Mike Stuart and John Pohl scored in the third period of the Worcester Ice Cats 4-2 win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Saturday night.   It was Stuart's first goal of the season scoring his and his first goal since March 28, 2003, and just his second in a Worcester uniform. Playing up front on a checking line with Robin Gomez and Ryan Ramsay, Stuart was set up beautifully by Ramsay. He held the puck on the right wing and waited for Stuart to come into the slot as a trailer. Stuart’s one-timer from 20 feet hit the post and went in.  Pohl's goal came as he went to the net and Brooks found him with a pass from the right wing, Pohl chipping it up and over from just outside the crease.  The Sound Tigers, already without Matt Koalska, who will miss at least four weeks with a broken foot, and Ryan Kraft, also out with a foot injury, lost former Denver Pioneer Ryan Caldwell to a knee injury and Blaine Down to a concussion. Koalska had a goal a nd 4 assists in 16 games prior to the injury. (some info from Worcester Telegram)
 
The IceCats were coached by Steve Pleau for the second time as Don Granato left the team to deal with a family illness.  Mike Kitchen, head coach of the St. Louis Blues was Pleau's assistant coach on the bench for the game.  The pair will sub again on Tuesday night.  Pleau took over bench duties during a previous Granato absence going 4-0-1 in that time.

Pohl has scored at least a point in all but one game since he was reinsterted in the lineup after being a repeated healthy scratch.  His streak ended when he was blanked Friday after entering the game 1-4-5 and plus-2 in a three games.  The IceCats were shutout by Brent Krahn the first time the Lowell Lock Monsters' goalie had faced Worcester.  Another goalie who shutout Worcester in his first appearance versus the Cats, Derek Herlofsky former Edison and Boston U netminder.

Herlofsky is playing for the Odense Bulldogs in Denmark where he has an assist, two PIMs and his club is 6-3-1-9 and is ranked 7th in the league of 9.

Thomas Vanek scored two powerplay goals and assisted on the overtime winner for the Rochester Americans in their 4-3 victory over the Binghamton Senators Saturday.  Grant Potulny dropped the gloves with the Amerks' Norm Milley.  Vanek is ranked 6th amongst AHL rookie scorers with 8 goals and 5 assists in 18 games for the Amerks.  Sens rookie Brandon Bochenski is ranked 12th amongst rookies with 5 goals and 5 assists in 16 games.

Vanek was named CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending November 28, 2004. Vanek recorded four goals and three assists for seven points in four games last week for the Amerks. Vanek will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Amerks home game.
 
Rick Mrozik, veteran defenseman with the Edmonton Roadrunners, has a +/- rating of +12, good for 4th amongst all AHL blueliners.

Adam Hauser got another win for the Manchester Monarchs Saturday, a 3-2 win over the Springfield Falcons.  Hauser is now 6-0 on the season.  The former Gopher stopped 35 of 38 shots he faced.  Mike Cammaleri had a goal and an assist in the victory and leads the AHL in scoring with 17 goals and 15 assists in 18 games for the Monarchs.  Cammaleri has scored in 14 straight games. The Monarchs dominate all top scoring categories in the AHL. Click here for a QUICK FACTS FEATURE on Adam Hauser!

Mark Hartigan had two goals and assisted on the overtime game-winner to give the Syracuse Crunch the 3-2 win over the Albany River Rats Saturday.  Joe Motzko had assissts on both Hartigan's goals.  Zach Parise had a goal and an assist for the Rats in the loss.  Matt DeMarchi remains out of the Albany lineup due to an injury he suffered after being cross-checked during a game.  Parise is 4th in scoring by AHL rookies with 5 goals and 10 assists in 17 games for the Rats.

Travis Richards earned an assist on the overtime goal giving the Grand Rapids Griffins the win over the Chicago Wolves on Saturday.  Travis Roche had two assists in the loss for Chicago.  Roche has found the scoring touch with the Wolves that he lacked with the Wild and their affiliate Houston Aeros that caused them to release the former Fighting Sioux defenseman.  He is ranked 6th in scoring by defensemen in the AHL with 6 goals and 8 assists in 17 games for the Wolves.  Roche also has a +/- rating of +10.

Aaron Gill scored the opening goal for Cleveland, assisted by Tim Conboy, but the Barons fell to the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks Saturday by a score of 4-2.
 

Ben Stafford scored the opening goal on the powerplay for the Philadelphia Phantoms in their 3-2 victory over the Hershey Bears Saturday.  It was the Phantoms' AHL-record 17th consecutive victory. It was also Philadelphia's 16th straight win over the Bears, also believed to be an AHL record for consecutive victories over a single opponent. The previous winning streak record was held by the Baltimore Skipjacks, who won 16 in a row during the 1984-85 season. 

The Phantoms needed one more win to tie the all-time pro record set by the Peoria Rivermen of the IHL in the 1990-91 season.  But Karl Goehring made 28 saves as Syracuse posted a 2-1 win over Philadelphia at the Onondaga County War Memorial on Sunday evening, putting an end to the Phantoms' AHL-record winning streak. Tim Jackman scored one of the Crunch's goals.

Ken Gernander and Bryce Lampman each had two assists as the Hartford Wolf Pack cruised past the Providence Bruins 6-0 Sunday night.  Jake Taylor has resumed skating with the Pack after suffering a broken cheekbone, broken nose and broken orbital bone as well as a cut needing 12 stitches after being hit in the face by a puck fired by his head coach.  Taylor is expected to rejoin the Hartford lineup Friday, having missed only four games, but will wear a special full cage to protect his face more similar to a football facemask than a hockey one.

The news wasn't so good for Matt Koalska who will miss between four and six weeks with a fractured foot after blocking a shot.  Teammate Ryan Kraft, who also suffered a leg injury, has resumed skating after practice and is expected to return soon.

Houston Aeros' center Mark Cullen’s three-point (2-1=3) game Friday helped him become the 18th player in team history to reach the 100-point plateau. Cullen, who notched his fourth career multi-goal game, now has 101 points, tied with Shawn Carter and Curtis Murphy for 16th on the team’s all-time list and one behind Michael Maurice for 15th. Left winger Stephane Veilleux needs two points to become the 19th at the century mark. (Aeros)

A night after scoring his first goal for the Fribourg Gotteren Paul Martin saw his team win for the first time, a 4-0 shutout of the Kloten Flyers.  Martin was held off the scoresheet.

