[truebluefan]

Rivermen to Broadcast Tonight's Game via b2 Networks

Peoria, IL (September 26, 2006) - Peoria Rivermen Director of Broadcasting Norm Ulrich announced today that the team will broadcast its preseason home game against the Iowa Stars tonight LIVE, without commercial interruption, in an audio-only format, courtesy of the b2 Networks (www.b2now.com).

The audio-only game broadcast can be accessed through the Rivermen Web site by clicking the "Listen Live" link or by following this URL - mms://208.67.186.169/peoria.

The Rivermen open the 2006-07 AHL regular season on Friday, October 6 against the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights at Carver Arena at 7:30 p.m. It's Heritage Bank Magnet Schedule Night for the first 5,000 fans. On Saturday, October 7, Peoria welcomes the rival Chicago Wolves to Carver Arena at 7:00 p.m. on the first of two Maui Jim Sunglasses Nights, in which 25 random winners will receive a free pair of Maui Jim Sunglasses.

Rivermen season ticket plans are on sale now with 1) a Full Season package (40 games), 2) the 25th Anniversary package (25 games), 3) a 12-game package, 4) a seven-game package and 5) undated voucher books (denominations of 20 vouchers). Packages start at just $75 per seat.

For more information, please contact Director of Ticket Operations Jim Small at 309-676-1040 x 106 or via e-mail at [email protected]

 

[truebluefan]

With 36-3 vote, it was hockey day in Toronto

Hockey is a big part of life for goalie Amelia Soucy, 17, who belongs to a fast-growing women's league forced to scrounge scarce ice time from city and private rinks across west-end Toronto.

"Everyone is so tired of driving around," says Ms. Soucy, whose parents, Chris and Mary-ann, spend up to 25 hours a week driving their daughter, a member of the Etobicoke Dolphins league, to practices and games. With ice time on evenings and weekends at a premium, the rinks dominated by men's and boys' clubs, newcomer female teams patch together practice and game locations and times from week to week

complete article

 

[truebluefan]

Devils assign 25 to Lowell

The New Jersey Devils on Tuesday reduced their training camp roster, by assigning 25 players to their top development team, the American Hockey League’s Lowell Devils, and returning four players to their junior teams.

Assigned to Lowell were: goaltenders Frank Doyle, Gregg Naumenko and Jordan Parise; defensemen Alex Brooks, Mark Fraser, Tomas Harant, Nate Kiser, Eric Lundberg, Olivier Magnan, Dan McGillis, Bryan Miller and Mike Mottau; and forwards Nicklas Bergfors, Patrick Davis, Stephen Gionta, Ivan Khomutov, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Chris Minard, Ryan Murphy, Mike Pandolfo, Justin Papineau, Rod Pelley, Jason Ryznar, Aaron Voros and Petr Vrana.

 

[truebluefan]

Rats start practices at Pepsi

Thirty-seven players were on the ice Tuesday as the Albany River Rats officially opened practice for the 2006-07 American Hockey League season, their first as an affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche.

Eleven more players were assigned to the club later Tuesday by the Hurricanes, the defending Stanley Cup champions. Among those sent from Carolina was center Keith Aucoin, who was 10th in AHL scoring last season with 85 points in 68 games.

complete article

 

[truebluefan]

Dispatching Stars, then Rivermen

The Peoria Rivermen toyed with the Iowa Stars in an AHL preseason game on Tuesday, then played with their roster numbers after the game.

Peoria rolled to a 7-3 victory before 2,414 fans at Carver Arena, then released seven players.

Gone are goaltender Isaac Reichmuth, defensemen Jeff Mushaluk, Gerry Burke and Steven Later, left wing Brock Becker, right wing Kevin Croxton and center Julian Talbot.

complete article

 

[truebluefan]

Rookies' goal is to call Syracuse their home

In the back end of the Syracuse Crunch locker room, tucked away on the right side, rookie forwards Petr Pohl and Olivier Labelle have stalls right next to each other.

It's a convenient setup, since the two are long-time friends and former junior hockey teammates. The way things are going, they could have a better chance than expected to make it a permanent arrangement.

The Columbus/Syracuse story of the year so far is the way forwards are dropping like leaves in the fall. Sergei Fedorov is out for at least one month with a sprained shoulder. Alexander Svitov has a separated shoulder, costing him two-three weeks. Steven Goertzen is slow to recover from shoulder surgery. Nikolai Zherdev is holding out.

complete article

 

[truebluefan]

Milroy looking to regain his offensive touch around the net

His career as a professional hockey player had stalled and Duncan Milroy knew he had to do something to jump start it again.

