Musicmen Blow 3-1 Lead in Parry Sound, Fall to Orrsmen in OT

There are reasons to be optimistic about the Dayton Musicmen this year.

*Jake Guentzel, Alex Barkov, Sean Monahan and Nate MacKinnon each have at least a point per game so far this season. Each has played 14 games, Guentzel has 16 pts., Monahan and Barkov have 15 pts. and MacKinnon has 14 pts.

*Only Fort Erie, with five players producing more than a point per game, has more than Dayton, in the CCHL.

*Backup netminder Jeremy Smith, pressed into the starting job after veteran goalie Brian Elliott suffered a strained groin in practice earlier this week, is 1-1-0 after two starts and has stopped 68 of the last 74 shots he's faced, good for a .919 save percentage.

*Dayton has killed off its last nine short-handed situations, going back to the Niagara Falls game on Day 19. The Musicmen haven't given up a power-play goal in its last five games. While still ranked last in the league, their recent kill rate of 90%, may be a sign of genuine improvement.

NONE of the above reasons cited above could prevent Dayton from blowing leads of 2-0 and 3-1 versus the host Orrsmen.

"Look, we're a young team, our defence is patchwork, to say the least, and we lost Methot after the first period. Smitty did a great job for us in nets, but we just couldn't hang on. The guys are bumming right now." said Thomas Vanek.

After goals by Connolly and Hartnell, with just thirty-one seconds left in the third period, took the contest to a short-lived overtime period. Tanner Pearson scored his 6th goal of the year on a slick feed from Josh Anderson for the game-winner.

"Every game, we see a couple things we really like. Different guys maturing, growing, getting experience. There will be more games like tonight. We have to go through this..." said Vanek.

What's Next?

Dayton next stop on their three-game road trip is in Portland, where the Owls (6-3-0 in their last nine games), will try to continue their recent climb in the Corfield Conference of the CCHL.

Notes:

Marc Methot is considered day-to-day with a sore right ankle. He blocked a slap shot from formed Musicman Cody Ceci in the first period.

Brian Elliott says if he'd been needed to play tonight, he could've gone into the game. The plan is for Jeremy Smith to finish the road trip and Elliott would potentially play next Friday in Dayton when the Hammerheads come to town.

Miners run out of gas; lose 3-1 to Isotopes

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON)

Third periods are quickly becoming a problem for the Sudbury Miners.  In what is starting to become a recurring theme, the Miners would again collapse in the final period and lose.

This time, it was Isotopes forward, Michael Grabner, who would break a 1-1 tie early in the third and give the visiting Springfield Isotopes a 3-1 win at the Vale Centre on Friday night.

To be honest, the score was very flattering to the Miners, as Isotopes dominated the game, outshooting the Miners, 37-16.  Goaltender Jake Allen made numerous difficult saves, to keep the game close as the first place Isotopes just seemed to come in waves at the Miners goal.

The Miners would open the scoring in the first, as Aaron Ekblad, with his second goal of the season, beat Isotopes goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Miners the lead.  Radim Vrbata and Vincent Trocheck would draw the assists.

Of concern on the play was that Bobrovsky looked awkward in his save attempt and appeared to injure his leg.  He appeared to shake it off and remained in the net but would ultimately have to be replaced by Roberto Luongo late in the third.

The Isotopes would dominate the remainder of the game, especially the third period.  The Isotopes peppered the Miners goal, scoring three goals and securing the win.  Grabner, along with Artem Anisimov and Cam Fowler would round out the scoring for the Isotopes.

Miners Coach Derek Sutton continues to try and find answers for the struggling offence that was only able to generate 16 shots at the Isotopes goal.

“We can definitely be better,” Miners coach Derek Sutton said. “We need more goals but guys are gripping the sticks a little tight.  We just need to keep it a little more simple, get pucks to the net and create chances that way instead of trying to find seam plays and things like that. We’re still trying to figure that out but I think the main point for us is to keep it a little more simple.”


MINERS NUGGETS

- As Sutton eluded to, getting more offence, whether it be during the season or off-season, will be a priority for the Miners.  They currently sit last in the CCHL in all offensive categories.

- Defenceman Darnell Nurse has started light skating on his own and continues to rehab from his injury suffered early in the season.  He is still a couple weeks away from game action.

Chinook Crush Donuts 6-0

WISBORG –  The 4th line works wonder tonight as they were responsible for four of the six goals scored in tonight’s matchup against the Wisborg Donuts.  Backlund, Ferland and Granlund all had a goal and an assist in less than 10 minutes of ice time.  “Sometimes everything just clicks.” Said Ferland.  “Backlund and Granlund were great linemates.” 

Letang also had a great game with three assists tonight.  "It's a great feeling," said Letang, who has 8 points in 13 games this season. "It's big for my confidence. We have a great team here and I am glad I can contribute.”

Price made 24 saves for his second shutout of the season.  Price is tied for 1st in save % after this game. "A lot of guys played great hockey out there," Price said. "We got the result we wanted, but we've got a lot of work left to do and it doesn't stop here."

Niederreiter opened the scoring at 2:38 of the first period, the goal will eventually be the game-winning goal.  Niederreiter has 3 game-winning goals tied for 2nd in the league after this game.

"I think we all knew we had some talent in the locker room," said Niederreiter. "Four lines that can play and a veteran D-corp, and obviously one of the best goalies in the league. Sometimes teams don't click right away, but it seems that we're really going right now and I think we're excited about going forward."

NOTES:

Chinook stays perfect on the road with 6 wins and 1 tie.

Pietrangelo is healthy and will be back for the next game.

Expect Nielson to replace Sedin in the upcoming game.

UP NEXT:

The Calgary Chinook will return home to host Auston Matthews and the Halifax Hammerheads on Saturday night.

Parry Sound Gives Falcons All They Can Handle...

Fort Erie, September 29, 2017


In what many fans felt would be a pretty easy night for the Fort Erie Falcons turned out to be anything but easy.

The Falcons got up by two early with a strong first period, outshooting the Orrsmen 20-7.  The Falcons received goals from Mark Letestu on the power play and Tyler Bozak just 2:39 later and things looked to be going well.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, the perception that a two-goal lead is the safest lead in hockey turned out to be completely false in this contest.

