[truebluefan]

Blackhawks Recall Troy Brouwer from Norfolk

General Manager Dale Tallon announced today that the Blackhawks have recalled forward troy Brouwer from the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL.

Brouwer has appeared in 32 games for the Admirals this season and has scored 18 goals while adding 19 assists for 37 points with 36 penalty minutes and a +11 rating. Of his 18 goals, 8 have been on the power play and 1 was shorthanded.

Brouwer, 21, was the Blackhawks' 7th round pick (214th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft out of Moose Jaw in the Western Hockey League. Last season for Moose Jaw, Brouwer had a career season scoring 49 goals and 102 points in 72 games. He won the WHL scoring title and was the only player in the WHL to top the 100 point mark.

The 6.03, 220 pound winger will join the Blackhawks in Colorado for tonight's game. He has never played in an NHL game.

 

[truebluefan]

Stewart returns to Amerks

(Rochester, NY)... Rochester Americans General Manager Jody Gage announced today that forward Anthony Stewart has returned from the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League.

Stewart played in two games with the Panthers on his recall of the season. In 12 games with the Amerks, he has five goals and seven assists. In his last game, Stewart chipped in two assists in Rochester's 10-4 win over Binghamton last Saturday.

Last season, he played in only 10 NHL games and four AHL games due to a season-ending injury. With the Panthers he had two goals and one assist. The right wing was the Florida Panthers' first-round selection (25th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Tonight, the Amerks will head to Binghamton to take on the Senators at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena at 7:05 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Hot Talk 1280-AM WHTK, whtk.com and B2 Networks.

 

[truebluefan]

MacMurchy Recalled from Loan to ECHL Alaska

Peoria, IL (December 23, 2006) - Peoria Rivermen General Manager of Hockey Operations Kevin McDonald announced today that rookie right wing Ryan MacMurchy has been recalled from loan to the team's ECHL affiliate, the Alaska Aces - 2006 ECHL Kelly Cup Champions. He is on a two-way, AHL/ECHL contract with the Rivermen and the Aces.

MacMurchy, 23, notched his first professional goal with the Rivermen on November 5 and has played four games with the team this season. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound native of Regina, Saskatchewan, has seven points (2g, 5a) in eight games for the Aces, including a three-point night in a 6-3 win over the Utah Grizzlies last Saturday.

MacMurchy completed a four-year, NCAA Division I career at University of Wisconsin this past spring, collecting 110 career points (44g, 66a) and 342 penalty minutes (PIM) in 162 games and was a member of the Badgers' 2006 NCAA Championship. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound native of Regina, Saskatchewan, ranked second (28pts), third (33) and fifth (25) in points as sophomore, junior and senior, respectively. He became only the seventh Badger ever to surpass 100 points and 300 PIM, and he became the first University of Wisconsin player to hit the century mark in points since Dany Heatley left campus in 2001.

The Rivermen play five games in six nights following the Christmas Holiday. On Tuesday, December 26, Peoria battles the Grand Rapids Griffins on the road at 6:00 p.m. at Van Andel Arena. On Wednesday, December 27, the Rivermen return home to face off against the Milwaukee Admirals at 7:00 p.m. It is a Nesquik Wacky Wednesday; fans may redeem a Nesquik cap or UPC at the Peoria Civic Center Box Office to receive a Buy One Upper Bowl Center Ticket, Get One Free offer for the game. U.S. Cellular's 25 Greatest Rivermen of All-Time continues with Grant Rezansoff cards to the first 2,500 fans. On Friday, December 29, Peoria hosts the rival Chicago Wolves at 7:30 p.m. It's Ameren Mouse Pad night for the first 2,500 fans. On Saturday, December 30, the Rivermen are back on the road against the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. Game time is 7:00 p.m. at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. On Sunday, December 31 - New Year's Eve - Peoria hosts the Hamilton Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m.

 

[truebluefan]

AHL announces suspension

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League today announced that Norfolk Admirals defenseman David Koci has been suspended for one (1) regular-season game as a result of his actions during an AHL game vs. the Hershey Bears on Dec. 22.

Koci was assessed an instigator penalty within the final five minutes of the third period, resulting in an automatic one-game suspension under AHL Rule 47.21.

Koci will miss Norfolk's game tonight (Dec. 23) at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

 

[truebluefan]

Admirals surrender AHL lead with loss to Penguins

One night after taking the points lead in the 27-team American Hockey League, the Norfolk Admirals relinquished it with a 4-1 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

It was the 13th home victory in a row by the Penguins against the Admirals, a streak stretching to February 2004.

Jonathan Filewich scored two short-handed goals against Sebastien Caron for the Penguins, who are an affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers as well as Pittsburgh. The Penguins share the points lead with the Chicago Wolves at 48, while the Admirals and Hershey are at 47.

