance in a 2-2 tie, a crucial game in the Bobcats' quest for home ice, helped swing the coaches to use him again Friday.

"When we needed it, Clarkie was very efficient. He made some big saves for us tonight," Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said. "He did a really nice job of handling the puck and kind of slowing their forecheck down."

Quinnipiac expects Brown (10-15-5) to come back swinging tonight. The Bears are experienced and playoff tested, even without injured forward Jack Maclellan (foot).

"Brown plays with a lot of emotion," Zurevinski said. "I'm sure their coach is ripping them right now, yelling and screaming, so they'll come out fired up (tonight). We just have to stick with what we did; keep things simple, work them down low, and score on our chances."

More Photos

Click thumbnails to enlarge

Quinnipiac's Kellen Jones, left, and Connor Jones celebrate Kellen's goal during the second period. (Photo by Peter Casolino/New Haven Register)

By Chip Malafronte, Register Staff
cmalafronte@nhregister.com

Quinnipiac's Kellen Jones put this one in for a goal as Brown Goalie Michael Clemente defends during the second period. (Photo by Peter Casolino/New Haven Register) 03/04/11 Cas110304

HAMDEN — With a lineup that features 13 underclassmen and just one senior, Quinnipiac was looking to start fast to ease the pressure of Friday's ECAC Hockey playoff opener.

It doesn't hurt that the Bobcats are significantly better playing with a lead — 12-2-4 when scoring the game's first goal and 1-11-4 when the opponent scores first.

Quinnipiac padded the lead in the second period.

See ECAC, C4

Clemente was then pulled in favor of sophomore Anthony Borelli.

Clarke, making only his second start in the last three months, also gave the Bobcats a lift. The starter in goal at season's onset, he lost his job to sophomore Eric Hartzell in December.

Quinnipiac expects Brown (10-15-5) to come back swinging tonight. The Bears are experienced and playoff tested, even without injured forward Jack Maclellan (foot).

“Sports in a minute - Eagle-Tribune” plus 1 more

2011-03-03T23:22:00.001-08:00

“Sports in a minute - Eagle-Tribune” plus 1 more

Sports in a minute - Eagle-Tribune

Posted:

NFL and union extend talks for another day

America's favorite sport is still in business—for another day.

The NFL and the players' union decided yesterday to keep the current collective bargaining agreement in place for an additional 24 hours so that negotiations can continue.

"The parties have agreed to a one-day extension," federal mediator George Cohen said in a one-sentence statement after the sides met with him for about eight hours. The CBA was set to expire at midnight, which likely would have prompted the first work stoppage since 1987 for a league that rakes in $9 billion a year.

"For all our fans who dig our game, we appreciate your patience as we work through this," union executive director DeMaurice Smith said as he emerged from the talks. "We are going to keep working. We want to play football."

Said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as he left: "We are working as hard as we can."

Allowing the CBA to expire could put the two sides on the road to a year without football, even though opening kickoff of the 2011 season still is six months away. The labor unrest comes as the NFL is at the height of its popularity, breaking records for TV ratings: This year's Super Bowl was the most-watched program in U.S. history.

Cheapest ticket in town

A dollar can't buy too much these days. Tonight it can buy you and your loved ones a chance to see Merrimack College hockey clinch home ice for Hockey East tournament, only the second time in the 21 seasons that they've hosted the first round.

Merrimack hosts Providence College and with a win it clinches home ice for next weekend's playoffs.

The tickets cost only $1. The only remaining tickets, though, are standing-room-only.

The game begins at 7 p.m.

Central fans have a busy weekend ahead

The MIAA will lend a helping hand for "Central Crazies," which are Central Catholic fans that want the ability to see every game their school plays in the state tournament.

The Central boys and girls basketball teams, both highly ranked in the Division 1 North Section and the Central hockey team, which qualified for the Super 8 — eight top teams in Massachusetts — tournament at Merrimack College this weekend, will all be playing this weekend.

And with the MIAA's assistance, the games will not be scheduled at the same time so fans can see all of the games if they'd like.

The girls basketball team hosts Masco tonight at 7 p.m. Tomorrow, the Central hockey team will play the state's top-ranked team, Malden Catholic, at 6 p.m. at Merrimack College. And the boys basketball team will play on Sunday against Charlestown at 3 p.m.

MVC lives for another day

The Merrimack Valley Conference athletic directors met in Lowell yesterday and while word on the street is that it is a "done deal" that a few schools, including Andover High, have already opted to move to the Dual County League, that was not the word yesterday.

Several ADs discussed ways to improve aspects of the league, including the ability for all of the city schools to have the proper number of sub-varsity teams.

In fact, one topic that came up is the possibility that the MVC might want to join the Dual County League to form a "Super League."

Anyway, the Dual County principals are expected to meet next week to discuss expansion, possibly adding the bulk, if not all, of the MVC.

Stay tuned.

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Raleigh News & Observer

Posted:

Jamie McBain scored the winner 26 seconds into overtime as the Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at RBC Center. In the extra session, McBain took a pass at the right point, took a stride down and blasted a shot past Ryan Miller for the win. Jiri Tlusty and Chad LaRose each had a goal for the Hurricanes, who have taken their last two games. Cam Ward stopped 27 shots in the win, which put Carolina in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Steve Montador had a goal and an assist while Brad Boyes also scored for the Sabres, who had won three of four coming into the contest. Miller made 21 stops in the loss.

Final Score: Washington 3, St. Louis 2

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Jason Arnott scored his first goal for the Capitals late in the third period, and Washington held on for a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues at Verizon Center. The Capitals acquired Arnott from New Jersey on Monday, and the center had an assist in Tuesday's overtime win against the Islanders. His go-ahead score Thursday allowed Washington to extend its winning streak to three games. Nicklas Backstrom and Scott Hannan also scored for the Capitals, while Michal Neuvirth made 25 saves. The victory, combined with Tampa Bay's loss to Boston on Thursday, pulled the Capitals within a point of the Southeast Division-leading Lightning. Alexander Steen and B.J. Crombeen lit the lamp in the Blues' third consecutive loss, and sixth in their last seven games. Ty Conklin stopped 27-of-30 shots.

Final Score: Toronto 3, Philadelphia 2

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Darryl Boyce tallied the game-winning score with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third period as Toronto nipped Philadelphia, 3-2. Nikolai Kulemin and Dion Phaneuf also scored for the Maple Leafs, who snapped a four-game losing streak to the Eastern Conference leaders with their fourth win in six games overall. James Reimer made 28 stops for the victory. Facing his old team for the first time, Kris Versteeg posted both goals -- assisted each time by Mike Richards -- for the Flyers, who have lost two in a row and three of four. Sergei Bobrovsky took the loss despite 30 saves.

Final Score: Ottawa 3, Atlanta 1

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Colin Greening scored his first NHL goal in Ottawa's 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers, who continue to tumble out of playoff contention. Bobby Butler and Nick Foligno also lit the lamp for the Senators, who have won four of their last six games. Craig Anderson was solid between the pipes, surrendering just one goal on 43 shots. Dustin Byfuglien scored the lone goal for Atlanta, which has lost its first two games in March after going 2-7-2 in February. Chris Mason gave up all three goals on 27 shots.

Final Score: Boston 2, Tampa Bay 1

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Milan Lucic scored the go-ahead goal with 3:42 remaining in the third period, and the Boston Bruins pushed their winning streak to seven games with a 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay. Steven Kampfer also scored for the Bruins, while Tim Thomas made 27 saves for the victory. Eric Brewer had the only goal for the Lightning, who have lost two straight on the heels of a three-game winning streak. Mike Smith allowed two goals on 28 shots in defeat. Boston took sole possession of the No. 2 slot in the Eastern Conference behind Philadelphia with 83 points. The Northeast Division-leading Bruins entered the game tied with Tampa Bay and idle Pittsburgh at 81 points.

Final Score: Minnesota 3, NY Rangers 1

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Minnesota goaltender Jose Theodore was stellar with 40 saves, as the Wild downed the New York Rangers, 3-1, at Madison Square Garden. Kyle Brodziak, Casey Wellman and Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored for Minnesota, which halted a two-game skid and climbed within one point of idle Calgary for second place in the Northwest Division. Sean Avery scored the lone goal for the Rangers, who dropped their third consecutive game and continued their season-long struggles on home ice. Henrik Lundqvist allowed three goals on 19 shots in the losing effort.

Final Score: Montreal 4, Florida 0

Sunrise, FL (Sports Network) - Carey Price stopped all 30 shots he faced to record his seventh shutout of the season in a 4-0 Montreal win over Florida at BankAtlantic Center. Price also reached the 30-win plateau for the first time in his career with his third victory in four starts. Hal Gill, David Desharnais and Lars Eller lit the lamp for the Canadiens, winners of three straight and four of five. Tomas Vokoun was pulled after allowing two goals on three shots, leaving Scott Clemmensen to finish the game by yielding two more scores for the Panthers, who have lost three in a row and five of six.

Final Score: Edmonton 4, Columbus 2

Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) - Taylor Hall registered a goal and an assist to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rexall Place. Sam Gagner and Jordan Eberle also scored for the Oilers, who concluded their four-game homestand with a 2-2 mark and won for the sixth time in their last nine games overall. Devan Dubnyk was solid with 26 saves in the victory. Newcomer Scottie Upshall, who was acquired by the Blue Jackets from Phoenix at the trade deadline on Monday, scored his second goal in as many games for his new team. Matt Calvert also tallied for Columbus, which is now winless in its last three games (0-2-1) on the heels of a three-game win streak. The Blue Jackets will continue their five-game road trip in Calgary on Friday. Goaltender Steve Mason started for Columbus but was pulled inside the opening minute of the second period after he allowed three goals on 14 shots. Mathieu Garon stopped all 23 shots he faced in relief.

Final Score: Nashville 3, Vancouver 0

Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Pekka Rinne made 29 saves to notch his fifth shutout of the season, as Nashville downed Vancouver, 3-0, at Rogers Arena. Blake Geoffrion and Patric Hornqvist both tallied for the Predators, who won for the second time in seven games. David Legwand added an empty-netter in the win. Roberto Luongo yielded two goals on 28 shots as the Canucks wrapped up a six- game homestand with a .500 record. They have alternated wins and losses in the last 12 games.

Final Score: San Jose 3, Detroit 1

San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - Dany Heatley scored twice to keep red-hot San Jose streaking with a 3-1 win over Detroit at HP Pavilion. Patrick Marleau added an insurance goal in the third period for the Sharks, who have won eight straight and haven't lost on home ice since January 13. Antti Niemi surrendered the one goal on 27 shots. Tomas Holmstrom tallied for the Red Wings, who are one of the league's best road teams, but have lost two straight as the visitors. Joey MacDonald gave up all three goals on 28 shots.

Final Score: Los Angeles 1, Phoenix 0

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Jonathan Bernier made 25 saves for his second shutout of the season and the Kings edged the Coyotes, 1-0, at Staples Center. Jarret Stoll's power-play tally in the third period was the lone offense as the Kings won for the fourth time in five games. Bernier started for the first time since February 24. Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 17-of-18 shots in Phoenix's fifth consecutive loss.

“Hockey Brawler Paid Price, With Brain Trauma - New York Times” plus 1 more

2011-03-02T23:18:00.001-08:00

“Hockey Brawler Paid Price, With Brain Trauma - New York Times” plus 1 more

Hockey Brawler Paid Price, With Brain Trauma - New York Times

Posted:

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content]

She said she would begin encouraging other hockey players to donate their brains, and raising awareness about the possible health risks of sports-related head trauma. "In my heart of hearts, I don't believe fighting is what did this to Bob," she said.

Queen's, Guelph play longest college hockey game - Seattle Post Intelligencer

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Last updated March 2, 2011 11:16 p.m. PT

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

GUELPH, Ontario -- Morgan McHaffie ended the longest game in college hockey history early Thursday, scoring in the sixth overtime to give Queen's a 2-1 victory over Guelph on Wednesday night in a Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's playoff game.

McHaffie's goal 7:14 into the sixth extra period ended the game at 167 minutes, 14 seconds, including 107:14 of extra time. That's the longest game on record in CIS or NCAA hockey - women's or men's.

The victory gave the Gaels a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Ontario University Athletics final.

After battling for 60 minutes in regulation, Queen's and Guelph played a 10-minute overtime period, then four 20-minute extra frames before McHaffie ended it.

Guelph was 5 seconds away from victory in regulation after Tori Woods opened the scoring in the third period, but Becky Conroy tied the game in the dying seconds.

Queen's is 4-0 in the 2011 playoffs, all 2-1 victories that went to at least the second overtime.

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star” plus 1 more

2011-02-28T23:16:00.001-08:00

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star” plus 1 more

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star

Posted:

By Sports Network

The Sports Network

St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Jonathan Toews had a goal and two assists, as the reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks held on for a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. Patrick Sharp tallied a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks, who have won five straight and are now 7-1-2 in their last 10 contests as they make a final push for a playoff spot in a crowded Western Conference. Tomas Kopecky and Marian Hossa also lit the lamp, while Corey Crawford turned away 24-of-26 shots to pick up the win. Martin Havlat notched a goal and a helper, while Brent Burns also scored for Minnesota, which has dropped five of eight. Niklas Backstrom allowed four goals on 34 shots.

Final Score: Detroit 7, Los Angeles 4 Jimmy Howard celebrated his new contract by making 35 saves, Drew Miller scored twice, and the Detroit Red Wings hammered the Los Angeles Kings, 7-4, at Staples Center. Hours after Howard signed a two-year extension with the club, the Red Wings rattled off seven straight goals en route to a sixth consecutive road win. Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk each scored on the power play, while Darren Helm added a short- handed tally in the rout. Michal Handzus scored an early power play goal for the Kings, who netted three late goals to make the final score somewhat more respectable in just their second regulation loss in 16 games. Jonathan Quick was beaten six times on 24 shots before getting pulled in the third period.

High school hockey: Skyline tops Bingham to win second consecutive title - Deseret News

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Published: Monday, Feb. 28, 2011 10:42 p.m. MST

SALT LAKE CITY — For the second consecutive year, Skyline claimed the Utah High School Hockey championship in sudden-death overtime.

Mike McCombs scored the latest game-winning goal as the Eagles defeated Bingham 3-2 Monday night at the Salt Lake City Sports Complex.

"It feels great. I've never had this experience before," McCombs said. "I've been playing hockey in Utah my whole life and it just feels great. I love the fans as well."

McCombs' score at 4:05 of the first overtime capped a furious finish by the defending champs. Skyline trailed 2-1 with less than one minute to play in regulation but forced an extra session when McCombs found the back of the net with 51 seconds to go. Nick Fornelius and Daniel Brickley assisted on the play.

"Before the game we kept our heads in it," said McCombs, a transfer from East. "We told the team we can't go easy, we've got to play our hearts out and that's what we did."

The victory sends Skyline to next month's USA Hockey High School National Championships in Chicago. The Eagles went 3-1 in last year's tournament after edging Viewmont in sudden-death in the double-elimination tournament for the Utah title.

This time around, however, Skyline made it through the state tournament undefeated. Top-seeded Bingham, though, made the finale a contest that went right down to the wire.

The Miners jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Cody Bohin scored off an assist by Dimitrios Fuskandrakis at 5:12 of the first period. They remained ahead until Skyline pulled even on a power-play goal by Taylor Hagen at 5:39 of the second. McCombs was credited with an assist.

The game was tied at 1-1 until late in the third period. A goal by Caden Ottley, off an assist by Bohin, gave Bingham an advantage with 3:11 remaining.

It wasn't enough, however, to keep the Eagles from coming back to repeat as state champions.

"That was a great game, a close game — boy, another overtime winner," said Skyline coach Sam Wilson. "It came down to the two best teams and they gave it to us. They gave us all we can handle. That's for sure."

