The National Strat-O-Matic Hockey League Newsletter League Established May 1, 1997 Volume #12, Issue #9 - December 17, 2008 ********************************************************************* Current League Officers: Commissioner: Doug Norris Vice-Commissioner: Brian Leahy (7/15/07 to present) Email the whole league: mailto:nshl at yahoogroups dot com NSHL Chat List: mailto:nshlchat at yahoogroups dot com Web Page Administrator: Guy Caron League Web Site: http://nshl.org Files Adminstrator: Brian Leahy / Tom Vinacci League Files Site: http://www.highrantdistrict.com/SOM/NSHL Team Websites: Capital City Cougars: http://members.tripod.com/~CapCity/ Seattle Rainiers: http://math.colorado.edu/~norrisdt/rainiers/rainiers.html ********************************************************************* YAY! Excellent newsletter this tri^H^H^Hbiweek, with Junu Kim providing a halfway point league review, and Lee Yelshin and Michael Kuduk providing individual team perspectives. I always love the reports which help to flesh out the league's textures - they're the kind of things which make the NSHL seem more real. To me, at least. But I always appreciate the newsletter articles. Thanks! Some to-do items in this newsletter, so read carefully! ********************************************************************* THE TRIWEEK BIWEEK: This week begins the league's annually-scheduled "triweek" - a three-week festival of rest, relaxation and games played. You have nearly three weeks - until January 5 - to play your four home games. Enjoy the break! There will likely be a second triweek later this year, as I'll be in Barbados from the 5th through the 10th of February. As a bit of historical trivia, the island of Barbados is the only Caribbean island not mentioned in that awful Beach Boys song. I'll be in Port Orchard, Washington from the 21st through the 28th, and although I'll have access to e-mail, it won't be as easy as it is when I'm working at a computer twelve hours per day. So please be patient. ********************************************************************* THE SPECIAL SESSION OF AMENDMENT VOTING... Is coming within the next week or so. I haven't forgotten! ********************************************************************* ALL-STAR NOMINEES: It's about that time again - the NSHL All-Star Game is coming! By January 5, please submit to me six of your players for the annual all-star ballot. One player eligible to play at each position should be nominated, with left and right defense counting as separate positions. Preferably, the nominated players will have played primarily at those positions during the first half of the 2008-09 NSHL season. If you have any questions or comments about the process, please contact me. In addition, if you're interested in hosting the Twelfth Annual NSHL All-Star Classic, please contact me immediately. ********************************************************************* WEEK NINE/TEN IN REVIEW: On December 14th, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Nevada Thunder met in what could be a conference finals preview between two of the league's top teams. Hopefully if this matchup occurs five months from now, the Thunder find an answer for the Whitecaps' top guns, who scored ten goals in a eight-goal victory. Sidney Crosby had two goals and five assists to pace the Whitecaps, while Patrick Sharp added two goals and four assists. Not that this was too much out of the ordinary for the Whitecaps, who parlayed another 6-2 biweek into a fourteen-point lead over the rest of the league. Vancouver's 34-6 record after forty games puts them on pace for an incredible 139 points on the year! Can they keep this up? Three way tie in the Central! Three way tie in the Central! The Topeka Tarantulas, Houston Aeros and Pittsburgh Sound Chasers all stand at 47 points in the league's tightest division, with the Capital City Cougars just two points back. ********************************************************************* AT THE HALFWAY POINT: A LOOK BACK - AND A QUICK LOOK AHEAD by Junu Kim, Vancouver owner With the league at the midpoint of its 2008-09 campaign, here's a quick look at this half-season, as seen from the Vancouver Whitecaps broadcast booth. ** Most surprising team, Part I: Pittsburgh Hornets. There's lots that's new and improved about this franchise, which was part of the NSHL's 2002 expansion. Not only has the club shed its New York address, but it's reversed its losing ways. With a 25-12-3 record, it's right behind Long Island in the Northeast. How are the Hornets doing it? With a crop of talented kids. The Hornets' top two selections at this fall's draft, Patrick Kane (13-31-44) and Sam Gagner (7-27-34), are 1-2 in team scoring, despite being not old enough to buy alcohol in the United States. Meanwhile, Ilya Bryzgalov has turned in some rock-solid netminding, winning 20 games and turning in a 2.60 GAA and a .926 save percentage. ** Most surprising team, Part II: Brooklyn. It's been tough going for the defending champions. With a 16-16-8 record, the Fourteenth are in danger of not qualifying for the playoffs. Alexander Ovechkin has been stellar, potting 39 goals in 40 games. But he's not getting much help in carrying the offensive load: No other Fourteenth player has more than 11 goals, and one of these skaters, Sergei Gonchar, has been actively marketed to other NSHL teams. ** First-half MVP: There's a boatload of legit candidates. Ovechkin's worthy of consideration because of his production. Vincent Lecavalier and Evgeni Malkin are not only second and third in league scoring, but they've helped propel Long Island to the top of the Northeast. Several goalies are leading their teams to great starts, including Jean-Sebastien Giguere of Nevada, Manny Legace of Capital City, Richard Brodeur of the Sound Chasers and Tim Thomas of St. Michael's. And someone on Vancouver - Henrik Zetterberg? Sidney Crosby? Nik Backstrom? - has to have helped the Whitecaps surge to a 34-6 record. But the nod ultimately goes to Pavel Datsyuk of St. Michael's. Not only is he leading the league in scoring (28-46-74), but he's playing 22 minutes a night, has scored four shorthanded goals and has tallied twice in overtime. Heck, maybe he sells the most beer among vendors at Privateers home games... ** Best goalie of the half: Legace. Again, there are a lot of great options. But Legace gets the nod because of where Capital City, two points out of first place in a tight Central Division, would be without him. Don't look at the fact that he's won only 12 games for a team that's 18-12-9. Instead, think of where the Cougars would be without a netminder who's posted a 1.97 GAA and a stunning .937 save percentage ~V and