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monochameleon · 12-14-2015, 06:03 PM

PREMIER LEAGUE HOCKEY NEWS OF THE WEEK

Ed Blandford out for a month (24/11/1985)
The Vancouver Giants will lose right winger Ed Blandford for at least four weeks after he collided Clint McConnell of the Montreal Champions last night and sprained his wrist. Blandford, the Giants leading goal scorer this season, was "furious with himself" according to team trainers.

Larry Walton goes to the Sharks (30/11/1985)
The Michigan Stags have parted ways with veteran center Larry Walton (33), sending him to the Los Angeles Sharks. In return, the Sharks dealt Maxym Houde (RW, 31) to the Stags. The trade is seen by many in the league as a win for the Sharks, who are hoping to recover the second half of the season in hopes of a cup run this year. Walton has already scored 26 points in 32 games this year. Houde's 34 games have netted just 16 points, but Michigan's GM Benjamin Swetnam said that they believe Houde will be "part of the team for years to come."

Premier League Hockey Player of the Month (30/11/1985)
The Player of the Month for November is Justin Homer of the Manitoba Vikings. The 36-year old veteran winger has had an exceptional month, scoring 19 points and skating tirelessly for the Vikings in spite of his advancing age. The Michigan Stags Ethan Ljubicic was named Goaltender of the Month.

Scores
Sunday 24th November 1985
San Francisco Arrows 2 - 3 St. Paul Cardinals
Chicago Cougars 2 - 7 Charlottetown Islanders
Michigan Stags 4 - 2 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Colorado Eagles 3 - 0 Los Angeles Sharks
Calgary Mustangs 4 - 1 Ottawa Nationals
Manitoba Vikings 5 - 2 Seattle Nightmare
New England Whalers 2- 7 New York Centrals
Montreal Champions 2 - 5 Vancouver Giants

Monday 25th November 1985
San Francisco Arrows 4 - 0 Calgary Mustangs
Toronto Aces 2 - 4 Montreal Champions
St. Paul Cardinals 4 - 7 Manitoba Vikings
New York Centrals 5 - 1 Charlottetown Islanders
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 1 - 6 Ottawa Nationals
Vancouver Giants 2 - 4 Los Angeles Sharks
Quebec Nordiques 4 - 2 Michigan Stags

Tuesday 26th November 1985
no games played

Wednesday 27th November 1985
San Francisco Arrows 1 - 3 Seattle Nightmare
Michigan Stags 5 - 3 Calgary Mustangs
Los Angeles Sharks 1 - 4 St. Paul Cardinals

Thursday 28th November 1985
New York Centrals 4 - 7 Calgary Mustangs
Colorado Eagles 4 - 1 Ottawa Nationals
Vancouver Giants 2 - 3 Toronto Aces
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 6 - 4 New England Whalers
Charlottetown Islanders 4 - 6 Chicago Cougars
Manitoba Vikings 3 - 5 Montreal Champions

Friday 29th November 1985
San Francisco Arrows 5 - 4 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Montreal Champions 2 - 5 Colorado Eagles
Ottawa Nationals 2 - 5 St. Paul Cardinals
Quebec Nordiques 1 - 5 Manitoba Vikings

Saturday 30th November 1985
Seattle Nightmare 1 - 5 Michigan Stags
Charlottetown Islanders 2 - 4 St. Paul Cardinals

Center Ice Game of the Week
Los Angeles Sharks 2 - 4 Chicago Cougars
International Amphitheatre, Chicago

If there has been a surprise this season, it's been the Chicago Cougars. A team who are rebuilding and just trying to remain competitive are sitting second in the Atlantic West and third in the Atlantic as a whole with the fourth best goals-for stat in the league. Things aren't perfect in Chicago - just this week they lost 7-2 to Charlottetown before beating the same team 4-6 so clearly they need to work on their defence - but the point stands that the Cougars are shaping up to be a team to beat and, given their remarkably low average age, they could well be a team to beat for some time to come.

