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Voyageurs prevail; capture Dynasty Cup
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Friday, April 6, 2012
The Nova scotia Voyageurs claimed their second Dynasty Cup championship in three years after a decisive 19-5 victory over the Prospect Whalers in game seven of the Dynasty Cup Finals. Kris Letang, Tobias Enstrom, Joe Thornton, and former Whaler and first star of the game Martin St. Louis each recorded a goal and an assist in the clincher for the newly crowned champions, while Evgeni Malkin had a goal and assist of his own in the crushing defeat that sees the Whaler franchise fail to capture a title for the third time in three tries over a five year span. Thornton and Letang were named second and third stars respectively for their championship efforts.
The Whalers previously made it to the finals in back-to-back years in 2007-08 and 2008-09, when they were know as the Halifax Maroons, only to fall short in both of those series as well. This season marked the return of the Whalers to the playoffs after a one year hiatus and the third time these two franchises have met in the playoffs in the DHL's five year history. The Maroons were victorious in the previous two playoff encounters between the teams, however, in this series the Vees outscored the Whalers by a combined total of 86-57.
The Vees and Whalers took different paths to their epic clash as the Voyageurs defeated both the St. John's Penguins and the Truro Bearcats in five games, whereas the Whalers needed seven games in the first round to get past the New Scotland Pack and another six games in the second round to slip by the Fredericton Express to set up this seven-gamer. After winning game one the Vees dropped the next two before evening the series at two games apiece. The Whalers then won game five and were once again within one win of their first ever championship after winning the first three games of the 2008-09 finals against the Halifax Atlantics. The Atlantics would not be denied in 2009 and the Voyageurs would not be denied this season as they won games six and seven in blowouts. This loss drops the Whalers franchise to 0-6 overall in Dynasty Cup clinching games.
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Voyageurs and Whalers to meet in final
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
After failing to qualify for the playoffs last season, the Prospect Whalers defeated the Fredericton Express in six games and are heading back to the Dynasty Cup Finals for the third time in franchise history and first time since the 2008-09 season when the team was known as the Halifax Maroons. The Whalers will attempt to capture their first ever Dynasty Cup championship as their previous two trips to the Finals ended with defeat at the hands of the Halifax Atlantics.
Standing in the way of the Whalers' first ever title is the Nova Scotia Voyageurs who qualified for the Finals by disposing of the Truro Bearcats in five games. The Vees are making their second trip to the Finals in franchise history and are looking to secure their second Dynasty Cup championship in three seasons.
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Champs swept by 'Cats; Final four set
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Monday, March 12, 2012
The Truro Bearcats have assured that there will be a new Dynasty Cup champion this year by ousting the three-time and defending champion Halifax Atlantics in quick fashion four games to goose. The early exit from the playoffs puts an end to an underwhelming season for the Atlantics who failed to finish first place overall in the regular season for the first time in franchise and DHL history. The high powered Bearcats will meet the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in the second round after the Vees disposed of the St. John's Penguins in five games.
The Fredericton Express and Bedford Barons finished the regular season with identical records with the Barons winning the tiebreaker for the number four seed after posting a record of 5-3-2 against the Express. But it was the Express moving on to the next round after beating the Barons in a six game series that included two overtime games. The Express will face the Prospect Whalers who survived the only series to go the distance in the first round after defeating the New Scotland Pack in seven games.
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Bearcats win in first ever playoff game
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March 2, 2012
The 2012 Dynasty Cup Playoffs kicked off last night with the defending Dynasty Cup champion Halifax Atlantics coming out strong in their title defense but falling to the playoff rookie Truro Bearcats by a score of 18-15. Claude Giroux had three assists and P.K. Subban had a goal and an assist for the champs, but it was Evander Kane's first star performance of two goals and two assists that led the 'Cats to victory and a 1-0 series lead.
The Prospect Whalers used every save second star Roberto Luongo had to offer in their 13-12 win over the New Scotland Pack. The Whalers grabbed a 1-0 series lead as Luongo recorded a win and a shutout, and Fedor Tyutin and Jaromir Jagr each had a goal and an assist in the win as the Pack countered with a more balanced attack. Elsewhere, the Fredericton Express used a goal and assist from Marian Gaborik to win game one of their first round series against the first year Bedford Barons by a score of 8-7. The Barons were making their playoff debut and were led by two assists from Milan Lucic.
Rounding out the action, the number one seed Nova Scotia Voyageurs grinded out a lacklustre 7-4 win over the St. John's Penguins. The Vees were able to take a 1-0 series lead on the strength of a goal and an assist from Jarome Iginla and a win and rare goalie assist from Tim Thomas.
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Ten Compelling Stories from the 2011-12 Regular Season
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February 29, 2012
Last Night marked the end of the 2011-12 DHL regular season. In no particular order here are ten stories, thoughts, and facts from the last four months.
Parity
It took 81 games for the eighth and final playoff team to be determined. It also took 81 games for the Regular Season champ to be determined. For the majority of the season all playoff positions were up for grabs. In all, only 29 points separated the number 1 team from the number 10 team. The days of 'easy wins' are over in the DHL.