stopped 80.5 percent of the Goalie Ratings he's faced. ** Best rookie of the half: Kane. The only thing more eye-popping than his first-half performance is the realization that he's just turned 20 and is going to get a lot better. ** Best defenseman of the half: Zdeno Chara, Long Island. This hulkin', bulkin' blueliner is take charge at both ends of the ice. He has 12 goals and 34 assists to go with 28 hits, 34 takeaways and a +18 rating, and plays a huge role on the physical blueline corps of the Berserkers. ** Your "You had to see it to believe it" moment: Oct. 10, Vancouver at the Hornets. Kane takes exception to something Zetterberg said, and the two mild-mannered, high-skill players throw down their gloves and engage in fisticuffs. When asked about this tiff after the game, Zetterberg cracked, "We had a disagreement over the government's bank bailout plan." And now, let's look at a few questions to answer in the second half: (1) Will the sleeping giants awake? One could argue that a handful of NSHL teams haven't lived up to their expectations. Tops on our list: Houston, Quebec and the Seattle clubs. By no means are these teams in dire shape. But it's worth asking: What's it going to take for these teams to fulfill their lofty expectations? And on a related note... (2) Who will make the biggest pre-deadline pickups? Recession or not, right now the NSHL appears to be a buyer's market when it comes to trades. More big-name players appear to be available in mid-season deals than in recent seasons. Nevada's already traded Brian Campbell and Jason Arnott. Buffalo has already shuffled off Martin St. Louis and Ilya Kovalchuk. Gonchar and Lyndonville's Alex Kovalev have worn "For Sale" signs since the start of the year. And the most surprising thing about Minnesota goalie Dan Ellis is that he's still with the Snakes. The question is: With so many teams apparently committed to youth movements, what contenders are willing to part with assets? (3) When will Vancouver fold? You don't just luck into a 34-6 record. And certainly, the numbers support the claim that Vancouver's earned this mark. It has a +67 goal differential, including a +28 on the powerplay. It's second in the league in penalty killing and second on the powerplay. But is this performance sustainable? It would seem hard to believe you could continue to win 17 of every 20 games. Perhaps the Achilles heel will be the team's health: How would the Whitecaps fare if any of its core players, such as Zetterberg, Crosby or Joffrey Lupul, was lost for an extended period? ********************************************************************* DO THE BULLIES HAVE THE BLAHS IN MANAYUNK? by Lee Yelshin, Manayunk owner The Bullies ended week 10 with an 18-19-3 record, continuing a slow slide down from a 5-2-2 record after the first biweek. Looking for ways to set fire to the team (and literally setting fire to the team was discussed at one point), management has decided that the team needs a venue that is much closer to the center of Philadelphia. The Kate Smith RJR Reynolds American Cancer Society First Union ("FU Bankers!") Center (slogan: "smaller and more intimate than the original Spectrum") has long graced the streets of suburban Manayunk (slogan: "come for the shopping, stay for the shopping"), but complaints about a lack of parking, small streets, and fans lost for hours started as soon as the Bullies began their NSHL career. But the middle of a major city is not the best place to find a lot of space, so novel ideas have to be considered. One of the most popular is to build a rink within a airship, using helium gas cells and giant rotor blades to stay aloft. The stadium could moor itself to William Penn's hat atop City Hall, and could even move back and forth betwen parking areas and public transportation hubs. Another interesting idea is to suspend a venue between the buildings that are taller than City Hall, and a deep underground facility has also been proposed. City and team representatives insist that no decisions have been made at this time. As for the team, the latest news is the season-ending injury to Joel Kwiatkowski. Checked into the corner while hosting Quebec City, Joel flipped over the boards, passed through the broken plexiglass, and rolled under the Zamboni. This tore his uniform and pads to shreds. Although he was physically unhurt, he has been diagnosed as suffering from intense personal embarassment. He may not be able to go out into public until well into next season. Looking to next year, heir to the Dominator's role as #1 netminder remains undecided. Joey MacDonald has established himself as an iron man between the pipes. He's on pace for 78 NSHL games next season (according to tsn.ca. But his current .899 save percentage may relegate him to backup for Dany Sabourin, who is expected to be able to cover half the season and has a .911 save percentage. But who will skate in front of them? Injuries, foreign contracts, and low point scoring is making the front ranks look awfully depleted. And who knows how the defense rating fairy will treat Manayunk next season? ********************************************************************* AEROS TRADE RUMORS GO FROM A WHISPER TO A ROAD by Michael Kuduk, Houston owner The Houston Post December 14, 2008 The Houston area is buzzing, and the low-flying planes are coming from Aeros management. With the defending Western Conference champions mired at .500 and barely holding on to a playoff spot, GM Mike Kuduk indicated that there would be changes to the Aeros roster. In the press conference, Mike said, "This year there is a lack of team chemistry. Instead of going back and helping out on defense, we've been taking a lot of lazy neutral zone penalties. I'm not seeing the rush to the net we were seeing last year, either." A lot of pundits have criticized Aero goaltending, as Tomas Vokoun has been performing below his usual high standard. Mike said, "There are games where Tomas has had little to no defense in front of him. Our conference has too many pure scorers to leave them alone in the slot." He also said, "Our team seems to be responding a little bit beter when Chris (Osgood) is in the net, so we've been playing him more." Houston seems to have responded to the challenge, winning several close games over the past two weeks. Most of the rumors have circulated around defenseman Chris Pronger, who clearly has had an off year, and has received the frequent ire of Coach Dave Tippett for his blue line lapses and frequent penalties. Still, when he is on, he is one of the most physical - and best - defensemen in the game today. The Aeros roster is getting older, especailly on the blue line, with both Lidstrom and Blake