Falcons Young Blows Up Over Refereeing in Loss to Donuts

After a four-day layoff, the Fort Erie Falcons took to the ice in Wisborg to take on the Donuts.

Right from the outset, it appeared the Falcons were rusty from the four-day layoff, surrendering two goals before storming back for three straight to take the lead at 6:04 of the third period on an Ondrej Palat goal.

Unfortunately for the Falcons that lead would not last as Wisborg would tie the game with 1:54 left in regulation and then take the lead just 12 seconds later on a Travis Zajac rocket from just inside the blue line.  Wisborg would go on to add two empty net goals to make the final a 6-3 victory for the home team.

After the game, GM Matt young was fuming when he met with the media.

“We had 53 shots on goal.  53.  Nilsson played a great game but you have to finish more than three times on 53 shots” said the dejected Young.

Unfortunately for Young, the shots weren’t the only issue that he was upset about.

“We give up the tying goal with 1:54 to play and then Zajac scores from just inside the blue line.  We still have a chance with the goalie out but then they haul down Wheeler with no call and Schwartz scores on a breakaway.  What kind of officiating is that?  Wheeler got mugged and the official stands there with his whistle up his you know what.  It’s ridiculous.  All game Birchall runs around acting like the little general he is, but then just can’t get it right at the most critical time?  It’s a bloody joke” added Young before departing the arena to get on the team bus to the airport.

The Falcons are back in action on the road on Wednesday night when they return to the Niagara region to take on QEW rival, the Niagara Falls Thunder.

Notes:  Sam Reinhart’s point streak came to an end in this game.  The right winger is second in the league with 25 points in 15 games……Expect the league to fine Falcons’ GM Matt Young heavily for his outburst following the game.  While the league office declined to comment, it will not likely take the criticism of their officials lightly.

Chinook edges Orrsmen 5-4 in a wild one

PARRY SOUND–  Frans Nielsen scored a much-needed goal late in the third period Monday night, it was also his first goal of the season to lead the Chinook past the Orrsmen 5-4.  Nielsen finished the night with one goal and one assist.

Chinook started strong early, they scored four goals in less than 12 minutes to give themselves a 4-1 lead.  Panarin scored twice and Silfverberg, Niederreiter each had one goal.  The Orrsmen fought back to tie the game at 4 apiece with 5 minutes remaining in the third period thanks to a superb effort by Josh Anderson.

When everyone thinks the game is going to overtime, Nielsen receives a nice lead pass from Silfverberg, speeds in past the defense and rips a shot into the twine to get the 5-4 lead with less than two minutes left in the third period.  "It was a nice pass by Silver (Silfverberg).  Shattenkirk also made a good play in the corner," said Nielsen. "It was good for our line to get on the board and contribute in any way possible."

Nielsen centered a line — with scrappy Silfverberg on his right and Johnny Hockey to his left — They are effective tonight from start to finish.  “They fought back, we have to give them (Orrsmen) credit. Said, Crosby.  “They scored two quick ones to tie it in the third period.  This game can go either way; it was lucky for us at the end."

Carey Price made 26 saves.  Price was tested heavily when Orrsmen dominated the game with 16 shots in the last stanza.

NOTES:

Crosby now has 21 points, which is tied for 4th in point in the league.
Panarin scored his 10th and 11th of the season, he is leading the league in power-play goal with 7.  The next highest is 4 goals from Kucherov and Lucic.

UP NEXT:

The Calgary Chinook will take a three-day break then will host the Ottawa Barracudas on Friday.

Dayton Can't Keep Up With Owls, Lose 7-1

The Musicmen had been in four straight one-goal games over the last week. Confidence was growing slowly and the team seemed to be playing with more discipline. Even the performance in the face-off circle had shown signs of improvement over the last few games.

The Portland Owls, 7-3-0 in their last ten games, have seen their offense gel over the last two weeks and sit 6th in goals for in the CCHL.

A team with a hot offense, playing Dayton with their very suspect defense has the potential of a bad outcome for the Musicmen.

Which is exactly what happened last night in Portland.

The Owls blasted Dayton 7-1 in a game where Portland outscored and outhit their guests and according to most of the Dayton brain trust, it wasn't even that close as the score suggested.

"No, we're not going to win many games if we play like that," said Thomas Vanek. "We had a good first period, we outshot them, Aho had a power-play goal and we were within a goal on the road. We were ok with that. All of a sudden in the second period, the wheels came off and that was that."

