During the holidays, families come together to celebrate the season, but for some families their loved ones must spend time in hospital, battling for their lives. The children at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah got a special treat with a visit from the Utah Grizzlies players, Head Coach Tim Branham and their mascot Grizzbee this past week. The players visited with some of the children, signing pucks and posters, handing out stuffed animals and putting a smile on many a face. The players shared in the joy as they were able to bring a little bit of light and holiday cheer to kids fighting cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
“It’s nice getting around and seeing all the kids, and wishing them a Merry Christmas. These are kids that have been dealt a tough hand and any time we can get out and do something like this and brighten their day with doing something so small, giving them a puck or a stick, it really makes our holiday a lot better too,” said Grizzlies Goaltender Ben Meisner.
The greatest gift the players gave was their time and the possibility of hope. For many, the hospital stay can be a lonely place as their families are far away as they undergo treatment. For the players, it was surprising that many of the kids weren’t from the Salt Lake City Area and didn’t have any family close so the players felt good sitting down with several of them to talk hockey and give them tickets to an upcoming game, a hope for a speedy recovery.
Buffalo has not been in the win column very much this season and it has been extra difficult to win in regulation. They were, however, able to play their game against Winnipeg and won for only the second time this season during regulation time, 4-2.
Buffalo was able to out shoot Winnipeg, something they haven’t done very often this year either. In true Sabres fashion, they allowed two goals before they could get themselves working together to score their own goals. It would take until the second period for either team to score but the Jets would get on the board first, and second. Both goals were scored by Mark Scheifele, his 5th and 6th of the season and both in the first minute of the second as well as both within 30 seconds of each other. The Sabres were just outworked at center ice and there was nothing Ryan Miller could do to stop either goal.
It would take to almost halfway through the second for Buffalo to get on the board and pull within one. Sabres Captain Steve Ott would score his 4th on the year on a nice play by all 5 members of the Sabres team. Hard work at the blue line and a nice read on a rebound lead to Ott’s goal.
The third period was all Buffalo as they would score three goals to secure the win over Winnipeg. Just under a minute into the period, Marcus Foligno would score his 4th of the season to tie the game at 2. A nice play off the board with Foligno parked in front of the net pulls Buffalo back in this game. Just two minutes later, while on the power play, Matt Moulson would deflect a shot from the point and get his 12th of the season and put Buffalo in the lead for the first time. Recalled Matt Ellis would score his first of the year to secure the win for Buffalo. Ellis has been tremendous for Buffalo’s AHL Affiliate, the Rochester Americans, but has been relatively quiet while with the Sabres, until now.
Buffalo has been unable to secure back to back wins since the middle of November but they will look to build on the momentum when Boston comes to town on Thursday. Winnipeg heads back home to play host to Florida on Friday and will look to rebound from this tough loss.
The Columbus Blue Jackets added goaltender Jeremy Smith to their roster on emergency recall from the AHL’s Springfield Falcons after Curtis McElhinney went day-to-day after a lower body injury. McElhinney has been starting for the Blue Jackets after Sergei Bobrovsky was placed on IR due to a groin injury that is expected to keep him off the ice.
Smith has a .908 save percentage in 15 games with the Falcons this season, making him second in the AHL in wins. He is currently 11-3-1 with a 2.58 goals-against-average. Before signing with Columbus this past summer, Smith spent three season with the Milwaukee Admirals. He went 54th overall to the Nashville Predators in the 2007 NHL Draft. Smith represented the United States at the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championships, and was the co-recipient of the Dave Pinkney Trophy in 2006-2007, in recognition of recording the lowest team GAA during his stint with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers. The team also captured the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions.
Smith has an AHL career record of 77-79-8, with a 2.39 GAA and a .916 SV%. Smith has eight shutouts in 143 games.
The Stockton Thunder returned home on Sunday for a late afternoon game against the rising Bakersfield Condors. The game’s ice tilted back and forth in favour of both teams, with the game tied up three times in the third period. Joey Trivino netted the game winning goal for the Thunder, overcoming the Condors 6-5. Stockton has struggled to put games away, especially in their last 5 game road trip where they came away with 3 out of a possible 10pts. Their last game against the San Francisco Bulls saw them lose in the shootout after they allowed the Bulls to score 3 unanswered. Mike Dalhuisen, who made his debut after returning from the AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers, found the back of the net to tie the game with only 2 minutes left to play in the third and force overtime play, but it would be San Francisco’s Brett Findlay who would score the shootout goal to give the Bulls the victory Saturday night over the Thunder.
