3/9 Recap: Byron flyin' at right time

In a key QMJHL match-up, Paul Byron (+4) scored a goal and three assists in Gatineau's 6-1 trouncing of top-ranked Baie-Comeau. The four-point effort gives the explosive center 27 points in his last 14 games. Five days after Byron's 11-game point streak came to an end, Drakkar center Benjamin Breault extended his run to nine games (10-9-19) with an assist in the loss. T.J. Brennan (+1) continued his solid run by scoring the only Fog Devils goal in a 3-1 loss to Lewiston. The goal was Brennan's 16th of the season, with four of those coming on his current five-game point streak. 2007 5th round pick J.S. Allard had a shot on goal in the St. John's loss. Drew Schiestel notched an assist and helped control the game late in Niagara's 4-3 shootout victory over Oshawa. The comeback victory by the Dogs was teeming with OHL talent, as three of the top-four league scorers (#2 Brett MacLean and #3 John Tavares of Oshawa, and #4 Luca Caputi of Niagara) joined Schiestel in action, along with highly ranked 2007 defensive hopefuls Alex Pietrangelo and Michael Del Zotto. The assist gives Schiestel points in his last six games (1-5-6), raising his season sums to seven goals and 29 assists. Brad Eidsness made 31 saves, but Okotoks couldn't get it going in 5-1 loss to Drumheller. The loss puts the Oilers in a 1-0 hole in their AJHL second round series with the Dragons. In the final weekend of DEL play, Ingolstadt's Felix Schutz registered two shots on goal in a 4-2 win over Frankfurt. The victory coupled with a Krefeld loss puts Ingolstadt in the tenth and final playoff spot. The DEL Rookie of the Year, Schutz compiled 12 goals and 13 assists in his first season back in Europe after two QMJHL campaigns. Philip Gogulla was +1 as Cologne closed their regular season with a 4-1 win over the Metro Stars. Entering the postseason, the 2005 2nd round pick has 11 goals and 33 assists for the third-place Sharks. Last season, Gogulla scored eight goals and 21 total points. Dylan Hunter tied the game in the third, but the Amerks couldn't make it to a shootout in a 3-2 overtime loss to Houston. Adam Dennis made 29 saves, while Marek Zagrapan, Marc Mancari, and Mike Weber were all credited with assists. Combos of note: MacArthur-Zagrapan-(Globke) Gragnani-(Brine)-Hunter Funk-Weber The Rundown Hunter- goal, +1, 4 SOG Zagrapan - assist, +1 Mancari - assist, +1 Weber - assist, +2, 4 PIM Gragnani +1 MacArthur - 0-0-0 0 0 E Funk -1 Dennis - 29 saves Keep it here as we'll have updates following a pair of deciding games in college tourney action featuring St. Lawrence defenseman Matt Generous and BGSU's Nick Eno. For now, the update looks like it'll be limited to just Generous, as Bowling Green coach Scott Paluch has given the nod to Jimmy Spratt in the Falcons net after Eno gave up four goals on 24 shots in last night's loss.

3/8 recap: Gerbe back on track

Nathan Gerbe set up the eventual game winner in the first period, then later added an empty netter as Boston College closed the Hockey East regular season with a 4-1 win over Northeastern. The victory gives the Eagles home ice next week in a playoff set with Providence. In addition to the points, Gerbe was also +2 with a team-high six shots on goal in the win. After second period post-whistle meeting lead to coincidental minors with the Huskies' Steve Silva, Gerbe and his dance partner earned ten minute misconducts for chirping at the officials. The 2005 5th round pick enters the Hockey East tournament as the league's leading scorer with 24 goals and 24 assists. Junior RW Andrew Orpik missed his third straight game with a bum shoulder. Nick Eno stopped 20 of 24 shots before being pulled as Bowling Green fell to Lake Superior, 6-1. Despite the four goals against, not all of the blame can be placed on Eno. Odd-man rushes, screens, and turnovers lead to three Laker goals in a four-minute stretch in the early second period. Tied at one game apiece, the rubber match is set for tomorrow to see who will face #2 Miami next weekend. In the ECAC playoffs, Matt Generous had an assist as St. Lawrence lost to Colgate, 3-2. At the :48 mark of the second, Generous walked out from behind the Raider cage and fired a shot that led to a Travis Vermeulen rebound goal. The two teams will face-off tomorrow night at 7:00 with the winner advancing to play top-seeded Clarkson. Chris Butler scored the only Pioneer goal as Denver was swept by Colorado College, 3-1. Butler's goal, his third of the year, came with the man advantage in the third. Denver will take a three-game losing streak into next weekend's WCHA tournament match-up with Duluth. Drew MacKenzie was +2 with a pair of minor penalties as Waterloo blanked Chicago, 6-0.