The Penguins led 3-0 before Brandon Bochenski's short-handed goal for the Admirals 10:20 into the final period.

Before the game, the Admirals learned that forward Troy Brouwer, 21, had been promoted to the Chicago Blackhawks to make his first NHL appearance. He played about three minutes in the Blackhawks' 3-2 loss.

Brouwer has 18 goals, 19 assists and a plus-11 rating in 32 games for the Admirals. Brouwer, the Blackhawks' seventh-round pick in the 2004 draft, has eight power-play goals.

The AHL suspended Norfolk defenseman David Koci for Saturday's game for instigating a third-period fight with Louis Robitaille during Friday's 6-3 victory against Hershey, the Admirals' first triumph against the Bears in eight attempts.

 

[truebluefan]

P-Bruins Defeat Wolf Pack 3-1

Hartford, CT - The Providence Bruins defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack 3-1 Saturday evening at the Hartford Civic Center. The P-Bruins got goals from Nate DiCasmirro, T.J. Trevelyan and Jeremy Reich.

In the opening period, the P-Bruins went on a five minute power play only 2:26 seconds into the game, when Hartford's Francis Lessard took a major charging call after knocking Providence starting goaltender Jordan Sigalet out of the game. The P-Bruins scored just under two minutes into the power play at the 3:55 mark. David Krejci made a perfect pass to DiCasmirro skating into the slot. He backhanded the puck over the right shoulder of Wolf Pack netminder Steve Valiquette to give the P-Bruins a 1-0 lead. Sean Curry had the second P-Bruins assist. The game headed into the first intermission with the same score.

In the second period, while once again on the power play the P-Bruins extended their lead by a goal. At the 4:55 mark Martins Karsums took a shot and Valiquette made the save, but kicked the rebound right to Trevelyan as he slapped the puck into the net. Matt Lashoff had the second assist as the P-Bruins led 2-0 after two periods of play.

The Wolf Pack pulled within a goal midway through the third period. After being awarded three power plays in four minutes Hartford capitalized on the third of those power plays. At the 8:33 mark Ivan Baranka scored the goal with Ryan Callahan and Greg Moore picking up the assists. The P-Bruins added an empty netter at the 19:38 mark. Reich scored with DiCasmirro and Lashoff earning the assists. With the victory the P-Bruins improve to 15-12-1-2 and snap a four game losing streak.

Jordan Sigalet stopped all two shots he faced and Philippe Sauve stopped 25 of 26 shots for the P-Bruins, while Valiquette made 19 saves for the Wolf Pack. Providence was 2 for 4 on the power play, while Hartford went 1 for 7 on the man-advantage.

The P-Bruins continue their eight game road trip Wednesday, December 27 against the Norfolk Admirals at The Scope at 7:15 p.m. The P-Bruins return home to the Dunkin' Donuts Center Friday, January 5 to take on the Worcester Sharks at 4:05 p.m. For tickets call the team ticket office at (401) 273-5000 or log onto the team website at Providence Bruins - Free Give-A-Way Fridays.

 

[truebluefan]

Sound Tigers Win in OT

Frans Nielsen scored a power play with just 6.5 seconds remaining in overtime to send the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to a 2-1 over the Manchester Monarchs before 3,082 fans at the Arena at Harbor Yard on Sunday. The Sound Tigers improved to 13-12-1-3 and the Monarchs dropped to 15-11-5-1.

Nielsen's ninth goal, his third in as many games, was assisted by Steve Regier and Blake Comeau. Regier and Comeau also earned assists on Jeremy Colliton's second-period tally which tied the game. Comeau found Colliton with a cross-ice pass and Colliton beat Manchester goaltender Jason LaBarbera at 8:09 of the middle period. Manchester took a 1-0 lead on Patrick O'Sullivan's unassisted tally 8:19 into the first.

Sound Tiger goaltender Billy Thompson stopped 29 of 30 Manchester shots and LaBarbera kicked aside 25 of 27 Sound Tiger shots. The Monarchs were 0-for-4 on the power play and the Sound Tigers went 1-for-5 on the advantage.

The Sound Tigers return to the Arena at Harbor Yard to take on the Hershey Bears on Tuesday, Dec. 26, at 7:30 p.m. For schedule and ticket information, including group discount opportunities, visit soundtigers.com or call 334-4625.

 

[truebluefan]

Whitfield Returned on Loan from Blues

St. Louis Blues President John Davidson announced today that center Trent Whitfield has been returned on loan to the Peoria Rivermen, the Blues' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.