Fort Erie found themselves down a man five times in the second stanza, and outshot 22 to 3 in the process but still held a one-goal lead heading into the third period.

After a pretty evenly played period, Orrsmen second-year star Jack Eichel tied the game with a minute to go and the goalie on the bench.

The Fort Erie faithful were stunned but that late goal seemed to spark something in the Falcons as they came out in overtime hard.

Despite outshooting the Orrsmen 11-0 in the additional frame, the game ended in a tie.

"We just weren't very good in the second and third periods tonight.  We came out flat.  We got lazy.  Teams in this league are too good to do that against and tonight it cost us a point" said Nazem Kadri post game.

Fort Erie has some time off between games before they return to the ice in Wisborg to take on everyone's favorite snack time food, the Donuts.

Chinook double up Thunder 4-2

NIAGARA – Panarin had a power-play goal in the middle of the second period and two assists as the Calgary Chinook defeated the Niagara Thunder 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Giordano, Niederreiter and Pavelski also scored as the Chinook extended their winning streak to three games. Howard made 33 saves. The goal was Giordano second goals in as many games, he had zero goals in the previous 11 games. “It feels great to have the monkey off the back. “Said, Giordano. “Hopefully I can continue the streak and help the team wins.”

Atkinson and DeAngelo scored for the Bruins. Montoya made 34 saves. Thunder traded goaltender Rinne to the Hamilton Tigers after the loss.

Giordano and Letang both left the game early in the first period. They will be ready for the next game against the Wisborg Donuts.

After the reuniting of the first line of Panarin, Crosby and Pavelski, they have been very productive with all four goals are scored by this line. “It is always fun to play against the Thunder. They bring really hard games here in this building. When you are on the top line, you have to produce. That's what you like as a player, to have that kind of pressure on you. You want to play your best game.” Said Crosby.

NOTES:

Chinook stays perfect on the road with 5 wins and 1 tie.

With the 3 assists tonight, Crosby is tied 6th in point total.

Panarin is leading the league with 6 power-play goals

UP NEXT:

The Calgary Chinook continues on the road to face the Wisborg Donuts on Thursday night.

Miners blow third period lead, lose 5-3 to the Aces

CANADIAN PRESS (Las Vegas, NV)

Rookie Pavel Zacha broke a 3-3 tie with 1:30 left in the third period, and Paul Byron had a goal and an assist to lead the Las Vegas Aces to a 5-3 win over the Sudbury Miners on Wednesday night.

Aces goaltender Calvin Pickard would make 37 saves and get the win.

The two teams would go into the third period tied at two.  Miners forward Matt Calvert would break the deadlock midway through the period.  A short-handed effort after blocking an Eric Johnson point shot and winning the foot race and slipping it past Pickard.

The Aces would respond five minutes later.  Paul Byron, with his second point of the night, would beat Miners goaltender Ben Bishop, after a capitalizing on a Chris Wideman turnover to the right of Bishop.   Bishop, who was not very busy, made 19 saves in the loss.

The game appeared heading for overtime until Zacha scored the winner late in the period.  Justin Abdelkader would seal the win with an empty-net goal, his first of the year.

"We capitalized on the loose pucks that we got," said Zacha, who scored the winner for the Aces.  “I’m not sure how long I will be up here but it is nice to contribute.  I can tell you this…..I like Las Vegas a lot more than being in Sarnia”.

Despite outshooting the Aces and scoring two short-handed goals in the game, Miners coach Derek Sutton was visibly upset post game.  Puck handling was one area of his team's play that irked Sutton.

"We're trying to make pretty plays," Sutton said. "Lots of turnovers on zone entries, turnovers in the offensive, turnovers in the D zone.  We cannot expect to win when we play like that.   I think guys were too caught up in getting to the Cirque de Soleil…….well, we looked like a circus ourselves the last half of the third period”.


MINERS NUGGETS

- Miners defenseman Toby Enstrom dressed for the warm-up but was a late scratch.  Word is that they wanted to give him just a few more days to recover from his injury.  He is expected back in the lineup on Friday.

- Tobias Reider currently sits as the Miners scoring leader with 10 points in 13 games.

- Goaltender Jake Allen will get the start on Friday versus the Springfield Isotopes.  Springfield currently sits on top of the Canosa Conference with 21 points.

Defenceman Scores To Help Chinook Win Over Falcons 5-3

FORT ERIE – Three different defensemen scored for the Chinook as the Calgary Chinook defeated the Fort Erie Falcons 5-3.  Mark Giordano scored his first goal of the season in the middle of the first period.  Wheeler tied the game at one apiece.  Filling in for Pietrangelo injury, Karl Alzner also scored his first of the season to get back the lead.  Flood gates opened in the third period where Crosby and Panarin scored 4 minutes 10 seconds apart.  Falcon’s Pacioretty replied for the Falcon and Weber added an empty-net goal to cement the win for the Chinook.

Entering the third period, leading 2-1, Sidney Crosby won the draw to Pavelski, who immediately passed back to Crosby as he raced into the Falcons zone and beat goaltender Grubauer to expand the lead to 2 goals.

"[Pavelski] made the play, pretty much," Sidney Crosby told the media. "We kind of looked at each other before that start of the faceoff and he decided he was going to try to push it ahead. ... He made a great play, I just fired on net."

Howard had 42 saves as the Chinook improved to 10-1-1. The veteran acquired in the off-season to be the Chinook No. 1b goalie was putting on a show at Fort Erie.

NOTES:
Crosby goal was the Chinook franchise record for the fastest goal scored in a period.
Ryan O’Reilly won 18 of his 27 faceoffs.
It was Mark Giordano first game in 12 games.
Shattenkirk the power play specialist still has yet to score.

UP NEXT:
The Calgary Chinook continues on the road to face former CCHL Champion Niagara Thunders on Tuesday night.

Jeremy Smith Wins First CCHL Game, Beats Lakers 3-2

Jeremy Smith Gets First CCHL Win in Dayton

Veteran Brian Elliott was given the Dayton crease for each of the first twelve games this season. The thinking was Elliott is a workhorse who plays better the more he plays. Last season he was the 5th rated netminder in the CCHL with a 20-27-6 record and a .924 save percentage. After a mid-January trade from Linz to Dayton, Elliott finally got his chance to be "the guy" after  Devan Dubnyk was traded earlier this season.

