FRISCO, TEXAS - The North American Hockey League announced today a change in its leadership.
Effective immediately, Mark Frankenfeld will serve as interim commissioner. The NAHL wishes departing commissioner Eric H. Krupka the best in his future endeavors.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The U.S. National Under-17 Team fell to North American Hockey League North Division foe, Marquette Rangers, 3-0 tonight at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.
Following a scoreless opening frame, the Rangers gained the first lead of the game 8:19 into the second period. Brodie Zuk knocked a loose puck past U.S. netminder Nick Maricic (Alta Loma, Calif.) from just above the U.S. netminder's crease. Team USA pressured Rangers netminder Stephen Ritter in the opening two periods with 22 shots, but were unable to beat the Rangers goalie.
Marquette gained the 2-0 advantage when Christopher Smith beat Maricic over his left shoulder from deep in the U.S. end 2: 33 into the third period. The Rangers scored again 5:05 later to stretch the lead to three at 3-0.
Ritter stopped all 29 U.S. attempts and Maricic turned aside 22-of-25 shots in the pipes for Team USA tonight.
"Our guys really worked hard tonight, but we faced a strong goalie," said U.S. Head Coach John Hynes (Warwick, R.I.). "Tomorrow will be important for us to keep battling and continue to pressure the way we did tonight."
The U.S. National Under-17 Team battles the Rangers again tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Ice Cube. Tomorrow's game will be the final chance fans have to recieve two-for-one tickets with the donation of a new toy to USA Hockey's Toys for Tots Drive.
NOTES: U.S. defensemen Nick Pryor (Woodbury, Minn.) and Ryan Grimshaw (Rochester, N.Y.) were out of the line-up tonight. Pryor is recovering from injury and Grimshaw is playing with the U.S. National Under-18 Team against Northern Michigan University tonight.
TRAVERSE CITY - Ryan Zapolski was 31-of-32 on save chances, and Matt Quigley and Derek Graham dished out two assists each as the Mahoning Valley Phantoms posted a 5-1 win over the Traverse City North Stars on Friday night at Centre ICE arena. The game was much closer than a four-goal spread, but don't tell that to Stars head coach Scott Gardiner.
"It wasn't a 5-1 game, or at least it didn't feel like that," Gardiner said. "But you can't put one goal on the board and expect to win many hockey games. The bottom line is we have to score more goals. We have to find a way to put the puck in the net."
Zapolski, who raised his personal record to 22-5-1, put the Phantoms atop the North American Hockey League all alone at 23-7-1, two points ahead of idle St. Louis. His TC counterpart, Kyle Jendra, saved 25 of 30 tries.
After a scoreless first period, the visitors got on the board just : 21 into the second stanza, as Nathan Longpre converted a close-range shot. Zach Hitch answered for Traverse City just over six minutes later, but the deadlock was short-lived. Eric Ringer scored the eventual game-winner at 9:50, and Miles Winter made it a two-goal cushion some 10 minutes later.
In the third, Mike Fillinger registered a shorthanded marker off a two-on-none breakaway to make it 4-1, and Doug Leaverton completed the scoring with 2:48 to play.
It was the first game for newly-acquired forward Brett Bandazian - brought to the Stars from St. Louis for future considerations - and the second for another recent acquisition, defenseman Eric Scovill, who cost TC (11-15-5) a tender in a swap with Santa Fe.
"I thought both guys were solid," Gardiner said. "They can help us defensively, but we have to score goals up front to make it work."
The Stars and Phantoms revive their series on Saturday night at Centre ICE arena. Face-off is slated for 7 p.m.
U.S. National Under-18 Team Falls to Northern Michigan in Overtime
MARQUETTE, Mich. - The U.S. National Under-18 Team fell to the Northern Michigan University Wildcats, 5-4 in overtime tonight at the Barry Events Center.
Northern Michigan got on the board first when U.S. forward Jimmy Hayes (Dorchester, Mass.) was whistled for a hooking penalty 1:07 into the game and the Wildcats scored seven seconds into the man advantage to gain the early 1-0 lead. Team USA responded with a power-play goal of its own when Colin Wilson (Greenwich, Conn.) tallied his first of the night 4:48 into the opening period with assists going to James vanRiemsdyk (Middletown, N.J.) and Jimmy Hayes. Wilson then gave Team USA the 2-1 lead with 5:59 remaining in the first period on his second man-advantage goal of the contest.
