10/15 Recap: Third-rounders shine

Kevin Sundher turned in a #1 star performance Saturday, netting a goal and three assists including a sensational pass on the game's final goal to lead Victoria to a 4-3 overtime win over Kelowna. The four-point night gives the Surrey, BC native an impressive 12 points in his last five games. Sundher, chosen in third round of the 2010 draft (75th overall), leads the WHL with 17 assists and is tied for the league scoring lead at 21 points with Brandon's Mark Stone and Medicine Hat's Emerson Etem. The Royals (6-5) return to action Friday at Vancouver.

Jerome Gauthier-Leduc continued to tear up the QMJHL, scoring a goal and two assists to earn the game's #1 star as Rimouski edged Baie-Comeau, 5-4. Leduc has now scored in a club-record six straight games en route to piling up an impressive nine goals and 21 points in his first nine games. The 2010 third-rounder (68th overall) will look to tie the QMJHL record for consecutive games with a goal for a defenseman on Wednesday when Rimouski (7-7) hosts Val-d'Or.

In the OHL, Dan Catenacci potted two goals and an assist for his first three-point night of the season as Owen Sound lost to Kitchener for the second straight night, 5-3. The 5'10 center currently ranks third in the OHL with eight goals, and eighth in the league with 16 points. The Attack (5-7) travel to Mississauga on Thursday.And yes, Cat was chosen by the Sabres in the third round (77th overall) of this past summer's draft.



Elsewhere, Gregg Sutch was +1 with a pair of minor penalties as  Barrie defeated Sault Ste. Marie, 5-4. Alex Lepkowski missed his fourth straight game due to injury. The Colts shoot out to a 5-3-0-1 mark after nine games, proving to be one of the most improved clubs in the Ontario League after just 15 wins a season ago.

Steven Shipley (-1) left the game with a mild concussion as Niagara lost at Saginaw, 6-4. The big center slips to -10 rating as part the Dogs slow start (17th out of 20 in the OHL), becoming the first Sabres prospect of the season to hit double-digits going the wrong way. Shipley is expected to miss a week of action, meaning he'll likely be absent when Niagara (3-7-0-1) hosts Ottawa on Thursday.

Cedrick Henley recorded a game-high five hits as Val-d'Or dropped a 4-1 home-ice decision to Saint John. The 6'5 wing, who has yet to score a goal through his first nine games, will look to break from his slumber Sunday when his Foreurs (6-6-0-2) against Shawinigan.

Nathan Lieuwen was given a rest as Kootenay downed Prince Albert, 3-1. The ICE (6-2-0-2) travel to Lethbridge on Monday.

In college play, Connor Knapp made 37 saves, the third-most of NCAA career, but #5 Miami was shocked by Colgate in overtime, 3-2. Knapp was spectacular throughout, weathering a slew of penalties and keeping the RedHawks in the game before a power-play deflection ended things in the OT. The RedHawks (2-2) are at Ferris State next weekend.

Brad Navin collected his first collegiate assist in Wisconsin's 3-2 overtime loss to Michigan Tech. An apparent goal by the Badgers during a third period power play was waved off when it was determined that Navin had interfered with the Tech goalie. Wisconsin (1-3) will look to shake off the sweep when they take on North Dakota.

Justin Jokinen scored his team's only goal, his first of the year, as Minnesota State was defeated by Lowell for the second straight night, 4-1. The 6'3 wing cleaned up a scrum to break the shutout midway through the third period. The Mavericks (1-3), who have now lost three straight games, will look to right the ship next week at #3 Denver.

Brad Eidsness gave way to Aaron Dell (25 saves) as #6 North Dakota played to a 3-3 tie with #17 Maine. Eidsness looked sharp in Friday's win over the Black Bears, and with another solid week of practice, should earn at least one start next weekend when the Sioux (2-1-1) host the Badgers

Christian Isackson was scratched for the second straight night as #14 Minnesota won an exciting 5-4 battle over rival #9 Minnesota-Duluth. Fresh off a sweep of the defending NCAA champs, the Gophers (4-0) will begin a set with Vermont on Friday.

