Ennis explodes as Pirates pound 'Pack

Tyler Ennis exploded for his first professional points, scoring three goals and an assist to lead Portland past Hartford, 6-3. The center's production stemmed from clicking with linemates Jeff Cowan (2G, 1A) and Nathan Gerbe, who added a goal and three assists. The trio swept the game's three star selections. T.J. Brennan also collected his first AHL points with a pair of assists. Marc-Andre Gragnani, Mike Kostka, and Mark Mancari added single helpers. Jhonas Enroth made 27 saves to earn the W, while Drew Schiestel remained in the press box. The Rundown: Ennis: 3G, 1A, +2, 6 SOG Gerbe: 1G, 3A, +2, 4 SOG Brennan: 2A Kostka: 1A, +1 Gragnani: 1A Mancari: 1A Gogulla: 1 SOG Weber: 1 SOG Schutz: 2PIM Persson: -1 Byron: -1 Legault: -2, 3 SOG Enroth: 27 saves, W Schiestel: DNP The Pirates begin a five-game road swing on Saturday at Manchester.

10/12 Recap: McNabb lights lamp; Foligno goes down fighting

A day removed from seeing the end of his nine-game point streak, Brayden McNabb (+1) started another by scoring his second goal of the year in Kootenay's 3-1 loss at Swift Current. Through 11 games this season, the 6'4, 210-pound defenseman co-leads the Ice in points (13), while ranking second in the league in assists (11), and third in penalty minutes (35). In 2008-09, McNabb posted a goal and four helpers through the first 11 games. In the OHL, Marcus Foligno finished -1 as Sudbury was blown out by Memorial Cup champion Windsor, 7-0. 2010 top dog Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist for the Spits, while Niagara Falls, Ontario native Justin Shugg ('10) had a goal and two assists. A chippy Foligno totaled 9 PIM in the turkey day battle, with the final five coming at 59:59 when he decided to take on Spits 6'4 captain, Harry Young. Young is a tough customer, racking up 50 fights over his five-year OHL career. Like McNabb in the Dub, the 6'3, 216-pound Foligno is currently third in OHL PIM with 37. Despite toting one of the league's worst records (3-6-0-1), the Wolves are a difficult foe nightly thanks in part to his consistent carving and banging. In the KHL, Marek Zagrapan was even with a hooking minor as Severstal defeated Lada, 3-2. Vjacheslav Buravchikov continues a bumpy run, finishing -1 in 9:44 of work as Ak Bars lost to SKA, 4-3.

10/11 Recap: Streaks get Sunday rest

Brayden McNabb saw his career-best nine-game point streak come to an end on Sunday as Kootenay lost to Moose Jaw, 5-2. McNabb, who was -1 with a minor in the loss, amassed one goal and 11 assists over his run that started on the opening night of league play. In the QMJHL, Luke Adam (-1) saw his career-best six-game point streak come to a halt in Cape Breton's 4-0 shutout loss to Saint John. The top line center continues to fare well at the dot, going 12-9 in the loss. Jacob Lagacé registered three shots on goal as Chicoutimi snuck past Montreal, 1-0. The 5'11 forward has scored six times on 40 shots on goal this season. Jordon Southorn had two shots on goal in PEI's 2-1 loss to Lewiston. In the USHL, Mark Adams did not dress in Chicago's 5-3 loss to league newcomer, Youngstown.

Byron keys Saturday win; Pirates sink on Sunday

On Saturday, Paul Byron scored the game winning goal and added an assist as Portland opened their home schedule with a 4-2 win over Providence. The game's #1 star, Byron scored his first AHL goal to cap the Pirates three-goal output within a span of 4:09 in the early stages of the second period. Nathan Gerbe started the roll on the power play with his second goal in as many games at 1:19. Moments later, Mark Mancari hit at even strength at 3:41 to tie the game 2-2. Mancari also picked up an assist on the night. Kyle Rank would score the final Pirates goal. Jhonas Enroth made 28 saves to earn his first win of the season, while Drew Schiestel was a scratch. The Rundown: Byron: 1G, 1A, +2 Gerbe: 1G Weber: 2A, +2 Turnbull: 1A, +1 Gragnani: 1A Brennan: +1, 5 SOG Persson: +2 Gogulla: 2 SOG Kostka: 4 SOG Schutz: 2 SOG Legault: 2 SOG Ennis: even Enroth: 28 saves The Pirates returned to the ice on Sunday in Lowell, where they came up short in 4-0 loss to the Devils. Enroth allowed four goals on 23 shots before giving way to J.P. Lamoureux at 12:15 of the second period. Lamoureux kicked away all 18 shots he faced the rest of the way. The Rundown: Ennis: 4 SOG Turnbull: 3 SOG Kostka: even Brennan: -1, 4 SOG, 16 PIM Weber: -1, 7 PIM Schiestel: -1 Gogulla: -2 Byron: -2 Legault: -2 Schutz: -2, 3 SOG Persson: -2 Enroth: 19 saves Visit the excellent Maine Hockey Journal for complete Pirates coverage.

