1/28 Recap: Lepkowski lights lamp; Cat facing discipline

Alex Lepkowski scored the first game winning goal of his OHL career Saturday to lead Barrie to a 2-1 win over Ottawa. The 6'4 defender, who didn't score his first goal until his 100th game, now has six in his last 26. Gregg Sutch did not score but earned the game's #3 star for his all-around work.

Dan Catenacci recorded an assist before being ejected in the second period for a slew foot match penalty as Owen Sound lost to Guelph, 3-2. The infraction carries a one-game suspension, forcing Catenacci out of Sunday's game against Ottawa. The match penalty is the second of Catenacci's career after getting called for a slew foot on Erie's Brett Thompson a year ago.

Brad Eidsness made 20 saves in his fifth start of the year (and first of the year on a Saturday) to help North Dakota to a 4-2 win over Wisconsin. The victory was Eidsness' fourth of the year and 54th of his WCHA career. Brad Navin contributed one shot on goal in bottom line minutes for the Badgers.

Joel Armia saw his eight-game point streak come to an end as Assat dropped a 6-3 decision to the Pelicans. The 6'3 wing picked up four shots on goal and a roughing minor over 13:53 of work.

Kevin Sundher did not factor into the scoring as Brandon got past Red Deer, 3-2. The six-foot center has gone without a point 15 times this season, with six of those coming during his first 11 games in a Brandon uniform.

Nathan Lieuwen stopped 41 of 46 shots but Kootenay fell in overtime to Spokane, 5-4. The ICE netminder was especially busy in middle period when he faced 18 shots. After starting January with four wins in six outings, Lieuwen is winless in his last four starts.

Mark Pysyk finished -2 as Edmonton was defeated by Vancouver, 3-2.

Colin Jacobs finished -1 with a diving minor as Seattle got pounded by Portland, 8-3.

Drew MacKenzie notched an assist as Vermont was doubled by Northeastern, 4-2. The two-way defender has six goals and 17 points in 23 games.

Justin Jokinen registered one shot on goal as Minnesota State handled Bemidji State, 5-2.

Christian Isackson (3 SOG) was inserted into the lineup as a fourth-line center as Minnesota edged St. Cloud State, 3-2.

Connor Knapp was given the night off as Miami pitched a 6-0 shutout of Northern Michigan.

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In the AHL, Zack Kassian (11th) and Derek Whitmore (17th) scored first period goals, and David Leggio provided the rest with 37 saves as Rochester held on to defeat Toronto, 2-1. The Amerks head into the All-Star break withb a 19-17-5-3 mark.

The Rundown:
Kassian: G, 2 SOG
Foligno: A, 3 SOG
Persson: A, 1 SOG
Parker: 2 SOG
Crawford: 2 SOG
Biega: 1 SOG
Schiestel: 1 SOG
Lagace: even
Fienhage: even
Szydlowski: even

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1/27 Recap: Cat pounces for pair, Armia streak at eight

Dan Catenacci scored a pair of goals Friday, his 22nd and 23rd of the year, as Owen Sound dropped a 5-4 decision to Kitchener. The speedy center, who now has five two-goal games this season, is currently tied for 17th in OHL scoring with 53 points (23+30) in 47 games.



Jerome Gauthier-Leduc scored his 22nd goal of the year as Rimouski defeated Gatineau, 5-2. The goal, Leduc's second game winner of the year, snaps his six-game scoring drought. Crafty 2011 eligible Tomas Hyka notched a goal and an assist for the Olympiques.



Colin Jacobs picked up an assist and then scored the only goal in the shootout as Seattle edged Kelowna, 2-1. The shootout goal was Jacobs' third in three tries in the tiebreaker, nearly matching his regulation/OT output of four in 19 games since returning from injury. One of those goals was a penalty shot.



Gregg Sutch recorded two assists for his third multi-point game of the year as Barrie downed Brampton, 6-2. Alex Lepkowski, who was on the ice for a short-handed goal for and two goals against (one on a 5x3 PP), finished even for the Colts.

