Mikhail Grigorenko scored the game winning goal and added an assist Sunday as Russia closed their World Junior exhibition schedule with a 7-5 win over Switzerland. Grigorenko set up former Quebec Remparts teammate Nikita Kucherov for the game's first goal just 50 seconds in. The stalwart centerman, who was flanked by Anton Slepyshev ('13) opposite Kucherov, scored on the power play to give Russia a 6-5 lead in the final minute of the second period before the clubs played a much tighter third period.
Andrey Makarov struggled in Sunday's win over the Swiss.
Sabres goaltending prospect Andrey Makarov was scheduled to play the game's first 30 minutes before giving way to Andrei Vasilevski, but was instead removed at the first intermission after allowing four goals prior to the break.
Despite a talented handful of forwards, it was thought that Russia's strength was going to be between the pipes, but that appears to no longer be the case. Despite being previously dubbed "a pair of number one goalies" by Team Russia's goaltending coach, both Makarov and Vasilevski have struggled in the pre-tourney games leaving the door open for Igor Ustinsky ('13) to possibly get a look if their play and/or psychology in the crease doesn't improve.
Russia opens pool play for the 2013 World Junior Championship Wednesday versus Slovakia.
Jerome Gauthier-Leduc scored his second goal of the year Saturday as the Rochester Americans were dominated in a 5-1 loss at Binghamton. Leduc's tally came as he joined the rush to the top of the crease and buried a nice feed from Luke Adam, who extended his point streak to eight games with the assist. Connor Knapp made his sixth professional start, stopping 32 of 37 shots in defeat. The Amerks will begin a two-game set with Lake Erie Wednesday at Blue Cross Arena.
In USHL play, Judd Peterson recorded a minus-two rating as Cedar Rapids dropped a 7-4 decision at Sioux Falls. The St. Cloud State commit heads home for Christmas with five goals and 12 points through his first 12 junior "A" contests. Cedar Rapids returns to action Friday at Des Moines.
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In World Junior Championship news, Team USA made two of a required three cuts Saturday. Wisconsin defenseman Jake McCabe was not one of them. Instead, he was named the team's captain for the tournament. Safe to say the speculation that Phil Housley was "comfortable with McCabe" was quite accurate. Congratulations, Jake!
With McCabe's blueline partner Connor Murphy (PHX) reportedly nursing an injury with the tourney set to start Wednesday, Team USA sent just one defenseman, Brady Skjei (NYR) home, while waiting to determine whether or not they will need to send another rearguard home. Devils prospect Stephane Matteau was the lone forward released from the squad.
In Ufa, Mikhail Grigorenko and Andrey Makarov are set to take on Switzerland in their final pre-tourney tilt on Sunday. Russian goalie coach Vlad Myshkin told Sport-Express on Saturday that they have two number one goaltenders, and that they have yet to determine if Makarov or Tampa Bay prospect Andrei Vasilevsky will get the nod when pool play begins Wednesday.
Dan Catenacci notched a goal and an assist for the second straight game Sunday as Owen Sound downed Windsor 5-2. Catenacci's goal, his eighth of the year, gives him 18 points through the Attack's first 14 games and a share of the team scoring lead.
Linus Ullmark made 22 saves Sunday as MODO J20 edged Vasteras 2-1. Ullmark has won six of nine starts for the J20, accumulating a league-best 2.24 GAA and .909 save%.
Christian Isackson logged a +1 rating in Minnesota's 1-0 shutout of Canisius. The Gophers play a home-and-home set with Minnesota State next weekend.
Mikhail Grigorenko was a healthy scratch in Quebec's 2-1 win over Gatineau. With Russian winger Nikita Kucherov now healthy, the Remparts will rotate their three-Europeans into a lineup that is only allowed two per game. Quebec can carry three European players until the conclusion of NHL training camps, at which point they will have 14 days to get to the limit of two per roster.
Justin Kea notched a pair of goals Friday including a hard-working short-handed game winner as Saginaw edged Oshawa 3-2. Kea's first-ever two-goal effort in 141 OHL games earned him the game's number three star. The Spirit wrap up their three-game road trip Saturday in Peterborough.
Mikhail Grigorenko scored his 11th goal of the year and added an assist as Quebec dominated Shawinigan 7-0. The Russian pivot sits with 26 points in 14 games heading into Sunday's meeting with Gatineau (which Grigorenko could sit for if Patrick Roy decides to subject his leading scorer to a rotation of European players). Grigorenko's teammate Adam Erne ('13) paced the Remparts with four goals and an assist.
Jake McCabe recorded two assists as Wisconsin blanked Minnesota-Duluth 2-0. McCabe rifled a shot that made it through to traffic to create the first Badger goal. Sophomore forward Brad Navin was unable to get a shot on net in the victory. Wisconsin will go for their first sweep of the season Saturday when the clubs conclude the WCHA set.
