Thursday, December 31, 2009

Sweden shows Finnish

Press Release

REGINA – Finland outshot Sweden, but Sweden scored more goals in a 7-1 victory against their neighbours. The Swedes secured a bye to the semi-finals on January 3.

Both teams had a chance to win the group in this game. Although Finland held a 39-28 shots-on-goal advantage, the Finns were outsmarted by the Swedish players.

The game started off with Northern European calmness. The teams neutralized each other, although Finland clearly outshot the Swedes in the first period thanks to the power plays.

However, it’s not the quantity of shots that matter, it’s the quality. That was a requirement the Swedes fulfilled better than the Finnish Lions. Tre Kronor looked more dangerous in their rare appearances in front of Joni Ortio’s net, while the Finns had bad luck when a goal was disallowed after a video review 13 minutes into the game.

After a 10-1 victory against winless Austria the night before, the Finns were undone by their biggest problem, which coach Hannu Jortikka noted some days before: their lack of natural goal scorers. A red-hot Jacob Markström in the Swedish net didn’t make life easier for the Finns.

Finland’s first-period figures: eight minutes on the power play, 26 shots, zero goals.

To make things worse for Suomi, Andre Petersson opened the scoring with Sweden’s third shot on goal at 16:52.

Finnish forward Jasse Ikonen lost the puck to Petersson at his own blueline, and Petersson taught the Finns a lesson in scoring with his hard shot from eight metres out right into the net.

Things didn’t improve for Finland in the second period. On the fourth Swedish shot of the period, Dennis Rasmussen extended the lead to 2-0 at 5:24. Midway through the game, the Swedes scored the 3-0 goal. Mattias Tedenby escaped for a breakaway and skated around Finnish captain Jyri Niemi in the style of a slalom skier.

“We didn’t start the game well. It felt like we were at the hotel room, but we woke up in the second period,” Tedenby said. “We skated more and played with more intensity. I’m pretty happy how well it went and we’re ready for the semi-finals now.”

With seven seconds left in the middle stanza, Jacob Josefson scored the fourth Swedish goal, and just 1:12 into the last period, Magnus Pääjärvi Svensson skated into the Finnish zone without much resistance to make it 5-0 for Sweden.

At 2:39 of the third, accompanied by much cheering from the fans, the Finns spoiled Markström’s shutout bid when Teemu Hartikainen scored on the 36th Finnish shot.

That remained the only highlight for the Finns, as Josefson scored his second goal of the night with 7:07 left, and captain Marcus Johansson added one more late tally for a final score of 7-1.

With the victory, Sweden finishes the Preliminary Round undefeated. They will play in the semi-finals on Saturday with the Czech Republic, Russia, Slovakia or Switzerland as the possible opponents.

The score of the evening game between the Czech Republic and Russia will decide whether Finland will remain in third place or move down to fourth place and the Relegation Round.

“We are very disappointed about the game. We must have scored in the beginning. Later on Sweden was playing very well and fast,” said Finnish forward Teemu Hartikainen. “We are pretty shocked about how the game ended. It’s not a happy New Year’s Eve for us. We must be more determined in front of the net. It looks like we don’t work hard enough to score the goals.”


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

Swiss in, Slovaks out

Press Releae

SASKATOON – Newly-promoted Switzerland is headed to the World U20 quarterfinal after a nip-and-tuck, hard-fought 4-1 victory against Slovakia. The loss sends Slovakia to the relegation round. The game was much closer than the final score indicates as the Swiss scored twice in the last five minutes to surge ahead to the win.

Nino Niederreiter scored the two key Swiss goals in the victory to give the fresh-form-Division I-Swiss their first berth to the quarterfinals since 2001. For the Slovaks the trip to the relegation round is a blow after a surprising fourth-place finish at last year’s U20s.

Switzerland will have to await the result from tonight’s game in Regina for its quarterfinal opponent, either the Czech Republic or Russia. Slovakia joins Latvia, Austria and likely the loser of tonight’s Czech-Russia game in the relegation round.

After an even and scoreless first period, Niederreiter broke the scoring silence 7:27 into the second with an even strength marker. It was a huge moral victory for the Swiss, who were using all their energy to keep the Slovaks from taking an early lead.

Slovakia loomed in front of the Swiss net more and more as the game wore on, but Swiss netminder Benjamin Conz stood his ground, most notably on a one-on-one Slovak breakaway mid-period. Tomas Tatar also hit a post late in the period, further frustrating the Slovaks’ hopes for the quarterfinals.

Tatar put a goal in on the first shift of the third period, but again had bad luck when his goal was disallowed for a high stick. Conz again came up with a few sprawling key saves at just the right moments to keep Switzerland in the hunt. The Swiss chances were becoming fewer and further between when Niederreiter struck with his second goal, crashing the net for the 2-0 lead.

Richard Panik gave the Slovaks hope and the Swiss reason to panic when he cut the lead in half on a picture-perfect shot in the last seven minutes of regulation. The goal gave the Slovaks renewed energy, but it was quickly killed when Tristan Scherwey knocked in a puck mid-air to restore the two goals lead in the waning moments of the game, killing any thoughts of a Slovak comeback.

Slovakia pulled goaltender Tomas Halasz after the goal, but it only resulted in the empty-netter for the Swiss, brining the final score to a deceiving 4-1.

It is the Slovaks’ first appearance in the relegation round since 2007, when they finished in eighth place. The best finish Switzerland has ever had at the World Juniors was a bronze medal in 1998.

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

Russia wins, Czechs check out

Press Release

REGINA – With a 5-2 victory over the Czech Republic on New Year's Eve, Russia wrapped up second place in Group B. Russia advances to a quarter-final meeting with Switzerland on January 2, while the Czechs are doomed to play in the Relegation Round.

Russia – Czech Republic 5-2 (1-0, 1-1, 3-1)

"It was a pretty tough game, as usual in this tournament," said Russian captain Nikita Filatov. "The main thing is that we won this game."

Shots favoured the Czechs 41-26, marking the third straight game that the Russians have allowed more than 40 shots on goal.

However, goalie Igor Bobkov turned in another stellar performance en route to his fourth win, outdueling Czech netminder Jakub Sedlacek. Thus far, the 18-year-old product of the Metallurg Magnitogorsk system has lived up to the #20 on his jersey, the number of Vladislav Tretiak and Evgeni Nabokov.

"If Bobkov keeps playing this way, we've got a great chance," Filatov said.

Vladimir Tarasenko scored two goals, including the third-period winner, and Kirill Petrov, Maxim Chudinov and Alexander Burmistrov also tallied for Russia. Jan Kana and Stepan Novotny replied for the Czechs.

"We only scored two goals, and you can't win a game like that against Russia," said Czech captain Michal Jordan. "I don't know what to say. If we'd beaten Finland, we'd be in the playoffs. But that's hockey. Now we've got to try to stay in the top division."

The teams got off to a high-tempo, hard-hitting start tempered by defensive caution. Russia struck first on the power play when Tarasenko deftly snapped home a cross-crease feed from Burmistrov at 7:46. A couple of minutes later, Bobkov made a fantastic save off Novotny on a give-and-go rush with Roman Horak.

Poor discipline marred Russia's efforts as the game wore on. Vyacheslav Kulemin was sent off for roughing after the whistle, and Magomed Gimbatov threw a unnecessarily high hit deep in the Czech zone. Yet despite holding a 13-7 first-period edge in shots on goal, the Czechs couldn't cash in.

Yevgeni Timkin was ejected for a hit to the head early in the second, and the Czechs kept shooting. But goalie Bobkov was equal to the challenge, coolly corralling whatever his opponents hurled his way.

The teams traded chances midway through the game, Tomas Knotek ringing a shot off Bobkov's left post and Burmistrov getting checked at the last second on a partial breakaway.

The Russians stretched their lead to 2-0 at the 12-minute mark of the second when Petrov banged the puck past a kneeling Sedlacek.

Kana struck back for the Czech Republic with 3:30 left in the middle frame, scoring his team-best third goal of the tournament. He beat Bobkov five-hole on a breakaway with the man advantage to make it 2-1.

The Czechs finally got the equalizer with 5:59 left in the game, as Novotny grabbed a loose puck down low and stuffed it past Bobrov's left skate.

A horrendous Czech defensive breakdown enabled Russia to pull ahead again just 52 seconds later, however. Tarasenko skated in on a 2-on-0 break and beat Sedlacek with a low stick-side wrister. It was the decisive moment.

Head coach Vladimir Plyushchev immediately called a timeout to ensure his players knew what to do down the stretch.

"I reminded them we had about five minutes to play, and we should calm down and realize the situation," said Plyushchev. "Just play normally, don't be stressed."

The message worked. At 18:48 of the third, Chudinov ensured Russia's victory when he stepped in from the left side and flung a wrister through the goalie's pads. Burmistrov added the 5-2 tally with 41 seconds left.

"We needed three points and didn’t score the goals we needed at the end," said disappointed Czech defenceman Vladimir Roth. "We made a couple of mistakes, and they scored a couple of goals. It’s pretty hard for us."

The Russians saluted the crowd as they skated off after the final tournament game played in Regina.

Plyushchev saluted his goaltender's performance, too, with a smile: "Bobkov likes to face a lot of shots. Actually, he thanks the coach for not awarding him Player of the Game until tonight. He made it a goal to get that honour."

Looking ahead to the quarter-finals, Filatov admitted: "I don't know much about this Swiss team. But I've heard they'll be a tough and fast team, playing a North American style."

Filatov earned two assists against the Czechs, but has had a quiet tournament offensively so far, with just one goal. At the 2009 World Juniors, the talented left wing cracked the tournament all-star team with eight goals and three assists.