So when Hamilton Bulldogs head coach Don Lever suggested to him at the end of last year that the best thing he could do to impress the Montreal Canadiens was to start by getting in the best shape of his life, Milroy took the message to heart.

The 23-year-old Edmonton native spent two months this summer in St. Louis working with the Blues strength and conditioning coach Nelson Ayotte.

complete article

 

[truebluefan]

Already up and running

Training camp opened for the Portland Pirates at the Cumberland County Civic Center Tuesday morning, and it appeared the first 21 candidates for the team were well prepared.
"I'm happy with the way it went, and I'm encouraged with their conditioning in Day 1," Pirates Coach Kevin Dineen said.
However, the Pirates will turn it up a notch for Day 2.
"I warned them that we're going to pick up the pace (today)," Dineen said. "We're going to get a little more detail-oriented. We're not only looking for effort and skills, but we're also looking for the ability to make decisions and carry out what is asked of them, to execute and follow directions."
While most of the young players currently at the Pirates' camp will end up playing for the ECHL's Augusta Lynx in Georgia, it appears they worked just as hard as the more veteran players to prepare for camp.

complete article

 

[truebluefan]

A minor-league call

Got a chance to get a few looks at the new rules crackdown in minor hockey over the past few days.

If you're a coach, parent, player or referee and haven't had the same chance, right now would be a good time to go out and stock up on some heavy duty blood-pressure medicine.

Because as great an idea as this one is, Hockey Canada's made a mess of it.

Basically, the governing body of Canadian hockey decided the crackdown on offences in the NHL last year made the game so much better, it would demand referees at every level to mimic the changes. Anything that illegally impeded a player's progress would now be called.

complete article

 

[truebluefan]

Kings Loan Clarke, Moulson To Monarchs

MANCHESTER, NH - The Los Angeles Kings, the primary affiliate of the Manchester Monarchs, have loaned left wings Noah Clarke and Matt Moulson to the Monarchs, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced today.

Clarke, 27, appeared in three preseason games with the Kings. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound native of LaVerne, California, recorded one assist (0-1=1), three shots and two penalty minutes in his three games. Clarke, selected by the Kings in the ninth-round (250th overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, has one assist and zero penalty minutes in seven career NHL regular season games (all with the Kings).

Moulson, 22, appeared in two preseason games with the Kings. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound native of North York, Ontario, had two points (1-1=2), three shots, zero penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating in his two contests. Originally selected by Pittsburgh in the ninth-round (263rd overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Moulson has not appeared in a NHL regular season game. He signed as a free agent with the Kings on September 1, 2006.

The Monarchs have 35 players in training camp, 22 forwards, nine defensemen and four goaltenders. Tickets for the Manchester-Worcester exhibition game on September 30 at the Tri-Town Ice Arena are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets for $5.00 at the Monarchs Pro Shop, located in the main entrance of the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester (555 Elm Street) or at the Tri-Town Ice Arena.

The Monarchs open their sixth AHL season at home against the Worcester Sharks on Saturday, October 7 at 7:35 p.m. Individual tickets for the Monarchs 2006-07 season are on sale now and can be purchased at the Verizon Wireless Arena box office, at any TicketMaster location, by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by calling TicketMaster at (603) 868-7300. Monarchs Full, Half or Ten-game season ticket packages are also available. For season ticket information, visit the Monarchs on-line at www.monarchshockey.com or call (603) 626-7825.

 

[truebluefan]

Wolf Pack Squander Chances

With about half the Wolf Pack's projected team in New York trying to make more impressions, players in Hartford had their first chance Tuesday night to improve their status on several fronts.

Some hoped to earn another look on Broadway, others tried to secure a job at the Civic Center or a contract that might lead to the ECHL's Charlotte Checkers.

complete article

 

[truebluefan]

Bears' cuts reflect team's depth

It's no surprise Bruce Boudreau marveled at his team's on-paper depth early yesterday afternoon after finishing exit interviews with seven players cut in the Hershey Bears' first roster trim of 2006-07 training camp. Those departing represented a collective 330 games of AHL experience. That equates to one veteran (261 games), with another 69 bonus games on top.

