We've been talking for a few years now how Swedish forward Victor Olofsson's shooting skills have been leveraged as a bit of a power play specialist in the Swedish Hockey League.
Olofsson was at it again Thursday, sniping a pair of darn-near identical markers with the man advantage as Frolunda HC opened Champions Hockey League action with a 5-4 overtime victory the ZSC Lions.
Olofsson has been playing fourth-line forward minutes with Carl Grundstrom (TOR) and Lias Andersson (NYR), but you can see why he is on the Indians' top unit power play.
Casey Fitzgerald scored a pair of goals Saturday, connecting from a tough angle in the opening period and then converting from the slot in the final frame, as Boston College trounced Holy Cross 6-1. The sophomore defenseman has goals in consecutive games for the first time as a collegian. Chris Brown was kept off the scoresheet for the second straight night.
Fresh off a healthy scratch the night before, senior defender Anthony Florentino returned to produce his first goal of the year plus two assists as Providence doubled St. Lawrence 6-3. The three-point night was the first in Florentino's 104 games as a Friar.
In South Bend, Cal Petersen made 30 saves as Notre Dame fell to Penn State 3-2 in overtime. Connor Hurley recorded one shot on goal for the losing side.
Third-year forward Judd Peterson had three shots on goal, and sophomore defenseman Will Borgen played to an even rating as St. Cloud State came from behind for the second straight night to defeat Minnesota 3-2 and sweep the non-conference series.
In an exhibition scrimmage, Sean Malone scored a power play goal and added the winning marker in the shootout as Harvard earned a 4-3 victory over Dartmouth.
In the WHL, Brandon Hagel scored his third goal of the year and added an assist as Red Deer got past Prince Albert 3-1. Vojtech Budik launched a power play point shot for an assist for the Raiders. Brendan Guhle finished minus-one with a cross-checking minor.
Devante Stephens logged a plus-two rating as Kelowna cruised past Seattle 5-1. Stephens has been an even player or better in his last five games.
In AHL action, Cal O'Reilly, Cole Schneider and Dan Catenacci provided the goals and Linus Ullmark was again excellent with 38 saves to earn the game's first start as Rochester defeated Binghamton 3-1. Ullmark's solid weekend moves him to 3-1 on the year with a 2.75 GAA and .926 save%.
In the QMJHL, Vasily Glotov was unable to produce as Cape Breton was blanked by Blainville-Boisbriand 1-0. Glotov scored a goal in his first game of the year but hasn't connected since, leaving him with seven points (1+6) through 10 contests.
In the USHL, Brett Murray registered three shots on goal as Youngstown was dropped by Dubuque 4-1. Murray's 11 points (3+8) are tied for third-most in the league.
Philip Nyberg logged a minus-one rating as Madison was throttled by Lincoln 6-1. Nyberg has two points (1+1) in his first eight North American contests.
In Sweden, Rasmus Asplund went without a point for the fourth straight games as Farjestad defeated the Vaxjo Lakers 4-1. Asplund won 60 per cent of his faceoffs in the game and provided key work on the penalty kill late in the game as FBK protected their lead.
Judd Peterson notched his first-ever NCAA hat trick Friday to thrust St. Cloud State to a 6-5 overtime victory over Minnesota.
Peterson put the Huskies on the board with a power play deflection at 2:20 of the second period to cut the Gophers' lead to 2-1.
After Minnesota added two more on the power play, Peterson batted home his own rebound with 2:49 remaining in the middle frame to halve the deficit to 4-2.
St. Cloud State would continue battling in the third period, with Peterson getting his hat trick with the extra attacker with 1:13 left in regulation to force overtime.
The big night puts Peterson into the St. Cloud State scoring lead with four goals and five points through three games.
St. Cloud State's top pair defenseman Will Borgen finished the game with an even rating.
In Sweden, Jonas Johansson made 42 saves as Almtuna IS shut out HC Vita Hästen 3-0. Johansson's second shutout in eight starts moves him to 4-4 on the year with a 1.39 GAA and .950 save%.
Elsewhere, Casey Fitzgerald connected on a quick wrist shot through traffic for his first goal of the year and added one assist as Boston College defeated Colorado College 4-1. Chris Brown, who entered the game as the Eagles leading scorer (3-3-6), did not factor into the scoring.
Cal Petersen made 29 saves as Notre Dame came back to tie Penn State 3-3. Connor Hurley saw his four-game point streak come to an end, finishing with three shots on goal in the stalemate.
Ivan Chukarov finished with two shots on goal and a plus-two rating as Massachusetts closed out Army West Point 3-2.