The Bakersfield Condors have had the opposite trend, winning the last two games at home against the Utah Grizzles. Earlier in the week the Condors lost their top scorer Chris Collins to a call-up with the AHL Norfolk Admirals. They however have had several players step up and make offensive contributions with Gary Steffes scoring twice in the game and Ryan Little scoring his first professional goal in the contest.
The story of the night for the Thunder was the top line of Garet Hunt, Andrew Clark and Greg Miller who dominated the scoring and showcased their budding chemistry on the ice. Head Coach Rich Kromm said, “They all are pretty persistent on the puck so they force a lot of turnovers and then capitalize on them. They all compete really hard, they’ve been a good line for us.”
Both Clark and Hunt have played with one another since the end of last season. Miller was sent down from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers when Kiriil Kabanov was recalled and has been a new addition as a linemate. Miller thinks the chemistry the three have had together is pretty evident. “Over the last couple games we really fit well together. I know Clark and Hunt have played together for a while so coming in you have to find a way to help out and find your role. I think we are all reading off each other and supporting each other down low which I think has been really helpful.”
Garet Hunt is also becoming an offensive force, 2nd in goals scored behind Andrew Clark for the Thunder. He credits his linemates and the team for his recent hot streak. “It’s really credit to Andrew Clark and Miller, everybody out there. I’m just trying to find areas to be open and they are getting the passes through and I just have to bear down. There is not much to say except to credit those guys finding me in those grade A zones,” Hunt said.
Andrew Clark said that Hunt hasn’t really been known for his offensive play but that he has done a great job in learning the little things. “He is adapting to a different style of game play that he wasn’t really used to and I think with Miller coming in he’s played well. I think it took him a little bit of time to find that chemistry but I think right now we are going pretty well as a group.”
Clark himself now sits at the top of the ECHL in Rookie points, is 6th overall in points with 26 and tied for most points in a single game by an ECHL player this year (5pts in Sunday’s contest with Bakersfield).
The game itself was a mixture of sloppy play by both teams, with goals traded faster than horses, especially by the time the third period rolled around. Of the 6-5 Thunder win, Head Coach Kromm said,”I give our guys credit because they kept pushing back and battling back every time we had to. My concern is we shouldn’t have to score that many goals to win a hockey game.We have to be better defensively and learn how to get the killer instinct when we have it and then shut the other team down and not give them any opportunities. There were too many turnovers and too many high risk plays.”
The Thunder will have to tighten up defensively before taking on the league leading Ontario Reign with two games being played in Ontario Friday and Sunday and one at home Saturday night. If they can reduce the number of turnovers and keep the scoring hot streak, they should be well matched for the Reign’s fast play.
Coming into Saturday night’s game the Bentley Falcons (6-2-1 Atlantic Hockey, 7-7-1 Overall) were riding a six-game unbeaten streak and coming off a sweep of Robert Morris where they outscored the Colonials 11-3 in the two games last weekend. They rank second in points in Atlantic Hockey. Their winning streak is currently the longest in Atlantic Hockey and is the fourth longest in the nation.
The Boston University Terriers (2-4-1 Hockey East, 7-7-2 Overall) played Merrimack last weekend in a home-and-home series in which they were beaten on the road last Friday night followed by a tie on Saturday at Agganis Arena. The Terriers are ranked 10th in Hockey East.
This is the first time that Boston University and Bentley have played against each other.
As the puck dropped on the first period, it looked like the Terriers had the momentum, such as it was, as neither team was getting a lot of shots on net. However, on Bentley’s fourth shot (tying Boston for shots on goal at that moment), almost half way into the first, sophomore Derek Bacon scored with assists from Steve Weinstein and Michael Reardon. This was Bacon’s second goal of the season. And with that there was a definite momentum shift in favor of the Falcons.
The first penalty of the game didn’t come until 14:52 into the first, when Falcons Max French was called for holding. Despite their many efforts getting shots on net, the Terriers just couldn’t get one past Bentley’s net minder, senior Branden Komm. Komm has started all 15 games; including Saturday’s against the Terriers and boasts a 2.53 GAA and .924 save percentage.
