Albany River Rats
Zach Boychuk Joins River Rats
by Cory Lavalette on Apr 10, 2009 9:40 PM EDT
in Albany River Rats
0 comments
Zach Boyhuck, the Hurricanes' first-round pick in last year's entry draft, has joined Carolina's AHL affiliate in Albany for the rest of the season. Boychuk's WHL team, the Lethbridge Hurricanes, were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs Thursday.
Boychuk, who wore No. 15 for the Rats tonight, had the primary assist on Ryan Weston's third-period goal in Albany's loss to Wilkes-Barre.
The 19-year-old forward had a two-game audition with the Hurricanes to start the season before being returned to Lethbridge for the year.
The River Rats season finale is tomorrow against at home against Binghamton.
Team releases info on accident, Conboy recall
by Cory Lavalette on Feb 19, 2009 10:43 AM EST
in Albany River Rats
5 comments
The Hurricanes have confirmed that a early morning bus accident on the Massachusetts Turnpike has left four players and one staff member injured. They all remain at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass., and are "being treated for serious, but non-life-threatening, injuries."
Still no word on who was injured.
Rats' Bus Crashes; Three Injured
by Cory Lavalette on Feb 19, 2009 8:31 AM EST
in Albany River Rats
15 comments
This is breaking news. We'll keep you updated. From the Albany Times-Union:
Update: Members of River Rats injured when bus rolls
By CHRISTEN GOWAN, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
Last updated: 8:18 a.m., Thursday, February 19, 2009
BECKET, Mass. - Three players and employees of the Albany River Rats were seriously injured this morning after their team bus slid in snow and rolled on the Massachusetts Turnpike just before 3:30 a.m., Massachusetts State Police said.
The injured people are a mix of players and team employees, River Rats coach Jeff Daniels said, but declined to identify any of them until families can be contacted.
Police describe the injures as serious, but Daniels said they did not appear to be life threatening.
"We were very fortunate and lucky," Daniels said.
Daniels said the bus rolled after hitting bad weather on a return trip from Lowell. It struck a guardrail, coming to rest on its side and partially on the highway. The discovery of the disabled bus prompted other motorists to stop their vehicles on the highway and then try to slow approaching traffic, Daniels said.
Some seriously injured suffered lacerations during the accident.
Everybody on the bus was taken to Berkshire Medical Center. Four people were admitted for treatment and all aboard were being checked out by medical staff as a precaution.
"They've been great looking after us," Daniels said.
The bus was heading back to Albany after playing in Lowell, Mass. Wednesday night. It overturned just east of Lee.
The coach and the rest of the team are still at the hospital this morning.
More here from the Daily Gazette's Phil Janack.
Conboy Brothers - "Livin' On The Edge"
by Bob Wage on Feb 11, 2009 10:56 AM EST
in Albany River Rats
10 comments
Most Caniacs are pretty familiar with Tim Conboy. He is the defenseman/enforcer from Albany who stands up for his teammates and patrols the rink like Judge Dredd, serving immediate justice whenever it's deemed to be necessary. He is the type of player you usually love if he's on your team, but love to hate if he is not. Well, it seems that Conboy has a younger brother who his trying to fill the same role as his older sibling.
Andrew Conboy used to play forward for the Michigan State Spartans, up until an ugly incident in a game against rival Michigan a couple of weeks ago. After a hard hit late in the game by Michigan's Steve Kampfer, Conboy retaliated and knocked down the Michigan defenseman from behind. To make matters worse, the recipient of the original hit, State's Corey Tropp, hit the prone player in the head with his stick afterwards. You can watch the whole episode unfold on You Tube.
Even though Conboy was originally just given a double roughing minor by the ref, the next day he was suspended by MSU coach Rick Comley for the remainder of the season. XM Radio has posted audio of an interview with Comley here. Conboy withdrew from school shortly afterwards.
The Puck Daddy Blog has a good review of the incident and Greg Wyshynski gives his opinion:
First off, saying Conboy went after Kampfer because he "took a run" at Tropp is technically true but patently bogus. His vengeance was brutal and overboard, and he deserves something well beyond a double-minor.
