9/11 Recap: Southorn lights lamp; KHL gets krackin'

Jordon Southorn cast the first Sabres-centric stone of the 2009-10 regular season, scoring a goal and adding five hits as PEI defeated Moncton, 2-1, in the QMJHL opener for both teams. Paired with Czech import Adam Polasek, Southorn (+1) put forth a strong effort by leading numerous rushes up-ice and getting shots to the goal area while settling his own zone. He put the Rocket on the board at 8:55 at the second period when his crisp rising wrist-shot beat Wendell Vye to tie the game 1-1. These are the types of tempo dictating efforts that the 19-year old lefty will have to regularly produce to remain in the Sabres mix after a suspension kept him from skating in his second NHL camp alongside fellow Q'ers Luke Adam, Jacob Lagacé, and Maxime Legault. At 6'2, 200-pounds, Southorn has the frame, skating, and two-way tools to develop into a solid professional. As the raw foundation is present, demonstrating growth in consistency and maturity could make the Sabres' contract decisions more interesting next offseason. If the money wasn't there to sign RW Andrew Orpik for depth, the Sabres are in no position to gamble with character when the blueline is already well-stocked. A Harvard educated leader with a two-year experience edge, Alex Biega, 21, appears to be the better bet for a deal at this point, but it will be interesting to monitor the year since Southorn has the potential to put up some big numbers on the Island. -------------- In Thursday's KHL opener, recently re-upped Vjacheslav Buravchikov logged nearly 14:00 of icetime and spent another 4:00 in the box as Ak Bars defeated Lokomotiv, 3-2 in OT. On Saturday, Ak Bars fell to Spartak by a 4-1 count. Severstal's Marek Zagrapan will make his KHL debut on Sunday against Motorist.

Orpik goes to Rampage

Unsigned by the Sabres at the August 15th deadline, former Boston College forward Andrew Orpik has inked an AHL deal with the San Antonio Rampage.

Orpik, a native of East Amherst, NY, joins the Rampage from Boston College (NCAA) where he amassed 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 155 games and tacked on 145 penalty minutes over his four-year collegiate career as an Eagle. During his senior year, he posted five goals and 12 assists for 17 points in 36 games, his collegiate-best. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound rookie was a member of Boston College’s 2008 NCAA National Championship team. “Andrew is a young player who has played the past four seasons in an excellent program at Boston College,” said Rampage General Manager Brad Treliving. “He is a big body who brings an element of physicality and grit and we look forward to continuing his development as a pro within our organization.”

3/20 Recap: Myers with strong start as Cup run begins

Tyler Myers opened the WHL playoffs with a power play goal and #1 star performance as Kelowna defeated Kamloops, 4-2. Working for over 24:00 of play, Myers was rock defensively while exhibiting his skating ability with several rushes up ice. In another first round opener, 43-goal scorer Tyler Ennis scored both Medicine Hat goals, but the Tigers gave up twice as many in their 4-2 loss to Swift Current. Drew Schiestel scored just :51 in to the opening period as Niagara defeated Ottawa 5-3 to take Game One of their OHL first-round series. The skating rearguard finished +2 in the win, while the goal was his first in 15 career playoff games. In opening night in the QMJHL playoffs, J.S. Allard had a power play goal and later added an assist as Quebec downed Baie-Comeau, 8-1. Jordon Southorn was -3 with a team-leading three hits as PEI was rubbed out by Moncton, 7-1. Wildcats UFA goaltender Nicola Riopel stood on his head to make 40 saves and earn the game's top star. Paul Byron set-up the overtime game winner as Gatineau defeated Bathurst, 5-4. The 5'9 dangler also added seven shots on goal as the 'Piques fired a total of 55 at Titan netminder Nicholas Champion. T.J. Brennan assisted on the game winner as Montreal defeated Rouyn-Noranda, 5-3. Just :10 into a 5-3 power play, Brennan started the play that resulted in Matt Fillier's third period tally that at the time put the Juniors ahead, 4-1. Jacob Lagacé was -3 as Chicoutimi was dominated by Rimouski, 8-2. At the WCHA Final Five, Brad Eidsness made 21 saves in North Dakota's 3-0 shutout loss to Duluth. Eidsness was caught playing the puck behind the net for the first goal against before a rebound to the left circle was pounced home for a two-goal deficit. An empty netter sealed the deal for the upset minded Bulldogs. The Sioux will face Wisconsin for third place. In the ECAC Tournament semifinals, Matt Generous returned from his MCL injury to assist on the first goal of the game as St. Lawrence lost to Yale, 4-3. Up 3-2 with entering the third, the Saints surrendered two goals in the final 1:34 to miss a chance at an NCAA bid. SLU will play Princeton in the third place game. At the Hockey East tourney, Andrew Orpik was even with two minors in his final NCAA contest as Boston College fell to Boston University, 3-2. With a 1-0 lead in the third, the senior forward looked like he was going to extend his collegiate career another day before BU scored a record three goals in :44 to snatch the win. The past week also saw the season end for defenseman Dennis Persson, as Timra lost a deciding game seven to HV71 in the first round of the SEL playoffs. Persson did not see the ice in the final three games of the series.

