Author Archives: Lou Lafrado

ECHL Today – March 14

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ECHL Today text with today's date

Iowa Heartlanders (19-31-6) at Cincinnati Cyclones (27-26-3)                4:05 p.m. ET

  • Iowa’s Elliot Desnoyers has 13 points (4g-9a) in his last 10 games.
  • Cincinnati’s Justin Vaive has three goals in his last four games.
  • Heartlanders are 13-3-3 when leading after two periods.
  • Cyclones are 18-7-3 in one-goal games.

 

Norfolk Admirals (24-29-3) at Maine Mariners (32-16-7)                        6 p.m. ET

  • Norfolk’s Brody Crane has six goals in his last eight games.
  • Jacob Hudson leads Maine against the Admirals with three goals and five points.
  • Admirals are 5-0-1 in their last six games.
  • Mariners are 19-5-5 when outshooting their opponent.

 

Toledo Walleye (34-14-8) at South Carolina Stingrays (38-18-1)                        6:05 p.m. ET

  • Toledo’s Riley McCourt is third among defensemen with points (6g-39a).
  • South Carolina’s Kyler Kupka is on a four-game point streak (3g-4a).
  • Walleye are 13-2-3 when outshot by their opponent.
  • Stingrays are 15-1-1 in one-goal games.

 

Trois-Rivières Lions (27-24-4) at Greensboro Gargoyles (16-34-6)         7 p.m. ET

  • Trois-Rivières’ Anthony Beauregard is on a three-game point streak (1g-8a).
  • Logan Nelson leads Greensboro with 14 goals.
  • Lions are fifth with 27.13 shots-against per game.
  • Gargoyles are 12-2-1 when leading after two periods.

 

Florida Everblades (38-12-8) at Jacksonville Icemen (21-27-8)               7 p.m. ET

  • Florida’s Isaac Nurse has six points (3g-3a) in his last four games.
  • Bennett MacArthur leads Jacksonville against the Everblades with four points (2g-2a).
  • Everblades are 13-3-2 in their last 18 games.
  • Icemen have gone to overtime or a shootout in six of their last 11 games.

 

Indy Fuel (27-20-9) at Kalamazoo Wings (26-24-6)                                   7 p.m. ET

  • Indy’s Matt Petgrave is tied for fourth among defensemen with 10 goals.
  • Colin Bilek leads Kalamazoo against the Fuel with four goals.
  • Fuel are 20-4-5 when scoring first.
  • K-Wings have scored 25 goals in their last five games (4-1-0).

 

Greenville Swamp Rabbits (22-26-7) at Orlando Solar Bears (21-30-5)          7 p.m. ET

  • Greenville’s Tim Lovell is seventh among rookie defensemen with 20 assists.
  • Aaron Luchuk leads Orlando against the Solar Bears with four goals and seven points.
  • Swamp Rabbits are tied for fourth with four shorthanded goals against.
  • Solar Bears are 13-2-0 when leading after one period.

 

Worcester Railers (25-23-7) at Reading Royals (29-19-7)                         7 p.m. ET

  • Worcester’s MacAuley Carson is on a three-game goal streak (3g).
  • Ben Meehan leads Reading against the Railers with five points (0g-5a).
  • Railers are 15-5-1 when scoring first.
  • Royals are third with one shorthanded goal against.

 

Adirondack Thunder (31-16-8) at Wheeling Nailers (35-16-6)                7:10 p.m. ET

  • Adirondack’s Brannon McManus is tied for seventh with 53 points (22g-31a).
  • Wheeling’s Taylor Gauthier has made 29 or more saves in five consecutive appearances.
  • Thunder are 22-0-2 when leading after two periods.
  • Nailers are tied for third on the power play at home at 25.0 percent (25-for-100).

 

Fort Wayne Komets (33-15-8) at Bloomington Bison (27-25-4)               7 p.m. CT

  • Fort Wayne’s Matthew Brown is on a four-game point streak (3g-1a).
  • Sullivan Mack leads Bloomington against the Komets with eight points (4g-4a).
  • Komets are third with 26.04 shots-against per game.
  • Bison are 21-2-0 when leading after two periods.

 

Idaho Steelheads (35-18-5) at Allen Americans (32-20-5)                         7:10 p.m. CT

  • Kaleb Pearson leads Idaho against the Americans with six goals and eight points.
  • Allen’s Andre Anania is on a three-game point streak (1g-2a).
  • Steelheads are 15-4-5 in one-goal games.
  • Americans are 22-7-3 when outshot by their opponent.