Tyler Arnason has left Brynäs IF in Sweden to return home to the US.

Former Wild forward Aaron Gavey has left the Storhamar Dragons of the Norwegian Elite League.

Former Wild goalie Jamie McClennan has signed to play with AS Mastini Versace in Italy.

Craig Johnson has 8 goals and 12 assists in 20 games with the Hamburg Freezers of the Deutche Eishockey Liga good for 10th in scoring for the DEL.  The Freezers are in 8th place in the league.

Tom Preissing has a +/- rating of +2 in 5 games with the Krefeld Pinguine of the DEL.  Preissing signed with the club following the Deutchland Cup where he competed with Team USA.

Nick Angell is ranked 21st in scoring in the UPC-ligaen, the Norwegian Elite League, with 6 goals and 9 assists in 21 games with Frisk-Asker IF - Ishockey.  Angell has a +4 rating with the Tigers and 64 PIMs.

Brad DeFauw is the leading scorer of the Växjö Lakers in the Swedish Allsvenskan Södra with 9 goals and 12 assists in 25 games.  Teammate Shjon Podein has 4 goals and 4 assists in 13 games.

Dylan Mills has one assist and 24 PIMs in 22 games with Team Mörrums GoIS IK in the Swedish Allsvenskan Södra.

Brett Larson has 1 goals and 3 assists with the Odense Bulldogs in Denmark this season.

Brian Gornick has returned to the San Diego Gulls' lineup after a week on Injured Reserve.  Gornick, who played hockey at the Air Force Academy still serves while in San Diego.

Matt Hendricks had a goal and an assist in the Florida Everblades' 3-2 loss to Greenville on Friday.  Hendricks is fourth amongst ECHL rookies with 14 points, 6 goals and 8 assists in 15 games.

Troy Riddle is ranked 9th among ECHL rookies in scoring with 4 goals and 8 assists in 13 games for the Peoria Rivermen.  Jake Riddle, his younger brother, made his Peoria debut Saturday against Dayton, playing with his brother for the first time since the two played for Benilde St. Margaret's.

Chris Kenady leads the Long Beach Ice Dogs with 13 points (8g-5a) and is a +7 in November.

Luke Curtain, playing with the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies, is second in league scoring in the ECHL with 20 points, 5 goals, 15 assists, in 17 games.  He leads the league in assists and powerplay assists.  He also leads the league in shots taken with 81.  Teammate Jason Noterman leads the league in powerplay goals with 7 and game-winners with 3 in 16 games.

Quad City Mallards Defenseman Justin Brown scored his first professional goal last Saturday versus the Kansas City Outlaws in UHL action.

Former Gopher Justin McHugh is a dentist practicing in Wayzata and regularly attends games at Mariucci.  McHugh was in attendance at this weekend's College Hockey Showcase.  McHugh once scored a hat trick during the tourney.
 
Molson, a Canadian Beer company, has launched an ad campaign called "Hockey, Please Come Back."  It features downcast hockey fans lamenting the NHL lockout by singing the Boy George and Culture Club 1982 hit, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me."  As part of the campaign, Molson has opened a toll-free line (1-866-MISS-HKY) for disgruntled fans. It offers survival advice such as stuffing a bag with dirty laundry and then sniffing it a week later to conjure up hockey memories.  (Toronto Star)


Quick Speculation:

The Minnesota Wild's MSE group some time ago expressed some interest in an amphitheater and possibly racetrack ownership. The Brainerd International Raceway is now up for sale.  Will MSE step into the world of autoracing by purchasing the track? Quick Facts thinks they may consider it though MSE never comments on possible business endeavors.
 
Look for a reunion of sorts at the home of the Gophers at the Mariucci Classic  Tournament held just prior to Christmas this year.  Hockey leagues like the AHL and ECHL have mandatory holiday breaks and several former members of the NCAA Championship Gopher teams will likely be in attendance at the Classic, supporting the new generation of Maroon and Gold skaters.

Jordan Leopold has been medically cleared from the concussion he suffered just before  in mid-September while playing exhibition games for the World Cup of hockey.  He returned to Minnesota this past weekend. Leopold will no longer be receiving a paycheck from the Calgary Flames now that he has been cleared.  Leopold will join fellow NHL players working out at the University of Minnesota. (Calgary Sun)
 
Paul Martin scored his first goal of the season in just his third game playing with HC Friboug in Switzerland Friday night.  Martin scored the second goal of the game but Fribourg lost to HC Geneve Servette 2-4.

John Pohl, in just his third game back following an extended benching, scored a goal and two assists in the Worcester Ice Cats 9-3 rout of the Portland Pirates Wednesday night.  Mike Stuart also had two assists for the Cats.

The Philadelphia Phantoms extended their winning streak to 15 games Wednesday with a 4-1 win over the Providence Bruins.  Friday, Ben Stafford scored two goals 51 seconds apart to help Philadelphia to a 4-2 win over visiting Hershey at the Wachovia Center, allowing the Phantoms to tie an AHL record with their 16th consecutive victory. Stafford's goals came at 17:56 and 18:47 of the second period.  Philadelphia can surpass the 1984-85 Baltimore Skipjacks' mark with another win over the Bears, as the teams meet Saturday night at the Giant Center.

Matt Koalska playing for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Grant Potulny playing for the Binghamton Senators faced off against each other on Thanksgiving Day in Binghamton, the only game played in the AHL.  Matt Koalska, who had a powerplay assist in the 3-2 loss, blocked a shot and limped off the ice and didn't return.  Ryan Kraft left the game as well after taking a slash to the ankle.  Neither were in the lineup for the Tigers on Friday night and could be out an extended period of time with what Coach Cronin called "bone issues in their feet."  The diagnosis for either was unavailable Friday but both could have suffered broken bones.  The Tigers had to call up a player from the UHL to replace the Gopher forwards.

Jake Taylor of the Hartford Wolf Pack was also injured Thanksgiving, suffering broken orbital bone, a broken nose and broken cheekbone as well as a nasty laceration when he was hit in the face by a shot from Pack Head Coach McGill during practice.  Thankfully, Taylor did not suffer an eye injury.
 
It must have been related to the full moon, three Gophers injured on Thanksgiving and unable to play the next day when their two teams faced off against each other.  Koalska, Kraft and Taylor were scheduled to start Friday when the Sound Tigers met the Hartford Wolf Pack.  The Tigers won the game 3-1.  The Pack's Bryce Lampman ended the game in a fight against the Tigers' Sean Bergenheim.  Lampman leads the Pack with five goals and scored the lone goal for the Pack in their 4-1 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Wednesday night.

