Tropp produces as Amerks drop pair

Corey Tropp and Jacob Lagace each scored a goal Saturday as Rochester lost to Toronto 5-4 in overtime. Derek Whitmore lit the lamp twice to pace the Amerks offense, while Zack Kassian garnered an assist to give him points in six of his first seven professional games.

David Leggio made 26 saves in defeat to slip to 2-2-0-1 on the year.

The Rundown:
Tropp: 1G, 3 SOG
Lagace: 1G
Kassian 1A, 5 SOG
MacKenzie: +1
Brennan: 3 SOG
Szydlowski: even
McNabb: even
Biega: 1 SOG
Crawford: -2, 2 SOG
Parker: -1
Boychuk: 2 PIM
Foligno (suspended)

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On Friday, Tropp bagged  a pair of goals as the Amerks opened their three-games-in-three-nights run with a 3-2 shootout loss to Hamilton. Tropp's tallies, the first off a wrister and the second a rebound tap-in, were the first of the season for the second year man.

Tropp and Kassian, who along with Brayden McNabb earned assists in the loss, would later add shootout goals as the Bulldogs needed eight rounds to earn the extra point.

East Amherst native and former UNH standout Phil DeSimone scored a goal for Hamilton.

The Rundown:
Tropp: 2G, 4 SOG
Kassian: 1A, 3 SOG
McNabb: 1A, 1 SOG
MacKenzie: 2 SOG, 4 PIM
Crawford: 3 SOG
Brennan: 1 SOG
Biega: 1 SOG
Lagace: 1 SOG
Boychuk: 2 SOG
Szydlowski: even
Parker (suspended)
Foligno (suspended)

Drew Schiestel and Dennis Persson sat out both games due to injury.

Rochester closes the weekend with a Sunday night match-up with Adirondack.

10/18 Recap: Amerks win game, pair "feel shame"

In Tuesday AHL action, Nick Crawford notched his first goal of the year late in regulation before Jonathan Parker ended things in the shootout to lead Rochester to a 3-2 win over Syracuse.

Jacob Lagace scored his second goal in as many games for the Amerks. Riley Boychuk (his first career AHL point) and T.J. Brennan added assists.

Crawford's power play goal at 15:02 of the third period forced the OT, giving the second year defenseman points in three straight games since replacing the injured Drew Schiestel (knee) in the Amerks lineup.

Matt MacKenzie finished even with a shot on goal in his AHL debut.

The Rundown:

Lagace: 1G, +1

Crawford: 1G

Parker: SHOG, -1

Boychuk: 1A, +1

Brennan: 1A, 2 SOG

Szydlowski: +1

MacKenzie: 1 SOG

Kassian: even

McNabb: -1, 4 SOG

Foligno, -1, 2 SOG

Tropp: -1

Biega: -1

Following the game, the Amerks learned that two of their players have been suspended for actions in Sunday's 7-2 win over Grand Rapids.

Marcus Foligno will sit for two games after being whistled for boarding Garnet Exelby at the end of a foot race for a puck.

Parker was assessed a one-game punishment after cutting a Griffin forward with a high stick.

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Elsewhere Tuesday, Nathan Lieuwen made 27 saves but suffered his second regulation defeat of the year as Kootenay came up short against Medicine Hat, 2-1. The ICE return to action Saturday when they host Moose Jaw.

Joel Armia snapped his three-game point drought with an assist as Assat downed HPK, 5-1. The 18-year old wing, who has been skating on the Aces third line for the past few contests, has scored just one goal on 62 shots this season (1.6%). Assat plays at SaiPA on Thursday.

10/16 Recap: Kassian, Parker power Amerks onslaught

Zack Kassian scored two goals and Jonathan Parker added a single and two assists Sunday to power the Rochester Americans to a 7-2 shellacking of Grand Rapids. Marcus Foligno and Jacob Lagace also had goals for the winners, while ookie rearguard Brayden McNabb earned his first professional points with a pair of assists.

