SABRES HIRE ERIC STAAL; TAGE THOMPSON TO REP USA
It took a few weeks since the regular season came to an end, but the Buffalo Sabres finally announced some movement to their front office. While General Manager Kevyn Adams remains at his post, he is gaining help around him, with the hiring of Eric Staal as Special Assistant to the General Manager, the team announced earlier this week.
Staal’s connection to Adams dates back to 2003, when their playing careers overlapped on the Carolina Hurricanes. Within the two and a half seasons spent on the ice together, Staal and Adams lifted the Stanley Cup as Champions in 2006. Once Kevyn Adams took over GM duties in Buffalo in 2020, one of the first moves he made was to sign his former teammate. Staal played in 32 games with the Sabres during the COVID-delayed 2021 season, before he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens. That same year, Staal and the Habs went on a miraculous run to the Stanley Cup Final, taking advantage of the one-off schedule structure that had the seven Canadian teams playing in the same division. Staal’s playing career ended in 2024, making this his first job post-retirement.
In other Sabres news, forward Tage Thompson is representing team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, beginning today in Denmark. Thompson has been chosen as an alternate captain for the Americans, participating in his third World Championship. Throughout his international career, Thompson has won two bronze medals, in 2021 and 2018 at the World Championships, while earning gold medals at the 2017 World Junior Championship, and in 2015 at the U18 World Championship, all with Team USA.
In a pre-tournament game this Sunday, Thompson scored two goals to help lift the Americans over Germany, 5-2. The 2025 World Championship opens today, with Team USA taking on the hosts, Denmark, at 2:30 Eastern. USA then faces Hungary Sunday morning as the preliminary round continues. The quarterfinals begin next Thursday.
MAPLE LEAFS GRIND OUT VICTORY IN GAME TWO VS FLORIDA
The Toronto Maple Leafs took game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinal, 4-3, on Wednesday night, gaining a 2-0 series lead over the Florida Panthers.
Despite two power plays in the first ten minutes of the game, Toronto was unable to capitalize. Then, just five seconds into their first penalty kill of the game, the Maple Leafs suffered the first goal of the night, as Panther captain Sasha Barkov sniped a wrist shot past Joseph Woll. The Toronto backup goalie got the nod as Anthony Stolarz was ruled out for the game after getting injured by Sam Bannett in game one of the series. Florida held the 1-0 lead for about seven minutes, before former Sabre Dmitry Kulikov flipped the puck out of play, taking a delay of game penalty. The first power play unit for the Leafs, stacked with talent, was stifled, but as their secondary group came onto the ice, the veteran Max Pacioretty parked in front of Sergei Bobrovsky. The former Canadiens captain deflected a shot from Morgan Rielly past the Panther netminder to tie the game at 1-1, with less than two minutes remaining in the first.
In typical Maple Leafs fashion, the momentum gained by the stellar end of the first period was wiped away, as noted Leaf-nightmare-dweller Brad Marchand scored fifteen seconds into the second, giving Florida the 2-1 lead. Less than five minutes later, Toronto’s Pacioretty won a puck battle at neutral ice, gaining possession into the Panther zone, with William Nylander streaking to the net on a rapidly developing 2-on-1. In spite of the pass being in Nylander’s skates, the Leafs’ leading playoff goal scorer settled the puck down and lifted a backhander over Bobrovsky’s glove equalizing the score with Nylander’s sixth tally of the postseason.
This second period was wide open, with fast paced action in both directions. The Maple Leafs were on the wrong side of plenty of chances, but their defense was constantly in passing and shooting lanes. In total on the night, Toronto blocked twenty-five Panther shots of the fifty-three they attempted to put on Woll. Late in the second, the Maple Leafs put on one of the best end-to-end passing sequences I’ve seen all playoffs. Starting behind their own net, Max Domi collected the puck, and quickly upped it to Steven Lorentz on the half-wall. Barely holding the puck for three seconds, Lorentz sent it to the center-ice red line, where Scott Laughton tipped it to his right for the streaking Morgan Rielly. The Leaf defender one-touched it forward into the Panther zone as Lorentz was slicing in the middle. On a partial break behind Sam Bennett, Lorentz slipped it back across the crease to Domi, who one-timed it on goal, beating Bobrovsky blockerside for the 3-2 lead. It was one of those sequences that coaches draw up for a drill in practice, executed to perfection in-game, against the defending Cup Champs, no less.
The game was so wide open, there were no penalties called after the halfway point of the second period, but that didn’t mean for a lack of goals in the third. Five minutes into the final period, Florida’s Anton Lundell tied the game once again, tapping home a feed from Aaron Ekblad. However, just twenty-seven seconds later, Mitch Marner scored his second goal of the playoffs, with a long-range snap shot that fooled Bobrovsky, giving Toronto the 4-3 lead. That score would hold till the final horn, as the Maple Leafs gained a 2-0 series lead over the Panthers.
The second round series heads down to the Sunshine State for games three and four in Florida. Game three is tonight at 7PM.
BANDITS REST UP AS WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL CONTINUES
Thanks to sweeping their opponent in the NLL Semifinal, the Buffalo Bandits earn the weekend off, as they await their opponent in the Final, with the Western Conference Champ still to be determined.
The Saskatchewan Rush defeated the Halifax Thunderbirds 16-7 on the road in game one of the Western Conference Final last week Saturday. Game two of that series is tomorrow night in Northern Saskatoon, with the if necessary game three scheduled for Sunday night, also in Saskatchewan. In the regular season, Saskatchewan tied with Buffalo in terms of overall record, with both teams ending the year at 13-5. The Bandits won the tiebreaker for the top seed with the head-to-head, 9-7 win in early March.
Regardless of the result out West, game one of the NLL Final will be in Buffalo on Friday May 16th. Tickets are available here.