Thomas Vanek scored the lone goal, a powerplay tally, for the Rochester Amerks in their 3-1 loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs Wednesday.  Vanek faced his former captain Grant Potulny on Friday night.  Potulny opened the scoring in the first with his first goal of the season.  He added an assist at the Sens topped the Rochester Amerks 4-3 in overtime.  Thomas Vanek had a goal and two assists for the Amerks in the loss.  Brandon Bochenski scored the game-tying goal, assisted by Josh Langfeld.  Potulny also earned a fighting major after squaring off against Milan Bartovic late in the third.

Toby Petersen and Wyatt Smith each had an assist Friday as Milwaukee topped Edmonton 4-1. 

Travis Roche had two goals as Chicago beat Grand Rapids 3-1 Friday.

Mike Cammaleri scored twice, Dan Welch once as the Manchester Monarchs topped the Norfolk Admirals 4-1 Wednesday.  Friday night Adam Hauser started in net for the Monarchs, backstopping them to a 6-0 win over the Portland Pirates.  Hauser is now 5-0 with three shutouts.  He has a 1.59 goals against average and a save percentage of .942.

Karl Goehring got the win for the Syracuse Crunch over the Albany River Rats in a shootout Wednesday night.  Joe Motzko and Tim Jackman were held scoreless for the Crunch while Zach Parise was pointless in the game.  Matt DeMarchi and David Hale both remain out of the lineup due to injury.

The Utah Grizzlies got their first regulation win of the season at the expense of the Houston Aeros Friday night.  Mark Cullen had two goals for the Aeros but the Grizzlies won the game 5-3.  Keith Ballard, Jeff Taffe each had an assist and Erik Westrum had two helpers for Utah in the win.

Bryan Lundbohm was released from his Professional Tryout Agreement with the Grand Rapids Griffins and is expected to return to the CHL.

Jake Riddle was released from the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL but picked up by his brother Troy's Rivermen.  It is the first time the two brothers have played together since Jake was a freshman and Troy a Junior at Benilde St. Margaret's in Minneapolis.  The younger Riddle had 18 penalty minutes in 11 games with the Nailers in his first year as a professional prior to being released.

Chris Chelios had reportedly agreed to terms to play with the AHL Chicago Wolves but will not begin play until such time as the NHL season is cancelled in entirety.


Quick Speculation:

Look for more NHL players to sign free agent contracts in the ECHL and UHL once the season is cancelled due to the lockout.  Currently there are three current NHL players with ECHL teams.

Quick Quotes:

"Finally nice to get the first goal and get a win. Its been a long time waiting."

- Keith Ballard on scoring his first goal as a professional hockey player and helping the Utah Grizzlies win their second game of the season in a shootout.

"We haven't really discussed it yet.  In December or January, if the season is cancelled, we'll look at something."

- Neil Sheehy on Jordan Leopold perhaps playing in Europe now that he has been declared medically eligible to resume play. (Calgary Sun)

"We've got to learn to play a full 60 minutes at home. It was just a mental error on my part that put us into overtime. Being a veteran guy on the team, I can't let that happen late in the game like that. When a team fights back like that, I've got to stick in there. I put a lot of responsibility for that one on myself because the guys fought back and Mosser [goaltender Tyler Moss] did a great job keeping us in there."

- Edmonton Road Runner Rick Mrozik, who got caught flat-footed on a late goal Tuesday allowing the St John's Maple Leafs to tie the game which they eventually won in a shootout. (Edmonton Sun)

"We look forward to this event every year. Raising money for Special Olympics and bowling with these athletes, their families and our fans makes for a great day for everyone. These athletes exemplify the meaning of the word team spirit."

- Ken Gernander, captain of the Hartford Wolf Pack on his team's participation in the annual Bowling for Dollars event held November 21st.  The team raised more than $21,000. (wolfpack.com)

"I'm a traditionalist. I just like to see things left the way they are. You can have a great 3-3 game and have it left in a tie.

- Ken Gernander on the AHL's new rule of deciding tie games by shootout.  The rule, implemented as a test, has been extended for the remainder of the season. (Danbury Journal Inquirer)

For those in hockey withdrawal there are still tickets available for the World Junior Hockey Championships in Grand Forks and Thief River Falls next month.  Organizers have set out on a marketing blitz in Winnipeg hoping that some of Canada's most rabid hockey fans will make the drive down I-29 to attend the tournament.  A small amount of tickets remain for the Gold Medal Championships as well.
 
Former Vancouver Canucks GM Brian Burke was in Winnipeg Friday to witness the opening of the MTS Centre in Winnipeg featuring a hockey game between the Manitoba Moose, the Canucks' affiliate, and the St John's Maple Leafs.  Burke's contract was not renewed last year and the former Edinan is rumored to be a candidate to take over management for the Chicago Blackhawks among others.

Nate DiCasmirro had an assist and Toby Petersen scored a late third period goal Sunday sending the Edmonton Road Runners into overtime against the St John's Maple Leafs.  The game remained scoreless after overtime sending it to a deciding shootout.  Petersen missed on his attempt and the Leafs had two scorers find the back of the net earning the win 4-3.

For the first time this season Adam Hauser didn't win a game he started in net for the Manchester Monarchs.  The Monarchs did win but Hauser was yanked in favor of Mathieu Garon after giving up four goals in two periods on 23 shots.  Garon made 13 saves in the third period and overtime, then stopped all four Lowell attempts in the shootout to go to 9-1-0 on the year.  Mike Cammaleri notched a power-play hatrick for the Monarchs.

Mark Hartigan had two goals for the Syracuse Crunch in a 4-1 win over the Hamilton Bulldogs, ending the Crunch's seven-game winless slide Friday. Joe Motzko and Tim Jackman each had an assist two of Hartigan's goals.

Adam Berkhoel was assessed a two minute minor penalty on Friday under a new AHL rule.  Berkhoel played the puck behind the net but was outside the limited area allowed to do so.  He also was tagged for the loss as the Chicago Wolves dropped a 3-4 decision to the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, Berkhoel faced 32 shots on net.
 