But a season? Sorry, I don't agree. If DiFilippo's making the case that Tropp was remorseful, look at Conboy: it almost appears he shoves Tropp away after Tropp skated in. And let's face it: third-man in with slashes to a guy flat on the ice is far and away the greater offense.
Conboy's no saint. He's a goon who leads the team in penalties and penalty minutes. Maybe he gets the season-long gate because he initiated the incident. I just don't think what he did was on the level of what Tropp did, based on the evidence.
What makes this whole issue even more volitile is that Kampfer had just recuperated from a having fractured skull. His father went in the State lockerroom after the game, apparently looking for Tropp and Conboy. (Kampfer was released from a local hospital the same night and played in Michigan's very next game).
According to this subsequent report, criminal charges will not be pursued against the players. Regardless, Andrew, (a 2007 Montreal draft pick), is contemplating his hockey future and will be meeting with Montreal officials to see what's next.
The youngster was never interviewed, so he has not had the chance to tell his side of the story. Why did he attack Kampfer that way? Did he think it was a dirty hit on his teammate? Did he think it was knee on knee? Did he just snap?
One thing for sure, he has patterned his game to emulate Tim. On the Michigan State player profile page, Andrew had this to say about his older brother.
" He was my hockey influence growing up and taught me everything I know".
Tim was no angel at that age either and was suspended from his St. Cloud State team because of "not following team rules", whatever that means. But the elder Conboy has also matured. While the fierce competitor has been suspended multiple times during his AHL career, he still has a good enough reputation to have been named captain of the River Rats this year. When called up to play for the Canes, he played aggressively, but was always under control.
Those are the key words for young Andrew to learn, "playing under control".
That is what makes the difference between being a useful asset to your team, or a liability. Enforcers can be invaluable teammates because you know they have your back and the other team must watch out for them. But, they also must be able to play within the rules and keep themselves under control.
For athletes who live "on the edge", that can be a difficult thing to do.
Tidbits — Jan. 23
by Cory Lavalette on Jan 23, 2009 2:36 PM EST
in Albany River Rats
4 comments
The NHL All-Star Weekend is nearly upon us, and with it came yesterday's announcement of the captains for the two conferences.
For the East, Montreal's Alexei Kovalev will wear the "C" in his home rink. The Western Conference will be led by San Jose's Joe Thornton.
The interesting thing with these selections? Neither of these players are the captains of their respective teams. Yes, Kovalev currently wears the "C" for the Habs because of an injury to Saku Koivu, but if Koivu was healthy Kovalev would be relegated to alternate status in Montreal. Thornton wears an "A" for the Sharks, while fellow All-Star Patrick Marleau is the longtime captain.
With Sidney Crosby out his weekend with an injury and three-fourths of the remaining voted-in starters Canadiens (Evgeni Malkin is the other), there wasn't much of a choice among the starters for the Eastern squad, so Kovalev's selection is understandable. But on the Western team, current NHL captains Jonathan Toews and Scott Niedermayer will both start. While Thornton has more experience as an NHL captain (his time in Boston) than Toews, he certainly doesn't trump Neidermayer's credentials.
- Florida Everblades goalie David Leggio, who was at the Hurricanes' training camp briefly before this season, earned a nod to the ECHL's All-Star Game. He allowed a goal in one period of play as his American Conference team won the game Wednesday in Reading, Pa., 11-5. Leggio is 14-3-1 on the season with a 2.22 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. Everblades and American Conference captain Kevin Baker registered a hat trick. The Blades are in first in the league with 58 points (28-8-1-1 record). Thanks for Patrick for the heads-up on this.
- Speaking of All-Star games, the AHL All-Star Classic is Sunday. The Albany River Rats are represented on the PlanetUSA squad by Michael Ryan, who leads the Rats in goals (20) and points (32). He is the team's lone selection. Ex-Hurricane and River Rat Keith Aucoin — who leads the AHL in scoring with 57 points — was selected to his fourth straight AHL All-Star Classic. Saurday's skills competition and Sunday's game will be broadcast by several different TV and radio stations around North America, and can also be viewed as a live Webcast.