Owl Derek Brassard had a four-point night (2+2) to lead the Portland attack. "That's a weird team. Their offense is so young. Their checking line is frankly a little soft and the defense is old and slow. Not trying to insult them but they don't have much to work with this year." said Brassard.

When told of Brassard's comments, Dayton General Manager Bill Corfield reportedly tried to gain access to the Portland locker room and had to be restrained by rink security.

"Bill was pretty hot, and I don't blame him. That's the last thing a young player like Brassard should've said. Yes, Dayton is young up front and not very imposing on the back end, but that's possibly the greatest franchise the CCHL has ever seen. They have a lot of pride." said one hockey scribe who wished to remain anonymous.

"Brassard better watch his ass the next time they play the Musicmen. I promise you Corfield won't let the boys forget what he said to the press."

After returning to the Dayton locker room, Corfield commented, "Unreal. For a guy who has had some decent but hardly great production in his first few years in the league to talk like that about another team is unacceptable. I'm sure Zoladz will be talking to him. That will probably fix the issue going forward, but he'll still need to answer for what he said tonight in a future game. It'll be handled on the ice, trust me. Right now, I've got a line of guys outside my office asking to line up against him when we play them in a few weeks."

"The kid understands what to expect, I hope..."

What's next:

Dayton has a long flight to Wisborg for Wednesday night's game. Elliott is not expected to play and his groin is not quite healed enough for game action.

Dylan Larkin has been told he will take a regular shift against the Donuts and play on a line with Sean Monahan and Nate MacKinnon.

Siberia's McDavid Requests Trade

McDavid Requests Trade!!

  Frustrated by a recent streak of losses, young Connor McDavid went to management to request a trade!  Management was of course taken back by the request as the Icecats appear to have a great nucleus to build around. When asked about the trade request, Connor had this to say, "I see the frustration in the locker room and it has gotten to me.  It's at the point where I can't stand it anymore.  I knew I had to do something.  My goal is to win and with the current situation, it didn't seem like it was going to happen." 

  We spoke with General Manager Saouaf about his young captain's request, and while he was reluctant to meet with the press following this bombshell, he finally agreed to an interview. "As a general manager, you never want to see things get to this point.  We have tried to create the right atmosphere for our players, with the right level of support.  Unfortunately, it is with a heavy heart that I am announcing that the Icecats franchise has decided to trade...... I can't bring myself to say this, but I have to.... to trade our laundry detergent from Tide to Persil!  Tide has been part of this organization for many years, starting when I took over this franchise from Murfreesboro.  This is truly a painful day, but some things have to be done for the good of the organization."  GM Saouaf was seen crying as he left the interview. 

When asked about this, captain McDavid said, "It was tough, but our uniforms and our jocks were too darn itchy that the situation had become unbearable.  Something had to be done and we needed to trade away our traditional laundry detergent.  I wish Tide the best for whatever organization picks it up, but it was time to go.  I think our 1-3 streak could directly be attributed to the fact that guys were spending more time itching on the ice than skating.  I hope this is the turning point of our season, but if not, then maybe the toothpaste should be the next to go."

Strong words from a dedicated captain.  Time will tell whether this ends up being a trade that the Icecats will regret or whether they will truly look back on it as a turning point in their young season.  We'll check back on this situation later in the year.  For now, that's all sports fans!!

Musicmen's MacKinnon Visits Youth Hockey Team in Portland

Nate MacKinnon knows the CCHL season is a long one and his trips back home to Nova Scotia will be very few.

With Dayton in Portland, ME for a game tonight against the owls, MacKinnon had most of Sunday to himself. He decided to visit the Portland Ice Arena and spend some time with the kids practising for their upcoming 2017 Turkey Shootout, scheduled for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

"I actually spent a lot of time playing in Portland as a kid growing up. The competition was pretty good here and it added to what I was able to play against at home. That was a lot of fun and I learned a ton from my coaches and by playing against some really talented kids." said, MacKinnon.

MacKinnon's career has been an outstanding one, with being selected 1st overall in the 2013 NHL Entry draft by the Colorado Avalanche. He is also an alternating captain of the Musicmen in the CCHL.