pushing 40, and Klee getting there fast. Still, in the modern day NSHL, a lot of players are enjoying prolonged careers which are not just ceremonial tours of duty. Mats Sundin, the Aeros' oldest forward, is the team leader in goals (by far), and has played a key leadership role on the ice. Stay tuned for the next installment in the Aeros soap opera. ********************************************************************* RAINIERS STARTING TO CATCH FIRE? by Doug Norris, Seattle owner Finally some relief for "long-suffering" Seattle fans? Okay, the fans haven't really suffered in the Rainiers' time in the Emerald City, but things certainly didn't look good early in the year. Now that we're halfway through the 2008-09 campaign, things are looking brighter for the fans of the blue-and-teal, who sit seventh in the conference. This despite their vaunted offense being just sixth in the conference in scoring with only 127 goals. The club has just four ten-goal scorers at the midway point of the season, something no one would have expected at the start of the season from this club. Dany Heatley and Jonathan Cheechoo pace the team with twenty goals apiece, but the lack of offense has baffled coach Doug Norris. "There were some areas we expected to struggle at the start of the year, but I never thought I'd be standing here telling you that we can't score goals," remarked Norris. "I do believe that we'll pick things up. We have to, or there will be some changes made. Big changes" Rumours that the team continues to seek a goaltender continue to dog the club, with those same rumours suggesting that the team is willing to part with one of their top-six forwards - either Andy McDonald, Mark Parrish, Andrew Brunette, or even Alex Tanguay or Stephen Weiss. The team also needs to improve its penalty, which at 76.0% is currently fourteenth in the 24-team NSHL. Chris Drury, Stephen Weiss and Mike Fisher provide an impressive base at the forward positions, but the Rainiers still need to find the shutdown defenseman which could move the team towards respectability in this category. Of course, better goaltending would make the penalty killers look a lot better. ********************************************************************* WEEK NINE/TEN RESULTS: Capital City 2, at Brooklyn 3 BRK Martin Biron - thirty saves, 7/8 GR CCC Manny Legace - thirty-two saves, 10/11 GR CCC Eric Belanger - goal, assist Corner Creek 5, at Brooklyn 4 (SO) BRK Alexander Ovechkin - goal, two assists, two hits CGC Ray Whitney - power-play goal, assist, hit CGC Richard Park - power-play goal, assist Lyndonville 3, at Brooklyn 1 LYN Pierre-Marc Bouchard - two goals, two takeaways LYN Ryan Miller - twenty saves, 4/5 GR BRK Martin Biron - twenty-eight saves, 6/8 GR Buffalo 1, at Brooklyn 3 BRK Martin Biron - twenty-three saves, 6/7 GR BRK Alexander Ovechkin - two goals, hit BUF Rick DiPietro - thirty-six saves, 6/6 RG Pittsburgh Hornets 5, at Buffalo 4 PIH Dennis Wideman - three assists, takeaway PIH Shawn Horcoff - game-winning power-play goal, assist BUF Dion Phaneuf - goal, assist Hampton Roads 2, at Buffalo 1 HRH Johan Hedberg - twenty-three saves, 4/5 GR HRH Paul Kariya - assist, two hits BUF Dion Phaneuf - goal, takeaway, four hits Long Island 5, at Buffalo 1 LIB Evgeni Malkin - three goals, assist, takeaway, hit LIB Vincent Lecavalier - power-play goal, assist, takeaway LIB Trent Hunter - two assists, takeaway Lyndonville 4, at Buffalo 3 (SO) LYN Alexei Kovalev - two goals, assist, two takeaways, shootout goal BUF Fernando Pisani - two goals, takeaway LYN Erik Johnson - assist, three takeaways Long Island 3, at Capital City 4 (OT) CCC Vyacheslav Kozlov - overtime goal, assist CCC Mathieu Schneider - two assists CCC Jonas Hiller - twenty-five saves, 4/6 GR Hampton Roads 3, at Capital City 0 HRH Cristobal Huet - thirty-seven saves, shutout, 6/6 GR HRH Glen Murray - two goals HRH Eric Staal - two assists Houston 0, at Capital City 1 CCC Manny Legace - twenty-nine saves, shutout, 7/7 GR CCC Todd White - game-winning power-play goal HOU Mats Sundin - five shots, 7/10 faceoffs Topeka 5, at Capital City 4 TPK Ilya Kovalchuk - two goals, two assists TPK Henrik Sedin - goal, two assists TPK Ales Hemsky - goal Topeka 2, at Corner Creek 0 TPK Wade Dubielewicz - twenty saves, shutout, 4/4 GR CGC Chris Mason - thirty-two saves, 7/8 GR TPK Tobias Enstrom - assist, two takeaways Lyndonville 2, at Corner Creek 3 CGC Brian Gionta - power-play goal, two assists CGC Chris Mason - twenty-nine saves, 8/10 GR CGC Daniel Sedin - goal, assist, ten shots on goal Buffalo 1, at Corner Creek 4 CGC Curtis Glencross - two goals, two hits CGC Richard Park - goal, two assists, takeaway CGC Nikolai Khabibulin - twenty-eight saves, 3/4 GR Long Island 3, at Corner Creek 1 LIB Zdeno Chara - goal, assist, two takeaways, hit LIB Sean Bergenheim - goal, assist, two takeaways LIB Evgeni Nabokov - twenty-four saves, 3/4 GR Fort Garry 2, at Florida 3 (SO) FLO Ray Emery - thirty-four saves, 4/6 GR, 3-of-3 in shootout FLO Vaclav Prospal - goal, takeaway, shootout goal FGF Roberto Luongo - twenty-six saves, 4/5 GR, 1-of-2 in shootout Montreal 9, at Florida 3 MON Alexander Semin - three goals MON Travis Zajac - two goals, assist, takeaway MON Jan Hlavac - goal, two assists, two hits Stone Harbor 1, at Florida 2 FLO Vaclav Prospal - two goals, takeaway FLO Jason LaBarbera - twenty-four saves, 3/4 GR SHS Henrik Lundqvist - thirty-eight saves, 5/7 GR St. Michael's 7, at Florida 3 STM Pavel Datsyuk - two goals, four assists, takeaway, two hits STM Erick Cole - two goals, takeaway FLO Chris Kunitz - two goals, hit Nevada 2, at Fort Garry 1 NEV Jean-Sebastien Giguere - forty saves, 6/6 GR FGF Pascal Leclaire - thirty-five saves, 8/9 GR NEV Jaromir Jagr - game-winning goal Manayunk 1, at Fort Garry 4 FGF Alexander Steen - goal, two assists, two takeaways FGF Roberto Luongo - twenty-three saves, 8/8 GR FGF Christopher Higgins - game-winning goal Vancouver 3, at Fort Garry 2 (SO) FGF Pascal Leclaire - thirty-eight saves, 11/13 GR, 2-of-4 in shootout VAW Craig Anderson - twenty-four saves, 5/6 GR, 3-of-4 in shootout VAW Henrik Zetterberg - goal, assist, takeaway, hit Seattle Rainiers 2, at Fort Garry 1 SEA Vesa Toskala - thirty-seven saves, 5/6 GR FGF Pascal Leclaire - thirty-three saves, 8/9 GR SEA Brian Rafalski - two assists, takeaway Minneapolis 4, at Hampton Roads 2 MIN Tuomo Ruutu - game-winning goal, assist, hit MIN Anze Kopitar - power-play goal, assist MIN Dan Ellis - thirty-six saves, 3/4 GR Pittsburgh Sound Chasers 7, at Hampton Roads 1 PIT Cory Stillman - power-play goal, four assists PIT Scott Niedermayer - two goals, assist, two takeaways PIT Martin Brodeur - forty saves, 7/7 GR Brooklyn 4, at Hampton