Friday, February 27, 2015

Big Rapids, Michigan – Cory Ward’s goal late in the first period help Bemidji State beat Ferris State 2-1 before 2149 at the Ewigleben Ice Arena. It was an important win for Bemidji which is tied for 4th place in its league with Northern Michigan and the right to be on home ice in the first round of the playoffs. It was Cory’s 9th goal this season. Bemidji is 15-14-4 overall but 12-4-4 in its last 20 games. Cory and Bemidji State close out the regular season here Saturday night.

Friday, February 27, 2015

Fresno – Alkhas Kochkarev scored two goals, Trevin Morgan one for the WSHL Las Vegas Storm in a 7-3 road loss to WSHL division champion Fresno Monsters at the Gateway Ice Arena. Kochkarev scored his 5th, 6th goals while Morgan got his 6th. Patrik Jokela was in the net for Las Vegas. Alkhas, a hard worker on the ice, was selected the #3 Star of the Game. The Storm will play its final regular season game here Saturday evening.

Las Vegas scoring

LVS – Alkhas Kochkarev 5th (Nikita Larinov, Nikita Tsvetov)
LVS – Alkhas Kochkarev 6th
LVS – Trevin Morgan 6th (Jake McKenna, Nathan Fournier)

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Game Preview

Fresno – #1 goalie Patrik Jokela of the WSHL Las Vegas Storm will get the start against the high-powered Fresno Monsters tonight at the Gateway Ice Arena. Fresno is 36-7-1 and a WSHL divison champion.

Las Vegas coach Gabe Gauthier said “…Fresno has a very good team. They have all four lines and their 6 d are solid – just like Long Beach and Ontario but Fresno is much stronger.”

Las Vegas is here without 30-goal scorer Beau Ricketts who is listed as not available and without another top scorer Vincent Dekumbis who is injured. Both will be back when Las Vegas goes into playoff action against the WSHL Ontario Avalanche next weekend.

Las Vegas Players in Playoff Hockey

Saturday, February 28, 2015

NCHA Harris Cup – Final Four

#7 Ranked St. Norbert College 3, #15-ranked Milwaukee School of Engineering 1

Cornerstone Community Center, De Pere, Wisconsin

Las Vegas player – Chris Rial, St. Norbert (2 goals, giving him 8 this season)

St. Norbert advances to NCHA gold medal game against Adrian College

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Saturday, February 28, 2015

NCHA Harris Cup – Final Four

#3-ranked Adrian College 4, St. Scholastica 3 OT

Arrington Ice Arena, Adrian, Michigan

Las Vegas player – Derek Sutliffe, St. Scholastica; one assist in this game; season is completed.

Defenseman Mike Trimboli of Las Vegas and Utah State jolted ASU Pac 8 by 3-1 and move on to the Final 4, taking on Boise State on Sunday. The winner of the game will advance to the US Nationals. Mike has 4 goals, 16 assists this season.

ACHA D2 Western Regional

February 28 – March 1, 2015

Oceanside Arena, Tempe, AZ

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FINAL SCORES SATURDAY
GAME 1 – NAU 4, Loyola-Marymount 0
GAME 2 – Boise State 4, Weber State 2
GAME 3 – Denver University 2, Montana Tech 1
GAME 4 – Utah State 3, ASU Pac 8 1

Sunday’s Game lineup
GAME 5 – NAU 7, Denver 4 (late in 3rd period)
GAME 6 @ 1:15PM: Boise State vs Utah State

Wednesday, February 25, 3025

Loveland, Colorado –  Chris Francis of Las Vegas scored his 18th goal in regulation, then added a goal in an OT/Shootout to help the ECHL Alaska Aces jolt 34-19-0 division leader Colorado Eagles 2-1 at the Budweiser Events Center. The game was tied 1-1 in regulation.  Chris took the first OT/Shootout shot and scored, then teammate Tim Coffman got the game-winner.  It was a huge win for the Aces who are battling for a playoff spot. The crowd was 5289.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

WSHL Las Vegas Storm Gabe Gauthier fired up his laptop and took one last hard look at the standings.

He just wanted to make sure….

Then he gathered his players, got onto the deep blue Storm team bus and headed to Fresno.

There was no way, Gabe said, the sixth-place San Diego Gulls could skitter past fifth-place Las Vegas in the standings no matter what happens in Fresno on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Which means, Las Vegas will be taking on the WSHL Ontario Avalanche in a three-game playoff series beginning March 6.

Las Vegas is travelling light to Fresno –  top goal scorer Beau Ricketts is listed as not available and another big goal scorer, Vincent Dekumbis – is injured and still out. Both will be back in the lineup for the playoffs.

