The Rock Report

March 12, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
St. John's IceCaps News Release


The IceCaps showed plenty of fight this past weekend against the Eastern Conference's top team, the Syracuse Crunch, but were unable to come away victorious in either contest, losing 3-2 in a shootout Friday and 4-2 the following night.

The losses did not deter fans from showing up in droves to meet the players and play games at the IceCaps first-ever FanFest Sunday afternoon at Mile One Centre. All players and coaches were in attendance to sign autographs, take pictures, and say hello to the dedicated fans who have cheered them on all season long. This weekend, the IceCaps resume their rivalry with the Hamilton Bulldogs as the team celebrates St. Patrick's Day on Saturday with special green jerseys.

WEEK IN REVIEW:

Friday, March 8 - Syracuse Crunch 3 St. John's IceCaps 2 (SO) Mile One Centre - St. John's, NL St. John's Goals: Jaffray (13), Cormier (7) Syracuse Goals: Johnson (30), Tyrell (5), Connolly (SOW) Goaltending: STJ - Pasquale (SOL - 31 shots, 29 saves) / SYR - Helenius (W - 35 shots, 33 saves) Power Play: STJ 1/8 | SYR 0/6 Three Stars: 1) STJ - Jason Jaffray 2) SYR - Tyler Johnson 3) SYR - Brett Connolly Mary Brown's HWP: Patrice Cormier Attendance: 6,287

The IceCaps staked themselves to a two-goal lead but could not hang on, dropping a 3-2 shootout decision to the Syracuse Crunch Friday night in an entertaining game at Mile One Centre.

St. John's led 2-0 midway through the second frame but Syracuse battled back to tie the game in the third period and eventually won in the shootout. Brett Connolly scored the only shootout goal and Riku Helenius stopped all five IceCaps' shooters to notch the win and snap the Crunch's four-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, the IceCaps dropped their fifth straight game and have lost two of the last three via the shootout. Jason Jaffray and Patrice Cormier scored for St. John's while Eddie Pasquale provided an outstanding effort between the pipes, making 29 saves and denying four-of-five Crunch shooters.

Saturday, March 9 - Syracuse Crunch 4 St. John's IceCaps 2 Mile One Centre - St. John's, NL St. John's Goals: Gagnon (4, 5) Syracuse Goals: Taormina (4), Wyman (11), Connolly (24), Johnson (31) Goaltending: STJ - Pasquale (L - 35 shots, 31 saves) / SYR - Helenius (W - 25 shots, 23 saves) Power Play: STJ 1/3 | SYR 1/3 Three Stars: 1) STJ - J.T. Wyman 2) STJ - Aaron Gagnon 3) SYR - Radko Gudas Mary Brown's HWP: Travis Ramsey Attendance: 6,287

The IceCaps started strong but were outplayed for the final 40 minutes as the Syracuse Crunch walked away with a 4-2 win Saturday night and a two-game sweep at Mile One Centre.

Brett Connolly played the role of hero for the second consecutive night. After scoring the shootout winner Friday, Connolly notched the eventual game-winner in the third period on a deflection to send the Crunch to their third straight victory over the IceCaps this season. Riku Helenius stopped 23-of-25 shots while J.T. Wyman notched a goal and an assist in a first start performance.

Aaron Gagnon scored both goals for St. John's and Eddie Pasquale stopped 31-of-35 shots in the loss.

ICE-CAPSules

Wheeling and Dealing: The IceCaps will welcome two new faces this week after a pair of weekend trades. First, the Winnipeg Jets sent F Spencer Machacek, last year's leading scorer for St. John's, to the Columbus Blue Jackets for F Tomas Kubalik, then picked up D Patrick Cullity from Springfield for future considerations. Kubalik, a native of the Czech Republic, was drafted by Columbus in the fifth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and has scored 14 goals in 54 games for Springfield this season. Cullity was an undrafted free agent from the University of Vermont who has played in 51 games for Springfield over the last two seasons. The Massachusetts native also has 14 points (3G, 11A) in 39 games with the Idaho Steelheads this season, where he was a teammate of current IceCaps F Kael Mouillierat. Machacek, meanwhile, leaves the Jets organization as the IceCaps' all-time leading scorer with 75 points in 118 games.

Streaking: F Aaron Gagnon has quietly reeled off a five-game point streak, tying the season high for an IceCaps player set by Kael Mouillierat in December. Gagnon has recorded six points (4G, 2A) during this span and has 10 points (5G, 5A) since returning to the lineup after missing 15 games with a knee injury.

Jets Update: Winnipeg had a busy week, playing four games in total and coming away with five of a possible eight points. The Jets lost 4-1 to the Panthers in Florida before rebounding with wins in Tampa Bay and against the Panthers in a rematch. Sunday, the Jets lost to the Devils 3-2 in a shootout and sit ninth in the Eastern Conference, just two points back of a playoff position and three points behind the Southeast Division leading Carolina Hurricanes.

Injury Report: John Albert saw his hard-luck season continue after breaking his hand blocking a shot last Friday night. Albert was making his return to the lineup after missing the previous 14 contests with an upper body injury, and has missed 34 of the IceCaps' 60 games this season. Also injured: Jason King (head), Hunter Tremblay (head), Ivan Telegin (head), Ryan Schnell (lower body), and Ben Chiarot (hip flexor).

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

March 11

St. John's (AHL) acquires D Patrick Cullity from Springfield (AHL) for future considerations

March 10

Winnipeg (NHL) trades F Spencer Machacek to Columbus (NHL) for Tomas Kubalik

LISTEN TO EVERY ICECAPS GAME LIVE

Listen to every IceCaps game this season online at www.stjohnsicecaps.com by clicking the 'Listen Live' link on the homepage. Play-by-play broadcaster Brian Rogers brings you all the action on the ice, including a pregame show that starts 30 minutes before the drop of the puck. Fans can also listen on the radio at 930AM This Is Newfoundland Labrador. And, watch all the games streaming live online at www.ahllive.com.



American Hockey League Stories from March 12, 2013


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