Former Gopher defenseman Chris McAlpine has signed with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks for the remainder of the season.  McAlpine, 33, has not played since the 2002-03 season, when he played in Los Angeles for the Kings before hernia surgery ended his season.  He signed with the Minnesota Wild prior to the 2003-2004 season but after an unsuccessful training camp and being assigned to the AHL Houston Aeros McAlpine decided to hang up the skates instead.  He has had numerous offers to return to the professional ranks before but no word on what made him decide to accept this one.  He joins former Gopher Casey Hankinson on the Ducks' roster.  He was a +2 with three shots on net as the Ducks defeated the Milwaukee Admirals 7-0 Saturday night.

Matt Koalska had his first two-goal game as a professional Saturday night when he scored two consecutive goals to tie the Bridgeport Sound Tigers with the Hartford Wolf Pack 2-2 to send the game into overtime.  He had numerous chances for the natural hat trick but was denied by Pack goaltender Steve Valiquette.  Koalska has scored four goals in the last two weeks for the Tigers and his line has been consistently the best for Bridgeport.

Goaltender Adam Hauser and his wife are expecting their first child.  Hauser and the Manchester Monarchs are cruising into the AHL playoffs as the Atlantic Division leaders with one of the best offenses in the league, and backstopped by Hauser and his goaltending partner Mathieu Garon.

Something you don't see every day is a Gopher donning a different NCAA sweater but that's what several members of the Manchester Monarchs did recently as part of a promotion.  Mike Cammalleri, from the University of Michigan and Adam Hauser from the Gophers wore University of New Hampshire jerseys at the Monarchs' retro Hockey Legends night in early March.

While his younger brother Ryan was playing against Cornell, going to overtime, Grant Potulny's Binghamton Senators were facing off against the Norfolk Admirals, and their game also went into overtime and a shootout.  So big brother didn't have the opportunity to see Ryan help set up Barry Tallackson's game-winner, but I'm sure he'll here all about it as soon as he turns on his cell phone.

Justin Eddy is 3-1-0 with a 2.47 goals-against average, allowing 10 goals on 105 shots, in his last four starts for the South Carolina Stingrays.

Gwinnett Gladiator Adam Berkhoel is 1-3-0 in his last four starts, despite a 1.51 goals-against average.
 
David Lundbohm has been placed on injured reserve for the Florida Everblades.

Thomas Vanek scored on a penalty shot for the Rochester Americans Friday night.  It was the only goal the Amerks would score as they fell to the Hershey Bears 6-1, and Vanek's 31st of the year.  Josh Olson had a goal for the Bears.
 
Voting for a Rochester American bobblehead doll is being taken on the website, Vanek is one of the nominees.  Go here to vote: www.amerks.com

St. Paul Pioneer Press columnist Bob Sansavere was fined $20 by the University of Minnesota Men's Hockey team for walking on the 'M' in the center of their dressing room.  Sansavere paid the fine.

The St. Thomas Tommies were trounced 5-0 by Middlebury College in the Division III NCAA Championships.  It is the 7th title win for Middlebury, they have never lost a Chamionship game.

Mark Hartigan scored two goals and assisted on another as his Syracuse Crunch topped Cleveland 4-3 on Friday.

The San Diego Gulls’ Brian Gornick has two goals and three assists in his last three games.

Matt DeMarchi had the first assist on the only goal scored as the Albany River Rats defeated the Springfield Falcons 1-0 Saturday night.  The Rats, despite having Zach Parise amongst the leaders in rookie scoring, have mathematically been eliminated from the Calder Cup playoff contention.  Parise left immediately for Worcester following the game, to go see his brother Jordan play for his alma mater North Dakota in the NCAA Regional tournament.

DeMarchi recently got into a scuffle with teammate Alexander Suglobov during practice that had to be broken up by head coach Robbie Ftorek.  No word on the cause of the dispute.

Parise was named the 'Most Exciting' player by the Albany River Rats Booster Club this season.   Look for him to possibly be invited to participate in the IIHF World Championships in Austria this spring once the regular season ends for the Rats.