Paul Martin's first game in Switzerland for HC Fribourg-Gottéron was a 0-3 loss to HC Lugano whose roster includes Ville Peltonen.  Martin got on the box score, however, with a holding minor, which in French is listed as "Accrocher un adversaire."  Martin joined the Dragons after being a part of the US Team that won the gold in the Deutschland Cup.  Martin is wearing jersey number 7, the same as he usually wears with the NJ Devils.  Martin's second game in Switzerland was also a loss, 4-2 against SCL Tigers.  NY Islanders Tim Connoly had two goals for Langnau.  Martin was held off the box score for the Dragons.  His next game is against Genève-Servette on November 26th. 

Matt Koalska broke a scoring drought by notching an assist on Kevin Colley's goal in the Bridgeport SoundTigers 4-1 victory against the Hershey Bears Saturday.  Koalska hadn't had a point since scoring two assists in late October, his point total stuck at 4, a goal and three assists.  Koalska fired a hard pass from the right-wing half boards to give Campoli room to shoot, Campoli's shot caromed off the boards and Colley banged it in.  Playing on the third line as a winger with Colley and Steve Regier Koalska's defensive play has been noticed more than his scoring touch despite some close calls and what could be considered 'third assists'. Bridgeport has killed 22 power plays in a row with Koalska working a PK unit. 

John Pohl finally got back into the lineup for the Worcester IceCats and wasted little time making an impact.  Pohl earned an assist on the 'Cats second goal of the game, the second assist going to fellow Rochester native Mike Stuart.  Pohl also received a minor interference call in the second period of the 3-2 victory for Worcester.  John Pohl returned to the lineup after sitting out five games in a row and nine of 10 as a healthy scratch, in what was termed by the team's media representative as a 'coach's decision' to not play Pohl.  The win by the Cats stopped a two-game skid. St. Louis Blues president Mark Sauer was in attendance.

The Cats faced the hot Manchester Monarchs on Sunday and despite some good offense, lost the game 5-4.  Pohl earned another assist in only his second consecutive start this season. Mike Cammaleri scored the game-winner for Manchester.

Grant Potulny got an assist on Saturday night, his third point of the season as the Binghamton Senators edged the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in overtime 5-4 after giving up a three-goal lead heading into the third period.  The Sens dropped Sunday's game against Springfield 4-3.  Josh Langfeld tallied a powerplay goal in the loss for the Sens.

The Houston Aeros topped the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday night 6-3.  Zbynek Michalek scored his first goal of the season a powerplay goal to seal the win.  Stephane Veilleux scored a powerplay tally in the first, assisted by Mikko Koivu and Rickard Wallin.  Josh Harding had a shutout going late into the third but Syracuse's Joe Motzko got the Crunch on the board at 12:06 with a powerplay goal and Alexander Svitov scored two shorthanded goals late. Pierre-Marc Bouchard had two assists and Kirby Law scored two goals in the penalty-filled game, the two clubs combined for 42 offenses and 141 total penalty minutes.  Four of the Aeros six goals were scored with the man advantage.

Wyatt Smith opened the scoring for the Milwaukee Admirals Saturday night against Keith Ballard and the hapless Utah Grizzlies and won the game 6-3.  Utah has only one victory, a shootout win in Manitoba, all season and were handed a 7-3 loss by the Admirals Friday.  Jeff Taffe, who scored a goal on Saturday, is a team-worst -13  and Keith Ballard has a -9 with three assists.

Bryce Lampman had a goal but the Hartford Wolf Pack lost in a shootout to the Springfield Falcons Saturday night 3-2.  Jake Taylor playing in his second game with the Pack was held off the box score.

Ben Stafford and the Philadelphia Phantoms have won 13 straight games in the AHL.  John Sim, just acquired in a trade with Utah for Peter White,  scored two goals and an assist, including the game-winner in overtimeto give Philly a 4-3 victory over the Albany River Rats Saturday.  Sim bumped Ben Stafford off the high-scoring line with Tony Voce and RJ Umberger.  Out of the Rats lineup due to injury were Zach Parise and David Hale.  Matt DeMarchi joined them on the DL after being hurt during Saturday's game.

The Phantoms added another win Sunday against Providence 4-3, Jon Sim again scoring in overtime to secure the victory.

Troy Riddle had a goal and two assists for the Peoria Rivermen in Friday's 5-2 win against the Toledo Storm.  Don't be surprised to see Riddle gain a promotion to Worcester soon this season if the Cats offensive woes continue.

Wild prospect Kyle Kettles has a goals-against average of 2.80 and has won his last three starts for the Louisiana IceGators.
 
Chris Kenady has two game-winning goals and eight points (4g-4a) in his last five games with the ECHL Long Beach Ice Dogs.

Pat O'Leary has 4 assists in 6 games with the Mississippi Sea Wolves of the ECHL.

Beau Geisler has 2 assists in 11 games with the Reading Royals of the ECHL.

Craig Johnson is tied for 17th in scoring in the Deutche Eishockey Liga with 7 goals and 11 assists in 20 games with the Hamburg Freezers.

TJ Guidarelli is the leading scorer in the Oberliga Süd with 33 points in 15 games (12 goals, 21 assists) with SC Reissersee.  Mike Muller is the leading defenseman in the league and is 10th overall in scoring with 10 goals and 11 assists in 16 games with EV Ravensburg.

Bryant McBride, a former NHL player and league employee has been decertified by the NHLPA for the role his firm played in allowing Star Tribune writer Chris Snow unfettered access to the NHLPA's SCORE software program.  McBride was not the source but an employee of his was.  The Chicago native, one of the first African-Americans in the NHL was a West Point and Harvard graduate who began the NHL's Diversity Task Force when he was the Vice President of Business Development for the league.  The confidentiality of player information, including information like social security numbers was violated by Snow and the former employee of McBride.  McBride was told by NHLPA leader Bob Goodenow that he was no longer able to negotiate contracts for his NHL clients following the union's meeting with agents last week. (Some info from TSN)

The NHLPA is also investigating decertification action against Mike Danton's agent, the man he conspired to have killed, David Frost.

Now that the NHLPA has met with both players and their agents the NHL and Gary Bettman have scheduled a meeting with the league's general managers in New York on December 4th.

