WOLVES THROTTLE REMPARTS IN REMATCH

Nash creeps towards 20-goal mark with 2 in Quebec

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Quebec City, Que- For the Thunder Bay Timberwolves, Monday's matchup against Quebec was more than a revenge game after the Remparts dropped them on Saturday. It was about recovering from a 3rd period implosion that opened their eyes and refocused their minds to what it takes to be one of the elites--consistency.

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"It's humbling after being embarrassed like we were on Saturday," said Timberwolves alternate captain and forward, Patrick Sharp prior to Monday's game. "I think Craig [Hartsburg, head coach] said it best after that game. We let up on them when we should've kept the pressure on them and not give them the chances that we eventually did. We're a good team. But good teams become great when they work as one and play with the same intensity in the 59th minute as you did in the first."

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After being down 1-0 early in the 1st period, Thunder Bay's Blair Betts immediately answered and a pair from Marian Gaborik and Rick Nash [pictured] put the Timberwolves up 3-1 going into the first intermission.

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"We're all too aware of that this team [the Remparts] is capable of when given time and space," said Timberwolves defenseman Nick Schultz between periods. "We have to keep taking it to them and shove our game down their throats."

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In the 2nd period Thunder Bay did just that.

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Nash, along with Gaborik notched their second goals of the game, and a pair from Ales Hemsky and Sharp put the Timberwolves up 7-1 going into the final 20 minutes and in firm control.

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In the 3rd period though, Mike Fisher made it 8-1 before Quebec scored three more to close out the game with a 8-4 victory for the Timberwolves.

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"Minus some sloppiness there in the second half of the 3rd period I liked the resolve of these hockey team today," said Hartsburg after the game. "But we've got to focus on that entire 60 minutes every game. I was looking for more after that 8th goal out of our guys. But we did put up alot to breathe easier. I'd just prefer we not let up on anyone, no matter the score."

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The Timberwolves play again on Wednesday when they travel to Niagara Falls to take on the Thunder.

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>>>3-STARS

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>>>*Marian Gaborik [THU] - 2 goals and an assist

>>**Lee Stempniak [QUE] - 2 goals and an assist

>***Rick Nash [THU] - 2 goals

REMPARTS RALLY, STUN TIMBERWOLVES

Gaborik's two goals not enough to get past Quebec

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Thunder Bay, Ont- Everything was going right for the Timberwolves for 40 minutes on Saturday against the Quebec Remparts. Too bad the game went on for 25 more.
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Thunder Bay's leading scorer [Marian Gaborik, pictured] notched goals 40 and 41. TJ Oshie added a power play tally. A 4-2 lead was held going into the 3rd period. The Timberwolves had just potted 3 goals off of 28 shots on Quebec's Thomas Greiss. Momentum was clearly in the home club's favour. Why should they be worried? They were 31-0-1 when holding a lead after two periods. Even if the Remparts managed a comeback, Thunder Bay was still 3-0-8 in overtime. Too bad Quebec didn't care anything about that.
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Midway through the third period, Quebec mounted their comeback. At 16:16 they tied things up with a power play goal after a terrible penalty from Timberwolves defenseman Erik Johnson. The momentum had clearly swung.
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In overtime, it was a shot from Radim Vrbata that dropped the Timberwolves 5-4. Arguably their worst loss this season.
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"There is no sugar-coating this one," remarked a visibly upset Timberwolves head coach, Craig Hartsburg after the game. "Everything we did well in the first forty minutes was completely washed out by this absolutely poor excuse for hockey in that third period. No disrespect to Quebec, but I'm kicking my team's ass over this. Until we figure out a killer instinct on a consistent basis, we're in trouble. We let up on these guys and paid for it. It cannot happen again."
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Sticking to his guns, Hartsburg cancelled the scheduled day off tomorrow [Sunday]. They will practise early Sunday and then depart for Quebec City for their home-at-home rematch against the Remparts on Monday.
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If there was any doubt before about who's in the coach's doghouse, it was confirmed that Erik Johnson is.
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Johnson, who's ill-advised hook in the offensive in the third period that led to Quebec's tying goal on the power play, warmed up the bench in overtime. He will now not only not dress for Monday's rematch, but will not even travel with the Timberwolves there. Newly acquired Andreas Lilja has been promoted from the practise squad.
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"Nothing is given here," said Hartsburg. "This isn't personal with Erik. He's had his struggles in his game, and that penalty is indicative of that. He was out of position and scrambled to recover. Hopefully some time staying here and watching video and doing drills with the practise squad will rectify his game. We're serious here and need everyone to bring their A-game everyday."
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After Quebec on Monday, the Timberwolves remain on the road to take on Niagara Falls on Wednesday and Budapest on Friday.
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>>>3-STARS
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>>>*Radim Vrbata [QUE] - Game-winning overtime goal and an assist
>>**Marian Gaborik [THU] - 2 goals and a assist
>***Matt Duchene [THU] - 2 assists

WOLVES DROP HONVED, KEEP STREAKING

Kariya scores empty net goal in debut

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Thunder Bay, Ont- Keeping pace with the other top-tier hockey clubs in the CCHL, Thunder Bay unwelcomed the Budapest Honved by sending them on their way with a 3-1 Timberwolves victory on Tuesday.