WNY HOOPERS GARNER ALL STATE HONORS
Four Western New York high school basketball players were named All-State Players of the Year for their respective Conference, as the All-State Honorees have been announced by the New York State Sportswriters Association.
Westfield’s Carson Swanson was named Co-Player of the Year for the Boy’s Class C, while State Champion Carter Brink from Panama was given the sole POTY honor for the boy’s Class D. For the girl’s, Lancaster’s Madison Francis was named Class AAA Player of the Year, and State Champion Jadyn Trocki from Frewsburg was granted the honor of POTY for Class C.
Overall, there were seven first team honorees from WNY, along with seven second team all-state members, and six more third teamers from Section VI and the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association.
[The full list of All-State honorees is available on today’s Scoreboard, at BTPM.org/npr.]
Boys
4th Team Class AAA - Jaydian Johnson, Jamestown
6th Team Class AAA - John Strong, Niagara Falls
9th Team Class AAA - Elijah Farmer, Jamestown
1st Team Class AA - Nate Blenman, St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute
2nd Team Class AA - Nakyhi Harris, Bishop Timon-St. Jude
3rd Team Class AA - Nicholas Purdie, Canisius
4th Team Class AA - Charlie Croff, Lockport
5th Team Class AA - Patrick Cullinan, Canisius
6th Team Class AA - Tre Paulfrey, Nichols
9th Team Class AA - Jaymeir Goosby, St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute
10th Team Class AA - Nahassan Young, Health Sciences
11th Team Class AA - Zayvion Hawkins, Health Sciences
13th Team Class AA - Harlem Brannon, Kenmore West
2nd Team Class A - Jayce Wylke, Grand Island
3rd Team Class A - Carter Lampke, Williamsville South
5th Team Class A - Nate Wilemski, Williamsville South
6th Team Class A - Will Szablewski, St. Mary’s (Lancaster)
8th Team Class A - Antonio Andrews, Amherst
8th Team Class A - Elijah Dixson, Amherst
9th Team Class A - Justus Kleitz, Iroquois
12th Team Class A - Sam Platt, Pioneer
13th Team Class A - Graydan Barnwell, Lew-Port
14th Team Class A - Elijah Greene, Park
2nd Team Class B - Tacari McCray, Olmstead
2nd Team Class B - Aidan Neumann, Wilson
4th Team Class B - Darren Brooks, Akron
5th Team Class B - Carson Kwiatkowski, Allegany-Limestone
8th Team Class B - Roger Markham, Falconer
10th Team Class B - Maddox Isaac, Salamanca
11th Team Class B - Anthony Johnson, Middle College
12th Team Class B - Michael Mingle, John F. Kennedy
14th Team Class B - Haile Doucet
Class C Co-Player of the Year - Carson Swanson, Westfield
1st Team Class C - Drew Hind, Randolph
3rd Team Class C - Brady Wiskup, Holland
4th Team Class C - Zach Maguire, Westfield
6th Team Class C - Trelin Warrior, Gowanda
8th Team Class C - Nick Jacobson, Chautauqua Lake
11th Team Class C - Jude Gerbec, Holland
Class D Player of the Year - Carter Brink, Panama
1st Team Class D - Bryce Hinsdale, Panama
3rd Team Class D - Alex Barmore, Panama
6th Team Class D - Jacob Anders, Forestville
6th Team Class D - Tate Catanese, Panama
Girls
Class AAA Player of the Year - Madison Francis, Lancaster
1st Team Class AAA - Kyla Hayes, Cardinal O’Hara
6th Team Class AAA - Mikeyla Biles, Cardinal O’Hara
2nd Team Class AA - Mila Bissett, St. Mary’s (Lancaster)
4th Team Class AA - Annabelle Day, North Tonawanda
5th Team Class AA - Evelyn Wolcott, Nichols
7th Team Class AA - Jada Mushat, St. Mary’s (Lancaster)
8th Team Class AA - Megan Milleville, Starpoint
9th Team Class AA - Lilly Day, North Tonawanda
9th Team Class AA - Halle Senfield, Orchard Park
11th Team Class AA - Azirel Hall, Lockport
11th Team Class AA - Sophia Waliszewski, Starpoint
12th Team Class AA - Julie Cruz, Nichols
1st Team Class A - Kimora Berry, Williamsville South
1st Team Class A - Molly Mescall, Iroquois
4th Team Class A - Celsy Colombo, Pioneer
5th Team Class A - Kendall Hulsman, Iroquois
6th Team Class A - Ava Gunnells, West Seneca West
9th Team Class A - Lucy Giordano, Amherst
12th Team Class A - Taryn Ashley, Amherst
3rd Team Class B - Leilene McComber, Salamanca
4th Team Class B - Gianna Sirianni, Southwestern
4th Team Class B - Anna Chunco, Newfane
10th Team Class B - Augustine Krenzer, Falconer
12th Team Class B - Bella Thrush, Wilson
12th Team Class B - Abby Gerstung, Akron
Class C Player Of The Year - Jadyn Trocki, Frewsburg
1st Team Class C - Skylar Herington, Randolph
2nd Team Class C - Ava Jimerson, Frewsburg
3rd Team Class C - Teghan Trocki, Frewsburg
5th Team Class C - Quinn Pence, Randolph
6th Team Class C - Emiley Anderson, Cassadaga Valley
10th Team Class C - Abery Harvey, Frewsburg
10th Team Class C - Aliyah Hopkins, Cassadaga Valley
2nd Team Class D - Kelsey Wagner, Sherman
6th Team Class D - Emmerson Crawford, Sherman
7th Team Class D - Kiera Loberg, Panama
8th Team Class D - Kaitlyn Horton, Panama
The Scoreboard is presented by Zenner and Ritter Heating and Cooling.