3/14 Recap: Ennis equals; Eidsness backstops sweep

In the WHL, Tyler Ennis scored his 43rd goal of the season as Medicine Hat fell to Calgary, 4-1. The goal total equals his 2007-08 season output in nine fewer games. Finishing fifth in the East, the Tigers will open their first round series with #4 Swift Current on Friday. Tyler Myers was +1 as Kelowna stomped Kamloops, 7-1. The Rockets have now won seven straight games heading into their season closer with Spokane on Monday. In WCHA playoff action, Brad Eidsness made some key saves late, a total of 24 in all, to help North Dakota to a 4-3 win over a Michigan Tech and a sweep of their first round series. On Friday, the Sioux will face the winner of Thursday's Minnesota/Minnesota-Duluth play-in game. Justin Jokinen saw his season come to an end, registering a shot on goal as Minnesota State lost a 4-2 decision to Wisconsin. At the Gut, Drew MacKenzie was even as #7 Vermont was shockingly swept by Lowell, 4-2. It was a MacKenzie penalty for contact to the head that changed the flow of the game just 6:25 into the first period. Up 1-0 and immediately after his shot clanged off the post, MacKenzie battled a puck at his feet on his own blueline that forced him to take out a RiverHawk attacker about to blow past him. The aggressive infraction created a power play goal against, and Lowell never looked back. Andrew Orpik was even as Boston College knocked New Hampshire out of the Hockey East tournament with a 1-0 win. The Eagles must wait for the Sunday outcomes of Northeastern/UMass and BU/Maine to see who they'll face in next weekend's semifinal match-up. Matt Generous was again idle as St. Lawrence moved to round two with a 5-3 win over Quinnipiac. Drew Schiestel finished even in Niagara's 3-2 loss to Sudbury. The Dogs close the regular season with the loss, and will move on to face Ottawa in the first round of the playoffs. Nick Crawford was +1 as Saginaw ended their regular season with a 3-2 loss to Sarnia. They will wait for the dust to settle on the OHL's Sunday finale to see if they'll host Plymouth, Sarnia, or Guelph in round one of the playoffs. In the SEL first round, Dennis Persson did not see the ice as Timra lost a 3-2 battle with HV71. The best-of-seven is nowlocked a three games apiece, with game seven coming on Monday.

3/13 Recap: Drew draws two; Byron within reach

In a Hockey East quarterfinal battle, Drew MacKenzie had a pair of secondary assists as #7 Vermont was upset in overtime by Lowell, 4-3. With his first multi-point game as a collegian, the freshman rearguard now has four points in the three games since his return from mono after posting a total of four through the first 24 games of the season. The Catamounts held a 3-1 third period lead when Brayden Irwin was whistled for a major and game misconduct for a hit from behind at 9:31. Lowell scraped their way back, capped with a Nick Schaus (Orchard Park, NY) goal with :30 to play to force overtime, before netting their third unanswered goal to win the game with just :02 remaining in the extra session. Andrew Orpik scored his fifth goal of the season as #18 Boston College defeated #9 New Hampshire, 5-3. Orpik one-timed a Joe Whitney pass in the first period to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead. Brad Eidsness opened the WCHA playoffs by making 20 saves in #6 North Dakota's 5-1 win over Michigan Tech. Eidsness surrendered just a power play goal to run his record to 23-9-4 on the season. In Madison, Justin Jokinen (-1) assisted on the only Mavericks goal as Minnesota State was throttled in their opener with #17 Wisconsin, 7-1. Skating in practice but tentative, Matt Generous sat out with a sprained MCL as #15 St. Lawrence defeated Quinnipiac, 5-3. In the QMJHL, Paul Byron (+1) had a pair of power play assists as Gatineau defeated Shawinigan, 3-2. Sitting in fourth place on the Q scoring list with 98 points, Byron will look for 100 with the final regular season game of the coming on Sunday against Rouyn-Noranda. Jacob Lagacé scored his 32nd goal of the season as Chicoutimi could not match the offensive dynamo in Drummondville, 7-2. On the Island, Jordon Southorn (-1) had an assist in PEI's 5-4 OT loss to Cape Breton. J.S. Allard had an assist as Quebec lost to Rimouski, 5-3. T.J. Brennan was even in Montreal's 2-1 overtime loss to Rouyn-Noranda. In the WHL, Tyler Myers assisted on a power play goal just :38 seconds into the first period as Kelowna downed Kamloops, 6-4. In the OHL, Drew Schiestel was even as Niagara fell to Mississauga, 2-1. Nick Crawford was -2 in Saginaw's 3-0 loss to London. In Thursday action, Crawford (+2) assisted on the first goal of the game in Saginaw's 6-3 win over Owen Sound. Also from Thursday, Schiestel was -1 in Niagara's 2-0 loss to Barrie.

