Walz joins Warrener as newest Rovers

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

As rumour had it yesterday, the Rovers made a player acquisition for the second consecutive day Saturday evening.  Center Wes Walz moves from San Diego to Baffin Island along with cash considerations for forward Marcus Nilson and a second round draft pick.  Walz had enjoyed a solid season with the Aviators posting a team-leading 14 goals along with 11 assists for 25 pts in 40 games.  He led the Aviators in plus/minus at +12 and has blocked 18 shots as a forward.  “Wes fits right in with what we’re doing here”, Stringer said of the trade.  “Wes will kill penalties for us and play top-notch defense, but he also has some finishing skills, so we’re looking forward to adding him to our mix”.  Walz and Warrener are now expected to debut against the Crystals tomorrow night at home.

Rovers roar back, finish Funboys in final frame

Saskatoon, SK (CP)

Headed into the third period down a goal and down a goalie, the Rovers scored four times to earn a 5-3 come-from-behind win in Saskatoon.  Chris Mason, starting his first game in the past 12, stopped 20 of 21 shots he faced before being forced to leave the game in a 1-1 tie with two minutes left in the second period.  Martin Gerber relieved Mason and allowed Bill Guerin to score on the first shot he faced, making Saskatoon 2-1 leaders heading to the final period.  Then Murray and Demitra goals in the early third pushed the Rovers ahead 3-2.  Mike York equalized at the twelve minute mark, but Patrice Bergeron broke the draw for good with 65 seconds remaining.  Cory Stillman added an empty netter to make the final 5-3.  “This was a big win for us”, Stringer said.  “Another third period comeback, on the road, against the team chasing us in the standings.  There are still a lot of games to play, but this is satisfying tonight”.

The win pushed the Rovers lead to six point over the Saskatoon atop the Howe conference with the Funboys continuing to hold a game in hand.  Mason is not expected to be sidelined an extended period, but Martin Gerber will start the next game against the Calder-leading Seattle Crystals.  Newly acquired defenseman Rhett Warrener was expected to be uniform for the game, but was unable to get out of Chicago due to a severe storm in the area on Friday.  He is expected to make his debut in Iqaluit against the Crystals.

Rovers beef up blueline, acquire Warrener from Capones

Saskatoon, SK (CP)

In advance of their game in Saskatoon Friday night, the Rovers pulled the trigger on a long-discussed deal  for a veteran defenseman acquiring Rhett Warrener and cash considerations from the Chicago Capones in exchange for a first-round draft pick.  Warrener has played 44 games this season, amassing 3 goals and 9 assists for 12 points.  He leads the Capones regulars in PIM with 76, hits with 82, corner battle pct at 57.1, and is second with 21 blocked shots.  “We’ve won our games playing strong defense this year, and we identified Rhett some time ago as a player who would further strengthen what we do well”, Stringer said of his new defenseman.  “He’s going to be able to play strong D, kill penalties, block shots, and generally be a pain to play against in the corners and in front of the net.  We’re very pleased to add him to the room”.

The Rovers part with the first round pick belonging to the defunct New York Purge, which will be slotted at the end of the first round before any bonus expansion picks.  The Capones will be picking up nearly half of Warrener’s remaining salary, leaving the Rovers will more than a million dollars for further acquisitions.  “The cash was important, because it gives us the flexibility to make another move or two before the deadline”.  Warrener was informed of the trade early this morning and immediately caught a flight from Chicago to Saskatoon and is expected to be in the lineup against the Funboys tonight.

Player acquisition?

Sources inside the team have indicated to Rover Report that the team is on the verge of completing at least one player transaction in advance of their trip to Saskatoon tonight.  We will continue to work on this story as it develops.

Selects Snap Rovers Streak

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

Marian Hossa scored two goals including the game winner as the Lethbridge Selects downed the Rovers Thursday night by a count of 4-2, ending Baffin’s 10 game undefeated streak.  Hossa’s first goal broke a 1-1 tie with 17 seconds left in the first period, and following a second period equalizer by Kris Draper he snapped home the eventual winner early in the third.  Ryan Malone added an insurance marker two minutes later.  Kim Johnsson opened the scoring in the first minute of the game, a goal followed up by Serge Aubin’s 7th of the year.  Martin Gerber allowed four goals on 25 shots in the loss, just the third all season for the Rovers on home ice.

