Pirates stop Rats, 5-3

Instead of writing up a long-winded recap of my own, I thought it best to steer you to our good friends at Maine Hockey Journal for a rundown of last night's pre-season victory by the Pirates. Pirates push past Albany in pre-season action

Fitchburg, Mass. – Marek Zagrapan scored two goals and an assist for the Portland Pirates as they battled past the Albany River Rats, 5-3, at the Wallace Civic Center on the campus of Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg Massachusetts. Zagrapan, who arrived in Portland late Saturday, was playing in his first action since being sent to the Pirates on Friday, but despite being demoted he was still excited to get on the ice. “I think we have a bunch of young and fun guys,” said Zagrapan. This was just our first day together as a team; hopefully we’ll have all week to practice and get together and try to have a good start (of the season).” After a scoreless first period, the Pirates found themselves down 1-0 on a goal from Matt Murley at 8:07 of the second period, but just a little over three minutes later Zagrapan tied the game for the Pirates when he found puck at his feet for the easy tap-in at the left post, beating River Rats goaltender Justin Peters At 14:52, the Pirates made it 2-1, as Nathan Gerbe, Buffalo’s 2005 fifth round draft pick, was in alone on a breakaway, beating Peters with a forehand-backhand deke. Tim Kennedy would receive an assist on the play. Just 38 seconds later, the game was tied at 2-2 when Mike Angelidis found the back of the net on Adam Dennis, who replaced Jhonas Enroth after the first 30 minutes of play. Enroth played exceptionally well in his first AHL action. In 30 minutes of play, Enroth stopped 14 of 15 shots including an amazing paddle save, while on his stomach.

Felix Schutz also scored a short-handed goal on a breakaway in the third period. There's more meat to the MHJ article, including:

Line Combinations: Colton Fretter – Marek Zagrapan – Mathieu Darche Derek Whitmore – Tim Kennedy – Nathan Gerbe Jimmy Bonneau – Felix Schutz – Mark Mancari Josh Vatri – Dylan Hunter – Colin Murphy Chris Butler – Paul Baier Marc-Andre Gragnani – Mike Kostka Tyler Bouck – Mike Card Jhonas Enroth Scratches: Mike Funk (injury)

10/5: Myers ornery; Sioux debut

Tyler Myers was in a foul mood this weekend, and Sabres fans shouldn't be happier. After picking up 17 PIM's from a fight in Saturday's loss to Lethbridge, the 6'8 defender racked up another ten in tonight's 6-3 win over Kootenay. The gloves didn't come off tonight, but three of his five minors were of the roughing variety, including a double-bagger after a scrum with 5'9 Andrew Bailey in the first period. It was stressed last night, and it's worth a mention again - Myers will learn to pick his spots. An aggressive Myers in juniors will make for a more confident professoinal, and we're sure the balance will come as he adapts to this season's role. In another WHL contest, Tyler Ennis notched a power play assist as Medicine Hat fell to Saskatoon, 5-2. The Blades jumped out to a 5-0 lead before the tired Tigers made it respectable with a pair of goals in the third. Brad Eidsness stopped eight of 10 shots in a little over 20:00 of action in North Dakota's 6-2 win over the University of Manitoba. Both goals came with the Sioux down a man, with the first being a deflection that offered Eidsness little chance of stopping. The second came when a NoDak defenseman shoved a Bisons forward into Eidsness, preventing the freshman from keeping the puck out of the net. 2008 third round pick Corey Fienhage also made his exhibition debut, going even in the win. The Sioux will travel to Boston University on Friday. With eight freshman in the lineup, Matt Generous was one of nine regulars who watched as St. Lawrence tied the University of Guelph, 2-2. The Saints head to Ann Arbor next weekend for a set with Michigan.

10/5 Recap: Big night for Adam

Luke Adam (+2) scored a hat trick and added two more assists as Montreal smoked Victoriaville, 8-4. Skating down the left wing with Angelo Esposito at center, Adam scored all three of his goals at even strength and now has 9 points in five games this season. T.J. Brennan (+4) added a goal an assist for the Juniors. Also from the Q, Paul Byron (+2) scored his first goal of the season as Gatineau defeated Val d'Or, 4-2. The Ottawa native was dominant from the dot, winning 18 of 25 draws, and now has a goal and four assists on the year. In NCAA exhibition play, Drew MacKenzie was even for Vermont in their 3-2 win over McGill. McGill was coming in off a 2-1 win over Merrimack on Saturday. North Dakota-Manitoba is just getting underway in Grand Forks. It appears that Brad Eidsness will play the second period, while Corey Fienhage is dressed as the #7 defenseman. We'll have an update after the game. Along with the UND update will be results for St. Lawrence defenseman Matt Generous, as well as WHL coverage of Tyler Myers and Tyler Ennis.

10/4 Recap: Myers steps up, drops gloves

Take a run at a Kelowna Rocket this season, and you just might have to deal with an upset 6'8 defenseman. That's what happened to Lethbridge's Craig Orfino, as the 6'2, 200-pounder was forced to take on Tyler Myers after earning a boarding penalty in the first period of tonight's game. Myers was a unsatisfying -2 in the 7-3 loss, but his being the instigator en route to racking up 17 PIMs on the play is a key developmental nugget in this young season. Sure the Rockets can't afford to lose their best defenseman for half-period clips, but like Drew Schiestel last week in Niagara, jumping to a teammate's aid after a cheap lick does wonders for both the team and the developing prospect. Elsewhere in "the dub", Tyler Ennis (+2) scored his first goal of the season in Medicine Hat's 5-4 OT loss to Prince Albert. The Tigers stormed back with three goals in the third before 16-year old Ryan Harrison ended it for the Raiders. In the QMJHL, center Jean-Simon Allard (+2) had a pair of assists and a game-high five shots on goal in Quebec's 4-2 win over Chicoutimi. For his efforts, the 6'2 pivot was named the game's #2 star. Jacob Lagacé, who was averaging 1.75 points-per-game heading into tonight, had four shots on goal for the Sags in defeat. Also in the Q, Jordon Southorn (2 PIM) cooled off with a -1 in PEI's 7-4 loss to Shawinigan. The 2008 pick was +5 with a goal and three assists in his two previous contests since returning from Buffalo. Paul Byron (-1, 2 PIM) matched Southorn's stat line as Gatineau fell to Rouyn-Noranda, 4-1. Byron continues his goal scoring drought, failing to cash in any of his six Olympiques games this season. In the OHL, Drew Schiestel (-2) picked up an assist as the IceDogs fell to Plymouth in a wild, back-and-forth shootout, 7-6. Tied at four heading into the third, both teams scored a pair of goals in the final twenty minutes to force the extra session. With resources already at max bandwidth on the Dogs blueline, things got a little worse when 19-year old Reggie Traccitto was lost to a leg injury. 2008 sixth-rounder Nick Crawford had 2 PIM as Saginaw also needed a shootout to defeat Sudbury, 3-2. Crawford was initially credited with an assist on the second Spirit goal, but the scoresheet was corrected between the second and third periods. It would have given the 6'1 rearguard points in three straight games. In NCAA action this afternoon, Bowling Green's Nick Eno sat out of the Falcons 5-1 win over Wilfrid Laurier due to a sore ankle. With college exhibition schedules underway, the Sabres will have four prospects wearing a new sweater for the first time on Sunday. Vermont defenseman Drew MacKenzie will dress in their afternoon tilt against McGill. Matt Generous and St. Lawrence will host Guelph, while Brad Eidsness and Corey Fienhage may very well see time when North Dakota skates with Manitoba. These collegiate tune-ups can often be one-sided, but not always. Teams like Ryerson and McGill have historically proved worthy exhibition mates for their east coast opponents. Just last season, New Brunswick defeated a talented New Hampshire club by a 4-3 score.

Persson making most of time

Timra defenseman Dennis Persson had a short-handed assist in Timra's 5-4 loss to Rogle. The 2006 first round pick continues to make the most of Mikko Lehtonen being out of the lineup, playing even over 18:21 of time in the loss. He now has a goal and an assist through the Eagles first seven games. Persson's game kicks off a full deck Saturday for Sabres prospects. Jacob Lagacé, Jordon Southorn, J.S. Allard, and Paul Byron will all skate in QMJHL play this evening, while the OHL's Drew Schiestel and Nick Crawford, and the WHL's Tyler Myers and Tyler Ennis are also set to strap it on. We'll especially be looking for Ennis to start shaking double-teams and start producing points for the Tigers. The opposition has put the lockdown on the creative forward thus far, limiting him to a single assist through four games. Last season, Ennis had five goals and an assist through the Tigers first four. With no Tyler Myers-like defenseman on the Raiders blueline to bottle him up, tonight's game with Prince Albert will be a good time for Ennis to go on the attack. He came close to getting his first goal of the year last night, but was robbed by a Kris Lazuruk glove before the puck could find the open net.

