Steve Petty Sports

Hockey's 11/11/11 Countdown

2011-11-11T22:52:00.001-05:00

From NHL.com, a list of 11's on this Veteran's Day/Remembrance Day

In honor of the novelty that is 11/11/11 here are 11 lists of 11 noteworthy things in hockey in three writers' opinions -- and often not of the same opinion.

11 best players taken No. 11 in the Draft

1. Jarome Iginla (1995)
2. Anze Kopitar (2005)
3. Brad Marsh (1978)
4. Mike Ramsey (1979)
5. Ivan Boldirev (1969)
6. Jeff Carter (2003)
7. Brian Rolston (1991)
8. Mike Sillinger (1989)
9. Jonathan Bernier (2006)
10. Randy Moller (1981)
11. Jeff Friesen (1994)

11 hidden gems of the last 11 Drafts
1. Pekka Rinne (258th, 2004)
2. Joe Pavelski (205th, 2003)
3. Kevin Bieksa (151st, 2001)
4. Dustin Byfuglien (245th, 2003)
5. Matt Moulson (263rd, 2003)
6. Mark Streit (262nd, 2004)
7. Ryane Clowe (175th, 2001)
8. Jaroslav Halak (271st, 2003)
9. Kris Versteeg (134th, 2004)
10. Brooks Laich (194th, 2001)
11. Dennis Seidenberg (172nd, 2001)

11 best sweaters in the League right now
1. Blackhawks home red
2. Red Wings road white
3. Oilers home blue
4. Canadiens home red
5. Flames alternate
6. Bruins home black
7. Rangers road white
8. Devils home red
9. Kings road white
10. Flyers home orange
11. Islanders home blue

Top 11 current No. 11s
1 Anze Kopitar, Kings
2 Jordan Staal, Penguins
3 Daniel Alfredsson, Senators
4 Dan Cleary, Red Wings
5 Saku Koivu, Ducks
6 Martin Hanzal, Coyotes
7 David Legwand, Predators
8 Brian Rolston, Islanders
9 Gregory Campbell, Bruins
10 Matt Calvert, Blue Jackets
11 Jake Dowell, Stars

Top 11 current players born in November
1 Pekka Rinne, Predators
2 Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals
3 Marc-Andre Fleury, Penguins
4 Dustin Brown, Kings
5 Kari Lehtonen, Stars
6 Taylor Hall, Oilers
7 Tobias Enstrom, Jets
8 Matt Moulson, Islanders
9 Jason Pominville, Sabres
10 Saku Koivu, Ducks
11 Brad Stuart, Red Wings

Top 11 draft picks from 11 years ago

1 Henrik Lundqvist (No. 205)
2 Marian Gaborik (No. 3)
3 Ilya Bryzgalov (No. 44)
4 Dany Heatley (No. 2)
5 Lubomir Visnovsky (No. 118)
6 Brooks Orpik (No. 18)
7 Justin Williams (No. 28)
8 Paul Martin (No. 62)
9 Scott Hartnell (No. 6)
10 Niklas Kronwall (No. 29)
11 Antoine Vermette (No. 55)

Top 11 games to watch in November
Nov. 11 Dallas at Pittsburgh
Nov. 13 Edmonton at Chicago
Nov. 16 Chicago at Vancouver
Nov. 16 Anaheim at Los Angeles
Nov. 17 Detroit at San Jose
Nov. 19 Washington at Toronto
Nov. 19 Philadelphia at Winnipeg
Nov. 21 Boston at Montreal
Nov. 25 Detroit at Boston
Nov. 25 Toronto at Dallas
Nov. 26 Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers

Top 11 storylines this weekend

1. Top seeds from East, West face off as Penguins host Stars (Friday)
2. Predators play 1,000th game in franchise history at home against Canadiens -- all with Barry Trotz as coach (Saturday)
3. Terry Murray also reaches 1,000 games coached in career as Kings welcome in Wild (Saturday)
4. Nikolai Khabibulin expected to put his League-leading 0.98 goals-against average to test as Northwest-leading Oilers visit Red Wings (Friday) and Blackhawks (Sunday)
5. Rangers aim for fifth straight home win, sixth overall, against Hurricanes (Friday)
6. Struggling Ryan Miller, red-hot Jhonas Enroth vie for playing time as Sabres host Senators (Friday), travel to face Bruins (Saturday)
7. Phil Kessel (League-leading 12 goals, 23 points) leads Northeast-leading Maple Leafs against Senators (Saturday)
8. Lightning bring their 1-3-1 into St. Louis to face Blues and new coach Ken Hitchcock (Saturday)
9. Capitals, looking to end two-game losing streak and regain first place in Southeast from Panthers, face Devils in home-and-home (Friday in New Jersey, Saturday in Washington)
10. Canucks aim for sweep of Southern California against Ducks, third straight win overall (Friday)
11. Teams across NHL honor veterans with Remembrance Day initiatives

Top No. 11s of all time
1. Mark Messier
2. Gilbert Perrault
3. Mike Gartner
4. Brian Sutter
5. Daniel Alfredsson
6. Kevin Dineen
7. Tony Amonte
8. Owen Nolan
9. Saku Koivu
10. Pete Mahovlich
11. Anze Kopitar

11 best 11th-hour wins
1. Game 7 1950 Stanley Cup Final: Detroit Red Wings 4, New York Rangers 3 (2OT -- 28:31 of extra time), April 23, 1950
2. Game 4 1970 Stanley Cup Final: Boston Bruins 4, St. Louis Blues 3 (OT -- :40 of extra time) May 10, 1970
3. Game 7 1994 Eastern Conference Final: New York Rangers 2, New Jersey Devils 1 (2OT -- 24:24 of extra time), May 27, 1994
4. Game 1 1936 Stanley Cup semifinal: Detroit Red Wings 1, Montreal Maroons 0 (3OT -- 116:30 of extra time), March 24, 1936
5. Game 7 1987 Patrick Division Semifinal: New York Islanders 3, Washington Capitals 2 (4OT -- 68:47), April 19, 1987
6. Game 6 1999 Stanley Cup Final: Dallas Stars 2, Buffalo Sabres 1 (3OT -- 54:51 of extra time), June 19, 1999
7. Game 5 2000 Eastern Conference Semifinal: Philadelphia Flyers 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 1 (5OT -- 92:01 of extra time), May 4, 2000
8. Game 1 2003 Western Conference Semifinal: Anaheim Mighty Ducks 4, Dallas Stars 3 (5OT -- 80:48 of extra time), April 24, 2003
9. Game 7 1954 Stanley Cup Final: Detroit Red Wings 2, Montreal Canadiens 1 (OT -- 4:29 of extra time), April 16, 1954
10. Game 6 1980 Stanley Cup Final: New York Islanders 5, Philadelphia Flyers 4 (OT -- 7:11 of extra time), May 24, 1980
11. Game 6, 2000 Stanley Cup Final: New Jersey Devils 2, Dallas Stars 1 (2OT -- 28:20 of extra time), June 10, 2000

11 most exciting players of all time
1. Bobby Orr
2. Mario Lemieux
3. Maurice Richard
4. Pavel Bure
5. Denis Savard
6. Alex Ovechkin
7. Bobby Hull
8. Dominik Hasek
9. Sergei Fedorov
10. Guy Lafleur
11. Pavel Datsyuk

Compiled by David Kalan, Corey Masisak and John Kreiser

Mike Modano Retires after 21 NHL Seasons

2011-09-23T14:36:00.000-04:00

After 21 NHL seasons, and 20 in the Stars organization, Mike Modano has officially hung up his skates. The first overall pick in the 1988 entry draft, Mike Modano became a household name across America. A three time Olympian and eight time All-Star had quite the career, including the 1999 Stanley Cup Championship.

Modano has the most goals (561), points (1374) and games (1499) played by an American born player. Modano also has the most career playoff points by an American born player with 145. He also holds Minnesota/Dallas franchise records for games played in the regular season, games played in the playoffs (174), goals in the regular season (557), goals in the playoffs (58), assists in the regular season (802), and assists in the playoffs (87).

He is definitely a candidate for the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Below is the video of his retirement ceremony...

Jim Thome Joins 600 HR Club

2011-08-18T22:11:00.001-04:00

Thome hitting career HR 600 in a 9-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park Monday Night

Monday night in Detroit, Minnesota Twins DH Jim Thome hit career home runs 599 and 600 to join the prestigious 600 club. He became the 8th player to reach this milestone. Thome joinsSammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Henry (Hank) Aaron and Barry Bonds in the elusive 600 club and Thome was only the fourth lefty to reach this milestone.

Thome joining the 600 club is special for many reasons. One reason, only Ruth got to 600 in fewer at-bats than Thome. For another, Thome did it as quietly as the overwhelming silence around his whole 21-year career. For another, those who know this Minnesota Twins designated hitter the best keep delivering testimonials on how he prospers through the combination of physical talent, mental toughness and hard work. According to Terence Moore from MLB.com, "In other words, Thome isn't linked to performance-enhancing drugs, which has been the case for 600-club members Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa. Which means Thome joins only Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and Ruth among the untainted at 600."

Thome has played for Cleveland, Chicago (White Sox), Philadelphia and Minnesota during his 21 year MlB career. When Thome hangs up the glove, don't be suprised when you see his name in Cooperstown in the near but not far distant future.

Nazareth Ice Hockey Program Set to Debut 2012-2013

2011-07-06T22:02:00.001-04:00

From Nazareth College Athletics Department

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Nazareth College will add men’s ice hockey to its intercollegiate athletic offerings with competition at the NCAA Division III level slated to begin with the 2012-13 season. With no on-campus playing venue, Nazareth is still in negotiations to determine the best location for its newest team. Athletic Director Pete Bothner also said that the athletic department would move forward in the next few weeks to conduct a nationwide search to hire a head coach.

George Roll

According to a report in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, former Oswego State bench boss George Roll will be named head coach in a press conference on Thursday. Roll, 48, coached at Clarkson for eight seasons, compiling a 130-142-33 record before being relieved of his duties in April. He guided the Golden Knights into the NCAA tournament twice, including in 2006-07 when the East Regional was played at Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester Community War Memorial.Before taking over the Clarkson program, Roll coached seven seasons at Oswego State and was named the NCAA Division III coach of the year in 2002-03.

Nazareth also has petitioned the ECAC West Division to join that conference. Elmira, Hobart, Manhattanville, Neumann and Utica are current members.

“We think this will be a great new program for Nazareth College and for the larger Rochester community,” said Nazareth president Daan Braveman. “Hockey is a popular sport at the collegiate level and we think this will be received as a good addition to our athletic landscape.” In deciding to add ice hockey, Nazareth has used the assistance of local resident Craig Dahl, who has nearly three decades of hockey coaching experience, including 19 as a Division I head coach at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. “We feel fortunate that we can utilize Craig as a great resource in this overall process,” Bothner said. “He has a lot of experience and can bring forth some great insight.”

Men’s ice hockey will be Nazareth’s 24th intercollegiate team. The Golden Flyers are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and recently won the Division III national championship in men’s volleyball.

Amerks Sign Purchasing Agreement With the Sabres

2011-06-25T12:27:00.000-04:00

From Amerks.com

The Rochester Americans announced today (Friday June 24th) that the team has signed a purchase agreement with the Buffalo Sabres Hockey Club. The AHL Board of Governors approved the sale earlier today.

The Sabres expect to hold a public press conference in Rochester next week to set forth their plans for the franchise.

Current Amerks owner Curt Styres will retain ownership of the Rochester Knighthawks franchise of the National Lacrosse League.

RIT Announes 2011-2012 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule

2011-06-21T11:43:00.000-04:00

RIT Men's Ice Hockey Schedule 2011-2012

ROCHESTER, NY – The three-time defending Atlantic Hockey Association regular season champion RIT men’s hockey team unveiled its 2011-12 schedule on Monday. The Tigers, now entering their seventh season at the Division I level, will play 34 regular season games and one exhibition contest. RIT, just two years removed from a Frozen Four Appearance in 2010, will play 16 regular season home games at Ritter Arena on the campus of RIT and one regular season contest at the Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester.

The Tigers will play ECAC rival St. Lawrence University at Blue Cross Arena during Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend on Saturday, October 15 at 7:05 p.m. It is the third straight year RIT will be home during its annual homecoming weekend. Last year, RIT drew a sellout crowd of 10,556 fans during Brick City Weekend against UMass Lowell. It was the largest regular season crowd RIT has ever played in front of and just the fourth sellout at Blue Cross Arena for any sporting event since 1995.

On Saturday, October 1, RIT hosts Brock University of Ontario in an exhibition contest at 7:05 p.m.

RIT jumps right into Atlantic Hockey Association regular season play with a home contest against rival Niagara on October 8 at Ritter Arena, starting at 7:05 p.m.

RIT will host its annual Skate With the Tigers event on October 29 at 5 p.m.

The Tigers will play AHA western pod foes Air Force, Canisius, Mercyhurst, Niagara, and Robert Morris three times, and play two games apiece against eastern teams American International, Army, Bentley, Connecticut, Holy Cross, and Sacred Heart. In all, 27 of RIT’s 34 games will be against Atlantic Hockey Association opponents.

Out of conference, The Tigers host ECAC foes Union on Oct. 22 and Rensselaer on Nov. 25. Both teams appeared in the 2011 NCAA Division I Tournament. RIT travels to Burlington, Vermont on December 29-30 to play in the prestigious Catamount Cup hosted by the University of Vermont. There, RIT will play CCHA foes Lake Superior State and Ferris State for the first time.

RIT will ring in 2012 with two games against Wisconsin of the WCHA on January 6-7, at the Kohl Center, which holds 15,237 fans. It will be the first meeting between the two schools since Wisconsin ended RIT’s dream season at the Frozen Four in 2010 in front of 34,954 fans at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. RIT could play in front of its largest regular season crowd in program history that weekend.

RIT plays one game at Ritter Arena against Air Force, the defending Atlantic Hockey Champions on November 11 at 7:05 p.m. The Tigers then travel west to play two games at Air Force on February 3-4. The Tigers play rival Canisius in Buffalo on October 20 and February 9, and conclude the season series at home on February 11. The Tigers play single road games at Mercyhurst, Niagara, and Robert Morris, while hosting each team twice at Ritter Arena.

RIT plays its final 14 games against conference foes. The Tigers host AHA competitors Army, Holy Cross, and American International, and travel to Connecticut, Sacred Heart, and Bentley. The two games against Sacred Heart on January 14-15 will be played at Harbor Yard at Bridgeport, home of the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

The Atlantic Hockey Association playoffs begin with a best-of-three series for the fifth through twelfth place finishers from March 2-4. The top four teams get a first round bye. Quarterfinal action will be held at the top-four sites from March 9-11. The Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament Semifinals and Championship will be held on March 16-17 at the Blue Cross Arena for the sixth straight season.

RIT will look to earn its second berth in the NCAA Tournament as a Division I program. The 2012 NCAA Division I Tournament begins on March 23, and ends with the Frozen Four on April 5 and April 7 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. The Tigers are just two seasons removed from a magical run to the 2010 Frozen Four.

Season and single game ticket information will be released at a later date at www.ritathletics.com.