"I've got a different role this year," said Filatov. "Last year I had more chances to score because I didn't play penalty killing and stuff like that. I didn't think so much about defence. But now I'm pretty happy with how I'm playing. If I don't score another goal but we win a gold medal, I'll be happy."

This was the sixth straight Russian win over the Czechs at the World Juniors dating back to 2005. The last Czech victory over Russia was a 1-0 decision in the 2000 gold medal game.

The Russians are seeking their sixth straight World Junior medal (silver 2005-07, bronze 2008-09), although they haven't captured gold since 2003. The Czechs haven't won a medal at this tournament since 2005's bronze.

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

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli Joins Dubuque Ownership

Press Release

Northern Lights Hockey, LLC today announced that Peter Chiarelli, General Manager of the Boston Bruins, has joined the ownership group for the new USHL Member Club that will play in Dubuque, Iowa beginning in the 2010-11 season.

Chiarelli is currently in his fourth season with the Boston Bruins. The team finished the 2008-09 season with the best record in the NHL's Eastern Conference at 53-19-10 and 116 points, a 40-point improvement from Chiarelli first season with Boston in 2006-07. The Bruins also qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs following the 2007-08 season for the first time in four seasons. Former USHL players Blake Wheeler, Mark Stuart, and Andy Wozniewski have all suited up for the Bruins this season, and a total of seven USHL alumni have played for Chiarelli during his time in Boston.

Prior to his current role in Boston, Chiarelli spent seven seasons with the Ottawa Senators, serving as Assistant General Manager for two years and the Director of Legal Relations for five seasons.

"The USHL has evolved before my eyes since I have been in the hockey business," stated Chiarelli. "It is a good destination for a lot of reasons; the competition level is high and it has become a significant springboard to college and professional hockey. It is a league that is run very well and I am impressed with its presentation and the people involved. I am confident the ownership group will make Dubuque's re-entry into the League a successful one."

Chiarelli played four seasons of collegiate hockey at Harvard University and served as team captain in his senior year (1986-87). He earned a degree in Economics from Harvard before receiving his law degree from the University of Ottawa. The native of Ottawa, Ontario was a lawyer and player agent for six years prior to joining the Senators organization.

"Having a partner like Peter, with not only his hockey resume but also his network and knowledge of the game, is a tremendous asset for our operation in Dubuque," said Brad Kwong, Managing Director of Northern Lights Hockey, LLC. "In preparation for our entry into the USHL, we have the goal of establishing a model organization and hockey club and we strongly believe that Peter's participation enables us to make another significant step towards achieving that goal."

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

Luca Sbisa named to the Swiss Olympic team

Press Release

Lethbridge, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes are very proud to congratulate defenseman Luca Sbisa (LOU-kaa Ss-BEE-zah) on his selection for Team Switzerland at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Sbisa is currently competing in the 2010 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in the Regina and Saskatoon as Team Switzerland’s captain. This means he will hold the unique honor of being a CHL player and representing his country in both the World Juniors and Olympics in the same season. The Olympics in Vancouver will be his first and mark his third time donning his country’s colors in major competition after also playing in the 2008 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic. That season he was one of two players to participate in that tournament, as former Hurricanes forward Zach Boychuk represented Team Canada in the first of his two U-20 World Junior appearances. Sbisa has also played many tournaments at the U-18 level for Team Switzerland. Sbisa was reassigned to Lethbridge from the Anaheim Ducks this fall and in 96 WHL regular season games with the Canes he has scored 61 points (11G, 50A) and notched a career +15 plus/minus rating and 100 PIMs. He also proved himself as a WHL playoff performer; in 30 WHL Playoff games he has scored 18 points (5G, 13A) while posting a +8 plus/minus and 29 PIMs, leading all WHL d-men in scoring in the 08 playoffs.

He was one of two CHL Import Draft picks the Hurricanes made in 2007; the first was Finnish goaltender Juha Metsola. Sbisa went from being relatively unknown to being ranked in the Top 20 of North American Players by Central Scouting for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Sbisa was also a member of Team Red at the 2008 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects game. He was the recipient of the 2007-2008 Carl Trentini Memorial Award for the Hurricanes rookie of the year and was selected in the first round (19th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. Sbisa signed an entry level NHL contract that fall and began the season as a member of the Flyers where he played 39 NHL games before being returned to the Canes at the end of last season and joining the Ducks during this past off season.

Don’t forget to tune into the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Saskatchewan, which will run until January 5, 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games take place in Vancouver, British Columbia from Feb. 12-28.

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

U-17 Challeng Day Two

Press Release

TIMMINS, Ont. – There would be no blown lead this time, Pacific made sure of that.

One day after outplaying and outshooting Russia for 40 minutes, only to implode in the third period of a 6-2 loss, Pacific opened up a 4-1 first-period lead on its way to a 10-4 win over Atlantic on Wednesday, getting into the win column at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Reece Scarlett scored one and added four assists to pace the offence, while Miles Bell scored twice and Ty Rattie and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins chipped in four helpers apiece. Nine different players scored goals for Pacific (1-1), which had its biggest offence output since a pair of 11-goal games in 2006 – one of which came against Atlantic.

Atlantic got to within three goals at 4-1 and 5-2, but a late burst by the western Canadians, three goals in the first six minutes of the third period, put the game well out of reach.

Darcy Ashley scored twice for Atlantic (0-2), while Bruce Hornbrook and Taylor Burke also added goals. The easterners have allowed 17 goals in their first two games.

Press Release


NEW LISKEARD, Ont. – Two days into the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, and the United States is emerging as a team to beat.

Rocco Grimaldi and Barrett Kaib scored second period goals to turn a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead and goaltender John Gibson shut the door the rest of the way as the U.S. became the tournament’s first 2-0 team with a 3-2 win over the Czech Republic on Wednesday.

Convincing 7-0 victors in their tournament opener on Tuesday against Atlantic, the U.S. was in tougher against the Czechs (0-1), who were making their return to the U17s after a three-year absence.

J.T. Miller and Vojtech Butor traded goals in the first period before Marek Hrbas gave the European side their first lead just 32 seconds into the second period, marking the first time in the tournament the Americans trailed.

But Grimaldi and Kaib scored 10 minutes apart to put the U.S. ahead after 40 minutes and Gibson stopped 13 shots in the third period to ensure the Americans a 12th consecutive round-robin game without a loss, leaving them alone atop Group B.

Press Release

NEW LISKEARD, Ont. – Sweden is back at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, and it is back with a win.

Mika Zibanejad scored twice and Victor Rask had a goal and an assist, the only Swedish players with multiple points, as the Swedes picked up the ‘W’ in their 2010 tournament debut, beating a pesky Finland side 6-4 in an all-Scandinavian match-up at the New Liskeard Recreation Centre.

Sweden’s U17 team had not played a game at the tournament since losing the gold medal game to Ontario in 1997, but quickly reintroduced itself to Canadian fans by scoring six of the game’s first seven goals.

Jesper Danielsson, Oskar Klefbom and Rickard Rakell joined Zibanejad and Rask on the scoresheet for Sweden (1-0), which outshot the Finns 25-9 in the first two periods while building a 4-0 lead.

Joel Armia scored twice for the Finns (1-1), who took to the ice just 14 hours after their shocking tournament-opening win over Ontario and tried in vain to fight back in the third period, scoring three goals in six minutes to turn a five-goal deficit into a two-goal disadvantage. Tomi Wilenius and Santeri Arousva had the other goals.

Press Release


TIMMINS, Ont. – Tyson Teichmann earned the shutout, but it was the Ontario defence that was the story as the two-time defending champions got on the board Wednesday night at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Ontario allowed just 14 shots – five in the final 40 minutes – and Carter Sandlak’s goal late in the second period stood up as the winner as the host team scored a 3-0 win over Quebec at McIntyre Arena.

Matthew Puempel and Boone Jenner added insurance goals in the third period for Ontario (1-1), which was shocked 5-3 by Finland in its first game on Tuesday. It was a much different result 24 hours later, as the Ontarians allowed just three shots more than they did in the first period on Tuesday.

Teichmann was at his best in the first period, when the shots were even at 9-9, but faced just one shot in the second and four in the third en route to recording Ontario’s first shutout since Bryce O’Hagen blanked the U.S. in the 2008 gold medal game.

Goaltender Robin Gusse earned Player of the Game honours for Quebec (1-1) after turning aside 27 shots, albeit in a losing cause.

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

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Finland flies, Austria aches

Press Release

REGINA – After falling 10-1 to Finland for its fourth straight loss on Wednesday, Austria is bound for the Relegation Round at the 2010 World Juniors. The Finns, who sit third in Group B, scored eight power play goals in the victory.

Finland – Austria 10-1 (5-0, 3-1, 2-0)

Captain Jyri Niemi led the way with two goals and two assists, while Mikael Granlund also put up four points. Goalie Joni Ortio recorded his second win as Finland outshot Austria 59-12.

"We have a really strong group right now," said Niemi. "We believe in ourselves. If we can just keep going the way we started tonight, we can go really far. The [2-0] loss to Russia is behind us now."

If the Czechs beat Russia in regulation time on Thursday, they still have a chance to make the Playoff Round. While Sweden has secured its Playoff Round berth, Finland and Russia are still in danger of landing in the Relegation Round, should they fail to gain any points on Thursday. Finland takes on Sweden on Thursday.

"We're all so excited to play against Sweden on New Year's Eve," Niemi said. "We know what's at stake. It'll be a huge one."

It took just 58 seconds for Finland to open the scoring. Joonas Rask snared a loose puck in front of Austrian goalie Marco Wieser and flicked it home. At 2:04, Jani Lajunen banged in a perfect goal-mouth pass from Eero Elo to make it 2-0.

