NO CONCUSSION (APPARENTLY) FOR TARASENKO
Top prospect Vladimir Tarasenko, who suffered a head injury when elbowed in the face vs. Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg on Oct. 13, has returned to the lineup for KHL powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg. Tarasenko was held out of games on Oct. 15 and Oct. 16 as a precaution, but came back to play almost 16 minutes vs. his hometown club Sibir Novosibirsk on Oct. 18, assisting on Ilya Kovalchuk's game-winning goal in the first period.
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HOME COOKIN' TASTES GOOD TO RIVERMEN
After opening the 2012-13 season with back-to-back losses in Abbotsford, the Peoria Rivermen returned to Illinois and found their game back in the Land of Lincoln.
Goalie Of The Future ® Jake "The Snake" Allen, who was torched for ten goals on just 49 shots against in BC, fared much better on domestic ice this week. Allen turned aside 24 of 26 shots by the arch-rival Chicago Wolves on Wednesday, taking the Rivs into OT at Allstate Arena before dropping a 2-1 heartbreaker in the extra time. Then, in Friday's home opener, upstate rivals Rockford pelted Allen with 29 shots but could only solve the New Brunswick native once as goals by T.J. Hensick and Jaden Schwartz paced Peoria to a 2-1 win over the IceHogs.
Veteran winger Derek Nesbitt picked up three assists this week, helping out on every goal scored by Peoria in the last seven days. Hensick scored twice, and added an assist on Schwartz' game-winner vs. Rockford on Friday.
Dave Allison's troops have all week to savor their first win of the year, as the Rivs do not take the ice again until Friday night vs. the Wolves. The six-game homestand continues the following night with a game against the Charlotte Checkers.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW, PEORIA EDITION:
Peoria 1 at Chicago 2 (OT), Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012. LINK to AHL game sheet.
Peoria 2 vs. Rockford 1, Friday, Oct. 19, 2012. LINK to AHL game sheet.
THE WEEK AHEAD, PEORIA EDITION:
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Friday, October 26, 2012 ... Game Time 7:05 PM CDT at Carver Arena, Peoria, IL. NHL Affiliate: Vancouver Canucks.
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Saturday, October 27, 2012 ... Game Time 7:05 PM CDT at Carver Arena, Peoria, IL. NHL Affiliate: Carolina Hurricanes.
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BLUES' PROSPECTS GETTING THE JOB DONE FOR ICEMEN
The Evansville IceMen are off to an 0-2-0-1 start in their first season in the ECHL, but the four NHL-contracted prospects assigned to Evansville by the Blues -- Tyler Shattock, Brett Sonne, Cody Beach and Paul Karpowich -- have all made an impact in the early going.
Shattock and Sonne are 1-2 in IceMen scoring after three games of the initial ECHL season in southern Indiana. Shattock has three goals and five points (plus-2, 2 PM, no special teams goals) in the first three games to lead the IceMen in scoring, while Sonne is right behind with two goals and two assists (even, 0 PM, 1 power-play goal).
Rookies Beach and Karpowich, meanwhile, are struggling in their initial pro seasons with the IceMen. Beach has one fight (in his first game) and a 10-minute misconduct penalty to show on the scoresheet for his first three pro games, and is a team-worst minus-6 at present. Karpowich was shelled for four goals in 21 minutes in his pro debut on Oct. 13 but fared better on Saturday, allowing just three goals on 36 shots in 65 minutes before giving up a 4-3 shootout loss to in-state rivals Fort Wayne.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW, EVANSVILLE EDITION:
Evansville 3 vs. Trenton 4, Friday, Oct. 19, 2012. LINK to ECHL game sheet.
Evansville 3 vs. Fort Wayne 4 (SO), Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. LINK to ECHL game sheet.
THE WEEK AHEAD, EVANSVILLE EDITION:
GWINNETT GLADIATORS. Wednesday, October 24, 2012 ... Game Time 7:15 PM CDT at Ford Center, Evansville, IN.
KALAMAZOO WINGS. Friday, October 26, 2012 ... Game Time 7:15 PM CDT at Ford Center, Evansville, IN.
KALAMAZOO WINGS. Saturday, October 27, 2012 ... Game Time 7:30 PM EDT at Wings Stadium, Kalamzoo, MI.
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THREE STAR SELECTIONS FOR THE WEEK ENDING 10-20-12
*** FIRST Star *** | ** SECOND Star ** | * THIRD Star * |
Dmitrij JASKIN | Jake ALLEN | Tyler SHATTOCK |
Moncton (QMJHL) | Peoria (AHL) | Evansville (ECHL) |
** 3 games played this week | ** 2 games played this week | ** 2 games played this week |
** 4 G, 0 A, even | ** 123 mins, 3 GA, 1-0-1 | ** 2 G, 2 A, plus-2 |
** 5 PM, 2 PP, 0 SH, 0 GW | ** 1.46 GAA, 94.5 save % | ** 0 PM, 0 PP, 0 SH, 0 GW |
HONORABLE MENTION:
JORDAN SCHMALTZ, D, North Dakota (WCHA): 2 GP, 1 G, 1 A, plus-3, 0 PM, 0-0-0.
JADEN SCHWARTZ, LW, Peoria (AHL): 2 GP, 1 G, 1 A, even, 0 PM, 0-0-1.
...
Just missing the Fab Five this week were goaltender Jordan Binnington (Owen Sound/OHL), who posted a 1-1-0 record with a 1.50 GAA and 94.0 save percentage in two games this week, and center Max Gardiner (Penn State/NCAA), who chipped in a power-play tally vs. RIT on Saturday night that was also the game-winner.
The current Three Star standings are as follows: Jaskin and Vladimir Tarasenko are tied for the lead with 8 points each. Ty Rattie and Ryan Tesink each have six points, while Allen, Binnington, Teemu Eronen and Mackenzie Maceachern all have three points. Shattock and Niklas Lundström each have two points, while eight players -- Jani Hakanpää, Jori Lehtera, Petteri Lindbohm, Anthony Peluso, Schmaltz, Schwartz, Tyrel Seaman and Francois Tremblay -- all have a single standings point.