Jeremy Smith knows he won't play much this season unless Elliott is himself traded, which seems unlikely. After being signed by Dayton as a free agent in Mid-August, Smith was pleased to sign with a team like Dayton, a team where young guys would eventually get a chance to show what they could do.

Tonight was Smith's first chance to perform in the CCHL.

Despite being down 2-1 halfway through the second period to Dartmouth, Smith seemed calm and composed in the Dayton net. "Yes, I was pretty nervous when the game started, but after a few shots, I felt better."

After a game-tying goal by Thomas Vanek and then the game-winner with just :39 seconds left by Alex Barkov, the rookie goalie from Dearborn, Michigan had won his first game.

"It's pretty thrilling, I won't lie. I've wondered if it would ever come. I got an opportunity this evening and it worked out."

Smith stopped 29 of 31 Dartmouth shots and the Musicmen defence found him easy to play in front of.

"He's different than Brian is, especially with the puck. Brian's strength isn't puck-handling, but Jeremy seems very comfortable that way," said Matt Irwin.

Game Notes:

Barkov scored his 7th and 8th goals of the season and now sits second on the team in scoring with 14 points in 13 games. His shooting percentage of 25.8% leads the Musicmen.

Dayton is off tomorrow, then has a practice set for Thursday morning at 11:00am at the Soundstage. The team will leave for Parry Sound, Ontario later that evening, then practice in Parry Sound Friday morning and then face the Orrsmen Saturday night.

"It's a 4-day wait until our next game, but with so many younger players on our team, any extra chance we have to have a few good practices, we'll take them, trust me." said GM Bill Corfield.

Despite Big Win, One Falcon Not Happy...

Kane On Way Out Of Fort Erie?

Normally after a big victory, the dressing room is a happy place.  Tonight the Fort Erie room was a pretty loud room with the exception of one stall.

Alone in a corner sat Evander Kane, dejected about his ice time in the victory.  Prior to the game tonight, Kane had been playing alongside league scoring leaders Nazem Kadri and Sam Reinhart.

In the place of Kane was Ondrej Palat, who promptly went out and had a goal and two assists with his new linemates.

While everyone should know lines aren't permanent, Kane didn't appreciate the demotion despite the production of Palat.

"I just don't think it's right.  I played hard and had a good start to the year and now I'm on the fourth line?  I'm not a fourth liner and know I have more to contribute to a team in this league than what I can due to the depth here.  I love it here but I know I would love it elsewhere as well" said Kane post-game.

Falcons Captain Blake Wheeler wasn't surprised about Kane's apparent trade request after the game saying "He's an emotional guy, let's see what happens tomorrow after a good night's sleep."

While Matt Young was briefly available after the game he said he would definitely consider the left winger's request if something made sense.

"We're in the business of winning hockey games.  I'm not terribly upset or surprised he may want to go elsewhere.  He's a competitor.  We have Torrey (Mitchell) that wants to play as well, and we can certainly use him on the PK.  Of course, we'll look at it if we can get a defender or a decent prospect and/or pick back"  retorted Young with respect to the trade request.

It appears the next few days in Fort Erie could be quite interesting.  With two days off until their next game, only time will tell if Evander Kane is still a member of the Falcons organization.

Miners extend win streak to two; defeat Norsemen Bishop

Bishop stopped 26 of 28 Minnesota shots

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON)

Radim Vrbata scored early in the third period to break a 2-2 tie and Ben Bishop made 26 saves, to give the Sudbury Miners a 3-2 win over the visiting Minnesota Norsemen on Monday night. The win now extends the Miners current win streak to two games.

Defenseman Adam Larsson would also chip in a goal and an assist in the win.

This game was fairly even over the first two periods. The Miners would open the scoring early in the first on a goal by Marcus Foligno, Larsson and Benoit Pouliot. The Norsemen would answer late in the first on a goal by Andres Lee, his sixth of the season, and the teams would go to the room tied 1-1.

In the middle stanza, the two teams would exchange goals by Larsson and Casey Cizikas to round out all the scoring and the Miners would outshoot the Norsemen 12-9 in the period but the two teams would go into the third tied 2-2.

The Norsemen dominated the third. The peppered the Miners goal, outshooting them 13-2 but Bishop continued to turn them away until Vrbata’s winner late in the third. Tobias Rieder and Vincent Trocheck drew the assists on Vrbata’s winning marker.

After the game, one area that continues to be of concern for Miners coach Derek Sutton, is his struggling power play. "We haven't used a lot of man-hours to practice our power play yet, but we've been over some things we want to see on the power play," Sutton said. “Hopefully, with the effort that we have been putting in lately, we will see some results on the scoreboard”.

MINERS NUGGETS

- Unlike the power play, the Miners penalty killing continues to be a strength. The held the Norsemen scoreless in two chances and now sit 1st overall in the CCHL.

- The Miners clearly like home cooking. They are now 5-2 at home, as opposed to their 1-5 record on the road.

- Coach Derek Sutton indicated that with the win last night, Ben Bishop will keep the net for the Miners next game on the road versus the Las Vegas Aces.

Fort Erie Prospects (Part Two)

With the season underway and the focus on the ice, let's now take a look at the future Fort Erie Falcons with part two of this month's prospect report. 

In our last edition, we ran through the team's top five prospects and this week we'll review the team's next best, prospects six through ten. 

6)  Christian Fischer - the big power forward is exactly what the Falcons need going forward and could be a poor man's Blake Wheeler.  That's a heavy burden to place on anyone and that's a good thing because Fort Erie already has the regular Blake Wheeler in its lineup for the foreseeable future.  Fischer plays a heavy game and has shown the ability to score at all levels.  He should spend at least part of next season on the Falcons roster as he's pretty close to earning his way into the league. 

ETA: 2018-19

7)  Cliff Pu- After a slow start to his junior hockey career, Pu found a near gear last season that saw him score 85 points.  Pu is a brilliant skater and has the hands to match his speed.  While not a big man, Pu does have decent size but will need to improve his strength in order to play with men in the CCHL.  At this point it's hard to know whether his future lies at center or right wing at the highest level but there is no doubt he will play a top nine role at the highest level. 