Defensemen Marc Busenburg (202 games), Jeff State (58) and Donny Grover (10) were released along with forwards Brendan Bernakevitch (48), Doug Christiansen (12), Lucas Drake (zero) and Malcolm MacMillan (zero).

"The reason they're surprising is numbers," Bears head coach Boudreau said. "We've still got nine defensemen here.

complete article

 

[truebluefan]

Aeros kick off preseason today

The Aeros will take the ice today in Sugar Land as preparations are under way for the 2006-07 season.

Training camp will open with the first practice skate from 1-3 p.m. skate at the Sugar Land Ice and Sports Center, 16225 Lexington Blvd. All practices are open to the public, and admission is free.

complete article

 

[truebluefan]

Stars start off preseason play with road loss

It was a learning experience to say the least for the Iowa Stars in their American Hockey League exhibition opener Tuesday night at Carver Arena.

The Stars, playing their first preseason game after just two practices and with only three players returning from last season, fell 7-3 to the Rivermen.

Peoria went 2-for-7 on the power play while the Stars were 1-for-14. Iowa faces Peoria again in the Stars' exhibition home opener at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Wells Fargo Arena.


complete article

 

[truebluefan]

Depth in Los Angeles could help Monarchs

The head-spinning skills of Anze Kopitar and the scoring touch of Patrick O’Sullivan in Los Angeles has suddenly expanded the Kings’ depth, making some forwards expendable. Yesterday the Kings shipped left wings Noah Clarke and Matt Moulson to Manchester.

“Kopitar has performed extremely well and certainly has been one of our better players so far,” said Kings assistant general manager Ron Hextall, who doubles as the GM of the Monarchs.

The arrival of the 19-year-old, 6-foot-4, 220-pound Kopitar from the Swedish Elite League and 21-year-old O’Sullivan, who was the AHL rookie of the year last season with Houston, has certainly increased the pressure-cooker for Kings roster spots.

O’Sullivan, who Hextall says, “has a few areas where he needs some work,” from the sounds of it will benefit from another season in the AHL. Since O’Sullivan is on his first NHL contract, he can shuttle back and forth from LA to Manchester in the event of injuries. He is not be subject to a waiver claim by another club so he becomes a valuable depth player.

complete article

 

[truebluefan]

Devils Assign 25 Players to Lowell

East Rutherford, NJ "" The New Jersey Devils today reduced their training camp roster, by assigning 25 players to their top development team, the American Hockey League's Lowell Devils, and returning four players to their junior teams.

Assigned to Lowell were: goaltenders Frank Doyle, Gregg Naumenko and Jordan Parise; defensemen Alex Brooks, Mark Fraser, Tomas Harant, Nate Kiser, Eric Lundberg, Olivier Magnan, Dan McGillis, Bryan Miller and Mike Mottau; and forwards Nicklas Bergfors, Patrick Davis, Stephen Gionta, Ivan Khomutov, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Chris Minard, Ryan Murphy, Mike Pandolfo, Justin Papineau, Rod Pelley, J! ason Ryznar, Aaron Voros and Petr Vrana. Returned to their junior teams were defensemen Matthew Corrente (Saginaw, OHL), Kirill Tulupov (Chicoutimi, QMJHL) and Sean Zimmerman (Spokane, WHL); and forward Kyell Henegan (Shawinigan, QMJHL).

The Lowell Devils host the Portland Pirates in pre-season action this Friday, September 29th at Tsongas Arena. Game time is 7:05 p.m. Tickets are just $10 with all seating general admission.

The Lowell Devils will officially drop the puck on their inaugural season in just 10 days, when they host the Albany River Rats at Tsongas Arena on Saturday, October 7th. Season tickets are on sale now, with ticket packages starting at just $140. For more information, or to inquire about remaining seat availability, contact the Lowell Devils office at (978) 458-PUCK (7825) or www.lowelldevilshockey.com.

 

[truebluefan]

Injured Niittymaki to miss 6 to 8 weeks

THE FLYERS sometimes run a weather report between periods on the scoreboard in the Wachovia Center.

Maybe they should try to find out how long the dark cloud that hovered over them all last season - and apparently has found its way back - is going to stay.

Because the Flyers once again will start a season on the heels of a significant injury.

Antero Niittymaki, the Flyers' 26-year-old Finnish goalie who seemed on the verge of a breakout season after a strong rookie campaign, tore the labrum in his left hip during a routine save in training camp yesterday morning and will be out a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks.