Streaks of Futility
The current season saw two teams set new DHL records for futility. The Fathom Harbour Oilers set the new dubious mark of nine losses in a row, while the Whites Lake Senators broke their previous mark of ten games without a win by recording an eleven game winless skid by going 0-9-2 from February 9 to February 24. This sounds contradictory to the fact the DHL has never been so competitive. But if you look closer, the fact both of these teams still almost made the playoffs is proof that the DHL is as tight as ever.
Are 20 Point Games Becoming Extinct?
During the 2010-11 DHL regular season teams reached the twenty-point mark 16 times in the 360 games, an average of one twenty point game every twenty-two and a half games. This season saw that number significantly reduced to eight times in the 410 total games for an average of one twenty point game in every fifty-one games. Although twenty-point games aren't extinct yet, they certainly qualify for the endangered list. Somebody call WWF.
Dynasty Cup Escapes Fire
On December 10, 2011 DHL head office was destroyed by fire. Lucky for the Dynasty Cup it was being engraved that week. The Dynasty Cup is currently safe and sound and proudly on display in the temporary home of the Halifax Atlantics.
Big Names on the Move
This DHL regular season saw several big name players find new DHL teams. The Halifax Atlantics acquired Keith Yandle from the Fathom Harbour Oilers, Ryan Kesler from the Whites Lake Senators, and Martin Brodeur from the Bedford Barons. The Oilers acquired T. J. Oshie and Jamie McBain from the Atlantics. The Nova Scotia Voyageurs added Joe Thornton and Jarome Iginla from the Whites Lake Senators and Kevin Shattenkirk from the Halifax Atlantics. Other big name players on the move this season included Jaroslav Halak (Barons), Thomas Vanek (Barons), Danny Briere (Voyageurs), James vanRiemsdyk (Express), Mike Cammalleri (Express), Jonathan Huberdeau (Senators).
Crosby for Malkin
On August 26, 2011 the biggest trade in DHL history saw Sidney Crosby traded from the Nova Scotia Voyageurs to the Prospect Whalers for Evgeni Malkin. Less than two months later, on October 17, the two players were traded for each other once again. They say things happen in threes...
Today's Program is brought to you by the Number 47
Last season the Halifax Atlantics set a DHL record by recording 47 wins in 72 games played. This season the Nova Scotia Voyageurs equaled the 47 victories, although in 82 games played.
In The Stars
As per DHL tradition, after each DHL game night, three stars are named. Of the 82 game nights this season there were 60 different players named first star. Evgeni Malkin led all players with five first star selections. Next were Steven Stamkos with four first star selections and John Tavares and Phil Kessel with three first star selections apiece. Shea Weber led all defensemen with two first star selections, while Jonathan Quick topped all goaltenders with two first star selections of his own. Nine other players had two first star selections each; Stephen Weiss, Shane Doan, Kris Versteeg, Jason Spezza, James Neal, Tyler Seguin, Scott Hartnell, Logan Couture, and Patrice Bergeron. Other notables include Jordan Eberle with three second star selections and two third star selections and Daniel Sedin with one first star selection, three second star selections and two third star selections. Overall, Evgeni Malkin also led all players with eight total 3-star selections (5-1-2).
That's New
For the first time in DHL history the Halifax Atlantics did not finish atop the regular season standings. Although the Atlantics and Nova Scotia Voyageurs each finished with 99 points, the Voyageurs finished with one more victory thus securing the regular season title.
Dynasty Cup Playoffs Preview
The first round match-ups are decided and the Dynasty Cup Playoffs are set to begin on March 1. The top ranked Nova Scotia Voyageurs take on the St. JohnÕs Penguins while the defending Dynasty Cup champion Halifax Atlantics begin their title defense as the number two seed and battling the Truro Bearcats who qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their three year history. The number three seed Prospect Whalers, who missed the playoffs last season, will take on the New Scotland Pack who after a slow start finished the season strongly. The final series sees the Bedford Barons and Fredericton Express wage battle as the number four and five seeds respectively who finished with identical 36-38-8 records with the Barons winning the tiebreak due to a better head-to-head record.
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Jagr leads Whalers to victory
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December 3, 2011
Jaromir Jagr scored two goals and added an assist and was named DHL first star of the night as the Prospect Whalers soundly defeated the Fathom Harbour Oilers by a score of 13-5. The Whalers have now won seven of their last ten games and currently occupy fifth overall in the DHL standings. With the loss the Oilers have now lost four games in a row and fall to 17-14-0 on the season which is good for third place overall in the DHL.
The Halifax Atlantics extended their winning streak to three games and unbeaten streak to five games with a 14-7 victory over the Bedford Barons. Atlantics' forwards Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews, and DHL third star of the night Claude Giroux each scored one goal and one assist in the victory while Ales Hemsky also scored a goal and assist in the losing effort.
Pavel Datsyuk scored a goal and added an assist as the Nova Scotia Voyageurs improved to a DHL best 18-12-1 with a 10-7 victory over the New Scotland Pack. The loss drops the Pack to a DHL worst 9-19-3 on the season, which is currently seven points out of a playoff spot.