Amerks get in win column

T.J. Brennan scored his first goal of the season and Corey Tropp notched two assists Friday to help lead Rochester to a 3-1 win over Lake Erie. The victory was the first of the year for the Amerks after two straight losses that saw them outscored by a 10-3 margin.

David Leggio made 34 saves to earn the game's #1 star. Dennis Persson and Drew Schiestel each missed their second consecutive game due to injury, while Matt MacKenzie was a healthy scratch.

The Rundown:
Brennan: 1G, +1, 2 SOG
Tropp: 2A, 4 SOG
Crawford: 1A, +1
Kassian: 4 SOG
Foligno: even
Biega: even
Parker: even
Lagace: even
Boychuk: 2 PIM
McNabb: -1, 2 PIM

Rochester D&C Game Recap

After Greg Mauldin scored a power-play goal for Lake Erie at 16:06 of the first, Leggio stood tall.

"He was outstanding," Amerks coach Ron Rolston said. "He was big. ... There were a lot of second effort saves."

Michael Ryan converted a pass from Corey Tropp at 5:08 of the second and T.J. Brennan scored off a broken play with the man advantage to give the Amerks their first lead of the season at 16:54.

Greece native Derek Whitmore provided some breathing room, deflecting home a shot by Nick Crawford at 7:38 of the third.

Rochester (1-2) will head back home for a Sunday tilt with Grand Rapids.

10/14 Recap: Eidsness earns nod, win

Brad Eidsness' recent hard work was rewarded Friday with his first start of the season as North Dakota downed Maine, 3-1. The 30-save victory comes in Eidsness' first home start since October of last year after spending the majority of 2010-11 as backup to All-WCHA first teamer, Aaron Dell. The win, the 51st of the senior's career, snaps the Sioux's four-game losing streak to the Black Bears.





In OHL play, Dan Catenacci (-1) scored his sixth goal of the year as Owen Sound lost at Kitchener, 5-3. The Attack's leading scorer with 13 points, Catenacci slid a puck five-hole at 13:26 of the second period to cut the Rangers lead to 3-2.





In the QMJHL, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc scored his eighth goal of the year as Rimouski lost to red hot Baie-Comeau, 5-3. Leduc, who marked with less than three minutes to play in the game, extends his season-starting point streak to eight games. His 18 points (8+10) lead all Q defenders while ranking 10th overall in the league.

In the WHL, Kevin Sundher had a pair of assists as Victoria stormed back with four third period goals to defeat Kelowna, 7-5. Sundher's first period helpers, the first a secondary and the second off a nifty backhand play in the slot, give the six-footer 17 points through his first ten games, good for second overall in the WHL. His 14 assists are tops in the league. Through his first ten games a season ago, Sundher had just six points (2+4).

Nathan Lieuwen had to make just 16 saves as Kootenay got past Lethbridge, 2-1. The 6'5 netminder improves to 4-1-0-2 on the year with 1.26 goals against average and .952 save percentage.

Mark Pysyk finished even with a boarding minor as Edmonton saw their three-game winning streak snapped in a 6-3 loss to Regina. Pysyk's excellent defensive play was displayed in the second period when he burned nearly a quarter of a Pats power play by controlling the puck along the boards.

In Finland, Joel Armia contributed four shots on goal in Assat's 5-2 win over Karpat. The 18-year old wing has just one goal in 12 games this season to go along with three assists. His icetime has dipped of late, so the big wing will need to up his effort level to boost those numbers.

Elsewhere, Gregg Sutch picked up a power play assist as Barrie lost to Sudbury, 3-2. Alex Lepkowski remained out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury (possibly an upper body deal).

Steven Shipley finished -2 as Niagara got doubled-up by Plymouth, 6-3. Despite his point-per-game pace, the 6'3 center has been a "minus player" in five of nine games this season, contributing to a cumulative -9 on the year.

