Music: December 2010

Friday, December 31, 2010

{allcanada} OHL: CARNEVALE'S FOUR ASSISTS HELP COLTS UPSET 67S

Taylor Carnevale had a goal and four assists as the Barrie Colts upset the Ottawa 67's 6-4 in Ontario Hockey League action on Friday night.

Dalton Prout scored twice for Barrie (7-26-4), while Tanner Pearson, Colin Behenna and John Padulo added singles.

Steven Beyers set up two goals to give him 20 assists through the month of December.

Thomas Nesbitt, Ryan Martindale, Travis Gibbons and Cody Lindsay replied for Ottawa (25-10-2), which saw its streak of 12 consecutive games with a point earned come to an end.

Tyler Toffoli's second-period assist extended his league-best point streak to 19 games. Shane Prince, who was on an identical 18-contest run coming in, was held off the score sheet.

Although there weren't many power plays, both teams found success when they received them. The Colts went 2-for-4 with the man advantage while Ottawa scored on its lone opportunity.

John Chartrand's 29-save performance earned him a victory in his first start since the Christmas break.

Shayne Campbell struggled in goal for Ottawa, allowing five goals on 34 shots before being pulled in favour of Petr Mrazek, who turned aside all but one of the six attempts he faced.

Elsewhere in the OHL it was: Brampton 5 Kingston 3; Erie 5 Windsor 3; London 7 Sarnia 4 and Niagara 5 Belleville 1.

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Battalion 5 Frontenacs 3

At Brampton, Ont., Philip Lane had a pair of goals and added an assist as the Battalion skated past Kingston.

Barclay Goodrow and Scott Tanski both scored and added an assist for Brampton (15-14-5), while Zach Bell added a single.

Jeff Braithwaite, Sean Jones and Ryan Spooner provided the offence for the Frontenacs (17-14-4).

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Otters 5 Spitfires 3

At Windsor, Ont., defenceman Brett Cook's late third-period goal stood as the winner as Erie downed the Spitfires.

Cook also added an assist for the Otters (18-18-2), while Mike Cazzola, David Broll, Shawn Szydlowski and Phil Varone chipped in as well.

Alexander Khokhlachev struck twice for Windsor (21-14-1), while Stephen Johnston added a single.

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Knights 7 Sting 4

At Sarnia, Ont., Vladislav Namestnikov scored twice and added an assist as London hammered the Sting.

Colin Martin, Dane Fox, Daniel Erlich, Jared Knight and Seth Griffith each added one apiece for the Knights (17-14-3).

Craig Hottot scored twice for Sarnia (15-16-4), while Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk also scored.

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IceDogs 5 Bulls 1

At St. Catharines, Ont., Niagara scored an impressive victory over Belleville.

Captain Andrew Agozzino led the IceDogs (22-9-4) with a short-handed goal, the 100th of his OHL career, and team-leading 24th of the season, to go along with two assists.

Alex Friesen also had a three point night with one goal and two assists, while David Pacan, Ryan Strome and Steven Shipley added singles.

Andy Bathgate's short-handed goal 14:07 into the third period was the only score for Belleville (12-23-2).

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{allcanada} QMJHL: SEA DOGS BLANK WILDCATS

The Saint John Sea Dogs maintained their top spot in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Maritime Division on Friday night.

Jacob DeSerres made 28 saves as the Sea Dogs blanked the Moncton Wildcats 4-0.

Four different players scored as Saint John (30-5-2) bounced back from its 5-4 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Thursday evening.

Jonathan Huberdeau, Steven Anthony, Zack Phillips and Kevin Gagne provided all the offence as the Sea Dogs dominated the game from start to finish.

Shane Owen was solid in net for Moncton (20-15-4), stopping 43 shots.

Saint John has won eight of its last 10 games and is one point behind the Quebec Remparts for first overall in the QMJHL.

Linemates Huberdeau, Anthony and Phillips have fuelled the Sea Dogs' league-best offence with a combined 64 goals so far this season.

Phillips' goal was the only time Saint John capitalized on five power-play opportunities, while the Wildcats didn't score on two man advantages.

Moncton has now lost four games in a row, and has only won three of its last ten games.

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{allcanada} Flames beat Avalanche 3-2

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/ap/91/fullj.a0f0dbd3d7c23156a3d65a84c03e8320/ap-8a4210f978c04114bdc3a5410204b2eb.jpg

CALGARY, Alberta (AP)—Fourth-line wingers Tom Kostopoulos (notes) and Tim Jackman (notes) played starring roles in the Calgary Flames' victory over the Colorado Avalanche.

Kostopoulos, Jackman and Jarome Iginla (notes) scored in a 7:30 span in the second period and the Flames won their third straight game, 3-2 over the Avalanche on Friday night.

Miikka Kiprusoff (notes) made 19 saves for the Flames, playing their first game since Darryl Sutter resigned as general manager Tuesday. Assistant GM Jay Feaster is serving as acting general manager.