Roads 5 (SO) HRH Paul Kariya - two goals, two assists, two takeaways HRH Cristobal Huet - thirty-eight saves, 11/13 GR, 2-of-3 in shootout BRK Michael Nylander - goal, two assists, hit, shootout goal Houston 8, at Hampton Roads 5 HRH Randy Robitaille - three goals, assist, takeaway HOU Mike Richards - three goals, takeaway HOU Rick Nash - two goals, assist, takeaway Corner Creek 3, at Houston 4 (SO) HOU Chris Osgood - thirty-three saves, 7/9 GR, 2-of-3 in shootout HOU Rick Nash - two goals, shootout goal CGC Nikolai Khabibulin - thirty-two saves, 8/10 GR, 1-of-3 in shootout Minneapolis 2, at Houston 4 HOU Shane Doan - two goals, takeaway HOU Chris Pronger - two assists, three takeaways HOU Patrik Elias - two assists Pittsburgh Sound Chasers 4, at Houston 5 HOU Brenden Morrow - two goals, takeaway, hit PIT Cory Stillman - power-play goal, two assists, takeaway PIT Jarome Iginla - goal, two assists Capital City 2, at Houston 3 (SO) HOU Nicklas Lidstrom - two assists, three takeaways, hit CCC John Madden - power-play goal, assist, takeaway HOU Chris Osgood - twenty-nine saves, 5/7 GR, 2-of-3 in shootout Corner Creek 9, at Long Island 1 CGC Daniel Sedin - two goals, assist, takeaway, hit CGC Richard Park - two goals, two takeaways CGC James Sheppard - goal, two assists, takeaway Pittsburgh Sound Chasers 3, at Long Island 4 LIB Evgeni Malkin - two power-play goals, assist, takeaway, hit LIB Vincent Lecavalier - three assists, takeaway, hit PIT Jarome Iginla - two goals Pittsburgh Hornets 2, at Long Island 4 LIB Evgeni Nabokov - thirty-eight saves, 9/11 GR LIB Evgeni Malkin - power-play goal, assist LIB Vincent Lecavalier - two assists, hit Brooklyn 2, at Long Island 3 LIB Marian Gaborik - goal, assist, takeaway, hit LIB Vincent Lecavalier - power-play goal, assist, takeaway BRK Martin Biron - forty-four saves, 4/5 GR Long Island 5, at Lyndonville 6 LIB Marian Gaborik - two goals, assist, two takeaways LYN Alexei Kovalev - two goals, takeaway LYN Brent Seabrook - assist, takeaway, four hits Pittsburgh Hornets 4, at Lyndonville 3 LYN Jason Pominville - goal, two assists, takeaway PIH Sam Gagner - two goals, takeaway PIH Shawn Horcoff - power-play goal, assist Brooklyn 3, at Lyndonville 1 BRK Olaf Kolzig - thirty saves, 6/7 GR BRK Michael Nylander - two assists BRK Jeremy Roenick - two assists Houston 3, at Lyndonville 1 HOU Chris Osgood - twenty-seven saves, 11/12 GR HOU Chris Pronger - power-play goal, assist, hit HOU Mike Richards - goal, assist Stone Harbor 1, at Manayunk 3 MAN Curtis Sanford - thirty-six saves, 5/5 GR MAN Marco Sturm - power-play goal, two assists MAN Ryan Shannon - two power-play goals North Calgary 3, at Manayunk 1 NCH John-Michael Liles - goal, assist, takeaway MAN Marco Sturm - goal, two takeaways NCH Michal Handzus - assist, two hits Quebec City 2, at Manayunk 3 MAN Marco Sturm - power-play goal, assist MAN Magnus Johansson - two takeaways, three hits QCP Olli Jokinen - goal, assist, takeaway Florida 5, at Manayunk 1 FLO Brad Boyes - two goals, takeaway FLO Vaclav Prospal - two goals FLO Jason LaBarbera - thirty-seven saves, 5/6 GR Capital City 0, at Minneapolis 2 [played by Dale Ripley] MIN Brian Elliott - thirty-six saves, shutout, 7/7 GR MIN Alexander Edler - game-winning power-play goal MIN Phil Kessel - goal Lyndonville 0, at Minneapolis 4 [played by Dale Ripley] MIN Dan Ellis - twenty-six saves, shutout, 8/8 GR MIN Anze Kopitar - power-play goal, assist MIN Robert Nilsson - two assists, two takeaways Topeka 4, at Minneapolis 1 [played by Dale Ripley] TPK Ilya Kovalchul - two goals, takeaway TPK Henrik Sedin - two assists, three takeaways TPK Wade Dubielewicz - twenty-three saves, 5/5 GR Hampton Roads 2, at Minneapolis 1 [played by Dale Ripley] HRH Paul Kariya - power-play goal, assist HRH Johan Hedberg - thirty-nine saves, 2/3 GR MIN Carey Price - twenty-three saves, 6/6 GR Quebec City 4, at Montreal 5 MON Alexander Semin - goal, two assists QCP Tomas Kaberle - shorthanded goal, assist, three takeaways MON Jonathan Toews - power-play goal, assist Florida 0, at Montreal 3 MON Karri Ramo - thirty-two saves, shutout, 6/6 GR MON Jonathan Toews - two goals, assist MON Nikolai Zherdev - goal, assist, two takeaways Manayunk 1, Montreal 5 MON Kyle Brodziak - two goals, takeaway MON Marek Zidlicky - power-play goal, two assists MON Josh Harding - twenty-six saves, 3/4 GR Seattle Rainiers 7, at Montreal 4 SEA Ed Jovanovski - two power-play goals, takeaway SEA Dany Heatley - goal, two assists MON Nikolai Zherdev - two power-play goals Seattle Rainiers 4, at Nevada 5 (OT) NEV Martin Straka - goal, three assists, takeaway SEA Mike Fisher - two goals, two takeaways, hit NEV Steve Staios - overtime goal, two takeaways, hit North Calgary 3, at Nevada 4 NEV Jason Arnott - two power-play goals, assist, takeaway NEV Jaromir Jagr - power-play goal, two assists NCH Jason Spezza - goal, two assists, takeaway, 11/13 faceoffs Quebec City 4, at Nevada 3 QCP Dustin Penner - two goals, assist, hit QCP Fredrik Norrena - thirty-six saves, 4/5 GR NEV Steve Staios - goal, three takeaways Vancouver 10, at Nevada 2 VAW Sidney Crosby - two goals, five assists, hit VAW Patrick Sharp - two goals, four assists, hit VAW Michael Cammalleri - goal, four assists Nevada 3, at North Calgary 2 NEV Brian Rolston - goal, assist, two takeaways NEV Jean-Sebastien Giguere - thirty-two saves, 8/8 GR NCH Jason Spezza - power-play goal, assist, takeaway Fort Garry 3, at North Calgary 2 (OT) FGF Tim Connolly - goal, two assists, three takeaways, hit, nine shots NCH Jason Spezza - goal, assist, two takeaways NCH Miikka Kiprusoff - forty-four saves, 8/11 GR Seattle Sasquatch 9, at North Calgary 1 SES Milan Hejduk - two goals, assist, takeaway SES Jay Pandolfo - two goals, takeaway SES Marc-Andre Fleury - thirty-four saves, 5/6 GR St. Michael's 11, at North Calgary 1 STM Pavel Datsyuk - three goals, five assists, takeaway, +7 STM Jean-Pierre Dumont - three goals, four assists, three takeaways STM Erik Cole - three assists, takeaway, hit Minnesota 1, at Pittsburgh Hornets 3 PIH Patrick Kane - two power-play goals, assist, takeaway PIH Shawn Horcoff - goal, two assists, hit PIH Radim Vrbata - assist, hit Corner Creek 4, at Pittsburgh Hornets 1 CGC Richard Park - goal, two assists CGC Daniel Sedin - five takeaways, hit PIH Brent Johnson - twenty-five saves, 6/8 GR Brooklyn 2, at Pittsburgh Hornets 3 PIH Sam Gagner - goal, assist, hit PIH Mike Modano - goal, assist, hit BRK Barret Jackman - three takeaways, two hits Buffalo 2, at Pittsburgh Hornets 1 (OT) BUF Rick DiPietro - thirty saves, 5/5 GR PIH Ilya Bryzgalov - thirty-seven saves, 7/9 GR BUF Fernando Pisani - overtime goal, takeaway Topeka 1, at Pittsburgh Sound Chasers 4 PIT Paul Stastny - two