Marcus Foligno scored his 20th goal of the season Saturday and added two assists as Sudbury gutted out a thrilling 7-6 win over Guelph. The three-point night gives Foligno an even 50 points through 38 games. Trailing 6-5 with a little over three minutes to play, the Wolves attacked with two goals including the short-handed game-winner with just two ticks on the clock to secure the victory. Sudbury (18-26-2-1) will look to make it eight wins in their last ten when they travel to Soo on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in the OHL, Gregg Sutch finished -1 with a late unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as Mississauga defeated Peterborough, 5-2. Sutch, who is gettng his legs back after an eight-game injury stint, has seven goals, 21 points, and a +16 rating this season. The CHL's #2 ranked Majors (36-8-0-2) will play host to Sarnia on Sunday.
Steven Shipley posted bagels across the board as Niagara scored a 5-4 win over Saginaw. The struggling Shipley has registered points in just three of the 12 games in 2011. Niagara (31-11-2-4, #8 in CHL rankings) are off until Thursday when they host the Greyhounds.
In the WHL, Mark Pysyk (+1) notched a pair of assists as Edmonton doubled Prince Albert, 4-2. The Oil Kings captain closes his most productive offensive month of the season with a goal and eight assists in 13 January games. To date, the smooth defender has 24 points (2+22) and a shiny +19 rating through 42 contests. Edmonton (23-24-0-3) opens the February portion of the schedule Tuesday in Seattle.
Brayden McNabb (+1) saw his five-game point streak come to an end as Kootenay won in OT against Lethbridge, 4-3. The 6'4 minute-eater is currently ranked third among WHL defensemen with 45 points (13+32). The Ice (32-16-1-2) host lowly Calgary on Tuesday.
Matt MacKenzie did not factor into the scoring as Tri-City edged Spokane, 5-4. The 6'2 defenseman was whistled for a pair of minor penalties (checking from behind and hooking), with each leading to Chiefs popwer play tallies. The surging Americans (31-13-2-1) host Edmonton on Wednesday.
Riley Boychuk was +1 with a roughing minor as Portland defeated Seattle, 5-2. Despite being suspended for the first two games of the month, the 6'5 forward closes January with four goals, two game winners, four assists, and a +9 rating for his best ten-game stretch of the 2010-11 season. The #10 ranked Winterhawks (34-15-0-3) are off until Friday when they host the Oil Kings.
Corey Fienhage played even as Kamloops defeated Chilliwack, 5-1. Kevin Sundher, whose hooking penalty at 1:07 of the first period led to the first Blazer goal, finished -2 for the Bruins (21-24-2-2). Chilliwack will take a four-game losing streak into Wednesday's meeting at Kelowna, while the Blazers (22-28-2-1) are also off until a midweek tilt with Everett.
In USHL play, Christian Isackson potted the game-winning goal as Sioux Falls downed Waterloo, 6-4. The Minnesota commit has nine goals, 21 points, and 100 shots on goal through 32 junior "A" games this season. The Stampede (19-11-4) next play Wednesday night in Omaha.
In NCAA action, Justin Jokinen recorded five shots on goal as Minnesota State was handled by St. Cloud State, 6-2. Talk about crazy-8's, the junior forward has eight goals, eight assists, eight minor penalties, and a -8 rating in 28 games this season. The Mavericks (11-11-6) will look to get back above the .500 mark next week when they host Bemidji.
Mark Adams finished -1 as Providence was swept by #7 New Hampshire, 5-1. The freshman rearguard has an assist and a -6 rating through his first 23 NCAA contests. With the loss, the Friars (7-12-5) conclude a futile six-game run against top-15 teams (BC, Maine, UNH).
Drew MacKenzie (-2) contributed two shots on goal as Vermont got lit up by #14 Merrimack, 7-1. The floundering Catamounts (5-15-4), who have at times used the offensive-minded MacKenzie as a wing on the power play, will look to regroup next week when they host Providence.
Connor Knapp did not play as #11 Miami and #9 Notre Dame tied for the second straight night, 2-2. It will be interesting to see what RedHawks coach Enrico Blasi does with his goaltending rotation next weekend when they return home to face #6 Michigan. The junior pair are near identical with Knapp (5-5-4) having a 2.26 GAA and .901 save percentage, while the undrafted Cody Reichard (9-4-0-1) currently checks in with a 2.29 GAA and .901 save percentage. Entering the practice this week, I suspect he will go back to Reichard on Friday with Knapp penciled in for Saturday barring a stellar performance in the opener.
Nick Eno did not play as Bowling Green earned a weekend split with a 2-1 win over Lake Superior. Eno will look to improve his 4-8-1 record next Friday when the Falcons (8-18-2) travel to #16 Western Michigan.
Brad Eidsness remained parked on the bench as #4 North Dakota avenged their Friday showing with a 6-0 shutout of #20 Colorado College. The junior netminder, who hasn't made a WCHA start since November 19th, will need some action soon to improve on a the lowest save percentage (.794) this site has seen in three+ years of existence. The Sioux (19-8-2) will take a week off before hosting Alaska-Anchorage.
