2/20 Recap: Grags bags another; Dennis comes up big

Marc-Andre Gragnani scored short-handed to force overtime in Rochester's 2-1 win over Albany. Skating at a forward position, Gragnani's seventh goal of the year extends his streak to eight consecutive games with a point, and his three shorties are now tops among AHL rookies. Adam Dennis earned the win by stopping 39 River Rat shots (33 in the first forty minutes), while Andrej Sekera added an assist on the Gragnani goal. The rundown: Gragnani - goal, +1 Sekera - assist, +1 Weber - 2 PIM Hunter - +1 Zagrapan - 4 PIM Funk - even Mancari - even Dennis - 39 saves In the Q, Ben Breault picked up a goal and an assist before getting tossed from the game in Baie-Comeau's 7-1 rout of Quebec. With just under seven minutes to go in the second period, Breault was whistled for a dangerous check from behind on Remparts defenseman Samuel Groulx. The hit earned Breault five and a game, and luckily Groulx, ranked #161 on CSB's mid-term list for next June's draft, seemed uninjured on the play. In Sweden, Dennis Persson had a power play assist as Nykoping did some routing of their own with a 7-1 win over AIK. Persson now has points in three consecutive games, and is playing steady defensively with the increased ice time he's seeing in HockeyAllsvenskan.

2/17 Recap: Byron Flows

Paul Byron potted his 30th goal of the season to go along with an assist as Gatineau pounded last-place Drummondville, 9-2. Les Olympiques got most of their mileage out of a Matthew Pistilli hat trick and a four-assist effort from Claude Giroux (PHI) to win their fifth game in a row. Byron, on the other hand, is in the midst of a six-game point streak that has seen him go 9-4-13. Benjamin Breault scored his 26th goal of the season on the power play in Baie-Comeau's 5-3 loss to Chicoutimi. Breault was also pocketed an assist in the game against Marek Zagrapan's former club. Despite the two points, the former seventh rounder was -2 for the Drakkar. In Rochester, the Amerks out-shot defending AHL champion Hamilton 34-21, but could only find the back of the net once in a 4-1 loss. Dylan Hunter scored the lone Amerks goal, his 11th of the season, and Adam Dennis made 18 saves in the loss. Marc-Andre Gragnani notched another assist to extend his point-streak to a season-high seven games. The line: Hunter - goal, +1, 2 PIM Gragnani - assist, +1 Mancari +1 Weber - 6 PIM Zagrapan -1 Funk -1 Sekera - even Dennis - 18 saves

2/15 Recap: Kennedy, Persson "back"; Gerbe snaps

Friday was rather stacked in terms of the Sabres prospects schedule. Let's take a trip around the rinks for an update on over twenty Sabres properties to hit the ice in fifteen different games. Marek Zagrapan scored his 16th goal of the season in Rochester's 4-2 win over Hershey. Marc-Andre Gragnani assisted on the Zagrapan goal to extend his point streak to five games while the Amerks won their third straight. Adam Dennis made 29 saves for the win, and has now been in net for 13 of the team's 16 victories. Andrej Sekera was a game-best +3. Earlier in the week, it was learned that Amerks defenseman Mike Weber was suspended for two games following a checking him from behind major in the final minute of play on Sunday. He'll again sit out tomorrow's contest with Syracuse, then return to the lineup on Sunday against Hamilton. Elsewhere, Tim Kennedy scored a short-handed goal and added an assist in Michigan State's 3-0 shutout of Western Michigan. Kennedy's third period goal ends a career-long thirteen game drought. 2007 third rounder Corey Tropp, who was re-united with Kennedy and Justin Abdelkader (DET) for this one, did not register a point. The win gives the Spartans a first-round bye in the CCHA tournament. The two clubs will play it back tomorrow at Western. Dennis Persson scored his first goal of the season and assisted on another in Nykopings' 4-3 loss Nybro. The Sabres first round pick in 2006, Persson now has three points in his last two games after a quiet offensive season to date. Gatineau's Paul Byron had a goal and an assist the Olympques pounded Shawinigan, 8-1. The 5'10 center, who had five blocked shots to go along with his power play marker, was named the game's #3 star. Harvard sophomore Alex Biega followed a nice showing in the Beanpot final on Monday with two assists tonight in the Crimson's 3-2 win over Princeton. The Montreal-born defenseman has a goal and four assists in his last three games. Nathan Gerbe and Andrew Orpik were both held scoreless as Boston College lost to Lowell, 3-1. In the second period, Gerbe lost his cool by punching a Lowell player in the head to earn a roughing minor. On his way to the box, a few choice words for the official earned himself another ten minutes of "time out". With the Eagles trailing, the frustrated Gerbe has to know better than to hurt his team's comeback chances with a senseless misconduct. In the DEL, Philip Gogulla assisted on the game-tying goal as Cologne went on to defeat Sinupret, 3-2 in overtime. Under contract with Buffalo, Gogulla now has 28 assists and 37 total points this season with the Sharks. Chris Butler was -1 as Denver stumbled in a 5-4 loss at North Dakota. Butler was beaten late on a great wraparound play by T.J. Oshie (STL) to set-up the game winner. North Dakota trailed the Pios 4-1 in the second before scoring four unanswered goals for the win. Matt Generous was -1 as St. Lawrence lost to Yale, 4-3. T.J. Brennan and J.S. Allard both were without points as St. John's fell to PEI, 4-1. Brennan was +1 with five shots on net, while Allard was only able to muster one of the Foggies 52 shots on goal. Benjamin Breault was -1 with five shots on goal in Baie-Comeau's 4-1 loss to Halifax. In the AJHL, Brad Eidsness made 40 saves in a 4-3 OT loss to Olds. The loss was the Sioux recruit's fourth on the year against 26 wins. Drew MacKenzie had three shots on goal in Waterloo's 4-2 win over Des Moines. Drew Schiestel was -3 as Niagara put forth a disappointing effort in their 5-2 loss at Erie. Nick Eno had the night off in Bowling Green's 5-3 loss to UNO.