Northern Michigan scored the lone marker of the second period with two minutes remaining with the Wildcats second power-play goal of the night. The third period was a scoring frenzy. Northern Michigan gained the 3-2 advantage 5:42 into the period, but Wilson completed his hat trick six minutes later in the third stanza to knot the game at 3-3. vanRiemsdyk gave Team USA the 4-3 lead with 6:03 remaining in the game with assists going to John Albert (Concord, Ohio) and Ryan Hayes (Syracuse, N.Y.). The U.S. lead was short-lived as Darin Olver scored with 2:28 remaining in the game to send it to overtime.
Team USA went on the power-play 1:32 into overtime, but was unable to score despite firing five shots on net. With 29 seconds left in the game Mike Santorelli scored for Northern Michigan to win the game for the Wildcats.
The U.S. National Under-18 Team travels to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., to take on the Lake Superior State University Lakers tomorrow night, Dec. 16, at Taffy Abel Arena. The opening face-off is set for 7:05 p.m. EST.
NOTES: The U.S. National Under-18 Team has now lost four overtime decisions (0-4-0) versus NCAA Division I opponents this season. NMU is the first non-ranked opponent to top Team USA in the extra session ... Team USA assistant captain Teddy Ruth (Naperville, Ill.) missed tonight's game due to a pre-existing injury, U.S. National Under-17 Team defenseman Ryan Grimshaw (Rochester, N.Y.) made his first appearance with the Under-18 Team tonight in place of Ruth ... U.S. National Under-18 Team forward James vanRiemsdyk was named to the U.S. National Junior Team where he will play for his current Head Coach Ron Rolston who will serve as the head coach of Team USA at the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Mora and Leksand, Sweden.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - Ryan Zapolski made 31 saves and the Mahoning Valley Phantoms received goals from five different players to beat the Traverse City North Stars 5-1 at Centre I.C.E. Arena Friday night for their 17th consecutive win.
After both teams exchanged early scoring opportunities, the North Stars' defense held the Phantoms without a shot on goal over a 12-minute span of the first period. When the Phantoms did get a puck on net, Eric Ringel's wrist shot from the right point beat a screened Kyle Jendra with 1:23 remaining.
But the goal was waived off by the referee, claiming that Phantoms right wing Nathan Longpre was in the crease, and the game remained scoreless. A replay showed that Longpre was pushed into the crease by North Stars defenseman Ben Plocar.
The Phantoms, 23-7-1, came out charging to start the second period and officially opened the scoring just 21 seconds into the stanza.
Adam Snead intercepted a Traverse City pass at the red line and skated into the North Stars zone on the left wing. He passed to Dustin Cloutier, who neatly redirected the puck ahead, off the inside to his right skate, to his stick in between the circles.
Cloutier made a touch pass to Nathan Longpre in the right circle. Longpre fired a low wrist shot that beat Jendra between the legs for his 11th goal of the season.
Zach Hitch tied the game for Traverse City at the 6:52 mark. After a scramble for the puck behind the net, a shot attempt deflected to the left and out of the reach of Zapolski. Hitch gathered the loose puck and roofed it over Zapolski's left shoulder for his seventh goal of the season.
It took the Phantoms less than three minutes to regain the lead. Alden Hirschfeld blocked a neutral zone pass along the left wing boards and skated into the Traverse City zone. His shot was blocked by Jendra.
With the puck loose in the right circle, Ringel jumped in deep from the right point and fired the puck high with Jendra out of position. This time, Ringel's seventh goal counted and the Phantoms led 2-1 with 10:10 remaining.
"We didn't have a good week of practice," Ringel said. "It took us a period to shake off the cobwebs and get back to playing our game."
Miles Winter extended the lead to 3-1 with 36.8 seconds left in the period on a Phantoms power play. He blocked a clearing attempt on the left wing, skated alone in between the circles and fired a low wrist shot past the right skate of Jendra.
Mike Fillinger made it 4-1 at 12:54 of the third period after Matt Quigley blocked a North Stars shot and skated out of the zone uncontested on a shorthanded breakaway. Fillinger caught up with Quigley for a two-on-none odd-man break, as Quigley peeled to the left wing.