ETA: 2020-2021

8)  Vadim Shipachyov- The Russian Crosby as he has been effectively dubbed was taken in the 2017 CCHL Entry Draft and has confirmed he has every intention of coming to North America next season.  That's a good news, bad news scenario for the Falcons.  With Dylan Strome expected to make the jump next year the lineup may not have room for Shipachyov going forward.  He could be used as an effective trade piece and rumour has it Fort Erie would consider moving the "sure thing" for picks and or prospects.   

ETA: 2018-19

9)  Nic Hague- The gigantic Hague turned heads as a 16-year-old in the OHL with his ability to run a power play and become a top defender on an OHL club.  While skating could be an issue with Hague at the highest level, his hockey IQ may be enough to allow him to play top four minutes.  If he is able to correct the skating issues, he could become a top defenceman in the league. 

ETA: 2021-2022

10)  Alex Nedeljkovic- If Nedeljkovic were two or three inches taller, he'd likely move up five or six spots in our top ten.  While undersized, Nedeljkovic has played well at every level and has even started for his country in the World Junior Championships.  He has carried a poor team to the playoffs in his first year of junior and also led a team to an OHL final in junior.  Nedeljkovic had an uneven first year in professional hockey and the Falcons are able to let him simmer in the minors for a few years given their young tandem of Gibson and Grubauer.  Nedeljkovic was also Gibson's backup at the World Juniors and that could be a scenario the Falcons see again in a few years in the CCHL. 

ETA: 2020-2021

That's it for this month's top ten prospects for the Fort Erie Falcons.  I hope you have enjoyed the review and look forward to providing updates as the season progresses. 

Dayton Comes Back From 3-1 But Blows Lead Late to Seattle

3 goals, 1 assist for Sean Monahan tonight

The sellout crowd at the Soundstage in Dayton tonight was not pleased to see the home team fall behind 2-0 in the first three minutes to the Seattle Reign, a team behind them in the Corfield Conference.

Patrick Wiercioch scored late in the first to make it a one-goal game heading into the intermission and the crowd was optimistic as the second period began.

The Reign came out strong and scored the first goal of the period to make it a 3-1 game and the boos could be heard all over the rink.

Then Sean Monahan took over.

Monahan scored the next three goals of the game to give the Musicmen a 4-3 lead with 11:30 left in the 3rd period, and on the Dayton bench, the mood was confident.

"We'd worked really hard to get back in the game - we led them in shots up to that point - we felt we'd found our game and should be able to beat this team." said Monahan.

Word was that Monahan had a few things to say in the Dayton dressing room after the first period. Something to the effect that the effort needed to be elevated.

Monahan scored his three consecutive goals ... each one unassisted.

"Sean just decided it was his puck and the Reign was going to have to find another I guess." said Thomas Vanek. "Nate and I were trying to help him, but he didn't need us, lol..."

Despite Monahan's performance, it didn't work out that way.

Seattle scores two more goals late in the third period to take the two points and leave Dayton with two points.

What's next:

Dayton welcomes the Lakers to town for a Tuesday night tilt at the Soundstage,

Notes:

Monahan leads Dayton in goals (7), shots (38) is tied for the lead in assists with eight, and has a team best +6 rating. He is tied for 7th overall in the CCHL in scoring.

Backstrom Finally Scores!

It's not often a hockey team's top line center goes more than a week without putting a point on the board. 2 weeks would be cause for concern. Consider how fans of the Georgetown Millers felt after Nicklas Backstroke had gone 11 games before finally recording an assist at even strength against Victoria on day 23 of the season. It took very nearly a month into the season for the longest-serving member of the squad to open his scoring account. 

It's been a miserable start for Backstrom, who has a team-worst plus/minus of -6 and nearly as many PIMs (14) as shots on goal (16). The team is hopeful that moving him to the 2nd line (thereby installing Jeff Carter, who's red-hot with a 4-10-14 on the top line) and letting Andrew Cogliano do more of the defensive work on the line will bring Backstrom out of his funk. 

Cogliano has been a revelation playing a top 6 role, leading everyone with a +6 and adding 8 points in 12 games. Also deserving of recognition is Teuvo Teravainen, with a 5-5-10 in 12 games playing mostly on the 3rd line and 2nd PP unit - he sees an average of 11.6 minutes per game. Zach Smith has returned from injury and is providing offence and shut down defence on the 4th line. 

Paul Martin has gracefully accepted his demotion to 7th Defenseman with the recent additions of Andrei Markov and Mike Green. With the club's plan to rest Markov when back to back games are on the schedule, Martin should still see a fair number of starts this season. He's also first in line to replace anyone on the blue line who gets hurt. 

Peter Budaj is ready to return from IR and should receive a start later this week. After a stellar pre-season Budaj has struggled to a .857 save percentage in his 3 appearances. With starting netminder James Reimer limited to about 55 appearances this season, it's imperative that Budaj pulls his play up. 

With 2 home games this week the Millers will honour 2 musicians by playing their works throughout the contest: Monday night's game will feature the late Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, who would have been 84 on September 23, and Wednesday's game will honour Meat Loaf, who turns 69. 

Trader Sam's CCHL trade recap column

Welcome to Trader Sam's CCHL trade recap column with your host, Trader Sam (aka Matt).

This weekly, or semi-weekly, or whenever the heck trades happen blog will review all of the transactional activity around the CCHL and give my honest take on the deals.

(09/23/17) MIN trades Andreas Borgman-p & MIN 12th-18 to DAY for F. Tyutin & Brent Gates-p...This deal sees Dayton finally move Fedor Tyutin out of town after the burly Russian asked for a move just a few weeks ago.  Given his shot blocking skills and +9 rating, it appears father time hasn't quite slowed him down that much just yet.  The key word is just yet.  How long can he keep blocking that volume of shots and have his body hold up?  Tyutin now goes to Minnesota looking to continue his big year and turn it into one final big-money free agent deal this summer.  Dayton gets a promising Swedish chef....err rather defencemen to add to their collection of solid, almost CCHL-ready players and a 12th round pick next summer.  Overall this deal serves its designed purpose for both clubs.

(09/21/17) FOR trades Max Gildon-p to DAY for J. Pominville...This deal sees the entire population of Pominville head to Fort Erie in exchange for prospect Max Gildon.  At one time Gildon was considered to be a possible first/second round pick but did slide.  The product of Plano, TX has flown under the radar due to where he grew up playing the game but at 6'3" tall, Dayton hopes it is only a matter of time until he breaks free.  In Pominville the Falcons get a proven two-way player who may not score as much as he used to but can still play a top-nine role in the CCHL and would be an outstanding fourth liner on every team in the league.