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Making their debut in Thunder Bay, Paul Kariya [pictured] and Mark Streit were given prime opportunities to make an immediate impact with their new club. Streit played on the top defensive pairing with Anton Volchenkov, logged 25 minutes and 2 shots on goal. It wasn't until the final :34 seconds in the game that Kariya made it on the score sheet with an empty net goal. A gimme goal that could've easily come off the stick of the two assisting players, Ales Hemsky and Mike Fisher. Kariya also outshot every player on the ice with 8 shots on goal.

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"It was nice of the guys to set me up like that," said Kariya after the game. "It's been a crazy couple of days. But since I got here it's been great. The guys welcomed me in right away and it's been really comforting. There's alot of talent here, and some really great individuals that reflect the overall class of this organiztion."

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The Timberwolves will get back at it on Thursday when they welcome their provincial-rival, Niagara Falls Thunder [28-29-4] to Thunder Bay.

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>>>3-STARS

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>>>*Paul Kariya [THU] - Empty net goal [first with Timberwolves]; 8 shots

>>**Rick Nash [THU] - Goal

>***Erik Johnson [THU] - Goal; +3

NEW WOLVES TO MAKE DEBUT TUESDAY

Thunder Bay, Ont- The Trade Deadline has passed and as stated a day earlier, Blake Wendt and the Thunder Bay Timberwolves let it expire without any last second personal moves. At least not with another team.
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Two deadline acquired players will make their Timberwolves debut on Tuesday against the visiting Budapest Honved as per the line-up card submitted this morning to the league office.
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Defenseman Mark Streit [pictured] who was picked up from Long Island will wear #2 and be paired with Anton Volchenkov on Thunder Bay's top pairing.
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Left-winger Paul Kariya who was the last deal made by Wendt prior to the deadline with Prague, will wear #29 and start on the third line with Ales Hemsky centered by Mike Fisher.

WOLVES ADD KARIYA TO THE MIX

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Thunder Bay, Ont- Early Sunday morning the Thunder Bay Timberwolves announced the acquisition of veteren left-winger, Paul Kariya from the Prague Piranhas along with a fourth round draft pick in exchange for veteren defenseman Adam Foote and prospect forward Devante Smith-Pelly.
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On the eve of the CCHL Trade Deadline (following Monday's games) the Timberwolves announced the deal with Prague and that the roster is set for the season and playoff push.
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"We are pleased to introduce Paul Kariya as a member of the Thunder Bay Timberwolves Hockey Club. Paul brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and class to our dressing room, as well as much needed depth to our lineup and gives us plenty of options for each given opponent. We look forward to getting Paul out on the ice for us and taking this ride into the post season. As far as making any further moves before tomorrows trade deadline, we are done. This group is what we're going with and I am very optimistic about our chances in our ultimate goal this season. From top to bottom, up front and in the nets out, we are very deep and laden with top-tier talent. The players we've recently added only add to what was already a very tight group of guys. We've stuck to our gameplan with not only the talent, but we've added class individuals. People you wouldn't mind as your neighbour. An example being one of the first acts when Mr. Kariya arrived. As a veteren, it is normally your right to have 'your' sweater number if a younger players has it. Obviously the #9 has been a number synonymous with Paul throughout his career. Matt Duchene did not hesitate in offering it up when they met at the airport. Being a rookie, it was the right thing to do, and Matt did not even have to be asked. But Paul declined and said that it was Duchene's number and he'd take whatever was given to him. Truly a class act on both parts."
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Kariya has been given #29

SHARP CLIPS WINGS; WOLVES DEALING AT DEADLINE

Sharp adds second hat trick in as many games for the Timberwolves in rout over Black Wings

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Linz, Austria- While adding to the roster back in Thunder Bay, Blake Wendt's Timberwolves were adding goals in bunches on the Black Wings in Austria on Friday.

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Matt Duchene opened the games scoring in Linz when the rookie pivot made it 1-0 for the Timberwolves at 1:57 in. Less than a minute later at 2:42, Patrick Sharp [pictured] made it 2-0 for the Thunder Bay-native's 27th.

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A goal from Linz's Toby Petersen cut the lead in half at 3:12. But another from Sharp at 5:57 got that goal back. Only to be answered again by the Black Wings at 13:03 from Jason Spezza to make it 3-2 Thunder Bay.