goals, three takeaways PIT Martin Brodeur - thirty-three saves, 4/5 GR PIT Cory Stillman - two assists, takeaway Minneapolis 2, at Pittsburgh Sound Chasers 1 MIN Antti Miettinen - two assists MIN Phil Kessen - game-winning goal, two takeaways MIN Dan Ellis - thirty-four saves, 5/6 GR Capital City 3, at Pittsburgh Sound Chasers 2 (SO) CCC Manny Legace - thirty-three saves, 5/6 GR, 2-of-3 in shootout CCC Daniel Alfredsson - goal, assist, shootout goal PIT Martin Brodeur - twenty-nine saves, 6/8 GR, 1-of-3 in shootout Buffalo 3, at Pittsburgh Sound Chasers 5 PIT Daniel Girardi - power-play goal, assist, three takeaways, hit BUF Chad Kilger - two goals, hit BUF Rick DiPietro - forty-eight saves, 9/12 GR Florida 4, at Quebec City 3 (SO) QCP Petr Sykora - goal, three takeaways, hit, shootout goal FLO Trevor Daley - two assists, hit QCP Olli Jokinen - two assists St. Michael's 1, at Quebec City 3 QCP Tomas Plekanec - goal, assist QCP Fredrik Norrena - twenty-six saves, 4/5 GR QCP Olli Jokinen - game-winning power-play goal Seattle Sasquatch 6, at Quebec City 8 QCP Jochen Hecht - three goals, takeaway QCP Olli Jokinen - power-play goal, three assists SES Jaroslav Hlinka - two goals, takeaway Stone Harbor 4, at Quebec City 3 SHS Scottie Upshall - game-winning goal, assist, takeaway QCP Olli Jokinen - power-play goal, assist SHS Paul Ranger - goal, assist, takeaway Vancouver 2, at St. Michael's 7 STM Pavel Datsyuk - two goals, three assists, takeaway STM Jean-Pierre Dumont - goal, two assists, two takeaways STM Tim Thomas - thirty-three saves, 6/7 GR Manayunk 2, at St. Michael's 8 STM Filip Kuba - goal, two assists, two takeaways STM Jean-Pierre Dumont - two goals, takeaway STM Pavel Datsyuk - power-play goal, two assists Montreal 1, at St. Michael's 5 STM Antoine Vermette - two goals, takeaway STM Alex Auld - thirty-one saves, 5/6 GR STM Martin St. Louis - power-play goal, two assists, hit Quebec City 1, at St. Michael's 3 STM Alex Auld - twenty-eight saves, 5/5 GR STM Nik Antropov - two goals, takeaway STM Brad Richards - two assists, takeaway Stone Harbor 4, at Seattle Rainiers 5 SEA Dany Heatley - goal, two assists SHS Niklas Hagman - goal, assist, hit SEA Chris Drury - four takeaways Seattle Sasquatch 0, at Seattle Rainiers 4 SEA Chris Drury - two goals, assist, takeaway, 10-of-11 faceoffs SEA Vesa Toskala - twenty saves, shutout, 6/6 GR SEA Dany Heatley - two assists North Calgary 4, at Seattle Rainiers 3 (OT) NCH Miikka Kiprusoff - fifty saves, 10/12 GR NCH Zach Parise - overtime goal, assist, takeaway SEA Brian Rafalski - power-play goal, assist, two takeaways, two hits Fort Garry 5, at Seattle Rainiers 1 FGF Ryan Getzlaf - goal, two assists FGF Tim Connolly - goal, two assists FGF Ryan Smyth - goal, takeaway Montreal 3, at Seattle Sasquatch 4 (OT) SES Andrei Markov - two goals, two assists, two takeaways SES Milan Hejduk - goal, assist SEA Jean-Sebastien Aubin - thirty-five saves, 4/7 GR Nevada 3, at Seattle Sasquatch 1 NEV Jean-Sebastien Giguere - thirty-two saves, 7/8 GR NEV Jason Arnott - game-winning goal, two takeaways NEV Brian Campbell - two assists Vancouver 5, at Seattle Sasquatch 4 VAW Patrick Sharp - two goals, two takeaways, two hits VAW Henrik Zetterberg - two goals, takeaway, hit VAW Sidney Crosby - three assists Fort Garry 4, at Seattle Sasquatch 5 SES Alexei Ponikarovsky - game-winning goal, two assists FGF Marian Hossa - three goals SES Marc Savard - goal, three assists Nevada 2, at Stone Harbor 1 NEV Jean-Sebastien Giguere - thirty-four saves, 7/7 GR SHS Henrik Lundqvist - thirty saves, 8/10 GR NEV Brian Rolston - two assists St. Michael's 1, at Stone Harbor 6 SHS Thomas Vanek - two goals SHS Martin Erat - goal, two assists SHS Henrik Lundqvist - twenty-eight saves, 4/5 GR Manayunk 3, at Stone Harbor 1 MAN Dominik Hasek - twenty-eight saves, 2/2 GR, assist MAN Mike Knuble - goal, assist, takeaway SHS Paul Ranger - assist, two takeaways Montreal 5, at Stone Harbor 1 MON Jonathan Toews - goal, two assists MON Nikolai Zherdev - goal, assist, two takeaways, ten shots on goal MON Karri Ramo - thirty-one saves, 3/4 GR Pittsburgh Sound Chasers 1, at Topeka 2 TPK Kari Lehtonen - twenty-seven saves, 7/8 GR PIT Martin Brodeur - thirty-two saves, 5/5 GR TPK Alexander Radulov - game-winning power-play goal, hit Pittsburgh Hornets 3, at Topeka 4 (SO) TPK Ilya Kovalchuk - two goals, assist, takeaway TPK Kari Lehtonen - forty-one saves, 9/12 GR, 3-of-3 in shootout PIH Ilya Bryzgalov - thirty-three saves, 5/6 GR, 1-of-2 in shootout Hampton Roads 2, at Topeka 3 (SO) HRH Paul Kariya - goal, assist, takeaway, hit TPK Patrick O'Sullivan - two takeaways, nine shots on goal TPK Wade Dubielewicz - twenty-five saves, 5/7 GR, 3-of-3 in shootout Houston 6, at Topeka 4 HOU Nicklas Lidstrom - two goals, two assists HOU Chris Pronger - goal, two assists, takeaway, hit HOU Tomas Vokoun - thirty-nine saves, 11/13 GR Seattle Sasquatch 2, at Vancouver 3 VAW Michael Cammalleri - game-winning goal SES Jay Pandolfo - two goals VAW Henrik Zetterberg - assist, seven shots, 9/13 faceoffs Florida 3, at Vancouver 4 VAW Niklas Kronwall - goal, two assists, two takeaways, hit VAW Niklas Backstrom - twenty-five saves, 8/10 GR VAW Henrik Zetterberg - goal, assist Seattle Rainiers 2, at Vancouver 1 SEA Vesa Toskala - thirty-four saves, 7/8 GR VAW Joffrey Lupul - goal VAW Niklas Backstrom - thirty-six saves, 4/5 GR North Calgary 2, at Vancouver 4 VAW Jamie Langenbrunner - goal, assist VAW Niklas Backstrom - thirty-seven saves, 4/6 GR NCH Zach Parise - goal ********************************************************************* NSHL SKATER OF THE WEEK (WEEK 9/10): Pavel Datsyuk, St. Michael's. Just look at the numbers, man! In Week 9/10, Datsyuk had a five-point game, a six-point game, and an eight-point game, which makes one wonder what happened to the seven-point game? Overall, Datsyuk contributed ten goals and twenty-six points to the Privateers' efforts, giving them a four-point cushion in their division. +/- SOG G A PIM PP SH FO-W AC IT TA HIT SP AS 12/03 at NCH 7 7 3 5 2 0 0 14-9 38 20:18 1 0 1 2 12/05 at QCP 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 10-6 42 22:15 0 0 1 1 12/07 vs MAN -1 3 1 2 0 1 0 11-6 42 23:30 0 0 0 1 12/08 vs VAW 3 5 2 3 0 1 0 9-5 39 21:34 1 0 2 2 12/09 vs QCP -1 2 0 0 0 0 0 6-4 37 20:53 0 0 0 1 12/10 at FLO 3 3 2 4 0 0 1 5-4 42 22:41 1 2 1 2 12/11 at SHS -1 4 0 1 2 0 0 8-2 40 21:57 0 0 0 1 12/13 vs MON 0 9 1 1 0 1 0 11-6 43 22:43 2 0 1 1 Montreal's Alexander Semin, the Whitecaps' Henrik Zetterberg and Long Island's Vincent Lecavalier round out the list of strong nominees this biweek. NSHL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Week 1/2: Martin St. Louis, Buffalo Bulldogs Week 3/4: Alexander