2020-2021 PLAYER & GOALIE OF THE WEEK #9

EASTERN SKATER TEAM GP GOALS ASISSTS POINTS PM  +/-  SOG S%
Jack Eichel TBN 4 10 1 11 2 1 29 35%
                   
EASTERN GOALIE TEAM GP GOALS AGAINST G.A. AVERAGE SAVES SAVE %
Anders Nilsson BWB 2 1 0.5 56 .982
                   
WESTERN SKATER TEAM GP GOALS ASSISTS POINTS PM  +/-  SOG S%
Mikko Rantanen YEL 4 6 3 9 6 4 22 27%
                   
WESTERN GOALIE TEAM GP GOALS AGAINST G.A. AVERAGE SAVES SAVE %
Jordan Binnington TOL 2 4 1.98 50 .926
                   

New Jersey Black Aces
WEEKLY PREVIEW: One game in week 9
 
Toledo Walleye
@
New Jersey Black Aces
The commish brings his Toledo team to town and narrowly escapes with a 2-1 OT win on a goal by Kuch
   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Only one game heading into the holiday and it’s a OT loss. Through 32 games, NJ is 10-21-1
Chicago Cosa Nostra
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Chicago with two tough opponents at the Capone Center this week. Thunder Bay & Bathgate head into town to take on the Cosa Nostra.
 
Thunder Bay NorWesters
@
Chicago Cosa Nostra
Thunder Bay who’s in 1st place in the Atlantic Division brings their squad into Chicago & just can’t get the job done. Chicago outscored them by 3, even though the play was close & the shots on goal were well in Thunder Bay’s favor.

Labatt’s 3-Star Selection:
Star 1: CHI – Anze Kopitar 1G, 2 Pts
Star 2: CHI – Carl Soderberg 1G, 2 Pts
Star 3: CHI – Jonathan Toews 1G, 2 Pts

GWG: David Pastrnak

Notables:
TBN – Jack Eichel 18 Faceoff Wins, Mikko Koskinen 32 Saves, & Seth Jones 5 Blocked Shots
CHI – Juuse Saros 43 Saves

 
Bathgate Rangers
@
Chicago Cosa Nostra
The Rangers know how to play defense. That or the Cosa Nostra forgot how to play the game. 10 total shots on goal (2/3/5=10) for Chicago. It was ugly. First time all season the home crowd didn’t appreciate the effort from the Cosa Nostra.

Labatt’s 3-Star Selection:
Star 1: BGR – Pavel Buchnevich 1G
Star 2: BGR – Joonas Donskoi 1G
Star 3: BGR – Nico Hischier 1G

GWG: David Pastrnak

Notables:
BGR – None
CHI – None

   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Splitsville at home this week for the Chicago Squad.
Thunder Bay Nor’Westers
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Just a single home game this week against Brentwood. With 3 road games we need a win at home.
 
Brentwood Bandits
@
Thunder Bay NorWesters
The 1st period is scoreless with each team getting 15 shots on goal. The Nor’Westers Jack Eichel scores the only goal of the 2nd period his 17th of the season giving Thunder Bay a 1-0 lead after 40 minutes.

After a tight game for the 1st two periods the 3rd period exploded with 8 goals. The Bandits scored three times DeBrusk (12), Connollu (10) and Josi (6). Thunder Bay scored 5 times in the 3rd.
Necas (12), Couturier (9), Hronek (2), then Jack Eichel completed his 3rd Hat Trick of the season with goals (18 & 19) of the season.

Final score Thunder Bay 6 Brentwood 3

   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Now we have to wait and see how well we did with our 3 games on the road.
LA Great Danes
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Home games versus California and Portland and road games versus Brentwood and Charlotte. The Danes have a 1-5 record this year against their week 9 opponents, but amazingly are ranked ahead of 3 of their opponents in goals per game so far this year. With a winning record in December to date, LA is hoping for a good week.
 
California Regulators
@
LA Great Danes
LA goes up 2-0 on goals by Ben Chiarot (his first of the year) and Joel Armia, promoted to the first line for this week. But Patrick Kane scores for California, and it’s 2-1 LA after one.

In the 2nd, Elhers puts LA up 3-1, but goals less than a minute apart by Reinhart and Kane tie the game, and it’s 3-3 heading into the 3rd.

Armia puts LA up 4-3, followed by a Scheifele goal, so LA is up 5-3. But 28 seconds later, Eric Staal makes it 5-4. Joel Armia completes the hat trick and seals the win for LA with an empty-netter.