"The coach was very nice to me and invited me to do some drills with the kids, we worked on skating a lot. The 3 on 3 time was pretty cool, too. They're small, but they have a lot of energy, that's for sure."

"After practice, Coach asked me to talk to the team about balancing school work and hockey, which I was happy to do. It was hard to focus on my studies while I was at Shattuck St. Mary's in Minnesota, but the team was very supportive and I got through it ok. I want to start working on my college degree. I'd like to study political science and maybe focus on international relations. I think with the way things are going in the States right now, that should be an area that'll be interesting for a long time."

One of the kids, "Jimmy" commented, "He's pretty cool and wow can he skate! He's sick, totally!"

Notes: 

Brian Elliott received further rehab on his groin yesterday and said, "Look, I could play if I had to. Jeremy is doing just fine and if he can handle things until we get home, I think I should be able to jump back in the nets. We know he has a game limit we'll need to keep track of and we don't want to use him up this early unless we have no options. I know the GM is looking at signing a third goalie to split the backup duties this season, so who knows?" said Elliott.

Kucherov, Koivu lead Puffin to rout of the Miners

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON)

Mikko Koivu and Nikita Kucherov each added a pair of goals, and Braden Holtby made 18 saves, as the Rejkjavik Puffin easily defeated the Sudbury Miners 6-1 on Sunday night.

This game was really never in doubt for the Puffin.  Kucherov opened the scoring just 3:24 into the opening frame, his first of two in the period, and the Puffin would go the dressing room up 3-0.  The Miners managed just two shots on goal in the period.

The second period was much of the same.  The Miners simply could not keep up with the Puffin and their relentless forecheck.  Mikko Koivu would add a pair of goals in the period and the two teams would go into the final frame with the Puffin holding a commanding 6-0 lead.

Tobias Reider would break Holtby’s shutout bid midway through the third period.  The goal was Rieder’s team-leading sixth of the season.

"We have to learn from this and learn fast," said Sudbury's Jake Allen. "It was one of those nights where nothing was going our way. It wasn't fun tonight. We got embarrassed. We have to move on."

Miners coach Derek Sutton was not happy with the Miners lack of discipline on the evening.  The Miners were shorthanded five times on Sunday night but luckily the Puffin was unable to capitalize on their opportunities.

"We can't be in the penalty box all night and expect to get anything good coming out of it, momentum or scoring chances," said Sutton.  "When you're constantly in the penalty box, you're always in trouble and you can't get anything from that."

MINERS NUGGETS

- Goaltender Jake Allen continues to struggle in the first month of the season.  He only has one win in 7 starts to start the year.  His save percentage is among the league’s worst at .0882

- With his goal last night, Tobias Reider sits as the scoring leader for the Miners.  He has 6 goals and 5 assists for 11 points on the year.

- The next game for the Miners is Tuesday night when they travel to Long Island to take on the Express.

Crosby scores two as Chinook defeated Hammerheads 4-1

CALGARY –  Sidney Crosby picked up his 8th and 9th goal of the season, Carey Price finished with 12 saves and the Calgary Chinook sped past the Halifax Hammerheads 4-1 on Saturday night.

Niederreiter and Suter also scored for Calgary. Faulk replied for the Hammerheads early in the third period.

Calgary won its thirteen games in fifteen games for its best start in franchise history thanks in large part to the great defensive core and timely save by Carey Price.

Niederreiter scored his 4th game winning goal of the season and are now tied for 1st in the league.  "Obviously when you're out there, you want to help the team," Nino Niederreiter said after the game Saturday. "Doesn’t matter if we're up or down, you always want to help the team. It came obviously at a good moment, but at the same time, if I didn't get that goal, I'm sure someone else would have."

To Niederreiter, it was just another goal provided by Calgary goal scorer. In the Chinook' locker room, however, the forward is known by his alter ego. "He is Mr. Clutch," Chinook forward Johnny Gaudreau said. 

NOTES:
Chinook outshot Hammerheads 43-13, Chinook held Hammerheads at only two shots in the second period.
Returning to the lineup, Pietrangelo has an assists and plus 3 for the night.
Despite scoring 2 goals, Crosby lost 13 of the 20 face-offs.

UP NEXT:
The Calgary Chinook will visit the Parry Sound Orrsmen who also won on Saturday against the Dayton Musicmen on a dramatic comeback win in overtime.  Expect a heck of a game between the two teams on Monday.