[truebluefan]

Admirals Fall in Season Opener

Milwaukee, WI--Seven different players scored a goal for the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights as they topped the Milwaukee Admirals 7-1 in the 2006-07 season opener for the Ads.

The highlight of the evening for the Admirals certainly came before the contest even started when they dropped the banner on the Western Conference Crown that they captured last season. After that it was all down hill, as Milwaukee surrendered a short-handed breakaway goal to Omaha forward Andrei Taratukhin just 53 seconds into the game.

Dustin Boyd and Brett Palin added goals for the Knights in the first period and they entered the locker room with a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.

Ads Coach Claude Noel repalced starter Karl Goehring with back-up Scott Reid after the first period, but the results were still the same. Ryan Donnally made it 4-0 at the 9:09 mark of the second and Richie Regehr added the fifth Omaha goal with 2:15 remaining in the stanza.

David Van der Gulik's tally 5:30 into the third made it six-zip, Knights. It looked as though the Admirals had finally got on the board when Kim Staal flipped a backhand over Omaha backstop Curtis McElhinney at 10:49 of the third, but the referee ruled that the puck had bounced off of the cross-bar.

Milwaukee finally gots its first goal of the 06-07 campaign when Alexander Radulov fired a wrister that beat McElhinney far to the glove side. John Vigilante and Rich Peverley assisted on the Russian Rookie's first professional goal.

Boyd and David Moss both notched a goal and two assists to pace the Knight's offense, while McElhinney stopped 26 shots to earn his first win of the year

The Admirals will go for their first win of the year next Friday night, October 13th, when they take on the Chicago Wolves at 7:00 pm at the Bradley Center. At that game the Admirals will honor recently retired Executive Vice-President/General Manager Phil Wittliff. Wittliff called it quits this past summer after 30-plus years with the organization as a player, coach, and front office executive.

Fans can purchase tickets by calling Ticketmaster at (414) 276-4545 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Season tickets for the 2006-07 season are on sale now starting at just $135. For more information or to order season tickets fans can call the Admirals office at (414) 227-0550.

 

[truebluefan]

Moose beat Marlies

One day after winning their home opener and first game of the season, the Toronto Marlies got an unpleasant wake-up call courtesy of the Manitoba Moose. And most of the damage was done in the first 20 minutes of play.

Manitoba (1-1-1-0) scored three times in the first period, including two power play goals, and went on to beat Toronto (1-1-0-0) at Ricoh Coliseum Saturday.

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[truebluefan]

Knights Drub Admirals 7-1 For First Win

Five different players scored their first professional goals as the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights beat the Milwaukee Admirals 7-1 on Saturday night at the Bradley Center. It was the first win of the regular season for the Knights who improve to 1-0-1-0 on the season.

It was a first period full of firsts for the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. Knights' defenseman Tim Ramholt was whistled for a penalty just 40 seconds into the game, but it was the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights who would take advantage. Andrei Taratukhin blocked a shot at the point and raced the other way, converting the breakaway for his first North American pro goal.

The Knights followed that special team goal with another. While on the powerplay, Brad Ference sprung Dave Moss down the left wing with a sharp pass from center. Moss then slipped the puck to the slot where Dustin Boyd beat goalie Karl Goehring with a backhander for his first professional goal.

That string continued late in the period when Justin Taylor handed the puck back to the right point where Brett Palin wristed the puck through traffic and past Goehring to make it 3-0 after one.

The onslaught continued into the second. Ryan Donally scored off a rush down the right wing for his first pro goal at 9:09. Then after weathering an extended five-on-three penalty kill, the Knights converted another powerplay when Moss fed Richie Regehr for a booming slap shot that beat goalie Scott Reid who began the period in relief of Goehring.

Early in the third period, the Knights continued their barrage. David Van der Gulik notched his first pro goal, slipping the puck underneath Reid while reaching around from the side of the net. Moss then made it 7-0, converting off a netmouth scramble for his team-leading third goal of the year.

Curtis McElhinney was strong throughout, particularly when Milwaukee had the five-on-three in the second. The only goal to beat him was a powerplay tally by Alexander Radulov with less than seven minutes to go. McElhinney finished with 26 saves.

The six goal margin of victory is the largest in Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' history.