Quick Kudos:

To Cornell University fans and band, 'The Lynah Faithful' as they are known.  Not only did they travel en mass to Mariucci Arena to support their Big Red hockey team but they were vocal and creative in that support.  They had to wait until late in the second period to celebrate a goal and when they did they let the Ohio State goaltender have it with a 'Sieve' chant followed by a cheer of, 'Its all your fault!"  It seems their support willed Cornell to the victory against Ohio.  For only taking up a portion of Section Two they made it feel like a decided home-ice advantage for their boys in red.  They represented their team well on Sunday as well.  Who doesn't love a good battle of the bands? They are as good as college hockey fans get, despite a small dispute with University of Minnesota Police.
 

Breaking News:
Hirsch & Goligoski Out vs. Maine

Gopher Head Coach Don Lucia confirmed in a press conference today that Forward Tyler Hirsch and Defensemen Alex Goligoski will not play in tomorrow's NCAA West Regional game against Maine.  Goligoski is not expected to play at all this weekend while Lucia listed Hirsch as 'day-to-day.' 
 
Discussing the status of Goligoski Lucia said " I don't think he's going to be ready.  Obviously he's still sore and swollen.  We're better off with a healthy defensemen in our lineup."
 
PJ Atherton will take Goligoski's place on the Gopher blueline Saturday.  "I've known since last weekend that there was a possibility (I would play), I'm excited that I can get in there and do my part," said the junior defenseman Atherton.
 
"PJ's played well for us," added Lucia.
 
Lucia also said 'I have decided on a goaltender but I'm not going to reveal it."
 
Neither Justin Johnson nor Kellen Briggs had been informed who was starting in net when they spoke with the media following practice.
 
Said Briggs of the uncertainty, "I think that we both just taking it as we're starting, that's how you have to play.  I'm sure JJ's taking it the same way.  It doesn't really matter who plays they're going to have to play (well)."
 
"I've been preparing all with its just the go ahead to do it or not. I'm going to prepare to play the game, and I know Kellen's going to do the same," said senior netminder Johnson.
 
"We're excited to be back in the NCAA tournament" said Lucia.  "We certainly have a marquee matchup with Maine and Minnesota, two programs that have certainly been among the elite in NCAA competition in the last 12 years."


Quick Facts:

Minnesota players expected to be named to the Team USA roster for the World Championships include Jason Blake, David Tanabe, Mark Parrish, Jordan Leopold and Paul Martin.  Don't rule out Zach Parise as a late addition should the Albany River Rats be eliminated from the Calder Cup playoffs.

The Canadian Press has stated that NHL Entry Draft is expected to be canceled this week.

Matt Koalska scored his third goal of the season for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last week.  He barreled down the slot to tap home the rebound of a Steve Regier shot to put the Tigers up 1-0 in the first.  The Tigers went on to beat the Binghamton Senators 4-3 in a shootout.  The game marked the return of Grant Potluny who has been out almost two months following surgery to repair a sports hernia. (some info from Bridgeport Sound Tigers)

A week later Koalska scored an unassisted goal at Nassau Collesium, home of the parent New York Islanders, Wednesday night.  Koalska skated in alone from the blueline and deked around goaltender Adam Munro for the score.  The Tigers were tied with the Norfolk Admirals but two third period goals by former Badger Rene Bourque put the Ads up 3-2.  The Tigers appeared to have scored to tie the game but the referee ruled the puck was kicked into the net.  In the ensuing face-off the Admirals scored an empty net goal sealing the 4-2 victory.  Koalska, under contract to the Islanders, played well in front of NY management despite the loss.

The Worcester Ice Cats with Troy Riddle and Mark Stuart are headed to a 4-game 16-day road trip.  They have only 7 games left in Worcester, the team is being relocated to Peoria next year.
 
With several NCAA players on the Tigers roster including head coach Greg Cronin and forward Barrett Heisten from Maine, Ryan Caldwell and Wade Dubielewicz and Ryan Caldwell from Denver and Matt Koalska and Ryan Kraft from Minnesota, there was a lot of trash talking on the bus rides Friday and Saturday nights when scores of the conference tournaments were announced.

Former Minnesota Moose enforcer Dave Morissette has written a book detailing his own abuse of steroids and stimulants in an effort to reach the NHL.  Morissette suffered multiple injuries, to which he attributes to his abuse of drugs.  He also speculates that his best friend and former Moose All Star Stephane Morin, who died of heart failure while playing in Germany at age 28, may have been due to stimulant abuse.

