Schedule for the week of 2/11-2/17

A quick glance at college and junior standings shows many clubs with Sabres properties right in the thick of playoff hunts for their respective leagues. Here's a look at the 39-game slate for the week. Game To Watch The week's schedule is headlined by the Beanpot final, featuring Sabres prospects Nathan Gerbe and Andrew Orpik of Boston College, and Alex Biega of Harvard. The final of the Boston-based tourney gives the Hobey hopeful, Gerbe, a prestigious platform to display his skillful game. Hobey or not, Gerbe seems to be a lock to sign with Buffalo after a junior season that looks to include a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Other Notes Philip Gogulla's Cologne Sharks will face the only teams ahead of them in the standings - Berlin and Sinupret - on Tuesday and Friday. Drew Schiestel and Niagara will take on one of the OHL's top clubs, Belleville, on Wednesday. A Saturday elitserien match-up between Jhonas Enroth's SSK and Skelleftea will feature two clubs battling for the SEL's final playoff spot. "The Ralph" will be the setting for a battle between the WCHA's second and third place teams when Denver and North Dakota drop the puck this Friday and Saturday. The AHL schedule makers give the Amerks four days off before three consecutive games on Friday through Sunday. The Full Schedule Monday 2/11 Harvard vs. Boston College Tuesday 2/12 Berlin at Cologne Hamburg at Ingolstadt Okotoks at Calgary Canucks Wednesday 2/13 Niagara at Belleville Nykopings at Sundsvall Thursday 2/14 SSK at Farjestad Ingolstadt at Augsburger Friday 2/15 Hershey at Rochester Shawinigan at Gatineau PEI at St. John's Halifax at Baie-Comeau Niagara at Erie Nybro at Nykopings Sinupret at Cologne Okotoks at Olds Des Moines at Waterloo St. Lawrence at Yale Princeton at Harvard Lowell at Boston College Bowling Green at Nebraska-Omaha Western Michigan at Michigan State Denver at North Dakota Saturday 2/16 Rochester at Syracuse SSK at Skelleftea Victoriaville at Gatineau PEI at St. John's Olds at Okotoks Waterloo at Des Moines Michigan State at Western Michigan Quinnipiac at Harvard St. Lawrence at Brown Boston College at Lowell Bowling Green at Nebraska-Omaha Denver at North Dakota Sunday 2/17 Hamilton at Rochester Barrie at Niagara Duisberg at Ingolstadt Gatineau at Drummondville Baie-Comeau at Chicoutimi

Schedule for week of 2/4 - 2/10

With the DEL and SEL on hiatus until February 12th, and the OHL taking a breather for their All-Star break, there are just 27 games on the Sabres prospect slate this week. Games To Watch This week features the opening round of Boston's famous Beanpot tournament, played between D1 programs Harvard, Northeastern, Boston College, and Boston University. Alex Biega and the Crimson will kick things off with a Monday night battle against Northeastern. The Huskies have beaten the Crimson in every first-round match-up since 1996. In the same span, Harvard is just 4-20 in Beanpot games. BC juniors Nathan Gerbe and Andrew Orpik have never hoisted the Beanpot trophy, losing in the finals to Boston University in their two outings. They will have a chance to knock off the Terriers, winners of the past three titles, during Monday's capper. BU and BC have won the last fourteen tourneys between them, and face each other in the first round due to an annual rotating schedule. Ideally, both Boston College and Harvard will earn victories this week, giving the Sabres three prospects in the raucous finale next Monday. Other Notes The Rochester Americans will look to start their first winning streak in quite a while when they host I-90 rival Syracuse on Wednesday. Chris Butler and the Denver Pioneers will return to Magness after a disappointing weekend of losses in Mankato to take on Minnesota. After a hard-fought win against Camrose this past week, Brad Eidsness and the Okotoks Oilers will face the team they're trying to catch in the South Division standings two times in the next seven days. The AJHL clubs will swap home-ice on Tuesday and Sunday. Monday (2/4) Northeastern vs. Harvard Boston College vs. Boston University Tuesday (2/5) Camrose at Okotoks Wednesday (2/6) Gatineau at Victoriaville Syracuse at Rochester Boras at Nykopings Thursday (2/7) Kingston at Niagara Friday (2/8) Michigan State at Northern Michigan Minnesota at Denver Harvard at Union Alaska at Bowling Green Colgate at St. Lawrence Waterloo at Sioux Falls Niagara at London Baie-Comeau at St. John's Saturday (2/9) San Antonio at Rochester Cornell at St. Lawrence Alaska at Bowling Green Minnesota at Denver Michigan State at Northern Michigan Quebec at Gatineau Baie-Comeau at St. John's Omaha at Waterloo Drayton Valley at Okotoks Sunday (2/10) Grand Rapids at Rochester Mississauga/St. Mike's at Niagara Okotoks at Camrose