2/10: Dennis blanks Griffins

Adam Dennis made 33 saves to post his 2nd shutout in a week and third of the season as Rochester eeked out a 1-0 win over Grand Rapids. Scoreless after two periods, Marc-Andre Gragnani stole a puck at the Amerks blueline and sprinted down the ice to bury his own rebound against Adam Berkhoel for the game's only goal. The shorthanded marker would hold up, giving the Amerks their first winning streak since late November. The line: Gragnani goal (6), 4 PIM Zagrapan 4 PIM Hunter +1 Weber -1, 15 PIM, checking from behind major Mancari, Sekera, Funk - 0's Dennis 33 saves, shutout In Camrose, the Kodiaks finally caught up with the league's top goaltender, Brad Eidsness, to defeat Okotoks, 5-2. Eidsness made 26 saves in the loss, as his Oilers now trail Camrose by five points for the top spot in the AJHL's South Division with just five games remaining. Drew Schiestel continued his solid defensive play with a +2 as Niagara rode another Michael Swift (undrafted) hat trick to a 5-2 win over the Mississaugua-St.Michael's Majors. Philip Gogulla picked up another assist at the Skoda Cup in Germany's 4-1 win over Slovakia. German C Felix Schutz failed to get on the score sheet for the second straight game. Gogulla played in all three games for Germany, collecting three assists. With the Slovakia loss, Switzerland takes the title in the round robin tourney.

Byron nets winner; Amerks take shootout

A quick update on a pair of afternoon contests... 2007 sixth-round pick Paul Byron scored the game winning goal on the power play and assisted on another in Gatineau's 3-0 shutout of Quebec. The goal was Byron's 26th on the year, and only his fifth with the man advantage. The Ottawa native also won 80% of his draws this afternoon, and has kept his shooting percentage above 20% all season. Adam Dennis stopped 16 shots, and four of five in the shootout, as Rochester defeated San Antonio, 3-2, in a matinee at the BCA. Sabres properties Andrej Sekera (+2), Marc-Andre Gragnani (+1), and Mark Mancari (+1) all picked up assists as the Amerks came from behind to win their fourth game in their last 30 tries. The rest: Hunter +1 Funk even Weber -1 Zagrapan -1 Keep it here for updates as seven games featuring nine Sabres picks are just getting underway.