Whitfield, 29, is second on the Rivermen in goals (13) and points (23) in 27 games played this season. The 5-11, 204-pound pivot skated in 30 games for the Blues last season, recording seven points (two goals, five assists) along with 14 penalty minutes. Whitfield also played in 41 games for Peoria last season, finishing fourth on the team in points (53), tied for third in goals (19) and ranked fourth in assists (34).

Whitfield, a native of Alameda, Saskatchewan, was originally Boston's fourth round selection, 100th overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.

On Friday, December 22, the Rivermen host the Grand Rapids Griffins at 7:30 p.m. It is a Coca-Cola/Insight Date Night. Fans may receive two (2) Upper Bowl tickets, two (2) Cokes and a tub of popcorn for just $25. The team will also commemorate the 1990-91 Rivermen International Hockey League (IHL) Turner Cup Championship and the still-world-record, 18-game professional winning streak by wearing replica 1990-91 replica jerseys, which will be auctioned off after the game to benefit the Children's Hospital of Illinois. U.S. Cellular's 25 Greatest Rivermen of All-Time continues with Steve Tuttle cards to the first 2,500 fans.

 

[truebluefan]

Penguins Beat Admirals 4-1

WILKES-BARRE, PA - Brandon Bochenski's team-leading 22nd goal of the season would not be enough, as the Norfolk Admirals (21-7-4-1) fell to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (22-4-2-2) 4-1 on Saturday night at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza.

The Penguins quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one period. While the Admirals were on the power play, Penguins Center Kyle Brodziak stole the puck behind the Norfolk net and passed it to an open Jonathan Filewich in the slot. Filewich sent a backhander past Admirals goaltender Sebastien Caron at 4:23 for a shorthanded goal. Matt Carkner doubled the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lead under three minutes later when his slap shot from the top of the right circle went into the net just under the crossbar at 7:06.

Another Filewich shorthanded marker gave the Baby Pens a 3-0 lead through 40 minutes. Brodziak carried the puck into the Norfolk zone on a two-on-one, dishing the puck to Filewich for a stick-side tally at 4:40 of the second period.

Bochenski extended his franchise-record scoring streak to 13 games midway through the final frame with a shorthanded tally. After a blocked shot in the Norfolk zone, Martin St. Pierre carried the puck into the Penguins' zone two-on-one with Bochenski. He sent the puck across the slot to Bochenski, who shot it past Wilkes-Barre netminder Andrew Penner glove-side high at 10:20.

Tyler Kennedy deflected a Filewich shot over Caron's left shoulder at 17:43 to end any comeback hopes for the Admirals.

Caron (26 shots, 22 saves) got the loss. Penner (30 shots, 29 saves) picked up the win.

The Admirals were 0-7 on the power play. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was 0-6.

Bochenski has 12 goals and 18 assists during his 13-game scoring streak. He will look to extend that streak when the Admirals return to Scope on Wednesday for a 7:15 matchup against the Providence Bruins.

 

[truebluefan]

Phantoms Fall 4-1

HERSHEY, PA - Eric Fehr scored twice to lead the Hershey Bears to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phantoms in AHL action on Saturday night at the GIANT Center. The loss snapped Philadelphia's two-game winning streak.

Hershey scored the game's first goal just 56 seconds in. Dave Steckel took an initial shot that was stopped by Scott Munroe, but Steckel cleaned up his own rebound from 10 feet out to give the Bears the early 1-0 advantage.

At 10:34, Hershey took a 2-0 lead when Fehr picked up his first of the night. He was persistent in a pile of players in front of the net that included Munroe. The netminder was unable to collect the puck before Fehr jammed it home.

After a scoreless second period, the Bears took a 3-0 lead on a power play goal just 2:30 into the final frame. Kyle Wilson fired a shot from the point that hit the leg of Chad Wiseman and changed direction to head through Munroe's five hole.

Philadelphia got on the board at 7:21 of the period just after completing a power play. Triston Grant chased a dump-in to the end wall and absorbed a check before tossing it out in front for Don Morrison, who converted from close range for his third goal of the year and second in the GIANT Center.

The Bears closed out the scoring on Fehr's second, which came at 10:41 on a 5-on-3 power play. Fehr carried it over the Phantoms line and fired a 30-footer that beat Munroe to the glove side.

Munroe absorbed the loss with 34 saves on 38 Hershey shots, while Maxime Daigneault earned the win by stopping 27 of 28 Philadelphia chances.

The Phantoms now take a few days off for the Christmas holiday before returning to action on Tuesday, Dec. 26 when they visit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 7:05 tilt.

The Phantoms return to the Wachovia Spectrum next Friday, December 29 to host the Providence Bruins. Individual tickets for all Phantoms games, including $8 tickets for children 14 and under anywhere in the building, are on sale now at phantomshockey.com or by calling 800-298-4200.