10/10 Recap: Crawford piles helpers; Adam jamming

In the OHL, fourth-year defenseman Nick Crawford posted a career-best four assists on Saturday as Saginaw cruised past Belleville, 8-3. The 6'1 Crawford now has 12 points in nine games. Josh Shalla ('10) had a hat trick for the Spirit, while summer camper Adam Payerl connected on the power play for the Bulls. Marcus Foligno finished -1 as Sudbury was handed a 9-2 beatdown by Plymouth. Tyler Seguin ('10) had an even strength hat trick and two assists for the Whalers. At 6'1, 190 pounds, the 17-year old center leads the OHL with 14 goals, three hatties, and 11 assists in 10 games, and would be an ideal first-round target for the Sabres next June. In the QMJHL, Luke Adam extended a career-best six-game point streak with a pair of assists as Cape Breton lost to Saint John, 5-2. The big pivot paced the Eagles with six shots on goal and four hits, and continued to show improvement at the dot by taking 13 of 18 draws, but his club was forced into multiple turnovers by the hard skating Sea Dogs. Adam, who had a nice center ice collision with Dog dman Simon Despres (PIT), will enter Sunday's rematch as Cape Breton's leading scorer with 13 points (4+9) including eight in his last three games. Jordon Southorn (+2) assisted on both Rocket goals as PEI edged Rouyn-Noranda, 2-1 in OT. With Southorn putting forth a sound effort at both of the ice, Sabres Prospects continues to be impressed with undrafted Rocket, Adam Polasek. The import defenseman can skate with the puck, makes smart decisions, and likes the physical game. PEI was playing their first game under new head coach Eric Lavigne after the firing of Guy Chouinard earlier in the week. In Saturday college action, Corey Tropp had two power play assists as Michigan State swept Clarkson with a 4-3 win. The junior right wing had back-to-back multi-point efforts for the first time in his NCAA career, and seems to be clicking on the Spartans first line with Nick Sucharski and former BCHLer Derek Grant. Sophomore Connor Knapp was sharp in his first start of the year, stopping 20 shots to earn his third career shutout in Miami's 2-0 blanking of St. Cloud. Knapp directed the puck well, but was rarely tested by the Husky forwards. The #1 RedHawks will continue their Friday/Saturday goaltender rotation when they travel to New Hampshire next weekend. In Grand Forks, Brad Eidsness made 16 saves as North Dakota pushed off to a 2-0 season start with a 3-2 win over Merrimack. The Warriors were a little more active around the NoDak goalmouth, but Eidsness held his ground with good rebound cpntrol. Corey Fienhage was again a scratch for the Sioux as Dave Hakstol dressed a pair of freshmen ahead of him this weekend. Drew MacKenzie had an assist as Vermont defeated Denver, 6-4. Summer camper Brayden Irwin (#1 star) had two goals to lead the Catamounts, who earned the weekend split with the win. In the KHL, Vjacheslav Buravchikov was +1 as Ak Bars lost to Atlant, 4-3.

Kassian on the mend

Peterborough forward Zack Kassian spoke to the Windsor Star this week regarding his recent shoulder injury.

"Right now, it is a bad (week)," said Kassian, who is the Petes' captain and the team's first-round pick in 2007. It started last Friday when Kassian, who is a Windsor Minor Hockey Association product, ran into Sault Ste. Marie defenceman Jake Muzzin and separated his shoulder. "I tried to absorb the hit and he caught me on the top," said Kassian, who was a first-round pick by the NHL's Buffalo Sabres in June. "It's a grade one separation, so it'll be two-to-four weeks and I'm already a week in."

With Kassian out, other teams are getting a little breathing room when they face the Petes. It sounds as if the dinged captain is likely making mental notes while watching in street clothes.

A day later, Puempel, who is a Sun County Minor Hockey Association product, suffered a concussion on a hit by Sudbury's Dan Maggio, who was a teammate of Kassian's in Windsor minor. "He got hit pretty good," Kassian said. "If I would have played, I probably would have done something about it." Both players were off to strong starts for the Petes, who are first in the East Division. Kassian had eight points in seven games while Puempel had two goals and three points in eight games.