As he reached the goal line, Quigley threaded a pass through the top of the crease and Fillinger tapped the puck easily past Jendra for his 11th tally on the campaign.
Doug Leaverton rounded out the scoring with 2:49 left in regulation. On a Phantoms power play, Leaverton used Brent Dexter as a screen in front of Jendra before throwing a shot from the right point. It was Leaverton's second goal of the season.
For the game, the Phantoms were 2 for 9 on the power play, while the North Stars finished 0 for 5. Traverse City out-shot the Phantoms 32-30 as Zapolski improved his record to 22-5-1.
The Phantoms and the North Stars conclude their weekend series at Center Ice Arena on Saturday. The puck drops at 7 p.m. and will be webcast on Mahoning Valley Phantoms.
The Mahoning Valley Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company- Phantom Fireworks, which is headquartered in Youngstown, Ohio.
SAULT STE MARIE, Mich. - The U.S. National Under-18 Team topped NCAA Division I Lake Superior State University Lakers 3-1 tonight at the Taffy Abel Arena.
Following a scoreless opening frame, the U.S. gained the 1-0 advantage 7:17 into the second period when defenseman Cade Fairchild (Duluth, Minn.) scored his first goal of the season with assists going to Ryan Hayes (Syracuse, N.Y.) and John Albert (Concord, Ohio). Team USA made it a 2-0 game when Colin Wilson (Greenwich, Conn.) notched his fourth goal of the weekend with 1:53 left in the period.
The U.S. National Under-18 Team was not done scoring in the second frame though, forward James vanRiemsdyk (Middletown, N.J.) tallied his team-leading 24th goal of the season with 53 seconds remaining in the period to give Team USA the 3-0 advantage after two periods.
In the final stanza the Lakers changed netminders and settled down defensively, only allowing six shots in the period compared to 21 over the first two frames. The Lakers added a late goal with 31 seconds remaining in the game to snap U.S. netminder, Brad Phillip's (Farmington Hills, Mich.) shut-out bid.
"It is a positive the way our guys battled tonight after a tough overtime loss last night," said U.S. Head Coach Ron Rolston (Fenton, Mich.). "It is good to go to a break here on a positive note. We played well top to bottom tonight and truly earned the victory."
The U.S. National Under-18 Team does not play again until Friday, Jan. 5, against Princeton University in Princeton, N.J.
NOTES: Rolston served as an assistant coach at LSSU for five seasons including two NCAA national chamionships (1992, 1994) ... Team USA assistant captain Teddy Ruth (Naperville, Ill.) missed tonight's game due to a pre-existing injury, U.S. National Under-17 Team defenseman Ryan Grimshaw (Rochester, N.Y.) made his second appearance with the Under-18 Team tonight in place of Ruth ... U.S. National Under-18 Team forward James vanRiemsdyk was named to the U.S. National Junior Team where he will play for his current Head Coach Ron Rolston who will serve as the head coach of Team USA at the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Mora and Leksand, Sweden.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The U.S. National Under-17 Team topped the Marquette Rangers of the North American Hockey League 4-1 tonight at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.
Jordan Schroeder (Lakeville, Minn.) led the way offensively with two goals and Michael Clemente (Great Falls, Va.) was strong in net for Team USA stopping 23-of-25 shots on the night.
The Rangers got on the board first when Nic Weight beat Clemete along the ice 2:25 into the game. Team USA responded when David Wohlberg (South Lyon, Mich.) scored on a breakaway to knot the game at one.
Schroeder gave Team USA the 2-1 lead 1:26 into the second period when he converted a 2-on-1 pass from Kevin McCarey (Baldwinsville, N.Y.). Colin Reddin (Corona Del Mar, Calif.) made it 3-1, 9:29 later in the second period when he blasted a shot past Rangers netminder Stephen Ritter.
In the final frame, Schroeder notched his second on the night 5:45 into the period off a feed from Sam Lofquist (Faribault, Minn.) to give the U.S. the 4-1 advantage. The Rangers added a late power-play goal with 30 seconds remaining to make it a 4-2 contest.
"It was positive to see the guys battle both nights this weekend," said U.S. Head Coach John Hynes (Warwick, R.I.). "We worked hard this weekend and it was good to see our guys take a lead on a team and put them away."