(09/21/17) HAL trades N. Bonino & HAL 1st-18, HAL 4th-18 to DRT for J. Voracek...This trade was interesting as I can't help but wonder what other offers could have come in for Voracek had other teams in the league known he was available.  Halifax gives up little-used Nick Bonino and their first-round draft choice in 2018 for the big winger.  The rumour is Halifax is planning on playing Voracek with Matthews which makes a very big duo to contend with around the league.  Will this be enough to propel Halifax to the playoffs or will their first-round pick in 2019 come into play?  We know Rob Williams loves to trade his picks for players today.

(09/17/17) SUD signs T. Enstrom to a 1 yr., $5.75M contract...This transaction makes perfect sense after having traded Mike Green to Georgetown.  The veteran Enstrom has lost a step offensively but can still play valuable minutes on a rebuilding Sudbury team that is competitive but lacks goal scoring bite to be a bonafide playoff team.  Good signing and it didn't cost a thing to acquire the player.

(09/17/17) GEO trades Samuel Girard-p and GEO 2nd-18 to SUD for M. Green...This trade continues the rebuild in Sudbury while Georgetown continues to send signals to the league that they are 100% in for this season despite the number of unrestricted free agents on the roster after this season.  Girard is one heck of a prospect to give up and second round picks are always greater currency to have in the bank.  I think this is one of those transactions where both sides will benefit, though Sudbury may not see that benefit until after Mike Green retires.

Thanks for reading the debut blog by Trader Sam.  I hope you have enjoyed the rundown and until next time, keep trading so I have more to write about!

Miners tame the IceCats, win 3-1.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON)

Two goals, 41 seconds apart, early in the third period erased a 1-0 deficit, as the Sudbury Miners beat the Siberia IceCats with a 3-1 win on Saturday night.

Defenseman Ben Hutton, who had his best game to date for the Miners, led the way with a goal and an assist.  Ben Bishop turned aside 34 of 35 shots to get the win.

After a scoreless opening period, Connor McDavid would put the IceCats ahead mid-way through the second period, tipping in a Marc-Edouard Vlasic point shot past Miners goaltender Ben Bishop.  That would be all the scoring in the period, with the Ice Cats outshooting the Miners, 8-5.

But, only 1:04 into the third period, Miners winger Marcus Foligno beat Ice Cats goaltender Matt Murray to tie the game at one.  Vincent Trocheck and Hutton would draw the assists.

41 seconds later, the Miners were back on the scoresheet.  Hutton, with his second goal of the year, handcuffed Murray with a soft wrist shot and gave the Miners the lead.  Tobias Reider would add an empty-netter late in the period to seal the win.

"This game is a mental battle. Confidence is a huge part of it," said Hutton, who has seen his ice time increase with injuries to fellow defenseman Darnell Nurse and Toby Enstrom.  "Wherever you can get it, however, you can get it, you want to use it to your advantage and just roll with it."

The win improves the Miners record to 5 wins, 7 losses on the season, and still sit in 8th place in the Canosa Conference.


MINERS NUGGETS

- Forward Chris Kelly saw in his first regular-season action of the year.  Kelly played a solid 8 minutes centering the fourth line with wingers Marcus Foligno and Benoit Pouliot.  Coach Derek Sutton indicated he will remain in the line-up for the next game.

- After tonight’s game, the Miners penalty killing now sits at 3rd overall in the CCHL.

- The Miners have Sunday off before they are back in action on Monday night, when they host the visiting Minnesota Norsemen.

Dayton Trades Tyutin and prospect to Minnesota for Andreas Borgman...

Fedor Tyutin's Time In Dayton Is Over 

Veteran defenseman Fedor Tyutin had caught the eye of at least three CCHL teams over the last few weeks with his steady play, league leading shot blocking skills and his team best plus / minus rating for the Dayton Musicmen.

The common wisdom held that Dayton is rebuilding.  They aren't going to be a factor this season in the CCHL and they would like to acquire younger assets and cut payroll, where possible.

General Manager Bill Corfield made a trade earlier today that achieved both of those goals.

Shortly before 2:00pm this afternoon, the league office received confirmation of a trade between Dayton and the Minnesota Norsemen. In the deal, Dayton sends Tyutin and prospect Brent Gates to the Norsemen for defenseman Andreas Borgman and MIN's 12th rounder in the 2018 CCHL Entry Draft.

Minnesota has hovered around .500 so far this season and felt that a proven veteran blueliner could help improve their goals against. Tyutin, who is in the last year of his contract is due $5.3M for this season. It is unlikely Minnesota would resign him after this season. Tyutin is expected to become a free agent.

Minnesota had already traded all of its 2018 draft picks, and parting with its 12th rounder wasn't too difficult to accept.

"Blake is pretty easy to work with. He doesn't play a lot of games, doesn't lowball you, doesn't waste your time. It took us less than an hour to figure out something that worked for both of us." said Corfield.

Borgman, a 21 year old blueliner who had most recently played with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey league, where he posted 15 points in 45 games. He also added 10 points in 14 playoff games, which tied him for the lead with all defensemen. Borgman was also named the SHL's "rookie of the year."

"We love the kid from Sweden. He's slotted to be a 3rd pairing guy for Toronto this season in the NHL and we'll closely watch how he develops. He plays a solid 2-way game and he fits in with our other young defensive prospects like Chabot, Sanheim and Dante Fabbro. He's looked good in the preseason games so far for the Leafs. There a good young team, who are only going to get better. It's a good situation for him to be in. We have to wait and see how he does, of course."

Dayton also gave up young 20 year old Brent Gates, who is entering his 3rd year at the University of Minnesota. A 3rd rounder in the NHL, he could prove to be a hometown favorite some day for the Norsemen.

"Given our current depth at Center, we felt we could move Gates in order to get Bergman. If you want quality, you have to pay for it in this league." said Corfield.

Chinook goes back to the winning column with 5-2 win against the Reign

CALGARY – After a 2-1 loss against the Owls in the previous game, GM/Coach Eugene Yip started juggling the line hopes to spark some offence and apparently it’s working. Carey Price stopped 29 shots, Jakob Silfverberg had two goals and Calgary beat Seattle 5-2 Friday.