LA starts the week with a 6-4 win over a division foe. Joel Armia’s hat trick earns him the #1 star. Cal’s Patrick Kane is #2 with 2G-1A, and the Dane from Denmark Nikolaj Ehlers is the 3rd star with 1G-2A.

 
Portland Storm
@
LA Great Danes
Back in November, Portland got their first win of the season against LA, so the Danes looking to make up for that loss. But the only goal of the 1st period goes to Max Domi of Portland. Barkov evens the game 22 seconds into period 2 before Dvorak responds to give Portland a 2-1 lead heading into the 3rd.

A PPG by Victor Olofsson gives Portland a 3-1 lead early in the 3rd. The Danes cannot solve goaltender Carter Hutton, and Matt Dumba scores the empty net goal to close out a 4-1 win for Portland.

Olofsson and Domi with 1G-1A each and Hutton with 35 saves are the 3 stars for Portland, along with an unofficial 4th star for Brendan Gallagher with 3 assists.

   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: A split at home is not surprising, but to lose to Portland after beating California is very disappointing and leaves the Danes frustrated with how the season has gone.

Last place in the strong Pacific division is almost a lock already, so trade rumors have already started. And 33 games and counting and still zero goals for Alex Pietrangelo – conspiracy theory that the DKS rating bias towards Boston players extended to putting a jinx on Pietrangelo for the Saint Louis cup win versus Boston in 2019.

Cincinnati Inferno
WEEKLY PREVIEW: The Cincinnati Inferno have their hands full this week with a pair of division leaders rolling into The Incinerator. Rival Jagr from the Metropolitan Division and the Cosa Nostra of Chicago and the Central Division stop by. The two teams have a combined record of 44-13-6 and a .746 win percentage…..
 
Jagr Mullets
@
Cincinnati Inferno
Jagr 1, Cincinnati 0 – Overtime

Patrice Bergeron’s 25th goal of the season with 16 seconds left in overtime made a winner of the Jagr Mullets. In a lockdown type of effort from both teams, Jagr claimed the shots battle, 22-21.

Cincinnati narrowly outchanced Jagr, 12-9 and neither team was able to punch in a power play goal. Darcy Kuemper was brilliant in goal, stopping all 22 shots. Connor Hellebuyck was the hard-luck loser with 20 stops.

 
Chicago Cosa Nostra
@
Cincinnati Inferno
Cincinnati 2, Chicago 0

John Carlson’s blast from the point 27 seconds into the third period was all Cincinnati would need in this tight contest. Logan Couture’s empty netter with 34 seconds remaining sealed the scoring for the Inferno,

In another defensively-minded contest, Chicago won the shots battle, 25-15. The MWHL’s leading power play percentage team (Chicago at better than 30 percent) was stymied in five tries, while Cincinnati was blanked in three tries.

Connor Hellebuyck picked up the victory with 25 saves, while Mackenzie Blackwood got an undeserved loss, stopping 13 shots.

   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Two first place teams come to Cincinnati and are able to score a combined one goal, as the MWHL’s 12th best penalty kill rises up for nine stops in the homestand. The three points out of a possible four are most welcomed.

Connor Hellebuyck (depending on road play this week), may need Goaltender of the Week consideration. He was 1-0-1, with a 0.47 goals against average and a .978 save percentage.

Toledo Walleye
WEEKLY PREVIEW: 1st place Jagr, and 2nd place California come to Toledo, probably wishing they were someplace warmer. Toledo continues to juggle lines in hope of climbing out of the division cellar.
 
Jagr Mullets
@
Toledo Walleye
Toledo 6, Jagr 5, OT – Jagr up first when Matthews scores 5 minutes in. After that, its all penalties, and failed PKs.. First a Giordano penalty opens the door for a Trochek goal to tie it at 1, 8 minutes in. Then Toledo doubles up with penalties by Trochek and Nemeth, resulting in goals by Miller and Giordano. With 3 PP goals behind us, we go to intermission 3-1 Mullets.

2nd period the home team takes control, and the lead. Even strength goals by van Riemsdyk and Kempe, plus a PP goal by Pettersson, and the Mullets are looking deflated as their 2 goal lead is gone, and they are on the short side of a 4-3 game.

3rd period the Walleye continue the parade, and its Nosek stealing the spotlight on a Jagr powerplay, sneaking away on a steal with a shortie, and its 5-3 Toledo. But Jagr does not have the best record in the league for no reason, they come battling back, and cut the lead to 1 when Staal scores with only 6 minutes left. Time winds down, and in a last gasp effort the Mullets pull their goalie and send everybody in to win or lose gloriously. After a couple saves,Letang stops a cleating attempt and blasts a long range shot in to tie it and send us to overtime.