Kostopoulos and Jackman, playing on a line with center David Moss (notes), also each had an assist.

"We feel like we've been playing hard and with a little bit of chemistry for a few games now," Kostopoulos said. "We seem to have a few bounces go in for us so it's nice that way. Moss and Jackman work hard every night so it's a lot of fun playing with them."

Jackman signed as a free agent in the offseason.

"We've just been generating some offense, getting the forecheck going," Jackman said. "It was nice tonight to be able to chip in a little bit."

Calgary coach Brent Sutter was pleased with the line's play.

"They played extremely well again," Sutter said. "They have just carried on the way they have been playing and that was just two huge goals for us tonight. I was very pleased with their play. It's an energy line that works and competes hard and does it to the details. They play the way we want them to play and they were rewarded for it."

Daniel Winnik (notes) and Tomas Fleischmann (notes) had third-period goals for the Avalanche, coming off a 4-3 overtime victory in Edmonton on Thursday night. Colorado has lost four of its last five games.

"We were pretty resilient there in the third period, but it wasn't enough," Colorado coach Joe Sacco said. "It was a little bit too little, too late. At the end of the day it just wasn't good enough."

Kostopoulos opened the scoring at 5:53 of the second period when he drove to the net and swatted a rebound past Craig Anderson (notes). Just 42 seconds later, Iginla took a drop pass from Alex Tanguay (notes) and wired a shot through traffic past Anderson. Jackman put Calgary up by three when he took a breakaway pass from Anton Babchuk (notes) and put a shot under Anderson at 13:23.

"I haven't had too many breakaways, so it's nice," Jackman said. "I was going to shoot it and then the guy hooked me and I just stayed there and slammed it home. That's about it."

Winnik got Colorado on the scoreboard with a short-handed goal at 7:45 of the third period. While falling to the ice, Winnik backhanded a shot through Kiprusoff's legs to end the goalie's shutout bid.

Fleischmann then backhanded a shot past Kiprusoff with 2:32 left.

"It wasn't good enough," Fleischmann said. "It's tough to play catch-up after 3-0. We tried. We had chances a little bit, but it was nothing close I would say."

NOTES: The Flames will play in Edmonton on Saturday, while tyhe Avalanche will return to Colorado for a game Sunday against Vancouver. … The Flames have won six straight on New Year's Eve, dating back to Dec. 31, 2003, when they lost 2-1 to the Avalanche. … Calgary forward Curtis Glencross (notes) has gone 14 games without a goal since scoring the 10,000th goal in franchise history Nov. 26 in a victory over Philadelphia.

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{allcanada} Toronto (13-19-4) at Ottawa (16-18-5)

Game info: 7:00 pm EST Sat Jan 1, 2011
TV: CBC, NHLN

The calendar may show it's a new year, but it appears to be pointing to the same old finish for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The struggling Maple Leafs hope a new year means better things as they play the provincial arch-rival Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

Fighting to avoid a sixth straight season without making the playoffs, the last-place Leafs (13-19-4) fell 3-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, their sixth loss in seven games. Nikolai Kulemin (notes) and Tyler Bozak (notes) scored first-period goals, but Toronto was outshot 22-10 in the final two periods as the defense faltered.

"Tonight our 'D' had a tough night, handling pucks, misreading rushes and some pretty bad giveaways," coach Ron Wilson told the team's official website. "As the game went on, it kept getting harder and harder because we weren't moving pucks or getting back quickly enough and partners not supporting one another."

Wilson responded by putting his team through a hard workout Friday, but having top forward Mikhail Grabovski (notes) back may also help. He missed Thursday's game to be with his girlfriend as she gave birth to his daughter.

Grabovski, who is tied for second on the Leafs with 13 goals and second with 27 points, has five goals and an assist during a six-game point streak. He has two assists in three games versus Ottawa this season.

Jonas Gustavsson (notes) is likely to start in net again for Toronto with Jean-Sebastien Giguere (notes) still sidelined by a groin injury. He lost his only start versus the Senators this season but is 2-2-0 with a 1.72 goals-against average lifetime against them.

Ottawa (16-18-5) seemed destined for a similar fate against Columbus, falling behind 3-0 in the second period on the road Friday. The Senators, though, scored one late in that period and netted a pair in the final 20 minutes to salvage a point before an eventual 4-3 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets.

"We showed a lot of character," Senators coach Cory Clouston said. "Through (half of) the second period, we had seven or eights shots to their none. We worked hard against a good team that skated well. We're happy with the point, but we're disappointed with the loss."

It was the second straight defeat for the Senators, whose late surge may have provided confidence in playing without injured top-line center Jason Spezza (notes). He is out indefinitely due to a shoulder injury suffered in Sunday's win over Pittsburgh.