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A late tally from Mike Fisher at 18:39 doubled up the Timberwolves lead going into the intermission.

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"We got a little off our game a few times out there," said Fisher at the break. "Too much time and space for them and they made the best of it. We have to tighten things up and clean up our zone a little more and we'll be successful."

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At 6:53 into the 2nd period, Sharp completed the hat trick while killing a penalty. The second 3-goal performance from a Timberwolves player in the last two games [John Tavares on Wednesday]. Marty St. Louis made it close again for Linz at 9:21 to make it 5-3. But Rick Nash's goal at 11:02 deflated the Black Wings chances.

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Another short handed goal for the Timberwolves' Antti Miettinen closed out the game's scoring and completed another Thunder Bay win at 7-3.

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"It's good to get this kind of production with so many guys out," said head coach Craig Hartsburg after the game. Marc Savard, Ales Hemsky and Carl Gunnarsson did not travel with the club due to injuries. "These are the kinds of games to build off of and keep the morale up. But each game's a test and we have some big ones coming up."

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The Timberwolves will get some much needed rest as they do not play again until Wednesday when they take on the Budapest Honved [36-17-6] at the Canadian National Gardens. Not only will Savard and Hemsky return then, but the Trade Deadline will have passed during that period. Something that kept the hockey club's general manager, Blake Wendt back in Thunder Bay.

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Wendt added scoring and depth on the blueline on Thursday night. The first deal announced was that of Long Island sending Mark Streit to Thunder Bay in exchange for rookie defenseman, Jason Garrison. Streit is currently tied for 3rd in the league in goals from a defensemen with 14. Garrison has been playing in the minors with Duluth in his first pro season since departing the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

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Within an hour of the Streit acquisition announced, a deal with Niagara Falls was released. The Thunder sent defenseman Andreas Lilja to the Timberwolves in exchange for centre Torrey Mitchell and Thunder Bay's 5th round draft pick in 2011. Lilja adds playoff depth for the Timberwolves and is a stout defensive defenseman to shut down the opposition. Mitchell, who was picked up as a free agent in the summer had only been recalled once on an emergency basis, but did not play at all.

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The Trade Deadline is Monday. Blake Wendt was not available for comment after making these most recent trades.
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>>>3-STARS

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>>*Patrick Sharp [THU] - 3 goals [hat trick] and an assist

>**Mike Fisher [THU] - 1 goal and 1 assist and 14/18 on face-offs

***Blair Betts [THU] - 3 assists

HAT TRICK TAVARES

Tavares nets first career hat trick in win over Prague
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Thunder Bay, Ont- There's was no slowing down the Thunder Bay Timberwolves on Wednesday once they got started. Three goals within the first fifteen minutes were more than enough to hold onto an eventual 6-3 win for the home club.
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Despite injuries to two of their key forwards, the Timberwolves rallied around their freshmen corps to take down the Prague Piranhas. Ales Hemsky and Marc Savard missed this game and the next due to injury.
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TJ Oshie opened up the games scoring for the former North Dakota Fighting Sioux's 18th on the season from Rick Nash and Brooks Orpik at 4:06. Oshie making up a newly formed second line with Nash and centred by rookie John Tavares.
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Tavares got into the game at 8:29 for the Mississauga-native's 16th from Oshie and fellow rookie, Carl Gunnarsson. The Timberwolves first overall pick in 2009 was not done there. At 13:35 Tavares netted his second and Thunder Bay's third goal from Oshie and Nash. The 3-0 lead would hold into the first intermission.
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"Johnny's [Tavares] on fire," remarked linemate Rick Nash between periods. "He's a special player. Especially inside the offensive zone and in tight. He could notch a half a dozen today at this pace." Nothing like high expectations, eh?
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In the second period the Piranhas mounted a comeback. Although they are not likely to make the playoffs, they are a hockey club with alot of pride.
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A Martin Havlat goal at 2:43 was met with a Patrick Sharp tally at 8:44. But two more from Prague and a gruesome injury to Thunder Bay's Gunnarsson swung the momentum clearly in the Piranhas favour going into the second intermission.
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Gunnarsson was helped off the ice by the Timberwolves trainer midway though the second period after he was laid out by Ryan O'Reilly and remained motionless for about a minute. O'Reilly's hit was borderline illegal as it was high to the shoulder his glove grazing Gunnarsson's head. But the dazed Swede seemed more concerned with his shoulder or collar bone area. O'Reilly was not assessed a penalty on the play.
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"From my angle is surely didn't look clean," said Timberwolves assistant coach Ryan McGill. "Looked like Gunny took a shot to the head and nothing was called. But the ref saw it differently, and I guess that's all that matters. It's a big loss for us."
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In the third period, Thunder Bay unloaded a barrage of shots on Brian Boucher. At 14:32, John Tavares completed his first career hat trick with assists from Nick Schultz and Oshie.
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At 18:56 Steve Sullivan netted his first Timberwolves goal while on the power play from Matt Duchene and Marian Gaborik.
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The Timberwolves learned after the game that Gunnarsson is lost for at least the next ten games with an upper-body injury. They will travel to Austria on Friday to take on the Linz Black Wings [23-30-5].
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>>>3-STARS
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>>>*John Tavares [THU] - Hat trick
>>**TJ Oshie [THU] - 1 goal and 3 assists
>***Rick Nash [THU] - 2 assists

