Monday, December 8, 2008

Prospects: Week of 12.1.08

The Amerks only played twice this week, losing 4-1 on Friday and winning 4-0 on Sunday.

Friday night, Rochester hosted the Iowa Chops. The Amerks fell behind immediately, and within the first five minutes,
Jordan Henry took his regular penalty. After dropping to a 3-0 deficit, Janis Sprukts broke up the shutout on a power play midway through the second. Michal Repik and Rory Fitzpatrick picked up assists.

After the game, Sprukts was called up to the Panthers for Saturday's game. He logged 12:19 over seventeen shifts, and then returned to Rochester, along with
Kenndal McArdle, for the Amerks' game against the Albany River Rats on Sunday.

Mike Brodeur started the Sunday game with Chris Beckford-Tseu on the bench as backup.

Tanner Glass played a great game and there's a little recap of it a few posts down, but his performance (a goal, assist and a fight) earned him a recall to the Panthers for their game tonight in Ottawa. Michal Repik will be joining him.

Rochester has gone 2-2-1 over their last five games. . . Defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick has been playing with a nagging injury and will now sit out and recuperate from knee surgery.


ECHL

Tyler Plante had a weak outing on Friday for Dayton, giving up five goals on twenty-two shots (77%). The Bombers, on the other hand, fired 45 shots on goal and scored only twice en route to a 5-2 loss. One night later, Plante stopped 46 of 47 and the Bombers rolled to a big 8-1 win - both games were against the Wheeling Nailers.

Plante's weekend save percentage was .913%. On the season with Dayton, he's now 4-5-0-1 with a 2.69 GAA and an overall save percentage of .911%.


Juniors

Adam Comrie missed two games this week before returning from his injury on Sunday, picking up an assist in Saginaw's 6-3 win against Sault Ste. Marie. . . The Oshawa Generals won two of three games this week with James DeLory picking up one assist in both games (5-2 against Belleville on Thursday, 4-3 against Sudbury on Sunday) but went pointless and a -3 in Friday night's 4-2 loss to Plymouth. . . Corey Syvret played in three games this week with Guelph, setting up Peter Holland on the power play Friday night for an assist and added a comfortable +2 to his totals in Sunday's 6-2 win against Panthers head coach Peter DeBoer's former team, the Kitchener Rangers. . . A.J. Jenks had a very quiet week, ultimately going a +1 with no points and 2 PIM over the course of three games. The Whalers, however, won all three games. . . On Tuesday, Brady Calla was called for boarding, but not before squaring off with Saskatoon defenseman Ryan Funk. Calla would later take a hooking penalty, and finished with 9 PIM in a 4-3 overtime loss. He would go -1 over the next two games -- all losses. . . Colby Robak added no points, but has continued to play well defensively and finished a +2 with 4 PIM over the Wheat Kings' two wins this week.


CCHA

Michigan took on Michigan State over the weekend with
Matt Rust centering the Wolverines' top line and as usual, killing penalties. In Friday night's game, Rust was a +2 but in the second period, was able to grab a loose puck and set up Chris Summers for a shorthanded goal. Saturday, he fired five shots on net but wound up a +1 without points. With the two wins, the Wolverines climb from #14 to #12 in the USA Today weekly rankings. . . Defenseman Matt Bartkowski was one of only three Ohio State players held without a shot on goal in Saturday's 7-4 win against Robert Morris, although he defense partner Corey Toy saw limited ice time. The Buckeyes, now 9-6-1, are starting to receive votes for the national poll, but they have yet to crack the top 15. . . Ryan Watson centered the third line for Western Michigan this weekend with #4 Miami (Ohio) in town. He threw a shot on goal in Saturday's game, but was a -1 in the eventual 4-2 defeat, while he picked up an assist in Sunday's game -- a 7-3 loss. WMU is now 2-10-4 on the season.


WCHA

The Denver Pioneers have moved to #5 in the nation (previously #7) after their weekend sweep of Michigan Tech. Michigan Tech's not a very good team, so the Pioneers were expected to win and they delivered. Friday night,
Marc Cheverie (WCHA defensive player of the week last week) improved his individual record to 10-5-1 after recording a 25-save shutout in a 6-0 win, and he followed up with 21 saves on 22 shots in Saturday's 6-1 win. Defenseman John Lee only played in Friday night's game, going +1. . . Derrick LaPoint had an assist for North Dakota Friday as the Fighting Sioux obliterated Harvard, 10-1 (North Dakota was actually outshot 40-37). The two teams played a much closer game the following night and LaPoint was on the power play and the penalty kill for the Sioux.


Hockey East

Brian Foster was sharp in net on Friday, shutting out UMass Lowell on 29 shots, 15 of which came in the third period. Saturday, Foster gave up two goals on seventeen shots before a third period rally turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory for New Hampshire. . . Matt Duffy chipped in a goal for Maine, but it wasn't enough to help the Black Bears avoid a 3-2 overtime loss to nationally ranked Northeastern. On Sunday, Duffy took a pair of penalties in a 3-2 win against Merrimack. Maine is still unranked, but improving.


Sweden

Jacob Markström played in the latter two of three games this week with Anders Lindbäck, playing in the first. Thursday, he backstopped Brynäs to a 2-1 overtime win against league-leading Linköpings, stopping 27 of 28 shots. He followed up with a stellar performance on the road against HV71, facing 40 shots and turning aside 38. The game ended a 2-2 tie. Lindbäck started today's game but Markström had to replace him in the third after Lindbäck got a cramp. Markström turned aside the five shots he faced in relief, although Brynäs lost, 4-2.

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