The Canadian Press has teamed up with Electronic Arts to play a simulated version of the 2004-2005 season now that the owners have locked out players. The EA simulation is using the 2002-03 schedule, since this season's lineup was not available when NHL 2005 was produced. According to the simulation the Minnesota Wild is at the bottom of the Northwest Division with a record of 6-9-4 in 19 games.  Calgary, led by Jarome Iginla is leading the division with a record of 14-3-1, also good for best in the NHL.  The Colorado Avalanche are second in the league with a record of 12-4-2 followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs at 11-4-3.  In the most recent game played in the simulation the Wild lost to the Edmonton Oilers 3-2.  The simulation includes action on the ice, as well as injuries and trades. (CP)

Rob Ray, quick to say he would be an NHL replacement player, earned $4,100 US for every minute played last season.(Ottawa Sun)

It was exactly a year ago this weekend that the NHL played one of the most celebrated games ever, the Heritage Classic played outdoors in Edmonton in sub-zero temperatures.  Oh how times have changed.

Quick Quotes:

"It has come to my attention that over the past month an ex-employee (of mine) shared confidential NHLPA information with a member of the media.  I understand and respect the NHLPA's position on this matter and we are working closely with the NHLPA to resolve the matter quickly."

- Bryant McBride on learning of his decertification by the NHLPA. (TSN)

"I think we're getting more comfortable with ourselves.  No matter who we've got in the lineup, it's going to be a good lineup. We're a very deep team. Other teams realize that and have to respect that and so far it's working out pretty well for us."

- Edmonton Road Runner Joe Cullen on his team. (Edmonton Sun)

"I was telling somebody in the third period in Hamilton that we're not going to want to go home after this.  You don't hear that very often after a two-week trip. We can't wait to get back home and back in our own beds, but with the amount of success we had on this trip we're thrilled."

- Toby Petersen on his Edmonton Road Runners 15-day road trip ending with them on a winning streak. (Edmonton Sun)

"Cro got a little ticked off at us.  He just said it was like a pond hockey game. It was good for the line.  We'd been struggling a little bit."

- Matt Koalska on his Sound Tigers giving up 5 second period power plays and scoring his first assist in a few weeks. (Connecticut Post)

"I remember how dominant Mario's team was,  I remember the goals he scored that series, the beauty of his passes, the goals you don't see anymore. That team was so good. They saved hockey in Pittsburgh. I always dreamed that maybe someday I'd get to play against Mario. The older I got, the more the reality of that dream happening seemed. I'm lucky Mario came back into the league. I now hope to play against him someday."

- Pittsburgh native current Philadelphia Phantoms center RJ Umberger on watching the Pittsburgh Penuins defeat the North Stars in the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals (Philadelphia Inquirer).

Quick Facts Exclusive: Daktronics, Inc wins bid for new displays at Mariucci Arena & Williams Arena 11.16.04

Joe Motzko scored a goal late in the first period for the Syracuse Crunch against the Rochester Americans Friday.  The Amerks tied the game on the powerplay in the third and the game stayed tied through overtime sending it to a shootout.  Motzko scored for the Crunch, Tim Jackman missed.  Vanek missed for the Amerks but Jason Pominville and Derek Roy scored giving the Amerks a much-needed victory.
 
Saturday's rematch again saw Rochester victorious.  Todd Rohloff had an assist for the Amerks, his first point of the season. Thomas Vanek scored a powerplay goal in the third period of the 4-2 win.  Jeff Panzer had a goal and Tim Jackman an assist for Syracuse in the losing effort.

Rohloff and his wife Michelle welcomed their first child, a son, Eli, just prior to the start of the season.

Grant Potulny was given a misconduct penalty just over seven minutes into the first period of the game pitting his B-Sens against the Hamilton Bulldogs Friday.  Potulny and Hamilton's Steve Ott were given fighting majors, Potulny got the instigator major and a 10-minute misconduct.  The Sens won the game 4-3 in a shootout giving coach John Paddock his 500th AHL victory.

Wyatt Smith had a goal and an assist for the Milwaukee Admirals in their Saturday night matchup against Wild affiliate Houston Aeros.  Smith scored his goal off a rebound with the Ads on a 6-4 powerplay after pulling the goalie for the extra attacker with just over 5 minutes remaining in the third.  Houston was victorious 5-2, however, with five different goal scorers including Mikko Koivu, Brent Burns and Marc Cavosie.  Mark Cullen added a shorthanded empty net unassisted goal to top of the win for the Aeros in the last minute of the game.  The Aeros were shorthanded at the end of the game after Pierre-Marc Bouchard was called for an illegal stick. The win gives the Aeros a share of first in the West.  It was Milwaukee's first regulation loss in 18 games dating back to last season when they won the Calder Cup Championship.

Sunday the Aeros dropped a game against the Edmonton Road Runners 6-4.  The Cullen Brothers, Mark and Joe, traded goals in the first.
 
Prior to Sunday's game Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Mark Cullen shared the scoring lead for the Aeros with 10 points each, three goals and seven assists, in 15 games.  After Sunday PM Bouchard went up on Cullen by a point.  Both scored a goal but Bouchard added an extra helper on a goal by Patrick Traverse.  Junior Lessard scored for the Aeros in the loss.  Rick Mrozik added an empty net goal at the end of the game sealing the win for the Runners.

Krissy Wendell's hat trick sparked Team USA to 6-3 victory over Sweden earning the women a berth in the Four Nation's Cup final against Canada.  Wendell had 4 points in the game. Gopher teammate Kelly Stephens also had four points in the game and Natalie Darwitz had two helpers. The line of Wendell-Darwitz-Stephens combined for five of the USA's six goals in the game.  

Look for Jake Taylor to be recalled to the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack next week.  Pack defenseman  Maxim Kondratiev will return to play in Russia leaving a vacancy.  Taylor is was impressive in training camp and is having a solid showing in Charlotte of the ECHL with an assist and a +4 rating through 6 games with the Checkers. Taylor and the Checkers begin a stretch of 7 games in 11 days Wednesday against the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies.

Prior to Saturday's matchup against the Hershey Bears, Adam Hauser had only played three games this season for the Manchester Monarchs, coach Boudreau instead relying on NHL netminder Mathieu Chouinard.  However, all Hauser does is win.  He backstopped the Monarchs to a 5-0 victory Saturday, his second shutout in 4 games played. Hauser stopped 23 shots for the victory. He now has a miniscule 1.25 goals against average, a save percentage of .950 and he has a record of 4-0.

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

Ben Stafford scored the winning goal for the Philadelphia Phantoms at the 2:41 mark of overtime against the Norfolk Admirals Sunday.  It was Stafford's second goal of the season.