Jagr takes control early in overtime, getting 3 shots at winning, with no dice, and the Walleye finally get control, speed up ice, nifty passing by Barrie and Pettersson, finding van Riemsdyk with an opening and he sends it home, ending the game happy for the home crowd.

1st star – van Riemsdyk 2G
2nd – Pettersson 1G 2pts
3rd – Giordano 1G 3pts

 
California Regulators
@
Toledo Walleye
Toledo 4, California 3 – Tightly contested first period see the goalies combine to stop all but one shot. Its Spurgeon who gets the only marker on the board 4 minutes into the game. 1-0 after one perioid.

2nd period the goalies forget to come out on the ice, and we see the red light 5 times. First Toledo rattles off 3 goals, 2 aided by penalties, as Hoffman, Pettersson and Trochek turn their frowns upside down, putting the fish up 3-1. In the last 5 minutes, the visitors even up the game, and its Barzal and Huberdeau sending up to last intermission tied 3-3.

3rd period is just like the 1st, with the goalies showing back up, stopping 18 of 19 shots, with Toledo getting the lions share of shots on goal 12-7. The goal by Anisimov 5 minutes in is the only blemish. As the game clock passes the 2 minute mark, the Walleye are able to control play, keeping play at 5on5 until well under one minute to go. California can only manage 2 shots in the 6 on 5, both turned away, and Toledo escapes with a 1 goal advantage.

1st star – Hoffman 1G 2pts
2nd – Pettersson 1G
3rd – Anisimov 1G

   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: With 2 wins, Toledo climbs within spitting distance of a wildcard berth. Dreams can come true.
Brentwood Bandits
WEEKLY PREVIEW: The Bandits still don’t know who they are. Will they figure things out this week?
 
Gilbert Sharks
@
Brentwood Bandits
Gilbert strikes first with Zucker (4) beating Nilsson for the 1-0 lead.

Two PP goals in the 2nd for the Bandits by Debrusk (12) and Horvat (4) make it 2-1 Bandits. They would “Tack on” 2 more goals in the 2nd by Niederreiter (4) and Konecny (7) to make it 4-1.

In the 3rd period Gilbert outshoots Brentwood 20-1!!! But Nilsson stands tall and the Bandits get the much needed 4-1 win!

Tukka Rask didn’t have his greatest game giving up 4 goals on 17 shots while Nilsson only gave up 1 goal on 40 shots.

Not the defensive game the Bandits have played all season, that’s for sure. Nilsson saved our hide!

 
LA Great Danes
@
Brentwood Bandits
Brentwood made some adjustments and the defense shined!

Connolly (10) would get the game’s only goal as Nilsson saves all 17 shots he faced. Bandits only managed 20 shots. It was a very even and defensive-minded game!

Bandits win 1-0

   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Do we know who we are? Nope. One game give up 40 shots, next game hold opposing team to 17 shots.

Still looking to move some players. Will field any/all inquiries for just about anyone. Looking to stir things up either for this season, or beyond. Not sure which way to go yet, so help me out! 😉

Jagr Mullets
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Only one home game this week.
 
Bathgate Rangers
@
Jagr Mullets
Only a late goal by Bathgate prevents the shutout.

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 3:40 EV JAG Bergeron (25), assisted by Tkachuk (21) and Letang (16)
1 14:12 EV JAG Matthews (22), assisted by Ovechkin (18) and Weber (16)
1 17:46 EV JAG Miller (13), assisted by Tkachuk (22) and Giordano (19)
2 12:58 EV JAG Matthews (23), assisted by Ovechkin (19) and Svechnikov (25)
3 12:40 EV JAG Miller (14), assisted by Tkachuk (23) and Bergeron (17)
3 15:29 EV BGR Buchnevich (8), assisted by DeAngelo (19) and Haula (3)

Star 1: JAG Miller 2 G
Star 2: JAG Matthews 2 G
Star 3: JAG Markstrom 39 saves

GWG: Auston Matthews

Notables: BGR None
JAG Markstrom 39 saves, Letang 5 blocks, Bergeron 15 faceoffs won, Tkachuk 3 assists

   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: An easy week at home; we’ll enjoy it while it lasts.
Alamo Defenders
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Alamo takes on Charlotte and Bathgate
 
Charlotte Buzzards
@
Alamo Defenders
This was a tight old-fashioned game. Marner gets on the board for the Buzzards, but Alamo counters on a Jarnkok goal.