Elsewhere, Joel Armia posted two shots in 14:19 of work as Assat skated past HIFK 4-1. Armia has seven goals and 11 points though 16-games, but hasn't connected for points in consecutive games since the opening week of SM-Liiga play. Assat takes on KalPa on Saturday.
Dan Catenacci saw his six-game point streak come to an end as Owen Sound suffered a 3-2 shootout loss to Kitchener. Catenacci went backhand/forehand in his shootout attempt but was unable to score. On Saturday, the Attack will look to get back on track when they host Sudbury.
Judd Peterson was +1 as Cedar Rapids got past Indiana 5-1 in USHL action. On Saturday, the RoughRiders will tangle with undefeated Dubuque.
Logan Nelson (-1) was held off the scoresheet as Victoria was handed a 4-1 loss at Vancouver. The Royals head to Kamloops Saturday to play their second of seven straight road games.
Mark Adams punched a shot on goal as Providence scored a pair of third period goals to earn a 3-2 win over Maine. The Friars and Black Bears will conclude the Hockey East set Saturday at 7:05.
Christian Isackson contributed three shots on goal as Minnesota played to a 2-2 tie with the U.S. Under-18 team. The Gophers will next host Canisius College for a non-conference tilt on Sunday.
In the AHL, Rochester stormed back with a pair of late goals to force extra time but fell short in a 5-4 overtime loss at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Trailing 4-2 with just over a minute to play, David Leggio went to the bench to give the Amerks the extra attacker. Kevin Porter took advantage with 1:08 left before Mark Mancari put a shot just under the crossbar 43 seconds later to complete the unlikely comeback. However, a Paul Thompson goal off a partial breakaway would end the game in the Penguins' favor with just 14-seconds to play.
Luke Adam and Evan Rankin scored the other Rochester goals. T.J. Brennan and Alex Biega added pairs of assists for the Amerks, who head north to Glens Falls on Saturday to take on the Adirondack Phantoms.
In Thursday action, Mikhail Grigorenko went without a point for the first time this season as Quebec was squashed by Baie-Comeau 8-2. Grigorenko, who entered with a 12-game point streak that saw him collect 10 goals and 24 points, centered a line with 2013 draft eligible Adam Erne and fellow countryman Nikita Kucherov (TAM), who was making his season debut following shoulder surgery. The Remparts return to action Friday versus Shawinigan.
Alex Lepkowski maintained his steady defensive play as Barrie skated to a 2-1 overtime win over Brampton. Defenseman Aaron Ekbland ('14) scored on the power play in the final minute of the extra session to snap the Colts' two-game losing streak. Barrie will tangle with Niagara on Saturday.
In Sunday action, Mikhail Grigorenko set up Logan Shaw for the game winning goal with just under five minutes to play as Quebec skated to a 3-2 triumph at Drummondville. The power play helper extends Grigorenko's season-starting point streak to a dozen games, equaling his previous best set last January. The Russian pivot, who has collected 10 goals and 24 points thus far, will look to continue the hot hand Thursday versus Baie-Comeau.
In Sweden, Linus Ullmark made 18 stops as MODO J20 earned a 5-2 win over Lulea. Ullmark improves to 4-3-0 in SuperElit league play. His 2.32 goals against average is tops in the league for goaltenders with more than one start.
Alex Lepkowski finished with an even rating as Barrie was outplayed in a 4-1 loss at Brampton. The Colts, who were unbeaten in regulation in their previous nine games, will host a rematch with the Battalion on Thursday.
Mikhail Grigorenko scored his 10th goal of the year as Quebec lost to Victoriaville 6-3. The goal extends Grigorenko's season-starting point streak to 11 games. The Remparts, who lost for just the second time this season, return to the ice Sunday at Drummondville.
Dan Catenacci (+3) notched a pair of assists as Owen Sound skated to a 4-1 triumph over Ottawa. Catenacci's brilliant, no-quit effort earned him the number one star honor. The Attack remain home for Saturday's game with Oshawa.
Justin Kea did not factor into the scoring as Saginaw clobbered Saginaw 6-1. Saginaw welcomes Guelph to town on Saturday.
Brady Austin was -1 as Belleville was defeated by Sudbury 3-2. The Bulls are off until Wednesday when they play Mississauga.
In the WHL, Andrey Makarov made 26 saves as Saskatoon came up short in a 2-1 loss to Swift Current. The Blades will look to get back on track Saturday versus Everett.
In the USHL, Judd Peterson was -2 with a roughing minor as Cedar Rapids held off Indiana to earn a 4-3 victory. Buffalo Jr. Sabres product Andrew Poturalski scored the game winning goal in his first-ever USHL game. The RoughRiders will travel to Indiana Saturday to complete the home-and-home series.
In NCAA play, Christian Isackson assisted on a Nick Bjugstad goal as #1 Minnesota dropped a 5-3 decision at Michigan Tech. The sophomore forward has points in all three Gopher tilts this season.