A depleted Truro Bearcats got three assists from DHL second star of the night Kimmo Timmonen and escaped with a 7-4 victory over the Whites Lake Senators. The Bearcats have now won three games in a row and are currently fourth overall in the DHL standings with a 15-12-4 record.
Lastly, the St. John's Penguins needed a win and an assist from Niklas Backstrom to salvage an 8-8 draw with the Fredericton Express. The result keeps the Penguins one point ahead of the Express at seventh place in the standings with a 13-15-3 record.
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Champs and Pack combine for record night
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November 26, 2011
The Halifax Atlantics and New Scotland Pack combined for a DHL record 42 points as the Atlantics put an end to a franchise worst four-game losing streak by defeating the Pack 23-19. Atlantics forward Jonathan Toews was named DHL first star of the night as he scored two goals and added three assists while Rick Nash and Claude Giroux also had big nights with two goals apiece. Patrick Sharp notched a hatty for the Pack who have now lost three games in a row with this hard luck defeat and continue to occupy last place in the league standings.
The Fathom Harbour Oilers won their fourth straight game with an 11-9 victory over the Truro Bearcats. Oiler defenseman John Carlson scored a goal and added an assist for the Oilers who improve to a DHL best 17-10-0 record on the season. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two goals for the Bearcats who have slipped from first place to fifth in their last six games with a 0-5-1 record in that span.
DHL third star of the night Bobby Ryan scored two goals and Sidney Crosby recorded three assists as the Nova Scotia Voyageurs easily defeated the Whites Lake Senators 19-6 to hold on to second overall in the DHL standings with a 15-11-1 record.
The Fredericton Express put an end to their three-game losing streak by clobbering the Bedford Barons by a score of 15-3. Express goaltender Cory Schneider recorded a win and shutout and was named DHL second star of the night while Teemu Selanne chipped in with a goal and assist in the victory. Rounding out the action, The Prospect Whalers won their fourth straight game with a close 11-10 vicotry over the St. John's Penguins. Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Smyth each scored a goal and assist for the Whalers who improve to 13-12-2 on the season which is currently good for fourth overall in the DHL standings. With the loss the Pens have now dropped two games in a row.
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'Cats slam Whalers; Take over first
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November 13, 2011
On the night the DHL passed the quarter mark of their regular season, the Truro Bearcats took over top spot in the standings with a dominant 18-5 victory over the struggling Prospect Whalers. Tyler Seguin scored two goals and added an assist to grab DHL first star of the night honours, while Jeff Skinner scored once and added two helpers and was named DHL third star of the night. The Bearcats have now won three games in a row and have compiled a 12-6-3 record on the season. The Whalers have now dropped two games in a row and six of their last seven overall.
The Fredericton Express won their second straight game with a 12-8 victory over the Halifax Atlantics. The win improves the Express to 9-9-3 on the season, which is good for fifth place in the overall standings. Jordan Staal scored two goals and was named DHL second star of the night.
Simon Gagne had a goal and an assist as the Fathom Harbour Oilers defeated the Bedford Barons by a score of 10-4. The Oilers improve to 13-8 on the season and now sit alone at second overall in the overall standings. The Barons have now lost three games in a row and drop to 8-10-3 on the season.
Milan Michalek scored the goal of the year as the St. John's Penguins salvaged a 4-4 tie with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs. The Pens now own an 8-11-3 record while the Vees sit at 12-8-1 on the season. Elsewhere, the battle of the basement wasn't much of a battle as the Whites Lake Senators snapped a four-game losing streak with an 11-2 victory over the New Scotland Pack.
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Pens best Vees; Champs in first
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November 12, 2011
James Neal scored twice and Derek Roy scored a goal and two assists as the St. John's Penguins defeated the Nova Scotia Voyageurs 14-10. With the win, the Penguins snapped a two-game losing streak and knocked the Nova Scotia Voyageurs out of top spot in the DHL. Neal was named DHL first star of the night and Roy was named DHL second star of the night for their big games. The loss drops the Vees to 12-8-0 on the season and into third place in the overall standings.
It has taken twenty games but the Halifax Atlantics have ascended to the top of the DHL standings for the first time this season after defeating the Prospect Whalers 8-3. The Atlantics have now won four games in a row and are unbeaten in their last seven games.
The Truro Bearcats also advanced in the standings with a 7-5 victory over the Whites Lake Senators. The Bearcats now sit in second overall in the DHL with an 11-6-3 record. With the loss, the Sens have now dropped four games in a row and own a share of the DHL's worst record of 6-12-2.
The Fathom Harbour Oilers dropped to 12-8-0 on the season with a 14-8 loss at the hands of the New Scotland Pack. Drew Stafford and Patrick Sharp each had three assists for the Pack with Stafford claiming DHL third star of the night honours. Finally, the Fredericton Express improve to 8-9-3 on the season with a 7-3 victory over the DHL rookie Bedord Barons who drop to 8-9-3 on the season.
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Voyageurs win 24-7
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11.11.11
Last night's games were brought to you by BIG numbers and the letter V.