Parker continued his early season success with all three of his points in the first period as the Amerks jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Not surprisingly, a Red Wings prospect from Sweden (Gustav Nyquist) was able to get the Griffins on the board.

The Amerks would duplicate their three-goal output in the second period beginning with a backhand finish from Kassian at 9:12 to take a 6-2 advantage into the second intermission.

Things got chippy in the third period with the Amerks holding a comfortable lead. Three fights broke out involving Sabres prospects, highlighted by the Sabres rookie duo of Kassian and Foligno throwing at the same time.

Remember how when the Sabres drafted the pair in 2009, then-Sudbury coach Mike Foligno said that "Buffalo got the two toughest kids in the Ontario League"?

Kassian went toe-to-toe with former NHL vet Garnet Exelby, while Foligno took a decision over ex-WHLer Travis Ehrhardt. A minute after that double-feature, Corey Tropp was called to battle with former Amerk Doug Janik.

Tropp was given an interference penalty in the second period when he collided with/blew over Griffins center Landon Ferraro on a backcheck in front of the Amerks net. Tropp's shoulder seemed to make contact with the side of Ferraro's head, sending the Wings prospect hard to the ice and off to the dressing room.

The Rundown:

Kassian: 2G, 3 SOG, 15 PIM

Parker: 1G, 2A, +1

Foligno: 1G, +1, 12 PIM

Lagace: 1G, +1

McNabb: 2A, +3

Biega: 1A, +3

Szydlowski: 1A, +1

Crawford: 1A, +1

Boychuk: +1

Tropp: 3 SOG, 7 PIM

Brennan: 2 PIM

The Amerks will remain in Rochester for a game with in-state rival Syracuse on Tuesday.

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In the lone junior game Sunday, Cedrick Henley recorded three shots on goal and two hits as Val-d'Or earned a 3-2 overtime victory over Shawinigan. The 6'5 forward has yet to score in 10 games this season, and has just one goal in his last 20 since returning from wrist surgery last February.

Amerks get in win column

T.J. Brennan scored his first goal of the season and Corey Tropp notched two assists Friday to help lead Rochester to a 3-1 win over Lake Erie. The victory was the first of the year for the Amerks after two straight losses that saw them outscored by a 10-3 margin.

David Leggio made 34 saves to earn the game's #1 star. Dennis Persson and Drew Schiestel each missed their second consecutive game due to injury, while Matt MacKenzie was a healthy scratch.

The Rundown:
Brennan: 1G, +1, 2 SOG
Tropp: 2A, 4 SOG
Crawford: 1A, +1
Kassian: 4 SOG
Foligno: even
Biega: even
Parker: even
Lagace: even
Boychuk: 2 PIM
McNabb: -1, 2 PIM

Rochester D&C Game Recap

After Greg Mauldin scored a power-play goal for Lake Erie at 16:06 of the first, Leggio stood tall.

"He was outstanding," Amerks coach Ron Rolston said. "He was big. ... There were a lot of second effort saves."

Michael Ryan converted a pass from Corey Tropp at 5:08 of the second and T.J. Brennan scored off a broken play with the man advantage to give the Amerks their first lead of the season at 16:54.

Greece native Derek Whitmore provided some breathing room, deflecting home a shot by Nick Crawford at 7:38 of the third.

Rochester (1-2) will head back home for a Sunday tilt with Grand Rapids.

10/13 Recap: Shipley dishes pair; Amerks again sloppy

Steven Shipley collected a pair of power play assists Thursday as Niagara rode the momentum of Ryan Strome's return to a 5-0 shutout of Belleville. The 6'3 Shipley now has two goals and nine points in eight games this season. The Dogs return to action Friday at Plymouth.

Dan Catenacci saw a two-game point streak snapped as Owen Sound lost to Peterborough, 4-2. Owen Sound heads to Kitchener Friday.

In the AHL, the Sabres returned to the city of Rochester with great fanfare, but the Amerks were embarrassed by the Baby Pens, 5-1.