Austrian head coach Dieter Werfring immediately called a timeout. But it made little difference, as the Finns pumped in three straight power play goals before the end of the period.

Finland grabbed a three-goal lead at 5:48 when Mikael Granlund whacked in a rebound. Just 12 seconds into Finland's next man advantage, Aleksi Laakso cranked a high drive under the crossbar to make it 4-0. When Toni Rajala tipped in a puck at the side of the net to make it 5-0 at 11:07, Wieser got yanked in favour of Lorenz Hirn.

Totally dominant, Finland held a 25-0 shots-on-goal edge in the first period, which said it all.

"We were not ready from the beginning," admitted Austrian captain Dominique Heinrich. "We spent too much time on the penalty kill and ended up losing the game. That’s the problem when you’re the underdog."

Austria finally recorded a shot at 2:20 of the second, forcing Ortio to make a good glove save. But the Finns weren't fazed, cashing in with three more power play goals. They went up 6-0 midway through the game on a centre point drive by Jyri Niemi, and Teemu Hartikainen added another at 12:17.

With 4:34 left in the middle frame, Austria's Konstantin Komarek got a big cheer from the Brandt Centre crowd when his one-timer from the right faceoff circle spoiled Ortio's shutout hopes. Niemi retaliated by making it 8-1 with the man advantage in the last minute of the second.

Matias Sointu and Eero Elo rounded out the scoring for Finland in the final stanza.

"Today I think we executed our game plan very well," said Niemi. "Although we dominated the whole game, it's tough to keep focus for 60 minutes. I don't think we did that tonight, but we did enough."

Looking ahead to Sweden, Niemi added: "They're our neighbours. It's been the biggest rivalry between Finland and Sweden as long as I can remember. They've beaten us so many times. We hate to lose against the Swedes. It'll be an intense game."

The Finns are hoping to win a medal for the first time since 2006's bronze in Vancouver.

The Austrians have never won a game in their World Junior history, which includes two previous stints in the top division (1981, 2004).

"Now we have to look forward," said Heinrich. "We have a clear goal now. We have to win both games in the Relegation Round to stay in the top division. We might play against Latvia, Slovakia or Switzerland. Compared to our preliminary-round opponents, we know them better and had exhibition games against them."

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

Swiss put one in the win column

Press Release

SASKATOON – The Swiss had to fight hard, but in the end finally got their first win at this year’s World U20 Championship after an up and down 7-5 win against Latvia. Four third-period goals sealed the win for Switzerland, which trailed for the bulk of the game.

The loss seals winless Latvia’s place in the relegation round, which they will enter with zero points regardless of the outcome of tomorrow’s Switzerland-Slovakia game. The winner of that game will move onto the quarterfinals, while the loser will join Latvia in the relegation round.

It was a bookends game for the Swiss, who had a strong start and finish, but were less than stellar for the middle 40 minutes. They started on the right foot, breaking more than 120 minutes of scoring silence with their first goal of the championship 2:40 into action. Benjamin Antonietti forced in the goal down low. Under three minutes later Jeffrey Füglister scored a similar goal to give the Swiss a 2-0 lead.

The goal prompted Latvia coach Andrejs Maticins to pull goaltender Janis Kalnins in favour of Raimonds Ermics. It was the third game that Kalnins didn’t survive the first period. But unlike the previous routs, the strategy worked as Ermics held his ground, allowing his team to work their way back into the game.

The darlings of the Saskatoon fans got the crowd on its feet when Ronalds Kenins put in a pair of goals to tie the game at two in the blink of an eye. Ironically, Kenins currently plays junior hockey in Zurich, Switzerland.

Roberts Bukarts gave the Latvians their first lead of the championship when he took advantage of a major breakdown in the Swiss defence on the power play, shooting the puck into a virtually empty net for the 3-2 lead at the 10:58 mark. Bukarts ended the game with two goals.

Switzerland tied things up 4:26 into the second period when newly-appointed captain Roman Josi put in the cross-ice pass from Ryan McGregor. But Latvia was quick with the answer reclaiming the lead two minutes later on a Rolands Vigners goal.

The Swiss struck hard and fast in the third period, netting a pair of goals 34 seconds apart. Nino Niederreiter kicked off the comeback 4:42 into action and Tim Weber followed up with the go-ahead 5-4 goal. McGregor continued the Swiss surge, scoring the clinching 6-4 goal. The teams exchanged academic goals late in the period to bring the final to 7-5.

While the Swiss can breathe a sign of relief after dodging a big bullet tonight, they have tall task ahead with a quick turn-around before playing Slovakia tomorrow at 3:00. Slovakia will be on fresh legs after a day off today, while Switzerland used more energy than they would have liked in today’s game and are still without star defender and orginal captain Luca Sbisa.

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

Cousineau traded to Saint John

Press Release

BOUCHERVILLE, Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The Saint John Sea Dogs acquired goaltender Marco Cousineau and a 2010 fifth round pick (Baie-Comeau) in 2010 Entry Draft from the PEI Rocket.

The Rocket opted to add draft picks for the next two QMJHL Entry Drafts by obtaining three 2010 picks: Second round pick (Baie-Comeau), a fourth round selection from (Lewiston-from Saint John) and a seventh round pick.

PEI also acquired a 2011 third round selection.

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

Top Prospects rosters announced

Press Release

The North American Hockey League announced today the 20-man rosters for its third annual Top Prospects Tournament, which will be held January 18-20, 2010 at the Ice Cube in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The event will feature all-star teams from the NAHL's Central, North, South and West Divisions competing in a three-game, round-robin tournament.

"I give a lot of credit to our Top Prospects Tournament Selection Committee for their efforts in evaluating and selecting the best our league has to offer to compete in this prestigious event," said NAHL commissioner Mark Frankenfeld. "In short time, Top Prospects has evolved into one of North America's premier scouting showcases, and, like the previous two years, we expect a number of our student-athletes to receive deserved college opportunities following the event."

In the three five-team divisions - the Central, North and South - six players were selected from the first-place teams as of December 20 (Bismarck Bobcats, Marquette Rangers, St. Louis Bandits); five from the second-place teams (Owatonna Express, Janesville Jets, Topeka RoadRunners); three from the third- and fourth-place teams (North Iowa Outlaws/Alexandria Blizzard, Traverse City North Stars/Motor City Metal Jackets, Texas Tornado/Springfield Jr. Blues); and two from the fifth-place teams (Albert Lea Thunder, Alpena IceDiggers, Wichita Falls Wildcats).

One wildcard player was also selected from each of the three divisions (Owatonna/Marquette/Topeka).

In the four-team West Division, six players were chosen from the first-place team as of December 20 (Wenatchee Wild); five from the second-place team (Alaska Avalanche); and four from the third- and fourth-place teams (Fairbanks Ice Dogs/Kenai River Brown Bears).

One wildcard player was also selected from the division (Wenatchee). Nearly 30 players who participated in last year's Top Prospects Tournament earned scholarships to Division I schools.

In conjunction with the Top Prospects Tournament, the fourth event of the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) season will be played at the Ice Cube from January 15-18.

For more information on the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, visit NAHLTopProspects.com.

For more information on the NAPHL, visit NAPHL.net.

2010 NAHL Top Prospects Rosters



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

Canada skates past Slovakia

Press Release

The two North American teams are both unbeaten after dominating Switzerland, Latvia and Slovakia. The winner of the December 31st game will earn first place in the group and, more importantly, an automatic berth to the semi-finals.

Canada – Slovakia 8-2 (3-0, 4-1, 1-1)

Canada was all business today against the Slovaks, making sure not to put their hopes for first place in the group in jeopardy. Halfway through the first period Taylor Hall put in a wrist shot to break the ice. The fans hadn’t even settled back into their seats when Alex Pietrangelo fired in a shot from the blueline 21 seconds later for the 2-0 lead.

Hall’s second goal at the 10:43 mark was the end of the game for Slovak goaltender Marek Ciliak, who was replaced by Tomas Halasz.

Canada put in another four goals in the second period, but the stanza was most notable for the end of Canada’s shutout streak of 157:25 minutes when Slovakia’s Richard Panik netted the first goal against Canada at this year’s event late in the period.

On Canada’s side it was Luke Adam, Ryan Ellis, Brayden Schenn and Hall scoring to break the game open for a 7-1 lead at the end of 40 minutes. Despite trailing, the Slovaks kept up their hard-hitting game plan. For much of the second period, delivering hard hits was almost as important as scoring for both teams.

With things all but decided, the third period was mostly academic as the teams slowed, scoring one goal each and bringing the final to 8-2.

USA and Canada have a combined 52 goals in their six games with Canada holding a 30-2 goal advantage and the Americans putting in 22 goals while allowing four.

Slovakia has a day off before they have a key game in the bid to make the quarterfinals against Switzerland. The highest Slovakia can place in the group is third as Canada and USA have the top two spots locked up.

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

Tigres acquire Doyle and Champagne

Press Release

The Victoriaville Tigres acquired Joel Champagne (90-01-24) and Chris Doyle (90-03-22) from the PEI Rocket for Jonathan Bonneau (90-07-10), Michael Ortika (93-05-24), a first, a third and a fourth round pick in 2010 and a second round pick in 2011.

The PEI Rocket also obtained forward Michael Stinziani (89-05-11) from the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in return for a fourth round pick in 2010.

