Friday, April 1, 2011

3/31 Recap: Boychuk pots two; Foligno gets boot

Riley Boychuk scored a pair of goals Thursday and provided a major physical spark as Portland completed the sweep of Everett with a 6-2 victory. The 6'5 power forward, who opened the game with a huge hit that jarred the glass loose, consistently used his feet to drive hard to the net with the puck en route to cashing his pair. His edgy game created space but also drew penalties, as Landon Ferraro was forced to sit for five after giving Boychuk a cross-check to end the second period. Everett simply could not keep up with the physical tone set by Boychuk, making the Sabres prospect a valuable piece to a team that should go deep in the playoffs.

Elsewhere in the WHL, Kevin Sundher finished -1 a night after providing the heroics as Chilliwack stumbled in a 4-2 loss at Spokane. The Bruins will have win on the road in Saturday's game #5 to keep their season alive.

Mark Pysyk was -1 with a pair of minor penalties as Edmonton saw their season come to a close with a 5-1 loss to Red Deer. The 6'2 defender finishes the four-game playoff year with no points, a -1 rating, and 6 PIM.

In the OHL, Marcus Foligno was ejected in the first period after being called for a checking to the head penalty as upset-minded Sudbury clawed their back from a 3-1 deficit to earn a 5-3 win over Ottawa, and a date with Mississauga in the second round of the OHL playoffs. Foligno, who came in high on Adam Sedlak but looked to have made contact with the shoulder and not the head, got the boot with 7:31 to play in the first period to end the series with no points, a -2 rating, and 13 PIM.

Steven Shipley notched his first career playoff point, an assist, as Niagara earned the first round sweep with a 4-1 win over Brampton. The shift resulting in the goal was probably the best of the night for the unit of Archibald-Shipley-Doan as the trio pinned the troops in their own end for a minute before Archibald lit the lamp. The IceDogs will now await the winner of Oshawa/Kingston.