3/7 Recap: Season ends for Biega, Eno

In an ECAC first-round playoff game, Alex Biega (-1) had eight shots on goal as Harvard was shut out for the second straight night by Brown, 2-0. The junior defenseman provided some jump as the game wore on, but Harvard couldn't connect against the upset-minded Bears. Biega's season ends as the Crimson's second leading scorer with four goals and 16 assists in 31 games. Brown moves on to to the second round to face Yale. The Bears upset of the Crimson means that St. Lawrence will face Union in round two. The Saints may be without senior rearguard Matt Generous, whose status is still uncertain after undergoing an MRI on his injured MCL. In the CCHA playoffs, Nick Eno made four saves while surrendering two goals, including one on a breakaway, in 20:00 of relief as Bowling Green got pummeled by #14 Ohio State, 7-1. The game was marked by a second period brawl that saw multiple players ejected from both sides. With the Falcons loss, the shortened season comes to an end for the sophomore netminder who made just five starts and seven overall appearances after returning from a season long ankle sprain. In the WHL, Tyler Myers (+1) scored his ninth goal of the season as Kelowna overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat Vancouver in overtime, 3-2. Stout all evening, Myers' rising to the occasion defensively against the top teams in the league continued with his #2 star performance against the Western Conference leading Giants. The Rockets suffered a scare in the first when Myers crashed his shoulder hard into the boards when hunting a check, but all systems were a go after a short breather. 5'9 flyer Tyler Ennis got into his first career fight as Medicine Hat lost to Kootenay, 4-1. After his second period tussle, Ennis later earned a roughing minor near the end of the third as the Tigers hopes for home ice keep slipping with just three games remaining. Swift Current is up by three points to hold down the #4 seed over the #5 Tigers. The Tigers and Ice will rematch in Cranbrook on Sunday. In the SEL playoffs, Dennis Persson was -1 in 18:35 of work as #8 Timra got whooped by #4 HV71, 7-0. The best-of-seven series is now locked at one game apiece. In Boston, senior Andrew Orpik was even with eight penalty minutes as #20 Boston College closed the regular season with 4-1 upset of #4 Northeastern. Orpik's aggression led to four minors including two for roughing and another for charging. The Eagles move on to face UNH next weekend in the first round of the Hockey East playoffs. Rounding out a fantastic league schedule, Brad Eidsness made 32 saves as turnover ridden #6 North Dakota suffered a letdown against #19 Wisconsin, 4-1. Derek Stepan (NYR) scored a pair of shorthanded goals to lead the Badgers to victory. The WCHA champion Sioux will face #10 seed Michigan Tech in next week's playoff opener. Drew MacKenzie posted an assist for the second night in a row as #7 Vermont lost a wild 6-5 decision in overtime to #9 New Hampshire. Returning from a one month absence to due to mono, the two-point weekend gives the freshman a total of six on the year. The Cats match-up with #5 seed Lowell next week. Justin Jokinen scored a goal for Minnesota State in their 4-4 tie with #18 St. Cloud State. The freshman's unassisted tally, his third of the season, came when he roofed one high after a clean steal at the SCSU blueline. The #8 seeded Mavericks enter the WCHA tourney where they'll face #3 Wisconsin. Jacob Lagacé had an assist as Chicoutimi lost to Victoriaville, 5-4. The short-handed helper gives him 67 points on the year. Drew Schiestel was -2 as Niagara got roughed up by Peterborough, 6-0. 2010 eligible Ryan Spooner had four consecutive goals for the Petes, with '09 Zack Kassian, a 6'3 205-pound wing, assisting on two of them. Schiestel now sits at a prospects-low rating of -29 for the season. In the OHL, Nick Crawford (-1) had an assist in Saginaw's 4-3 win over Owen Sound. 2010 prospect Steven Shipley had a goal and an assist in the losing effort.

