Friday, March 8, 2013

3/7 recap: Armia hot with playoffs on horizon

Joel Armia scored the game winning goal Thursday as Assat extended their winning streak to 14 games with a 3-2 victory over JYP. Armia's goal with 11:30 left in regulation was his 19th of the year, setting a new career-best after back-to-back 18-goal seasons in 2010-11 and 2011-12. The 6-foot-3 winger has secured six goals and 13 points in his last nine games. The Aces, who occupy fourth place in the SM-liiga standings with two dates left on the schedule, return to action Saturday versus Karpat.



In the OHL, Alex Lepkowski logged a plus-one rating as Barrie got past Sudbury 5-1. An eight-goal scorer in 51 games a season ago, the rugged defender has no goals and eight assists through 55 games this season. The Colts will look for their fifth straight win Saturday against Belleville, whom they trail by one point for the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings.