Allard breaks out for three

J.S. Allard (+3) had two goals and an assist as Quebec downed Chicoutimi, 8-2. Allard opened scoring just :14 in, and later added his 14th of the season in the third period to earn the game's #2 star. Jacob Lagacé had an assist for the Sags in the loss. In the DEL, Philip Gogulla was even with three shots on goal as Cologne fell to Krefeld, 3-1. Dennis Persson was -1 in 11:41 of work in Timra's 4-1 loss to Djurgardens. On Monday, Nick Crawford was a season-low -3 as Saginaw lost to Oshawa, 7-5. Crawford has been a plus player just once in seven February games. Tyler Myers was even as Kelowna came up short against Portland, 4-3. In Sunday QMJHL action, Lagacé potted his 27th of the season on the power play as Chicoutimi lost a 3-2 shootout to Baie-Comeau. Lagacé added seven shots on goal to earn the game's #2 star. Paul Byron had an assist and five shots on goal as Gatineau lost to Montreal, 4-3. Rounding out the OHL weekend, Drew Schiestel finished +1 as Niagara defeated Kingston, 4-1. Amidst a career offensive year, the defenseman has now gone five games without a point for the first time all season. 2009 prospect Ethan Werek had a goal for the Fronts. Also from Sunday, Gogulla had an assist in Cologne's 8-5 win over Hannover.

Kennedy earns AHL Player of the Week honors

From the AHL:

The American Hockey League announced today that Portland Pirates left wing Tim Kennedy has been named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Feb. 15, 2009. In four games, Kennedy scored five goals and added five assists for 10 points and recorded a plus-5 rating as the Pirates went 2-0-0-2. Kennedy began the week by tallying a goal and an assist in Portland's 4-3 shootout loss to Albany at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo on Tuesday night. He registered an assist in Friday's 2-1 win over Worcester, and then set a personal best with four points (one goal, three assists) in the Pirates' 6-5 come-from-behind shootout loss vs. Providence on Saturday. Kennedy capped the week with his first professional hat trick, scoring three times in a 7-6 shootout win at Lowell on Sunday. In recognition of his achievement, Kennedy will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Pirates home game. Kennedy has totaled 12 goals and 33 assists for 45 points in 49 games for Portland this season and is currently the top-scoring rookie in the AHL. The 22-year-old native of Buffalo, N.Y., has also appeared in one NHL game this season, making his big-league debut for his hometown Sabres on Dec. 27, 2008. Kennedy was originally drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2005 and spent three years at Michigan State, helping the Spartans to an NCAA championship in 2007.

2/14 Recap: Albertans roll; Biega guides Crimson

Edmonton native Tyler Ennis (+1) scored a goal and an assist as Medicine Hat defeated Kamloops. 5-3. His shiftiness showed when he burst through two Blazer defenders before one-on-one faking his way to his 30th goal of the season in the first period. The #1 star performance was his third consecutive two-point outing after seeing his ten-game point streak snapped on Tuesday. Also in the WHL, Calgarian Tyler Myers (+1) picked up an assist on a Mikael Backlund goal as Kelowna downed Prince George, 5-1. The blue-chip rearguard now has five points in six February skates, all Rockets wins. Kelowna will defend the season-high six-game win streak Monday afternoon at Portland. In the NCAA, Chestermere, Alberta resident Brad Eidsness made 21 saves as #11 North Dakota edged Minnesota State, 4-3. The win continues the freshman's WCHA ascent, moving his season mark to 18-8-3 with a 2.47 goals against average and .909 save percentage. Justin Jokinen was inserted into the Mavericks fourth line after sitting on Friday, but did not produce a stat line. Alex Biega had a pair of assists, both with the man advantage, as Harvard posted a big upset win over #6 Cornell, 4-2. The helpers were his first points in four games, and raise his team-leading point total to 17 (3+14). The Crimson take both ends of the weekend set for the first time since mid-November. In Ontario, Nick Crawford had a power play assist as Saginaw came up short in a 4-3 OT loss to Belleville. The Spirit scored two goals in the final 4:00 to force the extra session with the Bulls. Drew Schiestel was even as Niagara defeated Owen Sound, 2-1. The defenseman has now gone without a point for a season-long four straight games. In the SEL, Dennis Persson returned from a shoulder injury to skate for 16:34 of action as Timra defeated Linkopings, 3-1. The left-side man has averaged 11:40 of time with the Eagles this season. Matt Generous (+1) registered two shots on goal as St. Lawrence won a key ECAC match-up with #9 Princeton, 3-1. Andrew Orpik was even as #15 Boston College played to a 4-4 tie with Lowell. The Eagles move to 0-2-1 against the Riverhawks this season. Sophomore goaltender Nick Eno was again idle as Bowling Green defeated Ferris State, 3-1.

Schutz penalty shot seals Pirates win

Felix Schutz connected on a second period penalty shot as Portland defeated Worcester, 2-1. The German rookie was hauled down on a short-handed breakaway after a nice steal to create the winning opportunity, and the goal held up through a scoreless third. Mark Mancari teed up a left-point blast for the Pirates first goal, with assists going to Tim Kennedy and Mathieu Darche. Jhonas Enroth was given the night off while John Decaro made 25 saves for his second win of the season. The Rundown Schutz: 1G, 5 SOG, +1 Mancari: 1G, +1 Kennedy: 1A, +1 Gragnani: +1 Zagrapan: +1 Weber: even Hunter: even Kostka: even Whitmore: even

2/13 Recap: Byron fuels comeback; Eidsness holds steady

In the QMJHL, Paul Byron earned the #1 star of the game with a goal and an assist in the final 20:00 in Gatineau's 4-3 win over Halifax. Trailing 3-1 entering the third period, Byron stole the puck from a fumbling defenseman at the blueline and roofed the game winner to cap the comeback. The even strength goal was Byron's 30th of the season. Tyler Ennis had a goal and an assist for the second consecutive game as Medicine Hat smoked WHL East Division leader Saskatoon, 7-1. Ennis' insurance marker gives him 29 goals and a team-best 61 points in 48 games this season. In Kelowna, Tyler Myers (+1) had two assists as the Rockets won a 3-2 overtime decision over Western Conference pacesetter Vancouver. Nick Crawford (-2) had a power play assist as Saginaw got throttled at Kitchener, 6-2. The defenseman will take a three-game point streak into Belleville on Saturday. Jacob Lagacé set-up the game winning goal as Chicoutimi beat Val-d'Or for a second straight night, 4-2. J.S. Allard registered one shot on goal as Quebec shut down Montreal, 2-0. Juniors defender T.J. Brennan missed the game as part of his five-game suspension after an attempt-to-injure penalty last weekend against Gatineau. In the NCAA, Brad Eidsness made 25 saves North Dakota cruised past Minnesota State, 4-1. The freshman netminder ups his record to 17-8-3 with the win, including a league-best 12-4-3 conference record. Justin Jokinen was a scratch for the Mavericks, while fellow frosh Corey Fienhage sat out for the Sioux but is pushing to get back in the lineup after a good week of practices according to Coach Dave Hakstol. Matt Generous was +1 as St. Lawrence defeated Quinnipiac 4-3 in overtime. In Cambridge, Alex Biega was +1 with a team-high four shots on goal as Harvard downed Colgate, 3-2. Heading into the weekend, the Crimson had won just once in their previous 17 tries. Andrew Orpik was credited with two shots on goal as Boston College was embarrassed by Lowell, 6-0. Nick Eno was the back-up to Jimmy Spratt as Bowling Green continued their woes with a 3-2 loss to Ferris State. In the DEL, Philip Gogulla had five shots on goal but did not factor into the scoring as Cologne fell to Duisburg, 5-4 in OT.

2/11-12 Recap: Lagacé rips winner; Ennis ends at 10

In Thursday QMJHL play, Jacob Lagacé broke a scoreless tie with under 2:00 to play as Chicoutimi edged Val-d'Or, 1-0. The game winning goal was Lagacé's team-leading 26th of the season. With the SEL returning from break, Dennis Persson dressed but did not see the ice as Timra played to a 3-3 tie with HV71. On Wednesday, Tyler Ennis had a goal and an assist as Medicine Hat gave up three third period goals in a 6-5 OT loss to Prince Albert. A night earlier, The Edmonton native saw his ten-game point streak snapped in a 3-0 loss to Saskatoon. In the OHL, Nick Crawford scored his sixth goal of the season on the power play in Saginaw's 4-3 overtime loss to Plymouth. At Erie, Drew Schiestel was +1 as Niagara dropped a 3-2 shootout to the Otters. The gliding defenseman failed to connect on his breakaway attempt. In the Q, Jordon Southorn finished -5 with three hits as PEI got rocked by Drummondville, 10-3. 2009 prospect Benjamin Casavant scored his 30th for the Rocket in the loss. J.S. Allard was -2 in Quebec's 5-0 shutout loss to red-hot Rimouski.