The Nova Scotia Voyageurs used a balanced but potent attack to annihilate the New Scotland Pack 24-7. Patrick Marleau scored twice while Paul Stastny and newly acquired defenseman Kyle Quincey each had a goal and assist as the Vees improved to 12-7-0 on the season. Daniel Sedin, Nathan Horton, Dmitri Kulikov, and Nick Leddy all had two assists for the Voyageurs while game day call-up John Moore was the only Vee that failed to record a point. With the victory the Vees hold onto top spot in the DHL.
Kris Versteeg scored three times and added an assist as the Fathom Harbour Oilers defeated the Fredericton Express 13-8. Versteeg was named DHL first star of the night for the Oilers who keep pace with the Voyageurs and also improve to 12-7-0 on the season.
DHL second star of the night Jonathan Toews scored twice and added an assist as the Halifax Atlantics scored a decisive 16-4 victory over the Bedford Barons. The win was the first time the Atlantics have beaten the Barons in three attempts this season. The Atlantics have now have wins in three straight and remain unbeaten in six with a 5-0-1 record over that span.
The Prospect Whalers snapped a four-game losing streak with an impressive 14-6 victory over the Whites Lake Senators. Whalers forward Ryan Smyth scored two goals in the win and was named DHL third star of the night. Brian Campbell recorded three assists for the Sens who have now lost three straight games and fall to 6-11-2 on the season.
Elsewhere in the DHL, Joe Corvo recorded three assists and Tyler Seguin had a goal and an assist as the Truro Bearcats picked up their tenth win of the season by defeating the St. John's Penguins 13-8. Tomas Fleischmann and Brent Seabrook each had two assists for the Pens who have now dropped their last two decisions.
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Vees and Atlantics- Round Three
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Saturday, November 5, 2011
On a night when the last two Dynasty Cup champions faced each other for the third time this season, the gloves finally came off. The first two rounds went to the Nova Scotia Voyageurs but last night it was the champion Halifax Atlantics coming out on top with an 18-13 victory. Matt Duchene led the Atlantics' assault with three goals and an assist while T. J. Oshie struck for two goals and an assist of his own. Duchene and Oshie were awarded DHL first and third star of the night respectively for their efforts. Jamie Benn, Martin St. Louis, and Patrick "20-cent" Kane each tallied three assists for the Vees. With the loss, the Voyageurs see their four game win streak comes to an end, however they still occupy top spot in the DHL with a 10-5-0 record.
The Prospect Whalers also had a four game win streak snapped as they dropped a 21-10 decision to the New Scotland Pack. Steven Stamkos scored a hatrick for the Pack and was named DHL second star of the night while Vincent Lecavalier and Marian Hossa each recorded a goal and assist for the Whalers. The win improves the Pack to 4-9-2 on the season while the Whalers drop to 7-6-2 with the loss.
The Bedford Barons ended a four game losing streak by scoring a 5-5 draw with the Whites lake Senators. With the tie, the Barons are now winless in five games and will look to record their first victory since defeating the Halifax Atlantics 11-9 on October 27 when they face those very same Atlantics tonight.
The Fathom Harbour Oilers moved to within two points of the Nova Scotia Voyageurs with a 12-4 victory over the Fredericton Express. The Oilers improve to 9-6-0 on the season while the Express fall to 6-6-3 on the season. Oilers forward Loui Eriksson scored twice and added an assist in the win.
The Truro Bearcats continue to show they are a force this season as they improve to 7-5-3 on the season after posting a 6-5 victory over the St. John's Penguins. With the loss the Pens drop to ninth overall with a 5-9-1 record on the season.
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MacArthur drops a deuce on Sens
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Friday, November 4, 2011
Third star Clarke MacArthur scored a pair of goals to help his St. John's Penguins double up on the Whites Lakes Senators by a score of 16-8. The win allows the Penguins to once again vault past the Senators in the standings into eighth place and serves as a measure of revenge for the Pens who fell to the Sens the night before. Jarome Iginla provided most of the offence for Whites Lake with two goals and an assist as the Sens drop to 5-8-1 on the season.
The first year Bedford Barons were on the wrong end of a mini two game sweep at the hands of the Nova Scotia Voyageurs after falling to the Vees by a score of 10-0. With the blanking the Barons suffer their fourth straight defeat and fall below .500 to 6-7-1 and sit in seventh place in the DHL. The Vees own a league best 10-4 record and have now won four in a row and nine of their last ten heading into their matchup tonight against the defending champion Halifax Atlantics.
The Prospect Whalers won their fourth straight game after a decisive 12-2 win over the Fredericton Express. Evgeni Malkin had two goals and an assist to pace the Whalers' attack and was named first star of the night for a Whalers team who now sit in third place in the DHL at 7-5-2.
The Halifax Atlantics fought back against the Fathom Harbour Oilers and scored a much needed 11-8 win to improve to 7-6-1 on the season. The loss drops the Oilers season record to 8-6 which is still good enough for second best in the league. And finally, Nikolai Khabibulin posted a win and a shutout between the pipes in a second star performance to help the last place New Scotland Pack salvage a 8-8 tie with the Truro Bearcats who were led by Evander Kane with a goal and an assist.