Former North Dakota defenseman David Hale recently returned to the Albany River Rats lineup after missing most of the season with a flare-up of a kidney ailment that sidelined him during his days with the Sioux as well.  Hale missed 47 consecutive games this year.  Matt DeMarchi has been in and out for the Rats with injuries so the return of Hale bolsters the Albany blueline.

A film crew from Austria was recently in Rochester, NY to do a feature on Thomas Vanek, they left the day before Vanek scored his first career hat trick as a professional.  Vanek has helped pace the Americans to what will be a franchise record regular season.  After a difficult start they have a 48-11-4-6 record.  Vanek last week became the first Amerks rookie to score 30 goals in his first season in more than 12 years  (Scott Young was the last) . He has 8 goals, and 5 assists and during a seven-game point streak and leads all AHL rookies in goals.

Keith Ballard has taken off the protective boot and despite continued soreness and pain, hopes to return to the Utah Grizzlies lineup soon.  He suffered a high ankle sprain just over a week ago.  He recently bought a home near former teammate Paul Martin in Northeast Minneapolis.

The American Hockey League and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association unveiled the 2005 AHL All-Stars trading card set, a 48-card collection featuring the participants from last month’s 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic. The set, manufactured by Choice SportsCards of Aston, Pa., features action photos and career statistics and is a limited-edition series, just 1,000 sets. Featured in the set are Keith Ballard, Zach Parise and Brandon Bochenski. (some info from AHL)

Reigning European Cup champion Avangard Omsk tied their quarter-final series against Metallurg Magnitogorsk after trailing 2-0 in the series. Former Minnesota Wild forward Maxim Sushinsky had one goal and three assists while Rangers star Jaromir Jagr scored one goal and added two assists as Avangard won 4-2. The decisive Game 5 is in Magnitogorsk on Thursday.  Ak Bars, which features and NHL payroll and roster of players, was knocked out of the playoffs by Lokomotiv Yaroslav.

Hobey Baker winner Chris Marinucci was to play in Norway, where he won a championship last year, but when the season was to begin decided that he would rather be home with his children and chose to hang up the skates and retire from professional hockey.  His former team Vålerenga won the championship again this year.  Marinucci has championships at virtually every level of professional hockey including his time in Japan, Norway and two North American minor leagues.  He scored the Turner-Cup winning goal for the Chicago Wolves in 1996.

Chris Kenady scored his eighth game-winning goal in the Ice Dogs 4-3 win over Bakersfield on Tuesday.

Adam Berkhoel stopped 28 shots for his second shutout in Gwinnett's 5-0 win at Fresno on Tuesday.

Erik Westrum earned an assist Wednesday night,in their 5-2 loss to the Houston Aeros.  Westrum is the Grizzlies leading goal scorer. 

Pat O'Leary got the better of his former teammate Joey Martin's Toledo Storm Tuesday night, scoring a goal and assist as his Reading Royals earned the win 6-4.

Former St. Cloud State Husky Steve Martinson took over the bench of the Rockford IceHogs this season and has lead them to their best season ever.  The Hogs are now in first place of the UHL’s Western Division.


Quick Quotes:

"Their line was the best line on the ice the whole game for us. They attacked with speed at the offensive blue line, and that gave them possession down low. They were fun to watch."

- Bridgeport Sound Tigers' Head Coach Greg Cronin on a the Steve Regier, Barrett Heisten, Matt Koalska line after their game last Wednesday. (Connecticut Post)

"He's a guy who's not afraid to get his nose dirty."

- Rochester Americans head coach Rany Cunneyworth on Thomas Vanek (Democrayt & Chronicle)

"You have to give them credit, they're out of the playoffs and they're still working hard. We had too many guys who didn't expect that."

- Thomas Vanek on Zach Parise and the Albany River Rats playing a tough game against Rochester last week.  Coach Cunneyworth, after benching Vanek early in the season to send a wake-up message, was impressed with that answer.  Great answers.  Any time you can throw it back at them says a lot about your character." (Democrat & Chronicle).

Keith Ballard missed his first game of the season Saturday after suffering a high ankle sprain during the Grizzlies' 4-2 loss to the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.  Ballard will have X-rays and be reevaluated by doctors on Monday.  The Grizzlies won Saturday's rematch with the Ducks, scoring on all four shootout goals, including a tally by Erik Westrum.