- Two Canes prospects earned OHL All-Star honors. Belleville goalie Mike Murphy was named an Eastern Conference member, while Plymouth forward Chris Terry will join the Western Conference. The game is Feb. 4 in Windsor, Ont., with the skills competition the day before. Murphy's Bulls are currently eighth in the CHL Mosaik MasterCard Top 10 Rankings.
- Zac Dalpe, the Hurricanes second-round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, is "week-to-week" with an undisclosed injury. The Ohio State freshman has had a great first season, scoring 12 goals in 24 games — good for a tie for 14th in the NCAA and second best among first-year players. The Buckeyes are 16-6-2 overall on the season, and their 9-5-2-2 conference record is good for a tie for fourth in the CCHA. They are ranked 11th in the country in the USA Today poll and 12th in the USCHO.com/CBS Division I poll.
- Wisconsin's Jamie McBain continues to be one of the NCAA's top point producers with 28 points (five goals, 23 assists) in 26 games. Those numbers are the best among all defensemen in the NCAA and the junior's 23 assists are tied for second among all skaters in the country. The Badgers are second in the WCHA with a 10-6-2 conference record and 13-10-3 overall. They are ranked No. 16 in the USCHO.com/CBS Division I poll.
- Notre Dame junior Kyle Lawson — a key cog in the Irish's run to the Frozen Four title game last year — has 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 25 games for the No. 1-ranked Fighting Irish. Lawson, a seventh-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2005, shares the Notre Dame blueline with fellow NHL prospects Ian Cole, Ted Ruth and Sean Lorenz.
- Some Canes made James Mirtle's list of Rod Langaway Award leaders (best defensivive d-man).
- Ex-Canes goalie Martin Gerber, as expected, cleared waivers.
- In case you haven't heard, the NHLPA is fine with how things have gone with the CBA and will not reopen negotiations after the season.
- Allan Muir at SI.com is predicting three Southeast teams will make the playoffs.
- ESPN's Scott Burnside gives the Canes a grade of C for their first half.
- The Hockey News has a "Getting To Know" with Ray Whitney.
- Finally, who knew the Hurricanes were news in Taipei.
Tidbits — Jan. 6
by Cory Lavalette on Jan 6, 2009 11:00 AM EST
in Albany River Rats
20 comments
Some notes and stats concerning the Canes:
• Zach Boychuk helped lead Canada to their fifth straight World Junior U20 gold medal, his second consecutive with the team. While draft-eligible superstar John Tavares made the biggest splash throughout the tournament, Boychuk fared well with four goals and three assists in six games.
• Defensive prospect Brett Bellemore's injury-riddled season with the River Rats is over. The Canes reassigned Bellemore to Plymouth of the OHL for an overage season after he missed 27 games in Albany with an injured back.
• Belated congrats to Eric Staal, who won the NHL's Fan Fav award last week, garnering 59 percent of the vote.
• Speaking of Staal, he continues to inch his way up the NHL goal scoring chart. His 18 goals put him in a tie for 11th in the league, and his 30 points are tied for 58th. He's also tied for 13th in power play tallies (seven) and tied for ninth in game-winning goals (four). His 10 goals in the past month trail only Washington's Alex Ovechkin (13).
He's also still among the league leaders in shots (tied for third with L.A.'s Dustin Brown with 168, behind Ovechkin and Philadelphia's Jeff Carter) and trails only Ovechkin in missed shots with 75.
• Ray Whitney continues to be the Canes leading scorer. With 12 goals and 21 assists, Whitney is tied for 43rd in the league in points.
• Joni Pitkanen has been the workhorse the Hurricanes expected when they acquired him. His 25:26 minutes of ice time a night is good for 10th in the league. Fellow blueliner Joe Corvo is 29th in the NHL at 24:03 per game. Staal is 14th among forwards at 21:26, and Rod Brind'Amour is 28th with 20:28 a game.