In another trade, The Val D'Or Foreurs traded Alex Noel (92-07-07), Kevin Guerette-Charland (89-05-10), Benjamin Lecomte (90-05-31) and a first round pick in 2011 to the Gatineau Olympiques for Alexandre Touchette (90-01-04), Alexandre Quesnel (89-11-03), Nicolas Boyer (90-07-04), a fifth round pick (from Halifax-from Chicoutimi) in 2010 and a fifth round selection in 2011.

Also, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies obtained Brandon MacLean (91-03-06) and a 2010 sixth round pick from PEI. In return, the Rocket acquired defenseman Brad Yetman (91-05-17).

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

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Day one of the U-17 Challenge

Press Release

TIMMINS, Ont. – Mark this one down as an upset for the ages.

Heikki Liedes and Miikka Salomäki had a goal and an assist each in a four-goal first period as Finland stunned the two-time defending gold medalists, scoring a 5-3 win over Ontario on Tuesday night at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Liedes opened the scoring just 2:37 into the game as the Finns scored four times on 11 shots against Ontario netminder Chris Festarini, who did not return to the nets for the second period.

Markus Granlund added a goal and an assist for Finland, which finished dead last one year ago in Port Alberni, B.C., but opened the 2010 tournament with one of the biggest shockers in tournament history.

Alan Quine, Daniel Catenacci and Barclay Goodrow scored the goals for Ontario, which pulled to within one at 4-3 early in the second period before running into penalty trouble and losing momentum.

Finnish netminder Niklas Kekki was the story of the third period, turning aside all 18 shots he faced as Ontario swarmed the net looking to kick-start its comeback. Kekki was a deserving winner of the Player of the Game award after making 36 saves.

Press Release

KAPUSKASING, Ont. – For one night at least, Quebec is the top Canadian team in Group A.

Jonathan Huberdeau scored once an added an assist, helping Quebec jump out to a 4-0 lead en route to a 4-2 win over West in an all-Canadian 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge match-up on Tuesday night at the Kapuskasing Sports Palace.

The easterners also received goals from Alex Filiatrault, Samuel Henley and Olivier Archambault, while Yannick Veilleux added two assists in the win. Huberdeau’s goal pushed Quebec’s lead to 4-0 early in the third period, although a pair of late goals ruined the shutout bid of netminder Robin Gusse.

The victory gives Quebec momentum entering Wednesday’s crucial Group A showdown with Ontario, which comes into the game needing a win after a shocking 5-3 loss to Finland on Tuesday.

Wilson Dumais and Zachery Franko scored in the final 11 minutes to get West on the board, although by then it was the proverbial ‘too little, too late.’

Press Release

KAPUSKASING, Ont. – Andrey Makarov is making an early case for a spot on the tournament all-star team at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Makarov made 46 saves, 16 of them in the all-important third period, as Russia scored a shocking 6-2 win over Pacific in the tournament opener for both at Kapuskasing Sports Palace on Tuesday afternoon.

The Russians trailed 2-1 and were outshot 48-28 through 40 minutes before striking for four goals in 4:08 early in the third period to quiet the pro-Canadian crowd.

Alexei Shamin scored twice in the third, his goals starting and finishing the four-goal burst, while Mikhail Grigorenko and Alexander Khokhlachev added a goal and an assist apiece as the Russians shook off Monday night’s 9-1 exhibition loss to Ontario.

Aaron Hadley and Ty Rattie picked up the goals for Pacific, which coughed up a 2-0 lead and lost, despite outshooting the Russians 48-28 overall.

Press Release


TIMMINS, Ont. – Thanks to a lethal power play, the United States is first into the win column at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Tyler Biggs, Robbie Russo, Travis Boyd and Jordan Schmaltz all scored with the man advantage as the Americans routed Atlantic 7-0 on Tuesday afternoon at McIntyre Arena to run its round-robin undefeated streak to 11 games, dating back to 2006.

Rocco Grimaldi, J.T. Miller and Blake Pietila also scored for the U.S., which held off a spirited first period effort from the Canadian side before pulling away in the final 40 minutes, scoring six times in the last two periods.

Grimaldi added two assists to his goal, picking up Player of the Game honours, while Miller also had a goal and two helpers.

Matt McNeely made 24 saves to record the shutout between the pipes for the Americans, while Robert Steeves stopped 25 in a losing cause for Atlantic.

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

Sweden shutsout Russia

Press Release

REGINA - Sweden versus Russia, the game between the two top-seeded teams in Group B, was probably the most anticipated game slated for the Brandt Centre. And the Tuesday tilt lived up to its promise. Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson added the winner plus two assists and Andre Petersson had two goals as Sweden won 4-1.

Sweden – Russia (2-0, 1-1, 1-0)

The favoured Tre Kronor squad lived up to expectations, and tried to control the game from the very beginning.

However, the Russians were not badly outshot, as they were the night before in their rather lucky victory over Finland. The Sweden-Russia game had everything a great hockey game should have. Super individual efforts, a good defence, many shots (45-37 in favour of Sweden) and a certain amount of intensity between the players. The fans at Brandt Centre got their money's worth.

“We beat Russia and I scored two goals, so I’m pretty happy,” Petersson said. “It was a game with two individually strong teams and everybody wants to score. But we played better as a team."

Russia goalie Igor Bobkov, the hero of the 2-0 win versus Finland the night before, was forced to make his first save 30 seconds into the game. Three minutes later, Sweden's efforts were rewarded with Petersson’s 1-0 goal at 3:32.

The Russians managed to get out of their own end more often after Petersson’s wake-up call, and fired a couple of shots at Sweden netminder Jacob Markström while the teams were playing 4-on-4. But they couldn’t capitalize on their chances.

When a short power play sequence of 15 seconds started for the Russians, things got even worse even worse. Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson raced off on a shorthanded breakaway and beat Bobkov for the eventual winner at 7:24. He would finish with three points on the night.

No more goals were scored for a while, despite big opportunities on both sides. But midway through the game, Kirill Petrov got Russia on the board. He skated past the Swedish defence and fired the puck past Markström.

Sweden reacted, slapping down Russia's hopes. Petersson scored his second goal of the night at 18:03 with a shot from about seven metres out, which flew past two defencemen and Bobkov.

The third period didn’t begin in a promising fashion for Russia. Yevgeni Kuznetsov had to leave the rink with an injury after five minutes of play. Off the faceoff, Daniel Brodin shot the puck into the net on Bobkov’s glove side to make it 4-1.

With under eight minutes left, Anton Rodin nearly added another one when he hit the post and the puck stopped under Bobkov. But the final score of 4-1 was high enough for the Swedes.

Sweden stays in first place, and needs just one point on Thursday against Finland to qualify directly for the semi-finals. Russia faces the Czech Republic the same day.

With convincing performances in its first three games, Sweden looks poised for another medal performance. The last two years, they ended up with the silver behind Canada.

“Of course we want to be the best European team again, and it has worked out so far,” Petersson said. “And of course gold is our goal. We’re watching Canada. They're playing pretty well, but they haven’t played against good teams up to this point.”

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

USA handles Latvia

Press Release

SASKATOON, Sask. - Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass./Boston College) scored three times and three other U.S. players notched two goals each, as the U.S. National Junior Team defeated Latvia, 12-1, in its third game of the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. The U.S. improved to 3-0-0-0 and clinched a quarterfinal berth with one game remaining in the preliminary round.

"We moved the puck well and did what we had to in the first period," said Dean Blais, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "I was happy that we finished strong in the final period, because I knew that however we performed would carry over into our next game against Canada."

The U.S. jumped out to a 1-0 lead three minutes into the game when Danny Kristo's (Eden Prairie, Minn./Univ. of North Dakota) wrist shot beat Latvia goalie Janis Kalnins to the glove side. Following a Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev.) tip-in goal, Kristo potted his second of the game for Team USA's first of five power-play goals on the night.

AJ Jenks (Wolverine Lake, Mich.) and Kreider each netted their second goals of the tournament on the power play at 14:40 and 19:03 of the first period. Tyler Johnson (Spokane, Wash.) completed the opening period's scoring with a backhand tally at 19:38 for a 6-0 U.S. lead.

Both teams traded power-play goals in the second period, with Kreider collecting his second of the game with a wrist shot from the slot.

Team USA extended its lead in the third period, as Derek Stepan (Hastings, Minn./Univ. of Wisconsin) scored twice and Jeremy Morin (Auburn, N.Y.) collected a power-play goal of his own. Kreider completed his hat trick on a penalty shot, beating Kalnins low on the forehand with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

U.S. goalie Mike Lee (Roseau, Minn./St. Cloud State Univ.) finished the night with 18 saves, while Kalnins stopped 50 shots.

Next action for Team USA comes Thursday (Dec. 31) at 7 p.m. CST against Canada. The game can be seen live in the U.S. on the NHL Network. It will also be streamed live in the U.S. on FASTHockey.com.

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

Czechs knock off Austria

Press Release

REGINA – In a battle of two teams both seeking their first World Junior win, the Czech Republic scored five power play goals to defeat Austria 7-1. Austria must beat Finland on Wednesday to keep its hopes of avoiding the Relegation Round alive.

Vladimir Roth paced the Czech attack with a goal and three assists, while Andrej Nestrasil and Tomas Kubalik added a goal and two helpers apiece. Tomas Knotek, Stepan Novotny, Robert Kousal and David Ostrizek also scored. Dominique Heinrich replied for Austria.

"It was a pretty good game," Roth said. "Five goals on the PP is good. We controlled the puck well and had speed in the offensive zone."

“The game was a big opportunity for us to get points, but unfortunately we had a worse performance than against Russia and Sweden," said Heinrich, the Austrian captain. “We thought that we could keep up with them and that we had to control the game. This killed us in the end."