Ken Gernander has been moved to the Hartford Wolf Pack blueline temporarily to fill in for several injured teammates, including Jake Taylor and Bryce Lampman.  Lampman was out with a shoulder injury but returned to play this weekend.  Taylor is still out.

Thomas Vanek may do a double take when he takes to the ice in Buffalo next week.  His Rochester Americans will play two games at the HSBC arena but in a temporary experiment, the ice surface will be painted blue in an effort to combat the glare associated with the white ice surface during telecasts on regular and especially HDTV.  With the blue surface the markings also change, the end line, faceoff circles and goal creases will be orange, with the center red line painted dark blue..  The games will be played on the blue surface at HSBC March 20th and April 3rd and will be sponsored by Labatt's.

Troy Riddle scored three goals for the Worcester Ice Cats on Friday.  Unfortunately only two counted as one was disallowed when teammate King was called for holding while Riddle was scoring. Riddle opened the scoring at 6:45 of the first period.  The Cats won the game 6-5.

Jake Riddle scored a goal the same night as big brother was lighting it up, tallying a goal for his Peoria Rivermen against the Toledo Storm Friday night.  The younger Riddle has 7 goals and 11 assists for the Rivermen in 28 games since being traded from the Wheeling Nailers.  Jake missed several weeks with a hand injury that required surgery.  The game pitted Riddle against Joey Martin, his roomate during the summer of 2003, who was making his Storm debut after being traded from the Greenville Grrrowl.
 
Justin Maiser was recalled from the Peoria Rivermen to the Worcester Ice Cats.

Matt Koalska set up the game-winning goal for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Sunday on a nifty behind the net feed to Cole Jarrett to give the Tigers the 2-1 victory.  It was Koalska's first helper since last fall, having missed several weeks due to foot and knee injuries.  He had a powerplay goal two weeks ago for the Tigers.

Former Badger goalie Kirk Daubenspeck is 9-4-1 with a 1.69 GAA, .949 save percentage and three shutouts in 14 games since signing Feb. 5 with the Portland Pirates out of the ECHL.  Daubenspeck replaced Apple Valley's Justin Eddy in net for the Pirates.  Eddy was reassigned to the South Carolina Stingrays where he plays with former Wild forward Jeremy Stevenson.  Wednesday was Kirk Daubenspeck bobble head night in South Carolina.

Mark Hartigan has 8 goals in his last 8 games for the Syracuse Crunch.

Former Wild forward Hnat Domenicelli has been loaned to EHC-Basel from HC-Ambri Piotta in Switzerland.

Ryan Malone has transferred from AS Renon in Italy to HC Ambri-Piotti in Switzerland.

Craig Johnson and the Hamburg Freezers secured a spot in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga playoffs.  They fired head coach Dave King after becoming in jeopardy of missing the cut just over a week ago.

Geno Parrish has returned to the US, leaving EHC Frieburg and signing with the UHL Danbury Trashers, who are affiliated with the NY Islanders.

Wild prospect Mikko Koivu celebrated his 22nd birthday Wednesday with two goals and an assist in Houston's 8-0 thrashing of the San Antonio Rampage.  The Rampage have liquidated all top talent from their team in order to give the prospects an opportunity to play in the playoffs.

Jeff Panzer has been loaned to the Grand Rapids Griffins, traded in exchanged for Nathan Robinson.  The former North Dakota standout was claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets from the St. Louis Blues in September but had been a disappointment in Syracuse. Panzer made his debut with the Griffins Friday, going even on two shots as the Griffins beat the Moose 3-2 in overtime. He was +1 with two shots in Saturday's 4-1 victory for Grand Rapids.

Milwaukee Admirals Assistant Coach Todd Richards picked the shooters in Saturday night's shootout against the Cleveland Barons.  Fellow Gopher Wyatt Smith was given the nod by Richards and scored with Jordin Tootoo to secure the Ads' first shootout victory of the season in four attempts, winning the game 4-3.  Smith needs just nine points to surpass his career-high total of 52 scored during the 2002-2003 season with the Admirals and Predators.