From RIT Sports Information

My Thoughts for the Sabres for the 2011-2012 offesason

2011-05-15T17:58:00.000-04:00

The Sabres had a season that was memorable. Terry Pegula became owner on February 22nd and not long after that, we lost the great Rick Martin. Buffalo comes back from a horrid start to the season to get bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Flyers.

the 12 players under contract. Thomas Vanek, Ryan Miller, Tyler Myers, Jordan Leopold, Brad Boyes, Jochen Hecht, Shaone Morrisonn, Tyler Ennis, Paul Gaustad, Jason Pominville, Derek Roy and Pat Kaleta eat up just under $41-million. Last season the salary cap was $59.4-million. It will go up next season. Maybe up to around $61-million. Let’s take Drew Stafford next. I'll go high and say add $5-million to the cap. That brings us to 13 players signed for just under $46-million.
You now must sign 8-10 more players for about $15-million. Guys you know they will bring back are Chris Butler, Andrej Sekera, Jhonas Enroth, Marc Gragnani, Mike Weber, Cody McCormick and Nathan Gerbe.

Signing the young players are important but we should think about who is "trade bait" or not. You have to keep Vanek, Myers and Miller. If you don't, the franchise will suffer for it majorly since those three players are considered the heart and soul of the franchise. You can buy out the contract of Jochen Hecht and Shaone Morrisonn. Get them to Portland for some veteran leadership and then you could even bring up Luke Adam, Zack Kassian, Marcus Foligno & Braden McNabb as they will give the Sabres a lot of talent, toughness & size. Something that was missed tremendously during the playoff series against Philadelphia.

The Sabres need a top line center. Can they bring in Brad Richards? I want them to but knowing the Sabres front office, they will bring in players that will beneficial to the Portland Pirates and not the Sabres.

So hypothetically speaking, the Sabres will have enough room to pick up maybe 1-3 top caliber players. I say bring in Erik Cole, Alex Tanguay and Sami Salo. Two forwards and a solid defensemen that has played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and have experience and leadership that could lead the Sabres to finally lifting Lord Stanley.

Sorry for all the ranting but I think it is needed.

Casey's TQ Midget Series 2011 Schedule

2011-04-03T12:23:00.000-04:00

MONTH	DATE	DAY	TRACK	DETAILS
MAY	7	SATURDAY	DTRP	PRACTICE
MAY	13	FRIDAY	SPENCER	PRACTICE
MAY	14	SATURDAY	DTRP	FIRST RACE
MAY	21	SATURDAY	DTRP	RACE
MAY	22	SUNDAY	HOLLAND
MAY	28	SATURDAY	HOLLAND
JUNE	4	SATURDAY	ERIE
JUNE	10	FRIDAY	WCIS
JUNE	11	SATURDAY	HOLLAND
JUNE	18	SATURDAY	HOLLAND
JUNE	25	SATURDAY	HOLLAND
JUNE	28	TUESDAY	DTRP
JULY	8	FRIDAY	WCIS
JULY	9	SATURDAY	HOLLAND
JULY	16	SATURDAY	DTRP
JULY	23	SATURDAY	HOLLAND
JULY	30	SATURDAY	HOLLAND
AUGUST	5	FRIDAY	SPENCER
AUGUST	6	SATURDAY	HOLLAND
AUGUST	13	SATURDAY	HOLLAND
AUGUST	20	SATURDAY	HOLLAND
AUGUST	27	SATURDAY	HOLLAND
SEPTEMBER	3	SATURDAY	HOLLAND
SEPTEMBER	4	SUNDAY	WCIS
SEPTEMBER	10	SATURDAY	DTRP
SEPTEMBER	17/18	SAT/SUN	DTRP	US OPEN
SEPTEMBER	24	SATURDAY	WCIS
OCTOBER	1	SATURDAY	WCIS

US OPEN

Enroth Nets 1st NHL Shutout - Sabres beat Rangers 1-0

2011-03-30T22:44:00.000-04:00

Rookie Jhonas Enroth proved the Buffalo Sabres can win even without star goaltender Ryan Miller. Enroth stepped in for last season's Vezina Trophy winner and made 23 saves as the Sabres beat New York 1-0 on Wednesday, moving Buffalo past the Rangers into seventh place in the East.

Tim Connolly's second-period power-play goal was the only one of Buffalo's 35 shots to beat Henrik Lundqvist, but it was enough to give the Sabres 87 points, the same as the Rangers. Buffalo has the edge because it has one more non-shootout win. Both teams are three points ahead of ninth-place Carolina, a 6-2 winner at home against Montreal, with five games remaining for all three teams.

The Sabres were forced to start Enroth when Miller, the NHL’s First Star last week, was a late scratch due to an upper-body injury -- possibly sustained when he took a shot near the collarbone during Tuesday's 4-3 loss at Toronto. Enroth, who lost an overtime decision to the Rangers in New York on Nov. 11, stepped in with his first NHL shutout.

The Sabres scored the game’s only goal at 5:28 of the second period. With Rangers defenseman Marc Staal in the box for interference, New York had a 3-on-1 shorthanded break only to have a pass blocked by rookie defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani -- triggering a 3-on-2 rush the other way. Connolly took a pass from Thomas Vanek, opted to shoot from inside the left circle and beat Lundqvist high on the blocker side to send the sellout crowd of 18,690 into a frenzy.

Lundqvist, who had allowed just one goal in New York's last three games, was sharp throughout, routinely steering shots to safety, covering loose pucks in his crease and dictating the tempo in his own end. He received help from his teammates, including a diving block by Brian Boyle late in the first period to deny Vanek on a slap shot from close range.

Enroth did some of his best work in the final minute, after Lundqvist left for an extra attacker. He also benefitted from a first-period crease-interference call against call that negated an apparent goal by Artem Anisimov.

The Rangers have seen three of their last four games end 1-0 -- they sandwiched wins against Florida and Boston around a 2-1 shootout loss to Ottawa last week. The Rangers travel to Long Island to visit the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum Thursday night. The Sabres are off until they play at Washington on Saturday night.

from NHL.com

Oswego is in the NCAA's

2011-03-07T09:33:00.000-05:00

The Oswego State Lakers will be playing for the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championships as they will be hosting a quarterfinals matchup on Saturday night March 12th at the Campus Center Ice Arena on the campus of SUNY Oswego.

The NCAA released that "Seven conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The remaining four teams were selected at-large by the committee. The championship playoff format involves three first-round games and four quarterfinal games that are played on the campuses of the participating institutions. All games in the championship are single elimination. The four quarterfinal winners advance to Minneapolis, Minnesota, at Ridder Arena for the semifinals and championship game, which will be conducted March 25-26. The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association will host the championship".

Conference	School
ECAC DIII Men’s East Hockey League	Norwich University (20-5-3)
ECAC DIII Northeast Hockey League	Curry (16-8-3)
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association	Adrian (23-3-1)
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Hamline University (16-6-5)
New England Small College Athletic Conference	Bowdoin College (17-7-1)
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association	St. Norbert (22-4-1)
State University of New York Athletic Conference	Plattsburgh State (20-7-1)

Elmira College, Neumann College, State University of New York at Oswego and University Wisconsin, Superior, enter the field as the four at-large selections.

Oswego will await the winner of the Bowdoin/Neumann matchup. Plattsburgh will play either Norwich/Curry on Saturday as well. The other play in game on Wednesday night will feature Wis-Superior/Hamline.

GCC Women's Basketball Region III Champions

2011-02-27T20:55:00.000-05:00

The Genesee Women’s Basketball team won the 2010-11 NJCAA Region III Division II Tournament Sunday with an 83-65 victory over Mercyhurst NE. The win propels the Lady Cougars to the 2010-11 NJCAA Division II National Tournament hosted by Illinois Central College March 15-19, 2011, in East Peoria, Illinois.
Leading the way for the Lady Cougars was Tournament MVP freshman Kayla Golden (Lackawanna, NY) who was one assist shy of a triple double in the championship game. Golden had 24 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assist; which led the team in each category. Sophomore De’Vara Burrell (Rochester, NY) was close behind with her own double-double, registering 20 points and 11 rebounds. Genesee started the game with a pressure defensive that proved to be too much for the Saints as they took a 16 point lead at halftime (39-23). The Lady Cougars kept the pressure up in the second half, ensuring the victory and improving them to 18-10 on the season.

From GCC Sports Information

Oswego Has Up and Down Saturday on the Ice

2011-02-13T16:01:00.001-05:00

Saturday was an up and down day on the ice for the Oswego State Lakers. The two hockey programs were on the ice at the same time, but one team was in Oswego and the other was about 82 miles down the road in Henrietta, NY.

The Oswego State Lakers Women's Hockey team traveled to the Frank Ritter Memorial Arena on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Lakers defeated the Tigers by the score of 2-1, handing RIT its first loss of the season. Mackenzie Lee and Olivia Boersen scored for the green and gold while Batavia native Katie Stack scored the lone talley for RIT. Laker netminder Emi Williams was outstanding again as she made 46 saves for the win over the number one ranked team in the country for D-III Women's Ice Hockey. The women return to the ice on Tuesday February 22nd at 3:00 pm as they take on Castelton State at the Campus Center Ice Arena

While back in Oswego, the number one ranked team in the country for D-III Men's Hockey were set to take care of business against the "little ponies that could", Morrisville Mustangs. However, the Lakers were simply outworked Saturday night as they returned home for the first time in a month, dropping a 5-2 decision to Morrisville. Taylor Vince and Bobby Cass scored the first 2 goals of the game at the 5:45 and 12:03 marks of the 1st period, respectively. Paul Rodrigues would score late in the period to get Oswego on the board. Tyler Swan, who scored twice in the last head-to-head matchup back in November, made it 3-1 as he trickled one past Beckwith following a 5 minute penalty kill by Oswego for a Dan Bremner hit from behind. Jamie Nelson made it 4-1 just 1:11 into the 3rd period and although Justin Fox scored his first goal in 2 months and the Lakers had several powerplay opportunities, Oswego could not rally. Jame Jarvis would add the Mustangs' 5th goal at 12:02. The Lakers are next in action Friday as they play host to the Brockport Golden Eagles.

Oswego Drops First Game vs #1 RIT

2011-02-11T17:35:00.000-05:00

ROCHESTER, NY - Kolbee McCrea (Wawa, Ontario/Burlington Barracudas) and Sarah Dagg (St. George, Ontario/Hamilton Hawks) scored third period goals to break a 1-1 tie and lift the No. 1 RIT women’s hockey team (21-0-2, 14-0-2 ECAC West) to a 3-1 win over SUNY Oswego (11-9-3, 7-7-3 ECAC West) at Ritter Arena on Friday afternoon. The Tigers are now unbeaten in 23 straight games.

McCrea broke a 1-1 tie with 9:29 left in regulation, taking a perfect feed from Dagg on the power-play and slamming a shot past Oswego goaltender Emil Williams into a wide open net for her team-best 17th goal of the season. Kristina Moss (Webster, NY/Buffalo Bisons) also assisted on the goal.

Dagg gave RIT a 3-1 lead with 3:42 left, after Kim Schlattman (Stratford, Ontario/Cambridge Fury) caused a turnover at the Oswego blue-line. The puck caromed to Ariane Yokoyama (Van Nuys, CA/LA Selects), who feathered a perfect pass to Dagg on a 2-on-1. From in tight, Dagg roofed a shot under the crossbar and past a sliding Williams for her 15th goal of the season.

With the two points, Dagg now has 148 for her career, five shy of the school record. She leads the squad with 36 points (15-21-36) this season.The Tigers out-shot Oswego, 37-20. RIT was 2-for-5 with the power-play, while keeping Oswego scoreless on five power-play attempts. The Tigers have now killed off 67 of their last 68 attempts while shorthanded.

Kourtney Kunichika (Fullerton, CA/LA Selects) also scored for the Tigers. Moss tallied two assists.
Freshman goaltender Laura Chamberlain (Norco, CA/LA Selects) was strong in net for RIT, stopping 19 shots to improve to 14-0-2 this season.

Jillian Bergeron scored for Oswego, just 29 seconds into the game. Williams stopped 34 shots in defeat.
The Lakers stunned the Ritter Arena crowd, scoring just 29 seconds into the contest, as Bergeron stuffed in a loose puck after Chamberlain made two stops on Mackenzie Lee in tight. RIT gave the puck up behind its own net, and was unable to clear the crease.

RIT answered right back at the 8:53 mark, on the power-play, as Kunichika came out from the side boards, went to the front of the net and slid a shot between the legs of Williams for her seventh goal of the year. Moss and Katie Stack (Batavia, NY/Rochester Edge) also assisted on the goal.

Chamberlain made a two huge saves on Megan Howe late in the period, as Howe came in on a breakaway. Howe tried to go over the blocker, but Chamberlain made a great save, and was able to dive and rob Howe on the rebound attempt.

Neither team scored in a tight, defensive, second period. RIT held the puck in for the full two minute power-play midway through the frame and had five good chances, but could not get the puck past Williams. Kunichika nearly had RIT’s second goal of the afternoon, looking to have an open net after a shot caromed off the back boards, but Williams dove back to make a sensational save, keeping the game tied at 1-1. Chamberlain made a big save on Lee late in the period, sliding across to keep the puck out after Lee went around a Tiger defenseman.

The Tigers have now out-scored its opponents, 126-19 this season. They have allowed one goal or less in 19 games. RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 17-6-0, and have won all seven meetings between the two schools, since Oswego re-established its program in 2007. The two teams meet once again on Saturday at Ritter Arena, beginning at 7 p.m. RIT will honor its four seniors before the game.

- From RIT Sports Information

Oswego is in WNY for a pair of SUNYAC Contests

2011-01-21T14:45:00.000-05:00

The top ranked team in all of D-III Men's Ice Hockey makes a return to the ice tonight as the Oswego State Lakers make the trip to snowy Western New York for a showdown with the Buffalo State Bengals at the Buff State Ice Arena on Friday night. On Saturday, Oswego travels to Fredonia to take on the Blue Devils at Steele Hall.

The Oswego State Lakers are coming in as the top team in the land according to the latest USCHO D-III Poll. Oswego (15-2-0, 8-0-0) is on a three game winning streak, including two shutouts by goalies Andrew Hare and Dan Jones. The Lakers potent offense is led by Junior transfer Ian Boots with 22 points (9 G 13 A), Sophomore Luke Moodie with 19 points (10 G 9 A) and Senior Justin Fox also with 19 points (8 G 11 A).

As already mentioned, the goaltenders for Ed Gosek's squad have been hot lately as they put back to back shutouts between the pipes. Dan Jones (3-1-0) comes into the weekend with a Goals Against Average (GAA) of 1.68 with a save percentage of .944 Andrew Hare picked up his first win as a Laker since transferring in from Niagara University and Hare (1-1-0) has a save percentage of .896 and GAA of 2.76 Starting goaltender Paul Beckwith (11-0-0) may or may not be ready to go this weekend as he is coming back from an injury. Beckwith has a GAA of 1.37 and has a save percentage of .949

The Buffalo State Bengals (8-7-2, 4-2-2) are coming in after a weekend sweep of Johnson and Wales last weekend. The Bengals are led offensively by Senior Nick Petriello with 21 points ( 7 G 14 A), Sophomore Trevor McKinney with 19 points (11 G 8 A) and Sophomore forward Justin Knee with 15 points (7 G 8 A). Between the pipes, Freshman Kevin Carr has had most of the load playing 16 games for the Bengals. Carr has a record of 7-7-2 and has a GAA of 2.66 and has a save percentage of .924

On Saturday, the Lakers will travel to Steele Hall in Fredonia to face off against the Fredonia Blue Devils. Fredonia (8-9-0, 3-5-0) is coming off a sweep of Franklin Pierce last weekend. The Blue Devils are led by Senior forward Jordon Oye with 30 points (13 G 17 A), Junior Brian Ross with 29 points (8 G 21 A) and Senior Alex Horton with 19 points (8 G 11 A). Fredonia's netminders include three Freshmen. One of the Freshmen is Hark Friesen who has played 11 games (5-6-0) in his first season in the Southern Tier. Friesen's GAA is 2.63 and has a save percentage of .917

Oswego's WNYO-FM 88.9 will have the play by play action of both games this weekend.