“Hockey in the Hood a continued growing success - Michigan Citizen” plus 1 more

2011-02-27T23:24:00.001-08:00

“Hockey in the Hood a continued growing success - Michigan Citizen” plus 1 more

Hockey in the Hood a continued growing success - Michigan Citizen

Posted:

By Harry M. Anderson, Jr.
Special to The Michigan CitizenDETROIT � For the seventh straight year, team participation and interest in the annual Detroit event Hockey in the Hood, put on by the Detroit Hockey Association, continued to draw teams not only from the metro Detroit area, but across the country.

This year�s event took place Feb. 18-20 at the Jack Adams Arena on Detroit�s west side. Additional games were held outdoors at Clark Park Ice Arena in Southwest Detroit.

Team participation this year was a lot bigger than anticipated. Eight of nine scheduled teams showed up: Detroit Dragons (Detroit Hockey Association), Clark Park Association of Southwest Detroit, Fort DuPont Hockey Club (Washington, DC), Columbus Ice Hockey Club (Ohio), Farmington (Mich.) Renegades, Royal Oak Jets, Minnesota Dinomites from Minneapolis, Minn. and the Wasilla Wild from Wasilla, Alaska. The Additional participating teams were the Plymouth (Mich.) Killer Sharks, St. Clair Shores Hockey Club, Allen Park Huskies, Kensington Valley Destroyers and the Novi Panthers. The teams competed in various classes of competition: Midget, Bantam, Pee Wee, Squirt, and Mite. Girls participated in the smaller divisions.

�The outdoor environment is big with the kids,� said Anthony Benavides, head coach of the Clark Park Ice Hockey Club. �The players and fans can see the stars above them at night and the sunshine during the day.�

�It�s fun outdoors because it brings the kids out from the indoors,� Benavides said.

DHA President Will McCants, founder and creator of the annual Black History Month event, was very impressed with the strong and diverse turnout of teams.

�I was very impressed about this year because there was more involvement,� McCants said. �It was more exciting because the games at Clark Park help bring more exposure to HITH. Playing outdoors was a big help although Mother Nature wasn�t co-operative at times with the warmer temperatures.�

Alan Alexander, a member of the DHA Board of Directors and coach of the Dragons Midgets, was also very astonished by the number of participants.

�I�m surprised on how fast HITH is growing,� he said. �It�s all about bonding. This shows that inner-city kids can play the sport.

�The level of competition has grown. All types and levels of teams are getting better.�

All kinds of teams are getting involved with HITH.

�The different communities that are now involved, this event brought them here and made it exciting,� McCants said. �Sponsorship was down, but that�s happening everywhere. We need more help from Black leaders and businesses.�

Hockey in the Hood receives sponsorship from the Detroit Parks and Recreation, the Detroit Red Wings Foundation, Frito-Lay, Sam�s Club, USA Hockey and the NHL Hockey�s For Everyone Program.

�The recreation department was [a] big help,� McCants said. �We wouldn�t be able to put this program on if it wasn�t for them.�

McCants said several teams from out of state continue to come back every year. He was very impressed by the number of suburban teams that now want to play with the Detroit kids.

�The teams from Washington, Columbus, Alaska and Minnesota come back every year because we�re doing something right,� McCants said. �They like the atmosphere and we became like family. They look forward to coming here every year.

�Suburban teams contacted me and vice-versa,� McCants said. �We were able to fill all the tournament brackets because of them. They know what this weekend is about. They take it very seriously because they know they have to play well.�

The suburban teams, coaches and parents were very glad to be in Detroit for HITH.

�I�m very impressed with the Detroit Hockey Association because this was a well-run tournament,� said Shannon Dunne of Allen Park, whose eight-year-old son Tommy played goalie for the Allen Park Huskies. �I�m not scared to come to Detroit despite the scary news headlines. I really liked playing outdoors at Clark Park. That was very nice.�

�I come to Detroit all the time,� said Joe Williams, 15, of Farmington and left-winger for the Farmington Renegades. �It�s nothing like that TV show �Detroit 187�. We made a bunch of friends on the other teams. I also love the pace of the games in the tournament.�

�This tournament has been pretty good,� said Scott Lanham, head coach of the Novi Panthers. �It�s a class show because it�s very well-organized. We played two games outdoors (Clark Park). Although the ice was good, the games got better when the weather got colder.�

Neal Henderson, president of the Fort Du Pont Hockey Club, the oldest Black hockey club in the country, is happy that HITH is growing because of the well-organized operation.

�Because it�s well organized this tournament has grown,� he said. �Our organization has been here since the first one seven years ago (2004). I�m very thankful to be here and hope to have more teams participate.�

The team from Wasilla, Alaska, looks forward every year to come to Detroit because of HITH. Greg Morrison, head coach of the Wasilla Wild, said the relationship with the NHL Diversity Program brought them here.

�We love HITH,� Morrison said. �It�s fun to come down here to play kids from Ohio, Minnesota, Washington, New York and Detroit. This year Maria Adams-Lawton of Healthy Kidz, Inc. helped drive us to the arena and to our hotel room.

�We do fundraisers to enable to come here. It helps us, the parents of the players, to defray the cost of travel. It takes $1000-per kid to cover our travel and lodging. Melissa Marks, our club secretary, co-ordinate the funds and travel to make this all happen.�

As for the future, McCants said he wants to keep HITH in Detroit at Jack Adams, Clark Park and possibly expand it to the City Sports Ice Arena.

�Yes, we might include the City Sports Arena, but the idea is to keep HITH right here in the city,� he said. �We want it accessible to the people of the community.�

Devin Wardlaw, 17, a center for the Dragons Midget Team and student at Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High sums up HITH this way:

�HITH is great exposure. It helps Detroit because this shows our city to other people. It helps me meet new people and talent from across the country Hockey is a wonderful sport that everyone should play.�

Sled hockey: I think I'm going to like this - msnbc.com

Posted:

A week ago I didn?t know what sled hockey was. After watching a few teams play for two hours, I am looking forward to getting into a sled Sunday. ?It has been a best-kept secret worldwide forever,? said Gary Smith, coach and event director for the Colorado Springs Sled Hockey Association on Wednesday between games among soldiers in the Warrior Transition Battalion at Sertich Ice Center. Sled hockey uses the same general rules as hockey, with the exception that is a noncontact sport. Instead of skating, participants sit in a bucket seat on a sled with their legs extended in front of them and skate blades underneath. A player has two short sticks with ice picks at one end to propel themselves. The other end is curved, like any hockey stick, and used for controlling the puck. The player has to flip the stick and keep their balance while handling the puck. The most common technique was a two-handed method that reminded me of rowing a one-man canoe. It can be an intense upper-body workout, but the soldiers touted the mental benefits. ?It?s physically demanding, but it is fun,? said David Rosencrans, who described himself as a Wounded Warrior in Alpha Company. ?You have not only cognitive therapies strategies, your physical therapy increases. It just helps you rebuild, and it is a positive thing.? Rosencrans, who was in a wheelchair for four months after being hit by a drunk driver in 2009, said his love for hockey gave him no choice but to try the sled. ?I have been playing for years, so either I don?t skate or I get in a sled,? he said. ?Whether I was in a sled or standing up, I was going to play hockey again.? While encouraging me to play, Rosencrans said he enjoys seeing others try the sport.?It?s all about the camaraderie,? he said. Sabastian Munevar, who was wounded in combat in Afghanistan in 2009, agreed on the benefits of being on a team. ?It?s incredibly significant for your well-being,? said Munevar, who is preparing to return to duty. ?It (playing) helps build camaraderie and spirit of the corps.? Munevar said he hadn?t played sled hockey before Wednesday and Jackie King, one the few women who played, said, ?This is my first time ever being on ice. This was fun.? King said she would encourage others to participate in the coed sport. Sled hockey is often featured in Paralympic festivals that are geared to benefit injured soldiers. Anywhere from 300-400 soldiers are given the chance to play during a festival. ?We always try to do sled hockey,? Smith said. ?And every time we do it ? it is the most popular sport.? One thing that CSSHA stresses is that most anyone over 7 years old can play. CSSHA?s brochure encourages people with cerebral palsy, amputations, paraplegia, club feet, multiple sclerosis and hip and knee problems to play but ?there are no rules against able-body teams playing,? according to Smith. There are sleds and pushers to accommodate almost anyone?s needs. The participants in the CSSHA, which works in conjunction with USA Hockey, are mostly children. ?If a parent wants to bring a child or if there?s an adult who wants to play, we have sleds, we have elbow pads, shoulder pads, gloves, helmets ? all the basic protective gear they need,? Smith said. I will be using that equipment Sunday when I try this sport. If you are interested in playing, please see the box with this story.... Click here to continue to the story

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Sports Network” plus 1 more

2011-02-26T23:30:00.001-08:00

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Sports Network” plus 1 more

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Sports Network

Posted:

National Hockey League Game Capsules

(Saturday, February 26th)

Final Score: Dallas 3, Nashville 2

Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Loui Eriksson scored the game-winner late in the third period, as the Dallas Stars rallied past the Nashville Predators, 3-2, at American Airlines Center. Alex Goligoski had a goal and an assist for the Stars, who have won two in a row since a five-game skid. Tom Wandell also lit the lamp. Kari Lehtonen turned aside 25-of-27 shots. Colin Wilson tallied a goal and an assist for the Predators, who have dropped four straight. Ryan Suter also scored. Pekka Rinne made 22 saves for Nashville, which had been outscored by a combined 7-0 margin in its last two games, getting blanked Tuesday in Columbus before losing Thursday's home tilt to Chicago.

Final Score: Los Angeles 4, Colorado 3

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Jarret Stoll's third-period goal turned out to be the game-winner, as the Los Angeles Kings held off a Colorado rally to beat the Avalanche, 4-3, at Staples Center. The Kings scored the game's first four goals, with Stoll's capping the run 5:47 into the final period. The Avalanche nearly pulled off the big comeback, getting within one when Stoll accidentally kicked Paul Stastny's backhander into the Los Angeles net with 29.3 seconds remaining. However, goaltender Jonathan Quick and the Kings didn't allow the equalizer and held on for their third consecutive win. Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar both had a goal and an assist, while Quick made 14 saves. David Jones scored twice for Colorado, which has dropped two in a row and 12 of 13 overall. Brian Elliott turned aside 38 shots in the setback.

Final Score: Detroit 3, Buffalo 2 (SO)

Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) - Jiri Hudler and Pavel Datsyuk both scored in regulation and in the shootout to give the road-tested Detroit Red Wings a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at HSBC Arena. After Datsyuk roofed the first round shot and Joey MacDonald stoned Thomas Vanek in the second, Hudler used a backhander to get the puck past Ryan Miller to preserve the win for Detroit, which has won five straight games as the guests. Hudler sent the game into overtime with a goal in the final minute of regulation. MacDonald made 30 saves to give Detroit a win to start a five-game road trip and also snapped a two-game losing streak. Mike Grier and Andrej Sekera each scored for the Sabres, who picked up a point to put them just two points outside of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Miller made 35 saves in the loss.

Final Score: Montreal 4, Carolina 3

Montreal, QC (Sports Network) - Montreal made the most of its lone power play opportunity. Andrei Kostitsyn scored the tiebreaking goal on the man advantage with 3:53 remaining in the third period, and the Canadiens edged the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-3, at the Bell Centre. Carolina rookie sensation Jeff Skinner went to the penalty box for holding at 14:10. As the power play was winding down, Kostitsyn managed to get his stick on Roman Hamrlik's shot from the left point, deflecting it past Cam Ward. Michael Cammalleri and Tomas Plekanec joined Kostitsyn with a goal and an assist, while Montreal's Alex Auld stopped 28 of the 31 shots he faced. The Canadiens won for just the third time in their last 10 games. Jussi Jokinen, Tuomo Ruutu and Cory Stillman tallied for Carolina, which has dropped three of four. Ward made 23 saves in defeat.

Final Score: Ottawa 4, Philadelphia 1

Ottawa, ON (Sports Network) - Erik Condra scored his first two NHL goals, including what proved to be the game-winner, as Ottawa came back to stun Philadelphia, 4-1, at ScotiaBank Place. Nick Foligno and Chris Phillips also potted goals for the Senators, who bounced back from a 4-2 loss in Buffalo on Friday to win for a third time in their last four games. Craig Anderson was huge in net, turning away 30 shots, including 14 in the first period, to earn the win. Scott Hartnell deposited the only goal for the Flyers, who have lost six straight visits since their last win in Ottawa on November 24, 2007. Brian Boucher stopped 25 shots in defeat.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 6, Toronto 5 (SO)

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Alex Kovalev paid quick dividends for his new team by scoring the only goal of the shootout, ringing the puck off the right post, to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kovalev, acquired from Ottawa on Thursday, was the fourth skater in the shootout, and following his goal, Marc-Andre Fleury smothered Mikhail Grabovski's attempt to secure the victory in a wild game. The teams combined to score five times in a span of 6:16 early in the third period. Pittsburgh's Michael Rupp netted the last of those goals to tie the game. Mark Letestu, playing for the first time since January 25, had a goal and an assist for the Penguins. He had missed the last 13 games with a knee injury, but returned to help Pittsburgh snap a four-game slide. Maxime Talbot scored a shorthanded goal for the Penguins, while Fleury ended with 26 saves. Joffrey Lupul lit the lamp twice for Toronto, which had won its last two. James Reimer turned aside 35 shots.

Final Score: Washington 3, NY Islanders 2

Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) - Mike Knuble and Alexander Semin scored early in the third period, as the Washington Capitals rallied past the New York Islanders, 3-2. Brooks Laich had a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who bounced back from a 6-0 loss to the Rangers on Friday. Michal Neuvirth made 29 saves. Kyle Okposo and Travis Hamonic lit the lamp for the Islanders, who have lost three in a row. Al Montoya turned aside 19-of-22 shots in defeat.

Final Score: Boston 3, Vancouver 1

Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Milan Lucic enjoyed being home. The Vancouver native supplied the game-winning goal in the third period and collected two assists, powering the Boston Bruins to a 3-1 victory over the Canucks in a battle between division leaders at Rogers Arena. Tim Thomas made 27 saves for the Bruins, who improved to 4-0-0 on their six-game road trip and remained four points ahead of second-place Montreal in the Northeast Division. Roberto Luongo stopped 22 shots for NHL-leading Vancouver, which hasn't strung consecutive victories together since a six-game streak that bridged the end of January and beginning of February.

02/27 00:55:37 ET

'Killzone 3' frenetic fun; 'Mario Sports Mix' a loser - Globe Gazette

Posted:

"Killzone 3"

Platform: PlayStation 3

Genre: Shooter

Publisher: Sony

ESRB Rating: M, for Mature

Grade: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

When a franchise makes a leap in progress such as "Killzone 2" did from the original game, perhaps it would be greedy to expect similar improvement in the next release. But lightning can strike twice, it seems. "Killzone 3" is a fantastic game that will make gamers happy and multiplayer fans rejoice.

The majority of the story centers around Sev and Rico, two soldiers seemingly bent on destroying the Helghast army all by themselves. Throughout the campaign, players are plied with all manner of weaponry, including classics from previous games and a few new toys to make the proceedings more explosive.

"Killzone 3" sets a frenetic pace, helped out by the well-executed blend of set pieces. Some missions take place in tight spaces with hordes of Helghast foes swarming about, while others are set in tanks armed with heavy cannons. Although many games try to throw the kitchen sink at players and fail, "Killzone" developers have succeeded without pandering.

Just finishing the campaign is not enough. For the true grit of this game, gamers must dive into the online multiplayer mode for the riches that await — better maps, stronger layouts and a sweet new match type called Operations.

For a game with wonderful cinematic views and battle set pieces that would make action-movie director Michael Bay weep with joy, "Killzone 3's" cutscenes and dialogue are truly horrendous. The dialogue is filled with long, canned speeches that go nowhere. It's truly terrible stuff — and not in a wink-wink, campy way like it is in the "Command & Conquer" series.