Former Gopher Joey Martin was traded Wednesday from the Greenville Grrrowl to the Toledo Storm.  Martin was included as a mandatory part of a trade for the ECHL's second leading scorer Carl Mallette.  The team was in need of a hard-nosed blueliner to clear the crease and the Storm saw Rogers native Martin as a perfect fit.  Martin has one assist in 30 games this season.  He was close to scoring last weekend against Charlotte, having several whacks at the goalmouth stoned by the Checkers' goalie.

Former NHL coach Dave King was fired as head coach of the Hamburg Freezers.  Hamburg has lost three straight games and five of their last seven games and is clinging to a playoff spot despite Craig Johnson being one of the leading scorers in the league.  Johnson is 17th in the DEL with 19 goals and 25 assists in 45 games.  Former Wild player Jim Dowd reportedly left the team due to a dispute with King.

The Grrowl acquired Tom Reimann from the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies to replace Martin on the blueline.

Dan Welch was recalled from the ECHL Reading Royals to the AHL Manchester Monarchs.

It is expected that the One-Millionth WCHA Final Five Fan will pass through the gates of the Xcel Energy Center during this year's championship. Over the past 17 years, the WCHA Final Five has drawn 939,036 fans. The One-Millionth WCHA Final Five Fan will win a full-tournament ticket package for the 2006 WCHA Final Five, a jersey from each team competing in the 2005 Red Baron WCHA Final Five, and a trip to the 2006 NCAA Frozen Four in Milwaukee, Wisc. (wcha.collegesports.com)

Don't think that several of the former NHL players and locked out NHL players in the Twin Cities haven't received offers to play in minor leagues like the UHL.


Quick Quotes:

"It's kind of cool, actually. It doesn't affect my game.''

- Thomas Vanek on the Rochester Americans playing on a blue ice surface in Buffalo.(AP)

"I had an open net, I just didn't make the play.  It's my fault."

- Thomas Vanek on a missed third period shot in the Rochester Americans' 4-3 overtime loss to the Binghamton Senators Wednesday.  Vanek had five shots on goal. (Democrat & Chronicle)

"When a line starts gelling and coming together, it's fun out there.  Every shift it feels like you can score a goal."

- Mark Hartigan on his linemates who include former Husky teammate Joe Motzko. (Post Standard)

"We took it to them last weekend and we knew they were going to come out hard. We just wanted to steal the second and third and we did. We just didn't get it done at the end."

- Jake Riddle on his Peoria Rivermen's loss to the Toledo Storm Friday night.  (Journal Star)

"I am thrilled to be able to add him to our roster here in our push for a playoff spot. We play in a small arena, and with Joey I can rely on a physical hard nosed defenseman who can take care of things in his own end. On top of that, he makes a good first pass, and can skate very well for his size. I was able to watch him play in the Frozen Four a few years ago in Buffalo, and instantly thought that he would make a good fit as a pro player, with tremendous upside."

- Toledo Storm Head Coach and Director of Player Personnel Nick Vitucci , a former professional goaltender, on acquiring former Gopher Joey Martin in a trade with the Greenville Grrrowl.  Vitucci insisted that Martin be included in the 7-player trade.

"We definitely wanted him to be a big part of us.  The problem was we had to make a move, and the team involved only wanted Joey.  We had to give up quality to get quality.  It was a tough decision, but we felt we made our team better.  We thought the world of Joe on and off the ice, so this was a very tough decision.  Joey will be fine wherever he is."

- Greenville Grrrowl General Manager Ryan Stewart on trading Joey Martin to the Toledo Storm.
 


Quick Take:

“It’s tough going onto the ice when you’re almost crying on the bench. It was a tough game to play. It was kind of an emotional game. It was definitely emotional seeing that uniform." Carolina Hurricanes' center Jeff O'Neill after playing in a fall 1999 game in which the team honored former teammate Steve Chiasson who was killed in an automobile accident the past spring resulting from Chiasson driving while intoxicated. 

Now O'Neill has been charged with drunk driving.  According to the Associated Press report the 29-year-old O'Neill was arrested just after 1 a.m. near his home in Raleigh. He was also charged with failing to stop for a stop sign and transporting an open container of alcohol.

This is O'Neill's second such offense.  He was charged in 1998 but found not guilty.

How O'Neill could make such a gross error in judgement after seeing what happened to his friend and teammate only a short time ago is unfathomable.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 17,013 people were killed by drunk drivers on US roads in 2003.  The Canes forward can only be thankful that he did not add to that statistic through his more than irresponsible behavior.

