10/20 Recap: Foligno posts best; Armia returns in style

The Rochester Americans applied their rally caps Friday, scoring seven times in the final two periods to earn a wild 8-7 victory at Hershey. Marcus Foligno (first star of the game) paved the way with a career-best two goals and two assists as the Amerks twice overcame two-goal deficits to spoil the Bears' home opener.

For Foligno, the four-point night bests his previous AHL high of 2+1 posted last April versus Syracuse. It's his highest single-game output since a 3+1 effort in December 2010 as a member of the Sudbury Wolves.

T.J. Brennan (second star) collected two goals and an assist, while Cody Hodgson (three assists), Mark Mancari (1+1), and Brayden McNabb (two assists) also posted multiple-point outings.

The Amerks are off until Tuesday when they face the Hamilton Bulldogs at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.

Joel Armia returned from injury, cashing a goal and an assist as Assat blazed past Ilves 6-1. Armia, who now has seven goals and 11 points through 15 games including three multi-point efforts, missed just one Assat contest after getting his bell rung early in Tuesday's tilt with SaiPa.


Linus Ullmark made 26 saves as MODO J20 lost 3-2 to Brynas. The game looked to be heading to OT before a Brynas goal in the final minute of regulation handed Ullmark his first SuperElit loss since returning from Mora.

In WHL action, Colin Jacobs scored his eighth goal of the year on the power play as Prince George took a 3-2 loss to Spokane. The Cougars allowed a goal with 24-seconds left on the clock en route to accepting their fifth consecutive loss.



Andrey Makarov made 24 saves in Saskatoon's 3-2 loss to Everett. The Blades, who have allowed a league-high 55 goals against, have lost lost two straight games to remain in last place in the WHL's Eastern Conference.


In the OHL, Dan Catenacci extended his point streak to six games as Owen Sound was defeated by Oshawa 3-2. The loss halts the Attack's five-game winning streak.


Justin Kea picked up two assists as Saginaw lost an 8-5 barnburner to Guelph. The 6-foot-4 center has a goal and seven points through the Spirit's first 12 games.

Alex Lepkowski did not point as Barrie battled back to force extra time but lost to London 3-2 in the shootout. The loss was the first at home this season for the Colts, who remain unbeaten in regulation in their last nine games.

In NCAA action, Christian Isackson went without a point for the first time in four regular season games as top-ranked Minnesota earned the weekend split with a 3-2 win over Michigan Tech. The Gophers will host the U.S. Under-18 team on Friday before welcoming Canisius to Mariucci Arena on Sunday.

Mark Adams finished -1 as Providence suffered a 4-3 overtime defeat at #4 Miami. The Friars battled back from three one-goal deficits before succumbing in the extra session.

In the USHL, Judd Peterson did not play as Cedar Rapids came from behind to claim a 7-5 win over Indiana.

10/19 Recap: Grigo pots 10th; Cat first star

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:

Girgensons - Porter - Flynn
Foligno - Varone - Rankin
Adam - Hodgson - Mancari

McNabb - Pysyk
Finley - MacKenzie
Brennan - Biega

10/13 Recap: Catenacci powers Attack; Austin posts career best

Dan Catenacci scored his second goal of the game in the final minute of regulation and then notched the shootout winner as Owen Sound downed Peterborough 5-4. The 5-foot-10 speedster has six goals, 11 points, and two shootout winners in nine games this season. The Attack are off until Friday when they host Ottawa.


Elsewhere in the OHL, Brady Austin earned the game's number two star with a career-best three assists as Belleville skated to a 4-1 win over Oshawa. Austin has collected five helpers through the Bulls' first nine games.


Alex Lepkowski played even as Barrie earned a 2-1 victory over Sudbury. The Colts are back at it Thursday versus Ottawa.

In USHL action, Judd Peterson pocketed a pair of assists as Cedar Rapids was dealt a wild 8-7 shootout loss to Green Bay. The St. Cloud State commit has a goal and four points through his first four games in a RoughRiders uniform.

In Sweden, Linus Ullmark made 28 stops as MODO J20 defeated Leksands 5-3. The win was Ullmark's second in as many days after being returned to MODO from his loan to Mora.

In Finland, Joel Armia finished -1 in 13:34 of work as Assat lost to Tappara 2-1. Armia will enter Thursday's game against Karpat with nine points (6+3) in 13 games.