Troy Riddle had three points, two goals and an assist and was a +3 for the Peoria Rivermen in Friday's 6-5 loss against the Johnstown Chiefs. Prior to Saturday's game all Johnstown's games had been decided by one goal and four had gone to a shootout. Saturday they finally got a decisive victory against Peoria in the rematch, winning 5-2.  Justin Maiser had a goal and assist in the loss for the Rivermen. (ECHL)
Hermantown's Jon Francisco had the game-winning goal for the Reading Royals in their 3-0 shutout versus the Dayton Bombers.  Dan Welch had an assist.

Jason Noterman continued his scoring tear netting two goals, including the game-winner for the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies in their 5-3 win against the Trenton Titans Saturday night.  Luke Curtin had two assists for the Bullies.

Pat O'Leary had an assist for the Mississippi Sea Wolves Saturday night but his team fell to the Louisiana Ice Gators in a shootout 2-1 despite getting 44 shots on goal against Nathan Marsters. 

Joey Martin was placed on the 7-day injured reserve by the Greenville Grrrowl as a precaution after Martin suffered a mild concussion in practice last week.

First the Florida Everblades lost veteran and consistent goal-scorer Reg Berg following a knee injury.  Now they have lost Keith Anderson who was injured he was when checked hard into the boards on Friday, November 12 at Idaho. Anderson suffered a grade-3 concussion after he was hit and knocked unconscious for several minutes fllowing a hit by Steelheads defenseman David Cornaccia, who jumped to make the hit. Anderson has three points (2g, 1a) in 10 games this season with the Everblades.

Former North Star Basil McRae, who runs an insurance and investment firm in Saint Louis will take part in a charity game between Saint Louis Blues alumni and former stars of the NHL's old Norris Division on December 11 at the Summit Center in Chesterfield, Missouri. The event also will features a dinner and auction.
 
Future Gopher Jeff Frazee stopped all 20 shots from Sweden earning the 1-0 victory and shutout clinching the Under-18 Four Nations Cup Gold Medal for Team USA.

StateWars, a new concept in InLine Hockey, is set to launch next year.  Conceived by longtime roller hockey pros Joe Cook and CJ Yoder State Wars is a major roller hockey event that will take place August 5-14 2005 at the brand new Powerade Iceport in Cudahy, WI.  Here all the state teams will compete for the United States Roller Hockey Championship. The USRHC (United States Roller Hockey Commission) is a national roller hockey organization that was formed to act as the unbiased selection committee to choose the top roller hockey players in the United States.  The USRHC will hold open tryouts in all 50 states and will choose the best players in each age year to represent their home state at State Wars. 10 skaters and 2 goaltenders will be chosen for each age group.  There are 14 different age divisions at State Wars.  What makes State Wars unique is that age groups are determined by single birth years (exception being '86-'85, '84-'83, and Senior '82 & Older). Team Minnesota tryouts are scheduled for this summer at Highland Arena in Saint Paul June 3-5.  Participants must register online in order to receive a tryout. Click here to register.

Quick Quotes:

Anyone who has taken Econ 101 can tell you there are two ways to run a business, two objectives.  Once is on a for-profit basis, the other is on a return on investment (ROI) basis.  Quick Facts believes that no sports teams should ever be run with a profit motive, rather owners should run teams with the motive of growing their enterprise in value.
 
The NHL has been very quick to claim poverty and that they are hemmoraging money.  While there is no doubt that some teams are not making a profit, mostly due to their own mismanagement or badly formed business agreements such as arena leases recent figures on franchise valuations issued in Forbes Magazine prove that the NHL isn't in the dire straights that Commissioner Bettman and the owners would have you believe.
 
Even if the Forbes figures are overzealous, claiming that the most recent expansion franchises like the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators have seen their investment grow 62% over seven years, even if that figure is double what it truly is, that is an overwhelmingly successful investment.  I challenge the NHL owners to find anyone who would turn down a 30% return on investment.
 
It is time for NHL owners to come to the table with a compromise with the realization that the cat is now out of the bag and the players claims that they have not exactly been forthright in their financial reports are valid.  Accept the players' offer of a luxury tax and start playing games on the ice where they belong.

In front of over 12,000 fans at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg, Germany Team USA beat host Germany 5-1 in the Deutschland Cup tournament today.  Brian Gionta scored three goals, David Tanabe and Tom Preissing also scored as tournament favorite USA cruised to the victory. Preissing also earned as assist as did Casey Hankinson. Tanabe's power-play goal was unassisted. Team USA faces Team Canada, who beat Switzerland 3-2 in a shootout Tuesday, on Thursday in Hanover.
 
Jordan Leopold began skating in Calgary on Monday for the first time since suffering a concussion during the World Cup of Hockey competition.  Leopold, who is still earning his $950,000 paycheck despite the lockout; the salary is being paid by insurance and not the Flames.  If he progresses Leopold could be cleared as fit by doctors meaning his pay will cease and he will join the hundreds of other NHL players locked out by owners this season.  Leopold is reportedly concentrating on regaining his health rather than looking at pursuing opportunities overseas. Recovering from a second concussion, Leopold suffered his first in 2003 and missed four games, most often has a longer rehabilitation period.

Joey Martin was placed on injured reserve by the Greenville Grrrowl on Wednesday after Martin suffered a concussion during practice.  Martin suffered a frightning concussion during a game while playing for the Gophers his Sophomore year, sending the big defensemen into convulsions on the ice.  He was placed on IR as a precaution as he is experiencing headaches and nausea following the big hit in practice that caught him with his head down Wednesday morning.  Martin is hopeful for a swift recovery but isn't willing to take any chances given his history.