Gerbe active in HSBC, will stay in Buffalo

Nathan Gerbe had a busy first period, one-timing his 20th goal of the season and earning a game misconduct for his part in a brawl as Portland lost a 4-3 shootout to Albany in Buffalo. With just a period of action on Tuesday, Gerbe will stay in Buffalo on call-up as Thomas Vanek recovers from his broken jaw. Tim Kennedy and Marc-Andre Gragnani drew assists on the Gerbe tally, before Kennedy notched his eighth of the season in the second period. A Kyle Rank goal with :30 to play would force the scoreless OT and shootout. Jhonas Enroth made 24 saves in the loss. We'll turn to Maine Hockey Journal for more on the first period fists:

Things became real chippy late in the period as Nathan Gerbe and Tim Conboy exchanged words, before Gerbe was battered by several players on the Albany bench before being tackled to the ground by Conboy. Gerbe was tossed from the game after he was given a game misconduct by referee Jamie Koharski, as Conboy only received 10-minute misconduct as both were also given roughing minors. “It’s no fun. I came here to play and give the fans a show,” he said. “To go out like that frustrating, but I’m not going to let it bother me.” Pirates’ coach Kevin Dineen was just as amazed in the call and the lack of an explanation. “There wasn’t one,” he said. “I’m really proud to be apart of the American Hockey League, but I’m really embarrassed for the league tonight with how that whole game played out.” “We’re all in the learning stage from coaches, to players, officials and for the fans to see that it’s a shame and for us to lose a guy for us to lose (Gerbe) was a shame.” The extra curricular activities didn’t stop after Gerbe was thrown out of the game as more tussling took place. There was 164 minutes in penalties on the night.

The Rundown: Kennedy: 1G, 1A Gerbe: 1G Gragnani: 1A, -2 Mancari: -1, 5 SOG Kostka: +1 Schutz: -1 Hunter: 2 PIM Whitmore: 2 SOG Enroth: 24 saves

Schiestel leading Dogs rush

Per the The St. Catharines Standard, Niagara defenseman Drew Schiestel is using the entire ice to make his impact felt down the stretch. The article contains the three word concept that Sabres scouts have been stressing since bringing him aboard - keep it simple. With added strength and game exposure, the credo is one that should lead the Hamilton native to good things as a pro given his skill set.

The mobile defenceman’s biggest assets are his skating and ability to move the puck, create scoring chances and jump into the play. On the other hand, Schiestel is a defenceman which means he must take care of things in his own end first, then worry about offence. “It’s just an issue of keeping things simple and then, when you get your chances, especially on the power play,” you make them count,” Schiestel said. “You can play well defensively and still capitalize on your chances on the power play.” Schiestel, a 19-year-old Hamilton native, ranks eight among OHL defencemen in scoring with seven goals and 44 points in 49 games. Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires leads all rearguards with 17 goals and 68 points. “I understand that every defenceman needs to play good defence, but what got me to this point is jumping into the rush, picking my spots and moving the puck well,” said Schiestel, who ranks third on the IceDogs in scoring, one point behind Matt Sisca and five in arrears of Andrew Agozzino. “I got drafted (by Buffalo) for that and can’t just take that out of my game. I’ve got to keep that in there and utilize it.” With Alex Pietrangelo concentrating on his defence — he’s gone 14 games without a goal — Schiestel is clearly the man when it comes to Niagara defencemen leading the rush. “We’ve told him we trust him to make the proper decision to decide when to go and when not to go,” Niagara general manager Dave Brown said. “We don’t have a red light or anything like that. We’re trying to get them to educate themselves.”

Adam in ICU, out 6-8 weeks

In a stunning development, Montreal's Luke Adam will likely miss the remainder of the QMJHL regular season after surgery to repair a ruptured spleen suffered in Sunday's 4-2 win over Baie-Comeau. The winger went straight to the hospital after absorbing what looked to be a harmless check, and was said to have lost about 1.5 liters of blood throughout the ordeal. In 47 games this season, Adam is second on the Juniors in scoring with 22 goals and 49 points. From the Juniors:

The Montreal Juniors would like to update the health status of Luke Adam. He ruptured his spleen during Sunday's game against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. After 2 hours on the operation table, Adam is feeling better. He will stay in the intensive care unit for the next 3 days and he will miss the next 6 to 8 weeks of the rest of the season. The Montreal Juniors would like to wish Luke Adam a fast recovery.

Orpik points in final Beanpot chapter

Andrew Orpik (+1, 5 SOG) picked up an assist in his final Beanpot appearance as Boston College edged Harvard, 4-3. Trailing 3-2 in the middle period, the senior forward got the puck to Kyle Kucharski for a wraparound feed that resulted in a Ben Smith goal. The third-place game remained tied until Benn Ferriero's winner with just :41.3 to play. Orpik's assist was his 13th point of the season, and second in eight career Beanpot games. Junior defenseman Alex Biega (3 SOG) was -2 for the Crimson in defeat.