Ordinarily the NHL would be involved when one of their players is involved in such an incident but the lockout complicates things and may also take away some avenues of support that may be necessary for O'Neill to deal with this issue. 

Thank goodness he has no wife or children at home to disappoint.  Hopefully his brothers and father will help him through this and help him understand the gravity of his actions.  Hopefully  he will realize how lucky he was that he was pulled over instead of his family and teammates having to witness another memorial before a Hurricanes game.  (quote from CP)

Former Badger goalie Kirk Daubenspeck, recently signed to an AHL contract, was named ECHL Alumnus of the Month for February.  Daubenspeck was 6-3-1 with two shutouts, a goals-against average of 1.68 and a save percentage of .950 in 10 games with Portland in February, helping the Pirates get back to .500 in the Atlantic Division. Daubenspeck is 8-3-1 with three shutouts, a goals-against average of 1.42 and a save percentage of .957 with Portland and would lead the league in goals-against average and save percentage if he had enough minutes to qualify. (ECHL)

The University of Minnesota's Ridder Arena will play host to USA Hockey Women's Olympic Open Tryouts April 30-May1.  Female players who are U.S. citizens and at least 16-years-old (born in or before 1989) are invited to participate in the Midwestern Regional at Ridder. All participants must pre-register with their regional contact person and will be required to pay a $20 tryout fee (or $45 if not already a member of USA Hockey) and provide their own equipment.   Contact Joan Shocinski at 612-521-6430, tcgrlhocky@aol.com for more information.

Former Wild prospect Barry Brust is 3-0-0 with two shutouts and a goals-against average of 0.33 in his last three starts with the Reading Royals.

For the third season in a row an ECHL goaltender has scored a goal as Atlantic City's Trevor Koenig became the eighth goaltender in league history to score a goal. Koenig was attempting to clear the puck from the Atlantic City zone when he lofted it out to center ice and it carried into the Nailers net to give the Bullies a 4-1 lead with 41 seconds left in the game. (ECHL)

Jake Riddle was activated off injured reserve by the Peoria Rivermen.  Riddle had surgery on his hand and has been on injured reserved for several weeks.
 
Wild color man Mike Greenlay, a former Houston Aeros goalie, was the color man with Ken Double for the game against the Griffins in Saint Paul.

Moorehead's Mark Cullen, who played with the Aeros in St. Paul on Monday, recently scored his 75th career assist.

Wild Prospect Brent Burns turns 20 on Wednesday, Mikko Koivu turns 22 on Saturday.

Several of the Grand Rapids Griffins, also Detroit Red Wings prospects, went to Station 4 in St. Paul after the game to watch Wings' star Darren McCarty and his band Grinder play.  McCarty said it was coincidence that the scheduling of the gig fell on the same night the Griffins, the farm club of the Wings, were in town.

Hockey-starved fans in Minnesota let the anemic Houston powerplay know what they thought of the effort on more than one occasion.  The 'sieve' chant directed toward Griffins goalie Joey McDonald was noticed by team, who were impressed with the enthusiasm despite the negativity expressed for their netminder.  Some players visiting Saint Paul for the first time said that the building was amongst the best they'd ever played in and the fan support was acknowledged.

Derek Boogaard, the Houston bruiser, didn't disappoint Minnesota fans, taking down Griffins tough guy Peter Vandermeer in a knockdown decision during third period fisticuffs.  Boogaard, scored his tenth career professional point with an assist in Monday's game.

Thomas Vanek's Rochester Amerks have won 17 straight home games.  On Saturday the former Gopher had a powerplay goal against the Manitoba Moose in the Americans' 5-4 win.  On Sunday he had another powerplay goal against Manitoba and scored the game-winner in overtime another 5-4 win.

The Americans have moved two more games to the HSBC Center in Buffalo, giving them an opportunity to showcase the young prospects, but more importantly, bring in additional needed income.  The Dec. 28 game in Buffalo drew 17,898 fans and produced a windfall of about $140,000 for the Amerks. (Democrat & Chronicle)

The top five rookie scorers in the AHL are all former NCAA D1 players, four of them from the WCHA.  Brandon Bochenski, Zach Parise, Thomas Vanek, Rene Bourque and RJ Umberger lead all AHL rookies in scoring. 