3/8: Enroth ends with loss

Jhonas Enroth made 36 saves as SSK closed the regular season with a 3-1 loss to Frolunda. Finishing in 9th place, the club missed the top-league playoff while avoiding Kvalserien, a tournament round between the bottom two SEL teams (Brynas and Mora) and the top Allsvenskan clubs to determine who plays in Elitserien next season. Coming up later, Matt Generous and the St. Lawrence Saints, and the Bowling Green Falcons, backstopped by Nick Eno, each take 1-0 series leads into college playoff action this evening. Boston College (Nathan Gerbe, Andrew Orpik) looks to enact revenge on Northeastern as the Hockey East regular season comes to a close. Likewise, Chris Butler and the Denver Pioneers look to even the score with Colorado College. In Junior A play, Vermont recruit Drew MacKenzie and his Waterloo Black Hawks host Chicago, while North Dakota recruit Brad Eidsness and the Okotoks Oilers open their second-round battle with the Drumheller Dragons tomorrow afternoon.

3/7 Recap: Eno gets win; CHLers heating up

Freshman Nick Eno made his first career playoff start, stopping 20 shots in a 4-3 win over Lake Superior. With his Falcons off to a 3-0 lead in the second period, Eno was beaten by a blueline blast as he was screened by both his defensemen. Superior would later catch Eno while on a 5-3 power play to make it 3-2. The Falcons would get one back, only to have a shot beat Eno high glove side to cut Bowling Green's lead to 4-3 with six minutes remaining. A 2007 7th round pick, Eno was able to hold off a late flurry to earn his first NCAA post-season victory. Nathan Gerbe was -2 as Boston College continued their slide with a 3-2 loss to Northeastern. After scoring 36 points in his first 20 games (1.80 ppg), Gerbe has scored just 10 in points in 14 games since then (.71 ppg). Usually a leader in shots on goal, the feisty Oxford, MI native had just two on the night. Teams are guarding Gerbe differently, limiting his opportunities to get behind the defense while trying to keep him on the perimeter. LW Andrew Orpik remained out of the lineup with an injured left shoulder as the Eagles fell to 1-5-1 in their last seven games. Defenseman Matt Generous played solid defensively and added four shots on goal as St. Lawrence defeated Colgate, 5-2. The Saints jumped out to 4-0 a lead en route to taking the 1-0 series lead. Generous' defensive partner and goal leader among ECAC defensemen, Zack Miskovic, had a pair for SLU. Chris Butler went pointless with a team-best five shots on goal as Denver fell to Colorado College, 5-2. Butler missed a scoring opportunity late in the second, finding a goal post instead of the back of the net for the second straight week in the loss. With the victory, CC earns the MacNaughton Cup as WCHA champions, and the Gold Pan, played for annually between the two Colorado rivals. In the CHL, Drew Schiestel was +2 with another assist in Niagara's 5-2 win over Brampton. As the Dogs flex some muscle with the playoffs around the corner, Schiestel has been upping his game as well. He set up Luca Caputi's 50th goal of the season on his first shift of the game to give Niagara a 1-0 lead. The 2007 second-rounder now has points in his last five games (1-4-5), and eight in his last nine, all while being a minus player in just five of his past 30 games. T.J. Brennan continued his recent hot streak with another goal, his fifth in his last seven games, as St. John's toppled Lewiston, 2-1. The first-period goal against Jonathan Bernier, his 15th of the season, came five-hole on a 35-foot slapper and eventually proved to be the game winner. J.S. Allard was +1 with a team-best three blocked shots for the Fog Devils, and has just one point in his last seven games. Paul Byron picked up a goal and an assist in Gatineau's 6-5 overtime loss to Rimouski. The points jack up the center's season totals to 36 goals and 27 assists in 49 games. Benjamin Breault pocketed an assist in Baie-Comeau's 8-4 loss at Shawinigan. The helper runs Breault's point-streak to eight games (10-8-18) as the Drakkar maintain their standing as the top QMJHL club despite the loss. In the USHL, Drew MacKenzie was -1 on the Black Hawk blueline as streaking Waterloo upended last-place Des Moines, 3-1. The Hawks are 6-1 in their last seven games, and now occupy second place in the East Division. MacKenzie's 13 points are third on the team for defensemen, while his +2 is tied for second overall on the club. The Rochester Americans jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but surrendered three unanswered goals in a 3-2 loss to the Rampage. Amerks captain Clarke MacArthur scored a goal in his first AHL game since January 4th, while Mike Funk and Marek Zagrapan had assists in the loss. Marc-Andre Gragnani skated without a point, ending his season-best ten-game point streak. The Amerks played without Andrej Sekera who has been +2 in two games with the Sabres since his recall early in the week. The Rundown: MacArthur - goal, +1 Zagrapan - assist Funk - assist Gragnani - 2 SOG Mancari - 6 SOG Hunter - 1 SOG Weber - 1 SOG Dennis- DNP