Notes: top picture left - Buff State Ice Arena, right - Steele Hall Ice Arena at Fredonia

PREVIEW: Bentley Falcons at RIT Tigers

2011-01-13T21:46:00.000-05:00

The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Tigers will be hosting the Bentley Falcons in a pair of Atlantic Hockey Assoiciation (AHA) showdowns starting with a 7:00 pm faceoff on Friday night at the Frank Ritter Memorial Arena on the campus of RIT. The two teams will conclude their weekend series with a 7:05 pm face-off on Saturday night.

The Tigers are coming into the weekend's action with a win and a tie over the Army Black Knights at West Point last weekend. RIT has a record of 11-8-3 and a 10-3-2 conference record so far this season. Leading the way offensively for RIT is Senior Forward and team Captain Andrew Favot with 27 points (7 G 20 A). Juinor Tyler Brenner has 24 points (16 G 8 A) and Sophomore Adam Hartley has 17 points (8 G 9 A). Between the pipes for RIT, Sophomore Shane Madolora has a record of 9-0-1 with a goals against average (GAA) of 1.68 and he has a save percentage of .947 The Tigers are coached by Wayne Wilson (12th season)

Bentley (5-10-3, 4-7-2 AHA) comes into the weekend looking to snap seven-game winless streak (0-5-2). Senior Erik Peterson leads the team in scoring with 13 points (6-7-13) in 15 games this season. Brett Gensler is tied for the team lead with six goals, while Dustin Cloutier and Jamie Nudy have seven assists. Senior goaltender Joe Calvi has played the majority of games in net this season, and is 4-6-1 with a 2.62 goals against average, and .921 save percentage. Kyle Rank has a 2.72 goals against average and .927 save percentage in five contests so far this season. The Falcons are coached by 8th year bench boss Ryan Soderquist.

Bentley was the last team conference opponent to defeat the Tigers at Ritter Arena, winning 5-4 on Jan. 30, 2010. RIT leads the all-time series between the two teams, 10-4-1. RIT was 1-1 against Bentley last year, winning 4-1 and losing 5-4. RIT is 8-3-1 against Bentley since the 2006-07 season. RIT is leading the AHA with 22 points, six points ahead of local rival Niagara and Robert Morris. Also on the line this weekend is RIT's eleven game home-unbeaten streak against conference foes. The Tigers are also riding a six game conference unbeaten streak as well.

PREVIEW: Curry Colonels at #2 Oswego State Lakers on Saves For a Cure Night

2011-01-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

The Oswego State Lakers will play host to the Curry College Colonels out of the ECAC Northeast Conference in a non-conference contest at 7:00 pm Saturday night at the Campus Center Ice Arena. The Lakers will be sporting a gold jersey that helps supports Saves For A Cure. Saves For a Cure is a non-profit organization founded by former Brockport men's ice hockey goaltender Todd Sheridan aimed to help children with their battle against cancer in the Rochester area.

The Lakers are coming off a 2-0 victory over Skidmore on Tuesday night behind a 25 save shutout for Dan Jones (first of career) and goals from Jon Whitelaw and Dan Bremner to bump their record up to 14-2-0 overall. Oswego is led offensively by Junior Ian Boots with 20 points (8 G 12 A). Senior Justin Fox is one point behind Boots with 19 points (8 G 11 A) and Sophomore Luke Moodie is just one point behind Fox with 18 points (9 G 9 A). Between the pipes, Dan Jones has a record of 3-1-0 with a goals against average (GAA) of 1.68 and a save percentage of .944 Sophomore transfer Andrew Hare has not fared well in net for the green and gold. Hare has a save percentage of .839 and a GAA of 6.15. Overall, Oswego averages 3.88 goals per game (stat is in conference only).

The visiting Curry College Colonels come into the Port City after a game at the historic Utica Memorial Auditorium against the Pioneers on Friday. Curry comes in with an overall record of 5-3-2. The Colonels are led offensively by Juniors Christopher Atkinson with 15 points (5 G 10 A), Payden Benning with 11 points (7 G 4 A) and Steven Mohler with 9 points (3 G 6 A). In net for Curry, Freshman Travis Owens has a record of 4-1-1 with a GAA of 3.04 and a save percentage of .904 Sophomore Robert Dawson has a record of 1-2-1 with a save percentage of .852 and a GAA of 4.29 (stats are before Utica game)

Oswego State's Student run radio station WNYO-FM 88.9 will be carrying the contest live starting with their pregame show "Countdown to Faceoff" at 6:30 pm with the puck drop shortly after 7.The Oswego State Sports Information Department will be doing live stats for that game and the links can be found below.

LIVE STATS
LIVE AUDIO

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

2011-01-01T23:47:00.000-05:00

Before the day comes to an end I would like to wish everyone a safe and joyous new year as we kick off 2011 so from my family to yours, Happy NEW YEAR!!!!!

Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic Finals

2010-12-31T12:47:00.000-05:00

The Hamilton Continentals and the Hobart Statesmen will play for the Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic Championship today at 1pm at the Campus Center Ice Arena on the campus of SUNY Oswego. The host Lakers will play UW Stevens Point at 4pm in the third place game. Hamilton comes in to the championship game with a convincing 5-1 win over the Lakers on Thursday and Hobart took care of UW Stevens Point in the other game on Thursday to reach the Championship game.

Oswego's Sports Information Department will take care of the stats for each game today and WNYO-FM 88.9 will take care of the play by play action from the Port City.Stats and audio for the games can be reached by clicking on the links below.

LIVE STATS

LIVE AUDIO

Oswego LOSES in Pathfinder Tournament, Plays UW Stevens Point Friday at 1pm

2010-12-30T22:36:00.000-05:00

The Oswego State Lakers suffered a 5-1 beat down tonight at the hands of the Hamilton Continentals at the Campus Center Ice Arena in Oswego, NY. Hamilton's victory has them playing the Hobart Statesmen at 1:00 pm New Years Eve and the host Lakers will play in the third place game at 4:00 pm against UW Stevens Point.

The Lakers saw its 25-game home winning streak come to an end on Thursday in front of an estimated crowd of 2300. Hamilton stormed out of the gates in the first period capitalizing on an Oswego State boarding penalty midway through the frame. Bryan Kelly carried the puck up the left side of the rink before being checked off the puck. Anthony Ruberto picked up the puck and laced a pass through the slot to Joe Houk, who was crashing to the net. Houk slid the puck under Laker goaltender Andrew Hare to give Hamilton a 1-0 lead at the 10:03 mark. The score stood at the first intermission.

Midway through the second period, Oswego State's Joe Hall ripped a shot that clanged off the pipe and crossbar. The rebound went to the Continentals, who created an odd-man rush the opposite direction. Thomas Williams and Nick Anderson had a 2-on-1 opportunity as Williams fed Anderson for his third goal of the season at 12:24 in the frame to put Hamilton ahead 2-0. Anderson added another goal in the final two minutes of the stanza to make the score 3-0 with 20 minutes remaining.

The Lakers got on the scoreboard at 5:13 in the third period when Ian Boots crashed the net for a loose puck. Hank Van Boxmeer and Paul Rodrigues were awarded assists on the goal. However, the Continentals quickly responded with a pair of goals in under 30 seconds in the ninth minute of the frame to bring the score to 5-1.Hamilton's Scott Hefferman registered 27 saves for the victory. Oswego State's Andrew Hare suffered the loss with 26 saves in 48:45, while Dan Jones posted three saves in the final 11:02.

The loss marked the first time that the Lakers suffered a home loss since February 21, 2009 when they fell to Potsdam, 4-2.The loss also marks the first time that the Lakers suffered losses in back to back contests since that weekend in February 2009 as they lost to both Potsdam and Plattsburgh.

story courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information

Petty's Point: Bad play all night and spending most of the time in the pelenty box. Oswego spent 22 minutes in the sin bin including a ten minute misconduct pelenty. Also, the Lakers were 0-5 on the Powerplay. Sloppy play in their own end and sloppy passes led to this pathetic loss tonight.

Syracuse Orange wins Pinstripe Bowl

2010-12-30T21:00:00.001-05:00

Syracuse (8-5) amassed an SU bowl record 498 yards total offense to defeat Kansas State, 36-34, in the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. SU improved its overall bowl record to 12-9-1, while securing its eighth overall victory and sixth road win, the most since 1992. It marks the first bowl victory for the Orange since it captured the Insight.com Bowl title with a 26-3 win against K-State in 2001. The Orange is now 2-1 against K-State and 4-2 against Big 12 Conference opponents in bowl games.

Oswego State Hosts Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic

2010-12-30T16:29:00.001-05:00

The PathFinder Bank/Oswego Hockey Classic enters its fifth edition already steeped in a tradition of providing one of the most entertaining tournaments in Division III ice hockey. Since its inception in 2007, three of the four previous Classic Champions have gone on to reach the NCAA Division III Frozen Four, including two national champions (Oswego State, 2007 and St. Norbert, 2008). Defending Champions Oswego State went to the Frozen Four last season in Lake Placid.

The four teams in this year’s tournament field – Hamilton College of the New England Small College Athletic Conference, Hobart College of the ECAC West, the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association, and host Oswego State – would like to continue this tradition of post-season success.

The Lakers, who are the defending Classic champions, enter as the nation’s top-ranked team as garnered by US College Hockey Online (USCHO) on December 13 with an overall record of 12-1-0. Oswego State started the season winning twelve straight decisions before falling to Hobart, 5-2, on December 11 in the final contest for both squads before the holiday break. More importantly, the Lakers finished the first half of the season with a conference record of 8-0-0, which is five points ahead of the second-place squad.

Oswego State’s early season success can be attributed to contribution up and down the lineup as eight different skaters have recorded game-winning goals. The Laker offense ranked 13th in scoring in NCAA Division III on December 18, averaging 4.08 goals per game. The Lakers are paced by senior Justin Fox who has tallied 17 points on eight goals and nine assists. He is followed closely by linemate Ian Boots at 16 points (five goals and 11 assists).

Special teams have also played an important role as Oswego State has the sixth-ranked power play in the country, converting 28.6 percent (20/70) of its opportunities with Fox scoring six power-play goals. On the penalty kill, the Lakers sit tied for 12th in Division III at 87.3 percent (62/71).

Another reason for Oswego State’s success has been the goaltending efforts of junior Paul Beckwith and sophomore Dan Jones, who have combined for a goals against average of 1.62, which ranks fifth in the nation. Beckwith is 11-0-0 on the season with a 1.37 goals against average and a .949 save percentage, but suffered an injury early in December that will likely keep him from playing during the Classic. Jones appeared in his first collegiate contests in the final two games before the break posting a 1-1-0 record. His win came against 12th-ranked Utica in a 2-1 decision where he made 27 saves.

The Lakers will be tested immediately in the opening round when they face Hamilton College (4-3-0). Each of the Continentals’ four victories have been by two or more goals, but have not been able to replicate their offensive production on a consistent basis as they average 3.29 goals per game, which is 36th in Division III. Sophomore defenseman Joe Houk paces the squad with five goals, while forwards Anthony Scarpino and Anthony Ruberto are tied for the team lead in points with seven on two goals and five assists each. Defensively, Hamilton is tied for 30th in goals allowed at 2.86 with senior goaltender Scott Hefferman posting a 2.50 goals against average in six appearances. Execution on special teams will be critical for the Continentals as they rank 38th in the country on the penalty kill at 81.2 percent (26/32) and 58th on the power play at 14.6 percent (6/41).

This year’s West Region representative comes to Oswego State from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point with an overall mark of 5-8-0. The Pointers started the season 4-1-0 and was ranked as high as 10th in the USCHO.com Poll on November 8, but suffered a seven-game losing streak before recording a 3-2 win over then 14th-ranked UW-Eau Claire. Seven of UW-Stevens Point’s losses have been by two or fewer goals versus four ranked opponents. The Pointers have a balanced offensive attack with no player tallying more than four goals, but have struggled to score goals as the 53rd-ranked offense in Division III at 2.84 goals per contest. Sophomore goaltender Nick Graves has logged the majority of minutes between the pipes with a 2.34 goals against average to keep UW-Stevens Point in contests. The Pointers have a solid penalty kill unit that ranks 22nd at 84.3 percent having killed off 59 of the 70 power plays they have faced.

UW-Stevens Point will square off against Hobart College in Thursday’s first matchup. The Statesmen enter the Classic on a high note riding a three-game win streak after handing Oswego State its’ lone loss of the season on December 11 in a 5-2 win on their home ice. Hobart has played particularly well against SUNYAC teams having posted a 3-1-1 record with the loss coming at the hands of Geneseo (5-2) and the tie versus Cortland in a 2-2 stalemate. The Statesmen rank in the top 20 in goals scored and goals allowed. Offensively, Hobart ranks 16th in scoring at 3.85 goals per game behind 12 points from senior Matthew Wallace and junior Greg Ciciola. Both have also provided a spark to the 16th-ranked power-play unit (13/54 at 24.1 percent), as the skaters have combined to record seven of the team’s 13 power-play goals. Defensively, the Statesmen have gone to sophomore Nick Broadwater in goal all season. Broadwater carries a 2.33 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.

There is live Stats and Oswego's Student run station, WNYO-FM has all the action live from the Campus Center Ice Arena on the campus of the State University of New York at Oswego.

Picture and story courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information

Oswego State Auctions Game Worn Jerseys for Saves For a Cure

2010-12-30T16:24:00.000-05:00

The Oswego State Lakers Men's ice hockey team will be auctioning off gold jerseys that will be worn during the January 8 contest against Curry to help support Saves For A Cure. Saves For A Cure is a non-profit organization founded by former Brockport Men's ice hockey Goaltender Todd Sheridan aimed to help children with their battle against cancer in the Rochester, New York area.

Minimum bids start at $50. Bids begin Thursday, Dec. 30 and will be accepted through Sunday, Jan. 10 at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT with the winners announced on Monday, Jan. 11 at 9 a.m./ET on the Oswego State Athletics website.

Bidding Site

Saves For A Cure Website

Courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information

Kid Bored in Buffalo?????

2010-12-28T13:38:00.000-05:00

Team USA's Emerson Etem (pictured left) is not finding much to do in Buffalo and took to Twitter to let everyone know about it. The California-native tweeted that the Queen City:

"...is a ghost town!! the worst city ever, it makes medicine hat look like paradise, never thought ide say that"

The tweet has since been deleted from Etem's account. He and his teammates earned a 3-2 overtime win over Finland on Sunday night, and get back to action on tonight at 8:00 pm against Slovakia at HSBC Arena.