Ovechkin, Brooklyn Fourteenth Week 5/6: Alexander Ovechkin, Brooklyn Fourteenth Week 7/8: Marco Sturm, Manayunk Bullies Week 9/10: Pavel Datsyuk, St. Michael's Privateers ********************************************************************* NSHL GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK (WEEK 9/10): Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Nevada. This could be the only time in league history in which a netminder wins top honours in a biweek where he allows ten goals in one contest. But Giguere was amazing in his other six decisions of Week 9/10, with a 6-0 record including five one-goal victories. Giguere was "GR perfect" three times, helping the Thunder to the second spot in the West. MIN SHOTS GA ENG GR GRS 12/03 vs QCP 12/05 at SHS 60 35 1 0 7 7 WIN, 2-1 12/09 vs NCH 60 37 3 0 7 4 WIN, 4-3 12/10 vs SEA 63 43 4 0 9 7 WIN, 5-4 12/11 at SES 60 33 1 0 8 7 WIN, 3-1 12/12 at NCH 60 34 2 0 8 8 WIN, 3-2 12/13 at FGF 60 41 1 0 6 6 WIN, 2-1 12/14 vs VAW 60 41 10 0 11 4 LOSS, 2-10 The Seattle Rainiers' Vesa Toskala, Brooklyn's Martin Biron and the Sound Chasers' Martin Brodeur all deserve mention for their exemplary performances this biweek. NSHL GOALTENDERS OF THE WEEK: Week 1/2: Martin Brodeur, Pittsburgh Sound Chasers Week 3/4: Evgeni Nabokov, Long Island Berserkers Week 5/6: Ilya Bryzgalov, Pittsburgh Hornets Week 7/8: Miikka Kiprusoff, North Calgary Hawks Week 9/10: Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Nevada Thunder ********************************************************************* NSHL 2008-09 SCHEDULE AND INJURIES (WEEK 11/12): Numbers in parentheses represent total man-games missed in the upcoming biweek, and the total man-games missed during the 2008-09 season to date. BROOKLYN FOURTEENTH (12/66): 12/17/2008 BRK at FGF Popovic 12/19/2008 BRK at NEV Biron, Popovic 12/21/2008 BRK at VAW Biron, Popovic 12/29/2008 BRK at TPK Biron, Popovic 12/31/2008 FGF at BRK Popovic, Roenick 01/02/2009 SES at BRK Popovic 01/04/2009 PIT at BRK Popovic 01/05/2009 NCH at BRK Popovic BUFFALO BULLDOGS (16/68): 12/17/2008 BUF at VAW Wallin, Zednik 12/20/2008 BUF at HOU Wallin, Zednik 12/22/2008 BUF at SEA Wallin, Zednik 12/26/2008 BUF at NCH Wallin, Zednik 12/29/2008 NEV at BUF Wallin, Zednik 12/30/2008 FGF at BUF Wallin, Zednik 12/31/2008 VAW at BUF Wallin, Zednik 01/05/2009 CCC at BUF Wallin, Zednik CAPITAL CITY COUGARS (11/60): 12/18/2008 PIH at CCC Sakic, Schneider, Sutton 12/21/2008 MAN at CCC Sakic, Schneider 12/27/2008 FLO at CCC Sakic 12/28/2008 QCP at CCC Sakic 12/30/2008 CCC at STM Sakic 01/01/2009 CCC at SHS Sakic 01/04/2009 CCC at FLO Sakic 01/05/2009 CCC at BUF Sakic CORNER CREEK GREEN CALVES (15/64): 12/17/2008 CGC at HRH Murray, Whitney 12/20/2008 CGC at NEV Murray, Whitney 12/21/2008 CGC at SEA Murray 12/28/2008 CGC at VAW Cullen, Murray 12/30/2008 MIN at CGC Cullen, Murray 01/02/2009 FGF at CGC Cullen, Murray 01/04/2009 NEV at CGC Cullen, Murray 01/05/2009 SES at CGC Murray, Whitney FLORIDA HELLCATS (0/16): 12/18/2008 FLO at NEV 12/21/2008 FLO at HRH 12/26/2008 FLO at TPK 12/27/2008 FLO at CCC 12/29/2008 NCH at FLO 01/03/2009 PIT at FLO 01/04/2009 CCC at FLO 01/05/2009 MIN at FLO FORT GARRY FIDDLER CRABS (11/56): 12/17/2008 BRK at FGF Lehtinen 12/18/2008 QCP at FGF Lehtinen 12/26/2008 LIB at FGF Lehtinen 12/27/2008 PIH at FGF Hossa, Lehtinen 12/30/2008 FGF at BUF Hossa, Lehtinen 12/31/2008 FGF at BRK Hossa, Lehtinen 01/02/2009 FGF at CGC Lehtinen 01/04/2009 FGF at STM Lehtinen HAMPTON ROADS HOUNDS (16/22): 12/17/2008 CGC at HRH Byfuglien, Downie 12/21/2008 FLO at HRH Byfuglien, Downie 12/23/2008 HRH at STM Byfuglien, Downie, Hamhuis 12/26/2008 SHS at HRH Byfuglien, Downie 12/27/2008 STM at HRH Downie 01/01/2009 HRH at LIB Byfuglien, Downie 01/03/2009 HRH at MAN Byfuglien, Downie 01/05/2009 HRH at MON Byfuglien, Downie HOUSTON AEROS (5/39): 12/17/2008 SHS at HOU Lidstrom 12/20/2008 BUF at HOU Lidstrom 12/21/2008 STM at HOU Lidstrom 12/26/2008 MON at HOU 12/29/2008 HOU at PIH 12/31/2008 HOU at QCP 01/04/2009 HOU at MON Lidstrom 01/05/2009 HOU at MAN Lidstrom LONG ISLAND BERSERKERS (8/27): 12/17/2008 LIB at MIN Chara, Whitney 12/20/2008 LIB at NCH Sydor 12/22/2008 LIB at SES Sydor 12/26/2008 LIB at FGF Sydor 01/01/2009 HRH at LIB 01/02/2009 NCH at LIB 01/03/2009 SEA at LIB Ward 01/05/2009 VAW at LIB Chara, Whitney LYNDONVILLE BLADES (26/91): 12/17/2008 LYN at PIT Kalinin, Malhotra, McCabe 12/19/2008 TPK at LYN Kalinin, Malhotra, McCabe 12/20/2008 VAW at LYN Foster, Kalinin, Malhotra, McCabe 12/23/2008 LYN at SEA Afinogenov, Foster, Kalinin, McCabe 12/27/2008 LYN at NCH Afinogenov, Foster, Kalinin, McCabe, Tallinder 12/29/2008 LYN at SES Foster, Kalinin, Tallinder 01/01/2009 SEA at LYN Kalinin, Tallinder 01/05/2009 NEV at LYN Kalinin, McCabe MANAYUNK BULLIES (14/55): 12/18/2008 MAN at SES Kwiatkowski, Schaefer 12/21/2008 MAN at CCC Kwiatkowski, Schaefer 12/26/2008 MAN at MIN Kwiatkowski, Schaefer 12/28/2008 MAN at PIT Kwiatkowski, Schaefer 12/29/2008 PIT at MAN Kwiatkowski, Schaefer 12/30/2008 VAW at MAN Kwiatkowski, Schaefer 01/03/2009 HRH at MAN Kwiatkowski 01/05/2009 HOU at MAN Kwiatkowski MINNEAPOLIS MASSASAUGA (39/116): 12/17/2008 LIB at MIN Hatcher, Krajicek, Marchant, Nilsson, Rypien 12/26/2008 MAN at MIN Hatcher, Krajicek, Marchant, Nilsson, Ruutu, Rypien 12/27/2008 QCP at MIN Finger, Hatcher, Krajicek, Nilsson, Ruutu, Rypien 12/28/2008 MON at MIN Finger, Hatcher, Krajicek, Nilsson, Rypien 12/30/2008 MIN at CGC Finger, Hatcher, Krajicek, Rypien 01/02/2009 MIN at SHS Hatcher, Krajicek, Nilsson, Rypien 01/04/2009 MIN at QCP Hatcher, Krajicek, Nilsson, Rypien 01/05/2009 MIN at FLO Hatcher, Krajicek, Marchant, Nilsson, Rypien MONTREAL WANDERERS (2/27): 12/18/2008 MON at NCH 12/21/2008 MON at PIT 12/26/2008 MON at HOU 12/28/2008 MON at MIN Dupuis, Semin 01/02/2009 NEV at MON 01/03/2009 TPK at MON 01/04/2009 HOU at MON 01/05/2009 HRH at MON NEVADA THUNDER (9/56): 12/18/2008 FLO at NEV Dandenault 12/19/2008 BRK at NEV Dandenault, McAmmond 12/20/2008 CGC at NEV Dandenault, McAmmond 12/22/2008 PIH at NEV Dandenault, McAmmond 12/29/2008 NEV at BUF McAmmond 01/02/2009 NEV at MON 01/04/2009 NEV at CGC 01/05/2009 NEV at LYN Dandenault NORTH CALGARY HAWKS (8/60): 12/18/2008 MON at NCH Souray 12/20/2008 LIB at NCH Souray 12/26/2008 BUF at NCH Souray 12/27/2008 LYN at NCH Souray 12/29/2008 NCH at FLO Souray 01/02/2009 NCH at LIB Souray 01/04/2009 NCH at PIH Souray 01/05/2009 NCH at BRK Souray PITTSBURGH HORNETS (15/81): 12/18/2008 PIH at CCC Avery, Skrastins 12/20/2008 PIH at SES Avery, Skrastins 12/22/2008 PIH at NEV Avery, Skrastins 12/27/2008 PIH at FGF Avery 12/29/2008 HOU at PIH Avery 01/03/2009 SES at PIH Avery, Skrastins, Umberger 01/04/2009 NCH at PIH Avery, Skrastins 01/05/2009 