Daniel Alfredsson (notes), who scored the tying goal with 1:11 left in regulation, ended a four-game point-scoring drought. The captain and right wing has 29 goals and 65 points in 69 lifetime games against Toronto, but has not scored on the Maple Leafs in seven games since Oct. 6, 2009.

Ottawa has won the last two games between the teams this season after a 5-1 victory by Toronto on Oct. 9. Elliott turned aside 29 shots for his eighth career shutout in a 3-0 home victory Nov. 27. Mike Fisher (notes) assisted on Alexei Kovalev's first-period goal before scoring two of his own in the second.

Team Comparison

Team	G	W	L	OTL	Pts	Standings	GF	GA	Road/Home
Toronto	36	13	19	4	30	5th, Northeast	84	110	5-10-1 Road
Ottawa	39	16	18	5	37	3rd, Northeast	89	116	9-10-2 Home

Injuries

Mike Brown RW, Jean-Sebastien Giguere G

Jason Spezza C

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{allcanada} BUDINGER SCORES 22 POINTS TO HELP ROCKETS BEAT RAPTORS

HOUSTON - Chase Budinger hopes he's finally put his shooting woes behind him.

The Houston rookie reserve guard scored a season-high 22 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field to lead the Rockets in a 114-105 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.

Budinger shot 36 per cent in first 20 games as he recovered slowly from a sprained left ankle. He pored over game film, worked on his balance and has gone 12 for 18 in his last two games.

"I went through this already, where I had a couple of good games in a row, but then missed some shots," Budinger said. "But I just feel good right now. It feels good shooting the ball. My confidence has been up, and let's hope the slump is over."

Kevin Martin added 20 and rookie Patrick Patterson set career highs in points (15) and rebounds (10) for the Rockets, who've won eight of their last 10.

DeMar DeRozan scored 29 of his career-high 37 points in the second half and Jose Calderon had 11 assists for the Raptors, who've dropped 10 of their last 13 games.

"I wanted to play aggressively," said DeRozan, who went 13 for 14 from the free-throw line. "They needed me to step up and force them to foul me. I was able to finish and draw the contact."

Linas Kleiza had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Amir Johnson added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Toronto, which finished with a 53-47 rebounding edge.

Houston's Jordan Hill scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in place of Chuck Hayes, who's out two to four weeks after spraining his ankle in practice on Thursday. Backup centre Brad Miller scored 11 points with seven rebounds and six assists.

But the six-foot-nine Patterson benefitted most by Hayes' absence, playing more than 25 minutes. He had appeared in only three games before Friday.

"I hate to step on the court because a teammate goes down, said Patterson, the Rockets' first-round pick last summer. "I saw it as an opportunity and I tried to seize the moment."

Miller sneaked up and splattered a towel-full of shaving cream on Patterson's face as he was swarmed by reporters for the first time this season.

"That means you made it, man," forward Shane Battier said. "Congratulations."

Budinger hit a jumper from the wing then flipped a pass to Patterson for a layup in the last minute of the third quarter to stretch Houston's lead to 84-75.

DeRozan scored 13 points in the third, the only Raptors player with more than two. Toronto has been ravaged by injuries this season and had only eight healthy players by the end of the game.

"With only eight healthy bodies, we needed more guys to play better," coach Jay Triano said.

Aaron Brooks and Courtney Lee drove for consecutive layups and Budinger made a three from the corner to extend the lead to 97-82.

DeRozan scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, but the Rockets carried their comfortable lead to the end, topping 110 points for the fourth time in their last six home games.

Trailing 34-20 after the first quarter, the Rockets' reserves cut the deficit to one over the first six minutes of the second quarter. Lee sank Houston's first three, Miller scored inside and Budinger sprinted for a breakaway dunk to finish the 20-7 spurt.

The Rockets' bench outscored Toronto's reserves 65-23.

"That's kind of our goal as the second unit, to come in and bring energy," Budinger said. "We did a great job tonight, coming in and bringing the energy."

Houston shot 64 per cent in the second quarter (18 of 28) and led 62-55 at the break. Martin and Luis Scola scored seven points apiece in the third quarter to keep the Rockets in front.

Julian Wright's dunk punctuated a 12-0 run in the first quarter that gave Toronto a 29-16 lead. Martin scored 11 points during that span, drawing fouls with drives down the lane and going 7 for 8 from the free-throw line.

Kleiza made a deep three-pointer just before the first-quarter buzzer to put Toronto up 14. The Raptors shot 54 per cent (14 of 26) and outrebounded Houston 18-8 in the first.

NOTES: The Rockets went 11-4 in December ... Houston has reached 60 points in a half 15 times this season. ... Martin has scored at least 20 points in eight straight games. ... Calderon hit a three-pointer with 5:57 left in the first quarter to extend Toronto's streak of games with a three to 974. ... Toronto G Jerryd Bayless played eight minutes in the first half, then limped to the locker room and did not return after re-aggravating a left ankle sprain.