All four lines scored even-strength goals in this game.  Crosby is paired up with Niederreiter and Pastrnak, O’Reilly with Panarin and Silfverberg, Backlund with Gaudreau and Pavelski, all three lines were having ice time evenly.  “I think this works quite well. “Said Eugene.  “All three of these lines can score and pose threat to the opponents.  I thought it was a great response to last game to bounce back like that." 

Despite outshooting the Reign 40-31, This is a game that Price has shown a lot of poise, making key saves at the right time. “ 

"Yeah, it's good to have a game that I get to work constantly," Price said. "Anytime there's a disappointing game, I always like to get back in there right away, just so you can forget about it. It was good."

Alex Pietrangelo collides awkwardly with Calle Jarnkrok at the start of the game, forcing both to leave the game early in the first period.  After evaluation, Pietrangelo is to be out day to day with a lower-body injury.  Expect Alex to miss 2-3 games.

NOTES:
Despite having 15 minutes of ice-time, Vermette had 8 PIM in this game.
Gaudreau scored for the first time in 11 games.  He had 8 assists during the span.
Giordano only has 1 point in the last 11 games.  

UP NEXT:
The Calgary Chinook will visit their rival the Fort Erie Falcons for a possible early preview of a Corfield Conference final matchup on Sunday.  “It won’t be a walk in the park, that’s for sure.” Said Captain Crosby.  “They (Falcons) has constantly improved their team (Adding former Chinook Jason Pominville, Palat, Marc Staal and Grubauer.  We have to give 120%, especially at their home. “

Fans In Halifax Excited About Recent Trade

Hammerhead fans should be very excited about this latest trade.

After a successful 10 game segment in which Halifax went 4-3-3, with 6 of those games on the road. GM Rob Williams pulled the trigger on a trade with Dartmouth for big right winger Jakub Voracek. Beat report Billy Lee asked, "why if it was a successful start to the season would you trade your 1st round pick, 4th round pick and Nick Bonino"?

Billy asks a great question.

Jakub brings experience, size and skill that my scouts and management team felt we were lacking. Jakub will line up on the right wing and play alongside Matthews and Huberdeau. We have 2 days of practice before we play host to Parry Sound, that's 2 days for that trio to get to know each other and I expect great things from them.

Voracek at 6'2" and 214 lbs. Huberdeau at 6,1" 188 and Matthews at 6"3" 216 makes for a very tough line for size and skill for most teams to match up against. This trade also allows us to get Tierney back in the line-up ( by adding  Bonino to the trade ). As for Connor Brown, he'll move to the 3rd line to play alongside Eller and Kulemin. Connor will also see some powerplay time. GM Williams was asked if he has decided on a number one goalie yet and his reply was " not yet but we'll ride Kinkaid as long as he stays hot. Williams acknowledges the fact that they needed to get Marc-Andre Fleury back between the pipes soon and has promised Fleury a start during this 3 game homestand.

That all for now unless there's a trade you'll hear from me after game 20.

Fort Erie Beats Dayton Again, despite big effort from Dayton's Brian Elliot...

Dayton, OH --   September 22/17


The Fort Erie Falcons certainly did what they could do pile up the goals, but Dayton's Brian Elliott stole the show on Friday night.

Despite outshooting Dayton 62-21, the Falcons were only able to slide three goals past the Dayton goalie, escaping with the two points after a hard fought 3-2 victory.

The line of Nazem Kadri, Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart continued their hot play in this one, contributing 20 of Fort Erie's 62 shots.

Kadri scored what would prove to be the game-winner at 11:48 of the second stanza, with Reinhart contributing a goal and an assist in the victory.

Kadri's 11th goal of the campaign was also his fourth game-winning goal of the year, and the 26-year-old now leads the CCHL in game-winners this season.  

"The puck just continues to find the back of the net for me.  I've never scored like this before but our line just has some serious chemistry.  It helps too that we don't face the checkers or top defenceman like Seguin, Patches and Wheeler do" said Kadri after the game.

Nazem Kadri's 11th of the season was the eventual game-winner

Up next for the Falcons is a rematch with the Calgary Chinook.  Calgary won their last matchup 7-6 in overtime in a game that took place in Calgary.  

"It is only our 12th game of the year, but this is a huge game for us" said Brent Burns when asked about the game.  "They are one heck of a team.  It's going to be a great game."  

Fans in Fort Erie are pretty excited about this game as well, with only standing-room tickets remaining for the Chinook's first visit of the year.  

Notes:  Jason Pominville played his first game as a Falcons' player, registering seven shots on goal......Tyler Bozak won 14 of 16 faceoffs for Fort Erie in 14 minutes of ice time....Dayton's Fedor Tyutin leads the CCHL with 13 blocked shots; five of those are against Fort Erie.  If Dayton gets a bonus for blocked shots, Fort Erie had best receive a thank you card in the mail.  

Dayton Wastes Epic Performances by Elliot and Defense, Comes Up Short Against Falcons in 3-2 Defeat...

Elliott ranks 2nd in CCHL Goalie Rankings

    Brian Elliot did everything he could do to stop the Fort Erie Falcons tonight.

 Allowing three goals on sixty-two Falcon shots, Elliot's 59 saves tonight was a heroic effort, but it wasn't enough.

"Yeah, we really wanted this one tonight. We were embarrassed on opening night when they beat us 9-1 and wanted to play much better. We did play better tonight, but we just couldn't get that tying goal." said Elliott.

With his 59 save showing, Elliott moved into second place in the CCHL Goalie ratings with a 32.3 overall rating, behind only Springfield's Bobrovsky.

After a scoreless first period, all five goals were scored in the second. Fort Erie's Tyler Seguin and Sam Reinhart scored to put the Falcons up by two. Seven minutes later Sean Monahan scored his fourth goal of the year to draw the Musicmen within one. Reinhart then set up Nazem Kadri for his 11th goal of the season, to make it 3-1 Falcons. Dayton's Nate MacKinnon scored his 4th goal, unassisted with just under 5 minutes left in the period to end the scoring for the game.

There was a total of two minors, both taken by Fort Erie, in the entire game.