SEA at PIH Avery, Skrastins PITTSBURGH SOUND CHASERS (7/38): 12/17/2008 LYN at PIT Jones 12/21/2008 MON at PIT Cullimore, Jones 12/28/2008 MAN at PIT Cullimore, Jones 12/29/2008 PIT at MAN Cullimore 01/01/2009 STM at PIT Cullimore 01/03/2009 PIT at FLO 01/04/2009 PIT at BRK 01/05/2009 PIT at QCP QUEBEC CITY PATRIOTES (6/49): 12/18/2008 QCP at FGF Talbot 12/22/2008 QCP at TPK 12/27/2008 QCP at MIN Briere 12/28/2008 QCP at CCC 12/30/2008 SEA at QCP Sykora 12/31/2008 HOU at QCP Norrena 01/04/2009 MIN at QCP Talbot 01/05/2009 PIT at QCP Talbot ST. MICHAEL'S PRIVATEERS (8/22): 12/18/2008 STM at SEA Cole 12/21/2008 STM at HOU Cole, Richards 12/23/2008 HRH at STM Cole, Richards 12/27/2008 STM at HRH Richards 12/30/2008 CCC at STM 01/01/2009 STM at PIT Vermette 01/04/2009 FGF at STM 01/05/2009 TPK at STM Cole SEATTLE RAINIERS (7/40): 12/18/2008 STM at SEA 12/21/2008 CGC at SEA 12/22/2008 BUF at SEA 12/23/2008 LYN at SEA 12/30/2008 SEA at QCP Parrish 01/01/2009 SEA at LYN Filppula, Parrish 01/03/2009 SEA at LIB Parrish, Weiss 01/05/2009 SEA at PIH Parrish, Weiss SEATTLE SASQUATCH (14/89): 12/18/2008 MAN at SES Hill 12/20/2008 PIH at SES Sauer 12/22/2008 LIB at SES Dvorak 12/29/2008 LYN at SES Dvorak, Hill 01/02/2009 SES at BRK Brind'amour, Clark, Hill 01/03/2009 SES at PIH Clark, Hill 01/04/2009 SES at SHS Clark, Hill 01/05/2009 SES at CGC Clark, Hill STONE HARBOR SOUND (7/71): 12/17/2008 SHS at HOU 12/19/2008 SHS at VAW 12/26/2008 SHS at HRH Boyle 12/28/2008 SHS at TPK Boyle 12/30/2008 TPK at SHS Boyle, Ranger 01/01/2009 CCC at SHS Boyle, Ranger 01/02/2009 MIN at SHS Boyle 01/04/2009 SES at SHS TOPEKA TARANTULAS (0/19): 12/19/2008 TPK at LYN 12/22/2008 QCP at TPK 12/26/2008 FLO at TPK 12/28/2008 SHS at TPK 12/29/2008 BRK at TPK 12/30/2008 TPK at SHS 01/03/2009 TPK at MON 01/05/2009 TPK at STM VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (10/37): 12/17/2008 BUF at VAW Ward 12/19/2008 SHS at VAW 12/20/2008 VAW at LYN Ward 12/21/2008 BRK at VAW Cammalleri, Ward 12/28/2008 CGC at VAW Cammalleri, Ward 12/30/2008 VAW at MAN Cammalleri, Ward 12/31/2008 VAW at BUF Ward 01/05/2009 VAW at LIB Ward ********************************************************************* CALENDAR OF EVENTS: December 17: Week 11/12 of regular season begins December 19: all computer managers must be sent by the end of this date. January 5: all teams must submit All-Star Game nominees (please?) January 5: all Week 11/12 results must be reported. January 7: Week 13/14 begins ********************************************************************* 2008-09 REGULAR SEASON LEAGUE STANDINGS: NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L OL SL Pts Pct GF GA Home Road Long Island Berserkers 40 25 11 2 2 54 0.675 141 114 12- 6- 0- 2 13- 5- 2- 0 Pittsburgh Hornets 40 25 12 1 2 53 0.662 118 110 11- 7- 1- 1 14- 5- 0- 1 Corner Creek Green Cal 40 19 19 1 1 40 0.500 112 111 10-10- 0- 0 9- 9- 1- 1 Brooklyn Fourteenth 40 16 16 2 6 40 0.500 126 127 8- 8- 0- 4 8- 8- 2- 2 Lyndonville Blades 40 17 23 0 0 34 0.425 106 125 10-10- 0- 0 7-13- 0- 0 Buffalo Bulldogs 40 14 24 0 2 30 0.375 116 137 5-13- 0- 2 9-11- 0- 0 ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L OL SL Pts Pct GF GA Home Road St. Michael's Privatee 40 25 11 2 2 54 0.675 143 94 16- 3- 1- 0 9- 8- 1- 2 Montreal Wanderers 40 22 12 3 3 50 0.625 116 109 13- 5- 1- 1 9- 7- 2- 2 Florida Hellcats 40 21 18 1 0 43 0.537 120 135 11- 9- 0- 0 10- 9- 1- 0 Quebec City Patriotes 40 20 18 0 2 42 0.525 127 124 9-10- 0- 1 11- 8- 0- 1 Manayunk Bullies 40 18 19 1 2 39 0.487 95 128 8-10- 1- 1 10- 9- 0- 1 Stone Harbor Sound 40 9 27 1 3 22 0.275 96 134 3-15- 0- 2 6-12- 1- 1 NORTHWEST DIVISION GP W L OL SL Pts Pct GF GA Home Road Vancouver Whitecaps 40 34 6 0 0 68 0.850 153 84 18- 2- 0- 0 16- 4- 0- 0 Nevada Thunder 40 26 12 2 0 54 0.675 136 113 12- 7- 1- 0 14- 5- 1- 0 Fort Garry Fiddler Cra 40 24 12 0 4 52 0.650 132 110 10- 7- 0- 3 14- 5- 0- 1 Seattle Rainiers 40 20 15 3 2 45 0.562 127 120 9- 9- 1- 1 11- 6- 2- 1 Seattle Sasquatch 40 21 19 0 0 42 0.525 124 119 13- 7- 0- 0 8-12- 0- 0 North Calgary Hawks 40 14 22 3 1 32 0.400 107 137 4-13- 2- 1 10- 9- 1- 0 CENTRAL DIVISION GP W L OL SL Pts Pct GF GA Home Road Topeka Tarantulas 40 23 16 0 1 47 0.588 114 119 11- 8- 0- 1 12- 8- 0- 0 Houston Aeros 40 22 15 1 2 47 0.588 145 124 12- 7- 0- 1 10- 8- 1- 1 Pittsburgh Sound Chase 40 22 15 1 2 47 0.588 132 118 10- 7- 1- 2 12- 8- 0- 0 Capital City Cougars 40 18 13 4 5 45 0.562 116 109 9- 8- 2- 1 9- 5- 2- 4 Hampton Roads Hounds 40 14 23 2 1 31 0.388 101 148 5-13- 2- 0 9-10- 0- 1 Minneapolis Massasauga 40 11 27 2 0 24 0.300 81 135 4-15- 1- 0 7-12- 1- 0 ********************************************************************* 2008-09 EXPANDED LEAGUE STATISTICS: EXPANDED STATISTICS Total Home Road NORTHEAST DIVISION REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO Long Island Berserkers 22-11 1- 2 2- 2| 10- 6 1- 0 1- 2| 12- 5 0- 2 1- 0 Pittsburgh Hornets 22-12 1- 1 2- 2| 10- 7 1- 1 0- 1| 12- 5 0- 0 2- 1 Corner Creek Green Calv 15-19 2- 1 2- 1| 8-10 1- 0 1- 0| 7- 9 1- 1 1- 1 Brooklyn Fourteenth 16-16 0- 2 0- 6| 8- 8 0- 0 0- 4| 8- 8 0- 2 0- 2 Lyndonville Blades 15-23 0- 0 2- 0| 10-10 0- 0 0- 0| 5-13 0- 0 2- 0 Buffalo Bulldogs 9-24 4- 0 1- 2| 4-13 1- 0 0- 2| 5-11 3- 0 1- 0 ATLANTIC DIVISION REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO St. Michael's Privateer 21-11 3- 2 1- 2| 12- 3 3- 1 1- 0| 9- 8 0- 1 0- 2 Montreal Wanderers 21-12 0- 3 1- 3| 12- 5 0- 1 1- 1| 9- 7 0- 2 0- 2 Florida Hellcats 16-18 0- 1 5- 0| 9- 9 0- 0 2- 0| 7- 9 0- 1 3- 0 Quebec City Patriotes 18-18 1- 0 1- 2| 8-10 0- 0 1- 1| 10- 8 1- 0 0- 1 Manayunk Bullies 14-19 2- 1 2- 2| 6-10 2- 1 0- 1| 8- 9 0- 0 2- 1 Stone Harbor Sound 6-27 1- 1 2- 3| 2-15 0- 0 1- 2| 4-12 1- 1 1- 1 NORTHWEST DIVISION REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO Vancouver Whitecaps 32- 6 0- 0 2- 0| 18- 2 0- 0 0- 0| 14- 4 0- 0 2- 0 Nevada Thunder 23-12 1- 2 2- 0| 11- 7 1- 1 0- 0| 12- 5 0- 1 2- 0 Fort Garry Fiddler Crab 21-12 2- 0 1- 4| 9- 7 0- 0 1- 3| 12- 5 2- 0 0- 1 Seattle Rainiers 18-15 1- 3 1- 2| 8- 9 1- 1 0- 1| 10- 6 0- 2 1- 1 Seattle Sasquatch 13-19 4- 0 4- 0| 8- 7 4- 0 1- 0| 5-12 0- 0 3- 0 North Calgary Hawks 11-22 2- 3 1- 1| 3-13 0- 2 1- 1| 8- 9 2- 1 0- 0 CENTRAL DIVISION REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO Topeka Tarantulas 18-16 2- 0 3- 1| 7- 8 1- 0 3- 1| 11- 8 1- 0 0- 0 Houston Aeros 19-15 0- 1 3- 2| 10- 7 0- 0 2- 1| 9- 8 0- 1 1- 1 Pittsburgh Sound Chaser 18-15 3- 1 1- 2| 8- 7 1- 1 1- 2| 10- 8 2- 0 0- 0 Capital City Cougars 16-13 1- 4 1- 5| 8- 8 1- 2 0- 1| 8- 5 0- 2 1- 4 Hampton Roads Hounds 10-23 1- 2 3- 1| 3-13 0- 2 2- 0| 7-10 1- 0 1- 1 Minneapolis Massasauga 11-27 0- 2 0- 0| 4-15 0- 1 0- 0| 7-12 0- 1 0- 0 ********************************************************************* 