In WHL action, Andrey Makarov made 27 saves to backbone Saskatoon to a 5-2 win over Lethbridge. Makarov's victory, his first in two weeks (since 9/29), improves his season record to 3-6 with a 3.51 goals against average and .888 save percentage. The Blades continue their road cruise through Alberta on Sunday with a stop in Medicine Hat.


Logan Nelson earned an assist on the game winning goal as Victoria edged Kelowna 3-2. Fellow Minnesotan Ben Walker (undrafted) had a pair of goals for the winners.


Colin Jacobs (-3) saw his eight-game point streak come to an end as Prince George was buried by Medicine Hat 7-2.

In the college ranks, Christian Isackson netted a pair of assists as #2 Minnesota cruised to a 7-1 hammering of Michigan State. Isackson helped out on goals by linemates Nick Bjugstad (game winner) and Kyle Rau. The Gophers will look to keep their early momentum going next weekend at Michigan Tech.


Mark Adams was +1 with a shot on goal as Providence lost to Boston University 4-2. The Friars return to the road next weekend when they visit #8 Miami.

Brad Navin (-1) and Jake McCabe were both held off the scoresheet as Wisconsin was swept by Northern Michigan 4-2. The Badgers open WCHA conference play next weekend at Minnesota-Duluth.

In the AHL, Marcus Foligno scored on the power play but it was all the Rochester Americans could muster in taking a 3-1 loss to Toronto. David Leggio made 34 saves including 15 in the third period. The Amerks host Binghamton on Tuesday.

10/12 Recap: Amerks open with win

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.

10/6 Recap: Grigorenko, Nelson spark Saturday wins

Mikhail Grigorenko scored a pair of goals Saturday as Quebec blew past Rimouski 7-2. Grigorenko had his speed and puckhandling abilities on display from the get-go between linemates Logan Shaw (FLA) and 2013 draft eligible Adam Erne. The brilliant center now has six goals and 16 points on the year, good for a share of the QMJHL scoring lead, while boosting the Remparts to a perfect 7-0 start. The CHL's top-ranked club, Quebec will conclude the weekend with a Sunday visit to Blainville-Boisbriand.


In the WHL, Logan Nelson scored two regulation goals and the only mark in the shootout to lead Victoria to a 4-3 win at Tri-City. Nelson, who earlier had tied the game 2-2 with a nice backhand finish, struck again with 35-seconds to play in the third to force the OT. The first-star effort gives Nelson three goals, eight points, and two shootout winners in the Royals' first seven games.


Colin Jacobs kept rolling with a goal and an assist as Prince George was outgunned by Kelowna 7-5. The big Texan opened up for a second-period one-timer as the Cougars attempted to overcome a three-goal deficit. Jacobs has points in all six Cougars' contests this year en route to co-leading the WHL with 12 points (6+6).


Andrey Makarov made 31 saves as Saskatoon lost 4-1 at Edmonton. Makarov surrendered three power play goals in the middle frame to see his record drop to 2-4 with a 3.59 goals against average and .888 save percentage.

In the OHL, Dan Catenacci scored the game winning goal in the shootout as Owen Sound defeated Guelph 4-3. In the second period, Catenacci picked up an assist when the rebound of his speedy breakaway attempt was buried to give him seven points (3+4) through the Attack's first seven games.



Alex Lepkowski notched a pair of assists as Barrie won their fourth straight game 4-3 over Peterborough. Lepkowski's breakout pass earned him a secondary helper on Mark Scheifele's game winner in the final minute of regulation. The multi-point effort was the third of Lepkowski's career and his first since a one-goal, one-assist outing last April in game six of the OHL Eastern Conference semifinal.



Belleville defenseman Brady Austin skated even as the Bulls got past Ottawa 5-3. Sean Monahan ('13) scored his fourth goal of the year for the 67's in a losing effort.

Justin Kea played even as Saginaw earned a 2-1 shootout win over Kitchener. Next up for Spirit is a Thursday visit to Barrie.

In Finland, Joel Armia earned a season-high 20:16 of work but was unable to score as Assat edged TPS 2-1. Former Sabres forward Mike Ryan scored the shootout winner for the Aces, who are off until Wednesday's tilt at Jokerit.

In NCAA exhibition play, Christian Isackson netted a natural hat trick as Minnesota crushed the University of Lethbridge 7-0. Isackson, who manned the right side on a line with Nick Bjugstad (FLA) and Kyle Rau (FLA), scored scored the first three goals of the game as the Gophers dominated with 65 shots on goal.