The U.S. National Under-17 Team travels to Boardman, Ohio, this Wed., Dec. 20, to take on the Mahoning Valley Phantoms before hosting the 2006 Toys for Tots Four Nations Tournament from Dec. 29- Jan. 2, 2007.
NOTES: U.S. defensemen Nick Pryor (Woodbury, Minn.) and Ryan Grimshaw (Rochester, N.Y.) and forward Kelen Corkum (Newbury, Mass.) were out of the line-up tonight. Pryor and Corkum are recovering from injury and Grimshaw is playing with the U.S. National Under-18 Team against Lake Superior State University tonight.
TRAVERSE CITY - Dustin Cloutier and Nathan Longpre had two goals each, and Ryan Zapolski made 30 of 31 saves to power Mahoning Valley to a 7-1 shellacking of the host Traverse City North Stars on Saturday at Centre ICE arena.
Brett Englebright had the lone goal of the night for the Stars, long after the issue was decided. Stefan Shively worked the net for TC (11-16-5), making 35 saves on 42 chances.
Mahoning improves to an NAHL-best 24-7-1, while the Stars travel to Alpena on Sunday for a 3 p.m. matinee.
ALPENA - The extended Christmas holiday break started early for the Traverse City North Stars - around the middle of the first period on Sunday - when TC saw a 1-0 lead evaporate en route to a 6-1 loss at Alpena.
Joe Greener gave the visitors a 1-0 edge with 10:04 to play in the first period, but the floodgates opened after that, as Chad Billins answered for the IceDiggers to close the first period, and a four- goal outburst in the second period put the game out of reach well before Justin Stadler capped the scoring just :19 into the third.
"We're a team playing with no confidence right now," said Stars head coach Scott Gardiner. "This team needs this break - mentally, physically, and in every way possible. They need to get away for about eight to ten days and come back refreshed."
Traverse City fell to 11-17-5, and has to face Alpena again in its next series, Dec. 30-31.
"We have a whole half of a season left," Gardiner added. "I've been in worse situations than this, and we have a darn good team here on paper. We're way too good to be playing like this."
Kory Kaunisto and goalie Stefan Shively drew assists on the Greener goal, which represented one of the few bright spots in an 0-3 weekend.
"Joe Greener had our goal, he finished all his checks, he fought - he did everything he could to help us win. He's one of those guys I never have to worry about his effort or intensity."
After heading to their respective homes, the Stars return to Centre ICE arena on Dec. 30 against the IceDiggers, then visit Northern Lights Arena for a New Year's Eve battle in sunny Alpena.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Junior Blue Jackets lost 4-2 to the Lincoln Stars at Nationwide Arena Sunday night. Two power-play goals by the visiting team helped push them past the Junior Blue Jackets (2-18-5, 9 pts.).
Down 1-0, forward Derek Roehl got a clear breakaway, against Lincoln (14-8-1, 29 pts.) goaltender Bryan Hogan, and didn't miss, tallying his fourth goal of the season. Center Clark MacLean was credited with the lone assist on the goal and the team's went to the first intermission tied at one.
At the beginning of the second period, forward Matt Bourdeau got a breakaway of his own and lifted the puck over the shoulder of Hogan. For Bourdeau, the unassisted goal was his first of the season and gave Ohio a 2-1 lead. The game was tied 2-2 nearing the end of the second period, but the Stars scored with just 30.4 seconds on the clock to take a 3-2 edge into the third.
The Stars capitalized on their man-advantage chances, going 2-for-6 on the power play, including a third period goal to complete the scoring. Ohio goalie Troy Redmann stopped 31 shots on goal, while Ohio was 0-for-8 on the power play.
The Junior Blue Jackets now have a 12-day break, before resuming play 8 p.m. (ET) Dec. 29 at Chicago, when they face the Steel for the first time this season.
Ohio Junior Blue Jackets individual game tickets for 2006-07 regular season home games are on sale now at Nationwide Arena, The Chiller Ice Rinks, all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers and click here for information on season tickets, mini-plans and group tickets, call (614) 246-PUCK or (800) NHL-COLS.
North American Hockey League news 12/16-12/19
North American Hockey League news 12/16-12/19
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