 

[truebluefan]

Bears win 20th game of the season 4-1 over Philly

HERSHEY moved back within a point of first place Saturday night, and won the club's 20th game of the season in the process. The BEARS now sport a 20-4-3-4 record heading into Christmas after a 4-1 win over Philadelphia at GIANT Center.

Dave Steckel didn't waste much time in the first period in giving HERSHEY an early lead. Steckel slid a puck by Phantoms goaltender Scott Munroe just 56 seconds into the game from Quintin Laing and Chris Bourque to give the home team a 1-0 lead. Eric Fehr then picked up his 14th goal of the season at 10:34 to increase HERSHEY'S lead to 2-0. The BEARS fired 18 shots in the first 20 minutes to take a 2-0 lead to the dressing room

After a scoreless second period, the BEARS ran the score out to 3-0 when Chad Wiseman scored his seventh goal of the season. Don Morrison ruined Maxime Daigneault's shutout at 7:27 of the third period with his third goal of the season to make the score 3-1. Fehr then returned to get his second of the game and 15th of the season at 10:41 of the third to put the game on ice. Fehr was named the game's number one star with his two goals, Daigneault made 27 saves to earn number two star honors, and Laing was third star.

Notes: The BEARS wore special Christmas jerseys that were auctioned off after the game. The game was Boyd Kane's first for the Phantoms at GIANT Center since captaining the BEARS to a Calder Cup championship in 2006. HERSHEY will take two days off for Christmas, and bus game day on Tuesday to Bridgeport to face the Sound Tigers at 7:30 p.m.

 

[truebluefan]

Bridgeport Topples Manchester In Overtime

BRIDGEPORT, CT - Center Frans Nielson scored with seven seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Bridgeport Sound Tigers over the Manchester Monarchs, 2-1, in front of 3,082 fans at the Arena at Harbor Yard on Saturday night.

Manchester (15-10-6-1) is in second place in the Atlantic Division with 37 points. Bridgeport (13-12-1-3) is in fifth place in the East Division with 30 points.

Center Patrick O'Sullivan scored his team leading 11th goal of the season, unassisted at 8:19 of the first period. Sound Tigers goaltender Billy Thompson skated out of his net to poke check Monarchs right wing Konstantin Pushkarev. Thompson succeeded in the poke check but sent the puck over to O'Sullivan who scored into the open net to give Manchester a 1-0 lead.

Bridgeport tied the game at 1-1 at the 8:09 mark of the middle period with center Jeremy Colliton's eighth tally of the season. Right wing Brian Comeau skated down the left wing into the Monarchs zone and fed the puck over to Colliton streaking into right face-off circle. Colliton's slap shot beat Manchester's goaltender Jason LaBarbera on his glove side. Left wing Steve Regier earned the second assist on the goal.

Nielsen scored his ninth goal of the season with seven seconds remaining in overtime to give Bridgeport the win. Former Monarchs left wing Jeff Tambellini carried the puck into the Monarchs zone and handed it off to Comeau. The right winger fired a shot on LaBarbera that was tipped by left wing Steve Regier. The rebound came to Nielsen who finished off the Monarchs for a 2-1 Sound Tigers win.

LaBarbera took the loss stopping 25 shots. Thompson earned the victory with 29 saves.

Manchester went 0-for-4 on the power play. Bridgeport was 1-for-5 with the man advantage.

Following the holidays, the Monarchs travel to the Tsongas Arena to play the Lowell Devils at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday, December 27. Catch all of the play-by-play action of Monarchs hockey with Ken Cail on the Monarchs Radio Network WGIR-AM 610 and at -= Manchester Monarchs Hockey =- Home Page. Watch the game live on B2 Networks for just $6 per game. Log onto -= Manchester Monarchs Hockey =- Home Page and click on the link to B2 Networks ten minutes prior to each Monarchs game to watch the game live!

 

[truebluefan]

Amerks squeak by Senators 6-5

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - The Rochester Americans scored four power-play goals over a 4:28 span in the second period as the North Division leaders got just enough offense to beat the Binghamton Senators 6-5 on Saturday night at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

The Senators kicked off the scoring as Brian Maloney buried his second goal in as many nights. Maloney took the feed from Serge Payer against the left boards, and snapped a wrist shot past Adam Dennis to give the Senators a 1-0 advantage.

Binghamton took advantage of their first power play of the night, as Josh Hennessy used a backhand pass to Tomas Malec. Malec smashed a one-timer from just inside the blue line past Dennis to stretch the lead to 2-0.