Brad Navin collected two assists as the Badgers skated to a 5-0 exhibition win over the U.S. U-18 squad. Navin, who made nice pass to slot for his second helper of the night, skated on a line with Joseph Labate (VAN) and Brendan Woods (CAR). Defenseman Jake McCabe sat out with an upper body injury.


In the USHL, Judd Peterson did not dress as Cedar Rapids was handled by Youngstown 5-1. The RoughRiders continue their homestand Friday versus Muskegon.

Prospects set for second season

It’s the first day of Spring, meaning things are about to get a little more interesting for some Sabres prospects. The CHL playoffs kick off on Thursday while the puck drops on the NCAA tourney a day later. And hey, that Armia kid will be looking to put together a playoff run, too.

***

The Sabres pair of QMJHL prospects, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc of the Rimouski Oceanic and Cedrick Henley of the Val-d’Or Foreurs, will square off in the first round beginning Friday. Leduc, a finalist for the QMJHL Defenseman of the Year, led all Canadian junior defensemen this season with 28 goals while tying for the CHL lead with 74 points. Henley captained the Foreurs to a second place finish in the Telus East Division.

The Niagara IceDogs earned the top seed in the OHL’s Eastern Conference, creating a matchup with 8th place Oshawa. Dogs forward Steven Shipley, who was a point-per-game player over the final 20 games, will look to continue his late season pace on a line with David Pacan and Mitchell Theoret.

Dan Catenacci will be front-and-center for the defending OHL champion Owen Sound Attack as they travel to Kitchener for Friday’s game #1. The Attack will be playing without captain and leading scorer Mike Halmo, who was suspended 10 games in the final week of the regular season after lambasting Nail Yakupov with an open-ice headshot.

With star forward Tanner Pearson out with a broken leg suffered in the final game of the regular season, grinding wing Gregg Sutch, who was bumped down the lineup for most of the year, could see an elevated role for the Barrie Colts in their first round battle with Mississauga. West Seneca native Alex Lepkowski will be counted on to set a physical tone while earning big minutes on the Barrie blueline.

Out west, Edmonton captain and World Junior participant Mark Pysyk will lead the #1 seed Oil Kings into battle against the defending league champs, the Kootenay ICE. The ICE won’t have Brayden McNabb playing 30 minutes a night this go-round, but will again be backstopped by reigning playoff MVP Nathan Lieuwen, who enters the postseason with just three wins in his last 13 starts.

The Brandon Wheat Kings are hoping to have their key deadline acquisition, Kevin Sundher, back in the lineup when they begin their first round series with Calgary on Thursday. The speedy six-footer accumulated 64 points in 40 games with Victoria prior to being dealt, but has played just once after suffering a concussion on Valentine’s Day.

In other Thursday action, Joel Armia and Assat will begin their best-of-seven first round series with JYP. The 18-year old scored 18 goals for the second consecutive season, including a impressive 10 goals and 20 points in 21 games upon returning from the World Junior Championship.

After leading the NCAA with a 1.59 goals against average, Connor Knapp will lead Miami (#2 seed in the East Region) into Friday's NCAA tourney matchup with #3 Lowell. Knapp has been the most dominant netminder in all of college hockey since January 1st, compiling an 11-3 mark while allowing three or more goals just twice along the way.

In the West bracket, Brad Eidsness is expected to serve as back-up when #1 seed North Dakota battles #4 Western Michigan. On the other side, #2 Minnesota will take on Boston University. Gophers forward Christian Isackson will likely be a scratch as he has been for the last nine games.

***

Colin Jacobs and the Seattle Thunderbirds missed the WHL playoffs by two points but on Wednesday were awarded the first overall pick in the WHL bantam draft lottery. Justin Jokinen (Minnesota St.), Drew MacKenzie (Vermont), Brad Navin (Wisconsin), and Mark Adams (Providence) all saw their seasons end with losses in their respective conference tourneys.

3/10 Recap: Knapp, Amerks extend streaks

Connor Knapp made 21 saves Saturday as Miami advanced to the CCHA semifinals with a 4-1 win over Michigan State. Knapp, who has now won seven straight starts, is 12-2 with five shutouts since January 1st while allowing one or none in all 12 of the wins. The RedHawks will now wait for the outcome of Sunday's Ferris State/Bowling Green tilt to see who they'll play on Friday at the Joe.