As the second period got underway, the Falcons had just over a minute left on their power play from the hooking penalty called late in the first on BU’s Evan Rodrigues. The Terriers killed that off and just after that found themselves on their own power play from Falcons Andrew Gladiuk being called for hitting from behind. Unfortunately, it was the Falcons who benefitted when Terriers sophomore Ahti Oksanen turned over the puck allowing Bentley’s center, Alex Kubiak to get it to his left winger Jared Rickord for a short handed goal at just 1:40 into the period. And just four minutes later the Falcons scored their third, with Brett Switzer potting his sixth of the season, assisted by Matt Blomquist and Steve Weinstein.
At this point Terriers head coach David Quinn used his time out to try and get the team to refocus and perhaps change the momentum. As he stated post game, “We looked like a bunch of guys who had their dog shot.”
It was clear to Quinn that the frustration at that point had reached a level in which he needed to pull his team together for a little huddle. He also mentioned that he felt the players were getting a little individualistic, which in a team sport such as hockey does not usually result in a win for that team.
Despite having more shots on goal throughout the game, the Terriers were clearly struggling to solve Komm. It was unclear what their plan of attack was intended to be. Much of the Terriers play was spent going behind the net and then trying to do something with the puck from there. As Quinn pointed out after the game there were a lot of bad decisions being made on the ice by the Terriers.
Play continued with the frustration beginning to show a little as there was some shoving behind the Terriers goal after goalie Matt O’Connor gloved one. The only other penalty to be called would be against Terriers Robbie Baillargeon at 10:51 for goaltender interference, though it did look a little like a Bentley player had pushed him into the goaltender.
The third period would finally find the Terriers getting a goal, so as not to get shut out in their own barn, as Matt Lane scored a power play goal, his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Ahti Oksanen and Garrett Noonan.
Depsite throwing 43 shots on goal, the Terriers had only one goal on the evening to show for their efforts. Quinn felt that the majority of the Terriers shots, especially in the first and second periods, were to the perimeter, which he said didn’t make for quality shots. He did like that the shots in the third period appeared to get closer to the net.
In the end, Bentley would sink the dagger a little deeper with an empty net goal at 18:02 of the third to win the contest 4-1.
It was obvious post game that Quinn was not happy with the recent play of his team. He talked about the team losing the identity they had begun to find.
The Terriers are off now until January. It will be interesting to see what they bring to the ice when play resumes after the winter break.
On Friday, December 13, 2013, Hockey Canada announced the honorary captains for the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, which will be held in Toronto, Ontario and Montréal, Québec, December 26, 2014 to January 5, 2015. All four of the honorary captains did, themselves, represent Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championships during their playing careers. To those who have followed hockey for any length of time all four individuals will be recognizable.
Wendel Clark, 47, won a gold medal with Canada’s National Junior Team at the 1985 IIHF World Junior Championship in Finland. He was selected first-overall in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, with whom he played 13 of his 18 NHL seasons. He also played for the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks and the now defunct Quebec Nordiques. Clark played in two NHL All-Star Games, in 1986 and 1999. He currently works with the Maple Leafs organization as a community ambassador.
Marc Denis, 36, won two gold medals with Canada’s National Junior team in 1996 in Boston, Massachusetts, and in 1997 in Geneva, Switzerland. He was named the tournaments top goaltender in 1997, and compiled a record of 7-0-2 in his two years. He also represented Canada twice at the IIHF World Championship, in 2004 and 2006. He was a first-round draftee of the Colorado Avalanche in 1995, going 25th overall and played in 349 games during 13 NHL seasons for Colorado as well as the Colombus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens. He currently works as an analyst for RDS.
Martin Lapointe, 40, had the distinction of representing Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship on three occasions: 1991, 1992 and 1993. He won gold medals in 1991 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and captained the 1993 team to the gold medal in Gävle, Sweden. A first-round selection of the Detroit Red Wings, going 10th overall in 1991, he played in 991 career NHL games with Detroit as well as the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and the Ottawa Senators. He won two Stanley Cup championships while with Detroit in 1997 and 1998. Lapointe current serves as the director of player development for the Montréal Canadiens.
Gary Roberts, 47, won a silver medal with Canada’s National Junior team at the 1986 tournament held in Hamilton, Ontario. The Calgary Flames selected him in the first round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, where he went 12th overall. He played in 1,224 games spanning 21 NHL seasons with Calgary, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Florida Panthers, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning. While with Calgary, Roberts won the Stanley Cup in 1989. He played in three NHL All-Star Games in 1992, 1993, and 2004. Roberts was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 1996 for his perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
It is fitting that these four men who will serve as honorary captains have played for 15 of the 30 NHL teams. It shows the true talent that comes from Canada’s hockey-playing youth.
