1/20 Recap: Byron's Abuzz; Schutz scores big goal

I'm freezing at pee-wee hockey. Ingolstadt coach Mike Krushelnyski has to be impressed. Playing in front his new coach for the first time, Felix Schutz scored his 9th goal of the season with 3:17 left to force overtime in a wild one with Augsburger. Ingolstadt went on to complete the 7-6 come-from-behind win in the extra session. The 5'11 Schutz sat out two games earlier this week due to sore back muscles. He'll carry a two-game point streak into Tuesday's game at Hannover. The Telus feeds were working well today, so I was able to take in good chunks of games involving Paul Byron and Benjamin Breault. Breault looked in control, scoring a goal and setting up the winner to earn the #2 star in Baie-Comeau's 5-3 win over Victoriaville. One thing I keep noticing about Breault is that he can be crafty with his stick defensively. He's not a "charlie hustle" type, but it was refreshing to see him go down to block a point shot on the PK. The Drakkar are ranked #9 in the latest CHL Mosaik Top 10. The pace slowed down in the Baie-Comeau game, but right on cue, the third period between Gatineau and Shawinigan was filled with wide open, high-energy hockey. The Olympiques color scheme makes it tough to see the numbers, but you always know when Paul Byron is on the ice. He had a "Gerbe" game today with two goals on a game-best six shots on goal in the 4-1 win. Adding sparkle to the game's #2 star was his six blocked shots - also a game-best. As good as Byron was, Claude Giroux was better. The Flyers prospect skated parts of the third with Matthew Pistilli and Gerrit Fauser and dominated every shift. The non-stop pressure of Giroux and his linemates lead to few spirited fights in the final minutes. 2007 2nd round defenseman Drew Schiestel continued his recent upswing in the OHL, netting an assist and a +1 in the IceDogs 4-0 win over Ottawa. Niagara outshot the 67's 43-15 en route to the easy shutout. With 25 points, Schiestel has already eclipsed his point total for last season (21). More importantly, after being a -5 through the first 28 games, he's been a minus player just twice in his past 17 raising his season rating to +3. Hockey fans in Buffalo should consider going to see to see Schiestel next Sunday (1/27) as likely 2008 lottery pick Steven Stamkos and the Sarnia Sting come to town. It's a 2:00 puck drop right over the border in St. Catherines.