The Rovers now travel to Saskatoon for a critical matchup with the Funboys Friday night.  With the loss to the Selects, the Rovers ceded a game in hand to the Funboys without extending their four point cushion.  A loss in Saskatoon would put the Funboys in position to tie the Rovers for the conference lead, so Baffin will be keen to put forth maximum effort to maintain their standing.

Demitra, dozen others post demands

Iqlauit, NU (CP)

Pavol Demitra, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and UFA-to-be, issued his demand to Rovers management through his agent last week along with 12 other players.  Among the impending free agents are the team’s leading scorer this season (Glen Murray), the franchise leader in games played (David Legwand) , and one half of their goalie tandem (Chris Mason).  Other Rovers due to hit free agency are forwards Kris Draper, Jamie Lundmark, Cory Stillman, Antti Laaksonen, and Marcus Nilson, defensemen Keith Carney, Danny Markov, and Luke Richardson, and goaltender Jocelyn Thibault.

It is expected that the team is going to bring in a number of young players in the off-season, so fans are wondering how many veteran players will be brought back.  Under new rules, teams may only meet the demands of two players and the rest must test free agency.  “We’ve got some decisions to make for sure”, Stringer said of the situation.  “We expect to ice a younger team next season, but we definitely want a strong veteran presence to help out our young players.  Guys like Demitra, Murray, and Legwand have been around the team for a long time.  We’d love to keep them to show how much we’ve appreciated their play, but also because they’re still damned fine players in their own right”.

With a proposed new loyalty system reportedly on the way, teams will now have to balance signing a player to his demand and paying a signing bonus against trying to gain a loyalty advantage while fighting off 27 other teams in the auction.  “The auction will be different this year, no doubt”, Stringer said of the new system.  “The inability to match offers will definitely alter bidding.. we’ll just have to see whether it increases or decreases offers”.

Rovers get defensive, blank two straight

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

 Martin Gerber continued his stellar season this week by posting back-to-back shutouts against the Monarchs and Cougars.  Unfortunately the club was only able to garner three points, as Vesa Toskala matched Gerber’s effort in drawing the Rovers nil-nil.  David Legwand and Glen Murray did manage to beat Martin Brodeur in the 2-0 blanking of the Cougars.  “Marty and Mase have been outstanding all year; they’re the reasons we’re in first place”, Stringer said of his netminders.  “Marty has been real sharp during the recent run… we’ll need him to keep it up down the stretch”.  The win against Victoria stretched the Rovers unbeaten streak to nine games, winning seven and tieing two.  They’ll go for ten in the back-end of the home and home in Victoria.

Howe Conference Reserves Announced

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

As the coach of the top seeded Rovers, it fell GM Stringer to assemble the Howe All-Stars with the help from Funboys coach Baldwin and Penetrators boss Wong. With the starters announced as Lang/Hossa/Modin, Niedermayer/Redden, and Brodeur, the team needed to be fleshed out. After a quick exchange of ideas, the following players were selected to round out the lineup.

Center

Chris Drury – AVI: A bright light in San Diego, Drury has led the Aviators in scoring and faceoff pct so far this season and was a clear choice about Wes Walz or Mathieu Schneider.

Jason Arnott – EAG: Despite scoring only seven goals thus far, Arnott has played solid hockey for the Eagles, sitting third on the team in scoring and leading the team in hits and faceoff pct among centers.

Joe Thornton – ROV: After a slow start with his new team, Thornton has been on a tear recently, sitting tied for second in team scoring while leading the team in hits and leading team forwards in passing pct and corner battle pct.

Joe Sakic – YDP: Leading the Penetrators in scoring and ice-time among forwards, Joe is having another excellent season for the Calder leaders.

Left Wing

Rick Nash – GPS: An easy choice from the sophomore Stingers, Nash has twice as many goals as his nearest teammate while playing near even plus/minus on a team filled with negatives.