 

Wichita Thunder (24-23-10) at Rapid City Rush (23-29-5)                      7:05 p.m. MT

  • Wichita’s Gavin Best scored his first pro goal in last night’s game.
  • Ryan Wagner leads Rapid City against the Thunder with five points (2g-3a).
  • Thunder are seventh with 32.21 shots per game.
  • Rush are 15-2-3 when leading after two periods.

 

Tulsa Oilers (18-33-5) at Utah Grizzlies (22-28-8)                                     7:10 p.m. MT

  • Easton Armstrong leads Tulsa against the Grizzlies with two goals.
  • Utah’s Danny Dzhaniyev is on a four-game point streak (2g-5a).
  • Oilers are tied for fifth with four shorthanded goals against.
  • Grizzlies have scored 14 goals in their last three games (2-0-1).

 

Kansas City Mavericks (45-10-3) at Tahoe Knight Monsters (29-24-5)  7 p.m. PT

  • Marcus Crawford leads Kansas City against the Knight Monsters with nine points (2g-7a).
  • Tahoe’s Trent Swick is tied for fifth among rookies with 20 goals.
  • Mavericks are one of two teams to have not allowed a shorthanded goal.
  • Knight Monsters lead the league with 3.62 goals per game.

 

Kelly Cup Playoffs Update

Florida can clinch a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs on Saturday if:

Florida wins OR Florida loses in overtime/shootout OR Greenville loses

Texas Earns Windy City Weekend Whitewash after penalties

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ROSEMONT, Illinois – The Texas Stars, American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, completed a perfect road trip Sunday with a 7-6 shootout win over the Chicago Wolves at Allstate Arena in a game that featured five different lead changes.

Texas jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first two minutes. Antonio Stranges lifted the puck into the net from the slot and sent Amir Miftakhov sprawling on his back 1:16 into the game. Just 26 seconds later Cross Hanas ripped a shot from the left wing half-wall to put the Stars up 2-0. It was Hanas’ first game back in the lineup after missing the last seven with an injury.

Bradley Nadeau found the back of the net from the bottom of the left face-off circle to put the Wolves on the board 6:47 into the first period. Chicago scored two more goals to end the period in the lead. Cal Foote let a wrist shot go from between the circles to tie the score and Noel Gunler delivered a hard shot from a similar spot to put Chicago in front. Remi Poirier came into the game in relief of Arno Tiefensee, with just over five minutes left in the high-scoring frame.

Texas notched the equalizer 3:07 into the second period when Matthew Seminoff poked the puck through Miftakhov’s legs from the crease. Domenick Fensore put the Wolves back in front just 3:25 later on a shot through traffic from just inside the blue line. Juuso Välimäki added an insurance goal on the power play near the midway point, making it 5-3 after 40 minutes.

The Stars came out firing in the final frame, this time on a tip from Seminoff on the doorstep 12 seconds in for his second goal of the game. Curtis McKenzie notched the equalizer 1:51 later, spinning to grab the puck at the side of the net and then lifting it over Miftakhov’s stick.

Michael Karow bounced the puck off of Miftakhov’s pads and cleaned up his own rebound to put Texas back in the lead 3:47 into the third. The Stars held the lead until late in the game, when Chicago went on the power play in the final minutes and pulled Miftakhov for a sixth attacker. Skyler Brind’Amour capitalized to send the game to overtime.

Poirier was infallible between the pipes and stopped two shots in overtime to keep the Stars alive heading into the shootout.

Cameron Hughes and Kole Lind scored in the shootout, and Poirier stopped two of three to earn the extra point for Texas.

Poirier earned the win, stopping 26 of 29 shots faced. Tiefensee gave up three goals on six shots in the first 14:36. Miftakhov stopped 31 of 37 in the loss.

The Stars begin a four-game homestand Friday, Mar. 13 against the Bakersfield Condors at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm. Tickets are on sale at  www.texasstars.com/tickets.

The Texas Stars are the primary development affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. For more information, call (512) GO-STARS (467-8277) or visit TexasStars.com.

Photo Credit: Ross Dettman, Chicago Wolves

Blades Roll Over Icemen 6-1 for Sixth Straight Win

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Everblades continued to roll to begin the month of March posting a 4-1 triumph over the Icemen to make it six straight wins. 

Blades Roll Over Icemen 6-1 for Sixth Straight Win

Both sides traded chances early in the opening frame, but nothing came to fruition until Oliver Chau broke through, banging home a loose puck off a Jordan Sambrook shot that generated a rebound off the far pad of the Jacksonville netminder. Chau’s 12th of the season, coming with 6:17 remaining in the first period, gave the visitors an early lead. Moments later, Reid Duke nearly doubled the advantage on a cross-ice feed from Hudson Elynuik, but Scott Ratzlaff dove across the crease to keep it a one-goal game. 