Three Stars: 1. Curtis McElhinney (OMA) - 26 saves; 2. Dave Moss (OMA) - 1 goal, 2 assists; 3. Dustin Boyd (OMA) - 1 goal, 2 assists Game Box Score

The Knights return to action next Saturday, October 14th when they visit the Grand Rapids Griffins for a 6:00 p.m. CT face-off. They'll finish the weekend at Chicago on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Both games can be heard live on 1420 KOTK and on the web at omahaaksarbenknights.com. The game also can be viewed on line by clicking on the link to B2 Networks on the Knights' home page.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights host their home opener on Friday, October 20th when they welcome the Syracuse Crunch at 7:00 p.m. The first 5,000 fans will receive a free magnetic schedule from Alegent Health. Tickets for the game are on sale at the Omaha Civic Auditorium box office Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tickets also are available through all Ticketmaster outlets and by phone at (402) 422-1212.

Season tickets and 22-Game Mini Plans for the 2006-2007 season are on sale now. Season tickets start as low as $10 per seat per game. For more information on pricing and benefits, visit the Knights' office at the Omaha Civic Auditorium or call (402) 344-4625. Ticket information is also available on-line at omahaaksarbenknights.com.

 

[truebluefan]

'A complete game'

Scott Arniel couldn't have scripted it any better.

His goalie was sound, the special teams spectacular and the defensive zone coverage was impeccable.

MOOSE 5 MARLIES 2

Add it up and the Manitoba Moose came away with a 5-2 win yesterday over the Toronto Marlies before a crowd of 3,650 at Ricoh Coliseum yesterday, giving Arniel his first American Hockey League victory as a head coach.

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[truebluefan]

Omaha pounds new-look squad

With the memories of the Calder Cup series and the longest season in Milwaukee Admirals' history still fresh in the minds of their fans, the team kicked off its 2006-'07 season with a good news / bad news scenario.

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[truebluefan]

Cameron after right blend

Don't expect Dave Cameron to change his approach coming off last season's disappointing finish.

If anything, Cameron said, his first two seasons as head coach of the Binghamton Senators -- as different as they were -- have only reinforced his coaching philosophy.

"My philosophy is that talent is only part of the equation," Cameron said last week. "Hard work, passion and commitment are the other part of it. But you can't have one without the other. Because if you're lacking either, you're not going to go deep in the playoffs."

In Cameron's first season, when he served as co-head coach with John Paddock, a roster full of NHL-level players -- here because of the lockout -- rolled to the American Hockey League's East Division title but lost in the first round of the playoffs.

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[truebluefan]

B-Sens crunch 'Cuse in opener

Right wing Jeff Heerema, who's being counted on to help lead the Binghamton Senators' offense this season, got things started with a wrist shot from the middle of the zone less than three minutes in.

Second-year goaltender Kelly Guard turned away a breakaway and robbed at least two would-be goals with a quick glove. The penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4, the new-look defense committed just two penalties, and rookie Bobby Robins crashed the net to help home two goals.

To be sure, some of that antique gold threading on Binghamton's uniforms Saturday night could have just as easily been rust, but enough went as planned for the B-Sens to delight the home crowd with a season-opening 4-1 win over the Syracuse Crunch.

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[truebluefan]

No dream debut by Lowell Devils

Considering it was Opening Night, there was surprisingly little fanfare, other than AHL president David Andrews being in attendance.

Albany 5, Lowell 3

A crowd of 4,257 only two-thirds filled Tsongas Arena for the on-ice launching last night of the Devils Era in Lowell.

Those who came left stunned. The Albany River Rats -- many of them beloved Lowell Lock Monsters of yore -- defeated the Lowell Devils 5-3, scoring three unanswered goals after Lowell's new good guys had gone ahead 3-2 in the third period on Patrick Davis' first professional goal.

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[truebluefan]

Marlies trampled in Pogge's debut

Jason Jaffray scored two goals to lead the Manitoba Moose over the Toronto Marlies 5-2 in American Hockey League action at the Ricoh Coliseum yesterday.

Jesse Schultz, Jannik Hansen and Brad Moran also scored for the Moose (1-1-1-0), who took a three-goal lead in the first period and never looked back.

Marlies goaltender Justin Pogge, who was making his pro debut, stopped 25 shots in the loss. Manitoba's Drew MacIntyre made 30 saves.

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[truebluefan]

In Opener, Pack Denied By Burke, Goal

The pregame highlight film, laser show and ceremonial puck dropping by first coach E.J. McGuire and fan favorite P.J. Stock brought plenty of oohs, aahs and cheers from the 10th anniversary opening-night crowd of 7,184 at the Civic Center Saturday night.