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11022011 equals LUPUL
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Thursday, November 3, 2011
On a date that represents a rare eight digit palindrome, The Palindrome, Joffrey Lupul, fittingly dominated by recording a hat trick in the Whites Lake Senators 12-6 victory over the St. John's Penguins. The Pens were up early until The Palindrome's surge put the Sens ahead for good. Lupul was named first star of the night for a Whites Lake team that has strung together a modest two game winning streak to leap-frog the Penguins into eighth place in the overall standings at 5-7-1.
The Nova Scotia Voyageurs have now won three in a row and eight of their last nine by scoring a 12-7 victory over the slumping Bedford Barons. Dennis Wideman scored one goal and added an assist to lead the Vees and send the Barons to their third straight defeat. With the win The Voyageurs improve their record to 9-4 on the season and remain in top spot in the DHL. The victory also improves the Vees record to a perfect 3-0 against the Barons this season. The Barons will be looking to reverse their fortunes as the two teams will do battle tonight for the fourth time this season.
The Halifax Atlantics continued their bed soiling ways by scoring a franchise low two points in a 15-2 drubbing at the hands of the Fathom Harbour Oilers. Nicklas "Don't call me Niklas" Backstrom scored two goals and Cam Fowler recorded three assists for the Oilers who improve to 8-5 on the season and remain two points behind the Voyageurs in the standings.
The Fredericton Express needed every bit of Teemu Selanne's two goals and two assists to narrowly defeat the Truro Bearcats 12-11. Selanne was named DHL second star of the night in the victory that vaults the Express into third place with a 6-4-3 record. Jeff Skinner netted two goals for the Bearcats who fall to 6-5-2 on the season.
The Prospect Whalers won their third straight game with a 12-11 victory over the New Scotland Pack. Red hot Alexander Edler was named DHL third star of the night for scoring one goal and two assists for the Whalers. The victory improves the Whalers to 6-5-2 on the season, while the loss keeps the Pack in the DHL basement with a 3-9-1 record.
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DHL Halloween Party Recap
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Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Nova Scotia Voyageurs defeated the champion Halifax Atlantics 12-7 on the strength of a two-goal and one-assist performance by Patrick "20-cent" Kane to improve their league leading record to 8-4-0. Kane was named DHL second star of the night and was spotted after the game attending the Vees annual Halloween Party dressed-up as his idol 50-cent.
Ryan Smyth scored twice and Marian Hossa added three helpers as the Prospect Whalers improved to 5-5-2 on the season with a 12-5 victory over the Fathom Harbour Oilers. With the loss the Oilers drop to 7-5-0 on the season and still sit in second overall in the standings.
The New Scotland Pack and Fredericton Express tied one on as they battled to a 10-10 draw. The Pack are now 3-8-1 and still occupy last place in the DHL, while the Express own a 5-4-3 record. Pack forward Ryan Callahan was named DHL third star of the night for his two-goal and one-assist effort.
Tomas "Fleshlight" Fleischmann tallied two goals and one assist to lead the St. John's Penguins to 18-12 victory over the Truro Bearcats. Clarke "Kent" MacArthur also tallied two goals for the Penguins while Evander "Holyfield" Kane netted two goals in a losing effort for the Bearcats. Patrick Kane's "don't call me 20-cent!" Halloween costume wasn't the most controversial outfit of the night as DHL first star of the night Tomas Fleischmann was photographed at the Penguins Halloween after-party dressed as the best selling male joy-toy Fleshlight.
To end the Halloween action, the Whites Lake Senators defeated the Bedford Barons 9-5. Brian Campbell and Dan Girardi each recorded two assists for the Sens. With the win the Sens snapped a four game losing streak to improve to 4-7-1 on the season while the Barons drop their second in a row and now sit at 6-5-1 on the season.
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Whalers and Champs explode; Big numbers posted
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Sunday, October 30, 2011
DHL first star of the night Alexander Edler scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Prospect Whalers to a 19-14 victory over the New Scotland Pack. The Whalers also got two goals from Jarimor Jagr while Henrik Sedin and Evgeni Malkin each chipped in with a goal and an assist. With the win the Whalers improve to 4-5-2 on the season while the Pack drop to 3-8 and sit last place overall in the standings.
The champion Halifax Atlantics put up a 19-spot of their own in an impressive 19-9 victory over the Fathom Harbour Oilers. DHL third star of the night Claude Giroux led the Atlantics with a goal and three assists while Alexander Ovechkin added two goals in the win. The Atlantics improve to 6-4-1 on the season while the Oilers drop to 7-4 with the loss.
The Oiler's loss allowed the Nova Scotia Voyageurs to reclaim top spot in the standings after an 8-5 win over the Bedford Barons in the lowest scoring tilt of the evening. The win improves the Vees record to a modest league best 7-4 on the season. Kris Letang led the Vees with two assists while Mike Cammalleri had two assists of his own for the Barons who with the loss now sport a record of 6-4-1.