The LA Sharks are a surprise but in a totally different way. As we approach the halfway mark of the season, the Sharks - pre-season championship favourites - are languishing in last in the Mountain League and battling with Calgary to see who gets left out of the playoffs. Whatever the Sharks were hoping to happen hasn't happened, and for all their strength in goaltending they have been unable to put shots on net or stop them to any great degree.

These two surprise packets met in Chicago last night and the result was - well, not all that surprising. True to present form rather than pre-season predictions, the Cougars ran through the Sharks 4-2 and furthered LA's problems for the season.

Anthoni Labonte, one of the Cougar's veterans acquired in the New York Players dispersal draft, opened the scoring with a wrap-around, the end of four minutes of relentless pressure to open the game. The Cougars had come out with the clear plan to put the Sharks on the back foot straight away and boy did they succeed. It wasn't all good news for the Cougars - Milan Matz was given a game misconduct less than seven minutes in after arguing with the ref over a hooking call against him, which allowed Eric Nielsen to score for the Sharks on the powerplay.

But the second period was all Chicago, and the home fans went wild. The Amphitheatre is the oldest building in the league and many complain that it is a cold, echoing barn. But when 19,000 pack in for a marquee game and the Cougars turn it on, it's one of the most atmospheric venues in hockey. Over the course of seven minutes in the second period, Tony Wacker, Adam Markup and Harlan Saworski all scored for the Cougars to put them at a 4-1 lead going into the third. Maxym Houde scored what would prove to be his last ever goal as a Shark in the third period, his tenth this season, to give the LA faithful hope. But it was not enough, and the expected momentum never came. The Cougars ran out winners 4-2 and solidified their standing near the top of the Atlantic League. The Sharks sink further into the Mountain basement and will have to impress in their home stand next week against Charlottetown and Ottawa to try and drag themselves out of it.

Next week on Center Ice, New York host the Phantoms at the Duck Pond.