Gamenight in Calgary

2010-12-27T20:21:00.000-05:00

The Buffalo Sabres take on the Calgary Flames tonight at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Here is Buffalo's projected forward line chart against the Flames (according to WGR 550 in Buffalo)

Thomas Vanek - Rob Niedermayer - Tyler Ennis
Drew Stafford - Jochen Hecht - Jason Pominville
Mike Grier - Paul Gaustad - Cody McCormick
Nathan Gerbe - Luke Adam - Pat Kaleta

Goalie Match-up: Ryan Miller vs Mikka Kipprusoff

Buffalo's road trip will continue tomorrow night in Edmonton against the Oilers before coming home for a New Years Day date with the Boston Bruins at HSBC Arena before going back on the road to conclude the western road swing with stops in Colorado, San Jose and Phoenix to kick off the 2011 part of the schedule.

Knighthawks Announce 23 Man Roster

2010-12-27T19:56:00.000-05:00

The Rochester Knighthawks’ 23-man roster offers fans and media outlets some interesting storylines for the 2011 National Lacrosse League season, which is scheduled to open on Saturday, January 8th in Minnesota against the Swarm. It is a roster that Owner and General Manager Curt Styres has confidence in with three weeks until opening weekend. “We had many difficult decisions. The changes will benefit the Knighthawks,” said Styres. “Compared to last year, we are going to compete every game instead of just showing up for them.”
Here are some storylines for the 2011:
Dirty Dozen: The roster includes 12 new players with the addition of Mike Accursi, Troy Bonterre, Tyler Burton, Jarrett Davis, Colin (Joe) Hall, Pat McCready, Ian Rubel, Josh Ruys, Matt Vinc, Matt Zash, Chase Williams and Cody Jamieson.

Double Trouble: Opponents will think they are seeing double with four pairs of players sharing the same last name. Rochester has Chase and Shawn Williams, Jordan and Colin (Joe) Hall, and Pat and Joel McCready, and Scott and Shawn Evans.

All in the Family: For the first time in team history, an uncle and his nephew will play on the Rochester Knighthawks. There have been many brother combinations, but never this rarity. Pat McCready returns to play for Rochester for the first time since the 2001 season, while his nephew Joel enters his third season with the Knighthawks.

A Perfect 10: On Friday, Cody Jamieson, who was the 2010 No. 1 overall pick, inked a league-record 10-year deal. Jamieson played two seasons at Syracuse University and scored the overtime game-winner in the 2009 National Championship game. In 2009, he was named the winner of the Jim Murphy Award as the Major Series Lacrosse MVP, the Gene Dopp Award as outstanding rookie and the Buck McDonald Award as the league’s top scorer with 48 goals and 48 assists for 96 points. It was the first time in MSL history anyone has won all three awards in the same season.

We’re No. 1: Rochester has three of the last four No. 1 picks on its roster: Jamieson (2010), Sid Smith (2009) and Jordan Hall (2007). Hall was the first overall pick of the New York Titans, while Smith was chosen last year by the Knighthawks.

Draft produces key additions: Rochester has three draft picks from this September’s NLL Entry Draft on its roster with Jamieson (No. 1), Jarrett Davis (No. 5) and Josh Ruys (No. 12) making the 23-man roster.

from Knighthawks.net

PS: The 2011 Rochester Knightawks home opener is Saturday January 15th at 7:35 as they host the Toronto Rock at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.

Its Game Night in Brockport

2010-12-03T15:12:00.002-05:00

The number one ranked team in the country according to the latest USCHO D-III polls, the Oswego State Lakers are at the Tuttle North Athletic Complex in Brockport, NY for a SUNYAC match-up against the Brockport Golden Eagles. Oswego earned 17 out of the possible 20 first place votes in the latest USCHO poll which was released this past Monday.

Oswego comes into the game at The College at Brockport with an overall record of 9-0-0 and a perfect 6-0-0 in Conference play. Offensively, the Lakers are lead by Senior Justin Fox (6 G 8 A = 14 points) and Junior Transfer Ian Boots (5 G 8 A = 13 points). Over the six conference games so far this season, Oswego has put 41 goals into the net setting up one of the most potent offenses in all of Division III Men's Ice Hockey. Oswego's defense and goaltending are key to their fast start so far this season. The Lakers have given up the fewest goals in conference this season with 13 with Paul Beckwith between the pipes. Beckwith has a Goals Against Average (GAA) of 1.45 and a save percentage of .947

Brockport comes into tonights home contest with an overall record of 0-9-1 and a conference record 0-6-0. The Golden Eagles last contests took place in the Rutland-Herald Invitational at Castleton State with Brockport getting a tie out of Tufts College 3-3 and losing the next night to host Castleton 5-1. The Golden Eagles have only scored a total of 22 goals in conference this season while giving up the most goals in conference with 54. On offense, Brockport is lead by Junior Right Winger James Cody (7 G 7 A = 14 pts.) and Junior Ian Finnerty with 8 points (3 G 5 A). Between the pipes for the Golden Eagles, Oliver Wren has gotten much of the load as he has a GAA of 5.42 and a .875 save percentage. Also, Freshmen Joe Reagan has played a handful of games and has a GAA of 4.84 and a save percentage of .885

Student media for both teams will be carrying coverage of this SUNYAC match up. Oswego fans, listen to WNYO-FM 88.9 as Countdown to Faceoff will begin at 6:30 with play by play underway at 7:00. For Brockport's call of the game, 89.1 the Point (WBSU-FM) will be having coverage underway tonight at 6:45.

SU Playing in the Pinstripe Bowl

2010-12-02T17:08:00.000-05:00

It was just announced that the Syracuse Orange Football Team has agreed to play in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on December 30th.

photo courtesy of SUAthletics.com

NHL WINTER CLASSIC FEATURES THROWBACK JERSEYS AGAIN

2010-12-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

The Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic set for New Year's Day will take place at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA as two of the biggest superstars in the game today will go at it in their conference match-up outdoors as Alex Ovechkin will lead his Washington Capitals against Sidney Crosby and the host Pittsburgh Penguins.

In the previous three years, each of the teams participating have worn their throwback uniform. The Buffalo Sabres, who hosted the first ever Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium in the Buffalo subarb of Orchard Park wore the old school blue and gold uniforms that they used to be seen in at the Aud. The visiting Penguins wore their powder blue uniforms which they still wear to this day on different occasions. As seen in the picture, Sidney Crosby scoring the winning goal in the shootout to give the Pens a 2-1 win over Ryan Miller and the Sabres. The announced crowd at the Ralph was 76, 000.

In the 2009 season, the Winter Classic was played at historic Wrigley field in Chicago as the Blackhawks hosted their division rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, who happened to be the defending Stanley Cup Champions at the time. Detroit would get the better of the battle of the Original 6 teams as the Wings won the contest 6-4 in front of just about 41, 000 people. Detroit would go on and play for the Stanley Cup but would lose to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Last season, the Winter Classic was played in another historic ball bark as Fenway Park in Boston hosted the contest between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins. A Fenway Park sell out of 38,112 saw Marco Sturm score the game winner in Overtime to give the Bruins the win. Boston would go on and lose in the playoffs while Philadelphia played in the Stanley Cup Finals and lost in six games at the hand of Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks.

In each season of the Winter Classic, one of the two teams have eventually gone on and play for the greatest trophy in all of professional sports, the Stanley Cup. So who will we see playing in June? Crosby and the Pens or Ovi and the Caps? Only time will tell.

Sabres Game Night

2010-11-17T13:59:00.000-05:00

Tonight marks a trip to our Nation's Capital as the Buffalo Sabres take on the Washington Capitals tonight from the Verizon Center.
Buffalo are winners of two straight games in OT and one of those was against the Capitals on Saturday night at HSBC Arena to give the Sabres their first home victory of the season as Thomas Vanek scored for the Blue and Gold. Another highlight in that game was that Alex Ovechkin getting robbed on a breakaway by Ryan Miller.

Who's gonna win tonight's match-up? Only time will tell and the face-off from DC is around 7 pm

AHL Announces Schedules.... Preseason games announced for Amerks and Crunch along with team schedules

2010-08-26T21:58:00.000-04:00

The Rochester Americans and Syracuse Crunch announced their Preseason schedules this week as well as the announcement coming from the AHL about their 75th season of professional hockey action. The Merks have their preseason games against the Toronto Marlies on October 1st in Bradford, Ontario followed by a game in Oshweken the following night. The Amerks start their regular season home schedule against the Hershey Bears on October 10th at the Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester.

The Crunch on the other hand will be having a preseason contest against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the Campus Center Ice Arena in Oswego on September 29th with a 7:00 pm faceoff from the Port City. This is the Crunch's fourth appearance on the shores of Lake Ontario while the Baby Pens are making their first trip further up on route 81.

Holland NASCAR Motorsports Complex on AM Buffalo

2010-08-18T12:28:00.000-04:00

Highlights of the video....
Super Savings: Go to WKBW website and click on Super Savings and recieve 2 tickets for the BUD 100 at Holland for just $10!!!!!!!!

Schedule Highlights: BUD 100 for the Pro Modifieds August 28th
Crash-a-Rama: Saturday Septe ber 11th

Don't forget that this coming Saturday night is the annual Bar Cup Challenge. That event will take place before the NASCAR Whelen All American Series racing action gets underway at 7:15

Oswego State Announces 2010-2011 Schedule

2010-07-26T17:20:00.001-04:00

The defending SUNYAC Men's Ice Hockey Champion Oswego State Lakers have released their 2010-2011 schedule to the public. The road to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the Frozen Four will be long, but a true test for Oswego but with the new recruits that Head Coach Ed Gosek brought to the Port City, the Lakers should be one of the teams to beat as they try to defend their SUNYAC Championship. The Lakers host one preseason game on October 16th as they take on Bradford Rattlers All Stars before getting right into a non-conference home and home series with the Elmira College Soaring Eagles. Then the Lakers get into their SUNYAC Schedule with home contests against Buffalo State, Fredonia and Potsdam before the November 6th date with arch-rival Plattsburgh for the annual Whiteout Game.

After the game against the Cards, Oswego State will host Cortland before making the trip to Utica to play the Pioneers at the Auditorium on November 13th. Then the Lakers will contine on the road with contests against Morrisville, Brockport and Geneseo before returning to the Port City to host Utica on December 10th and the following night, make the trip down NYS Route 14 to Geneva to "the Cooler" to take on the Hobart Statesmen.

Hobart is a familiar team that Lakers fans will see when Oswego hosts the Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic Participating this year will also be Hamilton College and Wisconson-Stevens Point. Oswego will host Hamilton on December 30th at 7:00 pm with UW Stevens Point and Hobart facing off at 4:00 pm that afternoon. Then on New Years Eve, the championship game will be at 7:00 with the third place game squaring off at 4:00 pm.

Oswego will then open up the calendar year to 2011 as they take on Skidmore and Curry before the spring semester starts with a trip to Western New York as they travel to play Buffalo State and Fredonia. The following weekend has the Lakers in the North Country as they take on Potsdam and Plattsburgh and then making the trip down I-81 to Cortland to take on the Red Dragons. After that road trip, the Lakers return to the Campus Center Ice Arena as they host Morrisville, Brockport and Geneseo to wrap up the regular season.

Full schedule = CLICK HERE

Busy Thursday in Sports

2010-07-08T22:00:00.000-04:00

Photo Courtesy of ESPN

In a move that makes Miami an instant force in the Eastern Conference, LeBron James is joining the Heat. The two-time MVP made the official announcement in front of a national television audience on Thursday night. Reports throughout the day had indicated that James would bolt Cleveland in favor of South Beach, completing a powerful trio that includes fellow all-stars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

Bosh and Wade both made their declaration to play for the Heat on Wednesday. As of now, the Heat have only five players on their roster and will be cash strapped against the cap for the rest of their roster with only Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers still on the team from last season. King LeBron leaves Cleveland after seven seasons during which he made the All-Star team six teams, led the league in scoring once in 2008, and was awarded Rookie of the Year in 2003 after the Cavs made him the number one overall pick in the draft. James had been courted by the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks.

Video courtesy of ESPN.com

Now onto a totally different topic as the Buffalo Sabres announced their 2010-2011 Preseason Schedule today as two of their games will be played at HSBC Arena. There are six total contests this preseason for the blue and gold. The action begins on Saturday September 25th when the long time rival Toronto Maple Leafs come to downtown Buffalo.

Here is the complete preseason schedule:
Saturday, September 25 Toronto at Buffalo, 7 p.m. (HSBC Arena)

Monday, September 27 Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m. (Air Canada Centre)

Tuesday, September 28 Buffalo at Ottawa, TBD (Dundas, Ontario)

Thursday, September 30 Buffalo at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. (Bell Centre)

Friday, October 1 Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. (Wachovia Center)

Sunday, October 3 Philadelphia at Buffalo, 6 p.m. (HSBC Arena)

Former DIRTcar Driver Mitchell Jock Passes Away

2010-07-05T18:53:00.000-04:00

Photo: Courtesy of Facebook

Story: Todd Hambelton - Cornwall Standard-Freeholder

The area's car racing community was in shock on the weekend, over the passing of Modified Division driver Mitchell Jock. Jock, 27, a regular competitor at Cornwall Motor Speedway and at Mohawk International Raceway in Hogansburg, died on Wednesday in Ottawa from complications after suffering a brain aneurysm. Jock leaves a common-law wife, Fallon David, and four-year-old son, Ty David. "He was the best dad, we did everything with him,'' said Fallon David, breaking into tears on Sunday night at Cornwall Motor Speedway, where tributes to Jock pour in.

His No. 14 red car (above) sat in the winner's circle, as hundreds of race fans made their way to the bleachers. Jock, of Akwesasne, had over 40 feature wins during a 14-year racing career, and he made history. Jock was just 13, turning 14 during the season, when he went on to take the Cornwall rookie division top rookie award, and the track title, a DIRT age record that still stands.

Jock, a former Pro Stock Division champion, was in contention for the Modified track title in Cornwall into the last week of the 2009 season. Jock wasn't feeling well this spring, the family said, and his last race this season was May 14, a second-place finish at Mohawk International. "He was weak (in the spring),'' Fallon David said. "He wanted to race but we didn't want him to.'' In the Cornwall pits on Sunday night, drivers were having a difficult time focusing on racing.

"I think we're all (in shock),'' said fellow Modified Division driver Joel Doiron. "Mitch was only in the Modified Division for a few years, but what I remember is his smile, he was always smiling. He was fun to talk to, but he was serious about his racing.

Chenaille Finally Cracks WCIS Victory Lane Emerling and Catalano Also Collect Wins

2010-07-03T00:46:00.002-04:00

PERRY, NY… Independence Day Weekend started out with side by side action all over the action packed 1/3^rd mile oval at Wyoming County International Speedway this past week as all the divisions had great car counts and put on a spectacular show for the fans. There was an exhibition from the Vintage Late Models during the intermission and even two fire cars lit up the Perry sky after the racing was completed. The racing on the track was the best of the season to this point as all three classes that were on hand had good turnouts. Young gun Patrick Emerling picked up his third win on the season in the SST Modifieds. Mike “Scrappy” Chenaille was victorious in the SST Super Stocks for the first time in his career and 14 year old sensation Tommy Catalano of Ontario, NY picked up his track leading fifth victory of the year in the 4 Cylinder class.