If you can somehow block out the awful cutscenes, you'll be left with a beautifully designed first-person shooter well worth your time.

"Mario Sports Mix"

Platform: Wii

Genre: Sports

Publisher: Nintendo

ESRB Rating: E, for Everyone

Grade: 1 star

Mario and the gang take a vacation from the grueling adventures of platforming and relax in the warm confines of sports gaming in "Mario Sports Mix." Unfortunately, the developers of this lackluster release seem to have taken a vacation from innovation.

The game offers only four sports: basketball, dodge ball, hockey and volleyball. It's a pretty paltry menu since most gamers likely have played all of these sports on one of the numerous other Wii sports titles. Compounding the situation: None of these games is fun, even with a heavy dose of Mario-inspired tweaks.

Hockey is slow and methodical; dodge ball may be among the worst games in history; volleyball is OK but offers nothing new; and although basketball is the best of the bunch, that's not saying much.

Gamers will find few of the details and effort put into other Mario-themed games. If this were a knockoff with characters named Murio and Largie, I might understand, but this game is just plain unsatisfactory.

Follow Chris Campbell at twitter.com/campbler or e-mail him at game—on—games@mac.com.

“High school ice hockey in Prince William County is being set back by lack of facilities - Washington Post” plus 1 more

2011-02-25T23:18:00.001-08:00

“High school ice hockey in Prince William County is being set back by lack of facilities - Washington Post” plus 1 more

High school ice hockey in Prince William County is being set back by lack of facilities - Washington Post

Posted:

When Stone Bridge and McLean hit the ice for the Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League championship Friday evening at Kettler Iceplex in Ballston, a familiar presence in the game will be absent for the first time since 2005: a team from Prince William County.

Hockey has become a very popular youth sport in Prince William, but while the number of players has increased, they all remained confined to one facility - the two-rink Prince William Ice Arena in Dale City. On Feb. 6, 2010, the roof of the complex collapsed under the weight of snow from last winter's blizzards.

Construction of a new facility on the same site is underway, according to arena owner Bill Hunzler, and is expected to open this July or August. Yet the past 12 months have shown the difficulty of accommodating the interest in the sport in the county.

A temporary facility was built in Haymarket, in the far western corner of the county, but it only has one rink and is not as centrally located as the Prince William Ice Arena.

"The challenge they have to go through, all those teams in Prince William, is overwhelming," said Stone Bridge Coach John Lynch, who acknowledged a big reason for his program playing for its fourth title since 2002 is the school's proximity to the Ashburn Ice House. "Right off the bat, they're skating uphill. That's why that rink has got to get built. If you wait two or three years, you might lose some kids."

Woodbridge, which won its second NVSHL title last year and has played in three finals since 2006, was hit particularly hard by the closure of the Prince William Ice Arena. Vikings Coach Mike Strycharz said the strength of his program is its depth. He also had a junior varsity team and a middle-school program, composed of players who eventually matriculated to Woodbridge.

In the past, Strycharz was able to get enough ice time at Prince William Ice Arena for all three teams to practice. This year, however, ice time is so tough to find and the Haymarket rink is 45 minutes from Woodbridge "if traffic is moving," says Strycharz, that it became difficult to provide time for all his players.

Varsity players "are going to be committed and make the trip to Haymarket," Strycharz said. "But this year, the JV and middle-school programs fell apart. This year, it's suck it up and have fewer practices."

Osbourn had to go a little further. The Eagles secured 13 practice slots at Fairfax Ice Arena from 6 to 7 a.m. throughout the season, and played its home games this year at Cabin John Ice Rink in Rockville.

Osbourn Coach Eddie Cox said he called Ashburn, Kettler, Reston and Fort Dupont (in the District) to find ice time for games, but couldn't get it guaranteed. He said the drive from Osbourn to Cabin John is about 40 minutes, but in the late afternoon around rush hour, it can be more than twice that.

"When the rink first collapsed," Cox said, "we knew we'd have to start looking for ice. We didn't want to face the possibility of not having a season. The rinks down here just aren't as common as they are up north."

Jim Fullem runs the Prince William Hockey Club, which has about 450 players on a variety of youth teams, plus 15 adult teams. He said this year has seen a roughly 15 percent dip in participation, and the question remains if those players will return when the Prince William Ice Arena reopens.

"The unfortunate thing about the Prince William Ice Arena was that it was bursting at the seams," Fullem said, adding that it was typically open from 6 a.m. until 1 a.m. daily. "The reality is economics. When real estate land prices are so expensive, it's hard to build a rink. To find someone in this economy to buy that land and build [an arena] is just not happening."

Sled hockey: I think I'm going to like this - msnbc.com

Posted:

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star” plus 1 more

2011-02-24T23:13:00.001-08:00

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star” plus 1 more

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star

Posted:

By Sports Network

The Sports Network

Defenseman Andrej Meszaros scored his second overtime goal of the season to lift the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders at Wells Fargo Center. Claude Giroux assisted on two of Philadelphia's three regulation goals and starred on the defensive side as well for the Flyers, who have earned at least one point in eight of their last 10 games overall (7-2-1) and maintained their lead atop the Eastern Conference with 86 points. Jeff Carter posted a goal and an assist while Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk also tallied for the Flyers. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 32 saves in the victory. Matt Martin scored twice and Frans Nielsen tallied the other goal for the Islanders, who have dropped two straight games. New York goaltender Al Montoya yielded four goals on 43 shots.

Final Score: Dallas 4, Detroit 1

Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Kari Lehtonen made 38 saves as the Dallas Stars snapped a pair of losing streaks with a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Mike Ribeiro, Loui Eriksson, Krystofer Barch and Jamie Langenbrunner lit the lamp for the Stars, who snapped a season-high five-game skid and a seven-game road losing streak. Thursday's victory was Dallas' first road win since January 20. Tomas Holmstrom scored the lone goal for the Red Wings, who have lost two in a row since a season-high five-game winning streak. Jimmy Howard made 21 saves.

Final Score: Toronto 5, Montreal 4

Montreal, QC (Sports Network) - Phil Kessel had two goals and two assists as the Toronto Maple Leafs held off the Montreal Canadiens, 5-4, in an Original Six dogfight at Bell Centre. Tyler Bozak had two goals and an assist while Brett Lebda added a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who have won four of five to move into the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference, four points behind Carolina for the eighth seed. James Reimer stopped 31 shots in the victory. Mike Cammalleri and Jeff Halpern each tallied a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who have dropped four of their last five games. Alex Auld was pulled in the first period after giving up three goals on nine shots. Carey Price finished the contest and gave up two goals on 19 shots.

Final Score: Chicago 3, Nashville 0

Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Corey Crawford stopped all 31 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season, as the Chicago Blackhawks blanked the Nashville Predators, 3-0, at Bridgestone Arena. Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville returned to the bench after he had missed the last four games because of a bout with gastrointestinal bleeding caused by an ulcer. Tomas Kopecky and Marian Hossa scored for the Blackhawks, who have won three straight and four of their last five games overall. Patrick Sharp added an empty-net goal inside the final minute of regulation. Pekka Rinne allowed two goals on 24 shots for Nashville, which has dropped three straight and will visit Dallas on Saturday afternoon. The teams are now tied for second place in the Central Division with 70 points.

Final Score: Vancouver 3, St. Louis 2

Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Manny Malhotra scored the game-winner early in the third period, as the Vancouver Canucks snuck past the St. Louis Blues, 3-2. Sami Salo and Mikael Samuelsson also lit the lamp for Vancouver, which got 28 saves from Cory Schneider. The Canucks, who lost to Montreal on Tuesday, avoided dropping consecutive games in regulation for the first time since November 20-21. Alex Pietrangelo and David Backes scored for the Blues, who have lost three in a row since a three-game winning streak. Ty Conklin made 24 saves.

Final Score: Los Angeles 4, Minnesota 2

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Drew Doughty scored the game-winner early in the third period, as the Los Angeles Kings returned home with a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Wayne Simmonds tallied a pair of goals for the Kings, who were coming off a 10-game road trip that resulted in a 6-1-3 record. Thursday's game was Los Angeles' first at Staples Center since January 26. Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who got 25 saves from Jonathan Bernier. Brent Burns tallied a goal and an assist for the Wild, who have lost two of three. Eric Nystrom also lit the lamp for Minnesota, which got 26 saves from Niklas Backstrom.

Ask Tom: Got a sports question? - Omaha World-Herald

Posted:

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star” plus 1 more

2011-02-23T23:16:00.001-08:00

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star” plus 1 more

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star

Posted:

By Sports Network

The Sports Network

Bobby Butler scored twice and Craig Anderson made 23 saves, helping the Ottawa Senators snap a long winless streak at Scotiabank Place with a 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers. Jason Spezza added a goal and two assists for the Senators, who carried a 10-game winless streak at home into Wednesday's contest. They got their first home victory since December 26, when they beat Pittsburgh by a 3-1 score. Ryan Shannon had a goal and an assist in Ottawa's second consecutive win overall. The Senators had not won two in a row since December 23-26. Scott Clemmensen allowed all five goals on 34 shots for the Panthers, who have dropped four of five.

Final Score: Buffalo 4, Atlanta 1

Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) - Ryan Miller stopped 40 shots to help Buffalo give its new owner a 4-1 win over Atlanta at HSBC Arena. On Tuesday, the team announced that Terry Pegula had officially become the fourth owner of the team. Prior to the start of Wednesday's game, he walked onto the ice along with his son, who dropped the ceremonial first puck, to introduce himself to the fans. Tyler Myers had a goal and an assist while Paul Gaustad, Jason Pominville and Tyler Ennis also scored for the Sabres, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Andrew Ladd notched the lone goal for the Thrashers, who have dropped eight of their last nine games. Ondrej Pavelec was tagged for all four goals on 39 shots.

Final Score: Tampa Bay 8, Phoenix 3

Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - Teddy Purcell recorded his first career hat trick and Vincent Lecavalier had five points, as the Tampa Bay Lightning stopped the red-hot Phoenix Coyotes with an 8-3 rout at St. Pete Times Forum. Lecavalier had a goal and assisted on four others for the Lightning, who had dropped their last three and scored just seven times in that span. Martin St. Louis scored twice and added an assist in the lopsided win. Tampa Bay netted five first-period goals to give plenty of cushion to goaltender Dwayne Roloson, who made 25 saves for the victory. Phoenix had won eight in a row, but that streak was snapped after Jason LaBarbera allowed every Lightning goal on 39 shots. LaBarbera started for the first time since January 10. Shane Doan, who became the Coyotes' all-time leader in games played by skating in his 1,099th career contest with the franchise, had an assist.

Final Score: San Jose 3, Pittsburgh 2 (OT)

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Patrick Marleau scored with just four seconds left in overtime to give the San Jose Sharks a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at CONSOL Energy Center. It appeared the game was headed to a shootout after Marc-Andre Fleury made a beautiful glove stop on a Marleau breakaway with just over a minute left in the extra session. However, San Jose continued to apply the pressure and a left point shot from Marc- Edouard Vlasic saw Marleau chip in the rebound for the win. Marleau also scored in regulation while Logan Couture had a goal and an assist for the Sharks, who have won five straight. Antti Niemi made 24 saves in the win. Tyler Kennedy had both goals for the Penguins, who have lost three straight and five of six. Fleury made 35 saves in defeat. Forward James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen made their debut with Pittsburgh, which acquired the two on Tuesday from Dallas for defenseman Alex Goligoski. Neal had two shots in 20 1/2 minutes of ice-time while Niskanen had three shots in 10 1/2 minutes of action.

Final Score: Edmonton 5, Colorado 1

Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Devan Dubnyk made 38 stops and the Edmonton Oilers controlled the Colorado Avalanche, 5-1, at Pepsi Center. Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle both posted a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who have won four of their last five. Kurtis Foster, Dustin Penner and Sam Gagner also lit the lamp in the win. Milan Hejduk scored the lone goal for the Avalanche, who failed to build on Tuesday's win over the St. Louis Blues, which snapped a 10-game losing streak. Brian Elliott allowed all five goals on 31 shots.

Final Score: Los Angeles 3, Anaheim 2

Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Willie Mitchell scored 6:45 into the third period to help the Los Angeles Kings take a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. Ryan Smyth and Anze Kopitar also scored for the Kings, who stopped a two-game slide. Jonathan Quick made 25 saves in the win. Los Angeles finished its 10-game road trip, during which it went 6-1-3. Teemu Selanne and Corey Perry scored for the Ducks, who have dropped four straight. Curtis McElhinney made 15 stops in the loss. Selanne's goal was the 626th of his career, moving him past Joe Sakic for 14th all-time in NHL history. Next on the list is Dave Andreychuk with 640.

1961 state hockey champs return to reminisce, celebrate N.D. hockey - Grand Forks Herald

Posted:

Serge team
Marv Cooley, left, and Darrell Gilbertson, center, played for Grand Forks Central coach Serge Gambucci on the first N.D. state hockey championship team in 1961. Herald photo by Eric Hylden
1961 Central hockey team
1961 Grand Forks Central team
Steve Ebert
Steve Ebert celebrates the scoring of a goal for the Grand Forks Central 1960-61 team, which captured the first state high school hockey title.
GF Central hockey
Member of the 1961 Grand Forks Central hockey team.

More...

North Dakota high school hockey was much different when Grand Forks Central won the first state title 50 years ago. What has remained constant is the players' yearning to step onto UND's fancy rink.

In 1961, the rink of dreams was the original Winter Sports Arena, more popularly known as The Barn. It was replaced by another arena of the same name and then came the opulent Ralph Engelstad Arena in 2002.

"The Barn was our idea of a great rink," said Marv Cooley, a junior on that team. "Whenever we played inside, it was the cat's meow even if it was 20 below."

Grand Forks' lone indoor arena 50 years ago had wooden bleachers instead of suites, natural ice instead of the artificial variety and a temperature the same as outdoors. But it sure beat what the players endured most days.

The rink was deemed plush because Central, then known as the Redskins, practiced outdoors. Part of the team's equipment, Coach Serge Gambucci said, was a gallon jar of Vaseline that was rubbed on toes and cheeks to stave off frostbite. He also would cut up the previous year's uniform socks into headbands to protect their ears.

It also was a time when players didn't wear mouthguards and facemasks and their helmets were made of leather.

The winners of the first state hockey title will be back in Grand Forks this weekend to reminisce. Ten of the surviving 11 players from the 15-player roster are returning for a reunion and an on-ice introduction between periods of Saturday's championship game.

Stories to be told are guaranteed to include practice. "Before we could practice, we had to shovel the rink," Cooley said. "And before we shoveled the rink, we had to kick the Purpur kids off it. They were the original Lamoureuxs."

Cooley of rural Thompson, N.D., and Darrell Gilbertson of Grand Forks are the first champions' only players still living in the area.

It was a talented team as four — Bill Howard, Dave Palm, Ken Walters and Steve Ebert — went on to play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. And Gambucci, 88, is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

Tourney helped hockey grow

This season, the state had 18 boys teams and 11 girls teams, with eight from each division advancing to state.

But the first tournament had the state's only four boys hockey-playing schools, Central, Grand Forks St. James, Devils Lake and Fargo Central.

"Adding a state tournament really helped grow hockey in the state," said Gambucci, who went 10-for-10 in state hockey tournaments before retiring in 1970 at age 47.

"We were playing mostly Minnesota teams then. But that's when North Dakota hockey first took off, in 1961 and 1962."

Cooley agreed. "Basketball was more popular than hockey back then," he said. "We didn't even have cheerleaders. The popularity of hockey in Grand Forks was all about UND. High school hockey had little interest.

"But the state tournament changed that."

The state tournament increased to five teams in 1963, when Grafton fielded a team. In 1966, Park River and Fargo North made it seven teams. And, with Bottineau arriving in 1967, the tournament has had a full field of eight teams since.