Mark Pysyk picked up an assist as Edmonton spanked Brandon, 6-2. Kevin Sundher finished the night at -2, giving him two goals and four assists in his first 10 games in Brandon uniform. Pysyk, meanwhile, has two goals and seven assists in 10 games since returning from the World Junior Championships.

Cedrick Henley finished -1 as Val-d'Or lost at home to Chicoutimi, 7-6. The 6'5 forward has 10 goals and 26 points in 35 games this season after having the bulk of his 2010-11 washed out due to wrist surgery.

Steven Shipley upped his goalless stretch to eight games as Niagara was blanked by Guelph, 3-0. The 6'3 Shipley, who has collected 29 points through 43 games, is amidst his longest stretch without a goal since his nine-game drought back in 2008-09 as an OHL rookie.

Nathan Lieuwen allowed five goals on 17 shots before getting pulled late in the second period as Kootenay lost in a shootout to Prince Albert, 7-6. The 20-year old netminder has allowed 12 goals in his last three outings - all ICE losses.

In NCAA, Drew MacKenzie saw his nine-game point streak come to an end as Vermont was thumped by Northeastern, 8-3. The 6'2 defender is currently the sixth leading scoring among Hockey East defensemen with 16 points (6+10) in 22 games.

Connor Knapp stopped 11 of 13 shots but Miami scored just once on 41 shots in a 2-1 loss to Northern Michigan. Knapp, who entered the game with six straight wins including a 0.60 goals against average and .977 save percentage in the month of January, moves to 8-5 on the year.

Brad Navin continued to bring a physical element to to the third line as Wisconsin lost to North Dakota, 5-3. Brad Eidsness served as backup for UND.

Justin Jokinen did not factor as Minnesota State lost to Bemidji State, 2-1. The 6'3 senior has three goals and nine points in 27 games.

Christian Isackson was scratched for the 20th time this season in Minnesota's 2-1 win over St. Cloud State. The freshman, who has bounced between center and wing, is +1 with 14 shots on goal in eight appearances.

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In the AHL, the Amerks continued their recent offensive woes with a 4-0 defeat at Syracuse. The Amerks coughed up two goals in the game's first three minutes en route to being shut out for the first time all year.

The Rundown:
Kassian: -2, 6 SOG
Crawford: 5 SOG
Foligno: 2 SOG
Szydlowski: -2, 1 SOG
Schiestel: -1
Lagace: -1
Biega: -1, 4 SOG
Fienhage: 2 PIM
Persson: -2
Parker: -2

Drew MacIntyre stopped 29 shots to fall to 6-11-0-2 on the year. Losers of two straight, the Amerks will travel to Toronto on Saturday before heading to the AHL All-Star break.

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On Thursday, Joel Armia continued to ride his renewed confidence with a pair of assists in Assat's 6-1 win over the Blues. The 6'3 wing is red hot with points in eight straight games, including all six since returning from the World Junior Championship. He has gathered nine goals and eight assists in his last 15 overall.



In other Thursday games, Shipley failed to get in on the fun as Niagara smoked Belleville, 6-0.

Henley registered two hits in his return from a two-game absence as Val-d'Or lost to Drummondville, 3-1.

Sutch (-2) and Lepkowski (-3) were stifled as Barrie dropped a 4-1 home ice decision to Plymouth.

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1/25 Recap: Sundher scores in loss; Amerks fall to Griffs

On Wednesday, Kevin Sundher scored for the second straight game as Brandon was blown out by Calgary, 7-2. The six-foot center, who has two goals and four assists in nine games as a Wheat King, now has 70 points (24+46) with 22 games remaining in the WHL regular season. He's been averaging 1.43 points-per-game in 2011-12, and he'll need to maintain that pace (actually 1.36 will do it) to eclipse the 100-point barrier.



Mark Pysyk finished -1 in a 5-4 overtime loss to Tri-City. Trading punches the entire way, the two clubs kept the goaltenders busy with a combined 90 shots on goal. The Oil Kings will welcome Sundher and the Wheat Kings to Rexall on Friday.