Marcus Foligno scored his first professional goal for the only Amerks marker. Zack Kassian, who earlier turned the puck over to create a shorthanded 5x3 goal against, picked up an assist for the second straight game.

The Rundown:
Foligno: 1G, -3, 2 SOG
Crawford: +1
Kassian: -1, 2 SOG
Boychuk: -1
Biega: -1, 4 SOG
Szydlowski: -1, 1 SOG
McNabb: -1
Tropp: -2, 1 SOG
Brennan: -2, 5 SOG
Parker: -2, 1 SOG

The Democrat & Chronicle recaps the fun:

The undercard was stirring and memorable, from the red-carpet entrance of players, and then some 50 alumni, to on-ice ceremonies before the opening faceoff with new owner Terry Pegula.
The main event was a colossal flop. The Amerks did their best to feed off the energy in the building by creating even more excitement with their play.
Instead, they made mistakes, flubbed passes, got carried away with trying to do too much, and were embarrassed. Again actually.

They were 5-2 losers at Hamilton on Saturday night in the season opener. So in two games they have been outscored 10-3.
"When you've got this many new faces on a team, one word comes to mind: Simplify," left winger Derek Whitmore said. "There's no reason to hit the panic button yet."

Jochen Hecht is expected to miss a few more games for the Sabres, but there's no question that Matt Ellis will make the Amerks a better team once he is sent back tp the AHL. The Amerks will continue looking for their first win on Friday at Lake Erie.

Amerks fall in opener

Newly signed Jonathan Parker scarfed up a rebound for his first professional goal, but the highlights were few as Rochester opened the 2011-12 campaign with a 5-2 loss at Hamilton.

T.J. Brennan and Zack Kassian, his first AHL point, earned assists, while Corey Tropp also added a helper while logging his first fighting major of the year. Tropp topped all Sabres prospects last season with nine tussles.

Drew Schiestel, playing his first game since last January, appeared to have injured his knee in the third period after falling awkwardly but early signs suggest that no damage was done.

Defensemen Matt MacKenzie and Nick Crawford were among the healthy scratches.

The Rundown:

Parker - 1PPG, 2 SOG, -1

Kassian - 1A, 5 SOG

Tropp - 1A, 2 SOG, -1, fighting major

Brennan - 1A, 2 SOG, -1

McNabb - 2 SOG (paired w/ Morrisonn)

Biega - even

Persson - 1 SOG

Szydlowski - even

Boychuk - 1 SOG

Foligno - 2 SOG, -1

Schiestel - -2

We'll turn it over to Kevin O. of the Rochester D&C for the game story:

Rochester Amerks open season with 'sloppy loss'

"The easiest lesson from tonight: We've got a lot to work on," said veteran left winger Colin Stuart, who wore the captain's "C."

"In order to be the team we want to be, we need to do a lot of things better."

Of course, with eight rookies in the lineup and just one preseason game against a collegiate team from Canada, the Amerks weren't exactly in real-game mode.

"It was pretty sloppy, that's pretty safe to say," defenseman T. J. Brennan said. "We have a lot of guys still getting their feet wet. It's a change. That's why it's Game 1 of 76, not the Calder Cup already."

Rochester kicks off the home schedule Thursday against Wilke-Barre.

4/12 Recap: MacKenzie gets assist; Amerks lose again

In the USHL playoffs, Waterloo blueliner Drew MacKenzie picked up an assist as the Black Hawks defeated Cedar Rapids, 3-0. In the early third, the Vermont recruit pumped a shot on net that was tipped by Nick Larson (WAS) to give Waterloo a 2-0 cushion. The win gives the 'Hawks a 2-0 edge in their first round series with the Roughriders, with game three going down on Wednesday. The last-place Rochester Americans played their final road game of the 2007-08 campaign, skating to a 6-2 loss at Toronto. Adam Dennis gave up six goals on 34 shots to take the loss. The Rundown: Weber - 1 SOG, 4 PIM, -3 Gragnani - 1 SOG Zagrapan - 1 SOG, -2 Mancari - 1 SOG, -1 MacArthur - 3 SOG, -2 Dennis - 26 saves Whitmore - -1