Newly promoted Austria has appeared in only two previous top-level U20 championships (1981, 2004), and has been a fan favourite at the Brandt Centre despite going winless. Here, the Czechs, looking more poised and patient than they have in any other game, prevailed with their skills.

Czech goalie Jakub Sedlacek got the win over his busy Austrian counterpart Lorenz Hirn, as the Czechs outshot Austria 56-22.

"Today, we had nothing left in the tank," said Austrian defenceman Stefan Ulmer.

The Austrians started off with a gritty defensive display in the first period, clearly inspired by their better-than-expected outings against Russia and Sweden. Rarely did a Czech player pick up the puck without an Austrian on him like a tight pair of lederhosen.

But that simply wouldn't last, due to Austria's poor performance on the penalty kill.

With 5:39 left in the first, Knotek opened the scoring for the Czechs on the power play, sending a laser wrister over Hirn's glove off a faceoff.

The Austrians responded just over a minute later to make it 1-1. Dominique Heinrich batted in a rebound following a right-wing rush.

The Czechs regained the lead at 3:27 of the second after some nice passing with the man advantage, as Novotny stepped in from the faceoff circle and lifted a close-range wrister past Hirn.

Another power play marker put the Czechs up 3-1 at 11:58. Roth fired a shot from the high slot that eluded a down-and-out Hirn scrambling to get back into position.

With just seven seconds left in the middle frame, there was more Czech PP chemistry. Nestrasil smartly converted a cross-ice pass down low to make it 4-1.

"In the game against Finland [a 4-3 loss], we slowed down a bit in the middle of the game," Nestrasil said. "Today, we kept doing the same things and didn't give up. It was perfect."

Hirn made a fine save on a Kubalik breakaway early in the third, and then foiled Tomas Vincour on a 2-on-1. But he couldn't prevent Kubalik from flipping home the fifth Czech goal on the rush midway through the third. Kousal and Ostrizek added late goals to round out the scoring at 7-1.

“The game was a big opportunity for us to get points, but unfortunately we had a worse performance than against Russia and Sweden," said Heinrich, the Austrian captain. “We thought that we could keep up with them and that we had to control the game. This killed us in the end."

The Czechs finish off their Preliminary Round versus traditional rival Russia on New Year's Eve.

"We must play the same as today," Roth said. "Keep the PP going, skate hard, and shoot hard."

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

USHL All-Star game info

Press Release

The evening before some of North America's best and brightest hockey players take the ice for the 2010 USHL All-Star Game, the League and the Indiana Ice will host the USHL All-Star Gala on January 25th, 2010.

This year's annual event will raise funds for and feature a charity auction benefitting the "Derek Zike Get Well Fund." Zike, then a 16-year old member of the Chicago Fury's AAA midget minor team, was seriously injured during a tournament hockey game in January, 2009. The Fishers, Indiana native became part of the USHL family when he was selected by the Indiana Ice in the 20th round of the 2009 USHL Entry Draft.

Players, coaches, and staff participating in the USHL All-Star Game, along with special League guests, will be recognized during the gala, which will take place at the Indianapolis Marriott North. In addition, the event will feature guest speakers Jimmy Carson and Scott Howson.

Carson played 10 seasons with five different teams (Los Angeles, Edmonton, Detroit, Vancouver, and Hartford) in the NHL totaling 561 points (275 goals, 286 assists) in 626 career games. He was originally selected by the Los Angeles Kings second overall in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. After his second season with the Kings, he was involved in the biggest trade in NHL history when he was sent to the Edmonton Oilers as part of the deal that brought Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles on August 9th, 1988. Five seasons later, the Kings re-acquired Carson and he played alongside Gretzky for parts of two seasons.

Howson is the General Manager of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets. In just his second season with the organization in 2008-09, he helped lead the team to its first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff berth. Howson's also spent six seasons as the assistant general manager for the Edmonton Oilers, after a playing career that included parts two seasons in the NHL as a forward for the New York Islanders.

Ticket information for the Gala can be found at www.indianaice.com/allstargame. Further announcements pertaining to the 2010 USHL All-Star Game will be made in the coming weeks. Updates about the event can be found at www.IndianaIce.com and www.USHL.com.

2010 USHL All-Star Game Schedule

Monday, January 25th, 2010

USHL Gala and Dinner, 6:00 PM

Indianapolis Marriott North

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Legends Game, 6:00 PM

USHL All-Star Game, 7:05 PM

Pepsi Coliseum

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

The Program

How to fix blowouts at the WJC's

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

USA defeats Quebec in an exhibition game

Press Release

KAPUSKASING, Ont. – Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif.) notched a goal and three assists as the U.S. National Under-17 Team downed Canada-Quebec, 6-3, here tonight in its lone tune-up prior to the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Ron Rolston, head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 Team collected his 200th career victory behind the bench at USA Hockey's National Team Development Program.

Grimaldi got Team USA off to a flying start after he tipped Barrett Kaib's (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) right-point shot into the upper-left corner of the net just 15 seconds into the game. Matt McNeely (Burnsville, Minn.) turned aside every shot he saw to preserve the 1-0 lead heading into the second.

Just 36 seconds into the middle frame and with the U.S. on the power play, Tyler Biggs (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored on a wraparound to double Team USA's advantage at 1:49. J.T. Miller (East Palestine, Ohio) made it 3-0 when his wrist shot slipped under netminder Robin Guesse's right arm at 5:10. Quebec's Phillipe Hudon snapped a shot past McNeely from between the hash marks at 5:10. The U.S. answered back when Adam Reid (Chino Hills, Calif.) stole the puck from a Quebec defender, skated to the net, side-stepped to the left side and slid the puck under Guesse at 6:13.

At the half-way point of the second period, John Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa.) replaced McNeely in net for the U.S., while Guesse gave way to Jeffrey Noonan for Quebec. Jean-Francois Leblanc cut Quebec's deficit in half when he chipped in a rebound past Gibson at 13:05 for a power-play goal. Samuel Henley made it 4-3 for Quebec with just 4:00 to play in the period after converting on a rebound from the left side.

Team USA padded its lead with two goals late in the third period. Robbie Russo (Westmont, Ill.) one-timed a blast from the center point for a power-play marker at 14:12. Grimaldi hunted down the puck deep in the Quebec zone and fed Reid Boucher (Grand Ledge, Ill.) who lifted it past Noonan with just 2:25 remaining in regulation to ice the 6-3 victory.

The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, the premier event for the under-17 age group, runs from Dec. 29, 2009 - Jan. 4, 2010 in Timmins, Ont. In addition to the United States, the event includes five Canadian regional teams (Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Pacific and West), as well as the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden.

Team USA opens tournament play tomorrow against Canada-Atlantic Tuesday at 2 p.m. EST in Timmins. A live webcast of the game will be available on FASTHockey.com. It is Team USA's only scheduled webcast for the tournament. For more information, visit FASTHockey.com

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

Canada moves to 2-0

Press Release

SASKATOON – Canada had no problem checking another opponent off its U20 holiday list, sailing to a 6-0 win against Switzerland.

Once again, the Swiss goaltender Benjamin Conz put on a good show, but the Swiss defence could do little to keep up with the Canadian attack. Compounding the Swiss problems was the lack of offensive action as they went scoreless for the second straight game and were out-shot more than three to one.

Early on, it looked like it would be another lopsided Canadian victory, à la Latvia, after Brandon McMillan scored on the opening shift. The score doubled midway through the period just moments after Switzerland hit the post on the other end. Alex Pietrangelo put in a wrist shot from the slot for the 2-0 lead.

The Swiss faltered badly to open the second period letting in three Canadian goals in a three-minute span. Jordan Eberle and Nazem Kadri scored just 20 seconds apart to set the tone for the period. McMillan followed up with the 5-0 goal just over two minutes later, prompting Swiss head coach Jakob Kölliker to call a timeout to calm down his team.

The tactic worked as Switzerland held Canada scoreless through the second half of game until McMillan tapped in his hat trick tally in the last minute to bring the final to 6-0. Despite the later stall in its offence, Canada still has a mighty 22 goals in its first two games. Jake Allen earned his second shutout in net, although he has faced fewer than 30 shots during the tournament.

After two losses in two days, Switzerland has the day off tomorrow before playing key games against Slovakia and Latvia in a bid to avoid the relegation round. Undefeated Canada returns to action tomorrow against the Slovaks.

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

Bobkov shutsout Finland

Press Release

REGINA – Opportunistic Russia beat Finland 2-0 in Monday's lone Regina game to set up a showdown with unbeaten Sweden for first place in Group B on Tuesday. Goalie Igor Bobkov shone as Russia was outshot 46-17.

Captain Nikita Filatov led the Russian attack with a goal and an assist. Petr Khokhriakov also scored for the Russians.

Bobkov, playing just his second World Junior game, did well at the 2009 World U18 tourney, posting a 92.7 save percentage in six appearances. Here, he did everything right, stopping shots through traffic and demonstrating great rebound control.

"It was a hard game," said Bobkov. "Against Austria it wasn't this tough. But I wasn't surprised by how hard Finland came at us. They like to play a fast game."

Looking ahead to Sweden, Filatov said: "They've got a perfect goaltender and great defence. They're scoring so many goals right now. Against them, we can't take so many penalties and make so many mistakes on defence. Of course, everybody hopes Bobkov will make 65 saves, probably [smiles], but we can't make him so tired. We need to play a better game."

Unlike the Finns' dramatic 4-3 opening win over the Czechs, they couldn't muster a comeback here. Although the Finns have fired more than 40 shots on goal in each game, the only player with at least two points so far is defenceman Sami Vatanen. Aces like Mikael Granlund and Toni Rajala remain goalless.

