12/13 Recap: Schiestel loving PP; Eidsness wins again

In a sold-out barn in St. Kitts, Drew Schiestel had a pair of assists as Niagara lost to Mississauga, 4-3. Both helpers came on the power play, upping Schiestel's total to 15 assists this season with the man advantage, good for fifth in the O. The Hamilton native continued to display his superior feet and ability to get the puck to the net, but with a -2 for the third straight game, has sunk to -18 on the season which ranks last in the league. John Cullen ('09, Hamburg, NY) got the call for the Dogs, having a solid first period before getting beaten four times in the final 40:00 including twice through the five-hole on a pair of short-handed breakaways. Cullen did not fare well one-on-one, and will need to be more crisp with his movement in the crease in order to improve his draft position. He sometimes goes down prematurely, rewarding a patient puck carrier. Mississauga forward Casey Cizikas ('09) showed excellent skating ability and nice set of hands with two goals and an assist, while Andrew Shaw ('09) of the Dogs put forth a spirited effort with a goal and assist. Add 15-20 pounds of beef to his 5'11 frame and you have yourself an intriguing 17-year-old. Also from the OHL, Nick Crawford was even as Saginaw posted a 3-2 home-ice win over Erie. In the NCAA, Brad Eidsness made 19 saves to win his fourth straight start, 7-4 over St. Cloud State. The weekend wins over the Huskies represent the first WCHA sweep of the season for the Sioux. Corey Fienhage was again a scratch as Ben Blood saw action as the #6. The Sioux are playing confidently in front of their freshman keeper, using a more open style en route to a 9-5-1 record after dropping their first three games. Matt Generous was even as a Jared Keller goal with less than :01 remaining pushed St. Lawrence to a 4-3 upset of #11 Vermont. The senior defenseman closes the semester with six points (3+3) and a +2 through 16 games. Freshman Drew MacKenzie was +1 for the Catamounts in the loss. Justin Jokinen was even in limited action as #14 Minnesota State was swept by #5 Denver, 5-2. The Pios won their seventh straight without the services of free-agent prospect Tyler Bozak, who was injured in Friday's win. The Mavericks lost their fourth in a row. In the QMJHL, J.S. Allard (+1) garnered an assist for Quebec in their 2-1 win over Acadie-Bathurst. The Alma, QC product picked up the primary on Kelsey Tessier's 10th of the season in the first period for his first point in three games, and 24th on the year. Dennis Persson was even over 16:09 of icetime as Timra got shutout by Farjestad, 3-0. The game was Persson's second in a row on the middle defensive unit while the rotating door into the Eagles infirmary stays active. Mikko Lehtonen returned to the Timra lineup, while Robin Jonsson and Par Styf remain sidelined.

11/6 Recap: Lagacé scores in loss

Jacob Lagacé (-2) roofed a short-handed goal and later added an assist as Chicoutimi lost to Lewiston, 4-3 in a shootout. On a night when MAINEiacs starter Peter Delmas (COL) was rested, Lagacé was the Sags first shooter in the breakaway session, but saw his attempt stopped by Philip Wright. The multi-point effort brings his season total to 17. In the OHL, defenseman Drew Schiestel was even as Niagara fell in OT to Barrie, 3-2. A bad bounce off the end boards ended up on the stick of the Colts' Colin Behenna, who buried the overtime winner. Reggie Traccitto returned to the Dogs blue line after missing a month. Meanwhile, goaltender John Cullen (Hamburg, NY) made 43 saves in defeat to earn the game's third star after a morning car accident in St. Catherines.