Dick Kluth and Jim Ling would lead the SST Modifieds for the start of the 35 lap affair with the veteran driver Kluth getting out to the early lead. The first yellow would fly as Scott Combs would spin in turn three. After the first restart, defending SST Series Champion Amy Catalano would take over the top spot from race leader John Julicher Jr. Catalano would show the boys how to get it done around the historic Wyoming County International Speedway oval. The second caution of the night came out before the halfway mark as once again Scott Combs spun in between turns three and four. Off of the restart, Patrick Emerling got around Catalano and took over the top spot. Great racing as the cars were strung all around the 1/3^rd mile and lap traffic did play a factor into the final outcome of the event, however the leaders knew exactly how to get around the traffic that they were encountering.

When he was up front, Emerling would pull away to a big lead over top running Andy Jankowiak and defending series champ Amy Catalano. Even lap cars didn’t slow down the high flying Emerling as he would pull away from the rest of the field and pick up win number three of the season. Amy Catalano came home in second and last week’s feature winner Andy Jankowiak came home in third. Early race leader John Julicher Jr. was the only other car that finished on the lead lap as he would cross the line in fourth and Jim Ling would round out the top five. The entire top three were all on American Racers Tires and Greg Utberg was chosen as the Driver of the Week for next week.

Austyn Fugle and Jeremy Gray led the field to the green flag for the start of the 25 lap SST Super Stock event and it was Jeremy Gray getting the early advantage. Then with Gray up front, Mike “Scrappy” Chenaille of Perry, NY took over the top position. Chenaille got out to a full straightaway lead over the rest of the field at the Bullring.

Side by side action all over the Perry, NY oval and Jeremy Gray and Cassie Logsdon were putting on a great battle for the fans. Logsdon and Phil Alhart Jr put on a great battle for the runner up position. Logsdon, last week’s feature winner was right on the rear bumper of Chenaille after a late race restart and was unable to real in Scrappy as he came across the line for his first career win in the Super Stocks. The Perry resident stated in victory lane that his car “was like driving a boat”. “It was just hooked up and the only thing I had to do was hit the gas pedal”. The recent high school graduate Cassie Logsdon finished in second continue her great string of recent finishes and current WCIS Super Stock Points Leader Phil Alhart Jr. from Fairport came across the line in third. Newcomer Steve Malin finished fourth and former feature winner Willie Strusz completed the top five.

Josh Beardsley and Eric Haistreiter lead the strong field of the entry level 4 cylinders to the green flag for their 20 lap feature go and it was Haistreiter getting the early advantage. Then Beardsley, a recent graduate of Alfred State took the top spot away from Haistreiter on lap number two. Then Mike Hossfeld, who was making his first trip to the Bullring this year spun in turn four on lap number six. The restart saw Beardsley and four time feature winner Tommy Catalano at the head of the class and it was the Cam’s NY Pizzeria, PJ Radiator, Catalano Motorsports entry taking the lead off of the restart. Charles Buchanan drove right up thru the field and had a great battle with the 14 year old Catalano but was unable to get around the Catalano machine as Tommy would pick up his track leading fifth win of the year. Buchanan would finish second and Josh Beardsley would cross the line in third. Defending WCIS Track Champion Brian Johnson would finish fourth and Eric Haistreiter would fall back to finish in the top five.

Next week at the Bullring is the annual visit by the heart-pounding Race of Champions DART Asphalt Modified Tour. The Mods are also joined by the second appearance of the season by the Casey’s TQ Midgets Series. Also in competition next Friday night will be the SST Modifieds, SST Super Stocks and the 4 cylinders. Pit gates will open at a special time, 3:00 pm with the grandstand gates getting opened at 5:00 pm and race time is set for 7:30 pm sharp. For more information, you can log on to www.wyomingcountyinternationalspeedway.com or check us out on Facebook by searching Wyoming International Speedway. You can also call the speedway office at (585) 237-2580 or on raceday at (585) 237-2510.

Official Results – 7/2/10

SST Modifieds: PATRICK EMERLING, Amy Catalano, Andy Jankowiak, John Julicher Jr., Jim Ling, Ed Schueler, Lexi Wilson, Greg Utberg, Ron Williams, Dick Kluth, Matt Jurek (DNF), Scott Combs (DNF), Tom Weist (DNF), Mike Shaughnessy (DNS)

Heat Winners – John Julicher Jr. and Patrick Emerling

SST Super Stocks: MIKE CHENAILLE, Cassie Logsdon, Phil Alhart Jr., Steve Malin, Willie Strusz, Joe Mancuso, Austyn Fugle, Jeremy Gray, Brad Collings (DNF)

Heat Winner – Austyn Fugle

4 Cylinders: TOMMY CATALANO, Charles Buchanan, Josh Beardsley, Brian Johnson, Eric Haistreiter, Kevin Grom, Allison Knoepfler, Daniel Majchrzak, Joe Clark, Ashley Kirchberger, Zach Willis, Dan Scott, Dakota Packman (DNF), Mike Hossfeld (DNF)

Heat Winners – Kevin Grom and Charles Buchanan

Sabres lose two, Gain Jordan Leopold in Free Agency

2010-07-02T14:15:00.000-04:00

Story From WGR-550 AM - Buffalo

The Sabres have announced the signing of free agent defenseman Jordan Leopold to a 3-year contract worth $9 million. Leopold played in Florida and Pittsburgh last season, scoring 11 goals to go with 15 assists. Leopold did not register a point in 8 playoff games with the Penguins.

He was knocked out of the Penguins playoff series with the Senators on a hit by Andy Sutton during Game 2. Leopold began his career with Calgary in 2002 and has skated for 4 teams, Calgary, Colorado, Florida and the Pens. The 29-year old was originally drafted by Anaheim in 1999.

The Sabres lost a pair of blueliners in free agency. Toni Lydman signed with the Anaheim Ducks for 3 years and $9 million. Henrik Tallinder jumped to New Jersey, signing a 4-year deal worth $3.375 per season.

Possibility of Seeing Former Laker Eric Selleck

2010-06-24T19:13:00.000-04:00

According to amerks.com, the Rochester Americans announced that the Florida Panthers will be playing a NHL Preseason game against the Boston Bruins on Thursday September 23rd at the Blue Cross Arena. This would mean a possibility of seeing former Oswego State Laker Eric Selleck wearing a Panthers jersey after Selleck (Pictured left) was signed by the Panthers and he will for-go what would have been his Junior season in Oswego. Selleck is the defending SUNYAC Player of the Year and led the Lakers in goals (21) and points (54) this season. In his two seasons on the shores of Lake Ontario, Selleck played in 54 games wearing the Hunter Green and Gold. He collected 34 goals and 46 assists for a total of 80 points. If he continued on the pace that he had last year, he could have been a member of the 100 goal club.

The 7:00 p.m. contest against the Boston Bruins is set at the home of the American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans. Rochester is entering its third season as the sole affiliate of the Panthers.
Florida opens the preseason on Tuesday, September 21st with a game against the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center, followed by contests in Rochester (September 23rd), Boston (September 25th) and Montreal (Sept. 27).

The Rochester Americans will open their 55th season against their oldest rival, the Hershey Bears, as the two teams participate in the historic kick off to the AHL’s 75th anniversary season. The Amerks will open the 2010-11 campaign against the oldest team in the AHL on Sunday, October 10th at The Blue Cross Arena. To order Amerks season tickets, call a ticket representative at (585) 454-5335 or go online to amerks.com.

Update time

2010-06-24T15:17:00.000-04:00

Sorry for not updating everyone but my computer had some problems so I got a new one and everyone will be updated...
First, I would like to say congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks for winning their first Stanley Cup Championship since 1961. Patty Kane and company did a hell of a job during the regular season and especially in the playoffs when their playoff lives were on the line.

Off to Buffalo as the schedule was released for the NHL regular season for 2010-2011 and the Sabres schedule got some difficult tests early on...

The schedule starts with a Friday date at Ottawa against the Sens. A team that Buffalo always has a tough time with may not be the exact starting spot for the defense of the Northeast Division title.

Saturday Oct 9: NY Rangers at Buffalo - Home Opener as the Sabres will unvail the 2009-2010 Northeast Division Title
Monday Oct 11: Chicago at Buffalo - The defending Cup Champs make a trip to Buffalo and South Buffalo native Patrick Kane shares his cup ring with all of his hometown.

Schedule courtesy of WGR Sports Radio 550 - Buffalo

DAY	DATE	LOCATION	TIME (ET)
OCTOBER
Fri.	Oct.8	@ Ottawa	7:30pm
Sat.	Oct.9	NY RANGERS	7:00pm
Mon.	Oct.11	CHICAGO	7:00pm
Wed.	Oct.13	NEW JERSEY	7:00pm
Fri.	Oct.15	MONTREAL	7:30pm
Sat.	Oct.16	@ Chicago	8:30pm
Wed.	Oct.20	@ Atlanta	7:00pm
Fri.	Oct.22	OTTAWA	7:30pm
Sat.	Oct.23	@ New Jersey	7:00pm
Tue.	Oct.26	@ Philadelphia	7:00pm
Fri.	Oct.29	@ Atlanta	7:30pm
Sat.	Oct.30	@ Dallas	8:00pm
NOVEMBER
Wed.	Nov.3	BOSTON	7:00pm
Fri.	Nov.5	MONTREAL	7:30pm
Sat.	Nov.6	@ Toronto	7:00pm
Wed.	Nov.10	@ New Jersey	7:00pm
Thu.	Nov.11	@ NY Rangers	7:00pm
Sat.	Nov.13	WASHINGTON	7:00pm
Mon.	Nov.15	VANCOUVER	7:00pm
Wed.	Nov.17	@ Washington	7:00pm
Fri.	Nov.19	LOS ANGELES	7:30pm
Sat.	Nov.20	TAMPA BAY	7:00pm
Wed.	Nov.24	PITTSBURGH	7:00pm
Fri.	Nov.26	TORONTO	7:30pm
Sat.	Nov.27	@ Montreal	7:00pm
DECEMBER
Fri.	Dec.3	COLUMBUS	7:30pm
Sat.	Dec.4	@ Ottawa	7:00pm
Tue.	Dec.7	@ Boston	7:00pm
Thu.	Dec.9	SAN JOSE	7:00pm
Sat.	Dec.11	PITTSBURGH	7:00pm
Wed.	Dec.15	BOSTON	7:00pm
Fri.	Dec.17	@ Florida	7:30pm
Sat.	Dec.18	@ Tampa Bay	7:30pm
Tue.	Dec.21	Anaheim	7:00pm
Thu.	Dec.23	FLORIDA	7:00pm
Mon.	Dec.27	@ Calgary	9:00pm
Tue.	Dec.28	@ Edmonton	9:00pm
JANUARY
Sat.	Jan.1	BOSTON	5:00pm
Tue.	Jan.4	@ Colorado	9:00pm
Thu.	Jan.6	@ San Jose	10:30pm
Sat.	Jan.8	@ Phoenix	8:00pm
Tue.	Jan.11	PHILADELPHIA	7:00pm
Thu.	Jan.13	CAROLINA	7:00pm
Sat.	Jan.15	@ NY Islanders	7:00pm
Tue.	Jan.18	MONTREAL	7:00pm
Thu.	Jan.20	@ Boston	7:00pm
Fri.	Jan.21	NY ISLANDERS	7:30pm
Sun.	Jan.23	@ NY Islanders	3:00pm
Tue.	Jan.25	@ Ottawa	7:30pm
FEBRUARY
Fri.	Feb.4	@ Pittsburgh	7:00pm
Sat.	Feb.5	TORONTO	7:00pm
Tue.	Feb.8	@ Tampa Bay	7:30pm
Thu.	Feb.10	@ Florida	7:30pm
Sun.	Feb.13	NY ISLANDERS	3:00pm
Tue.	Feb.15	@ Montreal	7:30pm
Wed.	Feb.16	TORONTO	7:00pm
Fri.	Feb.18	ST. LOUIS	7:30pm
Sun.	Feb.20	WASHINGTON	3:00pm
Wed.	Feb.23	ATLANTA	7:00pm
Fri.	Feb.25	OTTAWA	7:30pm
Sat.	Feb.26	DETROIT	7:00pm
MARCH
Tue.	Mar.1	@ NY Rangers	7:00pm
Thu.	Mar.3	@ Carolina	7:00pm
Sat.	Mar.5	@ Philadelphia	1:00pm
Sun.	Mar.6	@ Minnesota	6:00pm
Tue.	Mar.8	@ Pittsburgh	7:00pm
Thu.	Mar.10	@ Boston	7:00pm
Sat.	Mar.12	@ Toronto	7:00pm
Sun.	Mar.13	OTTAWA	5:00pm
Tue.	Mar.15	CAROLINA	7:00pm
Sat.	Mar.19	ATLANTA	7:00pm
Sun.	Mar.20	NASHVILLE	5:00pm
Tue.	Mar.22	@ Montreal	7:30pm
Fri.	Mar.25	FLORIDA	7:30pm
Sat.	Mar.26	NEW JERSEY	7:00pm
Tue.	Mar.29	@ Toronto	7:00pm
Wed.	Mar.30	NY RANGERS	7:00pm
APRIL
Sat.	Apr.2	@ Washington	7:00pm
Sun.	Apr.3	@ Carolina	5:00pm
Tue.	Apr.5	TAMPA BAY	7:00pm
Fri.	Apr.8	PHILADELPHIA	7:30pm
Sat.	Apr.9	@ Columbus	7:00pm

Logano vs Harvick Round 2

2010-06-09T10:45:00.000-04:00

As most of you know already, Joey Logano and Sprint Cup Points Leader Kevin Harvick had another bumping into on Sunday with 2 laps to go at Pocono. Harvick spun Logano and then was placed fourth when they crossed the line. Meanwhile Logano restarted 30th and ended up 15th. Probably the most famous end of the race comment to date was when Logano said "I don't know what his problem is with me but it's probably not his fault. His wife wears the fire suit in the family and tells him what to do. It's probably not his fault."

Here is the video of the comments and last couple of laps...

Now to add insult to injury, Logano was sent to the NASCAR "oval office" to see President Mike Helton and NASCAR officials. Harvick's wife DeLana decided to make a t-shirt and you can see that by clicking here. What will happen this weekend at Michigan? Only time will tell

Strasburg pictches 5 scoreless in Win in Buffalo

2010-06-03T18:53:00.000-04:00

Stephen Strasburg pitched 5 scoreless innings to lead the Syracuse Chiefs past the Buffalo Bisons 7-1 today in Downtown Buffalo. In front of a packed house at Coca-Cola field, Syracuse Chiefs starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg showed the Bisons why he was worthy of the number one draft pick in the 2009 MLB Entry Draft. Strasburg pitched five masterful innings, allowing only three hits and no runs in his last minor league start.

Strasburg left the game after the fifth inning, throwing 89 pitches on the day with 54 of them being for strikes. Strasburg ended his tour through the Minor Leagues with a 4-1 record and a 1.08 ERA in his six starts in Triple A for Syracuse.

Strasburg is expected to make his Major League debut next Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Andy J Gets Second of 2010 at WCIS, Fugle, Grom and Micoli also Collect Wins

2010-05-29T09:53:00.000-04:00

PERRY,NY… The sun was shining and the stars came out to play at Wyoming County International Speedway this past Friday night on Sticker Night. There were Kids Racecar rides during intermission and after the kids got their laps around the Bullring, they got to take stickers to put where they wish courtesy of Contingency Connection.