Wild forward Marc Chouinard took part in a 4-on-4 hockey game Sunday night, part of the McDonalds Le Caravane organized by NY Rangers defenseman Joel Bouchard.  In front of almost 2,500 fans Chouinard, with Jean Sebastian Guigere, Roberto Luongo, Luc Robitaille, Andre Roy, Jose Theodore, Mike Ribiero, Craig Rivet and Francois Bouillon helped raise $44,000  for the Ronald McDonald House.  "The guys have had a lot of fun and the games have been competitive," said Bouchard, who lined up the major sponsors from McDonald's, Molson Export, Home Depot and Danone. The tour will continue on weekends in Quebec through December. (Ottawa Sun)

For the first time in the brief history of the Upper Midwest High School Elite League a team has won both the regular season and playoff championships. After sweeping the competition in the final weekend of the regular season to win the first championship, Anderson Financial Team NW, with head coach Scott Bell and assistant coaches Chris McAlpine and Joe Diedzic at the helm,  beat Acceleration MN Team SW 7-4 for a berth to the Championship game against coach Dave Christian's Team Great Plains.  The game was reportedly the most exciting of the tournament, needing a 4-on-4 overtime to decide the game.  Breck's Robbie Dee scored the Championship-winning goal for Team NW. (hselitehockey.com)

Following on the heels of their Upper Midwest Elite League Championship Team NW had nine players chosen to play in the Tradition Mortgage High School Elite Hockey National Invitational Tournament, the most of any Elite League team.   The NIT championship was an all-Minnesota affair pitting the North Stars against the Fighting Saints.  THe North Stars were victorious 5-3 thanks in part to stellar goaltending by Holy Angels' Keaton Smith and two goals scored by CLoquet's Mitch Ryan.  The Fighting Saints were coached by Kevin Hartzell, Scott Bell & Chris McAlpine.  The North Stars were coached by Craig Sarner and Andy Disch.

Jason Notermann leads the ECHL in power-play goals with four. Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies teammate Luke Curtin leads the league in assists with nine and is tied for the lead in points with 12.  

Brett Larson has a goal and three assists in 16 games with the Odense Bulldogs this season. 

Look for Jake Taylor to be recalled to the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack next week.  Pack defenseman  Maxim Kondratiev will return to play in Russia leaving a vacancy.  Taylor is was impressive in training camp and is having a solid showing in Charlotte of the ECHL with an assist and a +4 rating through 6 games with the Checkers. Taylor and the Checkers begin a stretch of 7 games in 11 days Wednesday against the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies.

Brad DeFauw is the 11th leading scorer in the Swedish Allsvenskan Södra with 9 goals and 9 assists in 20 games with the Växjö Lakers , best on his team.  He also has a +11 rating. Teammate Shjon Podein has 3 goals in 8 games.

The three top scorers in the Swiss Elite League are all former members of the Minnesota Wild.  Hnat Domenicelli has 35 points in 20 games with Ambri, Stacey Roest has 35 points in 20 games with Rapperswil and Jean-Guy Trudel has 34 points in 20 games.  In comparison Bruins star Joe Thornton has only 24 points in the league this season.

Matt Cullen is playing in Italy for SC Cortina.  He and his wife Bridget founded the Cullen Children’s Foundation in December 2003 as a 501 (c) (3) human service organization providing financial resources to children with cancer and physical disabilities. As a children’s foundation, we secure and distribute funds to any organization, whose primary goal is improving the quality of life for these children.  Information on the organization can be found at cullyskids.com.

Richard Park, who went with Matt Johnson to attend the funeral of Sergei Zholtok in Latvia signed a contract to play in Sweden with the MIF Redhawks in Malmö.  Park is playing for Team USA in this week's Deutschland Cup.

Shjon Podein made his national acting debut Tuesday night as an extra on ABC's 'According to Jim.'  Podein bid on the walk-on role at his annual Celebrity Party fundraiser in Rochester this summer and brought the young Katie Smith to appear with him.  Katie is one of the beneficiaries of Podein's Childrens Foundation.  The two were seen in the background of the Father-Daughter dance scene.

Members of the Minnesota Wild in the Twin Cities gathered together Sunday evening for a private memorial service for lost teammate Sergei Zholtok.

Ryan Coole was activated off injured reserve by the Bakersfield Condors.

Colin Peters was recalled from the Quad City Mallards to the AHL Portland Pirates.

Hockey video game players will now have the option of playing an AHL version of Gretzky™ NHL® 2005 from 989 Sports®.  The game platform has a deep and detailed franchise mode featuring American Hockey League team and player names according to the press release, meaning that gamers can feature players like Matt Koalska, Ken Gernander, Thomas Vanek, Matt DeMarchi, Zach Parise and more with the new system.  The licensing agreement is for three years.
 
Chris Chelios will once again joined U.S. bobsledders for a training session in Lake Placid Wednesday. Chelios made his inaugural bobsled run with members of the women's bobsled team three weeks ago and will now train in the four-man bobsled
with several members of the men's team.  Joining Chelios will be big wave surfing legend Laird Hamilton, who, like Chelios, hopes to make it to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy as part of the Greek bobsled team.

Quick Quotes:

"This is a situation where I thought we had a chance to make something positive out of a negative. Look, we'd all like to be playing in the NHL, but this is a good chance to raise money for children and we enjoy that."

- Marc Chouinard on playing in Le Caravane charity hockey tournaments in Canada to raise funds for children's charities. (Ottawa Sun)

"I don't feel agents should enter into CBA negotiations.  NHL CBA negotiations should be left to the NHLPA. There are far too many legal matters involved that I am not aware of; such as the exact legal definition of an impasse and what would happen if there was an impasse. I am also not sure of legal remedies to force NHL to do negotiate.  Agents are paid to negotiate contracts, not the CBA."

- SPS Hockey agent Ben Hankinson on word that the NHLPA will be meeting with player agents on November 17th regarding the NHL work stoppage and CBA negotiations.

"They've all underachieved"

- Binghamton Senators co-coach John Paddock on the line of Pat Kavanaugh, Charlie Stephens and Grant Potulny. (Delaware Press)

"I don't know what the future looks like but hopefully I can get back out on the ice for real, soon  It's day by day right now and I'm feeling better, a lot better than a few weeks ago. The main thing is to get healthy, so if we have to take our time, we have to take our time. With what's happening and the uncertainty of the season, it's just smarter to not rush myself and make sure I'm healthy 100 percent rather than get back at it 85 or 90 percent ... and possibly damage myself worse."

- Jordan Leopold after beginning to skate for the first time in Calgary after suffering a concussion during the World Cup. (Calgary Sun)


Quick Take:
When the NHL returns to play they will likely consider new rule changes currently under experimentation in the AHL this season.  Quick Facts is in favor of adoption of changes currently under use and would like to suggest a few more.

1. Moving goal line back two feet - the change made in the '90's to increase the area behind the net has only slowed the game. This move to put the nets back has sped up the game by not allowing players to group behind the net but also because it changes the angles for goaltenders, allowing the puck to carom off the end boards and end up in front of the net faster, creating more scoring chances.