KEY INJURIES IN WIN OVER WINNIPEG

Tavares nets 15th and an assist in win

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Thunder Bay, Ont- Continuing to build on some solid wins, the Timberwolves took on their rival from across the Boundary Waters on Tuesday and downed the Winnipeg Ferrets 5-1 in front of a weekday capacity crowd at Canadian National Gardens.

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Things started off on a bad note for Thunder Bay though early in the first period. Carrying the puck into the offensive zone, Marc Savard was hammered just past the blueline by Carlo Colaiacovo and gingerly skated back to the Timberwolves bench. He would return.

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Antti Miettinen helped ease the pain when the Finnish forward put the Timberwolves up 1-0 for his 7th goal of the season from newly acquired winger Steve Sullivan [first THU point] and rookie centre John Tavares [pictured].

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Anton Volchenkov made up for an early ill-advised penalty to start the game and released a missle of a shot from the point for the Russian blueliners 5th of the season from Ales Hemsky and rookie defenseman Carl Gunnarsson.

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The injury bug bit again on the very next shift of Hemsky when he appeared to catch a rut in the ice and put no weight on his left knee back to the bench. He did not return and is expected to miss tomorrows game and possibly the next.

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Marc Savard who was obviously showing the effects of the earlier hit, managed to make the Ferrets forget about him long enough to sneak in behind the defense and accept a beautiful pass from Erik Johnson for his 13th goal.

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Winnipeg would not go down in the first period and scored a late tally from Eric Fehr at 19:55 to make it 3-1 Timberwolves going into the intermission.

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"We took a licking out there in the hits department, but at least we still potted a few goals in to sort of make up for it," said Timberwolves alternate captain, Patrick Sharp at the break. "We broke down there at the end with Fehr's goal. So that needs to be addressed and rectified. We have to maintain complete control for 60 full minutes."

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In the second period, control was the word to live by. Winnipeg did manage to double up their shots on Henrik Lundqvist [5-to-10]. But the Timberwolves keeper was sharp and stopped all of them and John Tavares added to the score with a smart intercepted Ferrets pass and broke away on Simeon Varlamov beating the Russian goalie for his 15th goal in this rookie campaign.

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In the third period, Lundqvist seen very little work [3 shots against] and Erik Johnson finished off the games scoring for the Bloomington, Minnesota-native's 7th from Keith Ballard and Marian Gaborik. The Timberwolves taking down the Ferrets with a 5-1 win.

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Despite the win, the Timberwolves learned that they will be without Hemsky and Savard for the next two games [tomorrow against Prague and Friday at Linz].

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As mentioned, the Timberwolves are right back at it tomorrow when they welcome in the Prague Piranhas [19-31-9] to CN Gardens.

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>>>3-STARS

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>>>*John Tavares [THU] - 1 goal and an assist

>>**Erik Johnson [THU] - 1 goal and an assist

>***Anton Volchenkov [THU] - Power play goal

WOLVES TAKE DOWN HOMERS 4-1

Duchene's two goals lead Wolves to win over Springfield

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Springfield, Mass.- A player swap on the eve of their showdown provided some added drama between the Springfield Homers and Thunder Bay Timberwolves on Sunday.

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"It's a little weird right now," said Steve Sullivan who was acquired by the Timberwolves on Saturday with two prospects in exchange for Simon Gagne and prospects and a pick. "I've been through this before [regarding being traded]. But it's a little different to be traded and just move your gear from one stall to another in the same building."

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Sullivan met his new teammates on Saturday evening when they arrived in Springfield. A team dinner that night and Sunday's morning skate helped the Timmons, Ontario-native begin to get comfortable with his new team. "They're a really tight group of guys. Very family-like and you can tell just from being around everyone that they'd back one another no matter what the occasion."

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Donning their road black 'Sunday' sweaters for only the second time since introducing the threads just before Christmas, the Timberwolves were looking to break the tie skid from their previous two games against Copenhagen [3-3] and Dayton [1-1].

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Tomas Plekanec put the Homers on top first for the Czech forwards 11th on the season from former Timberwolf, Radek Dvorak at 3:39.