Andy Jankowiak picked up his second win on the season in the SST Modified division after taking the lead away from last weeks feature winner Patrick Emerling. Emerling got loose just enough for the Jim and Bob’s Service 57 of Jankowiak on by the Emerling Automotive Group 03 around the halfway mark of the 35 lap affair and Jankowiak led the remaining laps top pick up his second win this season on the Perry 1/3rd mile oval.

Lap cars would become a factor during the event as the leaders had some trouble either putting cars a lap or two down. Right as the green flag dropped, contact was made and Greg Utberg and Matt Jurek got together. Jurek was able to continue but Utberg was helped back to the pit area. Meanwhile on the back stretch, Scott Reese had his machine facing the wrong way on a one way street.

Side by side action with the top three after the restart with Jankowiak not wasting any time and picking up the win. After receiving the checkered flag, Andy J turned the car around and did a Polish Victory lap. For those who do not know what a Polish Victory Lap is, that is when you drive the car in the opposite direction. Patrick Emerling would take home the runner up spot as 2009 SST Modified Track Champion John Barber completed the top three.

Austyn Fugle picked up his first career win in the Super Stocks in just his third race behind the wheel of the Hemlock Collision, Fugle Auto Parts machine. Fugle, spent the last couple of seasons behind the wheel of a 4 cylinder and was consistent. Fugle and Mike Chenaille led the field for the 25 lap affair with Chenaille getting the early advantage. Great racing action with the top three with Chenaille, Fugle and Phil Alhardt Jr. as they pulled away from the rest of the field and Fugle got around Chenaille late in the running as he made the winning pass down the back straightaway. Fugle would lead the rest of the way to score the win with Mike Chenaille in second and Phil Alhardt Jr. coming home in third.

Kevin Grom knows the famous line from the movie Days of Thunder, “rubbin’s racing” very well as he raced his way to the front of the field and picked up his first win of 2010 in the 20 lap main event for the 4 Cylinder division. Early action saw TJ Drennen lose his right front wheel and made contact with the turn 2 guardrail. The driver was okay after the hard contact with the wall. Brian Johnson and Vic Cordova were on the restart front row with Johnson taking control. The defending track champion had his lead slip away as Kevin Grom was the car to beat. Grom used the outside and inside grooves to get past Haistreiter for second and then passing Johnson for the lead in turn one on the last lap to pick up the win. Eric Haistreiter would pass Johnson also on the final lap to take the runner up position while 2009 Track Champion Brian Johnson coming home in third place.

Rob Micoli picked up the win in the Mini Cup main event. Jason Eck led most of the event but Micoli used the outside line to take over the top spot with two laps to go to get the pass and the win. Eck would hold off Kennedy White and Daniel Majchrzak when they crossed the line for the final time. Micoli scored the win with Eck coming home in second, Kennedy White crossed the line in third followed by Daniel Majchrzak.

The action continues at WCIS on Friday June 4th as it is a regular show featuring the SST Modifieds, SST Super Stocks, 4 Cylinders and the Mini Cups. There will also be a roll the tire contest for the kids during intermission. Gates open at 5:00 pm with the first heat race to get rolling at 7:30. For more information, you can log on to www.wyomingcountyinternationalspeedway.com or you call the speedway office at

585-237-2580 or on race day, 585-237-2510.

Results: 5-28-10

SST Modified: ANDY JANKOWIAK, Patrick Emerling, John Barber, Dick Kluth, Brad Mosher, Matt Jurek, Mike Shaughnessy, Scott Reese, Greg Utberg

SST Super Stock: AUSTYN FUGLE, Mike Chenaille, Phil Alhardt Jr., Jeremy Gray, Cassie Logsdon, Brad Collings

4 Cylinders: KEVIN GROM, Eric Haistreiter, Brian Johnson, Vic Cordova, Gary Madore, David Reese, Daniel Majchrzak, Dennis King, TJ Drennen, Tommy Catalano

Mini Cups: ROBBIE MICOLI, Jason Eck, Kennedy White, Daniel Majchrzak

Andy J Strikes on Opening Night at the Bullring... Other Wins to Lippa, Catalano and Eck

2010-05-15T11:25:00.000-04:00

PERRY, NY… The weather was a little cool on Opening Night but the racing action was hot as Wyoming County International Speedway opened the gates for the first time in 2010. It was Meet the Drivers/Meet the Angels night as the SST Angels were on hand to meet and greet the fans that were anxiously awaiting the start of the racing action.

Joe Evans and Andy Jankowiak led the competitive field of SST Modifieds to the start of the 35 lap affair with Jankowiak getting the early advantage. Side by side action all over the 1/3^rd mile led to the first caution of the night as Amy Catalano and John Julicher Jr ran side by side with Catalano ending up in the turn one wall. After the restart, Andy J continued to lead the way and Bill Romasser got sideways and backed it into the turn one guardrail. Cautions bleed cautions as Joe Evans and Patrick Emerling came together in turn 2 and Evans did a slide job through the infield grass and it was a great job not to slide back onto the racing surface. Andy J led from start to finish to pick up the win over John Barber and John Julicher Jr completed the top 3.

Defending SST Series and WCIS track champ Bobby Lippa Jr and Jeremy Gray led the field for the start of the 25 lap race for the SST Super Stocks. Austyn Fugle lost the handle in his 36 machine off of turn two on the green race track. Lippa continued to pull away from the field but no one was able to make an attempt to pass the 2009 speedway champion. Lippa led all 25 laps with Phil Alhardt Jr finishing in second and Mike Chenaille came home in third.

Tommy Catalano and Kevin Grom were on the front row for the start of the 20 lap 4 Cylinder feature with Catalano taking advantage of his front row starting spot and he led every single lap to take his first career win on the 1/3^rd mile bullring. Action all over the speedway but nobody had a series challenge for the 14 year old from Ontario as Catalano would cross the line first with Charles Buchanan in second followed by Kevin Grom.

Jason Eck picked up the win in the Mini Cup division in his first start in the division. “Nice job after getting the car last Thursday (May 6^th)” said Eck in victory lane while being interviewed by Jim Majchrzak. Kennedy White was second in her best career finish at the Bullring and Daniel Majchrzak coming in third.

Next Friday night, the SST Super Stocks will take center stage as they will run the first extra distance race of the season in a 50 lap affair. The SST Modifieds, 4 Cylinders and the Mini Cups will round out the racing card on FOAR SCORE Club night. For more information, you can call the speedway office at 585-237-2580 or you can visit WCIS on the world wide web at www.wyomingcountyinternationalspeedway.com

American Racer Tire Presents Opening Night 2010 – Official Results

SST Modifieds: ANDY JANKOWIAK, John Barber, John Julicher Jr., Dick Kluth, Patrick Emerling, Scott Reece, Brad Mosher, Joe Evans, Greg Utberg, Jim Love, Bill Romasser, Amy Catalano, Ed Schueler (DNS)

SST Super Stock: BOBBY LIPPA JR., Phil Alhardt Jr., Mike Chenaille, Austyn Fugle, Jeremy Gray, Brian Gordon (DQ), Brad Collings (DNS)

4 Cylinders: TOMMY CATALANO, Charles Buchanan, Kevin Grom, Erik Hastreiter, Daniel Majchrzak, Vic Cordova, Chris Wolcott, Bob Bogner

Mini Cups: JASON ECK, Kennedy White, Daniel Majchrzak, Robbie Micoli

Its Race Night Tonight: Opening Night at WCIS

2010-05-14T14:40:00.000-04:00

Its race night tonight in Perry,NY as the Wyoming County International Speedway opens its doors for the 2010 racing season. Last week was suppost to be the lid-lifter but Mother Nature had other ideas. But tonight, great racing will be had as the mighty SST Modifieds, SST Super Stocks, 4 cylinders and the Mini Cups all attempt to win the first race of the 2010 campaign at the historic 1/3rd mile Bullring.

Defending track champions John Barber (SST Modified), Brian Johnson (4 cylinders) and Michelle Becker (Mini Cups) are back in their title defenses. Bobby Lippa Jr. (SST Super Stocks) will be moving up this season to a SST Modified but he will also be running the Super for a limited schedule this season.

The champs will all have some top notch competition this season. The 4 cylinders always have a tough field and a name that isn’t new to the racing world is however new to the speedway is Tommy Catalano. Tommy is the oldest son of Amy and Dave Catalano and Tommy will be campaigning in the 4 cylinder division weekly. Amy will also be competing at the Bullring on a regular basis in the SST Modifieds. Amy is the defending SST Modified Tour Champion. There are new faces and old faces but in new places this season as Austyn Fugle has moved up into the Superstocks.

Opening night is also Meet the Drivers Night as fans are welcomed to come onto the speedway and get up close and personal with the cars and the stars that make the Bullring their Friday Night home. Also, the SST Angels will be on hand to get photos taken with the fans as well.

Race time is set for 7:30pm with the pit gates opening at 3:00 and the grandstands will open at 5:00 pm. For more information, you can log on to www.wyomingcountyinternationalspeedway.com or you can call either the speedway office at 585-237-2580 or the race day line at 585-237-2510.

What is Behind the Sabres Lack of Production in the Playoffs?

2010-04-22T15:44:00.000-04:00

The Sabres are one game away from elimination after former Sabre Miro Satan scored the game winner in Double Overtime last night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at TD Garden in Boston. The Sabres led after 2 periods 2-0 on goals by Steve Montador and Tim Kennedy. But that was suppost to be all the support that Ryan Miller would need but in Buffalo playoff fashion, the Sabres blow the 2-0 lead in the first half of the third period when Boston scored two goals on the powerplay before netting in the game winner in the second Overtime period.

Where have the Sabres gone? Buffalo won the Northeast Division by putting the puck in the net, playing good defense and having the goalie that saves everything and then some. So far this post season the "real" Sabres have only been out once and that was in Game 1 back at HSBC Arena. Game 2 had its moments as well as Game 3 but the Sabres have failed to put the puck in the net and also fail to clear the puck away from the net. Some say that the reason behind the Sabres demise this post-season is due to the lack of offensive production and also the bad calls made by the referees. Lets talk about the refs for a minute... Yes Matt Ellis told the Buffalo media after Game 3 that the hit he took was a clean hit and yes it was to a point... the point being that his head was down and we know that when someone's head is down, you will be punnished for it... Just ask RJ Umberger after Brian Campbell hit him back in the 2005-2006 playoffs

So the hit was clean but the calls in Game 4 was absolutely terrible. I mean come on a bad call when Patrick Kaleta took Lucic to the boards and after Lucic fell to the ice, the refs called it boarding and as a result, Boston scored on the powerplay. And then the too-many men pelenty gave the Bruins the win in OT.

But lets move on to the lack of offensive production that is produced by the Sabres offense. The Sabres have scored 8 goals so far this postseason and that is not high enough to win a series and let alone, win a hockey game. The Sabres are averaging two goals a game and that is definitely not high enough to win a playoff game. Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy plus others have failed in my eyes to produce this postseason. If the goal productions are coming from Craig Rivet, Steve Montador, Tim Kennedy and Mike Grier, you are not going to win hockey games I am sorry. Buffalo needs a goal scorer who can put the puck in the net and they also need someone to stand infront of the net in order to get a rebound or two and that creates offensive opportunities and they need them in order to score and to win.

Teams have trailed 3-1 in a best-of-seven series a total of 220 times and have come back to win the series on 20 of those occasions or 9.1% of the time. The last time it happened was back in 2004 as the Montreal Canadians came back in the Conference Quarters and defeat the Boston Bruins. So it can be done Buffalo sports fans but it is along road ahead and it starts with Game 5 Friday night at HSBC Arena.

Amerks in Complete Control after 6-1 Win

2010-04-22T14:48:00.000-04:00

The Rochester Americans used another four-goal second period to cruise to a 6-1 win in Game 4 tonight over the Abbotsford Heat and take a 3-1 series lead in the best-of-seven North Division semifinals. With its third straight win, Rochester now needs just one more victory to win the series and advance to the second round (North Division Finals) of the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. The game was also the second of three straight this week from the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre.

Defenseman Jordan Henry scored twice, Jeff Taffe assisted on three goals and four others each tallied a goal and an assist as Tyler Plante earned his third straight win with a 46-save effort. Josh Meyers was the lone scorer for the hometown Heat and ex-Amerk David Shantz dropped his third straight game with 16 saves.

The Heat outshot the Amerks 47-22 in the contest, including 23-4 in the first period alone. Rochester, however, made up for it on the power-play, converting on four of six opportunities, while holding Abbotsford scoreless on its six man-up situations. For the second straight game, the Amerks scored four unanswered goals in the second and five straight as Rochester has now outscored Abbotsford 20-9 through the first four games of the series.

Despite being outshot 23-4 in the opening period, the Amerks were able to jump out to a 1-0 lead and maintain it throughout the frame. For the first time in the series, Rochester opened the scoring in the contest, on its very first shot, midway through the first period as Jamie Johnson beat Shantz low glove-side for his first of the postseason the power-play. Jason Garrison beamed his notorious slap shot from the center of the blueline into traffic, and after Shawn Matthias’ first attempt was denied, Johnson picked up the loose puck and tucked it just inside the far post at the 8:49 mark. With the assists, Garrison extended his point streak to four games and Matthias established his first three-game point string of the playoffs.

Abbotsford knotted the game at one courtesy of Meyers’ first of the playoffs at 4:14 of the second stanza. Mikael Backlund led his team into Rochester’s zone along the right-wing boards and found a breaking Meyers in the slot, who’s quick shot eluded Plante with enough force to slide past the goal line. The goal would stand as the only one for the Heat, as Plante was impenetrable for the next 35:46 of play.
The game remained tied for just a short period of time, however, as Henry potted back-to-back goals, including one on the power-play, 78 seconds apart to give the Amerks a 3-1 lead. His first at 7:03 gave him his league-leading third power-play tally before his team-leading fourth goal at 8:21. With the goals, Henry, who has four goals in as many games, now ranks second among the league’s top goal-scorers and moved into sixth in scoring among AHL defenseman.

Rochester quickly extended its lead to 5-1 with goals just 32 seconds apart from Garrison and Michal Repik. Garrison banked one off the post on the power-play at 18:22 and Repik scored his first career playoff goal at 18:50 from Evgeny Dadonov and David Brine.
The Amerks’ power-play struck again at 4:43 of the final frame as Chris Taylor collected a goal-mouth rebound and lifted it into the top of the net for his first of the playoffs. Repik picked up his second point of the night with an assist on the play, and Taffe tabbed his third helper of the game to help Rochester to a 6-1 cushion and its fifth straight goal.

Rochester looks to capture the series on Friday, April 23rd in Game 5 of the North Division semifinals at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre. The 10:00 p.m. EST contest will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester’s Sports Talk. The Amerks will return home to The Blue Cross Arena for Games 6 and 7, if necessary, on Sunday, April 25th and Tuesday, April 27th.

From the Rochester Americans

Sabres Playoffs Videos

2010-04-18T19:36:00.000-04:00

This video is played at every Sabres home game during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

So this brings me back to the last Playoff video open that the Sabres had... 2007 Better Days

Amerks Try to Even Series at Home in Game 2

2010-04-17T17:52:00.000-04:00

Tonight, the Rochester Americans remain home for Game 2 of their 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs North Division semifinals with the Abbotsford Heat. The 7:05 p.m. matchup will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester’s Sports Talk. Fans can also tune in to watch live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26. The Heat currently lead the best-of-seven series 1-0 following their 3-2 win Thursday night in Game 1.

