Staff
As leagues around North America are getting underway for another season, a number of area players have taken to the ice for their first few games of the campaign.
In the OHL, Emo’s Luke Judson had a goal and two assists for the Belleville Bulls as the team captain enters his final season in the league as an over-age player.
Judson’s lone goal thus far came Friday night in the Bulls’ 2-1 win over the Oshawa Generals, which helped move the team to a 2-3 record entering tonight’s rematch against the Gens in Belleville.
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In the NAHL, Emo-based goalie Jameson Shortreed is sporting a 2-2-1 record, along with a 3.46 GAA as of press time, in his first season with the Alexandria Blizzard.
The former Fort Frances Laker notched his most recent win Friday night in a 3-2 triumph over the host Minot Minotauros, during which the 18-year-old turned aside 18 shots to out-duel former Wisconsin Wilderness goalie Jake Hebda.
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The 2011/12 NCAA Division I hockey season officially gets underway this weekend, but a number of teams took part in exhibition games against Canadian schools last weekend, where a pair of Fort Frances players made an immediate impact.
Joe Basaraba, entering his sophomore season with the defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, scored what proved to be the game-winning goal as the Bulldogs skated to a 5-1 win over the Lakehead Thunderwolves in preparation of a weekend series against the top-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
At Bemidji State, forward Mitch Cain found the back of the net in the third period of the Beavers’ 7-0 drubbing of the Regina Cougars, giving the freshman forward a nice start to his college career prior to his first regular-season game on the road this weekend against the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks.
Meanwhile, St. Cloud State freshman goalie Ryan Faragher will get his first taste of Division I action this weekend in Anchorage as the Huskies take on both Alaska-Fairbanks and Alaska-Anchorage in the Kendall Hockey Classic.
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Finally in the CIS, Devlin’s Jordan Davis has been part of the first two games of the season for the Manitoba Bison, who currently lead the Canada West standings with a perfect 2-0 mark.
While he’s yet to crack the points column, the freshman forward registered three shots on goal in the team’s 2-0 victories over the Calgary Dinos last weekend, and will be looking for his first points in regular-season play next weekend when the Bison return to action against the Alberta Golden Bears.