Rochester responded with two markers to close out the first period. Left winger David Booth had a straight on rush towards Jeff Glass, as he faked right then dipped left scooping it past the 21-year-old netminder.

Drew Larman followed that up with a short-handed marker at 15:49 to tie the game at 2 apiece. Larman stole the puck from a Binghamton defender and had a breakaway, as the center went to the backhand to score the unassisted tally.

The Senators struck back to start the second stanza, as winger Cory Pecker netted his sixth marker of the season to once again give the Sens' a one-goal lead.

After a Grant Potulny goal, the Amerks reeled off four unanswered power-play markers. Two of those markers came off the stick of defenseman Andrej Sekera.

Serge Payer added a late tally for the Senators to make it a 6-5 final, as the Senators have dropped five straight to the Amerks.

Sekera had three points (2+1=3) on the night, taking home first star honors.

Binghamton's next game is on Tuesday, Dec. 26, when they host the Syracuse Crunch at 7:05 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets at the following locations: Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena box office (Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.), Binghamton Senators executive office, third floor of the Arena (Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. and on game days until the end of the second period.), The Official Site of the Binghamton Senators : or by calling (607) 722-SENS.

Catch all the action LIVE on Q107 FM (106.7 or 104.5), via webcast or B2 Networks streaming video cast at The Official Site of the Binghamton Senators :

 

[truebluefan]

Devils Sink Sharks with 2-1 Shootout Win

Worcester, MA - The Lowell Devils (16-13-2-1) recovered from a late Worcester goal to edge the Sharks 2-1 in the shootout Saturday night at the DCU Center. Stephen Gionta scored the only goal and Frank Doyle was perfect in the shootout to lead the Devils to victory.

Though neither team lit the lamp in the first period, they were not without chances. Worcester controlled much of the early part of the period, but it was the Devils who came closest to scoring. An apparent goal by Gionta midway through the first frame was waived off as the net had come off its moorings. The Devils led 10-8 in shots after twenty minutes.

Grant Marshall broke the scoreless tie at 5:54 of the second period when he capitalized off a Sharks turnover at the Devils blue line and scored on a breakaway. The goal, Marshall's third of the season, was unassisted. Worcester peppered Doyle with 14 shots in the period, and had two goals disallowed - one that bounced in off an official's skate, and one as a result of a goaltender interference call.

The Devils lead held until 14:57 in the third period when Justin Kurtz blasted a shot that found its way through Doyle's pads and into the net. Kurtz' second goal of the season came after a sustained rally by the Sharks and eventually sent the game into overtime.

Neither team would score in the extra frame and the scoring drought continued into the shootout. Both Doyle and Nolan Schaefer were perfect until Gionta's tally in the fifth round sealed the victory for Lowell, who now trail second place Manchester by only two points. The win improved the Devils to 2-1 in the shootout and 3-1 against the Sharks this season.

The Devils will return home on Wednesday, December 27th to host the Manchester Monarchs at 7:05 p.m. for team action poster night. The first 2,500 fans will get a free poster, courtesy of Trinity Emergency Medical Service.

All Devils games, home and away, can be heard on WCAP 980AM with the Voice of the Devils, Ryan Johnston, or online through B2 Networks on The Official Website of the Lowell Devils. For more information or to reserve your seats for this game, call the Devils office at (978) 458-PUCK.

 

[truebluefan]

Haydar rewrites AHL history book as Wolves best Rampage in overtime

ROSEMONT, Ill.---Right wing Darren Haydar established an American Hockey League record by registering a point his 32nd consecutive game, the longest streak in the league's 71-year history, and linemate Brett Sterling dented the net at 3:10 of the overtime frame as the Chicago Wolves earned a 2-1 victory against the San Antonio Rampage at the Allstate Arena on Saturday. Haydar eclipsed the previous mark of 31 contests set by former Binghamton Whalers forward Mike Richard in 1987 with the game's first goal at 13:05 of the second period. The 27-year-old forward is now tied with former Chicago right wing Rob Brown for the franchise mark, which has stood since 1996. Haydar leads the AHL with 46 assists and 64 points, the most by a Chicago (23-7-1-1) player in club history through 31 games. "It's good to have the streak on my mind because it keeps me pressing every night," said Haydar, whose stick and the puck from the record-breaking goal are on the way to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. "I have great players to play with every night which has made it very easy. It's my job to be on the scoresheet every night, but the most important thing that came out of this game was the fact that we won." Sterling's AHL-leading 31st goal of the season - a power-play marker assisted by Haydar and center Cory Larose - was the crucial difference in the contest. Haydar pushed the puck to the slot where Sterling stood alone and buried a shot by goaltender Josh Tordjman. After a scoreless first period, Haydar's 19th goal of the season and record-breaking point opened the scoring. Haydar grabbed a feed in the neutral zone from Boris Valabik, broke the San Antonio zone, and deposited a shot over Tordjman's shoulder. Tordjman (4-6-0) recorded 28 saves in the loss. After being held without a goal in the first 56:24 of the game, San Antonio (10-19-1-0) used a power-play goal from rookie Bill Thomas with 3:35 remaining in regulation to knot the contest at one apiece. Thomas controlled a loose puck in the slot and banged it past netminder Michael Garnett. Garnett (11-6-0) registered 20 saves on 21 shots in the win. After the two-day holiday break, Haydar goes for the team record when the Wolves return to action against the Milwaukee Admirals at the Bradley Center on Tue., Dec. 26, at 7 p.m.

