Wednesday, April 15, 2009

CHL players of the week

Press Release

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that forward Eric Tangradi of the Belleville Bulls is the Boston Pizza CHL Player of the Week for the week ending April 12. The Bulls’ captain scored four goals and three assists for seven points in two games with a plus-minus rating of plus-6.

Tangradi opened the scoring for the Bulls late in the first period of game four in their second round playoff matchup Tuesday night against the Niagara IceDogs. He assisted on a Bryan Cameron power play goal early in the second period before scoring three straight goals to complete his five-point game and lead the Bulls to a 5-2 win as first star of the game. Tangradi registered five points earlier this season in an 8-1 win November 19 against the same IceDogs club but this was the first four-goal game of his OHL career. Tangradi tallied two assists in the 5-2 game five win Thursday night placing the Bulls in the Rogers OHL Eastern Conference Championship Series where they will compete against the Brampton Battalion for the Bobby Orr Trophy.

Tangradi, a 20-year-old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, set career-high totals with the Bulls in his third OHL season. He scored 38 goals and 50 assists for 88 points in 55 games to lead the Bulls and rank eighth overall in league scoring. He is tied for first in league playoff scoring with 20 points in 11 games including eight goals and 12 assists. Tangradi, now a Pittsburgh Penguins prospect, was selected in the second round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft 42nd overall by the Anaheim Ducks.

Cédric Lalonde-McNicoll scored three goals and four assists for seven points in three games for the Shawinigan Cataractes and represents the QMJHL’s nominee for the award this week. After splitting the first two games, the Cataractes won three straight over the Gatineau Olympiques and have advanced to the conference finals. From the WHL, Colby Robak of the Brandon Wheat Kings scored four goals and three assists for seven points in two games leading to a four-game sweep over the Medicine Hat Tigers in the second round of the playoffs. In the fourth and final game of the series, Robak netted a hat-trick and two assists as first star in the 6-2 win Friday night. The Wheat Kings advance to play the Calgary Hitmen in the Husky Eastern Conference Championship Series.

Press Release

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that Dustin Tokarski of the Spokane Chiefs is the ADT CHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending April 12. With a record of 3-0-1-0, Tokarski posted a goals-against-average of 1.27 and a save percentage of .956 in four games.

Trailing 2-0 to the Vancouver Giants in the Kal Tire WHL Western Conference semi-final, Tokarski and the Chiefs hosted the Giants for game three Tuesday night. He made 16 saves in the 5-2 win and was named third star of the game. On Wednesday night he stopped all 41 shots he faced in the 1-0 shutout win as first star of the game to tie the series 2-2. 41 saves is the most Tokarski has recorded in regulation time this season. Tokarski was again named first star of the game Friday night in the second longest game in WHL playoff history. After 126 minutes and five seconds of hockey and 60 saves for Tokarski, the Chiefs prevailed 3-2 in the fourth overtime period to take the series lead. In another lengthy battle Sunday, Tokarski made 37 saves in the double-overtime loss to the Giants. The best-of-seven series is now tied 3-3 with game seven Tuesday night in Vancouver with the winner to face the Kelowna Rockets.

Tokarski, a 19-year-old from Watson, SK, is in his third WHL season with the Chiefs. The 2008 Memorial Cup MVP led all WHL goaltenders with a regular season goals-against-average of 1.97 and save percentage of .937. His seven shutouts were tied for a league-high. Tokarski, a 2008 fifth round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, backstopped Team Canada to gold at the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships.

Also considered was Maxim Gougeon of the Rimouski Oceanic who won all three of his games this week including a 1-0 shutout win Friday night over the Moncton Wildcats making 24 saves in the fifth and final game of the series. He posted a goals-against-average of 1.00 with a .957 save percentage to help the Oceanic advance to the league semi-finals where they will now play the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Mike Murphy of the OHL’s Belleville Bulls made 69 saves and won two games with a goals-against-average of 2.00 and a save percentage of .945 to help lead the Bulls to a series win over the Niagara IceDogs and onto the Rogers OHL Eastern Conference Championship series where they will face the Brampton Battalion.

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(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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