Patrik Elias – SOC: The Sockeyes goal leader sits fourth on the team in scoring and is not afraid to shoot… a quality that will be utilized with the tremendous passing centers on the team. Elias or Morrow was one of the more difficult choices, but Patrik’s goalscoring edged out.

Right Wing

Dany Heatley – CRY: Another fairly easy choice despite Mark Recchi’s strong campaign. Heatley brings his team-leading 17 goals to Kansas City.

Glen Murray – ROV: Has really perked up since the arrival of Joe Thornton, now leads the Rovers in scoring with 41 points while posting a team best +19 rating.

Brett Hull – SPA: The Spartan’s rep was another tight one with Hull, Shanahan, and Amonte garnering consideration, but Hull’s 20 goals and efficient passing could not be passed up.

Defense

Kim Johnsson – ROV: Having yet another strong season on Baffin Island, Johnsson leads the team in icetime and fourth among all defensemen with 28 points.

Nicklas Lidstrom – SOC: An All-Star game without Lidstrom.. well.. it just wouldn’t be right. And the Sockeye rearguard deserves it again, leading his team in icetime and SOC defensemen with 25 points.

Jordan Leopold – TME: Having chosen a forward from the Spartans, the T-Men had to contribute a defenseman, and Leopold is as deserving as any. 15 points and 24 mins a game lead all T-Men Dmen.

Sheldon Souray – YDP: Leading all RHL defensemen in goals, Souray sits second in D scoring tied with starter Wade Redden at 28 points. His +14 rating leads the Penetrators.

Goal

Dwayne Roloson – FUN: After years of goalie carousels, the Funboys’s choice of settling on one starter has paid off handsomely. Roloson sits 1st in the conference in GPts and GRate (3rd and 4th overall in the league, respectively).

Team Breakdown: ROV, FUN – 3; SOC, SEL, YDP – 2; AVI, COU, CRY, EAG, FRE, GPS, SPA, TME – 1

Rovers win fifth straight, pad lead in Howe

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

The Rovers play host to their long-time rival the Calgary Vampyres last night and downed them 6-1, posting their fifth consecutive victory and stretching their unbeaten streak to seven. The top line of Thornton, Murray, and Stillman combined for four goals and nine points, with Murray tallying twice and adding two assists. The win pushed the Rovers two points clear of the Reapers for first overall in the league and three points ahead of Saskatoon for first in the Howe Conference. “This stretch has been good for us”, Stringer said after the win. “We need to win the games you are supposed to win in order to get to where you want to be. I like how we’re playing now. Our goaltending has been very good, the D has been solid, and Joe’s line has really gotten into gear recently. I think he’s found his stride over the past week or so”.

The observation couldn’t be more true; during the seven game-unbeaten string, Thornton has posted seven goals and five helpers, while helping Murray put up 5 goals and 5 assists in just the past three wins alone. “It was hard for Joe to get into the groove early on. He wasn’t getting on the ice as much as he was with the Spartans, and we as a staff had to do a better job of getting them out there. Joe’s a horse; he gets better the more ice-time you give him. We’ve really made a concerted effort to get that line out there as much as possible over this streak, and they’ve responded to it in a big way”.

The victory over the Vampyres did not come without a cost, however. Forwards Pavol Demitra and Nathan Horton both suffered injuries in the second period and did not return. Both are expected to miss a week. “Demitra tweaked his groin and Nathan went into the boards pretty heavily and was feeling his shoulder”, Stringer said of the injuries. “We expect them to miss the next three games, but they should be ready after that”. While the next three games are certainly three that the pundits would expect Baffin to win, they could easily represent a trap to the recent success of the team. First comes a trip to Kansas City to play the Monarchs, and then a home-and-home with divisional rival Victoria. Three games against expansion teams should be easy, but both teams boast top-quality netminders and defensive schemes that have made them very difficult opponents. “Toskala has been great all season and Brodeur is the All-Star starter for a reason.. look how he beat the Funboys tonight. We’ll need to play for sixty minutes to win those games.. no shifts off”.