Erik Westrum had a game-high 6 shots on net Monday night, scoring once, but the Utah Grizzlies fell to the Hartford Wolf Pack 3-2 in overtime.  Ken Gernander had an assist for the Pack.  Keith Ballard was +1 in the loss for the Grizzlies. Gernander returned to the lineup for the Hartford Wolf Pack over the weekend.  He had missed several games with a painful rib injury.

Gopher Wrestling coach J Robinson has started a hockey camp.  J Robinson Hockey Camps are an intensive training program like a 'boot camp' says Jamie Aller, the director of hockey operations and a former Army Ranger. There are 5-day skills and drills camps in June and 14-day and 21-day intensive training camps scheduled for July and August. Camps are held at RPI in New York and Augsburg College in Minneapolis.  Tom Younghans, Rick Zombo and George Awada are also involved.  Go to jrobinsoncamps.com for more information.

Nick Angell is 18th in scoring in the Norwegian Elite League.  In 45 games with the Frisk Asker Tigers he had 17 goals and 15 assists with 131 penalty minutes. 

Former NHL coach Dave King was fired as head coach of the Hamburg Freezers.  Hamburg has lost three straight games and five of their last seven games and is clinging to a playoff spot despite Craig Johnson being one of the leading scorers in the league.  Johnson is 17th in the DEL with 19 goals and 25 assists in 45 games.  Former Wild player Jim Dowd reportedly left the team due to a dispute with King.

Other Minnesotans in the DEL include Kelly Fairchild who has 16 goals and 15 assists in 41 games with Eisbären Berlin, Dan Bjornlie who has 4 goals and 7 assists in 47 games with Kölner Haie, Mike Pudlick who has 8 goals and 14 assists in 47 games with Augsberger Panthers, Derek Plante has 6 goals and 7 assists with Adler Mannheim, Jamie Langenbrunner had 2 goals and 2 assists in 9 games with ERC Ingostadt.

Grant Potulny should return to the lineup for the Binghamton Senators soon.  Potunly is recovering from surgery to repair a sport hernia.  Expected recovery time is usually about two months.

Adam Hauser came into Sunday's Manchester game against the Providence Bruins to relieve a struggling Matheiu Garon who allowed two goals on 9 shots, reportedly because Garon became ill.  Hauser stopped all 15 shots he faced to earn the win for the Monarchs 4-2 to improve his record to14-8 with 5 shutouts on the season.  Mike Cammalleri had two goals and an assist and Beau Geisler had a goal in the win for Manchester.

Ben Stafford is having a great year for the Philadelphia Phantoms.  He needs only 5 points to surpass his AHL career-high points from last season, 32.  Stafford had 61 points as a rookie with the ECHL Trenton Titans and he had 46 points as a senior at Yale.


Quick Speculation:

Wild draft pick AJ Thelan has two choices, to play for a Junior A hockey team or sign a minor league contract (ECHL or UHL likely).  Should he choose to play for a Junior A team in the WHL he could become a free agent if the Wild fail to sign him by next June if there still isn't a new NHL CBA.  Under the current agreement there is a loophole that allows college players who leave to play a year in Juniors to become free agents if not signed by the deadline.  It is called the Mike Van Ryn rule for the Michigan player who was the first to successfully use the loophole. Thelan's family advisor Brian Lawton has had other players follow that path, like former Gopher Ben Clymer.  A new CBA may close that loophole, however. If the NHL is allowed to participate in the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin Italy, this year's IIHF World Championship USA Team will be a sneak peek at the roster for that tournament.  General Manager Don Waddell is expected to lean heavily on young players like Paul Martin, and Jordan Leopold.


Quick Quotes:

"You've got to make that big save, and hopefully the guys can feed off that, because that's all I can do. I can't score goals. I can't lay a big hit out there. All I can do is my job, and give the guys a chance."

- Kirk Daubenspeck on playing for the Portland Pirates of the AHL.  In seven career pro seasons prior to this year the former Badger had 7 AHL wins. In 13 AHL games this season he has three shutouts and an 8-3-1 record. (theahl.com)

"Presented with that kind of opportunity, very rarely does he make a mistake of not putting it in.  He just thinks a little bit ahead. He is a young guy and a budding NHL future star and a very creative player who makes things happen."