The playoff series marks the Amerks’ return to the postseason for the first time in three years and the 40th playoff appearance overall in the 54-year history of the franchise. Rochester has been a part of 77 playoff series over the years, in which it compiled a 205-182 record in 387 games during that time. Rochester finished its season series with Abbotsford with a 1-3-0-0 record, including back-to-back losses at home against the Heat.

The 2009-10 regular season saw four different Amerks players reach the 20-goal plateau, a feat that was last accomplished by the 1996-97 team. Veteran forward Jeff Taffe finished with a team and career-high 28 goals, while team MVP Jamie Johnson came in a close second with 27. Second-year forward Michal Repik potted 22 goals for his first 20-goal campaign and two-time Calder Cup champ Graham Mink netted his 20th in the last game of the season.
Following his 71-point season, Johnson became the first player to reach the 70-point benchmark since Chris Taylor last accomplished the feat during the 2004-05 campaign.

The Amerks come into Game 2 looking to even things up at one game apiece before journeying cross-country for Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) in Abbotsford. Veteran forward Mike York (1+1) and Mink (0+2) each collected two points in Rochester’s Game 1 loss, while goaltenders Alexander Salak and Tyler Plante combined for 26 saves. Plante stopped all 20 shots he faced in relief effort. Both of Mink’s assists came on the power-play, where he is presently tied for first. Defenseman Jordan Henry, coming off his most productive season in his three-year pro career, continued to showcase his offensive side with a power-play goal Thursday night. Defenseman Keith Seabrook led the Heat with a pair of goals, including the eventual game-winner on the power-play, to help his team take Game 1 and a 1-0 lead in the series. Seabrook, a rookie who hadn’t registered a single multiple-goal game during the entire regular season, currently sits second among league defenseman in scoring in the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. He also already ranks second in goals scored for the postseason. Staffan Kronwall notched two assists in Game 1, good enough for fourth in that category. Former Amerks netminder David Shantz earned his first win of the postseason, stopping 30 of 32 shots for his first AHL playoff victory.

Rochester saw several of its team members officially make their American Hockey League playoff debuts in Game 1 Thursday night, including Head Coach Benoit Groulx, while others entered the postseason for the first time in an Amerk uniform. Groulx led his team to a 44-33-2-1 record (91 points), a 25-point spike from last season, and his offense was the second best in the North Division, scoring a total of 253 goals. In fact, no current member of the Amerks active roster was on the 2006-07 team that played in the 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs. Johnson led the way offensively with a team-high 71 points and was one of just two skaters to play in all 80 games throughout the regular season. A three-time Amerks player of the month, Johnson performed at under a point-per-game pace, en route to earning team MVP honors and the Amerks scoring champion award. The seventh-year pro finished 12th among the AHL’s top scorers, while his 44 assists were 14th best in the league. Taffe paced Rochester’s offense with a team-high 28 goals, good enough for 14th in the AHL, and captured personal bests in that category. He also finished second among Rochester’s active roster with seven power-play goals. Veteran defenseman Clay Wilson, who made his Panthers debut this season, had the best offensive performance of his five-year professional career this season with the Amerks, one that earned him a spot on the 2009-10 AHL Second All-Star Team. Wilson captured career-highs in all offensive categories in goals (14), assists (46), points (60), penalty minutes (58) and games played (75), finishing second on the team and second among league blueliners in scoring. His 46 helpers were also a team-best. Further, he led the Amerks with 191 shots on goal and was fourth in the league with 24 power-play assists.
Salak completed his first professional season with a 29-14-0 record with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 48 games. The 2009-10 AHL All-Star finished his rookie campaign with 29 wins to finish fourth among league netminders. Salak also posted a career-best nine-game winning streak earlier in the season and was the recipient of three league awards. For his efforts, he was named the Amerks’ 2009-10 Rookie of the Year. Plante also had a banner year between the pipes for the Amerks, collecting a career-best in all goaltending categories in wins (12), saves (701), shutouts (3), goals-against average (2.66), save percentage (.914) and games played (27). He also finished 13th among league goaltenders with three shutouts and was named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for March.

Abbotsford, who finished the regular season as the third-seeded team in North Division with a 39-29-5-7 (90 points) record, earns its first trip to the postseason after only its first season as a member in the American Hockey League. Fifth-year pro Jason Jaffray led the Heat in every offensive category in goals (25), assists (29) and points (54), in addition to owning the team’s best on-ice rating with a plus-24 through 72 games. The 2010 AHL All-Star also finished the campaign first on the team and fourth in the league with four shorthanded goals. As a team, the Heat racked up a league-high 1,796 penalty minutes, including 267 from J.D. Watt, who finished the season first on the team and fourth in the league in that category. Shantz finished the season with a 15-10-4 record with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 32 games. His 15 wins were the most among Abbotsford’s goaltending depth chart. Second-year netminder Leland Irving saw the most time between the pipes, however, posting a 14-17-2 record with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.

North Division Semifinal – Series “F” (best-of-7):
N2-Rochester Americans vs. N3-Abbotsford Heat
Game 1: Thursday, April 15th at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena (ABB Leads 1-0)
Game 2: Saturday, April 17th at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
Game 3: Monday, April 19th at 10:00 p.m. (EST) at Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre
Game 4: Wednesday, April 21st at 10:00 p.m. (EST) at Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre
*Game 5: Friday, April 23rd at 10:00 p.m. (EST) at Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre
*Game 6: Sunday, April 25th at 5:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
*Game 7: Tuesday, April 27th at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena

*if necessary
Story Courtesy of the Rochester Americans

Raceday in Fulton: Super DIRTcar Series 100

2010-04-09T22:36:00.000-04:00

Round two of the Super DIRTcar Series is right on schedule at Fulton Speedway. Just ask second-year track owner John Wight as he anxiously awaits his headline ‘VP Racing Fuels Spring Fever 100’ slated for April 10 at the Oswego County clay oval.

“We’re set to run, wish we would’ve picked this weekend for our opener,” smiled Wight, alluding to the forecast of 70-degree temperatures predicted the first week of April. A special Test & Tune practice session for all classes will still take place April 3 at 12noon with pit gates opening at 11:30 a.m. “You just never know this time of year.”

“I live five miles from the track and know we had about 160 inches of snow this winter. The rain finally got rid of the last pile a week ago and we were able to dig up and grade the track over the weekend. I’m counting on the weather staying good, then we’ll have everything ready to go for all the fans and racers coming in,” Wight confirmed.

Wight will be smiling even more when all the stars from the Super DIRTcar Series converge on Fulton for round two of the annual tour, each looking for the $6,000 winner’s check in the much anticipated season-opener at the Route 57 speedplant. Not only is Wight the track owner, he presides over one of the top teams on the circuit today, and his first-string driver Billy Decker captured the recent Series lid-lifter at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway in pursuit of a third overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship.

“I don’t think there’s any added pressure for Billy, he’s the kind of guy that wants to win every race no matter where he goes,” added Wight, whose Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium International monikers join Quality Hardwoods on Decker’s no. 91 Bicknell entry. Teammates Larry Wight, Pat Ward and Ryan Phelps will be among the familiar sea of red Gypsum rides helping make up the stellar field on race day when Fulton stages the Central New York opener for Big-Block Modifieds.

Race time is 6 p.m., pit gates are scheduled to unlock at 3 o’clock with grandstands opening at 4. Warm-ups start at 5 p.m. followed immediately by time trials and the first heat race green-flagged at 6 o’clock. Modified teams are encouraged to arrive early as pre-race technical inspection will begin as early as 1 o’clock before the pits are initially cleared at 2:30 p.m.

Still in search of his first Fulton victory, all-time Series winner and defending Mr. DIRTcar champion Brett Hearn will make another visit attempting to hold off the Gypsum gang along with two-time and defending track tour winner Alan Johnson. With registered Series racers Jimmy Phelps, Michael Storms, Dale Planck, Tom Sears Jr. and Billy Dunn also ’09 Fulton regulars, the competition should be even stiffer when top travelers Matt Sheppard, Danny Johnson, Justin Haers, Gary Tomkins and Steve Paine are thrown in the mix on April 10.

Jim Witko, Chuck Bower, Mike Bowman and Mike Mahaney are more of the Fulton notables that will be in contention, joining several other invading race teams that are expected to take part in the special spring show at the home of the Fulton 200 presented by SUNY Canton in October.

When trucking magnate Wight and his wife Laura began a new era at Fulton Speedway last year, their first official order of business was to name former owner Harvey Fink as promoter. Joined today by GM Bob Connelly, Marketing Director Mike Fabery and most recently his son Larry Fink in charge of track maintenance, the elder Fink is back at the helm overseeing every aspect of the operation in 2010.

“Last year when John took over we had somewhere around three weeks to get everything in place,” recalled Fink, who sparked Fulton’s gradual climb back to prominence when he first took over the deed in 1998. Also beginning promotions at sister track Brewerton Speedway in 1991, Fulton became a member of the DIRTcar NE Racing fraternity in 1999 with the Fink family in charge. “So everything was new, even some of the faces, and everybody had a fresh, new attitude.”

“All new equipment, new track surface and new grandstands gave us a solid start. Right now we have more new plans but I don’t like to talk about things until they’re done. There’s always a lot of ideas going around, I’m more focused on what’s been accomplished. Just want to get the first race in and we’ll have a lot more to say,” remarked Fink, who along with his wife Joan, received the Leonard J. Sammons, Jr. Memorial Award recognizing outstanding contributions to auto racing during the 2006 Northeast Modified Hall of Fame ceremonies on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds.

For more information, the speedway office can be reached by phoning 315/593-6531 and the track website remains www.fultonspeedway.com. Contact DIRTcar Racing Northeast Director of Competition & Track Sanctioning Joe Skotnicki (704/796-4566) or log into www.superdirtcarseries.com for additional news & notes. Be sure to sign up on http://www.twitter.com/SuperDIRTcar and receive updates throughout the season.

Story Provided by Tom Skibinski - DIRTcar NE PR Director

AHL Coach goes Nuts in Losing Cause

2010-03-29T00:18:00.000-04:00

The Abbotsford Heat and the Hamilton Bulldogs got together Saturday night in Abbotsford. Hamilton won the game 4-0 but Heat Head Coach Jim Playfair goes nuts after a call that the refs blew. Here is the video courtesy of Hockey Night in Canada

Oswego Ousted by St. Norbert 4-3

2010-03-20T10:09:00.000-04:00

With the score knotted at 3-3, St. Norbert’s Cody Keefer scored the game-winning goal with 39.4 seconds remaining to give the third-ranked Green Knights a 4-3 win over the second-ranked Oswego State men’s ice hockey team in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championships on Friday at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. The Lakers tied the contest on three separate occasions, including Jon Whitelaw’s goal with 2:32 left to play in regulation. Oswego State finished the season with an overall record of 26-3-0, while St. Norbert advanced to the NCAA Championship with a record of 24-3-3 overall.
Few scoring opportunities existed in the first period as both teams gained a feel for each other and the Olympic-size rink. Oswego State went on the only power play of the frame in the early stages, but was unable to apply any pressure. At the end of the penalty, Mike Bernardy (Jr., Sandy, Utah) came out of the penalty box, picked up the puck at neutral ice to create the first scoring chance of the game. He ripped a wrist shot on the breakaway, but Laker goaltender Kyle Gunn-Taylor (Sr., West Seneca, N.Y.) made a right pad save to keep St. Norbert off of the scoreboard.

Late in the period, an Oswego State turnover at neutral ice resulted in Johan Ryd (So., Sodertalje, Sweden) picking up the puck for a 1-on-0 breakaway. He rifled a shot past Gunn-Taylor into the lower right portion of the net to give St. Norbert a 1-0 lead with 1:59 remaining in the first period. The Green Knights turned up the pressure on the Lakers in the waning seconds of the stanza, but the defense was able to keep St. Norbert from scoring as the score stood at 1-0 heading into intermission.

After play went back-and-forth for the majority of the second stanza, Eric Selleck (So., Spencerville, Ontario) carried the puck to the blue line before dumping the pass to Justin Fox (Jr., Whitby, Ontario) on the far right side. Fox laced a cross-ice to Neil Musselwhite (Sr., Burlington, Ontario), who gathered the puck before firing a wrist shot into the upper left-corner of the net over Green Knight goalie B.J. O’Brien’s (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.) stick at 17:14. It was Musselwhite’s 23rd goal of the season as the score was tied at 1-1 after two periods.

Whatever scoring was lacking in the first 40 minutes was made up for in abundance in the final frame. Early in the third, St. Norbert took advantage of an Oswego State boarding penalty when Matt Boyd’s shot for the slot ricocheted off the crossbar into open space where Tyler Allen (Sr., Midhurst, Ontario) flipped the puck into the net at 4:18. Less than a minute later, the Lakers evened the score when Fox received a pass on the right side from Chris Laganiere (Jr., Owego, N.Y). He faked a slap shot near the left face-off circle before sending a wrist shot into the left side of the net at the 5:12 mark.

The Green Knights regained the lead at 7:02 when they capitalized on an Oswego State turnover in the defensive zone. Scott Pulak (Jr., Green Bay, Wis.) fed Sam Tikka (Sr., Soldotna, Alaska) with a pass as he sent an uncontested shot through Gunn-Taylor’s five-hole to make the score 3-2.
Oswego State continued to fight until it tied the game again with 2:32 remaining when Paul Rodrigues (Fr., Etobicoke, Ontario) played the puck from behind the net to Jon Whitelaw (Fr., Huntsville, Ontario), who was in front of the net to pound home the goal.

The game appeared to be headed into overtime until another turnover at center ice lead to Cody Keefer (Fr., Grayling, Mich.) skating in for the breakaway and the game-winning goal with 39.4 seconds remaining on the clock. Head coach Ed Gosek called timeout after the score and pulled Gunn-Taylor for the extra attacker, but the Lakers were unable to put a shot on goal in the final seconds.

Oswego State’s Kyle Gunn-Taylor finished the game with 16 saves as he finished the season with a record of 18-2-0. St. Norbert’s B.J. O’Brien improved to 24-2-3 after registering 20 saves. The Lakers were 0-for-4 on the power play compared to the Green Knights, who were 1-for-2.

Notes
-Oswego State ended the year with one of the most successful seasons in school history as it set a new mark for highest winning percentage in school history at .897 after going 26-3-0. The previous mark was .883 (26-3-1), which was set in 1980-81.
-The Lakers are now 2-1-0 all-time against St. Norbert as Oswego State defeated the Green Knights 4-3 in overtime in the 2007 NCAA Semifinals and 4-3 on November 28, 2008 in DePere, Wis.

Box Score

Photo: Mike LeBoeuf (Oswego Palladium Times)
Story: Oswego State Sports Information

Oswego and St. Norbert meet in Semifinals from Lake Placid

2010-03-18T23:55:00.000-04:00

The Oswego State Lakers and St. Norbert Green Knights will meet for the second time in the last 4 years in the NCAA D-III National Semifinals for the shot to play for a national championship. Oswego won that game back in 2007 in OT on a goal by former Laker Captain Ryan Woodward. This year's battle will get underway at 4:00 pm Friday afternoon from the Herb Brooks Ice Arena in Lake Placid, NY, the site of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice".