10/30 Recap: Schiestel leading Dog race at quarter turn

Drew Schiestel (-1) had a power play assist for Niagara in their 3-1 win over Guelph. Having registered a point in all but three of his 16 games, the Hamilton native continues to lead the Dogs in scoring with two goals and 15 assists. John Cullen (Hamburg, NY) made 23 saves for Niagara in relief of Mark Visentin to get the W. With 25% of the regular season complete, the 5-7-1-4 IceDogs are tied with Barrie for 2nd place in the Central Division. In a beggar's night contest, RW Andrew Orpik had two shots on goal as #2 Boston College upended Merrimack, 4-1. Jimmy Hayes (TOR) potted a pair of goals to lead the Eagles. Starting to ramp his way back up, Dennis Persson (-1) logged 13:48 of play in Timra's 4-0 loss to MODO. Prize 2009 prospect Victor Hedman was +2 for MODO, while former NHLers Niklas Sundstrom and Per Svartvadet paced the victors with two points each. Finally, a bizarre incident in Moscow caused the contest between Kazan (Vjacheslav Buravchikov) and Dynamo to be suspended after one period of play. It appears that smoke filled the arena after a Dynamo goal celebration, and would not dissipate despite several measures to clear the air. Buravchikov will return to action on Sunday.

Sunday preseason wrap

Some quick notes on a preseason Sunday in the CHL... Drew Schiestel suited up for a pair of assists in Niagara's 6-3 win over Oshawa. Consistent with his camp thus far, the fourth-year defenseman was said to have played with a greater physical edge than in previous seasons. Hamburg native John Cullen stopped 15 of 17 shots for the Ice Dogs. In the Q, Paul Byron (+1) had a pair of assists in Gatineau's 6-5 shootout win over Montreal. The Ottawa native went 10/16 from the dot while picking up his usual handful of shots, blocks, and hits. Sabres prospects TJ Brennan and Luke Adam watched from the stands for the Juniors. Jordon Southorn (-1) had an assist and a game-high five hits in PEI's 5-2 loss to Saint John. A day after a three goal, one assist performance in a camp scrimmage, Jacob Lagacé did not play in Chicoutimi's 5-3 win over Baie-Comeau. In the WHL, Tyler Myers and Kelowna are laying low until a Friday tilt with Vancouver. Meanwhile, Tyler Ennis and the Medicine Hat Tigers are in Edmonton for the Oil Kings Preseason Tournament. After sitting out of a 6-4 loss to Regina on Saturday, Ennis will skate Monday against the hosts. The busy Tigers will then head to Saskatoon for another tournament next weekend.

CHL: Open for business

Labor Day weekend in the United States means it's time for work if you're a Canadian major junior player. 2008 first-rounders Tyler Myers and Tyler Ennis of the WHL were the first to get cracking on their 2008-09 campaigns, and by now the rest of the CHL has started their Memorial Cup quest. Niagara defenseman Drew Schiestel (2007, 2nd round) will participate in an intrasquad scrimmage this evening before opening the exhibition season with a pair of weekend contests. The Dogs will travel to Jamestown, NY for a game against the Erie Otters on Saturday, then return home to skate with Oshawa the next day. Another player who should get an extended look from the Dogs over the weekend is Hamburg, NY native John Cullen. A goaltending standout last season with Rochester of the Empire Junior Hockey League, the 17-year old recently played for Team USA at the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial and has been very sharp in the early sessions in St. Catherines. As the players hit the ice in Saginaw, it seems that Nick Crawford (2008, 6th round) will have some new faces to work with as the OHL's Spirit sorts out their blueline. The Michigan-based club will play a two-game exhibition set with Sault Ste. Marie on September 6 and 7 before playing another home-and-home with Schiestel's Ice Dogs the following weekend. The inaugural training camp for the Montreal Juniors hockey club (formerly the St. John's Fog Devils) opened today at the Verdun Auditorium. A pair of Sabres second rounders, Luke Adam (2008) and TJ Brennan (2007), will play leading offensive roles as the QMJHL returns to Montreal for the first time since 2003. The Juniors open exhibition action on Sunday against a Gatineau Olympiques club lead by 2008 playoff darling, Paul Byron (2007, 6th round). J.S. Allard (2007, 5th round) will wear a Remparts uniform for the first time on Sunday when Quebec opens against Rimouski. A teammate of Adam and Brennan the past two seasons in St. John's, Allard was part of a June deal that sent Angelo Esposito back to his hometown of Montreal. Also on Sunday, class of '08 members Jacob Lagacé (Chicoutimi) and Jordon Southorn (PEI) will kick off their Q warm-ups with games against Baie-Comeau and Saint John. Speaking of Saint John, 2006 fourth-rounder Felix Schutz is skating a few laps at the training camp of his former QMJHL team while waiting for the start of Sabres camp.