Mark Adams skated on the second defensive pair as Providence played to a 1-1 tie with Miami.
In Rochester, the Amerks dug themselves out of a two-goal deficit in the second period en route to earning a 4-3 win over Grand Rapids. Brian Flynn (first professional goal), T.J. Brennan, Phil Varone, and Marcus Foligno all scored for the Amerks.
Frederick Roy made his AHL debut, appearing on a line with Nick Tarnasky and Rick Schofield. The other units:
In Wednesday action, Mikhail Grigorenko notched an assist and added an empty-net goal as Quebec downed Saint John 5-2. The multi-point effort ups Grigorenko’s season totals to nine goals and 13 assists through the Remparts’ first 10 games. Next up for Quebec is a Friday tilt at Victoriaville.
In the WHL, Andrey Makarov made 26 saves as Saskatoon skated to their first home-ice victory of the year 3-2 over Tri-City. The win, Markarov’s third in a row, improves his season mark to 6-6-0 heading into Friday’s visit to Swift Current.
Corey Tropp scored a pair of goals and Mark Mancari scored the only mark in
the shootout as Rochester opened the 2012-13 season Friday with a 6-5 win over
Syracuse.
Tropp lit the lamp in the game's opening minute when he tapped in a two-on-one feed from Cody Hodgson. Later in the period, Tropp batted down a Luke Adam shot in front of the net and beat Dustin Tokarski to give the Amerks a 2-1 lead. Marcus Foligno scored shortly after Tropp's second goal to give the Amerks a 3-1 advantage at the first intermission.
Mark Pysyk notched his first professional goal in the second period before the Crunch went on to score four unanswered the take a 5-4 lead midway through the final frame. Mark Mancari rounded out the Rochester scoring to make it 5-5 with under four minutes to play in regulation to force the OT.
David Leggio made 29 saves and another five in the shootout to earn the win. Tropp suffered a lower body injury and is unlikely to play when the Amerks continue their opening weekend Saturday in Toronto.
In the QMJHL, Mikhail Grigorenko continued his superb start to the 2012-13 season by scoring two goals and an assist to extend his point streak to nine games as Quebec defeated Gatineau 4-1. The talented Russian currently ranks second in QMJHL scoring with eight goals and 20 points through the Remparts' first nine games. The Remparts are off until Wednesday's tilt with Saint John.
In Finland, Joel Armia scored his sixth goal of the year as Assat doubled Tappara 4-2. The 6-foot-3 sniper got the Aces on the board when he cut to the net and directed a Michael Ryan pass past the Tappara netminder. The two clubs will play it back on Saturday.
Linus Ullmark made 30 saves as MODO J20 downed Leksands 6-2. Ullmark was making his return to SuperElit action after a three-week loan to Mora IK of HockeyAllsvenskan. MODO and Leksands will play a rematch on Saturday.
In the WHL, Colin Jacobs picked up an assist as Prince George downed Lethbridge 3-2.
The helper extends Jacobs' season-starting point streak to a
career-best eight games (7+7). The Cougars continue their road trip
Saturday in Medicine Hat.
Logan Nelson saw his five-game point streak come to an end as Victoria lost to Kelowna 4-1. The Royals and Rockets will again face off Saturday in Victoria.
Andrey Makarov made 24 saves as Saskatoon lost to Kootenay 4-3. The Blades have lost five straight games to occupy last place in the East Division.
In OHL action, Brady Austin was +1 as Belleville pitched a 2-0 shutout of Brampton. The Bulls, who have secured five wins through the season's first eight games, return to the ice Saturday versus Oshawa.
Justin Kea logged a +1 as Saginaw smoked Sudbury 6-1. The Spirit moves on to face Brampton on Sunday.
Alex Lepkowski (-1) did not point as Barrie got past Oshawa 4-3 in a shootout. Barrie will host Sudbury on Saturday.
Christian Isackson scored his first goal of the year as Minnesota downed Michigan State 5-1. Skating with Florida prospects Nick Bjugstad and Kyle Rau, Isackson buried a wrist shot from the slot for the first regular season goal of his collegiate career. The Gophers and Spartans will conclude their opening weekend set on Saturday.
Brad Navin (2 SOG) and Jake McCabe (4 SOG) each went without a point as Wisconsin lost to Northern Michigan 2-1. McCabe was paired with Frankie Simonelli on the Badgers blueline after sitting out last weekend's tune-up win over the U.S. Under-18. Navin formed a line with Keegan Meuer and Brendan Woods. The Badgers will look for the weekend split on Saturday.
Mark Adams finished +1 as Providence opened the season with an 8-2 throttling of Sacred Heart. The Friars finish their weekend Saturday with a visit to Boston University.
Judd Peterson was +1 with three shots on goal as Cedar Rapids dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to Muskegon. The RoughRiders take on Green Bay on Saturday.