Weekend Preview

It's expected that Nick Eno will get the nod in the Falcon pipes tonight when Bowling Green opens the CCHA playoffs on home ice against Lake Superior. Eno is 11-8 with a 2.59 GAA and .913 save percentage on the year, while junior Jimmy Spratt has gone 5-10 with a 2.97 GAA and .888 save percentage. Matt Generous and (9) St. Lawrence will head to (8) Colgate for a first-round ECAC playoff match-up. Andrew Orpik is likely out with an injured left shoulder as Nathan Gerbe and the rest of his Boston College teammates face Northeastern in the final weekend of Hockey East action. Gerbe is tied for second in the nation in scoring with 23 goals and 23 assists, but has only three points in his last seven games. In a key Front Range battle, Chris Butler and Denver will play a weekend set with in-state rival Colorado College. Tyler Ruegsegger returns to the Pioneers lineup as they try to take the Gold Pan back from the Tigers. Michigan State's Tim Kennedy and Corey Tropp, and Harvard's Alex Biega will have the weekend off as their clubs earned first-round byes in their respective conference tourneys. Rochester kicks off a five-game road trip tonight against San Antonio. Marc-Andre Gragnani takes a ten-game point streak into tonight's action. It should be interesting to see how the return of scoring forward Clarke MacArthur complements the streaking defenseman-turned-LW. MacArthur scored 1.15 points per game with the Amerks before his last trip to Buffalo. Mark Mancari currently leads the Amerks with 42 points. In the OHL, Drew Schiestel and the IceDogs will visit Brampton tonight before hosting John Tavares and the Oshawa Generals on Sunday afternoon. In the Q, Gatineau's Paul Byron will look to start another scoring streak at home against Rimouski, while Benjamin Breault tries to up his point streak to eight games as Baie-Comeau takes on Shawinigan. The Fog Devils' T.J. Brennan and J.S. Allard enter the stretch run of the team's final season on Newfoundland with a road contest in Lewiston. The franchise will play in Verdun in 2008-09. On Sunday afternoon, Brad Eidsness and the Okotoks Oilers will begin their AJHL second round playoff series with Drumheller. In the USHL, Drew MacKenzie and Waterloo will host Des Moines and Chicago in back-to-back action on Friday and Saturday. Failing to qualify for the playoffs, Jhonas Enroth and SSK will close out their Elitserien season on Saturday against Frolunda. With Darcy Regier stating his intentions to sign the keeper, the regular season contest could very well be Enroth's last in a European league (for the foreseeable future anyways). Cologne's Philip Gogulla and Ingolstadt's Felix Schutz will close out their DEL regular seasons on Sunday. An Ingolstadt win will push them ahead of Krefeld for the final playoff spot, while Gogulla and the Sharks have already clinched.

Breault named CHL Player of the Week

On top of being named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week, Benjamin Breault has also been named Canadian Hockey League Player of the Week.

TORONTO - Baie-Comeau Drakkar forward Benjamin Breault was named Canadian Hockey League player of the week Wednesday. He scored six goals and added three assists in three Quebec Major Junior Hockey League games last week. Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires was the Ontario Hockey League nominee and Victor Bartley of the Regina Pats was the Western Hockey League nominee.