2008-09 NSHL NORRIS POWER INDEX To calculate the predicted margin of victory for an upcoming game, take the NPI of the home team, subtract the NPI of the visiting team, and add the calculated home-ice advantage (currently -0.099 goals). NPI: projected "power" of the given team VAR: variation in a team's NPI. SOS: strength of schedule (average NPI of opponents to date) NORRIS POWER INDEX NPI VAR SOS LW 1. Vancouver Whitecaps 2.096 5.050 0.146 1 2. St. Michael's Privateers 1.036 8.070 -0.137 6 3. Nevada Thunder 0.854 6.595 0.199 2 4. Houston Aeros 0.705 6.999 0.123 5 5. Fort Garry Fiddler Crabs 0.613 7.526 0.080 3 6. Long Island Berserkers 0.537 6.190 -0.229 4 7. Pittsburgh Sound Chasers 0.435 6.429 0.033 7 8. Seattle Rainiers 0.399 4.861 0.168 9 9. Pittsburgh Hornets 0.234 4.564 -0.135 8 10. Montreal Wanderers 0.153 7.107 -0.115 14 11. Seattle Sasquatch 0.090 6.343 0.061 10 12. Corner Creek Green Calves -0.012 9.209 -0.124 17 13. Capital City Cougars -0.067 4.841 -0.146 11 14. Quebec City Patriotes -0.131 7.081 -0.156 13 15. Topeka Tarantulas -0.168 6.107 -0.136 16 16. Florida Hellcats -0.195 7.630 0.082 12 17. Brooklyn Fourteenth -0.225 8.912 -0.073 15 18. Lyndonville Blades -0.631 5.255 -0.099 18 19. North Calgary Hawks -0.745 9.763 0.173 20 20. Buffalo Bulldogs -0.779 4.538 -0.045 19 21. Hampton Roads Hounds -0.935 6.380 0.157 22 22. Stone Harbor Sound -0.962 4.900 0.177 23 23. Manayunk Bullies -0.972 5.836 -0.119 21 24. Minneapolis Massasauga -1.331 5.854 0.116 24 ********************************************************************* INCENTIVE POINTS: Incentive points are not discretionary, and are assigned strictly per formula without respect to extenuating circumstances. Incentive points may be appealed through the Review Board. BUF 2 IP, computer manager errors HOU -1 IP, newsletter article MAN -1 IP, newsletter article VAW -1 IP, newsletter article CUMULATIVE INCENTIVE POINTS: BUF 1 IP LIB -1 IP MAN -2 IP MIN 2 IP PIH -1 IP PIT 2 IP STM -1 IP TPK -1 IP VAW -2 IP ********************************************************************* ASSOCIATE LIST: SINCE GP Dean Engemoen June 16, 2007 25 Dale Ripley September 11, 2007 21 Francois Lessard December 10, 2006 8 Steve Kramer December 13, 2004 0 Greg Ralls December 14, 2004 0 Andrew Smith November 19, 2005 0 J.J. Schrems May 1, 2006 0 Scott Bruner June 18, 2007 0 Steve Beren February 2, 2008 0 If you're still an active associate, and aren't on this list, please get in contact with me. Thanks! Doug ********************************************************************* WEEK 11/12 INJURY REPORT: BRK - Martin Biron out 3 games 2 3 4 - Mark Popovic out 8 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - Jeremy Roenick out 1 game 5 BUF - Niclas Wallin out 9 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - Richard Zednik out 8 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CCC - Joe Sakic out 8 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - Mathieu Schneider out 2 games 1 2 - Andy Sutton out 1 game 1 CGC - Matt Cullen out 4 games 4 5 6 7 - Doug Murray out 8 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - Ray Whitney out 3 games 1 2 8 FGF - Marian Hossa out 3 games 4 5 6 - Jere Lehtinen out 10 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 HRH - Dustin Byfuglien out 7 games 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 - Steve Downie out 25 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - Dan Hamhuis out 1 game 3 HOU - Nicklas Lidstrom out 5 games 1 2 3 7 8 LIB - Zdeno Chara out 2 games 1 8 - Darryl Sydor out 3 games 2 3 4 - Jason Ward out 1 game 7 - Ryan Whitney out 2 games 1 8 LYN - Maxim Afinogenov out 2 games 4 5 - Kurtis Foster out 4 games 3 4 5 6 - Dmitri Kalinin out 12 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - Manny Malhotra out 3 games 1 2 3 - Bryan McCabe out 6 games 1 2 3 4 5 8 - Henrik Tallinder out 3 games 5 6 7 MAN - Joel Kwiatkowski out 54 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - Peter Schaefer out 6 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 MIN - Jeff Finger out 3 games 3 4 5 - Derian Hatcher out 21 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - Lukas Krajicek out 10 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - Todd Marchant out 3 games 1 2 8 - Robert Nilsson out 7 games 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 - Tuomo Ruutu out 2 games 2 3 - Rick Rypien out 15 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 MON - Pascal Dupuis out 1 game 4 - Alexander Semin out 1 game 4 NEV - Mathieu Dandenault out 5 games 1 2 3 4 8 - Dean McAmmond out 4 games 2 3 4 5 NCH - Sheldon Souray out 15 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 PIH - Sean Avery out 15 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - Karlis Skrastins out 6 games 1 2 3 6 7 8 - R.J. Umberger out 1 game 6 PIT - Jassen Cullimore out 4 games 2 3 4 5 - Randy Jones out 3 games 1 2 3 QCP - Daniel Briere out 1 game 3 - Fredrik Norrena out 1 game 6 - Petr Sykora out 1 game 5 - Maxime Talbot out 3 games 1 7 8 STM - Erik Cole out 4 games 1 2 3 8 - Brad Richards out 3 games 2 3 4 - Antoine Vermette out 1 game 6 SEA - Valtteri Filppula out 1 game 6 - Mark Parrish out 4 games 5 6 7 8 - Stephen Weiss out 2 games 7 8 SES - Rod Brind'amour out 1 game 5 - Brett Clark out 4 games 5 6 7 8 - Radek Dvorak out 2 games 3 4 - Sean Hill out 6 games 1 4 5 6 7 8 - Kurt Sauer out 1 game 2 SHS - Brian Boyle out 5 games 3 4 5 6 7 - Paul Ranger out 2 games 5 6 VAW - Michael Cammalleri out 3 games 4 5 6 - Aaron Ward out 7 games 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 FA - Mike Zigomanis out 20 games 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ********************************************************************* TRANSACTIONS: All free agents *must* play in at least six of your team's games the following biweek. Violation of this results in the player being released immediately. MIN - SIGN Colin Stuart. - RELEASE Mike Zigomanis. NEV - TRADE Jason Arnott and Brian Campbell to PIH for David Krejci, Dennis Wideman and PIH#1. PIH - TRADE David Krejci, Dennis Wideman and PIH#1 to NEV for Jason Arnott and Brian Campbell. ********************************************************************* League Governing Boards Responsibilities of the following governing boards are outlined in the Constitution. Review Board Tom Vinacci, Buffalo Bulldogs Patrick Shea, Long Island Berserkers Mark McNeil, Lyndonville Blades Constitutional Council Head: Patrick Shea (patrickjshea at verizon dot net) Doug Norris, Commissioner Brian Leahy, Vice-Commissioner Andy Bartalone, St. Michael's owner (vacant) *********************************************************************