Central won the first 13 state tournaments before being knocked off 7-6 in the semifinals by Fargo North in 1974. Red River beat North 2-1 in the championship the next night.

The first non-Grand Forks winner was Grafton in 1978 and the first winner from the West Region was Minot in 1992, with a wild 8-7 win over Bismarck.

Grand Forks schools have won 39 of the 50 state boys titles. In Gambucci's 15 seasons at Central, he lost only twice to North Dakota teams in the regular season and never during the post-season. In girls hockey, four schools have won the eight state titles, none of them by Grand Forks.

There's no question that North Dakota hockey has grown in its 51 seasons. In its beginning, there weren't even girls on the ice wearing white figure skates.

Reach Bakken at (701) 780-1125; (800) 477-6572, ext. 125; or send e-mail to rbakken@gfherald.com.

Tags: prep sports, grand forks central high school, grand forks, north dakota, state hockey tournament, news, sports, hockey

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star” plus 1 more

2011-02-22T23:21:00.001-08:00

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star” plus 1 more

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star

Posted:

By Sports Network

The Sports Network

Phil Kessel scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period, lifting the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders. Clarke MacArthur also scored, while James Reimer made 28 saves for the Maple Leafs, who have won three of four. Matt Moulson scored for the sixth time in his last three games, but it wasn't enough to give the Islanders a third consecutive win. Al Montoya stopped 23 shots in the setback.

Final Score: NY Rangers 4, Carolina 3 (SO)

Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Wojtek Wolski scored the game-winning goal in the shootout and the New York Rangers edged the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-3, at RBC Center. Brandon Prust, Ryan Callahan, Mike Sauer tallied for the Rangers, who halted a two-game skid. Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves in the victory. Jussi Jokinen scored twice for the Hurricanes, who fell to 3-5-3 in the month of February and will host Pittsburgh on Friday. Cam Ward allowed three goals on 46 shots while Jay Harrison also scored for Carolina.

Final Score: Phoenix 3, Philadelphia 2 (OT)

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Shane Doan scored a power-play goal 2:41 into overtime to help Phoenix extend its winning streak to eight games with a 3-2 win over Philadelphia. Doan tied the franchise record for all-time games played. It was the 1,098th career NHL game for Doan as he tied former Coyotes captain Teppo Numminen for most in franchise history. If in the lineup, he will pass the mark on Wednesday when Phoenix plays in Tampa Bay. Taylor Pyatt and Eric Belanger had third-period goals to help Phoenix run its win streak to eight for the first time since an eight-game run in March of last season. Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 37 shots in the win. Ville Leino and Claude Giroux each had a goal for the Flyers, who had won six of eight coming into the game. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 shots in defeat.

Final Score: Columbus 4, Nashville 0

Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Rick Nash scored twice and Steve Mason stopped all 20 shots to record his third shutout of the season, as the Columbus Blue Jackets tallied four times in the third period to get by the Nashville Predators, 4-0, at Nationwide Arena. Matt Calvert and Antoine Vermette also lit the lamp for the Blue Jackets, who have gone 7-1-1 in their last nine contests. Kris Russell had a pair of assists for the victors. Mason also blanked Nashville on November 22nd and now has 18 shutouts for his career. The goaltender improved to 6-1-0 in his last seven starts. Pekka Rinne stopped 26 shots for Nashville, which suffered a 3-2 setback to Phoenix on Saturday and has dropped three of its last four.

Final Score: San Jose 4, Detroit 3

Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Devin Setoguchi scored two goals, including the game-winning tally in the third period, as the San Jose Sharks held on for a 4-3 victory against the Detroit Red Wings. Ryane Clowe and Joe Thornton also lit the lamp for San Jose, which has won four in a row and prevented the Red Wings from winning a sixth consecutive game. Antti Niemi made 35 saves in the victory. Danny Cleary tallied twice for Detroit, while Jimmy Howard let in four goals on 43 shots.

Final Score: Minnesota 4, Edmonton 1

St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Pierre-Marc Bouchard had a goal and two assists, as the Minnesota Wild scored three times in the third period to defeat the Edmonton Oilers, 4-1, at Xcel Energy Center. Kyle Brodziak, Martin Havlat and Jared Spurgeon also tallied for the Wild, who have won 15 straight against Edmonton in Minnesota and have not lost on home ice to the Oilers since January 16, 2007. The Wild had dropped three of four coming into the contest. Niklas Backstrom turned aside 20-of-21 shots to pick up the victory. Kurtis Foster accounted for the lone goal for Edmonton, which had a three-game winning streak halted and has lost 11 of its last 14 on the road. Nikolai Khabibulin made 19 saves in defeat.

Final Score: Colorado 4, St. Louis 3

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Paul Stastny scored the game-winner with 2:38 left in the third period to help Colorado snap a 10-game losing streak with a a 4-3 win over St. Louis. This game was a makeup of the February 1 contest that was postponed due to a blizzard that hit the area. Stastny also had two assists while Erik Johnson, Milan Hejduk and David Jones all scored for the Avalanche, who snapped the longest slide for the club since relocating from Quebec prior to the 1995-96 season. Peter Budaj stopped 42 shots in the win. Andy McDonald, Patrik Berglund and Chris Stewart all scored for the Blues, who have dropped their past two games. Ty Conklin made 23 stops in the loss. This past Saturday, the two teams shook up their rosters with a trade that saw the Blues sending defenseman Johnson and forward Jay McClement to Colorado for forward Stewart and rookie blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk.

Final Score: New Jersey 1, Dallas 0

Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Johan Hedberg stopped all 19 shots he faced for his 17th career shutout, as the streaking New Jersey Devils blanked the Dallas Stars, 1-0, at American Airlines Center. Nick Palmieri tallied the game's lone goal with five-plus minutes to play in regulation for the Devils, who have won eight straight and 10 of their last 11 games overall. New Jersey was left for dead after an awful start to the season but continued its climb toward what would be an incredible comeback if a playoff berth is reached. The Devils now sit nine points behind Carolina for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference. Kari Lehtonen made 22 saves for the Stars, who dropped to 1-8-1 in the month of February. This was the fifth straight loss for the Stars, who are hovering around the eighth playoff seed in the Western Conference after they'd led the Pacific Division for several months.

Final Score: Boston 3, Calgary 1

Calgary, AB (Sports Network) - Milan Lucic scored twice and Tim Thomas made 28 saves, leading the Boston Bruins to a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames. Brad Marchand also scored for Boston, which has won three in a row following a three-game slide. Curtis Glencross lit the lamp for Calgary, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Miikka Kiprusoff let in two goals on 28 shots in the setback.

Final Score: Montreal 3, Vancouver 2

Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Carey Price was strong with 37 saves, as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2, at Rogers Arena. Andrei Kostitsyn, David Desharnais and Brian Gionta scored for the Canadiens, who returned to the usual warmth of an indoor arena and halted their three- game winless skid. On Sunday, the Habs lost 4-0 to Calgary in the Heritage Classic, which was played outside at McMahon Stadium, where the Stampeders of the Canadian Football League play their home games. Montreal kept pace in the Northeast Division race and remained four points behind Boston, which also won on Tuesday night. Henrik Sedin and Mikael Samuelsson tallied for the Canucks, who are 4-4 in their last eight games, but still have the most standings points in the NHL with 85, one more than Philadelphia. Roberto Luongo allowed three goals on 25 shots in the loss.

Kids in sports: How young is too young? - San Jose Mercury News

Posted:

By Jim Harrington
Oakland Tribune

San Francisco's Erica and Damien Paschke got a blast out of watching a pro hockey playoff game at HP Pavilion last year between the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks -- even though the home team lost.

It was their first time seeing professional hockey played live, and the two siblings -- Damien is 4, Erica, 6 -- were hooked.

"We're from Chicago originally," says the pair's father, Marc Paschke. "Last year, they got really into the Blackhawks through me." And so he took the next step.

"We asked them if they wanted to try playing hockey," he said. "The response was 'absolutely.'" So Marc Paschke and his wife, Elaine, signed their kids up to play hockey at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Ice Skating Center.

Four and 6 might seem young for a demanding sport that requires a ton of equipment and is associated with hard hits and spills. But the Paschkes aren't the youngest skaters on the ice -- the "Hockey Tot" classes at Yerba Buena accepts kids at age 3.

Across the country, parents are signing up their kids up for sports at early ages. Some area sports leagues and classes enroll kids as young as 2. Many parents hope to give their children a taste for exercise and the socializing that comes with organized sports. Others believe an early start can translate to greater success in sports down the road.

But not everyone is in love with this approach, especially if parents take it too far. While there are

no hard and fast rules about the right age for getting kids started in organized sports, there can be a downside to enrolling them too early, or for the wrong reasons. And the threat of injury is only part of the story. The other is the burnout factor -- the risk that you'll dampen a child's passion for a sport or exercise in general.

"If I had any advice for parents, it would be to relax and let your child's natural interests lead," says Mark Hyman, author of "Until It Hurts: America's Obsession with Youth Sports and How It Harms Our Kids." "Parents are invested in this idea that they can turn their kids into these super athletes. The psychology of parenting is earlier equals better. And there is not a lot to support that except our own insecurities as parents."

He adds, "They are not going to become better soccer players at age 10 because they were playing organized soccer at 18 months. They are not developmentally ready."

What's missing from the debate is any consensus on the right ages to sign up kids for various sports.

"There isn't one cookie cutter answer," says Tina Syer, associate director of Mountain View's Positive Coaching Alliance. "Some kids are really ready (at a young age). And some kids aren't -- and it won't hurt them to wait a few years."

Like Hyman, Syer says parents need to consider their motivation for signing their kids up for sports. Some might be hoping to mold soccer's next Mia Hamm or hockey's next Jonathan Toews. But Syer says that shouldn't be their primary motivation. She notes that 70 percent of kids drop out of organized sports by age 13.

"The No. 1 goal is to make it fun and have them fall in love with physical activity," she says. "I know it sounds cliche, but it's really about creating an experience that is fun, so they'll want to come back next year.

Overeager parents, adds Hyman, can wind up defeating their own objectives.

"The reality is that it's often preventing our children from reaching their potential as athletes," Hyman remarks. "They are looking for something else do, because they have been force-fed sports since they were 5 or 3 or, sometimes, 18 months."

But Don Heidary, head coach at Orinda Aquatics, a year-round swimming program, says burnout shouldn't be seen as an insurmountable obstacle to starting kids out in sports at an early age.

"It's pretty common to hear about burnout, and starting kids too young. I think those are misguided arguments," he says. "There isn't a one-dimensional topic. There are so many things that go into this -- the child's aptitude, the program, the parent's involvement. You can also argue that it is parental negligence, if a child likes something, that the parent holds them back and waits to sign them up."

The risk of injury, of course, varies greatly on the sport and the degree of intensity of the competition. According to Children's Hospital Boston, a division of Harvard Medical School, about one in five children and adolescents participating in sports is injured each year, and one in four injuries is considered serious. Hyman points out that while collisions and falls might draw most of the concern, parents should also be aware of the "overuse injury," which comes from doing the same motions repeatedly for too long a period. Half of the reported youth sports injuries, he says, are overuse injuries.

Most everyone involved, however, feel organized sports represent a positive experience for kids, if they go into the program with natural enthusiasm and parents go in with realistic expectations.

"The experiences and challenges they face certainly translate into the real world as they get older," says Emery Lykins, a youth hockey coach at Yerba Buena Ice Skating Center in San Francisco. "Team work and hard work headline the list, but facing adversity, respect, physical and mental discipline and humility are all part of learning the game and its traditions."

For the Paschkes, all these advantages make them glad to have their two young children playing hockey, perceived though it is as a violent and risky sport.

"I think the injuries come when you're a bit older, and there is much more malice," said Marc Paschke. "Right now, it's all about fun."

Read Jim Harrington's Concert Blog at http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/category/concerts. Follow him at http://twitter.com/jimthecritic.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Here are some things for parents to consider when deciding to sign their kids up for youth sports, according to experts:
TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN: Are the kids really interested in the sport? A fully invested child is more likely to quickly take to the game.
JUDGE APTITUDE: Most programs have age restrictions, but parents should set their own, judging their kid's aptitude for a sport. For instance, try kicking a ball around with your child and see what comes of it before signing him or her up for soccer.
RESEARCH THE PROGRAM: Talk to the coaches or organizers before signing up your child. What are their thoughts on preventing burnout and overuse injuries? Get feedback from parents who have had children in the program.
SET REALISTIC GOALS: Youth sports programs cannot guarantee your child will be a future Olympian. More realistic goals would be to build social skills, learn teamwork and, most important, have a good time.
KEEP WATCHING: Has your child lost interest in the sport? Is it no longer fun? Those are definite warning signs that the child might be headed toward burnout.
HAVE FUN: Everyone seems in agreement that the best way to keep a young child interested in sports is to make sure it's a fun environment.

“Hockey coach strips half naked, throws clothes during bench tirade - YAHOO!” plus 1 more

2011-02-21T23:07:00.001-08:00

“Hockey coach strips half naked, throws clothes during bench tirade - YAHOO!” plus 1 more

Hockey coach strips half naked, throws clothes during bench tirade - YAHOO!

Posted:

Colorado Eagles assistant coach Greg Pankewicz's bio indicates he was hired in 2009 after retiring as the team's captain. Along with being the franchise's leading goal-scorer as a player, he also had brief stints with the NHL's Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames.

Pankewicz's bio says nothing about having been a Chippendale's dancer or rented out for bachelorette parties, but after witnessing his behavior in a CHL game against the Mississippi River Kings on Saturday night, we have our suspicions.

In the third period, one of the Eagles was roughed up by a linesman during an escalating brawl on the ice. Pankewicz was enraged by the official's behavior, and began vehemently arguing from the Colorado bench: yelling, screaming, tossing things on the ice.

Then, as a last resort, Pankewicz did something we can't recall ever seeing a coach do while arguing with an official: He hurled his tie, his shirt and his undershirt in frustration, before being sent to the dressing room shirtless.

From Adam Dunivan of the Loveland Reporter-Herald:

The game will be remembered, on the short-term, as a regular-season victory, but will live on for Pankewicz's reaction to linesman Chris Wilson tackling Joe Grimaldi after a scuffle broke out on the ice with four and a half minutes gone in the third.

While Dan Sullivan and Russell Smith were engaged in fisticuffs, Grimaldi keyed in on another Mississippi player, but before he could get to him was tackled hard to the ice by Wilson.

Pankewicz was irate, and methodically dismantled his three-piece suit and tossed the clothing to the ice. Shirtless, Pankewicz's last tosses included his loafers.

He did not want to comment on the situation after the game, but [Coach Chris] Stewart had plenty to say.

"I thought it was very heavy-handed on the part of the linesman to attack a player in that manner," Stewart said.

"I don't think that's acceptable; everyone has emotions running high, ... but that isn't right. That's a league matter, but it certainly will be addressed."

Or undressed. Check out Dunivan's blog for more.

If you ever wondered what Ned Braden would do as a minor league assistant coach, now you know. Thanks to Pankewicz for creating an instant classic hockey clip. And for the love of our eyesight, please don't let Bruce Boudreau ever see this and potentially draw inspiration from it.

Stick-tap to reader Kyle Elstun for the clip.

Hockey: Hopkinton shuts out Westborough - Abington Mariner

Posted:

Brian Aggerbeck scored two goals and added an assist as the Hopkinton boys shut out non-league host Westborough, 3-0.

The Rangers (4-12-2) got strong play from Ryan Vendetti and defenders Dan Arnold and Greg Alvers.

Senior Andrew Preite had a goal and assist, while senior Dave Ramsey and junior Eric Guilmette each tallied two assists for the Hillers (3-15-2). Brendan Anderson also scored for Hopkinton. Junior Billy Elder made 21 saves to earn his third shutout of the season.