In the college ranks, Drew MacKenzie scored Vermont's only goal as the Catamounts dropped a 2-1 exhibition tilt to Team USA U18. The senior rearguard found the net with a long wrister on the power play, but the Catamounts have plenty of things to work on before their season-opening series next weekend at Minnesota.

Justin Jokinen notched an assist, his first point of the year, as Minnesota State was defeated by Lowell, 4-2. The senior wing picked his point up as the Mavericks scraped away with the goalie pulled late in the game.

Brad Navin was -1 with a shot on goal in Wisconsin's 2-1 overtime loss at Michigan Tech. The freshman wing, who came close to scoring his first collegiate goal late in the second period, will continue his quest for his first point in Saturday's rematch.

Connor Knapp served as the #2 goaltender as Miami defeated Colgate, 4-3. Knapp is expected to get the start when the RedHawks look for the sweep at Starr on Saturday.

Christian Isackson was scratched as Minnesota edged Minnesota-Duluth, 5-4 in overtime.

Mark Adams sat injured as Providence downed Boston University, 5-3. The sophomore defenseman has been on crutches and is expected to be out of the lineup for the next couple of weeks.

10/13 Recap: Shipley dishes pair; Amerks again sloppy

Steven Shipley collected a pair of power play assists Thursday as Niagara rode the momentum of Ryan Strome's return to a 5-0 shutout of Belleville. The 6'3 Shipley now has two goals and nine points in eight games this season. The Dogs return to action Friday at Plymouth.

Dan Catenacci saw a two-game point streak snapped as Owen Sound lost to Peterborough, 4-2. Owen Sound heads to Kitchener Friday.

In the AHL, the Sabres returned to the city of Rochester with great fanfare, but the Amerks were embarrassed by the Baby Pens, 5-1.

Marcus Foligno scored his first professional goal for the only Amerks marker. Zack Kassian, who earlier turned the puck over to create a shorthanded 5x3 goal against, picked up an assist for the second straight game.

The Rundown:
Foligno: 1G, -3, 2 SOG
Crawford: +1
Kassian: -1, 2 SOG
Boychuk: -1
Biega: -1, 4 SOG
Szydlowski: -1, 1 SOG
McNabb: -1
Tropp: -2, 1 SOG
Brennan: -2, 5 SOG
Parker: -2, 1 SOG

The Democrat & Chronicle recaps the fun:

The undercard was stirring and memorable, from the red-carpet entrance of players, and then some 50 alumni, to on-ice ceremonies before the opening faceoff with new owner Terry Pegula.
The main event was a colossal flop. The Amerks did their best to feed off the energy in the building by creating even more excitement with their play.
Instead, they made mistakes, flubbed passes, got carried away with trying to do too much, and were embarrassed. Again actually.

They were 5-2 losers at Hamilton on Saturday night in the season opener. So in two games they have been outscored 10-3.
"When you've got this many new faces on a team, one word comes to mind: Simplify," left winger Derek Whitmore said. "There's no reason to hit the panic button yet."

Jochen Hecht is expected to miss a few more games for the Sabres, but there's no question that Matt Ellis will make the Amerks a better team once he is sent back tp the AHL. The Amerks will continue looking for their first win on Friday at Lake Erie.

Eidsness pushing for playing time

A year after serving nearly the entire season as the #2 goaltender, North Dakota senior Brad Eidsness is prepared to battle his way back into to the Sioux crease on a regular basis.

The Grand Forks Herald has the converage entering #6 North Dakota's weekend match-up with #17 Maine.

“I think there’s been a pretty good battle going on the first two weeks,” UND coach Dave Hakstol said. “I think Aaron’s still our No. 1. That being said, there’s been good competition and pretty good level of play from both guys in practice.

“Brad went in on Saturday and did a good job. He plugged the dam when we were leaking a bit in the second. He’s earned himself some more playing time. He’s got to keep practicing hard. We’ll make the decision who starts on Friday.”