The Truro Bearcats improved to 6-3-2 on the season with a 16-11 victory over the Fredericton Express. Brad Richards scored twice and added an assist for the Bearcats and was named DHL second star of the night while Marian Gaborik led the Express with a goal and two assists in the loss.
Rounding out the action, Joe Pavelski and Milan Michalek each scored once and added an assist as the St. John's Penguins defeated the Whites Lake Senators 13-6. The loss was the Sens fourth in a row and the Penguins and Senators now both own identical 3-7-1 records on the season.
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Spezza leads Voyageurs to fourth straight win
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Sunday, October 23, 2011
Third star of the night Jason Spezza recorded a goal and two assists to lead his Nova Scotia Voyageurs to their fourth consecutive victory after a 17-6 drubbing of the Whites Lake Senators. The Vees also got a goal and an assist from both Daniel Sedin and Martin St. Louis in the win as they improve to 5-3-0 on the campaign and occupy third place in the overall standings. The Sens defense corps failed to register a point in the loss on a night when their owner was in Montreal with the DHL Commissioner watching the Habs and Leafs do battle.
The Halifax Atlantics used a balanced attack, including a goal and an assist from second star Mark Streit, to eke out a 12-11 win over a solid Truro Bearcats team. John Tavares also had a goal and an assist for the Champs who move into second place in the standings with a record of 5-2-1 after their third straight victory. The 'Cats have now dropped two games in a row by identical 12-11 scores and fall to 4-3-1 on the season.
The first place Fathom Harbour Oilers suffered a 9-7 set back at the hands of the first-year Bedford Barons but continue to hold on to top spot in the league with a 6-2-0 record. Milan Lucic played the role of first star as he tallied a goal and an assist to lead the 4-3-1 Barons.
The St. John's Penguins got a much needed two points by defeating the Prospect Whalers by a score of 12-8 on the strength of a goal and an assist from Joe Pavelski. With the win St. John's pulls into a tie in the standings at 2-6-0 with the New Scotland Pack who lost their fifth game in a row after being blanked 7-bagel at the hands of Jordan Staal and the Fredericton Express. Staal recorded two goals in the win for the Express who now own an early season record of 4-3-1.
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Gagne leads Oilers to top spot
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Simon Gagne wasted no time torching his former team by leading the Fathom Harbour Oilers to a 15-13 victory over the Whites Lake Senators. Gagne, playing his first game against his former club, scored two goals and an assist and received DHL first star of the night honors. The win puts the Oilers at 5-1 on the season and into sole possession of first overall in the standings.
The Nova Scotia Voyageurs have now won two in a row and improve to 3-3 on the season with a 10-3 decision over the St. John's Penguins. With the loss the Penguins drop to a league worst 1-5 and remain alone in the DHL basement. Jamie Benn scored one goal and one assist to lead the Vees and capture DHL third star of the night honors.
The Prospect Whalers extended their unbeaten streak to three games with a 5-5 draw against the Truro Bearcats. With the tie the Bearcats drop to second overall with a 4-1-1 record while the Whalers sit in seventh place at 2-3-1.
The Halifax Atlantics improved to 3-2-1 on the season with a 14-8 victory over the New Scotland Pack. Claude Giroux and former Pack member Erik Karlsson each scored one goal and added one assist to lead the Atlantics with Karlsson earning DHL second star of the night.
In the final game of the night, the Bedford Barons scored a 16-11 over the Fredericton Express. Tuomo Ruutu, Alexander Semin, and Dave Bolland each had a goal and assist for the Barons while goaltender Tomas Vokoun had a win and shutout for the Express. The Barons and Express both sit at 3-2-1 on the season.
At the conclusion of tonight's games, the Bedford Barons and Halifax Atlantics put the finishing touches on a major trade that has the Barons sending Kevin Shattenkirk, Bryan Little and a first round draft pick in the 2012 DHL Entry Draft to the Atlantics for Jaroslav Halak, Kyle Okposo, Nathan Gerbe and a third round draft pick in the 2012 Entry Draft.
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Crosby back to Vees; Malkin back to Whalers
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Less than two months after the Nova Scotia Voyageurs and Prospect Whalers swapped franchise players, the owners of both teams have decided to reacquire their superstars with the Whalers shipping Sidney Crosby and John Moore back to the Vees for Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Ellis.
On August 26th the Whalers traded Malkin, Ellis, and the #2 and #50 overall picks in the 2012 DHL Entry Draft to the Voyageurs for Crosby, Moore, Artem Anisimov, and Brett Connolly.
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Kessel Leads 'Cats to Victory
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Sunday, October 16, 2011
Phil Kessel continued his goal scoring ways by leading the Truro Bearcats to a hard fought 14-13 win over the New Scotland Pack. Kessel was named DHL first star of the night for the second time this season by potting two goals and an assist to lead the 'Cats to victory. With the win the Bearcats improve to 4-1 on the season and sit atop the overall standings.
The Fathom Harbour Oilers kept pace with the 'Cats by defeating the Bedford Barons 8-5. The Oilers also improve to 4-1 on the season and remain tied with the Bearcats for the league's best record.