MARLBOROUGH 5, AGAWAM 1: Marlborough gave its coach a fond farewell to Navin Rink, taking a win over Agawam in coach John Butler's final regular-season home game. The Panthers improved to 15-3-1.

ALGONQUIN 0, HOLLISTON 0: Senior goalie Lucas Goguen played spectacular in net, making 36 saves, as host Algonquin played to a scoreless tie against non-league opponent Holliston.

Senior captain Mike Leone also played a solid all-around game for the Tomahawks (5-9-4).

The Panthers (7-8-4) got solid play from senior forwards Eric Witunski and John Georgallas while goalie Chris Lamont made 29 saves in net.

NASHOBA 3, ASSABET 1: Evan Pappas had a goal and two assists as Nashoba picked up a non-league win over Assabet.

Nashoba scored twice in the third period. Sean Foster had a goal and an assist while Drew Rosen also scored for the Chieftains (10-7-3). Goalie Nick Riseman made 31 saves for Nashoba.

T.J. Butland scored while goaltender Nate Stark made 22 saves for the Aztecs (11-6-1).

WACHUSETT 3, MEDWAY 1: Senior Mike Langley scored for Medway, but it wasn't enough for the Mustangs in a non-league loss to Wachusett in Westborough. With one game remaining against Westwood today (4:30 p.m. in Canton), the Mustangs are 13-5-1.

Junior Brian Davenport had an assist on Langley's goal.

LINCOLN-SUDBURY 2, METHUEN 1: Rod Quirk scored with four minutes remaining to lift Lincoln-Sudbury to a victory over Methuen in a DCL-MVC game.

Mat Harris assisted on the game-winning tally.

The tournament-bound Warriors, who are 10-6-2 overall, finish 5-4-1 in league play.

Henry Fairbairn scored for L-S in the second period with assists from Adrian Rousson and Sean Ashe. Methuen tied the game later in the middle stanza.

BOSTON LATIN 3, DOVER-SHERBORN 1: Cole Tibbetts scored the lone goal as Dover-Sherborn fell to non-league foe Boston Latin. The Raiders are 7-9-3 on the season.

BEVERLY 6, MARIAN 0: Marian lost a non-league tilt to Beverly. The Mustangs fall to 9-8-2 on the season.

GIRLS HOCKEY

FRANKLIN 3, BARNSTABLE 2: Freshman Christine Spillane scored the game-tying goal on a penalty shot with 1:53 left in the second period and then the game-winner with 3:12 left in regulation as Franklin came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat non-league host Barnstable.

Down 2-0, sophomore Kaitlyn Spillane scored the first goal for the Panthers (13-6-1) with 4:40 left in the second period to start the comeback.

ALGONQUIN-HUDSON 8, WILMINGTON 1: Junior forward Marissa Bara scored three goals and junior Elizabeth Holmes added two goals as host Algonquin-Hudson routed non-league opponent Wilmington at the New England Sports Center.

Sophomore Caroline Muirhead started the scoring for A-H (14-4) in the first period as Maddie Evangelous (two assists) and Andrea Fahey (assist) also added one goal each.

LINCOLN-SUDBURY 3, MEDFIELD 0: Goalie Sarah Provost made 28 saves en route to her third shutout of the season as host Lincoln-Sudbury blanked non-league opponent Medfield.

The Warriors (11-6-1) got goals from Marylou Cummings, Sarah Haberman and Jamie Charest while Nicole Lynch and Christina Welsch each added an assist.

“This hockey mom carries a stick - Raleigh News & Observer” plus 1 more

2011-02-20T23:28:00.001-08:00

“This hockey mom carries a stick - Raleigh News & Observer” plus 1 more

This hockey mom carries a stick - Raleigh News & Observer

Posted:

COREY LOWENSTEIN - clowenst@newsobserver.com

Donna Tomkinson and Harry Daniels, right, suit up in the team's locker room before their league game. Tomkinson isn't the only woman in the league, but she's often the only woman on the ice.

RALEIGH -- When she skates, Donna Tomkinson forgets that she's the only woman playing hockey for the Storm and that she shares a locker room with a dozen sweaty men with hairy shoulders.

She never considers that she's 56 and a mother of two or that she has bad knees and is at least a head shorter than any of her teammates.

She remembers to take out her pearl earrings. She pulls on her helmet with the protective Plexiglas visor, which got chipped by a high-flying stick. Then she skates to her spot at right wing with tufts of red hair flying behind her.

No. 6 in your program. Team leader in assists last season.

"Just one of the guys," she says.

Here at Raleigh's IcePlex, Tomkinson discovered new life, thrills and family connection in the lower-C hockey league, which welcomed not only a middle-age woman, but her 60-year-old husband and 20-year-old son, who all play together on the Storm's front line.

Her success there speaks to the raging popularity of this imported sport, still barely more than a decade old in the Triangle. After Raleigh hosted the National Hockey League's all-star game in January, Tomkinson watched a new wave of gray-haired players show up toting gear last worn in college, salvaged from dusty attic boxes.

But her presence on the ice also highlights a community sports league that is uncommonly welcoming, where nobody gets scolded for letting a puck slide between their legs, and some of the better players still end up skidding on their bottoms.

Camaraderie on ice

Any veteran of Raleigh's softball leagues knows about the trash-talkers who show up in sock stirrups and expensive cleats, who fill the lineup cards with ringers, pummel their sneaker-wearing opponents until the mercy rule kicks in and then celebrate with loud tailgate parties. Not to mention the umpires who inspect bats in the dugout and call out batters for stepping on home plate.

You don't always feel like you belong.

At first glance, the IcePlex might not seem welcoming to a middle-age mother. After a Sunday game, there's a player limping around the parking lot with one wounded hand stuffed inside a plastic bag filled with ice cubes and the other curled around a bottle of Labatt's beer.

When Tomkinson walks into the locker room, she is greeted by her shirtless, sweating teammates ripping tape off their legs and passing cans of Yuengling from a big, red cooler. But she takes a seat next to them and shakes her hair out of her helmet, sharing the joy of a 3-2 win.

"Hey, you got another assist!" shouts goalie David Diraimondo. "Nice positioning today. Really nice positioning."

After a few minutes, she ducks out of the locker room to let the men shower by themselves. She'll change in a restroom stall. She's not the only woman in the league, but often, like today, she's the only woman on the ice. She doesn't care, and neither does anybody else.

"You just don't want to hit them so hard they won't date you afterward," teammate Danny Morganelli said.

He's kidding, of course. This is a no-checking league.

Tomkinson's only hockey-related injury came as a spectator, when she tore a ligament in her finger after falling on the stairs at a Carolina Hurricanes game.

"I had the same surgeon who worked on Rod Brind'Amour," she said, showing off the scar.

The Everest line

Tomkinson grew up in Canada but never played hockey there, even as the manager of her college team. She just felt too awkward to compete.

Her hockey period started in Clayton, where the family moved in 2001, and a blistering summer combined with the hot flashes of menopause forced her to seek the relief of an ice rink.

She dragged her husband, Bill Everest, and both children to Garner for a learn-to-skate session, and before long, they bought four complete sets of used hockey gear.

Step into their family garage and an entire corner is dedicated to their sweaters, sticks and helmets - some of it hanging from the ceiling, all of it neatly arranged.

"I played pond hockey as a kid," said her husband, who also grew up in Ontario. "But this is a lot of fun. We're the Everest line."

Not long ago, Tomkinson lost her job in the insurance industry. She's looking for new work. All her life she has combated pain from Osgood-Schlatter disease. But her hockey hasn't suffered. Her daughter is in college at UNC-Chapel Hill, but her husband and son Vincent never miss Thursday-night drills or Sunday games.

You can see them practicing their hockey stops, sending ice shavings flying in the air, or passing back and forth to each other down the length of the ice.

"She has bad knees, so she's a slower skater," Vincent explained, "so people tend to forget about her over in the corners. That's why she has so many assists."

At 56, she isn't going to try anything daring. Most of the Storm players get to the team bench by skating directly into the waist-high wall that surrounds it and throwing one leg over the top. Tomkinson, by contrast, opens the little door and walks through.

You can find her tidying up the locker room before she dresses, and laying out her pads in a neat row - ever the mother figure.

But she brings a lifetime of experience to the ice, and her eyes show the fearlessness of someone who can keep a marriage alive for more than two decades, navigate the job market, give birth and raise a pair of children.

After that kind of pressure, you don't much mind a hockey stick to the visor. You just keep skating around the obstacles.

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star

Posted:

By Sports Network

The Sports Network

Rene Bourque scored twice, Miikka Kiprusoff was red-hot in freezing temperatures, and the Calgary Flames rolled to a 4-0 win over Montreal in the Heritage Classic on Sunday. Playing outdoors at McMahon Stadium, where the temperature was around 16 degrees Fahrenheit at game time, Kiprusoff made 39 saves for his fourth shutout of the season. Anton Babchuk and Alex Tanguay also scored for the Flames, who have won three straight and earned at least a point in six of their last seven games. Tanguay added an assist and Brendan Morrison had two helpers in the victory. Carey Price took the loss for Montreal, giving up all four goals on 37 shots, and the Canadiens lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Final Score: Detroit 2, Minnesota 1 (SO)

St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Pavel Datsyuk and Todd Bertuzzi both scored in the shootout, as the Detroit Red Wings got by the Minnesota Wild, 2-1, at the Xcel Energy Center. Deadlocked at 1-1 at the end of overtime, Datsyuk made a nice deke move and put a forehander past Niklas Backstrom to give Detroit the advantage. The next three shooters were unable to light the lamp and Bertuzzi, playing in his 1,000th career game, deliberately skated in and lifted a backhander over the outstretched Backstrom to seal the victory. Nicklas Lidstrom scored in regulation for Detroit, which has won five straight for the first time since winning seven in a row from March 20-April 1 of last season. Jimmy Howard turned aside 25-of-26 shots to earn the victory. Martin Havlat tallied for the Wild, who have dropped three of their last four. Backstrom made 38 saves in defeat.

Final Score: Philadelphia 4, NY Rangers 2

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Brian Boucher made 37 saves, 14 of which came in the third period, and the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Flyers escaped Madison Square Garden with a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers. Jeff Carter and Claude Giroux both registered a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who wrapped up their road trip with a 3-1-0 mark. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 20-of-23 shots for New York, which has lost eight of its last 10.

Final Score: Washington 2, Buffalo 1

Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) - Marcus Johansson's power-play goal midway through the third period lifted the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres at HSBC Arena. Mathieu Perreault had a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who had lost four of five coming into the game. Semyon Varlamov stopped 28 shots in the win. Jason Pominville had the lone goal, while Ryan Miller made 37 stops for the Sabres, who have dropped their past three games.

Final Score: Chicago 3, Pittsburgh 2 (SO)

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Patrick Kane scored the only goal of the shootout to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at United Center. In the third round of the shootout, Kane skated in and deked to the forehand before stuffing the puck in past the outstretched right pad of Marc-Andre Fleury. Tyler Kennedy was the last hope for Pittsburgh, but Corey Crawford made a stop on the lifted backhand for the win. Patrick Sharp and Bryan Bickell each had a goal while Crawford stopped 24 shots for the Blackhawks, who had dropped three of four coming in. Brett Sterling and Matt Cooke each scored for the Penguins, who have lost three of their last four. Fleury finished the contest with 29 stops.

“Curry College hockey players fall ill after game - Providence Journal” plus 1 more

2011-02-19T23:41:00.001-08:00

“Curry College hockey players fall ill after game - Providence Journal” plus 1 more

Curry College hockey players fall ill after game - Providence Journal

Posted:

01:00 AM EST on Saturday, February 19, 2011

By Richard C. Dujardin
Journal Staff Writer

NORTH SMITHFIELD — In what officials believe is a case of nitrogen dioxide poisoning brought on by fumes from a Zamboni machine used to prepare ice at a hockey game at the Rhode Island Sports Arena on Route 146, 23 members of the men's Curry College hockey team were being held for observation Friday night at a hospital in Milton, Mass. Only hours after the Thursday night match-up with a team from Johnson & Wales University, some of the Curry players reported to Milton Hospital with symptoms including dizziness, respiratory impairment and coughing up blood, according to hospital spokesman Jason Bouffard.

Bouffard said that after tests showed the presence of nitrogen dioxide in their blood, others on the 28-member team trickled in during the day. He predicted that half of the 23 players who remained at the hospital Friday night were going to be admitted, though none of the illnesses was deemed life-threatening.

Officials suspect that the poisoning resulted from a Zamboni that was used during the hockey game. Though none of the players from Johnson & Wales reportedly fell ill, there were reports that some members of the Salve Regina University hockey team developed similar symptoms after playing Johnson & Wales at the same ice rink on Feb. 5.

The rink is now temporarily closed.

rdujardi@projo.com

Saturday Morning Wisconsin Sports Report - nbc15.com

Posted:

Posted Saturday, February 19, 2011 --- 8:50 a.m.

Here is the latest Wisconsin sports news from The Associated Press:

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Purdue linebackers coach DeMontie Cross has accepted a position as Wisconsin's special teams coordinator and safeties coach. Cross was hired as the Boilermakers' linebackers coach Jan. 25 after five seasons as an assistant with the Buffalo Bills. Badgers head coach Bret Bielema says he'd tried during his time as head coach to hire Cross "a number of times."

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Minnesota has defeated rival Wisconsin 5-2 in men's hockey. The Golden Gophers win snapped the Badgers' nine-game home winning streak. Minnesota took charge in the second period, scoring three times to go up 4-1. Taylor Matson had two of the Gophers' three goals in the second period.

MANKATO, Minn. - Sophomore Brianna Decker had a hat trick to lead the No. 1 Wisconsin women to a 4-0 win over Minnesota State in women's hockey. Senior Meghan Duggan had three assists. Duggan has a UW record with career points 220 points.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin women's swimming and diving team has won two titles and two more tickets to next month's NCAA championships on the first day of the 2011 Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Ind. Senior Maggie Meyer, junior Ashley Wanland, freshman Rebecka Palm and junior Beckie Thompson won their second Big Ten title of the championships as a team. Meyer also won her second-straight title in the 100-yard backstroke event.

“Body checks a hot topic in kids' hockey - Detroit News” plus 1 more

2011-02-18T23:38:00.001-08:00

“Body checks a hot topic in kids' hockey - Detroit News” plus 1 more

Body checks a hot topic in kids' hockey - Detroit News

Posted:

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content]

Do you think hockey is safe for someone age 12? My husband has no doubts. I do. S.T. Dear S.T.: Few sports rival hockey in providing such a wide range of athletic skills and training benefits. It demands periods of intense bursts of energy, with longer ...

Hockey poses serious risks - Times Union

Posted:

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My son is in the seventh grade. He lives for hockey, and so does his father. I worry about him. He's average size, but some of the boys in his hockey league are much bigger. Do you think hockey is safe for someone age 12? My husband has no doubts. I do.

-- S.T.

DEAR S.T.: Few sports rival hockey in providing such a wide range of athletic skills and training benefits. It demands periods of intense bursts of energy, with longer intervals of continuous expenditures of moderate amounts of energy. You don't see hockey players standing around. It's a wonderful sport, and your son is not too young to participate.

Hockey is a contact sport, so injuries are unavoidable; major injuries are avoidable. Body checking increases the risk of injury. A body check is the use of the shoulders, hips or torso against an opponent who has the puck to stop him and his advance to the goal. It's legal.

Canadian investigators have shown that junior hockey leagues that allow 11- and 12-year-olds to body check suffer three times the injuries than do those that ban it. Many authorities feel that it should not be permitted until players are 15 or 16. I don't approve of 12-year-olds body checking.