Dennis cracks Marlies code

In a late afternoon game, the Rochester Americans rode a 28-save shutout performance by Adam Dennis to defeat the Toronto Marlies, 3-0. Mark Mancari had a hand in all three goals, scoring the game winner in the final minute of the second period, and setting up two others in the third to cement the win. Skating as a forward, Marc-Andre Gragnani scored off a Mancari pass to make it 2-1 at 11:03 of the third. Dylan Hunter potted an empty netter with with :23 left on the clock. Dennis bounced back well from his last outing, which saw him pulled by Randy Cunneyworth after allowing goals on the first three shots of the second period in a 7-2 loss to Cleveland. Playing in front of his hometown crowd, Dennis entered today's game 0-9 with a 4.11 GAA since the beginning of December. RUNDOWN Dennis - 28 saves Mancari - goal, two assists, +3 Hunter - goal, assist, +3, 2 PIM Gragnani - goal, assist +2 Sekera - assist, +3, 4 SOG Weber - +1, 2 PIM Zagrapan - 4 PIM Three Stars 1. RCH - 53 Adam Dennis 2. RCH - 26 Mark Mancari 3. RCH - 21 Marc-Andre Gragnani Rochester ended a nine game losing streak with the win. They'll look to begin a streak of a different flavor at the BCA on Wednesday against Syracuse.

1/26 Recap: Allard sets mark; "Genny" gets tossed

News and notes on a busy Saturday for Sabres prospects... NCAA LW Nathan Gerbe scored the game winning goal late in the second period as Boston College defeated Maine, 4-2. The energetic Eagle wore a target for most of the contest, carrying play to produce a game-high five shots on goal. "Big" Ben Bishop owned the match-up until the shifty junior broke in alone to clank home his 19th of the year. A night after exchanging swipes with the 6'7 Maine goaltender, Gerbe and freshman D Mike Banwell picked up coincidental slashing minors in the second. BC teammate Andrew Orpik collected four penalty minutes in the win, including a minor for a blow to the head. Gerbe's 1.61 points-per-game is still tops in the country as the Eagles head into Friday's game with Providence before kicking off the Beanpot the following Monday. A night after aiding a shutout of #1 Michigan, Michigan State's Tim Kennedy and Corey Tropp were again unable to combine for a goal as the Spartans and Wolverines played to a 2-2 tie. Kennedy had a chance at an open net to start the third, but shot the puck into the sprawling Billy Sauer. MSU looked to be on their way to the sweep until Spartan forward Matt Schepke knocked the puck into his own net with 1:38 to play. It was a strange twist to the weekend after Wolverine Mark Mitera own-goaled the night before. Hobey Baker favorite Kevin Porter was again quieted by the green and white defense, mustering just four shots on goal all weekend for the maize and blue. As expected, Nick Eno got a rest while Bowling Green was swept by Notre Dame, 5-1. In the ECAC, St. Lawrence D Matt Generous was throw out of his game with Rensselaer after a check from behind on Jonathan Ornelas. The Saints defender had just gotten out of the box from a previous scrum before uncharacteristically earning the misconduct. The Engineers beat the Saints, 6-3. Sophomore rearguard Alex Biega could not get any of his three shots past summer prospects camp invitee Mike Devine as Harvard beat Dartmouth, 3-1. CHL In a sad day for St.John's, Jean-Simon Allard scored a goal and two assists as the Fog Devils defeated the Sea Dogs, 5-4. With three more points, the 2007 5th rounder now has a career-best 52 with 19 games remaining. The 6'2 pivot is developing on schedule, on pace for a 72 point finish after going 12+38=50 in 69 games in 2006-07. Foggies D T.J. Brennan was active with the puck, assisting on Allard's tally and using his wheels to jump into the rush. Brennan made a few longs looks up ice, creating an aggressive tempo from the back end. Earlier in the day, it was announced that this would be the Fog Devils last season in the Newfoundland outpost, as new ownership has struck a deal with Verdun. Just outside of Montreal, Verdun receives another QMJHL franchise fourteen years after their last entry folded and five years after the Montreal Rocket bolted for PEI. Elsewhere in the "Q", center Paul Byron was -1 with five shots for Gatineau in an exciting 6-5 OT loss to Rouyn-Noranda. R-N came from St. Hyacinthe via Verdun originally... USHL Future Catamount Drew MacKenzie was -2 in Waterloo's 4-3 win over Lincoln. The rookie has 12 points, leads his team in PIM, and his +4 has been among the team's best all season (compared to UNH bound, NYI draft pick Blake Kessel's -15). The Black Hawks are off until Friday while the league heads to Green Bay for the USHL All-Star Game on Tuesday. AJHL In Grand Prairie, Brad Eidsness manned the South Division net for the first period of the AJHL 2008 All-Star Game. In a game featuring 96 shots on net, the Sioux recruit limited the North to three goals. Northern Michigan recruit Tyler Gron had four goals and two assists to earn MVP as the North defeated the South by a touchdown, 14-7. Rochester (AHL) Finally, Rochester went into the first intermission against Lake Erie holding a 1-0 lead, only to give up five second period goals en route to a 7-2 loss. Adam Dennis faced just two shots in the first, but Lake Erie chased him after scoring four goals in the first 8:38 of the second. Dylan Hunter notched a goal for the Amerks, while Mark Mancari and Mike Weber added assists. With Anthony Stewart and Patrick Kaleta back with the Amerks, Marc-Andre Gragnani played defense for the second straight game. The Montreal native, perviously flourishing as a forward, finished the game a -4. For now, trying to coach the talented AHL rookie into a defenseman is understandable. However, it's not like the Sabres pipeline is rife with left wings, or lacking in puck moving defensemen. Perhaps Grags' playmaking vision gets a permanent look next fall when the Sabres have to ice a full AHL roster.