Eidsness was the No. 1 guy during his first two seasons at UND. He played 41 games as both a freshman and a sophomore, leading UND to a MacNaughton Cup and a Broadmoor Trophy. But Eidsness struggled at the start of last season, opening the door for Dell.

“I think (Eidsness) has come back and had a different frame of mind,” Hakstol said. “He’s practicing very well. He’s competing hard and at the end of the day, what matters most is stopping pucks. And he’s stopping a lot of pucks in practice.”

10/12 Recap: Pysyk pots first

Mark Pysyk scored his first goal of the season Wednesday as Edmonton hammered Kootenay, 6-1. The 2010 first-rounder flicked a wrister from the point that made it through traffic and into the back of the net for the OKs final goal of the night. After 10 games, the Edmonton native has a goal and four assists. Kootenay netminder Nathan Lieuwen was given the night off.



Joel Armia finished -1 with four shots on goal as Assat defeated HPK, 6-2. The 18-year old wing skated on the Aces third line, receiving 13:03 of work.

In Tuesday play, Pysyk was +1 with an assist as Edmonton downed Lethbridge, 5-1.

10/10 Recap: Cat on the Attack in Owen Sound win

Dan Catenacci was firing on all cylinders Monday, scoring a goal and an assist to earn the game's #2 star in Owen Sound's 6-3 win over Saginaw. The 5'10 center now has five goals and 12 points in nine season games. The Attack will visit Peterborough on Thursday.



Kevin Sundher saw his three-game point streak come to an end as Victoria lost to Vancouver, 5-1. The Royals host Kelowna on Friday.

Schiestel to the shelf

Rochester defenseman Drew Schiestel is expected to be out four-six weeks after spraining his left MCL in the Amerks' Saturday night loss to Hamilton.

The 22-year old was playing his first regular season game after blowing out his right knee back in January. Named an AHL All-Star before being shut down, a healthy Schiestel was widely considered the Sabres de facto "#8" defesneman heading into 2011-12.

Schiestel's hometown paper, The Hamilton Spectator, has the details on how it all went down.

After making an innocuous pass, he got bumped near his blue line. Not hammered. Not flattened. Just got involved in one of those thousand-times-a-game collisions.

Problem was, his toe was caught in the kind of malleable ice you get early in the season when temperatures outside are more reminiscent of the middle of summer than the onset of fall and the building isn’t deeply chilled.

“The ice is just so soft, the ruts are unbelievable,” he says. “There’s no way your skate’s coming out of it.”

As he twisted, his knee didn’t. Or maybe it was the other way around. Either way, something bent awkwardly, his kneecap slid out of place and a somewhat familiar pain kicked in.

When he got to the medical room, he sat quietly waiting for some word as the Dogs’ team doctor checked him out. Mainly hoping and praying to not hear the letters ACL.

He didn’t. That’s the good news. That, and the fact that it’s his left knee. The one that wasn’t already repaired once. The bad? It’s a second-degree sprain of the MCL. Even though surgery likely isn’t necessary, he’ll be sidelined for four weeks, maybe six.

SabresProspects Three Stars of the Week (10/9/11)

Please enjoy another installment of your weekly power minute.

10/9 Recap: Leduc-ulous streak continues

In Sunday QMJHL action, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc earned the game's #3 star with a goal and an assist as Rimouski ended a three-games-in-three-nights stretch with a 6-3 loss at Moncton. The steady producer has points in all seven games this season, and if you take into consideration the end of last year, a total of 17 consecutive QMJHL regular season contests. The Oceanic will host Baie-Comeau for a pair of games starting next Friday.

Cedrick Henley contributed a shot on goal as Val-d'Or pitched a 2-0 shutout victory in their first-ever visit to Blainville-Boisbriand. The BB Armada are playing their first season in the QMJHL after relocating from Montreal over the summer. The Foreurs are off until Saturday when they face Saint John.

In the WHL, Mark Pysyk picked up a power play assist in Edmonton's 4-1 win over Swift Current. The steady defender now has four assists through his first eight games. The Oil Kings continue their road trip Tuesday in Lethbridge.