The Wolf Pack, including All-Star goalie Al Montoya, then showed their youth and nerves while allowing two goals in the opening 3:17. Then the metal behind Falcons goalie Sean Burke proved the Pack's worst enemy.

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[truebluefan]

Pirates bounce back in style for first win

The Portland Pirates turned in a workmanlike performance for their first AHL victory of the season Saturday night.
Less than 24 hours after Worcester eked out a 4-3 win in a shootout to spoil Portland's season opener, the Pirates dominated the Providence Bruins 7-2 before 3,907 fans at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
"We were more in sync tonight," said rookie Portland forward Ryan Carter, who scored his first goal and had his first fight as a pro.
"(Friday night), guys were still coming in and not everybody had skated together for a while. After Friday night, everything kind of jelled."

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[truebluefan]

Falcons capture opener

An equipment manager in the visiting dressing room threw Sean Burke a towel so the goaltender could dry off for the post-game interview.

"This towel looks so old, I bet Gordie Howe used it," Burke quipped.

Burke was back home, healthy after reporting to training camp with a bad back, and in top form.

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[truebluefan]

Bears still have Penguins’ number

WILKES-BARRE TWP. – There have been a ton of changes for both teams since the Hershey Bears eliminated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins from last spring’s Calder Cup playoffs.

One thing that hasn’t changed: Louis Robitaille’s ability to drive the Penguins to distraction.

Robitaille, without a doubt the most agitating player in the AHL’s Eastern Conference, drew a key penalty 5 minutes, 14 seconds into the third period of a tie game Saturday night.

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[truebluefan]

River Rats resilient

The "new" Albany River Rats won their first game under their new NHL affiliations Saturday night. Ben Guite scored two goals, including the game winner, in Albany's 5-3 road victory over the Lowell Devils, many of whom played for the Rats last season.

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[truebluefan]

Amerks ready for encore after impressive debut

With just one chance in life to make a first impression, the Rochester Americans made sure they left an impression to remember.

Their roster overhauled from a year ago, the Amerks showed they have talent by thumping the Albany River Rats 6-0 in their American Hockey League season opener on Friday.

"The guys were good," said rookie center Janis Sprukts, the Latvian who made his North American debut. "It was an easy game to play. It was a good feeling for the first game."

Sprukts said he wasn't nervous heading into Friday's game. The other six rookies apparently weren't intimidated by the AHL, either, but a few — such as right winger Drew Stafford — looked intimidating.

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[truebluefan]

Bears make late surge

Being a defending Calder Cup champion means you're a target for AHL foes.

It also means you've got a measure of composure in the tank, and the Hershey Bears displayed plenty of it in a 7-4 season-opening victory last night over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Hershey overcame deficits of 2-0 and 4-3 at Wachovia Arena to win its first opener since 2002-03. And that's after losing Tomas Fleischmann to Washington Capitals recall earlier in the day.

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[truebluefan]

AEROS NOTES: Harding returns

When Josh Harding was sent to the Aeros this past week, the team picked up its starting goalie for the past three seasons.

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[truebluefan]

Aeros are flop opening night

There's no way to sugarcoat this one.

The Aeros just weren't good on opening night, and they paid with a 3-1 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday at Toyota Center

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[truebluefan]

Shootout shutout ends on 26th try

Marcel Hossa beat Antero Niittymaki in the 13th round of a shootout to give the New York Rangers a 5-4 victory over Philadelphia in the Flyers' home opener on Saturday night.

After 12 Rangers failed to come close to scoring, Hossa finally finished off one of the longest shootouts in NHL history. The Rangers, of course, know a little something about winning long shootouts. They went 15 rounds to beat Washington last season.

Niittymaki had 26 saves in his first game since deciding to have a cortisone shot instead of surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip.

Hossa was the 26th skater overall in the shootout, and the only one to score.

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[truebluefan]

Herniated disc KO's Rathje

Flyers defenseman Mike Rathje is out indefinitely because of a herniated disc in his back and will find out next week if he needs surgery.

Rathje will have tests Monday to decide if rehabilitation will be enough. Flyers trainer Jim McCrossin said surgery would keep Rathje out about four weeks. If not, he could miss up to two weeks.

One-timers

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