1/23 Recap: Another Hump Day Humdinger at the BCA; Stamkos Watch Officially Underway

These Buffalo winters are getting ridiculous. I passed five zambonis on the I-90 today on my way home from work. To top it off, the Sabres and Amerks are playing less-than-savory hockey these days. In 20 years when these guys come back to play an alumni game, I'm putting my bucks on the Fire Department. Enough already. Let's keep this about the kids. They're innocent, and they're the future. Paul Byron scored his 21st goal of the season tonight in Gatineau's 4-1 loss to Halifax. Watching a bulk of Byron's games of late, I've been impressed by what I've seen from the smallish center. The Ottawa native possesses excellent speed, great hands, and despite his thin frame, will do the little things like block shots and fly into the corners on most every shift. Of course, Byron was drafted for his scoring ability. Tonight's goal came on the power play, but it was just his third of the year with the "Beninati manpower advantage". Translation: Byron has scored 18 even-strength goals in 32 games. That's an impressive stat, and might change my opinion that his point output will have to rival his weight (145) in order for him to be signed. J.S. Allard is heating up again, picking up assists on both St. John's goals in their 2-1 win over Moncton. The teams leading point getter, Allard posted two assists in each game of the back-to-back set with the Wildcats. T.J. Brennan, back to wearing an "A" after donning a "C" last night, picked up a power play assist of his own on the first Foggies' goal. Now for the depression. The Rochester Americans dropped their sixth consecutive game, and 22nd of their last 24, with a 4-1 loss to Quad City. Mark Mancari and Dylan Hunter assisted on the lone Amerks goal while Marc-Andre Gragnani's even rating makes it ten of his last eleven games as an even or plus player. Things are pretty bad when you're only celebrating assists and plus/minus ratings on the top farm club. Brutal. I'll speak for all Sabres fans when saying, "We'll take what we can get." The rest: Weber -1 Sekera -1 Funk even Marek Zagrapan returned from the flu yesterday, but obviously wasn't 100% as he sat this one out to recover fully. Adam Dennis made 25 saves in the loss. Of the three shots that got past him (QC scored an empty netter), one came on the power play and another was on a penalty shot in the final minutes after he threw his stick on his way to gaining the extra attacker. For a great read on the pathetic situation in Rochester, I implore you all to check out Kevin O's blog here. *** Needless to say, the CHL Top Prospects Game played tonight in front of over 13,000 fans in Calgary takes on a whole new meaning for Sabres fans this season. In a year heavy with high-end defensive prospects, the White Team defeated the Red in a surprisingly high scoring contest, 8-4. I listened to most of the game and will address these prospects closer to the draft, but I will say that that the clock you see counting down is officially being titled the Stamkos Watch. Lethbridge's Zach Boychuk demonstrated some flash with a goal and two assists, but Steven Stamkos is the complete package. Tonight's performance was a great example of what the Sabres are lacking. The Red Team's Player of the Game threw some hits, got into a fight, and scored a goal. In 37 games this season for Sarnia, the 6'1 center has scored 32 goals and 61 points while amassing 50 minutes in the box. Noticeably missing tonight was Everett forward Kyle Beach, a piercing blend of talent and aggression who would certainly be of interest to Sabres fans. Click here for TSN's game write-up.