3/5 Recap: Breault continues streak; Oilers move on

Benjamin Breault scored the first Drakkar goal and earned the game's #2 star in their 3-1 win over Quebec. The goal extends the point streak of the reigning QMJHL Player of the Week to seven games (10-7-17). With 73 points, the 2006 seventh-rounder needs seven in his final four games to match last season's 80-point output. T.J. Brennan notched a power play assist in St. John's 3-2 win over Moncton. J.S. Allard was -1 for the Fog Devils. Drew Schiestel added another assist to his season total in the IceDogs 7-5 road loss to Erie. With 4th place in the OHL's Eastern Conference locked up, Niagara marches in to Brampton on Friday. In Sweden, Dennis Persson went pointless on the third pairing in Nykoping's 8-4 loss to Bjorkloven. In the AJHL Playoffs, Brad Eidsness made 22 saves as Okotoks closed out their first-round series with a 4-2 victory over the Calgary Canucks. With the a 3-1 series win, the Oilers will move on to the second round to meet the Drumheller Dragons. On Tuesday, Eidsness made 23 saves as Okotoks defeated Calgary 5-4 in overtime to take the 2-1 series lead. Also Tuesday, Paul Byron saw his impressive eleven game point streak come to an end in Gatineau's 5-2 loss to Victoriaville. The Olympiques pivot scored 11 goals and 21 total points during the run, and now has 35 goals and 61 points in 48 games. His goal total puts him in a tie for 15th on the Q leaderboard, while his 23.2 shooting percentage is best among the top 100 league scorers.

Breault named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week

Benjamin Breault has been named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week. From the Q Website:

BOUCHERVILLE, Monday, March 3, 2008 – Baie-Comeau Drakkar centre Benjamin Breault and St. John’s Fog Devils goaltender Jake Allen today were named the TELUS offensive and defensive players of the week for the period extending from February 25 to March 2. In three contests, Breault scored six goals, including a shorthanded marker, and added three helpers while registering a +6 rating. He helped the Drakkar collect six points in the standings with wins over the Cataractes, the Voltigeurs and the Saguenéens. Moreover, Breault was named the first star of each contest. He played arguably his best game of the week last Wednesday as he collected four points in an 8-3 decision over Shawinigan. This week, he joined teammates Matt Marquardt and François Bouchard as the third member of the 30-goal plateau. Angelo Esposito (3-7-10) of Quebec, Francis Paré (6-1-7) of Chicoutimi and Mathieu Perreault (2-6-8) of Acadie-Bathrust were also considered.

3/2 Recap: High marks across the board

The Buffalo Sabres didn't have enough juice in their loss to the Red Wings, but it was a rather successful night for the rest of the Sabres organization. Marc-Andre Gragnani and Dylan Hunter each collected a pair of goals and assists in Rochester's 5-3 win over Iowa. Gragnani remains the Amerks hot hand, scoring both of his goals on the power play to extend his season-best point streak to ten games. Hunter's four-point game (3 on the PP) was a greater output than he had in all of February (3 points in 11 games). Rundown: Gragnani - 2 goals, 2 assists, 6 SOG Hunter - 2 goals, 2 assists, -1 Funk - assist, +2 Weber - 5 PIM, -2 Sekera - assist, -2 Mancari - assist, 3 SOG Zagrapan - 4 PIM, 2 SOG In the DEL, Philip Gogulla continued his excellent season with a goal and an assist in Cologne's 4-2 win over Mannheim. Down 2-0 entering the final period, the 2005 second-rounder put Cologne on the board with a power play goal at the 4:19 mark. Later on a 5-3, Gogulla set up the game-winning goal by Sean Tallaire to the delight of over 15,000 fans in Koln Arena. Gogulla now ranks third on the Sharks in scoring with 43 points, and is clearly ready for North American hockey next season. Felix Schutz had three shots on goal as Ingolstadt lost to the Metro Stars, 5-3. Schutz, who earlier was named the DEL Rookie of the Year, has 12 goals and 13 assists in 45 games this season after a two-year run in the QMJHL that saw him post 96 points. After dashing up to #11 on the latest SabresProspects rankings (tease), Paul Byron is building a case to earn even higher marks with a two-goal, one assist performance in Gatineau's 5-4 win over Acadie-Bathurst. The 2007 pick scored a third period goal on the power play, then netted his 35th goal of the season in overtime to lead the Olympiques come-from-behind efforts. With 14 goals and seven assists in his last 11 games, Byron owns the longest active point streak in the QMJHL. Another player heating up with the post-season in sight is Baie-Comeau's Benjamin Breault. Today, Breault potted two goals five minutes apart in the first period in the Drakkar's 4-2 win over Chicoutimi. The Pembroke, Ontario native dominated play with seven shots on goal while winning 19 of 25 faceoffs to earn the game's #1 star. Not to be outdone by Byron, Breault himself is sporting a six-game point streak that has seen him compile 9-7-16. In the OHL, Drew Schiestel scored the seventh IceDogs goal, his seventh of the season, as Niagara doubled-up Erie, 10-5. Schiestel was also +3 in surprisingly solid effort following the team's early-morning return from Sudbury. Brad Eidsness made 34 saves as Okotoks lost to the Calgary Canucks, 2-1. The Canucks scored two first-period goals, but the Oilers couldn't put together a team effort to dig themselves out in the ensuing forty minutes. The Sioux recruit was named his team's best player in the loss. The clubs are now tied at one game apiece in their best of five series with action resuming Tuesday evening in Calgary. In the USHL, Drew MacKenzie was on the ice for both Waterloo goals in their 2-1 win over Green Bay.