Though still a year away, ticket packages for events in both cities will go on sale to the general public at 11:30 ET on December 30, 2013. You can find complete ticket information as well as additional information on the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship by visiting www.hockeycanada.ca/2015juniors.
What does the The Steadfast Foundation and Carly’s Club at Roswell Park Cancer Institute have in common? That would be Buffalo Sabres goalie, Ryan Miller.
The Steadfast Foundation was started in 2006 by Miller, and his father Dean, as a means of coping with their own personal experience with Lukemia. Miller’s cousin Matt Shoals lost his battle with cancer in 2007 and Miller has done events since then to help patients with cancer in Buffalo, NY through Carly’s Club.
Carly’s Club is a division within a premier cancer hospital in Buffalo, Roswell Park, and they offer support programs to children and their families, including counseling, in patient kitchens, family support events, and more.
In 2007, Miller started the Catwalk for Charity and he would enlist the help of his teammates and the community and whatever funds were raised went straight to Carly’s Club. Ever year there has been a different theme for the Catwalk, including a Roaring 20s night and a Rock and Roll Night.
This year’s theme……..Cirque du Sabres. Each member of the Buffalo Sabres team would dress in costumes and walk down the Catwalk. Such costumes included a lion tamer and lion, bearded ladies, jesters, strongest man, and Siamese twins. There are also auction items to bid on which include anything from Sabres gear, winning a vacation, winning a puppy, and winning food and drink prizes. The event, which took place last night, would raise plenty of money through entrance fees and auction items and Carly’s Club was presented with a $50,000 check.
It doesn’t matter what goes on during the season on the ice for this team because they manage to come together year after year for a great cause. They are helping children cope with cancer and having fun with their fans in the process. Hopefully this trend will continue on, even if Buffalo loses Ryan Miller.
Photos from the event: (courtesy of the Catwalk for Charity Facebook Page)
I heard the awful news today that a child in my hometown’s youth hockey program was killed in a tragic snowmobile accident over the weekend.
Cale Osterhoff, 7, a Kankakee Coyote mite, is said to have adored the sport so much he asked to stick around and attend high school games of the Kankakee Irish, for whom my youngest brother now plays.
I never met him personally, or saw him play. So, nothing could be a fitting tribute.
However, I can’t stop thinking about those little hockey players. Their tiny skates, sticks, and gloves contrasted by their mighty hopes and dreams.
It doesn’t matter if they’re 60 miles south of Chicago, or in Buffalo or Winnipeg.
I’ve sat in cold rinks watching my brothers fall stumble over the ice, fall victim to the offside rules, score their first goals, celebrate their wins, and bounce back from their losses. And we’ve all mourned as our favorite teams’ seasons ended before we thought they should.
But, there’s no way to hang your head so low for a loss like this — a happy player taken from his “team” far too early.
This is heartbreaking for the entire hockey family; and so we raise and tap our sticks to the ice for you, Cale, No. 19, and we wish your loved ones and Coyote teammates strength during this very difficult time.
As all of the hockey community awaited the decision from NHL Director of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan on Saturday in regard to Boston Bruins Shawn Thornton’s match penalty from the Penguins-Bruins game of last week, it did not keep people from continuing to weigh in with their opinions – educated or otherwise. However, after a long, somewhat, dramatic pause, considering that Thornton met with Shanahan on Friday, the decision was finally released on Saturday afternoon.
And the hockey community immediately took up sides. Not surprisingly, the vocal Penguins fans were clamoring for a much lengthier suspension, while some Bruins fans felt that the length of games was extreme. This is not a question that has an answer that will please everyone.
When asked for his response, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma responded through quotes that were provided by the Penguins.
“The League made a ruling on James Neal and the play that we think we want out of the game, and I think the same thing about Shawn Thornton,” he said. “I think [he’s] a pretty honest hockey player who made a mistake, and [the League] made a ruling I think says volumes about getting that kind of play out of the game.”
One has to wonder what “kind of play” Bylsma is referencing given that Shanahan stated unequivocally that the injury to Brooks Orpik was not the result of a hockey play gone wrong. It is not likely that such an incident will happen again anytime soon with any player on any team. And that will not be a result of the number of games for which Thornton was suspended.