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A pair from rookie pivot, Matt Duchene [pictured] at 14:31 and 19:54 put Thunder Bay on top and in control going into the first intermission.

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"We got a little deflated there with that first goal from Plekanec," said Duchene at the break. "But we didn't let it keep us down and the whole team picked up their game and kept things close. Henrik [Lundqvist, 12 saves in 1st period] made the key saves he's been making all year, and we all just built on that."

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In the second period, the lone goal came off the stick of 'Mr. Dependable', Marian Gaborik for the Slovakian snipers 39th on the season from Rick Nash and Marc Savard at 18:17. Gaborik is on the same 50-goal pace as last season when he finished with 57. Lundqvist stopped all 11 shots he faced.

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Rick Nash closed out the game's scoring at 4:09 in the third period for his 15th goal from Savard and captain, Keith Ballard. Thunder Bay won 4-1.

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Although outshot 39-19, the Timberwolves coaches were pleased with the overall game.

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"There's always from feeling out when there is a trade made right before a game. Especially a road game," said assistant coach Ryan McGill. "But we didn't let that early goal against get to us and Lundqvist was outstanding for us again. The shots against were high, but not bad bouncing shots that Lundqvist happened to get lucky on. Lanes were pretty clear and there were alot of long, desperate shots. Our defensemen did a good job out there."

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In his first game for Thunder Bay, Steve Sullivan played on the 4th line with Duchene and a double-shifted Gaborik. He played 10 minutes, did not have a shot on goal and was a +1. Simon Gagne did not dress for Springfield.

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>>>3-STARS

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>>>*Matt Duchene [THU] - 2 goals

>>**Rick Nash [THU] - 1 goal and an assist

>***Henrik Lundqvist [THU] - 1 goal against and 38 saves for the win

WOLVES TIE MUSICMEN; TRADE ANNOUNCEMENT

Lundqvist's 47 saves keeps Wolves even with Dayton
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Thunder Bay, Ont- The build up of a major contest was much the same on Friday as one two days earlier in Denmark. The number three Timberwolves welcomed the number four Musicmen to Thunder Bay and the end result was much the same. A split of two points at hand, and no clearly better hockey club.
>>>Managing 14 shots and 11 minutes of power play time, the Timberwolves could not solve Mikka Kiprusoff and both teams remained scoreless through the first 20 minutes of hockey.
>>>"We had plenty of chances to get ahead," Timberwolves forward Ales Hemsky said between periods. "But we didn't and it's going to be a struggle to capitalize on a team like this if we continue to lay eggs when we're being handed the game by their penalties."
>>>In the second period, Simon Gagne broke the ice for Thunder Bay at 4:00 for his 17th goal from John Tavares and Hemsky to make it 1-0 for the home team.
>>>But two more power play opportunities provided nothing for the Timberwolves, and at 19:16 Kris Draper made them pay to tie things up late and into the intermission.
>>>In the third Dayton found their game and unloaded shot after shot on Henrik Lundqvist [pictured]. But Thunder Bay's backstop was equal to the task and kept his team in it despite spending literally half of the final period killing penalties.
>>>In overtime, the Timberwolves had their chances again. Putting six solid shots on goal. But 65 minutes of hockey proved nothing more than once again... Thunder Bay has met their equal.
>>>In all, Thunder Bay was 0-8 on the power play (also 6-6 on the penalty kill) and were outshot 46-48.
>>>"It's frustrating to give up those chances to take over the game," said Timberwolves head coach Craig Hartsburg. "It's was there on a platter and we got up from the table with nothing. In the second intermission we talked about disipline. It was the A #1 thing we needed to focus on. So we go out and end up spending half the period in the box? We were lucky. Absolutely lucky to take a point out of this. If not from our goalie, we watch Dayton move over us in the standings. Henrik [Lundqvist] better be getting some very expensive dinners out of this."
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>>>3-STARS
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>>>*Henrik Lundqvist [THU] - 1 goal against and 47 saves
>>**Mikka Kiprusoff [DAY] - 1 goal against and 45 saves
>***Simon Gagne [THU] - 1 goal
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>>>TRADE NEWS
>>>
>>>Within minutes of Simon Gagne saluting the Thunder Bay crowd after being named a third star, he was informed of his trade to the Springfield Homers.
>>>"It wasn't the most ideal of timing," remarked Timberwolves GM Blake Wendt regarding the deal. "The deal was sputtering along for awhile. Simon knew he was on the block. Springfield accepted the deal during the game and it was sent to the league for approval and accepted immediately following the game. Simon has been a great contributor to the Timberwolves and if not for the logistics of free agency, we would have loved to have kept him. He has a wonderful opportunity in Springfield and should get quality minutes and likely be their UFA re-sign."
>>>With Gagne, the Timberwolves also dealt prospects Linus Omark, Danny Kristo, John Ramage and their 1st round pick in this summers Entry Draft.
>>>In return Thunder Bay gets UFA left winger, Steve Sullivan and prospects Brayden Schenn [centre] and James Reimer [goaltender].
>>>"We are thrilled with the return from Springfield. We feel Sullivan is an upgrade on the third line for our playoff run. Like Gagne wouldn't have been, Sullivan is also not going to be re-signed by us as a UFA. He understands that, and is looking forward to getting here and giving his all for that ring.
>>>Brayden Schenn has been on our radar for a very long time. Up until we moved up to the third spot in the '09 draft [used to take Matt Duchene], he was our guy at the five spot. Luckily for us, we moved up and took Duchy, since Schenn went right after him at four. Brayden is the real deal. He's solid in all aspects of his game. He's physical. He's a leader, and he's ripping up the WHL much the same as he did at world juniors. That said, he's still a couple seasons away from making our team. He'll finish up this season in Saskatoon and spend next season in Duluth.
>>>James Reimer is a 22 year old minor-league pro goaltender who honed his craft at Red Deer prior to being drafted by Springfield in 2006.
>>>"Reimer's a big goalie that is very technically-sound and never gives up on the puck. He plays his angles well and doesn't get rattled easily. All very good traits for an up-and-coming goalie."
>>>In a strange set of events, the Timberwolves next game is Sunday at Springfield. To avoid awkward tension on the plane, Simon Gagne traveled commercially to Springfield and Thunder Bay will depart Saturday afternoon. Steve Sullivan remained in Massachusetts after the trade and will meet his new teammates when they arrive.