3/1 Recap: Kennedy, Brennan stay warm

In Sweden, Jhonas Enroth made 36 saves as SSK fell out of the elitserien race with a 2-1 loss to Linkopings. With the 2006 2nd round pick pitching a shutout in his last start, SSK coach Leif Stromberg bucked his rotation to stay with the hot hand. Tied at one entering the third, SSK poured it on with 25 shots, but was unable to solve former Capital Rostislav Stana. Linkopings scored the game winner on the power play midway through the period. Rochester made the short drive down the 90, where they met their third straight defeat in a 3-1 decision with the Crunch. Marc-Andre Gragnani extended his point-streak to nine games with an assist on the sole Amerks goal, while Dylan Hunter also contributed to the tally. Gragnani is now second on the Amerks in points, and ranked eighth among AHL rookies. 2005 pick Adam Dennis made 22 saves in the loss. In the AJHL playoffs, Brad Eidsness made 16 saves in Okotoks' 5-3 win over the Calgary Canucks. The win gives the Oilers a 1-0 lead in the first round best-of-five series. Tim Kennedy ended the regular season on a strong note, posting a goal and an assist as Michigan State swept Bowling Green with a 4-0 shutout. Kennedy was +7 in the weekend home-and-home while pushing his season totals to 18-20-38 in 37 games. Since his 13-game run without a goal, Kennedy has scored five goals and four assists over a six-game point streak. Freshman RW Corey Tropp flipped a shot on goal in the win, while Nick Eno sat this one out for Bowling Green. The Spartans will now enjoy a bye week, returning on March 14th to face the winner of Ohio State and Western Michigan in the second round of the CCHA playoffs. Bowling Green will begin their tourney quest next weekend against Lake Superior. Junior sparkplug Nathan Gerbe scored his 23rd goal of the season as Boston College played to a 2-2 tie with Providence. With under five minutes to play in the opening period, Gerbe took a Ben Smith pass and buried one of his team-best six shots on goal. Andrew Orpik did not dress for the Eagles after leaving last night's game due to an upper body injury. DU assistant captain Chris Butler notched an assist in Pioneers 2-1 upset loss to Michigan Tech. The assist, Butler's 16th point of the year, came as he set up Rhett Rakhshani's power play goal in the third period. He nearly tied the game on an earlier third period power play when his shot from the right point clanged off the far post. Harvard defenseman Alex Biega pumped three shots on the Cornell goal in the Crimson's 3-1 win. Harvard's hot finish earned them a #3 seed and first-round bye in the ECAC tournament. They await the winner of Quinnipiac and Brown. Matt Generous (+1) raised his team-best rating to +13 as St. Lawrence defeated Princeton, 3-2. The steady junior's importance to the Saint blueline is clear when noticing that the next best rating on the club is +3. As the #9 seed in the ECAC, St. Lawrence will face #8 Colgate in a first round tournament match up next weekend. In the QMJHL, T.J. Brennan scored another goal as St. John's lost to Cape Breton in a shootout, 5-4. Brennan's goal, his 14th of the season and fourth in his last six games, forced overtime with 4:22 left on the clock. He was later stopped in a shootout attempt. J.S. Allard registered four shots on goal for the Foggies. Niagara's Drew Schiestel picked up an assist on the power play as the Dogs defeated Sudbury, 5-3. The Hamilton native now has five assists in his last six games from the Ice Dog blueline. In the Dogs win, Pens prospect Luca Caputi had two assists to go over the 100-point plateau. Drew MacKenzie was -2 in Waterloo's 4-3 loss to the Jr. Blue Jackets.