A three-goal, one-assist performance by John Tavares was not enough to lead the Halifax Atlantics to victory as the Fredericton Express defeated the Dynasty Cup Champions 16-9. Tavares was named DHL second star of the night for his effort in the losing cause. With the win the Express move to 3-1-1 on the season while the Atlantics fall to 2-2-1.
The Prospect Whalers got a goal and an assist from Henrik Sedin as they defeated the Whites Lake Senators 12-9. The Whalers have now won two games in a row since starting the season 0-3 while the Sens have dropped two games in a row to fall to 1-3-1 on the season.
Rounding out the action, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs halted a two game slide by doubling up the St. John's Penguins by a 10-5 score. Paul Stastny led the Vees with a goal and an assist and was named DHL third star of the night. The Vees improve to 2-3 on the season while the loss drops the Penguins to 1-4 and into the DHL basement.
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Tavares leads Atlantics to Victory
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Friday, October 14, 2011
John Tavares scored two goals and added two helpers to power the Halifax Atlantics to a 14-7 victory over the Whites Lake Senators. Tavares was named DHL first star of the night for his offensive explosion.
The St. John's Penguins won their first game of the season with an 11-7 win over the Bedford Barons. The loss is the first ever for the Barons who fall to 2-1-1 on the year. James Neal led the Penguins with two goals and was named DHL second star of the night.
The prospect Whalers also won their first game of the season with an 8-6 victory over the struggling Nova Scotia Voyageurs. Marian Hossa recorded a goal and an assist for the Whalers and received DHL third star of the night honours.
Matt Moulson scored a goal and an assist as the Truro Bearcats defeated the Fredericton Express 7-6 to improve to 3-1 on the season and move into a tie for the best record in the DHL. The loss is the first of the season for the Express who fall to 2-1-1.
Finally, the Fathom Harbour Oilers used a balanced attack to defeat the New Scotland Pack 9-4. The Oilers improve to 3-1 on the season and sit tied with the Bearcats for top spot in the DHL. With the loss, the Pack drop to 2-2 on the season.
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Kessel nets hatrick; Bearcats in first
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Sunday, October 9, 2011
Phil Kessel scored three goals and added an assist as the Truro Bearcats exploded for 21 points to easily defeat the Fathom Harbour Oilers 21-12. Kessel was given the honor of DHL first star of the night as his Bearcats improve to 2-0 to start the season and currently occupy top spot in the standings.
The defending Dynasty Cup champions got into the win column with a hard fought 13-12 win over the St. John's Penguins. Eric Staal was named the second star of the night and led the Atlantics' attack with two goals and an assist. Joe Pavelski scored two goals for the Penguins in the losing effort.
The Nova Scotia Voyageurs won their first game of the season with a 13-7 victory over the Prospect Whalers. Pavel Datsyuk had a goal and an assist to lead the Vees while Daniel Alfredsson scored a pair of goals for the Whalers in the loss.
The Bedford Barons scored their first ever DHL victory with a nail biting 8-7 win over the New Scotland Pack. The Barons are undefeated to start the season with a 1-0-1 record. Elsewhere, the Frederiction Express improved to 2-0 on the season as they handily defeated the Whites Lake Senators 12-4. Anze Kopitar received third star of the night by scoring two goals to lead the Express to victory.
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DHL Opens Fifth Season
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Saturday, October 8, 2011
For the first time in its five-year history the DHL's opening night spanned two nights. Newly acquired Thomas Vanek scored two goals and added an assist as the Fredericton Express tallied a 14-13 come from behind win against the Nova Scotia Voyageurs. Vanek who is now in his second tour of duty with the Express was named DHL first star of the night for his effort. Despite being the second highest scoring team of the night the Voyageurs suffer the loss and drop to 1-4 all-time on opening night.
For the second straight season the New Scotland Pack opened the season by defeating the Halifax Atlantics, this time by a score of 10-7. Dion Phaneuf scored a goal and an assist to lead the Pack to victory. James Reimer had a win and a shutout in his DHL debut as the Fathom Harbour Oilers started their season by defeating the Prospect Whalers 12-11. Jason Pominville also had a big game for the Oilers by scoring a goal and two assists. Reimer and Pominville were respectively named the DHL second and third stars of the night. Elsewhere in the DHL, the Truro Bearcats defeated the St. John's Penguins 8-3 to win their first ever opening night game in their three-season history. Finally, the newly minted Bedford Barons, playing their first ever DHL game, got two assists from Jeff Carter as they fought to a 5-5 draw with the Whites Lake Senators.
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Big named players moved prior to opening night
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Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Two days before the 2011-12 Dynasty Hockey League season gets under way, the Fredericton Express pulled the trigger on two significant deals that saw them part ways with newly acquired players John Tavares and Tyler Ennis, while at the same time welcome Thomas Vanek and Zdeno Chara.
Fredericton's first deal of the day saw them ship goalie Semyon Varlamov and forward Tyler Ennis to the St. John's Penguins for the Pen's first round draft pick in the 2012 DHL Entry Draft. The Express were not finished there as they then dealt summer acquisition John Taveres to the defending Dynasty Cup champion Halifax Atlantics for a package of players including defenseman David Rundblad as well as Chara and Vanek. The DHL drops the puck to begin their fifth season tomorrow night.