Funk suspended after brawl

Rochester D Mike Funk has been suspended for one game after accumulating his third general misconduct ejection after a brawl in Friday's 4-0 loss to Syracuse. From Kevin O's Rochester D&C article:

A scrap between Amerks winger Tanner Glass and Crunch defenseman Duvie Westcott sparked an 11-player brawl that led to the ejection of nine players, including Amerks goalie Tyler Plante. "That's more a season of frustration setting in," Amerks defenseman Mike Funk said. "It's something that needed to be done." There was no plan to fight, especially since the Amerks have no brawlers. But the brouhaha began when Glass gave a shot to Westcott with his stick. Westcott slashed him back, at which point Glass decided they would fight. "It was a complete two-hander that set it off," Amerks coach Randy Cunneyworth said after his club was shut out for the ninth time. Soon all players paired off. Funk enraged the Crunch when he tried to fight highly skilled centerman Derick Brassard. Brassard turtled and Funk, who rarely fights himself, ended up on top of the rookie. "That will be in the memory banks," Crunch coach Ross Yates vowed. Crunch thug Jon Mirasty, one of the toughest fighters in the AHL, had been paired off with Anthony Stewart, with the linesmen trying to break them up. Mirasty saw Funk punching Brassard and broke free and began throwing punches at Funk from atop the pile. Because Stewart was still being detained by a linesman, Plante left his crease to pull Mirasty away from the pile. He certainly didn't want to be paired off with Mirasty. A linesmen was between them as each threw a punch. "It was like hitting a brick wall," Plante said. "Obviously he's taken a punch before."

The Rundown: Zagrapan - 4 SOG Gragnani - 2 SOG, -1 Mancari - 3 SOG Whitmore - 1 SOG MacArthur - 1 SOG, -1 Funk - 15 PIM Weber - 12 PIM Dylan Hunter missed the game with a shoulder injury, while D Mike Card re-joined the team in full-gear for their Friday practice. Card isn't expected to play again this season, but it's an encouraging sign in his battle back from a pair of concussions.

4/6 Recap: Late touchdown sinks Amerks

The forgettable season for the Rochester Americans endured another head-shaking blemish yesterday with a 10-3 loss to Syracuse. Dylan Hunter notched his 20th goal in defeat. The Rundown: Hunter - goal, -1 Mancari - assist, -1 Funk - assist, -3 Kaleta - fight with Derek Dorsett MacArthur - 5 SOG, -1 Gragnani - 1 SOG, -2 Zagrapan - 1 SOG, -3 Whitmore - -4 In another Sunday contest, Drew Schiestel was -1 as Niagara fell to Oshawa, 4-1. The Generals rode a two-goal first period en route to taking a 2-1 series lead over the Dogs. Adding insult to the pain of defeat for Niagara is the indefinite loss of defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Projected as a top-five pick in the June draft, Pietrangelo sits in a St. Catharines hospital diagnosed with mononucleosis and fluid in his abdomen due to a small tear in his spleen. Schiestel and the rest of the Dogs D will have to step it up a notch when play resumes Tuesday night.