St. Norbert comes into the matchup with a record of 23-3-3. The Green Knights defeated Gustavus Adolphus 3-1 last Saturday to make the Frozen Four. St. Norbert is led offensively by Senior forward Shane Wheeler. Wheeler has 31 points (13 G, 28 A) in 29 games played. Fellow Senior Tyler Allen has 30 points (14 G, 16 A) and Senior Matt Boyd has 28 points (9 G, 18 A). The Green Knights are led in net by Junior BJ O'Brien. O'Brien is 23-2-3 with a .923 save percentage and a Goals Against Avearge (GAA) of 1.58.

Oswego's road to Lake Placid only had one stop on the way... the Campus Center Ice Arena. The Lakers went perfect at home this season and that includes last Saturday's 9-2 defeat over Bowdoin in the Quarterfinals. The Lakers are 26-2-0 and Champions of the SUNYAC Conference. Oswego is led offensively by the line of Eric Selleck, Chris Laganiere and Justin Fox. Selleck has 53 points (21 Goals, 32 Assists) in just 27 games played. Owego's Chris Laganiere has 45 points (16 G, 29 A) as does Justin Fox (13 G, 32 A). The Lakers are led in net by West Seneca, NY native Kyle Gunn-Taylor. KGT has an overall record of 18-1-0 with a .918 save percentage and a Goals Against Average of 2.00

The winner of this matchup will meet the winners of the night cap game between Norwich and Plattsburgh for the National Title at 5:00 pm Saturday from Lake Placid. The game between Oswego and St Norbert will be webstreamed live through 88.9 FM WNYO Oswego. The contest will also be webcasted courtesy of FastHockey.com. Sign-up registration is required by logging on to http://www.fasthockey.com/login.php, but the video is free.

Lakers Oust Bowdoin 9-2, Head to Lake Placid For Frozen Four

2010-03-14T00:57:00.000-05:00

The second-ranked Oswego State men’s hockey team posted a convincing 9-2 win over sixth-ranked Bowdoin on Saturday night at the Campus Center Arena to advance to the NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey Semifinal round. Senior assistant captain Neil Musselwhite paced the Laker offense with four goals, while sophomore defenseman Hank Van Boxmeer broke out for two goals and two assists in the victory. Oswego State, which improved to 26-2-0 overall, will face third-ranked St. Norbert on Friday, March 19 in Lake Placid, N.Y. at a time to be announced. The Polar Bears finished the season with an overall record of 19-7-1.
Bowdoin struck first by capitalizing on a pair of Oswego State charging penalties at 5:14 in the first period when Mike Corbelle’s (Sr., Byfield, Mass.) blast from the right point got past Laker netminder Kyle Gunn-Taylor (Sr., West Seneca, N.Y.). Captain Colin MacCormack (Sr., Bedford, Nova Scotia) was credited with an assist on the play as the Polar Bears quieted the crowd.

The Lakers evened the game two minutes later as both teams skated 4-on-4. Brad Dormiedy (Sr., Ajax, Ontario) moved the puck from the defensive zone to neutral ice before finding Neil Musselwhite (Sr., Burlington, Ontario), who was skating up the right side. Musselwhite got around the Polar Bear defender, moved through the crease, and got the backhand past Bowdoin goaltender Chris Rossi (Sr., Barrington, R.I.). The Polar Bears gained another two-skater advantage later in the period, but Oswego State was able to kill both penalties and keep the score knotted at 1-1.

It would not be until late in the period when the Lakers seized the lead for good. Luke Moodie (Fr., Burlington, Ontario) carried the puck deep into the Bowdoin defensive zone before finding Eric Selleck (So., Spencerville, Ontario) at the right face-off circle. As a Polar Bear player went down to block the shot, Selleck passed over to Hank Van Boxmeer (So., Orange, Calif.), whose blast from the blue line found its way through traffic at 14:38 to put Oswego State ahead 2-1.

Van Boxmeer struck again early in the second period with six seconds remaining on a Laker power play when he ripped a slap shot that popped Rossi’s water bottle off of the top of the net. Matt Singleton (Fr., Brooklin, Ontario) and Moodie received assists on the goal that gave Oswego State a 3-1 edge. The Lakers took advantage of a Bowdoin line change at the 7:34 mark with seven seconds left in another Oswego State power play when Musselwhite’s slap shot from the left face-off went off of Rossi’s glove, and bounced into the air behind Rossi into the net. Gunn-Taylor was credited with an assist on the play for his first career point.
Minutes later, Dormiedy carried the puck across the blue line, ripped a slap shot past Rossi after faking a pass to Musselwhite on the left side to give the Lakers a four-goal lead midway through the second period. The goal prompted Bowdoin head coach Terry Meagher to call timeout and switch Rossi for Richard Nerland (So., Calgary, Alberta).

However, the change did not slow down the Oswego State offense as Musselwhite completed the hat trick at 17:47 in the middle stanza when Dormiedy drew the Bowdoin defender on a 2-on-1 rush before passing to his linemate for the tap-in goal. The Lakers closed out the second period with their third power-play goal of the game when Justin Fox (Jr., Whitby, Ontario) deflected a Tyler Lyon (Sr., Foxboro, Ontario) slap shot past Nerland to give Oswego State a 7-1 lead at intermission.

Midway through the third period, Musselwhite tacked on his fourth goal of the game when he and Chris Laganiere (Jr., Owego, N.Y.) traded passes back-and-forth during an odd-man rush. B owdoin answered seconds later, though, when Rob MacGregor (Fr., Collegeville, Pa.) flipped the puck over Gunn-Taylor’s left shoulder at 10:49 with assists going to Kyle Shearer-Hardy (Jr., Montreal, Quebec) and Brendan Reich (Jr., Montvale, N.J.) to make the score 8-2. The final Oswego State goal came at the 12:50 mark when Van Boxmeer laced a two-line pass through center ice to Tyler Leimbrock (Fr., Bolton, Ontario) in stride, as he skated in on Nerland unabated for the goal. Michael Gilchrist (Fr., Rochester, N.Y.) also earned an assist.

The Lakers finished the game 3-for-7 on the power play compared to the Polar Bears, who went 1-for-8 with the skater advantage, including 1-for-6 in the first period. Oswego State out-shot Bowdoin 33-23, but that differential occurred solely in the second stanza as the Lakers owned a 16-4 shot advantage.
Oswego State’s Kyle Gunn-Taylor improved to 18-1-0 on the season after stopping 21 shots and allowing two goals. The Polar Bears’ Chris Rossi recorded 17 saves on 22 shots, while Richard Nerland finished with seven saves on 11 shots. Musselwhite’s four-goal performance tied the NCAA championship record for most goals in a single game, which has occurred on four previous occasions with the most recent taking place in 1997 when Norwich’s Curt Healy posted four goals against Plattsburgh.

The Lakers, who are advancing to the NCAA semifinal game for the first time since 2007, will face St. Norbert on Friday, March 19. St. Norbert defeated Gustavus Adolphus 3-1 to earn a spot in Lake Placid.
Fans looking to attend Friday’s contest can find ticket information at NCAA.com.

Box Score

Courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information

Oswego vs Bowdoin... Winner Heads to Lake Placid

2010-03-12T20:21:00.000-05:00

The Oswego State Lakers are hosting the NCAA D-III Mens Ice Hockey Quarterfinals for the first time since their 3-0 shutout of Norwich in 2007 on their way to the National Championship. The Lakers are just one win away from heading to Lake Placid and represent the SUNYAC in the frozen four. The one team that is stoping the Lakers to head to Lake Placid, the Bowdoin Polar Bears. The matchup at the Campus Center Ice Arena at SUNY Oswego will start with the puck drop, around 7:00 pm Saturday night.

The Polar Bears, 19-6-1 are representing the NESCAC Conference and recieved one of the at large bids to get into the national tournament. The Polar Bears are 6th according to the USCHO D-III Polls and are led offensively by Junior Defenseman Kyle Shearer-Hardy with 8 goals and 21 assists for 29 points in 24 games played this season. Leading forward is freshman Daniel Weiniger with 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 21 games played. Bowdoin is led between the pipes by Senior Chris Rossi. Rossi is 14-1-1 with a 2.08 Goals Against Average (GAA) and a .919 save percentage.

Oswego State enters this contest after winning the SUNYAC Championship for the first time since 2003 as they defeated arch-rival Plattsburgh 6-3 last Saturday night in Oswego for their third win this season over the Cardinals. The Lakers, 25-2-0 were 2nd in the final USCHO D-III Poll of the season. Oswego is led offensively by the top line of Eric Selleck, Justin Fox and Chris Laganiere. Selleck, has 21 goals and 31 assists for 52 points to lead all scorers for Oswego. Chris Laganiere and Justin Fox both have 44 points each. Laganiere has 16 goals and 28 assists while Fox has 12 goals and 32 assists. Between the pipes, Kyle Gunn-Taylor leads the way for the Lakers. Gunn-Taylor is 17-1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and a .916 save percentage.

This game will be broadcasted through the Student Media Groups at SUNY Oswego. WTOP-10 and Central NY Time Warner local access 96 will have the game starting with their pregame show "Hockey Night in Oswego" at 6:30 pm. WNYO-FM 88.9 will broadcast the game starting with their pregame show, "Countdown to Faceoff" at 6:00 pm. WNYO-FM and WTOP Webstream will be doing a webstream of the 7:00 pm contest from the Campus Center Ice Arena on the shores of Lake Ontario. Live stats will also be available for the contest through the Oswego State Sports Information Department.

Neil Musselwhite is Heading to the Motor City

2010-03-10T20:47:00.000-05:00

Oswego State senior men’s ice hockey player Neil Musselwhite of Burlington, Ontario has been selected as one of six players to represent the men’s East squad in the fifth annual NCAA Frozen Four Skills Challenge on April 9 at Ford Field in Detroit. The competition will be conducted in an East versus West format with each team having six male position players, six female position players, two male goaltenders and two female goaltenders as part of the festivites at the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Frozen Four. Musselwhite, who was the only Division III men’s hockey player to be named to the East and West final roster, will compete in the fastest skater challenge.

Musselwhite has been known around the league for his speed during his four-year career at Oswego State, but made a national splash on December 4 when he tallied three short-handed goals in a span of 2:59 against Brockport. He is believed to be just the third player in college hockey history to achieve a natural short-handed hat trick. Musselwhite is currently second on the squad with 18 goals and leads all NCAA Divisions with six short-handed goals. Musselwhite was speechless when told the news at practice on Wednesday, but would like to thank all of the Oswego State fans who voted for him over a two-week period as selection to the team was partially based on those fan votes.

Other members of the men’s East squad include Sean Backman, Yale; Bobby Butler, New Hampshire; Owen Meyer, Army; Ben Smith, Boston College and Brandon Wong, Quinnipiac. The two goalies are: Jared DeMichiel, RIT and Ben Scrivens, Cornell.

The No. 2-Lakers will host No. 6-Bowdoin in the NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey Quarterfinals on Saturday, March 13 at 7 p.m. at the Campus Center Arena in Oswego. Tickets are available for the contest and may be purchased by calling 315-312-3073.

Courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information Department

Final Seconds of SUNYAC Championship

2010-03-09T22:40:00.000-05:00

Audio: Mike Keeley - Home PxP Announcer Oswego State Lakers - WNYO FM
Video: Joe Crahan - WNYO-FM Personality and OSU Fan

SUNYAC CHAMPS... Your Oswego State Lakers

2010-03-08T08:48:00.000-05:00

For the first time since 2007, the Oswego State men’s hockey team will be headed back to the NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey Tournament after defeating visiting Plattsburgh 6-3 for the SUNYAC Championship on Saturday night in Oswego. The Lakers displayed a balanced attack as six different players scored goals in front of a sold-out crowd. Oswego State, which earned its eighth conference title overall and first since 2002-03, improved to 25-2-0 on the season, while the Cardinals dropped to 18-5-4.
Paul Rodrigues (Fr., Etobicoke, Ont.) got the scoring started at 9:32 in the first period when he netted a wrist shot from the left side over the glove of Plattsburgh goaltender Ryan Williams. Luke Moodie (Fr., Burlington, Ont.) and Michael Gilchrist (Fr., Rochester, N.Y.) were credited with assists on the goal. Owen Kelly (Jr., Plattsburgh, N.Y.) stretched the lead to two when he scored on a pass from Andrew Mather (So., Ottawa, Ont.) at 13:26 in the first period. The Lakers would carry their two-goal lead until midway through the second period when the Cardinals ended the shutout bid. Andrew Willock was able to push the puck in the net after a long scramble at 9:17 in the second period. Eric Satim recorded an assist on the play. Kevin Huinink (Jr., Whitby, Ont.) positioned himself behind Kyle Gunn-Taylor (Sr., West Seneca, N.Y.) during the scramble, saving several scoring chances before the eventual goal.

Huinink got Oswego State back on track at 16:11 when he blasted a slap shot from just inside the blue line that beat Williams up high. Mather pushed the score to 4-1 when he fired a wrist shot that beat the Cardinal goaltender stick-side at 18:04 in the second stanza. Mather received a pass from Kelly, switching roles from their combined effort on a first period goal.

Just 22 seconds later, Taylor Farris (Fr., Oakville, Ont.) received a pass from Tyler Leimbrock (Fr., Bolton, Ont.) and took it down the left side before letting go of a wrist shot. The shot trickled between Williams’ legs and into the net, making the score 5-1 for Farris’ first collegiate score.

Momentum continued to be on the side of Oswego State at the start of the third frame when Justin Fox (Jr., Whitby, Ont.) scored 51 seconds in when he took a pass from Chris Laganiere (Jr., Owego, N.Y.) and beat Josh Leis, who had replaced Williams at the start of the third, with a wrist shot over his glove from the middle of the ice. It was the fourth Laker goal in a five-minute span.

Plattsburgh continued to fight late into the game, scoring two goals 2:16 apart to bring the lead down to 6-3 with less than three minutes remaining. Eric Satim and Dylan Clarke scored for Plattsburgh, both on power plays, but it would not be enough as Oswego State went on to hoist the championship trophy.
In goal for the Lakers, Kyle Gunn-Taylor (Sr., West Seneca, N.Y.) registered 35 saves on the night. The Plattsburgh goalies combined for 17 saves, as Williams had nine and Leis had eight.

After the game, the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team was announced. Oswego State’s Kyle Gunn-Taylor was selected as the top goalie and Tyler Lyon (Sr., Foxboro, Ont.) was chosen for play at the blue line. The three forwards chosen were Morrisville’s Chris Cerbino, Plattsburgh’s Dylan Clarke, and Oswego State’s Tyler Leimbrock.

Oswego State’s Kevin Huinink was named the SUNYAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, after recording two goals and an assist in two Laker games and a +5 rating. With the win, the Lakers avenged last year’s defeat in the title game against the Cardinals. This was the team’s third win against the Cardinals this season, as they swept the regular-season series.

Oswego State will await word from the NCAA selection committee on when and where it will play when the national tournament bracket is released at NCAA.com on Sunday at 6 p.m. Plattsburgh will wait to see if it receives one of the three at-large bids for the 11-team tournament.

Box Score

Story Courtesy of SUNY Oswego Sports Information