Friday, October 2, 2009

10/1 Recap: Kassian nets another; Ennis impressing

Zack Kassian scored a goal on Thursday as Peterborough defeated Oshawa, 5-4. The 6'3 Petes captain one-timed a Brett Theberge cross-ice feed 20-seconds into the second period for his third goal goal of the season. He now has points in six games for the Petes, who were outshot 50-33 by the visiting Generals. Michael Quesnele ('10) scored the game winner and picked up a fighting major. Nick Crawford finished -2 as Saginaw lost at Brampton, 4-3. Former Buffalo Jr. Sabre and Rochester, NY native Phil Lane ('10) notched his first OHL points for the Troops, scoring a goal and an assist in the win. Last season, the 6'2, 194-pound power forward scored 18 goals and 24 assists in 45 OJHL games. On Wednesday, Jordon Southorn posted a -2 as PEI stumbled in a 6-3 road loss at Montreal. The Rocket held a 2-1 lead midway through the second period before falling victim to sloppy play. Guillaume Asselin ('10) had a goal and an assist for the winners. Also on Wednesday, Tyler Ennis had a goal and two assists as Portland closed their exhibition schedule with 4-2 win over the University of New Brunswick. Ennis' output gives him impressive totals of two goals and five assists in three preseason contests. Marc-Andre Gragnani scored the game winner in the early third period, while Paul Byron and Derek Whitmore added singles. The Pirates will open the regular season on Saturday at Springfield. ----------------------------- For those who may have missed the news, the Sabres on Wednesday announced that F Nathan Gerbe and D Mike Weber have been assigned to Portland of the AHL. The transactions leave D Tyler Myers and F Tim Kennedy with the big club for Saturday's opener with the Canadiens. How long Myers stays with the Sabres could be determined by how well he performs (if called upon). Per the Buffalo News, Myers was skating as the extra dman in Thursday morning practice, but I wouldn't rule out him being in the Saturday night lineup despite some expectations that the team will ease him in. The situation is a little more black and white with Kennedy, who earned the right to stay after being creative and responsible from the center position since the beginning of camp. With Drew Stafford dinged with a minor concussion, the former Michigan State Spartan could see scoring line minutes early on in an attempt to fortify his role on an NHL roster. Gerbe, while disapponted with the move after scoring a pair of goals in the final preseason games, will retreat to Portland where it's possible to keep pressure on the remaining Sabres forwards. Joining him on the farm will be Weber, who was somewhat inconsistent with his puck decisions in exhibition work.