Nathan Lieuwen was given the night off as Kootenay lost to Lethbridge, 5-4. Lieuwen should be back between the pipes on Friday when the ICE host Prince Albert.

***

In AHL play, the Rochester Americans couldn't overcome a three-goal deficit after the opening frame en route to a 4-1 loss to Grand Rapids. The Amerks had defeated the Griffins in the previous three meetings between the clubs this season.

The Rundown:
Schiestel: A, -1
Kassian: -1, 1 SOG
Lagace: -1, 2 SOG
Foligno: 4 SOG
Parker: -1, 1 SOG
Biega: -1, 4 SOG
Crawford: -1
Fienhage: -1, 1 SOG
Szydlowski: -1

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1/24 Recap: Sundher gets first as Wheatie

Kevin Sundher snapped a career-long 10-game goal drought Tuesday as Brandon blanked Kootenay, 1-0. Sundher's late first period goal, his 23rd of the year and first in eight games since being traded to Brandon, was all the Wheat Kings would need with 17-year old goaltender Curtis Honey stopping all 34 shots sent his way. Nathan Lieuwen stopped 27 of 28 shots in defeat to earn the game's #2 star. The loss drops him to 20-11-3-2 on the year with a 2.19 goals against average and .924 save percentage.

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1/21-22 Recap: Armia on tear; Knapp stellar

Joel Armia continued his recent surge Saturday, scoring a pair of goals to extend his point streak to seven games as Assat smoked KalPa, 8-3. Armia's offensive spike, marked by a variety of goal celebrations, has resulted in 13 points (7+6) in his last 10 games to up his season line to 36GP 12-12-24.

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In NCAA play, Connor Knapp made 22 saves for his 10th career shutout as Miami earned the weekend sweep with a 4-0 win over Western Michigan. The 6'5 senior, who earned back-to-back starts for the second time in three weekends, is now tops among Sabres goaltending prospects with a 1.77 goals against average and .932 save percentage. Knapp also added an assist the old fashioned way en route to securing his grip on the RedHawks' #1 goaltending spot.



In the OHL, Dan Catenacci notched a goal and two assists as Owen Sound lost in overtime to London, 6-5. The goal, his 21st of the year, snaps a seven-game goal drought. It was his fifth three-point effort since joining the Attack.



Colin Jacobs scored a power play goal in Seattle's 5-4 overtime loss to Everett. The goal was Jacobs' fourth point in eight January games, and seventh in 18 games since returning from a lengthy shoulder injury.



Gregg Sutch earned an assist as Barrie doubled Guelph, 4-2. The game marked Sutch's return to the Colts lineup after missing eight games with an upper body injury. Alex Lepkowski finished -1 on the Barrie blueline.

Steven Shipley assisted on the first Niagara goal as the IceDogs lost to Sudbury, 4-3. The point was Shipley's first in five games.

Justin Jokinen (+2) contributed three shots on goal as Minnesota State defeated Nebraska-Omaha 5-4 in overtime. Jokinen was on the ice as the Mavericks' third line clicked for the OT winner.

Brad Navin finished even as Wisconsin edged Alaska-Anchorage, 3-2. The freshman third-liner has two goals and two assists through his first 23 NCAA games.

Brad Eidsness served as backup in North Dakota's 3-2 win over St. Cloud State.

Christian Isackson was a healthy scratch as Minnesota defeated Colorado College, 2-1.

Mark Adams was a scratch as Providence was embarrassed by Boston University, 8-0.

***

On Sunday, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc logged a -2 as Rimouski was shut out by Baie-Comeau. The offensive-minded defender has just two goals and two assists in 10 game since returning from the Christmas break.

Cedrick Henley did not play for the second straight game as Val-d'Or was stomped by Rouyn-Noranda, 9-3.

Jacobs was kept off the scoresheet as Seattle was nipped by Vancouver, 3-2.

Shipley finished +2 with an assist in Niagara's 9-0 blowout of Peterborough.

Lepkowski (-1) and Sutch (2PIM) did not factor in Barrie's 3-0 loss to Oshawa.

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