WOLVES DRAW CRUSADERS IN TOP SHOWDOWN

Duchene notched 2 assists in draw with Crusaders

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Copenhagen, Denmark- A meetings of epic proportions took place in the Danish capital on Wednesday with the 2nd place Thunder Bay Timberwolves visiting the 1st place Copenhagen Crusaders.

>>>The end result proved nothing more than both hockey clubs are far too similar to name one better than the other. At least for one game.

>>>A goal from newly acquired Rene Bourque put the Crusaders up first in the opening period. A tying tally from Ales Hemsky cleaned the slate and evened things up for the Timberwolves going into the first intermission.

>>>"We're playing them tight and getting the shots we want," said Timberwolves rookie centre, Matt Duchene [pictured] between periods. "We know we can play with these guys. Now it's a matter of overtaking them and taking some points home with us."

>>>In the second period, Steven Stamkos became the first player in the CCHL this season for score 50 goals. The former Sarnia Sting centre made it 2-1 for the Crusaders while on the power play at 2:59 from Bobby Ryan and Mike Green.

>>>Thunder Bay's Patrick Sharp tied things up again at 7:40 for his 25th of the season from Duchene and Rick Nash.

>>>Another Timberwolves goal from Simon Gagne at 14:09 from Carl Gunnarsson and Hemsky put the visitors on top for the first time in the game and took that lead into the third period.

>>>"We cannot back down in this next 20 minutes," said Timberwolves defenseman Erik Johnson. "They can be explosive if given space, and we need to isolate them and limit their chances while still pushing the puck and taking chances ourselves. It's great to have this lead. We just need to hold it and add to it. Not an easy task against a team like this."

>>>The Timberwolves lead would not hold. At 7:10 into the 3rd period, Stamkos reached #51 and bringing Copenhagen back.

>>>Having lost their brief lead, Thunder Bay limited their opponent to only five more shots in the period. But so did the Crusaders. Limiting the Timberwolves to seven shots. Jimmy Howard stopping them all.

>>>Overtime would solve nothing, and both hockey clubs skating away with a 3-3 tie and splitting the two points at hand.

>>>"It's disappointing," summed up Timberwolves head coach Craig Hartsburg after the game. "We weren't disciplined and we lucked out with them only scoring once with eight power play opportunities. We need to shut down their top guys, and we didn't. Some might say we proved we are equals with a tie. That's horse s***. Our focus and lone goal for this game was to win. We didn't. So we failed there. I'm not going to let this club settle for a draw. If we want what every other team in this league strives for, we have got to get better. I know we have it. It's a matter of wanting it more than the other guy."

>>>The Timberwolves flew out immediately after Wednesdays game to return home and prepare for another tough opponent on Friday against the Dayton Musicmen.

>>>"We should be healthy and have a complete roster. So we're good there," said Timberwolves GM Blake Wendt from his office back in Thunder Bay. "Dayton is loaded and are running in full stride right now. Match-ups will be key for us. They roll out four solid lines and will make you pay dearly if you don't match them. We'll be ready though.