Late in the frame, the Icemen were awarded a power play on a slashing call against Duke but failed to convert, as Cam Johnson came up with a pair of timely stops to preserve the lead. As the penalty expired, Duke generated another opportunity when the puck found him coming out of the box to spring Florida on a breakaway, but the puck rolled on him, preventing a clean look on goal. The Everblades outshot Jacksonville 10–8 in the period and carried a one-goal advantage into the intermission.

Florida generated early pressure in the middle frame, firing the first three shots of the period but could not extend their lead. The Icemen found the equalizer at the 5:10 mark after a defensive turnover below the goal line led to Logan Cockerill snapping a shot over Johnson’s glove for his first of the season.

Midway through the period, the Everblades capitalized on a power play after Patrick Bajkov was penalized for boarding. Jordan Sambrook restored the lead just 45 seconds into the man advantage, blasting his fourth of the season through traffic over the blocker side of Ratzlaff. Moments later, Sambrook delivered a key defensive play, tracking down Jacques Bouquot on the backcheck to deny a potential breakaway bid after a turnover at the offensive blue line. Florida controlled much of the period, outshooting Jacksonville 12–5 in the middle stanza.

Reid Duke extended Florida’s lead halfway through the third period finishing off a chance set up by Hudson Elynuik for his 13th of the season to give the Blades some insurance. The score would remain the same until just under two minutes remaining when Oliver Cooper nailed the empty net to make it 4-1. 

Cam Johnson earned the win in net stopping 23 of 24 Jacksonville shots including all 11 shots he faced in the final frame for his 18th win of the season. 

Game Sheet

Torrent break attendance record in home loss to Sceptres

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SEATTLE, WA– In the first game back for both teams after a pause in PWHL action for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the Toronto Sceptres overtook the Seattle Torrent 5-2 in a back-and-forth game in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,335 fans at Climate Pledge Arena, setting a new U.S. arena attendance record for women’s hockey.

Five of Toronto’s eight Olympians in the lineup got on the scoresheet, led by two points from Renata Fast. Canadian top scorer Daryl Watts connected with Jesse Compher on the opening goal just 28 seconds into the first period, the second fastest goal to start a game in the PWHL this season. Aneta Tejralová evened the scoring just before the end of the period at 19:48 on a tic-tac-toe play from Danielle Serdachny and Julia Gosling.

Toronto got up again early in the second with Fast’s first goal of the season, deflected in off Hannah Murphy’s stick at 4:25, with Natalie Snodgrass again bringing Seattle even at 18:48. Emma Maltais potted the game-winner 5:56 into the third period, followed by two empty netters from Sara Hjalmarsson and Kali Flanagan to seal the Sceptres first West Coast win.

Raygan Kirk turned away 29/31 shots for her third win of the season while Murphy saved 24/27.

Toronto looks to pick up momentum as they head up the coast to visit the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Sunday, while the Torrent fly to Ottawa to face the Charge on Tuesday.

QUOTES

Sceptres forward Emma Maltais: “It’s really fun to get a win under our belts…It’s sometimes nice to know that we can find a way to win in moments that we are not having our typical best game. I think there are a lot of learning points. We need to continue to try and play a hard game, get pucks in deep. I think you saw a couple of goals against that were costly from not doing that. It’s good to see our group battle back after we scored that go-ahead goal. There was no give up and we got two empty netters to seal the deal. And Kirky [Raygan Kirk] played amazing.”

Toronto Head Coach Troy Ryan on what helped the team grab momentum in the third period: “A little bit from the penalty kill – just gives us some confidence. Try to acknowledge a very simple thing, but I thought late in the third, I recognized [Claire] Dalton’s play. Just good puck protection, making good decisions on the wall. I thought there were two to three instances where Maggie Connors just made such a great play along the wall, surrounding the puck. I know it sounds so boring to talk about, but those types of plays in a close game like that make all the difference in the world. Just doing the right thing in dangerous places and making good decisions with the puck, they’re probably the biggest things I noticed as a coach.”

Torrent forward Natalie Snodgrass on playing in front of 17,335 fans at Climate Pledge Arena: “I don’t think you can ask for a better workplace environment, a better home base, and the love and support from the fans is so present. We take great pride as an organization to have the best fans in the league, and our fans take great pride in themselves to show up and want to break records. I just wish that we could have gotten a couple more points for them tonight. But what a cool experience for us and for them to be a part of history.”

