Sunday, January 25, 2009

1/24 Recap: Pairs of assists and DQs for Tropp

Corey Tropp (+2) had a pair of assists and may be on his way to a CCHA suspension as Michigan State lost to top rival Michigan, 5-3. Things got ugly with :53 to go when Tropp received a pair of game disqualifications after slashing at a downed Steve Kampfer. The Wolverine defenseman delivered a check on Tropp at center ice, and while skating back into play took a right-handed punch to the head from behind by the Spartans Andrew Conboy. With Kampfer going down along the boards after the blow, Tropp appeared to strike him with his stick in the neck area to earn five minutes and a pair of game disqualifications. Kampfer, who was helped off the ice by teammates, looks to have sustained a neck injury, while Conboy and Tropp will likely face disciplinary measures of some capacity. If the name Steve Kampfer sounds familiar, you may remember him as the UM hockey player on the receiving end of a vicious assault a few months back. After the game, a Michigan parent made his way down to the Michigan State locker room, reportedly in an attempt to fight the Sabres 2007 third-rounder. Police were needed to keep order. In the WHL, Tyler Ennis (+3) had two assists as Medicine Hat cruised past Prince George, 5-2. With 48 points on the season, Ennis has collected nine of those in his past five games. Tyler Myers had an assist and was +1 as Kelowna rode a three-goal first period to a 5-2 victory over Kamloops. The rearguard had 12 PIM on the evening, including ten for chirping at the officials in the second period. The Rockets decision over the Blazers snaps a four-game winless skid. In Saginaw, Nick Crawford had an assist as the Spirit pumped 59 shots on goal but still lost to Peterborough, 5-4. The Caledon, Ontario native got in on the barrage, firing a point shot that was tipped by Jack Combs to give the Spirit an early 1-0 lead. 2009 eligible Zack Kassian scored the go-ahead goal for the Petes at 11:50 of the third period before the teams traded goals in the final minute of play. Jordon Southorn was +2 with three shots on goal as PEI destroyed Baie-Comeau for the second night in a row, 11-2. The Rocket outscored the Drakkar 18-4 over the Friday-Saturday set. T.J. Brennan (+1) and Luke Adam (-2) were both held without points as Montreal lost to Lewiston, 3-2 in a shootout. J.S. Allard did not score as Quebec shut down Moncton, 2-0. At the Ralph, Brad Eidsness was the player of the game, making several big saves among his 38 stops as North Dakota tied Denver, 2-2. Eidsness was a much needed backbone as the Sioux had trouble applying heat despite taking three weekend points from the WCHA's top team. The affair also saw Denver coach George Gwozdecky get ejected after walking on to the ice to dispute a non-call. Andrew Orpik had an assist as Boston College doubled up Maine, 6-3. The East Amherst, NY native now has four points in his last four appearances, and a total of 12 on the year. In Canton, Matt Generous (+1, 3 SOG) saw his five game point streak come to an end as St. Lawrence defeated Union, 5-2. Nick Eno relieved Jimmy Spratt to start the second period as Bowling Green got clobbered by Lake Superior, 8-4. Eno made 16 stops while allowing three goals goals over the final 40:00. The game was marred by a nasty collision between BGSU's Brandon Svendsen and Lake State goalie Brian Mahoney-Wilson that saw the netminder get taken off the ice on a stretcher with a neck injury. He was taken to a hospital but looks to be OK. Drew MacKenzie was even in Vermont's 1-1 tie with Massachusetts. The freshman was on the ice killing a penalty when Casey Wellman tied it up for the Minutemen with 8:00 to play in regulation. Justin Jokinen was -1 as Mankato lost to Duluth, 7-4.