Anthony Florentino did not dress as Providence played to a 3-3 tie with Clarkson.
In OHL action, Cliff Pu contributed two assists as London downed Saginaw 5-1. Pu has 13 points (5+8) through his first eight games while winning 62.4 per cent of his draws.
Austin Osmanski was credited with a pair of helpers as Mississauga edged Niagara 6-5 in overtime. That's Osmanski's first multiple point game of the season and his third since joining the Steelheads a year ago.
In the WHL, Brandon Hagel notched his second goal of the season into an empty net as Red Deer defeated Calgary 4-1. Hagel has seven points (2+5) in nine games with the Rebels.
Devante Stephens picked up an assist as Kelowna doubled Tri-City 4-3. Stephens now has points in two consecutive games for the second time in WHL career.
Giorgio Estephan was shut out as Lethbridge was smoked by Brandon 6-1.
Brendan Guhle and Vojtech Budik each finished with an even rating as Prince Albert lost at Edmonton 3-1.
In the AHL, Taylor Fedun produced a goal and an assist while Hudson Fasching, Justin Bailey, Casey Nelson and Dan Catenacci (empty net) scored single markers as Rochester downed Toronto 5-2. Veteran forwards Cole Schneider and Cal O'Reilly each supplied two assists, while Linus Ullmark stopped 34 shots for his best performance of the young season.
In USHL action, Philip Nyberg recorded an assist as Madison got past Waterloo 3-2.
Brett Murray saw his three-game point streak snapped as Youngstown was blanked by Dubuque 3-0.
In the QMJHL, Vasily Glotov submitted two shots on goal and a minus-one rating in Cape Breton's 4-2 loss at Gatineau.
Rasmus Asplund skated for 16:20 in Farjestad's 3-1 win over Vaxjo. Through 10 games, Asplund has collected two goals and five points.
We've got a little mid-week catch-up for you to chew on as the Sabres get ready to close their first west coast road trip of the season...
Devante Stephens notched his first goal of the season Wednesday, jumping into the play and taking a defender around the edge for the lamplighter as Kelowna edged Everett 4-3. The first-period marker was the seventh of his career and first since November 20, 2015 for the stay-at-home defenseman.
In honor of Stephens' rare goal, here's a little bonus.
Some of you who follow on Twitter may recall this tweet from two weeks ago:
Had a feeling Devante Stephens was going to scrap soon. Sure enough, executed huge hit in first period of tonight's game and gloves came off
In Sweden, Rasmus Asplund skated for a career-best 21:56 as Farjestad BK got past Djurgarden IF 3-2 in a shootout. Asplund has two goals, five points and an even rating through his first nine appearances this season while averaging 16:50 of work per night. His development is properly being served as he is getting quality time in all situations.
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On Tuesday, Giorgio Estephan scored his third goal of the year as Lethbridge was shellacked by Regina 6-1. The blocker-side snipe gives Estephan nine points (3+6) through his first eight games. Four of his six helpers have come with the man advantage.
Also from Tuesday, Victor Olofsson recorded one assist as Frolunda HC doubled Orebro HK 4-2. Olofsson has three points (2+1) in his first 10 games with FHC. A season ago, Olofsson produced three goals and eight points in his first 10 games with MODO on his way to finishing as the team's leading scorer.
Brett Murray exploded for a five-point Saturday, scoring two goals and adding three assists as Youngstown cruised past Muskegon 7-4. The offensive eruption elevates Murray to 11 points (3+8) through his first seven contests. He has points in five of seven games since joining the Phantoms en route to compiling a plus-eight rating.
Elsewhere in USHL action, Philip Nyberg (-2) contributed two shots on goal as Madison was blanked 4-0 by Chicago. The Wisconsin commit has one goal and eight shots in the first six games of his USHL tune-up.
In AHL action, Justin Bailey scored his first goal of the year with nice third-period wrist shot, and Linus Ullmark stopped 40 of 44 shots as Rochester was defeated by Syracuse 4-1. Taylor Fedun drew the lone assist on Bailey's marker for his first point as an Amerk.
In the collegiate ranks, Judd Peterson scored his first goal of the year and Will Borgen supplied one assist as St. Cloud State was swept by Minnesota State thanks to a 6-4 defeat. The Huskies will look to right the ship next weekend when they meet Minnesota for a home-and-home non-conference set.
Cal Petersen made his 54th consecutive start in the Notre Dame crease, making 27 saves as the Fighting Irish earned the weekend split with a 3-1 win over Minnesota-Duluth. Connor Hurley netted one assist to extend his season-opening point streak to four games. The Irish return to home ice next weekend when they take on Penn State.