 

[truebluefan]

Rampage Gain Point, Lose Perfect Record

Rampage Gain Point, Lose Perfect Record
12/23/06 - American Hockey League (AHL) San Antonio Rampage

San Antonio Rampage
Rosemont, Ill. - San Antonio earned a point in the standings but the West Division-leading Chicago Wolves snapped the Rampage's perfect post-regulation record was snapped with a 2-1 overtime outcome Saturday night at Allstate Arena.

Entering tonight's game, the Rampage were 5-0 when playing 60-plus minutes.

Bill Thomas' power-play goal 3:35 remaining in regulation was enough for San Antonio to garner a point and give the Rampage a shot to extent their record. But left wing Brett Stirling, who scored a hat trick against the Rampage Thursday night, scored his 31st goal of the season on the power-play just 2:20 into the extra frame.

However, it was the game's first goal that stole the show. Chicago Wolves forward Darren Haydar set an American Hockey League record for the longest scoring streak in the league's 71-year history, tallying a point for the 32nd straight game when he scored off rookie netminder Josh Tordjman at the 13:05 mark in the second period.

Haydar, 27, has found the scoresheet in every Wolves game this season. Going back to last season and including the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs, Haydar has recorded a point in 54 of his last 56 games.

The Rampage will fly back to San Antonio on Christmas Eve before traveling to Houston to face the Aeros at the Toyota Center at 7 p.m. on Dec. 26.

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

 

[truebluefan]

Knights Edge Admirals 3-2 In Shootout

Goaltender Brent Krahn made 38 saves and stopped all five shots he faced in a shootout to help the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights stop the Milwaukee Admirals 3-2 at the Civic Auditorium on Saturday night.

The Knights, playing two men short because of call-ups to the Calgary Flames, took a lead in the first period when Justin Taylor steered home a pass from Tim Hambly for a powerplay goal at 13:26. Andrei Taratukhin had the other assist. Taylor's goal came on the Knights' second shot of the period.

Warren Peters doubled the lead in the final minute of the first stanza. He cut across the slot, took a pass from David Van der Gulik and whipped a wrist shot past goalie Karl Goehring to make it 2-0 after one period.

The second period was scoreless even though the Admirals outshot the Knights 12-3.

The Admirals finally got on the board at 2:02 of the third period when Cal O'Reilly stuffed home a pass from Ramzi Abid to make it 2-1.

Then on their sixth powerplay of the game, the Admirals tied it when Mikko Lehtonen fired a slapshot past a screened Krahn for his second goal of the season.

Krahn, though, would keep the Admirals at bay in the overtime, saving his best save for last. He made a sprawling save on an odd-man rush with less than seven seconds to go to force the shootout.

In the shootout, Taratukhin went first, beating Goehring with a nifty fake before slipping the puck past him on the backhand. It was the only goal the Knights needed as Krahn stopped all five Milwaukee shooters. He clinched the victory by stopping defenseman Sheldon Brookbank in round five.

The win improved the Knights to 18-9-2-0 and pushed their record to 3-0 in shootouts this season. The Knights are now 4-1-0-0 through their first five games with Milwaukee.

Three Stars: 1. Brent Krahn (OMA) - 38 Saves; 2. Andrei Taratukhin (OMA) - GW Goal; 3. Warren Peters (OMA) - 1 Goal

Click here for game sheet.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights will enjoy a two-day Christmas break before return to action Tuesday when they visit the Iowa Stars at 7:05 p.m. It's the first of five games in six nights for Omaha.

Tickets for all Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' games 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. Kids 12 and under get in free with a paid adult on tickets purchased after 5:00 p.m. Other restrictions apply.