Seattle Head Coach Steve O’Rourke on the game overall: “It took a little bit of time to find our rhythm, which was expected with one practice back together, so I wasn’t surprised we started a little bit on our heels. I felt that as the game went on, we started to find our rhythm, and it’s a challenge to find that rhythm when you take two players out of [the lineup] and a lot of people are playing with different people and different responsibilities. It took some time for people to get rolling into that, and one of the things we talked about, and we’ll continue to work on, is our connection, from our breakouts or our forechecks and our regroups. I just felt that we had moments where we looked really connected and moments where we weren’t connected, and that’s where we struggled a little bit. We started a little slow, but we got our footing and pushed and pushed and the result just wasn’t there.”

NOTABLES

Tonight’s crowd of 17,335 is the third highest of the season and ninth highest in PWHL history.

Toronto also played in the two highest attended games of the season on Dec. 27 at Montréal’s Bell Centre (18,107) and when they hosted Vancouver at Scotiabank Arena on Jan. 17 (17,856).

The Sceptres scored five goals for the first time in a regular-season game since the last game of the inaugural campaign on May 5, 2024. They entered tonight’s game with the fewest third period goals in the league with seven and earned their largest margin of victory this season.

Toronto snapped a four-game winless streak on the road, a stretch that was tied with Vancouver (Nov. 26 to Dec. 31) for the longest by any team in the PWHL this season.

Seattle has now outshot opponents in five of their 15 games but have just one win in such games.

The Torrent have been tied after two periods a league-high seven times but have won just three of those games.

Renata Fast recorded her first multi-point performance of the season to become the first player to record 40 career points entirely in a Toronto uniform. Her first goal of the campaign snapped a six-game pointless streak that matched the longest of her career, and her fourth assist tied the amount the Canadian defender recorded in Milan, the most among blue liners wearing the Maple Leaf.

Raygan Kirk made her 11th start of the season, the fifth most among the league’s netminders, and allowed two or fewer goals for the seventh time this season.

Jesse Compher set a Sceptres record for the fastest goal to start a game with her fifth of the year just 28 seconds after puck drop. She ranks second on the team in goals behind Daryl Watts’ six, who assisted on the goal. Compher’s last goal came on Jan. 20, also in Seattle and assisted by Watts.

Emma Maltais scored her third goal of the season and ninth point in 17 games to match her 2024-25 production in 30 games (4G, 5A). The Canadian Olympian has four points (2G, 2A) in her last six games and has produced in all three games against Seattle this season (1G, 2A).

Aneta Tejralová’s first PWHL goal with Seattle gives her two points on the season, while recording a season-high five shots. In 2024-25 as a member of the Ottawa Charge, the defender had one goal and nine assists, reaching the back of the net on Dec. 17, 2025. Tejralová captained Team Czechia at her second Olympic Winter Games.

Natalie Snodgrass scored her first goal as a member of the Torrent, matching her goal total in each of her last two seasons in Ottawa. With two points in 14 games, she also matched her stat line across 21 games with the Charge in 2024-25.

Sara Hjalmarsson scored her first career PWHL goal in her 17th game since being selected in the fifth round of the 2025 PWHL Draft by the Sceptres. The Swedish Olympian scored two goals and five points in six games in Milan.

Kali Flanagan tallied her second goal of the season, with her first also scored in Seattle on Jan. 20. Three of the defender’s four points have come against the Torrent.

Watts’ assist brings her team-leading point total to 12 in 16 games on the heels of leading Canada in scoring with eight points (2G, 6A) in her Olympic debut. She leads the season series against Seattle with five points (1G, 4A) in three games. Watts logged just 12:19 of ice time, leaving the game early due to illness.

Ella Shelton registered her third assist and fifth point of the season for a share of the Sceptres lead among defenders. The Canadian Olympian, who leads Toronto in average time on ice, played a season-low 20:31 tonight.

Kiara Zanon contributed her second assist and third point to snap an eight-game point drought, the longest of her rookie season.

Natalie Spooner picked up the primary assist on the game-winner for her fourth helper and seventh point of the campaign. Her last three points (2G, 1A) have come in games against Seattle.

Danielle Serdachny recorded her third assist of the season and fifth point. The forward has points in consecutive games for just the second time in her PWHL career (3A on Dec. 17-19, 2024) after tallying an assist in Seattle’s last game before the Olympic break.

Julia Gosling kept her Olympic momentum going with an assist in her first game back from Milan where she tied for third in Canadian scoring with five points. The forward has produced in every game against her former team (1G, 2A) and has yet to go more than one game this season without a point, tallying her 13th of the campaign tonight.