Finnish coach Hannu Jortikka wasn't happy. "We have a problem in Finnish hockey that we don’t have enough goal scorers," he said. "We have a young team that doesn’t have enough players that are strong enough in front of the net. Today that was a big problem. The rink is also different here than in Europe, which means that we need more pressure in front of the net."

The game got off to a high-tempo, relatively physical start. At 6:51, Russia opened the scoring when Filatov dished a beautiful backhand pass on the rush to Khokhriakov, who tipped it past Joni Ortio. The Finnish netminder had some work to do in the first period, foiling two breakaway attempts. But it was his opposing counterpart who would have to sweat.

Mid-period, the Finns peppered Bobkov with a delayed penalty coming up to Anton Klementyev and during the subsequent power play. But they couldn't break through, a pattern they repeated at the end of the period when Nikita Pivtsakin was penalized.

The Finns came out aggressively in the second period, buzzing the Russian net and hemming their opponents in. Near the midway point, they'd outshot Russia by a 2-to-1 margin. Bobkov kept his team in the game.

Against the flow, Filatov scored with the man advantage to put Russia up 2-0, stepping in off the left point and beating Ortio high to the glove side at 9:16.

"Filatov scored an important goal for us," Bobkov said.

The Russians got another momentum boost when big assistant captain Yevgeni Timkin shook up Jere Sallinen with a clean open-ice hit in the Russian zone. Shortly afterwards, Timkin was shaken up himself when Jasse Ikonen ran him into the boards from behind.

A penalty parade ensued, winding up in a 4-on-3 Russian man advantage. But the Finns defended tenaciously, and Iiro Pakarinen nearly got his country on the board when he raced on in a break after coming out of the sin bin.

The Russians spent lots of time on the penalty kill, taking five straight minors at one point, but the only price they paid was physical, such as when Granlund whacked defenceman Dmitri Orlov with his stick on a third-period slapshot attempt. The Finns continued to press, but seemed to be squeezing their sticks. Pekka Jormakka missed a glorious chance at Bobkov's left post.

Finland called a late timeout and then pulled Ortio for the extra attacker during a power play with under two minutes left. But the 6-on-4 advantage went nowhere.

"If we can’t score a goal, we can’t win the hockey game," Ortio said. "We played a great game, had a lot of shots, and controlled the game. We were just not able to score."

Attendance was 5,675. A cluster of fur hat-wearing fans in old CCCP jerseys enlivened the atmosphere with chants of "Let's go, Russia!"

Finland's next game is Wednesday versus winless Austria.

Together, Finland and Russia have accounted for six of the World Junior bronze medals handed out in the 2000's (Finland 2002-04 and 2006, Russia 2008-09).

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

Bobkov shutsout Finland

Press Release

REGINA – Opportunistic Russia beat Finland 2-0 in Monday's lone Regina game to set up a showdown with unbeaten Sweden for first place in Group B on Tuesday. Goalie Igor Bobkov shone as Russia was outshot 46-17.

Captain Nikita Filatov led the Russian attack with a goal and an assist. Petr Khokhriakov also scored for the Russians.

Bobkov, playing just his second World Junior game, did well at the 2009 World U18 tourney, posting a 92.7 save percentage in six appearances. Here, he did everything right, stopping shots through traffic and demonstrating great rebound control.

"It was a hard game," said Bobkov. "Against Austria it wasn't this tough. But I wasn't surprised by how hard Finland came at us. They like to play a fast game."

Looking ahead to Sweden, Filatov said: "They've got a perfect goaltender and great defence. They're scoring so many goals right now. Against them, we can't take so many penalties and make so many mistakes on defence. Of course, everybody hopes Bobkov will make 65 saves, probably [smiles], but we can't make him so tired. We need to play a better game."

Unlike the Finns' dramatic 4-3 opening win over the Czechs, they couldn't muster a comeback here. Although the Finns have fired more than 40 shots on goal in each game, the only player with at least two points so far is defenceman Sami Vatanen. Aces like Mikael Granlund and Toni Rajala remain goalless.

Finnish coach Hannu Jortikka wasn't happy. "We have a problem in Finnish hockey that we don’t have enough goal scorers," he said. "We have a young team that doesn’t have enough players that are strong enough in front of the net. Today that was a big problem. The rink is also different here than in Europe, which means that we need more pressure in front of the net."

The game got off to a high-tempo, relatively physical start. At 6:51, Russia opened the scoring when Filatov dished a beautiful backhand pass on the rush to Khokhriakov, who tipped it past Joni Ortio. The Finnish netminder had some work to do in the first period, foiling two breakaway attempts. But it was his opposing counterpart who would have to sweat.

Mid-period, the Finns peppered Bobkov with a delayed penalty coming up to Anton Klementyev and during the subsequent power play. But they couldn't break through, a pattern they repeated at the end of the period when Nikita Pivtsakin was penalized.

The Finns came out aggressively in the second period, buzzing the Russian net and hemming their opponents in. Near the midway point, they'd outshot Russia by a 2-to-1 margin. Bobkov kept his team in the game.

Against the flow, Filatov scored with the man advantage to put Russia up 2-0, stepping in off the left point and beating Ortio high to the glove side at 9:16.

"Filatov scored an important goal for us," Bobkov said.

The Russians got another momentum boost when big assistant captain Yevgeni Timkin shook up Jere Sallinen with a clean open-ice hit in the Russian zone. Shortly afterwards, Timkin was shaken up himself when Jasse Ikonen ran him into the boards from behind.

A penalty parade ensued, winding up in a 4-on-3 Russian man advantage. But the Finns defended tenaciously, and Iiro Pakarinen nearly got his country on the board when he raced on in a break after coming out of the sin bin.

The Russians spent lots of time on the penalty kill, taking five straight minors at one point, but the only price they paid was physical, such as when Granlund whacked defenceman Dmitri Orlov with his stick on a third-period slapshot attempt. The Finns continued to press, but seemed to be squeezing their sticks. Pekka Jormakka missed a glorious chance at Bobkov's left post.

Finland called a late timeout and then pulled Ortio for the extra attacker during a power play with under two minutes left. But the 6-on-4 advantage went nowhere.

"If we can’t score a goal, we can’t win the hockey game," Ortio said. "We played a great game, had a lot of shots, and controlled the game. We were just not able to score."

Attendance was 5,675. A cluster of fur hat-wearing fans in old CCCP jerseys enlivened the atmosphere with chants of "Let's go, Russia!"

Finland's next game is Wednesday versus winless Austria.

Together, Finland and Russia have accounted for six of the World Junior bronze medals handed out in the 2000's (Finland 2002-04 and 2006, Russia 2008-09).

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

Monday, December 28, 2009

Everett and Edmonton make a trade

Press Release

Everett, WA -- Everett Silvertips Vice President / General Manager Doug Soetaert announced Monday that the Silvertips have acquired left wing Clayton Cumiskey from the Edmonton Oil Kings in exchange for right wing Cameron Abney. A native of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Cumiskey has appeared in 153 career Western Hockey League games, accumulating 51 points on 18 goals and 33 assists.

Cumiskey, 19, stands 6’0 and weighs 188 pounds. In 23 games this season, the lefthanded shooter has tallied one goal and 11 assists for 12 points along with 17 penalty minutes. He is expected to join his teammates in Everett tonight.

“We feel that we were able to acquire a player who should be able to play on our top two lines on a regular basis, which was something that we felt we needed,” Soetaert said. “We also want to thank Cameron for his contributions over the last year and a half.”

Abney, 18, is a listed player out of Aldergrove, BC. In 34 games this season, he recorded six points on three goals and three assists. He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the 3rd round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

The Silvertips return home for a New Years Eve celebration against the Saskatoon Blades at 7:05 pm on Thursday, December 31st. For ticketing information, including group rates and package information, please call (425) 252-5100 or visit www.everettsilvertips.com.


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

Celebrity Night in Saginaw

Press Release

(Saginaw, MI) Tickets remain for the Saginaw Spirit Celebrity Night, presented by Causley Trucking! Detroit Red Wing Alumni and Stanley Cup Champion Dallas Drake will be appearing on December 29, 2009 when the Spirit host the Erie Otters at 7:11 PM. The former NHL'er will be participating in a ceremonial puck drop and signing autographs for fans during the game, courtesy Causley Trucking.

"The Saginaw Spirit are honored to host Dallas Drake and are thankful to our sponsor Causley Trucking for allowing us to present another Stanley Cup Champion. Dallas was the first Red Wing Player that Captain Nicholas Lidstrom handed the Cup to for the Stanley Cup Celebration Skate," Stated Spirit President and Partner Craig Goslin, "We invite our fans to come down to the Dow Event Center on December 29 to hear a few stories from him regarding the Red Wings 07-08 Stanley Cup Championship Season."

Dallas Drake was part of the Stanley Cup winning Detroit Red Wings team that beat the Pittsburgh Penguins for the NHL title in 2008, which saw him retire shortly thereafter to cap off a career that spanned fifteen seasons and 1099 NHL hockey games. He posted a total of 177 goals and 300 assists in 1009 regular season NHL hockey games, 14 goals and 19 assists in 90 post season NHL hockey games. The Trail, British Columbia native played with the Detroit Red Wings (1992-1994; 2007-2008), the Winnipeg Jets/ Phoenix Coyotes (1994-2000) and the St. Louis Blues (2000-2007). The Red Wings, who drafted Drake into the NHL with the 116th overall pick in 1989, re-signed the gritty winger for the 2007-2008 season. Prior to the NHL Drake played four seasons in the NCAA with Northern Michigan University, helping the Wildcats win the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship in 1991.