 

[truebluefan]

Rivermen weeky

WEEK 12 - RIVERMEN ACTION (0-1-0-0)
Friday, December 22, RIVERMEN 2 vs. Grand Rapids 3: The Peoria Rivermen were nipped 3-2 by the Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday night in front of 3,653 at Carver Arena, dropping their first game of the year in three meetings between the clubs. The Griffins (13-14-3-2, 31 pts) struck first with 3:38 remaining in the opening period. With Peoria stuck in its own end, Grand Rapids center Jeff Campbell took a drop pass from center Eric Himelfarb in the high slot and ripped a wrist shot off the right goal post that deflected off the back of Rivermen netminder Marek Schwarz and into the back of the net. It was Campbell's first goal in 16 games and just his second in 38 career AHL games. Peoria (15-10-1-2, 33 pts) responded early in the second period on the power play, tying the game 1-1. Defenseman Jeff Woywitka sent a hard dump-in around the boards from the left wing that the right wing Mike Glumac picked up at the bottom of the right face-off circle. Glumac quickly fed the puck to left wing-turned-center Peter Sejna, who dashed to the right hash marks and snapped it between the legs of Grand Rapids goaltender Stefan Liv. The goal extended Sejna's point streak to four games. Grand Rapids took its second lead of the game at 8:56 of the third frame and it would be one they would not relinquish. Peoria got caught deep in the Griffins zone in the left-wing corner, allowing Grand Rapids to head up the opposite side of the ice on a two-on-one break. Defenseman Derek Meech then sent right wing Ryan Keller in on a breakaway, as he zoomed down the left side of the slot and snapped the puck into the upper-right corner for his fifth marker of the season. The Griffins pushed their lead to 3-1 at 15:47 of the third. Center Matt Hussey darted to the bottom of the left face-off circle and wristed his sixth goal of the year into the upper-right corner past Schwarz. Campbell set up the goal for his second point of the contest and his first two-point game of the year. The Rivermen made it interesting with 1:29 remaining in the game on the power play and with their goaltender pulled. Glumac corralled a Sejna rebound just off the right post and slammed his eighth marker of the season past Liv.


NEED THREE TO BE
The Rivermen are 1-7-1-2 when they score two or fewer goals in a game this year after this past Friday's 3-2 home loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Rivermen are 14-3-0-0 when scoring three or more markers in a game and 11-0-1-0 when allowing two or less tallies by the opposition.

WEARY WEEK
While the Rivermen have seven four-games-in-five-nights stretches this season, their five-games-in-six-nights haul this week after Christmas (December 27-31) against five different opponents is the only such stretch all season long.

DA'CRAZY DECEMBER
The Rivermen are nearing completion of a 14-game month in December to close out the 2006 calendar year. Peoria plays nine total games in a 17-day span from December 15 through December 31; seven of those contests are at home. Add to that another seven games, four of them on the road, in 13 days to begin the New Year, and the Rivermen play 16 games in 30 days from December 15-January 13. Eight of Peoria's 14 December games are against West Division foes. The other six are against North Division foes. Seventy-five percent of their 2006-07 AHL schedule (60 of 80) is against the West.

SEJNA-ING A LOT
Left wing Peter Sejna, who has been converted to center with the team's lack of depth up the middle, has eight points (4g, 4a) in a four-game point streak with 15 shots. The 26-year-old native of Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia, has 14 points (5g, 9a) his last nine games. He ranks first on the team in points (24) and assists (15). Sejna's assist on the team's second marker on Friday night was his 100th professional assist.

RECENT RIVERMEN TRANSACTIONS
December 23, 2006 RW Ryan MacMurchy recalled from loan to the Alaska Aces (ECHL).
December 22, 2006 C Trent Whitfield recalled from loan under emergency conditions by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
December 21, 2006 C Trent Whitfield returned on loan from the St. Louis Blues.
December 20, 2006 C Trent Whitfield recalled from loan under emergency conditions by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
December 19, 2006 RW David Backes recalled from loan by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
December 14, 2006 G Marek Schwarz returned on loan by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
December 12, 2006 G Steffan Braunlich released from professional try-out agreement.
December 11, 2006 D Stephen Wood recalled from loan to the Alaska Aces (ECHL).
December 7, 2006 G Steffan Braunlich signed to a professional try-out agreement.
December 6, 2006 G Marek Schwarz recalled from loan by the St. Louis Blues (NHL) under emergency conditions.
December 5, 2006 D Stephen Wood, RW Ryan MacMurchy returned on loan to the Alaska Aces (ECHL).
December 5, 2006 C Gavin Morgan signed to an American Hockey League (AHL) contract.
December 3, 2006 G Chris Beckford-Tseu reassigned to the Peoria Rivermen (AHL) from the Alaska Aces (ECHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
December 2, 2006 G Jason Bacashihua recalled from loan by the St. Louis Blues (NHL) under emergency conditions.