The Penguins General Manager, Ray Shero, addressed the media before the Penguins game Saturday night against the Detroit Red Wings. He sidestepped the question about whether he felt the number of games was fair or not. However, he likewise attested to the previously clean record of Thornton, and that regardless Thornton had to pay the consequences for his actions.
“It’s too bad with Brooks getting hurt, obviously, but at the same time, Shawn Thornton, he has been a player throughout his career, through the minors and NHL I believe has been an honest player; he’s never been suspended before, plays a tough role, and I don’t think what happened is what he intended to happen, I don’t believe that,” Shero said. “But those were the consequences and he has to live with, obviously, what the League says is appropriate in terms of a suspension.”
However, there is some recourse for Thornton should he wish to pursue it. Per the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Thornton has 48 hours to appeal the decision. Thornton released a statement Saturday afternoon through the Bruins organization.
“I am aware of today’s ruling by the NHL Department of Player Safety,” he said. “I will be consulting with the Bruins, my representation and the NHLPA about next steps, and will be in a position to address the matter publicly after speaking with those parties. Until then I will have no further comment.”
The method of appeal in this case is to first appeal to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. However, if Bettman upholds the suspension, the Collective Bargaining Agreement does allow for Thornton to take his case to a neutral discipline arbitrator should Bettman uphold a suspension of six games or more. There are some who are suggesting that Thornton’s released statement indicates he will exhaust all avenues in an attempt to get the number of games reduced.
As with most suspensions, Shanahan will never please everyone. And despite the cry for Thornton’s head on a platter among the Penguins fans on Twitter and via other social media outlets, a certain amount of recognition does need to go to the comments of Shanahan who did point out that in his 11-year history in the NHL, Thornton had never been suspended before. It was clear from Thornton’s own reaction on the ice that fateful evening that he was horrified by how serious Orpik was injured. And, agreeing to meet with the press after the game that evening, Thornton stepped up, admitting his mistake.
It is unfortunate that going forward there will be those who compare Thornton to players such as Todd Bertuzzi and Marty McSorley. It is unfortunate that going forward there will always be those claiming that he is a dirty player. And there will be those who will continue to maintain that the Boston Bruins are somehow given latitude that no other team seems to receive. To such individuals, there is nothing that will quell their thirst for vitriolic demands nor convince them that they may be wrong in regard to anything they post online, as they hide behind the anonymity of their keyboard or Smartphone.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have won four of their last five games, to the delight and vindication–and yeah, probably slight surprise–of their fans, who had likely resigned themselves to a season full of Jekyll and Hyde. Certainly the first half of CBJ’s season soared to a few stunning highs and sunk to some pretty dark lows. (We’re still not talking about Edmonton. It will always be too soon.)
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about a team like Columbus is that the potential is there. The potential always feels like it’s about to explode. When they play a cohesive game–a game which balances their defensemen and forwards, rather than pitting them all against one another in front of the net–the Blue Jackets can take on anybody. They played beautifully (for the most part; no one ever accused CBJ of consistency) against Pittsburgh, who is first in their division and fourth overall, and thoroughly handled the Wild with a 4-0 shut out. When the boys are good, they’re good.
And lately, they’ve been good for most, if not all, of every game. They’ve managed to claw their way up to fourth in the Metropolitan division. They have the 9th best power play in the league. Ryan Johansen is on a seven-game point streak, Matt Calvert has been tearing it up since returning from his injury, and Cam Atkinson and Brandon Dubinsky consistently get to the net and put the puck where it needs to go.
Is there something to be said for the alchemy of momentum that CBJ has picked up while winning 4 of their last 5 battles? Of course. Winning can make it easier to win. But you can see the difference in game play. They’re not slower, but they’re less rushed. They haven’t quite worked out the transition between defense to offense but at least there is an obvious transition that’s taking place, even if the kinks have yet to be massaged out. Their shots on goal have skyrocketed, which is particularly excellent since statistics (and logic) show that the team that shoots the most scores the most, regardless of shot quality. Ovechkin has 26 goals this season, but he’s also had 156 shots on goal, which is 23 more than the next-highest SOG.
The point is, we’re on an upswing. It’s hard to say whether a CBJ that wins is Jekyll or Hyde in this metaphor, but whoever it is, let’s hope he’s here to stay.
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