For more information or to get your tickets for the December 29 Spirit home game, please contact the Spirit at 989-497-7747 or visit the Official Saginaw Spirit Ticket and Merchandise Store at 5789 State Street in Saginaw.

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

Slovakia bounces back

Press Release

SASKATOON – Slovakia rebounded from a tough first-day loss in convincing fashion with an 8-3 drubbing of Latvia.

Slovakia’s top line of Richard Panik, Tomas Tatar and Marek Viedensky was responsible for the bulk of the offensive output, putting in five of the Slovaks’ eight goals.

Panik scored twice in first 3:44 and then assisted on the 3-0 goal at 5:31. Things continued to go downhill for the beleaguered Latvians, who gave up another two goals before the end of the first period.

The end of the first period was also the end of the game for Latvian goalkeeper Raimond Ermics, who was replaced by Janis Kalnins. Kalnins lasted for nearly 10 minutes before he gave up his first goal when Matus Rais tipped in the puck to make it a 6-0 Slovak advantage. Tatar followed-up just over three minutes later with a five-hole goal.

Trailing 7-0, Latvia had a small moral victory when they put in a pair of goals coming 56 seconds apart. Both goals earned the underdog team a standing ovation from the enamored crowd and a hearty celebration from the players on the ice. Miks Lisbergs and Roberts Bukarts were the scorers.

But in the end, Slovakia had no problem overcoming the blip, as the teams exchanged two late period goals to bring the final to 8-3. Bukarts finished the game with two goals for Latvia, while Panik and Viedensky had four points each on the Slovakian side.

Both teams have the day off tomorrow.

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

Sweden is 2-0

Press Release

The newly promoted Austrians clicked twice with the man advantage and managed to tie it up briefly after trailing by three goals in the second period. It was a one-goal game until late in the third.

Similar to their opening 6-2 loss to Russia, the Austrians did the best they could with the little they have, relying on hard work. Sweden, meanwhile, knows it must play better if it intends to capture gold at this tournament for the first time since 1981.

"No one expected us to win all the games easily," said Swedish head coach Par Marts. "It was a good experience for the guys to be under pressure and stay calm. The mystery of sports is how to focus right and be there when you need to be. Our third period was good."

In his first World Junior start, Swedish goalie Anders Nilsson earned the win with 21 saves. Marco Wieser had 47 stops for the Austrians.

Anton Rodin scored twice for Sweden, including the late second-period winner, and had an assist. Oliver Ekman-Larsson had two goals and an assist, while Jacob Josefson added a goal and two assists. Mattias Ekholm and Andre Petersson scored singles, and Adam Larsson had two helpers.

"It was a hard game," Rodin admitted. "We didn't see them coming as hard as they did. I'm glad we won the game."

Dominique Heinrich recorded a goal and an assist for Austria, while Alexander Pallestrang and Konstantin Komarek also scored.

"I think we've got a good team this year," said Heinrich. "Maybe something will work out for us and we can stay in the [top division]."

It took just 41 seconds for Sweden to draw first blood, as Josefson notched his first of the tournament. Despite outshooting Austria 14-3 in the opening period, Tre Kronor was slow to get its offensive game going, trading stick and restraining fouls with its opponents.

The Swedes didn't click again until Ekman-Larsson stepped in from the left point on the power play and hammered a high slapper home at 18:31.

Sweden got off to another fast start in the second period. At 2:41, Rodin casually lifted a backhand over Wieser's shoulder to make it 3-0.

But then the Austrians launched their comeback bid. They got a big cheer from the Brandt Centre crowd of 5,025 when their power play cut the deficit to 3-1 at 6:54. Pallestrang's drive from the center point beat Nilsson through traffic. The Austrians managed to clog up lanes and frustrate the Swedes for most of the remaining middle frame, which was another penalty parade.

With 3:19 left in the period, Heinrich got loose in the right faceoff circle and blasted a one-timer past Nilsson to make it 3-2 with the man advantage. The crowd erupted as the Austrian captain celebrated.

The Austrians made it 3-3 on a 2-on-1 rush as Heinrich fed a sweet cross-ice pass to Komarek, who made no mistake at 18:13. Now the building was buzzing.

"We're outsiders in this tournament, and everybody wants us to win and score against the big teams," said Heinrich. "We got emotion and momentum from the crowd cheering."

Yet thanks to a nice pass from Adam Larsson, Rodin scored a critical breakaway goal with 14 seconds left in the period to put Sweden ahead again.

The blue-and-yellow squad had a glorious chance to extend its lead when Austrian defenceman Marco Zorec took a four-minute minor for high-sticking early in the third. Yet the Austrians hung tough positionally and the Swedes struggled to keep the puck in at the blueline.

With 6:27 left, Ekholm finally put the game away for Sweden, making it 5-3 with a screened wrist shot from the blueline. Petersson added a bad-angle goal with a two-man advantage, and Ekman-Larsson had one more PP goal to make it 7-3 with 38 seconds remaining.

Heinrich was Austria's Player of the Game, and Ekman-Larsson was honoured for Sweden.

"It's awesome here, so different from Austria," said Heinrich. "Everybody loves hockey."

Sweden's next game is widely expected to be a showdown for top spot in Group B, as it faces Russia on Tuesday. The Austrians take on the Czechs earlier that day.

"We need to play our game against Russia, stay focused for 60 minutes," said Rodin. "We'll need to be a lot better. We can't relax."


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

Finland holds on

Press Release

The Czechs lost 10-1 to Sweden on Day One, but against the other Nordic team, Finland, they seemed to be on track for three points as they led for 42 minutes. Yet how quickly that all evaporated. Joonas Rask scored the game-winning goal for Finland with 2:12 left, as the blue-and-white team came back after trailing 3-0.

The Czechs seemed to be the hotter team at the beginning. Although the Finns had more puck possession in the early stages, the Czechs showed more offensive flair and got Finland to take penalties.

Jasse Ikonen had sat in the sin bin for just 30 seconds when Tomas Kubalik beat Finnish goalie Joni Ortio for the first time at 12:23. The forward deflected a shot from the blue line from defenceman Vladimir Roth.

Three minutes later, Finland’s Mikael Granlund took another penalty and the Czechs scored again. Tomas Vincour, passing from behind the net, found Jan Kana, who extended the lead to 2-0.

The Czechs continued their scoring prowess in the middle frame when Roman Horak scored on a breakaway at 7:53. But anyone who assumed the Finns were done like dinner now was wrong.

The Finnish Lions got angry and started to play with greater intensity. The recipe paid off. Shortly after a scrum, the Finns finished off a quick attack with Teemu Hartikainen’s 3-1 goal at 17:13 of the second.

Early in the third stanza, everything went right for Finland as the Czechs ran into penalty trouble and Finland enjoyed a two-man advantage. Finnish defenceman Sami Vatanen, after taking a pass from goalie Ortio, encountered little resistance when he broke through the Czech defence to make it 3-2 at 3:40.

The tension increased as the end of the third period approached. The Finns put enormous pressure on Jakub Sedlacek’s goal.

At last they got the equalizer when Vatanen scored his second goal of the night on an even more spectacular rush at 54:46.

Three minutes later, Rask gave Finland the lead for good. The Finns didn’t give their opponent the chance to respond, and won their first three points of the 2010 tourney.

“I feel bad because we must win a game after leading 3-0,” Czech forward Jan Kana said. “Unfortunately we played so badly in the last period and couldn’t bring the puck away. Now we must win against Russia and Austria.”

While the Czechs are approaching the relegation round with two defeats in as many games, the three points could prove essential for Finland although it’s just the first of their four group-stage games.

“It was a great game for us. After I scored the first goal we played with more emotions and I think the Czechs were a bit tired at the end,” said Hartikainen.

The 18-year-old defenceman Sami Vatanen, who plays for JYP Jyväskylä in the Finnish top league and was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks, became the key player with his two goals.

“I just shot the puck in and I was a bit lucky when I scored the first goal. When I scored the second, I don’t know what the Czech defencemen did--they just moved away,” Vatanen said with a smile. “It was a big win for us.”

With a victory against the Czechs, the third-seeded team in the group, Finland did an important step towards the final round. And anything can happen there. “We can win the gold. That’s why we are here, of course,” said Vatanen, the 18-year-old Finnish captain.

Finland takes on Russia on Monday while the Czechs play Austria on Tuesday after a day off.

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

Campbell shutsout the Swiss

Press Release

SASKATOON, Sask. - Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.) stopped all 22 shots faced, as the U.S. National Junior Team shut out Switzerland, 3-0, in its second game of the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. The U.S. improved its overall record to 2-0-0-0, with two games remaining in the tournament's preliminary round.

"I thought we stuck to our game plan and eventually wore them down," said Dean Blais, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "Both goaltenders played extremely well. I thought Jack really made some key saves in the first period to keep the game scoreless.

Campbell started strong between the pipes, turning aside a a pair of Swiss breakaway attempts and helping Team USA kill a two-man disadvantage in the opening frame.

The U.S. grabbed a 1-0 lead six minutes into the second period on its first power play of the game. Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass./Boston College) redirected a Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich.) slap shot under Swiss goalie Benjamin Conz for his first tally of the tournament.

Team USA sealed its victory with a pair of third period goals. Matt Donovan (Edmond, Okla./Univ. of Denver) scored his second of the tournament with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining after collecting a pass from Ryan Bourque (Boxford, Mass.) and beating Conz low to the stick side. AJ Jenks' (Wolverine Lake, Mich.) tally four minutes later completed the scoring.

Next action for Team USA comes Tuesday (Dec. 29) at 3 p.m. CST against Latvia. The game can be seen live in the U.S. on the NHL Network. It will also be streamed live in the U.S. on FASTHockey.com.