"We were very pleased with the guys' level of self-control throughout the entire game. The Falcon's were running around a bit and started to take some liberties, but we stayed away from that stuff pretty well."

"After Brian started stoning him, and our D started blocking a bunch of their shots Fort Erie started getting frustrated." said GM Bill Corfield.

Speaking of the defence, Dayton's defensive corps blocked ten shots. Fedor Tyutin had four blocks himself this evening, giving him 13 on the season, which leads all players in the CCHL. Dayton leads all teams with 46 blocks on the season.

While Tyutin refused to address questions about his future with the Musicmen, Corfield admitted the veteran defenseman had caught the attention of a few different teams around the league.

"Yes, a handful teams have called and asked about Fedor. He's a UFA after this season, he's healthy, he's a plus 9 and leads the league in shots blocked. Any team that needs to cut down on their shots against should consider contacting me." said Corfield.

It has been reported that Corfield is seeking a 3rd or a 5th and an 8th for Tyutin.

Next up for Dayton: 

The Seattle Reign, tied for the worst record in the league will be here for Sunday's 7:00pm game.

Notes:

*Dylan Larkin played a total of one shift tonight. "Dylan needs to get off the ice when his line's shift is over. We're not putting up with crap like that. Who does he think he is, Alexie Kovalev?" said Corfield.

*Jeremy Smith is hopeful to get his first start of the 17-18 season this Sunday.

*Sunday night's game is free hat night.

Fatigued Miners can’t handle the Islanders, lose 3-2.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON) –

Henrik Zetterberg broke a tie late in the third period as the visiting Sanibel Islanders downed the Sudbury Miners, 3-2 on Thursday. The loss was the Miners second in a row, and third in the past four games.

Winger Brad Marchand, with two, also scored for the Islanders. Goalie Ryan Miller had a relatively quiet night and made only 16 saves to get the win.

Marchand opened the scoring at 7:20 of the first period, as he beat Miners goaltender Jake Allen with a low slapper just inside the right faceoff dot. Sudbury would respond shortly after as Toby Enstrom’s dump-in was badly misplayed by Miller. The puck somehow got tangled up in his skates and ended up in the back of the net. The two teams would trade a few more chances but would go to the dressing room tied 1-1.

In the second, the Miners travel fatigue from the night before began to show. They were badly outshot, 12-5, and many of those were top notch chances. But, a power play goal by Brandon Sutter late in the period would give the Miners a 2-1 lead heading into the third.

As was expected, the Miners simply ran out of gas in the third, and the Islanders took full advantage. They would score twice in the period, on goals by Marchand and Zetterberg, to seal the victory. The Islanders outshot the Miners, 13-4, in the final period.

“We just simply ran out of gas”, quoted Miners forward Matt Calvert. “Usually, you get a day of rest when you travel across the country. I’m not making excuses, but to have back-to-back games with that kind of road trip, makes it tough”.

The Miners next game is Saturday night at home versus the Siberia Icecats. Game time at the Vale Centre is 7:00pm.

MINERS NUGGETS

- It’s official…..the injury bug has hit the Miners. Defenseman Toby Enstrom is the latest casualty, as he suffered an ankle injury early in the second period. Enstrom got tangled with Islanders forward, Brad Marchand and fell awkwardly into the boards. He will be out of the lineup for about a week.

- The power play was 1 for 3 on the night and currently sits 18th overall. The penalty killing, which has been one of the lone bright spots on the year, allowed one power-play goal and but sits at 5th overall.

- Saturday night is another Fan Appreciation night. The first 10,000 fans will receive an actual piece of fool’s gold, autographed by Miners goalie Ben Bishop. 

(Simple) Stats Guy: How long can the Isotopes keep it up?

Welcome to the inaugural article from (simple) Stats Guy.  These articles will focus on the CCHL and take the fun out of things but break everything down into statistics.  Today we are looking at the unlikely rise of the Isotopes (aka Homers).

Currently, the Isotopes sit at the top of the Canosa conference with a 9-2 record.  Given their recent history (ranked 18^th overall in 2016-17 and 2015-16) it is something of a surprise.  One could point to Springfield having a dominant goaltender who rode the pine last year in Bobrovsky and having three of the top five scorers in the league (all playing on the same line…..but still ok) as the likely reasons but I plan on looking deeper and seeing the other possible reasons.

One of the possible reasons the Isotopes were not tearing up the league in the past may be a result of injuries.  In terms of games lost to injuries, Springfield has ranked 2^nd in most games lost and that includes this year when the Isotopes have not had a single injury (knock on wood).  Springfield ranked second in games lost last season (2016-17) and third in 2015-16 (see chart).  The team has stayed remarkably healthy this season and the results may speak for themselves as they move their way to what is hopefully at least a playoff berth. However, the season is long and many things can happen but things are looking up for the first time in quite a while.  The first year of the Isotopes (the Homers name was dropped in the offseason) may be the sign of things to come.

The chart shows the teams in the CCHL as sorted by the total number of lost games due to injury in the last 3 seasons (till day 20 of 2017-18).  The team names have been updated to match up with the current organizations.

Stats Guy

Note: Springfield continues to look for help up front in order to make the team a bit stronger going into the meat of the season.  They are hoping to move a couple of players (or picks) to make that improvement.  The options are available to improve on the D as well.

Falcons Acquire Jason Pominville From Dayton

Dayton, OH....

It was an interesting scene today as the Falcons were taking to the ice in Dayton, OH as they prepare to take on the Musicmen on Friday night.  

Fresh off a road victory and a red-eye flight from Seattle, the Falcons hit the ice but were joined by Jason Pominville.  

Many in the crowd were confused by the presence of Pominville and wondered if he had shown up at the wrong time.  

The confusion was short lived as Falcons' GM Matt Young met with the media rinkside while the team practised.  

"Jason Pominville is on the ice with the Falcons because he is the newest member of Fort Erie franchise.  Bill and I completed the transaction this morning when I got into town.  I was a little tired after the flight but I couldn't help but meet with Bill to finalize our trade for Jason" said Young.  

Young added "We gave up a good young defenceman in Max Gildon to get Jason, but we are set on the left side with your young players already here and two great prospects in the system in the form of Dunn and Hague. This just made sense for us as an organization."

After practice, Pominville also met with reporters to discuss his confusing day.  