Concussions are more frequent in hockey than they are in football. Your son's coach and those officiating at a game must understand what a concussion is and what to do about it. Loss of consciousness is only one sign of a concussion. A hit that makes a player confused, unable to concentrate, slur his speech, be uncoordinated or have a memory lapse counts as a concussion. Young brains are more apt to suffer permanent damage if strict rules on handling concussions are not followed.

This frightening picture that I have painted has probably upset you. Don't let it. I am completely in favor of children your son's age participating in a sport that develops strength, agility, coordination and endurance that few other sports match.

•

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am an active 55-year-old woman who enjoys distance swimming, hiking and workouts in the gym. I came down with early arthritis, which called for bilateral hip replacements and a knee replacement. The surgeries have been a blessing.

I'd like to return to playing competitive tennis. Would this be a problem? My orthopedist advises to use caution but resume activities as I can tolerate them. My physical therapist feels tennis is not a good idea. What is your advice?

-- L.M.

DEAR L.M.: Your orthopedist knows your joints and your implants better than anyone else. However, the word "competitive" is a little troubling. Recreational tennis is a safer goal -- in other words, low-impact tennis. And I would stop at the first inkling of trouble. Swimming is definitely less hazardous to your new joints than is tennis.

•

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My resting heart rate is 44-48 beats a minute. How can I attain a realistic target heart rate zone during cardio workouts?

-- R.R.

DEAR R.R.: A normal heart rate is 50 to 100 beats a minute at rest. Most people's heart rate is in the 60 to 80 beat range. If your doctor doesn't know about your slow heart rate, he or she should. You shouldn't exercise until the doctor says it's OK. You don't need a target heart rate zone. Let your body tell you if the exercise is pushing you enough.

Write to Dr. Donohue at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

“Sports headlines: Miami hockey ties at Notre Dame - Dayton Daily News” plus 1 more

2011-02-17T23:15:00.001-08:00

“Sports headlines: Miami hockey ties at Notre Dame - Dayton Daily News” plus 1 more

Sports headlines: Miami hockey ties at Notre Dame - Dayton Daily News

Posted:

1:43 AM Saturday, January 29, 2011

Miami settles for tie

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The third-place Miami RedHawks gained a point in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings on second-place Notre Dame on Friday night.

But it could've been a three-point night.

Leading 5-3, Miami, which is ranked 11th and 13th in the two major national polls, surrendered two goals in the final 7:13 of regulation and settled for a 5-5 tie with the Fighting Irish at the Joyce Center. The RedHawks won the shootout to pick up an extra point in the CCHA standings.

Andy Miele had a goal and three assists, Reilly Smith had two goals, Pat Cannone had a goal and an assist, Carter Camper had two helpers and Justin Vaive had a goal for Miami (14-9-4, 11-7-4-3 CCHA). No. 9 Notre Dame is 16-9-4, 13-6-2-1 CCHA.

The two teams meet again at 5:05 p.m. today.

Ben Johnson's junior season may be his last for Calumet hockey - Detroit Free Press

Posted:

Calumet has a man advantage when Ben Johnson takes the puck and begins his rush down the ice.

Johnson dekes a defender at the blue line, turning it into a 2-on-1 situation, and takes a quick glance at a teammate on his right.

"If I'm on a 2-on-1, I automatically look for the pass to see if it's open," he said. "There's nothing prettier than a bang-bang play. I have good teammates with me on my line, and I know they can finish."

Senior Isaac Bjorn and sophomore Levi Erkkila are excellent teammates, but this time the pass isn't there and Johnson holds the puck for what seems like an eternity before sending a wrist shot speeding through the Grosse Pointe North goalie's five-hole.

"I was just waiting for things to open up," he said. "I didn't see the pass, so I put it on net."

It was one of 24 goals Johnson has among his 57 points in this, his last go-round for Calumet (16-4-1), ranked No. 2 in Division 3.

"He's a junior, but I doubt that he'll be back next year, and probably he shouldn't," coach Jim Crawford said. "He'll make a USHL team. It's time to move on. It would be nice to have him."

Hockey is about the only high school sport where a coach can lose his best player for his senior year.

That is the prospect Crawford will face next season when Johnson likely will be playing at Fargo of the United States Hockey League.

"It doesn't happen very often," Crawford said. "But he's played three years here. If he makes Fargo, why would he come back to high school?"

Well, there is the opportunity to play one more year in Calumet's Coliseum, the oldest indoor ice surface in North America, affectionately referred to as "The Barn."

"I like playing high school hockey," Johnson said. "I like playing in front of the home crowd over in The Barn in the Upper Peninsula. I'm going to miss it when I'm hopefully playing Juniors."

Johnson was a fourth-round pick of Fargo last spring. Before this high school season began, he played six games with the Fargo team.

He also played four games for USA Hockey's U-17 team and did well in both situations.

"It was a dream come true," Johnson said. "Playing with players my age against those top-level players in the USHL and Juniors was a blast. I loved every minute of it."

Johnson began preparing for a career in hockey as a 4-year-old when he began skating and shooting in the family's pole barn.

"I had an ice rink in the pole barn in the backyard," said his father, Kevin. "I poured concrete and put boards up, and then I flooded the floor and the boys would skate. Up there you have to do that or else you're shoveling all day to keep the rink clean. We get 300 inches of snow average, so you have to."

Up there is in the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula.

"We're 50 miles south of the tip of US-41," Kevin said. "We're 15 minutes from Hancock."

Johnson spent countless hours skating and firing shots in the pole barn and grew to love the game so much he gave up baseball once he entered high school.

"The greatest thing about Ben is he loves the game of hockey," his father said. "He'll go out at 6 o'clock in the morning and shoot on the high school goalies. Then he'll go to class, and then he'll have high school practice. Then he'll stay with the mites and squirts and monkey around with the kids. Then he'll go home and eat, and then he'll go out to the outdoor rink in the evening."

He also finds time to study and has a 3.4 grade-point average. Johnson hopes a couple of years in Fargo will lead to a college scholarship.

After Saturday's game against North at the MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase in Trenton, Johnson and his father stopped in Ann Arbor to visit with the Michigan coaches.

Johnson was an immediate factor as a freshman, notching 25 points in 26 games, then exploded with 59 points last season, marking him as one of the state's top players this season even though he is only a junior.

"I've coached here 26 years -- he's probably the best player that I've had," Crawford said. "He's got speed, quickness, good hands, sees the ice well. He's got a little bit of everything."

Johnson is so talented that Fargo officials wanted him to skip his junior year at Calumet to play for them.

But after Kevin Johnson underwent successful surgery for colon cancer last spring, the family thought he should remain home for his junior year.

Johnson always has been an above-average player for his age and made a quantum leap between his freshman and sophomore years when improved speed made him an improved skater.

"I love skating, and our coach definitely conditions us really well during the season," he said. "That might have a factor, too. It's nonstop skating in every practice. During the off-season, I conditioned well off the ice. I hit the weights more and definitely got more cardio in myself, and I might have built my core a little more to make myself faster."

Over the last year, the biggest area of improvement came in Johnson's shot -- its accuracy and speed.

"It was just shooting pucks every day," he said. "I worked on my shot over the summer. I do wrist curls, and that helps to get a good snap shot off. Just working the forearms."

Next year he could be spending most of his time in Fargo, N.D., which may be the coldest spot in the country this side of Alaska.

"I thought it was a nice town and nice players and good coaching," he said. "But it's negative-40 degrees all the way around. But at least I'll be somewhat ready for it. Battling 15 years in the U.P. is a good way to get ready for it."

There is one thing Johnson would like to accomplish before he heads to Fargo: winning the school's seventh state championship.

"I want that really bad," he said. "It would be the perfect ending to my high school career here at Calumet. It would really make me happy, and I think my coach really deserves it. I'd like to win it for him."

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com .

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Sports Network” plus 1 more

2011-02-17T01:04:00.001-08:00

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Sports Network” plus 1 more

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Sports Network

Posted:

National Hockey League Game Capsules

(Wednesday, February 16th)

Final Score: New Jersey 3, Carolina 2

Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - Brian Rolston and Patrik Elias scored 85 seconds apart early in the third period, lifting the red-hot New Jersey Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Prudential Center. Johan Hedberg made 25 saves for New Jersey, which improved to 13-1-2 in its last 16 games. Sergei Samsonov and Tuomo Ruutu lit the lamp for the Hurricanes, who wrapped a five-game road trip the same way in which it began -- a loss to New Jersey. Carolina has dropped six of eight overall. Cam Ward, making his 17th consecutive start, stopped 19-of-22 shots in defeat.

Final Score: Los Angeles 4, Columbus 3 (SO)

Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Jarret Stoll scored the lone goal in the shootout to give the surging Los Angeles Kings a 4-3 victory over Columbus at Nationwide Arena. Stoll shot a simple wrister into top right corner in the second round, and Jonathan Quick turned away Kristian Huselius' shot to secure the win. Drew Doughty, Andrei Loktionov and Justin Williams scored for the Kings, who improved to 8-0-2 in their last 10 games. Quick ended with 2 saves. Kris Russell, Rick Nash and Jakub Voracek lit the lamp for the Blue Jackets, who had a two-game win streak snapped, but have earned points in 11 of their last 14 games (8-3-3). Mathieu Garon surrendered three goals on 29 shots in the loss.

Final Score: Toronto 2, Buffalo 1

Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) - Joey Crabb's shorthanded goal in the third period proved to be the game-winner, as the Toronto Maple Leafs held on for a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Phil Kessel also scored for Toronto, while James Reimer took over for the injured Jean-Sebastien Giguere and made 14 saves in two periods for the victory. The Maple Leafs beat the Sabres for only the second time in their last 15 meetings and won in Buffalo for the first time since December 12, 2008. They won for the fourth time in their last six games overall. Paul Gaustad scored for Buffalo and Ryan Miller took the loss after allowing both Toronto goals on 30 shots. The Sabres, starting a season-long six-game homestand, lost for just the second time in their last six contests. Giguere played only 20 minutes, leaving the game with a lower body injury after stopping all nine shots he faced in a scoreless first period. He missed two stretches earlier this season because of a groin injury. Kessel gave the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead 4:36 into the second period after Tomas Kaberle flipped him a pass in the slot and he beat Miller with a snap shot through traffic.

Final Score: Philadelphia 4, Florida 2

Sunrise, FL (Sports Network) - James van Riemsdyk scored what proved to be the game-winner in the second period and the Philadelphia Flyers held on for a 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers at BankAtlantic Center. Danny Briere had a goal and two assists while Andreas Nodl added a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who have won five of their last six. Mike Richards scored a goal and Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 33 saves in the win. David Booth and Rostislav Olesz both scored in the third period for the Panthers, who have dropped three of their last four. Tomas Vokoun stopped 31- of-34 shots in the loss.

Final Score: Chicago 3, Minnesota 1

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Dave Bolland collected three assists and Corey Crawford turned away 33 shots in Chicago's 3-1 victory over Minnesota at the United Center. Brian Campbell and Troy Brouwer both scored power-play goals for the Blackhawks, who returned to the Windy City off a 2-2-2 road trip. Matt Cullen netted a power-play goal and Jose Theodore made 34 saves for the Wild, who had their three-game win streak snapped Tuesday by Vancouver.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 3, Colorado 2 (OT)

Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Tyler Kennedy scored with 50 seconds left in overtime to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 win and send Colorado to its ninth straight loss. In the extra session, Kevin Porter was called for tripping and the Penguins went on the power play. Kennedy sent a pass from the low left circle to the top of the circle where Alex Goligoski blasted a one-timer on net. The shot was stopped, but the rebound went right back to Kennedy, who slammed it home for the win. Joe Vitale scored his first NHL goal and Jordan Staal added a goal for the Pens, who had dropped four of five coming in. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 shots in the win. Cameron Gaunce also had his first NHL goal while Chris Stewart tallied the other for the Avs, who haven't lost nine straight since a franchise-record 14-game slide from Oct. 21-Nov. 19, 1990 when the club was in Quebec. Peter Budaj made 33 stops as Colorado got a point for the first time during the slide as the previous eight losses were all in regulation.

Final Score: Calgary 4, Dallas 2

Calgary, AB (Sports Network) - Cory Sarich and Steve Staios both scored third- period goals as the Calgary Flames rallied to defeat the Dallas Stars, 4-2, at Scotiabank Saddledome. Olli Jokinen and Tom Kostopoulos also tallied for the Flames, who have won two straight. Miikka Kiprusoff turned away 22-of-24 shots in the win. Jamie Lagenbrunner and Mike Ribeiro potted goals for the falling Stars, who have lost three straight and nine of 11. Kari Lehtonen gave up four goals on 31 shots in the losing effort.

Final Score: Washington 7, Anaheim 6

Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Alexander Semin scored the final two goals of a wacky back-and-forth game, finishing with a hat trick to lift the Washington Capitals to a 7-6 win over Anaheim. The Capitals snapped a three-game losing streak, mounting four different comebacks against the Ducks before finishing them off by netting three of the four goals scored in the third period. Alex Ovechkin, Brooks Laich, David Steckel and Mike Knuble also scored for the Capitals. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf tallied four points apiece for Anaheim -- both had a goal and three assists -- but the Ducks had their four-game winning streak snapped in a wild one.

02/17 01:00:19 ET

Panthers report: Inside shots - CBS Sports

Posted:

Notes, quotes · Roster · Inside shots

Coach Pete DeBoer shuffled his lines during the second period of Sunday's win against San Jose and liked what he saw.

Had Steve Bernier not come down with an illness right before Wednesday's game against the Flyers, DeBoer probably would have kept everything the same.

Double-shifting problems notwithstanding, the Panthers pretty much rolled out the same combinations they used late against the Sharks. Those lineups helped Florida score three goals in the final 21 minutes of that 3-2 win.

On Wednesday, the Panthers didn't have as much offensive success as they did against the Sharks, but they created plenty of chances and had plenty of scoring opportunities in a 3-2 loss to the Flyers.

Chris Higgins, who had been playing with Stephen Weiss and Jack Skille, was teamed up with Rostislav Olesz and Marty Reasoner, and they found success.

"Playing with (Stephen) Weiss was a lot of fun -- he creates a lot of offense -- but I liked playing with (Marty) Reasoner earlier this season and I think it's going to work well," Higgins said.

FLYERS 4, PANTHERS 2: Florida battled back from a 3-0 deficit but couldn't come all the way back as the Flyers won at BankAtlantic Center for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

In the second period, an apparent Florida goal disallowed by video review after the league said it could not determine whether a puck off Marty Reasoner's stick made it across the line.

That lost goal was huge as Florida got goals from Rostislav Olesz and David Booth in the third period. The Flyers finished things with an empty-net goal by Danny Brier with 27 seconds remaining.

“Ban fighting in hockey - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette” plus 1 more

2011-02-15T23:26:00.001-08:00

“Ban fighting in hockey - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette” plus 1 more

Ban fighting in hockey - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Posted:

I love the game, but it's getting harder and harder to excuse the violence it allows

The national sports media are once again debating the combat, cheap shots and overall lack of respect that players accord one another in the National Hockey League.

Much of the discussion centers on last week's brawl-filled game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders. Unfortunately, many of those engaged in this conversation often begin with remarks such as, "We all know fighting is part of the sport, but what happened in that game crossed the line."

I beg to differ. As long as fighting -- physically assaulting another player -- is penalized basically with a five-minute slap on the wrist, how can one judge what "crosses the line?"

We should go a step beyond the rebuke that Penguins legend and owner Mario Lemieux delivered to the NHL: It's time for professional hockey to ban fighting.

This is not a knee-jerk reaction from some casual fan who happened to catch the highlights of the game on ESPN. No, I have lived and breathed hockey for nearly 30 years, first as a high school, prep school and college player and later as a prep school and high school coach.

I also couldn't care less if eliminating fighting leads to greater fan interest and increased marketability for the sport. Besides, it won't: People apathetic about hockey aren't suddenly going to start watching because there are no more fights.