Draisaitl and Stamkos score on the next 2 goals for Alamo. Iafallo makes it close for the Buzzards. Alamo puts it away on an Ekblad goal on an empty netter.

Alamo 4 Charlotte 2

1-Stamkos
2-Draisaitl
3-Ekblad

 
Bathgate Rangers
@
Alamo Defenders
This game felt like the early part of the season as some dice rolls go the Rangers way. One of the best goalies, Lehner gives up 8 goals and Bathgate gets an empty netter. As the Rangers win, 9-7.

Bathgate scores 9 times out of 34 shots, which has to be a record.

Zibanejad scores 4 goals with 3 assists
Tatar scores 3 goals with 2 assists.

Bathgate 9 Alamo 7 – Alamo outshoots Bathgate, 44-34, but Bathgate could have shot it from 100 feet all game and scored.

1 star – Zibanejad
2 star – Tatar
3 star – Draisaitl

   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Alamo defeats Charlotte, 4-2 in a good low scoring game
Bathgate 9 Alamo 7 in a shootout.
Gilbert Sharks
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Gilbert looks to continue their winning ways of late versus Yellowknife and Cincinnati
 
Yellowknife Braves
@
Gilbert Sharks
No scoring in this one until midway through the 2nd period but then Yellowknife gets 2 quick goals from Rantanen and Panik. Mackinnon scores for Gilbert to cut the lead in half but just 14 seconds later Palmieri puts Yellowknife back up by 2. Kubalik would again cut the lead to 1 in the 3rd period but Rantanen puts home his 2nd of the game to make it 4-2 Yellowknife and that is how it would end.
 
Cincinnati Inferno
@
Gilbert Sharks
Cincinnati outshoots 46-25 but Pavel Francouz stands on his head to make a Panarin Goal from the 1st period stand up…until the last 3 minutes of the game when The Inferno get 2 unassisted goals from Carlson and Perron to win 2-1. Perrons goal went in with just 5.7 seconds left on the clock
   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: A couple tough losses have Gilbert right back to hovering around .500
Charlotte Buzzards
WEEKLY PREVIEW: The Buzzards sought to gain ground in the tightly wound Atlantic division with three home games this latest week against traditional intra-division heavyweights Brentwood, Chicago and LA. Would this team rise to the challenge — or wilt yet again with a favorable home slate, as in previous Decembers?
 
Brentwood Bandits
@
Charlotte Buzzards
Charlotte got the homestand off to a rousing start, with a thrilling come from behind win over the Bandits: While Brentwood broke a scoreless deadlock in the second with the first two goals of the game from Jake DeBrusk and Brett Connolly, it was the host Buzzards who got the last laugh, rallying with three goals in the latter half of the contest, to take this one 3-2.

Bryan Rust led the comeback and lifted the Buzzards to a 2-2 tie with goals at 13:46 and and 16:27 of the second period (Jon Marchessault had assists with both of the Rust goals).

In the third, Alex Killorn got the game winner. Recently moved to the second line he scored 1:40 into the period, on assists from linemates Anders Lee and Mitch Marner.

Carey Price shut down the Bandits during the final half of the game and finished with 38 saves.

Three stars (all from Charlotte):
Star 1: Rust 2 G
Star 2: Price 38 saves
Star 3: Killorn one goal, the game-winner

Notables: Brentwood’s John Tavares accounted for 15 of his team’s 31 faceoff wins — but Charlotte won the overall faceoff battle 35-31. Andri Vasilevskiy played admirably in net for the Bandits, recording 32 saves and shutting out the Buzzards the first half of the game before Rust’s goals…he also blanked Charlotte the last 18 minutes of the game as neither team scored, as the Buzzards narrowly held on.

 
Chicago Cosa Nostra
@
Charlotte Buzzards
Carey Price with the Charlotte crowd clamoring “MVP” at the end of the game — and yes a darn good case could be made if you check the early-season stats — stopped 31 shots and led the Buzzards to a 4-1 win over the Central-leading Cosa Nostra.

Dougie Hamilton and Blake Coleman opened the scoring with Charlotte goals in the first and second periods respectively and that was all Price needed. Chicago’s loan goal came 7:49 in the second period from Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Colton Sissons scored on the fourth line 10:54 into the third to put Charlotte ahead 3-1, and Jon Marchessault added an empty netter.