12-14-2015, 06:03 PM	#47
monochameleon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: New South Wales, Australia Posts: 114	Sunday November 24th - Saturday November 30th 1985 PREMIER LEAGUE HOCKEY NEWS OF THE WEEK Ed Blandford out for a month (24/11/1985) The Vancouver Giants will lose right winger Ed Blandford for at least four weeks after he collided Clint McConnell of the Montreal Champions last night and sprained his wrist. Blandford, the Giants leading goal scorer this season, was "furious with himself" according to team trainers. Larry Walton goes to the Sharks (30/11/1985) The Michigan Stags have parted ways with veteran center Larry Walton (33), sending him to the Los Angeles Sharks. In return, the Sharks dealt Maxym Houde (RW, 31) to the Stags. The trade is seen by many in the league as a win for the Sharks, who are hoping to recover the second half of the season in hopes of a cup run this year. Walton has already scored 26 points in 32 games this year. Houde's 34 games have netted just 16 points, but Michigan's GM Benjamin Swetnam said that they believe Houde will be "part of the team for years to come." Premier League Hockey Player of the Month (30/11/1985) The Player of the Month for November is Justin Homer of the Manitoba Vikings. The 36-year old veteran winger has had an exceptional month, scoring 19 points and skating tirelessly for the Vikings in spite of his advancing age. The Michigan Stags Ethan Ljubicic was named Goaltender of the Month. Scores Sunday 24th November 1985 San Francisco Arrows 2 - 3 St. Paul Cardinals Chicago Cougars 2 - 7 Charlottetown Islanders Michigan Stags 4 - 2 Lehigh Valley Phantoms Colorado Eagles 3 - 0 Los Angeles Sharks Calgary Mustangs 4 - 1 Ottawa Nationals Manitoba Vikings 5 - 2 Seattle Nightmare New England Whalers 2- 7 New York Centrals Montreal Champions 2 - 5 Vancouver Giants Monday 25th November 1985 San Francisco Arrows 4 - 0 Calgary Mustangs Toronto Aces 2 - 4 Montreal Champions St. Paul Cardinals 4 - 7 Manitoba Vikings New York Centrals 5 - 1 Charlottetown Islanders Lehigh Valley Phantoms 1 - 6 Ottawa Nationals Vancouver Giants 2 - 4 Los Angeles Sharks Quebec Nordiques 4 - 2 Michigan Stags Tuesday 26th November 1985 no games played Wednesday 27th November 1985 San Francisco Arrows 1 - 3 Seattle Nightmare Michigan Stags 5 - 3 Calgary Mustangs Los Angeles Sharks 1 - 4 St. Paul Cardinals Thursday 28th November 1985 New York Centrals 4 - 7 Calgary Mustangs Colorado Eagles 4 - 1 Ottawa Nationals Vancouver Giants 2 - 3 Toronto Aces Lehigh Valley Phantoms 6 - 4 New England Whalers Charlottetown Islanders 4 - 6 Chicago Cougars Manitoba Vikings 3 - 5 Montreal Champions Friday 29th November 1985 San Francisco Arrows 5 - 4 Lehigh Valley Phantoms Montreal Champions 2 - 5 Colorado Eagles Ottawa Nationals 2 - 5 St. Paul Cardinals Quebec Nordiques 1 - 5 Manitoba Vikings Saturday 30th November 1985 Seattle Nightmare 1 - 5 Michigan Stags Charlottetown Islanders 2 - 4 St. Paul Cardinals Center Ice Game of the Week Los Angeles Sharks 2 - 4 Chicago Cougars International Amphitheatre, Chicago If there has been a surprise this season, it's been the Chicago Cougars. A team who are rebuilding and just trying to remain competitive are sitting second in the Atlantic West and third in the Atlantic as a whole with the fourth best goals-for stat in the league. Things aren't perfect in Chicago - just this week they lost 7-2 to Charlottetown before beating the same team 4-6 so clearly they need to work on their defence - but the point stands that the Cougars are shaping up to be a team to beat and, given their remarkably low average age, they could well be a team to beat for some time to come. The LA Sharks are a surprise but in a totally different way. As we approach the halfway mark of the season, the Sharks - pre-season championship favourites - are languishing in last in the Mountain League and battling with Calgary to see who gets left out of the playoffs. Whatever the Sharks were hoping to happen hasn't happened, and for all their strength in goaltending they have been unable to put shots on net or stop them to any great degree. These two surprise packets met in Chicago last night and the result was - well, not all that surprising. True to present form rather than pre-season predictions, the Cougars ran through the Sharks 4-2 and furthered LA's problems for the season. Anthoni Labonte, one of the Cougar's veterans acquired in the New York Players dispersal draft, opened the scoring with a wrap-around, the end of four minutes of relentless pressure to open the game. The Cougars had come out with the clear plan to put the Sharks on the back foot straight away and boy did they succeed. It wasn't all good news for the Cougars - Milan Matz was given a game misconduct less than seven minutes in after arguing with the ref over a hooking call against him, which allowed Eric Nielsen to score for the Sharks on the powerplay. But the second period was all Chicago, and the home fans went wild. The Amphitheatre is the oldest building in the league and many complain that it is a cold, echoing barn. But when 19,000 pack in for a marquee game and the Cougars turn it on, it's one of the most atmospheric venues in hockey. Over the course of seven minutes in the second period, Tony Wacker, Adam Markup and Harlan Saworski all scored for the Cougars to put them at a 4-1 lead going into the third. Maxym Houde scored what would prove to be his last ever goal as a Shark in the third period, his tenth this season, to give the LA faithful hope. But it was not enough, and the expected momentum never came. The Cougars ran out winners 4-2 and solidified their standing near the top of the Atlantic League. The Sharks sink further into the Mountain basement and will have to impress in their home stand next week against Charlottetown and Ottawa to try and drag themselves out of it. Next week on Center Ice, New York host the Phantoms at the Duck Pond.