RIVERMEN PROMOTIONS THIS WEEK
Wednesday, December 27
- NESQUIK Wacky Wednesday - Receive a Buy One, Get One Free Upper Bowl Ticket offer for the game when presenting a Nesquik cap or UPC at the Carver Arena Box Office
- U.S. Cellular's 25 Greatest Rivermen of All-time continues with Grant Rezansoff cards to the first 2,500 fans
Friday, December 29
- Coca-Cola/Insight Date Night - Two (2) Upper Bowl Center tickets, two (2) Cokes & a TUB of popcorn for just $25 ($38 value!)
- Ameren Mouse Pad Night for the first 2,500 fans
Sunday, December 31
- Start your New Year's Eve celebration with the Rivermen!
- Insight Family Day - Four (4) Upper Bowl tickets, four (4) hot dogs, four (4) Cokes and four (4) bags of Kitchen Cooked Chips for just $38 ($70 value)
- U.S. Cellular's 25 Greatest Rivermen of All-time continues with Ron Hoover cards to the first 2,500 fans

Radio: The Rivermen will be broadcast LIVE on Tuesday, December 26; Wednesday, December 27; Saturday, December 30; and Sunday, December 31 and broadcast TAPE DELAY on Friday, December 29 on Classic Country 1290 AM (WIRL-AM), the flagship radio station of the Rivermen.
Internet Audio: LIVE streaming audio of all Rivermen games is available for no charge at rivermen.net: Home.
Internet Video: LIVE streaming video with the accompanying audio feed is available at rivermen.net: Home through the facilities of the b2 networks. The video Web cast of each game is available for a pay-per-view fee of $6.


SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS
National Hockey League Parent Club: Detroit Red Wings
Record Entering This Week: 13-14-3-2
Standings Points (Relative to Rivermen): 31 (-2)
Western Conference Standing: 9th Place
North Division Standing: 4th Place
Rivermen Record vs. Griffins: 2-1-0-0
Leading Scorer: C Kip Miller (32 GP, 11 G, 21 A, 32 PTS)
Number-1 Goaltender: Jimmy Howard (26 GP, 11-11-1, 3.05 GAA, .899 SV PCT., 1 SO)
AHL Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: T-22nd (14.4%)
AHL Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: 16th (81.7%)

SCOUTING THE ADMIRALS
National Hockey League Parent Club: Nashville Predators
Record Entering This Week: 14-12-2-3
Standings Points (Relative to Rivermen): 33 (-)
Western Conference Standing: T-6th Place
West Division Standing: T-3rd Place
Rivermen Record vs. Admirals: 1-0-1-0
Leading Scorer: C Rich Peverley (31 GP, 11 G, 22 A, 33 PTS)
Number-1 Goaltender: Karl Goehring (21 GP, 10-7-3, 2.83 GAA, .903 SV PCT.)
AHL Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: 12th (17.5%)
AHL Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: 5th (86.6%)

SCOUTING THE WOLVES
National Hockey League Parent Club: Atlanta Thrashers
Record Entering This Week: 23-7-1-1
Standings Points (Relative to Rivermen): 48 (+15)
Western Conference Standing: 1st Place
West Division Standing: 1st Place
Rivermen Record vs. Wolves: 0-2-0-1
Leading Scorer: RW Darren Haydar (32 GP, 19 G, 45 A, 64 PTS)
Number-1 Goaltender: Michael Garnett (18 GP, 11-6-0, 3.23 GAA, .891 SV PCT., 1 SO)
AHL Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: 6th (20.5%)
AHL Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: 12th (82.8%)

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
National Hockey League Parent Club: Calgary Flames
Record Entering This Week: 18-9-2-0
Standings Points (Relative to Rivermen): 38 (+5)
Western Conference Standing: 4th Place
West Division Standing: 2nd Place
Rivermen Record vs. Knights: 3-0-0-0
Leading Scorer: C Dustin Boyd (26 GP, 12 G, 17 A, 29 PTS)
Number-1 Goaltender: Curtis McElhinney (17 GP, 10-5-0, 2.16 GAA, .919 SV PCT., 3 SO)
AHL Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: 24th (13.6%)
AHL Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: 7th (86.2%)


SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
National Hockey League Parent Club: Montreal Canadiens
Record Entering This Week: 19-10-1-1
Standings Points (Relative to Rivermen): 40 (+7)
Western Conference Standing: 3rd Place
North Division Standing: 2nd Place
Rivermen Record vs. Bulldogs: 1-0-0-0
Leading Scorer: RW Duncan Milroy (29 GP, 12 G, 17 A, 29 PTS)
Number-1 Goaltender: Jaroslav Halak (16 GP, 10-5-0, 1.48 GAA, .950 SV PCT., 5 SO)
AHL Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: T-22nd (14.4%)
AHL Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: 4th (86.7%)