Three stars (all from Charlotte):
Star 1: Price 31 saves
Star 2: Marchessault 1 G
Star 3: Hamilton 1 G

Notables: Chicago outshot Charlotte 32-28 but the Price was right (Carey that is). First-liners Jonathan Toewes and David Pastrnak assisted on the lone Costa Nostra goal scored by Dubois.

 
LA Great Danes
@
Charlotte Buzzards
Charlotte overcame a 42-30 shot deficit and grabbed a 5-2 lead after the first two periods in hanging on for a 7-4 win.

With the score knotted at 2-2 midway thru the second period, Charlotte got unanswered goals in a six-minute span from Alex Iafallo, Bryan Rust, and the game-winner from defenseman Travis Hamonic,

This game was much closer than the final score indicated. Great Danes goals in the third from Brayden Schenn and William Nylander closed the gap to 5-4, and only empty netters in the final 30 seconds from Lee and Marchessault padded the final score.

Three stars:
Star 1: LGD Mark Scheifele, 1 G, 3 Pts
Star 2: CHA Lee, 1 G 2 Pots
Star 3: CHA Rust 1 G, 2 points

Notable: Scheifele had a hand in three of the four LGD goals, and his first-period goal along with a tally from Nikolaj Ehlers later in the second, briefly tied the game at 2-2.

Josh Allen subbing for Price, recorded 38 saves for the Buzzards.

   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: The Buzzards clearly enjoy its best home stand ever in its three-year history by taking all six points in three game: Charlotte has never come CLOSE to duplicating that feat. This team, hamstrung by a $49 Tarasenko contract it inherited, is surprising even its owner as it makes waves in the Atlantic. If Charlotte finds a way to take this division, Carey Price should be the runaway MVP, especially as he leads the league in GAA.
Yellowknife Braves
WEEKLY PREVIEW:  home games vs  Thunder Bay , Jagr and New Jersey
 
Thunder Bay NorWesters
@
Yellowknife Braves
Thunder Bay holds on 6-5
Stars #1 TBN Eichel 3G 4pts
#2 YEL Bjorkstrand 2G 3pts
#3 TBN Slavin 1G 3pts
Notables: TBN Eichel Hat Trick
 
Jagr Mullets
@
Yellowknife Braves
The Braves win it in OT 6-5
Stars #1 YEL Palmieri 1G 3pts
#2 Jag Lindholm 2G
#3 YEL Goligoski 1G 2pts
Notables: Jag Bergeron 18 Face offs won
Yel Morrissey 5 blocks
 
New Jersey Black Aces
@
Yellowknife Braves
All Braves 6-0
Stars #1 YEL Crawford 43 saves
#2 YEL Aho 2G
#3 YEL Monahan 1G 2pts
   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Braves finally play a complete game  Yellowknife splits with 2 top dogs
Bucks County Raccoons
WEEKLY PREVIEW: 3 home games for the Racs as they try to create some momentum heading towards the holidays….
 
Alamo Defenders
@
Bucks County Raccoons
Bucks County plays perhaps there most solid game of the year, scoring 4 times in the middle session on the way to a 6-2 win against the visiting Alamo Defenders. Most of the statistical categories were even but BC was in control of the contest from the outset.
 
Portland Storm
@
Bucks County Raccoons
The Racs had a 3-0 lead after two periods of play and it looked like they were on their way to a workmanlike win, but then Portland quickly struck with 3 goals before 12 minutes were played in the third period to tie the score at 3. Given a late PP the Racs struck, with Oshie scoring just as the penalty to Niskanen was expiring and BC hung on for the 4-3 win.
 
Gilbert Sharks
@
Bucks County Raccoons
The first period was played with the ice tilted in one direction, as Gilbert was relentless in the offensive end. The Sharks put 17 SOG in the period, and during their lone PP the puck never left their offensive zone. Goals from Makar in the 1st and Fiala in the 2nd staked Gilbert to a 2-0 lead and BC had that deer in the headlights look about them. But 4 straight goals from the home team in an 11 minute span midway through the 2nd period turned the tide a bit. Panarin scored for Gilbert with just under 5 minutes left in the game to make it 4-3, but BC hung on during the bumpy ride home and come up with the victort.
   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: 6 points available, 6 points attained….but it was far from easy…..
California Regulators
New Jersey Black Aces
@
California Regulators
California wins 3-1.
 
Thunder Bay NorWesters
@
California Regulators
Thunder Bay wins 4-3.
   
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Cali splits at home.