3/6 Recap: Jordon like Gordon; Eidsness leads to title

Jordon Southorn (-1) had a goal, assist, and a fight to complete his first Gordie Howe Hat Trick of the season in PEI's 5-3 loss to Lewiston. Southorn was aggressive with some big hits, rounded out by a semi-uneventful fight with Samuel Finn. The GHHT was the second of the season for Sabres prospects. Drew Schiestel registered the first back in late September. In the WHL, Tyler Ennis stayed warm with a goal and an assist as Medicine Hat lost to Regina, 4-3. Ennis now has a whopping 42 goals in 57 games this season (.74 gpg) to go along with 40 helpers. Last year, Paul Byron had 37 goals in 52 games (.71 gpg) while Nathan Gerbe led the way with 35 goals in 43 games (.81 gpg). Jacob Lagacé had a pair of assists as Chicoutimi defeated Montreal, 4-1. T.J. Brennan was -2 for the Juniors, who with the loss split the home-and-home series with the Sags. Paul Byron had an assist as Gatineau lost to Rimouski, 7-2. Despite the defeat, the Piques remain atop the Telus Western Division standings with an eight point lead over Montreal. Tyler Myers was +2 in Kelowna's 3-1 win over Chilliwack. The Rockets will square off with rival Vancouver on Saturday. J.S. Allard posted a shot on goal as Quebec defeated Shawinigan, 4-2. In the OHL, Nick Crawford was even as Saginaw defeated Guelph, 5-3. The victory allows the Spirit to leapfrog Plymouth into third place in the Western Conference. 2009 eligible Jordan Szwarz had three assists in the win. In the NCAA, Brad Eidsness made 22 saves in North Dakota's 2-1 win over Wisconsin. The victory over the Badgers clinches the MacNaughton Cup as the WCHA regular season champions while pushing the freshman's record to 22-8-4 on the year. Eidsness now has the most wins and best goals against average among WCHA goaltenders. At the Gutt, Drew MacKenzie picked up an assist just 1:30 into his return from mono in #7 Vermont's 6-4 win over #9 New Hampshire. In an ECAC playoff opener, Alex Biega had five shots on goal for Harvard in their 1-0 loss to Brown. The Crimson will look to force a Sunday game three with a win on Saturday. Also in Boston, Andrew Orpik registered one shot on goal as Boston College lost to Northeastern, 2-1 in overtime. Justin Jokinen had a shot on goal as Minnesota State smothered St. Cloud State, 5-1.

2/28 Recap: Biega bags 20; Eidsness commits robbery

Alex Biega had a pair of assists as Harvard downed #6 Princeton, 3-2. The 5'11 defender made a nice play to knock down a Princeton clear at the blueline to help set up the game winner with 8:11 remaining. The power play helpers raise Biega's point total to an even 20 for the year, while the Crimson win gives them a fifth place finish in the ECAC. Unbeaten in their last six, Harvard will faceoff against #12 Brown next weekend in the first round of the playoffs.

At the Ralph in Grand Forks, Brad Eidsness made 24 saves including a show-stopping candidate to make Sportscenter with just over 2:00 left in regulation as #8 North Dakota tied #13 Colorado College, 4-4. With a wide open net greeting a CC shooter about to backhand a rebound, the freshman athletically got across to get a piece of the puck and keep the game tied. Eidsness was excellent down the stretch after poor positioning and a defensive miscue allowed a Chad Rau wraparound goal to pull CC back to 4-4 with just under 8:00 to play. The Albertan will look to improve his 20-8-4 record when the two teams play it back on Sunday.

Andrew Orpik scored his fourth goal of the season to force overtime Boston College defeated Providence, 4-3. Orpik's tally with 7:49 to play completed a three-goal comeback for the Eagles to set up the weekend sweep of the Friars.

In the Q, Jordon Southorn (+3) had three hits, four shots on goal, and an unusual five minor penalties as PEI defeated Saint John, 5-3. The 6'2 defenseman had some nice offensive opportunities while sprinkling in a few giveaways along the way. 2009 eligible Benjamin Casavant piled up three goals, one assist, 13 shots on goal, and eight blocked shots to pace the Rocket. The 6'2, 200-pounder now has 37 goals on the season, and despite below average skating ability, has great hands and a solid work ethic to be the type of Q forward that could garner a middle-round look from the Sabres.