>>>

>>>3-STARS

>>>

>>>*Steven Stamkos [COP] - 2 goals [50 & 51]

>>**Ales Hemsky [THU] - 1 goal and an assist

>***Bobby Ryan [COP] - 2 assists

WOLVES WIN IN FINALE AT HAVANA

Hemsky's hat trick and assist guide Wolves to victory
>>>
Havana, Cuba- For the last time, the Thunder Bay Timberwolves traveled to Havana on Monday in an attempt to rebound from a tough loss in Denver on Saturday. Monday's trip was the last as the Havana Moon have announced their intentions to move their franchise to Keflavik, Iceland for the 2011-12 season. Thunder Bay plays Havana once more this season, but at home.
>>>The Timberwolves got off to a quick start with TJ Oshie's 17th goal just :07 seconds into the game from Mike Fisher and Nick Schultz. Matthew Lombardi tied things up for Havana at 3:50.
>>>At 9:30, Ales Hemsky [pictured] took the lead back with the Czech sniper's 23rd from rookie blueliner, Carl Gunnarsson and Simon Gagne while on the power play. Hemsky made it 3-1 less than two minutes later, when he notched his 24th at 11:25 from Gagne again and Brooks Orpik.
>>>A fourth tally from Gunnarsson at 12:21 closed out the scoring in the opening 20 minutes to put the Timberwolves up 4-1.
>>>The second period's scoring opened with Hemsky notching his 3rd of the game for his second hat trick of the season from Orpik and Blair Betts.
>>>A pair of goals from the Moon cut the lead in half, but Patrick Sharp's 24th at 18:07 closed out the second period scoring with Thunder Bay up 6-2.
>>>In the third, Havana made things interesting. Kristian Huselius notched his 2nd of the game at 4:31 and Guillaume Latendresse goal at 16:26 raised the blood pressure for the Timberwolves.
>>>The late Moon goals were not enough though, and Thunder Bay escaped Cuba for the very last time with a win.
>>>"We've got to get leads and hold on to them, " remarked Thunder Bay head coach Craig Hartsburg while boarding the team's plane. "Scoring goals is not the issue with us. It's keeping theirs out of ours. Something we've got to rectify immediately."
>>>The Timberwolves [33-15-6, 72 points] departed Cuba north to Denmark to take on the 1st place, Copenhagen Crusaders [33-12-9, 75 points] on Wednesday. A club they've yet to solve this season [0-2]. The games don't get any easier after their bout with the Crusaders when Thunder Bay flies home to take on the Dayton Musicmen [33-17-4, 70 points] on Friday.
>>>"The importance of these next couple games cannot be over-exagerated," said Timberwolves GM Blake Wendt. "If you want to be one of the elite, you have to beat the elite."
>>>
>>>3-STARS
>>>
>>>*Ales Hemsky [THU] - 3 goals [hat trick] and an assist
>>**Kristian Huselius [HAV] - 2 goals and an assist
>***Nik Antropov [HAV] - 4 assists
>>>
>>>Injury Report: Already without Anton Volchenkov who was injured while making a hit in Denver, fellow defenseman Brooks Orpik will not travel with the club to Copenhagen due to an undisclosed injury while blocking a shot in Havana. Volchenkov may return for Wednesday's game in Copenhagen. Orpik will return for Friday's game against Dayton.

PROSPECT KRISTO RECOVERING FROM FROSTBITE

St. Paul, MN- Thunder Bay Timberwolves prospect and current North Dakota Fighting Sioux sophomore forward is recovering from severe frostbite to his right foot at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kristo suffered the frostbite on the UND campus in Grand Forks, North Dakota on Sunday night where temperatures dropped to close to -30 (F) degrees. He was airlifted to Regions where they specialize in burns and frostbite.
>>>"I've spoken with [UND head coach] Dave Hakstol and he's spoken directly to Danny and his family about Danny's condition," said Timberwolves general manager, Blake Wendt after arriving in Denver for Thunder Bay's game on Saturday. "They tell me that Danny is getting better and will be recovering at the safest pace possible. He's not lost any toes or anything like that, but frostbite is extremely dangerous and not something that can be rushed in recovering from. Obviously it's unfortunate as he was coming off his best game of the season and looking to build off of that. But it's all about recovering now and keeping faith. We hope that he can return to North Dakota and get back at it and show us what he's got in the summer at the prospect evaluation camps."
>>>
>>>For further updates on Danny Kristo's condition, visit the link below:

http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=205089557

10 GOALS ENOUGH TO DERAIL EXPRESS

Fisher's 4 points leads Wolves in rout over Express
>>>
Uniondale, NY- A day after a cross-continent flight from Victoria, British Columbia to Long Island, New York, the Thunder Bay Timberwolves showed no signs of jet lag or any lag in general after toppling the Express on Thursday, 10-1.
>>>The bleeding started early for the struggling east coast hockey club. Anton Volchenkov [pictured with Mike Fisher] took a commanding 1-0 lead just :13 seconds into the game. Fisher closed out the opening 20 minutes with his 23rd of the season to take the Timberwolves into the intermission with a 2-0 lead.
>>>Henrik Lundqvist was back in net after getting the Victoria game off in favour of Brian Elliott. Lundqvist stopped all 11 shots faced in the 1st period.
>>>"I was a little worried going in that we'd not have our legs and take some time to catch up," said Lundqvist between periods. "It didn't take long for those worries to subside."
>>>The onslaught did not end in the 2nd period for Long Island. Rick Nash took a feed from Marian Gaborik at 2:32 in for a 3-0 lead.
>>>Patrick Sharp made it 4-0 at 4:11, and TJ Oshie scored his 16th at 13:43 to close out 40 minutes of hockey.
>>>If the Express were expecting a mercy card to be handed out in the 3rd... they would've been wrong.
>>>Blair Betts made it 5-0 at 2:40, while Matt Duchene scored his second career power play goal at 8:55 from Brooks Orpik and Nash. Orpik's first Timberwolves point.
>>>The nine minute mark brought in a pair from Gaborik [9:40] and Simon Gagne [9:59] before Long Island took away to one thing the Thunder Bay goaltender was looking for... a shutout. Brad Boyes notched his 4th from Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to make it 9-1.
>>>At 13:01, Fisher took that goal back and finished off the game at 10-1.
>>>"We've all been on the other side in games like this," said Fisher after the game. "We don't take pride in a score like this. But we're not letting up on ounce either. We start playing real games like it's the All-Star game and we form bad habits."
>>>"You know, it's great to dominate a game like this," said head coach, Craig Hartsburg. "It gets alot of guys going and into a groove. I would've kicked their asses all the way to Denver if they started giving away goals. Hopefully we'll bring it up a notch or two, because it's a rough ride for the next few games."
>>>The Timberwolves have their work cut out for them on Saturday when they take on the Denver Spurs [28-17-7] and try to subdue their 4.62 goals per game average.
>>>
>>>3-STARS
>>>
>>>*Mike Fisher [THU] - 2 goals and 2 assists
>>**TJ Oshie [THU] - 1 goal and 3 assists
>***Marian Gaborik [THU] - 1 goal and 3 assists

LEFT COAST WIN GETS WOLVES ON TRACK

Stellar goaltending and Nash's 2 points spark Wolves to win over rebuilding Ronin

>>>
Victoria, BC- An offensive explosion and in particular, an explosion with the man-advantage led the 3rd place Thunder Bay Timberwolves to a 5-1 victory over the Victoria Ronin on Tuesday. The visiting Wolves notching three power play goals off of four attempts while getting the best out of their backup goaltender, Brian Elliott.
>>>Victoria's Blake Wheeler opened up the games scoring for the Minnesota-native's 6th of the season for a struggling Ronin club at 2:35 in.
>>>A power play tally from Thunder Bay's Simon Gagne evened things up at 15:41 and both clubs would go into the dressing room all tied up.
>>>"I thought we played a little flat, and maybe it was the legs after a back-to-back," said Timberwolves goal-scorer, Gagne between periods. "They've got a proud team over there, and we have to respect that and expect nothing but all out effort from them throughout the rest of the game."
>>>Thunder Bay held their own in the second period with the help of an early early goal while again with the man-advantage from Rick Nash [pictured] at :59 from Marc Savard and Carl Gunnarsson. The lone goal of the period and ten saves from Elliott.
>>>"We did what we needed to do," said the rookie Gunnarsson at the intermission. "Elliott's been top notch and we don't need to do anything different in front of him than we'd do in front of [Henrik] Lundqvist."
>>>Elliott's stellar play continued into the final 20 minutes of the game. Stopping all 14 shots faced while getting a cushion from another power play goal [Patrick Sharp], a shorthanded goal [Antti Miettinen] and an even strength goal for good measure [Ales Hemsky], to drop Victoria 5-1.
>>>"It's a good win," remarked head coach, Craig Hartsburg after the lopsided tilt. "We allowed too many shots. Our goalie bailed us out there. But we've got to clean that part of our game up. Proud of the guys that have been struggling some like Ricker [Nash] and even Gunnarsson. So it's good to get those guys going again."
>>>The Timberwolves play again on Thursday when they travel across the continent to take on the Long Island Express [16-32-3].
>>>
>>>3-STARS
>>>
>>>*Brian Elliott [THU] - 36 saves and 1 goal against for the win
>>**Rick Nash [THU] - Power play goal and an assist
>***Blake Wheeler [VIC] - 1 goal