- Rochester Americans head coach Randy Cunneyworth on Thomas Vanek scoring the overtime goal for the Amerks on Sunday, giving them their 8th straight win. (CP)


"I don't think about it too much.  I just see what he (the goalie) gives me and take the percentages. If you think too much, you won't be successful."

- Thomas Vanek on scoring breakaway goals, like his overtime game-winner on Sunday. (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)

Quick Facts's previously released information about Phil Kessel not joining the Gophers has proven to be incorrect.  Kessel will announce tomorrow that he will attend the University of Minnesota.  QuickFacts' source, who was close to the situation, said prior to the Exhibition game at the University that Kessel had more interest in attending Wisconsin under Mike Eaves.  Perhaps Don Lucia and the Gopher coaching staff did the job they needed to do to convince the star to attend the U during his visit with them days later.  Whatever the reason, the information Quick Facts posted was incorrect, so apologies are necessary. 

Kessel may not be wearing the M for long, however.  There is a chance that if the NHL lockout continues amateur and minor pro players will be assembled to represent the United States at the 2006 Olympics and there is no doubt Kessel would become a member of that team, if healthy, requiring him to leave the Gophers to compete.  Should the NHL lockout be resolved, Kessel will also likely jump to the pro ranks as soon as he is eligible.  However long Kessel plays for the Gophers he will make a big impact.  He will certainly be a part of the Team USA Men's team that will compete in the IIHF World Championships in Austria this spring.

Congratulations to Casey and Holli Hankinson on the arrival of their first child, a daughter, Samantha Jean Hankinson, on Sunday, February 27th.  She weighed in at 8 pounds 8 ounces.  Both mom, dad and baby are doing well.  No word on whether Laura Haldorson is reserving a spot Sami in the Gopher class of 2023.

Troy Riddle earned a fighting major taking on George Parros of the Manchester Monarchs Tuesday night.  Riddle reportedly got the better of Parros just like his IceCats got the better of Adam Hauser and the Monarchs, thanks to a late shorthanded goal, winning 2-1.  Hauser is now 13-8-0.

The the top two rookie goal-scorers in the AHL are former ECHL stars Brandon Bochenski of the Binghamton Senators (25) and Rene Bourque of the Norfolk Admirals (23).  Bochenski was named Rookie of the Month for February.
 
The NHL lockout hasn't given the AHL a huge boost in attendance, through last week the league reported only a 9% increase in attendance over last year.

Connor James and Dan Welch have been reassigned to the ECHL Reading Royals from the AHL Manchester Monarchs.

Andrew Canzanello has been reassigned to the San Diego Gulls by the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.  The ECHL All Star has been with the Ducks since his appearance in the All Star game.  In 17 games he had four assists and 30 penalty minutes.

Kevin Constantine's Everett Silvertips are headed back to the playoffs in the WHL this season, their second in the league.  The Silvertips surprised last season by making it deep into the Memorial Cup tournament.  They are vying for home-ice this season.  The Silvertips (29-24-8-2) are second behind the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Ken Gernander remains out of the Hartford Wolf Pack lineup with a painful rib injury but is expected to return soon.  He had his first full practice in weeks on Monday.


Quick Quotes:

"It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing.  We were going from Hartford to Grand Rapids. I got told in the airport in Detroit, so I was kind of scrambling to get my sticks and my equipment."

- Josh Olson on learning he had been traded from the San Antonio Rampage to the Hershey Bears. (York Daily Record)

"Obviously his loss hurts a lot, in the locker room and in our play."

- Wolf Pack Head Coach Ryan McGill on what not having Ken Gernander on the active roster means. (Hartford Courant)


"I've played with guys before that I had chemistry with, but nothing like this.  Me and Bo, we have really good chemistry. I like to have the puck and to distribute the puck, and he gives me the puck a lot. It's a really easy relationship."

- AHL leading scorer Jason Spezza on his linemate rookie Brandon Bochenski. (Binghamton Press)


"Wherever I've played, I've always managed to find a guy that I've had chemistry with, but never to this degree,  Spezz sees the game so offensively. He sees opportunities to make plays that other guys can't, and he puts me in situations to score. That's all I can ask." 

-Brandon Bochenski on his linemate Jason Spezza. (Binghamton Press)