4/5 Recap: Byron, Schiestel, MacKenzie pot big goals

Paul Byron scored a pair of goals, including his second straight game winner, as Gatineau defeated Quebec, 5-2. The Remparts were up 2-0 before Byron finished a Claude Giroux (PHI) feed to get les Olympiques on the board in the second period. He put Gatineau up for good with his sixth of the playoffs midway through the third, and added an assist in the final minute to push his playoff point total to nine in seven games. Gatineau leads the series 2-0 with the teams heading to QC for game three on Tuesday. In the OHL, Drew Schiestel scored his first goal of the playoffs in Niagara's 5-3 win over Oshawa. The Generals continued their dominance early, scoring three times in a span of 1:26 to jump ahead 3-0, but the Dogs would score five unanswered to even the series at one game each. Just minutes after the Generals surge, Schiestel notched the second of two Niagara power play goals in :24 to spur the Dogs home-ice comeback. Niagara looks to carry their momentum into Oshawa's barn for tomorrow's game three. The entire Dogs roster struggled there in Thursday's 6-1 road loss, including Schiestel, whose giveaway led to Dale Mitchell's game winner. Oshawa will be without Shea Kewin for the rest of their run, as the RW broke his leg after falling in a fight with Matt Corrente. In a USHL playoff preview, Waterloo defenseman Drew MacKenzie blasted the overtime game-winner as the Black Hawks edged Cedar Rapids, 3-2. The Connecticut native finishes his only tier one season 4-14-18 with 103 PIM and a +7 in 57 games. The same two teams will square off in round one of the Clark Cup Playoffs, beginning next Friday with a back-to-back set in Waterloo. Four of their regular season games went to OT. On the farm, Marek Zagrapan banged in a rebound and Mark Mancari tapped a backhander five-hole for the Rochester goals in their 3-2 loss to Grand Rapids. Adam Dennis made 36 saves while goaltender coach Bob Janosz watched from the bench as the Amerks back-up for the evening. The Rundown: Zagrapan - goal (17) Mancari - goal (19) Hunter - assist MacArthur - assist Whitmore - -1 Gragnani - -1 Funk - 0's

4/4 Recap: Byron nets winner; Whitmore lights lamp in loss

In the QMJHL playoffs, Gatineau C Paul Byron notched the game winning goal as les Olympiques defeated Quebec, 3-1. The goal, Byron's fourth of the playoffs, put Gatineau in front 1-0 in their second round series. The Remparts will get their suspended coach, Patrick Roy, back behind the bench for tonight's game two. Roy's son Jonathan was also suspended after the first-round brawl with Chicoutimi, and will not return to the Quebec crease until game four.

Drew MacKenzie had four shots on net as Waterloo picked up their sixth straight win with a 7-1 dumping of Green Bay. The Black Hawks close their USHL regular season this evening against the same Cedar Rapids team they will meet next week in the first playoff round.

In the AHL, Rochester native Derek Whitmore scored his first professional goal in Rochester's 4-3 loss to Syracuse. The defeat came in the final minute of play, and was the Amerks' eighth straight loss against the state rival. Mark Mancari also scored for Rochester, while Marek Zagrapan added a pair of assists in a losing effort.

The Rundown:
Whitmore - goal, 4 SOG, +2
Mancari - goal, +1
Zagrapan - two assists, +2
Hunter - assist, +1
MacArthur - +1
Gragnani - 3 SOG
Funk - 2 PIM
Dennis - 27 saves

3/30 Recap: Amerks defeat(!) B-Sens

OK, I think I have it straight now! Mark Mancari scored a power-play goal and added a helper in Rochester's 3-2 shootout win over Binghamton. The goal was just his second in his last 22 games, and his two points tie him with Marc-Andre Gragnani for the team lead in points (50). Gragnani and Clarke MacArthur scored in the shootout to deliver the win, while Adam Dennis got the win for Rochester. Mancari - goal, assist, -2 Hunter - assist, 4 SOG, 12 PIM, -2 MacArthur - assist, -2 Whitmore - 1 SOG Zagrapan -1 Gragnani -2 Dennis - 33 saves In the USHL, Drew MacKenzie registered two shots on goal as Waterloo dominated Sioux Falls, 7-2.