• Brind'Amour continues to be among the league's top faceoff men, winning 62.9 percent of his draws. That trails only Nashville's Radek Bonk, who is just a touch better at 63.1 percent. In a funny side note, ex-Cane Mike Commodore has won two of three faceoffs this season. Only Minnesota's Brent Burns — who has seen time at forward this year — has taken and won more (three of five) among defensemen, and no one with multiple draws has a better percentage than Commodore's 66.7 percent.
• Tuomo Ruutu continues to impress in the hits department, ranking 19th in the NHL with 96. D-man Dennis Seidenberg remains in the mix for the blocked shots title despite missing some time due to injury, registering 92 (sixth in the NHL). Ryan Bayda's 36 blocked shots are tied for the third most by any forward in the league.
• Some plus/minus numbers:
- Pitkanen (plus-9 in 11 games), Staal (plus-8 in 13) and Whitney (plus-7 in 13) are among the NHL leaders in division game plus/minus.
- Patrick Eaves is a team-best plus-7 at the RBC Center.
- Brind'Amour still ranks last in the league at minus-26, including a brutal minus-20 at home.
• Finally, Cam Ward has been hot, best illustrated by the sevens wins he has in the last month of play. Only New Jersey's Scott Clemmensen (nine — he'll be in Raleigh tonight for a possible head-to-head matchup) and Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff (eight) have more.
LaCouture Picks Russia; Boychuk Leads Canada
by Cory Lavalette on Dec 30, 2008 9:21 AM EST
in Albany River Rats
1 comment
Dan LaCouture's back-and-forth flirtation with the Kontinental Hockey League is over, with the veteran forward deciding to leave the Albany River Rats and head to Russia. There are comments here from Albany GM/coach Jeff Daniels courtesy the Schenectady Daily Gazette, and also Jim Rutherford's take at LSB (soon to be Canes Now).
Pete Dougherty at the Times-Union also has some Rats news, most notably an injury to Tim Conboy.
Finally, prospect Zach Boychuk potted two more goals for Canada last night in a 5-1 win over Germany at the World Juniors in Ottawa. He now has three goals and three assists in three games, with the much-anticipated Group A matchup between Canada (3-0) and Team USA (2-0) set for New Year's Eve at 7:30 p.m. (available on the NHL Network in the States, TSN in Canada). Boychuk will face fellow Canes draft pick Drayson Bowman, who has two goals in two games for the United States. The winner of the game will likely win Group A (which also consists of the Czech Republic, Kazakahstan and the Germans) and get a bye into the tournament seminfinals. The much stronger Group B is still wide open, with Russia and Sweden both 2-0, Slovakia 1-1, and Finland and Latvia at 0-2.
Bowman recently got some love in this article by Kevin Allen of USA Today while Boychuk is getting his due in this game recap by the Canadian Press. There is another article about Boychuk and the bond he has with his talented twin sister here.
LaCouture Jumping To KHL?
by Cory Lavalette on Dec 18, 2008 11:20 AM EST
in Albany River Rats
26 comments
It sounds like the Canes have lost another depth player to the Kontinental Hockey League.
Dan LaCouture, who was invited to training camp and earned a contract with his play in the preseason, is leaving Carolina's AHL affiliate in Albany to play in the KHL, according to TSN.
If the 31-year-old journeyman has indeed left for Russia, he will be the second player under contract with the team to leave for the new league. Matt Murley left to play for Amur Oct. 7.
LaCouture was in Carolina's opening night lineup and played 11 games with Carolina before being waived and assigned to the River Rats in early November. He had two goals and 10 penalty minutes for the Hurricanes this season. In 12 games with Albany, he has a goal and five assists. LaCouture played in Switzerland last season but had hopes of returning to the NHL.
Darren Dreger, who reported the story for TSN, said the Hurricanes intend on suspending LaCouture if he doesn't reconsider.
Showing 1 - 8 of 28 Older
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- In which former NHL coach Ken Hitchcock foils a shoplifter
- Montreal's Price talks new 2-year contract, expectations post-Halak
- Donald Fehr aware of Kovalchuk drama, mum on everything else
- Puck Headlines: Savard's agent rants on Bettman; Halak in Montreal
- Boudreau, Crawford placed on the coaching hot seat
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