10/3 Recap: Lagacé keeps up pace

2008 first-rounders Tyler Myers of Kelowna and Tyler Ennis of Medicine Hat faced one another Friday in a SabresProspects spotlight game, a 4-1 Tigers win. The pair did not factor into any of the scoring plays, but Myers put forth another great effort for the Rockets to earn the game's #3 star in defeat. With Ennis struggling en route to finishing a 'minus' player for the fourth straight game, the story was Myers, who again logged big minutes, busted up plays, and handled himself physically with increased responsibilty. Both prospects will skate again Saturday, with the Rockets facing Lethbridge while the Tigers do battle with Prince Albert. In the QMJHL, Jacob Lagacé scored an unassisted shorthanded goal in Chicoutimi's 3-2 loss to Rimouski. The top-line winger also fired a game-best seven shots while being the best player on the ice for the Sagueneens. Known to produce offense with a goal-per-game pace thus far (four in four), Lagacé's defensive game has proved to be very sound as well this season. J.S. Allard saw his four-game point streak come to an end as Quebec defeated Baie-Comeau, 3-0. The Alma, PQ native punched three shots through while winning nine of 17 faceoffs in the win. The Remparts will remain at home on Saturday for a game against Lagacé and the Sagueneens. Defenseman Jordon Southorn (+3) had a power play assist as PEI posted a big road win against Halifax, 7-2. Sitting in last place in the Q's Atlantic Division, the Rocket will make their way back to Charlottetown Saturday to battle one of the league's better teams, Shawinigan. T.J. Brennan picked up an assist on the game winner as Montreal defeated Acadie-Bathurst, 4-3. Luke Adam was -2 with five shots on goal and an equal number of blocked shots as the Juniors welcomed the return of Angelo Esposito from Atlanta's camp. In the OHL, Nick Crawford had an assist as Saginaw fell to London, 4-2. The Spirit carried play through most of the final forty minutes, but it wasn't enough to make up a 2-0 deficit after the first. Crawford and company will return to action Saturday against Sudbury. Drew Schiestel (-3) logged major minutes as Niagara surrendered a 3-1 road loss at Mississauga. Filling the gap from two rearguards being at NHL camps, the 6'2, 193-pound defenseman failed to register a point for the first time in five games since returning from Buffalo. The Dogs will square off with the Whalers Saturday night in St. Kitts. In Europe, Philip Gogulla was -1 with two shots on net as Cologne got pummeled by Krefeld, 6-1. The Sharks have won just two of their first ten games, and will look for win #3 on Tuesday versus Hamburg.

Sabres make Pirates; Ennis interviewed

As expected, the Sabres sent eight more players down to Portland as they get closer to opening the regular season a week from tonight.

Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today the Sabres have assigned eight players to the Portland Pirates of the American League. Heading to Portland are: forwards Mathieu Darche (pending waivers), Mark Mancari (pending waivers), Nathan Gerbe, Tim Kennedy, Dylan Hunter and Marek Zagrapan; and defensemen Chris Butler and Michael Funk.

No real surprises with the moves. With a consistent, productive carry-over to start the season, Zagrapan seems poised for his first call-up. As rooks, Gerbe, Kennedy, and Butler should greatly benefit from getting their skates wet in the AHL. As of now, Mike Weber, 20, remains with the Sabres. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Worth a look: WHL Web-TV has an interview up with Medicine Hat forward Tyler Ennis. The shifty Alberta native speaks about a busy summer that included the NHL draft, Team Canada's development camp, and his first NHL training camp. The segment also contains some game footage for those who haven't seen him in action. Fresh Rollout: The Burlington Free Press introduced first-year defender Drew MacKenzie to their readers as they profiled the UVM incoming freshman class.

Drew MacKenzie, freshman defenseman, 6-2, 200: Vermont’s young defense has another player of outstanding potential. MacKenzie has size and he offers a combination of defense and offense. With his hands, he could be a critical component on one of the UVM power play units.

Tylers to tie it on; Fienhage to fight for spot

A pair of Sabres first round picks will faceoff against each other Friday night, as Tyler Myers' Kelowna Rockets visit Tyler Ennis and the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Kelowna Capital News has set the table for the matchup, including a bit on Myers who has assumed the leadership role on the blueline in the absence of Maple Leafs prospect, Luke Schenn.