3/29 Recap: New foursome booked; Gerbe, Gragnani, groovin'

At the NCAA Northeast regional, Nathan Gerbe scored a goal and an assist as Boston College dominated Minnesota, 5-2. While on a first period power play, one of Gerbe's game-best seven shots was directed out to Ben Smith to set-up the first Eagles goal. The 5'5 winger later sealed the game with an empty netter. Andrew Orpik, again playing at the center spot, went pointless for BC. National runners-up the past two seasons, the Eagles will look to punch their ticket to Denver when they play Miami tomorrow. As one USHL product (Gerbe/Omaha) carries on in the tourney, the end of the road came for three others. In Colorado Springs, Michigan State forward Tim Kennedy (Sioux City) assisted on the only Spartan goal in their 3-1 loss to upstart Notre Dame. Kennedy finishes his junior year as the Spartans leading scorer (20-23-43), tied for 16th in the NCAA, and has scored 104 points through his three seasons in E. Lansing. LW Corey Tropp (Sioux Falls) posted two shots and a team-low -2 to close out his freshman campaign with 17 points. With graduation and the possible early departures by Kennedy and Justin Abdelkader (DET), he could enter the fall as the fifth-leading scorer among returning players. Defenseman Chris Butler (Sioux City) saw his junior season come to an end as Denver got housed by Wisconsin, 6-2. Also playing in what is likely his final collegiate game, Butler was -2 with three shots on goal. The Midwest regional loss was the first ever NCAA tournament game for the 2005 fourth rounder. Joining the three collegians in the bag line this week is Baie-Comeau C Benjamin Breault, who went pointless in the Drakkar's 5-2 loss to Rimouski. The Pembroke, Ontario native carved out three assists while the opposing Oceanic easily polished off one of the QMJHL's strongest regular season clubs, four games to one. In current USHL action, D Drew MacKenzie followed his best statistical game of the season (1-1-2) with two shots on goal in Waterloo's 3-1 win over first-place Indiana. With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Black Hawks look poised for a deep playoff run. They are 12-3 in their last 15, and currently hold the league's third-best record. AHL rookie Marc-Andre Gragnani scored a pair of goals as the Amerks won their second straight in a 5-2 defeat of Grand Rapids. Playing defense, Gragnani's shorthanded and power-play goals give the 6'1, 197-pounder a team-best 50 points. He has scored ten points in his last seven games, and 15 in the 12 games since returning from his two-game NHL stint. Dylan Hunter added an assist for Rochester in the win. The Rundown: Gragnani - two goals, +1, 5 SOG Hunter - assist MacArthur - +1 Mancari - 0-0-0 0 0 Zagrapan - 3 SOG, -2 Funk - out Whitmore - DNP Kostka - DNP

Amerks take one in OT

Marc-Andre Gragnani scored a power-play goal and assisted on the overtime game winner in Rochester's 5-4 win over Lake-Erie. The Amerks entered the third period trailing 4-2, and used non-Sabres properties to score a pair of third period goals to force the extra session. Continuing to produce as a left wing, Gragnani now has 43 points in his first professional season. Clarke MacArthur added an assist for the Amerks, while Adam Dennis made 29 saves to earn his 15th win. Gragnani - goal, assist, -2 MacArthur - assist, 5 SOG, -2 Hunter - assist, -1 Mancari - 4 SOG, -1 Zagrapan - 1 SOG, 2 PIM Dennis - 29 saves Old friend Jeff Jillson was -2 for Lake Erie. --- In Russia, Vjacheslav Buravchikov and Ak-Bars have advanced to the SuperLiga semi-finals to face Salavat Yulaev Ufa. A sixth-rounder in 2005, Buravchikov has a goal and an assist as his club has swept their way through the first two playoff rounds. Artem Kriukov saw his season end in the quarterfinals as SKA fell to Lokomotiv three games to one.

Amerks can't find net in loss

The Rochester Americans, playing with just 16 skaters, were shutout for the second straight home game in a 4-0 loss to Houston. Scoreless after one, the Aeros broke the game open with a three-goal second period. Much like the Amerks loss last Sunday, two of the Aeros goals came on power plays stemming from penalties called on Mike Weber. Weber totaled eight minutes in the box on the night. The Rundown: Sekera - even Funk - even Zagrapan - even Weber - 8 PIM, -1 Mancari - -1 Hunter - -1, 2 PIM Dennis - DNP Rochester will get a five-day break before hitting the ice against Syracuse on Saturday. By then, perhaps the likes of Clarke MacArthur, Marc-Andre Gragnani, and Patrick Kaleta will be back in the red, white, and blue sweaters of the Sabres AHL affiliate.