Alex Carpenter picked up her fifth assist and 10th point of the season, four of which have come in three games against the Sceptres (1G, 3A). The U.S. Olympic gold medalist won 19/30 at the faceoff dot tonight for a 63.3 winning percentage, after leading all tournament skaters at the Winter Games with a 68.1 winning percentage.

Jessie Eldridge extended her season-high point streak to four games (3G, 4A) with a secondary helper tonight. Four of the Torrent forward’s 11 points have come against the Sceptres, bringing her one point away from 50 for her career.

Hannah Murphy suffered a fourth straight loss after opening her rookie season with three straight wins. The Torrent second-round pick leads all rookie goaltenders with seven starts.

Blayre Turnbull recorded a season-high six shots, the most among tonight’s skaters. Toronto’s captain and Team Canada alternate captain had 15 shots on net across seven games in Milano Cortina 2026.

Sydney Langseth made her PWHL debut after signing with the Torrent earlier today from the team’s Reserve Player List. The 24-year-old forward from Eden Prairie, MN logged 4:50 in ice time.

Hilary Knight and Hannah Bilka both missed their first games of the season for Seattle after sustaining injuries while competing at the Olympics. Knight (lower-body) was placed on long-term injured reserve while Bilka (upper-body) is listed day-to-day.

Emma Gentry missed the first game of her rookie season with Toronto and is listed day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

THREE STARS

1. Raygan Kirk (TOR) 29/31 SV
2. Renata Fast (TOR) 1G, 1A
3. Aneta Tejralová (SEA) 1G

STANDINGS

Toronto: 20 PTS (5-1-3-8) – 6th Place

Seattle: 16 PTS (4-1-2-8) – 8th Place

UPCOMING SCHEDULES

Toronto: Sunday, Mar. 1 at Vancouver at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET

Seattle: Tuesday, Mar. 2 at Ottawa at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET

CLICK HERE FOR STATS

Admirals Score Four Straight To Upset Gargoyles

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GREESBORO, NC – The Greensboro Gargoyles saw a 3-1 second period lead evaporate as the Norfolk Admirals stormed back, scoring four consecutive goals in a 5-3 comeback win.Admirals Score Four Straight To Upset Gargoyles

Special teams took over in the first period. The Admirals opened the scoring with a power play goal on their first opportunity 11:09 into the contest. The Gargoyles rebounded with a power play goal to tie the game from Patrick Newell, assisted by Dalton Skelly and Anthony Rinaldi at 16:03. 92 seconds later, the Gargoyles took the lead on another power play goal as Newell set up Greg Smith to give Greensboro a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

Newell picked up his third point of the night to open the second period at 5:34 from Richardson and Biondi to take a 3-1 lead. Norfolk would get one back late in the second with 1:46 remaining to cut the lead to one.

In the third period, the Admirals tied the game 3-3 on Chase Yoder’s second consecutive goal. They would steal the game winning goal shorthanded at 12:59 in the third as Jack O’Leary found a rebound from Brandon Osmundson’s breakaway bid. Osmundson would score on an empty net inside the last minute of regulation to cap off a four point night and secure his team a 5-3 win.

The Gargoyles play Norfolk twice more this weekend, heading on the road to Virginia Saturday and Sunday, February 14 and 15. The road trip opens a six-game road stand that will see three games in Norfolk split up by a three-game weekend in Adirondack. The Gargoyles return home on February 27 with the return of Pucks and Paws Night, and eight of the next nine games at the First Horizon Coliseum! Get your tickets and more information at gargoyleshockey.com.

Canada rebound for 5-0 win over Finland

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After a disappointing performance against the United States last time out, Canada responded in their final preliminary-round matchup with a convincing 5–0 win over Finland.

Vancouver native and Vancouver Goldeneyes forward Jenn Gardiner opened the scoring in the first period, recording her first point of the tournament. Daryl Watts and Kristin O’Neill added goals in the second, while Emily Clark scored twice in the third to seal the victory. After being pulled in the loss to the United States, Ann-Renée Desbiens bounced back with a shutout performance.

Finland entered the game with an opportunity to leapfrog Canada in the standings with a regulation win. However, Canada’s dominant display ensured the Finns remained in their position in Group A.

The final Group A standings see the United States finish first, followed by Canada, Czechia, Finland, and Switzerland. Canada will next face Germany in the quarterfinals at 10:40 AM ET on Saturday, while Finland advances into quarterfinal action Saturday at 3:10 PM ET against Switzerland.