"Yeah, it was a little weird.  Mr. Corfield called me this morning and told me to get to the rink right away.  I thought it was odd and that's when I found out I wasn't a member of the Musicmen anymore.  It's a great opportunity in Fort Erie though and I couldn't be happier to go there for the year and see what happens" quipped Pominville.  

While it's unknown how all of the pieces fit together, Young had been looking to improve his team defensively. 

Somebody will have to sit out in order to get Pominville in the lineup and that player looks to be Jordan Eberle who took line rushes with Tanner Kero and Nick Ritchie during the practice.  

While Young would not confirm that Eberle is on the market, he did say that he would certainly listen to offers for the offensive winger.  

"Sure, we'll always listen.  A move like that would have to be for picks or prospects though as we already have a very deep and talented roster" answered Young about a potential deal.  

With the move, Fort Erie is now at the maximum roster and cannot add any players without moving out a body first.  The team appears set for the near future and they know nothing but a great effort will allow to leave Dayton with the two points.  

"It's a big game for us tomorrow.  We want to keep pace with Calgary.  Dayton has a lot of good young talent and we need to make them play without the puck as much as possible" said Dougie Hamilton as he left the ice after practice.  

It should be a great game in Dayton tomorrow night.  

Pominville Kind Of Gets His Wish, Dayton Adds Another Quality Blueline Prospect

Pominville Sent to Falcons

  Jason Pominville left Dayton's General Manager Bill Corfield office just past 2:00pm today after hearing that there were two trades he had worked out. One would send him, sources say, to the Ottawa Barracudas, which would permit him to play close to his birthplace of Repentigny, Quebec. At 34, (Pominville turns 35 this November), the veteran winger had expressed a desire to be closer to home, as well as be able to play as a top-six forward.

  Ottawa currently has Brent Ritchie as the top line RW, who has compiled 7 pts. (6+1) in 10 games so far this season. Rumours had it that Pominville was interesting to OTT management because of his defensive skills more than his offensive production. Ottawa makes sense, surely in a way that even the casual hockey fan can see.

The other team was, according to multiple media sources, the Fort Erie Falcons.

The Falcons didn't seem to be a team that could help Pominville be used in a top-six manner. Unlike the Barracudas, the Falcons are on everyone's short list of best teams in the league. GM Matt Young has built a strong and deep team that should go deep into the CCHL playoffs.

At 3:53, an official trade email was received by the league offices that showed Dayton had moved Pominville to...

The Fort Erie Falcons

The team is en route to Dayton, ironically for a game on Friday night. We were unable to reach GM Young for a comment. Pominville was quoted as telling the Dayton press corps, "Yes, I'd like to be close to home, but the Falcons are a great team and this is a chance to play for the Kehler Cup. How do I pass that up?" said Pominville.

When asked about his desire to be a top-six forward, Pominville simply replied, "guys...the Kehler Cup, ok?"

In Dayton, the local hockey scribes were trying to learn whatever they could about Max Gildon.

 Gildon, from Plano, TX, distinguished himself in the under 18 worlds and heads to start his college career at New Hampshire. 6'3, and already 187 lbs., he hasn't developed quite as fast or as much as some thought he would. That said, he's still only 18 years old, about to start his freshman year at a high caliber college program, where he will not only get top-notch instruction, but the opportunity exists for him to see major ice time.

Dayton's GM Bill Corfield said, "We looked around at Fort Erie's team and this was a guy that our scouts knew quite a bit about already. He can skate, he can shoot and he's developing very nicely in his defensive game. We project him to be a quality second pairing guy in about 4-5 years, which works nicely for the rest of our young defensive prospects."

Gildon joins Travis Sanheim, Dante Fabbro, Thomas Chabot, Marcus Petterson and Matt Finn as the top six defensive blueliners in the Musicmen system.

Max Gildon looking forward to defending for Dayton someday...

Fort Erie Prospect Report for September 2017

 With the season underway and the focus on the ice, let's now take a look at the future Fort Erie Falcons with this month's prospect report. 

We'll run down the team's top five prospects and provide a potential ETA to entering the CCHL and joining the Falcons.  In our next edition, we'll review the Falcons top prospects from 6-10

1)  Dylan Strome  - After dominating junior hockey last season, Strome is set to join the Falcons in 2018-19 and could be the third line center in his first season.  Strength and skating are the biggest flaws in the center's game at this point in time and even if they do not develop fully for a few years, Strome's hockey IQ is enough to get him by.  Strome could be the top center for Fort Erie for the next decade if he is allowed to develop correctly. 

ETA: 2018-19

2)  Nick Suzuki - Another center took 10th overall in the 2017 CCHL entry draft, Suzuki was perhaps the most intelligent player available in the entire 2017 draft.  The Falcons do not expect Suzuki to join the team for two seasons and the team expects that Suzuki will dominate junior hockey this season.  He is also the grandson of Canadian science broadcaster David Suzuki. 

ETA:  2019-2020

3)  Michael McLeod - Is this team loaded at center for the future or what?  McLeod is expected to have another strong season in junior before moving over to the professional ranks this season after having a strong training camp in Hamilton, prior to coming over to Fort Erie in a trade a few weeks ago.  McLeod skates incredibly well and is the Captain of his junior club.  The thing scouts love the most about McLeod is that he has a motor that doesn't quit making his work ethic exceptional for a player his age. 

ETA: 2019-2020

4) Alex DeBrincat - The fact that DeBrincat is fourth on this list after three consecutive 50 plus goals in each of the last season, including 65 in his final season in junior hockey.  DeBrincat also has great chemistry with Dylan Strome having played together in Erie where the two won an OHL Championship.  The only knock on DeBrincat is size but it hasn't stopped him yet.  Can he continue to score regularly in the CCHL?  Time will tell but it looks good. 

ETA: 2019-2020

5)  Max Jones - The gritty winger plays a hard two-way game that can sometimes cross the line.  Blessed with the ability to create offense, Jones will need to learn to walk the line better or risk spending too much time in the penalty box in the CCHL.  If Jones can figure this out, he could be a very valuable member of the Falcons and become a top-six forward in the CCHL. 

ETA: 2020-2021

That's it for the top five.  As we mentioned earlier, in our next blog we'll review the bottom-half of the Falcons prospect top ten list featuring a potential 30-year-old rookie set to debut as soon as next season.