“I did look at the standings and yes, we are locked in to play Ontario in the first round of the playoffs,” Gabe said. “So we are not in a desperation situation trying to get team points. 

“However, it’s a benchmark weekend of how we match up with a top team in the league,” he said.

The Fresno Monsters are 35-7-1 overall, 16-4-0 on home ice. Evan Ingram has 35 goals, Mike Nolan 34. Goalie Nathan Churchhill has a 1.94 gaa and a 91.9% save percentage.

They have a lot of swagger skating on home ice.

Like all division champions have.

From the Blue Line –  Las Vegas goalie Jaedon McConnell will get the start in Game One on Thursday night…These will be the final regular-season games of the season for both teams.

http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2015/02/24_qa_with__penn_states.php

Here are the top Las Vegas goal scorers in all divisions this season

LAS VEGAS GOAL KINGS

30 – BEAU RICKETTS, WSHL LAS VEGAS STORM

28 – LANDON QUINNEY, AAA ARIZONA BOBCATS 16U (27) /NAHL CORPUS CHRISTI ICERAYS (1)

20 – CHRIS FRANCIS, ECHL ALASKA ACES

19 – NIKITA LARINOV, WSHL LAS VEGAS STORM

19 – KYLE PACHECO, WSHL LAS VEGAS STORM

18 – VITO CARLO, AAA WEST COAST RENEGADES UTAH 16U

18 – CHRIS FRANCIS, ECHL ALASKA ACES

18 – ETHAN MONTOYA, AAA ONTARIO AVALANCHE 18U

18 – ZACH POCHIRO, WHL PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS

17 – VINCENT DEKUMBIS, WSHL LAS VEGAS STORM

17 – GAGE QUINNEY, WHL KELOWNA ROCKETS

16 – ARRIGO BURGENER, WSHL LAS VEGAS STORM

16 – BRENDAN HARRIS, NAHL WENATCHEE WILD

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Las-Vegas-Storm/127529127293111

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

No one should ever wear the #26 blue jersey again.

Not the way Beau Ricketts star-powered in 30 goals this season for the WSHL Las Vegas Storm at the Las Vegas Ice Center.

When the season is over take his #26 jersey, frame it, hang it high on the South wall.

Don’t let anyone in town forget his unforgettable season  – the way he competed, the way he jammed in decisive goals in the biggest of games.

He is a man among boys on the ice, saying this year is his greatest ever.

He is right about that in the goal scoring department.

In his first season three years ago with Helena BigHorns Beau scored 24 goals. He was the BigHorns go-two player and was the league’s Rookie of the Year. He scored just a few goals while playing two seasons with the NAHL Minot Minotarus. This year Beau has 30 goals for his hometown team, the WSHL Las Vegas Storm.

He is ranked #12 in WSHL for most goals. The #1 WSHL goal scorer is MacKenzie Woods of the Southern Oregon Spartans. He has 47.

Beau has 3 regular-season games left when the Storm heads out to play the WSHL Fresno Monsters this week. Then, playoffs begin March 6 against the Ontario Avalanche.

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UNLV has retired two jerseys – #96 Anthony Greener, #13 Ryan Krametbauer. Those jerseys are framed and hanging on the south wall of the Sobe Ice Arena.

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Jason Zucker is recovering from a fractured collarbone in Minnesota with the NHL Wild. It looks like Jason will be able to return to the lineup when the Wild goes into the second round of the playoffs. That is the battle plan we are told.

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Justin Grossman, who played for the 2001-2 AA Las Vegas Mustangs, also has a fractured collarbone. He got his while playing for the Las Vegas Wolves, the senior pro team which skates over at the Las Vegas Ice Center.

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There were 8500+ fans out in force for a Fanfest in San Diego this past weekend. They were jammed at the Valley View Casino Center Arena to celebrate the new AHL San Diego Gulls who will play there next season.  The Gulls are owned by the NHL Anaheim Ducks.

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A reader writes “…you forgot Corbin Brown in your Vegas 100 nominees list.” He was right, we are also adding Brady Burns, Christian Bryan and Kenny Luzak. Now is the time to vote for your favorite hometown players. The Vegas 100 will be released here on March 15.

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Las Vegas hockey mom Mary Margaret Samuels was going through boxes of collectibles and found a Jason Allen signed Las Vegas Mustangs cap. I know Jason’s hockey dad Steve Allen always reads The Ticker. Contact me and we will get this to you.

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Looking for the whereabouts of Las Vegas hockey dad Harry Long. We did not see him at the UNLV games this season.