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

Sunday, December 27, 2009

OHL gives to charity

Press Release

Ontario Hockey League fans are clearly in a giving mood this holiday season.

As has become tradition in the OHL during the past several years, many teams host a Teddy Bear Toss game before Christmas where OHL fans have the opportunity to donate a new or gently used stuffed toy to various charities during the holiday season.

The Kitchener Rangers were the first team in the OHL to host a Teddy Bear Toss 15 years ago and they brought in a record number of bears for their annual event on Tuesday against the Guelph Storm.

This season, Rangers' fans littered the ice with 6,831 Teddy Bears after Jason Akeson scored the Rangers' first goal of the game - at 12:13 of the opening period.

The Rangers have brought in more than 5,000 bears in each of the past eight seasons and topped the previous record of 6,528 bears brought in last year. They have collected a total of 68,043 bears that are distributed in their community.

The London Knights hosted their Teddy Bear Toss game last Friday and received 8,232 bears that were donated in support of the Salvation Army.

All 20 OHL clubs hosted a fundraising event with their fans to help support local charities this holiday season.

This season more than 50,000 stuffed toys were collected by OHL teams.

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

WHL and FSN reaches a deal

Press Release

Calgary, AB. - The Western Hockey League (WHL) and FSN Northwest today announced a new multi-year broadcast agreement that will see FSN Northwest serve as the WHL’s exclusive Pacific Northwest cable broadcast home starting with the current 2009-10 season through to the 2011-12 WHL season. FSN Northwest will broadcast a minimum of 10 WHL regular season games each year on their cable network.

The WHL on FSN Northwest broadcasts will bring LIVE WHL action into 3.4 million homes across five U.S. states including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. The premier developmental League in Western Canada and the Northwest United States, the Western Hockey League will once again showcase the top rated NHL prospects throughout the season.

The 2009-10 WHL on FSN Broadcast schedule will feature all five WHL U.S. based Clubs: Everett Silvertips, Portland Winterhawks, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans. The 2009-10 WHL on FSN television broadcast schedule begins Friday, January 8th as the Seattle Thunderbirds host WHL U.S. Division rivals the Everett Silvertips at the ShoWare Center in Kent, WA.

“Our new multi-year agreement with FSN Northwest is another indication of the tremendous growth the WHL is experiencing in the U.S. Pacific Northwest market,” comment WHL Commissioner Ron Robison, “We look forward to showcasing our five U.S. based Clubs and the world’s finest junior hockey talent to FSN audiences through the Western United States.”

“We are proud to be able to bring the excitement of the WHL to all of our viewers across FSN Northwest’s five-state region,” stated Mark Jorgensen, Vice President/Station Manager of FSN Northwest. “The feedback we received from fans last season was tremendous, and we look forward to our enhanced partnership with the WHL for years to come.”

2009-10 WHL on FSN Northwest Broadcast Schedule

Game

Date

Away



Home

Time
1

Friday, January 08, 2010

Everett

@

Seattle

9:30pm PT
*2

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Portland

@

Kamloops

7:00pm PT
*3

Friday, January 15, 2010

Everett

@

Chilliwack

7:00pm PT
4

Friday, January 22, 2010

Everett

@

Portland

7:30pm PT
5

Friday, January 29, 2010

Seattle

@

Spokane

7:00pm PT
6

Friday, February 05, 2010

Seattle

@

Portland

7:30pm PT
7

Friday, February 12, 2010

Spokane

@

Everett

7:30pm PT
8

Friday, February 19, 2010

Everett

@

Tri-City

7:00pm PT
*9

Friday, March 05, 2010

Seattle

@

Kelowna

7:00pm PT
10

Friday, March 12, 2010

Tri-City

@

Spokane

11:00pm PT

* To also be broadcast in Western Canada on SHAW Cable

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

Sweden crushes Czech Republic

Press Release

REGINA – A four-goal first-period outburst lifted Sweden to a 10-1 thrashing of the Czech Republic in the opening game of the 2010 IIHF World U20 Championship.

The Group B tilt, played in front of 5,191 fans at the Brandt Centre, had considerably less intrigue than a thriller by Stieg Larsson or Henning Mankell, but it unmistakably validated Sweden as a championship contender. And talk about a balanced attack: 14 different Swedish players recorded at least one point.

Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson led the way with a goal and four assists, while Andre Petersson, Tim Erixon, and Anton Rodin added a goal and two assists apiece. Anton Lander tallied twice, and Mattias Tedenby, Carl Klingberg, Jacob Silfverberg, and Adam Larsson also scored for Sweden.

"We're really thrilled to win 10-1, obviously," said Pääjärvi-Svensson. "We played some good hockey in the first and third. Our second wasn't that good, but we had good puck control."

Jan Kana replied for the Czech Republic, which dressed just 17 skaters and was clearly outmatched.

Sweden's Jacob Markström, who earned Best Goalie honours at last year's tournament in Ottawa, faced 21 shots in the win. His teammates fired 46 shots at hapless Czech starter Jakub Sedlacek and his eventual replacement, Pavel Francouz.

The best Czech chance in the early going went to Tomas Knotek, who stole the puck in the neutral zone for a breakaway but fired wide. Later, Jan Kana dinged one off the post. But close wasn't going to cut it against the powerful Tre Kronor squad, seeking gold this year after settling for silver in 2008 and 2009.

At 7:42, Petersson opened the scoring for the Swedes, cutting down the left side past the Czech defence before tucking a forehand past Sedlacek.

The Swedes jumped into a 2-0 lead at 15:20, as Oliver Ekman-Larsson pinched in smartly to feed Rodin at the bottom of the right faceoff circle. Just over two minutes later, they made it 3-0 when Tedenby jammed the puck in during a goal-mouth scramble.

Sweden went up by four goals in the final minute of the first when Anton Lander converted a sweet cross-ice pass from Petersson, falling to his knees as he did so. That was the end of Sedlacek, as Czech coach Jaromir Sindel yanked him in favour of Francouz.

"It was very difficult to play after the first period," said Sindel. "Sweden led 4-0 because it’s a very strong team with high-quality players. We had an unlucky beginning, and Sweden was so much better on the offence. I'm sad about the score because we expected a better game from our side."

Tre Kronor continued to pour it on in the second period. At 2:34, Pääjärvi-Svensson hammered a power-play one-timer through Francouz's legs.

The Czechs finally got on the board at 5:01 with some good puck movement on the man advantage, Kana doing the damage. But the Swedes replied 21 seconds later, as Klingberg scored with a quick shot off a faceoff in the Czech end. As the period wore on, Sweden's superior puck possession and physical game took a toll on its opponents, who couldn't sustain the pace.

"I think we played a decent game, but we can do a lot better," said Erixon. "We made a few defensive mistakes. And I like the smaller rink, but it takes some getting used to."

Erixon increased the gap to 7-1 with a power-play drive 51 seconds into the third, and Lander made it 8-1 at the three-minute mark. Silfverberg capitalized on a Rodin set-up at 11:21. Adam Larsson, Sweden's 17-year-old blueline phenom, scored his first-ever World Junior goal on the power play to complete the slaughter.

"The whole team can be happy with the victory,"said Petersson. "We played our game. It wasn’t that easy from the start, but after the second period we were clearly the better team on the ice. I’m pretty happy with my game too."

This was Sweden's fifth straight victory over the Czechs at this level. The last time the Czech Republic beat Sweden in World Junior hockey was a 3-1 decision on December 31, 2003 in Halifax. The Czechs haven't medaled since 2005's bronze.

“We've got a new game tomorrow against Finland, and we need a win,” Kana said resignedly. “We didn't play well today. We need to take more shots. The coach told us to forget about this one and move on.”


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

Russia wins opener

Press Release

Kirill Petrov paced the Russian attack with a goal and two assists. Yevgeni Kuznetsov had two goals, and Maxim Chudinov and Dmitri Orlov also had two points apiece.

The Russians were much quicker and showed more skills, but the Austrians fought hard to avoid getting blown out. Still, Maxim Trunev opened the scoring for the Russians less than two minutes in.

Although the flow of the game was in Russia's favour, the Russians didn’t have many scoring chances. KHL sniper Nikita Filatov hit the post at 4:07 and missed the goal with another shot 30 seconds later.

At 11:38, the Austrians and the crowd at Brandt Centre celebrated the equalizer when Konstantin Komarek scored on the first power play for his team.

However, the Russians reacted with three goals before the first intermission. Maxim Chudinov and Vladimir Tarasenko scored on power plays, while Yevgeni Kuznetsov beat Austria goalkeeper Lorenz Hirn with a wrist shot into the top-right corner.

Russia maintained its three-goal lead after the second period. Kuznetsov scored his second goal of the night on a 3-on-2 rush at 6:20 of the middle frame, but Nikolaus Hartl made it 5-2 goal less than four minutes later on a breakaway, thanks to a great pass from Patrick Meier.

Hope lived on for the valiant Austrians when the Russians failed to capitalize on two two-man advantages in the third period and got into penalty trouble themselves. But the power plays didn’t work out as hoped for the Austrians, as Kirill Petrov made it 6-2 while shorthanded with eight minutes left.

“Unfortunately we were not ready at the beginning. We could keep up with the Russians later on with 5-on-5 players, but we had too many penalties,” said Austrian forward Komarek. “If we can correct that, I think we can achieve our goal – to remain in the top division.”

“It was a good game. We didn’t capitalize so much on our chances, but we won, that’s the most important thing,” Russia’s captain Nikita Filatov said after the game. “We have to improve our game a lot because we didn’t show anything special, especially in the power play.”

Austria faces Sweden on Sunday, while Russia's next game is Monday versus Finland.

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