Jerome Gauthier-Leduc scored his 28th goal of the year as Rimouski was doubled by Blainville-Boisbriand, 4-2. Leduc has scored goals in two straight, bringing him within two points of Kevin Sundher in the race for the prospects scoring title with two games left to play. 

Mark Pysyk picked up an an assist to extend his point streak to three games as Edmonton toppled Red Deer, 7-4. The victory gives the Oil Kings 101 points, making them the first WHL club to hit triple digits this season.

Dan Catenacci went without a point for the third straight game as Owen Sound was shut out by Sarnia, 4-0. Catenacci sits with 33 goals and 71 points with three games to play. Stud 2012 prospect Nail Yakupov left the game in the second period after getting blown up by Attack captain Mike Halmo as he crossed the middle.

Nathan Lieuwen made 36 saves but Kootenay came up short in the final period for the second straight night in a 3-2 loss to Spokane. The game's #2 star, Lieuwen weathered the storm in a busy third until the Chiefs beat him for two goals in a span of 30-seconds with less than seven minutes to play.

In Finland, Joel Armia fired nine shots in Assat's 2-1 win over Tappara. The 6'3 wing is stuck at 18 goals with two regular season games remaining.

Elsewhere, Brad Eidsness got the start in the North Dakota net, making 23 saves to earn the game's #3 star as the Sioux finished off Bemidji State, 4-3. The defending back-to-back champions, North Dakota advances to next weekend's WCHA Final Five to face a yet to be determined opponent.

Brad Navin pumped two shots on net as Wisconsin was overcome by Denver, 3-1. The teams will play a third and deciding game Sunday at Magness for the right to advance to the Final Five next week in St. Paul.

Colin Jacobs finished -2 as Seattle suffered through an 11-3 drubbing by Portland. The big center has gone nine games without scoring a goal.

Alex Lepkowski played even as Barrie blanked Belleville, 3-0. Gregg Sutch was given a night off to rest some bumps and bruises

Justin Jokinen recorded four shots on goal as Minnesota State saw their season end with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Duluth in overtime. Chosen in the 4th round of the 2008 draft, the 6'3 forward ends his Mavericks career with 18 goals and 39 points in 124 games.

Kevin Sundher remained out of action (concussion) as Brandon edged Saskatoon, 2-1.

Christian Isackson was scratched for the eighth straight game as Minnesota defeated Alaska-Anchorage, 7-3.

***

While Marcus Foligno was busy scoring his first NHL goal in the Sabres Saturday night win at Ottawa, the Amerks were rather active themselves receiving marks from six different players en route to a 6-1 rout of Binghamton.

Travis Turnbull paced the winners with a goal and two assists. Mark Voakes dished his way to three helpers. Alex Biega, Maxime Legault, Derek Whitmore, Paul Szczechura and Shaone Morrisonn also scored for Rochester. David Leggio finished with 17 saves while holding the B-Sens scoreless for nearly 55-minutes

The Rundown:
Biega: G, +2
McNabb: A, +3
Crawford: +2
Brennan: +1
Szydlowski: +1

Winners of four straight, the Amerks are off until Friday when they visit in-state rival Syracuse.

3/9 Recap: Knapp sets mark; Armia chips in

Connor Knapp made 27 saves Friday for his fifth shutout of the year and third in his last five starts as #11 Miami cruised to a 6-0 win over #15 Michigan State. The 6'6 senior improves to 14-6 on the year with a 1.45 goals against average (1st in nation) and .942 save percentage (2nd). The shutout, Knapp's 13th of his career, sets a new record for the storied RedHawks program. Miami will look to sweep the Spartans when they play game #2 of their CCHA quarterfinal matchup on Saturday.

In Finland, Joel Armia continued his strong season finish with a one goal, one assist performance to help Assat to a 4-0 victory over Jokerit. The 6'3 wing earned 21:33 of ice time (his second 20+ minute performance in the past two weeks) en route to posting his eighth multi-point game of the year. Armia has now collected 10 goals and 10 assists in 20 games since returning from the World Junior Championship. His 18 goals equals his output from a season ago.



In Quebec league play, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc gathered a goal and an assist as Rimouski downed Shawinigan, 5-3. The power play points give the defender 27-45-72 with just three games to go.