Schedule for week of 1/28 - 2/2

This week is lighter than last, with the AHL and USHL taking their All-Star breaks. There's plenty of action to go around, though. Games To Watch: On Tuesday, Okotoks (Brad Eidsness) will put their 35-9-0-4 record to the test against the #1 ranked Junior "A" club in all of Canada, the Camrose Kodiaks (41-4-0-5). Camrose boasts two of the AJHL's top five scorers in Joe Colbourne (DU) and Duluth Mike Connolly (Duluth). Eidsness will see plenty of these WCHA-bound playmakers when he enrolls at North Dakota. The QMJHL's two hottest teams - league best Baie-Comeau (Benjamin Breault) and second place Rouyn-Noranda - will square off on Friday night. Other notes SSK will see both ends of the SEL this week, with their contest against last place Mora sandwiched between games against two of the better teams in teams Timra and Farjestad. The opportunity for Sabres prospects to have good weeks is there. Kolner Haie (Philip Gogulla) faces two of the DEL's bottom teams, while all of Denver, Michigan State, Bowling Green, and Harvard play teams near the bottom of their respective league's standings. Meanwhile, Boston College will be tested by Providence before the Beanpot gets underway. The complete rundown: Monday (1/28) 2008 AHL Al-Star Classic (Mancari) SSK (Enroth) at Timra Tuesday (1/29) Cologne (Gogulla) at Wolfsburg Ingolstadt (Schutz) at Straubing St. John's (Brennan/Allard) at Halifax Baie-Comeau (Breault) at Moncton Val-D-or at Gatineau (Byron) Camrose at Okotoks (Eidsness) Wednesday (1/30) Niagara (Schiestel) at Mississauga Oskarshamn at Nykopings (Persson) Thursday (1/31) Niagara (Schiestel) at Peterborough Friday (2/1) Denver (Butler) at Minnesota State Nebraska-Omaha at Michigan State (Kennedy/Tropp) Bowling Green (Eno) at Ohio State St. Lawrence (Generous) at Niagara Providence at Boston College (Gerbe/Orpik) Harvard (Biega) at Brown Mora at SSK (Enroth) Waterloo (MacKenzie) at Sioux City Okotoks (Eidsness) at Brooks Halifax at St. John's (Brennan/Allard) Rouyn-Noranda at Baie-Comeau (Breault) Cologne (Gogulla) at Duisburg Wolfsburg at Ingolstadt (Schutz) Saturday (2/2) Rochester at Toronto SSK (Enroth) at Farjestad Waterloo (MacKenzie) at Lincoln Nebraska-Omaha at Michigan State (Kennedy/Tropp) Denver (Butler) at Minnesota State Bowling Green (Eno) at Ohio State Gatineau (Byron) at Rimouski Halifax at St. John's (Brennan/Allard) Val-D'or at Baie-Comeau (Breault) Brooks at Okotoks (Eidsness)

Schedule for Week of 1/21 - 1/27

The slate for the week features some some quality match-ups, as well as opportunites to pick up easy points, for teams involving Sabres prospects. Thursday evening should mark the return of Jhonas Enroth to the SSK crease as they battle Djurgarden. The CCHA will feature a pair of high-profile weekend sets for key Sabres prospects. #7 Michigan State, with wings Tim Kennedy and Corey Tropp, will enter a tough home-and-home series with hated #1 Michigan, while Nick Eno's Bowling Green Falcons will swap home ice with #6 Notre Dame. Another Saturday match-up will feature two of the top three QMJHL clubs as Paul Byron's Gatineau Olympiques travel to second place Rouyn-Noranda. Brad Eidsness' Okotoks Oilers (34-9-0-3) will host two of the weaker teams in the league this week (Calgary Royals and Canmore) before visiting AJHL South Division leaders Camrose (39-4-0-5) next Tuesday. Drew Schiestel's Niagara Ice Dogs face a pair of last place teams during the week before welcoming 2008 top prospect Steven Stamkos on Sunday. I'd rather write about more the action itself, so here's the complete schedule for the week: Monday Huddinge at Nykopings (Persson) Rochester at Iowa Tuesday Moncton at St. John's (Allard, Brennan) Okotoks (Eidsness) at Calgary DEG Metro Stars at Cologne (Gogulla) Ingolstadt (Schutz) at Hannover Indiana at Waterloo (MacKenzie) Wednesday Quad City at Rochester Moncton at St. John's (Allard, Brennan) Halifax at Gatineau (Byron) Nykopings (Persson) at Vasteras Thursday Erie at Niagara (Schiestel) Canmore at Okotoks (Eidsness) Sodertalje (Enroth) at Djurgarden Friday Lake Erie at Rochester Union at St. Lawrence (Generous) Boston College (Gerbe, Orpik) at Maine Bowling Green (Eno) at Notre Dame Michigan State (Kennedy, Tropp) at Michigan Berlin at Ingolstadt (Schutz) Cologne (Gogulla) at Augsburger Niagara (Schiestel) at Kingston Acadie-Bathurst at Baie-Comeau (Breault) Gatineau (Byron) at Val D'or Waterloo (MacKenzie) at Omaha Saturday Frolunda at Sodertalje (Enroth) Harvard (Biega) at Dartmouth Notre Dame at Bowling Green (Eno) Boston College (Gerbe, Orpik) at Maine Michigan at Michigan State (Kennedy, Tropp) RPI at St. Lawrence (Generous) Gatineau (Byron) at Rouyn-Noranda St. John's (Allard, Brennan) at Saint John Lincoln at Waterloo (MacKenzie) Sunday Mannheim at Ingolstadt (Schutz) Cologne (Gogulla) at Struabing Yaxso at Nykoping (Persson) St. John's (Allard, Brennan) at PEI Victoriaville at Baie-Comeau (Breault) Sarnia (Stamkos) at Niagara (Schiestel)