2. Touch-up offsides - allows players to dump the puck and generate a greater forecheck, increasing the chances for turnovers and breakaways, a bonus for fans of offensive hockey.  Players are still getting used to this so it hasn't been tested much.

3. No-touch icing  - it is rare that icing is waived off after pursuit of the puck and the reduction in the chance for injury is worth the chance of losing the ability to make that play.  No player should break an ankle or worse just to waive off an icing, just get better at faceoffs.

4. Goalie pads reduced from 12" to 10" - perhaps the best and easiest method for increasing scoring opportunities without sacrificing the safety of the goaltender.  There have been no additional goaltender injuries in the AHL due to the reduction in pad width.

Rules Quick Facts has no problem leaving behind:

1. Restricted goalie movement behind the net - by moving the nets back and reducing the space behind the net the increase in difficulty for goaltenders to play the puck is already in place so that the specific area deliniated on the ice is unnecessary,  Just allow physical contact with a goaltender who leaves the crease, that will make them think more than twice about testing their puckhandling skills outside of the safety of their zone.

2. Wider red and blue lines - just move the lines out, don't make them wider, they look silly and the linesmen have a hard enough time as it is.

New rules Quick Facts would like to see added:

1. Increased standards for mouthgards and mandatory use by players - the increase in size of players and harder dasher boards and glass have contributed to the  increase in the number of minor and major concussions suffered by players.  Properly certified mouthgards can reduce and eliminate these injuries with little impact on how the player plays the game.  The should be worn at all times, even practice, especially for players who have suffered concussions before.  It is no longer cool for hockey players to have missing teeth either, dental work costs too much.

2. Mandatory requirement of eye shields - Steve Yzerman, Bryan Berard and Al MacInnis none would have suffered serious eye injuries threatening their careers had they been wearing shields.  OSHA standards require eye protection for all other fields of work.  All players grow up playing with a full shield so that there should be no issue with a grandfathered implementation of the rule.  Ask Dany Heatley or John Pohl what their shields did for them if you have any question of their benefit.

3. Eliminate center-ice offsides - watching the college game or international hockey just makes fans of offensive plays drool for the ability for a great outlet pass from behind the blueline.  Combined with the relocation of the goal lines and reduction in the neutral zone this would help inordinately to return the flow that is so lacking in the NHL game.

The Quad City Mallards have traded Cole Jarrett to the Missiouri Ice Hogs in exchange for cash considerations and a 2nd round pick in the 2005 North American Amateur Draft.
 
Thomas Vanek broke out of his scoring drought last week following his first official healthy scratch he'd ever experienced, putting up his first point of his professional career, a powerplay goal.  But Friday night was the first time that Rochester Americans fans had really seen the scoring phenom that Gopher fans knew for two seasons.  On the ice where he helped the Gophers win their second consecutive NCAA title, HSBC Arena in Buffalo, Vanek opened the scoring for the Amerks against the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks with a power-play tally, on his first shot of the game.  He added a regular strength goal four minutes later in the first to put the Amerks up 2-0 on his second shot on net.  The Amerks won the game 3-1, Vanek scoring the game-winner.  He was named the number one star.

Grant Potulny has been getting shots on net, they just aren't going in.  Potulny was again snakebitten Friday despite a team-high 5 shots on goal.  His Binghamton Senators tied the Albany River Rats 2-2 sending the game into a shootout.  Brandon Bochenski and Zach Parise each earned assists in regulation. Josh Langfeld scored twice for the Senators in the shootout but the Rats ended up on top in a four-rounder.

Saturday night pit Potulny and the Sens agains Vanek and the Amerks.  Vanek had one assist on the opening goal just over a minute into the first period.  Instead of Potulny it was Josh Langfeld's turn at frustration, putting a game-high 7 shots on net without a score.  THe Amerks won ithe game in overtime 5-4, Brandon Bochenski had a goal for the Sens in the loss.

Karl Goehring is 0-3 for the Syracuse Crunch despite some solid play.  He made 30 saves for the Crunch against the San Antonio Rampage on Saturday but allowed 5 goals with his team being shut out.

The goaltender rotation in Manchester appears to be over with Mathieu Garon getting his fourth straight start leaving Adam Hauser on the bench Saturday.  The Monarchs lost their first game Friday with Garon in net but he came back with a victory Saturday.  Mike Cammaleri figured in three goals in the victory.

The Worcester Ice Cats upset the Manchester Monarchs 4-2 Friday. The Monarchs had been undefeated so far in the AHL season.  John Pohl missed his fifth game of the season for undisclosed reasons.  Adam Hauser was not in net for the Monarchs for the second consecutive game, a switch from the usual rotation with Garon.

Travis Richards, captain of the Grand Rapids Griffins, scored his first goal of the season against the Houston Aeros Friday.  Stephane Veilleux and Pierre Marc Bouchard scored for the Aeros and the score was tied at 3 after regulation.  Bouchard proved to the be hero though scoring less than three minutes into overtime, assisted by Veilleux.  Prior to the game Bouchard only had one goal through nine games played but did have 7 assists. 

20-year old Aeros netminder Josh Harding got a hard-earned shutout 1-0 stopping all 40 shots.  Harding, a Wild prospect has a goals against of 1.89 and a save percentage of .931.

Troy Riddle and notched an assist Friday night but his Peoria Rivermen we defeated by the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies 3-1.  Jason Noterman had two goals for the Bullies, both assisted by Luke Curtain, including the eventual game-winner.

Riddle scored the first goal of his professional career Saturday night in a rematch with the Bullies, adding an assist as the Peoria Rivermen topped Atlantic City 6-3.  Former UNH standout Colin Hemmingway had a hatrick in the win.

Jeff Taffe was the only one of 10 shooters to score as the Utah Grizzlies won their first game of the AHL season, a 2-1 shootout victory over the Moose before a boisterous and reminiscing crowd of 13,985 at Winnipeg Arena Saturday night. With a standing-room-only crowd on hand to witness the final game at the area, it took 65 minutes of hockey and 10 shooters to decide the final outcome. The Old Barn as Winnipeg Arena is sometimes called, has been replaced by MTS Centre.  The Moose will play thier first game at the new arena on November 17th. (AHL)
20-year old Aeros netminder Josh Harding got a hard-earned shutout 1-0 stopping all 40 shots.  Harding, a Wild prospect