The Rockets celebrated the return of Tyler Myers on Wednesday night as the lanky defenceman recorded a goal and an assist in the win, while breaking up several plays with his albatross-like reach.

The 6-foot-8 Myers—he grew another 1/2 inch during the off-season—is back after spending the better part of the last three weeks at the training camp of the Buffalo Sabres.

Myers played in one exhibition game, logging 15 minutes 59 seconds of ice time.

“It was a great experience,” Myers said of his first NHL training camp. “Playing with older guys and playing the game at that pace was a real learning experience. It’s definitely where I want to be one day.”

As for Myers’ return to the Rockets line-up, Huska said his impact was immediate, both on and off the ice.

“He logged a lot of minutes for us and what it did was help our younger guys play with more composure,” said Huska.

“He’s grown up a lot over the last couple of years and has become a real leader for us.”

While Myers had a fine return, Ennis has gotten off to a rather cold start in his young WHL season. After averaging 1.30 points-per-game in 2007-08, the talented forward has just one assist and a cumulative -4 in three games since returning from Buffalo's camp. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In NCAA news, Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald continues the thought that 2008 third-rounder Corey Fienhage will battle for the #6 spot on the Sioux blueline this fall.

On the blue line, sophomores Jake Marto and Derrick LaPoint will be relied upon even more than last season.

They split time as the sixth defenseman a year ago. The smooth-skating Marto had two goals and six assists in 28 games. LaPoint had two goals and five assists in 31 games.

“Both of them did a very good job in their roles last season,” Hakstol said. “But it’s a challenge to step up from a little more of a limited role to a more significant role. They’ll play more minutes and more key minutes.”

They are expected to be top-five defensemen along with Genoway, Joe Finley and Zach Jones. Freshmen Corey Fienhage, a third-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres, and rookie Ben Blood, a fourth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators, also will battle for a lineup spot.

A Mr. Hockey finalist last season while leading Eastview High, it shouldn't be long before the 6'3, 214-pounder is skating and hitting in the Sioux green.

10/2 Recap: Gerbe gets another

Nathan Gerbe scored his second goal of the pre-season as Buffalo cruised past Columbus, 5-2. The only prospect to get a point on the evening, Gerbe finished a breakaway with a nifty backhand deke on Fredrik Norrena in the third period to ice the Sabres victory. The speedy forward saw just 9:42 of time, but used it wisely by leading the team with 4 SOG and making noise late with slashing and roughing minors after a scrum with the Jackets' Rick Nash in the final minute. Mike Weber continues to look like a guy ready to stick with the top club, garnering a +1 while logging 20 shifts despite 12 PIM - including a 10-minute misconduct stemming from a fracas near the Buffalo crease. To round out the other Sabres prospects on the ice, Tim Kennedy was +1, while Chris Butler (-1) led the Sabres blueliners with two blocked shots in 16:30 of time. Both are expected to be shipped to Portland later this week as the Pirates camp opened this morning. In SEL action, Dennis Persson was -1 in 18:40 of ice time as Timra stumbled against MODO, 4-3. Persson has averaged 17:00 on the nose in Timra's six games this season after seeing just an average of 7:22 in 21 outings last season with Djurgradens. In the OHL, Drew Schiestel had an assist as Niagara lost in the shootout to Belleville, 3-2. The defenseman has scored a point in all four games he's played for the Dogs, cashing in a goal and five assists to date. Hamburg native John Cullen made 27 saves and looked to be on his way to a 3-0 start for Niagara before the Bulls' Bryan Cameron forced overtime with :15 to play. On Tuesday, Philip Gogulla returned to Cologne in time for the Sharks 4-0 win over Hannover. Further proving how NHL camps can bolster a player's game, the 6'2 forward picked up two assists and was +2 in the win. Gogulla had one assist and was -4 in four games before leaving for Buffalo.

10/1 Recap: Myers works well in return

In his first game back from Sabres training camp, Kelowna's Tyler Myers (+1, 2 PIM) scored on a laser from the point and added an assist as the Rockets defeated Everett, 4-2. Both of the defender's points came on the power play as the Rockets moved to 3-2 on the year. In the QMJHL, Paul Byron had another assist, his fourth in four games, as Gatineau fell to Acadie-Bathurst, 5-2. Byron also dominated from the dot, winning 14 of 16 faceoffs on the evening for les Olympiques. The Ottawa native will again look for his first goal of the season on Saturday against Rouyn-Noranda.