Nathan Lieuwen stopped everything thrown at him for 55-minutes before allowing three goals in the final five as Kootenay was toppled by Medicine Hat, 3-1. The ICE remain locked in the 5th spot in the WHL's Eastern Conference with four games left to play.

Mark Pysyk recorded an assist for the second straight game as Edmonton took out Eastern Division leader Red Deer, 5-2. With the win, the Oil Kings clinched the first overall spot in the Eastern Conference.

Dan Catenacci (-1) went without a point for the second straight game as Owen Sound edged Saginaw, 4-3. Attack forward Gemel Smith ('12) posted three assists to earn the game's #1 star.

Steven Shipley was held off the scoresheet as Niagara defeated Ottawa, 5-1. The victory gives the IceDogs their first Central Division title since moving to St. Catherines.

Cedrick Henley (-2) contributed six shots on goal as Val-d'Or earned an exciting 6-5 win over Gatineau. Foreurs forward Anthony Mantha ('13), whose 9/16 birth date misses the cutoff for the 2012 draft by one day, continued to impress with two goals and two assists.

Kevin Sundher remained out of the lineup as Brandon was hammered by Saskatoon, 6-2. The center has played in just one game since getting his bell rung back on Valentine's Day.

Brad Navin was even as Wisconsin took a 1-0 decision at #9 Denver. A win over the Pioneers on Saturday would thrust the Badgers into next weekend's WCHA Final Five.

Justin Jokinen posted a shot on goal as Mankato lost to #3 Duluth, 4-2. The Mavericks will look to stave off elimination on Saturday when they rematch with the defending national champs.

Brad Eidsness served as backup in #12 North Dakota's 4-1 win over Bemidji State. The Sioux will go for their 10th consecutive WCHA playoff victory on Saturday.

Mark Adams missed his seventh game with a concussion as Providence dropped a 3-2 overtime decision at #7 Lowell. With the Friars taking Thursday's opener by a 5-3 count, the two clubs will play a rubber match on Sunday afternoon to decide the first round playoff series.

Christian Isackson was scratched for the seventh straight game as #5 Minnesota defeated Alaska-Anchorage, 2-1.

***

In the AHL, Luke Adam scored the game-winning goal late in the middle frame as Rochester earned a 3-1 win over Binghamton. The marker gives Adam two goals and seven points in 11 games since being sent down by the Sabres.

Matt MacKenzie assisted on the winner, while veterans Paul Szczechura and Derek Whitmore supplied the other Amerks goals. David Leggio made 35 stops for his 21st win of the year.

The Rundown:
Adam: GWG, +1, 5 SOG
MacKenzie: A, +1
Crawford: A, +1
Brennan: +1, 2 SOG
Biega: 2 SOG
McNabb: SOG
Szydlowski: even

3/2 Recap: Leduc takes advantage; Sundher returns

Jerome Gauthier-Leduc picked up a pair of power play assists Friday as Rimouski delivered a 4-1 loss to Cape Breton. The productive defender, who now has 2+2 in his last two outings, now ranks 17th in QMJHL scoring with 69 points (26+43) with a half dozen games remaining.



Cedrick Henley earned an assist and a game-high eight hits as Val-d'Or defeated Victoriaville 3-2 in a shootout. The 6'5 forward has nine points in his last eight games.

In WHL play, Kevin Sundher notched a power play assist in his return from a six-game absence as Brandon rolled past Lethbridge, 6-2. The Wheat Kings have now won seven straight.



Colin Jacobs finished -1 as Seattle was blanked by Everett, 4-0. The 6'1 center has skated without a point in five straight games.

In NCAA action, Drew MacKenzie was -2 in Vermont's 5-1 loss at #1 Boston College. The senior defenseman will play his final game for the Catamounts on Saturday.

Brad Navin recorded a shot on goal as Wisconsin downed rival #4 Minnesota, 4-1. The Badgers will go for their fifth straight win when the teams conclude the WCHA set on Saturday. Gopher freshman Christian Isackson was scratched for the fifth straight game.

Justin Jokinen finished +1 as Minnesota State dropped a 4-2 decision at North Dakota. Brad Eidsness served as backup for the Sioux. The two clubs will rematch on Saturday to finish the WCHA regular season.

Mark Adams remained sidelined as Providence was defeated by Lowell, 5-1. Despite the loss, the Friars clinch their first Hockey East Tournament spot since 2008. The two clubs will conclude the regular season slate on Saturday.