10/9 Recap: McNabb hones edge; Tropp starts strong

Brayden McNabb extended his career-best point streak to nine games on Friday by picking up two assists in Kootenay's 7-3 dumping of Memorial Cup host Brandon. The rugged dman, who upped his season point number to 12, also picked up his third fighting major of the year as retribution after a teammate absorbed a hit from 5'10 Wheatie, Darren Bestland. Instigator and misconduct included. Sure the Ice would prefer their #1 dman to stay out of the box, but McNabb continues to embrace a leadership role, and further demonstrate the traits that made him the subject of this post a couple of weeks back. His dozen points is only equaled by the number of punches he's landed on his WHL counterparts. Continuing to burn both ends can only advance him up the list of Sabres blueline properties. In the OHL, Nick Crawford (-1) assisted on the game winning goal as Saginaw outshot Sudbury 49-21 to earn the 5-3 win. Crawford has points in three straight games, and a total of eight on the year (2+6). Wolves forward Marcus Foligno (-1), who entered the game third in the OHL in PIM, had an assist, a minor penalty, and nearly scored his second goal of the year when he pinged a pipe in the opening stanza. In the early second period, the 6'3 grinder found the puck on his stick as soon as he exited the penalty box, and immediately pushed it to Jared Stall for Sudbury's second goal. It was Foligno's third point on the year. At Chicoutimi, Jacob Lagacé (+1) scored the game's only goal as the Sags blanked Shawinigan, 1-0. The tally, Lagacé's sixth of the season, came in the opening minute of the second period with both teams at even strength. In NCAA action, Corey Tropp scored a power play and added an assist as Michigan State throttled Clarkson, 6-1. It was a nice start for the once-proud Spartan program after a 2008-09 campaign that saw the team finish 10-23-5. Freshman Zach Josepher had two goals and two goal assists in his first D1 contest to lead the MSU attack. At the Ralph, Brad Eidsness had to make just 15 saves as North Dakota closed out Merrimack, 5-2. Both goals against came in the first period - one off a screen where he stood little chance against a waiting rebounder and the other on a breakway. The sophomore went fairly untested in the final 40-minutes as the Sioux forwards went in waves at the other end. Blueliner Corey Fienhage sat for the Sioux, with freshman Andrew MacWilliam and sophomore Ben Blood getting the early looks. Fienhage was a little shaky in Sunday's exhibition tilt, and will need a little more practice time to work his way back into the lineup. At Magness, defenseman Drew MacKenzie was -1 as Vermont coughed up a two-goal lead in a 5-4 loss to Denver. The Catamounts were leading 4-2 late in the second period when summer camper Brayden Irwin earned five and a game for a checking from behind penalty. The momentum shifted from there, as the Pios poured in three goals in the final twenty minutes to get the opening night W. Nick Eno made 32 saves as Bowling Green dropped a 3-2 decision to Minnesota State. The junior netminder made many excellent saves throughout, including stops on all 16 shots he faced in the middle period. Maverick right wing Justin Jokinen was even with a shot on goal. Connor Knapp worked the door as #1 Miami needed OT to defeat St. Cloud, 3-2. The 6'5 sophomore will get the Saturday start in the RedHawks net.. In the USHL, Roo Adams was even with two shots on goal as Chicago doubled-up Waterloo, 6-3. The Steel have started the season with three straight victories.

Pirates slowed by Rats

Nathan Gerbe coupled a late goal with an earlier assist as Portland lost to Albany, 5-2. Cody McCormick added the other goal for the Pirates, who moved to 0-2 on the season. Jhonas Enroth stopped 29 shots while allowing three power play goals. The Pirates will play their home opener on Saturday against Providence. Zach Boychuk had a goal and two assists to lead the Rats. The Rundown: Gerbe: 1G, 1A, +2, 4 SOG Schutz: 1A, +1 Schiestel: +1 Weber: 9 PIM Gragnani: E Kostka: E Ennis: E Brennan: 1 SOG Turnbull: 2 SOG Persson: -1 Byron: -1 Mancari: -2, 5 SOG Gogulla: -2 Enroth: 29 saves, L

10/8 recap: Kassian remains out; NCAA on deck

With a separated shoulder sidelining captain Zack Kassian for at least another week, Peterborough rallied together Thursday for a 7-1 pasting of Erie. Ryan Spooner ('10) paced the Petes with two goals and an assist. In Thursday KHL action, Marek Zagrapan was -1 as Severstal defeated Ak Bars, 3-1. Defenseman Vjacheslav Buravchikov was a scratch for Ak Bars. Friday will be a productive night in the prospectsphere, with the first batch of NCAA non-conference games getting added to the junior slate. Corey Tropp and Michigan State will host Clarkson for a weekend set, while North Dakota's Brad Eidsness and Corey Fienhage will be in action against Merrimack. Nick Eno should get the start when Bowling Green faces Justin Jokinen and Minnesota State. In Colorado, Drew MacKenzie and the University of Vermont will take on Denver. With Miami coach Enrico Blasi expected to use a Friday/Saturday rotation with his talented sophomore tandem, goaltender Connor Knapp is expected to get the Saturday nod as CCHA powerhouse Miami takes on St. Cloud. In junior play, Brayden McNabb and the Kootenay Ice will trek east to battle Brayden Schenn and the Brandon Wheat Kings. In the OHL, Marcus Foligno and Sudbury will take on Nick Crawford and Saginaw, while the Kassian-less Petes will battle Mississauga. In Quebec, Jacob Lagacé and Chicoutimi will host Shawinigan. Mark Adams will continue to get his USHL legs under him when Chicago hosts Waterloo.

10/7 Recap: Adam clicking on Cape

In Wednesday QMJHL action, Luke Adam collected three assists for his second straight three-point night as Cape Breton defeated Rouyn-Noranda, 3-1. Overager Nick MacNeil had the hat trick for the Eagles, but it was Adam's hard work and playmaking skills that created all three scoring plays. The 19-year old center led the way with six shots on net and was a dominating 21/27 at the dot, yet wasn't named a star of the game. Elsewhere, Jacob Lagacé was even with a shot on goal as Chicoutimi downed Montreal, 4-2. Lagacé remains the Sags' leading scorer with five goals and six assists.