Paul Byron had an assist in Gatineau's 5-0 drubbing of Lewiston. Byron is fifth in the league with 86 points, and will need to put together a run in the final six games to hit the century mark.

A night after a magical six-goal output, Tyler Ennis and his Medicine Hat mates were shutout by Kootenay, 2-0. 2009 eligible Brayden McNabb, a 6'4, 195-pound defenseman, had an assist for the victors to raise his season total to 30 (8+22).

Tyler Myers was even as Kelowna won a 2-1 showdown with the WHL's top team Calgary.

In the OHL, Nick Crawford (-1) had an assist as Saginaw lost to Owen Sound in overtime, 4-3. The point came on a 5-3 power play as the Spirit tied the game with 8:07 to play. 2009 eligible Jordan Szwarz had a goal and an assist for Saginaw.

Dennis Persson skated 17:22 on the third pair, logging two shots on goal in Timra's 3-2 loss to Lulea. The 6'1 blueliner has a goal and five assists while averaging 12:09 of action through 46 games.

Nick Eno made 17 saves as last place Bowling Green lost to Western Michigan for the second straight night, 5-3. Four of the five goals against came on low shots, as two beat him five-hole, one came stick-side along the ice, and another went softly between his right pad and the post.

Justin Jokinen was scratched as Minnesota State tied Wisconsin, 3-3.

Matt Generous sat out as St. Lawrence shutout RPI, 2-0. Generous sprained an MCL in Friday's win over Quinnipiac, and his status won't be known until Monday. The Saint win in conjunction with Quinnipiac pitching a 4-1 upset of Dartmouth 4-1 on Saturday put SLU into fourth place in the final ECAC standings, giving Generous and Saints a break next weekend as the top four clubs earn first round byes.

2/27 Recap: Ennis sparkles with six goal night

Reigning WHL Player of the Week Tyler Ennis was a one-man wrecking crew on Friday, connecting for an amazing six goals as Medicine Hat defeated Prince Albert, 6-2. Missing the WHL league record by one goal, the star left wing closed the night with two highlight reel plays to up his 2008-09 season total to 41 in 54 games. Trailing 1-0 to start the second period, the Edmonton native completed a natural hat trick through the first 11:48 to make it 3-1 Tigers entering the third. Minutes after scoring his fourth of the night at 2:48, Ennis shot down the right side past a Raider dman and buried a wraparound for his fifth. His sixth of the night came at 13:24 when he spun to his backhand on a partial break for a roofing finish. The speedster didn't see much action in the final 6:00, completing the most dominating single game performance that the league has seen in years. Tyler Myers was +1 as Kelowna fell to Red Deer, 3-2. The final buzzer saw a minor scrum that earned the defenseman a double minor for roughing and a misconduct. Myers, who has 10 points in February, saw his streak of four straight appearances in the Three Stars of the Game come to an end in the loss. He had earned three firsts and one second in that stretch. Alex Biega (+1) used a blistering left point shot to score the game winning goal as Harvard defeated Quinnipiac, 2-1. The junior defenseman scored his fourth of the year on a 4-4 after brother Michael put the Crimson on the board earlier with his sixth. Harvard is now unbeaten in five games since the Beanpot. Also from the ECAC, senior defenseman Matt Generous did not return from a first period injury as St. Lawrence defeated Union, 2-0. Generous went down with sprained MCL in his left knee after being checked in to the boards by Union's Brian Yanovitch. In Hockey East, Andrew Orpik picked up a late assist as Boston College cruised past Providence, 5-1. Justin Jokinen was even as a left wing in Mankato's 4-3 OT win over Wisconsin. Nick Eno served as Jimmy Spratt's backup as Bowling Green fell to Western Michigan, 5-2. In the QMJHL, Jacob Lagacé (-1) had a power play assist as Chicoutimi came up short in a 6-5 loss to red-hot Rimouski. Trailing 6-3 with just over 14:00 to play, the Sags would score two third period goals but couldn't catch up as the Nics won their 15th consecutive game. Paul Byron had five shots on goal and was stopped in the shootout as Gatineau lost to Lewiston, 2-1. J.S. Allard was even as Quebec lost to Shawinigan, 7-4. T.J. Brennan was -3 in Montreal's 7-3 loss to Drummondville. In OHL action, Drew Schiestel was -2 as Niagara got smoked by Brampton, 6-0. Losers of four of their last five, the struggling Dogs played without defenders Alex Pietrangleo and Reggie Traccitto. Now sitting at -25, Schiestel is among the bottom four for all league skaters in the category. In Germany, Philip Gogulla had two shots on goal in Cologne's 5-2 loss to Mannheim.