Speaking of World Juniors, Joel Armia had his first two-goal game of the year and added an assist as Assat doubled Lukko, 6-3. The 6'3 wing was named the game's #1 star - also a season first. An absolute no-brainer for what could be a stacked Finnish World Junior entry, Armia now has seven goals and 15 points this season.
Drew MacKenzie scored his fourth goal of the season as Vermont lost to Maine, 6-4. The power-play marker gave the Catamounts a 3-2 lead at the second intermission before the Black Bears closed strong with a four-goal third period.
Alex Lepkowski scored his second goal of the year as Barrie downed Erie in a shootout, 4-3. Gregg Sutch was unable to get on the scoresheet for the Colts, while development camp invite Steven Beyers notched a regulation goal and the shootout winner.
Elsewhere, Dan Catenacci logged a +3 for the second straight game as Owen Sound defeated Guelph, 4-1. The Attack will battle a well-oiled London club on Saturday.
Nathan Lieuwen allowed two goals on 11 shots in 16:54 of relief work as Kootenay was bested by Prince Albert, 7-5. Lieuwen surrendered his fifth loss of the year despite playing less than one period's worth of hockey.
Kevin Sundher had three breakaways but did not register a point as Victoria edged Kelowna, 2-1. Despite not scoring, Sundher's all-around effort was rewarded with the game's #2 star.
Cedrick Henley missed his first game due to a broken thumb as Val-d'Or got rocked by Victoriaville, 6-1. The 6'5 wing is expected to miss two-three weeks while recovering.
In NCAA action, Brad Eidsness stopped 26 of 28 shots as North Dakota took a 5-2 decision at Alaska-Anchorage. The start was Eidsness' third of the year and first since October 21st.
Connor Knapp made 13 saves in nearly 50-minutes of action as #18 Miami lost to Northern Michigan, 2-1. The senior netminder, who was originally scheduled to start the contest, violated team rules Friday morning and was punished by sitting the first half of the opening period.
Mark Adams recorded one shot on goal as Providence upset top-ranked Merrimack, 2-1. The two clubs will play it back on Saturday.
Justin Jokinen contributed two shots on goal as Minnesota State lost to #5 Minnesota, 4-2. Christian Isackson was a healthy scratch for the Gophers for the 14th time this season.