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Nugent-Hopkins First Overall
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Friday, September 30, 2011
September 18th marked the fifth annual DHL Entry Draft with the Truro Bearcats holding the rights to the number one overall selection. Once the draft got under way the Bearcats wasted little time
announcing forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as the first overall pick. Nugent-Hopkins joins Sidney Crosby (2007), Alex Kovalev (2008), John Tavares (2009), and Taylor Hall (2010) in the group of players to be selected first overall in the DHL Entry Draft.
The next two picks belonged to the Nova Scotia Voyageurs who promptly chose forward Ryan Strome with the second selection and forward Jonathan Huberdeau in the three spot. Strome forever becomes part of the blockbuster Sidney Crosby trade that saw the Vees ship Crosby to the Whalers last month. The Vees also used the trade route to move up three spots to number three overall with their sights set on drafting Huberdeau with the pick.
The first defenseman was taken at number four overall when the Fredericton Express selected Adam Larsson. The Express also owned the next selection and chose forward Gabriel Landeskog fifth overall. Next up the Fathom Harbour Oilers took forward Mark Scheifele followed by the St. John's Penguins who nabbed defenseman Ryan Murphy at number seven.
The New Scotland Pack also chose a defenseman when they selected Dennis Seidenberg with the eighth pick and the Penguins then chose forward Zac Dalpe at number nine with their second selection of the first round. Rounding out the first round at number ten overall the Truro Bearcats selected forward Sean Couturier.
The first round of the draft saw seven forwards, three defensemen, three Ryans, and zero goalies chosen. This year's Entry Draft also saw four teams not have a first round selection. The Halifax Atlantics used their first pick in the draft to select defenseman Nathan Beaulieu at number twelve overall. Two picks later the Whites Lake Senators chose forward Bobby Butler at fourteen overall with their first pick. The next pick saw the Bedford Barons select forward Mark McNeill at fifteen while the Prospect Whalers used the twenty-second overall selection by taking forward Marcus Johansson.
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Nine of Ten Teams Active in August
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Sunday, August 28, 2011
The DHL trade freeze was lifted on July 31, paving the way for an extremely busy August that has seen a total of ten trades completed with several being of the blockbuster variety, including the biggest trade in DHL history.
On August 3, the Whites Lake Senators and Fathom Harbour Oilers made the first deal of the season as the Sens sent Simon Gagne to the Oilers for defenseman Andrej Meszaros. The Oilers were not done as the very next day they shipped Devin Setoguchi to the Fredericton Express for the #17 overall pick in the upcoming 2011 DHL Entry Draft.
Less than two weeks later, on August 17, the first big-name deal of the summer was made between the defending Dynasty Cup Champion Halifax Atlantics and the New Scotland Pack. The champs parted ways with sniper Dany Heatley in exchange for two young defensemen, Erik Karlsson and Cody Franson.
The very next day, the second blockbuster in as many days was made between the newly minted Bedford Barons and third year franchise Fredericton Express. The Barons traded their first ever player Jordan Eberle and the #5 overall selection in this year's Entry Draft while receiving Henrik Zetterberg, Chris Stewart, and the #15 overall selection in the DHL Entry Draft from the Express.
On August 24, exactly one week after trading Dany Heatley, the Halifax Atlantics were making DHL headlines again as they traded their franchise goaltender Roberto Luongo, offensive defenseman Tomas Kaberle, and the #37 overall pick in the 2011 DHL Entry Draft to the Prospect Whalers for stud goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, back-up goaltender Jonathan Bernier, and the #16 overall selection in the upcoming draft.
Also on August 24, the Whites Lake Senators dealt Patric Hornqvist and the #24 overall selection in the 2011 DHL Entry Draft to the St. John's Penguins for Andrew Ladd and Chris Kunitz.
The next day saw the Pens and the Express hooking-up in a deal that had St. John's send Johan Franzen, Alex Goligoski, and the #49 overall selection in the 2011 DHL Entry Draft to the Express for Jonathon Blum, the #7 overall selection, and the #40 overall selection in the same draft.
August 26 started with two trades involving only 2011 DHL Entry Draft picks. The first trade saw the Halifax Atlantics move up to the #12 overall selection by trading the #20 and #27 overall selections to the Nova Scotia Voyageurs. The Vees immediately flipped the #20 overall selection along with the #6 overall selection to the Fathom Harbour Oilers for the #3 overall selection.
Finally, at 2:27 pm Atlantic Time on August 26, 2011, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs shocked the DHL by completing the grand daddy of all blockbusters by trading the first player ever selected in DHL history, and franchise player Sidney Crosby to the Prospect Whalers along with young Russian Artem Anisimov and prospects David Savard and Brett Connolly in exchange for Evgeni Malkin, Ryan Ellis, and the #2 and the #50 overall selections in the 2011 DHL Entry Draft. It is likely the DHL will not see a trade of such magnitude for a very long time, if ever.
In total, 42 assets comprising of 25 players and 17 draft picks have been traded in the month of August thus far, with certainly more wheeling and dealing to come.
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