Niittymaki said last night he is going to require surgery to repair the tear and did not know how long he will be out. He had surgery on his right hip in May that required 3 months to heal.

complete article

 

[truebluefan]

Providence Bruins Name WLKW Flagship Station

Providence, RI - The Providence Bruins, member of the American Hockey League, announced today that WLKW 1450-AM has been named the new flagship station of the Providence Bruins Broadcast Network for the 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09 seasons. WLKW is owned and operated by Hall Communications, who also operates WCTK Cat Country 98.1-FM and WNBH 1340-AM. WNBH will also be an affiliate for the Providence Bruins Broadcast Network.

"Our goal was to sign an agreement with a radio partner with a solid presence in the area, a well respected brand in the market place, and a partner who is committed long term to the Providence Bruins," said Providence Bruins President Matt Poore. "WLKW and Hall Communications met all of those requirements, and we are thrilled to have such an outstanding, top notch radio partner."

"Hall Communications is proud to be bringing the local hockey action of the Providence Bruins to southern New England live on our AM stations; WLKW 1450/Providence, and WNBH 1340/New Bedford," said Hall Communications Vice President/General Manager Tom Wall. "We wish the P-Bruins the best of luck and look forward to broadcasting their success this season!"

The following represents an overview of the expanded Providence Bruins Broadcast Network.

Station Coverage Area

WLKW AM-1450 Providence, Warwick, Cranston, Johnston, North Providence, East Greenwich

WNBH AM-1340 Fall River, New Bedford, Dartmouth, Swansea, Tiverton, Fairhaven, Wareham

WQRI FM-88.3 Bristol, Barrington, East Providence, Newport, North Kingstown, Rehoboth

WNRI AM-1380 Woonsocket, Bellingham, Franklin

WBLQ FM-96.9 Westerly

The Providence Bruins' home opener for the 2006-07 season is October 13 versus the Worcester Sharks at 7:05 p.m. at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Information on the home opener and Providence Bruins season ticket packages for the upcoming 2006-07 regular season can be obtained by calling the team ticket office at (401) 273-5000 or by logging onto the team website at www.providencebruins.com.

 

[truebluefan]

Rats Assigned 11 by Carolina

Albany, N.Y. - The Albany River Rats announced today that the American Hockey League club has been assigned goaltender Justin Peters, forwards Keith Aucoin, Jesse Boulerice, Patrick Dwyer, Dave Gove, Brad Isbister, Scott Kelman and Shane Willis, and defensemen Tim Conboy, J.D. Forrest and Derrick Walser by their new National Hockey League affiliate, the 2006 Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.

The assignment of the 11 players brings the River Rats' training camp roster to 48 players, including six goaltenders, 15 defensemen and 27 forwards.

Albany begins its 14th season as members of the American Hockey League Friday, October 6 against the Rochester Americans at 7:35 p.m. at Blue Cross Arena. The River Rats will then face the Lowell Devils Saturday, October 7 at 7:05 p.m. at Paul E. Tsongas Arena before their home opener Saturday, October 14 against the Hamilton Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. at Pepsi Arena.

Individual game tickets for the River Rats' 2006-07 regular season are currently on sale. For information on full and partial-season ticket packages, contact the River Rats at (518) 487-2244 or visit www.albanyriverrats.com.

The River Rats are owned and operated by Capital District Sports and are entering their first season as the primary affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche.

 

[truebluefan]

Phantoms announce venue change

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Phantoms Chief Operating Officer Frank Miceli today announced a venue change for the team's contest against Albany on Friday, November 3. The game was originally scheduled for the Wachovia Spectrum, but will now take place in the Wachovia Center at 7:05 PM.

"The building became available and we thought our fans would enjoy an extra night of the amenities at the Wachovia Center," noted Miceli. "The new scoreboard and video system is amazing."

With the move, the Phantoms will now play their first four regular season games in the Wachovia Center. The opening of the Wachovia Spectrum for the 2006-07 season will now take place one day later, on Saturday, November 4 when the Phantoms host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 7:05 PM.

Season ticket holders will receive information in the mail along with their season ticket packages regarding the process of obtaining new tickets for the Wachovia Center for this game.

With kids tickets only $8, the Phantoms will begin the 2006-07 regular season on Friday, Oct. 6 at 7:05 PM, against the Norfolk Admirals at the Wachovia Center. Individual tickets are on sale now at phantomshockey.com or by calling 800-298-4200.