Anthony Florentino led all defensemen with three shots on goal as Providence was upset by Holy Cross 2-1 in overtime. The Friars host North Country opponents Clarkson and St. Lawrence next weekend.
In the OHL, Cliff Pu was shut out as London was smoked by Erie 7-1. Pu has four goals and 10 points through six games while winning 64 per cent of his faceoffs.
Austin Osmanski produced two shots on goal as Mississauga came back to defeats Saginaw 3-2 in overtime. Top draft prospect Owen Tippett scored two goals for the third straight contest to propel the comeback.
Vasily Glotov recorded one assist as Cape Breton was doubled by Charlottetown 4-2. Through seven contests, Glotov has one collected goal and five total points.
Giorgio Estephan (-3) saw his five-game point streak snapped as Lethbridge was hammered by Regina 7-2. Estephan, who averaged 1.25 points per game a season ago, is scoring at the same clip early with 1.33 points-per-game through his first six contests.
Devante Stephens logged a plus-one rating as Kelowna lost to Swift Current 5-1. Stephens entered the season as a cumulative plus-29 in his first two WHL seasons (136 games). He is currently a minus-two through the first eight tilts of the 2016-17 campaign.
Vojtech Budik (+1) and Brendan Guhle each had good nights in their own zone as Prince Albert lost to Brandon 4-3. Budik was angling for the second three-game point streak of his WHL career, but was unable to produce in defeat.
In Sweden, Victor Olofsson finished with a plus-one rating in a season-high 16:29 of work as Frolunda HC dropped a 3-2 decision to Linkoping HC.
Rasmus Asplund was unable to score in 14:33 of action as Farjestad BK earned a 3-1 victory over Lulea HF.
Jonas Johansson did not dress as Almtuna IS edged IF Bjorkloven 2-1.
Cliff Pu scored his fourth goal of the season Friday, taking a pass and going in alone for the quick forehand finish glove side as London defeated Windsor 4-0. Pu has scored in four of his first five games en route to collecting nine total points (4+5).
Elsewhere in the OHL, Austin Osmanski finished with a minus-one rating as Mississauga nearly erased a five-goal deficit in taking a 5-4 loss to Flint.
In the WHL, Giorgio Estephan netted one assist to extend his season-opening point streak to five games as Lethbridge fell to Vancouver 4-3 in overtime.
On Wednesday, Estephan collected two goals and an assist to help the Hurricanes to a 5-2 triumph over Victoria.
Brandon Hagel amassed three assists as Red Deer downed Swift Current 6-4. Hagel's helpers elevate him to six points (1+5) through his first seven games with the Rebels.
Brendan Guhle made his season debut, finishing with a plus-two rating as Prince Albert knocked off Brandon 3-2 in overtime. Vojtech Budik picked up an assist for the second-straight games in the victory.
Devante Stephens continue to play second-pair minutes, finishing with a plus-one rating in Kelowna's 4-2 loss to Saskatoon.
In Friday night USHL action, Brett Murray added an assist to his stat line as Youngstown defeated Muskegon 3-1. The Penn State commit has six points (1+5) through his first six games with the Phantoms.
Defenseman Philip Nyberg recorded two shots on goal as Madison lost to rival Green Bay 4-1.
In NCAA action, Judd Peterson notched one assist and Will Borgen logged a plus-one rating as St. Cloud State was upended by Minnesota State 4-1.
Connor Hurley supplied one assist and cal Petersen allowed four goals on 28 shots as Notre Dame lost to Minnesota-Duluth 4-3. Hurley now has six points (1+5) through three games. Petersen falls to 2-1 with with a 2.66 GAA and .897 save%.
Casey Fitzgerald (2 SOG) and Chris Brown (5 SOG) were unable to get in on the scoring as Boston College was defeated by Wisconsin 3-1.
In the AHL, Cole Schneider recorded two goals and two assists while Nick Baptiste supplied a goal and a n assist to earn his first NHL recall as Rochester hung on for a 5-4 victory over Hershey. Eric Cornel and Cal O'Reilly also scored for the Amerks, while Linus Ullmark made 25 saves to get the win. Alex Nylander assisted on the game's opening tally for his first career point as a pro.
On Thursday, Rasmus Asplund used his backhand to bury his second goal of the year to help Farjestad BK to a 5-0 win over Skellefteå AIK. Asplund has hit a higher level this season, piling up five points (2+3) in seven games.
Victor Olofsson used his speed and hands to score his second goal of the season in Frolunda HC's 2-1 in over Rogle BK.