I'm more concerned with what we teach our sons and daughters about the game.

Professional hockey is the only major sport in which it's acceptable to engage in an activity that is strictly and severely punished at the amateur levels.

Proponents of fighting always bring out two talking points that carry little weight:

1) There's always been fighting in hockey; it's part of the sport's DNA.

It's a good thing the National Football League and Major League Baseball haven't followed that logic.

For almost 75 years, NFL players could hit each other helmet-to-helmet until a 1996 rule change made it illegal. For nearly 100 years, major league ball players didn't have to wear batting helmets.

It's called progress -- hard learned as medical evidence emerges of the long-term consequences of injury, especially brain injury.

Furthermore, if fighting is so integral to hockey, then what happens to all the brawls when the playoffs start? Where was the fighting during the 2010 Olympics? All of a sudden, winning matters more than personal vendettas.

2) Fighting is how players police themselves so games don't get out of hand.

Well, the Penguins-Islanders game featured plenty of fights and still got way out of hand.

I thought it was the job of the NHL to legislate and enforce rules. If you can mandate an automatic 10-game suspension for someone jumping off the bench during a fight (hello, Penguins enforcer Eric Godard), then you can mandate anything, including an automatic suspension for fighting, which just so happens to be the consequence at every other level of hockey.

Blows to the head should be eliminated, too. Two-handed slashing and high sticking should be further curtailed. Increase the punishment not only for players who fight, but also for those who can't control their elbows, shoulders and sticks.

These are called rules, and they seem to work pretty well in other sports.

Now, if this is too much interference from "the man" and doesn't put enough responsibility on the players, then let's just go back to the scene we witnessed in Long Island last Friday. You know, the one where the inmates were running the asylum. That certainly worked out well, didn't it?

Finally, if the "frontier justice" handed out by players is such a deterrent, why are the two who injured Sidney Crosby still competing? I thought "the code" in pro hockey stipulated that no one could take liberties with a team's star players without retribution. If that's the case, the Penguins should have battered David Steckel of the Washington Capitals and Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lighting to the point they never could hurt Crosby again. I guess the threat of vigilante justice isn't what it used to be.

The time has come for common sense to prevail and for fighting to be banned. No one can honestly defend the complete lack of respect that many players now have for one another's health and well being.

Soon, my young sons will start following hockey closely. A fight will break out because two heavyweights have to mark their territory in a staged ritual or because a certain player got checked too hard earlier in the game. Someone will then have to explain to me how I justify the resulting violence to my boys, because as much as I love hockey, I don't have the slightest idea what to say anymore.

Jeremy Church works in marketing and business development at a Downtown law firm and helps the Mt. Lebanon High School varsity hockey team as a part-time assistant coach (jerchurch@yahoo.com). Among the places he has coached is the Culver Military Academy, which has produced more than 150 collegiate players and two dozen NHL draft picks over the past 35 years.

First published on February 16, 2011 at 12:00 am

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star

Posted:

By Sports Network

The Sports Network

Mikhail Grabovski's second goal of the game came with 1:01 to play to help lift Toronto to a 4-3 win over Boston at TD Garden. Phil Kessel also had two goals while James Reimer stopped 32 shots for the Maple Leafs, who stopped a two-game slide. Dion Phaneuf and Joffrey Lupul each had two helpers in the win. Gregory Campbell had a goal and an assist and Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille each lit the lamp for the Bruins, who have dropped four of their last five. Tim Thomas gave up four goals on 28 shots. After the game, the Bruins acquired center Chris Kelly from Ottawa for Boston's second-round pick in the 2011 draft.

Final Score: Buffalo 3, Montreal 2 (SO)

Montreal, QC (Sports Network) - Jochen Hecht scored the winner in the 10th- round of the shootout to help the Buffalo Sabres take a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Drew Stafford and Jason Pominville each had a goal for the Sabres, who have won four of their last five. Jhonas Enroth stopped 32 shots in the win. Benoit Pouliot and Max Pacioretty both scored for the Canadiens, who have lost four of their last five. Carey Price made 30 stops in the loss.

Final Score: NY Islanders 4, Ottawa 3 (SO)

Ottawa, ON (Sports Network) - Frans Nielsen scored the game-winner in the second round of the shootout, as the New York Islanders snuck past the Ottawa Senators, 4-3, at Scotiabank Place. Michael Grabner had a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who have won a season-high four in a row. Josh Bailey and Blake Comeau also lit the lamp. Making his fifth career start, Nathan Lawson made 28 saves to record his first NHL victory. He came into the game with an 0-3 mark. Bobby Butler had a goal and an assist for the Senators, who are 2-12-4 since the calendar flipped to 2011. Ryan Shannon and Erik Karlsson also scored in defeat. Brian Elliott turned aside 25-of-28 shots.

Final Score: Philadelphia 4, Tampa Bay 3 (SO)

Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - Defenseman Kimmo Timonen registered the game- winning goal in the seventh round of the shootout, as the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3, at St. Pete Times Forum. James van Riemsdyk, Scott Hartnell, and Darroll Powe scored for the Flyers, who are the top team in the Eastern Conference and have won four of their last five games overall. Brian Boucher made 24 saves in the victory. Teddy Purcell, Vinny Lecavalier and Dominic Moore tallied for Tampa Bay, which is hot on the Flyers' heels and only five points behind, but fell to 2-2-1 since a six- game win streak. Dwayne Roloson allowed three goals on 29 shots for the Lightning, who won three of the four meetings between these clubs this season. This was the first game for newcomer Kris Versteeg, who was acquired by the Flyers on Monday from Toronto in exchange for two draft picks. Versteeg, who helped Chicago defeat Philadelphia in last June's Stanley Cup Finals, finished with two shots on goal and a minus-1 rating in 17-plus minutes of action.

Final Score: Vancouver 4, Minnesota 1

St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Manny Malhotra tallied a goal and an assist to lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Jannik Hansen and Mikael Samuelsson also scored for the Canucks, who sit atop the entire NHL with 83 points and have captured eight of their last 10 games overall. Ryan Kesler added an empty-net goal while Cory Schneider made 28 saves in the win. Cal Clutterbuck scored the lone goal for the Wild, who saw their three-game win streak halted. Minnesota goaltender Niklas Backstrom allowed three goals on just 13 shots.

Final Score: San Jose 2, Nashville 1 (OT)

Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Patrick Marleau scored with 1:07 left in overtime to lift the San Jose Sharks to a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. In the extra session, a turnover in the neutral zone resulted in Marleau getting the puck and skating into the Nashville zone by himself. From down low, he buried it past Pekka Rinne for the win. Devin Setoguchi scored in the second period, while Antti Niemi stopped 30 shots for the Sharks, who had dropped their previous two. Cody Franson scored on the power play in the first period for the Predators, who had won three of four coming in. Rinne made 48 stops in defeat.

Final Score: Edmonton 4, Dallas 1

Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) - Shawn Horcoff tallied a goal and two assists to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars at Rexall Place. Ales Hemsky, Jordan Eberle and Taylor Chorney also scored for the Oilers, who halted a three-game skid and won for only the third time in their last 15 games overall (3-11-1). Nikolai Khabibulin finished with 24 saves in the victory. Loui Eriksson scored the lone goal for the Stars, whose wheels are starting to fall off after a very promising first half of the season. Dallas enjoyed a five-game win streak in mid-January, but is 2-7-1 since and fell into a three-way tie for second place with Anaheim and Phoenix in the Pacific Division. Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen allowed four goals on 30 shots.

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star

2011-02-14T23:38:00.001-08:00

National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star

Posted:

By Sports Network

The Sports Network

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Jaroslav Halak stopped 23 shots and Patrik Berglund scored the winner late in the second period as St. Louis clipped Vancouver, 3-2, at Scottrade Center. Andy McDonald and Alex Steen also tallied for the Blues, who have won three of six overall. Henrik Sedin and Jannik Hansen scored for the Canucks, the NHL leaders who have lost two of three. Roberto Luongo allowed three goals on 34 shots to lose in regulation for the first time since December 5.

Final Score: Phoenix 3, Washington 2 Vernon Fiddler scored the eventual game- winning goal early in the third period and red-hot Phoenix held on the rest of the way for a 3-2 triumph over Washington. Ray Whitney added a goal and an assist for the Coyotes, who have won five straight and moved one point head of Dallas and Anaheim for the top spot in the Pacific Division. Martin Hanzal added a goal while Ilya Bryzgalov turned aside 29-of-31 shots. Matt Bradley and Marcus Johansson each scored for the Capitals, who have lost three straight. Michal Neuvirth surrendered three goals on 18 shots.

Final Score: Calgary 9, Colorado 1

Denver, CO (Sports Network) - The news of Peter Forsberg's sudden retirement wound up sounding sweet to the Calgary Flames. Hours after the 37-year-old Swede cut short his second comeback after only two games and announced his departure from the NHL after 14 often injury-interrupted seasons, Calgary exploded for five goals in the first period en route to a 9-1 victory over Colorado at Pepsi Center. Olli Jokinen tied a franchise record with a goal and three assists in the opening 20 minutes but departed with an apparent knee injury for the Flames, who ended a two-game losing streak with their most decisive win of the year. David Moss notched a career-high four points on a goal and three helpers, while Jarome Iginla and Curtis Glencross each tallied twice. Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 17-of-18 shots before giving way to Henrik Karlsson for the final 6:36 as Calgary notched a season-high for goals in one game.

“A Significant Day For UConn Hockey - Hartford Courant” plus 1 more

2011-02-13T23:34:00.001-08:00

“A Significant Day For UConn Hockey - Hartford Courant” plus 1 more

A Significant Day For UConn Hockey - Hartford Courant

Posted:

SKATING EAST HARTFORD TO STORRS — Before the UConn hockey team returned to the ice for the third period Sunday at Rentschler Field, coach Bruce Marshall said one of his seniors made an especially poignant comment.

Chris Spicer, a fourth-line grinder, the emotional type every team needs, asked his teammates, "How are we going to remember this moment?"

"Obviously, it was a once in a lifetime chance," Marshall said.

And so, the Huskies made the best of a special memory. Cole Schneider got his second goal to finish off Sacred Heart, 3-1, during UConn Day at the Whalers Hockey Fest. It was a great day for hockey. The sun was out. It was plenty cold enough, so there was no melting. The sheet of ice was good. And while a bunch of players from both teams wore eye black, they conceded it was as much for show as anything else. Although it was disappointing to see nearly 2,000 fans dwindle to a few hundred as the No. 9 Providence women's team beat UConn 4-3, all and all it was a good show.

The UConn hockey alumni came out in force for a family skate and a friendly game before the men's game. All good stuff. Yes, Howard Baldwin's big dream is to put 30,000 people into the Rent next weekend for a Bruins/Whalers/Hollywood Celebrity game followed by the Providence Bruins vs. the Whale.

But another piece of this, a big piece, is to give state teams, from mites to college, the kind of recognition they deserve.

"As far as kids remembering this for their life," Marshall said, "it was a home run."

This is where the old hockey guy is supposed to say what a shame it is that UConn doesn't offer the full complement of 18 scholarships for men's hockey. This is where the old hockey guy is supposed to stump for the men's team to make the jump to Hockey East like the women's team.

But then you make the skate east to the State U., immerse yourself in the sellout crowd of 10,167 at Gampel Pavilion and you embrace a greater truth. Yes, this was UConn hockey's day in the sun. But make no mistake. The spotlight shone brightest Sunday night in Storrs. This state isn't talking about sharp blades — save Jim Calhoun's tongue — this morning.

It's talking about Jamal Coombs-McDaniel having the game of his life in the 75-57 win over Providence. They're talking about his 25 points — nearly double his previous career high. They're talking about how Charles Okwandu and Donnell Beverly, two more guys who drift in and out of Calhoun's doghouse, emerged for quality games. They're talking about the basketball team bouncing back from the embarrassment of St. John's.

Hey, if you were starting the school's athletic department from scratch today, you could look at some things differently. The number of high quality lacrosse and ice hockey youth players in Connecticut is substantial and, yes, UConn is a state school bent on serving its citizens. Remember, UConn had a men's lacrosse team several years ago and now there's a Big East lacrosse league.

You go through Brian Leetch, Craig Janney, Ben Smith, Nick Bonino, Cam Atkinson, so many top-notch collegians, even Hall of Famers and national champions, who drifted to Boston for their college careers. If half of these guys played hockey at UConn, you'd be looking at a major program. It would be a natural. In football and basketball, we're importing players. In hockey, we're exporting them.

But we've got to be fair about this. If you're going to support the move to big-time football — which I did — you've got to play the money game and the Title IX game. With 85 football scholarships, UConn already had to add scholarships for women's lacrosse, ice hockey and rowing.

You're not going to drop soccer, capable of winning national titles, for hockey. You're not going to drop baseball, attracting top-flight state kids and ranked in the Top 10 this year, for hockey. And you're not going to drop women's sports without an all-out legal battle. Just ask Quinnipiac. Remember, you add 18 scholarships for men's hockey, you must 18 women's scholarships for another sport.

"We do not think [full-scale hockey] is feasible right now in our current sports configuration," athletic director Jeff Hathaway said. "I don't see it happening."

Only 13 schools play I-A Football and Division I hockey. Ten of those give a full allotment of hockey scholarships, although Penn State will be 11 after a mind-boggling $88 million donation from the Pegula family. Granted, Texas or UCLA, if so inclined, could go do it tomorrow, but the geographic nature of the sport limits the football-hockey quinella to Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Boston College, Miami (Ohio), Bowling Green and Western Michigan.

Atlantic Hockey has 12 teams. RIT and UConn offer no scholarships. Army and Air Force march to their own admission drummer and the rest offer between 10 and 12.

"It's definitely challenging," Marshall said. "But I'm not going to waste my time trying to go through a wall. I'm going to go around it or over it. You've got to focus on the positives to make it happen, the academics, campus atmosphere, the resources we have.

"Where it probably hurts the most is getting the difference-maker right away, the high-end offensive guy. You have to find guys who are a little bit hidden, a guy like Cole Schneider."

Whalers teammates used to ask Todd Krygier where he played. He'd tell them and they thought he meant Yukon. It was funny. He told them he played in an outdoor rink [since enclosed] and their eyes bugged out. You know how cold it is in Whitehorse?

In basketball, nobody mistakes UConn for Yukon. And everybody knows who rides the white horses — the Hall of Fame basketball coaches, and that's not changing any time soon.

"Jamal Coombs, I was trying to describe our relationship," Calhoun said as he praised the three players he has been in a constant tug of war with. "You think 'Stormy' would be a good way to describe it?"

Not on this day, for after a sunny day came an even sunnier night in Storrs.

Islanders Penguins: Mario Lemieux Calls Brawl a 'Travesty' For Hockey - Bleacherreport.com

Posted:

Harry How/Getty Images

Islanders Penguins Clash on Friday Draws Criticism of League from Mario Lemieux.

Following a game between the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins Friday that saw 15 major fights and 346 penalty minutes, Penguins owner and hockey great Mario Lemieux criticized the league Sunday for "failed" disciplinary measures following the game.

Two Islanders were suspended after the game. Trevor Gillies was suspended nine games for elbowing the Penguins' Eric Tangradi in the head and repeatedly punching him while he was down and Matt Martin was suspended four games while continually punching Max Talbot from behind.

The Islanders were also fined $100,000 in the aftermath.

Lemieux apparently didn't find the punishment to be nearly severe enough, calling the brawl a "travesty" for the game.

Lemieux knows full well that the physicality of the game is what distinguishes hockey, but he felt Friday's game went too far.

Via the New York Times:

"Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be," Lemieux said in a statement. "But what happened Friday night on Long Island wasn't hockey. It was a travesty. It was painful to watch the game I love turn into a sideshow like that."

Lemieux does have a point. Toughness and the physical nature of the NHL should never be taken away entirely, but Friday's game got out of hand.

Suspending players four to nine games for repeatedly hitting a player from behind, especially punching them in the head, is a bad message to send to players.

We have seen what happens when this brutality goes too far: players' heads hitting the ice, players getting taken off stretchers, stars of the game leaving the game for extended periods due to severe injuries.

Hockey is a tough sport, but there's no excuse for hitting someone from behind. It's not only classless and dirty, it's a good way to take away the integrity of the game.

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<h1>“Hockey Day celebrates Minnesota’s sport - INFORUM” plus 1 more</h1>
<p>2011-02-12T23:31:00.001-08:00</p>
<style type="text/css">                          h1 a:hover {background-color:#888;color:#fff ! important;}                          div#emailbody table#itemcontentlist tr td div ul {                                         list-style-type:square;                                         padding-left:1em;                         }                                  div#emailbody table#itemcontentlist tr td div blockquote {                                 padding-left:6px;                                 border-left: 6px solid #dadada;                                 margin-left:1em;                         }                                  div#emailbody table#itemcontentlist tr td div li {                                 margin-bottom:1em;                                 margin-left:1em;                         }                           table#itemcontentlist tr td a:link, table#itemcontentlist tr td a:visited, table#itemcontentlist tr td a:active, ul#summarylist li a {                                 color:#CCFF00;                                 font-weight:bold;                                 text-decoration:none;                         }                                 img {border:none;}                   </style> <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" id="emailbody" style="margin:0 2em;font-family:Georgia,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-Serif;line-height:140%;font-size:13px;color:#FFFFFF;"> <table style="border:0;padding:0;margin:0;width:100%"> <tr> <td style="vertical-align:top" width="99%"> <h1 style="margin:0;padding-bottom:6px;"> <a style="color:#888;font-size:22px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;" href="http://www.bing.com:80/news/search?q=Hockey+Sports" title="(http://www.bing.com:80/news/search?q=Hockey+Sports)">“Hockey Day celebrates Minnesota’s sport - INFORUM” plus 1 more</a> <br /> <a href="http://fusion.google.com/add?source=atgs&feedurl=http://feeds.feedburner.com/HockeySports-BingNews">  </a> </h1> </td> <td width="1%" /> </tr> </table> <hr style="border:1px solid #ccc;padding:0;margin:0" /> <table id="itemcontentlist"> <tr xmlns=""> <td style="margin-bottom:0;line-height:1.4em;"> <p style="margin:1em 0 3px 0;"> <a name="1" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:18px;" href="http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/308520/">Hockey Day celebrates Minnesota’s sport - INFORUM</a> </p> <p style="font-size:13px;color:#555;margin:9px 0 3px 0;font-family:Georgia,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-Serif;line-height:140%;font-size:13px;"> <span>Posted:</span>  </p> <div style="margin:0;font-family:Georgia,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-Serif;line-height:140%;font-size:13px;color:#FFFFFF;">        <p>From hockey moms showing off their skills to Sen. Al Franken having a little fun of his own, there were plenty of Hockey Day Minnesota memories to go around Saturday in Moorhead.</p> <p>The city was host to the fifth annual Hockey Day, marking a community celebration of Minnesota's love for the sport.</p> <p>That passion was apparent as thousands flocked to the Moorhead Youth Arena to watch two outdoor high school games and the youth games played indoors.</p> <p>"It's outdoor hockey. It's getting back to the roots of the sport," said Nancy Kinslow, who came with her husband, Don, from Detroit Lakes to watch the day's festivities.</p> <p>Hockey Day drew thousands who shared Kinslow's view, but it also captured attention across multiple states with the day's games being televised by Fox Sports North.</p> <p>Minnesota's games were indeed about Minnesota's game: hockey.</p> <p>And everyone got in on the action – even Mom.</p> <p>Hockey moms from Brainerd and Moorhead faced each other in a friendly midday game on the outdoor public rink at Morningside Park, just across Main Avenue from the youth arena.</p> <p>The moms' groups are comprised of women with no previous experience in the sport.</p> <p>"We are just people who've come to learn the game as adults," said Julie Mackcow of the Brainerd Moms. "We don't care what we look like. We don't care if we lose. We're just out here to have fun."</p> <p>But for those keeping score, the Moorhead moms came out victorious in a 3-1 win.</p> <p>Moms on both teams said they enjoyed the chance to play.</p> <p>They said it gives them appreciation for what their children go through on the ice, and it's an opportunity to be role models for young girls considering involvement in the sport.</p> <p>Hockey moms weren't the only people having fun, though.</p> <p>Sen. Franken had a bit of his own.</p> <p>Franken, who did the ceremonial puck drop for the first game between Roseau and Wayzata, faked the drop a few times.</p> <p>It drew laughs from the crowd – but a possible bruise for Franken, who was accidently whacked in the ankle by one of the player's sticks.</p> <p>Once the puck officially dropped, fans were treated to a game Wayzata won 2-1 in overtime.</p> <p>The home crowd was even more excited when Moorhead took on No. 1 Hill-Murray later in the afternoon.</p> <p>Sunny, clear skies and more than 30-degree temperatures made the day enjoyable for fans but caused poor playing conditions for those on the ice.</p> <p>By early afternoon, the ice on the main outdoor rink turned soggy, leading to multiple delays in the game between Moorhead and Hill-Murray.</p> <p>At one point, a fire extinguisher was brought out to help smooth the ice.</p> <p>"Like I told the guys out there," said Moorhead hockey coach Dave Morinville, "you gotta get that thing out there to help out with the ice."</p> <p>Fans found ways to pass the time, from building bleachers made of snow to singing Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline."</p> <p>Even conductors driving the trains that passed through on a nearby track blared their horns in support of the crowds.</p> <p>Perhaps the not-so-great conditions will serve as practice for future events.</p> <p>Morinville said the rink will be a permanent fixture that could be used year-round.</p> <p>Not bad at all for what was the first privately funded Hockey Day in the event's history.</p> <p>The spirit of Hockey Day ultimately went far beyond the games played on the ice.</p> <p>"It's a great way to promote hockey in Minnesota," said Moorhead hockey mom Patty Grinde. "And it shows that it goes from the little, little kids all the way up to parents."</p> <hr /><p>Readers can reach Forum reporters Ryan Clark at (701) 241-5548 and Kristen Daum at (701) 241-5541</p> <p class="mediumtxt"><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href="http://www.inforum.com/event/tag/tag/hockey%20day/" rel="tag">hockey day</a>, <a href="http://www.inforum.com/event/tag/tag/news/" rel="tag">news</a>, <a href="http://www.inforum.com/event/tag/tag/events/" rel="tag">events</a>, <a href="http://www.inforum.com/event/tag/tag/sports/" rel="tag">sports</a></p> <p><em>This entry passed through the <a href="http://fivefilters.org/content-only/">Full-Text RSS</a> service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at <a href="http://fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php">fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php</a><br /><a href="http://fivefilters.org">Five Filters</a> featured article: <a href="http://medialens.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=598:collateral-damage-wikileaks-in-the-crosshairs&catid=24:alerts-2011&Itemid=68">Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In The Crosshairs</a>.</em></p></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="margin-bottom:0;line-height:1.4em;"> <p style="margin:1em 0 3px 0;"> <a name="2" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:18px;" href="http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/12/2651704/national-hockey-league-game-capsules.html">National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star</a> </p> <p style="font-size:13px;color:#555;margin:9px 0 3px 0;font-family:Georgia,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-Serif;line-height:140%;font-size:13px;"> <span>Posted:</span>  </p> <div style="margin:0;font-family:Georgia,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-Serif;line-height:140%;font-size:13px;color:#FFFFFF;">  <p> <h4>By Sports Network</h4> <h4>The Sports Network</h4> </p>  <p>Michal Handzus and Anze Kopitar each had a goal and an assist, as the Los Angeles Kings scored four unanswered goals to beat the Washington Capitals, 4-1. Andrei Loktionov and Jarret Stoll also lit the lamp for the Kings, who improved to 3-0-2 on their 10-game road trip. Jonathan Bernier made 22 saves for Los Angeles, which has won four in a row against Washington. Alex Ovechkin scored the lone goal for the Capitals, who have lost two straight and five of seven overall. Semyon Varlamov turned aside 24-of-28 shots in defeat.</p> <p>Final Score: Ottawa 5, Edmonton 3</p> <p>Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) - Alex Kovalev registered two goals and set up Peter Regin's game-winner in the third period, as the Ottawa Senators snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over Edmonton at Rexall Place. Milan Michalek and Bobby Butler also tallied for the Senators, who last found the win column on January 13 at the New York Islanders. Ottawa is now 2-12-3 since the calendar flipped to 2011. Brian Elliott made 15 saves to notch his first win since December 26. Dustin Penner scored two goals for Edmonton, which has dropped six of seven. Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 20-of-24 shots in defeat. Saturday's game featured the bottom-two teams in the league. Only the Oilers -- with 40 -- have fewer points than Ottawa's 44.</p> <p>Final Score: Montreal 3, Toronto 0</p> <p>Montreal, QC (Sports Network) - Carey Price made 27 saves to record his sixth shutout of the season, as Montreal silenced Toronto, 3-0, at Bell Centre. Price, who allowed a career-high eight goals in an 8-6 loss at Boston on Wednesday, tied Detroit's Jimmy Howard for the NHL lead with his 27th win of the season. Thanks to his perfect effort, Montreal moved within one point of the idle Bruins in the Northeast Division (69-68). Brian Gionta, David Desharnais and Benoit Pouliot tallied for the Canadiens, who snapped a three-game skid. Jean-Sebastien Giguere allowed three goals on 39 shots for the Maple Leafs, who have dropped two in a row after winning four of five previously.</p> <p>Final Score: Tampa Bay 4, Carolina 3 (OT)</p> <p>Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - Marc-Andre Bergeron scored 1:32 into overtime to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at St. Pete Times Forum. The Lightning held a 3-1 lead late in regulation before Carolina scored twice in a 19-second span with goaltender Cam Ward on the bench for an extra skater. Sean Bergenheim, who gave Tampa Bay a two-goal cushion in the third period, dished to Bergeron and he let go a wrist shot from the top of the right circle that beat a screened Ward. Steve Downie and Vincent Lecavalier both tallied in the second period for Southeast Division-leading Tampa Bay, which improved to 5-2-0 on its NHL record- tying 12-game homestand. Dwayne Roloson made 31 saves in the win. Rookie Jeff Skinner and Erik Cole lit the lamp inside the final minute to force overtime for the Hurricanes, who have dropped three straight and five of six overall. Ward allowed four goals on 41 shots to take the loss.</p> <p>Final Score: Phoenix 3, Chicago 2 (SO)</p> <p>Glendale, AZ (Sports Network) - Radim Vrbata scored the lone goal of the shootout to help lift Phoenix over Chicago, 3-2. Vrbata's goal came in the second round, when he went wide to his right and then brought the puck over to his backhand and roofed it past Corey Crawford. Ilya Bryzgalov then turned away Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa's chances to seal the win. Vrbata and Taylor Pyatt each had regulation goals for the Coyotes, who have won four straight including a 3-2 overtime win over Dallas on Wednesday. Bryzgalov turned away 31-of-33 shots for the victors. Duncan Keith and Troy Brouwer each notched regulation goals for the Blackhawks, who have dropped two straight games -- both in shootouts. The defending champs are also losers of six of eight contests overall.</p> <p>Final Score: Nashville 5, Colorado 3</p> <p>Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Cody Franson's goal with 2:30 remaining in the third period proved to the game-winner, as the Nashville Predators beat the stumbling Colorado Avalanche, 5-3, at Bridgestone Arena. Martin Erat registered a goal and two assists for the Predators, who have won three of their last four games. Pekka Rinne stopped 15-of-18 shots to pick up his 20th win of the season. Kevin Porter scored a goal and set up another for Colorado, which went winless on its four-game road trip and has dropped seven in a row overall. Peter Budaj made 34 saves in defeat.</p> <p>Final Score: Minnesota 3, St. Louis 1</p> <p>St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Niklas Backstrom made 24 saves and Cal Clutterbuck scored the first of three consecutive Minnesota goals, as the Wild topped the St. Louis Blues, 3-1, in the back end of a home-and-home set. Antti Miettinen and Kyle Brodziak also scored for the Wild, who earned a shootout victory against the Blues on Friday and have won three in a row overall. Minnesota also improved to 9-2-0 in its last 11 games. Jaroslav Halak started in net for St. Louis and let in three goals on 20 shots through a little more than 28 minutes. Ty Conklin made 11 saves the rest of the way, but the Blues couldn't come back and fell to 2-4-3 in their last nine contests.</p> <p>Final Score: Vancouver 4, Calgary 2</p> <p>Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Mikael Samuelsson tallied a pair of second- period goals as Vancouver got past Calgary, 4-2, at Rogers Arena. Alexandre Burrows posted the other two scores for the Canucks, who have taken seven of their last eight games. Mason Raymond and Manny Malhotra added two assists each for the victorious home team. Roberto Luongo made 24 saves for Vancouver, which opened up a four-point lead on idle Philadelphia (81-77) for the best record in the NHL. Tim Jackman and Curtis Glencross scored for the Flames, who have lost two games in a row after winning eight of the prior nine. Miikka Kiprusoff allowed three goals on 32 shots in defeat.</p>  <p><em>This entry passed through the <a href="http://fivefilters.org/content-only/">Full-Text RSS</a> service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at <a href="http://fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php">fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php</a><br /><a href="http://fivefilters.org">Five Filters</a> featured article: <a href="http://medialens.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=598:collateral-damage-wikileaks-in-the-crosshairs&catid=24:alerts-2011&Itemid=68">Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In The Crosshairs</a>.</em></p></div> </td> </tr> </table> <table style="border-top:1px solid #999;padding-top:4px;margin-top:1.5em;width:100%" id="footer"> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size:11px;margin:0 6px 1.2em 0;color:#333;">You are subscribed to email updates from <a href="http://www.bing.com:80/news/search?q=Hockey+Sports">Hockey Sports - Bing News</a> <br />To stop receiving these emails, you may <a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailunsubscribe?k=V9rcFf1R4i9Ra-g2vEUsM0HzsuQ">unsubscribe now</a>.</td> <td style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size:11px;margin:0 6px 1.2em 0;color:#333;text-align:right;vertical-align:top">Email delivery powered by Google</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:left;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size:11px;margin:0 6px 1.2em 0;color:#333;">Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610</td> </tr> </table> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"></div>
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Hockey Sports

“Sports Briefs: Oahe wins state hockey title - Argus Leader” plus 1 more

UNO cutting football, wrestling

Lancers turn back Stampede

USF completes strong weekend

Marks sparks Augie

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The Sports Network

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Kansas City Star” plus 1 more

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The Sports Network

“Prep hockey: Novi tops OLSM, wins school's first state title - Detroit Free Press” plus 1 more

“HOCKEY: Area team capsules - New Haven Register” plus 1 more

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Joe Minkjmink@gannett.com

elmira college vs. adrian college

FLAGS BANTAM AA

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Raleigh News & Observer” plus 1 more

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - 9News” plus 1 more

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“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Sports Network” plus 1 more

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“Sports in a minute - Eagle-Tribune” plus 1 more

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“Hockey in the Hood a continued growing success - Michigan Citizen” plus 1 more

“National Hockey League Game Capsules - Sports Network” plus 1 more

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“Hockey coach strips half naked, throws clothes during bench tirade - YAHOO!” plus 1 more

“This hockey mom carries a stick - Raleigh News & Observer” plus 1 more

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“Curry College hockey players fall ill after game - Providence Journal” plus 1 more

01:00 AM EST on Saturday, February 19, 2011

“Body checks a hot topic in kids' hockey - Detroit News” plus 1 more

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“A Significant Day For UConn Hockey - Hartford Courant” plus 1 more

Joe Mink
jmink@gannett.com