2/16 Recap: Eno tops UNO; Byron stays hot

In the AHL, the Rochester Americans saw their three-game winning streak come to an end with a 3-2 overtime loss to Syracuse. Andrej Sekera scored his second goal of the year, and first since the season opener, on a first-period power play. Marek Zagrapan picked up helpers on both Rochester goals to raise his season point total to 31, while Marc-Andre Gragnani extended his point-streak to six games with an assist. Adam Dennis made 30 saves in the loss. Mike Funk was given a misconduct at the end of the game after voicing concerns about uneven officiating. In juniors, Gatineau center Paul Byron scored a pair of even-strength goals, including the game winner, and added an assist as the Olympiques defeated Victoriaville, 4-1. On the ice for all four Gatineau goals, the three-point night earned Byron the game's #1 star. The 5'10, 140-pound pivot now has 29 goals and 51 points in 41 games, after going 21-23-44 in 68 games in 2006-07. 2007 fifth-rounder Jean-Simon Allard notched three assists as St. John's held on to their 5-0 lead to defeat PEI, 5-4. Like Byron, Allard was also a solid +4 on the evening. Fog Devils Defenseman T.J. Brennan was +2 with a team-best six shots on goal. Brad Eidsness and the Okotoks Oilers avenged Frday's loss, getting the home-and-home split with a 4-2 win over Olds. The 2007 fifth-rounder made 35 saves for the win in a contest featuring 26 power plays between the two clubs. Black Hawks defenseman Drew MacKenzie checked out with a -3 as Waterloo took a 7-1 whooping from USHL cellar-dweller, Des Moines. In the NCAA, Nick Eno faced 40 shots, stopping all but one as Bowling Green defeated Nebraska-Omaha, 3-1. Tonight's victory was the tenth in a solid freshman season for the Howell, MI native, as his brickwall effort earned him the game's #2 star. Bowling Green climbed their way back to .500 with the win. Tim Kennedy had an assist on the power play as #7 Michigan State swept lowly Western Michigan with a 4-2 afternoon win. Spartans coach Rick Comley continued his season of line juggling, placing Corey Tropp on the third unit where he was even with three shots on goal. Next week, the Spartans will take on Michigan in a key CCHA battle. Nathan Gerbe had a power play assist and zero misconducts as #8 Boston College earned a weekend split by defeating #18 Lowell, 5-2. Andrew Orpik also had an assist for BC, bringing his point total to nine on the year. Chris Butler was again -1 as #6 Denver got outplayed by #3 North Dakota in a 4-1 loss. The game featured 122 penalty minutes thanks to a melee at the end of the second period, but Butler was only responsible for a holding minor. The weekend sweep slides Denver down the pairwise rankings, with the 6-8 cluster of teams now likely to involve the Pios, Michigan State, and Boston College. Saints defenseman Matt Generous was also -1 for the second consecutive night as St. Lawrence lost to Brown, 3-1. His +12 is still good for sixth in the ECAC. Alex Biega was +2 with five shots on goal as Harvard cooled surging #16 Quinnipiac, 4-1. Over the past four games, the stocky rearguard has seen his season plus/minus go from -1 to +7. In the SEL, Jhonas Enroth rested while Bjorn Bjurling made 34 saves in a 2-2 tie with Skelleftea. SSK and Skelleftea are currently tied for the 8th and final elitserien playoff spot. In the RSL, Vjacheslav Buravchikov has finally scored a goal for Ak-Bars. Through 40 games this season, the steady defender has one goal and 10 PIM. Over the past five games, he's raised his plus/minus from -3 to +1.